He’d written the historical aspects. It wouldn’t take him long to layer in his personal thoughts and how coming here had impacted him. He was targeting a journal that specialized in “lost” late-twentieth-century history.
There was a journal for everything.
“What if she’s…you know…” Luis had an expectant expression on his face.
“No, I do not know.” He was interested in whatever Luis said next because he was lost as to what this conversation was truly about. Luis was always so practical, so easy going, but he seemed nervous about one woman.
“What if she’s from another college?”
He laughed out loud at that. Luis’s anxiety became crystal clear, and David found nothing but humor in it.
Tessa’s head turned. “You okay, Haw…David?”
Getting her to start calling him by his first name was a definite plus. “Luis thinks you’re an academic spy and you’re going to steal my ideas and claim them for your own in a ruthless attempt to get tenure at your own university.”
She frowned. “And you think that’s funny why?” The frown disappeared like she couldn’t quite keep it up, and a sunny grin hit her face. “Okay, it’s pretty funny. I fall asleep writing a grocery list much less some academic paper. Your work is safe with me.”
Luis had flushed slightly. “Sorry. She shows up out of nowhere, and I have to worry. You can be naïve about the more ruthless parts of our business.”
David felt bad about putting Luis in this position without any warning. “Tessa’s not here to steal anything.”
Anything but sex, and he was going to make sure she didn’t get away with it. A little thief could get caught in a trap.
“Ruthless parts?” Tessa sank down to the brown chesterfield sofa in the middle of the room. “Is this that publish or perish stuff?”
“Both your parents were teachers,” he chided. “You should know this.”
She shook her head. “A high school teacher and a community college freshman bio teacher. The only thing they published were quizzes. Though my dad was often featured in the letters to the editor section of the Morning News. He believed in the power of a sternly worded letter.”
Oh, he liked it when she relaxed. When she decided to lower those walls of hers they clicked, and he could feel the energy between them. “See, Luis, she has no designs on my work.”
Her expression softened. “Though I do admit I find all of this interesting. This man you’re writing about lived a fascinating life.”
“Don’t I know it?” a familiar voice said. “David, it is so good to see you again. You look so much older, and I have no idea how you managed to convince this beautiful creature to even stand in the same room with you. Mi ángel, me dejás sin aliento.”
A brow rose over Tessa’s eyes. She got to her feet and strode over, though when he thought she would hold a hand out to Eduardo Montez, she moved to David, slipping her hand in his. “I take it this is our celebrated host?”
Eddie looked more and more like his father the older he got, which was a good thing since Ricardo Montez had been considered an attractive man. He’d always had a way with the ladies, and his affairs were legendary. Eddie was busy following in his father’s footsteps by playing as much of the field as he possibly could.
He wouldn’t be playing with Tessa, though, since she’d made her choice when she’d taken his hand in hers. “Yes, baby, this is Eduardo Montez, and he’s what they like to call in these parts un chamuyero.”
She looked up at him, obviously confused. “A what?”
Tessa might speak exquisite Spanish, but she hadn’t spent a lot of time in Buenos Aires where they had their own language of the streets. Lunfardo. Not that he and Eddie had spent time on the streets either, but he found it fascinating. “It means he’s a smooth talker.”
“I am, pretty lady.” Eddie gave her a high-wattage smile. His eyes were on Tessa, but he leaned toward David. “When Mateo told me you showed up with a woman, I assumed you’d brought another grad student with you. I thought she would look like the female version of Luis.”
“I only have one grad student. I was lucky to get him.” His concentration wasn’t the most popular. The professors who taught American and European history typically had several.
Eddie smiled Tessa’s way. “You are so much better.”
“I’m not that bad,” Luis complained. “I get some action. Sometimes.”
Eddie sighed and looked her over again. “Entonces ella no es mi regalo de cumpleaños?”
Like he would hand over Tessa as a birthday present. “Vos faltás seis meses para que cumplís años. Ella es mía.”
“Hey, you promised to speak English around me, babe.” Tessa had a frown on her face.
Another surprise. She didn’t want them to know she spoke Spanish? “Sorry. We can speak English.”
“Of course we can, though she should know everyone here will be surprised that such a beauty can’t speak the language of her ancestors. Where are you from, pretty girl?” Eddie asked.
“Dallas,” came Tessa’s even reply. She was excellent at playing a part. “Though my parents immigrated from Mexico, if that’s what you’re asking. I was born in the States, and my parents wanted me to fit in. I used to speak a little, but not anymore.”
He had no idea what she was doing. Half their conversation the night they’d met had been in Spanish. He enjoyed going back and forth, but if she was lying about her skills then she probably had a reason. He was going to let her lead, and they would talk about it when they were alone.
“Well, then we shall have to speak in English from now on around you,” Eddie offered. “First, let me apologize for not being awake to greet you. I had a long night and overslept. I’ve been excited about seeing my friend again after all these years. Now I see that he’s changed since he’s somehow managed to convince a woman to put up with him. You’ll have to tell me how you did it. I am sadly alone.”
“He’s rarely alone for long,” David retorted. “He likes the ladies. Sometimes two or three at a time.”
Tessa looked between the two of them. “And you were close friends in college?”
“Opposites attract,” David reminded her. “And maybe I was different in college. Maybe I was a player.”
She tilted her head up, and her words came out soft. “No, you weren’t.”
There was approval in that denial, an affection for him he hadn’t expected. She didn’t mind his good-guy side.
He hoped she liked his big bad Dom. She would find that while he could get nasty, he still wasn’t a player in the common definition of the word. She would be the only one he played with if she let him.
“Oh, I can tell you so many stories.” Eddie moved to the bar. Naturally there was a bar. He pulled a bottle of champagne from the small wine fridge and opened it with an expert hand. “You should have seen the poor kid from Texas trying to find his way around São Paulo. He spoke perfect Spanish and bad Portuguese. I felt sorry for him. And then he was amusing.”
“I’m glad I could keep you entertained,” David said, leading Tessa back to the sofa.