Chapter 57

Francine sensed him before he even had a chance to knock, jumping up from her scrubbing position on her knees to fly to the door. She flung the portal open and threw herself in Alejandro's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs about his waist.

"Now that's a welcome," he quipped in her ear, squeezing her back just as tight.

"What took you so long?" she asked as he carted her clinging frame into her town house.

"My bike died. I ended up having to wait for my brothers to show up with my car and Ignacio's pickup truck. They took my bike back to see if they can bring it back to life, and I drove back here as fast as I could."

"You should have called," she admonished.

"I, um, kind of got mad when the bike died and might have pitched my phone," he admitted sheepishly.

A giggle escaped her. "Naomi's done that more times than I can count."