Santa Fe Sunrise by Tanya Stowe

Author:Tanya Stowe [Stowe, Tanya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2015-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

11

Emilio looked up and gave her a casual wave and smile.

Rafaela’s pulse skipped and then stuttered back into a steady beat. Swallowing hard, she returned the wave and then moved to the counter to place her to-go order. Her glance continued to stray back to the table.

She hadn’t seen Angie in a while. Her old friend looked as if she’d lost weight. Her slender form was almost too thin, but every bobbed blonde hair on her head was in place and done in the latest style. She wore a pencil-straight blue dress with short sleeves and a dark blue belt buckled to her impossibly narrow waist.

Always the epitome of fashion. Angie managed to make Rafaela feel slightly insecure. Still, she looked as if she belonged on a busy New York sidewalk, not here on Santa Fe’s plaza.

Rafaela’s own peasant-style top and slightly ruffled skirt fit the feel and flair of her hometown. She knew who she was and where she belonged, and that knowledge lent her a comforting confidence. Rafaela flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder, grasped her to-go bag, and headed for the door.

“Rafaela, wait. I need to talk to you.”

She glanced back.

Emilio had risen from his seat. He said something quiet to Angie then grasped her hand in an intimate way.

As he walked toward Rafaela, Angie turned and shot her a look so virulent, so full of animosity and hatred that Rafaela gasped.

“What is it?” Emilio touched her arm and looked back.

Angie turned away, leaving visible only the perfectly coiffed back of her perfectly shaped head.

“Are you OK?” Emilio asked.

Doubting what she’d seen, Rafaela spun and walked quickly to the door.

The sprinkle of rain suddenly released a deluge. She and Emilio were forced to back up against the building as the rain splattered and splashed the sidewalk. The damp, musty smell of wet asphalt soon gave way to a fresh, clean scent of rainfall. Something about that pleasant, unsoiled fragrance washed away the disturbing feelings Angie had ignited.

Rafaela had been mistaken. Surely Angie could not possibly harbor such animosity toward her. They’d had their differences but they’d once been friends. She was overreacting, possibly because of Emilio’s presence.

“You’re not going to get crazy about my meeting Angie, are you?”

Rafaela looked up at her tall friend. Hard to believe this six-foot giant was the boy she used to beat in races and climbing trees. A deep crease cut into his handsome forehead.

She smiled. “Do I have a reason to get crazy?”

“Of course not. Angie and I…well, it’s personal.”

He meant to reassure her. Instead, a ripple of fear shivered its way through her carefully maintained control.

“You didn’t mention the showing, did you?”

“I’m not stupid, Rafaela. I know how things stand between you two. But—well, we have some history…some unresolved past.”

The two had dated briefly in high school, but Angie’s parents had disapproved. The relationship ended badly. It was something Emilio never discussed.

“And you decided to resolve those issues right now, just before the most important event of your career, knowing how she feels about my gallery?”

“It just sort of happened.

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