Sarah beamed back. “You found us.”

“I did. Your directions were perfect. I only got lost three times, which is good for me.”

Sarah turned to Danny who was still blatantly staring at Emory. She resisted the urge to pop him in the back of his head. “Danny, meet my friend Emory Owen. Emory, this is my pesky little brother, Danny.”

“Daniel,” he amended, extending his hand. His voice was suspiciously an octave lower than she was used to. She turned to him curiously and elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop it. Come on, Emory. Let’s go outside and I can introduce you around.”

“Maybe we can talk later, Emory,” Danny called after them.

She smiled. “Definitely.”

Sarah turned around and shot him one last “what’s gotten into you” glare before pulling Emory into the yard. Once on the vacant patio, they had a brief moment alone, several yards from the nearest guests. Someone had put on a CD, and Tejano music now blared throughout the yard louder than Sarah would have liked. She planned to fix that problem shortly. In the meantime, her interests were elsewhere. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” Emory was smiling.

“Sorry about my stupid brother.”

“Don’t be. He seems sweet. He also looks a lot like you, and that’s a big plus. You’re a sight for sore eyes, by the way. It’s been a long week.” Sarah couldn’t agree more and resisted the urge to touch Emory’s cheek. God, how she wanted to.

“Maybe we could steal some time after this.”

“That would—”

“Sarah Rose, who is this nice person you have with you? Introduce your mother.”

Sarah turned and found her mother standing five feet behind her, hands on her hips. She took a noticeable step away from Emory, who seemed to register the move behind her eyes. Sarah felt the guilt right away.

“Mama, this is the friend I told you about, Emory Owen. She was also a recent client of ours. That’s where we met.”

Emory stepped forward, instantly on. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Matamoros. Sarah speaks very highly of you, and I have nothing but rave reviews from the services Immaculate Home provided me.” Sarah smiled sweetly. If only her mother knew the extent of that statement.

“Emory Owen! Of course.” Not missing a beat, she pulled Emory into a full-on embrace, probably gripping her tighter than Emory had ever been gripped. “Sarah’s told me all about what a wonderful experience she had working for you. I was so happy to hear that you two have grown to be good friends. And you know, Sarah’s phone has been ringing off the hook after that press release you sent out. She’ll have to tell you all about it. We’re so pleased you came to the party. Have you met Robert yet? He’s the birthday boy, you know, right over there. Oh, and, Sarah, introduce her to your cousin, Martin, next. He’s single, Emory, and very, very handsome.”

Sarah suppressed an eye roll and instead smiled obediently. “Will do, Mama.”

“Emory, can I get you a drink?”

“Sure, um, maybe a glass of white?”

Her mother frowned and turned to Sarah. “Do we still have that bottle your Aunt Mariana gave us?”

“How about a beer, Em?” Sarah knew full well the bottle in question was covered in dust and well past its ten-dollar prime.

“Yes! Of course. I would love a beer. Any kind you have.”

Her mother smiled gregariously once again. “Miller Lite?”

“Perfect.”

“Coming right up!”

As her mother scurried happily to the cooler, Emory closed her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. Strike one.”

“We’re just more of a chips and beer kind of a family is all.”

Emory lifted one shoulder. “I love chips and beer.”

“Sure you do. Come on, I’ll introduce you to all the key players. Try to look somewhat attractive, okay?”

Emory couldn’t help a short burst of laughter as Sarah tugged her into the yard. She met several of Sarah’s aunts, uncles, and cousins, who were all very friendly and maybe even a little tipsy. Next, she met Robert and Cristina and their baby. Robert looked like a bulkier, he-man version of Danny with thinning hair. It was fascinating to meet so many people who resembled Sarah and Grace. As if on cue, Grace appeared out of nowhere and threw her arms around Emory’s waist. She looked down at her affectionately. “Hiya, kiddo. How’s your life?”

“Great. How’s your life?”

“Can’t complain. Ready for school?”

“I can’t wait. Only two more days. We did all of our shopping this week. Mindy and I are in the same class this year.”

“Well, that’s a plus. And George?”

Immediately blushing, Grace tugged on Emory’s arm, prompting her to lean down so she could whisper in her ear. “He asked me to go to SeaWorld with his family. I haven’t asked Mom yet. I wanted to get your advice. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Deal,” she whispered and nodded, taking the situation as seriously as Grace seemed to be. With that, Grace scampered away to play freeze tag with her rather boisterous group of cousins.

Sarah surveyed the action from a few feet away. “Why do you get all the juicy information?”

“Because you’re the mom and are thereby deemed ineligible.” Sarah frowned and Emory laughed. “Cheer up, Charlie. I’ll tell you everything she said if you want me to.”

Sarah was thoughtful. “No. As long as it’s not life threatening or morally threatening, I can handle not knowing every little detail of her life the second it comes off the presses. I want her to know that she can trust you.”

“Well, it’s neither of those two things, rest assured. Now, when do I get to meet your dad?”

And here we go. “How about now? Come on. He’s on grill duty, his favorite pastime in all of life. He’s going to love you, by the way.” Sarah knew this was a big introduction. Her father was the most important man in her life, and she needed for him to see how wonderful Emory was.

There was a spring in her step that took a shuddering leave of absence the moment she took in the scene ahead. Carmen and Roman stood next to the grill laughing. Alongside them, complete with her smiling father’s arm on his shoulder, stood James. Sarah froze, and her mind scrambled to piece together the probable series of events.

“Surprise,” her mother whispered in her ear from behind. Sarah’s fears were confirmed. Unable to form a complete sentence, she felt herself ushered by her mother over to the group, Emory lagging somewhere behind.

“Hey there, beautiful,” James leaned in and kissed her cheek.

She was still in somewhat of a state of shock and answered evenly. “Hi.”

“I hope you don’t mind me popping in on you. Your father invited me when I stopped by the job site earlier this week.”

“I told him to!” Her mother grinned like the cat that swallowed the canary. “I knew you’d be thrilled to see James, and this gives him a chance to meet the rest of the family.”

James wrapped his arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Well, then it’s you I have to thank, Mrs. Matamoros.”

“Call me, Yolanda,” her mother answered dreamily.

Sarah couldn’t believe this was happening, but was determined to keep a cool head. “You’re always welcome, James. It’s nice to see you.” She looked to Carmen, whose eyes widened as if to say “I had no Godforsaken idea this was going to happen. Please don’t kill me.” She offered a tiny helpless shrug to punctuate.

Deciding to stay the course, Sarah pressed forward. “Papa, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is my friend, Emory Owen. Emory’s the CEO of her own company and went to Stanford.” A few bonus points couldn’t hurt, right?

Roberto Matamoros turned to Emory and extended his hand warmly. “Are you the artist Graciela was telling me about?”

Emory smiled and took his hand. “I suppose so, though I don’t actually paint anymore.”

“My granddaughter thinks the world of you. Welcome to our home.” He patted her hand and bowed his head. But his attention shifted back to James and Roman, the men clearly taking precedent with him in this moment. “So, James, do you have any other big projects lined up?”