summer glow.

“I know what you mean. Really doesn’t get cuter than that kid. Definitely takes after Mari too, yeah.” He barely looks like his good-for-nothing father and maybe that’s a good thing.

His lips curve into a little smirk as they approach the shop they were looking for. He slows down when they are in front of it and turns to face her. “Yeah? Well, I’m holding you to sticking around long enough to find out.” Is he laying it thick here? Absolutely, but a little flirting never killed anyone. “Hope they’re able to fix your bracelet. Drop my name and they might chop off more of the cost.” He suggests with a smile. 

She doesn’t know the full story of Antonio’s dad, but Elena’s gotten the gist that he’s a good for nothing deadbeat. “Those two could get anything they wanted with just a few bats of their eyelashes.”

The mention of his nephew makes his smile stretch wider. “Oh, you met my little buddy too, huh?” Antonio is a big light in the lives of the entire family, but especially his. Maybe not more than Mariana, but definitely close. Domonic loves that kid to death and he’s definitely made him more impatient than ever to want to settle down and start his own family. 

“Of course.” He says back, smiling easily. He can sense flirtation when it’s right in front of him, but he has to tread carefully. Usually all of his sister’s friends are off limits to him. Ever since they were younger and to this very day. “Annoying? I’ll have you know my sister is lying. I am nothing of the sort. Well, I mean, not really… Okay, maybe a little.” He jokes back.

“I did! He’s so cute, I can barely stand it.” He looks just like Mariana with those big brown eyes and sweet little smile. She’s been warned a few times about how Antonio isn’t always a quiet little angel, but Elena has yet to see him so as much as fuss in the time she’s been around him. “He’s the sweetest little thing. Looks just like Mari, too.”

He laughs, half amused and half proud. “Yep, that’s definitely my sister for sure.” He would’ve been more surprised if she hadn’t been given that grand tour by Mari. 

“Lorena,” he echoes, giving a smile and a brief nod of his head. “Pretty name. It’s great to meet you, too. I’m also a little scared to think about what exactly Mari said to you about me.” He teases. 

“She’s an angel. So is sweet little Antonio.” Genuine kindness is something that Elena isn’t exactly familiar with, so to experience it in droves is definitely new to her.

“Of course she did. Bet she gave you a whole grand tour of the place, too. Mari’s definitely a special kinda person.” He’s met a lot of people in his life, but none have been as genuinely good as her. Sometimes he worries about that getting her into trouble somehow. He’s doesn’t want anyone taking advantage of her. It’s already happened once and it doesn’t want to see it happen again. 

“Oh, um, I’m Domonic, by the way. I mean you might already know, but I don’t know. Just in case, I guess.” He gives a half nervous laugh, feeling a bit silly, but that’s out there now. “What’s your name?” 

“She did! Showed me around, told me all about the places worth seeing. I’d still be lost if it weren’t for her.” Meeting Mari was definitely surprising. She was expecting a stranger’s kindness to only extend to some simple directions before parting ways, but Mariana went above and beyond. For Elena, that’s not easily forgotten.

“Well, what can I say? My folks raised me right.” He teases although it’s not a lie to him. In his opinion his parents raised him and Mariana very well. He’s thankful they gave him a good home and an amazing family. He loves them with his whole heart. And of course Mariana was one of the first people this woman met. “Not surprised. Mari always is the one to walk right up to a new person and welcome them to town.”

She’s always been that way. As a child, if there was a new kid in class she’d befriend them immediately. If someone looked sad or lonely, she’d go talk to them. If someone needed help, she’d go above and beyond to provide it. Most people think he’s being dramatic about the type of person his sister is. Then they meet her. “I gotta tell ya, I don’t think I’m anywhere near as good as that girl,” he jokes.

“No doubts there. You and Mari are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.” Elena hasn’t been saddled with solely bad apples, but enough of them that it makes her forget the kindness she’s experienced over the years. “She’s a doll. I was hopelessly lost my second day here and she was kind enough to help me. Just like you are now.”

He’s a little proud of himself. Sure, it’s been awhile and he may be a bit out of practice with flirtation himself, but can recognize it when he hears it. His smile gets almost sheepish. “No thanks necessary. It’s my pleasure, honestly.” This certainly beats the hell out of all the nothing he was doing before.

Her making mention of his sister’s name is enough to make his stride slow down and his brows knit together. “Yeah. Yeah, it is actually. You’ve met her?” A question with an obvious answer probably, but he lets it ride.

“Not just anyone would be so kind.” Elena has been in her fair share of cities, and the men she found there were all rich entitled pricks who would sooner die than nothing anything or anyone outside of their oh so important circle. It made for easy marks, because they would be too arrogant to see it coming, but not for any semblance of pleasant conversation.

“Good thing I’m here to help then, I guess.” He says with a little grin. “C’mon, it’s not too far away.” Being in this town his whole life means being able to pick a new person like her out of the crowd with ease. And he knows he’s never actually seen her before. He would surely remember seeing a woman as gorgeous her. It’s tempting to use the fact that she must be relatively new and make note of it as a way to keep the conversation going, but knowing how people are in this town, he imagines she’s got to be over that whole conversation by now.

He doesn’t want to bore her to death with that sort of small talk the whole way there, so he decides on something else. Something he hopes she’ll at least find amusing. “My sister’s the only reason I had to look like an idiot looking for it in the first place.” He says, chuckling. Somehow Mari managed to rope him into becoming her errand boy whenever he wasn’t working. “She owns the antique shop and sometimes she gets pieces of jewelry that are broken and what not. So one time she asked me to drop something off there and I did. Then she asked me to pick it up and I did that too. The next thing I knew I had dropped things off there and picked them up for her at least ten times.” 

“I guess so.” Her voice is light and she can’t deny the flirtatious undertone. Absolutely anyone in this town could have noticed her bracelet and returned it to her, but Elena got this man. Handsome, kind, and helpful. That’s not some everyday mix, so long as those traits aren’t just for show. She has to start somewhere, doesn’t she? “Thank you so much again, not only for seeing my bracelet in the first place but for actually going through all this trouble to help me get it fixed.”

One eyebrow quirks up. He almost asks her what she means, but decides to let that slide by without inquiring. “It has… enough.” He finally says, a smile in his voice and on his face before he chuckles. Something like that is subjective, but he’s content here.

He doesn’t hesitate to say yes to assisting her by way of a quick nod. “Oh, sure thing! It’d be my pleasure. ‘Sides it’s not too far anyway. Although it is a little hidden. You wouldn’t believe how many times I walked past it trying to find it.”

His opinion of this little town earns a small quirk from her lips, a barely noticable smile while Elena assumes that he’s likely lived here his whole life, or close to it. He knows all the downsides just as much as he’s used to the upsides, but she hasn’t quite gotten to both, yet. All she knows is that this beautiful town is full of sweet people, lovely weather, and noteworthy shops and restaurants.

“I try my best.” He jokes. Mostly there’s not much thought involved for him when it comes to these sort of actions. It’s a natural instinct and impulse when he does what he feels is the right thing and that translates to other people as being a kindness, but he just thinks he’s doing what everyone should do. 

He breaks into a little laugh as she shares her doubt about the possibility of someone actually fixing something like her bracelet. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty certain they will. Repairing pieces that aren’t your everyday stuff is kind of their thing.” Whenever his sister gets things in her antique shop that need a little love, the place he has in mind is where she sends it. She’s recruited him enough times to help her out, dropping things off or picking things up from there that he has some confidence. “Hey, it can’t hurt to try, right?” 

Elena smiles at his charm, wondering how the world would be if more people showed even this kind of brief kindness. All she has to go on for this stranger is about three minutes of conversation, and it’s been nicer than some of the marriages she’s had. “This place really does have it all.” All that’s left to find is the right mark and she’ll be set.

She’s got a valid point. Most people wouldn’t go out of their way for something like that, even if they were actually aware of others around them to see that someone’s lost an item. He’s seen it from a distance time and time again. People looking right at an object being left behind, but staying put and continuing on with what they were doing. It’s not something he could do. “Really, it’s no problem. If I lost something and someone saw it, I know I’d want that someone to give it back if they can.”

He frowns when she tells him the clasp is broken. It did look rather fragile so perhaps he shouldn’t be surprised, but he does wish he could do something about it. His expression shifts to match hers, a little smile coming back with her next words. At first he nods, then an idea comes to mind. “Or maybe we could go get you an entirely new clasp for it? I know someone that does that kind of thing, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.”

His sentiment is sweet, and almost unheard of in today’s day and age. If it takes out a chunk of their day, even just five minutes, people aren’t always willing to break away from their routine of keeping to themselves. Elena knows she’s followed suit a few times, preferring to stay anonymous than draw the attention of anyone, even if maybe she should.

“Hey, it’s no problem,” he says with a warm smile. “I’m just glad I saw it and was able to get it back to you. I mean it seems like it’s pretty important to you.” 

With a reaction like the one she’s giving, that’s the only assumption he can make at least. Plus, he’s got something similar. It’s something his biological mother left with him. He would be distraught if he lost it. “Hope it’s not broken or anything.”

It doesn’t surprise her how immediately obvious it is to a stranger that the bracelet means a lot to her. Her expression says it all, a mixture of fear and relief in her eyes as she examines the damage to the piece of jewelry. “It is. Thank you again. Not everyone would bother.”

If anyone were to ask his family, they’d probably say Domonic’s always been a little more vigilant than the rest. Maybe it’s exactly why he’s ended up in the line of work he’s in. It seemed like a natural move to him and of course, that vigilance has been heightened since he started on the force many years ago. Even when he’s not trying, he catches things. Like a small item falling from the pocket of a person he saw across the street from him. Jogging over, he picks it up off the ground and jogs to catch up to the owner of the item.

Tapping their shoulder when he reaches them, he says: “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I think you might’ve dropped this back there.”

She’s in a rush, but that’s nothing new. Elena’s head is a mess after a call from Alejandro’s school: just their usual check-in, but it’s a reminder that it won’t be long before another payment is due. She has enough saved up for a few more months, easily, but she needs to lock down another mark if she wants it to stay that way.

“I know, I know! It’s unbelievable. Especially since it’s usually my family. As if they shouldn’t already know good and well by now what I’m capable of.” 

“I suppose that’s true. My mom always said I was generous, usually to a fault.” She admits with a soft laugh. But for her it’s just a natural thing to do. She doesn’t think twice about it. Maybe that’s something she should rein in a bit. Glancing down at her son, her lips curve up into a smile. “Yeah, this one! He’s not to be underestimated either. In spite of all that cuteness.” Mari says, gathering her things with Lena’s help and getting up from the table. “Hopefully we can hang out again some time soon!”

“What? That’s crazy! Then again, I guess it better serves you.”

“Thank you for not underestimating my skill set there.” She says, laughing. Somehow, after an entire life spent with her, her own family still manages to be blindsided by her persuasiveness.

“We sure will!” And with any luck, this will be a plan that comes to fruition in the end. “Hey, no thanks necessary! I feel like it would be strange if I didn’t have the thought.” Now that all the food is gone, and Antonio is starting to wake up, she figures she had better gear up to leave as well. “Me too before this guy gets all grumpy on me,” she laughs. “But yeah, I’d really appreciate the help!” 

“Are you telling me that people do? Who do they think they’re kidding?” Not only does Mariana just have one of those faces, but everything else about her aligns with being persuasive with a bat of her eyelashes.

“Oh, I’ll wear you down eventually.” She teases. It’s in her nature to at least try to convince her one more time, but she won’t hound her if she’s really not comfortable with it. She leaves that sort of thing to her mother.

“Sure, sure! I’ll give you some ideas on that when the time comes, absolutely!”

Elena shakes her head, always so easily charmed by Mariana’s personality. “I don’t doubt that one bit.” She seems like a person it’s hard to say no to.

“What? C’mon, sure, you can! And you will! It’ll be a lot of fun, I promise!” 

What she doesn’t say is: there’s also a chance it’ll be a sufficiently crazy experience, but that’ll contribute to all the fun as well as the hilarity.

“We’ll see about that! About me coming that is, I’m sure it would be fun.” Considering how lovely Mariana is, it would be interesting to see who she comes from, and who she grew up around.

Mariana grins. As much as she likes to give Domonic a hard time, he is just about the best person she knows. Life’s handed him a lot of bad things, a lot more than anyone really deserves, but he doesn’t let any of it make him into something as brutal as it could. It’s one of the many things she admires about him, and it’s also why, despite being the younger one, she is protective of him. 

Her family in and of itself though are something else. Big and off the wall sometimes. Still, she wouldn’t replace them even if she could. “He is. He’s also a big nerd, but you didn’t hear that from me.” She jokes. “But yeah, my family’s great! I’ll have to drag you to a family dinner one of these days.”

Elena laughs again, already getting the gist of Mariana’s relationship with her brother from the couple of conversations in which he’s been mentioned. “Your secret’s safe with me.”