Lucinda's jaw dropped at the sight of him. He was still in his brown polo shirt with the words, Barrel Wave, on the breast pocket. His hair was a lovely mess of waves that looked as if it had been windblown from walking over to the house. It was close to midnight, yet the smile on his face looked anything but tired as he weaved through the crowd of guests while receiving pats on the back. Everyone seemed so excited that he finally arrived to the party, but none of them were as happy as Lucinda.

Her stomach somersaulted and her heart fluttered as she watched him exchange greetings with people, but on the outside she kept her composure calm. Isabel was still by her side as she felt the woman's hand on her arm. She shifted her focus to her and Isabel was beaming back at her with a knowing grin.

"Well imagine that!" Isabel began to say. "Here we've been chatting about him and he suddenly he shows up. When Emma told me he might not make it tonight, I knew there was no way he would miss seeing you." She winked.

"He didn't come here for me," Lucinda replied sheepishly as she looked away.

"No?" Isabel asked and then motioned to the French doors. "Then why is he making a bee-line over here?"

Lucinda gasped and looked around in a panic. "Oh god..."

"What's the matter?"

"Uh... um..." Lucinda babbled as she darted her gaze about.

"Looking for an escape?" Isabel chuckled.

"He can't see me in this dress, Isabel!"

The woman let out a husky laugh as she practically doubled over. "And why not?"

"It's too..." Lucinda motioned in front of the low cut neckline.

Isabel placed her hands on Lucinda's shoulders, gaving her light shake to snap her out of her panic. "Sexy? Oh trust me, girly, Raif will love it." Then she nodded over to the French doors. "And look, there he is..."

Braving a glance over in his direction, Lucinda had to bite back the smile forming on her lips as Raif stared back at her. There was a brightness in his eyes that practically twinkled as he stepped down onto the patio, not taking his eyes off of her. A few more guests greeted him with nods and pats on the back, but he simply kept his sights on her like a beacon through the crowd.

"I'm... going to head back inside," Isabel announced and then squeezed Lucinda's arm as she excused herself.

"Ok," Lucinda mumbled, not really paying attention to what Isabel had said since her focus was still on Raif as he prowled towards her.

"Glad you could make it," Isabel said to him as she stopped to kiss his cheek and then whispered, "Try to be quicker next time. Our girl here is like a piece of lamb for the wolves. Tanner has been salivating over her."

Raif arched his brow at her words, but as he took in Lucinda's dress, he couldn't blame them. "I'll take things from here." he winked to Isabel and the woman nodded approvingly.

"You made it." Lucinda smiled nervously, as she toyed with the gold bangle on her wrist.

"I thought I'd never get the Senior Chess club out of the cafe. Their tournaments can become pretty intense. A couple of them almost got into a fist fight," Raif explained as he circled around Lucinda, continuing his prowl to stand by the firepit.

"Are you serious?"

"Nope," he whispered into her ear, and then dragged his hand along her lower back as he added, "I'm happy I didn't miss seeing you in this dress."

Lucinda shivered at the close proximity of his mouth to her ear and she could've sworn she heard him chuckle softly. "Well, I suppose I have you to thank because it's thanks to your bonus money that I could afford it."

"Oh no, not my money. It was all yours. You earned it," Raif replied, while rubbing his hands over the firepit. Before Lucinda could object he gave her a stern, but playful arch of his brow. "Now what do you say we show of this dress some more as I twirl you on the dance floor?"

"Ok. Fine." Lucinda pretended to pout.

"Come on trooper." And Raif grinned like a man who had just won the jackpot.

Lucinda smirked, but the feel of his hand as it moved to her lower back, dissolved it. His touch practically scorched her dress as he guided her into the house. His hands were always so warm and Lucinda was all too aware of the way his touch made her feel. If she wasn't mistaken, there was a look of pride on his face too as he escorted her. She timidly smiled up at him as they stepped through the French doors. For a moment she entertained the idea of being the only woman he had eyes for. He always stared so intensely at her that sometimes, it did feel as if she was all he ever saw. She tried to recall the last time she felt like she belonged to someone and then she realized it had been with her ex.

In the beginning it was incredible being loved by him. He was older, had more life experiences and the best part was that he showered her with the attention she so badly craved after the wake of her parents dying. He often spoiled her as if she was a doll he wanted to dress up in expensive designer clothing. Her wardrobe quickly became filled with the finest silks and cashmere and even things like her beauty care products had become the creme de la creme. Being with her ex, Lucinda felt safe and taken care of, but most of all, loved. After discovering his lies, she tossed out a majority of his gifts, including the very expensive red-bottom shoes he got her for their anniversary.

From that day forward she told herself she wouldn't confuse gifts or attention for love. Then her thoughts jumped to the very dress she was wearing and how the bonus money helped her pay for it... with a slight head shake, the voice in the back of her mind reminded her that Raif was different. His gift of bonus money was different. She had earned it through honest and hard work. Besides, even with all of the shameless flirting Raif often did, he never pushed for more. Unlike her ex who wouldn't take, no, for an answer until Lucinda agreed to a date. He had been hard to resist too, with the numerous bouquets of flowers he sent day after day to her office. Raif on the other hand didn't shower her with material things, he simply flirted and smiled and touched her back, arms, shoulders, and every surface of skin he could get away with thouching. Within reason of course.

As they weaved past the kitchen and on to the living room, Lucinda glanced up at him again. Perhaps Isabel was right with her crazy theory of being drawn to water?

"What's up?" He asked with a curiosity tugging at his lips.

"Nothing..." Lucinda lied as he steered her to the makeshift dance floor. "I'm just surprised you know how to dance."

"Well, my dancing skills are debatable." He nodded towards the cluster of peoole. "I can't boogie like Hector or Chuck."

Lucinda followed his line of sight as she spotted Hector spinning Emma and Chuck dipping Isabel. Then her eyes locked onto Tanner as the man glared daggers at Raif through the sea of swaying bodies. He was standing on the outskirts of the dance floor with Annie and Loris, arms folded and not looking too happy that Raif had stolen a dance with Lucinda. Raif on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to the hole Tanner was burning into his skull. Lucinda shifted her attention back to him as she caught the tail end of something Raif was saying to her.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? She shouted over the cheerful salsa music.

Raif dipped his head down to her ear. "I said, you look really beautiful and I apologize in advance for my embarrassing dance moves which won't do you or this dress any justice."

Chuckling, Lucinda leaned up on her toes and said into his ear, "That's ok. I'm not the greatest salsa dancer either."

As she said the words, the dancing guests around them accidentally bumped her into Raif. She could feel the solid muscles of his chest as she instinctively held up her palms to catch her balance. Raif curled his fingers around her elbows and smiled down at her while sneakily hooking an arm around her lower back, stopping her from pulling away. Lucinda gulped. Raif proceeded to run his free hand down her arm and gently took her wrist to bring her hand up into a dancing position.

"Shall we dance?"

Without waiting for an answer, Raif stepped forward with a sway of his hips, forcing Lucinda to step back. Then he turned her slightly, while stepping back with another sway of his hips and she mirrored him by doing the same. As he repeated the motions with ease, Lucinda began realizing that Raif actually did know how to Salsa.

"You liar." She narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger as she swayed her hips with his, biting back a smile.

Tossing his head back with a laugh Raif replied, "I never said I didn't know how, I simply said my dancing skills were debatable. Besides, you're not as bad at this as you think you are either."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome... and you really do look gorgeous tonight. In fact, you remind me of that Eric Clapton song. The one where he talks about watching his wife getting dressed for a party and how wonderful he thinks she looks."

"I love that song..." Lucinda said as she shot her gaze up to him. "My parents danced to it at their wedding."

"Really?" Raif smiled softly, grateful for the bit of information she had just given him. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard you talk about your parents. How long have they been married?"

Lucinda stiffened in his arms at his question and it created a blip in their swaying. Raif's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly but she shifted her attention away as she answered, "Twenty four years."

Wanting to learn more about them, Raif asked, "Twenty four years... wow, so are they around Emma and Hector's age?"

"Umm." Lucinda licked her lips with the sudden dryness she felt in her mouth. She didn't want to talk about her parents. Especially not on a night where she was trying to enjoy herself. Feeling her eyes mist over, she quickly said, "I need some water."

"Ok. I'll go get some for you."

"No, that's ok. I'll go get it," Lucinda replied while avoiding his eyes.

"I'll go with you." Raif insisted.

His hand returned to her lower back as he guided her out of the crowd, and Lucinda let out slow breaths to calm the emotions that had begun to take over. Talking about her parents wasn't easy, but adding a lot of alcohol to the mix was a recipe for her to wind up behaving like a blubbering, drunk, mess. Then Tanner cut in front of their path and her eyes had never felt drier. At first he didn't look pleased as he zeroed in on Raif, but then he shifted his focus down to Lucinda and his demeanor changed.

"Hey." He smiled with a caress of her arm and he glanced back up to Raif. "Good to see you... I thought I heard someone say you weren't going to make it tonight?"

"I promised Hector and Emma that I'd try my hardest. So here I am." Raif gestured with his palms out.

"Right," Tanner replied through clenched teeth and morphed his lips into a forced smile. "So... catch any good waves lately?"

"Always, but I haven't seen you out there in a long time. Been busy?"

"Yeah, I've been occupied with the business. Loris and I have teamed up with a local contractor to flip a few houses in the area. It keeps the cashflow coming in, so it's nice not having to worry about off season or having to depend on tourism, the way you do." He took a quick sip of his whiskey but kept his eyes on Raif. "So how's the cafe? I hear it's been slower than last season. I hope you're not having to dip into your savings to keep afloat."

"Actually, business has been great this off season. In fact, thanks to Lucinda's incredible organizational skills, the spreadsheets she showed me last week indicate that, financially, the cafe is doing better than last season. So no need to worry about me, Tanner. I'll be ok." Raif winked at him.

Tanner's gaze darted to Lucinda and he pointed with his whiskey glass to Raif. "I didn't realize you worked for him. I was told that you have a business degree in accounting. Why on earth would you waste your degree at a coffee shop?" Then he flashed a condescending smile over to Raif. "No offense, man, but you know what I mean, right?"

At a loss for words, Lucinda found herself scanning her eyes back and forth between Tanner and Raif as she witnessed the begining of a pissing contest between them.

"No offense taken, Tanner. Someone like you couldn't possibly offend me," Raif replied with a pat to the man's back.

"A man like me? You mean a successful business owner that makes over one hundred thousand dollars a year?"

"Hah!" Raif tossed his head back with a laugh and then turned to Lucinda. "You'll quickly learn that Tanner likes to show off his bank account."

"I'm just stating the facts, Lucinda. My house is paid off and I can get up and go on vacation any time I please because, as a successful business man, I have plenty of money saved. And thanks to my ability to budget my finances, I also don't need Mommy and Daddy to bail me out of a financial crisis. Unlike Raif here, who spends his money on bad investments like surfboards or that rusty Volkswagen beetle and then is suprised when he's in debt." Tanner looked to Lucinda and again she found herself at a loss for words. She didn't like the direction Tanner was taking things. Then he leaned in with a slight whisper as if Raif couldn't hear him, "I'd steer clear of a man like him. He really should come with a hazardous sign."

Raif rolled his eyes at his words. "Don't you ever get bored talking about yourself?"

Tanner snapped his attention back to Raif and he pointed at him with an index finger while the rest were firmly wrapped around his whiskey glass. "Tell me something Raif, can you even afford to pay Lucinda what she's worth?"

"Actually, I'm not worried about what Raif is able to pay me," Lucinda finally said. "I have a nice little cushion in my savings account too, which covers the necessities while I figure things out. Besides, working at the cafe is a breath of fresh air from my previous job and right now I just want to enjoy myself, so that's precisely what I'm doing."

"Well, how about you continue enjoying yourself, with me?" Tanner grinned while taking her elbow. "And we can discuss that date you promised me."

"Oh, um..." Lucinda darted her eyes from Tanner to Raif. Why oh why did he have to mention their date? She never even really agreed to have dinner with him. Suddenly all of the alcohol she had consumed was causing her head to swim. "Um... I..."

"Sorry, champ." Raif patted Tanner's shoulder with a wink. "But I was just about to walk Lucinda home. You see, it's past midnight and I'd hate for her carriage to turn into a pumpkin. I guess your little date discussion will have to wait for... well... never." Tanner's jaw dropped as Raif hooked his arm around Lucinda's waist and hurriedly pulled her away from dance floor. "It was great chatting with you though!"

All of the guests became a blur as Raif whisked her away from everyone. Lucinda could hardly feel her feet touching the ground while they weaved through the guests and headed straight for the front door. She was grinning from ear to ear as the rush of ditching Tanner like a couple of rebellious teenagers ditching the principal, hit her in a fit of laughter. Once they were outside, she caught her breath as the door closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the party. The night air immediately gripped her limbs with a cold embrace as Raif officially offered to walk her home.

"I just want to make sure you make it safely. I hear you've had a lot to drink," he said while brushing a few strands out of her face from the breeze whipping her hair about.

"Ok." She bounced her shoulders, still feeling giddy from running out of the party.

As they began walking in the direction of her apartment, it felt so easy to stroll with Raif late in the night. If he had reached for her hand she probably would've let him with how comfortable she was. Instead she settled for his arm across her shoulders as he rubbed her arms to warm her up. Crickets chirped in the distance with their mini orchestra fusing with the sounds of the ocean waves crashing over the beach. Breaking the silence between them, Raif's voice took over the midnight lullaby.

"We've worked together for several weeks now, but I still don't know much about you, so tell me about yourself Lucinda. What was your life like before moving here?"

Lucinda stiffened again, causing her ankle to give and almost collapse. Raif caught her elbows to steady her and then wrapped his arm tightly around her waist to keep her from wobbling.

"You ok?" he asked while picking up their pace again.

"Yes." Lucinda smiled up at him. Her cheeks were rosy from embarrassment, however, there wasn't a single sign of judgment in Raif's eyes. He simply stared back at her with his intense gaze, his eyes shifting ever so slightly as they searched hers. What was going through his head whenever he looked at her that way? With a sigh, figuring that was a mystery she would never solve, Lucinda let some of her guard down, thanks to the liquid courage. "There's not really much to tell about me. My parents died when I was in college and I had to grow up very quickly."

"Oh... I'm so sorry about your parents."

"It's ok. It was a long time ago." Lucinda waved her hand, dismissing the information before she became emotional again. "Anyway, I got my accounting degree when I was twenty one, spent a year in an internship and then landed a job with a top tier law firm." She shrugged. "See? Not much to my life."

Raif tilted his, seeming unsatisfied with the reply. "You can do better than that. Tell me a little more?"

"Ok..." she took a breath and then released word vomit. "Sometimes after work my girlfriends and I would grab cocktails at a bar around the corner. That's when I met a man who was older than me and who happened to work in the same building, but for a different law firm. I was so naive at the time and shocked that a man who looked like him would even notice someone like me. We started dating after months of bumping into each other at work and the bar... not to mention his daily delivery of flowers with a card that alway said, 'please have dinner with me'. After a while I just gave in and said yes. A few months later we got engaged to be married, but then I found out he was a liar. Turns out he was married with kids."

"Ouch! That's gotta sting."

"Yep and then my friends started to drift from me. A few of them even thought that I was aware of him being married. Then I began hearing rumors around the office that I was a home wrecker, a slut, a whore and there was even a rumor that I slept my way into getting a promotion." Lucinda's face fell as she shook her head. "I worked really hard in college to get good grades and ace my exams. And I worked really hard during my internship too, which was how I landed the job at Goldstein and Cranfield. I worked my butt off at that law firm and I got that promotion fair and square! I never slept with anyone for it and I never would!"

"I know you wouldn't. I see how hard you work." Raif rubbed her arm assuringly and they paused on the sidewalk in front of her apartment.

"That whole fiasco caused me to hide in a shell for far too long and I didn't like the direction my life was heading, so one day I woke up and decided I needed a change. That's why I moved here."

Raif rubbed a hand over his hair with his brows furrowed. "I'm really sorry that happened to you. You don't deserve any of that. Your ex was a fool, so I'm glad you're far away from him. As for your friends, if they turned on you so quickly, I think it's safe to say they weren't best for you. You're better off without them. Besides, look how many good people you've met so far and you've only been here for a few weeks."

"You're right, Raif and I'm glad I moved here," she said as they finally walked through her gate. "I'm also glad that I met you."

"Me too."

"And I'm sorry about what Tanner said back there. He was kind of being a jerk, wasn't he?"

Raif let out a laugh that was part sigh as he ran a hand through his hair again. "Yeah, well, that's Tanner. He gets competitive when he goes after something he wants..."

"I'm going to date him!" Lucinda blurted and then she slapped a hand over her mouth as Raif drew his head back in shock. "I mean, I'm NOT going to date him."

Raif then let out a chuckle. "Well that's a relief."

"Why is that a relief?"

"Because I think you can do so much better than that toolbox named Tanner."

"You do?"

"Of course. You deserve someone who will appreciate all of your quirks, good and bad. Tanner on the other hand... I just don't know if he would have the patience to get to know you beyond what he sees on the outside."

Lucinda frowned. "And what do you think he sees?"

"A gorgeous blond that can rock the hell out of a green dress..."

"Hey!" Lucinda smacked his chest. "I'm more than just hair and a dress you know."

"I know that."

As Lucinda stared up at him smiling, she realized he was leaning in pretty close and somehow they had shifted so that her back was against the front door. Her palms filled with sweat and her heart thumped as she filled with hope. How could she have ever entertained the idea of kissing Tanner? Raif was who she wanted.

"Goodnight Lucinda," he said, straightening his posture. "See you on the beach later?"

Lucinda blinked several times, confused about why his lips weren't on hers? Did he not want to kiss her? Did she misinterpret his signals? She shifted her gaze down to their feet as she collected her thoughts and then said, "thanks for walking me home."

When she finally entered the apartment and locked the door behind her, she sunk into her couch with a deep sigh. Despite the disappointing way the night had ended, the party had been fun. It helped her form a closer bond with Emma, Isabel and Annie too. And she reminded herself that her eyes needed to remain on her goal, not romance.

In the end that's what mattered... right?