Tito  studied Caylee across the table. Did he want her advice? To be honest with himself, that was probably why he'd told her the whole story. He needed a reaction from someone who wasn't emotionally invested in his whole family drama. He wasn't going to make a decision without talking to Maria, of course, but right now he wanted to get some clarity in his own mind before he even approached his sister.

"Ok. I'm listening."

"But first, let me ask you a couple questions. Do you believe Eleanor? Do you think she was telling the truth about not knowing you and Maria were here in Miami all these years, struggling? Not even knowing you were twins?"

Well, that was the question, Tito thought, as he bit into one of the sweet dinner rolls that was Juana's specialty.

"I don't know," he finally said. "It seems crazy that her husband and her son could both have hidden that from her for so many years, but she seemed like she was telling the truth." He shrugged. "I don't know her at all, so it's hard to judge whether she was lying."

Caylee nodded. "That makes sense. My other question is, if she is telling the truth, would you be open to having a relationship with her?"

He spent a moment thinking about that one, too. "Yeah, I would," he decided. "If what she says is true, then she hasn't done anything wrong here, and I'm not going to blame her for the actions of her husband and her son." He shook his head. "But it's a hell of a leap to imagine that she's everything she claims to be, considering what I already know about Bradford Thornton, and now about his father. If she is what she says she is, then that part of it just doesn't make sense."

"Families are complicated," Caylee said. "I am nothing like my mother. I hope you wouldn't judge me by the kind of person she is."

"Of course not, but listen-"

"No, you listen. Are you anything like Bradford Thornton? Is Maria?"

"No. God, no. That asshole? But you're missing the point. She lived with them, day in day out. How could she do that if she didn't share their attitudes, their beliefs? Their complete distain for someone they considered beneath them in social status." He surpassed the rage that always threatened to bubble to the surface when he thought about how derisively Thornton had treated Maria at the fundraising event that should have been her triumph - and instead had sent her running away from the venue, and almost destroyed her relationship with Ritchie. All because of the seeds of doubt Thornton had planted in her head.

"People don't always reveal who they really are, even to those closest to them."

She sounded like she was speaking from experience, but at the moment Tito's brain was laser-focused on the Thorntons.

"So you said you had an opinion, Caylee. What is it?"

She leaned forward, grasped his hand on top of the table.

"Take her up on her offer, Tito. Move in with her for three months. Find out who she really is. Maybe she didn't see beneath the veneer her son and her husband presented to the world. Maybe she didn't want to. But you'd be going into it with your eyes open. You'd know what to look for."

Caylee's eyes were damp with emotion. Funny, he'd never really noticed the color of her eyes before. Oh, he'd known they were brown, but not that they actually were the color of a fine brandy, but with gold tones. He guessed the best description of them was amber. And they looked right now like they were peering directly into his soul.

"How are we doing here?"

Juana's voice broke his concentration and he looked up to see her setting another basket on the table and picking up some of the empties.

"More food?" Caylee asked in a tone that somewhere between joy and dismay. "I don't know if I can."

"Just take your time, honey," Juana said. "Carlos wanted you to sample everything. Don't worry, this is the last," she said, gesturing to the two crab cakes with a scattering of hush puppies." She paused. "Then we'll move on to my key lime pie. I bake it right here."

Caylee actually groaned. "I may not eat again for a week. Juana, everything is absolutely delicious."

"Then don't you be a stranger, now." She turned to Tito. "Carlos says another 20 minutes he can take a break and come sit with you a bit. Crowd's staring to slow down."

"I'd like that," Tito said.

"You're a good boy," Juana said, reaching over to pat his shoulder. "And I can't say that about most of the people my son met when he was in prison. The two of you are welcome here anytime."

Caylee turned back to Tito after Juana walked away. "Looks like you scored some points."

Tito laughed. "I think we both scored points by eating everything she's put in front of us."

"Well," Caylee said, using her fort to cut off a piece of crab cake and put it in her mouth, "your friend Carlos sure can cook. This crab cake is delicious. I have to say, thought, the seafood boil was provably my favorite."

"Not the gator bites?"

Caylee winced. "I only tried those to be polite. Honestly I don't like the idea of killing alligators for their meat. Or for anything else."

"Me either."

"Enough food talk," Caylee said. "I want to know what you think of my suggestion that you go ahead and move in with Eleanor."

Tito took a deep breath an let if out slowly.

"I think you're right. It's the best way to get to know her. Maria and I don't have any family, other than Joey and the family we've made with Ritchie and Jack and Sam. I can't just let this opportunity go by to maybe have a connection to someone who is actually our blood, no matter what I think about Thornton."

Caylee look thoughtful. "I think that's the right decision." Then a cloud seemed to pass over her expression.

"If you do this, if you move in with her, people will judge you."

Tito gave a short laugh. "You think I care anymore about people judging me? I'm a convicted felon with prison tattoos. Everyone judges me."

She tilted her head and looked up at him through those golden-hued eyes. "Not everyone."

"No," he said quietly, "not everyone."

The air seemed to shift between them, as if it was just the two of them, alone. He felt a kind of buzz, similar to what he'd feel after two or three beers - but he hadn't been drinking. And saw a recognition deep in those amber eyes that Caylee was feeling the same thing.

The pale pink sleeveless blouse she was wearing had gone from office conservative to downright sexy just by her taking her suit jacket off when she got in his car. The glimpse of her smooth shoulders, and the shape of her well-toned arms made him remember how she'd looked in her bikini at Sam's cookout, and he wanted to get his hands on her right now. When he'd rested one of those hands on her knee in car on their ride here, it had taken all the will power he had not to slide his palm all the way up the inside of her of her thigh until he reached the silky panties he was sure were under that business skirt, slip his fingers underneath and stroke her until she cried out in pleasure. He could imagine exactly how she would sound when she came, imagine those golden eyes going darker when she was aroused past the point of no return.

Right now those eyes had widened with awareness, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. The moment stretched out, gazes locked.

Then there was a a clatter of someone dropping a tray inside the restaurant, and he became aware of his surroundings again. Caylee also seemed to shake herself free of some spell, but there was a slight flush on her face that lingered.

Before he could say anything, before he could suggest they leave now and stop at the nearest hotel, Carlos came out the door carrying a tray with three slices of pie, a metal creamer cup, and three espresso cups. Tito sighed and let the image of Caylee naked on a hotel bed vanish. It was not going to happen. Not yet.

"Café cubano," Carlos explained to Caylee as he poured the foamy liquid from the creamer cup for each of them, oblivious to the tension that had been in the air moments ago.

Caylee took a sip, her fact lighting up with a different kind of pleasure. "Wow, that's really good."

"Sure missed it while I was locked up," Carlos said, sitting down to join them.

Tito took a sip as well. "Excellent as always." He frowned. "I noticed you still don't have beer on the menu."

Carlos shook his head. "It's taking forever to get a license just for beer and wine."

"What's the problem?" Caylee asked.

"For anyone with a felony conviction here in Florida," Tito explained, "just about everything's a problem."

"I can look into it, see if there's anything we can do to move along the approval process," Caylee said. "I'm a lawyer."

"A lawyer, huh? Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

"Not that I think you need to serve anything but this," Caylee added, gesturing with the small cup. "It's amazing."

And so, Caylee proclaimed shortly thereafter, was Juana's key lime pie.

It felt good to catch up with Carlos, trading anecdotes about Tito's nonprofit, and Carlos' restaurant. And even better to see how seamlessly Caylee fit into the conversation with his old friend, sharing a funny story she'd come across when doing research for Jack's jet ski case. Tito was surprised how great it felt to just relax for a hour and put the situation with Eleanor out of his mind, and just talk about day-to-day stuff with both an old friend and the woman Tito was thinking very seriously about sleeping with.

When he'd first met Caylee the attraction had been undeniable. So much so that he'd thought a hot fling with her just for the sex might be worth the potential fallout due to her relationship with Jack and her employment at the law firm. He already had a mental list of things he'd like to do with her and to her, and that list was growing every day. They could agree up front to spend a few sizzling nights together with no strings attached, then go their separate ways. Acknowledge that they'd run into each other from time to time, and agree not to let it be awkward.

But after getting to know her a little better, something about that didn't sit right with Tito. He wanted more.

Caylee threw back her head and laughed at something Carlos said, and Tito felt like a fist had slammed into his gut.

Yeah, he definitely wanted more.

Too bad he didn't know what "more" was. That was something he'd just have to figure out.

By the time they had a second serving of café cubanos and Juana had joined them for one after closing and added some of her own stories to the conversation, the sun had long since set.

"It's been a long day," Tito said after they'd said their goodbyes to Carlos and Juana, promising to come back again soon, and they were approaching the car, their shoes crunching on the gravel lot. Tito opened the door for Caylee and caught his breath again at the flash of smooth thighs as her skirt hitched up as she adjusted herself in the low seat. Why did simple things like opening a car door for her make him feel like he was back in high school with a crush on the most popular girl in the class?

He walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, felt the usual sense of satisfaction as the finely tuned engine on the classic Mustang purred to life under the hood.

"So," Caylee said, turning toward him, "are you going to take me back to your apartment so we can get naked?"

Author's Note:   What do you think  Tito's answer will be?