Page 53 of Grunt: A Marine Romance

Xavier’s customized carucha waited outside to take them to the jamboree.

The man outdid himself this time. He had hired a celebrity event designer to coordinate his “Zoot Suit Bash.” Xavier rented out the ballroom of the Beverly Hills L’Hermitage hotel and booked the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for a night of 1940s era swing jazz music. It would be off the scale, this shindig. Party of the century, if not the millennium.

They entered through an elegant lobby, crowned by a majestic crystal chandelier, then climbed two flights of marble steps. With each step, the sounds of the orchestra grew louder, and then they arrived and the doors burst open. It was even better than Selena imagined: the raised bandstand filled with gleaming instruments, the pulsating music, and the bubbly performers set against vibrant orange and blue decor. And the dance floor—God! She’d never seen anything like it. Burnished maple, accented by a shiny brass rail tracing its perimeter. There were round tables and a soda fountain dispensing tall mugs of Mexican Coke for a nickel each. It was gorgeous here. Selena thought she had died and landed on the set of the play Zoot Suit. She loved it.

Xavier took the stage as Selena and her posse moved through the crowd.

“¿Que Pasiones? Welcome, everybody, to the new Savoy Ballroom,” he said into a microphone. “I have created this evening in appreciation for the jazz legends who inspired me: Tin-Tan, Cab Calloway, and Lalo Guerrero. Ladies and gentlemen, the music never stops at the Zoot Suit Bash. I also wanted to bring awareness to the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the Zoot Suit Riots. Al rato, vato.” He waved his arm broadly to the left. The spotlight followed, picking up Latin music sensation Luis Sanchez emerging from the wings.

Can this night get any better?

On stage, Luis, wearing a purple zoot suit, belted out Lalo Guerrero’s song, “Los Chucos Suaves.” The girls walked up to the bar and Selena ordered a margarita, some chips and guacamole, and a few taquitos.

“Hey, Sel,” Bret said.

She turned to face him. He was also costumed in head to toe 1940’s garb—and looking way sexy in the midnight blue double-breasted zoot suit. Jenny jabbed Selena in the ribs with her elbow, making her nearly spit her margarita at him. That girl needed some serious lessons in subtlety.

“Hey, Bret,” Selena said, stepping to the other side of him—away from Jenny. “I’m sorry you got low scores tonight.”

He blew it off with a wave of his hand. “I don’t care about that stupid show, Sel. I think I’ve almost saved up enough money to help Pierce’s family without winning. I honestly just want this season to be over.” He ordered a shot of tequila. “You wanna dance? For old time’s sake?”

Elizabeth gave Selena a huge grin. Elizabeth mouthed, he totally loves you, and then led Jenny away from the bar.

Selena scanned the room. “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with my lifestyle.”

“I was just upset. You know I didn’t mean it.” He took a deep breath and downed his tequila. He licked a drop from his lips—the lips that had kissed every inch of Selena’s body just two weeks ago.

“Oh. Well, in that case, fine.” She held up her plate. “But let me finish my food? I’m starving.”

Bret laughed.

She took a big ol’ bite of the taquito and a nibble of a chip smothered in guac and—uh oh. Benny had spotted her stuffing her face. Selena tossed her plate behind a large plant and grabbed Bret’s hand. “No time like the present.”

Benny was still pushing through the crowd when Bret whisked her away to safety.

He led her to the packed floor. Luis sang another song. Selena dug into her purse and popped a mint into her mouth before tossing her bag onto a nearby table. Then she wrapped herself in Bret’s arms. Ummmm. She couldn’t believe she’d gone ten years without these arms.

He squeezed her tight. “Do you remember that time in Croatia at Junior Worlds when we ditched our sponsor and spent the entire night playing quarters with that Icelandic guy Ingibjörg?”

“Totally. That was the first night I got wasted. And we still won the next day.” Selena rested her head on his shoulder.

His hands lowered to her hips and he swayed her into him. “Selena. I’m sorry. I couldn’t deal with the fact that you never told me you were pregnant. And seeing my name in the tabloids. I just couldn’t handle it.” He pulled her chin up with his thumb and forced her to look at him. “You never even gave me a chance back then to make it right. You wanted me to join the Corps. I would’ve done anything for you.”

Oh, no, let’s not do this… It was all she could do not to pull away and end the dance. She so didn’t want to go there with him, not about this. Things were just getting good between them! He could take an emotion to the moon and back in a heartbeat.

“Bret, I was so emotional when I found out I was pregnant. And it was even worse because you were away and I couldn’t talk to you. After I lost the baby, I felt like I had nothing left. I couldn’t have said no to Dima back then. Dima was the world professional Latin Champion and I was a lowly youth amateur champ—of course I said yes when he asked me to be his partner. It was all just so confusing.”

“You could’ve said no to Dima. We were engaged. You gave me your word,” he said. He spun her around to a drumroll. When she landed back in his arms, he squeezed her even tighter. “See that? You can spin away, but always you end up in my arms.” He kissed her neck.

Good gawd, did this man remember her buttons?

“It feels so good to have you back in my arms,” he said into her ear. “I wonder where we’d be if we never broke up.”

We’d be married, with at least two kids.“Me, too,” she said. The saxophone kicked in, slowing the tempo even more. He twirled her around.

“I don’t think I realized how much I love you until tonight.” He cradled her face and looked into her eyes. There he went again, letting his emotions rocket to the moon—and taking her with him.

Selena had forgotten how good that ride could feel.

She leaned into Bret, her first love. He embraced her in his arms, and she remembered who she had been when she started to dance with him. They built their world together. And she tore it apart. And now she was back where she should be. In his embrace. Swaying to the music as if they had never been apart.