Darkness Calls. Caridad Pineiro

said with a wink.

      She nodded and returned her menu. “The usual, Rocco.”

      When the waiter turned to Ryder, he ordered the fettuccine alfredo. He pressed Diana again once the young man was gone. “So, family in the area?”

      “A brother who moved up to New York a few months ago. He’s a computer whiz who was working for a new Latino Web site down in Silicon Beach—”

      “Where’s that?” he jumped in.

      “Miami. That’s where we grew up,” she answered quickly.

      Ryder nodded. “Explains that slight singsong I hear in your voice. English wasn’t your first language,” he stated matter-of-factly.

      “No, it wasn’t. I’m Cuban-American.”

      He nodded again and motioned for her to continue with her story. “So why do they call it Silicon Beach?”

      “Lots of new dot-coms down in Miami are geared for Latinos, so they’ve dubbed part of the area Silicon Beach.” She stopped only long enough to take a sip of water and finish her piece of garlic bread. “Anyway, he got lured away by more money and a better title. Some new Latino Web site that started up in New York.”

      “It’s nice that he’s close to you.”

      Diana nodded. “He lives with me,” she clarified, and hated how easily that statement had come. Ryder’s grin made it clear that he had taken it to mean she was available. She quickly tried to deflect any further queries into her personal life. Or rather, her lack of one.

      “Your mom is gone, but how about other family? Are they nearby?” she asked, and regretted it as a fleeting glimpse of sadness washed over his features.

      “I was an only child. My father never acknowledged me, so I had no other relatives to speak of,” he lied, feeding her the story that, after so many repetitions, had almost become truth. In reality, he’d had a loving wife and family, but they were long gone. It had been too painful to keep track of his descendants only to watch them die.

      “That’s a shame,” Diana said, and motioned in the direction of the hostess at the front door. “You see Isabel over there? She and Luigi have three daughters and three sons, one of whom was our waiter. They all work here and, eventually, their kids will work here, as well.”

      Ryder laughed in disbelief. “You mean there really is a Luigi?”

      Diana chuckled and leaned closer to him over the width of the booth. “Yes. His great-granddad, Luigi number one, came from Italy with his wife and opened this place. His only son, Luigi number two, couldn’t cook to save his life, but married a nice Italian girl who could. That son made sure there would be another generation to keep it going by having Luigi the third and five daughters.”