Excerpt:

In all her thirty years, Carolina Perales had never known her mother to do anything dishonest, and much less unlawful. "You want me to help Aroldo smuggle his son in from Cuba?" she asked. "Mami, that's illegal."

Lucia rose to her full four-foot five inch frame and tilted her chin upwards, in defiance of her daughter's accusation. She was well past middle age but still carried an innocent, child-like demeanor. She waved a perfectly manicured hand, dismissing Carolina's remark. "No, mi hija," she replied. "All you have to do is drive him back from Miami with you when you return from vacation. Someone else is doing the other part."

"Mami, that makes me a conspirator. I can't do this. It's illegal. I could go to jail."

Lucia raised her pencil-thin eyebrows.

"Yes. Jail."

"Don't be na•ve," her mother said. "It's not like they're smuggling drugs."

"No, this is about smuggling people. Is that any better?"

Lucia took her daughter's hand and caressed it. "Hija...Aroldo is paying a lot of money to have his son brought here. Like a ticket, comprendes? So you are doing nothing wrong. Aroldo made all the arrangements. And when his son arrives in Miami and is processed through immigration, he will be here as legal as the president of the United States himself. They will release him and your part is to drive him back here to Connecticut to reunite with his father."

She made it sound so simple. So innocent. Maybe her mother was right, she mused. Maybe she was just making too much of this. Come to think of it, it would really be a very heroic thing. No need to be prudish. Besides, this was about helping dear, old Aroldo, a long-time friend of the family. "Are you sure about this, Mami?"

Lucia gave her a stern look. "I'm your mother. Would I ask you to do something that is morally wrong?"

Despite her previous reservations, Carolina felt a glimmer of relief. If her mother thought it was okay, then it should be. "Of course not. It's just that at first it sounded so...strange, kind of under-handed."

Carolina rose from her mother's antique couch and swung her brown leather handbag over her shoulder. Heather and Tommy would be home soon from day camp. One of the parents would be dropping them off, a convenient arrangement she'd made where they alternated picking up the kids. Carolina ruffled her fingers through her cropped blond hair, making a mental note to set up an appointment for a trim.

"Those jeans are too big on you," her mother pointed out. "You don't look feminine. Honestly, Caro, you need to change the way you dress. You'll never find a man that way."

"Mami, they're comfortable. And second, why would I ever want a man in my life again?" She kissed her mother on the cheek and whispered goodbye, thankful her mother had long since stopped complaining about her footwear, too. Sneakers were just part of her daily attire, especially since she was on her feet most of the day at the bakery.

"In Cuba young women always wore makeup," her mother complained. "And heels, too, and they dressed nice at all times."

Carolina ignored her and headed for the door. She stopped just before walking out. "So there is nothing else I need to know, right? All I do is bring Aroldo's son back from Miami. You haven't arranged our marriage or anything like that, right Mami?"

"Of course not," her mother said, in a not too convincing tone.

"Right, Mami?"

"No."

"So there will be no surprises. Everything is set? I just pick him up and bring him home?"

"That's right, hija," her mother replied. "You don't even have to pick him up until after he has been processed and completes all the paperwork. He'll be legal."

Carolina rubbed her hands together. "Okay, okay, I can do this. Tell Aroldo I'm leaving for Miami in two days."

Author BIO: Elena is the daughter of Cuban immigrants. She became interested in writing about Cuban characters living in America, and about the colorful situations they encounter, whether living in Miami, New Jersey or Connecticut. She previously published three ethnic romance novels with Kensington Publishing, FOREVER TRUE, HEART OF GOLD, and DANCE WITH ME. Elena is currently pursuing an M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing, while working and sharing with her husband in the raising of their three daughters.