Tina arrived on the scene at a time when Mateo had his hands full at Sounds of Salsa. She pitched in to help him out --- and immediately asked if she could have a job. Mateo reluctantly agreed, but Tina soon proved herself quite valuable.

Tina quickly developed a crush on her new boss, but all the while Mateo had no interest in her. Adrian Sword, who'd become Mateo's new partner, did have eyes for Tina, but Tina rarely paid him much attention. The two danced around the issue of coupledom for some time. They even went to the 1999/2000 Crystal Ball together, but both were hesitant to call themselves an item. As 2000 marched on, Adrian and Tina became closer... and intimate. Their relationship hit a few snags because of Adrian's "secrecy" in several issues, most notably his involvement in foiling Charlotte Devane's spy empire. Nevertheless, they remained a happy couple and shared plenty of time together in the months following.

Adrian left Pine Valley to tend to his ill father, but despite Adrian's request that she go with him, Tina opted to stay in Pine Valley. However, in March 2001, Tina quietly left town.