Bosom Bodies (Mina's Adventures) (2 page)

The rhythmic,
engine
growl preceded him as Diego cruised around the
corner on a
shiny monster Harley.

“Last chance.” He looked even smaller on that huge thing. He revved up the engine and waited. Mina approached him, still unsure. He steadied the bike by firmly planting both feet
on the pavement. He wore fancy
black boots. Who was this Diego, really? A substitute for a honeymooning cook?

“I don’t have an extra helmet.” He strapped his under his chin. “How far do you live? I don’t want to get a ticket because you aren’t wearing one.”

“I’m wearing a wig. It’ll soften the blow if I fall.”

He didn’t smile.

She moved up beside the motorcycle and sent a mental thanks to the corporate policy that made her change clothes. She could never straddle that metal horse wearing a short skirt. Even with her jeans, she had trouble. Her legs were too short and she had to lean on Diego’s back to get on.

“Do you need anything from your car? Is it locked?”

“No and no.”

“What do you mean? You didn’t lock the car?”

“I never lock the car. Just go. Let’s get it over with it. I’ll have someone come over in the morning and fix the tire. Go.”

He turned and clicked the padlock on the gate without getting off the bike. “Yes, ma’am, but tomorrow is Sunday. Most places will be closed.”

She shrugged in the dark as he steered through the
front parking lot.
The
instant they reached the road
they gained speed. The bike glided under a canopy of twinkling holiday lights decorating the streets. A whiff of wind lift
ed
her wig. Damn! She held on to Diego’s waist with one arm while trying to keep the wig from flying off her head with the other. Diego patted her hand. Mina sensed he did it just to annoy her. He must have picked up on her discomfort. Soon they crossed the bridge and were in Newport Beach.

“Okay, you can drop me off just up the hill.” She yelled into his back. She had no idea if he could hear her with that helmet.

“What hill?” He heard her. Good.

“Bayside Condominiums.”

He whistled. “You live there?”

“Your Harley would look right at home in the garage.” She remembered a magazine article about Elizabeth Taylor having a Harley-Davison. She felt pretty sure Ms. Taylor didn’t play with cheap toys. “You can let me off at the gate, thanks.”

He removed his hand from hers, made a sharp turn to the left and stopped the bike with the motor running. “
Buona notte
,
” he said without turning his head.

Jerk.
She struggled but got off the shiny machine without too much huffing and puffing. She knew her wig was askew. She pulled it off, tucked it in her pocket, and hurried to the gate. She waved to the old man minding the gate when she walked by. Her hair felt glued to her scalp after all the time spent wearing that wig. One set of the fake eyelashes were stuck shut. She tried to open her eye, but it only fluttered. The guard winked back.

Chapter 2

Brian left a message on Mina’s answering machine at forty-five minutes past midnight. She missed the call by five minutes. All because of the flat tire.

She pushed the replay button without getting out of bed. Eyes closed, she listened
and pretended
Brian lay beside her.

“Hi Mina, where are you? We landed in Amsterdam. We’ll clear customs here and then on to the flight to Dubrovnik. It’s only a three
-
hour flight. The rest of the trip is by bus. Mom is tired, of course. We are still hoping to make it to Medjugorje—such a hard name to pronounce—before the next apparition. If we miss the one at Christmas, we’ll be out of luck. The next isn’t ‘til January 25. It must be after midnight in California.” He paused. “Hope you are all right. Are you moved in? I miss you. I’ll try to call you from Yugoslavia. Love you—behave, okay?”

Her phone was right there on the night table, inches from her pillow. He hadn’t called back. Damn. This was all screwed up. The next apparition was on January 25? Nuts! They had a schedule for the Virgin Mary apparitions, like an appointment at the beauty shop or the dentist
.
No wonder the Vatican said it was bogus. Brian insisted the Medjugorje tour was organized and approved by the Catholic diocese. Neither Brian nor his mother w
as
Catholic. The anger Mina felt when Brian told her he was going to be in Europe with his mother at Christmastime was still seething in her brain. Mrs. Starr had decided she would go there to be cured of her persistent headaches. Seeking a miracle for headaches! More like a new trick to keep her son away from her, Mina. From the beginning of their relationship, Mina sensed Brian’s mother didn’t approve. Brian tried like hell to reassure her, but Mina knew her guess was right on target.

Why didn’t Brian call back? What if the plane crashed? Nonsense. She threw back the covers. Time to get out of bed, stop thinking about Brian and do something about the flat tire.

Mina had the key and the security code to the warehouse where she’d left the spare tire
but no way to get there. She dragged herself to the kitchen and brewed some coffee.

“
Are you all moved
in
?”
Brian asked in his message.

She looked around:
boxes stacked taller than Mina herself
,
clothes scattered on the floor of the guest room and several days’ mail piled on the kitchen counter. Everything was so disorganized. She should spend her Sunday getting settled instead of going back to that awful Bosom Bodies.

Maledizione
. You owe me, Ginger, you owe me big, she thought, sipping her coffee.

When she
came
home last night, Mina threw the wet wig in the bathtub and forgot about it. She went to get it. It was still damp with few curls left. The thing looked like an angora rabbit on a carrot juice high.

Coffee and dry toast made up her Sunday brunch. After
gulping
it down, she called Paco.

“Hi Paco, whatcha doing?” She forced cheerfulness.

He didn’t sound convinced. “Good morning, oh, already afternoon. What are you up to, Mina?”

“Up to? Nothing. Wanted to say hello, that’s all.”

“Oh, Mina. I know you well. For you to call me on a Sunday, there has to be a reason. What is it? You’re okay?”

She could never get anything past him. Paola knew what she was doing when she left Paco in charge of West Coast Software.

“It’s my car. No, not the car exactly, I have a flat tire. That’s what’s wrong.”

“You need help changing the tire?”

“I forgot my spare tire in the warehouse, and my car is on Balboa. I need to get the spare to Balboa and have it changed. Now you know what’s up.”

“We just got back from church. It’s going to take me a while to get the tire and drive to Balboa. Where are you parked?”

“Hmm. I’m not where the car is.
I’m home
, a
t the condo. I got a ride.”

“I’ll come to get you with the spare tire. You can tell me the whole story, the real story, while we drive to your car. Let the guard at the gate know I’m coming. Give me an hour or so. Okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Paco.”

By the time Paco picked her up, drove to the restaurant, and changed the tire, it would be time for her shift. Mina decided to pack the wig, heels and padded bra. She could always go shopping to kill time.

The restaurant closed earlier on Sunday, and it was her last day. Finally
,
something to smile about.
If only Brian would call before she left.

Paco said one hour. He was never late. Time to get cracking. She went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Paco barely drove the speed limit. On purpose, Mina assumed. “Tell me again, your logic behind this identity theft?”

“How can it be identity theft? I didn’t sign anything
using her name.
I don’t know her Social Security number. Hell, I don’t even know her middle name. Besides, Barbara, the manager, knows all about it. And, let’s not forget, I don’t get paid. The money for the hours I work goes to my friend Ginger. It’s my wedding gift to her. So you see, like you Americans say, it’s a win-win situation.”

“Oh? What are you winning?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “When is your boyfriend coming back? Does he know about this? He seems to be the only person who can talk some sense into your overactive brain.” Paco shook his head. Mina could tell he was more amused than angry. Good. He had no idea what the place and the uniform looked like, and she wasn’t going to tell him.

“Brian called last night, just before I came home. He called from Amsterdam on the way to Yugoslavia.”

“Too bad you couldn’t go with them. A little religion never hurts.”

“Please. What religion? Some teenagers running around announcing in advance when they will see the Virgin Mary? I bet their families are cashing in on the madness. They probably own hotels and restaurants all over the place. What is it called again? Medjugorje? Try pronouncing that five times fast.”

“Five? I can’t pronounce it once.” He shook his head. “It’s the wrong time of year to leave home, I think. You couldn’t have gone even if you wanted to, tomorrow is the day.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m nervous enough. What am I supposed to do? Adams will be there, you, me? I’m just there to sign whatever you two think is good. You know I don’t understand half of what is going on.”

“Mina.” Paco looked at her. His eyes reflected surprise and sadness.
“It’s too late now, but I do wish you had tried harder to understand the business you
r
mother built.”

“Come on. You know I trust you, and I trust Adams. What happens if we accept the offer? No more West Coast Software? We get our money and retire?” She laughed. “How cool would that be? Retired at twenty-four.”

“I would not retire. I
’
m
hoping
to
negotiate staying on
. I also want to make sure they keep our best and most loyal employees.”

“I’ll be unemployed then.” Mina meant it. Since Paola’s death, Paco ran the software company and Mina collected a salary because she was the heir, not because she earned it. If the
deal
took place, Mina would come into a very large amount of money and be free to pursue other interests.
Adams, her lawyer, had convinced her to lease-purchase the upscale condo in Newport Beach with that event in mind.

“Here we are,” Mina said with as much enthusiasm as possible.

“Here where? I don’t see your Bug.”

Bosom Bodies looked deserted, no parked cars, no lit signs, nothing. Mina realized they weren’t open. What she thought would be an early shift was actually Sunday’s opening time, which meant her car was still tucked away in the locked parking lot behind the building.

“
Maledizione.
Bad luck, this place is bad luck.” She got out of Paco’s car to peek through the frosted glass of the main entrance. Inside all was dark. The place wasn’t due to open for another ninety minutes. She couldn’t possibly ask Paco to sit around for that long; she had to do something.
Oh, Brian, where are you when I need you?

She went back to the car. “Paco, let’s get the tire out of your trunk, throw it over the back fence, then you hold me so I can climb over the fence and…”

The look on Paco’s face told her he wasn’t going to do any of it. He shook his head and stroked his mustache with his forefinger like he did when he knew it was better to say nothing. He was right, as usual.

“You need to use that stuff for men, you know? For your mustache, it’s getting gray.”

“I’m over fifty,” he continued to shake his head, “and don’t change the subject.”

She thought of her mother at the oddest times. Like now. “Paola would have been
thirty-nine
this year.”

They looked at each other and both sighed.

“Paco, I have a plan B. We get the tire out of the trunk. We roll it by the gate. I sit and wait until the manager comes to open, then I call Triple A. They change my tire while I change for work. What do you think?”

“It doesn’t matter what I think. I can’t stay and keep you company, I have to go to a baptism, and if I’m late my wife will never forgive me. It’s her side of the family. Let’s get the tire.” Before opening the trunk he looked around as if to
re
assure himself it was a safe decision.

Bosom Bodies was in a quiet, secluded part of Balboa, removed from the main drag where most of the tourist shops and eateries
could be
found. Mina thought of Bosom Bodies as an acquired taste that most customers weren’t anxious to brag about.

“I’ll be fine Paco. Thanks a lot. I’ll see you tomorrow at the office and I promise to look the part.”