Moonlight and Margaritas (24 page)

"Goodness," the bride's mother said. 

Elena tried to laugh it off.  "I'm not sure what that was."  She handed the receipt to the woman and all three of them stood.  She walked her patrons to the door to find a large backhoe directly in front of her shop, ripping through big chunks of asphalt like a dog digging for a bone.

The claws hit the ground, sending another shockwave through her store.

The mother took her daughter's elbow, releasing a nervous chuckle.  "We should leave while we still can, I think."

Elena smiled to the woman.  "Thanks for coming in.  I'll be in touch."  And then the two were gone.  She turned to Carmen who stood behind the counter refilling the display that held courtesy gift cards.  "What is going on?"

The short Hispanic lady with cropped salt-and-pepper hair squinted her eyes that hid behind thick, black-rimmed glasses and peered toward the window.  "Looks like they're digging up the street."

"I know that, but why?"  The earth shook again, this time knocking a vase to the floor.  The pink porcelain shattered.

"I wouldn't worry.  Things will work out for the best, and you know true winners always come out on top."  She turned back to her work as though nothing was wrong. 

"I'm going to go talk to them.  I should have received notification or something about this."  Carmen's unconcerned attitude made her almost as mad as the construction workers.  "Please clean this up while I'm gone."

Elena pushed open the front door of her store.  The smell of warm fall air and dirt assaulted her.  She stepped off the curb, waving her arms widely to attract the attention of the construction worker who stood out front of the backhoe, watching the operator's work.  It took him a moment to spot her, but when he did, he whistled and the machine ground to a halt.

"Lady, what do you think you're doing?  It's dangerous to be this close.  You need to be back behind the orange cones."

"What is going on here?"

The hard-hat clad man widened his eyes as though he wondered if she might be dense.  "We're digging up the road," he said slowly as though that would help her to understand.

"I can see that," she said in the same tone.  "Why?"  She threw this word at him.

He smiled then and relaxed as though he was grateful he wasn't dealing with an idiot.  "Replacing water lines, ma'am."

"Why wasn't I told about this?  Shouldn't the city notify business owners?  This could impact my shop significantly."  It would kill any impulse shopping or men stopping on their way home.

The worker went back on alert.  "Don't know, ma'am.  We're just the grunts."

"How long is this construction going to take?"

He shrugged.  "A month, maybe?"

"A month?  Are you kidding me?"

He stepped back and lifted a dusty hand, signaling the backhoe operator.  The machine roared to life.  "I'd suggest calling city hall," he yelled to her.  "They'll be able to give you more information."

Elena walked back into her shop as the backhoe slammed into the ground, the impact making her jump.  "Good Lord."  She could not put up with this for a month.

An hour later, Mercedes walked into Elena's shop just as she replaced the telephone receiver on its hook.  Her friend and Carmen eyed each other with nasty looks as Mercedes approached the counter.  Elena hadn't had one customer during the past hour since the horrendous noise began, and if the two women decided to get into it right here and now, there would be hell to pay.

Mercedes leaned on the counter, increasing the amount of cleavage her low-cut red sweater revealed.  Subtle, but Elena knew it would irritate Carmen.  "What's with all the eye-candy outside?  They're making a mess of your street." 

"No kidding.  I can't get anyone at city hall who knows anything to talk to me.  All I get are answering machines or a polite receptionist who'll take a message."

Carmen cleared her throat.  "I'm going to take my lunch now, Elena, if that's all right with you."

"Sure.  It's not like we're going to be swamped with customers."

The other two women traded nastier looks as Carmen grabbed her purse from beneath the counter before heading out.

Mercedes laughed as the door closed behind her.  "She does
not
like me."

"Do you have to purposefully irritate her?"

"What?  I didn't say anything to her."

"It's not what you say, Mercedes."  Elena pulled out her cell and scrolled through the numbers in her contact list.  "Besides, I have bigger things to deal with than Carmen's petty jealousy because Emilio likes you."  She selected Cole Taylor's number.  "Maybe the mayor's brother can help me."

Her call lasted little more than five minutes, and Mercedes stayed at the counter watching her the whole time.  "There."  Elena tucked her phone back into the pocket of her slacks.  "Sometimes it does help to have friends in high places.  He's going to look into it for me and see if there's a way they can minimize the impact it will have by requesting that the majority of the work is done after hours."

"Mmm…"  Mercedes smiled, the expression lighting her face.  "He's not hard on the eyes, either."

Elena released a long sigh.  "No, he's not."  He also wasn't Joe.  "You'll be happy to know that he asked for a favor in return."

Mercedes set down the pen she'd been playing with, grinning.  "Really?  What does he want?"

"He asked me to accompany him to the mayor's re-election party in a couple of weeks.  The same one that I'm decorating."

"Muy bueno.  I'm impressed.  I think maybe I
have
taught you a thing or two."

"Oh, stop.  You know I have to focus on my shop, especially with this latest catastrophe."  Another impact rocked her store, providing the perfect emphasis.  "Will you help me pack up some of these pots so they all don't end up shattered on the floor?"

Elena returned from the back area with several large cardboard boxes, and they began removing anything near an edge that could possibly be shifted close enough to fall.

"How are things going with you?" Elena asked her friend.  She wasn't sure if she should broach the subject since Mercedes hadn't brought it up.

"Good."  A grin sneaked across her face.  "I'm seeing a counselor, and you'll be happy to know I haven't had sex since Cabo."

A laugh slipped from her lips.  "Really?  Not that it's funny, just I'm proud of you."

"We're working through some issues.  Some of them are kind of tough, but I'm making progress."

"That's all that counts."  Elena didn't ask what the issues were.  If Mercedes wanted to confide, then she could.  "It's nice to see you happy."

Mercedes pondered that for a moment.  "I am happy."  She lifted a Talavera pot and set it in the box.  "From Mexico?"

"From a vendor I found while I was in Cabo."

"I guess you haven't heard from Joe."

"I won't."  She wouldn't call him.  Except for that one weak moment when she'd dialed and then hurried and hung up.  But that didn't count.  "He doesn't have my number." 

"Do you ever think about him?"

"Why would you ask that, Mercedes?  He was a one-night stand."

Mercedes scoffed.  "No.  I don't think so.  There was something different about him, chica.  He had potential.  Trust me.  I've met enough men to know."

Elena folded the top of her box closed and pushed it beneath the shelving.  "I wish you and Cassie would stop bringing him up.  He was a fling, nothing more."

"Then why do you look so sad when you talk about him?"

She crossed her arms in front of her.  "
Seriously
?  I am not sad about him.  If you're seeing any kind of expression on my face, it's concern, worry or anxiety.  I lost another regular account this morning."  She gestured toward the front of her shop.  "Then this disaster this afternoon.  I'm beginning to think Cabo left a curse on me."

"What can I do to help?"  Her friend's concern touched her.

"I don't know."  She sighed.  "Nothing.  I need to weather the storm, I guess."  She paused for a moment.  "Something's been bothering me, though."  She wasn't sure she wanted to voice her concerns.  It was as if speaking them would somehow make them more real.  "Richard was here the other day.  He's angry because Cassie is still going to Berkeley and because I had her work in the shop.  He threatened me.  He hinted that if he wanted, he could ruin me."  A shiver rolled through her, and she realized she'd been more worried about his threats than she'd admitted.

"Do you think he's causing all your problems?"

Elena walked to the back of the store and sank into a chair at her consultation table.  Mercedes followed.  "I don't know.  Maybe.  I mean, he couldn't have known how to cancel my shipments or be able to freeze the flowers.  He
could
influence a few of my accounts, but I don't think he knows the people who've cancelled standing orders.  Besides, do you really think he'd go so far as to somehow cause the ruckus outside?"

"Seems pretty unlikely.  Maybe it's just a run of bad luck."

"Is there such a thing as a Cabo curse?"  Elena laughed, trying to relieve some stress.

"I don't think so."  Mercedes picked up a pink rosebud that lay on the floor and twirled it between her fingers.  "But you do have me, and together, we'll keep your business floating."

Elena walked along the quaint sidewalks of Carmel, a cup of straight black coffee in one hand.  Next to her, Cassie walked, carrying a similar cup.  Her daughter had shown up early on a Saturday morning and had insisted they fortify themselves with the strong brew before opening the store. 

Now that school had started, Elena couldn't have asked for a more lovely or welcome surprise than having her daughter drive up from Berkeley to spend the weekend with her.  Her arrival had worked wonders for improving Elena's mood.  It hadn't elevated beyond tolerable since construction had started outside her store two weeks ago.

Cole hadn't been able to find any information on why the reconstruction project had suddenly popped to the top of the list.  All he knew was the city had some kind of excess funds that had to be spent right away, or they'd be forfeited.  Her friend-in-high-places hadn’t been able to do a thing for her, so she was stuck watching her profits dwindle away. 

She hadn't heard a word from Richard, but she still hadn't been able to shake her suspicions.  Even if he managed to bring her business to its knees, she'd never stop fighting for her freedom.  For a brief moment, she'd considered selling her shop and starting over in another state, out of Richard's grasp, but damn it, she'd bled to build her business here, and she'd continue to do so, if needed.  Carmel was her town, too, and she would not run. 

Mid-October sun sprinkled down on them as she and Cassie walked, the air fragrant with the scent of pine and old leaves.  She'd loved Carmel since her grandmother had brought her to visit once when she was a child.  Her mother had called the trip foolish, but her grandmother had insisted that even the poorest people could enjoy art. 

She still remembered the grand sculptures and obscure paintings.  Though some of it hadn't made any sense to her, she'd been in awe.  And of course, she loved the way the town treated its canine friends as respected citizens.

She considered herself blessed to live and work there.  To Elena, the city was like a living art gallery.  Canopies of giant cypresses and pines loomed over the town.  Nestled underneath, were picturesque cottages with pitched gable roofs and crooked stone chimneys.  History was revered.  Streets made way for the trees, not the other way around.  Life here was good. 

One block over, her shop showcased beautiful hand-hewn wood trim around her elfin windows and doors.  How could Richard have ever called it squalor?  A jealous man was an ugly thing. 

"Weather's supposed to be good all weekend," Cassie commented.  "After you close the shop today, let's walk over to the Seaside Gallery and check out the new artist they have displayed."  She sipped her coffee.

"Sounds like a great idea.  I've heard his work is inspiring."

"Well, that's exactly what I need, then.  I've been working on a watercolor of the ocean right before a storm comes in, and I'm going nowhere."  Her daughter heaved a sigh.  "I'm trying to show the suppressed power clawing its way out, but it seems so blah.  There's no…life to it.  It needs energy."

"If the gallery doesn't inspire you, we'll head to the beach afterward," she said as they rounded the corner.  Lord knew she could use some peaceful moments letting the surf wash away her cares.

Cassie nudged her with an elbow.  "Looks like you have an impatient customer, Mom."

Elena glanced past the older couple and their terrier walking ahead of them to see a man leaning against the front door of her shop.

"Cute one, too."

Elena stumbled, sloshing coffee down the side of her cup.  "Dear God."

Joe had found her.

"Careful, Mom," Cassie replied, thinking Elena had been worried about the spilled coffee.

Elena wanted to tell her daughter about Joe, explain who the man was and what he meant to her, but she couldn't form words at the moment.