Somewhere in His Arms (15 page)

             
She washed and dried her hands and returned to the bar. Her glass was still there and as she raised the glass to her lips a hand shot out and snatched it away. ”Don’t drink that,” he said, his eyes piercing her soul.

* * *

              When she woke from her nap, it was raining and earth dampened air wafted in from the cracked window. As she brushed her hair and pressed a cool cloth to her face, she couldn’t help but think of Alec. It had been nearly three weeks since she left; he should have gotten the cast off by now.

             
Lucy hadn’t meant things to end the way they did, but she didn’t know why she was feeling so guilty. He’d been a patient. Nothing more. Nothing less. But somehow in those few weeks she’d spent with him, he’d become more. Not in a romantic sense. She was too far-gone for that. No, it was more like a deep-seated friendship. She just couldn’t explain it. In those quiet moments with him in the cottage, she’d felt almost…complete.

             
She refused to admit she missed him because she was so certain he’d been glad to offload her, albeit involuntarily. The clock suddenly chimed six and she winced. She was going to be late for dinner. Lucy put her hair into a ponytail and changed.  “What the hell---”

             
Her jeans wouldn’t zip. Nope. Nada. Not gonna happen. She tried sucking in her belly, laying flat on the bed, and even contemplated weeping like a little girl. But nothing was going to make her jeans fit again. Swearing under her breath, she raided her meager wardrobe and put on the only thing that would fit her pregnant body: a pair of sweatpants. Not exactly haute couture but it would have to do. She pulled on a T-shirt and pale green hoodie as well and went downstairs to where the enticing aroma of enchiladas beckoned.

             
Lucy entered the kitchen where Tia was stirring rice. “Tia!” she exclaimed happily. “You’re back!”

             
“Mi nina!”
the little woman smiled in welcome and embraced her warmly. “I’ve missed you!” She held Lucy at arms length and examined her with a mother's knowing eye. Rudy had told her the girl had been ill, but this was something much more than simple depression or a bout with the flu. She clicked her tongue in dismay, but when her eyes dropped to Lucy’s stomach her mouth dropped open.
“Embarazada!”
she gasped in shock.             

             
Lucy paled and turned away. Of course, Tia would know. Giving birth to six children and being grandmother to ten imparts a certain otherworldly acumen. But when she glanced down at the slightly rounding belly protruding from her sweatpants, she was certain all hell was about to break loose. If Tia didn’t tell Rudy, he’d figure it out all by his lonesome in another month or two. “Please don’t tell Rudy,” she pleaded helplessly, and sat her weary body down on a stool. She buried her face in her hands and wept.

             
“Mi nina!”
Tia said softly and rushed over to comfort her. “Don’t cry,” she soothed and held the girl as sobs wracked her slight frame.

             
“Oh, Tia!” Lucy choked. “I’ve been so afraid!” More tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks in a torrent of grief. She tried to get a hold of herself, but somehow the comforting presence of the woman she’d come to know as a second mother seemed to unleash all the pain that had slowly been building over the past few weeks. It was cathartic in a way to finally have someone share the burden. She felt worn hands smoothing her hair and she breathed in deeply, soothing herself with the scent of Tia’s Cashmere Bouquet body powder and the chilies she’d added to the enchilada sauce.

             
Lucy felt as she if she were again that lost little girl; running to Tia whenever she was sad or frightened. She pulled away finally, knowing she wouldn’t be able to indulge such childish impulses now that she was to become a mother herself. “I-I’m better now,” she said, sniffing and groaning at the familiar stain. Tia handed her a washcloth and Lucy quickly pinched her nose. She sat like that for a good five minutes before checking the washcloth. To her relief the waterfall seemed to be stopping. She sighed heavily and watched as Tia began mashing the beans. “Can I help?” she offered, wanting something to do to keep her mind off the fact that she was going to have a baby.

             
“Claro que si,”
Tia smiled, handing Lucy the potato masher after she washed her hands.

             
It was quiet in the kitchen as they worked in companionable silence. For a moment she was reminded of those long summers when she went to stay with Rudy, and Tia would teach her all the secrets of Mexican cuisine. “Where’s Rudy?”

             
“He’ll be home late,” Tia replied, reaching for the salt. “He said he would be working late and to set an extra place for dinner.”

             
“Oh...?” Lucy queried, her curiosity piqued. “Who’s the guest?’

             
“Yo no se,”
Tia sighed ruefully. “Mister Rudy never tells me anything!

             
Lucy laughed. “That’s not true!”

             
Tia rolled her eyes and proceeded to scoop out a large spoonful of lard and toss it into the beans. “He’ll never eat that!” Lucy warned. “He’s on a diet.”

             
Tia shrugged carelessly and scooped another spoonful for good measure. “What Mister Rudy don’t know won’t hurt him!”

             
Lucy shook her head laughing but took a small taste of the beans anyway. Tia was right. You just couldn’t make proper
frijoles refritos
without lard. Life was far too short to worry about your waistline or in her case, the impending lack of one. She wondered whom Rudy was bringing home to dinner. Sometimes he’d bring a golf buddy from the country club, but Lucy had never known him to have actual friends aside from her father. The thought was lost on her as she and Tia finished making dinner and set the table.

             
A glance at the clock warned them it was nearly seven and Lucy’s stomach was rumbling. It wouldn’t be polite to go ahead and eat without Rudy and guest, but her stomach would brook no argument. She decided to munch on an apple and wait for Rudy. If he wasn’t home by seven-thirty, then that was his own misfortune.

             
She sat on a stool and listened as Tia told her all about her brother Pablo and how he was so cheap he wouldn’t take her shopping They were flipping through her vacation photos when they heard Rudy’s “I’m home” whistle.

             
Tia rushed out to greet him and came back with an odd look on her weathered face.  “He wants to see you
, nina.”

             
Something in Tia’s eyes suggested this was more than your standard meet and greet. Groaning in frustration, Lucy went out to the living room to see what he wanted and stopped short. Balancing awkwardly on a new pair of crutches stood...
Alec.

             
She stared for a moment, overcome by an irrational desire to fling herself into his arms. He seemed to have gotten taller the last time she’d seen him. Somehow sitting in that wheelchair all those weeks hadn’t prepared her for the simple fact that not only was he exceedingly tall, but even more devastatingly handsome than she remembered. Her breath caught slightly in her throat.

             
Lucy had not been prepared to see him again, especially after the way she’d left him.  She felt like a tongue-tied teenager on her first date, not knowing what to say or how to act. Instead she busied herself with his appearance. He was wearing carpenter jeans and a white T-shirt with an unbuttoned red plaid shirt over it. Alec had cleaned himself up nicely, and the effect was startling. His hair was cut in a short masculine style that showed off his handsome features.

             
But the most startling change was the missing beard. His clean-shaven beauty was now on full display, and Lucy found herself admiring the chiseled features like a lovesick schoolgirl. He was utterly perfect; there was no other word to describe Alec. Her eyes traced longingly over his face: the firm, yet sensual curve of his mouth; the straight nose; the cerulean jewels of his eyes and the dark circles under them that denoted the lack of sleep. She longed to reach out and smooth them away. Lucy finally glanced up to find him watching
her,
and she looked away quickly, her cheeks as red as Tia’s enchilada sauce.

             
Alec cleared his throat and smiled. “H-Hi,” he began awkwardly. “I---” he couldn’t finish.

             
Lucy couldn’t think of anything to say either. “Y-You got your cast off,” she said stupidly and winced.
What the hell was wrong with her?
And why was she feeling so damned happy and miserable at the same time? “How’ve you been?” she said, once she recovered what was left of her wits.

             
He shrugged and eyed her closely. “I’ve been better and
you’ve
been ill.”

             
Lucy nearly collapsed on the floor. How did he know? Feeling uncomfortable under his sudden perusal, she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s just a stomach virus,” she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand and saw an odd look briefly darken the handsome visage.

             
“There’s a lot of that going around,” Alec said rather oddly, and exchanged glances with Rudy who still hadn’t uttered a word. It gave Lucy the creeps. “You should take better care of yourself,” he chided softly.

             
“Yeah,” she replied slowly, drawing the word out in two syllables as she gazed at Alec and then at Rudy who kept exchanging queer looks as if they were part of some evil conspiracy to replace her with an alien double. Lucy was beginning to feel as if she were in an episode of
The Twilight Zone
. “What’s going on?” she asked, peering at them suspiciously.

             
“W-What...?” Alec squawked, and nearly tripped over his crutches as he whipped around to face Rudy.
“You told me she knew!”
he hissed, and looked ready to bolt out the door.

             
Rudy shrugged. “I lied.”

             
Alec stood with his back to them laughing and muttering nonsensically to himself. Lucy wondered if he wasn’t having some sort of breakdown. She took a step to go to him, but Rudy halted her by putting a finger to his lips and shaking his head. “Why don’t you show Lucy the present you got for her?” he called out instead.

             
“P-Present...?” Alec repeated as if in a trance.

             
“You showed it to me earlier, Alec,” Rudy urged as he held on to Lucy’s arm. “I’m sure she’d love to see it.”

             
“Present, right,” Alec muttered to himself, and began a frantic search of his pockets. He began patting himself down in a clumsy attempt to find the cursed thing.

             
“Alec, what’s---” Lucy began, but was cut off by Rudy who shushed her and went to assist Alec. “Will someone
please
tell me what’s going on?” she demanded in mounting alarm.

             
“Just a moment,” Rudy called cheerfully as he fumbled around in Alec’s pockets. “Don’t tell me you lost it!” he muttered, brushing aside Alec’s hands. “You’re shaking like a leaf!” he scolded him. “Get a hold of yourself!”

             
“What do you
want
me to do?” Alec hissed back in increasing panic. “You told me everything was settled!”

             
“It
is,”
Rudy assured him as he fished out the item from deep within Alec’s jean pocket. “In a way,” he added wryly as he held it up for Alec’s inspection. “Better hold on to this,” he said, laughing a little but feeling no joy as Alec snatched it away angrily.

             
“Give me that!” he snapped and inspected it closely for a moment before taking a deep shuddering breath and turning around with Rudy’s help. He held it up to the light and fully expected all of hell to rain down upon his sorry head.

             
But there was...silence. No one uttered a sound. Not Rudy. Not Tia who stood by in the kitchen crossing herself and silently reciting her prayers. And most certainly not Lucy who was staring at the object he held with a befuddled expression on her lovely face. His heart felt as if it were suddenly being wrenched from his body as tears welled up in her enormous eyes. She looked up at him and then down at her hand where the golden band encircled her finger. Then she looked up again at what he was holding.

             
It swayed back and forth on a chain. Back and forth it swung like a pendulum and glinted mockingly at her as the cheap gold caught and reflected the soft light. Lucy stared disbelieving; hardly able to breathe for it was a perfect match to the one she wore. Tears were filling her eyes faster than she could swipe them away. And then like a flood, her memory purged itself of that night: the long drive; the casino; the drunken laughter; the small chapel and the loss of her virginity.