Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
My eyes widen and my feet refuse to move. It’s as if I’ve been petrified and turned into a statue by Medusa.
“Ava, are you okay?” Fernando asks in a concerned tone. “You’re ghost-white.”
I open my mouth, but no words come out. From behind Fernando’s broad back, Dylan looks up, and for the briefest of seconds, our eyes meet. He looks the same as the day he left Sequoia Valley for Fort Collins, with a little more scruff coating his jawline.
“I’m, uh, just passing through Denver,” I say softly. “What about you?”
“I’m here with my girlfriend,” he says matter-of-factly. “We’re headed to Europe.”
Porcupine quills are being jabbed into my skin.
If my sister were here with me, she’d tell me to hold my head high and walk away, making sure I’m not giving Dylan the satisfaction of knowing that he’s bothering me.
But I’m also filled with morbid curiosity.
Who is she? How long have they been together?
I can’t get myself to stop watching him.
“Oh,” I manage. “How . . . how long have you guys been together?”
“Officially? Three months, give or take.”
“How did you guys meet?” I ask.
“Oh, she interviewed me for the research position.”
I frown. Talk about a conflict of interest. I know Dylan is qualified, but it makes me wonder if the reason he was hired was because Rainy was interested in him. Or if he flirted with her to get the job.
I don’t have to wait long to meet the mystery woman. A few moments later, the Queen of Vultures joins him at the table. There’s no mistaking her electric-blue hair. She’s about our age, in her early thirties, but a little shorter than me.
“Friends of yours?” she says, setting down two plates of cookies and stroking his arm in a tender motion.
“Yeah. This is Ava, my business partner from California,” he offers.
Business partner. Another ouch. Not even a friend? My heart pounds as hard as golf-ball-sized hail shattering a car windshield.
I wave a hand. “Hi.”
Rainy smiles tightly and nods back to me. “Hi.”
Tension fills the air as she studies me. Dylan, however, remains oblivious to it as he closes his laptop and pushes it to the side, giving his girlfriend his full attention.
“I was, uh, surprised you didn’t text me,” I say.
“Oh sorry.” He turns his head, glancing at me. “I’ve been busy. You know how it is. New job. New apartment. There’s so much to do and never enough time.”
I do know how it is, but the photos he’s been posting say otherwise. He’s had enough time to go out. “Yeah, I get it.” I take a deep, steadying breath, my legs shaky as a jellyfish.
Fernando slips his hand into mine and squeezes gently, reminding me he’s standing right there.
“Who’s this?” Dylan juts his chin out.
I turn my head and stare. “Oh this is, um . . .” My mind has momentarily gone blank.
“Fernando,” he says with a stronger accent than normal. “I’m Ava’s boyfriend. And we need to get going. It was nice to meet you.”
I let him lead me toward the dessert offerings, fingers laced through mine. “An ex?” he says in a tone so low that it’s barely audible.
“Sort of.” I swallow hard. “It’s complicated.”
He leans his head right next to my ear. “Do you trust me?”
I hesitate for a moment, then answer, “Yes.”
His arm travels up to the small of my back, supporting all my weight. Bringing me into his body, he places a warm, gentle kiss on my mouth. Whoa! This is the last thing I thought he’d ever do!
I melt into his arms, deepening our kiss as my eyes flutter closed, eager for more.
His lips are silky soft. I smell the scent of zesty orange and gingerbread.
My arms wrap themselves around his neck.
It’s like I’ve been wrapped up with the world’s softest weighted blanket and I’m so comfortable that I don’t want to ever leave.
Eventually, we break apart. Fernando’s brown orbs are large and filled with so much warmth, they could heat a freezing room. His voice is raw and throaty. “Let’s see if they have some pie. I know how much you love it.”
“Mm’kay,” I manage, breathless, floating wherever he leads me. My mind has gone fuzzy. All thoughts of Dylan have fallen by the wayside. Fernando may not know it, but he’s just spoiled me for all other men. I don’t know if anyone could match a kiss like that.
He grabs a tray at the dessert case. “I couldn’t stand how they were treating you. For the record, they’re watching us. Your ex is probably wondering why he was stupid enough to let you go,” he whispers into my ear. “I’m sorry if I crossed the line, but he clearly needed to be put in his place.”
I don’t bother looking back at Dylan. I don’t care. “Don’t be.” I enjoyed every moment of it. In fact, my body would love it if he gave me another one right now.
“Oh look, they have mince pies! Let’s take two. I know I promised you dinner, but there’s no rule that says we can’t start with dessert first.” He winks.
“No, there isn’t.”
Desserts in hand, we relocate from our original table to a private booth at the opposite end of the lounge, far away from Dylan and Rainy. Having a few minutes to calm down has helped my brain and my body return to reality. Although my nerves are still on edge.
“Thanks for the, um, kiss back there.” I pick up my fork and take a bite of the pie.
“You’re welcome.”
“Seeing Dylan caught me off guard.”
“You don’t have to explain, Ava. I understand better than you may think.” For a moment, Fernando’s eyes gloss over, and a flash of sadness passes over his face. It’s gone, however, as quickly as it appeared.
“No. I think I should.” I take a deep breath. “Dylan isn’t technically an ex-boyfriend. He’s the guy I used to own the clinic with, and until very recently, was my best friend. Right now, I have no idea where we stand.”
“Yeah, I heard his lame excuse about not texting you.” He presses his lips together.
“It’s weird. We used to text back and forth at least once a day, and then when he left Sequoia Valley for Fort Collins, he forgot all about me.
” Over pie, and later, soup and sandwiches, I share a few select snippets of my college years to give Fernando a little context on some of the more recent events.
“. . . When I finally worked up the courage to tell him how I felt about him, he said I wasn’t his type. And that I’d find someone eventually.” I rub the back of my neck. “Since then, he’s dropped me. It’s like eight years of friendship have been erased.”
Fernando inhales sharply. “Ouch.”
“Yeah.” I stack a few of my dirty dishes on top of one another.
“Real friends don’t do that. They find a way to work things out,” he says, sending a glare in Dylan’s direction.
My heart warms at the support. “I don’t know anymore. Maybe all this time I’ve been blind, and we were never as close as I thought we were.”
“I agree with your sister on this one.” Fernando nods. “This Dylan is a waste of your time. As much as it hurts, I think you should give him the same treatment he’s giving you. Cut him off and don’t worry about him.”
My shoulders hunch. “I’ve been trying, but it’s a lot harder than it looks.”
“It is,” he agrees. “There’s always a lot of emotional baggage involved.”
We both sit in heavy silence for a few moments. Another flash of sadness passes through his eyes. I wonder if someone might’ve broken his heart too.
The couple of times we’ve hung out, Fernando has always been kind and considerate.
He’s the type of person who’s easy to talk to and keeps the conversation flowing.
And that kiss. My body is still hot thinking about it.
It’s hard to believe someone like him is single.
At least, I think he’s single. He never confirmed he’s not off the market.
Deciding I’m tired of such a heavy conversation, I change topics. “So Lisbon . . . have you been there before?”
“A few times.” He leans back in his seat, relaxing. “My abuela on my madre’s side is from Porto, Portugal. I used to visit her a few times a year as a kid before my mom persuaded her to move to be closer to us.”
“Since you’re the resident expert again, any tips on getting from Portugal to Madrid?” I fold my hands and rest them on the table. “Should I take a plane, train, or bus?”
“If you value your time, flying is the fastest option.” He pulls out his phone and shows me a map of Spain. “The two cities are about seven hundred miles apart.”
I stare at the long line connecting two black dots on opposite ends of the screen for a few moments, cursing Pacific Skyways again for making me so exhausted yesterday that I missed a small detail like this.
Okay, maybe not a small detail. A wooly-mammoth-sized one.
“I didn’t realize Lisbon was that far away.
I was thinking it would be like going from San Francisco to LA, about a six-hour drive. ”
“If only.” Fernando laughs. “The train would be my second choice if I were you. The bus takes too long.”
“Hmm, I guess flying it is.” I puff out my cheeks. “It’s too bad. Now that I’m headed to Lisbon, it seems like a waste to not take advantage of the opportunity to see the city.”
He drums his fingers against the tabletop, studying me. “How flexible are your plans?”
“They’re pretty open. Aside from the B&B I booked for Madrid, all the other places I’m staying at are refundable as long as I cancel twenty-four hours in advance.”
“Did you book any train or museum tickets?”
“No. I was having trouble figuring out the websites. I was hoping a hotel concierge could do it for me.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t.” His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. “If you’re open to it, I have another idea.”
“Oh?”
“How would you feel about spending the day with me? I’d love to show you Portugal’s capital city.”
“What?” I sputter, knocking my hand into my glass of water and spilling a little on the table. “I can’t ask you to play tour guide! You’re on vacation too. And a few days late, I might add.”
“We’re both headed to the same destination, and my parents won’t mind if I get into Santa Luz a little later than expected.
” He waves me off. “Actually, you’d be doing me a favor.
Whenever I go home, Mamá lets me hang out around the house for about a day before she puts me to work.
There’s always a long list of things she wants fixed, cleaned, or built. ”
I slowly pat the spot of water dry with a napkin. It’s tempting. And I want to say yes, but should I? Or am I playing with fire? Is Fernando my rebound guy? “I don’t know . . .”
He glances to the other side of the room, then winces. “This isn’t a date or anything like that. I just thought . . . well never mind what I thought. I clearly wasn’t thinking and—”
To Hades with it. One day won’t matter. “Fernando, quit apologizing. I know you’re just being nice. You just caught me off guard.”
“Does that mean you’re game?”
I take a long drink of water. This trip is all about embracing my inner Daphne and learning to loosen up.
I can’t stress out when my plans change.
Especially when they’re outside my control.
Besides, the last few times Fernando and I have been together, I’ve had a great time.
The thought of spending more time alone with him sets my heart aflutter. “I’ll do it.”
“Fantástico!” He smiles widely.
We get up and deposit our dirty dishes near the trash cans. We have about twenty minutes before we’re supposed to board. Fernando excuses himself and says he’ll meet me at the gate. He has an errand he needs to take care of.
As I walk toward the boarding area, I’m relieved to have a little time to myself. My mind has been running on overload the last hour or so. I’m only just processing all that’s happened.
I’m taking Fernando’s words to heart. I do deserve more.
I still can’t believe he came to my rescue like that in front of Dylan.
That kiss and the warm, dizzying sensations of delight it sent through my body linger at the forefront of my mind.
Sigh. That’ll live rent free in my brain for a good couple of months.
Finding an empty seat, I set my backpack down and shuffle around a few items. Fernando joins me a couple minutes later. “Did you take care of what you needed to do?” I ask as he slides into the seat next to me.
“Uh-huh.” He slips a plastic bag from one of the airport book stands onto my lap. “This is for you.”
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” From another smaller bag, he holds up a pack of cherry-red Swedish Fish. “Don’t worry, I got myself something too.”
“You didn’t go for the chocolate raisins? Or the yogurt ones? Those are so much better. The Swedish Fish always get stuck in my teeth.”
He wrinkles his nose. “No. Those sound disguising. Raisins shouldn’t be covered in chocolate. Or yogurt.”
“You’re missing out.”
“Nope, I’ve got the only candy I need right here.” He tears open the bag and takes a couple. “Go on. Enough stalling. Open it.”
Reaching inside my own bag, I expect candy, but instead, my hand closes around a book. As I slide it out, my breath catches. “You got me a guidebook on Portugal and Spain?”
“Sí. I didn’t have much time to look at all the books in the shop, but this one seemed to have the best maps. I figured that since you’re a planner, and the flight is a little over twelve hours, you might want to pick out what you want to see.”
I run a hand over the glossy cover of the book, my heart thumping a few extra beats a minute. “Thank you. I will.” I clutch it to my chest.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re ready to begin boarding. We’d like to ask if you’re holding a business-class ticket to go ahead and join the queue on the left-hand side. For everyone else, please wait until the section and zone number printed on your boarding pass are called.”
“Shall we, Ava?”
I nod. “Let’s go.”
Ignoring the passengers hovering around the gate area, we join the queue on the left and make our way onto the plane. Our adventure is about to begin.