Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
We decide to leave Toledo late morning to get in a few hours of driving for Valencia. Neither of us is in the mood to return to Madrid.
“How’s the stiffness?” Fernando asks as he returns to the outdoor table I’m sitting at near a gas station market. He’s got some fresh fruit and nuts for our midday snack.
“As long as I don’t move too quickly or try to turn my head, I’m good. The GPS said we only have another hour to go.”
He sighs. “With how much discomfort your neck is in, I don’t think walking around Valencia is such a great idea.”
As annoyed as I am by the situation, he’s right. Getting out of bed this morning to walk to the car was tough. If I take a wrong step, the muscles in my back spasm. I can’t see myself getting very far unless I have Fernando carry me around the city.
That isn’t an option. We can’t risk him throwing out his back. He needs to be able to drive. I blow out air. “This whole situation sucks. I want my body to be back to a hundred percent so I can enjoy Spain.”
“I’m sorry, Ava,” he says in a low tone. “I know how frustrating it is waiting for your body to recover.”
Ugh, why did that have to come out sounding like I was whining? Fernando already feels guilty, and now it’s like I’m rubbing salt into the wound. “I’m sorry I’m being a grump.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He slides the fruit bag toward me. “It’s the pain talking, not you. I’ve been in your shoes many times. I understand.”
“Have you suffered a lot of injuries over the course of your career?” I take a few grapes and pop them into my mouth, chewing slowly.
“No, thankfully. My only major injury was tearing my ACL as a teenager, but since then, I’ve been lucky.
Whenever I’m hurt, it’s usually only something minor like a pulled muscle or sprained ankle.
” He scratches his chin. “We had a great physical therapist on the Dreams on Ice staff who could work magic when it came to putting our bodies back together.” He takes a small handful of nuts.
“Hmm . . . I bet we could find a massage therapist to help loosen your back.”
“Are you volunteering your services to me?” I tease.
“No. I’m hopeless with it.” He shakes his head, the tips of his ears the same shade of red as the strawberries on the table. “But the good news is, Valencia is a resort town packed full of spas. I’m sure at least one of them will have a masseuse on staff.”
I sit taller. To my ailing body, a spa sounds like heaven.
I picture the hot steam room, relaxing on a massage table, and spending the day being pampered by the staff.
I’ve never actually been to a spa, but my sister swears they’re worth the splurge.
At this point, I’ll do anything to get some relief. “Count me in.”
“I’ll make a call to my tía Yesenia. She’ll know where we should go.
She travels to Valencia all the time for work.
” He glances at the time on his watch. “Today’s market day in Santa Luz, so she’s probably with Mamá.
I’ll do my best to keep the call short, but they’ll both want to say hello to you. ”
I shrug, ignoring the painful tug between my neck and shoulder. “You can’t control what they do, but I appreciate it.”
Taking out his phone, he taps the screen and holds it up to his ear. I move on to the nuts and raisins. It’s another perfect blend of salty and sweet. One thing I can’t get over is how different all the food tastes here. It’s packed with flavor. I’ll miss it when I get home.
“Hola, Mamá.” I hear Fernando’s mother reply in Spanish, but he answers back in English for my benefit, which I appreciate. “No, Ava and I decided to head to Valencia instead of Zaragoza . . . Uh-huh . . . Uh-huh . . . Um, two or three more days?”
My attention turns from Fernando to Sequoia Valley. I wonder how my dog is getting on at my sister’s house. We’ve been so busy that I haven’t made the time to check in with anyone except Daphne and the clinic, of course, since the day we arrived. I should call my own parents later.
“What? No! Please don’t!” Fernando’s voice turns panicky.
I glance in his direction. His brows are knitted together tightly.
“Why? Because that would be too overwhelming for us. Ava and I are still in the early stages of our relationship. We don’t need the whole family to come to dinner .
. . No . . . Yes . . . I’m sure she’ll agree with me.
” We lock eyes. “Hold on, let me put you on speaker.”
He sets the device down on the table. “Go ahead, Mamá, she’s right here.”
“Ava! It’s Mamá Alvarez. How are you doing?”
“I’m great. Thanks for asking.”
“And my son is treating you well?”
I suppress a giggle. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, good. I’m looking forward to your arrival in Santa Luz.”
“I am too,” I say, curious to see the place where Fernando grew up.
“Now, I was wondering if I might be able to get your opinion on something.”
Fernando crosses his arms and mouths “wait for it” to me.
I shoot him a curious look. “Sure.”
“How would you feel about me organizing a little welcome dinner for you and Fernando?”
He rolls his eyes. “Little is an understatement,” he mouths to me.
Picking up on my fake boyfriend’s frustrations, I ask, “Er, how many people did you have in mind? I was hoping I’d have some one-on-one time with Fernando’s immediate family, like yourself and Mr. Alvarez.” He flashes me a thumbs-up. “But if you think a bigger gathering is better . . .”
“No, you are absolutely right. There’s no need to invite the whole family.”
“I’m glad you’re seeing reason,” Fernando says, wiping his brow in mock relief. “Anyway, Mamá, is Tía Yesenia with you? I want to treat Ava to a spa day. I need some recommendations on where we should go.”
We hear a few muffled sounds. Another woman’s voice I recognize as his aunt comes onto the line. “A spa day? How romantic!”
Fernando opens his mouth to correct her, but I shake my head. “Yes, he’s been spoiling me like a princess the entire week.”
“Good boy. That’s how we raised you,” Tía Yesenia says, a hint of pride in her voice. “Fernando, take your woman to the Malvarrosa Resort and Spa. Ask for Ana, the manager. She’ll look after you herself.”
“Gracias, Tía. I knew we could count on you.” He takes the phone off speaker, finishes the conversation with his aunt, and disconnects the call.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I say, picking out a few more almonds for myself.
“We got off easy, thanks to you.”
“How many people would your mom have invited given the chance?”
“Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” He places the phone on the table, leans back in his chair, and stretches. “A small family gathering to Mamá includes everyone who lives within driving distance of their home. About forty people.”
“That many? Is your parents’ home that large?”
“Sí. My parents run a bed and breakfast. The building has ten guest rooms, a large dining room, and an outdoor patio.”
“What happens when your relatives not within driving distance are also invited over?”
“The one time that’s happened, for my abuela’s ninetieth birthday, Mamá rented a ballroom in one of the local hotels.”
I let out a low whistle. “And here I thought having seven people at Thanksgiving was a lot. You win the prize for the largest extended family, maybe ever.”
“Nope. That prize would go to our neighbors, the Rodriguezes. They have an even larger family. At last count, I think there were just over fifty of them.”
All I can say is, “Wow.”
We get out of our seats. Fernando takes care of cleaning up our trash as I move along at a glacial pace.
“Can you give me a crash course on who everyone is before the family dinner?” I rub the stiff spot between my neck and shoulder. “That is assuming your mom will only invite a few of your aunts and uncles.”
“She’ll behave. Especially since you asked her to keep it small.” We walk over to the car, and he clicks the doors open. “The hour we have left getting to Valencia should be enough time to cover the basics on the aunties. We’ll cover my uncles over dinner.”
“How much is there to know?”
“A lot.” He starts the engine. “Again, think My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My tías have big personalities, meaning there’s a lot to warn you about.”
“Should I take notes?”
He smirks. “That’s up to you.”
When Fernando turns into the driveway of the Malvarrosa Resort and Spa, it takes us just over five minutes before we reach the main building.
“Is this a hotel or a palace?” I press my nose against the window, staring out at the mini Versailles.
The building is long and contains four floors, each with sash windows. Leading up to the lobby, there’s a red carpet and workers dressed in livery uniforms from a century ago. My favorite detail, however, is the massive fountain with four horses galloping across the water.
“Um, no offense, Fernando, I’m sure your aunt means well, but I’m gonna be blunt—there’s no way I can afford a place like this.”
He frowns. “I don’t want you to worry about the money, Ava. You told my tía you’re being treated like a princess. As your fake boyfriend, I’m treating you to the spa.”
I want to say yes to him, but my stubborn pride just won’t let me have my way. “No. It’s too expensive. I don’t want you to drain your bank account for me.”
“I want to do this for you.” He gives me the puppy-dog eyes.
I’m touched by his generosity, but even if he can afford this place, I still can’t bring myself to accept the offer. “I’m a simple girl with simple tastes,” I say softly. “I would feel like a fish out of water here.”
He sighs. “Okay, you win. I’ll turn the car around and we’ll go someplace else.”
“Do you think your aunt will be insulted if she finds out?”
“If she is, too bad. Today is about you.”
During the ride over, I learned that Tía Yesenia is an architect. She’s won several awards for her work, and her firm is one of the most highly sought-after in Spain. It wouldn’t surprise me if she designed this property.
As we’re speaking, one of the hotel valets taps on the window, “Hola, senor.”
“Hola.” Fernando rolls down the window and speaks to the valet.
From what I piece together, he explains that we’re turning around and about to leave.
The valet nods and takes a couple of steps back, clearing space for Fernando to reverse.
He presses the clutch and changes gears, but as we roll backward, the car suddenly jolts.
“Ouch,” I hiss as the unexpected motion jostles my neck. I grip the armrests tightly.
Fernando frowns and jiggles the stick. The valet shouts, and we hear the sound of air escaping from the tires. He opens the door to inspect the damage. “Crap,” he exclaims.
“What happened?” I don’t turn to look, trying to limit my movements.
He rests his head for a moment on the steering wheel and mumbles, “I ran over the spike strip. One of the tires is flat.”
A flat tire. I exhale. That’s not bad. It could’ve been worse, like another broken timing belt. I pat him on the back. “We’ll get this sorted out. I’m sure a tow truck can take care of it.”
“Let’s hope so.” Fernando brings the car forward and pulls off to the side. I wait in the vehicle while he sorts out the mess with the valet team, taking advantage of the hotel’s Wi-Fi to text Daphne.
Ava: Hey, Daph, sorry I’ve been MIA. Are you free for a chat this afternoon?
“Well, Ava, it looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for a while,” Fernando says, returning to the car.
“The guy in the valet booth called for a tow truck. They quoted him two to three hours, since we’re not an emergency.
I thought maybe I could change the tire myself, but the car’s tool kit is missing. ”
“Well, at least we can wait in the lobby and explore. This place is huge.”
“It is,” he agrees. “But the exploring will have to wait. You’ll, uh, be otherwise occupied.”
“Fernando . . .”
“Don’t kill me, but I also had the valet call the concierge to book you a spa appointment.”
I give him a hard look. “We just went through this—”
He places a finger to my lips. “I know you said no a few minutes ago, but if we’re here anyway, I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”
I exhale. “Do I have a choice?”
“No. Everything’s been paid for.” He grins.
I exhale deeply. “Fine, I’ll do it, but this doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook.” My body is stiff, and I really could use a massage. But I’m going to find a way to split the difference with Fernando. He just doesn’t know it yet.
“Noted.”
I unbuckle my seat belt. “What are you going to do while I’m at the spa?”
“I’m joining you.”
My cheeks burn hot. “You didn’t plan on us getting a couples massage, did you?” I sputter. We’re a fake couple, but I’m not prepared for us to take it that far. Even with a handsome guy like him.
“No!” He quickly adds, “We’ll be in separate rooms.”
I relax. “Okay, then.”
We step out of the car and a hotel worker approaches us with a golf cart. “Mr. Alvarez?” he asks.
“Yes,” Fernando says.
“I’m glad I didn’t miss you!” The man grins.
“I thought I heard the valet mention your name over the radio, but wasn’t certain.
I’m Javier, your personal concierge while you’re with us at the Malvarrosa Resort and Spa.
Do you have any bags you’d like me to take charge of while you visit the spa today? ”
I blink and stare dumbly at Fernando. Did he book a top-of-the-line VIP package for us to get service like this?
“Uh, we’re not going to be here that long. Just a few hours,” he says.
The concierge blinks slowly. “Oh. I was informed by the hotel manager this morning that you’d be staying with us for two nights in the presidential suite. Am I mistaken?”
Presidential suite? Us staying here? He must have the wrong people. Alvarez is a common last name, after all.
I glance from the concierge to Fernando, who appears just as puzzled as I am. “I think I know what’s going on,” he says. “I need to get in touch with my aunt to clarify a few things.” He reaches for his phone. “In the meantime, would you mind taking Ava up to the spa?”
“Of course.” The concierge smiles. “It would be my pleasure. Senora, if you’ll please follow me.” He gestures to the golf cart. I take a step forward, but then look to Fernando for permission. I hate to leave him alone.
“Go on, Ava. I’ll be right behind you.”
Although I feel some guilt, the allure of having a massage to relieve the deep ache in my back is too much to resist.
“OK, I’ll see you soon.”