Chapter Twenty-One
Somehow I survived the rest of the sale. By the time I made it back to the RV, I was bone-tired, and my mind a blur of images and sounds. Without bothering to take a shower, I waved at my sisters and fell onto my bed.
I woke an hour later.
Grabbing my robe and some clean underwear, I went into the shower. Liz was cooking something that made my stomach rumble. I could hear Diane’s voice as they conversed.
Nothing compares to the first shower after giving birth, but this was up there with one of the better showers I’d taken. I needed to get off the grubbiness of the work, but I’d been dirtier. The filth I felt from Trixie Lynn’s accusations was more difficult to scrub away.
Had Rodrigo cheated? He didn’t seem like that kind of man to me.
But what did I know? Less than a month had passed since we’d met. As a Magic 8 Ball might say about the chances he was faithful to his wife, “Outlook not so good.”
What else didn’t I know? Michael had hid his addiction well. I hadn’t had any idea what was going on until after both kids had left home. Then he hadn’t seemed to care anymore.
I’d moved into one of the other bedrooms long before he became ill.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.
After slipping on my robe, I returned to my room, stared at the closet for a few moments, then smiled. I plucked the pretty dress from its hanger and slipped it on. With more skill than I’d previously had, I put on a light layer of makeup, then fixed my hair. The haircut I’d had the week before made a big difference.
I wondered if he’d notice.
Ugh. I was sounding like a teenager with a crush.
When I walked into the living area, Diane looked at me and arched her eyebrows. “Awfully dressed up for dinner, aren’t you?”
“I’m not having dinner with you two, remember?”
“What?” Liz asked. “You never said anything.”
I pointed to the car schedule where I’d put in the tiniest letters possible, “K: 5 to ? ”
“That’s not telling us,” Diane complained. “Where are you going?”
“Out,” I said.
“Rodrigo,” my sisters said at the same time.
Liz smacked her forehead. “Valentine’s Day. Of course.”
“Did Walter send you anything?” Diane asked her.
“He says there’s something in the mail. We had a long talk earlier,” Liz said.
“Joe called too.” Diane got the dreamy expression she always had when she talked about Joe.
I hoped I didn’t look like that.
“See you,” I said, grabbing the car keys from the hook.
“Wait!” Diane stood. “Where are you going? When are you supposed to be back? What should we do? What if he decides to ravage you?”
I burst out laughing. Liz joined me.
“I’ll be fine. Since I don’t believe in any of that extra-marital activity you two are so fond of, I’ll be home before midnight. Wouldn’t want the car to turn into a pumpkin.”
“See that you are,” Diane said, finger wagging at me.
“Have a good time,” Liz said. “I’ll save you some leftovers.”
“Thanks. Good luck with her.” I nodded at Diane.
“I’ll do my best. Might need to get out the straitjacket though.”
“Whatever it takes.” I waved and left.
~ ~ ~
When I got out of the car at Rodrigo’s, I walked over to Star who had her head outside the corral rails. She nickered, and I gave her the apple slices I’d brought with me.
“You were waiting for me, weren’t you, girl?” I cooed at her.
“I swear you’re fonder of that horse than you are of me,” Rodrigo complained as he approached.
“That’s the sweet thing about animals,” I said. “They don’t have any hidden agendas. You know exactly what they want.”
“True,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. “Men are also supposed to be simple creatures. We like a good meal, a wide-screen television, and football.”
“There’s one more thing,” I noted.
“Ah, yes … that.” His smile had a wicked tinge to it. “But I think most women want that as well.” He slipped an arm around me. “Don’t yo u?”
“When the time is right,” I said, ducking under Star’s head to escape. “Like after a wedding.” I shrugged. “But since I’m never getting married again, I don’t have to worry about it. It’s in the ‘been there, done that, got the T-shirt’ bucket.”
He laughed. “I’ll have to see what I can do to change your mind.”
I shook my head. “My sisters have been trying to convince me of the benefits, but I’m not buying it.”
“I love a challenge,” he said with a grin. He gestured to the house. “I’ve set up a table on the patio. I wanted to do something simple tonight. I’m hoping steak, salad, and baked potato will do.”
“Fine with me,” I said as we walked to the patio.
The small round table was covered with a dark red tablecloth. Bright dishes waited for food, and a ceramic vase filled with roses lorded over the rest.
“The roses are for you to take home,” he said.
“Thank you. That’s lovely.”
“You deserve roses,” he said. He poured two glasses of rosé wine and handed one to me. “Happy Valentine’s Day to the most unusual and beautiful woman I’ve met in a long time.”
We clinked, and I made the mistake of looking into his dark brown eyes. They were looking at me with an intensity I hadn’t seen before.
The slumbering desires within me that had been stirring within me since I’d met Rodrigo jolted awake. For the first time in many years it seemed like making love to someone might be a better idea than I’d thought it to be. My breasts ached, and my lower belly softened.
I looked away.
“Thank you,” I said.
He gestured for me to sit down. We chatted for a while about the white elephant sale. I told him about the flare-up when the cousin introduced her boyfriend to the sister-in-law, but didn’t mention what Trixie Lynn had said. Like she’d said, I was leaving and there was no point in wondering about Rodrigo sticking to his vows.
“I’m glad the cousin finally put her foot down,” he said. “It was getting a bit ridiculous.”
“Me too,” I said. “I was quite sure your sister-in-law was going to find a relative to do me in if I didn’t disappear soon.”
“You were right to be worried,” he said. “I was getting a little concerned for my own safety.” Tentatively, he caressed the back of my hand, the light touch letting me know the instant I objected the caress would be gone.
I didn’t say anything.
He looked at me quizzically. “There’s something different. Haircut?”
“How did you know?”
“Because when I think there’s something different about a woman, it’s almost always a haircut.” He frowned. “Hairdressers are so good. They totally change how a person looks, but somehow it looks like the same style.”
“The woman who cut my hair would be depressed to hear that.”
He laughed, and I joined him.
This was all new to me. Teenagers don’t understand subtleties, and Michael hadn’t gained any skills since we’d first gone out.
“Now, if I could convince Trixie Lynn that I’m not interested, and …” He took a breath. “If I could convince you to stay, I’d be a happy man.”
“That’s not possible,” I said without giving it much thought.
“Isn’t it?”
“I made a promise to my sisters to complete this trip,” I said. “I’m keeping that promise.”
“Yes. You must do that,” he said. He stopped caressing my hand. “It was thoughtless of me to ask.” He rose. “I’ll put the steak on and get the salad.”
I sipped my wine while I waited, my mind a mess of emotions. If I was truthful, I wanted more time with him. Somewhere along the way, my resistance to a new relationship had faded away, just as my sisters predicted it would if I met the right man. I thought I was falling in love with him. I wasn’t sure what mature love was like, so I couldn’t be sure.
It couldn’t be love, could it? Love would mean that I’d jump at the chance to be with someone, no matter what the apparent difficulties. And I wasn’t leaving Montana.
Or was that view of romantic love outdated? These days, did the man go with the woman as often as the other way around? Somehow I didn’t think so, much as women liked to say that was true.
I pushed the thoughts from my head. I’d stick to the original plan. What was happening now was simply a moment in time, although it was a very sweet interlude.
Over dinner, we continued discovering new things about each other. He told me about his children growing up, and I traded stories about my two. It was only after dishes were cleared away, and we were enjoying another glass of wine that the topic of conversation I’d been avoiding came up.
“Tell me what happened with your marriage,” he said. “I have a feeling there is something that went wrong. I would like to avoid doing anything to hurt you, something that might trigger that feeling.”
I debated how best to answer this. I hadn’t told my sisters the problem, and I felt they should know first.
“Michael had an addiction,” I said. “That’s really all I want to say. I asked him to get help, but he wouldn’t. Things got worse. I …” I swallowed. “I covered for him when I probably shouldn’t have. Problems become worse when you keep them hidden in the dark.”
He nodded and held up his glass. “Alcohol?”
I shook my head.
“I hadn’t thought so, but I wanted to make sure, in case my drinking disturbed you.”
“No,” I said. “It isn’t a problem.” I held up my own glass and smiled. “I enjoy it as well. My sisters and I often have ‘cocktail hours’ at the end of the day.
“I will let you have your secret,” he said. “As long as you promise me if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, you’ll let me know.”
“Yes.”
“Good then. Wait here, and I will get dessert.”
He returned with two plates with slivers of dark chocolate cake.
“Wow,” I said. “I didn’t know you were a baker.”
“I’m not,” he said with a grin. “I’m an excellent orderer from the best bakery in this area.”
He pulled a small box from his shirt pocket. “This is for you. Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you never forget the time you spent here with me.”
“Oh.” I took the box, not sure what to say. A gift seemed like a lot.
I opened it.
Sparkling blue stud earrings lay in the box.
“They’re blue topaz,” he said. “It’s the state gem of Texas.”
“They’re lovely.” I undid the earrings I had on and replaced them. “Thank you.”
“Perfect,” he said. He gestured with his fork. “I hope your cake meets your expectations as well.”
The cake did.
We had more wine and talked some more .
When I stood up to start taking my leave, I realized I’d had more wine than I’d planned.
He must have noticed something. “Why don’t you stay the night?” he asked. “The guest room has fresh sheets.”
“My sisters …” I said.
“Text them. They’ll be happier knowing you’re safe.”
While that was true, I also knew I’d be in for some serious razzing the next day.
But he was right. It was better for me to stay.
I nodded.
“Good,” he said. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He pulled me close.
I wasn’t drunk enough to be unaware of what was coming next.
Or that I wanted it.
I lifted my face and welcomed his lips on mine.