CHAPTER 3
Anna
Anna breathed in the clear air of Cervera, relishing the quiet which had eluded her since she had left her old life.
Barcelona had been hectic and busy, even if parts were postcard worthy.
Despite being in a foreign country, Anna had been disappointed.
It had seemed much like any other big city back home, except with more people and older buildings.
Finding anywhere peaceful to sit and write in such a noisy throng had been impossible.
Barcelona was also more expensive than she’d considered when she’d chosen Spain as her destination.
The snap decision to head into the countryside had seemed inspired.
Cervera was lovely with the promise of spring.
There were new green leaves on the trees and the picturesque old city on the hill enclosed by a wall from the thirteenth or fourteenth century.
Though only an hour and a half from Barcelona by bus, it was a different world.
The village might be the perfect place to write, but she wouldn’t be able to stay long unless she found a job.
Preferably one that wouldn’t monopolize her time.
She’d wasted enough time on things that didn’t matter.
She smiled at the idea of a possible new friend, Catarina.
When they met up to shop, she would ask her for job advice.
She’d come to Europe without sandals, a bathing suit, or enough underwear.
Her only major purchases in Barcelona had been an electrical adapter for her chargers to plug in and a new SIM card for her phone at the airport.
Anna had also converted the cash from selling her car into Euros, leaving her bank account in Seattle alone.
It held enough money for six months’ worth of townhouse payments, because she couldn’t expect Adam to pay the mortgage.
By the end of the summer, she would deal with the remnants of her old life and find someone to help her sell the place back in America.
She didn’t plan to go back to that life, but she could return to North America if she chose.
Maybe she’d choose a new city or somewhere quiet in a small town.
Anna glanced down at her phone and her Messenger notifications.
She had eighty-seven unread messages—all from Adam.
She’d muted him at the airport before she left.
Now that she had Wi-Fi again, his latest messages were stacking up.
She had a feeling they’d say variations of “Where are you?”, “Stop being childish”, and “Come home.” She didn’t want to talk to him.
If she spoke to him, she would stammer through, and he wouldn’t respect what she had to say.
He might even mock her for being “difficult” and “too emotional.” With shaking hands, she deleted the messages unread and blocked him.
With luck, she could avoid him forever. Maybe she’d hire a lawyer to oversee the sale of the townhouse.
Someone knocked on the door to Anna’s room and she jumped, fear skittering through her for a second.
In the days since she’d left Seattle, she startled easily, but her nerves should settle now that she had arrived in such a peaceful place.
Cervera seemed like somewhere she wanted to stay longer.
A familiar town would go a long way toward calming her jitters.
She’d feel better when strange surroundings were no longer a source of stress. This was a new start.
She opened the door and smiled to find Catarina outside in the dim hallway. Anna felt less self-conscious about speaking English while in Spain. Catarina’s English seemed good, Isaac’s had been even better, and his brother with the fiery eyes had spoken fluently with very little accent.
Despite Vince’s handsome face, she’d found his intensity unnerving.
Isaac was more her style. She also appreciated his height, finding him more attractive than his brother.
She might want to change her life, but she wasn’t about to change who she was.
A fling in Europe might be fun, but she’d never been that kind of girl.
“You ready?” said Catarina, tossing her dark hair, no longer in its braid.
The language barrier didn’t seem to be a problem, which reduced the tension Anna had carried in her shoulders since she’d boarded the plane three days ago.
She’d taken Spanish in school and been fluent on paper, but her anxiety stemmed from not having had many opportunities to speak it in the last ten years. Her skills were rusty.
This morning, the young men had spoken too fast for her to understand every word with her limited language skills, but she’d caught Vince’s lingering look, the word “date”, and the possible flash of disappointment in Isaac’s eyes.
It had been brief, but she noticed only because she was used to tracking emotions as a matter of course.
Reading people took work. But he’d also called her pretty.
“Are you sure you don’t mind coming with me? If it’s easier, you can just point me in the right direction. I’m just looking for clothes, a bathing suit, and underwear. Nothing exciting.” Anna hoped Catarina still wanted to go shopping, but only if it wasn’t a burden.
“It’s a perfect excuse to have fun this afternoon,” said Catarina, waving away Anna’s hesitation.
“I’m looking forward to this. Nothing happens in this town all winter, so this is the most excitement I’ve had in weeks.
It’s also one of the warmest days so far this year, and an afternoon outing is just what I need.
Plus, who doesn’t love sexy new underwear and bras to make you feel brand new?
I’ll take you up to the Castle too and show you the view. ”
She and Catarina strolled into the upper-walled village where Anna soon lost her bearings.
They took in quaint shops designed for tourists and functional ones that sold everything from colorful produce to decorative stationery, and a small pharmacy where Catarina also picked up a few things.
They shopped for about an hour and a half and visited the Castle before Anna called for a time-out.
She didn’t love shopping, but this had been both practical and fun.
She’d seen lots of the old town with narrow, winding streets, small courtyards filled with beautiful greenery, and spring flowers tucked in unexpected places.
Many of the streets were made of cobblestones polished smooth by hundreds of years of foot traffic—just like her postcard.
It was astounding to think how long people had inhabited cities in this part of the world.
Seattle had nothing older than Ward House, built in 1882.
Here, a plaque said they built the Castle of Cervera prior to 1026 CE.
The only Europeans in North America at that time would have been the Vikings.
“I’m beat,” she said. “Can we stop for a coffee or tea? Maybe a snack?”
Catarina led the way back to the more modern part of town to a sidewalk cafe, where she rattled off an order for two pastries and two coffees.
“Make mine a black tea with sugar, please,” Anna said to the server.
He nodded and headed inside to get their orders.
“How long are you staying in Cervera?” Catarina sat, resting both of her cloth shopping bags at her feet.
“I’m not sure,” said Anna as she sat across from her companion at the cozy round table. “I’d love to stay for several months because I want to write, but I don’t have money to stay longer unless I find work. Do they need any more help around the Inn?”
Catarina shook her head. “I’m actually heading out of town soon for the racing season and my younger sister has already spoken for my job at the Inn while I go watch motorcycles.” Her eyes gleamed.
Anna’s heart sank. Her first friend in Spain was leaving.
Catarina continued, not noticing Anna’s disappointment. “What kind of job did you used to have? I know everyone in town. There might be something similar. I could put in a good word for you.”
Anna frowned at the suggestion and shook her head.
“I appreciate it, but no thanks. I worked in marketing for the last several years, but I’m not interested in that kind of job anymore.
Do you race motorcycles?” She couldn’t imagine her fashion-conscious new friend with her perfect eyeliner and crimson nails racing.
Catarina chuckled. Being laughed at was one of Anna’s personal hang-ups, but nothing about Catarina indicated she was laughing at Anna, so she relaxed.
“I was an umbrella girl on the racing circuit for a couple of seasons almost ten years ago. I’m going again this year.
” She cocked her head to the side. “I’ll get to travel all over Europe without paying, as long as they’re happy with my work.
There are also two trips to Asia and one to the Americas.
If you’re interested, I bet I can get you the same kind of job.
Some teams hire their own grid girls instead of relying on the ones brought in for the events by the racetrack owners. ”
“Racing circuit?” said Anna with a shake of her head. “What’s a grid girl?” Though Catarina had spoken English, her words had still been a foreign language.
The chocolate-filled pastries arrived with two hot drinks in white cups with saucers and a creamer-size pitcher of milk. Both women fixed their drinks and spent a moment savoring the aroma.
“Motorcycle racing,” said Catarina, blowing on her piping hot coffee. “I thought you knew.”
“Why would I know about racing?” said Anna, raising her eyebrow. Placing her cup on the saucer, she hid her sweaty palms under the table. Had she missed something important?