Slay Bells

by Hildie McQueen

  “Get a hold of yourself Gabriela,” she snapped at her reflection. After washing her hands, she went back out and stopped. Frozen in place, she watched as Rafael said something to Jeremy, who was standing up now. Rafael shoved his cell phone at Jeremy who looked at the display.

  She hurried over, thankful there were only a couple of tables with people at them.

  “What are you doing here?” She poked her ex in the arm with her finger. “Go away.”

  He had the audacity to roll his eyes. “I’m informing this man who I am.”

  “A psychopath?”

  “Your boyfriend.”

  It took counting to ten and two deep breaths before she could form a reply. “No, you are not my boyfriend. We broke up months ago.”

  This time it was Jeremy who spoke. “What is happening? Who is this?”

  “Jeremy,” Gabriela held out a hand toward Jeremy and then swept toward Randolph, “Meet my stalker ex. Stalker, meet my fiancé.”

  “I am not your stalker.” Rafael managed to look contrite.

  “Then why do I have a restraining order against you?” She grabbed her purse and began digging in it. “It’s in here somewhere.”

  Rafael chuckled. “It was a misunderstanding. We’ve seen each other since.”

  “Like when you showed up at my building and I called the police?”

  She’d probably left the restraining order in another purse, so Gabriela gave up looking. Jeremy motioned to the cell in Randolph’s hand. “Why does he have pictures of you sleeping?”

  “Eeww.” Gabriela snatched the phone from Rafael before he could move it away. She began swiping and deleting. “See, this is what’s wrong with men today. You guys can slide right over the line from nice to creepy so easily. I don’t understand why you’re not out there dating some nice girl…or guy.” She turned to Jeremy. “These are old.”

  “I’m not gay.” Rafael looked to Jeremy. “Do I come across to you as gay?”

  Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “I’m not good at judging that.”

  “Right,” Rafael replied with a firm nod as if Jeremy’s reply made his point. “I’ll be on my way. Best be the better person and allow you to move on with your life even if you are cheating on me.”

  At the last words there was a gasp from a near-by table. “What are they talking about?” an older woman asked her tablemate.

  “The guy in the blue shirt is cheating on the flamboyant one. With a woman,” the woman replied so loudly everyone heard. A server giggled and several others in the room coughed.

  “I’m not flamboyant,” Rafael said to the woman. “Why would you say that?”

  “You’re wearing pink and the way you stand with your hand on your hip, it’s very flamboyant.”

  The other woman nodded in agreement.

  “I’m not gay,” Rafael said and glared once more at Gabriela before storming from the restaurant.

  They stood awkwardly, unsure what to do next. Gabriela was frozen with embarrassment and at the same time a part of her wanted to burst out laughing.

  “Can I start you off with drinks?” a cute blonde asked looking Jeremy up and down.

  “Got any whiskey?” Jeremy asked and sat down.

  “We’ll take two sweet teas please,” Gabriela said and joined him. “Oh look here it is.” She pulled out a crumpled paper. “The restraining order,” she finished weakly when Jeremy lifted a brow.

  “So is your ex gay?”

  “No. Well, maybe.”

  “Should I ask why you two broke up?”

  This was not how she’d pictured the first day with Jeremy in town going. They had dinner plans that night with her parents, Juanito, Mila and her boyfriend. She’d already told them about her decision. It was best Jeremy knew as well.

  “We broke up because he’s a weirdo who wanted us to dress matchy-matchy.” She shook her head. “How tacky can someone be?”

  “Matchy what?”

  “Can we forget about Rafael and talk about us?” Gabriela said, reaching for Jeremy’s hand.

  “Mmm. Mmm. Mmm,” the women at the other table sounded off in disapproval and shook their heads in unison.

  “Or, maybe we can pay for the drinks and leave. How about a drive through meal?” Jeremy asked standing. He tossed money on the table and took her by the elbow.

  Half an hour later, they were seated at her small kitchen table with bags of take out.

  Jeremy looked around the apartment. It wasn’t his first time there, but he scanned the surroundings as if it were. “You always keep your place so devoid of decorations. Why?”

  “I always knew it was temporary.” She frowned considering it only took a couple hours to move out of her last place. “Sort of.”

  “Do you not plan to stay in this apartment then?”

  “No. I do not. As a matter of fact…”

  The doorbell rang.

  “What in the living hell is happening?” Gabriela jumped to her feet and went to the intercom. “What?”

  “It’s Nana. I came to help with the packing.”

  Gabriela closed her eyes as she pushed the buzzer. Her Nana was obviously confused.

  “Packing?” Jeremy came up behind her and kissed the side of her neck. “I was hoping for some alone time.”

  “Nana is confused. I don’t plan to pack until after you leave.” He backed away and gave her a confused look.

  “What is going on, Gabriela?”

  Gabriela threw her hands up. “I’m moving to Montana. I wanted to tell you in a sweet romantic way that I’ve decided to live in Missoula with you and then later at the ranch. I want to get married there too.”

  “Why are you yelling?” Her Nana stood at the door. “For goodness sakes, you sound like a crazy woman.” Nana lifted a cheek for Jeremy to kiss and smiled. “Where should I start?

  They ended up sharing the meal with Nana and each had a couple glasses of wine.

  Nana settled onto the couch and clicked on the television. “I’ll watch my shows. You two young ones do whatever you want. I won’t hear a thing.”

  “Oh my God,” Gabriela exclaimed, her face growing hot. Jeremy laughed and tugged her out to the balcony.

  He stood for a long time looking across the expanse of buildings and traffic. The blares of car stereos, honking, and hammering of construction filled the air. “Sure is loud here. You must have some thick glass on the door and window to keep it out of the apartment.”

  Her arms around his waist, she rested her head on his back. “I can still hear it at night, that’s why I use a noise machine.”

  “I must have been too tired every night last time I was here because I don’t remember all this noise.” He chuckled at the innuendo.

  “Must have.” Gabriela waited a beat. “You haven’t said anything about my decision. What do you think?”

  He turned and hugged her tight. “More than anything, I want you to be happy. You are concerned about the lack of minorities in Montana, and I totally get that. Also, it’s very different than this. Not as much culture and things to do.”

  She backed away and looked at him. He was so damn sexy. Wearing a button-up shirt that he’d left un-tucked over a black t-shirt, he could rock the cover of any magazine. He definitely fit into any environment, whether city or small town. Jeremy could blend anywhere, however, she’d noticed the tight lines around his mouth whenever he was in San Diego. Even while sightseeing and walking around Balboa Park, although he’d smiled, it was obvious the crowds disconcerted him.

  And yet this man cared so much for her, he was willing to move to San Diego to be with her. Gabriela’s heart melted at the thought.

  “I can’t believe you’d be willing to move here.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?” His expression was serious.

  “Because you are not in love with San Diego.”

  “I’m in love with you,” he replied.

  “And I am in love with both you and Montana. I crave the fresh air, the open spaces and ranch living.
When I’m here, I miss you terribly, but also miss being there.”

  When his lips curved, she rushed to him and pulled his face down for a kiss. The longer they kissed the harsher his breathing became, and Gabriela feared losing control.

  “Get away from the edge. I’d hate to have to identify your bodies when you fall over and splat on the sidewalk,” Nana called from the door.

  Gabriela groaned.

  “We’ll finish this later,” Jeremy whispered into her ear.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jeremy enjoyed spending time with Gabriela’s family. They were warm and welcoming. Her mother, Isabela, an older version of Gabriela, reminded him of his Mom. She was easy going, soft-spoken but also not one to hold back or mince words. Gabriela’s father, Juan, was jovial and boisterous. Mr. Diaz didn’t have any problems showing affection to his children.

  Juanito, Gabriela’s brother, reminded Jeremy of the actor who played Aqua man. He was taller than Jeremy by at least two inches. With long wavy shoulder length hair and football player wide shoulders, he was intimidating until flashing his ever-present wide grin. Like his father, Juanito preferred bear hugs to handshakes.

  They sat at a round table in a Mexican restaurant where the waiters knew the Diaz family. Everyone was talking at once, pairing up into conversations and then switching to talk to others.

  When Gabriela threw her head back and laughed at something her Nana said, Jeremy couldn’t help but wonder how hard it would be for her to be away from them.

  A waiter neared with a tray of shot glasses. Jeremy eyed the bottle of tequila and let out a long sigh. Tequila was his kryptonite. No matter how little he drank, it always kicked his ass.

  “For the ladies,” the server announced.

  “In our family, men don’t drink tequila,” Juan said. He leaned across to talk to Jeremy. “It makes us do crazy things.”

  “Me too,” Jeremy admitted and they both laughed.

  Everyone lifted their glasses. “To Gabriela and Jeremy, may they be happy in Montana,” Mr. Diaz toasted.

  Gabriela threw back the shot of tequila and smiled. “I can’t wait for everyone to come and hang out in Missoula.”

  “Are there any single senior men in Montana?” Nana asked as she put her shot glass down. “I think it would be a good place for me to retire.”

  “You moved here to retire, Mama,” Juan reminded her.

  Nana scoffed. “Retired people can move around. It’s one of the perks.”

  A few hours later, totally spent Jeremy lay sprawled across the bed with Gabriela’s head on his chest. The sounds of traffic permeated, and he couldn’t help but frown at the sound of sirens growing progressively louder until the emergency vehicle went past and the sounds began to fade.

  It would have been an adjustment for him. There was so much concrete where Gabriela lived. However, once they drove a few miles out of the city, the scenery did change.

  They’d discussed neighboring areas on one of his earlier visits and different police departments. They were not bound to remain downtown.

  Gabriela’s breathing evened out and Jeremy slid from under the beauty. He was as restless as he was tired.

  Unlike in Montana, he was unable to walk out to a porch, so instead he slid the sliding glass doors open and stepped outside to the balcony.

  Humidity and lights greeted him. He looked across from one side to the other, admiring how alive the area remained despite the late hour. Although the street straight below was pretty quiet, there were customers seated outside at the corner café and cars continuously went past.

  He imagined it was much calmer outside the city, like where Gabriela’s parents lived. In some parts of San Diego, life would not be much different than back home.

  Why had fate brought him here? Of all the women he could have met, he’d fallen for one that lived thousands of miles away. Although he couldn’t fathom life without Gabriela, a part of him worried how moving whether he did it or she did it would affect their marriage if there was regret.

  She wanted a winter wedding in Montana. Now that his family was no longer doing the winter festival, they planned to use some of the décor for the wedding at the same building where the festivities had been held.

  The family who was taking the festival over was younger than his parents and enthusiastic about hosting the festivities on their land. Since their only son had gone off to college, the Clarks welcomed the opportunity to do the festival together as a couple.

  “Are you okay?” Gabriela sounded groggy as she came and stood next to him. The riot of curls shifted in the warm air and he couldn’t help but smile. God she was beautiful.

  “I’m perfectly fine. Heard sirens and came out to see if we should run for our lives,” Jeremy replied with a chuckle.

  Gabriela peered down to the street below. “I’m sorry. I know it’s noisy and you’re not used to it.”

  “Don’t apologize,” Jeremy said pulling her against his side. “Look at the people down there. The people at the table against the building keep feeding the other folk’s dog.”

  She looked and giggled. “That is a huge dog. Maybe they are trying to stay alive.”

  Jeremy took her face and lifted it up and looked into the eyes of the woman he’d just spent hours making love to. “Gabriela. Please be certain you want to move. I don’t want to take a chance and risk losing you. If you are unsure about the move at any time and decide you are not happy, just one word and we’ll move back here.”

  “I won’t regret it. I know it’s the right thing for me.”

  “Promise me you will tell me if you ever feel you don’t want to live there.”

  “All right fine. I promise. I promise.” She lifted to her toes and pressed her lips against his. “How about you come back to bed. We have a brunch date with Nana tomorrow morning.”

  “You mean hours after I get up?”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll have to teach you the art of sleeping in.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I’m glad the case didn’t go to trail,” Williams said. “Never seen two people double cross each other to the point they cleared up any questions.”

  It had turned out the couple was caught having at tryst at the cabin. The victim, Kevin Maloney had followed Janet to the cabins. Obviously, Mark Rutledge had kept the key from a time he’d rented the cabin to spend time with Janet, unbeknownst to the Hawkins.

  Mark Rutledge, an aspiring local politician, had panicked. Not wishing his reputation soiled, he hit Kevin over the head with an iron poker from the fireplace, killing him instantly. The couple had then wiped their fingerprints from every surface and slipped away.

  According to Mark, realizing she’d left her earrings on the bathroom counter, Janet had returned the next day. The woman had spotted Gabriela approaching and leaving in haste, did not close the front door.

  Kevin had been parked out near the ranch hoping to steal Gabriela’s camera and had taken advantage the day Gabriela wandered alone.

  The thought the man could have hurt his fiancé made Jeremy thankful, he’d been nearby.

  “I didn’t care for Kevin Maloney, but I can’t help but wonder if he was alive while they cleaned up,” Jeremy said.

  Williams shook his head. “Pretty cold blooded. Janet was back at work the next day after the funeral, acting normal. Not a care in the world.”

  “She was about to get a huge life insurance settlement,” Detective Sanders interjected from his desk. “Now their bratty kids are set for life.”

  “Nah, they’ll blow it in a couple years,” Williams replied. “Saw their son at the car dealership the other day.”

  Sanders huffed. “Twenty-five years is all the judge saw fit to give them. They should be locked up for life.”

  Just then Jeremy’s phone rang, after a short conversation, he stood. “Come on Williams. Looks like it’s going to be a long day. A woman just knocked an intruder over the head and killed him.”

  “Why a
re they are calling us in?”

  “The intruder is naked in her bed.”

  Williams stood and stretched. “Who called it in?”

  “The woman’s husband.”

  Jeremy pushed back from his desk. “I better call Gabriela and let her know I’ll be late getting home.”

  “Welcome to the club.”

  Gabriela hung up and went to the window to look outside. From the condo where they now lived overlooking the Clark Fork river, she could see far into the distance. The view of the mountain scape just past the blue water always made her want to pinch herself. Her new home was breathtakingly beautiful.

  When the yellow lab, Hank nudged at her leg, she bent and patted his head. “We’re going for a run in a minute, let me get my shoes.”

  Most days the three of them ran for a couple miles every evening. On the days Jeremy was too tired, or worked late, then it was just her and Hank, which she didn’t mind. It felt safe, especially since both of the people who’d killed poor Kevin Maloney were apprehended.

  The weather was turning cooler, the changing of seasons was one of the things Gabriela would have to get used to. As she and the dog jogged out of the house, Gabriela began her usual consideration of what still had to be done for the wedding. Only a couple months and she’s be Mrs. Gabriela Hawkins.

  Despite feeling silly, she giggled.

  “Hello Gabriela,” a woman jogging in the opposite direction called out. It took a minute to realize it was her nail technician.

  “Hi Brenda,” Gabriela replied slowing to a stop so they could speak. “Do you live near here?”

  “About a mile that way,” Brenda pointed. “You?”

  Gabriela motioned to the condominiums. “Over there.”

  They chatted inconsequential things, ending with Brenda inviting her and Jeremy for dinner the following day and Gabriela alone for a girls’ night out at a new local martini bar.

  As Gabriela continued her jog, she couldn’t help feeling optimistic about the future.