“Why are you so easy on him? He’s nineteen, not nine. It’s time he learns to be responsible and understand that Mommy and Daddy are not always going to be here to help him. What better time to learn that than when he’s about to have a child himself? Danny has never had to be responsible for anything.”
“That’s not true.”
“Karen and Junior had part-time jobs and summer jobs while in high school, and they both worked while in college. Danny had a summer job mowing lawns and quit because it was too hard. He’s lazy.”
Adelaide faced him fully. “He is not lazy. It’s just that we provided everything for him.”
“We?” Hector chuckled softly and gazed across at the street at the neighbor’s house.
“What are you trying to say?”
His dark eyes slid back to her. “You provide for all of his needs and indulge all of his whims.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m a bad mother?” Adelaide whispered, aghast.
“Of course not. You’re a terrific mother. But you’ve gotta give our kid a chance to grow up. Let him breathe.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. He was belittling her one accomplishment—being a mother. “Excuse me for wanting our kid to be okay. He’s not like Karen and Junior. Different children require different rearing, even if they’re in the same family. I’m sorry if my parenting skills are not up to your standards.”
Hector muttered a curse and ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign of his frustration. She could always tell if he had a good day or bad day at work by the condition of his hair when he walked through the door.
“I don’t want to fight with you,” Hector said wearily.
“I don’t want to fight with you either,” Adelaide snapped, not sounding at all sincere.
Tightening her arms around her torso, she refused to look at him. Being around him for the first time in months had her…itching for something. A fight, or something else, she wasn’t sure. There were so many things she wanted to say—to yell at him. She wasn’t sure what those words would be exactly, but it was a long list if she ever put it all together.
“What’s going on with the lawn?” Hector asked.
Surprised by the change in topic, Adelaide’s gaze swept the front of the house. “Sam moved away. I received recommendations from two of the neighbors, but when I called, the guys said they can’t take on any more customers.” She shrugged.
“How long has Sam been gone?”
“Almost a month.”
She avoided looking at him, like before the divorce. Classical conflict avoidance. Avoid looking. Avoid talking. Avoid touching.
Adelaide rubbed the back of her neck. She was ready for him to leave, yet she couldn’t walk away because she wanted him to stay. She was a mess.
“Danny hasn’t offered to cut the lawn for you?” Her eyes finally met Hector’s pensive gaze. Hector believed a man should work, and he had worked since the age of fourteen.
“He just got back from school.” She shot him a look that warned he should drop the subject. Of course he didn’t pay attention.
“This is what I’m talking about,” he said, gesturing with his hand. “He’s here, he’s not working, our son can absolutely help you with the lawn, at the very least.”
“Or I could just as easily have done it myself.”
“You? The woman I was married to for twenty-five years, who I happen to know hates yard work? Danny and I will take care of the lawn. He’ll cut, I’ll edge.”
“What?” His offer to help surprised her. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but it needs to be done.”
That’s the kind of man he was. A gets-things-done kind of man. From the moment she’d told him she was pregnant, he started planning their future, and she went along with his every decision—confident and secure she was in good hands. After all, she had no one else. A year after he moved out, she still didn’t know what to do with herself.
Hence, the culinary arts course. It would be hers, and she’d be damn good at it. If she ever got the courage to actually sign up for the classes.
Hector looked up at the sky and then checked his watch. “If we start now, we can finish before it gets dark. I’m going to get Danny.”
He didn’t wait for her response. He went into the house, and Adelaide stayed outside.
She should have told him no. She’d find someone to cut the grass or she’d do it with Daniel. But she’d remained silent. Because in addition to missing him in her bed or hearing his comforting voice in the house, she missed the little things she’d taken for granted when they lived together.
Something as simple as fastening a bracelet on her wrist had become an effort in acrobatics, and there were so many other tasks he used to take care of. He took out the trash the night before pickup. Washed her car. For years she’d never had to put gas in her car because he made sure she had a full tank when the gauge dropped below the halfway point.
He was old-fashioned, but she didn’t mind. They both had their roles, and they willingly and happily filled them. Delineating tasks worked for them.
That’s what that itchy, uncomfortable feeling meant. Having him here reminded her of how much she missed…and needed him.
4
Adelaide went out into the front yard carrying two bottles of ice-cold water.
“Thanks, Mom,” Daniel said, taking one.
“Thanks.” Hector’s fingers grazed hers as he took the second bottle. The shock of touching her skin, even for that brief moment, was so great that he almost dropped the bottle. She stepped away quickly, almost too quickly, and put their son between them.
Hector took an appreciative swig of the water.
“What do you think, Mom?”
“It looks like a brand-new lawn,” she gushed.
Adelaide had a way of making you feel as if the simplest accomplishment was a feat of gigantic proportions, but the yard did look 100 percent better. He and Daniel gave the front and back yards a facelift. With the work they’d done, they could easily be in contention for the neighborhood beautification award.
Adelaide ran a hand over their son’s head, playing with his curls until he squirmed out of her grasp. “Quit, Mom!” He swatted away her hand and dodged when she reached for him again.
They both laughed, as if Hector wasn’t there. How ridiculous that he was jealous of this moment between his ex-wife and his son, but the need to be touched in the same way—letting her fingers run through his hair like they used to—the need to receive her playful smile—burned bright inside him.
Hector finished the water with two huge swallows.
“I’m going to take a shower before I head over to Jamie’s. See you later, Dad.”
“Bye, son.”
They bumped fists and Daniel entered the house, which meant once again he and his ex-wife were all alone. Adelaide’s gaze followed their son.
“He’s going to be fine,” Hector said.
“I know. I can’t help but worry, though.” She sent a tentative smile in his direction. “Can you believe we’re going to be grandparents already? We used to joke about wanting a bunch of grandkids in our golden years.”
“Yeah, but I figured I’d be a little more golden than this,” Hector said.
“Me, too.” Adelaide laughed, and seeing that smile on her face lifted his spirits.
“About the meeting with Jamie and her grandmother, we should get on the same page before we meet with them.”
Adelaide nodded. “Agreed.”
“So we should probably discuss strategy at some point.”
“This isn’t a business meeting, Hector,” she chided lightly.
“I know, but you know how I get.”
“Yes. You’re already figuring out how to tackle this problem.”
He laughed, unable to deny the truth of the words. Dios, when was the last time he’d laughed? Really laughed like this?
“Thank you for helping out today. I apprecia
te it,” Adelaide said quietly.
Their eyes met for a few seconds, and a twist of longing tightened his chest. He enjoyed spending time with her, feeling useful again, appreciated, needed. If this was all he could have right now, he’d take it until the feeling of loss faded and he could be normal again. He hadn’t been happy in so long, he’d forgotten what that felt like.
“You’re welcome. Any time.”
Hector walked slowly up the walkway to his ground floor apartment and turned the key. He was home, but received no pleasure because the woman he’d loved for the better part of his life was not here.
“Yoohoo, Hector, how are you today?” The woman in the apartment next to his had peeped her head out the door.
He sighed internally. “Great, Rita, and you?”
“Oh, taking it one day at a time. I’m going to my ballroom dancing class tonight. You’re welcome to come if you like. You’d actually be doing us a favor because we have a shortage of male dancers.” She smiled.
She was a little plump, with a ready smile for everyone, and brunette hair cut in a pixie style that accentuated her features. Not bad-looking, either. They’d slept together once, and he’d felt like a jerk for pushing her firmly back into the friend zone afterward, but he simply didn’t have any interest in getting involved with anyone right now. He’d learned very quickly that jumping back into the dating game before he was ready was a terrible idea.
“Thanks, but I’ll have to pass tonight, too. I have a lot of…business to take care of.”
“Suit yourself. The offer remains open until whenever you choose to accept it.”
Hector nodded and slipped into the apartment before she could say another word.
Rita had been friendly from the day he moved in and before sleeping with her, he’d made the mistake of accepting a casserole from her the third week he lived in the apartment. He should have turned her down, but he didn’t know how to cook shit except French toast and eggs and had been tired of eating out. Frozen dinners had lost their charm. He’d been desperate for a home-cooked meal.
Adelaide had spoiled him. She’d done his laundry and every day he had come home to a hot meal. There were always leftovers in the refrigerator for him to snack on or eat late at night. She mended his clothes, organized and paid the bills. Kept the house clean and smelling good. In addition to missing her, he missed all those things she used to do to take care of their family.
Hell, he even missed the five thousand pillows she kept on the bed. He used to grumble about having to transfer them to the basket against the wall just to take a nap, but now he’d give anything to have that minor inconvenience again. Where would he find another woman he’d have that kind of synergy with?
Hector tossed his keys in the bowl at the door and stood in the living room of his one-bedroom apartment. Resting his hands on his hips, he wondered how he got here—a divorced man of forty-seven who was still in love with his ex-wife. Not a position he’d expected to find himself in this late in life.
Snorting with self-disgust, he went into the simply decorated white kitchen. Everything in the apartment was simple because he didn’t want to spend more than he should, and he needed to support two households—his and Adelaide’s.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge and sipped it while staring out the window at the parking lot. He’d pretty much fallen for Adelaide when he saw her enter a crowded movie theater and squeeze into one of two empty seats in the middle. He’d sat at the back with friends, watching and waiting to see if anyone else joined her. He finally worked up the nerve to stroll down the aisle and ease over to her.
“Is anyone sitting here?” he’d whispered.
Soft hazel eyes looked up at him and he lost his ability to speak. She responded in a sweet voice, “No, you can sit there.”
Her hair was the same length now as back then, falling between her shoulder blades. After three kids and more than twenty years, her figure had changed. She’d put on a little weight and her body was fuller and more rounded. But she was still his Adelaide, the woman he’d watched in that crowded theater before ditching his friends and taking a leap of faith.
They became lovers right away, rushing headlong into a serious relationship that took them both by surprise. Like fireworks, they were explosive and hot from the start—almost obsessive in their need to be together all the time.
When she became pregnant, getting married not only seemed sensible, it was the logical progression of their relationship. He couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone else, and living alone had been hard as hell once he met her.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her or stop the yearning that engulfed him when he laid in bed alone at night. It was downright brutal to come home to an empty apartment instead of the scent of air freshener and the sound of her sweet voice.
The oddest things made his chest hurt. Like the scent of vanilla or lemon. Those fragrances reminded him of the vanilla-lemon lotion she used to rub into her feet and hands every night. Even when they argued or got on each other’s nerves, one of the few constants was lying in bed next to her and smelling her lotion. That’s how he’d fallen asleep every night. But not anymore.
He supposed there were worse things in the world than being in love with your ex-wife.
But right now, he couldn’t think of any.
5
“What are you doing?” Adelaide asked her reflection.
She was being silly. Hector was coming by to talk to her about Danny and Jamie and their next steps, not to take her on a date.
They’d talked a couple of times since he came to the house, and at the end of every conversation, she had the uncontrollable urge to scream and yell and kick in frustration. But during today’s phone call, he stated that he was stopping by after work and had taken Adelaide by surprise, throwing her into a tizzy.
She critically assessed her appearance. She had let her hair fall across her shoulders in loose waves and applied a little bit of lipstick. She wore a dress she hadn’t worn in a long time, a spaghetti-strapped maxi that skimmed her body and flowed loosely around her ankles.
Would he notice the way it fit? She was almost embarrassed to admit that she was trying to get his attention. Maybe make him regret the divorce? Hell, if she couldn’t get his attention when they lived in the same house, she sure as hell couldn’t capture it now that they were apart.
Living apart for a year hadn’t diminished her feelings for Hector one iota. In fact, she was almost certain they’d intensified. She still loved her ex-husband, but she had asked for a divorce because in her mind, their marriage had ended long before.
Annoyed and frustrated, Adelaide tossed the dress on the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. She couldn’t remove the perfume she’d spritzed on, but did wipe off the lipstick and give herself a quick pep talk.
“You’re attractive, even if your ex-husband doesn’t think so.”
The doorbell rang and she jumped. A fist of nerves pounding in her stomach, Adelaide went to the front of the house and opened the door.
“Hey there.” Hearing his warm, accented voice brush over her skin, the bundle of nerves tightened in her belly. He had removed his jacket and wore the blue and gold tie she’d bought him two Christmases ago tugged loose around his neck. His dress shirt and pants were a little wrinkled, but they flattered his muscular build.
“Hi.”
Adelaide wanted to do much more than give that simple greeting because he looked so handsome standing on her doorstep. One of his comforting hugs would be perfect right now, but she restrained herself from rushing into his arms by squeezing the doorknob tight.
“What’s that?” She pointed to the white paper sack in his hand.
“I stopped at our—er, at Mona’s Restaurant and picked up some tacos and a couple of quesadillas since you said you hadn’t eaten yet. You still haven’t eaten, right?”
He had almost said our favorite restaurant, but stopped himself. Funny how certain words au
tomatically wanted to leave your mouth and you literally had to train yourself not to use them.
“So that’s why you asked if I’d eaten dinner?” Adelaide opened the door wider.
“Yes. When you told me you hadn’t had dinner and you were going to eat crackers and hummus, I figured since I was stopping to get myself something to eat, I’d pick up dinner for you, too.” His warm voice sounded directly behind her.
“I’m glad you did. Thanks.”
“Good. I’m a hero.” Hector smiled and set the bag on the counter. “You don’t cook much anymore, I take it?”
“I do but I don’t. It’s hard to cook for myself, so a lot of times I order in. Even though Danny’s here, he’s gone quite a bit with Jamie, so it’s just me.” She shrugged, hoping she didn’t sound too pathetic, living the life she’d been afraid of—a life without purpose—worse because she was no longer married.
“I know what you mean. The owners at the Chinese restaurant down the street from me already know my name.”
“How many times have you had the Mongolian beef?” That was his favorite meal to order at Chinese restaurants.
“This week or since I moved into that apartment?”
“I’m not going to ask about since you moved into that apartment. I’m sure you don’t know because that number would be too high. So let’s stick with the statistics from this week.”
Hector let out a laugh. He was always so serious, but when he laughed, it was the best sound. Rich. Hearty. Nipple-throbbingly sexy.
“I feel like that’s a jab at me, but I’m going to pretend I didn’t notice.”
“If you’re going to pretend you didn’t notice, then you shouldn’t mention it. See how that works?”
He laughed again, harder this time, and that brought a smile to her face but a pinch of pain in her chest.
“Fair enough. I ordered the Mongolian beef three times this week.”
Adelaide shook her head. “They might as well set up a standing order for you every day.”
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