Moonlight and Margaritas

by Stark, Cindy

  She'd always gotten along well with Cole. They'd even dated once after her divorce, and although she found him attractive, it didn't extend any farther than the surface. But he could be counted on for a good time, and she hoped that his compelling looks and charming demeanor would block out Joe's memory. As it was, she was afraid Joe would haunt her for the rest of her life.

  The evening was warm, and the old house-turned-country inn glowed with inviting lights. Sitting atop the cliffs of Carmel with the Pacific Ocean crashing beneath, the property provided a captivating view.

  Cole placed his hand on her back as he escorted her to the entrance, his fingers warm against her skin. Her long and lithe black dress with a high front and daringly low-cut back swished against her skin as she walked. She nudged away the fact that she longed for it to be Joe next to her, touching her instead.

  Elena nodded to an acquaintance as Cole led her through the front door and into a large reception room. Graceful white pillars had replaced some of the interior walls giving the front of the house an open, airy feeling, perfect for mingling. Elegant, classical music emanated from hidden speakers, while a glittering chandelier hung overhead. Gentlemen in expensive tuxedos accompanied ladies in diamonds and designer gowns. The atmosphere spoke of luxury, if nothing else, and her own beautiful floral creations added the final touch. She couldn't have been more proud.

  "Would you care for a drink?" At her nod, Cole snagged two crystal flutes of champagne from a passing waiter that weaved between the guests. "I suppose we should look for my brother, take care of the public appearances and all that."

  "This is his evening." Elena liked Carmel's mayor and hoped to see him win another term in office.

  "True." He took a sip, his blue eyes watching her over the rim of his glass. "But I'll be much happier when I can waltz around the terrace with you in my arms."

  "Don't be such a flirt. You forget, I know the real you." He'd been born into money, and that combined with his good looks attracted more than his share of women, which had led him to the altar and then divorce courts on four separate occasions.

  "Ah, you wound me." He touched his breast as his eyes twinkled with laughter. "But I shall not let that deter me. You do like to dance, don't you?" He studied her, and there was no mistaking the sexual attraction that emanated from him.

  "As a matter of fact, I do." A flash of her in Joe's arms in a hot Cabo nightclub crowded in. She shoved it aside. She was with Cole tonight, and she couldn't think about Joe right now. "Dancing is one of my favorite pastimes, and I'm pretty sure I saw and article or two about you hitting the clubs, enjoying drinking and dancing, too."

  He shrugged. "That was before I cleaned up my act. These days, I'm a respectable mayor's brother." He widened his grin, and she forced herself to match his expression. He was damned attractive and exuded confidence. If she were Mercedes, the old Mercedes, she'd be all over him by now.

  He nodded toward the rear of the house. "Come on. Let's get the political portion of this evening over. Then we'll see what we can do to entertain ourselves until the music starts."

  This would be good for her, she told herself as he led her through the crowd of people. She was free. Free to enjoy herself however she pleased. No strings. This was exactly what she'd worked so hard to achieve.

  In a smaller room near the back entrance, they found his brother and his flamboyant wife surrounded by a circle of constituents. Cole politely pushed his way through, pulling Elena along with him. When the mayor noticed them, his diplomatic smile grew more sincere.

  "Cole." He reached out and shook his hand. "Good of you to come."

  Cole's smile mirrored his. "Wouldn't miss it." The two men seemed genuinely fond of each other. "Judith." Cole nodded at his sister-in-law, the warmth disappearing from his tone.

  "Hello, Cole." The former blonde-bombshell sent him a disdainful glance.

  Cole redirected his attention to his brother. "I'm sure you know Elena Porter."

  Elena smiled and extended her hand. "Mayor Taylor. It's good to see you again." Instead of the expected handshake, the mayor kissed her hand. She found the action charming and wasn't surprised that he'd met with success in the political arena. Some people had it. Others didn't.

  She acknowledged his wife. "Judith, you look lovely." Judith Taylor had once been the shining star of Hollywood until time had dimmed her radiance, leaving everyone wondering if she'd ever had any acting ability. Even so, Judith had done well for herself. She was still considered beautiful for a woman her age, and she'd married a man who was devoted to her, flaws and all.

  "Elena. We're so glad you could come." The mayor reclaimed her attention. "I want to thank you for the wonderful job you did with the flowers." He looked at the by-standers. "Doesn't she do excellent work?"

  People nodded, and she gave them a gracious smile. "Thank you. It was my pleasure."

  He turned to his wife, waiting for her to agree.

  Judith wobbled in her high heels and grabbed her husband's arm for support. "Yes, dear. She's absolutely wonderful." Sarcasm punctuated each of her words.

  The animosity hit Elena like a slap in the face. Granted, she and Judith had never been the best of friends, but there had always been a degree of civility between them. She wondered if her choice of dates for the evening had brought on the woman's wrath.

  "Thank you, Judith." Elena kept her voice cool and composed, not missing the warning glance the mayor sent his spouse.

  "Cole, I hate to steal you away from such a lovely lady." The mayor flashed an apologetic smile at Elena. "But I was hoping to have a moment with you before the party really gets underway. It'll take just a minute."

  Cole glanced her way. "He's got five minutes at the most, okay?"

  Elena nodded and watched the two brothers walk away. With the mayor's departure, the crowd of people around them began to thin, wandering off to find something else to hold their attention. Unfortunately, Judith remained.

  The mayor's wife signaled to a waiter carrying a fresh tray of champagne flutes. Judith switched her empty glass for a full one, her hand not quite steady. Elena wondered if she'd already exceeded her limit.

  "Yes, the flowers are gorgeous." Judith's words came out husky and the tiniest bit slurred. "Just last week, my niece, Tani, announced her engagement, and I told her she should have you do the wedding." An odd smile tilted Judith's mouth. "You'd be the perfect person."

  "Really?" A warning tingled through Elena. Something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what. She sipped her champagne, searching the room for Cole. "Have her call me."

  "I'll tell her to." The woman drained her glass and signaled to another waiter, her large diamond wedding ring glinting as she did. Apparently, Judith was intent on getting drunk—if she wasn't already there. Elena wished desperately that the brothers would return so she could extricate herself.

  "Her fiancé is quite a catch," Judith continued, sounding sarcastic. Engagements and weddings were often a topic of conversation at parties, but it was the way the woman spoke about her niece that had Elena on edge.

  "Are you okay?" Elena ached to turn and walk away, but didn't want to see Judith pass out in the middle of her husband's re-election ball. She owed Cole and the mayor that much. She glanced around to see if others had noticed Judith's awkward movements, but no one seemed to. "Maybe we should go sit down."

  Judith sneered. "I'm fine. I don't need to sit down. What I need is another drink." She glanced around, apparently looking for the waiter she'd signaled. When she couldn't locate him, she turned her hostility on Elena. "You should have another one yourself."

  "Excuse me?" The edges of Elena's civility frayed a little further.

  "Both of us. We're old has-beens. We need some drinks."

  And now it was time to leave. "I'm sorry—"

  Judith grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. The alcohol on her breath was unmistakable. "My niece has him, and we don't."

  Irritated, Elena jerked herself free. "I don'
t know what you're talking about." She kept her voice low, not wanting to attract attention. "You're not making any sense."

  "Richard." Judith hissed the name. "I stole him from you, and she took him from me, and it's all your fault. When you cut him free, he no longer wanted to be with a married woman."

  Elena froze, trying to process the information. She shook her head. "No. I think you're mistaken. Richard and I have been divorced for years." There was no reason to get upset. The woman obviously was out of touch with reality, drunk on champagne.

  "You might be divorced now, but you weren't then." Judith's torment deepened her wrinkles. Seeing her opportunity, she caught a passing waiter by the arm, causing the champagne to slosh over the edges of all the glasses.

  Numb, Elena turned and walked away, no longer concerned for Judith's welfare.

  Richard had engaged in an affair with Judith? Elena pushed through the crowd, heading for the open doors at the back of the house. The comfort of the crashing waves beckoned to her. There had been times when she'd wondered if he was seeing someone else, but she'd always talked herself out of believing it. Now, something in her recognized the truth. He had.

  Anger swelled inside her.

  Outside, the salty ocean air wasn't cool enough to calm her heated cheeks. She had been such a fool. How long had their affair gone on? And with Judith? She shuddered, not wanting to think about what Richard's affair entailed.

  She couldn't believe she'd felt so guilty about taking Cassie away from her father because she couldn't live with him anymore. In fact, Richard had fed that guilt on more than one occasion. Selfish bastard.

  She walked across the large redwood deck and leaned against the railing, feeling a kinship to the water as it crashed violently against the rocks below. She stayed several moments, trying to convince herself what Richard did now or had done while they were married shouldn't matter anymore. But it did. The wounds from her marriage that she'd worked so hard to heal, bled anew. If she ran into Richard right now, it would be very difficult to not cause a scene.

  Behind her, she heard the sound of other guests joining her on the deck. She turned, her emotions numb, and walked down the steps to the lower courtyard that angled off to the side of the house in hopes of finding some privacy.

  Members of an orchestra were busy setting up their instruments in preparation for the dancing that would begin before long. She exhaled, her gaze following the strings of oversized bulbs that were draped across the trees over the large cobblestone area. The lights glowed clear and bright in the waning evening. It was a beautiful setting. More of Elena's hard-earned flower arrangements adorned the cluster of tables placed along the edges, complimenting the baskets of red impatiens hanging from outstretched tree branches. All around, people laughed and talked, enjoying the evening.

  Even surrounded by such beauty, it was hard to keep her anger and disillusionment at bay. She headed toward the perimeter of the courtyard where a winding path threaded through a shade garden.

  How could Richard have done this to her? To Cassie? Worse, how could she have missed it? She supposed there had been plenty of opportunities for infidelity, but very few specific details came to mind. She wanted to yell at the injustice of it.

  But she couldn't. Time and the dulling of her emotions toward him kept her from it. Instead, she sucked in a breath, filling her lungs. The scent of the ocean tickled her senses, and a measure of sanity came over her.

  It didn't matter, she mentally repeated. Richard could only hurt her now if she let him. Regardless of whether or not he'd cheated, it was in the past. Richard was history. Judith, whether Elena had known about her or not, didn't matter, either. The two of them were no longer her problem.

  Thank goodness for that.

  Her thoughts brought her relief. What she needed to do was march back inside and have a wonderful evening. That would be the best revenge. Proving that she was better off, and, that in all actuality, Richard's infidelity and the end of their marriage was a blessing.

  Glancing toward the house, she found Cole heading in her direction. She met him midway.

  He expelled a breath. "There you are. Sorry about that. Family stuff."

  "Is Judith all right?" Not that she cared, but she didn't want to see a scandal for the mayor.

  "You noticed, did you?"

  "She's pretty drunk. Not to mention quite rude."

  "I'd agree with you there." He took her hand, placing it on his forearm. "I'm afraid my brother has his hands full at the moment. Judith's been struggling for the last few years and has taken a severe turn for the worst over the past few days. Needless to say, he's quite concerned."

  No doubt it was caused by Judith's niece announcing her engagement. "Let's hope it doesn't affect the voters." The fact that it was a re-election was in the mayor's favor. He'd already proven himself to the citizens of Carmel.

  "When he realized how drunk she was, he had her escorted to a room upstairs, so I don't believe we'll have to worry about her any longer this evening." He smiled, and she relaxed. "How about if we find a seat out here and enjoy the evening while we wait for the music to start?"

  "Sounds wonderful." It was a beautiful night, one meant to be enjoyed. The party might be salvageable after all.

  Her relief was short-lived. From the corner of her eye, she caught her former husband coming down the redwood steps, a blonde woman half his age clinging to his arm. She swallowed her revulsion. She should have guessed he might show. Diamonds dripped from the young woman's neck as bile surged in Elena's throat. The anger she'd managed to appease a moment before, burst to the surface. Bastard.

  They chose a table nestled beneath the trees and sat. She turned, fully facing Cole, refusing to watch Richard flaunt his latest conquest. "Let's forget about everything and have a good time, shall we?" She flashed him a smile, concentrating on his sparkling blue eyes.

  A few test notes from the violins filtered through the air, and then the orchestra began to play. A soft, lilting melody cascaded up through the treetops, drawing couples from nearby tables to the makeshift outdoor dance floor.

  "I've been waiting for this all evening." Cole stood and held out his hand.

  A small tingle of appreciation wafted through her as she accepted his offer. The feeling was nothing like the surge of attraction Joe had inspired, but Cole was handsome, and came with no emotional expectations or attachments. The only thing required of her was to provide pleasant company.

  Aware of Richard's proximity, Elena tried to keep her gaze away from him and his new fiancée, and to concentrate solely on Cole. He held her close, expertly maneuvering her through the slow waltz. He leaned in, his breath warm on her ear. "You're a beautiful woman, Elena." He pulled her closer.

  His comment made her the slightest bit nervous. "Thank you." Their closeness left her feeling uncertain, but she couldn't back out now. She had a point to prove.

  "I see your ex-husband is here."

  Point noted. Couldn't she have a moment without him? As they circled, she caught a glimpse of the new couple dancing nearby. "How nice for him."

  "I just want to say, he's a foolish man for letting you go."

  "Not as foolish as I was for marrying him." The moment the words became audible, she regretted speaking. No need to voice her hostile feelings to Cole.

  Cole leaned back. "That bad, huh?"

  Elena forced a smile. "Let's not talk about him, okay?"

  "Fine with me." He grinned. "I'm happy to pretend we're all alone, dancing under the stars." He slipped his hand slowly down her back, caressing her bare skin, as he turned her around the dance floor.

  As much as she tried to deny it, irritation wiggled beneath her carefully controlled surface. She hated that Richard was at the ball. Hated that he'd found another chance at happiness. Worse than that, she hated that it wasn't Joe holding her in his arms.

  Elena danced a few more waltzes with Cole before she excused herself to go freshen up. After all that had transpired—the incid
ent with Judith, learning of Richard's betrayal and then seeing him in person—she needed a moment to collect herself.

  She lingered inside before deciding that it was time to return. Maybe there would be a way to call an early end to the evening.

  She stepped out onto the back deck to find Richard hovering near the stairs. She had no doubt that he'd waited there for her. He caught her glance, and she knew a conversation was imminent. She could only hope she'd keep her vile words to herself and not cause a scene.

  "Richard." She tried to give him a civil smile, but couldn't. Judith's words echoed through her mind.

  "Hello, Elena."

  She nodded, accepting his greeting, intending to continue past him without further conversation, but he took hold of her elbow, forcing her to stop.

  "I need to speak with you," he said.

  "I'm sorry. I don't have anything to say to you, and Cole's waiting for me." She glanced down, searching for her date amongst the partygoers.

  Richard ignored her answer, pulling her to the side of the large porch. "I thought you should know…" His gaze traveled to the guests below. Elena followed, spying his fiancée watching them with a nervous gaze.

  He looked back at Elena, a malicious twinkle darkening his eyes. "You should know, I've gotten engaged. I'm going to be married next month. I waited as long as I could for you, but ended up falling in love with someone much younger."

  "How nice for you." Her anger threatened to boil over. "But I'm already aware of your engagement." She tried to keep her words at a whisper to avoid an audience, but her anger lashed out from within. "Don't expect me to be happy for you when you made such a mess of our marriage."

  He clenched the muscles in his jaw. "You don't have to be such a bitch. I wanted you to hear it from me instead of through the grapevine. Besides, you're the one who walked out on me. It's not my fault Tani understands what you couldn't." He turned his lips into a smug smile. "She knows that true winners always come out on top, and she's going to be right there with me."