by Laura Iding
“I hope you find your brother,” Katerina murmured.
“I’m sure we will. And it’s about time he learns to take responsibility for his actions. Luis can’t expect me to keep bailing him out.” He didn’t bother to hide his annoyance.
Corrina wisely kept silent as he called Fernando and then walked Katerina outside.
“Thank you, Katerina, for an evening I’ll never forget,” he whispered, hugging her close and giving her another heated kiss.
“Goodnight, Miguel,” she murmured, breaking away from his embrace and climbing into the back seat of the car. He couldn’t help feeling as if he’d said something wrong when she ignored him to chat with Fernando.
Grinding his teeth together, he had little choice but to shut the car door and step back, allowing Fernando to drive Katerina away. He stared after the red tail-lights, fighting the urge to demand Fernando return at once so he could figure out what had caused Katerina to be upset.
Annoyed with himself, and his brother, he reluctantly turned and went back upstairs to where Corrina waited. All he could think was that he’d better not find out that his brother was simply trying to avoid his old girlfriend or he wouldn’t hesitate to box Luis’s ears.
This was the second time his family problems had pulled him away from Katerina. And he was determined that it would also be the last.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE following morning, Kat was surprised when Miguel didn’t show up as promised. As Tommy was hungry, she and Diana took him out for breakfast. As they enjoyed fresh pastries, she couldn’t help wondering if Miguel had found his brother or if he’d stayed up the entire night, searching for him.
“I’ll take Tommy with me to see Juliet now that she’s doing better,” she offered. “That way you can go and see the cathedral before we have to leave.”
“If you’re sure you don’t mind,” Diana said, before shoving the last bit of pastry in her mouth.
“I don’t mind at all.” In truth she would have loved to see the cathedral too, but coming to Seville hadn’t been a vacation for her. She’d only come because her sister had been injured.
And there was a strong possibility she’d be back in the not-too-distant future if Tommy was going to be spending time with his father. She glanced around, silently admitting that, as beautiful as Seville was, she couldn’t really imagine living here.
Once again she found herself thinking about Miguel’s mother. Clearly he’d avoided dating anyone back in the U.S. because he didn’t plan to relocate to the U.S. on a permanent basis.
And considering the problems he’d had with his brother, she couldn’t imagine him changing his mind. Which left them where? Back to a joint custody but separate countries type of arrangement?
She would have been satisfied with that before, but not any more. Not since making love with Miguel. She wanted it all.
She wanted a true family.
“Mama, go. Now,” Tommy said insistently.
“Okay, I’m ready.” She paid the bill and then used a wet napkin to clean up Tommy’s sticky fingers. “We’re going to go visit Aunt Juliet. Won’t that be fun?”
He nodded vigorously and dropped from the chair, making her grin at the amount of energy radiating off his tiny frame. Had Miguel been the same way as a child? She suspected he had been.
She started walking toward the nearest metro stop, holding Tommy’s hand as they took the stairs down to the lower level. There was a strong possibility that if Miguel had gotten home late, he’d decided to simply meet her at the hospital.
Suspecting that her sister might have already been moved out of the I.C.U., she stopped at the front desk. “¿Donde esta mi hermana, Juliet Campbell?” Where is my sister?
There was a flood of Spanish that she didn’t understand. When she looked blankly at the woman, she wrote down the room number and handed it to Kat.
“Gracias,” she murmured, looking down at Juliet’s new room number, 202. “This way, Tommy,” she said, steering him toward the elevator.
Juliet was sitting up at the side of the bed, finishing her breakfast, when they entered. Kat was very relieved to find her sister looking much better. She crossed the room to give Juliet a hug. “Hey, sis, how are you feeling today?”
“Kat! You brought Tommy, too?”
“Yes. Tommy, you remember Aunt Juliet, right? Can you say hi to her?”
“Hi,” Tommy said, and then ducked his head, refusing to relinquish Kat’s hand.
“Hi, Tommy. It’s good to see you. Wanna see my cast?” Juliet said, moving the blankets off her right leg.
Ever curious, the cast was enough to draw Tommy forward. He knelt beside Juliet’s right leg, lifting his fist to knock on the fiberglass cast.
“Don’t worry, that’s the one part of my body that doesn’t hurt,” Juliet muttered dryly.
“Are you in pain, Jules?” she asked, moving closer. “Dr. Vasquez told me that you had some cracked ribs, too.”
“Everything hurts,” her sister admitted. “And don’t bother asking me what happened, I honestly can’t remember.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure your memory will return in time.” Although there was certainly no guarantee. The numerous bruises and lacerations were already starting to fade, but Kat could well imagine that her sister’s muscles were also still sore.
She wanted to ask her sister more questions, to make sure Juliet wasn’t as confused as she had been yesterday, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Good morning, Juliet,” a plump woman greeted her sister. “And you must be Katerina Richardson. Nice to meet you in person.”
Kat stared at the woman, certain she hadn’t met her before. She would have remembered someone speaking English, for one thing. The familiarity of the stranger’s greeting was unnerving.
“My name is Susan Horton and I’m the study abroad program coordinator. I’m the one who contacted you about Juliet’s accident, remember?”
Of course she remembered now. So much had happened since the first day she’d arrived, she’d completely forgotten about the woman. “Yes.”
“I’m glad you’re both here,” Susan said, “because we need to make immediate arrangements for Juliet’s transfer back to the United States.”
Kat tried to hide her shock. “So soon? Don’t we need Dr. Vasquez to sign off on Juliet’s case first?”
“There’s another doctor covering for Dr. Vasquez today, and he’s already given his approval. So, if you’d come with me, we’ll begin making the necessary arrangements.”
“Right now?” Kat cast a helpless glance toward her sister, before following Susan out of the room. She could only hope Miguel would show up soon or they might have to leave without saying goodbye.
* * *
Miguel shouldn’t have been surprised to find Luis in jail. His friend, Rafael Hernandez, had finally called him to let him know Luis had been driving under the influence. He’d called Corrina to make sure she knew, but then he debated with himself over whether or not to post Luis’s bond. It wasn’t the money but the principle of bailing his brother out of trouble again.
In the end they wouldn’t let him post bail until the morning. Which ruined his plans to meet Katerina and Tomas for breakfast.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Luis said, wincing at the bright light.
“Luis, you’re either going to kill yourself or someone else if you don’t stop this,” Miguel said with a heavy sigh. “You’d better figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life, and quick.”
“Don’t worry about me, just go on your stupid mission trip,” his brother muttered, scrubbing his hand over his jaw.
“I’m not going to Africa, I’m going back to the U.S., at least temporarily.” He glanced over to where Luis was slouched in the corner of the car. “I have a son, Luis. A son I didn’t know about until just a few days ago. But he and his mother live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.”
Luis lifted his head and peered at him with bl
oodshot eyes. “You’re going to live there? With them?”
He hadn’t realized until just now how much he wanted to be with Katerina and Tomas on a full-time basis, but he wasn’t keen on living in the U.S. for ever. Yet he couldn’t ask Katerina to move here, not when she had her sister to worry about. And even once Juliet was better, he didn’t want to risk the same thing happening to Katerina that had happened to his mother. He couldn’t wait to see Katerina and talk to her about his idea of moving to the U.S. temporarily.
“I’m not sure where I want to live, but I do want to be a part of my son’s life,” he said slowly. “But I can’t leave you like this, Luis. You need help. Professional help.”
His brother was silent for a long moment. “Will you let me sell the olive farm?” he asked.
Shocked by the question, Miguel nearly swerved into the other lane. “You want to sell the farm? Why? What will you do to support yourself?”
“I’ve always wanted to work in construction,” Luis admitted. “I hate farming. I want to build things. Houses, buildings.”
Build things? He turned to stare at his brother, stunned by his revelation. Granted, Luis had built a new warehouse on the farm last year, but all this time he’d had no clue that his brother hated farming.
“Are you sure about this, Luis?” he asked. “Once you sell the farm, there’s no going back.”
“I’m sure. Corrina’s father wants me to help in his construction company. I’ve been trying to get up the nerve to ask you about selling the farm.”
“Do you think working for her father is wise? You haven’t treated Corrina very well these past few years.”
“I know I’ve made a mess of my life,” Luis said in a low voice. “But I really want to do this, Miguel. I know the farm has been in our family for generations, but I feel trapped there. It’s too far from town, for one thing. I realized when I built the new warehouse that I gained more satisfaction from doing that than all the years I’ve spent picking olives. And I care about Corrina. I kept breaking things off because I couldn’t imagine raising a family on the farm. I keep remembering how Mom died there.”
He couldn’t hide his surprise yet at the same time he understood how Luis felt. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” he asked.
“I was afraid you would be upset. You and Papa always talked about how the Vasquez farm had sustained families for generations. That it was a family tradition.”
Miguel winced, knowing Luis was right. He hadn’t stayed on the farm, choosing to go into medicine at the university as soon as he’d been able to. It shamed him to realize he hadn’t ever asked Luis what he wanted to do. “I’m sorry, Luis. I never realized how badly you wanted to leave the farm, too.”
“So you’re not mad?” Luis asked, looking pathetically eager despite his rough night in a jail cell. “Because Señor Guadalupe once asked me about selling. I would like to call him to see if he’s still interested. If he will buy the farm, I can start working for Corrina’s father right away.”
“I’m not mad, Luis,” he said. “By all means, call Señor Guadalupe. If he’s not interested, let me know. I’ll see what I can do to help.”
Fernando pulled into the driveway of the Vasquez olive farm, and for a moment Miguel simply sat there, staring out at the rows upon rows of olive trees.
It was a little sad to think of selling the farm to strangers, yet at the same time he was a doctor. A surgeon. Saving lives was important and satisfying. He’d never planned on working the farm himself, yet had he subconsciously forced Luis into the role because he hadn’t wanted to let go of the past?
The idea was humbling.
“Thanks for the ride,” Luis said as he climbed from the car.
“Let me know when you have a buyer lined up.”
“I will.” Luis looked positively happy and waved as Fernando backed out of the driveway. He then headed into the house.
“Are you really moving to the U.S.?” Fernando asked from the front seat.
He met the older man’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. “Yes, for a while, Fernando.”
Fernando nodded. “Señor Vasquez, I wonder if you would be so kind as to give me a reference before you go so that I can apply for a job.”
Miguel mentally smacked himself in the forehead. Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier? “Fernando, how do you feel about being an olive farmer?”
“I would be willing to learn.”
He grinned and reached for his cellphone. Everything was going to work out just fine. Luis didn’t need to bother Señor Guadalupe after all.
Fate had helped him out once again.
* * *
Kat could only sit in stunned silence as Susan Horton finalized her sister’s travel arrangements. Everything was set. They would be leaving Seville by one-thirty that afternoon. It was the latest flight out, and they wouldn’t arrive back in the U.S. until nearly ten o’clock at night, but when Kat had tried to protest, Susan had remained firm that Juliet would be on that flight, regardless of whether or not Kat wanted to go with her. Given that choice, she’d quickly arranged for additional seating for herself, Diana and Tommy.
She’d also called Diana right away, arranging to meet back at the hotel immediately. The airport was only thirty minutes away, but they would need to get there by eleven-thirty, two hours before departure time, and it was already almost ten now. They had just over an hour to get back to the hotel, pack and check out of the hotel.
She left the hospital, carrying Tommy to make better time. Luckily the metro ran often and it didn’t take her long to get to the hotel. She didn’t waste any time tossing stuff into their suitcases.
“I can’t believe they’re making us leave today,” Diana said as she helped Kat pack Tommy’s things. “Like letting your sister stay one more day would make such a big difference?”
“I know. Although I suspect if they had come to visit Juliet on Sunday, they would have made us leave on an earlier flight.”
“I suppose. Okay, that’s everything,” Diana said. They’d worked like speed demons, and had managed to get everything together in twenty-minutes flat.
Kat made one more sweep of the room, making sure Tommy hadn’t left anything behind. “All right, let’s haul all this down to the lobby so we can check out.”
“What about Miguel?” Diana asked, as they crowded into the elevator.
“As stupid as it sounds, I don’t have his phone number.” Miguel was on Kat’s mind, especially after the night they’d shared, and because they still hadn’t made plans for the future. Kat had hoped that Miguel would show up at the hospital before they left, but she hadn’t seen him. And now they’d be leaving the hotel shortly. “I’m sure he’ll figure out what happened once he discovers Juliet has been discharged.” She wished she didn’t have to leave without saying goodbye, though.
“Did you guys decide on some sort of joint custody arrangement?” Diana asked.
“I’m not sure if we really agreed on that or not,” she said truthfully. She hadn’t told Diana about the evening she’d spent making love with Miguel either. Had she done the right thing by saying yes to Miguel? If only she’d waited. Obviously, it would have been smarter of her to avoid getting emotionally involved. Again.
“Stay here with Tommy while I check out.” Kat crossed over to the counter, asking for the bill and for a taxi to take them to the airport where they would meet up with Juliet.
They arrived at the small Seville airport with time to spare, so they stopped for something to eat. Kat could barely concentrate—she kept scanning the area, looking for any sign of Miguel.
Where was he? Surely once he’d gone to the hospital and realized Juliet had been discharged, he would know to come and find her at the airport. Something bad must have happened to Luis for him to not be here.
Unless he’d changed his mind about being a part of Tommy’s life?
No, she couldn’t believe that. Not after the way he’d made love to her. Not after everything the
y’d shared.
Although she couldn’t help coming back to the fact that he’d never wanted to be with an American. Like her.
“Kat, look, there’s your sister.”
She looked over in time to see Susan Horton pushing Juliet in a wheelchair through the small terminal, followed by an airport employee wheeling Juliet’s large suitcase. “Watch Tommy for a minute, okay?” Kat said, before hurrying over to her sister.
“Hey, Jules, how are you?” Kat tried not to be upset at the way they were being rushed out of there. “Are you in pain?”
“I have her pain medication right here,” Susan said before Juliet could answer. The woman’s brisk, impersonal attitude made Kat grind her teeth in frustration. “Now, is there anything else you need? If not, I’ll be leaving Juliet in your hands.”
Kat wrestled her temper under control. “We’ll be fine,” she said, taking over the task of pushing Juliet’s wheelchair.
“Are you ready to go through security?” Diana asked, holding onto Tommy’s hand. They needed the assistance of two airport employees to manage their luggage.
She sighed, glancing back over the crowd of people one more time, wishing more than anything that Miguel would come. But there was still no sign of him. As much as she wanted to wait, getting Juliet and Tommy through the airport security line would be difficult and time-consuming. She didn’t dare wait much longer.
“Sure thing. Let’s go.”
Going through security took far longer than she could have imagined, especially with Juliet needing so much assistance. She tried not to think about the fact that they would have to change planes four times, before arriving at home. Once they were finished with security, they put their carry-on luggage back together and made their way down to their assigned gate.
Diana flopped into one of the hard plastic chairs with a groan. “Somehow, going home isn’t nearly as much fun,” she muttered.