Twist of Fate

by Faver, JD

  Sunny climbed out and stared up at him, a near-smirk on her face. “First you’re off to The City and now you’re going out of the country? You’re getting to be a real man of the world, Helmut.”

  He felt his color rise. “I am the same.”

  She shook her head and headed for his house. “No, I don’t think so. Your little girlfriend has changed you. You’re not the same.”

  Helmut took a deep breath and followed her inside.

  Sunny stood in the doorway gazing around at his new and improved kitchen. She turned to him and raised her brows in silent interrogation.

  He cleared his throat. “It was time for an update.”

  “Really?” Her voice dripped sarcasm. “I didn’t realize that you were that much of a cook, Helmut.” She walked into the kitchen and ran her fingers over the new granite countertop. She touched the glass top range with the self-cleaning oven and opened the side-by-side refrigerator and freezer. “Is that an ice-maker?”

  Helmut nodded mutely.

  “I didn’t realize that you did so much entertaining.” Sunny turned to glower at him. “But I suppose you think your city friends are coming to visit, especially the skinny little brunette with the green eyes.”

  Helmut expelled a lung full of air. “I am in hopes that Mel will be here often.”

  Sunny whirled on him. “You think that she’s going to move here and become a farm girl. That’s not going to happen. You can’t make a leopard change its spots.”

  Helmut pressed his lips together, refusing to get into a debate with her. “I like Mel just the way she is.”

  They stared impassively at each other for a moment.

  Sunny turned away. “Good luck with that.”

  Helmut huffed out a breath of air. “I will be gone from Friday afternoon to the following Saturday. That will be almost eight full days. I appreciate you looking in on the boys who will be doing the actual work, to make sure there are no problems.”

  Sunny’s face softened. “You know that I’m happy to help you out, Helmut, even if I think you’re headed for disaster in your personal life.”

  He stared at her solemnly. “I appreciate your concern.”

  She shook her head sadly. “Trust me, Helmut. You’re out of your element.”

  #

  He gripped her hand.

  Mel smiled and tried to reassure him that he was going to be fine. The plane still sat on the ground, awaiting clearance to take off, but Helmut was anxious.

  Mel snuggled as close as their belted-in state would allow. “When we get there it will be much warmer, so you’ll probably want to take off your jacket. And we can change at the hotel into some shorts and sandals.

  He frowned at her. “I did not bring shorts and sandals.”

  She gave him an amused glance. “I knew that. I shopped for you. Don’t you think I know how to take care of you by now?”

  He grinned and gave the impression of being gratified. “I know you take care of me in your world, as I take care of you in mine.”

  She giggled. “Yes, you do take care of me in the wilds of upper New York State.”

  “City girl.”

  “Farm boy.”

  The plane began to taxi down the runway and he looked startled again.

  “Here,” she said. “I brought gum.” She began digging in her purse.

  His fingers gripped the armrests.

  Mel offered him the stick of gum. “For your ears.”

  He looked at her incredulously. “I am to put gum in my ears?”

  Mel tried to control her laughter, but ended up having a fit of giggles. “No, you chew it when we lift off and land. It keeps your ears clear.”

  He accepted the gum, hesitantly. “If you say so.”

  She nodded. “It helps.” She unwrapped a piece and popped it in her mouth to demonstrate.

  Once they were airborne, Helmut tried to relax. She had gotten him an aisle seat so he’d have more room and to prevent him from staring out the window at the tiny objects below. This was fine until they reached an altitude where the plane was enveloped in clouds.

  She heard him whisper something in German that could only have been a curse. Then when they rose above the cloud layer into the sunshine above, Helmut craned his neck to peer out the window at the solid cottony stratum below them. He held his hand to his stomach and looked as though he might become ill. Mel immediately tried to distract him with pictures of Mexico in the airline magazine. He heaved a deep sigh and directed his attention to the bright photographs on the slick pages, but continued to glance past Mel out the window at regular intervals.

  When at last the plane landed, Helmut was the first on his feet. If he could have opened the door himself, Mel was certain he would have done so.

  With his feet on the ground, Helmut appeared to be visibly relieved. The buzz of Spanish didn’t appear to bother him as long as he was connected to the earth. He grinned and nodded as he went through customs and collected their baggage, opting to carry it when Mel would have piled it on a cart.

  They climbed into the next taxi in queue and Mel told the driver the name of their hotel. She reclined against the headrest and closed her eyes. Helmut leaned over to kiss her.

  The driver glanced in the rear-view mirror.

  “Honeymoon?” he asked.

  Mel blushed. “No. We’re not on our honeymoon.”

  “Oh.” The man looked crestfallen, then brightened. “Maybe you are on the second honeymoon?”

  Helmut glanced down at her but she shook her head vehemently. “No, we’re not married.”

  At the hotel, she signed in and they were shown to a beautiful suite overlooking the water. Helmut walked out onto the large balcony and stretched his arms wide.

  The balcony had a small pool and bubbling hot tub. Bougainvillea and Hibiscus bloomed profusely. Snuggled up against potted palm trees, they provided complete privacy to those engaged in private acts.

  Helmut turned to grin at her. “You were right, Mel. It is like paradise here in Mexico.”

  She came to stand beside him, leaning over the balustrade. “I’ve never been to Cabo before. I’m glad we’re getting to spend some time alone together before the shoot.”

  Helmut wrapped his arms around her. “I am glad as well. What will we do alone together?”

  She giggled. “I was thinking we could start off by doing what we always do when we’re alone together.” She turned in his arms and reached to unbutton his shirt. “I was thinking that we could remove our city clothes and relax here in the suite.”

  Helmut chortled, deep in his chest. “Relax?”

  She nodded. “And we can swim in our own private little pool.” She removed his shirt and ran her fingers appreciatively over his chest and ribs.

  “Swim?”

  Mel hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants and opened his zipper. “And we could rest. In the big king-size bed with the satin sheets.”

  Helmut grinned at her, his dimples flashing. “Rest?”

  Mel nodded again, stretching up to brush his lips with a kiss. “You must be very tired after the long flight.”

  Helmut laughed. “Yes, I am so tired. I need to take you to bed right now.” He lifted her in his arms and kissed her before carrying her inside. He set her on her feet beside the large inviting bed and began the process of undressing her, slowly unbuttoning her shirt.

  When Mel was down to her panties and bra, Helmut slid his hands over her silky panties and cupped her buttocks in his palms. She stretched up to embrace him, circling his neck with both arms. “What are you thinking?”

  The look he gave her was smoking. “I am thinking that I am a very lucky man.”

  Mel grinned and snuggled her cheek against his chest. He was finally appreciating the career she had given him. He was enjoying the travel and excitement his glamorous new occupation had brought with it.

  Helmut grazed kisses over her face. “I have everything a man could want, right here in my arms.”
r />   Mel swallowed hard.

  He didn’t care about the glamour and travel. He only cared about being with her.

  He caressed her cheek with his palm. “You are so very precious to me. I am glad that we came to this place and that we have time to be alone together for a few days, before...before...”

  “You mean, before the horde arrives?”

  Hew nodded and lifted her onto the bed. “Let us just have this time apart from the others.”

  She leaned back and held out her arms to him. “I promise not to mention them again tonight.”

  “That is all I ask.”

  #

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  That night, they dined on fresh seafood and white wine at the restaurant on top of the hotel before going to the bar and dancing to Latin-American music. Helmut picked it up quickly. He was light on his feet and had a natural sense of rhythm.

  Mel felt happier than she could remember.

  Helmut, for his part, appeared to be cheerful. He danced and laughed with Mel, his mood ebullient. They moved to the salsa music until they were exhausted, then retired to the suite and sought out the hot tub.

  Mel settled against Helmut, smiling. The bubbly water expressed her emotions to a tee. She felt like a freshly opened bottle of champagne, spilling over with happiness. They talked about the upcoming fashion shoot. They talked about the farm and the school boys who had been charged with carrying out the daily tasks. They talked about the clients they shared; Alain, Zizi and Dewey.

  What they did not talk about was the future.

  They made love intensely and held each other tight the whole night long. When they awoke, they ordered breakfast in the suite and enjoyed fresh fruit and eggs Benedict on toasted English muffins. Mel ate one and Helmut devoured four.

  They spent the day on the beach, snorkeled and explored the nearby reefs.

  Mel wished she had an underwater camera, but satisfied herself with the visuals she was storing in her brain. She loved that Helmut was so relaxed and happy. She thought it must have been due to the fact that they were in a strange new world together. They weren’t on either’s home turf, so the neutral ground was as new to Mel as it was to Helmut.

  They made love and rested in the afternoon, awaking to soft breezes playing across their bare flesh. Mel opened her eyes to find Helmut staring at her and gently stroking her with his fingertips.

  She closed her eyes and snuggled closer, willing the moment to last forever. Stunned, she opened her eyes.

  Forever?

  She pushed away to gaze into his deep blue eyes. Was that what she wanted? Forever with this man? This very good man who was her opposite in every way.

  Her stomach churned when she recognized the truth in his gaze. Forever is what he wants from me. Mel rolled out of his embrace and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it to the commode to throw up. Ick! Where had that come from? Had the thought of forever sent her stomach into a tailspin?

  Mel splashed cool water on her face and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She looked a little pink from the previous days sun, although she had used sunscreen.

  She swallowed, forcing herself to considered the thing that had been hanging over her for several days and which she had refused to give any significance to.

  She was late.

  Mel was never late and now she was three days past due.

  Where is my period? Where is my little monthly visitor?

  Bile rose in her throat again. She threw up until dry heaves were all she had left.

  Helmut knocked on the door. “Mel, are you all right?”

  She splashed water on her face again and rinsed her mouth. “I...I’m fine. I must have eaten something that didn’t agree with me.”

  When she opened the door, Helmut’s worried expression greeted her.

  He frowned down at her. “Perhaps there is a doctor nearby. I have heard of tourists becoming very ill from the food.”

  She nodded. “I think it’s passed. I feel much better now.”

  He peered into her eyes, as though disbelieving. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Let’s go out and walk around the town. I need some fresh air.”

  They dressed in shorts and sandals and Mel slung a camera over her shoulder. With directions from the hotel concierge, they set out on foot to see some of the famous sites around town.

  Helmut asked to take her picture and she showed him how to focus and shoot.

  It pleased her that he was taking an interest in the mechanical side of her job, even if he didn’t pretend to understand the creative and marketing side.

  He asked a stranger passing by to take a couple of shots of them together. They stopped at an old cathedral and Mel was immersed in snapping pictures of the architecture and the old stone when Helmut stopped her.

  His gaze was intense as he pulled her close. “We could ask the priest to marry us. We could make a commitment to each other, Mel.”

  Her voice caught in her throat. She gasped out a sound that was unintelligible.

  He stroked the side of her face, a sad half-smile on his face. “Or we could continue as we are if you are afraid to make a lifetime commitment to me.”

  “I...I...,” she sputtered.

  “It’s all right, liebchen. I will not push you into something you do not want.” He turned away suddenly and appeared to be gazing at the ornate stained-glass window over the entrance.

  Mel slipped her hand in his and leaned against his side. “Helmut, I’m just not much on marriage. My parents fought constantly and when they finally got a divorce, they were both so much happier. I never got to see a loving relationship between a husband and wife.”

  He turned to embrace her. “I am sorry, but that is no reason to think that you and I would suffer the same fate. I do not fight with you, Mel. I only want to make you happy.”

  She swallowed the boulder that had suddenly formed in her throat. “And you do. It’s me. I’m the one who isn’t fit for marriage. I’m all about my career and having you in my life has been such an unexpected thing. I wasn’t planning on falling in love.”

  He smiled and brushed a strand of hair behind his ear. “And now that you are in love with me, do you think you can just ignore your feelings?”

  “No,” she sobbed, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

  He pulled her against him, holding her tight. “It is okay, Mel. We will not talk about it any more until you are ready. But you know my feelings.”

  She nodded, her hair making a scrunching noise against his chest. She clung to him for some moments, unable to give voice to her fears. Unable to tell him that she might be carrying his child. That her love for him made her feel vulnerable and afraid.

  #

  Early on Monday morning, Alain and his crew arrived with all the fanfare and commotion Helmut had expected. He cringed when he heard Alain’s voice giving orders to his minions.

  He squared his shoulders and tried to prepare for a week of drama and overstatement.

  Mel’s assistant, Janissa, had flown in on the same plane along with more equipment for the photo shoot. She and Mel hugged and babbled photo-speak as Mel made sure everything had arrived per her instructions. Janissa gave Helmut a little finger wave as she went to check in to the hotel.

  Mel laced her fingers with Helmut’s. She winked at him and smiled. “And so it begins.”

  Alain’s eyes lit up when he spotted Helmut standing beside Mel across the lobby of the hotel. He crowed something in French that could be heard throughout the vast space.

  “Mes amies! How well and rested you both look. Ready for the camera, eh?” He clasped his hands together as though in glee.

  Mel grinned. “Hello, Alain. Good to see you.”

  Helmut nodded silently.

  Alain clasped his arms around Mel and kissed her on both cheeks and then gave Helmut the same treatment.

  Helmut was appalled to be kissed by another man, even on the cheeks. He glared at Mel, who seemed to find his c
onsternation amusing.

  Mel took Helmut by the hand and drew him toward the arched doorway. “We’ll let you and your crew settle in, Alain. We’re going for a walk on the beach.”

  Alain appeared to be a little miffed, but raised a hand in farewell as she strolled out the door with Helmut in tow.

  Helmut wasn’t sure why she wanted to walk on the beach, but he was glad to escape the chaos that was Alain St. Croix for a while longer.

  Mel and Helmut walked barefoot, their arms intertwined. The off-shore breeze ruffled his hair and filled his lungs with its tangy scent. The warm sand felt gritty under his bare feet, a contrast to the rare times he was barefoot in the dark rich soil of his farm.

  Mel paused, gazing up at him, her green eyes willing him to understand. “Helmut,” she began. “I wanted you to know that I feel honored at your impromptu proposal and I know that it meant a lot to you.”

  “It does mean a lot to me. I would like you to be my wife.”

  She nodded, seeming more sure than when he’d first asked her. “I think you would make a perfect husband, but I’m not made of wife material.” She turned and took a few steps toward the water.

  He chuckled deep in his chest. “What is wife material?” He followed her to the water’s edge, experiencing the coolness of the dampened sand against his instep.

  She shrugged. “You know. Someone who wakes up in the morning thinking about grocery shopping and getting the kids to school on time.” She glanced up at him. “I wake up thinking about photo shoots and clients and location shots. I have no idea how to change a diaper or balance the budget.”

  He drew her close and planted a kiss atop her head. “You can be the way you want to be. Keep waking up thinking about your photographs. I would like it if you keep waking up with me.” He tousled her hair. “We do not have to have children right away. We could continue to be as we are.”

  He thought she looked sad.

  She started walking, allowing the froth of incoming waves to frizzle out on her feet. “Nothing stays the same, Helmut. I’m a different person just for knowing you.”

  “Me? I would not change you.” Helmut followed her, reaching to take her hand in his.