by Christina OW
Michael ran to her and pulled her head up in his little hands. She pulled him to her and held him tight against her, her sobs reducing, “Don’t ever go off with anyone ever again without telling me!” Michael nodded realizing the fear his mother was in. He had only seen her like that a few times, but the situation was different, she was just worried, that’s all, they wouldn’t lie to him, “I’m okay mama, everything is okay, remember?” he pulled away and looked into her eyes with a smile.
Maria looked at him, jealous of his false sense of security. He wouldn’t be this at ease or as happy if he knew how very wrong he was. They weren’t okay, they would never be okay, and they had more reasons now than before to be scared out of their minds, but he didn’t need to know that, he would never know that. She nodded and kissed his forehead drawing him into her arms, “I was just worried.” she spoke into his hair, her mind filled with Ricky’s face and threatening voice.
He pulled away from her, kissed her nose, something he loved doing, and took Elizabeth’s hand and walked past her, “Good, can we have lunch now?” Maria took a deep breath and wiped her wet face dry. Her surroundings came alive to her when she noticed the whole cafe staring at her, she stood up to meet Dave’s worried eyes, but she saw more than worry in them and she didn’t like it.
Dave stood there quietly watching mother and son. His first reaction when she went down was to go for her, but Miguel beat him to it, soothing and comforting her like a parent would do a child, for those few minutes he was her shoulder. He knew there was something more to the child, he’d acted more mature than his cute baby face let on. What he found surprising was Paula’s reaction, he thought he was a paranoid parent, but she took the cake. He saw something more than paranoia in her eyes. Before she went down, he saw intense fear, then blinding relief, and her tears and cries expressed the relief she felt when she saw Michael, and then there was a distant pained look in her eyes once she soothed down. Dave missed nothing. He knew instantly she was running from someone, and her son was the glue holding her together. He felt the urge to protect her, to comfort her like she had done for Elizabeth, but he felt intrigued, and the hunger to solve the puzzle he saw her life to be.
“I’m sorry, I should have called.” he spoke softly, moving closer to her. She took a step away, her stance cold.
“Yes, you should have.” she said coldly, turning away from him. She went to the table the kids were at and stroked Michael’s head tenderly, she was still shaken up and then she disappeared into the kitchen.
Dave understood the anger she must have been feeling towards him, but he didn’t want her to shut him out before he got to know the person behind those expressive green eyes, which harbored a lot of emotions, so he followed her into the kitchen ignoring the cook’s protests, “I figured since you kidnapped my kid, I should return the favor.” he joked with a smile.
Maria turned and looked, at him irate, she was in no mood for his obsequiousness after the stunt he pulled, “The difference is, I knew where my kid was,” she put three plates on her tray and walked around him, “Jane, I’m taking my break.”
“After your break down, you should take the rest of the day off.” Jane mumbled. Maria gave her an unmasked stare. She placed the plates of mashed potatoes and veggies in front of the kids. She put Elizabeth on her lap and helped her eat. She sat with her back to the crowd, half embarrassed by the melt down they had witnessed.
Dave stared at her with his daughter on her lap, they looked good, like a perfect picture. Elizabeth smiled up at her before she took the little spoon she offered, and turned her attention to her food. Paula looked uncomfortable, but a little at ease, stealing glances at Michael and talking to the kids about their day. Dave sat down opposite her next to Miguel, his eyes glued on Paula, watching her sad face slowly get replaced by a joyous one. The need to know her became intense as he watched her pink lips part in a smile, reflecting the smile in her eyes, her beautiful green eyes.
Dave was stunned at how he ogled the stranger. This wasn’t him, it was very unlike him to feel that sort of attraction, not the kind men have when they meet a woman and want to bed her immediately, his attraction was something...... different.
“What will you have, sir?” Jane stood next to him with her notebook in her hand. Dave didn’t answer her, it was like he hadn’t noticed she was standing next to him. She looked at him and followed his dazed gaze. She felt irked at how he stared at Paula, she had stolen her thunder, men used to look at Jane like that before Paula came along.
Maria looked up at Jane, then at Dave, he looked dazed, “Dave what will you have?” she asked, repeating Jane’s question.
“Huh?” Dave woke up at her question. The sincere smile on her face and the new sparkle in her eyes dazzled him. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to notice. He had an excuse for the day before, it was a difficult, frustrating day for him, but he didn’t see how he didn’t notice right off the bat. She looked fragile and precious when she cried, but she looked like the epitome of beauty when she was happy and smiling.
“Do you want a menu?” Maria asked him again.
“No, I’ll have what they are having.” he said, pointing to Miguel’s plate. Jane creased her face angrily before she left. Maria was shocked, but yet amused by that, she knew Jane didn’t like her and she really didn’t care. She wasn’t here to make new friends, she liked the one she had back home just fine.
Maria looked back at Dave, finally noticing the look he was giving her. She hated that look, more with each passing day and with every man who gave it. If he tried to touch her, she was going to join his hand, the table, and a fork, and make them an artistic piece. “I’m sorry about snipping at you.” She wanted to distract him with a conversation, she liked his daughter too much to hate him.
“Don’t worry about it. I would have balled up too, if I wasn’t afraid of looking like less of a man.” Dave tried to look normal once he saw her light fade. She was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze and it made her pull back into herself.
“Men and their pride.” Maria mumbled unconsciously.
“Well, that, and I think my boss would have fired me if he saw his top lawyer crying in a public place. Emotions aren’t good for my business.”
“You work at McKenzie and Associates?” Maria remembering their short conversation the day before, “You are Dave Greer the shark!” She had heard of him, he was apparently the man you would want on your side and not against you.
Smiling, “I’m not a shark, just good at what I do.”
“The way your wife, or ex-wife acted yesterday, and your rep on the streets, I beg to differ.”
“You see how showing emotions would be damaging to my street rep?” Dave leaned back making way for the plate Jane brought, his eyes glued on Paula’s beaming face. Jane didn’t like that, so she dropped the plate on the table, startling everyone, thankfully there was only a tiny splutter on the table cloth. Dave looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not at all amused by her behavior. She feigned an apologetic smile and walked away. Dave stared after her, even more peeved.
Maria laughed at his reaction, “Forgive the poor service, I think it’s me more than it is you.”
“Why?” he turned back to her. Her smile captivated him again, making him stare at her blankly, completely wiping out his annoyance.
“You are the lawyer, tell me your theory,” she said, ignoring the stare, “when the kids aren’t around.” she added quickly.
He leaned closer, a wide grin on his face, “Are you asking me out?” He felt disturbed when her face faded out again. He leaned back and picked up his fork, “because my manhood would really be in jeopardy if you made the first move.” He put some mashed potatoes in his mouth.
Maria laughed, “Oh please! Times have changed, and that notion is very ancient.” she took the napkin and wiped the sauce from Elizabeth’s hands and face, and then she raised the glass of water to her tiny lips. She smiled, watching her tiny lip
s sip in the water.
“Times may have changed, but some things should stay the same.” he watched Paula and Elizabeth under his eyelashes. He didn’t want Paula to retreat to her shell that she constantly seeks refuge in, but he was pleased that it had been easy for him to pull her out of it.
“While you still live under that rock, women ask men out, and they even propose marriage. There is nothing left exclusive to men anymore.”
“Tradition cast aside all in the name of equality between men and women.” he lamented jokingly as he picked up Michael’s and Julie’s empty plates and placed them in the middle of the table.
“You are such a chauvinist, is your male ego that big? That’s probably why your wife left you.” Maria wished she could take the last words back immediately, she saw the change in his expression. His fingers tightened around his fork, his jaw tightened, a rage quietly simmering inside him. It scared her to the point she held Elizabeth closer to her.
“Mama what’s wrong?” Michael asked concerned. He stood up and went to her, he had been distracted by his conversation with Julie and hadn’t noticed the change in Dave, but he noticed the change in his mother. No matter what he was up to, he always had a keen eye on his mother.
Dave looked up and met her scared eyes, and Miguel’s guarding stance next to her, but what unsettled him more was the grip she had on Elizabeth. She looks scared of me? Dave wondered as he watched the fear dance on her face. But he hadn’t done a thing, he hadn’t even responded to her accusation, was it his reaction that scared her?
Maria forced a smile, pulling her eyes away from Dave and settling them on Michael. She felt like she could breathe, now that his expression had smoothed over, but she was still nervous, “Nothing, help me take the plates to the kitchen and you guys should wash your hands. Julie lets go.” she stood up with Elizabeth still held tightly against her and she rushed into the kitchen, praying not to trip over her trembling feet.
Dave stood up to go after her, but he was stopped by Todd’s annoying smiling face, “What do you want?” he asked bleakly, staring after Paula.
“Do you want to give your wife ammunition to sue for more money? What are you doing here with that waitress, having lunch like some big happy family?”
“What do you want Todd?”
Todd shrunk at his harsh gaze, “Your divorce is in, and you’ll be a free man in three weeks.”
“Is that all?” He asked impatiently. He wanted to go talk to Paula, he didn’t like the fact she seemed scared of him. He wondered what happened to her, to make her so nervy.
“No. I need your help with a case.”
Dave laughed, irate, he had to do everything, and yet they still hadn’t given him the promotion he asked for, “It’s my day off and I’m busy.”
“The client is going to sue us if you don’t fix this.” Todd begged.
“Why do I always have to fix all your messes? Can’t you do one thing right?” He barked.
“Dad said if you fix this, you get the promotion.” Todd added quickly, taking a few steps away from Dave. He knew Dave wouldn’t take the request kindly, but he didn’t expect him to lose his temper over it.
Dave stared at him, quietly counting to ten to reel in his anger. He wanted the promotion and the man was handing it to him, “How did you know I was here?”
“I saw your car, and Leo said you were here.”
Dave sauntered past him, “Let’s go.”
“What about Elizabeth?” Todd asked, following him to the door.
“She’s safe with Paula.” Dave said softly. He knew his daughter would be happier and safer with Paula. He saw how protective of her she got a few minutes ago. Whatever demons that were haunting her, it made her protective instincts over the children acute.
Maria listened to the conversation behind the kitchen door. She was glad he was gone, it did save her the agony of trying to figure out an explanation for her petrified reaction, and she was happy that he trusted her with his daughter. She wondered if he had figured her out in the few minutes they had spent together, because she had, at least she thought she had, she has been wrong before.
He seemed like a kind, proud, ambitious, and highly principled man. He doesn’t trust people easily, but he likes to know people who came into his life, short or long term. What she was sure of was his bad and quick temper, she knew rage only too well. She hoped he was the one man in her life that would be like Tom. She was lonely in this big city, and having a friend didn’t seem so bad, all she hoped was that he was looking for a friendship, nothing more.
“Paula,” Maria turned to Rose’s voice, the owner and manager of the cafe, “Jane told me about what happened. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Maria wasn’t sure if Jane’s intentions were sincere or negatively motivated. “I’m fine.” she pulled Elizabeth higher on her hip.
“You haven’t taken a day off since you started, and you look like you have your hands full,” she smiled at Elizabeth before she shifted her eyes back to Maria, “I’m not firing you, I’m just saying take a break.”
Maria watched her expression in search of a lie, but Rose looked sincere, “Okay. I’ll just be across the street at the day care center.”
Rose looked at her surprised, “Your version of down time is going to a room full of noisy children?”
“What can I say, they have a calming effect on me.”
“You were born with the motherly genes in abundance, I, however, just have a tolerance for kids. See you tomorrow.”
Maria went to the dressing room to change. She did need a break from her mind more than her job. She was sure after the day’s scare with Michael, she wasn’t going to have a full night’s sleep. She better make the most of the afternoon, and probably go see the shark at work, she was sure his rep didn’t do him justice. With a temper like his, he was much worse, or better, depending on how one looked at it.
Chapter Ten
Maria felt genuinely safe for the first time sitting in the bright colored room, filled with all types of toys, and nurses dressed in uniforms. The air was filled with both, loud cries and joyous screams as kids less than three feet tall ran around the room. As much as Rose didn’t understand, being around kids did give her peace. She looked down at the sleeping child in her arms. Michael and Julie had played with Elizabeth all afternoon. After Jane picked Julie up, her little eyes began to flutter close, and her lips parted in a yawn. She looked so cute and Maria found it amusing how children could fall asleep anywhere, as long as they were comfortable. But Michael was different, when he felt sleepy, he would always look for her and crawl into her lap and sleep there. It always annoyed Ricky, so whenever he did, she would find a place to hide and just enjoy that moment holding her sleeping baby, then after a few hours she would prepare herself for an ultimate beating. It was a small price to pay for a few perfect moments of peace.
Maria looked around in search of Michael. She had been so distracted with Elizabeth and the memories her perfect sleepy face brought, that she had taken her eyes off him longer than her usual time. She watched Michael’s every move, she couldn’t afford not to. She panicked when she couldn’t spot him. She immediately thought of Ricky, and how possible it was for him to walk out with Michael, Dave had. She stood up and rushed to the nurses’ station, careful not to wake Elizabeth, “Excuse me, have you seen my son?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady.
Dave riffled through the legal documents again wondering how he was going to fix Todd’s mess this time. It was the worst mistake he’d ever done, and all he could hope for was that he wouldn’t make worse mistakes in the future. He tried to think of a number of ways he could fix such a silly mistake with less liability to the firm and the client. He glared at Todd across his desk one more time before he went back to the papers. He was blank, his mind half in it. He was still thinking of Paula and her petrified face and wondered what exactly happened to her to make her so...angst-ridden.
He thought she could be running a
way from an abusive father, but the fatigue in her face showed she was much too old to be a teenage mom. An abusive boyfriend could be a possibility, explaining the scars on her arms and hands, and the dark small shades on her face that matched those on the visible parts of her skin. Dave hardly missed anything.
The thought of someone hurting her made him angry and all he wanted to do was protect her, why he felt like this for a woman he’d spent under two hours with, he completely had no idea.
Todd sat upright, his lips split in a nervous smile, “So what do you think?”
Dave looked at him, “I think you should be fired.”
Todd nodded, not at all surprised by the honest remark. Most people at the firm did think he should be fired, but they all knew why he wouldn’t be, “Apart from that.”
Dave leaned back in his seat and sighed exhaustively, “I can fix it, but not today.”
“When?” Todd asked relieved.
“Next week. Call the client, set the meeting for Monday.”
“How about we don’t do that and just meet with them when the final meeting is originally scheduled, two weeks from now.”
Dave gave him an incredulous look, it couldn’t be possible that he didn’t understand the amount of damage he had caused, “We can’t do that, we need more money to fix this.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“That’s close to what you make in a year.”
“I can afford it. I have a feeling if my dad finds out, he’s really going to fire me.” Dave leaned on his desk and slit his eyes at Todd, “You lied to me?”
“Yes. I expected you would catch it, but you were preoccupied by the green eyed beauty,” Todd whistled, “She’s got a body on her, and a virgin face too. If you weren’t already barking up that tree...” he left his sentence hanging, the expression of his face completing it.