“I told her about you the first night we met.” I laughed at his apprehension. My mother and I had grown very close over the years since my dad’s death; we shared almost everything with each other.
“You did?” He turned toward me, his body angled uncomfortably in the driver’s seat.
“Yes, I did. And she was okay with it. Really.”
“Didn’t she ask why I never got married? Doesn’t she wonder why I would be interested in you?”
“Are you wondering why you’re interested in me?” I teased, knowing he felt uncomfortable with the eleven-year gap between us.
At that, he dropped the questions and reached out for me, giving me a long, deep kiss. When he pulled back, he whispered in my ear, “I know why I’m interested in you.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Come on, Suze, let’s get a move on! We only have so many hours of sun left!” Janice yelled through the closed bedroom door.
I sat on the bed, bathing suit on and towel in my lap, staring at the phone. Even though I knew James was on the road, most likely with his cell phone off, I wanted to dial his number.
I picked up the receiver.
“Hang on, Janice. I want to make a phone call,” I called out, following the instructions on the faceplate of the phone for making an international call. I didn’t care if it cost me an arm and a leg to use the hotel phone. I needed to hear his voice.
“What?” Janice’s muffled voice yelled back.
I heard a distant clicking on my end and then an odd, echoing ring. “Phone call!” I enunciated as loudly as I could.
Two rings. Three rings.
Hello, you have reached James Pickford’s voicemail. If you would like to leave a message, please do so after the beep. Thank you.
Even listening to such a formal message, I could clearly imagine his lips forming those words, his dimple disappearing and reappearing as he spoke. The voicemail beep jarred me out of my thoughts, and I scrambled to say something intelligible. “Hey, honey, it’s me. I wanted to let you know I got here safely. We’re in Room 1210 if you need to get a hold of me. I miss you!”
I placed the phone back on the cradle, hesitant to disconnect. I had the urge to dial his number again to listen to the message for a second time, but Janice cracked the door open.
“Come on!” The tip of a straw hat poked through the door opening. “I thought you said James wouldn’t be in Dallas until late tonight.”
“All right. I’m ready to go.” I was reluctant to leave my spot on the bed by the phone.
*
We reclined on lounge chairs under a palapa made from palm leaves, shaded from the intense sun, sipping behemoth margaritas and lazily watching the sailboats far from shore bob up and down on the waves. It had been a relaxing afternoon on the beach, which surprised me.
The anticipation coursing through me on the plane trip ebbed away. Maybe the two margaritas I’d consumed over the last few hours were getting to me. Or maybe the fleeting thoughts I’d had about leaving well enough alone brought me close to forgetting why I’d ever come here. No one knew I had married Joaquin, not my mother, not my friends, not even the United States government. I could set a date, get married to James, and live my life.
My mind played with the fantasy while I soaked in the sun on the warm, sandy beach. How easy it would be to enjoy a vacation with my friend, rather than search for a man I would rather not encounter.
“Peso for your thoughts.” Janice set her almost-empty glass on the small table between us. She’d slathered her long, thin nose in zinc oxide and pulled her wide-brimmed straw hat down low over her eyes.
For a moment, I wanted to confess the thoughts that plagued me – keeping this secret to myself for so many years had worn me down – but I lost my nerve.
I sipped my lukewarm margarita. “When were we going to take those sea kayaking lessons?” That should be a topic to light her fire.
Janice perked up at the mention of the word ‘kayak.’ “Tomorrow morning at nine o’clock sharp. Won’t we have so much fun? Two hours out on that gorgeous ocean—”
“Two hours?” I coughed, choking on my drink. The heat beat down with intensity, even under the shaded palapa. I imagined how hot it would be out on the exposed, reflective surface of Acapulco Bay. As hot as the inside of an oven, most likely.
“I know. Not enough time. But once we learn the basics, we can rent our own kayaks and be out for as long as we like.” She didn’t seem to notice the look of horror on my face. “Wouldn’t it be cool to paddle all the way over there?” She pointed to a jutting piece of land at the most northern point of the bay, a good ten miles away and smiled widely.
I’d landed in hell, and it was called Acapulco.
Perhaps tomorrow, if I feigned complete incompetence, I would be barred from paddling anything that floated on the water. The insurance risk would be too great for the hotel to allow a klutz like me to be out on the open water. I imagined all sorts of ways to undermine the instructor until he ordered me back to shore. I didn’t mind learning how to paddle a kayak, but paddling ten miles alone on the ocean would be a completely different story.
“Let’s take this vacation one step at a time.” I hoped to scale down her dreams to make this trip one long workout session. “There might be some other stuff we want to do.”
She thought about my suggestion for a minute. “You’re right, Suze. We don’t want to tie ourselves down to any one thing. We’ll have to look at the hotel schedule to see what else might be going on.”
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Although Janice was extremely motivated, especially when it came to exercise, I knew I could easily distract her with the next big idea. Thank God for a little bit of ADD.
I reclined on my lounge chair, finished off my margarita, and we both watched the sun sink lower in the sky. Looking at my watch, I noted the late hour. “Hey, Janice, we’re going to have to high-tail it back upstairs, if we want to make our reservation.”
She jumped up from her lounge chair, leaving half a margarita sitting on the table. Besides being an exercise fiend, she also adored eating. Considering all the running, biking, hiking, and swimming she did on a regular basis, she could probably consume five thousand calories a day and still lose weight. Sickening.
“What are we waiting for?” She tightened the knot on her sarong.
I set down my glass, grabbed my bag full of beach supplies, and took up the rear. When that girl wanted to eat, she could really get a move on.
*
Precisely five minutes before our dinner reservation, we were both freshly showered and comfortably dressed. I, in a flowered sundress with spaghetti straps, and Janice in a flirty, short one with a scoop neckline. I called it ‘tourist chic.’ We were obviously American with our strappy sandals, sunglasses, and digital cameras dangling from our wrists, but at least we weren’t wearing oversized t-shirts and spandex shorts. Not on the first day of our vacation, anyway.
Passing through the lobby on our way to Antonio’s Cafe, which claimed to serve the “Best Taquitos in Acapulco,” we crossed in front of a picture display that caught my eye.
The placard read: “Playa Del Mexico Working For You.” Beneath it were Polaroid pictures of various employees, their titles and names inscribed beneath. In the top row of pictures, under the heading ‘General Manager,’ I saw a face that made my heart race, my palms sweat, and my eyesight blur.
“Querida,” a rumbling male voice, almost as familiar as my own, spoke softly right behind me.
I jumped.
He touched my bare shoulder with a warm hand, and a shiver ran through me.
Janice and I both turned at the same time, but she spoke the words that filled my mind. “Joaquin! Oh, my God! I can’t believe it’s you!” Her thin face flushed red with excitement, and she grabbed me tightly by the arm. “Isn’t this a good surprise, Suzie?”
Words gathered in my mouth, but I couldn’t open my lips to release them.
“Yes, isn�
��t this a good surprise?” Joaquin said, an odd smirk on his face.
“A surprise?” I managed to say. My stomach heaved.
“When I planned the trip and searched for a hotel, I ran across this news article online, and there was Joaquin’s picture, right on the screen! I thought it would be so much fun to stay here, catch up on old times.” She gave him an assessing look and touched his arm, “You haven’t changed a bit, Joaquin. Not one bit.”
Joaquin’s effect on women had not diminished even after twelve years. He was a very attractive man and in great physical shape. The only change to his face was the well-trimmed goatee, which only deepened his handsomeness. His eyes glowed, and his beautiful white teeth flashed at us both. He gave Janice a quick hug.
I grew speechless. Janice planned all of this? God, if she only knew what really happened between Joaquin and me back then, she would have made plans to visit Cancún instead. I rubbed my clammy hands on my dress.
“Hello, Joaquin. Well, isn’t this a surprise.” My voice came out a bit breathless. “Janice is quite the little planner, isn’t she?” I felt a touch dizzy. I wished I could sit down, but I saw no empty chair in sight.
The years between us melted away. San Antonio had all been a dream, a nice, but distant dream. I was supposed to be here, standing next to this gorgeous man. My body inched closer to his, and it seemed natural when he pulled me into his body for an embrace. His chest felt hard and warm against mine. I’d forgotten why I’d come here.
Janice stepped back a half-step, looking oddly at us both. It only lasted a moment. If I didn’t know her so well, I probably never would have noticed that look at all. I pulled away from Joaquin, knowing this closeness, this attraction was not right.
James waited at home for me. He trusted me. Besides, I flew all the way to Mexico to end the mistakes I’d made in my past, not jump right back into them. What was I thinking?
Moving away from Joaquin, I could sense the frown forming between his brows. Was he angry with me? Did he want to know where I’d been all these years? Why I’d never contacted him?
Then, I remembered Janice. She would keep everything civil. Joaquin managed the place. He wouldn’t want to create a scene right in the very lobby of the hotel where he was employed. Yes, that must be it.
“So, we are going to dinner, yes?” Joaquin asked, his face blank of any discernible emotion.
I looked at Janice.
“He wanted to take us to dinner. Isn’t that fabulous?” Janice gushed. “There’s some place he was telling me about. It looks out over the water.”
I found my voice, “Yes. Wonderful.” I could act as if this were a casual meeting of old friends. No need to get overly emotional about ancient history between two old lovers who just happened to be married. Yes, a married couple who hadn’t spent one night together as husband and wife.
This couldn’t be my life. I imagined starting out dinner with polite conversation and ending with “hey, honey, I want a divorce.” I managed a strained smile.
“Let me show you the real Acapulco.” Joaquin gave me a cryptic look. The smile returned to his eyes, and he directed a question to Janice. “You both like seafood, yes?”
She nodded and looked at me.
“Sure,” I answered.
My knees were like Jell-o, and my heart raced like a stampeding elephant. I thought about sitting next to Joaquin at a dinner table, drinking wine, sharing a meal. A few hours in a restaurant with friends.
Friends?
Oh, I was good about lying to myself. Joaquin had been much more than a friend. How would I manage to make it through dinner and keep our twelve-year marriage a secret from Janice? Would Joaquin keep the past to himself? Maybe he, too, hoped for a more private moment to discuss what happened.
“My car’s waiting outside. Are you two ready to go?” He gestured toward the glass lobby doors and a car I could see waiting outside.
“More than ready,” said Janice. “I’m starving. Let’s get a move on!”
I nodded my head and gave a wan smile.
I should be able manage two hours of fake smiles and chatter over guacamole and carne asada. How hard could that be?
CHAPTER FOUR
We sat in Joaquin’s convertible with the top down. The orange-red sun setting over the bay mesmerized me. Acapulco was as beautiful as ever—tall palms lined the long curve of the white sand beach, and the sky darkened into a deep navy blue with a sparkling of stars. The sweet scent of honeysuckle rode on the breeze mixing with the salty tang of sea air.
To keep the awkwardness to a minimum, I insisted Janice sit in the front seat. That spot gave her the best view. Plus, it would keep me from strangling her at keeping such a ‘surprise’ from me all these weeks.
“I’m taking you to one of the best restaurants in town. Let me make a call to make sure we’re getting the table I asked for.” Joaquin flipped open his cell phone, dialing and driving with deftness.
We skirted along the stretch of road that hugged the bay, working our way toward the northern edge – the same lip of land Janice had pointed to earlier on the beach. I would rather be paddling that distance alone in a kayak, than be riding there with Joaquin in a candy apple red convertible with leather seats.
I doubted Janice thought the same. She was radiant and smiling, taking in the view, the breeze, and the night air. For her, Acapulco was a dream.
Joaquin spoke some rapid Spanish into his phone, and a moment later he smiled. “It’s all taken care of. Best table in the house.”
“Oh, Joaquin,” Janice said. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble just for us.”
At that moment Joaquin looked pointedly at me in his rear view mirror. “I would move heaven and earth for you ladies.”
I looked away, the intensity in his hazel gaze too much to bear. What did he want from me? If he had wanted to talk, why did he insist on taking Janice and me to a fancy restaurant?
Could it be that he thinks Janice knows? He knew she and I were good friends all those years ago. She had been there when we met. My breathing became shallow, my hands cold as panic set in.
Oh, God. This can’t be happening.
What have I gotten myself into? Janice will find out, Janice will tell James—my mind whirled at the thought of my secret being exposed to him. He trusted me. He loved me. James would not forgive my deception.
*
“So, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for awhile now,” I said.
James and I sat in a movie theater, the rest of the audience filtering out into the aisle while the credits played.
“What?” He set his empty soda cup into the half-full bucket of popcorn and wiped his greasy hands on a napkin.
“Why would a fabulous guy like you still be single? Why hasn’t some hot woman snatched you up?” I crumpled up my empty bag of M&Ms and tossed it in with the popcorn and soda cup.
“She did.” He picked up my hand and kissed it in a very gentlemanly fashion.
I smiled. “You know what I mean. Before you met me. Were you ever serious about someone else?” The lights in the theater flickered on, and I squinted in the brightness.
A clouded look crossed his face. “There was someone, but that was a long time ago.”
“What was she like?” We got up and scooted out into the aisle, bringing our garbage along with us.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Why not? Did she break your heart?” I teased.
As we headed toward the exit, he grew quiet.
Serious now, I asked, “Did she?”
“I met her in college. We dated for three years. I thought I loved her.” He held the exit door open for me and tossed our garbage into the can by the door. “We got engaged after graduation. We were going to get married after I finished grad school.” The door slammed behind us, and we headed for James’s car parked around the corner of the building. “She worked as a nurse at the VA hospital. The nightshift. We barely saw one another. Then, o
ne day, I came back to our apartment for a paper I had forgotten. I caught her in bed with another guy.” He pressed the alarm button on his car key and opened my door for me.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. That must have been terrible.” I slid into my seat and waited for him to climb in the driver’s side.
When he got in the car, he put the key in the ignition without starting it. “He was a doctor on staff. Older, married. She told me later it had been a fling, a mistake, she said. But I ended it. I broke off the engagement, moved my stuff out, and never saw her again—end of story. I guess I wasn’t ready to trust someone else like I trusted her. You don’t know what it’s like—to be lied to, deceived. I never wanted to feel that way again. But then, I met you.”
“What’s so different about me?”
“I don’t know—seeing you with that flat tire. You looked so frustrated, and cute, and—” His green eyes lit up, and he pulled me in close to him, kissing me lightly on the nose.
“No need to explain.” I curled up against the warmth of his body, the emergency brake getting in the way. “I don’t care why. I’m just glad you rescued me that night or we might never have met.”
“Just call me James the Gallant, Rescuer of Beautiful Women in Need of Spare Tires.”
“You mean, I’m not the only one? There’s other women out there who have experienced the magic of your tire changing skills?”
“I don’t share the magic with just anyone.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” He kissed me, pressing his lips to mine, thrusting his tongue with gentle warmth into my mouth.
James the Gallant had rescued me that night, and I couldn’t have imagined meeting a more loving man than he. I lost myself in that kiss, and swore silently that I would never hurt him as he had been hurt before. I knew what I had, and I didn’t want to screw it up.
*
Joaquin pulled up to the valet parking sign outside the restaurant, the engine purring in neutral. My gaze froze on the back of his neck: short, clipped hair on dark, smooth skin. I used to wrap my arms around that neck, and now I would do anything never to see it again.
Acapulco Nights Page 3