“I want to wedge the door open so I don’t have to keep opening and closing it when I’m going in and out—you know, like if I’ve got my arms full or something.”
“I thought you said you just finished clearing everything out.” Eliana narrowed her eyes, looked suspicious.
“Yeah, well—” Lucia had told her that, and although it might be a plausible reason if she actually was planning to take things in and out, the explanation rang hollow at the moment, and El was a master at reading subtleties. It was one of the things that made her so good at her job.
“What’s the deal, Luch? You’ve got that look you get when you’re trying to hide something.”
“I don’t get a look.”
“Yes, you do. Like the time you borrowed my white jeans to wear to Billy Wilson’s graduation party, and you spilled a plate of meatballs all over them and then couldn’t get the stains out. That look.”
“You’re asking me what’s up because of a look you remember from when we were in high school.”
“No, not just then. You get it whenever you’re trying to cover something up.”
“There’s no cover-up going on, El. It’s no big deal. The door got jammed when I was up there yesterday, and I don’t want to take a chance of it happening again today and I end up stuck in there for hours before I can get it open or one of you comes looking for me.”
“So why do you need to wedge it? Why don’t you just leave the door open?”
“Because it might not stay open. It might get blown shut by a draft…or something.”
Eliana stared at her a few seconds. “Okay, suit yourself, but just so you know, you’re being weird about it. Makes a person wonder why.” She turned and started jogging up the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“To the attic. I had to cut out early the other day and never got to see what it looked like after you guys finished. I’m curious to see how it came out.”
Lucia tucked the WetJet handle under one arm and the board under the other and followed her sister up.
The door to the attic stood open and El was inside looking around. Lucia propped the board between the door and the frame and closed it just enough to make sure it held fast so it wouldn’t fall out before committing to going inside.
“The light in here’s fabulous,” Eliana said, turning in a circle. “It’s a shame none of us realized what a great space this was until now.”
“Maybe when Antonio’s done using it, you and Marcella can turn it into a retreat. Paint the floorboards white to make it even brighter, bring in some sparkle, loads of cheerful pillows, glass tables…”
“I hope that doesn’t mean you and Cat are planning on spending all of your time at Serendipity. This is still the family home, you know. We’d want you guys to be a part of anything we might do up here. And you’re the one with the most talent for decorating, so you’d have to be involved in that part of it.”
“Of course, this will always be home, and we’ll still spend lots of time here. There’s no reason for Cat to move. She’s not going to be running the inn, just the restaurant, and I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. I may keep a room there just in case I need to stay for some reason, but I might keep living here and have a pager so guests can reach me at night if they need to.”
“Okay, well that makes me feel better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the project. I just don’t want to go for weeks without seeing you guys.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen, so stop worrying.” Lucia put an arm around her sister and gave her brief hug. “So, I think Antonio’s going to be pretty comfortable in here.”
She turned, took in the rest of the room, admired how nice it had come out, and then stopped short.
“What the hell’s the problem with those screens? I just stood them back up before I carried down the last load of stuff to put in the basement.” She shook her head and went to put them up again. “We’re going to need to brace these things. They fell over when I was up here by myself yesterday and startled the bejeebies out of me they made such a racket.”
“I thought that’s what the cross feet were for,” Eliana said, “to stabilize them.”
“Yeah, me too, but they don’t do a very good job. This is the second time they toppled.”
Her sister walked over and gave them a jiggle. “They seem sturdy. Are you sure you didn’t bump up against them and knock them over when you were doing something?”
Lucia looked at her and skewed her eyes. “No, El, I didn’t accidentally bump them over, twice! I wasn’t anywhere near them when they fell.”
“Gee, I don’t know, Luch. You get locked in here and can’t get the door open, things start falling over on their own. Maybe it was Rosa trying to tell you something.”
“So you think I should blame it on the family ghost? You think that’s the most logical explanation?”
“Hey, just saying. Did anything else happen? Like the lights flickering off and on, the room suddenly getting cold?”
Lucia hesitated a moment too long and Eliana jumped on it.
“Ha! Something else did happen. What?” Her eyes danced with excitement, but then, like Marcella, El was more open to and, Lucia thought, might even think it would be cool if their aunt’s spirit haunted the family home.
“So give it up, Luch. Tell me.”
Lucia dropped her head back and moaned. “Okay, so a couple of things might have happened that I can’t explain yet.” She hooked her thumbs through the belt loops on her jeans. “The windows are stuck now, too. We had them open when we were painting, but now they won’t budge.”
Eliana darted across the room and unlatched one of the front windows. She gave it a push and it slid up with no effort. She turned and arched a brow. “Stuck, huh?”
Lucia sputtered. “Well, it was, they all were!”
“Umm hmm. What else?”
“That’s all. That and the room…” Lucia waggled her head. “It did sort of get cooler after the door jammed.”
“Sounds like some pretty convincing stuff to me, sis. So what’d you do to get out?”
Lucia cleared her throat. Of everything that happened, that was the thing that had freaked her out the most, and how did she explain that without adding more fodder to her sister’s already racing imagination?
Oh, what the hell? Eliana already believed Rosa was behind everything.
“The door opened. I sort of…and look, I’m not saying I believe anything, but I was feeling kind of desperate to get out. So, I said I was tired of the crap and if someone was there to cut it out because I had things to do. And nothing happened. And then I said please, and…well…the door just kind of opened by itself.”
“Oh my God! And you still have doubts? That’s what that board’s all about, isn’t it? Insurance in case Rosa thought to shut you in here again. I can’t wait to tell Cat and Marcella; they’re going to die when they hear about this.”
“I hope not. In the event I’m wrong, one ghost haunting our family home is enough.”
One of the Chinese screens fell over. Lucia and Eliana both let out a little scream at the sudden clatter.
“Holy crap!” Eliana twirled around and laughed. “Hey, Rosa, if that’s you, I hope you like what we’ve done up here. It looks good, doesn’t it?”
There was no response. When Lucia realized she was holding her breath, she let it out slowly. Just great! Was she going to start questioning her own logic and reason now, or was it possible they could still come up with a rational explanation for the growing number of odd happenings?
I can certainly see that you know your wine.
Most of the guests who stay here wouldn’t know
the difference between Bordeaux and Claret.
Basil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers
Lucia was clearing away the Saturday afternoon setup when Antonio walked into the inn, back from his trip to Italy. When she saw him, her heart leaped, hopping around like a child who’d just been set f
ree in a toy store.
She set the cups she’d been about to carry into the kitchen back down on the guest bar and faced him.
“Hey, you. How’d it go?”
“Hey yourself,” he returned her greeting with a grin that made her leaping heart pound even faster. “The trip went well. A day and a half travelling each way was a bit rough, but I accomplished what I wanted and got to spend some time with my grandfather, so I’m glad I went.”
He rolled the two suitcases he’d come in with to the side of the door and walked over to where she stood. Lucia got a whiff of his cologne, clean, slightly spicy—him. He slid a hand around her waist, eyes smiling into hers, and pulled her hard against him for a kiss.
Yeah, she’d missed him, missed that, and now that he was back she wouldn’t have to cram her days with things to do when they didn’t have guests to keep from thinking about just how much.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said when he broke for air.
“Me too. I’ve got a few more things to bring in from the car. If it’s not a problem, I’ll put the stuff for work right in the attic. I’ll probably spend most of tomorrow up there cleaning, maybe buy some paint and splash it on the walls and ceiling if you and your sisters don’t mind.”
“Already done. We had a bunch of paint in the basement from prior projects, so we had a pizza and painting party. It came out nice. I think you’ll be amazed how bright and airy it feels.”
“That was generous of all of you. Thanks, and I’ll thank your sisters when I see them. I guess that means I’ll go shopping for office furniture tomorrow instead now.”
“You’re welcome, but we weren’t being completely altruistic. The sooner you get your office set up the sooner you can get down to work and the sooner we can move forward with our plans.”
“Ahh, I begin to understand. I’m just a cog you’re trying to keep oiled so everything runs as efficiently as possible.”
“Well, not just, although you are an important cog. And the most important one to help us get things off the ground. Off the ground, get it?”
He smirked and she waved a hand in the air. “Okay, dumb joke; you’ve probably heard a version of the same one a hundred times.”
“A couple, but no one ever looked as cute saying it as you did.”
Lucia punched him in the shoulder. “Flatterer.”
Antonio chuckled. “I’d better get the rest of my stuff unpacked. I parked in front of the walkway to unload and should bring it in so I can move the car in case any of your guests are about.”
He went in and out three more times, putting his haul on the side of the lobby, and then went back out again to move his rental. When he returned, he spent the next fifteen minutes carrying everything upstairs, either to deposit in his room or the attic.
Lucia busied herself by finishing up the task she’d started before he’d gotten back from his trip. After clearing away the last of the afternoon setup, she wiped down the refreshment bar and put the large floral arrangement she’d temporarily tucked underneath back on top of the sideboard.
“I’ll unpack later,” Antonio announced as he strolled back into the lobby. “I don’t really feel like getting back in the car, but I’ve got to go get something to eat. They ran out of sandwiches on the last leg of my flight, and the only options left didn’t appeal to me. All I’ve had since breakfast during my layover was something called a scramblewich, basically some liquid eggs wrapped up in a tortilla shell with two overcooked turkey sausage patties.”
“Poor baby.”
“Is that false empathy?”
“No, I mean it. You must be starving.” She ran a finger down his muscular chest, wanting do more but limiting her affection in case a guest walked in on them.
“Would you be interested in another option?” she asked, grinning up at him.
“If it’s as tempting as you are right now, I’m all ears.”
“I can’t leave. We’ve got a full house, so I need to be here in case something comes up, but if you’d rather not go out again, we could order something and eat it together in the solarium. I can leave the doors open and put a note on the front desk that I’m in the adjoining room if any guests come looking for me.”
“I like your idea much better. What are you in the mood for?”
She was going to say you, but stopped short of the word popping out of her mouth and instead said, “How about lasagna? The pizza shop we order from makes pretty good pasta. We can get an order of garlic knots, too. They’re to die for.”
“No arguments here. I’d much rather spend my first night back sharing a meal with you than eating alone.”
“Great.” Lucia beamed at him. He just made her feel so good.
SHE’D ADDED TWO cannoli to the order that they were currently enjoying with a glass of Marcella’s latest dessert wine experimentation. It was a sweet white she’d dubbed Final Moments, with hints of honeysuckle and apricot. Sweeter wines weren’t typically Lucia’s cup of tea, but this one was light and crisp and went well with the dessert.
A piece of the shell broke off when he bit into it, and Antonio caught it with his tongue before it could fall. “Umm, these are very good.”
“Aren’t they wonderful? I could easily become addicted to them. The shop’s owner told me they use a blend of ricotta and mascarpone for the filling. Most places just use one or the other, and I think the combination makes the difference.”
By the time they finished their pastries it was after nine. Lucia didn’t expect any guests to come looking for her this late, but when they decided to take the rest of the wine outside to enjoy on the back patio, she left the solarium’s French doors open just in case.
The night was warm but dry. A heavenly aroma from the night-blooming jasmine growing on the side of the house perfumed the air with its heady scent. Lucia breathed it in. “Do you smell that?”
Antonio sniffed the air. “Something sweet. It’s nice.” He held a chair out from one of the wrought iron café tables for her, and then pulled another beside it and sat down. He draped an arm around her shoulders, as if touching in some way had become a natural thing between them. “What is it we’re smelling?”
“Night jasmine. It grows on the side of the house, but the blossoms don’t fully open to release their scent until after dark, so you only smell it at night.”
Lucia turned her face toward his. “Thus the name.” She smiled. “I think it’s one of the most delicious-smelling flowers there is, but because of its nature it isn’t something you’re likely to enjoy unless you happen to be out on a night like this when it’s in bloom. Makes it special.”
He leaned in, brushed his lips across hers, soft and light, tempting. “You’re special,” he whispered into her mouth, and instead of sounding trite or clichéd if someone else had said it, he’d made it sound sexy and charming at the same time.
Lucia reached up and held his head to hers, her hands cradling his face, demanding another, more thorough kiss. She knew what was happening…and wasn’t it time? Didn’t she want this? The thrill of it all, the heart-pounding excitement, the hot desire roaring in her blood, the chance to satisfy it all in his arms, and when it flamed to do it all over again—yes, she wanted it, craved it, and after more than a month of imagining what it would be like to experience loving him, she didn’t want to only imagine.
Now that they’d be working so closely together for an extended period, to go on the way they were, denying their mutual desire, would be a cruel torture. She knew he planned to go back to Italy at the end of their project, but what if he changed his mind? Things changed, people changed, and if she refused to give them a chance, see where things went, she might be closing the door on one of the best things that might ever happen to her. Antonio wasn’t like Brad. He’d never deceive her.
She angled her head back and caught her bottom lip between her teeth, gazed up at him, and leaped out of her comfort zone. “How would you like to have a pajama party tonight?”
Antonio’s eyes roamed over her face, met her gaze. They looked black in the shadow of the night, serious, questioning, and with a definite gleam of interest. “A pajama party?”
“Yeah, you know. I go up to my room and get into my pajamas. You go to your room and get into your pajamas, and then you come up to my room and spend the night.”
He rubbed a hand over his mouth, dragged it up over his forehead and pushed it through the black silk her fingers itched to tousle. “Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”
“I’m asking if you want to spend the night with me.”
He took hold of her hand, stood up, pulling her with him as he did. “Is it too early to go change?”
Lucia laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Can I take that as a yes?”
“Tesoro mio, I’ve wanted to wrap myself around you and fall asleep with you in my arms since the night we met.” He pulled her against him, crushing his mouth to hers.
If he doused her in gasoline and set it on fire, it couldn’t match the inferno his lips working their magic on hers ignited in her blood.
“Antonio.” She laid her hands against his chest, caught her breath. “I don’t think I need to stay downstairs any longer. None of the guests should need me for anything this late. If they do, they can reach me on the after-hours number listed on their room phone.”
“So it’s pajama party time?”
Lucia stuck her tongue in the side of her mouth and bit back a laugh of pure exhilaration. Yeah, it was party time, and she couldn’t wait to see what he showed up in.
WHEN LUCIA OPENED her bedroom door twenty minutes later, Antonio stood on the other side in the same black jeans and light grey oxford shirt he’d had on when he returned from his trip.
He looked at her sheepishly. “I don’t have any pajamas.” He stepped into the room and pulled a toothbrush out of his shirt pocket. “I brought this, though.”
“You were supposed to wear what you sleep in.” She spun around and showed off her satin jammies. They were the color of freshly churned cream with sprays of blushing apricot roses sprinkled all over them. She had plenty of flannels, and some comfy cotton nightgowns too, but these pretty satin ones had said wear ME tonight.
Lucia (The Bonaveras) Page 14