“Yes. See you then,” Vanessa said. She watched Mary walk with difficulty to the counter to hug Javier goodbye and pick up a to-go cup of her espresso. Mary whispered something in Javier’s ear just before she left, then winked at Vanessa and walked out the door.
Javier held his hand out to Vanessa to help her to her feet. “Shall we?” he gestured toward the other side of the room, where a corner table provided closer quarters. “I took the liberty of ordering us a chocolate sampler. The man behind the counter suggested you might like it.”
“Thank you,” Vanessa took Javier’s hand and got up as gracefully as she could. Warmth spread through her body when he twined his fingers through hers instead of letting go. “That’s Elliot. He and Jill are old friends of mine and part-time freegans. I’m sure they steered you right.”
When they sat down, Javier held Vanessa’s hand between both of his. He rubbed his fingertips over the back of her hand gently as he looked at her. Vanessa felt heat rise in her body. She willed herself to calm down to no avail. He was just touching her hand, for God’s sake, but her body was responding way out of proportion.
“Thank you for meeting me tonight. I have counted the moments since Saturday. I confess, Vanessa, that I may have a little crush on you.”
“I suspected as much,” she smiled at him with her eyes, recalling the connection from their last date. “I should probably admit that I have actually had a little crush on you for awhile now. Ever since I saw that photo that Mary was showing around.”
Javier laughed, “I like you for your personality, sight unseen, and you like me for my looks, personality unknown.”
“My personality!? My profession, more like. But you don’t do my crush justice. The things she said, about your thoughtfulness and kindness to her and your aunt, were very much in your favor. Plus, I figured that a man who could smile like you must have a light on in his soul. Only, Mary failed to mention that you were from here. Until Gabi told me she had found you, I thought you would always be just a beautiful man in Costa Rica.”
“Wow. You trump me. I just wanted to get to know you because Gabi said you sew and cook and tend bar and like Latin men,” Javier’s clear aqua eyes twinkled as he teased her.
“Guilty as charged. I very much like Latin men. A particular Latin man, actually. But I haven’t sewn much since I became a freegan. It’s hard to find good fabric our way. Now that I’m becoming less strict, though, I might allow myself a few yards of this delicious new Amy Butler fabric I saw online the other day.”
“You like being on the Internet much?”
“No. Well, I don’t dislike it, but my laptop is ancient and almost does not work except for in text-only mode, which means email and maybe free books. I go to the library to look at fabric. I mean, to surf the web,” she grinned guiltily.
“I knew you must be a reader. You have that quiet about you, as though you are listening behind the obvious. I saw it when you helped the lady at the bar. Right away, I knew we would be able to talk with one another.”
“I’m glad that’s how you chose to interpret that night. I still feel terrible about what happened. Thank God her friends were there, and especially thank God that you were there.”
“Are you religious? You have thanked God a couple of times, is why I ask, and you seem to know a lot about Catholicism.”
The tray of drinking chocolates arrived just then. Eight small cups filled with thick chocolate, labeled by country of origin and flavors, sat between them. Javier moved one of his hands to make way, but continued to hold Vanessa’s fingers and to stroke them with the other.
“I am now!” Vanessa grinned, inhaling the spicy scent of chocolate and chiles, chocolate and ginger, and sweeter spices underneath.
“Allow me,” Javier said softly. He lifted the cup farthest from him and held it up for Vanessa to smell. “Breathe this first,” he paused while she complied. “Now a tiny sip.” He raised the cup to her lips and tipped the cup gently forward until the chocolate just touched her mouth. The gesture was familiar from her childhood days receiving communion in chapel at her Catholic school. She found the association comforting instead of unsettling, even though she had not been to church since sophomore year of college.
Vanessa pulled the thick liquid onto her tongue and moved it around to coat her taste buds. Her eyes widened in surprise as the combination of cream, cassis, and fresh fig rose above the bitter under layer of dark chocolate. “Fig!” she exclaimed. “But just the aftertaste, like a fine wine.”
Javier smiled at her with his eyes and took a sip himself. “The blackcurrant liqueur sets it off perfectly.”
To Vanessa’s surprise, Javier leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. His tongue just brushed her lower lip, causing Vanessa’s breath to catch. He leaned back, but did not remove his hand from hers.
“I tasted blackcurrants for the first time when I was nine. My parents took me to London, and I wanted to ride on the top of one of the red buses. I got motion sickness and had trouble eating all day. Our host at the bed and breakfast where we were staying brought me a little bowl of currants. He told me they were magic, those currants. Boys who ate them could see into the hearts of men and never step falsely. I was very interested in the idea of prophecies and psychic powers and most of all detectives at the time, so I ate them. One by one, those tangy little fruits popped against my teeth. When I finished the bowl, I felt better.”
“Sounds amazing,” Vanessa raised her eyebrows in surprise at Javier’s eloquence. “I have never had them fresh before, only dried or in the liqueur.”
“We should introduce you sometime. They are best eaten in Britain, I think.”
Vanessa’s chest rose and fell more rapidly at the thought of travelling with Javier. Of tasting fruit with Javier, of linen sheets with Javier. She looked down, remembering at once what Mary said and that this was a third date. She was supposed to be practicing self-control, she reminded herself.
“Next?” she smiled.
Javier again picked up a cup and, as before, let Vanessa taste, then sipped himself. This time they were met with a thinner mixture of milk chocolate suffused with ginger and vanilla.
“What do you think?” Vanessa asked, racking her brain for a memory she might share.
“I need another taste,” Javier whispered, bending to kiss her again. He moved his tongue across both her lips, then licked his own slightly as he pulled away.
“What do you think?” he asked, his eyes sparking at her with humor and a hint of desire.
“I hardly know,” she breathed. Vanessa cleared her throat and recovered her speech a bit. “Not to start a theme of sick tummies, but this one reminds me of my grandmother’s house. My mom used to leave me there a lot when I was little. Granny taught me to sew and cook, and she used to make me these vanilla milk shakes, she called them, when I couldn’t sleep. They were really just warm milk and vanilla extract, but they always worked. Then, when I had indigestion, she would brew me ginger tea. Just little pieces of ginger she sliced into hot water and honey. I had an upset stomach a lot back then.”
“Were you ill as a child?” Javier asked with concern.
“No. Allergic. To shellfish. Which, by the way, is not the best allergy to have in the bayou. It’s in everything. Fortunately I didn’t have the bad kind of allergy, just indigestion and hives. Plus I would gag a lot for other reasons.” Vanessa looked down, embarrassed at hinting of the multitude of abusers in her past. She really, really didn’t want to think about those men now. Of her multiple near misses with oral sexual assaults, and vomiting on her uncle so frequently that her father’s mother finally made him stay away from her for fear that she would get him sick and keep him out of the football season. She shook her head to clear the image and concentrated with all her might on the milkshakes and ginger tea and Javier, holding her hand in a chocolate shop.
Javier seemed to sense her pain. He squeezed her hand lightly and lifted the cup to her again. He waited until Vane
ssa looked up again with a smile before he moved on. “Let’s try something with a bit more heat, shall we?” he asked playfully.
“Now we’re talking,” Vanessa’s smile widened. She was glad to move further into this new world with Javier, and she relished the sense of lightness as his smile and warmth eclipsed the dark corners of her past.
Cinnamon was next. Javier laughed into Vanessa’s mouth when she kissed him.
“What is it?” she asked, joining in with his contagious laughter even though she was confused as to its source.
“The way my mind works. I am kissing this beautiful woman, but all that comes to mind about the flavor is the smell of the carpet in my first apartment in medical school. The landlady used a very strong potpourri on the floors, and I always had the taste in my mouth when I was at home. Not that I was home much at the time.”
“Maybe this will heal the association for you. My strongest cinnamon scented memory is of an ice storm when I was nine. We almost never got out of school on account of ice down in the bayou, so it was a really big deal. Granny kept me that day, and she taught me to make bread from scratch. We rolled cinnamon rolls and kneaded warm balls of dough for milk bread. I have loved baking ever since. Those rolls are still my favorite breakfast food.”
“Mmm,” Javier’s voice was close and low, “perhaps you can make them for me sometime.”
Vanessa grinned, “I would like that.”
“Chiles,” Javier said, lifting the next cup to Vanessa’s lips.
Vanessa leaned forward and kissed him, running her tongue over his till the burn and sweetness of the chile-laden chocolate mingled with the burn of her desire for Javier. “Tastes like home,” she whispered, looking into his eyes. She leaned back a little. “Red peppers were in almost every dish I ate growing up, including my world famous shrimp-free jambalaya.”
“World famous?” Javier raised his eyebrows.
“Almost world famous. At least, the ladies at Fructus and my fellow bartenders like it, and they are a good cross-section of the world. My world, anyway,” Vanessa looked down.
“Then perhaps I should try it as well.”
“Indeed,” Vanessa smiled at him. He saw himself as part of her world already. Joy quickened her eyes and her pulse.
“May I have another taste of that one? I can’t quite recall…” Javier leaned toward Vanessa. She dipped her finger in the chocolate and rubbed it lightly along his lower lip, then kissed him. He sucked the chocolate lightly from her lower lip, and they leaned deeper into the kiss.
Vanessa sensed a shift in their kisses, from exploration to desire. She thought of suggesting that they step outside, but Javier broke away, his eyes aflame with pleasure.
“Tacos. Just as I thought.”
“What?” Vanessa laughed. The kiss had erased her memory of their previous subject.
“The chiles. They remind me of my favorite taco truck. It comes by the hospital on Thursdays, and I believe it was responsible for ruining my first attempt at making you swoon.” Javier’s eyes teased her. He looked at the tray. “One more.” He raised the cup to Vanessa’s lips and took a sip himself.
Vanessa squeezed his hand as she kissed him deeply, a swirl of milk chocolate and saffron mingling in their mouths. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. At the same moment, they pulled away and said, “Crocuses!”
“At Duke Gardens,” Vanessa beamed.
“The very ones,” Javier responded.
Vanessa noticed Elliot and Jill wiping down tables in the area.
“They’re closing already,” she said, surprised they had talked so long.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Javier asked. “I’m not ready to end our evening yet.”
“Why don’t we go to the brewery, and I’ll buy you a drink?” Vanessa countered.
They thanked Jill and Elliot and walked to the door, fingers entwined. Javier opened it for Vanessa with his free hand and followed her out.
“Do you mind if we take my car?” Javier asked. “I know it’s only a block, but I would rather not have to walk back this way later.”
“Sure,” Vanessa smiled. Were her senses playing tricks on her, or were Javier’s eyes actually glowing with desire in the light reflected from the café?
Javier opened the door for Vanessa; then he leaned toward her for a kiss before she got in. The warm smell of leather from the car’s interior mingled with the chocolate on their breath, and she hummed with pleasure as Javier’s lips lingered just a moment longer than they had on the previous kiss.
Once Javier was in the car, he turned to her. “Now, I know this is not a hybrid, but I hope you won’t judge me for driving everywhere.”
“You like hybrids?”
“Yes, but the car was a gift. My parents wanted to give me a good car for my graduation from medical school, and this is what they chose. Mami said a doctor ought to drive a Mercedes, and Papi bought it because he hangs on her every word.”
“They sound like loving parents.”
“They are,” Javier smiled. He put the key in the ignition, but did not turn it. “Vanessa, I like you very much. But you should know right away that I am old fashioned.”
“You mean you won’t kiss me without a chaperone?” Vanessa batted her lashes coquettishly.
“Well, not that old fashioned. But in other ways. Marriage, children, making things with our hands, a home. I want those things in my future. I want you to know that now, because I…”
Vanessa stopped him with a kiss, the first she had initiated all night. She held his supple top lip between hers for a moment, looking into his eyes, before she pulled away. “I want those things, too, Javier. Babies, a ring, sewing tiny clothes and jarring jams. I just haven’t let myself dream about them in so long. I was never happier than when I was playing at my Granny’s, learning house. I guess I forgot it could be more than a game in real relationships.”
Javier looked into her eyes, joy and bewilderment flashing across his features. He kissed her again, this time deeper, harder. Soon they were exploring one another’s mouths with so much warmth that Vanessa started humming again. She sighed as he pulled back and faced the wheel.
“Perhaps we should have that drink now,” he said, though the glaze over his eyes and the flush on his features told her that he was thinking about far more intimate acts than drinking.
“Yes, let’s. Ruben is working tonight, and he can calm us down by telling us all about where we source our barley.”
They drove to the brewery and pulled into the lot across from a dumpling truck. Javier opened her door and laced their fingers again. He refrained from kissing her, but looked at her with so much admiration that she felt kissed nonetheless.
“I have somehow worked up an appetite,” his eyes danced. “Would you like something from the truck?”
They ordered pork dumplings and pale ales and sat at a table by the window. Vanessa was about to ask Javier about his work when she saw Ally walk past the open door, flirting with a guy on a food truck. “Um, excuse me. I have to visit the ladies’,” she apologized.
“Of course,” Javier said. He kissed her knuckles before releasing her hand. “I’ll pick up the food.”
Vanessa sat in the stall long enough for Javier to have picked up the food. She hated being away from him for so long, but there was no way she wanted Ally along on their date. Composing herself, she washed her hands and went back to the table.
Javier was standing by their table, dumplings packed in two white paper bags. “I’m so sorry, Vanessa. I have to take you home early. I just got paged. A little girl is barely breathing, and I’m the on-call pediatric pulmonologist.”
“Of course,” Vanessa said. “You have to go. Good thing we didn’t get to those beers.”
Javier leaned forward suddenly and whispered into her hair, “I’m still intoxicated.” He kissed her neck softly under her ear, then stood up straight, all business. “Shall we?”
“Thanks, yes,” Vanessa directed him t
o her block, which was on the way to the hospital. They were quiet on the short drive.
“Do you eat brunch?” Javier asked as he pulled up in front of Vanessa’s building. “I would love to take you out again soon. How about Saturday morning, eleven?”
“That sounds perfect,” Vanessa smiled.
They both leaned in for a kiss, which was briefer than either of them would have preferred, and Javier got out to open her door.
“Till Saturday,” he smiled as he got in his car and drove away.
“Saturday,” Vanessa smiled, hugging the bag of dumplings to her chest. She watched his car turn the corner, then walked up to her flat, a goofy grin pasted on her face. Scenes from the evening flashed across her mind. She was so engrossed in the memory of chocolate on Javier’s tongue that she did not notice the man on her doorstep until he was right in front of her.
“Bradley. What are you doing here?” Vanessa asked, none-too-kindly.
“Did you get my note?” he asked.
Vanessa furrowed her brows, then rolled her eyes at Bradley. “I guess it’s better to get it over with. You’d better come in for a few minutes.” Vanessa opened the door and let Bradley in before she locked it behind him.
“Wait here for a minute? I have to powder my nose.”
“Sure thing, babe.”
“And don’t get too comfortable, because you are not staying!” Vanessa called from the bedroom.
“Whatever you say.”
Chapter Six
Out With the Old
Vanessa grabbed her rattiest pajama bottoms and started pulling them on. It was just like Bradley to show up and try to ruin a wonderful evening, but at least she did not have to look nice around him. She was about to step into the restroom when she saw the light blink on her answering machine. She pressed the button, and immediately winced as a drunken voice came over the speaker.
“Hey, Ness,” her mother slurred, “I’m over here at your Uncle Larry’s for little Leticia’s birthday party. She’s four.” A male voice in the background drawled, “Five,” and her mother corrected, “I mean she’s five. Your uncle says you don’t ever call here, so I thought I’d call while I was over, in case you wanted to say hello.” There was a long pause in which Vanessa imagined her mother’s stream of consciousness evaporating like liquor fumes. “I wanted to axe you something else, about your Granny’s things, but I forgot,” a tipsy chuckle tinkled through the air, at odds with the sickening heaviness in Vanessa’s stomach as she listened. “Call me.” The recording ended.
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