by Ann Whitaker
I recognized no one. I wove through the crowd and found Carmen inside, working the room. She wore a low-cut turquoise dress with matching earrings. A tiny silver cross on a delicate chain graced her slender neck. It was enough. Her long dark hair hung loose, fanning out around her face in waves.
I reached her just as she turned from a couple she’d been talking with. “Carmen, you’re gorgeous. But then you always are.”
She smiled graciously. “Look at you!” She stepped back to take in my total transformation. “You’re going to drive all the men wild tonight.”
Only one man I wanted to drive wild, and he was off limits in more ways than one.
“Berto!” Carmen called out over the music. “Come look at Julie!” She appraised me again, her face radiant.
As Berto approached, he drew back his head and bugged his eyes out. “Wow! You do clean up nice!”
I tried to hide my pleasure. “Very funny.”
He reached over and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m serious. I never realized there was a sex kitten underneath that dog nanny exterior.”
I lowered my eyes, embarrassed by the attention. “I’m sure Noche and Blanco wouldn’t relish the idea of being trained by a kitten.” I gave a short laugh. “Speaking of Noche and Blanco, where are the two guests of honor?” Dogs were a more comfortable topic.
Berto smiled. “We’ve been waiting for you. You ready?”
Since Carmen was dead set on the idea of showing them off, I had little choice. “Better get it over with. I’m not sure how long I can stand up in Carmen’s shoes.”
Berto glanced down, a look of surprise crossing his face.
Don’t even think it, I wanted to say. He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling but couldn’t hide the amusement in his eyes. “Forgive me for being so bold, Julie, but you need to find a good man, have children. You’re too pretty to be an old maid.”
“Old maid? I’m only thirty-two!”
Berto put both hands on my shoulders this time and looked deeply into my eyes. “I speak from the heart. In Mexico—”
“Enough sermon,” Carmen broke in. “Julie’s a modern American woman. They have different ways here.”
“Like our daughter,” he said. Regret tinged his words.
Carmen ignored him and pulled me upstairs, insisting we give the poodles a last-minute fluffing. When she was finally satisfied, we led them to the top of the staircase. As I looked out over the crowded room below, I spotted Nick and Babe near the bar, sharing a private laugh. My heart pounded against my ribs. The band was playing “Sin un Amor.” That was me, all right. Without a love.
When the band leader saw us appear with the dogs, he waved his arms and the band began a rousing version of “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” Carmen and I began our slow descent to the applause of the crowd. Now I knew why Carmen had chosen the yellow dress for me. Though I felt ridiculous, she seemed to derive pleasure in showing me off.
We reached the bottom of the stairs, and Carmen led the way to a small stage erected in the ballroom. We paraded the dogs onto the stage in heel position and had them sit and down. They immediately complied, and everyone applauded. Carmen glowed.
I couldn’t resist sneaking looks at Nick and Babe, standing together, watching us in between giving each other long, lingering looks and smiling into each other’s eyes. Carmen put the dogs through the routine we’d taught them, then curtsied. When loud applause and cheers followed, she beamed.
If I was ever going to demonstrate the dogs’ special tricks, now was the time. I held up a hand to stop the applause and took Blanco’s lead from Carmen. My hands trembled, but I steeled myself. I concentrated on projecting my voice to the far side of the room, trying to avoid Nick’s eyes, which were now keenly fixed on me.
“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure working with our two stars, Noche and Blanco.” More applause. I held up my hand again for silence. “But none of this would have been possible without these two wonderful people, Carmen and Berto. Carmen has modestly shown you only a small portion of what these two can do.”
Carmen looked puzzled. As a hush fell over the room, I prayed the dogs wouldn’t let me down.
“Noche. Blanco. Sit.”
They sat.
“Give me five.” The dogs both raised their paws, and I slapped my palm against them. “On the other side.” They raised their paws again, and I swiped the top of my hand across their uplifted paws. “Good dogs!” I said, slipping them a treat.
A small “oh” stole from Carmen’s lips.
I followed with “shake hands” and “wave bye-bye,” basically the same trick, but no one was the wiser.
“Kiss,” I commanded. Both dogs gave me a combination nose-poke lick in the face that almost sent me sprawling backwards on my fuck-me heels. “Good dogs!” They responded by wagging their butts in unison. That was something I had not taught them, but it looked impressive.
“Are you tired?” I asked in a sympathetic tone. Noche and Blanco immediately plopped down. Blanco rested her head on her front paws. Noche lay on his side, crossed his front legs, and lifted his head, obviously not tired. The crowd roared with laughter.
“Take a bow!” I told my two performers. The dogs stood, then moved into a play-bow, butts in the air, front legs on the floor. The applause was deafening. I held my arm out toward Carmen, indicating she was the one who deserved the credit. Then I smiled and told the dogs to heel, and we descended the steps and made our way through the crowd to Berto, who hugged Carmen and radiated with pride.
Carmen’s eyes glowed with unshed tears. “Oh, Julie. You were wonderful. When did you teach them all that?”
I couldn’t answer because Berto pulled me into a bear hug so tight I could hardly breathe. I squatted and patted the dogs, trying to calm my nerves. “Remember when I told you poodles were so intelligent they made their trainers look smart? I wasn’t kidding. I taught them those tricks with about ten minutes extra practice each day. They were already in a learning curve and eager to please.”
When I rose, Carmen hugged me. “I can never thank you enough. Just having them under control is more than I ever thought possible, but this! It’s too much.”
“It was easy,” I said modestly, but I was glad she was pleased.
“But you took the time to do it for us,” she said. “That’s what means so much. And now everyone will think I’m a genius, when it’s really you.”
“You deserve it. You came into this knowing nothing. Look how far you’ve come. I did have my doubts in the beginning. Remember when you told me you didn’t want to break their spirit.”
“Oh, that.” She hung her head, like Noche when I told him “no bark.” She reached over and hugged Berto. “Thank you, Julie. You saved our marriage.”
I wanted to tell her Berto had never intended to leave, but when they looked at each other, still love-struck after twenty-five years, I couldn’t.
Berto plucked three glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. “Follow me.” We trailed behind as he made his way onto the stage. He handed us each a glass and lifted his. “Attention, everyone! Time for a toast. To my lovely wife and our two niños, Noche and Blanco.”
Once more, tears welled in Carmen’s eyes. He’d called the dogs their children.
“And to Julie Shields, Dog Nanny 911. Our family will be eternally grateful for all she’s done.” He turned to me. “Julie, you’re part of our family now. For always, nuestra casa es su casa.”
I fought back my own tears. So much had changed in a month. Now Berto was on my side. Yet tomorrow, I had to betray him.
Chapter Twenty
Though Noche and Blanco’s performance was over, I still had to get through the rest of the evening. That meant letting Carmen show me off to countless relatives. In addition to the marijuana, Nick had flown Carmen’s parents in from Mexico. Other relatives had driven up from San Antonio and from small South Texas towns. Carmen insisted I meet them all. She paraded me around
as if I were a prize show dog, introducing me as her “wonderful Julie.”
Bobby, her son, was as handsome as she’d said. He had Berto’s sturdy build and Carmen’s charm. We exchanged pleasantries, and Carmen and I moved on.
After an hour of meeting and greeting, Carmen’s three-inch heels had numbed my feet, and my legs were beginning to cramp. I couldn’t believe women tortured themselves to this extreme just to look sexy. I looked anything but sexy as I hobbled from one table to the next. Finally, when I thought I’d met everyone, Carmen leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Come with me. There’s someone special I want you to meet. My cousin from Mexico City.”
I groaned. The woman had more cousins than she had shoes. She dragged me, limping across the room, to a man seated at a large table, surrounded solely by women, all of whom seemed enraptured by some story he was telling. When he waved his hands in a broad gesture, the women laughed. One grabbed onto his arm and stared up into his black eyes.
When he saw Carmen, he stood and straightened his tie, a wide smile spreading across his handsome face. “Carmen!” He held out his arms in welcome, keeping his eyes on me as I tagged behind, wincing with each step. After they embraced, Carmen turned toward me. “Julie, meet my cousin, Miguel.”
I took Miguel’s proffered hand, but instead of the cordial handshake I was expecting, he leaned over in a low bow.
Interesting. Old-World manners.
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Julie,” he crooned, pronouncing my name as if it were “Hoolie.” Darkly handsome, suave, and seductive, his man-of-the-world demeanor made Nick look like a down-to-earth Texas boy. Danger signs flashed before my eyes as the band launched into a snappy Latin beat. Miguel asked if I would honor him with a dance, and before I could protest, he swept me out onto the floor. Though I didn’t know a samba from a black mamba, I did the best I could, stumbling a few times and blaming the shoes, knowing they were only part of the problem. I simply wasn’t much of a dancer. Over Miguel’s shoulder I saw Babe in Nick’s arms, and a pang of jealousy shot through me like a Taser.
I felt relief when the song ended and the band switched to a slow, mournful ballad with Spanish lyrics I couldn’t understand. As I was about to excuse myself from Miguel and sneak back to my apartment, Nick appeared. “This one’s reserved for me,” he said smoothly, whisking me away from Miguel.
“I don’t remember reserving anything for you.” My tone was tart, but I melted into his arms. As always with Nick, my brain said beware, while my body said yes, and for this moment, I didn’t care if I stumbled or not.
Nick grinned. “I’ve missed you too.”
“You’ve kept yourself entertained pretty well without me.”
His face turned serious. “So you’re leaving all this luxury tomorrow?”
I gave a wry laugh. “My work here is over. Time to get back to the real world.”
“So Julie Shields leaves the Edenic splendor of Waco and returns to her job as a vet tech in dusty West Texas.”
“It’s not as bad as you make it sound. I love my job. I’m good at it. It’s also legal. And Abilene is home.”
“Ah, yes. Where the heart is. But aren’t you going to miss all the excitement of Waco?”
“You mean like Lovers Leap?”
“Well, no. I was thinking more along the lines of the river, the trees, the big blue lake…and maybe a certain pilot.”
“You never give up, do you?”
“Should I? What about you? Still looking for love?” He grinned. “In all the wrong places?”
“You should write a song.” I gave him the evil eye, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Carmen told me about the trust fund. It’s none of my business, but money’s not a good reason to get married.”
Drawing back, I accidentally stepped on his foot, but I didn’t apologize. “You’re right. It’s none of your business. I can’t believe you are lecturing me about marrying for money.” I glanced toward Babe, who was looking our way. “I don’t think Babe likes you flirting with other women.”
“Flirting? What other women? Right now, all I see is you. Besides, it’s none of Babe’s business who I flirt with.”
The song ended, and I pulled away. “See you tomorrow. I’m turning in.”
“Julie!” he called, but I didn’t look back as I hobbled out of the ballroom. I’d seen enough of Nick and Babe together to last a lifetime. To Nick I was just a plane he’d yet to fly.
As soon as I got to the patio, I stripped off Carmen’s fuck-me shoes and walked down the path to my apartment as quickly as my crippled feet would allow.
Tomorrow, I had to tell Carmen about the drugs. No doubt Nick would have moved them by then, but I didn’t care. She could do as she wished with the information, but she would know the truth.
The next morning I got up early, packed my bags, and walked down to the lake. I stood on the shore for a long time, staring out at the blue sky and the blue lake, but they only reminded me of how I’d drowned…in Nick’s blue eyes. I reached down and picked up a rock and threw it as hard and far as I could, but it went only a few feet out before dropping into the water with a plunk.
Back inside, I sat at the table, watching the hands on the clock, willing them to move faster. Never an early riser, Carmen would still be sleeping off last night’s gala, and I wasn’t due to leave until mid-afternoon. The wait made me antsy. I needed the comforts of my own home, my own possessions around me, my real job. Waco had become too painful, and dragging out my departure wasn’t helping. I turned on the TV and flipped through channels. I finally settled on watching French Kiss for the umpteenth time. Seeing Meg Ryan moon over Timothy Hutton—though Kevin Kline was a lot sexier—made me feel better. So what if Kline’s Luc was a petty thief? He loved Meg. Why couldn’t she see they were meant for each other? I cried a little at the happy-ever-after ending, wondering why real life couldn’t imitate art.
As soon as the clock rolled around to one, I dialed the number to the big house and asked Carmen if I could talk with her privately before I left. A short time later, we met in the library. Rosa brought in some strong coffee for Carmen, and I had a cup of tea. I dreaded having to break the news to her about Nick and Berto, but I had no choice. She needed to know.
She took a sip of her coffee, then waved her hand over the cup to cool it. “What happened to you last night? One minute you were dancing with Nick and next thing I know, you’re gone. Then Nick disappeared.” She smiled slyly. “It’s about time the two of you admitted your feelings for each other.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. I left, but not with Nick. He must have been with—”
I broke off before saying “Babe.” One thing I would not tell Carmen was that her daughter was probably sleeping with Nick.
Carmen looked confused. “But I thought—”
I chewed the end of my finger and shook my head. “I went back to my apartment, alone. Sorry to disappoint you.”
Carmen yawned. “Hmm. Wonder what happened to Nick? Barbi said he disappeared shortly after you did.”
Nick left the party alone? Where had he gone? I’d been unable to fall asleep until the band quit playing around three a.m., and at that point, he still hadn’t come back to the guesthouse. Maybe he’d had to make a delivery.
I dipped my tea bag in the cup. “It wasn’t very nice of him to treat her like that.”
“Oh, she didn’t care. She danced with every man in the room before the night was out. She thought the same thing I did, that you two had gone off together for a twist.”
“A twist? Is that Spanish for—”
Then I realized what she meant. “A tryst? No, afraid not.” Now I was more confused than ever. “How could Babe not care? You know she’s in love with him.” There. It was out.
“In love?” Carmen closed her eyes and sighed. “Where did you get that idea? Yes, she loves Nick. He’s always been like a big brother to her.”
“Are you sure? Because, he said…I—
”
I thought back to what Nick had said: that Babe was a beautiful person, inside and out, that any man would be glad to have her, and as long as he was around no one would ever hurt her again. He’d also said he loved her. “Babe said Nick was her first love. Have you noticed the way they look at each other?”
Carmen reached over and placed a hand over mine, her eyes soft with sympathy. “Oh, Julie. Is that why you’ve kept your distance from Nick?” She squeezed my hand.
I plunged ahead. “Big brother? I think that may have changed. Anyway, there are other reasons. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I took a deep breath and held out the stems and leaves I’d found on the floor of his apartment. “He’s bringing drugs. Marijuana. From Mexico.” I left out the part about Berto’s involvement. When Carmen confronted Nick, he could decide whether to tell her.
Carmen’s eyes widened. “Oh, Julie. No.”
****
Carmen and I stood in the kitchen next to Rosa looking at a dozen or so zippered kitchen bags filled with stems, leaves, and seeds. Several large garbage bags sat in the corner.
“Tell her, Rosa,” Carmen said.
Rosa proudly pointed to the leaves. “Oregano. And seeds for growing peppers. Other herbs and spices. A surprise from Mr. Nick when he come back from Mexico this time. You can buy in U.S. but not as good.”
Carmen wagged her finger at me. “As a dog nanny, you’re a ten. About men, zero.”
I groaned loudly. “You’re right. Not a great track record. I’m so embarrassed.”
Carmen smiled kindly and gave me a brief hug. “You’re like Barbi. After what happened with…you-know-who. I’ve known Nick a long time. He’s not perfect, but he’s honest.”
She had tried to tell me, but as usual, I hadn’t listened.