by Reina Torres
"Saved us the bother of turning her over my knee for a good ol' fashioned spanking."
Velia stared openly at her old friend. "You wouldn't dare, Chichi."
"Oh, wouldn’t I?" Chichi gave her a pointed look. Nodding at her friends, she slid a glance at Mira who was looking more uncomfortable by the minute. "I think we should leave that up to Teo."
If she hadn't been hemmed in by the other ladies, Mira would have jumped out of her chair and run for the hills, but as it was, all she could do was try not to let her cheeks go cherry red with embarrassment. "Goodness."
Pricilla reached over and gave her hand a gentle pat. "You'll get used to us in time, dear."
All Mira could manage in response was a tight smile. "I haven't heard from Teo since last night," she continued on quickly, "not that I gave him a choice."
Velia nodded. "None of us blamed you, really. That horrible man didn't make it easy for you at all. I'm sure Caroline told you she sent him packing."
The tight line of Mira's lips softened into a smile. "She did. It was very entertaining."
"I would love to have seen it myself." Velia pointed at Mira's plate. "Take a bite, it's delicious."
Lucinda's enthusiastic nod got Mira to pick up her fork.
"And I wouldn't worry about Teo, he was ready to take that man apart for how he treated you." Velia picked up her glass and looked at Mira over the rim. "He and Lorenzo went into San Francisco to meet with our lawyer and sign papers. When he gets back, he'll be over to see you. I’m sure of it. Just talk to him, dear."
"Communication," added Pricilla, "it's what makes relationships strong."
Lucinda gave Mira a wink. "And sex, lots of it."
Chichi sighed, "Amen."
The roadside sign welcoming travelers to the town of Yountville, California blurred past the window, and Teo was vaguely aware that Lorenzo was talking, but he didn't have any idea about what he was saying. Making the effort to turn his head, he met Lorenzo's glare in the review mirror.
"At least I know you're awake." The words drawled out in Lorenzo's usual smart-ass tone.
"I'm sorry, Enzo," Teo leaned back in his chair and saw the street sign for Zinfandel Lane crawl past the window as they slowed for traffic. "I've got a lot on my mind."
"Correction," Lorenzo's dry humor was in fine form, "you've got one thing on your mind and maybe we should talk about 'her.'"
Stretching his legs, Teo tried to think of a way out of this conversation. "We should probably go over the mill numbers while we have the opportunity-"
"Look," Lorenzo gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, "I'm not asking you to stay up and paint my nails or watch some chick flick while you braid my hair. I need to you snap out of whatever this is, or I'm not going to be able to leave St. Helena tonight."
Before Teo could say a word, Lorenzo continued on.
"If you think Nonna's going to let me leave with you sighing and moaning all over the house, you really are out of it." He looked up into the rear view again. "She'd be worried about you and she'd be right. You were okay during the meeting, but there wasn't anything we really had to hash out." He slowed to a stop at a traffic light. "After we signed on the dotted line, you've been in a complete daze. Is this really all because of Mira?"
His words smarted, but they cut right through to the heart of the problem.
"I've got a lot on my mind."
"That's nothing new," Lorenzo shook his head, "you were always the thinker between the two of us." The light changed and started forward again. "You haven't told me much, and I get it. Andrea hit you hard, Teo. She ripped you up-"
"No," Teo turned to look at him, "not really. It hurt, but I wasn't in love with her. I could move on- did move on. With Mira it's not the same," he stared out the window at the passing agricultural land sweeping by, "if she walked away from me for good-" He stopped short, the rest of his words forgotten as the weight of his fear pressed down on him.
"I'm not usually the one offering relationship advice." He took a hand off the wheel to point it at Teo, "I know, I've had a few, so keep your thoughts to yourself on that subject, yeah? But you're the kind of guy that wants the long term stuff. You're the one who wants what our grandparents and parents had. You just hadn't found the right woman yet."
"You're saying Mira isn't the right one?"
The corner of Lorenzo's mouth quirked up in a grin. "It's not up to me." He turned the car onto Main Street and continued on past the Fire Station. "What do you think?"
Teodoro sank into the car seat. "I need to know that she's not going to run every time something happens. I need to know she wants this as much as I do."
"Then go talk to her. I don't see you falling for someone who wouldn't fall right back, Teo." Turning onto Main Street, Lorenzo kept his eyes on the road. "I talked to Nonna last night, she told me what happened to Mira. If anyone was wrong, it was that ass, Harris. He's the kind of guy who'd jerk someone around for the fun of it. I can't imagine what it was like to lose her career and her credibility because she believed in that piece of scum. I wouldn't blame her for being afraid of losing everything again. Especially if she loves you as much as Nonna says she does. The question is..." they passed by the Napa Grand Hotel moments later, "how much do you love her?"
Lorenzo slowed down for the turn onto Vintner Road, leaning forward to check the traffic. "Alright," he turned onto the road, "it's up to you, Teo." A gap opened up and Lorenzo took it, easing the S-class across the opposing lane. "Where do I drop you off?"
The answer was immediate. "Pull over and let me out at the corner."
He didn't even put the car in park at the curb, he just leaned back against the driver's door and gave his brother a satisfied smile. "Call me later."
"Of course." Pausing with his hand on the door, Teodoro gave his brother a broad smile. "Careful."
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Keep this kind of behavior up and people will think you're a big softy beneath that rock hard exterior."
"Rock hard, I can own that," Lorenzo laughed at his brother, "but if you tell anyone I played cupid, I will end you."
Teodoro stepped out of the car and gave his brother one final look. "I love you, too, Enzo. Love you too."
The ladies had stayed through an early lunch and it had been a good thing, really. If they hadn't showed up and filled her kitchen with their laughter and cringe inducing jokes, Mira might have done something drastic, like polish off the pint of top-shelf ice cream she had shoved in the back of her freezer for just such an occasion.
Instead she was now cleaning up the little bits and pieces of leftovers from lunch and cleaning up the pots and pans they'd used along the way. It wasn't until she was elbow deep into sudsy water that the doorbell rang.
A quick look around told her that the ladies had used all the available tea towels, and before she knew it, she had automatically wiped her hands off on the hem of her t-shirt. With a groan she knew she was stuck. There wasn't time to go and change.
"I'll be right there!"
Knowing the Foxy Ladies, someone had forgotten something and the rest of them were sitting impatiently in the car. Unwilling to hold any of them up on their way home, she darted for the door. “Okay,” she laughed at the impatient doorbell, “I get it, you want in.” She yanked it open and stopped short.
Instead of graying hair at eye level, it was a strong chest dressed in a tailored shirt. One breath had her under the spell of his cologne, the same scent that lingered on her pillowcase.
When she finally had the courage to meet his eyes she didn't see anger, but it also wasn’t the bone-melting heat she loved so much. The nervous laughter that fell from her lips was anything but sophisticated or calm. "Wow. Talk about feeling underdressed," and completely embarrassed that the hem of her shirt was a little more than slightly sudsy, dusted in bubbles from the sink. Sure, she would have loved to have this conversation on her terms, but at this point it was enough that he wanted to see her. "Would you like to come
in?"
"Thanks," he stepped inside, turning to stand, nearly toe-to-toe before her, as if they were dancing, "I'm glad you answered, I was worried you wouldn't let me in."
She saw the earnest look in his eyes and felt a surge of hope deep inside her chest. "You?" She closed the door and leaned on it, trying to put a little bit of distance between them. It was all too tempting to reach out and touch him, so she dropped her gaze. "I'm the one that bumbled everything last night."
"I wouldn’t quite say it that way." She felt her cheeks warm with color when he reached out and gently took her arm. "There was a lot going on. I’m still not really sure what happened."
Mira nodded. "What happened was my not-so-stellar past came back to haunt me, just when I thought I'd put it all behind me."
He nodded. "You haven't told me much about your past," when she opened her mouth to speak, he slid his hand down her arm and gave her hand a squeeze, “I'm not saying you have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. But I thought about it last night and during the drive to San Francisco, I think that if you're willing to try, maybe we can put it all behind you, once and for all."
Mira drew in a long, slow breath and let it out again, calming her nerves. "No matter what happens," she started, "there are some things I want to tell you." She looked down at her messy clothes. "Look, let me go and change before-"
When she tried to move away, he didn’t let go of her hand. “Don’t leave.”
“I wasn’t,” she started to explain, knowing that it was the truth, but she wanted to get everything in the open, “it’s... I’m a mess.”
“I don’t care.” He smiled when she looked up at him, her lips pressed into a tight line. Taking her hand in his, Teo lead her through the kitchen, past the sink and its Rocky Mountain bubble landscape and out onto the back porch.
Mr. Peabody looked up from the fountain. With a plaintive quack, he continued to paddle his way under the trickling streams of water.
Teo could have sworn he saw the duck's eyes narrow at him, followed by a series of muttered sounds that sounded like grumbling, but that was the least of his concerns. He sat down on the porch swing, easing her down beside him.
She squirmed a little, trying to put distance between them. “I'm going to ruin your clothes,” she worried aloud.
He wanted to tell her to relax, but he knew talking wasn’t going to help. Instead, he reached out, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.
She melted into his kiss, her hands clutching at his shoulders instead of pushing him away. It was so easy for him to get caught up in the magic she wrought when she touched him, so easy to set all of this aside and deal with it later. So when she opened her lips against him, he nearly forgot why he’d really brought her outside.
"Wait."
He felt her voice against his lips and stilled as she leaned back to look at him, her eyes slowly focusing on his face.
“Teo, we need to talk.”
He left his hands resting on her hips. “Okay.”
She drew in a steadying breath and met his eyes. "I moved to Los Angeles for college, and I had every intention of moving back home after four years, degree in hand, but I fell in love with California, and I didn’t want to leave. It wasn’t my history classes. I had every intention of being a history major, but that wasn’t what kept me there.”
Letting go of his shirt, she ran her hand down his chest, smoothing the fabric. “I helped a friend who made a student film, altering some dresses to make them look like they fit a different time period. For once, those two hundred dollar history textbooks came in handy beyond using them as pillows during long boring lectures. One gig got me another, and by the time I was a senior I was working part time for Kimball Films, in their shop.”
Mira relaxed against him as the porch swing rocked them back and forth. “I didn’t have a design background, so I put in longer hours to work my way up from the bottom. I spent so many hours there in any given week, I couldn’t seem to remember what the sun looked like, or that food beyond pizza delivery existed.
“Then there was a man, someone who believed in my work. A man who gave me the chance to design, to helm a shop of my own.” She looked up and she didn’t have to say the name for him to know she was talking about, Harris. “And call me crazy but when he said that he cared for me, I bought it like silk on sale, drowning in it.”
“You wanted to believe,” he agreed, “he was counting on that.”
“It was my dream job, and everything seemed great.” Her tone made a mockery of her words.
“Until you found out that he was with Vanessa Avery.”
He wanted to take it back. Just those few words had darkened the light in her eyes and he only had himself to thank for it. “I don’t think I’ve seen any of her films,” he explained, “but I think everyone has heard of her. Most of it isn’t good.”
Mira shrugged, but he could see the tension pinched in her shoulders. “But she’s the star. It doesn’t matter what the ‘real’ story was. What mattered was making her happy, and I,” she gave Teo a twitch of a smile, “needed to go. The only problem was, after all that publicity, it didn’t matter how good I was. I couldn’t get a job, not even as a stitcher. I had skill, and talent, and drive, but I wasn’t welcome anywhere near a Hollywood film.
“When I left L.A., it was an escape. A desperate attempt to make my life about something more than the rumor mill that destroyed my career. Coming here opened so many new opportunities. I really believed this is where I was meant to be, but when I walked into the restaurant and saw Harris... When I saw him standing there, I felt everything slipping away. With every look he gave me, every little dig that he threw at me, all of those feelings came back, and I felt like I had been sucked back in time, in the middle of a nightmare."
He felt the trembling of her hand against his and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "So that was why you didn't want to talk about Los Angeles or meet my brother?”
She worried her bottom lip, lifting her free hand to his cheek, searching his eyes with her own. “I was so set on putting everything behind me, starting over and never looking back. But as far as St. Helena seems from L.A., things would pop-up and my stomach would turn, my heart would pound faster and faster. I’d wait for someone to make the connection and ruin my new life, too. Then where would I go?”
“Go?” His hand slid up toward her hip, the hem of her t-shirt bunching up under his palm. “This is your home now. What worries me, is that you don't trust me."
She drew back, shocked at his words. "Why-"
"At the festival, and then again, last night, instead of coming to me and telling me what was worrying you, you left."
The words, the truth of it, stung. She wanted to get up and walk away.
Her own thoughts betrayed her, sending waves of shame rolling through her. "You're right," she began, folding her hands together in her lap, "but you're also wrong."
Teodoro sat quietly beside her, waiting for her to explain.
"I ran, but it wasn't because I didn't trust you." Her indrawn breath gave her a little more time to think, clarifying her thoughts that she had only begun to understand. "I didn't trust myself. It took distance and time to realize that while Harris had destroyed my career and very nearly my self-respect, he didn't really touch my heart.
"I had been lonely and having someone believe in me was addicting," she swallowed and a self-depreciating chuckle escaped her lips. "But from the start, I cared about you. I cared what you thought, and when I thought I was disappointing you," her folded hands pressed tightly against her middle, "I just... I just... left before I could ruin it. I know it doesn't make any sense," she stumbled on, "but it was instinct."
“And now?” Teodoro reached out and took her hands in his, gently untangling her fingers. ”How do you feel? What do you want to do?"
"I want this," she looked up at him, her lips quivering slightly, "I want us." She searched his eyes for some sign that he believed her. "I want
to stick around instead of running, because you mean the world to me. I just hope that-"
He stopped her, his lips slanting over her mouth, breathing her words in. When he leaned back, watching her expression until she focused back on his face. “I've been waiting for you to decide that you wanted me enough to stay."
“I'm not going anywhere, Teo. You,” she leaned closer and touched her lips to his, her arms circling his neck, her body fitted to his, “found a way past every wall I’d tried to put up. You made me laugh. And now, when I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me again, you're here making me believe in miracles.”
Teo pulled her closer, coaxing her lips apart with his, drawing her tightly against him in an embrace that showed her there was nothing else keeping them apart. “The miracle,” he smoothed his hands against the curve of her lower back, “is that I found the woman of my dreams, living next door.” He heard Mr. Peabody’s sharp aggravated quack and turned fast enough to see the sleek black-feathered body speed waddling around to the stairs.
Mira drew back a little, and stopped at Teo’s soft moan of protest. “We’d better take this inside, before he remembers he can fly.” She slid off of his lap and held her hand out to him. “Okay?”
“I don’t think inside is going to be enough,” he tilted his head toward the door with its duck door at the ready. He got to his feet, bringing her hand to his lips. “I say we find someplace with a solid door and settle in for the evening.”
Mr. Peabody hopped up on the bottom step and stretched out his neck with a sharp sound of protest, making Mira’s shoulders quake with laughter.
“Come on, I know just the place we can hide.” She pulled him along behind her, making quick work of the kitchen door, shutting it behind them with a click. Before Mr. Peabody could barrel through into the warmth of the kitchen, they were safely down the hallway and setting the lock on the bedroom door.
As he pulled Mira into his embrace, Teo murmured soft words into her ear, his hands tracing the gentle curves of her body. “I’m so glad you let me in to talk.”
“How could I not?” Her fingers were already hard at work on the buttons of his shirt. “When this is where we belong.”