by Julia Amante
“Why don’t you two talk it over and let me know?”
“Mrs. Ortelli, did Eric say anything about… us being a couple?”
“No, no, no. I know you’re not. Are you?”
She glanced at Eric and was happy to see him playing cards with Eduardo, off to the side. They were laughing and joking. Eric would win them all back one at a time. They’d all see the same amazing man she did. And for those who didn’t, it was their loss. “We’re just friends, Mrs. Ortelli. I need to have a friendly chat with him. Excuse me, I’m sorry.”
Victoria hated to interrupt, but Lucia was driving her crazy.
“Hey guys. Having fun?”
“Hey Victoria,” Eduardo said. “Killing time until lunch.”
“Is it time to eat yet?” Eric asked. “We’re starved.”
“Ah, almost.” She spoke to Eduardo. “Can I pull Eric away for just a second?”
Eduardo shrugged. “Sure.”
She motioned for Eric to stand.
Moving off to the side with Victoria, Eric smiled. “Pulling me away for a kiss?”
“Shh, no I want to talk about your mom,” Victoria whispered.
He angled his head closer to hers. “My mom?”
“Eric, you have to talk to her. She’s fishing for information about our relationship. Inviting us over for dinner. Telling me I’m like her daughter…” She sent him a pleading look. “I don’t know what to say.”
Eric laughed. “Tell her the truth.”
“You tell her, and tell her not to broadcast it to the entire club.” Especially when there wasn’t much to broadcast. They’d agreed to date. Nothing more. And if something more did develop then it should stay between the two of them.
“She likes you. She probably will want to shout it to the whole town.”
“First of all, she’d like any woman she believed could keep you around for a while.”
“True.”
“And secondly, Eric, we decided to go on a few dates, not get married. Please, tell her it’s no big deal.”
He nodded. “She’s going to make a big deal about it, but I’ll try to keep her calm.”
“Thank you. I need some wine. See you at our lunch table.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Eric returned to sit with Eduardo and sighed.
Eduardo picked up his cards again. “Game over? Or you want to keep playing?”
“Mmm,” Eric murmured, thinking about Victoria and his mother and what to say. “I think we’re done.”
Eduardo stood. “You and Victoria… hooking up?”
Eric watched Eduardo for judgment, condemnation, acceptance. “I like her a lot. But I may just be passing through. I don’t want to be a jerk, not with her.”
Eduardo nodded. “Maybe you stick around.” He looked around the club. “We’re a strange group, but we’re family. You know, Eric?”
“I know. But I gotta go where the work is.”
“Right.” He tapped Eric’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “I saw you at the high school reunion with Victoria on the dance floor.” He put his index finger under his eye in an Argentine gesture that meant watch out. “I’m sure Susana and a couple of others saw it, too.”
“There aren’t any secrets in this place. I’d forgotten.” Maybe that was why his mother was giving Victoria the third degree. Gossip had probably already made the rounds and the stories had most likely been exaggerated or changed five times. He’d better talk to his mother and fill her in. He got up and went to find her.
With lunch over and done with, Jaqueline helped clean up, then went in search of Victoria and Eric to see when they wanted to go home. Lucia said she and Antonio could take her home, but she wanted to spend what few minutes she could with her daughter. After all, she could have driven herself. The whole point of leaving her car behind was to drive with Victoria.
She didn’t see Victoria right away but found Eric off in the corner, playing with her camera. They had stopped on the way to the club and she helped him buy rolls of film. Curious, she sat with him.
“Figuring it out?”
He glanced at her and smiled. “Sort of. It’s complicated, but I like the idea of controlling the process rather than having a camera decide everything for me.”
“Let me see,” she held out her hand, and he passed her the camera. “I started out with simple cameras and slowly learned the features that make a good one. I’m sure there are better ones today, but this was the top of the line when I bought it. Victor took me shopping and ordered me to choose the best.”
“Great guy,” Eric said. He leaned back, and crossed his ankles carelessly.
Jaqueline raised an eyebrow. Was Lucia’s boy tossing in his opinion on her separation from Victor? “My point is that I worked my way up to this camera. It might be too much for you to start with.”
“I’ve had cameras before. But they’re the point-and-shoot digitals that focus and do all the work for me.”
“But you’d probably get better prints from those specifically because there are fewer variables to control.”
“What variables do I need to control?”
She sighed, wondering why she was so reluctant to teach him the basics of using her camera properly. Maybe because she preferred to box it up and not think about it anymore. Holding the camera up for him to see, she said, “The shutter controls how long the film is exposed to light. This is important because what you’re doing with a camera is recording the light patterns of real images on a layer of light-sensitive material—the film. So this is your first variable, controlling shutter speed.”
Eric leaned closer, resting his forearms on the table, to see what she was doing.
“Basically, you want to balance film speed, aperture size, and shutter speed.”
“Okay.”
“With film speed, you want to choose the correct ISO rating. Like I explained at the store you want to choose lower ISO for places with more light, like outdoors. Higher ISO for dark places.”
“Got it.”
“Now the lens. That’s the key to a perfect picture. And you’ll have to play with it until you get the right focal length.” She adjusted the lens. “What should we focus on?”
Eric grinned. “Her.” He pointed to Victoria, who was listening to Nelly.
Jaqueline aimed the camera at Victoria. She changed the lenses and turned them until she found the angle and focus she wanted. The weight of the camera felt great in her hands. She remembered all the times she’d photographed the girls as babies and kids. She had sometimes followed them around for hours trying to get the right shot. “Getting the perfect picture is sometimes a matter of patience,” she said. “Waiting. Watching.”
Across the room, Victoria nodded and listened to Nelly. She looked bored. She crossed her arms, she shifted on her feet. Jaqueline noticed again how thin she’d gotten. She looked good, but she didn’t look like her Victoria anymore. The sadness in her heart intensified. Then something changed in Victoria’s expression and she lowered her arms and laughed at something Nelly said. Her chin lifted and her face lit up. Jaqueline immediately clicked and took the picture. “If you’re lucky, you catch the image you’ve been waiting for.”
Eric nodded. “I’ll have to practice.”
Jaqueline smiled at Eric and handed back the camera. He’d made her remember the joy of catching the perfect image. He was so young that he didn’t see it yet, but life was nothing but a series of perfect moments, perfect images caught in memory for that instant and then they were gone. She had boxes of pictures. But all they were now were moments of the past that were gone, no matter how beautiful the shots or how many hours she worked to get them just right.
She gazed at the camera. Loving it, missing it, and at the same time knowing that she wasn’t the same person who used to strive to capture the perfect image. She didn’t believe in holding on to moments anymore. Because you just couldn’t. It was all an illusion. Time moved on.
Eric st
ared at Victoria through the camera’s viewfinder. Jaqueline wondered what he wanted to capture. What aspect of her daughter did he hope to pick up and hold on to? He lowered the camera but continued to stare at her with a serious, faraway expression.
“Keep practicing,” Jaqueline said. “You’ll know the perfect shot when you see it.”
“Thanks,” he said, almost sleepily smiling at Jaqueline. “I’ll take good care of her.”
Jaqueline couldn’t help thinking that he was referring to more than the camera. Her heart skipped a beat. Young men were so full of promises. “I don’t think cameras are females.”
“They are in Spanish. La camara, right?”
“You’re right.” And though it pained her, she added, “And if you really promise to take good care of it—it’s very precious to me—you can keep it.”
“I promise,” Eric said, and reached across to hold and gently squeeze her hand.
Chapter Seventeen
Monday morning, Victoria found a furniture rental company that worked with real-estate investors on a week-by-week basis. She walked through their gallery looking for just the right items. Since this wasn’t going to be her home, she wouldn’t decorate it the way she would her own personal space. But she didn’t want it to lack the warm energy that would make a potential buyer fall in love with the house.
So she chose basic pieces to make the rooms look pulled together, and she planned to bring items from her home and borrow some from hers and Eric’s parents to display. She chose just enough for the house to look lived in and appealing. Lucia gave her an adorable picture of Eric when he was five. She framed it and set it on the coffee table in the living room. Once she’d selected everything from furniture to kitchen dishes, she scheduled the items to be delivered. She made it out of there in time to attend her classes. The rest of the week was spent the same. Organizing the furniture that arrived on Wednesday and studying. Transforming the remodeled house into something that resembled a home. She barely had time to talk to her mother.
Eric reminded her Friday night that Jaqueline and Lucia were leaving the following morning for their cruise and they had agreed to drive them to Long Beach.
“Oh hell,” Victoria said, as she arranged a small group of vases on a corner coffee table.
He reached for her arm and pulled her onto the couch. “This place looks amazing. I can’t believe what you did in one week.”
“I’m exhausted.”
He pulled her closer so her body rested against his. And he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll make some dinner, then you can go to bed early.”
Eric felt so warm and strong, and she wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep right there next to him. But she was hungry. “Okay,” she said.
He slipped off the couch. “Don’t move.” He hurried to her room, and when he came back he had the book she’d been reading at night. “Here you go. Lay back, relax, and take your mind off everything for a while.”
Victoria took the book, touched by his thoughtfulness. She held his fingers and pulled him forward. He bent down, filling her nostrils with his sexy masculine scent, and their lips met in a sweet kiss that made her want so much more of him. She wanted to spend hours getting to know more of the man he’d become. “You’re a great kisser,” she said.
He grinned. “This weekend I plan to take you out on our first date and show you just how good a kisser I can be.”
“Mmm,” she said. “I can’t wait.”
As he slowly stood, he watched her. “Stay there a sec.” And he disappeared down the hall again. This time he came back with her mother’s camera. She groaned internally. He’d been photographing her all week as she worked putting the house together. He changed the lens and focused on her, then snapped shot after shot of her sitting on the couch.
“That’s enough,” she said.
“No, wait. Stay there. Relax.”
She laughed and reclined on the couch, resting her head on her hand. “What are you going to do with all these pictures?”
After he took about another dozen pictures, he lowered the camera. “Keep ’em.”
“All of them?”
“The best. That way I can take you with me wherever I go.”
Hearing him mention leaving sent her heart plunging down to her stomach.
“I want to remember this house, and our time together here.”
“Oh.” She pulled herself up and gazed down at her hands, then placed the book on the coffee table. “When will you be leaving?”
He placed the camera on the coffee table beside her book, and crouched down to look her in the eyes. “Victoria.”
She lifted her gaze and met his.
He reached across and placed the palm of his hand on her face. His fingers caressed her skin, and wove into her hair. “What are you thinking?”
She shrugged. “Nothing.” She eased away from his touch. “I’m hungry. I’ll help you make dinner.”
“No,” he stood. “I’ll do it.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he turned away and a few moments later she heard him working in the kitchen.
Victoria sighed. Damn it. She didn’t want him to go.
Saturday morning Victoria dragged herself out of bed. If she hadn’t promised to take Jaqueline and Lucia to Long Beach she probably would have stayed under her covers all morning. As she showered, she thought about her parents. Although she was happy that her mother had decided to take some time to explore herself, that she and Lucia had planned such a fun trip together, she worried about her parents’ marriage.
Victor hadn’t made an attempt to talk to her or Jaqueline. Carmen told her that if she didn’t call him once a week, he didn’t call her. Was her father going to simply let his family go? Were these restaurants so important to him that it didn’t matter if his entire family fell apart? She turned the water off, reached for a towel, and dried her body. She almost felt guilty for feeling so happy about her own life lately, when her mother and father’s relationship was disintegrating.
She wrapped the towel around herself and left the bathroom.
“Hey,” Eric said, coming out of his room.
So caught up in her own thoughts, Victoria startled and jumped.
“Whoa.” He laughed. “Sorry.” He pulled her into his arms in a bear hug from behind.
She held on tight to her towel, but rested her head back on his shoulder. “You scared me.”
He bent his head and kissed her neck. “Mmm, Victoria. Drop the towel and come to bed with me.”
She turned her head and looked at his profile, surprised by the direct invitation even if he was just flirting. “And when both our moms miss their cruise, what excuse will we give them?” she played along.
“My mom will completely understand.” He chuckled and brought his lips to her ear. “She is so hoping we fall for each other.”
“I bet. What did you tell her?”
“That I’d use all my charm to convince you I can be your knight in shining armor.”
She smiled as he gently nibbled on her earlobe. She wondered about their conversation. She used all her willpower to lift her head and turn around in the circle made by his arms. “I’m not looking for a knight in shining armor.”
“What are you looking for?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not sure I believe in fairy tales. Especially ones where the prince rides into town and rescues the grateful princess, making all her dreams come true.”
His arms were loosely wrapped around her, his hands rested on her lower back above her bottom. “That’s too bad. I’d kind of like to be the hero of a girl’s fairy tale.” He smiled and kissed her chin. “Or maybe her fantasy would be better. Do you have any sexy fantasies I can fulfill?”
Victoria laughed. “Cut it out. You’re making me blush.”
“Good.” He groaned. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you go, because we do have to get on the road, and because it’s kind of unfair that you’re almost completely naked and I’m not. It gi
ves me an unfair advantage, right?”
“Right.”
“And it makes me a bad guy to get so excited about that fact. Doesn’t it?” His hands slipped lower on her bottom.
“Eric,” she warned.
He growled and lifted his hands in the air and stepped back. “Fine. Get dressed, damn it.”
He wasn’t the only one who was excited. Not by a long shot. But this wasn’t the right time. She got ready to leave and met him back in the living room, a little disappointed that he seemed completely recovered from his moment of crazed passion.
Even in early October, the temperature was in the seventies. Eric wore a pair of shorts and a light button-up shirt. And an out-of-place baseball cap on backward. She handed him the keys to her Saturn. “Want to drive?”
He took the keys and her hand. “Yep,” he said, as they hurried out of the house. They picked up Jaqueline first. Eric helped her with her bag while she got settled in the car. Then he rushed to Lucia’s house and honked. Victoria frowned. “Have you exhausted all your gentlemanly manners?”
“I don’t need to get out for her. My dad will help her.”
“I’ll go to the door.” Victoria got out of the car, but before she could reach the door, Antonio and Lucia walked out. As Eric said, Antonio loaded her suitcase into the trunk. Then gave her a long hug and kiss. Victoria got back into the car.
“What did I tell you?” Eric said.
Victoria ignored his smug smile.
“I should drive you,” Antonio said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The kids can do it.” Lucia patted his back and walked around the car.
“No use in both of us going,” Eric said, hanging his head out the window.
Antonio agreed and opened the door for his wife.
“Call you later,” Eric told him, and got on the road before the good-bye could drag on any longer.
Lucia and Jaqueline chatted for the entire drive, barely letting Eric or Victoria get in a word. When they finally got to the dock, Victoria and Eric watched them walk up the gangplank to the ship. Victoria let out a sigh of relief. “I hope they have fun.”