She had been careful to avoid getting too close to him ever since Teresa had come into the clinic last night. She was attracted to him, but for some reason, she kept her distance. But he was prepared. When the last patient had gone home this afternoon, he had paid some kid from the neighborhood twenty bucks to take him to a nearby flower shop. On the table in front of him lay a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They were all locally grown, according to the florist. He had a feeling that Angel would appreciate that fact.
Diego took the stage and called his dancers to the floor. While he gave his students some preliminary instructions, Kevin looked at his watch again. What could be taking her so long? Maybe he’d better go look for her. Diego started the music just as Kevin picked up the flowers and headed for the back door. He was halfway across the room when Angel walked in. He stopped for a moment, taking her all in.
The red halter dress she wore had a silver belt at the waist and the hem swayed gracefully around her knees. Her delicate feet were encased in a pair of silver high heels. Eye shadow, blush, and lipstick were the only hint of makeup. She looked perfect. How was it that she was more beautiful every time he saw her—her gorgeous, shoulder-length honey-colored hair, her luminous skin? Emilio had said the same thing when they picked up the van two days ago on the outskirts of Los Mochis. He’d been right.
Angel was still searching the crowded room when Dr. Conner came up to stand directly in front of her. He slowly looked her over and leered. “So…how about it, Angel? Are you ready for some real dancing?”
She looked annoyed and took a step back at the same time as Kevin walked up to her and put his arm around her waist.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Conner. I believe the lady promised to spend the evening with me.”
Angel looked relieved. “Thank you, Dr. Conner, but my date is here.”
Dr. Conner threw an angry look at Kevin and had started to move away when Angel stopped him. “Oh, by the way, Dr. Conner, I spoke with a couple of the board members earlier and they had some interesting news.”
“Concerning what?”
“Well, it seems a new policy has been presented to the board, and it looks like it may be passed at their next meeting.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
“Because the policy before the board concerns volunteers being able to bring their spouses along when they travel on mission trips. I know how much your wife wanted to travel with you. Just think; on your next trip you’ll be able to bring that gorgeous lady of yours with you.”
Dr. Conner’s face turned a dark red. “There’s nothing wrong with the policy as it is.”
“Oh, I think there are a lot of volunteers who would disagree with you on that, Dr. Conner.”
“That would put me in a very difficult position, Ms. Meeker. I may be forced to give the foundation my resignation.”
She gave him a conspiratorial smile. “I look forward to it, Dr. Conner.”
Dr. Conner turned to Kevin. “Would you excuse us? I’m not done here.”
Before Kevin could respond, Angel took an angry step forward, and Dr. Conner turned to glare at her instead. “I think you are done here,” she declared heatedly. “You have two choices. You can leave my assistants alone, finish out your week, and turn in that resignation you promised, or you can pack your bags tonight and get out. This isn’t like back home, Dr. Conner. We’re not required by law to have a dentist on the premises.”
For a moment, Dr. Conner looked as if he might take her head off. Then he gave a thin-lipped smile and stalked out of the room. Angel sagged against Kevin with a sigh of relief. He looked into her pale face and tightened his arm around her as she buried her face in his chest.
“Wow,” he said in amazement. “That was incredible. And here I was thinking you might need help.”
“I can usually hold my own, but…he scares me.”
“I see that.”
“So, you would be willing to be my knight in shining armor, huh?”
“You bet.”
She looked up into his eyes and it was as if she all of a sudden realized how easily she had slipped into his arms. Looking slightly pained, she stepped back, putting some distance between them. Patently trying to change the subject, she pointed to his outfit. “Wow! You look great.”
He took a step back and spun around, giving her the space she needed while letting her check him out. He wore fitted black dress pants with a long-sleeved, button-up white shirt. He had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows because of the heat in the crowded room. He looked her over again, admiring the dress and the woman in it. “Thanks. You look great too.”
“Thank you.” She blushed and looked away.
“Oh. These are for you. Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.”
Her face glowed as she took the bouquet and brought it to her face to take in the scent. “Hmm, thank you. I love the local flowers.”
He let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you like them.”
“They’re beautiful, Kevin. Let’s put them in some water.”
He followed her to the kitchen where she searched for a vase for the flowers. Kevin took the opportunity to quickly check out her shapely legs.
“Here we go.” She pulled a vase out from under the cabinet and put water and the flowers in it, making a couple of quick adjustments. “Perfect. Should we put them in the dining room so we can show them off?”
“Absolutely,” he said, turning to open the door for her.
They walked back to the dining room where she put the flowers on the buffet table. Then, for one awkward moment, they stood together watching the dancers on the floor in front of them. He could tell she was anxious to get out there. At Antonio’s, she had danced for most of the evening. He held out a hand and motioned to the floor. “Shall we?”
Angel lit up as he led her out onto the floor. After an hour of instruction from Diego, the dancers were allowed time to dance on their own. Kevin and Angel whirled, twirled, spun, and dipped until the last song ended and everyone made their way home. For reasons he couldn’t explain, dancing with her came so naturally to him.
Later that night, after most of the locals had left, Kevin reached into the cooler and got out two bottles of water. He handed one to Angel when she sat to slip out of her shoes. “Thanks.” She opened her bottle for a quick drink. “Where’d you learn to dance?”
He looked away, picking imaginary lint off his pants. “Oh, I’ve had a few lessons here and there. Why do you ask?”
She grinned. “You’re exceptionally good. I could tell you’ve had some training.”
“Thanks, but you made it very easy. You’re a great partner. Is Diego your secret weapon?”
She laughed. “I don’t know that he’s a secret, but yeah, he taught me a lot of what I know. Did you see him and Savannah? They’re a work of art when they dance together.” She laid her head on the back of the chair and closed her eyes.
“Tired?”
She opened one of her eyes to look at him. “Exhausted.”
He stood. “Come on, Angel. Let’s call it a night.”
After she gathered her shoes and stood, he took her by the hand and they left, tiptoeing across the courtyard to the apartment. When they got inside, Angel stopped in the hallway and looked sleepily up at him. “Thanks, Kevin.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For the flowers, the dancing…for just being here.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “Good night,” she murmured before walking down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her. Kevin stood there for a moment, watching her closed door, wondering if she would ever let down her guard and let him in.
Kevin woke up sometime later to the sound of angry voices coming from Angel’s bedroom. He rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed, trying to distinguish what was going on. He distinctly heard her tell someone to leave. Then he heard a garbled reply. When she screamed, “Get out,” Kevin jumped up and ran to her. He found Angel in her nightgown, standing next
to her open door with a very drunk and very naked Dr. Conner staggering around her room.
“Aw, come on, Angel, I know you want me.”
She made a disgusted face at his words before she screamed again, “Get out!”
Kevin sprinted to the drunken man, twisted his arm behind his back, and pushed him toward the door. “Do you need help finding the exit, Dr. Conner? You seem to be somewhat inebriated. Are you having trouble finding your room?”
Dr. Conner tried to jerk his arm away, but Kevin tightened his grip and pushed him through the door. Dr. Conner rubbed his arm, giving Kevin a look of pure hatred before turning to stagger toward his room. “You ain’t seen the last of me,” he slurred angrily and paused long enough to give Angel another lewd look before limping away.
Angel slammed the door and leaned against it, tears running down her pale cheeks. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back the small sob. When Kevin took a step toward her, she sprang forward, holding him for dear life. After letting her cry for several minutes, he pulled back. “Are you okay?” When she nodded weakly, he guided her over to sit together on the bed. “This isn’t what you meant by relentless, is it?”
Angel wiped her tears and shook her head. “No, this is a new low, even for Dr. Conner.”
“Shouldn’t we call the police or something?”
Angel gave a disgusted laugh. “And tell them what? That a drunk, naked idiot came to my room and wanted to have sex with me? And that he left of his own volition when you pushed him out the door? They don’t consider that a problem here.”
“Okay. Well, let’s at least make it more difficult for it to happen again.” Kevin got up and went over to the door, putting a chair in front of it. He pulled the hassock over as well, sat in the chair and propped his feet up on the hassock.
Angel’s puzzled expression said it all. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to stay here tonight.”
Her eyes grew large and she stood. “You can’t sleep here.”
“Have you got a better idea? What if he comes back? He’s pretty drunk.”
Her face paled again. Then she walked over to the closet and pulled out a couple of pillows and a homemade quilt. She brought them over to him. He caught her hand as she gently laid the quilt over him.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She gave him a solemn nod. “Thank you, Kevin. I…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now get some sleep.”
She climbed into her bed and turned off the lamp. “Good night, Kevin.”
He smiled to himself in the dark. “Good night, Angel.”
9
Kevin picked up the camera and looked around the clinic for something to film. As he walked past the hygienist’s office, something caught his eye. He stopped and backed up to have another look. There, on the desk, sat the flowers he had given Angel last night at the dance, and behind them sat Angel, quietly biting her fingernails as she looked out of her window into the atrium beyond.
Is she thinking about last night? “Excuse me, ma’am.” He walked into the room and spoke to her in his best imitation of a southern drawl. “Could you tell me where I could find a good dental hygiene practitioner?”
Angel turned her chair around. “Not in here, I’m afraid. At least not until they change the laws in Mississippi.”
“You’re from Mississippi?”
“Yep, my parents moved there when I was three years old. I’ve been there ever since. What about you?”
“I grew up in Philly. Most of my family still lives there.” He looked down at the camera in his hand. “But now I live mostly in New York and California.”
“You don’t like to talk about yourself, do you, Kevin?”
He shrugged her question off.
“Have you got a mysterious past that I might need to know about?”
“Angel, I—”
“Angel, your patient is ready when you are,” Teresa called, coming into the office.
“Thanks, I’ll be right there.”
“Oh, Kevin, I forgot to tell you—you have a package at the front desk. I signed for it for you,” Teresa added.
He hoped he didn’t look as though he’d been caught doing something naughty. “Thanks, Teresa. I’ll pick it up this afternoon, if that’s okay.”
Teresa smiled. “That’ll be fine.”
When the assistant left the room, Kevin put down the camera, pulled out a notebook, and began writing in it. He knew Angel’s curiosity must be piqued. She had seen him do that a number of times. Each time he would jot something down, quickly close it, and put it away.
“You’re not with the FBI are you? Maybe the CIA, Secret Service…or maybe…maybe you’re a private investigator?”
“What?”
She pointed to the notebook in his hand. “What’s that for?”
He looked down at the notebook, then quickly closed it and stuck it into his back pocket. “Nothing, just something I wanted to remember.” He could tell she wasn’t buying that answer.
“Very interesting.” She stood and walked towards him.
“What’s interesting?”
She circled him, looking him over curiously. “Hmm: Mysterious past, mysterious notebook, and now a mysterious package.” She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “What are you hiding Kevin?” She backed out of the office with a sly smile on her face and walked down the hall to her patient. Kevin shook his head and went in search of his next shoot.
Angel had showered earlier and was probably already at the community center waiting on him. Kevin finished writing in his notebook and was about ready to go when his cell phone rang. “Hey Miguel, what’s up?”
“Hey, Kev. Are you alone?”
“Ah, yeah.” Kevin looked around the empty room.
“Good. I need you to do a favor for me.”
“Okay, what’s the favor?”
“I need you to distract Angel tomorrow night. Take her to dinner or a picnic or something and then bring her back to the community center at seven on the nose.”
“Okay, any special reason?”
“The kids want to surprise her for her birthday. They do it every year.”
“Okay, but can I ask a question?”
“Sure.”
“If you do it every year, how much of a surprise can it be?”
“Don’t worry, Kevin; she falls for it every time.”
Kevin laughed. “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks, amigo. Say, how’s the filming going?”
“Much better than I thought it would. The volunteers are great. The work they do is remarkable. It’s actually been very…ah, interesting to watch.”
“She got to you, huh?”
Kevin started to deny it, but it was no use. “Oh God, Miguel, I’m crazy about her.” he said, running his hand through his hair.
Miguel laughed. “Join the club.”
“No, Miguel, I mean, I think I’m really in love with her.”
Miguel hesitated briefly before he asked, “Does she know?”
“No, not yet. I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“And when will that be?”
Kevin ran his hand through his hair again. “I have no idea.”
“Words of advice…don’t put it off. Life is too short, my friend. See you tomorrow, Kev.”
Miguel hung up, and Kevin stood there for a moment looking at his empty room. Miguel was right. He needed to find his Angel. He picked up his notebook and left.
When Kevin walked into the community center a few minutes later, the karaoke had already begun, and a teenage girl he recognized as one of the clinic patients was screeching out a song he had never heard before. He spotted Angel sitting at a table right in front of the girl, doing her best to encourage the teenager and sipping on a bottle of water. The teenager smiled and began belting out the melody while Angel clapped her hands and smiled in support, yelling more encouragement, as did some of the others.<
br />
He smiled. She really had a way with people. She could always get people to do more and be better than they thought they could be. She’d even done that with Brandi, and that was no small feat. If he spent the rest of his life watching her work her magic, it would never be enough.
He took a deep breath. Okay, Kevin, you can do this. All you have to do is tell her…later. He squared his shoulders and walked to her table. She smiled up at him. She was dazzling when she smiled.
“Hi, I was beginning to think you’d got lost or something.”
He sat next to her and drummed his fingernails on the tabletop. After a few seconds, she reached over and grabbed his hand, stopping the constant racket. “Are you okay?”
Kevin squeaked out a “yeah” and hoped he didn’t look as transparent as he felt. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Relax, Kevin. Singing’s not mandatory here. We work on a strictly voluntary basis only.”
He felt somewhat relieved. She thought he was worried about singing in front of the people here? Little did she know that his last concert had sold out to a crowd of fifteen thousand plus. She sat back in her seat and looked at him with concern in her eyes. “Just enjoy the show.”
He gave her a weak smile and turned to watch the teenager walk off the stage. Diego introduced the next singer.
An hour later, Kevin had had all he could take and couldn’t wait any longer. He leaned over to speak to Angel. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, only that I have something I want to tell you.”
“Okay, sure.”
Kevin and Angel stood as Teresa and the other assistants came over to their table. “Come on, Angel. We want you to sing for us.”
The rest of the crowd pitched in. “Yeah, Angel. Come on, Angel.”
She looked helplessly at Kevin. “Sorry, everybody, you’ll have to wait just a few more minutes.”
Angel's Mission Page 10