He got out of the car and walked around to Nina’s side to help her out. He held both her hands and put a kiss on each one. “Don’t forget, baby, I’m always here for you.”
***
Nina might have been as fresh as a daisy after their ride, but John felt the need to clean up. “I’m going to take a shower and wash my hair,” he said as they rode the elevator up to the suite. “I smell a lot like Gaucho, if you ask me.” He looked down at Nina, hoping to get a smile out of her. It was a futile attempt, as she didn’t even react at all. Clearly she was in her own little world at the moment.
They entered the suite in silence and Nina went out onto the balcony and sat down in one of the big lounge chairs, starring in the direction of the sea. John watched her for a moment and went into the bedroom to prepare for his shower. He took off his clothes and tossed them in the direction of the bed, making a mental note to pick them up before Nina came into the room. He took the band from his long hair and unbraided it as he entered the bathroom.
Picking up his bottle of shampoo from the vanity, he turned on the shower and got in. While he lathered his hair, John pondered Nina’s uncharacteristic outburst. It went without saying that she was hiding things about her past, and it was equally obvious the burden of the secrets was getting to be too much. That’s why things kept slipping out, she wanted him to know these things or she’d have been able to maintain her silence. As much as he wanted to help her through this he couldn’t, not unless she agreed to talk to him. He’d made her a promise and he intended to keep it, no matter how difficult it was for him to mind his own business. I just want her to be happy. To be as free and relaxed as she was this morning.
He groaned aloud as he pondered the difficulty of the situation. If he could get her to talk to him, it would unburden her mind and set her on the path to the kind of emotional freedom she so richly deserved. But if he probed at her in any way, she would hate him because she would consider his intrusiveness a violation of her privacy. As John rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and lathered his body with imported hard-milled soap, he laughed at the irony. Without even trying his little Nina had him hamstrung, unable to make a move. Dios, she could wrap me around her little finger without even trying, he thought, but it wasn’t an unpleasant notion.
He reached outside the shower stall for a towel and stepped out of the glass enclosure as he wrapped the towel around his waist. He was about the leave the bathroom when a low and sultry sounding voice stopped him.
“Come on in, the water’s fine,” Nina said softly. She was in the giant Jacuzzi surrounded by bubbles. There were candles lit on the vanity and soft music was playing. Nina looked beautiful. She was reclined in the tub so that nothing was showing below her neck, but when she issued her invitation to John, she sat up so her tempting breasts were fully displayed. “What are you waiting for?” she said flippantly, but her voice was trembling.
John dropped the towel without hesitation and stepped into the tub. In seconds he was in Nina’s arms and they held each other for a long time without saying a word. Nina was the first to pull away and she slid behind John so that he was resting on her with her long legs around his body. Cradling him in this manner, Nina took his long wet hair and pushed it aside so she could massage his shoulders and back.
“This reminds me of when I was in the hospital, Nina.”
“How so? I don’t recall giving any nude massages, John.” Nina had to laugh; the very idea of such a thing was absurd.
“Maybe we were dressed, but you did give me back rubs. You used to massage my back and my shoulders and when you thought I was asleep you would even massage my feet and my legs. Don’t try to play it off, Nina. You were so good to me. You did everything you could to make sure I was comfortable and I’m never going to forget it.”
Nina didn’t answer him right away. She continued to use her hands to relax John; she kneaded his broad shoulders and worked all the tension out of his neck and back. When she started speaking, it was in a voice so soft John had to strain to hear her at first.
“My mother was a singer. She was very well known and if I told you the name of the group she was in, you’d know it right away. We lived a very nice life. We lived large, John, very large. There was a really big house and two or three cars, a vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard, private school and Ranger. We had a housekeeper and a gardener and everything. I don’t remember my father, he and my mother were divorced when I was very little, still a baby, I guess. Mommy had to travel a lot but when she was home it was so wonderful, every day was like Christmas. When I was seven years old she died and it was never like that again.
“My brothers and I were split up after she died. Mommy’s best friend took the boys to live with her, but she didn’t take me. I went to live with Morgan, Mommy’s manager. Morgan was very kind to me and he treated me like a little princess until social services came and took me away. They said it wasn’t right for a single man to be raising a little girl and they hustled me out of there with a quickness. But I didn’t have to go to strangers then, one of Mommy’s cousins took me in.”
John was perfectly still while she talked. He didn’t want to distract her in any way although there were some questions he was dying to ask. He forced himself to remain silent and she continued to talk.
“Her name was Marva and she was so much fun! She was really artsy and bohemia and we had all kinds of adventures together. She had lived all over Europe and she came home to take care of us. My brothers already had a home but she was right on time to take me in and she was glad to do it. She left all her bohemian friends and her apartment in Paris to come home to Chicago just for me,” Nina said in a voice quivering with emotion.
John had to speak at that point; he had to ask a question. “What happened, baby?”
“My old friends at social services happened, of course. Somebody dug up the fact that she’d been in some kind of nude play while she was living in Europe and that made her an unfit guardian. Of course, they didn’t tell me this, they just took me away from her and I never saw her again. That’s when I went into foster care.”
By now the water had cooled considerably and John suggested they get out of the tub. Nina agreed and soon they were clad in robes and sitting on the sofa in the living room. Actually, Nina was sitting on the sofa with John sitting on the floor in front of her. She had toweled his hair dry and combed it out and now she was massaging his scalp before applying a little coconut oil pomade.
Nina worked in silence for a few minutes before making one of her usual comments about his tresses. “I really hate this hair, John. It’s just criminal that it’s growing out of your scalp and not mine. It’s positively unnatural for you to have such pretty hair, you wretch.”
John laughed loudly and took Nina’s feet in his hands. He pulled them into his lap and started rubbing them while he talked. “Aw, baby, it’s just hair. If it bugs you I’ll cut it off, it makes no difference to me. You have really gorgeous feet, did you know that?”
Nina giggled at the unexpected compliment. “I take good care of my feet. The father in the first foster home I was placed in was an orthopedic surgeon and he believed in taking care of your feet. We didn’t get to wear fancy shoes, we always had sturdy sensible shoes,” she said.
“So they were really hard on you? Were they strict?” John asked.
“Oh no, not at all,” she assured him. “They were very, very sweet people. They were very kind to me. They had a daughter and a son and they all treated me like family. We had rules for the household but they weren’t Draconian or anything. We had to make our beds and set the table and feed the dogs and walk them, things like that. We all got to read a lot and we were allowed to talk about our books during dinner. We were encouraged to, as a matter of fact. They were a really talkative family and we spent a lot of time talking and doing creative things. They didn’t have a television but they had lots and lots of books, and a big room that was just for crafts, and we went to art galleries and
plays,” she recalled. “They were the most loving people in the world, John. They wanted to adopt me.”
John kept rubbing Nina’s feet, occasionally bringing one up to his lips for a kiss. “What happened, baby? Did they change their minds?”
Nina’s voice caught and she had to clear her throat. “Social services told them a black family wanted me. They were white, see, and if there was any possibility of placing me with a black family well, social services had to place me there. So the social workers came and got me again and off I went to more strangers. It was really hard to go because I’d been with them for almost two years. I was with Morgan for about three months, and I was with Marva for about six months, I guess, but I’d been with the Benrubi family for almost two years. It was horrible.”
John let go of Nina’s feet and got up so he could sit down on the sofa. He stretched out on the end opposite Nina and held one hand out to her, patting his chest with the other one. “Come here, Nina.” When she was resting on his broad chest with his arms around her and their legs entwined, she sighed deeply and sadly.
“What happened with the new family, baby? Did you not get along?” he asked softly.
“There was no new family. To this day I have no idea what happened, but there was no family waiting for me with open arms. I was living in Chicago where I was born, but after they took me from the Benrubis I got sent to Springfield, Illinois and dropped into foster care there. I went from place to place from then on. Sometimes I’d be in a good place and sometimes not so good. And that was that, I guess. I grew up and I wasn’t in foster care anymore, I was on my own. And I’ve been on my own ever since,” she murmured.
“Not anymore. You’re never going to be alone again. I’m never going to leave you, you understand?” John tightened his arms around her and kissed her hair, waiting for her answer. All he heard was the soft even sound of her breathing; she’d fallen asleep in his arms. It was John’s turn to sigh, a deep heartfelt sigh of pain for his beloved. This had been some day for her and for him, too. Now he understood so much more about Nina. He could only imagine what it must have been like for her grow up in wealth and to have everything snatched away from her. To lose her birth family and then to have everyone she cared for methodically removed from her life must have been hellish.
No wonder Nina was so standoffish and aloof. She’d had no sense of security, no stability in her life since her mother died. Why didn’t that friend take Nina, too? Why did she just take the boys? And where are they anyway? Don’t they wonder what happened to their little sister? The questions kept coming as John thought about the things Nina had told him. On the one hand, her revelations had enlightened him, but on the other hand they just led to more questions. What had been an enigma was now a mystery. Only his Nina could be this complicated.
The sound of her breathing and the feel of her slight weight against him were so natural and comforting he followed her into sleep.
Chapter 11
John leaned against the ornate door leading to the master bedroom of the suite. The brilliant afternoon sun streamed into the room, bathing Nina in a golden glow. They’d spent the morning on the beach near the hotel and she’d gained a bit of a tan that enhanced her natural coloring. Puerto Rico obviously agreed with her, although it was hard to tell from the worried look on her face.
“You’re sure I look okay? I don’t look tacky or anything?” Nina frowned as she smoothed her dress over her slender hips. John rolled his eyes heavenward as he told her again she looked wonderful.
“Nina, you look perfect. You look sexy, elegant and very stylish. Way too good for me,” he said cheerfully. “My family is going to love you, don’t even worry about it. You could look like the bearded lady in the circus and they’d think you were special because you’re mine.”
They were going to Carolina, the neighboring township where most of his aunts and uncles lived. When John had first suggested going, Nina thought it a wonderful idea but now, in the bright light of an impending departure, it seemed a huge folly. What in the world was she doing, going to meet his family? She felt like the biggest faker in the world. She knew in her heart she couldn’t have John in her life forever and acting like they were destined for a life together was stupidly, cruelly wrong on her part but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She was so crazy about him by this point she was willing to go along with almost anything he suggested. Even going to meet his relatives looking like a…what?
Nina continued to fuss with her clothes, ignoring every comforting word John said. She looked at her reflection in the mirrored closet door and frowned. “I think I should wear the black one,” she said turning to pick it up from the discard pile. John picked her up under one arm and carried her into the living room, ignoring her protests.
“Baby, you couldn’t possibly look any better, please believe me and stop tripping over this, would you? You look fantastic, why don’t you believe me?”
Nina really did look radiant. Her chic floral-patterned dress was made of navy polished cotton with a full skirt. It had straps that went over her shoulders and in the back and it fit her slender body perfectly. It came to just below her knees and showed off her legs without revealing too much. She had on a pair of flat sandals in a deep shade of rose, as well as the gold bracelet from John, as always. She was also wearing the diamond studs in her ears and one of the butterfly combs was anchored at the top of her loosely-styled chignon. She looked summery and feminine and very much like a butterfly herself, as she seemed ready to fly out of the room.
“Nina, you need to chill. What’s happened to my cool, impersonal Miss Parker? We’re just going to see my aunts and uncles to say hello. I haven’t seen some of my family in years, how could I come all this way and not even drop in for a visit,” he crooned as he cupped her face in his hands. “We won’t stay long; they just want to make sure I’m okay after my surgery. You’re not really scared, care you?”
Nina wanted to tell him this was the first time she’d ever had occasion to meet someone’s family and yes, she was terrified, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She gently removed herself from his hands and smiled airily. “Oh, I’m fine. Are you sure this dress is okay? I don’t want them to think I’m a hoochie,” she mumbled as she smoothed the dress over her hips.
John gave her a sexy smile and assured her again she looked fabulous. “If it was a half-inch lower in the front I might have some doubts, but you look perfect. Very pretty, Nina.”
Nina looked down at her small bust snugly covered in the tight bodice of the dress and snorted indelicately. “Honey, this thing could be about four inches lower and nobody would see anything. I’m the chairman of the committee. You do realize that, right?”
John’s brows came together in puzzlement. “Committee? What committee?”
“The Iitty-Bitty-Titty Committee. Been a member since puberty. Okay, let’s go before I lose my nerve,” she said, ignoring John’s shout of laughter. She picked up her little clutch purse and a matching shrug to cover her shoulders if the air got cool in the evening. John put his hand at the small of her back as they left the suite.
“There is no more beautiful woman in all of Puerto Rico than you. Remember that,” he said and kissed her on the cheek. Nina gave him a sassy smile and kissed him back.
“That must make you the luckiest man in Puerto Rico. Don’t you forget that,” she laughed. The laugh turned into a squeal John grabbed her bottom on the way out the door.
John’s words came back to haunt Nina as she surveyed his family. They were on the patio of his Tia Maria and Tio Roberto’s house and for the most part it was a lovely afternoon. She met his other uncles, Hector, Felipe, and Miguel, and his other aunts, Luz, Bonita, and Rosalinda. There were too many cousins for her to remember all their names and they came in all ages and sizes from toddlers to teenagers to adults. They were all friendly and gregarious, speaking both Spanish and English and talking with great animation, even when other people were talking. A man who’d
been John’s best friend when they were younger was there, too. His name was Alejandro Reyes and he and John greeted each other like long lost brothers. It was a wonderful homecoming for John, and Nina was made to feel entirely welcome by the whole family with the exception of his cousin Lola.
Lola was a little younger than John and a lot curvier than Nina. She was average height with stunning caramel skin and cascading black hair flowing over her shoulders. She was built like a compact Barbie doll, with curves in places Nina didn’t even have bones. John obviously didn’t know Miss Hot Pants was in town when he said I was the most beautiful woman in Puerto Rico, Nina thought. Nobody’s going to think I’m beautiful with that wench around.
Miss Lola obviously hadn’t gotten the memo about dressing modestly, either. She was wearing a halter-neck dress in dazzling white with a plunging neckline that barely contained her bounty, and it was almost as short as Nina’s infamous slip. And I know she doesn’t have on a scrap of underwear or it would show right through that thing she’s got on. “Cousin”, my foot. Nina’s thoughts may have been angrily territorial, but she hadn’t missed the mark as Cousin Lola soon made plain.
The woman had latched onto John like a remora hanging on a shark from the time she made her dramatic entrance onto the patio. She’d made a beeline for him and planted a big red lipstick kiss on his mouth to the chagrin of her Aunt Maria.
“Lola, what is wrong with you,” her aunt fussed. “What do you think you’re doing, kissing your cousin like that?”
Lola had no shame in her game at all as she continued to cling to John. “Tia, that’s just it. Johnnie isn’t my cousin, is he? He was adopted, something no one bothered to tell us. You kept the information to yourself didn’t you, Tia Maria,” Lola said in a nice-nasty voice that certainly didn’t fool Nina. “I’ve been in love with my handsome cousin Johnnie all my life and now I find out he’s not my cousin at all.”
A Fool for You (The Cochran/Deveraux Series Book 7) Page 11