“I no longer want to marry her.” He holds up a hand to stop me from interrupting. “It was supposed to be a merger to take on the Pings. My father lost the winery, and she has no interest in managing hers. With the Pings gobbling up all of the smaller farms and vineyards, she needed my father’s expertise. He’s already working for her, but …”
“Where do you fit in, stud services?” My tongue tastes as bitter as the words I spit out.
“No. It was an arrangement to keep her in her grandmother’s will. She has to marry a vintner of the right background.”
“You’re kidding me.” I grab the doorknob. “And you went along with this?”
“My father wants me to have a winery someday, and she can’t be bothered with the day to day management. Anyway, we wouldn’t have been together much. She wants to travel and do her biological research. I would have been traveling and competing in triathlons, so Dad would have been fully in charge. It was an arrangement.”
“You seem to make arrangements all over the globe.” I open the French door and step over the threshold.
Zach clutches my arm. “That was before the accident, before I got to know you. I’m a changed man.”
There’s a twinge in my heart. He utters those words “before the accident” so mournfully, the pain etched in every shadow of his rugged face. His eyes look like pools of despair, all hope extinguished. A tingling pain runs from my heart to my fingertips, and I want so desperately to soothe and comfort him. His stump hangs uselessly from the cut-off jean as he wobbles on his single foot. He lets his hand drift to his side.
I move back onto the porch. “What do you want?”
“A chance.” His voice comes out in a rough whisper. “When the doctors told me they couldn’t save my leg … I wanted to die. Everyone else either felt sorry for me, or told me to buck up, that everything would be okay. But you …”
I swallow, my throat tight, and I blink back tears, remembering how utterly defeated he was.
“You didn’t give me empty words, but you were there, every day. You sang in a language I didn’t understand and it gave me hope that one day I, too, could care about someone besides myself.”
“I wasn’t asking anything in return.” I try to step away, but he drops his crutch and grabs both my shoulders.
“Vera, I’m falling for you.” He squeezes his eye shut, his lips twitching as if it were the hardest thing to admit. “Even though I’m no longer much of a man, I want you too much to let you walk away.”
He has my heart on a leash, drawing me into his arms; that broken voice melts the last of my reservations. He needs me. I’ve never had a man come at me with weakness. All my relationships have been sparring matches to see who had the upper hand. The one with the harder heart wins, and I always won.
I run my hands up his sides and around his back, burrowing my face into his chest.
Is it love when you feel his pain and would give anything to comfort him, do anything to make him smile and give him a ray of sunshine?
Or is it love when you’re drawn into his arms like it’s your hiding place, safe, protected, and cherished?
Or is it love when it just is?
We move together to the porch swing and I sit with my head resting on his shoulder. The moon has risen above the tree tops. Stars twinkle and zip across the night sky. The swing rocks, and the words of a song slip from my throat.
“Nandito Ako” to let him know “I’m Here.”
Chapter 19
My body stretches with sweet languor on the crisp clean sheets. Sunlight streams through the lace curtains, but the chatter of maniacal laughter outside my window knocks me from my Zach-induced stupor. Who let a troupe of monkeys loose?
I peek through the curtains to investigate. A pair of cartoon-looking birds with smiley beaks, dark brown wings and eye patches giggle from a tree near the window. I wonder if they are the famed kookaburras that substitute for alarm clocks in these parts.
Jolting electro dance music beeps from Zach’s phone and I fumble for it on the nightstand to answer it.
“Vera?” Maryanne’s voice pipes through the handset. “I was up all night with Emma and turned off my phone. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I wanted to know how Emma’s doing.”
Maryanne yawns. “I brought her home from the hospital a few days ago. We’re still tube feeding, but she’s doing well except for the apnea. The monitor was going crazy last night. I had to rouse her every hour or so.”
“You must be exhausted. I’m sorry. I’m so glad you called back.”
“Vera?” Maryanne’s voice lilts. “You sound way too happy. Did you and Zach make up?”
How can she tell? Butterfly wings fan my stomach, and I can’t find my voice.
“You still there?” Maryanne persists. “He’s really a good man if you stop putting him on a pedestal.”
“He says he’s falling for me.” The words come out too fast and breathy.
“How do you feel about it?”
“I don’t know,” I say, even though I suspect I’m in too deep. “It’s like when he’s hurting, I hurt, and I can’t turn my back on him. I can’t walk away, like I always do.”
“You’re in love.” She sounds so gleeful. “It’s finally happened.”
“You think?” I want her to confirm it. I want her to tell me it’s true, even though I’m afraid the bubble will burst and it’ll only be a dream of teddy bears and cotton candy and carnival rides and sticky kisses.
“Oh, it’s definitely L. O. V. E. Girl, I knew you had it bad when you went every night to his bedside, when you brought him food, and helped him learn to walk again. And when you tried to break up and kept going back? You were a goner.”
Part of me bristles to hear her explain it so glibly. “I wasn’t that obvious. Besides, there are issues, problems.”
“There are always problems. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”
“You’re such a romantic,” I tease. “Me? I’m practical. Sure, he’s sweet and irresistible. But he’s vulnerable right now, so he’s latching onto me. Once he gets his mojo back, he’ll be back to his tomcatting ways.”
“Is that what you want?” Maryanne pins me. “You say these things, but do you really want it to be that way? Or are you afraid to admit that he might really love you?”
The butterflies scramble for the exit, and I roll onto my stomach. “It’ll hurt so much more when I lose him. I can’t relax. There are serious things going on.”
“Does it have to do with that Cliff fellow? Lucas heard from Zach the three of you went on some sort of expedition.”
“No, Cliff’s nothing. I got rid of him already.”
“Then what’s the worry? Enjoy the rest of your vacation with Zach. I’m so happy for you, and you better tell me everything when you get back. Promise?”
“Yes, promise.” My palms are sweaty, and I’m feeling a mixture of elation and dread. “Give Emma a kiss for me and say ‘hi’ to Lucas. Tell my mom I’ll call her soon.”
“Sure, bestie.” She makes a smacking sound. “Can’t wait to hear the details. Bye.”
***
I shower and pull on a pair of Zach’s middle school warm-up pants and a SpongeBob shirt. I still don’t know what I’ll do about footwear. I can’t go into a store barefoot, but at least I’m wearing underwear. Last night’s make-out session had been facilitated by my lack of meltable panties. My chest flushes with remembered tingles, and I take a deep breath to clear the haze. He left me languid and drowsy, my every nerve stroked and satiated, but took nothing for himself.
The door to the kitchen is ajar, and I hear voices. Zach’s aunt is serving someone breakfast.
“I kept an eye on them last night,” she says. “Krista’s not going to be happy if he keeps hanging around with her.”
“He’ll tire of her, like he has with others of her kind,” a man replies.
“I don’t know, she’s quite a tart, and he looks at her all moony-faced. I
sn’t there anything you can do? He’s your son, after all.”
The man who must be Zach’s father laughs. “I might have something on her that’ll put her behind bars.”
A chair scrapes and the floor squeaks. I duck behind a grandfather clock. Aunt Addy looks toward the hallway and says, “I think she’s still asleep. After all the noise she made out back, I’d be surprised if she can walk this morning.”
My face heats at the thought she noticed. Not only is she a sharpshooter, she’s also a spy.
He snickers. “That bad or good, eh?”
“What do you have on her?” Addy says.
“Her father might have been hiding out on the Ping estate. I read Zach’s email. I called in a raid and they caught a gardener. He’s being extradited to the United States. If I can show that Vera aided and abetted his escape, that she knew of his existence and didn’t report it, I can have her charged as an accessory.”
“Kill two birds with one shot.” Addy’s voice sounds menacing. “I’ll keep her here while you call the police.”
The smell of sizzling bacon reaches into the living room. Instead of watering my mouth, it nauseates me. What am I going to do? Will I truly go to jail? Even worse, they’ll question me and force me to betray my father when they find out the gardener’s a decoy.
“It’ll be tricky though.” His father continues. “I don’t want Zach to know anything about his mother’s death.”
“I agree. It’s too sordid to think she had an affair with that monkey. I told you what kind of woman she was, but of course you men never listen.” She thumps a plate on the table. “You better watch that Zach doesn’t impregnate his daughter.”
I’m going to die! My father had an affair with Zach’s mother and killed her? The shakes hit me. My relationship with Zach is doomed, fatally doomed, D-O-O-M-E-D.
“I often wonder what happened to the kid,” Zach’s father says. “Maybe we should have kept it. I hate loose ends.”
They had a child together? Hot and cold chills creep up and down my spine. Sweat flushes my face, and I struggle to control my breathing.
I tiptoe back to my room and call Cliff. “Did you get my plane ticket? I need to leave right now.”
“What’s the rush? Sure you don’t want to stay until your concert?”
“This is serious. They have something on all of us, so you better listen. I’m going to sneak out right now. Meet me on Red Rock Road between the lake and the turnoff.”
“Got it.” His tone is hard. “I’ll be there.”
Quickly, I arrange a pile of towels and clothes under the blanket to make it look like someone is asleep. I exit through the back porch, walk low behind the latticed arbor and wait at the end of the road.
After twenty minutes or so, Cliff drives up in a black BMW. I climb in quickly and duck behind the dashboard when I spy Zach on his motorcycle going toward the bed and breakfast. I hate leaving like this. After last night, I had planned on telling him everything, hoping he’d understand. But now I have no choice. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in an Australian jail. My stomach sours and my throat tightens. What if I’ll never see Zach again?
“You’re looking spry this morning,” Cliff says in a snarky tone. “What happened to the sexy dress?”
“This is my disguise,” I shoot back. “It seems I’m about to become a fugitive. They want to report me as an accessory to my father’s escape.”
Cliff lets out a long whistle. “I told you Zach was up to no good. He came to California looking for you so you can lead him to your father. I can’t believe you fell for it.”
“You don’t know the first thing about Zach.” I’m not going to have a discussion about Zach with him. “Where’s my plane ticket?”
“Sorry, still working on it.” Cliff puts on a baby face, his mouth in a little circle and eyes dolefully round.
“What’s taking so long? If it’s money, let me have my purse and I’ll charge it.”
“I have to clear it with your father first.” He turns on the road toward the Ping Crest Winery.
“You don’t seem to realize my presence is a danger to him. You should get my things and take me to the airport right away.”
“Stop hyperventilating.” Cliff gives me an annoyed look. “We have everything under control. I told your father you’re returning and he wants to have breakfast with you.”
“As long as I’m out of here in time for the flight.” I stare straight ahead at the winding driveway.
“You worry too much.” Cliff whistles and looks me up and down. “Nice outfit. Love that SpongeBob.”
“Oh, stop it.” I roll my eyes. “I bet you’re the one with SpongeBob DVDs in your room.”
“Oh yeah? Wanna come to my room and play?”
The comment wasn’t even worth a snicker.
We arrive at the grand entrance, and a servant pulls open the door. He doesn’t raise his eyebrows at my boyish outfit and bare feet. Cliff hands the car keys to another servant and guides me up the steps with his hand on my back. I feel like I’m back to square one. Great job, Vera!
He opens the door to my suite and follows me in. Fresh flowers and a new water fountain, a mermaid swimming with a dolphin, greet me. Cliff sweeps his hand over it as if he were a host of a game show. “A gift from your father.”
“I’m not staying, but I appreciate it.” An upwelling of emotion surprises me. He must really care for me to risk having me come back here.
Cliff walks into the bedroom and brings my purse. “Everything’s accounted for—your mobile, passport, wallet, makeup, breath mints, birth-control pills—”
I snatch the purse from him. “No one gave you the right to look through it.”
He smirks and ducks. “By the way, where’s the prepaid mobile? Does Zach have it?”
It takes me a moment to realize he’s referring to the cell phone someone sent me, the one with text messages purportedly from my father.
“Why would Zach have it?” Then it dawns on me. “You! I never told you about the prepaid. Was it you sending the messages?”
“Sorry. You told your uncle and he told me.” He spreads his hands and shrugs. “You’re always blaming me. Isn’t that what wives do?”
“Cliff.” I refrain from rolling my eyes. “That was lame, even for you. I swear, you’d make a better friend than love interest.”
“So you say.” His eyebrows do the jiggling caterpillar dance. “Don’t forget. We’re in this together—you, me, your father, Dex, Ben. Family code of silence. Since you can’t marry Dex or Ben, that leaves me.”
Interesting. From this angle, he looks mestizo, mixed-race. Could he be the child? My eyes must have narrowed because his face reddens.
“What are you looking at?” He sounds nervous.
Now it’s my turn to look mysterious. “Family resemblance. You sure you’re not part Filipino? Who are your parents?”
I don’t care that I’m nosy. After all, I’m the boss’s daughter. I underscore that by lifting my chin slightly, not that it’s possible to look down at him since he towers over me.
He pointedly looks at his smartphone, his lips pursed in a thin line. “You don’t have much time. Mr. Ping breakfasts at nine-thirty and has a meeting starting ten-fifteen.”
I continue my staring. It’s actually fun to intimidate him. “Well? Aren’t you going to give me some privacy to change?”
The wide grin is back. He raises his phone. “It’s a little after nine right now. Snap to it.”
Flash!
“You!” I shake my fist. “Erase it now.”
“Priceless. This is going on Facebook. Cecelia Ping in a SpongeBob shirt.”
“Cecelia Ping?” I grab for the phone but he dodges me.
“Stage name, but I prefer Vera Morelli.”
“And you’re Vera Obnoxious. Give me that phone.” I chase after him, but his long legs take him down the hall fast, and he almost knocks down a frightened maid.
Chapter 20
We wait for the servants to retreat. Papa bows his head and says grace. Bile roils in the back of my throat. How genteel and refined he is, with his fingernails trimmed and polished, not a hair out of place, his shirt starched and white. Visions of dark red blotches splattering the shirt, staining and spreading over the white, fill my mind. I mumble “Amen” and lift my head in time to see my father staring hard at me.
“You’re as beautiful as your mother,” he says. “She’s the first woman I loved. Tell me, is she well?”
“She is.” I pick at the flat onion pancakes and sesame buns. “Why are we having Chinese food for breakfast?”
What I really want to ask him about is this entire Ping ruse, including my so-called name, Cecelia.
“I like it. It’s my new identity.” He expertly picks up a strip of jellyfish with a pair of chopsticks.
“Sorry, I don’t care where you are, you’re still Rey Custodio and you’re Pinoy, like the rest of our family.”
Papa stirs his congee and slurps it. “Not here. I’m Anson Ping, you’re Cecelia, and my sons are Ben and Dex.”
I drop the chopsticks. “You’ve forgotten Rey Jr. and Rodrigo?”
He grimaces. “Of course not. I grieved for them, but a man must move on.”
Tears swarm in my eyes, and I fight to control them. The teacup jiggles in my hand; I hastily take a sip. “A man can move on, but not a woman. If Mama knew, you’d break what’s left of her heart. Don’t you feel even a little bit bad about this?”
“Yes. That’s why I want to bring all of you here to live with me. Your mother will not have to struggle to find work. I’ll give her an entire wing of this mansion. Louie will have the best medical care, and you? You can do anything you want: sing, paint, travel. I owe it to you and your mother. What do you say?”
Knowing Vera (Romantic Suspense, Family Drama) (Chance for Love) Page 14