Where the Rainbow Ends (Summer Lake Silver Book 4)

by SJ McCoy

  He had to smile at the way she kept calling it home. “Okay. I’ll get back here as early as I can.”

  “Just let me know what time you’re coming, and I’ll come and pick you up.”

  “I could rent a car.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve been doing far too much of that. In fact, I was thinking I should probably drive up to the lake next time we come back here. That way, I’ll have my car up there.”

  He frowned. “We can talk about it.” He held her gaze. It was time to at least make the suggestion. “I was thinking that maybe we should have second cars there.”

  She laughed. “I don’t need a second car.”

  “Perhaps not. But I’d like you to have one.”

  She met his gaze. He didn’t see the flash of anger that he’d grown used to whenever she felt he was overstepping. He relaxed when she smiled. “That’s sweet of you, but it doesn’t make any sense. If I’m going to be up at the lake …” She squeezed his hand. “And I plan to be, then I should take my car up there.”

  “Can we talk about it?”

  The plane came to a stop. “We can, but not now.” She nodded at the cockpit door, and Karl came out and smiled at them.

  “Did you guys decide if we’re here for a while?”

  Izzy smiled back at him. “No. I’m bailing. You can take this guy away again.”

  Diego laughed and shook his head at Karl. “She’s trying to get rid of me, but you’ll bring me back later, won’t you?”

  “I will.” Karl looked at Izzy. “You might be able to bail on him for the day, but I don’t think you’ll get away with any longer than that.”

  When he turned to let down the steps, Diego planted a kiss on her lips. “He’s right, you know.”

  “I’m glad.”

  He got to his feet and followed her down the steps.

  “Where are you going?”

  He laughed. “I’m seeing you to your car.”

  “There’s no need. I’m a big girl. You should get going. The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back.”

  He shook his head. “No. You can boss me around to some extent. I’ll try to be good about most things, but I’m not leaving here until I’ve seen you back to your car.”

  She pursed her lips, and he wondered if she was about to argue. He was relieved when she smiled. “Okay, come on then. And don’t think you’ve won. I’m gracefully accepting that you’re just being a gentleman.”

  He took her hand as they walked back across the tarmac. “I am a gentleman.” He winked and added, “Most of the time.”

  When they reached her car, he backed her up against it and cupped the sides of her neck between his hands. He looked down at her lips. They were plump and pink. He brushed his over them and felt her relax against him. He kissed her deeply; he couldn’t help it. It didn’t matter that they were standing in the middle of a parking lot. It wouldn’t matter where they were. Whenever he kissed her, she made him want more. Her kisses were intoxicating.

  When he lifted his head, she smiled up at him. “Damn, you can kiss.”

  He laughed. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  “Want to come back with me and make good on what that kiss just promised?”

  He laughed. “Absolutely. It was you who said I couldn’t. I’m up for it.”

  She touched the front of his pants and smiled. “I know! I could feel how up for it you are!”

  He shrugged. “What can I say? The way you kiss me makes me not want to be a gentleman anymore.”

  She reached up and pecked his lips. “You can remind me just how ungentlemanly you can be when you get back here tonight.”

  He gave her a sad look. “You were only joking about me coming back with you?”

  “Yeah. I’d love you to come, but it’d mess everything up.”

  He smirked. “But I want to come now.” He pressed his hips against her to make his point clear.

  She laughed. “You wicked man! Don’t tempt me. Go on, get going before I give in to you. You can come tonight.”

  He cupped her cheek in his hand. “So can you.”

  She turned her face and kissed his hand. “I have no doubt I will. Let me know what time you’ll be back, and I’ll be here waiting.”

  “Okay. I love you, Izzy.”

  “I love you. See you later.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Izzy pulled the car into the garage when she got home. She’d have to remember to park it in here when they left tomorrow. She didn’t want to leave it out on the driveway because she didn’t know when she’d be back. She smiled. That felt good. It didn’t scare her, and she didn’t have any reservations. It was all good. Diego loved her. She loved him. They were at the beginning of their journey together, and she trusted him that wherever this journey took them, he was in it with her.

  She let herself in and looked around the kitchen. It was funny. She’d lived here for six years. It was the only house she’d owned after her divorce. She’d had some good times here, but now, everywhere she looked, she could see Diego. He’d eclipsed all the other memories this house had held. She could see him cooking for her. See him standing at the bottom of the stairs beckoning for her to go with him. She knew how lucky she was.

  She went to the fridge and poured herself a glass of water. She loved that he knew how lucky he was, too. She sat down at the counter and pulled her phone out. She needed to send a couple of emails out to clients. She frowned when she saw one from Rafa. Bless him. She’d thought that he would have given up and moved on by now.

  She sent him a quick reply, telling him that she’d met someone else, that she wished him well, but nothing was ever going to happen between them again. She truly did wish him well.

  After she’d done that, she got busy with work. Audrey had told her to take some time off if she wanted, and she was thinking she might just do that. She wanted to tie up loose ends today. She and Diego were going back to the lake tomorrow, and she was hoping that they might take the rest of the week to just get used to being there—to being together.

  She stopped to make herself a sandwich for lunch. She’d need to sort the fridge out before she left. She didn’t want to leave things in there to go moldy. She knew she’d be back, but she didn’t know when. Diego kept calling the house at the lake their house, kept saying that they were going to live there. They hadn’t really talked about the details of what that meant, but she was up for it. As far as she was concerned now, she was all in with him.

  She smiled when she remembered the time they’d been waiting for the minibus to collect them from the lodge to come home. There’d been a rainbow, and he’d asked if she wanted to find the crock of gold with him. He was such a romantic like that.

  At the time, though, she hadn’t realized it. She’d told him that the only thing at the end of the rainbow was a crock of shit. She felt bad about that now. Still, hopefully, she’d have all the time in the world to make it up to him—the rest of her life if things worked out the way it looked like they would.

  The afternoon flew by, and the next time she looked at her watch, it was six-thirty. She frowned. She’d have expected him to call before now to let her know what time he’d be back. Still, he had a lot to do himself. He’d gone to the office, and he’d gone home to get more clothes to bring to the lake. She frowned. And he needed to check in with Carmen, too.

  It didn’t bother her that he had a housekeeper. It wasn’t surprising that he’d need help to keep that big house clean. She liked him for it if she was honest. She liked the story of how he’d taken her on as a babysitter when he was young, single dad and how she’d stayed with him and Zack ever since. She was looking forward to meeting her.

  She looked up at the sound of a car door outside. Had he rented himself a car? She ran to the front door and opened it with a big smile on her face.

  That smile faded when she saw that it wasn’t him. It was Rafa.

  “Hi, Izzy.”

  “What are you doing here?”<
br />
  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  She blew out a sigh. “We’ve said all we need to say, Rafa.”

  “I know you think so, but …” He shrugged. “Can we? Can I come in?”

  She nodded reluctantly. If this was what it would take to give him some closure, then she owed him that. “Okay.”

  He followed her through to the kitchen. “I know you said you’ve met someone else. But what did I do wrong?”

  “Nothing! You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart. You’re a good guy. It’s not you—”

  He held up a hand. “Please don’t give me the it’s not you, it’s me speech.”

  She chuckled. “Okay, then. I won’t. But in this case, it happens to be the truth. I was honest with you from the beginning, Rafa. I wasn’t looking for anything serious. We were just for fun. Just physical.”

  “I know. You were straight with me about that, but I didn’t think you meant it.”

  “Why not?”

  He shrugged and gave her a sad smile. “Maybe because I’m an idiot? I must be.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re a good guy. And you’ll meet someone else—someone who’s right for you.”

  “I think you’re right for me.”

  “I’m not. I’m way too old for you.”

  He pursed his lips. “Age doesn’t make any difference, not if you don’t want it to.”

  She stared at him for a moment. He had a point there.

  “You told me you weren’t interested in anything serious, but now you’re telling me that you’ve met someone else. Is that serious?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s what makes me want to know what I did wrong. I don’t mean to make this difficult for you. I just want to understand. What does he have that I don’t?”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle. “One of the most important things he has is about twenty years more life experience.”

  “Oh. He’s old then?”

  She laughed. “Yeah. I suppose to you he is. But to me, he’s just right, and I love him.”

  He nodded sadly. “That’s not something I can do anything about, is it?”

  “It isn’t. Listen, I’m sorry, Rafa.”

  “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

  Izzy jumped, and they both turned to see Diego standing in the kitchen doorway. She couldn’t make out what the expression on his face meant. Was he mad? Her heart started to race. Please, God, don’t let him be mad. Don’t let him think this was something it wasn’t.

  He took a step toward Rafa, and her heart jumped into her throat. What was he going to do? She slid down from her stool in a panic. She relaxed when he held his hand out to Rafa and gave him a friendly smile.

  Rafa shook with him.

  “I’ll never say I’m sorry that Izzy chose me over you.” He smiled at her. “I’ll be forever grateful that she did. I’m sorry for you that you lost out on the wonderful person she is. You’ll meet someone else. I wish you happiness. But you’ll never meet someone like her.”

  Rafa nodded. “I know.” He gave Izzy a sad smile. “I guess I got my answers. I should go.”

  Izzy went to him and gave him a quick hug. She didn’t miss the way Diego’s eyebrows came down when she did it, but he could deal with it.

  Once Rafa had gone, she raised her eyebrows at Diego. “I thought you were going to call me.”

  “And I thought you wanted me out of the way so that you could work.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. What was he saying?

  He came to her and closed his arms around her. “Sorry. I take that back. That was just a little bit of jealousy creeping in, and I apologize.”

  She rested her cheek against his chest. “Apology accepted. And I apologize, too. That can’t have been easy—to walk in and see him here. How much did you hear?”

  He leaned back so he could see her face, and then he smirked. “I heard that I might seem old to him, but that you think I’m perfect, and you love me.”

  She laughed and slapped his arm. “You and your huge ego! I said that you’re just right, not that you’re perfect.”

  He grinned. “But you did tell him that you love me.”

  She nodded. “I did because I do.”

  “And when you said I’m just right, did you mean I’m the perfect fit?” He was pressing himself against her, and she knew damned well what he meant.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “No?” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Do I need to remind you just how perfectly we fit together?” He closed his hand around the back of her neck, sending shivers of anticipation running through her.

  “I think perhaps you do.”

  He took her hand and led her to the stairs. She stopped and went to lock the front door before she went with him. “I don’t think we want anyone else coming in unannounced, do we?”

  He chuckled. “We don’t.”

  ~ ~ ~

  As he lay there with her wrapped up in his arms afterward, Diego held her closer to his chest. She looked up into his eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  He nodded.

  “What is it, though? Are you still thinking about Rafa being here?”

  “No. Well, yes, but not in the way you think.”

  She leaned back so she could get a better look at him. “I’m sorry. But it didn’t mean anything.”

  “I know, mi amor. I trust you completely. It’s not that.”

  “What then?”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, wondering if he should tell her what he was thinking. He knew he’d have to. “I don’t want this to come out the wrong way. Forgive me if I choose the wrong words?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “What you told me about …” His heart was racing as he thought about it. He wanted to kill the bastard. “About your foster father.”

  Her lips pressed together. “What about it?”

  “I can’t imagine. I’m sorry.”

  “I’ve told you. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.” She started to pull away, but he held onto her, and to his relief, she relaxed. “Sorry, go on. Whatever you want to know, ask.”

  “It’s just. I would have thought that experience might have put you off men—sex. But you …” How the hell was he supposed to say that she seemed to like it more than most women he’d known?

  She surprised him with a smile. “It’s okay. You think I should be traumatized or terrified of men, or at the very least, I should have been put off sex for life, right?”

  He nodded and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.

  “It’s okay. I asked myself that same question for a long time. I … when I went to college, let’s say I was popular with the boys.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment, not wanting to think about it.

  “I only figured it out in therapy years later. He …” She blew out a sigh. “He used to tell me that I belonged to him. That I was his. That no other man would ever touch me. I wasn’t allowed to have boyfriends.” She didn’t look sad or angry, just resigned as she continued. “As soon as I got out of that house, I guess I rebelled against him. I made the most of my freedom. One of the therapists I saw told me that it’s common for women who’ve been abused as girls to become promiscuous later in life.” She looked up into his eyes. “I don’t like to think of myself as promiscuous, but I wasn’t exactly a nun.”

  He nodded. “So, the thing with younger guys was about having boyfriends like you weren’t allowed to?”

  “I guess.”

  “And the thing about avoiding big macho guys like me was about avoiding what reminded you of him?”

  She nodded.

  “And you think that you’re going to be okay with me?”

  She looked up into his eyes. His heart felt as though it might break in two when she shook her head. He’d understand if she felt she couldn’t do it. It’d kill him, but he’d respect it. He loved her too much to hurt her any more than she’d already been hurt.

  “
I’m not just okay with you, Diego. I love you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’ve gotten me over the last of it without even knowing how much you’ve helped me. You’ve made me see that it can’t touch me anymore.” She planted a kiss on his lips. “I’m not afraid of you. When I told you that in the beginning, it was a lie, even though I didn’t know it. I was afraid of you, or at least of everything you reminded me of. But being with you has shown me that what I was afraid of is a ghost of the past. And what I have with you is the present.” She smiled. “And hopefully, the future.”

  He held her close and kissed her. That was the best way he knew to tell her everything he was feeling. When he finally lifted his head, he looked down into her eyes. “You are my future, Izzy. If you want me.”

  “I do.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was raining as Diego sat in his new office on Thursday morning. This room was one of the things that he’d fallen in love with when he first looked at the house. It was probably better named a study than an office. It was done all in rich woods; the walls were lined with bookcases, and the huge desk looked out across the lawns to the lake.

  When Izzy had first visited his house in Laguna Beach, he’d told her that he liked sleek modern architecture, and he did. But that was partly because traditional architecture had always felt like it was part of a world that was out of his reach. He’d grown up poor in Colombia. His mother used to clean the church and the Padre’s house, too. When he was small, he’d gone with her sometimes. The Padre’s office had been a lot like this room. He shook his head to clear it, wondering why he was dwelling on that when he was supposed to be calling Ted.

  This would be their first regular morning call in a while, and the first he’d make from his new office.

  He dialed the number and waited, checking the clock as he did. It was seven o’clock on the dot. Perhaps a sign that things were getting back to normal—or at least, that they might be establishing a new normal.

  Ted answered on the first ring. “Buenos días, mi amigo.”

  Diego laughed. “Hola, buenos días.”