Chapter 32
“Did you find anything?” Selena asked as soon as Xavier had arrived at her house and they sat on the porch.
“No,” he said. “How about you?”
“Nothing.”
“How was your talk with Moonflower?” he asked gently, his dark eyes sweeping over her.
Selena grinned. “We're friends again.”
Xavier smiled his sparkler. “Great.”
“At least one good thing has come out of our search for the Key of Hearts,” Selena sighed.
“I'm beginning to think that finding it will be impossible,” he declared, annoyed.
“We’re missing something. I just know it.”
“What can it be?”
“I just don’t know,” she said, shaking her head with frustration.
“This is bad. Very bad. We don’t know where the key is or who is trying to get it. Do you think they already have it?”
“If they had it, they would’ve already used it and there’s been no shift of energy, right?”
Xavier nodded. “You’re right, Selena. There has been no shift in the energy. I would’ve felt it.”
“So you haven’t felt a difference in your abilities?”
“No.”
“Then they probably haven’t found the key,” she affirmed.
“Right.”
Selena sighed pensively. “Let’s retrace our steps.”
“Okay.”
“Think back to Socorro.”
“I doubt if we can squeeze out anything else from there.”
“You said those two guys were talking about their favorite things. Did they talk about anything else other than watermelons?”
“They also talked about their favorite actresses,” informed Xavier. “The brother said he loved Salma Hayek.”
“Salma Hayek?”
“Yes, and the other guy said he had just seen an actress on T.V. who looked exactly like Salma Hayek.”
“Really?”
“See, I told you it was nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, Xavier,” Selena said pensively.
“That was a clue?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Salma Hayek has something to do with the Key of Hearts?”
“No, not Salma Hayek.”
“Then who?” he asked curiously.
“If I’m reading the clues right, it’s my mother.”
“Your mother?”
“She looks a lot like Salma Hayek.”
“Yes, I know.”
Selena stood up. “Let’s go talk to her.”
“You really think she knows something about the Key of Hearts?”
“It’s worth a try.”
As Selena and Xavier stepped into the house, Mrs. Spinoza smiled from the recliner. She and Zac watched Green Acres intently.
“Mom,” Selena said.
“Yes?” Mrs. Spinoza answered, barely able to tear her sight from the screen as she ate a slice of watermelon. Selena stared at it with puzzling curiosity.
“How’s your day going?” Selena asked.
“Fine. Is there something wrong?”
“No, why?”
“You and Xavier look very serious. I tried to go out to the porch a few minutes ago but you two looked like you were having a heavy talk.”
“We’re fine, Mom.”
“Yes, fine, Mrs. Spinoza.”
“Why did you go to the porch? What did you need to talk to us about?” Selena asked, trying to mask the intense curiosity in her voice.
“I went to my garden and picked a watermelon for us to eat.”
“I’d love some watermelon,” Selena stated.
“Me too,” Xavier agreed.
“It’s on the counter,” Mrs. Spinoza informed them. “It’s delicious even though . . . the strangest thing . . .”
“What strangest thing?” Selena asked anxiously.
“There’s not much of a heart.”
“Heart?” asked Xavier.
“The middle of the watermelon,” explained Mrs. Spinoza.
“It’s the best part because it’s the sweetest,” Selena expressed. “Why was there not much of it?”
“It’s the strangest thing.”
“What is?” asked Selena impatiently.
“In the middle of the watermelon was a small cactus.”
“A cactus?” Xavier asked.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. How can a cactus grow inside a watermelon?”
“Yes, that’s strange,” Selena answered pensively. The sound of her father’s truck broke the concentration in the room. Mrs. Spinoza’s lips turned up in a smile.
“Your dad’s back from work,” she told Selena.
“Yes, and we’ve got to borrow his truck,” rushed Selena.
“We do?” asked a puzzled Xavier.
“Yes.”
“I thought you were going to have some watermelon?”
“Mom, there’s no time for that. Xavier and I have something very important to do.”
"Very important?"
"Yes."
Even before Mr. Spinoza climbed off his truck, Selena told him she needed to borrow the vehicle. It was an emergency and even when he looked at her and Xavier strangely, he still handed her his keys. As they headed for Trans Mountain Road, Selena tried to concentrate on her driving with all the excitement in her head.
“Where are we going?” questioned Xavier, still fully puzzled and baffled from their quick departure from Selena’s home.
“We’ve going to your Uncle Paul’s home.”
“We are?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” asked Xavier, more confused than ever.
“I think that the Key of Hearts is there.”
Xavier eyebrows shot up. “At my uncle's house?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“The cactus in the watermelon.”
“What does the cactus have to do with anything?”
“The cactus grew in the middle of the watermelon. In your Aunt Lucretia’s garden a Saguaro cactus grows in the middle of her watermelon garden.”
“That’s true,” Xavier asserted, surprised with the realization. “The Key of Hearts has to be in the watermelon patch.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Arriving at their destination, Selena and Xavier took in quick, deep pockets of air before ringing the bell. She fidgeted nervously while Xavier’s dark eyes raked over her with concern. His hand went to hers, sending needles of electricity through her soft skin.
“What if it’s not here, Xavier?” she asked quietly.
“Then we keep trying.”
“But-“
“We can only do what we can do, Selena.”
“I guess you’re right.”
When Lucretia opened the door, her face couldn’t have looked more surprised. Her faded blue jeans and turquoise blouse announced her casual day. She immediately took them in a huge hug and ushered them into the house.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Lucretia gushed.
“We thought we’d visit,” Xavier said. “I hope it’s not a bad time for you.”
“Your uncle isn’t here. He had some business to attend to.”
“That’s okay. We’ll visit with you, Aunt Lucretia.”
“Great! I’m so thrilled that the both of you are here. Give me a second and I’ll get off the phone with Paul’s accountant in New York.”
“You’re on a business call?” asked Xavier.
“Yes, but I can finish it later.”
“No,” Selena and Xavier said in unison.
“But—“
“No, Aunt Lucretia. You should go ahead and finish with it.”
“I can’t ignore you for a silly business call. It wouldn’t be right.”
“What wouldn’t be right is us messing up your routine because we showed up out of the blue,” asserted Xavier.
“Don’t make us feel worse than we already do,” Selena declared. “Please finish with your call. We’ll be fine by ourselves in your beautiful home.”
“But—“
“This is the way it has to be or we’ll have to leave,” stated Xavier.
“Oh, all right. I still don’t like it but if you two are set on me finishing my phone call, then I will. I won’t be long. Make yourselves comfortable—there’s plenty to eat and drink in the fridge.”
“We’ll be outside if you don’t mind," Selena said. "It’s so beautiful out there.”
“Make yourselves at home.”
As Lucretia went to her study, Selena and Xavier rushed to the watermelon garden. They didn’t know how much time they had before Lucretia did the last of the accounting. They feverishly started looking around the lemon-green, tall Saguaro cactus, being careful of not getting too near all the jutting, sharp pricks on it. When they couldn’t find anything, they searched through the watermelon patch, looking thoroughly at and between the dark green fruit.
“It’s just not here,” Selena sighed, frustration and disappointment in her voice.
“We’ll find it, Selena. We will.”
“What are you two looking for?” Lucretia asked. Selena and Xavier had been so focused in what they were doing that they hadn’t seen her come out.
“Nothing,” blurted Xavier, caught by surprise.
“Nothing?”
“We were just looking at the watermelons,” Xavier explained quickly.
“Why?”
“Your garden is so beautiful,” Selena expressed, trying to make her voice sincere. “And watermelons are so interesting—some bigger, some smaller, and with different shades of green.”
“Yes, it’s very interesting,” Xavier chimed in.
Lucretia looked at them suspiciously. “I made lemonade earlier. Would you like some?”
“Sure,” Xavier asserted.
“We’d love some,” Selena reiterated.
“I’ll get it.”
“We’ll help you,” Xavier offered.
“No, stay here and enjoy the view of the watermelons. I’ll be back.”
As soon as she stepped into the house, Xavier turned to Selena. “I should’ve thought of something better, but she caught me by surprise.”
Selena giggled lightly. “I don’t know a lot of people who go watermelon watching in their spare time.”
Xavier let out a deep chuckle. “Yeah, that’s kind of silly.”
“At least you didn’t freeze like I did. My mind went blank.”
“This thing with finding the Key of Hearts is much harder than I thought it would be,” he said, his dark eyes intently on her.
“You aren’t kidding about that.”
Lucretia stepped out with a loaded tray and Xavier rushed to her to help her with it. At the patio table, Lucretia poured them lemonade and served snacks of organic blue corn tortilla chips, salsa, and bean dip.
“If you would’ve told me you were coming, I would’ve made something better than this,” Lucretia stated, slightly chiding.
“This is wonderful, Aunt Lucretia. You shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble,” assured Xavier.
“We really don’t want to be bothers,” Selena stated.
“You can never be bothers so get that out of your heads. I just like being the doting aunt.”
“We love you too, Aunt Lucretia,” informed Xavier.
“Good, because you’re stuck with me.”
“And you’re stuck with us,” Selena declared.
“We’re all stuck with each other,” laughed Lucretia. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
As they pleasantly chatted about school and Lucretia’s love for the Southwest, time passed fast. Soon Selena and Xavier informed Lucretia that they’d have to leave but firmly promised they’d visit again soon. As they helped Lucretia get the tray back in the house along with a watermelon she insisted on picking, they thanked her for a great visit.
“You’re very welcome,” she expressed as they arrived at the kitchen. “If you love watermelon so much then you can’t leave without having some.”
“Aunt Lucretia, you don’t have to slice open a watermelon for us. You’ve already fed us enough,” Xavier assured.
“No, I haven’t. Wait till you taste how out-of-this-world flavorful this batch came out. They’re the sweetest and best I’ve ever had!”
“They are?” Selena asked suspiciously as she stared at the dark green fruit.
“I guarantee you’ve never tasted anything like them.”
“Really?” asked Selena, knitting her eyebrows together and Xavier’s fluid eyes anchored themselves on her.
“Guaranteed,” Lucretia stated as she expertly sliced the plump watermelon. Xavier and Selena stood very near, unable to breathe until Lucretia finished.
As Lucretia happily handed the bright red slices to them, a disappointed gasp escaped from Selena’s pursed lips.
“What’s wrong, Selena?” asked Lucretia with concern.
“I’m sorry. I keep thinking about something I lost.”
“Something you lost?”
“Yes, and I’m worried I’ll never get it back.”
“You lost it in the watermelon patch? Is that what you were looking for?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“So you weren’t really admiring the garden?”
“We didn’t want to bother you, so we didn’t tell you,” blurted Xavier.
“Maybe if you tell me what you lost, I can look for it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Selena rushed.
“But if it’s that important—“
“I might’ve not lost it here,” assured Selena. “Maybe I lost it somewhere else.”
Lucretia kneeled down to the bottom of one of her kitchen cabinets and pulled out a folded shimmering purple-pink scarf.
“I think I know what you were looking for,” she stated.
“You do?” uttered Xavier.
"Yes," Lucretia insisted.
"I didn't lose a scarf," commented Selena.
"I know. The scarf is mine. Check out what's inside."
She carefully opened the scarf. Selena gasped loudly while Xavier took in a deep breath. There it was, in all its magnificence, the Key of Hearts.
The Key of Hearts Page 32