Marc ignored the buzz of phones, faxes and printers all around him when the receptionist at Windy City Realty showed him to an empty corner office.
“Duarte, I’ll be with you in a second.” His realtor had a headpiece on his ear and gestured for him to sit.
It gave Marc time to think. So much had happened. His attraction had become an obsession, and he couldn’t exist without her. We’ll seal our love with a ring. Still spinning, he allowed himself a smile.
His realtor popped from his dark leather desk chair for a handshake. “Marc Duarte. You look happy. Why wouldn’t you be, your condo sold at asking price.”
“Thanks to you, it did.” Marc didn’t tell him he was on cloud nine. He gazed at the paperwork the realtor pulled out. While the wheels of the transaction were spinning along, Marc thought about his personal agreement. He and Heatherlee would seal their pact with a jasper ring, yet he yearned for a celebration with friends and family. To him, a life partner commitment shouldn’t be private.
His realtor handed him a Mont Blanc pen. “I have everything laid out here. Go ahead and sign.”
Marc signed on the dotted line and initialed several highlighted areas. He placed the pen on the blotter. “I used the place this weekend. When the utility bill comes in, I’ll pay it.”
“Sure, the new owner can go through me.” It was another ten minutes before all was said and done.
Marc headed for the elevator. On the way down, he dialed his sister, the owner of the other half of the family ranch.
Felicity didn’t pick up. When her answering machine came on, he said, “Sis, I’m in Chicago. Just closed on my condo. As soon as I get the check, I’ll buy you out if you’re still willing. Give me a call when you get this.”
She picked up. “Marc, I ran to the phone, heard your message.” Her voice was a huff. “Sounds like I’ll be getting a nice nest egg real soon.”
“I’m glad it’s agreeable. Hey, I want to tell you something. I don’t tell you enough, Sis. You’re great.”
“Were your ears ringing yesterday? I was talking with Tennile D’Etcheverry. Remember how we used to boss you around? We made you be Ken.”
“Ken got to drive Barbie’s pink convertible.” He remembered how they’d fought and then laughed all night.
“By the way I miss you, too, Junior.”
“That goes without saying. Before I forget, I want to tell you that I’ve met someone.” He’d promised not to tell about their secret commitment. He thought it’d be okay to mention dating.
“You’re not really in love, are you?”
“Head over heels.”
“You’re rebounding!”
“Hardly. Pilar and I split five years ago. Believe me, Pilar and I were incompatible.” It felt like an arranged marriage. “I have business in Los Angeles next week. How about lunch, Thursday Noon at Cha-Cha’s? Have time?”
“Of course, I’ll make reservations. You should bring your girlfriend to the Christmas barbeque.”
“Thought I would.”
“Do I know her?” Felicity asked.
“I’m sure you do. Heatherlee Baronova used to be the D’Etcheverry’s foster child.” He guessed she would know her since Tennille was her closest friend.
“Heatherlee is dazzling now. Hubby rented IRON MAN from Blockbuster, and all of us watched it. Gwenyth Paltrow played opposite Robert Downey Junior and had red hair. Heatherlee looks so much like her. Well, except that her hair is curly.”
“To me, Heatherlee looks like herself.”
“She’s molded herself into a successful and likeable entrepreneur from what Momma says.” Felicity let out a sigh. “You still have a problem.”
“Why?”
“She isn’t Basque. Momma will never accept her into the family. In fact, she’s invited several young, single Basque women from Nevada to the family barbeque. To meet you.”
“I’m sorry to let Momma down, but there isn’t going to be any more railroading.”
“Momma doesn’t know that you’ve got her stubborn gene.”
“Guess not.” He felt disheartened, but he did not feel guilty.
“Marc, there’s that and something else.”
“Something about Heatherlee, I take it?”
“A rumor circulated within Momma’s circle. Has to do with photos of Heatherlee.”
“She runs a health spa.”
“This wasn’t about her business. She was in the nude. A lover of hers passed them around town. Our cousins saw them.”
“Thank you, that’s lovely.” Emotion clogged in his throat. Welled there. Vulnerable and kind, Heatherlee had been humiliated by a lover. Marc stiffened with hard rage. “Did anyone care what she might have dealt with?”
“Guess not, boys will be boys.”
His emotions were jammed, and he had nothing to say.
“She wasn’t as helpless as you might think,” she said. “The photos actually helped her business. Everybody wanted a body like hers.”
“Heatherlee’s past is just that,” he said.
“Is it?” Felicity started talking about their Thanksgiving at Laguna Woods, and Marc did his best to respond politely. When he shut his phone, a sense of inevitability washed over him. The Basques were tough nuts to crack.
Back on the busy street, Marc was handed a flyer of goings-on in downtown Chicago. He looked it over. A rock and roll dance class caught his eye. If Heatherlee wanted to take the class, there was a sidewalk art contest in a covered area for preschoolers at the same time. He read the supply list. He ducked into a five-and-dime and bought a large tub of colored chalk.
He spotted a high-end jewelry store and walked at a furious pace. Once inside, he took his time pouring over jasper stones, studying each one before making selections. He wanted one ring for her and one for him. Flecks in one jasper stone were as green as her eyes. The stones were designed to fit various settings. For her, he selected white gold rings. In the first ring, the rectangular stone was set flat and deep. The second ring was a wedding band, and he’d save that one. She was right. Jasper was unique. He bought a man’s jasper ring for himself.
As he walked toward the condo, he speed dialed her. While it rang, he took his ring from the box and slipped it onto the fourth finger of his left hand. It felt right.
She answered. “Hello, Handsome.”
“Honey, there’s a rock and roll dance class that starts in an hour. They charge twenty dollars and take walk-ins if you’re interested.”
“I am. What about you and the twins?”
“We’ll enter a sidewalk art contest for preschoolers. Both are on the Magnificent Mile.”
“Rock and roll, you say? I’ll wear jeans.”
“Do that.” In a few more minutes he scaled the steps back to her.
She met him at the door. Galen and Annie squeezed between them. He held a tub of chalk. “We’ll take a taxi to the dance studio and walk from there. Chalk is for you, Annie and Galen.”
All smiles, the twins watched him set the tub of chalk down on the coffee table and put leashes on the pooches.
Annie picked up the tub of chalk. She tried to pry it open but couldn’t.
Galen said, “I can draw a rainbow.”
“Me, too, and puppies.” Annie jumped and clapped her hands.
Marc said, “I’ll draw two rings. First, I want to slip one on the finger of the woman I love. I can’t live without you, Heatherlee.”
She threw her arms around him. Tears squeezed from her eyes as she tilted her head up and kissed him.
“I love you.” There, he’d said it. “Even if it’s just us, we need to celebrate.” He pulled her into the kitchen and kissed her. Touching her, holding her tight against him, hearing her heart beating so close to his own, he felt her breasts crush against him. “You are my woman.”
“I am, but we shouldn’t…right now.”
“Just one more kiss, Honey.” He kissed her again and lost himself in the feel of her. She closed her eyes and moaned almost imperceptibly. Through her T-shirt, he felt the soft, pliant muscles of her back, the indentation of her spine. His fingers dipped lower along her smooth curve and below the waistband. Heat and desire sizzled through him.
* * * *
It was late morning, and they were leaving the hundred-year-old mansion. A gray limousine pulled to the curb in front. The twins zoomed into the back seat, so adept now at riding in taxis.
“Big car.” Galen spoke to Annie.
“Real big.” Annie was equally impressed.
“Hard to find anything bigger than the Caddy.” Marc placed the pet carrier with the puppies between them and buckled them.
Heatherlee slipped into a backward bucket seat facing the twins. “The limo is a nice touch, Mr. Rightnow.”
Marc got seated and whispered in her ear, “I’d like some photos just for us.” He held an instamatic.
“Snap away.” She patted his knee. “I’m not dressed up.”
“You’d be gorgeous in a gunny sack.” He snapped her picture and then pointed it at the twins. “Say Cheeseburger.”
They kicked their feet. “What’s a cheeseburger?”
Heatherlee looked at her ring, admiring it. “It’s something like a veggie burger.”
Through the center panel Marc leaned forward to speak to the driver. “O’Hare Airport, Continental Airlines.”
She said, “Goodbye, Windy City.” Now that they were heading back to Landings Beach, their secret commitment didn’t feel entirely real.
* * * *
The twins babbled softly between themselves.
Marc had logged onto his laptop, checking on their e-tickets. “If we want seats together, we still need to fly through Vegas.” He looked pensive, as if something had jogged his memory. “A fraternity brother of mine runs a wedding chapel in the McCarran Airport. They do photos.”
“Commitment photos, I have nothing to wear.”
“We have a two-hour layover. The twins can hold flowers.”
“Flowers? They’re not dressed up.”
“They look fine.” He smelled of cologne, something he’d never worn. The heavy scent was oppressive. Then again, his solid presence had grown on her. She hadn’t forgotten the thrill of pleasure when he’d slipped the jasper ring on her finger. He wanted to remember their special weekend with photos. He was punching a number into his phone.
She put her face close to the twins and smiled. “Can you stay awake for pictures, Lovebugs?” They usually napped from one to three, and that would be the time of their layover. Her sudden rise in body temperature clued her in that she was overwhelmed with the added complication. She and Marc had a year to test out his family acceptance of her. She’d try her best to win them. If she lost herself in the process or the twins weren’t welcomed into the fold, she wouldn’t go through with it. She would remain as guardian to his son as long as he needed her.
“I phoned the chapel and ordered two small bouquets.”
“Marc, you are thoughtful to include the twins in our commitment photo. I love this beautiful ring. I didn’t mean for you to buy an eighteen-caret gold setting.”
“I bought one for me, too.” He put his left hand over hers.
“You are just full of surprises.” She looked down and looked at her ring and his.
He wrapped his thumb over her hand to show off his. “Mine is bigger, therefore more expensive. Hope you don’t mind.” His voice, as soft as velvet, gave her that fluttering sensation.
“Our rings are very special.” She didn’t want him spending money that he needed for the ranch. But there was no stopping him.
“Someday I’ll buy you a diamond.” His slow, lingering smile made her heart pound in her rib cage.
“I’ll never let you replace this jasper with an over-rated diamond.”
“You won’t, huh.” He burst into song in a tenor voice. “Someday we’ll be goin’ to the chapel, and we’re gonna get married.” He changed the words to future tense.
She sang along with lyrics she could remember. “We’ll say ‘I do’, and we’ll never be lonely anymore.”
“Going to the chapel of love. Bells will ring, and you’re going to be mine.” He laughed and affectionately squeezed her shoulder. He was a comfortable rock beside her.
“And, we’ll never be lonely anymore.” As she repeated the verse, she wanted to make it to the altar and beyond. Wanting him was an error in judgment.
Huge!
* * * *
As they walked through the Vegas airport, Marc held Galen’s hand while she held Annie’s.
He asked her for the second time if she wanted to rent a gown for the photos. It seemed to be important to him. After all, he’d doused himself with cologne for the occasion.
A photographer’s display window with old-time sepia photos gave her an idea. “Marc, look at all the vintage clothing in here.” She didn’t think Olde Time Photos would turn her down if she rented some items for just an hour.
“Template style photos aren’t what I had in mind.” He stopped and looked in the window.
She dragged him inside. “I’d like to rent items from this place. We could still have our pictures taken at the chapel.” She watched for his reaction.
“They do have dresses here. Maybe I should cancel our appointment with my frat brother. Have photos done here.”
“Don’t cancel. Wedding chapels have an array of pretty backdrops.” She perused a clothing rack of dresses. “Can you watch the twins for a minute?”
“Of course.” He took them out of the shop near the fountain. The twins closed in on the splashing water.
From the store, she heard their giggles as they threw his pennies into the water. After she made a few selections, she spoke with the manager and put the rental on a credit card.
Soon Heatherlee appeared with a black cowboy hat, a Stetson. “It’s perfect for a sheep rancher.” Over her arm, she carried a frilly dancehall number. She liked how the deep rose complimented her hair color.
When he put it on, he looked rakishly handsome. “It fits.”
She decided to relax and have fun. “I’ll fix myself up real proper-like.”
Marc managed to find the wedding chapel. Heatherlee sat on a red sofa with Galen and Annie. They were falling asleep while Marc introduced her to his fraternity brother. After small talk ended, Marc’s friend pointed out a dressing room. The photographer would come available after he completed photos of a wedding party.
Heatherlee changed into the rose frock and fluffed up her coppery hair. She hadn’t taken the time to try it on at the shop. With cleavage spilling, a slit exposed one leg as she walked out.
Marc’s eyes took her in with a sizzle. When his friend let loose a wolf whistle, she felt her face flush. Suddenly her heart sunk. She looked like a hussy in front of his friend. She watched them chat near the front desk. While Marc paid, she picked up the twins and headed into the photographer’s studio. She saw J.J. and gasped.
“So these are the rug rats, Heatherlee Baronova.” J.J. clomped over. “Put the kids down on the big chair. Sometimes the groom sits there, but your man is occupied with my boss. Here, we cater to independent ladies. How about we get you in the dressing room for an unguarded moment? Cavort in your lingerie, adjust your bra, or hike up your gown for a peek?”
“Ah, J.J., heard you landed a job in Vegas.” She let out a dreary sigh, but boiled inside.
“Come on, expose those luscious breasts for one picture.”
She gave him a fierce glare. “Want to get fired again?”
“Hey, hey, please. I promise. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
She said, “Don’t expect to be introduced.”
Marc breezed in, and the photographer was all business. J.J. asked them to choose a backdrop. Heatherlee chose a gazebo scene. While she held the twins’ bouquets, pictures were taken with their rings featured. The experience was a blur, and she was grateful for the chapel’s insane Saturday schedule. His frat brother had to rush off to do another ceremony. Because of his wife’s soccer-mom duties, she couldn’t pop over to meet them.
The last shot was taken by a very quiet photographer who put them into a pose. “That’s it. Photos are developed on the spot.” J.J. left to process film, but they stood alone except for the snoozing twins.
“What fraternity, what college, Marc?” She knew little about residential college life.
“Tau Kappa Epsilon at USC. Didn’t you major in design?”
“I did and loved it.” She’d also completed her General Ed requirements.
“Sorority?”
“Phi Kappa Pink.” She watched his easy smile at her mention of Victoria Secret’s ‘sorority’.
Marc had graduated from one of California’s elite private universities. He was in a fraternity.
I am not second-rate. I learned to run a business by studying on my own. She had a talent for making money, and it soothed her like a balm.
Now she wanted a more formal education. “When I have time, I want to work towards a Bachelor of Arts.”
“You’ll persevere and get it done.” Marc kissed her in front of a pretty backdrop, a gazebo in a garden.
Heatherlee turned and looked at the backdrop she’d chosen. Even though it was a façade, the scene radiated with beauty and meaning. A rugged bridge in the background made her think of hope. In her heart, the round, well-built gazebo would symbolize her deep love for him.
J.J. returned. He fanned their photos out on a small table and quickly left.
She took Marc’s hand, and they looked at them together. “Marc, you look handsome.” She picked up one photo and held it out. “I like how your hat is tipped.” He was beaming with his crooked smile. Despite her tacky gown, a natural expression triumphed. The other photos were mediocre. “This will be for our eyes only, Marc. I look scandalous.”
“You look pretty. We’ll take them all. Since you insist, they’ll be our secret.” He smiled warmly as he picked up the dosing twins. “You ready?”
“Just about.” She pulled out a notepad from her purse and scribbled out a ‘Sorry we missed you’ note for the wife of Marc’s friend. She showed it to him. “It isn’t too gushy, is it?”
He said, “Not at all. As usual, you’re at the top of your game. Ass kissers are loved everywhere.”
She left the note on the desk, and the fifty-something assistant handed her a large, shiny white bag. She thanked the woman and peeked inside at photos packaged in plastic, a small cake box tied with a ribbon, and an assortment of mementos. Walking out, she whispered to him, “Maybe I’ll show these to Tara and Mae. They’ll come up with wicked captions.”
“Until then, you can slip them into that compartment under the counter at your spa.” He put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“We have quite a few souvenirs to squeeze in there, Marc. Our package deal comes with a candle, a bottle of champagne, two champagne flutes, and a small cake.”
“We’ll save out the last item.”
“Doesn’t a committed couple get to dance? Well, they couldn’t package that.”
“We’ll do the horizontal mambo. Then, eat cake.”
Somehow she wanted to save the cake. “Where will we spend our commitment night?”
“The Duarte Ranch, future Mrs. Duarte.”
Back at Olde Time Photos to drop off their rented clothing, the twins were awake and wanted to throw more coins in the fountain. Marc carried the white bag with the satin handle. While she changed back into her street clothes and dropped off their rented clothing, he kept tabs on the twins.
Before leaving the store, Heatherlee memorized Marc’s hat size. With Christmas just around the corner, she’d order a Stetson online for Marc.
* * * *
Back in Landings, their taxi passed along the rowhouses and pulled into the parking lot next to Clearwater. She looked at her home. This is only a building. The people in it are what’s important.
The sun hung low in the sky, and the temperature was around seventy. Yet a man across the street in a ball cap wore wraparound sun glasses and a long trench coat. She knew she felt edgy being back. Her stomach did a little somersault when the taxi came to an abrupt halt between the only two vehicles in the lot, her Caddy and Marc’s Dodge Ram.
It had all been decided. Heatherlee and the twins would follow Marc to the ranch. She was nervous but at the same time wanted to go. The twins were settled in their car seats. Heatherlee stood beside her open door, rotated her neck, and heard it crack.
Barking came from within the puppy carrier while Marc paid the cabby. He placed the carrier and luggage in the backseat of his cab and then walked over to her. “Before I forget, my family puts on an annual Christmas barbeque. I want you and the twins to come and meet everyone. It’ll be at the ranch.”
“Sounds nice.”
“I noticed in Chicago that you never ate meat. Vegetarian?” He reached his arm behind her shoulder and toyed with her hair.
“A moderate vegetarian. I eat eggs, fish, and dairy. Are you serving anything other than rack of lamb?” To her, barbeques of the four-legged sounded like carnage. She slipped into her seat.
He leaned down. “I’ll make sure the caterer has some vegetarian dishes. Other food is pot luck, brought by relatives.” He pressed the button to his remote, and his truck chirped. “See you soon.” He closed her door.
Heatherlee turned the key, and the Caddy rumbled to life. Marc pulled out of the lot ahead of her. Following behind him about two blocks south, she noticed a dark pickup across the street. She hadn’t seen it before. A ripple of fear slid through her. There are thousands of trucks like that. She passed and then saw a tall man slip through the glass door of the corner bar, The Red Beat. He was inside, but turned to look straight at her. She sucked in a breath and told herself not to get caught up in personal paranoia.
Following Marc, she turned west onto Duarte County Road. A stretch of grassland, dotted with sheep, bordered a riverbed. She guessed some of the sheep belonged to his cousins. The road dipped into a canyon and then up again before the ranch came into view. The rambling one-story ranch house was stark white with a red-tiled roof. She passed a big red barn and parked in front of a large freestanding garage. Alongside Marc’s long truck, the Caddy shuddered to a stop.
Marc opened her door, and then helped the twins out. “No leash laws out here.” Puppies scampered around the twins.
He carried the luggage. Galen and Annie ran along beside him and the puppies. Now they were inside the screened porch, and he called out, “I’m fixing dinner tonight. Do you like tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?”
“I love tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Marc was busy somewhere and was telling her to take a tour.
She passed olive trees as she sauntered along the sidewalk toward freshly stained wooden steps. She’d been there with Terese, and every time Anna had greeted them both with hugs and smiles. Heatherlee recalled the home’s vibrancy. The side garden used to be beautiful when tended with the sundial, telling the hour of five at the moment, six with daylight savings. She pulled mint from the bed of herbs and sniffed it. She enjoyed the heady scent, but the mint was taking over. The wisteria hadn’t lost its leaves. She walked through the screened porch and into an oversized kitchen with an oak table and six captain’s chairs.
She imagined herself when they’d visited one day. At sixteen she’d had a timid personality. Any offhand comment could disintegrate her into a thousand pieces like mist. I’m not that girl now.
That day, she saw Marcellus and his pushy, older and heavier brothers squeezing beside a younger Marc and his two cousins, Nick and Max. The Duarte men had talked of sheep prices. Are you going to take it or not? A fist slammed on the table. Everyone in the ranch business knew them even though Marc said the Basque Ranchers Association was a joke.
Kitchen cabinets were still painted almond to match the refrigerator and stove. She ran her hand along the blue stucco wall. Rectangles of brighter wall paint revealed missing pictures. How lucky they were to have a son and daughter who made them proud. Ceilings were open beam in the living room. On the floor, kitchen tile butted against wooden planks, and the wall tone was white. The front door was flanked with crank-out, plentiful windows, but now the room was dim. The dining room set was missing. Out the windows she saw Marc and the twins on the front porch. Facing northwest, it had a roof and railing but otherwise, was open to the elements.
Unlike her, Marc would turn on lights, but the end tables were missing lamps, possibly absconded by Anna. Opposite the windows, a leather couch, as big as a boat, was piled with multicolored pillows. A geometric rug picked up the bright tones and covered most of the floor. Deep cushy chairs angled toward a wall-length fieldstone fireplace. Above it was a pencil sketch of the Pyrenees, the mountains between Spain and France in Basque country. Basqueland was the focal point. If Anna were in the Pyrenees, Heatherlee guessed she would hold sway.
She opened the front door to a wraparound porch and could see that Galen and Annie were fascinated with two little kittens tumbling with the puppies. Marc was standing over wicker furniture, wiping the glass top with a paper towel. He smiled at her. “Thought we’d eat here.”
* * * *
The wicker of the settee creaked under her, and she watched the twins chase around on the front lawn. Here they could dash around the side of the house, loose and unattended. Looking at the horizon, she felt sentimental tears clog in her throat. “Marc, it’s so pretty here. We just shared a meal and a crimson sunset.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
He sprung from his chair, walked behind her and rocked her in his arms. “Someday mi casa will be yours.” He leaned forward, skimming his lips over her damp cheek.
She found his mouth, kissed him, and then said, “You bought puppies and kittens for the twins, didn’t you, Marc?”
He chuckled as he sat back down. “I needed a pair of new dogs for herding. Then, the day after your robbery, I stopped at the police station. Sergeant Ditzman needed help with safety surveys at both preschools in Landings. I knew Galen and Annie attended. I guessed they’d be at Our Redeemer.”
“Just in case, you brought the puppies to both preschools!”
“The kids lined up to pet them. Galen said one was fluffy. Annie liked the other one’s spots.”
“That’s why you named them Fluffy and Spotty.” She felt a warm glow inside. “I feel happy, knowing how hard you’ve tried.”
“Don’t talk like you think I’m done here.”