Anna’s heart beat furiously as the last chords of her newest song hung in the air.
Her eyes met his over the top of Miranda’s head as the little girl dozed in Eduardo’s lap having stopped dancing before the start of the last song. The two boys had likewise fallen asleep on the blanket beside him.
“Is it too late?” she asked, her voice raw, but not from singing.
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand her question. “I don’t know. I can’t see a way forward. All we may have is here and now.” He spoke low. So as not to wake the children? Or was his throat clogged with longing as well?
“I’ll take the here and now. And work towards a future.” There, she’d said it. She was willing to risk her heart again. Was he?
He nodded his head at the children. “We’ll talk more tonight.”
She swung her guitar to her back and kneeled next to Eduardo. She intended to pick up a sleeping Timo and carry him inside. Instead, she drowned in the depths of Eduardo’s eyes. “Only talk?”
A fire blazed in the chocolaty richness, but his words were steady. “We’ll also talk about not just talking.”
Eduardo glanced to the right and she followed his gaze. Tiago and Vivi approached, arm in arm.
“Well done, Anna. You got them all to sleep,” Tiago said. “If the singing thing doesn’t work out for you, consider a career in child care.”
“I may have to do that,” she replied, “if my songs are that boring.”
“More likely the long flight and time change are catching up with them,” Vivi said.
Tiago took Miranda from Eduardo, who picked up Max. The little boy, whose hair color was so similar to Eduardo’s they could be father and son, snuggled into his chest and exhaled a sigh.
Vivi reached for Timo, but Anna put her hand out to stop her. She needed this connection.
“I’ve got him,” Anna said. Timo was a lot heavier asleep than awake, but when he, too, snuggled into her arms, any muscle strain was worth it. This was what she’d given up for her career. It didn’t seem worth it. She’d proven herself. She’d been a success. So what if her career was on the wane? Maybe now was the perfect time to find some other joy in life. She could probably get out of her recording contract; other artists did it all the time.
Except then she’d be coming at this life change from a point of weakness, not strength. Eduardo deserved to be more than her backup plan. He had to be her first choice, not her only choice.
Vivi grabbed the blanket and the children’s empty juice boxes and followed behind.
“Drinks on the terrace in ten minutes,” Tiago said before they all went in different directions to deposit their precious bundles.
Raul raced forward as Anna navigated down the hall towards his room. From the dampness of his clothes, he’d been washing something. As far as she’d seen, the man hadn’t sat down once since he’d been here. She halted the gratitude on his lips with a smile.
“No need to thank me. We all love spending time with Timo. He’s no trouble. You should be happy so many people want to care for him. We all get a chance to bask in his bubbly personality. Just show me where I can put him down.”
Raul opened a door and she strode into the room. A small bed had been placed against a wall in the corner, and she gently laid Timo there.
After pulling the blanket at the base of the bed up over the little guy’s shoulders, she dropped a kiss on his forehead. Her breath caught in her throat. Would she ever get to tuck in a child of her own? Dios, she was becoming maudlin. She needed to keep busy. All this domesticity was making her second-guess her decision to put her career first.
Or was it anticipation for tonight with Eduardo that made her restless?
She freshened up and joined the others on the terrace. Jacques and Tiago were drinking red wine, comparing the various notes they could taste.
“Welcome, Anna. What can I get you to drink?” Tiago asked when he spotted her hovering in the doorway.
“Just a glass of water. My throat is dry from singing all afternoon.” She accepted the glass and sat on the chair nearest the sofa, where Maya and Vivi lounged. Eduardo was nowhere to be seen.
“I heard your new songs,” Maya said. “Jacques and I were sitting on the balcony when you began your rehearsal concert. May I be the first to say they were amazing? I was in tears through all of them. Even the one about the bragging car. I’m such a watering pot these days.”
“I was crying too,” Vivi added. “Not during the car ones; those made me laugh. But the one about the hurricane heart really touched me. My brother had an addiction to drugs, and although we loved him, he left devastation in his wake. Yet somehow, after listening to your song, I felt better. I know he didn’t mean to hurt us, but at the time it was hard to see him self-destruct and not take it as a personal rejection of our love.”
And this is why she sang, so others could process their own emotions. “If you all heard me earlier, then there’s no need for a concert after dinner.”
“Yes, there is,” Maya said. “I want to hear them again. We all do. Right, Eduardo?”
“Yes, of course,” he answered, although whether he knew what he was agreeing to or not was another question. He’d moved to join the men, but rather than a glass of wine, he, too, held a tumbler of water. He’d changed out of his jeans and polo shirt into black dress pants and a charcoal gray button-down. His dark hair was still damp and a little curly at the back. Her fingers tightened on the glass she held.
Would he make love to her tonight? Or find some excuse to put her off?
He caught her staring and excused himself from the other men to join her. He perched his incredible backside on the side of her chair and put his arm along the back. It wasn’t quite an embrace, but it still signaled that they were a couple. Warmth filled her, and she leaned into his side.
“They want me to sing again,” she said softly. Vivi and Maya had embarked on a conversation about pregnancy, and Tiago and Jacques were still analyzing wine on the other side of the terrace.
“The children will be disappointed if they don’t get to perform before a larger audience,” he said at last.
“Provided they wake up.”
That faint hope of reprieve died when Miranda arrived a couple of minutes later, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Max followed in her wake. But unlike the barely awake girl, he bounded onto the terrace like a consummate showman about to begin a performance. He made a beeline for Eduardo.
“Uncle Eduardo, what car do you drive?” Max asked.
“I had a BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, but it was wrecked last week. I’m in the market for a new vehicle. What do you suggest?”
Max tilted his head and announced, “A Pagani Zonda.”
“A Zonda? That’s a little out of my league. And not really practical for city driving.”
Max shrugged. Practicality was something only grownups worried about.
“He wants you to get that car because he doesn’t know anyone who owns one,” Jacques said. “And he’s hoping you’ll give him a ride.”
Jacques and Tiago seemed to have finished their vintner discussion and now joined the rest of them. Jacques’s fingers massaged the back of Maya’s neck. She leaned into his touch like a cat being stroked. Tiago had, similar to Eduardo, perched on the arm of the chair nearest Vivi, and he caressed her shoulders.
How could she sing of lost love to these people who had it by the bucketload?
“Then you should get a Mercedes,” Max said, pulling everyone’s attention back to him. “My new daddy drives a Mercedes—a super duper fast one.”
Eduardo smiled. “Then it must be the best car ever. I will definitely consider one of those.”
The conversation turned away from vehicles to what Miranda had seen in France and what she liked the best. Which basically was the “mega cool house with hundreds of rooms” and Maya’s dog Princess, who’d recently had a litter of puppies.
Anna let the conversation swirl around her. It was nice not to be the center of attention. She spent most of her time in LA being fawned over while she attempted to stay in character. She was an actress in a never-ending role. How had she not seen that until just now?
“Are you okay?” Eduardo whispered into her ear.
She smiled up at him. “I’m getting there.”
“I knew you would.” His sexy smile warmed her from the inside.
Maya’s question, “Anna, when’s your next album coming out?” brought her attention back to the rest of the group.
“Soon, I hope. It’s already a month late. But my record label has cut me some slack with all that’s been happening in my life recently. Which is a good thing, because until a week ago, I had only two new songs written. Lately, though, I’ve been inspired. So hopefully I’ll have something out before the end of the year.”
Eduardo stiffened beside her. How ironic that the songs he’d sparked would be what took her away from him again.
That was a problem for another day. As he’d said earlier, they had the here and now. And she was going to enjoy every last second.
***
Eduardo leaned back in his chair. Dinner had been blissfully quick. Miranda had asked earlier if she and Max could eat in the kitchen with Timo so they could go over their dance routine a couple more times. Evidently, she’d had a rethink on the choreography and wanted to teach the boys a couple of new moves.
He had tried to convince Raul and Timo that they were welcome to join the group in the dining room. But his friend had insisted they were more comfortable in the kitchen. And as neither of them spoke English, which was the lingua franca now that Jacques and Maya had arrived, it would make it awkward for someone to have to translate conversations so they could feel included.
So it was just the adults. But for a reason no one wanted to explain, they were anxious to rejoin the children rather than revel in their ability to eat dinner without having to cut someone’s meat or remind someone to eat their green beans.
They chatted about the next day’s activities. Jacques and Tiago were heading off to see Jacques’s vineyard in Chile but would be back before evening. Maya and Vivi planned to spend the time relaxing by the pool.
Anna fidgeted in her seat beside him.
He leaned close, taking a moment to inhale her spicy vanilla scent. “You don’t have to perform if you don’t want. Say your throat is sore.”
She smiled at him. “No, it’s okay. As you said, the children will be disappointed. Ignore me. I’m always like this before a performance.”
“You never used to be. You loved an audience. That was one of the things that made you great. People could tell you genuinely wanted to sing for them.”
“I still do. It’s just there are so many more expectations of me these days. It’s hard to live up to the ideal with every performance.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that with this group. Just be yourself. Be Anna. Besides, most eyes will be on the kids dancing.”
“If you say so. Still…” She stood, not waiting for the dessert course. “If you will all please excuse me, I’d like to prepare.”
“Yes, of course,” Maya replied. “If it’s too much—”
“No. I’d like to sing for you and get some audience reaction to my new songs.”
“See you in a bit, then,” Vivi said.
He caught Anna’s hand as she pushed in her chair. “Do you need any help?”
Finally, a genuine smile. “No. I can dress myself. I won’t be long.”
It was odd how those few minutes felt like an eternity. He gazed around the table at the other couples. The love in the room was thick enough to choke a hippopotamus. A trickle of unease crept down his spine. This time next year, would he still be on the outside looking in, envying the others’ loving families?
Maya was the next to excuse herself, saying her bladder was being used as a bouncy castle. Vivi departed as well, so it was just the three men and the last dregs of their dinner wine.
Tiago cleared his throat. “You’ll regret it if you let her get away, Eduardo.”
Except his friend didn’t know she’d already gotten away once. And how hard Eduardo had regretted that. Could he sacrifice what it would take to keep Anna in his life permanently? He wouldn’t be the only one to pay the price. Tiago had offered him the partnership so he could spend more time with Vivi and Miranda. If Eduardo left to follow Anna around the world…
Jacques shifted awkwardly and added, “I never knew I could wake up each day happier than the one before.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Eduardo said.
Tiago grabbed the wine bottle like a lifeline. “Who wants a top-up before we go out and join the others?” Through the open door they could hear the excited chatter of the children already on the terrace and Raul’s deep voice telling them to be careful.
Eduardo declined the drink. He’d need all his self-control to make it through the concert. And then to make a rational decision afterward about how far to take things with Anna.
When they stepped out onto the terrace, he did a double take. While they’d eaten dinner, someone had strung fairy lights into the potted palms and formed a makeshift stage covered with a patterned carpet. Candles set up everywhere flickered in the gentle breeze. The patio furniture had been relocated to form a semicircle around the stage. Behind that, more chairs from various parts of the house were arranged.
“Anna said she didn’t mind if the staff listened in,” Tiago said.
Great, now the world would know the convoluted state of their personal relationship.
Everyone was there except Anna. They didn’t have to wait long, however, as she soon appeared from behind the drawn curtains that formed the background for the stage.
He hoped he wasn’t the only one to gasp at her appearance. But his heart beat too loudly to hear the others. She wore a pale blue off-the-shoulder gown. The skirt was layers and layers of filmy material. But when she stepped forward, her leg showed almost to the top of her thigh. Her hair, which she normally wore up, curled lightly and floated about her face and down her back and shoulders. Whatever she’d done to her makeup made her look like she’d been thoroughly ravished and was just waiting for her lover to recover so they could go at it again.
Angel had gone sexy.
She perched herself on the stool set up in the middle of the stage and arranged the dress so she was covered demurely. Her old, battered guitar was incongruous with the rest of her ensemble.
“Anna, before you start,” Maya said, “do you mind if I record the children dancing? I’d like to send the video to Max’s mother.”
“That’s fine. As long as it goes no further than that. Please ask her not to share. My record label will have a fit if a new song, even one about cars, leaks before release.”
A laptop had been set up on a chair beside her, and she pressed a few keys. A quirky background beat filled the air. She nodded to the children. They took up their positions as they had for the rehearsal earlier in the day. Except this time as Anna sang about the cars, Miranda twirled and the boys pretended to be driving around, fake steering wildly to avoid each other and Miranda.
All the adults wore huge smiles. Vivi and Maya had happy tears streaming down their faces. Jacques took the phone from his wife’s hand to finish the recording while he put a loving arm around her shoulders. Even Raul seemed to be sniffling suspiciously.
After the second song, Anna called a little intermission. Max climbed onto his soon-to-be uncle’s lap. Timo made his way to his father, who picked him up and hugged him close, pressing dozens of kisses on the smiling child’s face. Anna handed Miranda a length of white diaphanous material.
“These next two songs I wrote shortly before my husband died. But don’t worry, they’re not as morbid as that sounds.”
Eduardo steeled himself to hear her sing of her love for another man. His throat tightened as she sang of thankfulness for the time they’d shared and admiration for a life well lived. But instead of the jealousy he expected, he was filled with a sense of amazement that she’d found meaning and peace during a turbulent time in her life.
During the song, Miranda fluttered around the stage, using the fabric Anna had given her at times like a sail, at times like a blanket.
“You look just like your mother when you dance, preciosa,” Tiago said when she sat down in his lap after the second song ended.
Anna shifted on the stool, letting her dress fall to the side, revealing one long leg. She adjusted her hair so it cascaded down one side. One curl slipped into her cleavage. Eduardo wriggled in his seat, trying to find a comfortable spot while his hands clenched the armrests.
She began the next song without the guitar. He’d heard ‘Memory Palace’ before, but it was just as devastating the second time, further eroding the walls he’d built around his heart to keep him from being vulnerable to anyone again.
“I’m seeing you in an entirely different light now,” Tiago whispered as Anna prepared for the next song. Vivi jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow before he could say anything else.
“My next song is called ‘Hurricane Heart.’”
She stood, put down the guitar, and just sang. No instrument masked the power and beauty of her voice. Each note pulled another drop of emotion from those listening.
As I leave, I look back over my shoulder
At what I’ve left behind
Not a single thing is standing
Devastation is all I find
My heart is like a hurricane
Leaving destruction in its wake
I never meant to hurt you
Or make your whole soul ache
I blew in a springtime zephyr
I left a category seven
Your love, you know, it strengthened me
It gave me a glimpse of heaven
The injuries you sustained
They’re really not that rare
I burn all bridges after me
To anyone brave enough to care
My heart is like a hurricane
Leaving destruction in its wake
I never meant to hurt you
Or make your whole soul ache
Your eyes they once shone with love
Your smile would make my day
Then my hurricane heart took over
Now all that’s left is dead and gray
Our love it once blossomed
Tended carefully by you
Now that field, it has been napalmed
The ashes soaked with dew
My heart is like a hurricane
Leaving destruction in its wake
I never meant to hurt you
Or make your whole soul ache
Never love a hurricane
It’s really not that wise
Destruction is our calling card
Leaving a tear that never dries
When the echo of the last note faded into the night, everyone sat stunned.
“Dios mío,” one of the housekeepers said in a reverential whisper. It broke the spell Anna’s amazing voice cast, and the applause was almost as long as the last song.
She accepted it with good grace, although he could see that she’d reverted to her alter ego. Angel had taken over once again.
Tiago glanced over at Eduardo then announced, “Right, the show’s over.”
Everyone stood; the staff grabbed their chairs and disappeared. Jacques had a sleepy Max on one shoulder while he led a sobbing Maya away with an arm around her waist. “Damn pregnancy hormones,” she said as she wiped at her cheeks.
Tiago hoisted up Miranda and held Vivi’s hand as they too went inside.
Eduardo was rooted to the spot. He was trapped by his promise to his father to always be his own man and his commitments to Tiago and Raul. Anna had to be free to do what she loved.
All he had left to give her was … pleasure.