Moonlight and Margaritas (20 page)

"Three hundred pesos."  She smiled.  "On sale.  Today only."

He favored Elena with a disappointed look before returning his attention to the saleswoman.  "No, that's far too much for us."

The senora took Elena's hand, holding the ring up for inspection.  "But see fine quality.  It's good, very good.  My husband do himself."

Joe stole Elena's hand and pretended to study the ring.  She had long tapered fingers and perfectly manicured nails.  Nails that had dug into his skin the night before.  "It is very fine work…but I can't pay that much.  Will you take one hundred pesos?"

The woman chuckled and shook her head.  "No.  No possible.  Husband has to eat to make more rings.  Your lady likes it.  For two hundred-fifty pesos."

"One-fifty," he offered, and saw a smile crack on Elena's face.  He loved that she was having a good time.

"Two hundred twenty-five.  No less."  The woman shook her head, clearly enjoying the bartering, too.

He looked over the ring selection, spying another similar to the one Elena wore.  "If you sell it for one hundred seventy-five, I'll take two of them."  Elena furrowed her brows at him.

The lady paused a moment and then nodded.  "For you only." 

"Agreed." 

Elena pulled out her wallet to pay for her purchase, but Joe shook his head.  She tucked it away, unsure what to do.  Was it customary for the person who haggled to pay?  Or for the man to pay?  She waited patiently for Joe to count out his pesos, still curious why he'd chosen two rings.

Outside, she walked toward a grassy area where she opened her wallet again.  "How much do I owe you?  I don't know how much one hundred seventy-five pesos is."  She hesitated for a second, not sure she should ask the other question hovering on the tip of her tongue.  "And who did you buy the other ring for, your sister?"

Joe smiled, the creases in his cheeks showing, charming her.  "You don't owe me anything.  I bought them for you and your daughter."

"Oh."  An uncomfortable feeling settled over her.  This was how Richard started his controlling obsession, making small decisions for her that later had become all-consuming ones.

Joe's smile disappeared as well.  "Is that okay?"

She waited until two tourists passed, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation.  "It's just that
I
wanted to buy her something." 

"Oh."  Concern darkened his eyes.  "I’m sorry.  I didn't mean to overstep." 

She paused and tried to take Richard out of the equation.  Really, Joe hadn't done anything wrong.  It was a small and kind token. 

Elena inhaled and realigned her thinking.  She'd behaved irrationally.  It wasn't fair to judge him based on Richard's actions.  "No.  No."  She shook her head, letting out a soft breath.  "You didn't.  It's fine.  I—I…  It's a lovely gesture.  Thank you."

He waited a moment as if making sure things were okay.  "You're positive?  'Cause if you want to repay me, it's only five hundred dollars."

"What?"  She widened her eyes.  "That's too—"

"I'm kidding.  Together, they cost me about thirty bucks."

She released a pent up breath and smiled.  "You're awful…but sweet."  Cassie would love her ring, and Elena loved hers, too.

"Come on, it's not going to hurt you if I buy you a trinket."  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

She loved receiving gifts.  Who didn't?  Unfortunately the things Richard had given her never had any real meaning behind them, and quite often they had thick strings attached.  This was different.  Somehow the flowers Joe had brought her and the little silver ring were just perfect.  "Okay, but I get to buy you something, too."

Hours later, her shopping bag was full of treasures.  Elena had bought them both a T-shirt proclaiming
Got Lime?
with a picture of a margarita underneath.  It was a frivolous purchase, but that's how their day had been.  Fun and lighthearted, and she'd had the best time ever.  She'd tried her first cactus taco and chased it down with a sweet sangria soda.  They hadn't made it on the list of her favorite foods, but they were interesting to try.

The sun now sagged in the sky, tired from heating the tourists that ransacked the multitude of shops in the area.  At the edge of the marketplace, a young teenage boy caught her attention.  Dirty and unkempt, he had a dozen handcrafted pots sitting in the dirt between two shops.

"Do you think he's as poor as he looks?"

Joe followed her gaze.  "Probably.  A lot of these people struggle.  In the tourist spots, things are kept pretty nice, but get into the outlying areas, and people are hurting."

"I feel so bad for them.  I grew up poor—though not that poor—but I remember what it was like to wonder if we'd have enough money for a new pair of shoes for school."

"Yeah.  Not good."  Joe steered them toward the young man.  "You know, I need to get my mother a birthday present, and those pots look perfect."

As they approached the teenager, he got to his feet.  Dirty streaks lined his brown face, the hollowness in his eyes echoing the hard life he lived.  "Hola." 

"Hola."  Joe squatted down on his haunches and examined a pot painted with sunflowers.  "You make these?"

The kid nodded.  "My cousin in Guadalajara.  He make them.  I sell them and get half."

Elena knelt next to him.  "They're called Talavera pots," she whispered to Joe.  "The quality is amazing."  She looked up at the boy.  "Your cousin is very talented." 

He nodded, but she wasn't sure he understood what she'd said.

Joe eyed the young man.  "How much for this one?" 

"Five hundred pesos."  The boy looked hopeful, but most likely knew that it would sell for a much lower price.

"No," Joe replied and the boy's face sank.  "That's not even close to what it's worth."

"We work, long time.  We need some money.  You understand?"

Joe's lips twitched.  "Oh, I understand.  But what you need to know is that this vase is worth at least seven hundred pesos."

"Seven hundred?"  The teenager widened his eyes.  "You pay?"

Joe grasped the colorful pot and stood.  He turned it around in his hands, inspecting it and nodded.  "I'll give you seven hundred."

"I'll take one, too."  Elena picked up a gorgeous black and white detailed vase.  "Same price."

The boy smiled in obvious delight as he spoke in rapid Spanish.  He quickly wrapped the pottery in paper and sent them on their way, probably so they wouldn't have time to change their minds.

"That was very nice of you," Elena said as they neared her hotel.  The sun had almost set, leaving the streets with a hazy glow and the air slightly cooler.

"Nah, it was worth it."  He chuckled. 

She smiled, hugging her vase to her.  The thought of making the young man happy left her heart light.  "It is wonderful work.  I could probably take this back to Carmel and sell it for twice the price I paid."

"Maybe.  It's too bad the kid can't do that.  I'm sure his family could use the money."

That's true, she thought.  Money was a powerful force.  Too much or too little could have a detrimental effect on people's lives.  Joe seemed willing to share, but honestly, how much could a fishing guide make?  Yet, he'd helped that young man and his family anyway.  So unlike Richard.  So unlike many of the people she knew in Richard's circle of friends.

"Are you staying at my place tonight?"  She flashed him a hopeful smile.  With Mercedes gone, she intended to enjoy as much time as possible with this gem of a man.  She didn't know how she'd walk away from him when the time came.  She only knew that she
would
walk away.  She had to.

"If you're inviting me, then I'm there."  He grinned and squeezed her hand.

Joe tightened his arms around Elena as she shifted.  She sat nestled between his legs on one of the loungers outside her bungalow's entrance, her back resting on his chest.  The stars had been out for hours, but neither of them made any attempt to end their evening. 

Joe had gone home with her after their trip to the market and the following three days were now a blur of kisses, love and laughter.  This would be their last night together, and he didn't want to think about how empty tomorrow might be.  For six days, they'd laughed and played together.  He'd gotten to know the woman beneath the reserved surface and loved what he'd found.  It was hard to imagine a future without ever seeing her again.

A chill raced over his skin as she caressed his forearms with her thumbs.

"What are you thinking?"  The sound of her voice jerked him from his thoughts.

He grasped both of her hands, holding them safely within his.  They were soft and warm, and he knew with complete certainty he'd miss her touch after she vanished from his life.  "I don't know.  Nothing, I guess."  He intertwined his fingers with hers.  "You?"

"I'm thinking I don't want to go home tomorrow."

His heart pitched.  Her words were exactly what he wanted to hear.  "Then don't."

"You know I have to."  She reached up and ran her fingers down his cheek.  Seconds of tortured silence crept by.  He wanted to share his heart with her, but he didn't know where to begin.

"If you're ever in Carmel, you should, you know, look me up."  It was obvious she was trying to keep things lighthearted, but he couldn't go there.

He opened his mouth, but then shut it again.  He wanted to beg her to stay, but he couldn't.

"This was a mistake, wasn't it?  Spending this much time together.  We should have left it at one night."

"No."  He squeezed her.  "I don't regret a minute of it.  Do you?"

"Of course not.  It's been wonderful.  But there's no future for us, and we've been behaving like there might be, even though we said we wouldn't.  It's going to be hard to leave you behind."

He paused, not certain how to enter new territory.  Then again, he'd learned the most direct route was often the best.  "We can figure a way around this if you want."

She pulled from his embrace and stood.  He followed her up.  "Being with you has been one of the best experiences of my life, but I can't.  Not now.  I had another call from Cassie today.  Somehow the temperature on my largest fridge was turned down too far and all the flowers froze.  It's clear to me that I need to focus on my business right now and not on a new relationship.  It wouldn't be fair to either of us." 

She covered her temples with her hands, as though trying to stave off a headache.  "To me, these are all signs that I'm not ready for anything more.  Besides, you didn't want anything serious, either, remember?  After a while, I'd cramp your free-living style."

He stared into her eyes, wet with unshed tears.  Damn his heart for betraying him.  "Things change."

"No, nothing's changed.  This is just a fantasy." 

Her words sucker-punched him, and he swallowed the hurt.

She released a weighted breath.  "I've barely gotten my feet beneath me.  I can't take the chance that something might knock me off balance again.  Not that I'm saying you would, but it's taken me years after my divorce to come this far.  I need to be on more solid ground before I can consider any kind of a relationship."

"And we both agreed no strings attached."  Why on God's green earth had he ever agreed to that?  He moved away from her, turning his back, not wanting to show any emotion.  He ached to be extremely selfish and beg her to stay.  He knew if he pushed the issue, he could convince her to let him see her again.  But he couldn't do that to her.  Not after how her ex-husband had tried to control her.  Ultimately, she'd hate herself and probably him if she caved.  "I just didn't expect to have these kinds of feelings for you."

She wrapped her arms around him from behind.  "Please understand.  What you're feeling is the magic of being in paradise.  It's the no-expectations, all-fun game we've been playing."  She moved to the front of him, capturing his gaze.  "This isn't real.  Real life is tough.  It's responsibilities and demands.  It's mostly work and little play.  It's also the number-one relationship killer."

He couldn't let her devalue what they had even if they didn't have a future.  "This is more than casual, Elena, and you know it."

"It's not going to work, Joe.  Not for us.  Not right now.  Please, let's make the most of the night we have left, and I promise, a week after I'm gone, the memories of us together will fade into reality.  Hopefully, they'll still be happy memories, but you'll see this for what it really is.  Just an island fling."

He didn't believe her.  "Don't cheapen it like that.  Even if this is all we'll ever have, it meant something."  The mark she'd left on him wasn't a small scratch.  It was a scar he'd carry for life.  "This was more than just physical.  I think I—"

"Don't."  She covered his lips with her fingertips as though that would keep him from speaking his feelings.  "Please, don't go there."

He held his features defiant.  He loved her, damn it.  Before she left, he wanted her to know.

She softened her features.  "Please, Joe."  She slipped her hands around his neck and tugged him closer, pressing her lips against his.  He resisted at first, but then, despite his intentions, he caught fire.  He jerked her against him in a rough embrace and claimed her kisses.