More than a Maid (18 page)

"No! Don't do this. You're totally overreacting."

Still looking away from her, in an icy tone, he said, "You betrayed me."

"I did it for your own good. Victor begged me. He said he wanted to help you."

Ramon snorted. "I'm sure he did. You still betrayed me."

"I was only trying to help you! Why do you hide things? It doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense to you. Don't you understand that?" He looked in her eyes, nostrils flaring. "If I tell you to keep a secret, you either keep that secret or I can't fucking trust you again."

"Yes you can, Ramon. Don't be ridiculous." She put a hand on her hip and gave him a flat stare. "Victor's concerned about you, and maybe he should be."

Ramon let out a frustrated sigh, trying to process his anger without screaming. "Holy shit. I can't believe you think it's okay." He let out a cold laugh and said, "It pisses me off when my brothers try to get in my business!" How many times have I already told you that?" He glared at her, his angry eyes the widest she'd ever seen them. "I thought I could trust you and you did the worst thing you could've done to me."

Marcy's mouth fell open. "Seriously?
That's
the worst thing I could've done to you? It was done in kindness. You're acting like I tried to kill you or something. You're ridiculous!" She folded her arms over her chest, tapping her foot. "I see you struggling and all I wanna do is help! That's all any of us want. Especially your brothers."

Blood boiling, Ramon pressed his forehead against the screen and looked in her eyes. "For the last time, I don't want your help! Now get the hell outta here."

He stepped back, and just as he was about to shut the main door, Marcy said, "You wanted my bookkeeping help though. Do you wanna take me with you again tomorrow?"

Ramon snorted. "I don't make the same mistake twice."

Marcy's face fell. Her voice was soft. "Fine. I'll just stay here and clean. After all, I'm just the maid. That's what you told everyone at the restaurant the other night. 'She's my live-in maid.'" She looked down at the floor. "I'll go back to the house now and be the maid."

"Fine." Ramon shut the door and stayed there, listening to her footsteps as she left. In that moment, something rose up in him that made him want to run after her and tell her she was so much more than "just the maid." But his anger quickly took over again and he went to the bedroom, unlocked the door, and collapsed face first on the bed.

He couldn't decide if he was angrier with Marcy for her betrayal, or with himself for trusting her so quickly.

Marcy trudged into the house, determined not to cry. No man was worth any amount of begging and pleading… and they certainly weren't worth her tears.

But oh, how she wanted to go to her room and sob into her pillow.

Whatever their relationship was, it was over. Ramon made that perfectly clear.

Marcy headed to the stairs before anyone could see her. She heard the clanging of dishes and silverware in the kitchen, and the echoes of heated discussions in the living room. But she wanted no part in any of it. She ran up the stairs and directly to her room where she intended to send Patty a text message to let her know she wasn't coming downstairs to dinner.

But she realized she left her phone in the kitchen.

"Damn it!" She started out of her room in a huff, heading down the hall. Then she gasped as a man suddenly appeared before her, coming up the stairs.

"Sorry," Armando said as he stepped into the hall. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay."

He nodded and gave her a thoughtful look. Then he leaned casually against the wall. "Did he talk to you outside?"

Marcy's eyes welled up, but she looked down at the floor until she could talk without crying. "A little. He said we could all stay in the house, in case you were wondering."

Armando laughed, softly. "Good. So I guess he's gonna be out there, huh?"

She shrugged. "Seems that way."

He nodded. "Very well, then. Victor and I are gonna wait a day or two before we try to talk to him. It's best to let him cool down for a while."

Marcy felt tears pool in her eyes again. "Wish I'd thought of that."

Sighing, Armando took a step closer to her. "Listen, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I lost my patience with him. That's what really set him off."

Marcy sniffled and reached into her pocket for a tissue, unable to hold back her sadness. In a weak voice, she said, "It's okay. He would've figured it out anyway." As she wiped her eyes, she added, "All we're trying to do is help. What a jackass."

Armando let out a sad laugh. "I know. He can be a jerk sometimes. But please, don't give up on him."

Marcy blinked her eyes and wiped her face, feeling her tears dry as she looked in Armando's eyes. "What?"

His eyes narrowed in sympathy. "Look, I know you just met me and it's not my place to give you advice. And this is gonna sound creepy, but Katie and I were watching you and Ramon get out of his truck earlier and—"

Her eyes widened. "From the window? He said he thought he saw someone."

Armando's face reddened a little and he looked away. "Yeah, that was us. Sorry. We'd heard about you and just wanted to see what was going on." Then he met her eyes, a nervous grin flashing across his lips. "Pretty immature, huh?"

Marcy giggled, unsure what to think. "I don't know."

He nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, but I've hardly ever seen Ramon with a girl. Not since high school, anyway."

"Really? That's weird."

Armando shrugged. "It's my fault. I haven't been around him as much as I should've been. He used to mention women he was dating once in a while but I haven't heard him talk about anyone in a long time. I was kinda worried about it, honestly. But of course, I could never tell him that." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, he looked happy with you. I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that."

Marcy's heart soared, but only for a second. She smirked at Armando. "But I'm just the maid. That's how he thinks of me. I'm convenient for him to…" She bit her lip as her voice trailed off, realizing how slutty it made her sound.

He gave her a knowing grin. "I know my little brother. Victor and I've been asking him about those ranches he bought in Kernersville for months now, but he invited you over there and he only knew you how long? A week?"

"That's because he needed my bookkeeping help."

Armando cocked a brow. "Ramon doesn't
need
anyone's help. Or have you not received that memo?"

Marcy laughed. "That's exactly what he told me outside. He doesn't need any help."

"Uh-huh." Armando rolled his eyes. "He's always been like this. Most stubborn person I've ever known."

"Great," Marcy said, her tone thick with sarcasm. "Just the kinda guy I need."

Armando quickly shook his head. "There's a whole lot to like about him, too. Seriously, don't let him scare you off. Just let him stay out there till he calms down. He'll forget he's mad at you."

Marcy gulped. "He might calm down but he'll never trust me again."

Armando offered a deep sigh, and in a soothing voice said, "There's a lot more going on than you know about. Give Ramon a little time. You'll see." Then he nodded down the stairs. "Come on. Dinner's ready."

Marcy took a deep breath and followed Armando downstairs. She now felt less like crying and more like being around people.

* * *

Late that night, with a scant glow of moonlight sifting in through the windows, Victor and Cara lay in bed, talking instead of sleeping.

Cara asked, "Are you sure it was okay that I didn't punish Isaac for that outburst downstairs?"

"You're asking
me
?" Victor chuckled. "You're the one with all the experience."

Cara groaned. "I know but I really need your help here. He's never acted like this before."

"It's only because he's going through so much, with us getting married. And he's excited about his party this weekend. I'm pretty sure it's a phase. It'll pass once everything settles down."

"Do you think I'm being too hard on Ramon?"

Astonished by the question, Victor blinked at her, his eyes adjusting enough to see her silhouette in the dark. "Um… yes. But you already knew that."

"It seems like every time I give him a chance, he does something to upset me again." She let out a pained sigh. "But I can tell he
really
cares about Isaac. I don't understand it."

"I know. I didn't expect them to get along so well. But I really don't think he's a bad influence. He's just…"

"Rough around the edges?" Cara said, sarcastically.

Victor laughed, knowing how tired she was of hearing that phrase. "I was trying not to say it, but yes."

"Do you think he's too angry to help with Isaac's party now? He stormed out of here pretty fast."

"I'll find out. In the meantime, I'll make some phone calls so we'll have a back-up plan. Don't worry."

Cara thought for a moment, then said, "Has Isaac said anything else to you about moving here? He talked about it all the way to daycare this morning."

"Yeah, he mentions it every day."

"Do you think Ramon put him up to it?"

"I don't know."

Cara smirked. "Did
you
put him up to it?"

With a soft laugh, Victor said, "No. I promise. I think he just likes it here."

In a weak voice, Cara said, "I'm outnumbered, aren't I?"

Victor pulled her close and kissed her temple. "No. It's not a majority vote. It's all or nothing. If you don't wanna move, we won't move." He kissed her again. "Although, I may try to persuade you."

"I don't know." She shrank away from him. "I just can't imagine living here permanently."

"It doesn't have to be permanent. And it's not like we'd be here in this crowded house forever. We can build a house close by. Far enough away to be comfortable. It'll be kinda like it was when you worked in Chicago. A lot of flights back and forth. We'll have to figure out what to do when Isaac starts school, but—"

"Oh my God!" Cara gaped at him. "You've really thought this through." She sat up on her elbows. "Why don't you just come out and say it? You
want
to move."

Victor winced. "I guess I was waiting for the right time."

She groaned and let herself fall to the bed, her hand against her forehead.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You've been stressed out with pregnancy hormones and the wedding. I didn't wanna add to it."

"It's okay. I figured as much. You just hadn't brought it up in a while."

"It's a major decision. I was waiting for the right time."

Cara rolled to her side, facing him. "The right time is now."

Victor took a deep breath, hesitating as he thought of how to start. "Okay. First, let me say, I know it's not fair to ask you to marry me and then suddenly try to uproot you and Isaac. That's why I was hoping you'd come around on your own."

In a sympathetic voice, she said, "But why would I? This isn't my home, Victor. I don't have an attachment to it like you do. Mom's not gonna stay here, I'm sure. She has a new life of her own to start."

Victor nodded. "Yes. And you can see her anytime you want. I told you, it'll be like it was when you lived in Chicago and we were dating. You can see her anytime you want."

She sighed. "That was a pain."

"Yes, because of your job."

"Well, this time it'll be a pain because of the baby. And I'd rather not have a nanny if I can help it. If we go back home, I'll have Mom around to help."

Victor trailed his fingers through her hair. "You can still have Patty around. And Marcy too. Whatever you want. Planes fly both ways, you know." He grinned. "The hardest thing will be figuring out where we wanna send Isaac to school. That may require us spending a lot more time in one place or the other."

Cara shook her head. "I don't know. It sounds to me like we'll have to pick a location or spend most of our time apart. I don't like that."

He gave her a stern look. "You should know by now that I have a way of making things happen."

"Yeah. You throw money at a problem and make it go away. But I don't see how you're gonna do it this time."

Victor inhaled deeply, trying to think of a solution. "Well, I can always just come down here a few times a month. Make sure Ramon's ranches are doing all right. He's working himself to the bone."

"Oh God." Cara groaned and rolled to her back. "It's not your fault he works too hard. He's a control freak. He could hire people to help but he doesn't want to."

"He needs me and he knows it."

She scoffed. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. I've known people like him. They create their own messes. He probably throws himself into work on purpose to have an excuse to avoid living a real life. And you know what?" She paused. "It's sad. And I honestly wish there was something you could do to help him but he'll probably never change."

"You don't know that."

"You're right, I don't. But maybe instead of moving you could hire someone else to manage the ranches for him. You don't need to physically be here and—"

"My brother needs me, Cara." Victor's voice broke at the end of his sentence.

Cara sat up. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Victor took a few breaths to steady himself, surprised by his own unexpected show of emotion. He gazed off into the dark of the room. "You know, my mother died in here." He pointed off to the corner. "Over there, near the big window. That's where we moved her bed because she liked to feel the sunlight. She was too weak to go outside anymore."

Silently, Cara cozied up next to him.

He draped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close as he continued. "I guess we didn't really think she was dying. We never used that word.
Dying
. Or
death
. We knew it was happening but maybe we didn't wanna face it. Or maybe it happened so fast, we were in shock the entire summer." Victor inhaled with a tiny sniffle and pulled Cara tighter.

She remained quiet, resting against him as he took a few breaths.

He continued in a soft voice. "Toward the end, she was weak and incoherent. She made the most horrible sound when she breathed. I can still hear it." He swiped his wet eyes with his wrist. "And I remember her trying to breathe the last time she spoke to me. I laid there beside her, holding her hand. She told me to take care of my brothers.
Begged
me…" Victor pulled the sheet to his face as his words melted into sobs.

Stunned, Cara put her arms around him, unsure how to respond. She had never seen him like this before.

After a minute, Victor stopped crying and took a few deep breaths. Then he said, "She pleaded with me. Probably used every bit of strength she had left. Said she was counting on me as the oldest to make sure Armando and Ramon were well cared for." He sighed. "But especially Ramon, since he was the youngest. I guess she figured he'd have the hardest time dealing with it." He sniffled. "And I think she was right."

In a soft voice, Cara said, "She'd be so proud of you. Look how far you've come."

Victor brought the sheet to his face again to dry his tears, then he stared at the window. "I thought the best way to take care of my brothers was to make as much money as I could. So, I figured out how to do that. Worked my fucking ass off. I wanted wealth, and that's what I got. Thought I could make everyone's problems go away if I had enough money. Then we'd all be happy. But Ramon…." He paused for a sad chuckle. "He'd never take a dime from me. For a few years there he was really struggling, too. I tried to wire money to his bank account about a half dozen times. He'd always have the bank send it right back to me." Victor's voice cracked, then he took a few deep breaths. "And you know what he'd say to me every time?" He looked at Cara. "'
When are you coming to visit
?'"