This N That

CHAPTER 1, From Book 2, Love's Sweetest Deliverance

Against Her Better Judgement

That Christmas evening in New York State could not have been more perfect for Liz Bertelli, enjoying a holiday celebration at best friend, Rosa Ramirez’s old farmhouse. Its big, drafty rooms with their high ceilings, vintage light fixtures and crown molding, lent a rustic, but homey charm.

Liz and her fiancé, Carlos Martin, cuddled on a loveseat by a living room window. Even with snow falling outside and the Christmas tree twinkling nearby, the couple sat lost in each other’s gaze.
Liz had thought she would never love again after her ex-husband, Steve, left for a twenty-something plaything. Carlos had proven her wrong and just that afternoon, he surprised her with a proposal, slipping a diamond and emerald ring on her finger. She gladly accepted and seemed to enter a fabled world of knights and romance, she never thought existed; now it had become real.

Rosa and Carlos’ brother, Jack, helped make the engagement a reality. It involved an elaborate ruse and Liz smiled to herself, remembering how it unfolded.

The guys flew here from Florida and hid in Rosa’s house for three days. They hiked a mile through the forest, then waited for me near the old stone wall—hiding there too. It was sooo romantic when Carlos came out to propose.

The location was chosen for its significance.

One day I walked there to forget my troubles, but soon I was running from a bear.

Escaping its clutches, Liz discovered an old locket and mysterious love letter hidden in the wall by lovers forced to meet in secret.

Solving their mystery put Liz and Rosa on the trail of clues that led to Florida, a castle and the strong arms of the lovers’ sons, Carlos and Jack.[1]

Several months had since passed and though it was only six-o’clock, winter’s curtain of night had drawn over the glittering hills.

Rosa and Jack were in the kitchen with Rosa’s daughter Laura, preparing a Latin-American holiday feast of roasted pork with yellow rice and beans. Their distant voices and clatter of pots and pans wafted in the fragrances of meat and spices.

Liz savored the sounds and savors of this festive day.

She and Carlos kissed, then resumed gazing at each other—she drinking-in his Latin good looks and he, her golden-brown eyes, and hair that flowed to her shoulders like a chocolate

fountain.

It never failed to amaze Carlos that although in her thirties like himself, Liz had grown sons and a granddaughter.

She would tell him, Rosa and I were kids with kids. But we supported each other and we grew up fast.

Carlos kissed her locks. “Sweet.”

The couple’s reverie was interrupted by Laura’s two tots bursting from the kitchen with Rosa’s pair of dachshunds playfully yipping close behind.

The flustered young mom would occasionally poke her head from the kitchen to shout at the little ones. “Olivia! Noah! Be quiet!”

They would simmer down, only to start up again, louder than before.

After a while, Jack emerged to playfully scoop up the children and hoist one atop each of his broad shoulders. The children laughed with delight as he trotted them around the house, leaving their mother to cook in peace.

Liz smiled as they passed her way—barely able to tear her gaze from Carlos and her ring, sparkling in the Christmas lights. Love glowed in Carlos’ dreamy green eyes. They wandered over Liz’s form-fitting red sweater.

“Not only are you beautiful, you’re a gifted artist,” he whispered, referring to her latest creation, a landscape painting she had shown him earlier that day.

Illustrating their journey to one another, it depicted the old stone wall where Carlos proposed. The wall faded away to a castle (the Castillo de San Marcos) in Carlos’ hometown of St. Augustine, Florida, where clues in the locket led Liz and Rosa. Their lives would never be the same.

Carlos motioned to the exercise watch on his wrist. “Thank you for the Christmas gifts. I really did need those shirts and the watch is just what I wanted.”

“Thank you,” Liz said, admiring her ring.

She stroked his thick black whiskers. “I like the beard and moustache you’re growing. They’re rugged and masculine—like you.”

He smiled, playfully brushing his whiskers against her face. Liz laughed, kissing his eager lips.

She stole another glance at the ring, of which she had already sent pictures to her twin sons, Tony and Stevie. There were also pictures and videos of herself with Carlos and of the others as well. One video captured Rosa and Jack, chasing each other in a frisky snowball fight, then wrestling, laughing and rolling in the snow.

Celebrating Christmas in Daytona Beach, Florida with their father, Liz’s sons and their wives watched in amusement. They gathered to extend Christmas greetings and congratulate Liz and Carlos on their engagement.

“Best wishes! That’s some big rock! We love you and hope to see you soon.”

Tony added a postscript. “Steph and I are looking forward to closing the deal on Carlos and Jack’s family home and making it a bed and breakfast, here in sunny Florida.”

The couples sent videos. Some included Liz’s beloved granddaughter, Ashley. To Liz’s delight, one video showed the child playing with her Christmas toys. She stopped to point at her mother’s swollen stomach. “Baby brother in there!”

However, Steve and his wife Gloria had made their way into some of the frames and Steve’s expression gave Liz a chill. Although he was smiling, it more resembled a scowl. An icy glare came through in his eyes.

Why would he be scowling on Christmas? Could there be trouble in paradise between him and

Gloria?

Liz recognized the suppressed anger. She had seen it before and it was usually directed her way. The last time was a couple of months prior, when she showed up at their son Stevie’s wedding on Carlos’ arm. She had picked up on the subliminal message that Steve did not like seeing her happy, especially with someone as accomplished as Carlos. He had worked as a translator and cultural liaison with the executive branch of the United States government.

Now Steve seemed to be sending another message. She could almost read his thoughts, complete with his disturbing racial innuendos.

Your wetback thinks he’s so important. You’d better not be sleeping with him.

The hatred Liz felt for Gloria when Steve left, had long since dissolved into pity.

That poor woman. Steve’s an idiot. I’m glad to be rid of him.

Yet, Liz could not shake a sense of trepidation. It hung over her like a cloud when Rosa called everyone into the dining room for the meal, which began with salad, followed by the main course and warm bread. Carlos offered Liz a crispy piece of meat.

“This is the cuerito (skin) my favorite part. You can taste the spices in which the meat was

marinated overnight. My father used garlic, oregano, cilantro, salt, pepper and lemon.”

Liz took a bite, chewing it slowly, letting the perfect blend of crunch and spice, caress her taste buds.

Drinks flowed. They included apple cider and coquito; an eggnog-like drink made from rum, coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. For dessert, apple pie was topped with vanilla ice cream and served with café con leche.

Even in the festive glow of the holiday, Liz could not get Steve’s cold, hateful stare out of her head. It seemed to bore into her.

“What’s the matter?” Carlos asked.

She told him how much Steve’s demeanor disturbed her and why.

“Maybe he had gas,” Carlos joked, trying to soothe her on this otherwise joyous day.

Liz shook her head. “I know Steve and he’s up to no good.”

After the meal when everyone was satisfied and the dishwasher humming, Liz and Carlos returned to their loveseat by the Christmas tree. From there, they could look into another room, where Jack was snoozing on a couch, with a child sleeping on either side.

Laura was reluctant to wake the little ones when it came time to go. But she knew it was inevitable, because they were expected at a relative’s home early the next day.

Liz and Carlos were close enough to overhear a conversation that Laura and Rosa were having about Jack.

The daughter began. “He might just be a keeper, Mama. You’ve been telling me how he’s fixing things around the house. Look how great he is with kids. He can cook too. Then he’s so handsome in that Greek sculpture sort of way. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Rosa took a deep breath. “Even though your father’s been gone almost two years, I still love him. Who would have thought he had an undetected heart problem? He was never sick. He never went to the doctor.”

“Yes, it was a terrible shock,” the daughter replied. “And we’ll always love Papa. But he’s in heaven now and you’re only in your thirties. Like Liz, you had your kids when you were a kid yourself. Maybe the time has come to move on. Papa would understand. He loved you so much that he would want you to be happy.”

“I do find myself caring for Jack,” the mother confessed.

When Laura and the children were gone, Jack and Rosa returned to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the cleanup. Their muffled voices interspersed with sultry silences, reached Liz and Carlos, who resumed gazing at each other, stopping only to look outside at snowflakes swirling around the lamppost.

Beyond it, Liz’s house could be seen up the country road. The colorful Christmas tree in its window shone through the wintry night. Seeing her home, made Liz remember the Rottweiler she kept for protection.

“Oh my! I need to get home. I let King out this time every night. He must be waiting anxiously by the door.”

She rose to get her coat for the walk.

Carlos stood too. “I’ll go with you. I can’t let m’ lady walk up that lonely road alone.”

“I appreciate that,” Liz said with affection. “But it’s freezing outside here in the Adirondack foothills and a Florida boy like you isn’t used to the cold. I do this all the time and I’ll be right back.”

Carlos would not hear otherwise and was soon going out the door with her. While Liz was unfazed by the cold, wind driven snow needled Carlos’ face. Twenty-degree temperatures also aggravated pain in the femur he shattered in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. Trying not to limp, he let out a vaporous breath.

“It feels like Moscow in winter. I went there once with the Vice President.”

Snow crunched under their boots as they walked across Liz’s back porch to the kitchen door,

where King was waiting just inside. Hearing Liz’s voice, he issued a few whiney barks.

Unlocking the door, she gave him a quick petting and released him into the yard.

She motioned to Carlos. “Come in. I’ll make coffee to thaw you out.”

For a while, the two chatted over coffee—Carlos warming his hands on the cup and breathing-in the steam.

Once back inside, King fell asleep on a throw rug.

After Liz brought out snacks, she and Carlos talked and laughed for a couple of hours.

Finally, he noticed the time. “I guess I should be getting back up the road.”

“I’ll drive you,” she offered, reaching for her coat. “I know how much the cold hurts your injury.”

He drew her into a deep kiss, and then searched her eyes with his. “Well, we can go back out in the cold—or I can stay ….”

That frank statement caught Liz by surprise. For a moment, she could not speak, but finally managed. “Wouldn’t that create an awkward situation for Rosa and Jack?”

He brushed her lips with a kiss that tickled like a feather. “I discussed the possibility with them and they wouldn’t mind. Let’s just say they’ve been very chummy since Jack and I arrived. I think they might appreciate some time alone before Jack flies home. He’ll be starting a job, moving into his new condo and representing our family at the sale of our parents’ home.”

“Aren’t you returning with him?”

“That depends on you.”

Liz hesitated. In her heart she wanted to say “stay,” but there were so many reasons she should not. She thought of the moral implications, wondering what her sons and their wives would think. Then there were her late parents, who would be turning in their graves. And Steve? Remembering his icy glare in the video gave her a sense of foreboding. Yet she would not be intimidated.

Against her better judgment, she pressed herself close and made what would prove to be a fateful decision. “What would you like for breakfast?”