Love Caters All

by Nicci Carrera

  Maya couldn’t fix her sister’s mood any more than she could fix the environment at the apartment. They toiled away at their goals with none of the levity they once shared at Lobster Cove.

  For the first time in months, the gloomy apartment couldn’t drag Maya down, though. She had a date with Rick. He had promised to take her away for two days of relaxation. He left their destination a mystery. The surprise factor was exciting. A cautionary voice questioned if she was repeating history. Was she falling into the trap of a seductive man yet again?

  No. Everything was different now. Maya Cruz wasn’t the small-town girl in Lobster Cove. Rick Nordan wasn’t the wealthy tourist. She was a business owner in Berkeley. He was a single man asking her on a date. Funny how everything could change from such small things.

  Or maybe not so small.

  After a shower, Maya pushed aside the thin Indian fabric she used to create a bedroom in the living room. Visions of love-making with Rick that she had suppressed for six long months raged forth. She’d agreed to go...somewhere...with him. Her body tingled with anticipation. Since they would stay overnight, there would be a hotel room. With a big bed. They did really well with beds. Showers, too.

  The thought of his touch wasn’t getting her to sleep, so Maya turned her mind to the bigger picture. Of course she had read enough of what was going on in the news about Rick to know about the “greenmailer,” the clever term the media had coined to describe a corporate raider who bought up enough shares to gut the company unless the company paid them an astronomical sum, “greenmail.” Rick had withstood the bastard, at least so far, with his steady leadership. She was so proud of him.

  Frank Maligren sent an “open letter” to the editor that the San Francisco paper published. In the letter he challenged the way the company was run. The letter made Maya so mad. What a crock. Frank Maligren didn’t like to lose. Didn’t usually lose. A huge percentage of the time he won, and everyone he affected lost. Right up until the corporate raider took on Rick Nordan. Big mistake.

  Maya let her proud smile warm her to sleep. The next day, the smile lingered. It was still there when, later in the morning, she opened her apartment door to a grinning Rick Nordan. He stood in the hall with a huge bunch of red long-stemmed roses. Above the deep red petals, Rick’s hard face looked younger. Not so stern. Maya invited him inside.

  Rick dominated the space same as ever. The small apartment couldn’t contain his magnetism. This man was made for public appearances.

  “Can I get you a glass of water?”

  “Sure.”

  Maya hustled to the kitchen. She pulled a glass out of the cabinet. Rick looked perfectly comfortable with his hands loose at his sides.

  “Where are we going?” She set a glass of water in front of him.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “What do I pack?”

  “I’ll help you.”

  Okay…this was different. She led him into the closet in Blanca’s room where Maya stored her wardrobe.

  “I had to leave most of my clothes at home so I could fit into half Blanca’s closet.”

  “That must be hard for you.”

  Maya nodded but didn’t dwell any more on her clothing deprivation. She filled the suitcase while Rick made wardrobe suggestions. Packing with him was strangely intimate. Like being married. Oops, don’t tell me that whole idea was starting up again. Maybe it was possible they could share a future. He wouldn’t have come back like this if he wasn’t serious, would he? Then again, who would have thought she’d become a major part of the California restaurant scene?

  Unfortunately, most of her clothes didn’t make the cut. One time Rick cocked his head. “Do you have any jeans?” Before, her clothes would have been an issue, but this time his tone was teasing. “Sweatshirts? Sneakers?”

  “Are we going camping?” she asked, horrified.

  Rick snorted. “No. I know which limits are the hard ones.”

  Rick lifted her…one measly…bag while Maya took one more desperate glance at all the shoes she had left behind. If they weren’t going camping, she might need to dress up, but she wouldn’t be able to with what Rick had allowed into her bag.

  They headed out through Berkeley to Oakland, toward the airport, in another rental car. Did the man own a car at all? Very strange. She’d expect him to have something fancy.

  Then it dawned on her. “Are we flying?”

  The sunlight restored the golden gleam to Rick’s eyes. “If you can handle going up in a small plane, then yes.”

  A small plane! “You’re a pilot?”

  “Yes.”

  Thrill bumps tingled over her skin.

  “Are you okay with flying? There’s no pressure. If you aren’t into it, we can do something else.”

  Visions of the Bay Area from the sky filled her head. Her heart pounded in her chest. “I can’t wait!”

  Rick turned on the radio. Maya danced in her seat until they arrived at Oakland International. They took the normal exit for the airport, but turned onto a side road. They ended up on a street aptly named Earhart Way.

  At the security gate, he pressed the intercom button. “Rick Nordan here, for 3799-Yankee.” They drove past the side of a hanger that had an Oakland Executive Jet Center sign. Rick parked next to a small high-winged plane in front of the open hangar doors.

  Cool breezes wafted off the bay as Rick methodically walked around the aircraft. He peered at different nooks and crannies, inside and out. He even climbed a small ladder he took from the back of the plane to check the fuel tanks. His preflight checks complete, he helped her into the six-seater Cessna.

  The noise-canceling BOSE headset he handed her looked just like the ones they provide in business class but had a swivel mike. It was even more comfortable on. The headset meant she felt, rather than heard, the roar of the engine starting.

  His voice in the headset said, “You need to snug up your seatbelt, Maya. I have to ask you not to talk while I communicate with ground control.” He clicked on the radios and pressed a button on his yoke, “Oakland Ground, Cessna 3-7-niner-niner-yankee, taxi for takeoff with x-ray, departing west.”

  Another male voice said, “Niner-niner-yankee, Oakland Ground. Taxi to 2-7-right.”

  They moved away from the hanger. Maya’s heart sped with the rising sound of the engine. They traveled slowly down multiple taxiways until they came to an area next to the runway where Rick set the brake. He started to read through a laminated checklist on a little clipboard strapped to his knee. The sound of the engine increased to a roar, the propeller just a disc glinting in the sunlight. As he manipulated various controls, the engine sounds changed.

  “I’m just doing the run-up now,” he glanced at her, “making sure everything is fine for takeoff.”

  A corporate jet swooped down onto the runway, scant yards from where they were. Maya jumped. A puff of smoke came from its wheels as it touched down a thousand feet from where they were preparing.

  Rick waited a moment, then keyed the mike, “Oakland tower, Cessna-three-seven-niner-niner-yankee ready for takeoff.”

  The reply came crisply. “Taxi into position and hold, niner-niner-yankee.”

  “Position and hold, niner-niner-yankee.” Rick gently advanced the throttle. The engine sounds increased. They rolled past the lines separating the taxiway from the runway. He deftly turned the plane and lined it up on the centerline. From the holding position, they watched the big corporate jet turn off a long way down the runway.

  A crackle in Maya’s headset was followed by “Niner-niner-yankee, cleared for takeoff, two-seven-right, contact Departure one-three-five-point-one.”

  The sound of the engine increased from a purr to a roar as the plane rolled slowly down the runway. Maya’s stomach fluttered with excitement. She leaned forward against her seat belts, a grin spreading across her face, air coming in short bursts through her nose.

  “Airspeed good, ready to rotate,” Rick said, as the plane’s nose rose.

>   Her stomach was suddenly light. First slowly, then more quickly, the concrete runway dropped away.

  The Bay Area was dazzling. The vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean sparkled while over the land a misty haze blended the hills like a soft watercolor. At the shoreline, rugged cliffs met the endless cerulean expanse.

  Rick was very busy talking to air-traffic controllers who were giving instructions a-mile-a-minute. From the context Maya picked up some of the lingo. “Heavy” must be a jumbo jet. The air-traffic controller sounded incredibly focused. She could imagine the stress they felt orchestrating a busy international airport. She recognized when the controllers were talking to them by picking out their call numbers from the stream of rapid-fire chatter. Pride swelled within her chest at the newfound skill.

  In flight, Maya sometimes admired Rick’s expertise with the plane. The rest of the time the view captivated her attention. They headed north. Before too long the busy airspace fell behind. The plane soared in a wide-open sky with just the occasional passing airplane. They followed a coastline of rippled reds and browns set against an undulating carpet of blue and white. The engine was a purr outside the headphones. Fresh air mixed with the leather seats for a unique private airplane atmosphere. Maya didn’t know their destination—nor did she care. She could stay up here in the huge sky and look down at the beautiful world, with Rick, forever.

  After about an hour of rapture, she asked where they were going.

  Rick grinned. “Pine Bay. A small town on the Lost Coast.”

  “Lost Coast?”

  “A stretch of the far northern California coast line cut off from Highway 1 by a mountain range. Easiest way to get there is by plane. You can get there by car, too, but that’s difficult.”

  They were going to a fly-in town on the northern California coast. She let this sink in. “Are you taking me there because it’s like Lobster Cove?”

  “It’s a special place. I always wanted to share it with someone special.” He smiled, his golden eyes warm enough to melt her heart. “Though there’s no place quite like Lobster Cove, I think you’ll like Pine Bay. There are some similarities to make you feel at home.”

  “You’ll be with me. That will make it like home.”

  Rick’s smile was quick, his nod slow.

  Contentment settled throughout Maya. She sat back in her seat and enjoyed the California coastline from the air.

  Chapter Ten

  Rick had gambled everything on Pilar’s assertion Maya was in love with him. Maya agreed to go away with him, so Pilar may be at least partially right. Now all he needed to do was pull off a romantic weekend while convincing Maya he would never hurt her again as long as he lived. Nah...not too much depended on this trip. Just the rest of their lives.

  Rick finished tying down the plane in the brisk wind. Maya stood at the side of the tarmac, clutching her sweater, her arms crossed.

  Okay. Showtime. Rick pulled out their bags. Despite Maya’s smile, her demeanor conveyed nervousness. He strode over to her side, shifting the bags higher on his right shoulder so he could tuck her below his left arm.

  “Ready to walk a bit?” Good thing he’d convinced her to wear flat shoes.

  She nodded, licking her lips. “It’s windy here!”

  He tucked her more tightly against his body. “Don’t worry. It won’t be where we’re going.” He guided her to the far side of the parking lot where the driveway led to the street.

  Soon they arrived at the hotel. The place was a two-story rectangle with twelve rooms, six on each floor, a very simple property. Rick picked up the keys from the clerk who looked over his shoulder at Maya but made no comment despite the fact Rick had always come alone up until now.

  Rick let Maya lead the way up the stairs. Watching her ass was torture. He couldn’t just get straight to wild monkey sex with her, there were things to talk about. He opened the door, hopefully to the rest of their lives together.

  The ambiance hit them full on. Bright light flooded through a wall of windows. Waves drummed the air with a pulsing roar.

  He dropped the bags on the carpet. Maya stared at the windows with a huge grin on her face. He led her by the hand through the short hallway to the space at the foot of the bed. “I know it’s not fancy. But I always liked this place for its setting.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s incredible!” She wiggled from beneath his arm and ran to the windows, sliding them open. The volume of the ocean combined with the fine mist provided a total immersion experience.

  He chuckled. His little Maya. So authentic. A memory sent a shaft of shame to his gut. “Maya?” He had to shout over the ocean’s roar.

  She turned. Her smile faded as concern entered her eyes. “Yes?”

  “There’s something I have to say. Can you close those windows for a minute?”

  She looked worried, the opposite of what he wanted her to feel right now. With the windows shut, she turned to face him, vulnerability in her expressive dark eyes.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Concern melted from her face, but unfortunately, was replaced by sadness.

  “Maya, I was a bastard.”

  Her frown lessened.

  “I was a low-down scum-sucking bottom-feeding carp.”

  The corner of one side of her mouth twitched.

  “I was a—”

  “Stop!” Maya thrust out her hand, palm facing him. “You had me at scum sucking carp.” Then she ran across the room and threw herself into his arms.

  Rick held her up off the floor against his chest where he could get to her mouth. At first his kiss was hard. He reeled himself back in, applied a light touch of his lips to her soft mouth. Maya’s mouth relaxed. Her full breasts crushed against his chest. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms, so he could set her in the chair.

  Her eyes opened wide. Probably because she thought he would take her straight to the bed. Maya couldn’t have missed feeling his arousal, but there was something he had to do first. She needed to know where she stood with him.

  Rick reached in his pocket. The velvet jewelry box made her eyes open wider.

  “Maya.” He opened the box. “I’m sorry this isn’t a wedding ring from my family, but the marriages in my family seem to be jinxed. I hope you will accept this brand-new ring. Make a new legacy with it…with me.”

  “Oh…” Maya breathed.

  Rick waited. His heart pounded in his skull. But she didn’t finish the sentence. “This really is not the time to become speechless, Maya.” Shit. Had he miscalculated? Maybe. But if she was going to say no, he needed to take it straight between the eyes like a man. “Don’t leave a man hanging here, Maya.”

  “Yes. But Rick, we have a lot of things to talk about.”

  A muscle he’d never known existed, under his breastbone, cramped. His vocabulary froze. He finally managed, “What was the first thing you said? The first word?” His eyes roved her face taking in the feisty dark eyes framed by dark lashes, the high color of her round cheeks, the saucy tilt of her little nose. He waited for her full red lips to move in the shape of the single word he craved.

  “I said yes, but—”

  The key word released the cramp in his chest. Rick leapt to his feet and took her into his arms, then slipped the ring on her finger. Maya belonged to him now. They belonged to each other. Cherry-blossom scent from her thick soft hair rushed into his lungs. Time for the blouse to go. He took a moment to admire her sweet, full little breasts filling out a black lace bra. It had to go too. He cupped their warm swells. A groan betrayed his lust.

  Maya’s breath grew shallow. She tugged at his shirt. Rick helped her along with the task. Once he had her on the bed he could take his time.

  Maya’s soft mouth responded to his kiss. Rick kissed her for a long time, savoring her fresh scent, the feel of her soft hair. Their arousal built until they finally couldn’t take any more.

  Later, he wakened to a room dark except for the light on the nightstand. Maya was asleep. Her warmth bene
ath his palm filled him with quiet satisfaction.

  Maya groaned, opening sleepy eyes. “Are you awake?”

  The rumble of his chuckle joined the sounds of pounding surf.

  She rubbed her eyes, rolling over. She propped herself against the headboard. She would sit beside him forever now in his bed, his wife. A smile of possession pulled at his mouth.

  Rick stroked her thigh. “You talked in your sleep.”

  She tensed. Did she have something to hide? “What did I say?”

  He shouldn’t have brought it up. She looked truly distressed, but he had to answer now. “You thrashed about a little bit. You said you were sorry.”

  A tear trickled from the corner of one eye. Alarmed, he took her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her hot forehead. “What is it? Talk to me, Maya.”

  “I feel guilty having all this.” She waved at the room, her hand coming to rest on his chest.

  Okay, he did understand some people had guilty feelings about wealth, but why would she be feeling guilty about him? So, he asked.

  She bit her lip.

  He let her remain silent for a while, comforting her by stroking her hair. “It’s time for you to open up to me now, my soon-to-be wife. You’re perfectly safe, Maya.” He dropped another kiss onto her warm hair. “I’m not going anywhere, no matter what.”

  “I haven’t been a good enough caregiver, Rick. I don’t know if I’ll be a good mother.” A tear rolled over her bottom eyelid.

  He laughed.

  “What?”

  It warmed his heart to see fire dry the tears in Maya’s eyes.

  “What?” She shoved off him and sat up.

  “I think the bigger problem is to give you some time not to be a mother, Maya.”

  “I haven’t been very good.”

  “How did all this responsibility become yours? Your mother seems quite capable of the role.” He pulled her into his arms.

  She resisted at first but surrendered. Her tense body relaxed as she spoke. “It all started when Papá made a point to tell me if anything ever happened to him, I had to take care of the rest of the family. I promised him I would. I never saw him alive again.”