The Perfect Beginning

by Madyson Grey

  “My head hurts, and I feel rummy,” Lena answered.

  Just then Rafael buzzed the house from the gate. Victoria hurried over to the gate panel, looked at the screen to make certain that it was him, then opened the gate for him.

  “I’m sure you do,” Victoria said gently. “Have you seen the doctor again?”

  “Uh, I’m not sure,” Lena said. “Everything is just fuzzy today. All blurred together. Where is your mother? Did she come home?”

  “No, Lena, she is in a psych ward now. She is a very sick woman. I’ll tell you more when you feel better. You just get some sleep now. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”

  “OK, honey,” Lena said.

  Her voice was beginning to trail off, so Victoria said goodbye and hung up just as Rafael came through the door. She led him into the kitchen and got out two plates to dish up the food. After they were seated at the kitchen eating counter, Victoria picked up the TV remote lying there and turned on the kitchen TV. The events of the afternoon were unfolding on the evening news. They both watched with morbid fascination until it was over.

  “Oh, wow,” Victoria sighed. “Whatever good name Daddy had before, and Mother, it’s all gone now. I’ll bet those old biddies down at her country club are gossiping a mile a minute about high and mighty Marian Thornton. I always knew she was greedy and thought she was better than most people, but I had no idea that she could go completely insane like she did today.”

  “It’s hard to see it coming with some people,” Rafael said.

  They ate in silence for a couple more minutes, finishing up their supper. Rafael picked up their empty plates and put them on the counter above the dishwasher. He opened the door to see if there was anything in the dishwasher. The few things in there looked dirty, so he added their plates and silverware to them. He got the blizzards out of the freezer where he’d stashed them earlier and brought them to the counter.

  “Oh, cool, thanks,” Victoria said, eyeing the ice cream treat with pleasure. “Let’s go sit in the family room where it’s more comfortable. I want to relax and savor this. You’re a very thoughtful man.”

  Victoria mustered the flirtiest smile she possibly could, given the way her day had gone. Rafael just grinned back.

  “I figured you could use a little chocolate this evening,” he said lightly.

  They settled onto a double-reclining love seat. Victoria kicked back just enough for the foot part to come up. She sighed as she spooned the first bite of the cold, creamy sweetness into her mouth.

  “Oh, I needed that,” she said. “Mmmm. It’s so good.”

  Rafael picked at his dessert for a bit and then turned to look at Victoria.

  “Vic, what are you going to do now?” he asked kindly.

  She paused, spoon halfway to her mouth, and looked back at him.

  “I haven’t the faintest idea,” she said. “Probably to start with, I will have to see Daddy’s lawyer to find out how hard it is going to be to settle his estate. With Marian put away, possibly for the rest of her life, I don’t know what is to happen to her share of the estate. Perhaps it will have to go to pay for her care. I have no clue. I had tentatively planned to buy her half of Daddy’s car. I like it better than mine that I left at my Seattle home. What to do about the house? I don’t know.

  “I love my job in Seattle, but to tell the truth, the weather up there is horrible. It rains so much and is gray so much of the time. I have missed the California sunshine, but I just didn’t dare admit to it. I knew I couldn’t come back here as long as Marian was so antagonistic towards me. But now …”

  Her voice trailed off and she just stared into space, thinking.

  “What if you could get a similar job here?” Rafael asked. “Would you consider moving back? If you are able, and if you so choose, you could sell this place and get someplace that is more you.”

  Victoria pondered his words.

  “Yes, I would consider moving back here. And I would definitely consider selling this house. It has a mixed bag of memories for me, some good, some bad. Mostly bad at this point.”

  “These things will all take some time. Estate settlements can take some time. And the police investigation into your father’s death, if indeed they do conduct one, will take time. And you will need to be here for that, I imagine,” Rafael said. “Would you consider just quitting your job up there now, so that you don’t have to be stressed about going back to it? You and I could fly up to Seattle, rent a moving truck, pack up your things, and drive it back down here. Then you’ll be here to finish up any loose ends that are still pending.”

  “That’s probably a good idea, Rafael,” Victoria said with a sigh. “I kinda hate to. I always thought that coming back here would be admitting defeat. But with the radical turn of events, I am free to come back to LA on my own terms. Come back because I want to, not because I failed in Seattle. I haven’t failed there; I am just choosing to do something different. Besides, you’re here.”

  She looked at Rafael, wondering if she should have said that or not. His eyes told her that it was more than OK, it was what he wanted to hear.

  “Yes, I’m here,” he said gently.

  He leaned over to kiss her. It was a good thing that they were both still holding their blizzard cups, otherwise he might not have been responsible for his actions.

  They sat there for a long while, discussing Victoria’s options. By nine-thirty Victoria was yawning and barely able to keep her eyes open. She was seriously considering asking Rafael to stay with her through the night. Not in an intimate way, but just so she wouldn’t be all alone in this huge house. It was the first night that she could remember spending in this house without Lena. She was missing her much more than she could ever miss Marian. How she wished her daddy were here, though. If he were here, everything would be all right. His presence had always made everything all right in her world.

  She got up from her place on the love seat and paced the floor for a minute or two, pondering. Rafael watched her, wondering what was stewing inside her head. He decided to wait for her to open up, if she intended to. Finally she did.

  “Rafael, please don’t read more into my question than I am asking, but would you stay in the house with me tonight? I really don’t want to stay here in this big house all by myself tonight. You can sleep in the guest room. It’s right across the hall from mine. I’ll feel better knowing that someone else is in the house.”

  Rafael got up and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her pleading eyes. It would be a tough job, but he could handle it.

  “Of course, I’ll stay with you, Vic,” he said. “And upon my word of honor, I will stay in my own room. It won’t be easy, but I will do it. I would like to stick to the pact we made—was it just last night? It seems like eons ago. I think it is an admirable goal, and I will do my part to uphold our decision.”

  “Thanks so much, Rafael,” she said. “I so appreciate it. I can probably find enough of Daddy’s things to get you by for tonight. We’ll deal with tomorrow night when we come to that bridge. Let’s go upstairs now. I’m ready to fall asleep.”

  She almost said, “go to bed,” but then revised her sentence just in time. She didn’t want to test their resolve tonight. She was too weak tonight. She went up the stairs and switched on the hallway light, and then Rafael turned off the last light downstairs. They had both double-checked the security system and made sure that all the doors were locked and dead-bolted. They even went up to Lena’s apartment and checked everything there.

  It was a good thing they did, because in all the trauma of the day, Victoria had forgotten that she had taken all of her things up there that morning. They gathered up her things and carried them back to her own bedroom. Then Victoria rummaged around in her parents’ bedroom for some clean underwear and socks for Rafael to wear. She was surprised that she couldn’t find anything. Had Marian gotten rid of her dad’s clothes already? Surely she would not have had time. She did find a new raz
or and toothbrush in the bathroom cupboard.

  Then she went into the guest room and checked the closet and dresser. There were her dad’s clothes. He must have moved out of their bedroom at some point. Why had he not mentioned any of this to Victoria? She knew why—he didn’t want to trouble her. But she wished he had confided in her about this.

  “Just help yourself to whatever of Daddy’s things you need,” she said wearily.

  She showed Rafael where the hall bathroom was and made sure there were clean towels and washcloths available. They lingered in the hall, hating to part for the night, but determined to do so. They held each other for a long moment, and savored a long kiss. A kiss that spoke of love, of sadness, of promise for the future. Then they released one another and disappeared into their respective bedrooms.

  Victoria undressed and got into the shower. It had been such a long day, full of such pain and fear and sadness. She wanted to just wash away all the feelings that had accumulated on her all day long. It didn’t quite work the way she hoped, but she did feel better. Crawling into bed, she turned on the TV, set the sleep timer, turned off her bedside lamp, and snuggled down under the covers, praying that she would sleep.

  Chapter 3

  Sometime in the night, Rafael was awakened by screams coming from Victoria’s bedroom. He jumped out of bed, threw on a borrowed bathrobe, hurried across the hall, and burst into her room. In the dim light of a nightlight shining through her bathroom door, he could see her sitting up in bed screaming bloody murder. He switched on her bedside lamp, sat down on the edge of the bed, and then shook her to wake her up.

  “Vic, Vic,” he said, shaking her shoulders gently. “Wake up.”

  Victoria turned her head and looked wild-eyed at Rafael. Then her eyes changed to recognition and she fell into his arms crying. He cradled her in his arms, crooning to her like she was a baby. She clung to him and sobbed for a long moment. When she finally got ahold of herself, she sat up and reached for a tissue, blew her nose and wiped her face.

  “Nightmares?” Rafael asked softly.

  “Yeah,” she nodded. “My mother had you and Daddy lined up and she was just shooting and shooting and shooting you both. You were just being shot all to pieces and there was blood everywhere. Then she told Lena to clean up the mess, but when she started to, she shot her, too. She was laughing hysterically the whole time. I was begging her to stop, but she said I deserved to die, too, because I wouldn’t get the company back for her. She had just turned the gun on me when you woke me up.”

  Rafael reached for her and she went into his arms again and sobbed some more.

  “You’re OK, baby, it was just a dream,” he said. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No, I’m OK.”

  He stroked her back, trying to soothe her fears. It came to him that he was holding a half-naked woman in bed and wasn’t interested in sex. He realized that there is so much more to a real relationship than planning the next sexual conquest. The love he was feeling for this vulnerable woman surpassed any lust he had ever felt for any woman he had ever been with. It amazed him that he had grown so much in the short time he had known Victoria. He had changed from a mere skirt-chaser to a man. A man who was in love, and not only in love, but capable of feeling compassion and caring such as he had never felt before.

  He rocked back and forth, holding Victoria close, and began humming softly. He could feel her relax in his arms. He continued rocking, rocking, and humming. When he was a very little boy, and needed to be rocked, his mama would always sing “Spanish Eyes” to him. That was the melody he found himself humming to Victoria. It must have soothed her just as it had him so long ago, for when he looked down at her face, her eyes were closed and her features were calm.

  Rafael continued holding and rocking Victoria for a good five more minutes, until he was certain that she was asleep. Then he slowly and carefully laid her down and pulled the covers up over her. He sat there for another minute or two, just watching her sleep and thinking. Had it really only been four days since the two of them met? The way he felt right now, it was as though he had known her for five months … or five years. He felt more of a connection with her than he ever had with anyone except for his own mother, and David Thornton.

  David, you were right, man. She is the perfect woman for me. I don’t know how you knew, but you were right. If what lies ahead doesn’t kill us, it will make us stronger. She’s got a hard row to hoe during the next several weeks. But I’ll be there every step of the way, if she’ll have me.

  Noting her even breathing, Rafael stood up carefully so as not to jiggle the bed and disturb the sleeping woman. He debated on whether to leave the lamp on or not, but ultimately decided to turn it off. Then he tiptoed out of Victoria’s room and went back to his own. What he really wanted to do was spend the rest of the night holding her, but he didn’t trust his resolve to be chaste, so he removed himself from the scene of temptation.

  Victoria slept peacefully the remainder of the night. Although her sleep was sprinkled with faint dreams, they were only of Rafael. When she first awakened, she had no memory of the nightmare at all. It took a few moments of becoming fully awake before she began recalling bits and pieces of what she assumed had been a dream. She had watched her mother shoot her dad and saw his body explode into a thousand tiny bits. She had screamed until Rafael came and carried her off to the beach where he sat in a rocking chair and rocked her and sang, “Spanish Eyes” to her.

  The dream had started out horribly, but had ended so sweetly. She wished that Rafael were there right now to hold her and sing to her. She had felt so safe, so secure in her dreams. She was so thankful that Rafael had come into her life. She still didn’t know what her mother thought Rafael had done that could condemn him.

  Marian! The previous day’s events all suddenly came crashing back into her consciousness. Lena lying unconscious on the floor, blood pooling around her head. Marian holding Rafael and his secretary hostage. Marian on a gurney looking more disheveled than Victoria had ever seen her. Oh, my! And to top it all off, a police man—what was his name?—was coming over this morning to examine the scene of her daddy’s death. And Rafael was in the guest room across the hall! She had nearly forgotten that sweet detail.

  She looked at the bedside clock. Six-thirty. She’d better get up and get going. Lieutenant whatshisname could come anytime after eight o’clock. She got out of bed and padded into her bathroom. Turning on the shower, she stripped down and stepped into the warm water. It felt so good to just stand under the stream and let it run through her hair. She turned the head to pulsate and let the pressure beat on her back. Ooooh, that feels so good, she thought.

  She stayed in the shower a little longer than she really should have because it felt so good. Like all the ugliness of the previous day was being washed down the drain. She washed her hair, massaging her scalp like the beautician did. Only she couldn’t make it feel quite as good as it does when someone else does it for you. It was good, though, and when she finally stepped out of the shower, she felt better than she had since she got the news about her daddy’s death. Not a lot better, but some.

  She felt guilty that she actually felt relieved that her mother wasn’t in the house. She had always hated walking on eggshells when Marian was around. It was a huge relief to know that those days were past. She did feel pity for her mother, though. What was it that had made Marian Thornton who she was? A cold, exacting mother, a demanding wife, and then a raving maniac who had endangered people’s lives. And possibly murdered her husband, the one man who had done nothing but love the woman and give her everything his money could buy.

  Victoria dressed in denim capris and a white tank top. She applied make-up and blow-dried her hair. She made her bed and tidied her room, what little it needed. Then she went out into the hall, wondering if Rafael was up yet. The door to his room was open, and the hall bathroom door was closed, so she assumed he was in the bathroom.

  She went downstairs and started a
pot of coffee. She flipped on the TV to see what the news was this morning. She caught the tail end of a repeat of last evening’s news about her mother. Well, she thought, all her rich, snooty friends will know all about her by now. It’ll give them something new to gossip about over their cocktails this week.

  Victoria rooted around in the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer, just looking to see what was there. She found some muffins in the freezer, so took out a couple, put them on a plate, and popped them into the microwave. Just as the coffee was ready, Rafael came downstairs. Her breath caught in her throat as the thought flitted through her mind that here was her husband, coming downstairs to breakfast. It was such a painfully sweet thought that tears burned her eyes, but she willed them to dry.

  She didn’t know that he was having similar thoughts. Only his were running more in the vein of, there’s my wife, fixing my breakfast in our kitchen. He walked up to her, took her in his arms and kissed her good morning.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked casually.

  He wondered if she remembered what had taken place in the night.

  “Very well, thank you, except for a bad and good dream I had. How about you?”

  “A bad and good dream? How does that work?” he wanted to know.

  “Well, it started out bad and ended up good, that’s how,” she explained.

  “What was it about?” he asked.

  “Well, it started out with my mother shooting my dad into little bitty pieces, but then you were there and you carried me down to the beach. You sat in a rocking chair and rocked me, and sang “Spanish Eyes” to me,” she told him. “It started out bad and ended up good.”

  He studied her face for a moment while she poured two cups of coffee. He debated whether or not to tell her that she awakened him screaming about her nightmare, but the part about him rocking her was not a dream. When she asked him how he wanted his coffee, he shelved the thought, deciding to hold off.

  “A spoon of sugar and some creamer,” he said in reply to her question.