by Donna Fasano
“You’ve had stitches to stop the bleeding?” Angelina continued, again hugging her friend gingerly. “Does your poor head still hurt?” She nattered on while gently kissing it. She was like a mother caring for an adored, favored child.
“Hey, I’m fine. After a facelift, my old mug will be as good as new.” The twinkle in Coralee’s eye should have tipped Angelina off, but she missed it. Quickly, Coralee seeing her distress said, “Angelina, I’m kidding. I’m fine. I’ll be outta here tomorrow, or the next day, and I’ll be back to help you at the office. Hey? Who’s that skulking over there in the corner? I can hardly see him.”
“In the corner? Oh, Lee, I’m sorry. This is Lee Nivens, who helped save us tonight and has been magnificent.” Angelina beckoned him over.
No way he’d come closer. He didn’t trust his legs to hold him. Instead, he called out from his hidey-hole and waved. “Hi, Coralee. Hope you’re feeling better than you look.”
What? You idiot! If he could have chewed his tongue off, he would have.
Coralee’s comedic response rescued him from his colossal nervousness and the ultra-dumb remark. “If you think I look bad, you should see the freaking building that fell on me.”
Their laughter brought a flustered nurse running. “Shush!” she said with a finger to her lips. Then the same finger pointed to the doorway, “Out!”
Chapter 11
Sometime later, after directions given by a drained Angelina, Lee drove up a curved driveway to a large, well-lit Victorian house. The antique black, hanging lanterns were a welcoming committee of brightness. All seemed to be in order.
Lee pulled up in front and stopped the truck. He stepped out and helped Angelina from the vehicle. She felt weary and unsteady on her feet.
After he steered her to the door, he said, “Is there someone who can come and stay with you? You didn’t call anyone after the rescue, but maybe you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”
Angelina liked Joe’s lean sidekick. Chivalrous described him well. This often-neglected quality reminded her of her countrymen. Chile was a place where men cherished and protected their women. As long as it didn’t get into the realm of smothering—which in her case it had—the custom worked very well.
“I’ll be fine, Lee. You’ve been very kind. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, you have only to ask.” She hoped her earnestness appeared in the look she flashed his way...
“Actually, there is one small thing.”
His puppy-dog expression melted her heart. “What’s that?”
“Will you help me get to know your assistant, Coralee?”
Chapter 12
Twice during her fragmented sleep, images of a distinctive male disturbed Angelina’s dreams. The first time, she woke before she could make out the features of the man whose warm hands caressed her body. All she remembered was his gruff whispers of seduction. But the second time, his startling green eyes were recognizable.
Insatiable, his lips drugged her with passion, heating her body with delight and leaving her wet and wanting. It was a long, hot night.
The morning finally arrived. Against plump, feather-filled pillows crushed skillfully to form a back support, Angelina lolled in her extravagant canopied bed, lost in a haze of reminiscence.
The distant bong of the grandfather clock warned her that she’d spent too much precious time fantasizing. She groaned. “Enough with the laziness!” Aware that it was past her habitual early-rising hour, she flexed and stretched. Each aching muscle and bruised area of her body detonated, warning her that the soreness of yesterday’s experience lingered on.
Coaxed by the idea of a shower long enough to drain the water heater, she dragged her sorry backside from its warm nest. Wincing, unsteady on her feet, she stumbled towards her luxurious private ensuite bathroom, which was a cunning mix of the best of the old and the comfort of the modern.
Directly in front of the exquisite stained-glass windows, crystal candleholders embedded in tall wrought-iron stands of various heights caught her eye. She liked to light the candles when it was dark and when she was in the romantic mood, or as romantic as she could possibly be without a man’s lips to kiss, or his body to answer the cravings that overwhelmed her so often lately. Could be why last night’s dreams of a certain Search and Rescue worker were so raunchy.
An hour later, she felt more like her usual perky self, and was ready to face the mammoth amount of chores she’d mentally lined up to fill the day.
The hospital was placed top of her list. Visiting Coralee was one duty she relished.
She bit her lip while she fumbled around her cell phone contacts to find the one for her insurance company, then arranged to meet with an adjuster later at the site of destruction.
She dreaded the stop at her office. But on the other hand, she couldn’t wait to see what she was up against. It helped a lot knowing Ray would be there. He’d called earlier and promised his support.
She’d telephoned every one of her employees the night before to check up on them, and told them not to come in until further notice. Some would show up, she knew, if only to give her a hug and show their support.
Eventually, she’d get in touch with Lee, and possibly Joe. He sat last on her list, but for some strange reason occupied first place in her thoughts all morning. Not comfortable with that concept, in fact downright overwhelmed, she shied away from seeing him too soon. Not today! Maybe tomorrow--tomorrow being one of the greatest labor saving devices for today.
She dressed appropriately in hip-hugging jeans and a turquoise T-shirt with Believe scrolled across the front. Her hair, semi-tamed and gathered in a modern-messy French braid, would be out of her way during a day that she expected to be fairly physical. But she couldn’t control or restrain the wispy curls that fluttered around her face. They had a mind of their own.
To boost her self-confidence, she wore her regulation high-heeled boots. Most South American young women wore heels everywhere, which added to their height and their need to be appropriately dressed. Packing her mammoth carryall, filled with the organizational tidbits she’d need, she braced her shoulders and stepped out to face the day.
A sauntering, six-foot-two-inch male-model-type perusing the winter gardens of peonies and fancy grasses diverted her from searching for her keys. He had a way of moving—hips grinding in a slow sway that made the moisture in her mouth dry up. She snapped her lips closed, making sure to trap her tongue inside.
Sexy-looking in well-washed jeans, Dr. Joe Davidson considerably raised the number of beats her heart pumped. There was a bright Search and Rescue logo embroidered on the arm of his black jacket, and the dark material provided a startling backdrop to the large pot of bright pink azaleas nestled gingerly in his large hands. Prettied up with a huge silver bow, they drew her attention, forcing her to blink repeatedly.
It would be like trying to stop a ticklish child’s giggle to prevent the well of gladness that was sweeping over her.
“Joe! What are you doing out of the hospital? You should be resting.” He must have asked Lee for her address.
Startled, he whipped around to face her and smiled. “I wasn’t sure if you’d feel well enough to venture out today. I figured since you were here alone, someone should check on you. Heck, Angel… Angelina, I worried about you all night. You went through a pretty dangerous experience yesterday, and I felt sort of responsible for some of it. I’m stunned you’re up and around at all. Are you sure you should be?”
She approached him, stood up on tippy toes, and warily stretched to kiss his cheek in greeting, a custom ingrained from her Chilean childhood as the way one received a guest, and especially one bearing gifts. His head lowered as she approached—her intentions clear.
“You needn’t have worried about me. I have a lot to do today, and putting off the inevitable is plainly unacceptable. Thank you for the lovely flowers, and for caring,” she answered, accepting the plant and hugging the pot to her chest.
“You’re welcome.
” His eyes ranged over her body, though not in a disturbing way. “You sure are a little thing, aren’t-cha?”
“Not at all! You’re just too tall for me!” Soon as the words escaped, she wished them back. Like he can do anything about his height, dummy! To change the subject, she added. “I’m astounded your Florence Nightingales let you leave so soon.”
“I escaped. They bugged me all night. I hardly got a moment’s peace.”
“From what I remember, you didn’t look like an abused man to me.”
“I’m a good actor.” He grinned. “Truly, I was glad you stopped by to see me. When I regained consciousness in the ambulance, I was anxious about what had happened to you. Diving for you was the last thing I remembered—that and your voice.”
“Do you speak Spanish?” Did her discomfort sound as clear to him as it did to her?
“Nope, but there is an international knowledge of languages when it comes to cussing, don’t you think?” Sparkling green twinkles filled his knowing eyes.
Chapter 13
Angelina’s soft lips on his cheek floored Joe. He wanted to leave and return just to get more of the same treatment.
Slanted with attractive dark rims, her blue eyes undoubtedly added to her overall beauty. As did her pint-sized body and pretty hair. The few cuts and bruises she’d skillfully hidden didn’t distract; quite the opposite. She was as precious as he’d envisioned during the long, sleepless night. Those few conscious moments he’d felt her trapped under him had replayed over and over, reminding him of just how damn good she’d felt.
With the best of intentions, he’d come to offer himself as an escort for the next few days—to assess her building and decide her options. Fully aware of the workload and the dangers facing her, he still hesitated. Her prickliness brought out the coward in him. Frankly, he was shocked that she was up and around already.
When he saw her looking positively radiant, and seriously focused to begin a day that for anyone would be stressful and difficult, his scornful opinion of women took a shaking. He felt his perceptions of her frailty break apart. Uncomfortable at having to accept that this female had a strong, tenacious character, her independence threw him in a tail spin.
His preconceived ideas about women, gleaned from the behavior he’d encountered with some of his apathetic, self-centered, demanding sister-in-laws, didn’t fit the feisty woman in front of him at all.
Seeing her perplexed stare, he decided to go for it. ”I’d like to tag along with you. I have to stop by your building anyway.” He knew from experience the demoralizing shock people felt when they went back to the scene of an accident. For some strange reason, he wasn’t about to let her face that wrenching turmoil alone. Why this had become so important to him, he hadn’t figured out yet, but as his mom liked to say, “When Joe gets a notion in his head, nothing short of major surgery will remove it.”
Angelina turned so he couldn’t read her expression. “You don’t have to. I’m not going to the office until later. And I have a list of things that have to get done now. Trust me, you wouldn’t enjoy being dragged around all morning to different places.”
“What kind of places?” He stood with his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans and his shoulders hunched like a youngster who felt unwanted but was too stubborn to give up. Her attitude seemed to soften and she smiled.
“First the hospital to see Coralee, then to pick up some papers from the bank, and then I’m going the office to meet up with Ray and the insurance agent. Also, I have to see if my car is still in one piece. It was parked it in the lot behind the building.” She started towards her grandmother’s Lexus.
He moved quickly, took her arm, and guided her to his old blue Ford truck. “Works for me,” he said, giving her no chance to argue.
He spied the pout she tried to hide. What’s with this woman? Try and help her and she gets her tail in a knot.
Once they were in the truck and moving, to pacify her, he began a conversation. “Before I came to your house, I drove to the worst hit areas in the city. I’m flabbergasted and very happy to report that the majority of the destruction centered around one location.”
“I watched the news on television, both last night and this morning,” she said, de-icing somewhat. “I had to phone a colleague, Johnnie Steele, who’s in Disneyland with his son and assure him all was fine in most areas of the city and not to shorten his trip. Then, of course, I called to Las Vegas to reassure my grandmother who’s vacationing with my mother and father for some time in her favorite playground.”
He saw the guilty way she lowered her eyes when she talked about her parents. “You didn’t tell them about your offices did you?”
“Not in any detail! I didn’t want to worry them, or have them rush back to force their help on me.”
“Did you ever think that maybe they’d want to help you? That we all might want to help you?”
Earnestly, she looked at him. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I mustn’t be distracted. My employees and I have a lot of work ahead of us in the next two months. Now more than ever, we need to focus. I talked to each and every one of them last night and they’re all willing to pitch in.”
“That was kind. I bet they’re worried about you.”
“Not once they knew I was safe.” She shrugged. “Earthquakes in Chile are numerous, but I never expected to experience one here, on the island.”
“We live on a system of thrust faults along the Pacific and North American Plates, and there are over two hundred small earthquakes recorded in our region every year. Therefore, it’s not unimaginable to expect exactly what occurred last night.” Shifting to his professional persona, he added. “It’s human nature to ignore the signs but not too intelligent. Thankfully, the epicenter was below the surface, and not nearly as catastrophic as it could have been. I bet this will shake up the doubters, no pun intended, and our future preparedness will be an ongoing subject for many agencies—Search and Rescue included.”
He listened to his own words and couldn’t believe it. Joe Davidson, big shot, cool dude, babbling like a show-off idiot. What the hell was wrong with him?
He looked over to see if his rambling had bored her.
What he didn’t see was the bus in front of them.
Chapter 14
“I’m sorry about your truck, Joe. The bus shmucked the front bumper quite badly.”
“Shmucked?” He glanced at her quickly but then jerked his attention back to the traffic in front.
“One of Coralee’s words. It means—”
“I know what it means. Not to worry, Angelina. I needed a new paint job anyway, and now I’ll just have to do a few repairs first. It’s not as bad as it looks. More important, you’re sure you weren’t hurt?”
“I’m fine.” She’d answered the same way all four times he’d asked.
“I can’t believe I didn’t see the bus stopping. Thank goodness you yelled at me when you did. It could have been so much worse.”
“I don’t think you hit it all that hard. At least the driver didn’t seem to be very concerned, especially after you gave him your particulars and apologized so many times. Even your friend, the officer who stopped to help, accepted that nothing too serious had happened.”
“I’m worried you’ll begin to think I’m some kind of a klutz. I’ve put you in danger two times in as many days. And I’ve held you up from doing your chores.”
All bad things come in threes! The saying popped into her mind, and a chill scurried over her back making her shudder. Shaking off the superstitious silliness, she replied. “You came through an earthquake for me, Joe. Without you— knowing you were coming, I’d have really flipped out. I consider that good luck. Plus, those chores will get done.” They just won’t be done on my time schedule. She groaned silently.
His wide, wonderful smile took away the guilt from her little white lie. She didn’t need to share how often she’d cussed his attitude. After all, now that she’d met him, it
seemed in keeping with his personality. She was just touchy about men and their need to rule.
At the entrance to the hospital, Joe stopped to let her out of the truck. “I can follow you in as soon as I park, or collect you later,” he said. “I have some paper work in Administration that I can catch up with if you want to see your friend alone. Your decision.”
Strange choice of words coming from any man, she thought. Being gracious, she answered, “If you don’t mind, I’d rather go in alone, Joe. She might not be feeling up to a lot of visitors. And listen, I can take a taxi from here. You don’t have to collect me later. Honestly!” She made her tone as firm as she could without seeming rude.
“No problema!” he answered, grinning. “See you later.” He waved at her and drove away.
She fumed, swore in Spanish and threw her hands in the air. He’s like crazy glue!
As soon as she entered the hospital, she made her way straight to the gift shop, and latched on to a goofy floating balloon with a caricature of a grinning puppy and Get Well Soon scrawled from one side to the other. Then, she chose a gigantic bouquet of yellow roses to stick it in. Armed with her parcels of affection, she went searching for Coralee.
When she arrived at her friend’s cubicle, Coralee was at her confrontational best, bothering her doctor to sign her release. As soon as the slim older woman in the white coat saw Angelina, she nodded and made good her escape.
Angelina approached, set the flowers on the windowsill and leaned down to kiss Coralee’s cheek. She perused her assistant’s face closely and could tell Coralee wasn’t going anywhere for a while. The visible cuts and scrapes on her cheeks and forehead appeared worse than last night. And her black eye, more prominent today, was downright appalling.
Angelina sat close to her on the mussed-up bed. “From the look of your face, I’d say they want you to stay in the hospital for a few more days.”
