“What I should have said was ‘I’m sorry,’ but instead, I stormed off. I didn’t hear from you for three days. You gave no indication that you were going to ring me, either.”
“I probably never would have.” Chrissie put her knife and fork down over the top of the plate, indicating that she was done and was ready for the next course.
“I found out that you are incredibly stubborn, and I was a big tosser.”
“I’m assuming we made up.” She was hoping that it was an epic make-up, and the details would soon follow.
“After I flooded the clinic with flowers and waited on your doorstep for you to come home so you would have to talk to me to get in to your apartment.” Brant texted a message on his phone and put it back in his pocket. “You didn’t even look at me as you walked up to your door. Marla finally convinced you to let me in, saying, ‘You’re not going to find anything like him in all the world, and that includes Jersey!’”
Arturo came down the path, carrying a tray with a white towel over his arm. He set down two small white dessert plates and said, “Señorita.” A small chocolate cake with strawberries and a warm vanilla sauce drizzled over the top teased Chrissie’s senses. As soon as the plates were on the table, Arturo was gone.
Brant expectantly watched Chrissie as she cut her spoon into the cake. Dark chocolate oozed out of the center. “Ooh,” she said with delight.
“It’s a chocolate melting cake. Hurry. Try it.”
Chrissie took one bite and was addicted to the warm dark chocolate confection. “Wow. This is amazing. This is my new favorite.”
Brant touched his forehead with his index finger. “Somehow I knew it would be.”
Chrissie sat in silence as she enjoyed every morsel of her melting cake. Brant ate his in silence. Music in the distance began to play. The acoustics inside the mountain made Chrissie feel like she was in the middle of an orchestra pit. Brant escorted her to a clear, level spot and began dancing with her under the stars and twinkling garden lights. She was falling in love. Hard.
Brant tucked her hand in his against his heart, and they swayed with the music and enjoyed the cool evening air.
“This has been the best date ever,” Chrissie mumbled into the fragrant breeze.
“I would have to agree.” Brant inhaled the soft scent of her hair. “You smell lovely.”
“I don’t know what cologne you have on, but it must have some pheromones or something in it. I’m glad there aren’t any other girls around because everything about you would send them into a frenzy.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. You are the very reason why we are here in the bottom of a volcano instead of a nice restaurant in Caracas. I get jealous very easily. I’ve already called dibs on you.”
Her chest warmed with pleasure. He had dibs on her, and took delight in it. She wanted to hear him say it over and over again.
“Ha! Take that, you Spanish señoritas,” Chrissie exclaimed. She didn’t have to be exotically beautiful.
“You know that chocolate is actually an aphrodisiac.” Brant wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
An aphrodisiac was the last thing she needed. She needed a cold shower. “You don’t say.” Chrissie walked away nonchalantly. “Maybe I should’ve stayed away from the chocolate.”
That’s probably what got me into this mess in the first place.
“It isn’t the chocolate necessarily, although it helps.” Brant arched a brow.
“Then what was it?” Chrissie pushed.
“My awesome good looks.” Brant blew on his fingernails and polished them on his coat sleeve.
“And humble too.” Chrissie’s laugher rippled out of her. Inwardly, even though Brant was teasing, she knew he was right—he was good looking.
Brant walked up to Chrissie and helped her stand up straight just as the giggles began to subside. “I think my feelings are hurt.”
“Oh, no, they’re not. You know you’re a dream boat.” Chrissie linked her arm in his, and they began to walk back to the garden door to go home. “If I forget to tell you, thank you. I had a wonderful time.”
“You can thank me later,” Brant teased.
“Okay, now you’re really laying it on thick.” Chrissie punched Brant in the arm. “I just barely got used to the idea that we dated. Now you have your full flirt on, and I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Ow! Okay, sorry.” Brant stopped Chrissie at the garden door. “In all seriousness, just because we dated, don’t think that I expect you to do certain things. I understand that you’re still getting to know me again. This goes at your pace, if at all.”
She loved that he wasn’t pressuring her into anything. Trey was so pushy when it came to sex. Brant was mostly a tease but hadn’t ever pressured her. He wants to build a relationship first. What a breath of fresh air.
“I appreciate that.” Chrissie’s heart thumped harder for this man she was falling in love with . . . again.
Would he love me if he knew? If only a big hole could swallow me up and hide me. Her hand went to her stomach as she thought of her predicament.
Brant escorted her all the way to her bedroom door. “Good night, Miss Chrysanthemum Love Stevens.” His English accent, especially thick tonight, reminded Chrissie of James Bond.
“I had a lovely time, Brant.” She paused as she got a wicked idea. “Call me!” She turned on her heel and shut the door in his face. She leaned against her bedroom door, laughing. Then slowly, she opened the door and smiled her best winning smile at Brant.
Brant stood just outside the door with a fire burning in his eyes. He pulled Chrissie out of the doorway and proceeded to tell her how he felt with his kiss. His lips were firm and melted as they surrounded hers. He knew what he was doing—he’d had a century to practice the art. His hands pulled her in tighter and moved up to her hair. Her knees weakened and skin tingled with pleasure as his lips worked their magic upon hers.
He stopped abruptly. “Call me,” he whispered as his lips brushed her ear. His cool, casual smile unnerved her as he left her disheveled at her bedroom door, alone in a blissful stupor.
Chrissie stumbled back into her small, simple room. Of all the rooms in the mansion, she was glad Brant had picked this one out for her it seemed less ostentatious. She readied herself for bed and put her dress back in the garment bag María had hung in her closet. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled on a pair of scrub bottoms and an oversized T-shirt. Her sheets had been washed and hung out to dry today. She could smell the sunshine in them as she slipped into bed. María took good care of her. Tomorrow she would do something nice for María in return.
It had been such a wonderful evening. She had a little time to think about how to handle the pregnancy situation. If, when, and how she would tell Brant came to mind. It was her place to tell him, but she lacked the gumption—and he deserved to know.
The mansion sat dark and still because everyone had gone to bed. Chrissie relived moment by moment of her magical date with Brant, especially the kiss. It was sort of like counting sheep, just much more interesting. Her thoughts faded into dreams.
She was working in the clinic, and all her old colleagues were there too. The clinic soon disappeared, and she was standing in the apartment she shared with Marla. Various outfits were strewn over the bed. She was getting ready to go somewhere, but she didn’t know where or with whom. Luckily, tonight there were no nightmares—just confusing fragments of old memories.
The kiss had unlocked a few.
Chapter 17
Chrissie awoke the next morning to María knocking on the door. “Can I come in?”
“Yes,” Chrissie groaned. She rolled over and looked at the old brass alarm clock on her bedside table. It read nine forty-five.
María came in, carrying a tray of breakfast. “I was afraid you would sleep two days again. We need to feed you and the baby.”
She had almost forgotten she was pregnant. By that time, her body recognized that it was waking up, and the
nausea returned. “Ugh. I think I’m going to puke.”
“Not a chance.” María took wet towels out of a basin and laid them across the back of Chrissie’s neck and across her stomach. The nausea started to subside.
“Is that the water?” Chrissie relaxed.
“Yes, but it will only last a short time. So let’s feed you and get you to the pool.”
Chrissie, freshly bathed and fed, felt like a new woman. It was noon before she went downstairs. She was going to explore the garden by herself today. It felt like an adventure she was about to embark on, exploring untouched territory.
The library door was cracked open. She heard Brant’s voice and a woman’s voice in the library. The voice sounded young—it didn’t belong to María. She peeked in to see who it was. The woman was tall and curvy, with long, dark hair with a fresh blow out and her tan skin was perfect. A memory flooded into Chrissie’s brain of the day she saw Brant escorting this woman out of the clinic.
“Come on, Brant. Just give in,” the woman said in a flirty voice.
“Valencia, you know I won’t.”
“All the time we spent together—does it mean anything to you?” Valencia pouted.
Brant said nothing.
“I just need a little sign that you still care for me. It’s not like I’m asking for money.” Valencia walked over to Brant and rubbed her hands across his chest. Chrissie’s heart plummeted to her stomach. It looked like Brant was going to pull the same crap Trey did.
“Arturo is waiting out front to take you back to your car in the village.”
“Why can’t you take me back?”
“I have lots of work to do this morning, and I don’t have enough time.”
“Do I still have to wear that stupid mask?” Valencia whined.
“Yes.” Brant escorted Valencia to the door. She walked out and came face-to-face with Chrissie.
“Hello,” Valencia smiled as she slinked up against Brant’s side. The muscles in his jaw tightened. “Brant and I were just catching up and talking about future business ventures.” She smiled coyly.
“Oh, don’t let me bother you.” Chrissie began to retreat to the stairs.
Brant escorted Valencia out to the car waiting for her.
“Call me if you change your mind, Brant.” Valencia waved as she stepped into the car.
Chrissie was at the top of the stairs when Brant closed the front door.
“Chrissie, wait.” Brant yelled from the bottom step.
“Sorry I interrupted you. You sound busy.” Chrissie continued toward her room.
Brant bounded up the stairs two at a time. “It’s not what you think.”
Chrissie whipped herself around. “Really? Do you think I’m stupid? I can still smell her fragrance all over you.” She closed her eyes. “I remember her.” Her erratic pregnancy hormones took over her body and she felt like she was losing control of any rational thought.
“You remember her?” Brant stood there, confused.
“The two of you were fighting in front of the clinic, and she sped off.”
“That was over eight months ago.”
“I know. The memory came back when I saw her.”
“She’s an ex. She calls occasionally for business matters. We broke up a year ago—nothing to worry about.”
“I think she has other plans.” Chrissie backed away from Brant. She retreated to her room and closed the door. She had been cheated on before, and she never wanted to relive any moment of that again. Trey’s infidelity had left her heart in shambles. If Brant broke her heart, she’d never recover. Besides, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her anyway once he found out she was pregnant.
She could hear him just outside her door. She’d only had one date with him—Valencia had many more. She had already lost Brant to Valencia before she even had a chance. The kiss was only a party favor.
Chrissie knew she was being hormonal and irrational. She needed to cool off and gather her wits. It was unlike her to fly off the handle. She’d come back and apologize later, maybe even grovel because the whole conversation was terribly embarrassing.
After she heard Brant leave, she snuck out of her room and down to the library. She opened the bookcase and followed the stairs down into the deep cave and out to the garden. She walked out into the lush, verdant smell that she so loved and decided to take a path she hadn’t seen before. It led her around the perimeter of the garden up against the steep cliffs of the volcano. Her curious mind began to wonder how far it was to the other side of the volcano, and how long it would actually take to explore every square foot of this Utopia. Some of the garden was shaded with a thick canopy overhead, making the walk comfortable from the heat. After twenty minutes, she made it to the far side of the pool. Previously unnoticed dark, wet rocks jutted out of the vines in an oval shape. Chrissie pulled back the vines, revealing a cave entrance. Following the path into the cave, she walked into portals of light streaming down from above her, illuminating her way like natural skylights that led her to a large, open room. Many holes in the cave above her lit up the room. Upon its walls, hieroglyphs told a story from ceiling to floor in faded colors that were once brilliant.
“I see you found the temple,” Brant’s voice said from the shadows.
Chrissie said nothing and continued to walk around the room, following the story.
“This was Father Delgado’s favorite place. He told me that in the Bible, the tops of some mountains were used as temples for the early people like Moses. He used to come in here and try to figure out the story upon these walls.” Brant stepped out of the shadows and into the light. “He thinks that the story starts over there, where you first come in.” He pointed to the entrance into the room. “There once was an ancient tribe who lived here in this land down in the valley. They had been driven from their homes by a dark and loathsome group who wanted to enslave and kill them. They sought refuge up in the mountains. They were tired and sick from their ordeal. They prayed for help.” He pointed to the hieroglyphs of people lying on the ground or kneeling, looking up to the heavens. “A large earthquake came and split the land, swallowing up their pursuers. Glowing white people came down from the heavens and helped the tribe. It came time for the heavenly friends to leave. It made the people very sad. They begged their friends not to leave them. The heavenly friends cried tears of love for the tribe because they were pure-hearted. The glowing white people took their tears and put them into a fountain and told the souls left to keep this place safe and sacred, that they may use the water to heal their sick and injured as a testament of their love for the tribe. The glowing white people had to leave, and the ancient tribe left behind guarded this place ever since.”
Chrissie’s fingertips softly touched the face of a glowing white face hieroglyph smiling back at her. Silently, she walked past Brant out of the cave and into the open garden. She hiked as far and deep down the path as she could go and found a nice little patch of grass where she could sit and enjoy the garden. She began to pull up a few weeds here and there, and watched the bugs crawl aimlessly through the moist dirt. The garden seemed so busy around her. Everything had a purpose. She, on the other hand, felt like she was frozen while everything continued on around her.
“If you get any closer to the ground, your nose will be in the dirt.”
Chrissie peeked over her shoulder to see Brant standing in the path watching her. She ignored him and resumed her careful inspection of the garden bed in front of her.
“Still giving me the silent treatment? I want to clarify that nothing is going on between me and her.”
He obviously wasn’t going to leave her alone until she spoke to him. “It’s fine, Brant. I was a bit irrational and now I need to apologize.” Chrissie moved to a nearby shady spot under a tree.
Brant sat down next to her. “You don’t. Just because you forgot about me doesn’t change the fact that I care for you, and we did have something. I’m working on reminding you. Your reaction shows me how mu
ch you do care.”
“I just don’t want to relive any Trey-esque moments. Other women are a touchy subject.” Chrissie stared at a blade of grass she twirled in her fingers—anything to avoid looking Brant in the eyes.
“All it would take is meeting Trey on the street somewhere to make him regret ever hurting you.” Brant rubbed his face. “He made a real dog’s dinner of you trusting me. Every time I make some progress with you, it gets ruined.” He sighed. “Valencia wants to bottle the water and sell it.”
“She knows about it?” Chrissie threw the blade of grass down and looked at Brant, waiting for an answer.
“I never told her. She lives in Caracas, so she shouldn’t know the secret. I don’t know how she found out. At any rate, I just told her I didn’t know what she was talking about.”
“It didn’t sound like she was convinced.”
“I don’t think she was. She’ll be back . . . unfortunately.” He leaned back against the tree and rested his arms behind his head.
“How did you get mixed up with her, anyway? The village isn’t exactly a dating hot spot.”
“I delivered flowers to all five of her dad’s restaurants. He’s one of the wealthiest men in Caracas, but his money doesn’t compare to mine. She fell in love with my money, not me. I felt like I was always having to feed her greed. In fact, I still don’t know how she found out that I have money. I don’t exactly flaunt it. I think her dad has connections and did some digging. I like to give nice gifts because I want to, not because it’s expected.”
“She obviously expects it. How did she get here?”
“Arturo picks her up in the village and blindfolds her on the way up too. She doesn’t like it, but she had to bring some contract papers. She’s only been to my house a total of three times anyway. She never wanted to leave the city. She’s very high-maintenance.”
“She looked like it,” Chrissie agreed, remembering her salon-styled hair and perfectly polished nails.
“That’s what attracted me to you at first. You didn’t have to try to be beautiful—you just were, and totally unaware of the fact. Not to mention, your constant smile is genuine and you’re completely unselfish. As Americans would say, ‘that’s hot.’” Brant winked.
Guardian of the Fountain Page 12
