Intertwined Hearts Series (4 book collection): (Intertwined Hearts, An Exceptional Twist, Tangled Paths & Grafted Vines)

by Kimi Flores

  Turning, I caught sight of Dani. The bright morning sunlight glowed behind her, shadowing her face. Her dark flowing hair and the outline of her incredible curves were on full display as she passed the threshold.

  “Good morning,” she sang, closing the door behind her.

  “Mornin’.” My mouth went dry, and I was blinded by raw passion as she approached, pulling her sunglasses off just before she leaned in to give me a hug and kiss on the cheek. One of my absolute favorite aspects of her Mexican and Salvadorian heritage was the way they greeted each other so affectionately. Always with an embrace, and those who were lucky enough also received a kiss on the cheek. Whenever my arms were wrapped around her, I had a difficult time letting go. I found myself breathing in her lavender scent each and every time.

  She’d once told me she mixed lavender oil with her favorite lotion because she knew the scent helped to sooth her patients. It had the opposite effect on me. It set my body on fire.

  Everything about her turned me on, but I had to push those cravings aside.

  “Mmmm, that smells mouthwatering.” Her long wavy hair fell in front of her face as she brought the aroma of the food to her nose with a sweeping motion of her hand. I could hear the moan coming from her throat, making me want to take another cold shower. “I’m starving. Don’t be surprised if I lose all self-control this morning.”

  God, if only, I thought to myself, thankful she wasn’t a mind reader.

  Like so many times before, my eyes trailed down to the ass of her jeans when she turned and walked toward a side table where she placed her glasses, keys, and phone. Part of her hair still covered her face as she peaked over her shoulder, catching my ravenous, roaming eyes.

  “Can I help with anything?” She seemed flattered by my appraisal.

  My gaze snapped up to hers. “Hmm? Oh, um, no. Everything’s ready.” I wiped my already dry hands on the towel again, nervously looking around at anything but her as I dished up our egg, potato, leek, and goat cheese frittatas, my specialty and her favorite.

  I felt greedy this morning and wanted her all to myself before I had to put in a full day's shift. I was sure Dad wouldn’t mind sleeping in a little longer.

  “Well, let me at least help set the table.” She brushed up against me, opening up cupboards and drawers before making her way to the table with the glasses, silverware, and placemats. If she kept that up, it might just be me who lost self-control.

  Her hair fell to the side, blocking my view of her face as I watched her place everything down on the table. I loved that she was so comfortable in my home again. She reached for the napkins in the center of the table and asked, “Where’s your dad?”

  Knitting my eyebrows together, I noticed that she was deliberately making moves so that I couldn’t see her face. “He’s still in his room. He had a rough night, and I think I’ll let him sleep in.”

  Her body stiffened, but she didn’t reply. Grabbing our plates, I peeked past the attached living room and saw that dad’s door was still closed and both dogs were asleep, curled up together in Buddy’s large dog bed.

  Placing the dish in front of her, I attempted to get her attention. “We might need an intervention for those two out there. They’re miserable when they aren’t together.”

  She snickered as we took our seats.

  Resting my forearms on the table, I narrowed my eyes, watching her glance down at her food and take her first bite. “Let me see your face, Dani.” I commanded gently, not knowing why she was avoiding looking at me. The bruises and swelling were gone so it wasn’t that.

  Taking a deep breath, she sagged her shoulders before she shook her head. “No.”

  I don’t think so. My chair scraped across the wooden floor when I got up and squatted in front of her. My fingertips gingerly touched her chin, lifting her face. Her beautifully tanned skin instantly turned red.

  “Why’re you hiding from me?”

  I went to move the hair out of her face, but she pulled away. “I look hideous.”

  I jerked my head back. “What’re you talking about?”

  She bit the side of her lip. “I have a huge zit on my nose.”

  I threw my head back, laughing. Here I thought she was trying to hide something big from me and she was self-conscious about a pimple?

  She swatted my arm. “It’s not funny. I’m thirty-two. I shouldn’t be breaking out anymore.”

  I tried to keep it together, but it was no use. I made a snorting sound, which practically sent me over the edge as I cracked up. “Come on, how bad can this thing be?” I reached to move her hair.

  She scooted back, just out of reach. “Stop, Zachary. Seriously. Let’s just eat breakfast like civilized adults.”

  “Fine,” I groaned. “But please don’t hide from me, and don’t ever feel embarrassed around me.” Her eyes closed as I stood up, pulled her face toward me, and kissed her forehead. When I pulled back, the hair fell away and I just couldn’t resist. “Holy shit! That’s the biggest zit I’ve ever seen.”

  Horrified, she pushed her hair forward until she looked like cousin It from the Addams Family.

  “I was kidding,” I chuckled. “C’mon, we’ve all had pimples before, even as adults.” I moved her longs strands away again and did my damndest not to stare at her nose because she was right. That was one huge zit.

  But I wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. My eyes made their way down to her bottom lip and my thumb slowly traced the outline. I just wanted to kiss them one more time.

  My body pounded when I looked into her darkened eyes and noticed her breathing had picked up. I was seconds away from making a huge mistake by giving in to my craving when the sound of my cell phone saved me. I jumped up and answered without looking at the caller ID.

  Figuring it might be a vendor or Samuel, I answered in my professional voice. “This is Zachary Evanwood.”

  “Zachary, oh thank God I got ahold of you.” I recognized the breathy female voice on the other end and was irritated now.

  I held up my index finger to Dani and mouthed for her to keep eating before turning and walking outside, careful to close the door behind me. “Elizabeth, why’re you calling? I thought I was clear.”

  We’d dated a little in high school and hooked up a few times after Dani and I had slept together. I’d hoped it would help me move on, but it had done the exact opposite. Now that I knew how good we were together, no other woman would ever compare to Dani. The thing with Elizabeth was yet another lapse in judgement that had led to a sticky situation.

  The whole mess had sent Elizabeth the wrong message, and she had started hovering around the vineyard, trying to tempt me into blowing off work to spend time with her. That was definitely the wrong way to get my attention, but I still felt like an ass for the way I had pushed her away. Right now was the worst possible time for her to be calling again.

  “It’s your dad,” she blurted out.

  Jerking my head back, I wondered what the hell she was trying to insinuate. I couldn’t believe she was stooping so low, using my weakness against me. I didn’t feel so bad anymore.

  “What about my dad?” I was sure she could detect the suspicion oozing from my tone.

  She let out a frustrated noise. “He’s in front of a house on Watermill Lane, down the road from my mom’s, causing a scene. Nobody can calm him down, and the guy who lives there just called the cops on him. I’m afraid he’s gonna get hurt.” Her voice was laced with sincere panic.

  What the fuck?

  “Hold on a second.” I yanked the door open and hauled ass through the house. I slowly cracked open Dad’s bedroom door, praying I’d find him still sleeping soundly. But the bed was empty.

  “Dad!” I shouted a few times, catching Dani and the dogs’ attentions.

  “I told you he’s down the street, Zachary,” Elizabeth insisted. “Why’re you yelling for him? Go get him.” She ended the call before I had a chance to ask more questions.

  Darting through the living r
oom, I snatched up my keys ready to run out the door.

  Dani stood by the kitchen island. “What’s going on, Zachary?” she asked anxiously.

  In my panic, I’d almost forgotten she was here. “I have to go get my dad. Come with me please,” I called to her as I ran out of the door.

  Without hesitation, she rushed after me, slamming the door behind. We jumped into my truck and she held onto the safety bar as we raced down the road. Another thing I loved about Dani was that she knew I couldn’t take a session of twenty questions right now, and I appreciated her for respecting my unspoken boundaries.

  Two more blocks.

  My ears pulsed and my knuckles turned white as I gripped the steering wheel. I flew down the road, taking two quick right turns until we were just about a mile away from home. As we neared the spot, a police cruiser pulled up to the curb in front of a house where a handful of people had gathered. It didn’t take long to spot my father in his pajamas, on the lawn. I parked behind the cruiser and both Dani and I jumped out, sprinting toward the commotion. My father was shouting erratically and pointing with his cane to the front door of a small, somewhat rundown home.

  “They have her in there. They’re keeping my Jonata from me.” His voice carried a fierceness that I had never heard from him before. Even when he had to discipline me as a teenager, he always had the ability to be firm yet carry a tone of compassion.

  Seeing him this way broke my heart, and I felt my chest tighten when I saw how disheveled he looked. He didn’t have his dentures in, his hair was standing on end, while his glazed eyes skittered around aimlessly. He was completely out of his mind.

  I couldn’t believe his nightmares had carried over to this scene outside of some poor guy’s house. Was he awake? Had he sleepwalked here?

  I touched his arm. “Dad, we have to leave.”

  He whipped his forearm away from my grasp, hollering, “You can’t make me leave! I’m getting Jonata out of here before her father takes her away from me.”

  “Get this crazy bastard off my front lawn,” the aggravated homeowner snapped, flicking his wrist in the air as if Dad was some kind of insect that needed to be swatted away. A few of who I assumed were neighbors, gave me sympathetic looks.

  My stomach bottomed out. Crazy bastard? This was my dad. A respected man in our community, not some psycho who’d escaped a mental asylum. Looking over at my father again, I reluctantly accepted the owner’s assumptions. The man who had raised me did look like a raving lunatic. What happened to him?

  The officer approached, speaking to me in a gentle yet firm voice. “Sir, who is this and what is your relation to him?”

  We were a pretty tightknit community, but I’d never met this cop before and he obviously didn’t know my father.

  Before I had a chance to answer, Dani stepped in and explained, “I’m Mr. Evanwood’s nurse and this is his son.” She moved closer to the officer and whispered something to him. He gave a nod of understanding before she turned and mouthed to me, “Is someone in there?” Her eyes pointed toward the house.

  I shook my head no as she walked in front of my father. “Joel, it’s Dani. Can you look at me, please?” She spoke in a calming voice as she held his face between her hands and ran her thumbs across his cheeks.

  The portly homeowner grew even more impatient, running his hand across his bald head while yelling, “Why aren’t you guys dragging this wacko away? I pay my taxes, you know.”

  I felt my teeth clench together and my eyes tighten as I glared at him. He was obviously an ignorant asshole, and I didn’t have time for him.

  Dad’s eyes randomly darted around. “She’s in there, I just know it.” His lips trembled, curling in around his gums since he wasn’t wearing his teeth. I watched his chin quiver as his eyes pleaded for us to help him rescue the woman I knew he’d once loved.

  Dani moved her hands to his ears and began massaging them with the tips of her fingers. “Look at my face, Joel. Concentrate on my voice, can you hear me?”

  I watched him take a deep breath and blink hard before he finally looked into Dani’s eyes. His face fell and his voice cracked. “They’re going to take my Jonata away from me. I miss her so much.” The pain in his eyes and heartbreak in his tone nearly ripped me to shreds.

  Why was he doing this? From what he’d told me, Jonata had been relocated way back in the sixties.

  Continuing to massage his ears and use her soothing tone, Dani gently hummed a few notes of his favorite Sinatra song. “Listen to my words, Joel. Do you know me? Do you trust me?”

  His glossy, bloodshot eyes finally focused on her, blocking everything else out as he nodded his head.

  Her eyes darted back and forth between his. “You trust me, Joel, and I wouldn’t lie to you. We’ll look for her, I promise. How about if we go home and come up with a plan on how to find her over breakfast?” She moved her hands down, reached for one of his wrists, and began rubbing slow circles as she walked him to my truck.

  Everyone including me stood in awe of her. I would never be anything other than amazed at the gentle patience she has in stressful situations like this. She had garnered my dad’s trust with a few simple gestures of love and kindness.

  I scanned the crowd, recognizing a few faces, and I swallowed. Dad’s private struggles would soon become public knowledge. That was the thing with living in a small town your whole life. Everyone celebrated the good times together, but even with purest intentions, they were sure to spread hot gossip like this.

  Dani climbed into the backseat while I helped Dad step up on the running board. Once he was settled, I got in and drove us home. Dani watched from the backseat, and Dad was completely silent as he stared out the window.

  When we got home, Dad walked straight into his room and closed the door.

  Looking down, I braced my hands on my thighs and did a breathing exercise that I’d learned on some yoga show Dani liked to watch. “What just happened?” Stressed as I was, I was thankful Dani had been with me the whole time. I felt a light hand on my back.

  “Let’s talk privately.” She motioned with her head for me to follow her outside.

  Between what had just happened and the blinding sun, my head was whirling. She pulled me down onto a bench just out of earshot from the house but close enough that we could see if Dad tried to leave again.

  Holding one of my large hands in her smaller ones, she started. “I’ve had my suspicion about something for a while now. Between his hallucinations and him repeating himself so much lately—” She sucked on her lips, looking nervous as if she was afraid to say the words.

  “Dani, please just say it.” I hated that I sounded so exasperated with her, but my eyes were burning and my head was pounding.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve told a ton of families this same thing, but this time it’s different.” She inhaled, and I knew I needed to brace myself. “I think your dad has Alzheimer’s disease.”

  Pulling my hands out of hers, I jumped to my feet and paced in the grass. “What? No.” I shook my head. “No way. Dad is as sharp as ever.” But something in my gut began to burn.

  No. That wasn’t right. Dad did not have Alzheimer’s disease.

  I gave Dani a sharp look as she pulled her feet up to the edge of the bench seat and hugged her legs. “I’m sorry.”

  I stopped and stared down at her. “For what? It’s not true.”

  “Listen, I can’t diagnose him myself, and I know it’s scary to think about, but denying it won’t help him. Please consider the facts before you toss my suggestion aside.”

  “This can’t be right.” The bench vibrated when I plopped back down, causing Dani to bounce. “I’ve always looked to him for guidance. Just last week he helped me with one of the vines I’ve been trying to save. He knew exactly what to do, and it looked so much healthier when I saw it yesterday. Maybe he’s just having a rough day.”

  She gazed at me with empathetic eyes. This couldn’t be easy for her to tell me. “Because of the dement
ia symptoms, I’d like to have him checked out.”

  “Wait, dementia? I thought you said Alzheimer’s.”

  “Well,” she scrunched up her face seeming to search for the right explanation. “Dementia happens when a disease like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s or Parkinson’s damages the nerve cells in the brain. Dementia’s a group of symptoms like, just now when he was confused about being in the past, or when he repeats himself over and over thinking it’s the first time he’s said something.”

  This was too much information for me to take in all at once.

  Her hand reached over to me, silently offering me the same support and encouragement I’d given her after the whole Eric incident. “It’s going to take some time to understand. Can you trust me?”

  I watched as my trembling hand accepted her offer and my thumb instantly began rubbing her wrist. “Of course I trust you.”

  “Can you please allow one of the doctors I work with see him? They won’t be intrusive, and he won’t even realize who they are.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I just don’t think meeting with a doctor will change anything.”

  She scooted a little closer. “I respect where you’re coming from. Do you mind me asking who he was looking for?”

  I swallowed hard as I thought about her, Dad’s long lost love. “From the limited information Dad has given me, Jonata was a young woman who came to work on this vineyard back in the early sixties. Dad must’ve been around thirty or so at the time.” I felt myself calming as I talked. This was exactly what I needed—to talk about something that was factual and tied Dad to something sane, because what Dani was suggesting was the complete opposite. “They’d fallen in love and the scandal turned his world upside down.”

  “Wait, your dad had a lover?” The shocked look on her face would have been comical if it hadn’t been for the heavy feeling in my chest from what we’d just talked about.

  I nodded, distracted. “They were more than just lovers, he wanted to marry her.”

  “What happened?” Her full attention was on the story I was telling her.