Page 37 of Fool Me Twice
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“He seems to be going through something I don’t understand. If I had been a better father to him, then wouldn’t he tell me what’s bothering him?”
“Maybe.” I sipped my wine, considering it. “Maybe not. Sometimes it’s hardest to talk to the people we’re the closest to.”
“It wasn’t always this way.”
I put my wine down, deciding to take a risk. “What about his mother? Is she still…”
Even though I’d promised myself I wouldn’t ask about Rodrigo’s ex, whoever she was, now that he’d apologized it felt like all cards were on the table. If the topic seemed to bother him, I would back off.
His face pinched. “She is not around anymore.”
“Oh.” I absorbed that. “I see. I’m sorry.”
He shook his head, suggesting that I shouldn’t be concerned about it. “It has been many years.”
So she left them? From his response, it didn’t seem he’d been widowed.
Suddenly, I was no longer jealous of the imaginary woman who got to spend countless days and nights at Rodrigo’s side. Now I was only angry at her.
Sebastián was an amazing kid. Who in their right mind would abandon him?
Keeping true to my promise, I changed the subject. “Melba seems to be a great nanny.”
“She is the best. It’s very fortunate that I found her.”
I ran my fingers up and down the stem of my wine glass. Now that we’d gotten the elephant out of the room, I was starting to feel unsure of what to say.
Probably because, truth be told, my old feelings for Rodrigo were starting to return. It was nearly impossible to not notice the way his suit strained against his sculpted chest and arms, and every time he smiled and his dimples made an appearance my knees turned to jello.
All of this was bad. Very bad. Rodrigo and I could never happen again. We lived on different continents. I didn’t even know if he was interested in me.
Then again… he had sent me red roses. Weren’t those universally symbolic of love?
“I really do hope you stay the remainder of your trip,” he said with, depending on how you looked at it, perfect or imperfect timing.
I suppressed a smile. “I’ll see.”
“I could take the afternoons off work. Drive you wherever you want to go.”
“You don’t have to do that. That’s too much.”
“It wouldn’t be.”
I looked down at my lap, abruptly overwhelmed. This felt so similar to the start of my relationship with Rodrigo, when he showered me with experiences and fancy dinners and sunset rides.
Most women would have felt honored, but I just felt panicky. I didn’t want to go down that same path again, and even though Rodrigo had come clean, I was still having trouble trusting him.
No, not him exactly, but the whole situation. Love had never blessed me, so why should it start doing so now?
A song began playing loudly, and for the first time that evening I noticed the band on the small stage. I’d been so focused on Rodrigo that the rest of the room had faded away.
“May I have the honor of this dance?” He extended his hand across the table.
I laughed. “I have a cast on!”
“I can support you. I promise not to drop you.”