Letters from Home (Entangled Flirts) (2 page)

Chapter Two

“Well, if not a beer, how about some punch, Laney?”

“No thank—” She placed a hand on Phillip’s arm. “Actually, some punch sounds wonderful.” A gentle squeeze had his eyes lighting up like her mother’s Christmas tree. He was a nice guy. Nice. Over-attentive and driving her crazy, but nice. She wasn’t completely unhappy to watch him walk away for even the few minutes it would take to get her a drink.

Lena snuck into the alcove that led to the basement and stood back as family, friends, and even a few strangers took over her parents’ home. Exhaustion blurred the edges of the celebration as the last four days of processing and travel caught up with her. She needed five minutes against this wall to get her second wind, because if there was one thing the Rodriguez family knew how to do well, it was celebrate. Holidays, holy days, first communions, weddings, even death. And, since she’d joined the Army, her homecomings.

Food would pour out of the kitchen as if it was the last day on earth. Drink would flow and music would sound through the rafters. She loved it and hated it. The family joke was that she’d joined the Army to be alone. There could be a grain of truth in that.

A hand settled on her shoulder, and she jerked away.

Tall, handsome, blue-eyed Zack Benson raised both hands in surrender. “Whoa. Slow down killer.”

Her heart gave one long, slow thud then raced against her will. Lena scowled, more at her own reaction than his. “Oh, it’s you.”

She gave him a little half-smile before letting her gaze linger on the milling crowd. Zack was a friend, practically a brother—over-protective and off limits. But her heart pounded anyway, which was so wrong. She sighed and gave him a sidelong look.

He had the scruff of a goatee coming in, and his thick, brown hair had grown into the natural curl she’d always wanted to run her hands through. “Time for a haircut, Sergeant?”

They had both joined the Army, Zack out of high school and she five years later after finishing her undergrad. He shrugged then nodded toward her admirer. “If he’s bothering you, I could take care of him.”

He
would
notice. He had the eyes of a hawk, never missed a thing.

“You wouldn’t,” she demanded, horrified at the thought of him running off a potential love match. “You’ve done enough for me in the past, thank you very much, Zack. I won’t have you messing with this, too.”

“A
love match
, eh?” Zack held up a plate of food.

“I didn’t say that.” But she’d thought it. He knew her too damned well. If she wasn’t careful, Zack could ruin her entire Christmas plan with his meddling. Her frown caused a headache right between her eyes. She grabbed a piece of broccoli from his plate and dipped it in the pool of ranch dressing. “Phillip works at the fire department—a detective, and he’s very nice. He likes children.”
As a matter of fact, he has two of his own
. That hadn’t been in the—

Zack brushed a finger across the paper sticking out of her shirt pocket.
Her letter
. She covered it with her hand, knocking his away. “Don’t.” She’d had that letter on her person since October. Proof that someone on God’s green Earth wanted her. Only now she was starting to worry that her Prince Charming was Philip.

She tried to ignore the slight zing of warmth his touch left behind. Maybe the doctor was right about needing more rest. She blinked away the touch of lightheadedness and tried to shake the fatigue from her brain.

Zack shrugged. “Just looking out for you, Lena. You look like hell. You need sleep and food in that order, not some idiot who offers you beer when it’s obvious you’re about to fall over already.”

Tears tickled the back of her eyes. She was tired. And irritated by this whole secret game. Chinese torture, that’s what it made her think of, and she wanted to scream at the world.

“
M’jita, mi amor
.” Her mother interrupted, coming up to her, putting an arm around her shoulders, and giving Zack a firm look. “Go find something to do besides bother my daughter.”

Zack winced, a pained expression on his face. “
Lo siento
, Anabel.” He waited a heartbeat. “Lena.”

She watched him walk away, guarding the sad, little part of her heart that had existed since she turned twelve. Carrying a torch for Zack was just as hard as it was annoying to carry this letter around. But she couldn’t let the letter go. The words had moved her, seduced her, and curious by nature, she had to know, had to find out the identity of the author.

Phillip strode through the crowded kitchen toward her, and a small moan must have escaped because her mother
tisked
. “Don’t do this to yourself, Lena.”

“But, he could be the one, Mama,” her voice faltered, and the room spun.

Phillip was standing over her with a punch in one hand and a silly grin on his face. “Laney?”

Elena opened her mouth, irritation warring with Twilight Zone music. She hated that nickname. “Don’t—”

The room spun again, and she leaned to catch up with it. “Mom?”

Her mom’s lovely face came into sudden, sharp focus. Her lips were moving, but it was as if someone had muted a television.

Mom’s beautifully tapered fingers snapped at someone behind her. Funny, she hadn’t noticed her mom’s nails were painted to match the Christmas tree.

“Pretty…” Lena slipped into the sweet, blessed oblivion of darkness.

…

When Anabel snapped her fingers, Zack moved. Everyone moved.

He didn’t mind shoving the love-struck Phillip out of the way, either. Could this be the guy Lena had been going on about? An overseas address for the town’s pride and joy could be found in the newspaper… Maybe Zack hadn’t been the only one sending her letters.

He caught Lena just as her knees gave out.

“Hey.” Phillip countered the move with indignation, and his hand came out to stroke Lena’s arm.

An unexpected ball of fury lodged in Zack’s throat. He gritted his teeth. “Upstairs?”

Anabel patted Phillip on the arm with a consoling smile and nodded to Zack. “
Sí
. Take her to her room, Zack. I’m sure she’s just exhausted. I’ll follow you up.”

He took the stairs two at a time and turned the corner to the girls’ room, his steps quiet on the shaggy carpet.

Lena moaned and moved in his arms.

“Take it easy, babe.”

“Oh.” The word was drawn out, and she shifted in his arms. “I don’t feel good.”

Zack changed direction and gently kicked open the door across the hall from the bedroom. Letting go of her legs first, he set her down and lowered her to sit on the edge of the bathtub. She leaned against his leg so that he was stuck.

Bending at the waist, he reached for a hand towel from the rack above the sink, turned the cold water on, and soaked it. He squeezed the thick purple cotton, draining the water.

With one hand full of towel, he placed a hand on her head, and his fingers caught in the soft web of her hair, his breath stopped in his throat.
Okay. It’s just hair
. Really thick, shiny hair, which he shouldn’t be touching, because it made him feel an unbelievably tender ache inside. But not just that, he
wanted
to touch her. He shook the thought from his mind.

“Hey. Come on, Lena.” With a hand supporting her shoulder, Zack lifted her weight from his leg and crouched down in front of her. He placed the cold towel in her hand and helped her place it against her forehead for a moment. “How you feeling now?”

She opened eyes still clouded from fatigue and blinked. “A little better. I think.”

A knock on the door, and it opened, bumping into his back.

Anabel slipped in and set a glass of water on the counter. “Everyone okay?”

Lena nodded her head. “I think…I just need to lie down for a little while.”

“Zack, could you…? I’ve got Uncle Eddie down there, and he just dumped a pan of chile con carne down the front of the oven.” Giving his shoulder a squeeze, she kissed him on the top of the head. “
Gracias, mi otro hijo
.”

Right
. The reminder he needed. A son and brother. “No problem. I’ll get her settled in.”

“I’m not a baby.”

Undoubtedly
, Zack couldn’t help thinking.

“You’ll let your family help, young lady,” Anabel ordered before she hurried back down the steps.

Lena sighed. “You don’t have to do this. I’m really fine now.”

“Sure you are. Come on.” Zack took her elbow, which she immediately took back, making him want to grin, but he knew better. She stood, only a little shaky, pressed a hand to her stomach, and he led the way to her bedroom. “You’re a doctor. You know better than to push the limit.”

With a shrug, she crossed the room and pulled open a dresser drawer.

He waited in the doorway. As kids, there never seemed to be boundaries. They’d grown up practically living together. Age had changed that. So had the talking-to Mr. Rodriguez gave him and Mike after a particularly juvenile prank involving a handful of bras.

“What are you smiling about?”

Zack glanced over and froze, knowing he should look away yet not wanting to, either. “Jeez, Lena. Warn me when you’re going to start taking your clothes off.”

Apparently, the same talk hadn’t been given to the women in the family.

“You’re crazy. And I’m wearing clothes.”

Hardly
. The sports bra might be worn in the gym, and the boxers could be considered shorts—he was not going to think about the tantalizing string-like fabric that was riding her hip above them. He cleared his throat. “I should go.”

“Hey, would you grab me a blanket from the hall closet before you leave?” She rubbed her arms. Still toned, still lean. She was a runner, and it showed. “It’s chilly in here.”

Unbelievably tough, strong-willed, and determined, she looked particularly vulnerable standing there. Years ago, when they’d been stationed together, he’d seen her do forty-eight-hour shifts and hardly blink a tired eye. All the worry about her leaving for Iraq came back full force. She would have seen the worst of it in the hospitals. “Sure.”

He pulled one of the handmade afghans out of the hall closet, the green and purple one. Noise floated up the stairs. Someone played the guitar, probably Lucas, and laughter was carried on the low murmurings of a dozen different conversations. Zack paused at the top of the stairs, where he could see Phillip putting a coat on. Carlos Rodriguez spoke quietly to the man, shook his hand, and showed him out.

Maybe he was a nice guy.

Maybe
.

It was possible he liked Lena.
Who didn’t?

Zack scowled. Only a jerk would leave just because the guest of honor had disappeared. If Phillip really liked Lena, he’d stay and get to know her family. Shaking his head, he stopped in her bedroom. “Lena.”

No response. He unfolded the blanket and covered her. Moonlight shone through the window and spilled across her face. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even. He went to tuck the blanket around her and found the small, folded piece of paper on the bed in front of her, the one that had been in her pocket before.

Pulse pounding, he picked it up and unfolded it. His eyes widened as recognition dawned. One of the letters, this one dated in October.
She still has it.

His mind racing, Zack rubbed at the script on the page and read a few lines.

I think that’s when I first fell in love with you…

Zack felt a rush of embarrassment heat his neck, but he smiled.

Christmas morning, let’s meet at the gazebo in the park.

He’d saved her life there once. Well, saved might be stretching it, but when you’re nine, a bleeding head and scraped elbows can seem pretty harrowing.

She’s been going on about some guy…

Lightning flashed inside his head as he realized where he’d miscalculated. Heart pounding in his chest, Zack glanced behind him. Dim light filled the hallway, but all was quiet. Slowly, he refolded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.

There was another man alright. It was
him
.

Chapter Three

“Did you take it, Cat?” Lena crouched on her hands and knees to look under the bed and shuffled through the loose shoes and few storage boxes. “I know I had it in the pocket of my shirt last night.”

“That’s your first problem, Lena.”

Lena rose and leaned on the bed, the frustration eating at her. “What?”

Giving her a quick glance, Catalina leaned toward the mirror above the dresser and applied a liberal amount of mascara. “A shirt with pockets…and a collar and buttons.”

Lena frowned. “So. It’s my favorite shirt. It’s comfortable and has purple and pink pinstripes.”

“You lost me at comfortable.” Cat slipped the wand into the bottle with a snap and twisted the top. “Honey, it doesn’t matter how many love letters this guy sent you. You need to get a little uncomfortable if you want a man to notice.”

The youngest of seven and still in high school, her sister Cat, in turn, could be aggravating or cute. This fit both bills.

“I don’t need a man to notice me, for crying out loud.” An unexpected warmth rose on her neck, and she cleared her throat. “Besides, Phillip didn’t care what I was wearing last night.”

“Because he’s desperate,” Cat said, picking up her coat from the chair.

“Hey.” Lena didn’t usually let her sister bug her. Her brain knew Cat had a lot to learn about life in general, but her heart took that particular punch in a soft spot, and it hurt. She’d spent most of her life in school or the Army, and never had a serious relationship. She knew that made her the oddball. She’d always been outside the norm. Still… “Phillip seemed like a nice guy.”

Cat dropped the coat and came around the bed to take Lena in her arms. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Not desperate because he likes
you
.” She pulled back and held Lena’s shoulders.

Lena almost had to look up. When had her sister gotten so tall? Just like Papi.

“He’s got the kids, no wife,” she continued. “He needs someone to take care of them.”

“Maybe he’s lonely, too.”

Cat shrugged. “Just be careful. Don’t get all wrapped up in his life on a chance he might have written some love letters. There are other resolutions to loneliness.”

She’d been hearing the warnings since letter one. Around letter four, she’d hit a wall—lonely, tired, sick—and that letter had been the one thing keeping her head above water. The person who’d written those letters had known exactly what she needed. How?

She didn’t know. But even if nothing came from meeting him, she was going on Christmas morning to thank him for being a friend. “I need to find that letter.”

“I’ll help you look…later. I’ve got a hot date right now.” Cat waggled her eyebrows with an infectious grin. “Todd is taking me to the park, then to the movies, a matinee. Afterward, we’re going to eat at Tremonts.”

Lena rolled her eyes as she rummaged through her top drawer. She was listening to advice from her high school sister. “That’s sweet. Todd’s a nice guy?”

“Oh yeah. He’s wonderful…”

The pregnant pause made Lena looked up.

“I think we might get married.”

“What?” Lena’s hands fell into the drawer, lifeless. Married? “Have Mom and Papi completely lost their minds?”

“Well, we’re not making plans or anything.” Cat blushed. “We’re really in love.”

Lena gritted her teeth. “I hope so.”

Cat disappeared around the corner. “See ya’ later.”

“Married. Sheesh,” Lena muttered. Had she ever been that ridiculous? “Dang it!” Where was that stupid thing? She walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers one at a time. The afghan hit the floor. Sheets, pillows. Nothing.

It could have fallen out of her pocket downstairs.

Maybe it was a sign. God was probably telling her to put aside false hopes, that everyone was right. The letters were stupid.

After throwing on her jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, Lena found her mom and dad in the kitchen. Mom with a cup of coffee, and Papi with the morning paper.

“Good morning.” She crossed the linoleum floor and kissed her mother’s cheek. “You’re not working, Papi?”

He was rolling the paper as she spoke. He tucked it into his back pocket, kissed her mother, then came around and put an arm on her shoulders. “I’m off now.”

Her dad ran the hardware store in town, had been running it for almost forty years.

Lena’s heart clenched a little as he left. He looked good, strong. But he wasn’t getting any younger, either. She worried. “He’s not working too hard, is he, Mami?”

Her mother’s pointed look caused her to blush. “Your father is not for you to worry about.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Take care of yourself first,
hija
. Besides, your father has many more years in him.”

Lena sighed. “I know. It’s just hard to be away for so long. I feel out of touch. You’re sure he’s okay?”

“Of course, I’m sure! Would I kid around about our health? No.” She shook her finger in Lena’s direction. “And how do you feel, any better?”

Lena nodded as she went for a mug and the freshly brewed coffee. “Much better. I slept like a rock and received a few swift elbows in the back for it when I started to snore.”

Mom laughed. “It’s nice to have you home,
mi amor
. The house will be filled to the brim again this Christmas.”

Every time she was home, she considered getting her own place—a small, quiet apartment so she could veg out. But, she’d only spend her time driving back and forth then wondering what she was missing if she wasn’t here.

This was home.

Her older brother Michael was the only one to have ventured out. He’d bought a small house on the south side of town. With Lucas and Jaime in college most of the year, that left Maria, Cat, and Juan living at home. The house could still manage the large family, so when the holidays came about, they all piled together or slept on couches and floors.

“Where’s Maria?”

Mom folded the paper twice and left it to go to the fridge. “She’s doing the morning shift at the emergency room this week, with two doubles over the weekend so she can have Christmas off.”

“Oh,” Lena sank into a chair at the table and set her mug down. “She’s working long hours all the time?”

“She keeps her social life going.” Mami took out a carton of eggs and her homemade tortillas. “I’ll make you something to eat.”

Her instinct was to refuse. She didn’t want her mom doting on her. Hunger beat back that reaction. “I’d love to, let me help. Have you eaten?”

Mom shook her head. “I waited.”

Lena took a couple of plates down. Opening the fridge, she found a bag of oranges and pulled two out.

“So,” she started hesitantly as she slid the cutting board out of its little cubby hole, “I can’t seem to find the letter I had in my pocket last night. Have you seen it?”

Her mom stopped scrambling the eggs and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. I’m sure it will show up. It couldn’t have disappeared.”

Lena shrugged, concentrating on slicing the fruit.

“It’s just a letter, Lena.”

“I know.” She’d already accepted that, and the fact that it might have disappeared forever. “There were so many people here last night. It probably got thrown away during the cleanup. I should have put it in my room instead of leaving it in my pocket.”

“What happens when you meet this man?”

Good question
. “I suppose we’ll talk. Maybe I’ll invite him to church with the family.”

“You think this man who writes love letters wants to talk and then go to church with you?”

It
did
sound a little ridiculous.

But, Christmas was an unbendable rule in the Rodriguez family. If you were in town, you went to Mass. How could this man claim to know her, but not know that she had plans for Christmas morning?

“Hopefully, when you find the one for you, he will do more than talk.”

“Mom!” Lena couldn’t stop the giggle.

Her mom gave words to her hope. Head and heart, two different beasts. No one ever fell head over heels for her. In all her adult life, there had never been romantic gestures, long walks, holding hands, tender kisses in the moonlight…or sunlight, for that matter.

Her boyfriends had been just as happy to pal around, never parting with broken hearts, either. Her determination to get through college and become a doctor had pushed those needs aside, and even shoved her straight into a military career.

She sighed. “Maybe it’ll be love at first sight.”

“God always has a plan for us. Maybe you should consider a nice, quiet single life for the next week. Nothing to be done until you know who has written the letters, anyway,
verdad
? Now eat, so you can gain some weight.”

Lena dug in. Her mom had a way of making things better just by being around. The letter was a bitter loss, but not finding it certainly wasn’t going to stop her from going to the park in a week.

The old rotary phone shrilled on the wall behind her. Her heart gave an extra squeeze, and the bite she was going to take stopped halfway to her mouth.
Maybe her letter writer?

Mom gave her an I-know-what-you’re-thinking look and got up to answer.

Lena took her bite, slowly turning to watch her mom answer the phone.

“Hello.” Her gaze found Lena.

Yes. It was for her
. Lena’s palms turned clammy. Who could it be?

“She’s doing quite well this morning. Would you like to speak with her?”

Mami handed out the phone to her. “It’s for you.”

Lena grinned and mouthed, “Who is it?”

Silently, Mom shook the phone and mouthed right back, “
Tómalo.
”

She stood and took the phone with a shaking hand. “Hello?”

“Hi, Elena. Um, I was wondering…well, how are you?” Phillip. His nervousness came through the line, so sweet and, at the same time, a hair irritating.

“I’m fine. As a matter of fact, I just ate a nice breakfast, and I think I’m ready to go running.”

“Oh. Okay. In that case, I won’t keep you…but, hey, uh, I was wondering, would you like to have dinner?”

She pierced her mom with a look, her words and advice stuck right where she’d left them, on Lena’s conscience—
just letters
, don’t lead him on. If it wasn’t Phillip—
please not Phillip
,
ugh.
“I’m sorry Phillip. I,” she cleared her throat, “I have other plans. And I think it’s better if I just hang out with the family for now. Recuperating and all that. Don’t want to over-do it.”

Excuses. She knew how it sounded, but wanted to be kind, too. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to lead you on, Phillip. I don’t think I’m very good dating material right now.”

Phillip was silent for a moment, and Lena had the urge to clear her throat again. She could have let him down in person. Maybe that would have been better. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be. It’s okay. I appreciate your honesty. Maybe another time.”

“Yeah,” she answered, even though it sounded like the empty promise it was. The worst part? If he wrote the letters, she would have to rethink a year’s worth of obsession because when it came right down to it, there was no spark. Love handles notwithstanding, there had to be more passion than irritation. And what did that make her? Shallow? Confused.

All of the above, with the possibility of highly disappointed.

Lena quietly set the phone back on the hook. Her soul felt heavy, and resentment nestled against her heart. Her mom came over and gave her a hug from behind. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Shaking her head, Lena broke away. “I’m going to run.”

Running cleared her head. When she was running, nothing else mattered.

Right now, she needed a little of nothing else matters.