Love on the Malecon (10 page)

“I thought we’d have an after dinner drink at
the bar so that you can spend some time in the main restaurant as
well,” he added. She looked up at him and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you! This is absolutely perfect.” She
practically ran up the steps to the table, as fast as she could
without tripping on her long dress. Derek darted after her,
laughing, to make sure she didn’t end up falling. He pulled out her
chair and allowed her to sit before going across to his own. One
more time, as if by magic, wine arrived immediately at the table.
This time he chose a bold red to go with the rich food the chef
would prepare. He also asked it to arrive with two tall mixed
drinks.

“I remembered that you like Crown &
Sevens. I thought we’d take our time and enjoy both,” he told her,
“
Do you recall a dish your father liked best or shall we
take a look at the menu?” Derek motioned toward where they were
stacked on the table.

“I know he ordered a sea bass all the time,
but not sure if they have more than one,” she said as she picked
one up.

“Take a look, but I’m pretty sure I know
exactly what he ordered,” he replied. He had had their sea bass
numerous times and knew that locals loved it as well.

“Which one is it?” she asked.

“They have a ginger soy lacquered Chilean sea
bass over a bed of sautéed vegetables. Other than Night at the
Iguana, it’s what they are known for.
“

“That’s the movie, I meant to ask you,” she
said excitedly,
“
I remember my father calling me from one of
his trips to Vallarta and telling me I had to go rent it.” She
seemed as though she was going to continue on the topic, but her
mind suddenly veered off in another direction.
“
Employees
were talking about my dress? That is so embarrassing!” She rolled
her eyes and put her head in her hands for a moment.

He immediately regretted asking Hector in
front of her. He had just been nervous about Silvia since that
morning. He didn’t mean to embarrass her. But Silvia had the
potential to ruin this relationship if she said the wrong
thing.

“No, love, it’s not embarrassing,” he
reassured her,
“
I’m sure they were admiring you or wishing
they were you.” He reached across the table for her hands and she
instinctively put them into his. She rolled her eyes again,
probably at the thought of other women wishing they were her. He
loved that part about her. She wasn’t insecure, but also wasn’t
conceited. She walked a fine line between the two and did it very
well.

They stayed like that until the server
arrived. Derek checked with Nicole first and then ordered them both
the sea bass.

“Is this your first time your company has
sent you to Puerto Vallarta?” Nicole inquired.

“Oh no. Like your father, I travel quite
frequently,” he said, still holding back just a bit, though he
wasn’t sure why anymore.

“Where is your favorite place?” she
asked.

“That is a tough one.” Derek thought about
the question. He loved places for different reasons. Puerto
Vallarta may be at the top of his list now for sentimental reasons.
Not only was Stone Hospitality, Inc. born there, but now he had met
Nicole there as well.

“I love Italy, though work hasn’t taken me
there yet,” he finally answered.

“I’ve always wanted to see Venice,” she said,
eyes bright.

“You would love it. I haven’t been there in
over five years. We’re due for a trip, huh?” He needed a filter
with Nicole. The things he said to her before he had a chance to
think would never cease to amaze him. She just laughed and took a
drink of wine. Planning international travel may be moving just tad
fast, even he could admit that.
“
Too fast?” he asked.

“A little, but it’s sweet that you’re
planning,” she replied. He wasn’t exactly sure how to take that
answer. Had she spoken to the Maybe Boyfriend? The thought hadn’t
occurred to him until this moment. He could feel his blood starting
to boil and he knew he had to get a check on his temper. She did
seem open to a Napa trip, so it might be that somewhere as far as
Italy seemed a little crazy, five days into a relationship. It was
crazy; he knew it himself.

He decided to change the subject so things
didn’t get weird.
“
How did your phone call go with your
friend this morning?” he asked. He tried not to sound like he was
prying, though the idea that she might have called the Maybe
Boyfriend was still floating around in his head.

“You would think I’ve been missing for a
month!” she laughed and he waited for her to continue
“
She
left me so many voicemails and text messages. She ended up thinking
I was mad at her. She understood why I left, but Kate is the
worrying type.”

“She’s glad you’re safe then?” he prompted
her to tell more.

“Yes…” She seemed to be considering telling
him something and he could feel his blood pressure start to
rise.

“I told her about you.” And without giving
him a chance to respond, she went on as if she felt the need to
explain herself,
“
She was worried that I was here by myself
and said she would have come. I wanted her to know I wasn’t alone.”
She gave him the sweetest smile.

“First, no, love, you’re not alone. And
second, were you concerned I wouldn’t like that you told her?”

“No, it’s not that. I don’t really know
why…oh, I don’t know.” Her face reddened and she shook her
head.

“What is it?” He really couldn’t tell what
she was thinking.

She sighed and closed her eyes to block out
seeing him.
“
I’m worried it sounded like I was telling her
about my new boyfriend. I don’t want to scare you off.” She opened
her eyes enough to peek through her lids at him.

All in one moment, a plethora of thoughts ran
through his head. Would he have liked her to call him her
boyfriend? What did she really think about their relationship only
five days in? Was this just a vacation fling? Would she go back to
the Maybe Boyfriend? Would Derek recover if she did? Did she want
to say it was serious?

“What did you tell her?” he asked, picking
her hand up and kissing it tenderly so she’d know that he wasn’t at
all upset that she had mentioned him.

“I told her that I met someone and it was
intense,” she told him. He assumed that was a quick synopsis of
what she really said.

“Intense is a pretty accurate way to put
this,” he said with a grin. He wanted to ask about the Maybe
Boyfriend, but wasn’t sure if he should. Luckily, she kept
talking.

“She thinks that my father may have sent you
to me.” A look of embarrassment came over her face.
“
Kate
isn’t the hearts and flowers type either. It seemed rather out of
character for her, but I did like the idea.”

“I do too,” was all he was able to say before
the server arrived with their food covered in a domed silver cover
to keep it warm from his walk to the gazebo.

He could tell immediately that Nicole was
happy with the selection. Her eyes practically rolled into the back
of her head when she took the first bite of the fish.
“
I’m
not even a fish person!” she said.

“Can I try to make you look that satisfied
tonight?” he teased.

“It’s no contest,” she smiled at him.

“Who wins? Is it me or the sea bass?” he
joked with her again.

“You all the way, baby,” she laughed.

They ate their dinner and talked more about
their pasts. She asked a little bit about his childhood and he was
more open with her than any other person in his life. A close
second would be Gael. He knew that for the business’ sake there
were parts of his personality that should be explained. He told her
about seeing his mother do drugs and moving from apartment to
apartment whenever she’d get evicted. His accountant sent her a
small amount of money each month, but he was completely removed
from the situation. He knew his mother well enough not to send too
much. He knew she’d spend it on drugs.

He didn’t get into any of that with Nicole,
not tonight. He always figured that if he did end up with a wife,
she would know everything about it and that taking care of his
mother was a necessary evil. He couldn’t leave her to live on the
streets or sell her body. She may have been a horrible mother, but
she was still just that, his mother.

They each finished their plates. Nicole
suggested they have some dessert at the bar with their drinks, so
he suggested an apple dessert that he knew she would love. He took
her hand and led her up to the bar. She stopped just shy of walking
into the restaurant and turned to look at the view. She leaned into
the crook of his shoulder and was still for a moment. He figured
she was thinking of her father. He rubbed the bare skin on her back
and let her tell him when she was ready. Time would stand still for
as long as she needed.

In that moment, he had a longing that he
thought he’d squashed in the ring- a wish that he had a father. He
didn’t like thinking that, didn’t like needing him. He hated the
universe for taking Nicole’s from her. Why couldn’t his waste of a
father die in a car accident instead? Maybe he had, Derek thought.
He had no idea if the man was alive or dead.

Nicole leaned up and kissed his cheek; it had
become the cutest little habit. Wordlessly, they walked up to the
bar. Just as he was about to order, he received a text message. He
checked his phone to see if it was Gael. It was from Silvia:
“
I see you took your blond out again tonight. I’ll miss
seeing you leave her hotel shirtless again tomorrow.’” Derek did
not reply. This was just what he was worried would happen. He still
planned on having her job if she dared approach Nicole, especially
without him there. But he would deal with Silvia another time. He
was determined not to let this ruin their time tonight.

He ordered the apple tartlet and another
bottle of the same red wine; if they didn’t finish it at the bar,
they could take it back to the hotel. As he had that thought, he
realized he was picturing his apartment at the Paraíso. He thought
about the day he met Nicole and it felt like it might be his fourth
life-changing moment. It wasn’t very clear to him now if it was
when he was sitting at the bar at the Playa Vallarta and first saw
her or if it was now, in this moment, at the bar in this
restaurant. But he knew it was life changing. He wanted to take her
to his apartment at the hotel and let her see the personal life he
had created. He wanted to tell her everything.

The apple dessert arrived and it was divine, just
like everything that night. She sat at the bar, eating and looking
over at Derek as he spoke to the restaurant manager. He really did
know everyone in this town. Who was he?

She had discovered more about his past
tonight. This man had overcome so much since he had been the poor
little boy who had no father and a mother that sounded too selfish
to put her needs aside to take care of a helpless child. And look
at him now. She wasn’t quite sure of his success at the moment, but
any amount was amazing, given his circumstances. This man was the
one that needed a lotus flower tattooed on his skin, not her. She
smiled at the thought of a flower, even a simple drawing like hers,
mixed in with all those masculine designs.

How successful was he? Who exactly did he
work for? She hadn’t noticed until now that he had been rather
vague about why he was here. It wasn’t because she was
disinterested. She supposed it was because they had so much to
learn about each other. Somehow they always got onto another topic.
Was that on purpose? She inspected him again wondering if he was
some type of undercover agent. As far-fetched as it seemed, she
wouldn’t be surprised at all if that’s who he really was. Would she
ever know?

Nicole hadn’t noticed that while she was
pondering all of this, she had slowly eaten far more than her half
of the dessert. It was so good, she couldn’t stop herself. She set
down her fork and let Derek finish his conversation. He must have
been waiting for her to do so because as soon as she did, he
introduced her to the man with whom he was talking.

“Manuel, this is
mi amor
, Nicole.” She
didn’t miss his reference. She liked it.

“
Hola
,
Señorita
Nicole, are you
enjoying yourself this evening?” He lifted her hand and kissed it
quickly.

“Thank you, yes. Your place is wonderful,”
she said and leaned in toward Derek slightly. She had been able to
tell over the few short days that he had a protective side. She
guessed that even with a simple hello kiss on the hand, she should
let Manuel see that she was his. Derek’s way never came across
controlling or domineering, just protective. As she leaned, he put
his arm around her to show that he appreciated the gesture.

“I will leave you two to enjoy your evening.
We will talk again, Derek, and I hope to see you soon,
Señorita
Nicole,” Manuel said politely. They both said their
goodbyes and he was off to check on other guests.

Nicole saw Derek raise his eyebrow at her
when he noticed the remaining dessert.
“
I tried to leave you
some,” Nicole said with a laugh.

“It is quite all right,” he said as they each
picked up their forks and continued eating.

“Do you come here often?” she asked. She was
determined to find out a little bit more about his travels, but she
had a feeling she couldn’t be too pushy about it. There may be a
reason he had been vague.

“I usually come up for dinner at least a
couple of times while I am here. Vallarta is rather small, so it’s
very easy to become a regular and be recognized. Tourism is this
city’s life line so the locals make sure to remember those that
return.” Again she noticed that he was talking more about Vallarta
than himself. He might be very skilled at avoiding these questions,
but why? She wondered if she should come right out and ask if he
was some super-secret spy. She would never tell anyone. Well,
probably Kate. Hmmm, maybe he shouldn’t tell her anything. What in
the world was wrong with her? She had fallen for a guy practically
the second she saw him and now she was turning him into James
Bond.