And you said?
I didn’t say no. He’s been different since we left Topanga Canyon.
Different how?
I don’t know exactly. We’ve been talking more.
Talking about what?
Places he’s seen. He had a motorcycle and rode all over Europe. He has a tattoo wrapped around his rib cage and up onto his chest.
And you know this how?!?
We went swimming at the hotel. Lots of moms and kids. Don’t worry. My room is on a different floor. He’s been a gentleman. Most of the time. He can still be aggravating and rude.
Should I be worried about you? Don’t forget Brian.
Grace had forgotten all about Brian. That wasn’t a good sign. She thumbed a response. Nothing has changed in that regard. I’d better get back to studying.
OK. I’ll check in with you again. Be careful.
Tonight, over dinner, Grace had caught a glimpse of Roman she hadn’t seen before. Vulnerability. It surprised her because he’d always come across as a man who knew exactly who he was and how to get what he wanted. Was he playing with her? She didn’t need Shanice to tell her to be careful. It had become her natural inclination.
Whatever Roman’s real intent, she should get to know him. Maybe there was more to the man than what she already knew. Until this evening, she thought he was a cynical, discontented loner driven to succeed. He worked hard, made a truckload of money from his art and investments, and used some to buy himself a fortress.
Roman Velasco was certainly no knight in shining armor. Oh, he had armor, all right, and cannons aimed at anyone who dared intrude. He went out occasionally to dally with a peasant girl. She’d learned about a man’s physical needs from Patrick. Roman would have as little trouble as Patrick finding a willing girl.
She had learned from her marriage to Patrick that she didn’t know what went on in men’s minds. Sometimes she’d feel a hint something was off, that their relationship had less to do with love than with his goals. He hadn’t forced her to give up anything, but he’d known how to make her feel guilty enough to surrender all her dreams so he could attain his.
Friends she trusted had picked Brian. They knew men better than she did. And she liked Brian. She’d be able to think straight with a man like that. He wouldn’t be like Patrick: needy one moment, demanding the next. Brian felt safe.
Roman wasn’t safe. Sometimes she felt like she was in deep water with him, monsters circling and coming up from below. Lord, I don’t know if I should be friends with this man. He has only two friends—Talia Reisner and Jasper Hawley. Why is that? If this is a bad idea, let me know in a way I’ll understand. Please, Lord.
She slept fitfully, dreaming of her mother looking out the kitchen window, her face pale with tension. And then it happened again, and all the fear came rushing back. With a cry, Grace sat up in bed. Trembling, body damp with cold sweat, she listened intently, half-expecting her father to come through the door.
I’m in a hotel. It was a nightmare. Everything is all right now.
She lay back down. Pulling the blanket up, she curled on her side. She’d had the nightmare before, many times, but that was years ago, when her aunt first brought her to Fresno. What had roused it tonight? The evening with Roman? Lord, please, don’t let it start up again where it left off. Please, God.
GRACE, AGE 7
Gracie sat at the kitchen table with her Little Mermaid coloring book open to a page with Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian exploring sea rocks. Perplexed, she pointed at shapes on the page. “Mommy, what are these things?” Her mother went on peeling potatoes in the sink, her glance lifting to look out the window. Daddy would be home soon. Gracie needed to finish her picture quickly. If she did a good job, Daddy might smile. “Mommy?”
“Oh, Gracie. What did you say?” Her mother rinsed her hands and dried them with a small towel. She glanced out the window again before looking over Gracie’s shoulder. “Those are sea anemones.” She tapped the picture. “That’s a spiny sea urchin. This is coral, and that’s seaweed.” She looked out the window again. Mommy’s expression made Gracie’s stomach tighten. Would Daddy come home mad again?
“What color should they be?”
“I don’t know, sweetie.” Mommy bit her lip and looked away again, distracted. “Can’t you remember what they looked like in the movie?” A car door slammed out front, and Mommy’s body gave a slight jerk. She stepped to the sink and looked out the window. Her breath came out. “Time to play hide-and-seek, Gracie.”