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.Her eyes projected humor.“Where parachutes are supposed to land?”His facial skin heated.“Yeah.I know.The only grove of trees for miles…and I found it.Back to Javier.”Her hands wrung together.“What if he won’t agree to this?”“Celia, I know it’s hard, but please try to trust me.”She leaned back.“Why do you think I’m here?”Chapter EighteenManny set a second cup of steaming cocoa near Celia, then relaxed next to her on the navy-blue couch.“Thanks.” Celia rested her head back.“How long since you heard from him?”“About three this afternoon.He was supposed to be back in an hour.”Manny tilted her wrist to eye her watch.Just before seven.“He didn’t come home for supper at five.He has no cash because he paid me all of it for the damages on your scooter.He never skips food.”“Any recent arguments?”“Not really.He’d been spending too much time on the computer.So I called him a cyber-spud, but he laughed about it.Didn’t seem mad.Just secretive.I jokingly drilled him about his Internet sites but he ignored me.Usual stuff.”Manny nodded.“After he left, I looked at the page he was viewing and felt horrible.He was ordering my Christmas present online, though I don’t know where he’d get the money.”“Oh, man, Celia.I told him I’d take him to buy your present, but he said he could only find it online since it was from a mail-order beauty-supply store.I told him to let me know how much and I’d let him work it off.”She put her face in her hands and groaned.Manny tilted her chin up.“Want me to go help look for him?”She chewed her lip.“If he’s not home by nine, which is his curfew on school nights.Maybe he forgot he told me he’d be home in an hour.I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.”Celia planned to stay here until nine? With the two of them alone in a dimly lit house and a cozy fireplace crackling? And wearing that perfume he liked?This was going to pop-quiz his self-control.Especially when Celia set her cocoa down and snuggled beside him.“Got any movies to pass time?”Tons.“No.They’re all boring and drab.” He scooted away from her.She retrieved the basket of DVDs from the coffee table cubbyhole and plucked one out.“This sounds good.”At least they were all rated PG.Twenty minutes later Celia relaxed against him and her breathing pattern changed.No doubt she’d fallen asleep.Firelight flickering off her caramel skin mesmerized him.Burnt golden-brown embers visible through orange flames made her eyelids glow.The red flames matched her lips, which he really ought not to stare at.Maybe he’d just see if her eyelashes were real.He leaned in, trying to detect a glue line.He moved closer, maybe an inch or so.Her breath floated across his face.He held his, looking for any sign of natural lashes beneath fake ones, then decided they must be real.He really couldn’t be sure.He wondered if she’d feel it if he gave them one little tug.He reached his hand forth then withdrew it.He wished she’d wake up.Keep him company.She shifted.He leaned in once more, to see her lashes.Who knew why he was so obsessed about it? He used to steal his sisters’ and glue them on the dog’s hind end.Then draw lips beneath them with a washable marker so the dog’s tail resembled a nose.His sisters had deemed him a canine terrorist, but it hadn’t bothered the dog.Manny and his dad had laughed their heads off.He leaned a hairbreadth away from Celia, and reached.Celia awakened with a start and jerked to a sitting position.“Yow!”Heat crept up his neck.Yep.Real, all right.She rubbed her eye.“What are you doing?”“Nothing.I mean, I was just bored and trying to see if they were real.”“They most certainly are.See?” She batted them at him for good measure.He stood, reaching for his cane, then ambled to get her cloak.She stretched.“What time is it?”Manny rubbed frost off the window to peer outside.“Eight.”“You let me sleep through the movie?” She took her cloak from him, wrapping it around her shoulders.Manny kept a safe batch of airspace between them.“I was about to wake you.”“How, by ripping my eyelids off?”Heat rushed his neck again.“Only a little tug.We need to look for Javier now.The roads will be too bad to drive on soon.”Celia buttoned her cloak.“It’s just snow.”“Ice storm’s coming later, though.You don’t need to drive in that.”Hood up, she tugged on her gloves.He pulled on his coat.“While you dozed, I left a message on your home phone for Javier to call my cell if he returned.”“He won’t know where I am when he gets there.”“Good.Maybe he needs to understand what he puts you through when he doesn’t call or come home on time.”“I hadn’t thought of that.”He swiveled to face her and reached for both her hands.“Pray with me?”“That, I can do.” Celia closed her eyes and prayed with Manny for her son.“Thank you,” Celia said.Manny pulled her close, she thought for a hug, but when he held her, panic surged.This was a bit too cozy for her comfort.He said he was a hugger, and that would be fine except his hugs affected her more than they should.What if he kissed her again? Like a match tossed carelessly in dry woodland, things could easily blaze out of hand.Scared of her reaction, scared she felt too secure in the haven of his arms, scared she’d want to stay here forever, she put her hands flat to his chest and shoved.His eyes blinked open then shuttered to unreadable.He scooted away and searched her face.“I’m not up for affection.” That was a dumb thing to say.“I’m sorry.It’s not you.”His face yielded to disappointment but he masked it.“No problem.Sorry if I overstepped my bounds.Again.”Instantly she knew he meant his actions at the reception.Great.She’d gone and offended him again.It wasn’t him she didn’t trust to be alone this time.It was her.She couldn’t act on her attraction to Manny.If she did, she might fall in love.Physical attraction was not enough of a foundation to base a relationship on.Problem was her heart could skid out of control even if she subdued her body.Manny stood and leaned on the chair arm with both hands.“Let’s look for Javier.”“What about when the roads get bad?”“I notified police to keep eyes peeled for him, since they’re out patrolling anyhow.”“Thank you for sticking close to me and helping.”“I’m not going anywhere, Cel.”“Me, neither.I mean, you know what I mean.” Her face heated until relief fluttered down his face.He stood straighter and calm entered his demeanor.“I appreciate this.Maybe it would be wiser for us not to remain in a house alone unless a third party is here anyway so your reputation isn’t compromised with our neighbors.” But his face spoke of needing to be together, though he wanted to do the right thing by her more.“If you’d feel better about it, we can head out to look for Javier.” Though worry attacked her mind, Celia had an odd sense of peace about Javier’s safety.After scouring the streets for Javier with no results, they grabbed a cup of coffee from a drive-through, then returned to the house because the roads had turned treacherous.The police phoned with frequent updates, assuring Celia they were on the lookout for Javier.She wished he’d at least call.Once at Celia’s, Manny walked her around front to her door.Like the moths above their heads, circling the faint yellow glow of her porch light, his eyes flitted across her face and came to rest on her mouth.Then as a moth too close to flame, he darted his gaze away.She wanted to reach for him.Tell him it was okay.She wanted him to kiss her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]