For the Love of His Life (17 page)

“Um, you didn’t see where John went, did you?” he asked Ivan.

“No! But he is staying on my land, so he will need to ride home with me. That’s how I got myself invited to this private family party! What a lucky man I am! What a wonderful country we live in, my friend!”

“Yeah…right. If you’ll excuse me?” Raul got up and went over to the bathroom to wait in line. When the man who came out was a stranger, he went in and quickly took care of business. When he got out he looked back over at the tables and still didn’t see Veronica, but the woman who had been waiting in line at the same time as him had just gone into the women’s bathroom.

They must be outside. I know I should mind my own business and stay in here. But I have to know what’s going on out there.

Raul pushed the front door open and was hit by a blast of warm air. The sun had set, but the temperature was still about the same it had been all day. He could tell that they were nearing summer, because it was warmer and lighter for longer every day, and he was inordinately proud of himself for noticing.

He walked out into the parking lot and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag to clear his thoughts.

They’ve got to be somewhere out here. He doesn’t have a car and she rode in Jared’s rental along with Gram-Marie and me. So where could they be?

He slowly walked around the side of the building and still didn’t see any sign of the couple he sought. But by listening closely, he thought he heard something that made him head to the back of the restaurant. He threw the unfinished cigarette down and ground it with his heel.

He cautiously peeked around the corner and saw Veronica leaning against the back wall and John pacing in front of her. They appeared to be arguing. He focused his hearing on shutting out all other noises and began to hear what they were saying.

“I’ve never led you on, John. I told you it was over when I realized how I felt. You can’t blame me for this,” Veronica said.

“God-damn it, Ronnie, you know why I come down here every summer. Sooner or later you are going to realize that you made a mistake breaking up with me. We belong together. Don’t you remember how good it was between us?”

Raul felt his fists clench as the man moved closer to Veronica and tried to kiss her. She turned her head and spoke angrily at him.

“Don’t! Don’t even try it, John! It’s over! It’s been over for a very long time! You just haven’t had the sense to accept it. I suggest you start now.”

“It’s because of that actor, isn’t it? That’s what this is all about. You think he’s interested in you? He’s a man-whore, Ronnie. He’s the kind of guy who takes what he wants then runs off to the next hot bitch as soon as he’s done with you. He’s not going to be around for the long haul. I’ll wait. I’ve been waiting this long…I can wait a while longer. But you’d better not make me wait too long, or I just might lose interest.”

“I live in constant hope, John,” Veronica said simply.

“Of what?” he asked in confusion.

“Isn’t it obvious? Of you finding another woman and leaving me alone.”

John groaned and lunged toward Veronica, while she pushed herself off the wall and headed quickly for the side of the building Raul was lurking on. He sprinted toward the front parking lot, trying not to be seen as an eavesdropper. He lit another cigarette as he moved, so that when she rounded the front of the building, he was leaning against a car parked by the street and looking up at the moon.

“Hi,” he said as casually as he could manage, taking deep breaths to hide the fact that he had recently been moving so quickly.

“Hey,” Veronica said, startled to find him in the parking lot. “How long have you been out here?”

He shrugged. “Not long…why?”

“You’re not checking up on me or anything are you?” she asked suspiciously.

He shook his head. “No. But those silly state rules about smoking indoors have even spread this far into the wilderness. So I had to duck out for a quick smoke.”

They both looked up to see John stomping loudly on the porch that led from the side of the building up to the front door. He slammed the door open and strode inside.

“He sounds pissed,” Raul observed.

Veronica shrugged. “I guess.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

She eyed him in the moonlight. “Um…no? None of your business, dude.”

He shrugged elaborately. “Maybe not…but maybe I’d like it to be.”

Veronica’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Any comment she was going to make was forgotten as the door slammed open again and John stomped through the door. He was followed by Ivan, who waved affably to everyone still inside.

“Goodnight, my friends! I have enjoyed your company this fine evening. Thank you for letting me share in your companionship and joy. The pleasure was all mine.”

“Keys?” John demanded as he walked back from the truck to where Ivan was still staging his dramatic exit.

“No fucking way are you driving my truck,” Ivan remarked as he pushed past him to the end of the porch. “I agreed to drive you here and back…not to letting you drive my baby. My precious…my new American-made beauty.”

They walked over to the truck and Ivan hit the clicker to open the doors. Veronica and Raul blinked as they were bathed in the sudden light of the headlamps. John saw them and his hands clenched into fists as he started to walk back toward them. Ivan had seen them too and he quickly moved so that he was in front of John, an immovable wall of stubborn man.

“I thought you wanted to leave immediately,” he began in a tone that hinted at a danger being awoken.

John looked up at him and realized he was pushing his luck.

“Um, I did…but now…I mean, of course I did…”

“Uh hmm. Get in the truck now,
Mr. Lawyer
. You made me leave before I finished my beer. I won’t forget that.”

John shrugged then accepted the inevitable. He opened the passenger door and got into the truck, still staring at Veronica. Raul was truly enjoying his smoke.

Ivan waved at them both. “Good night, you two. Sweet dreams to all. I’ll see you soon, right,
Mr. Movie-Star
?”

Raul smiled as he nodded. “Yes.”

After the favor you have done for me tonight? I’ll be there tomorrow! And send a picture of myself with you there, to the on-line publicity hawkers.

They watched as the truck pulled out of the parking lot and headed back toward the Gunflint Trail.

Veronica turned to look up at Raul, who later blamed the beers he’d consumed. He leaned over and covered her lips with his, the briefest of touches, meaning only to let her know he was there for her if she needed to talk.

Veronica leaned into the kiss, but kept her eyes open wide.

“What was that for?” she asked breathily.

“Just because.” He honestly couldn’t think of anything better to say because most of the blood in his body had already headed south into his groin.

“Oh,” she replied before she turned around and quickly headed back into the restaurant, leaving Raul in the parking lot alone.

What’s happening to me? I’m the one always in charge of any seduction. I plan it out and execute each move as if it was a chess game! Now look at me! “Just because”? Even a toddler could write better lines!

He spent a few minutes beating himself up before he walked back into the restaurant. Veronica was sitting next to Gram-Marie and he didn’t get another chance to talk to her alone. He sat in the passenger seat as Jared drove them back to the resort, with Marie and Veronica in the back seat, still chuckling over the jokes Ivan had told them as they ate.

Once back in the parking lot of the resort, Jared asked Gram-Marie if he could stay on her sofa-bed. She told him she’d been expecting that and had even put sheets and pillows on it already. Veronica said her good nights to everyone, climbed into her truck and drove off into the night.

Raul walked quickly along the path to his cabin and fell into bed, pleased that his rival seemed to have been vanquished by the lady herself tonight, with a little help from his new Russian friend Ivan. But he kept remembering how soft her lips were as he covered them with his and his last conscious thought was an aching for more, so much more, he wanted from her.

Chapter Thirteen

Jared’s arrival seemed to make the filming of the movie much more real for everyone. From that time on, Raul spent more and more time in his cabin, memorizing his lines. He still got up early to exercise before he ran with Veronica, but once they were done with their swim, he usually headed back to work. In a way she was glad to know he had so much to do that she didn’t have to worry that he was just going to sit around drinking all day. But she also found she missed having Raul ask if they could spend more time together during the afternoon. Since she often had to do accounting work after lunch, she had thought it was annoying that he always asked her…until he didn’t anymore.

On one of the rare nights Veronica came to the resort to have dinner, she walked in after having wrestled with a client’s receipts and books all afternoon, looking to relax amidst family and friends. She was too tired to cook, and had only stopped at her house long enough to change into a thin summer dress and flip-flops. The first thing she noticed when she entered the dining room was that some of the customers kept craning their heads around, trying to stare out on the deck. Curious, she walked out to see what they were trying to see and found Jared and Raul talking animatedly while they ate.

“Hello you two,” she began, smiling as she approached them.

“Ronnie! I’m so glad you’re here. Raul has been complaining about the black flies and mosquitoes. While I admit they are annoying, I keep trying to tell him the flies will be gone by the end of July, and the skeeters mid-way through August. Tell him, honey. He doesn’t believe me!”

She walked over to the railing to lean her back against it, standing next to Jared, and looked into Raul’s eyes. She was sure she must be imagining things, because he seemed to be admiring her. She forgot what it was she was supposed to be telling Raul, as the shock made her nipples tingle. She felt them harden and poke into the thin fabric, which made Raul’s eyes fixate on them, further confusing her.

Jared had been staring at Raul, waiting for corroboration from his cousin, but when he turned and looked up into her face, he snapped his fingers in front of her.

“Uh…Ronnie?”

“Oh, yeah. What?” She tried to remember what to say. “Oh yeah. The bugs. Jared’s right. The flies are done in July, the mosquitoes in August.”

“So you see, filming outside won’t be as miserable for the whole time as it is now. Besides, you are supposed to be showing what it was like to be founding a town, creating a civilization where none had been before. So getting you slapping at the bugs on film will lend some realism to the scenes. They didn’t spray for skeeters back then, like they do in L.A.!”

Raul tore his eyes off Veronica to grin at Jared. “We’ll see, dude. I’m just saying that while I may be okay with the backwoods, since I’m getting used to this whole area, our other star is probably not going to agree…and I’m sure the rest of the crew is already poisoning themselves with DEET to keep the critters at bay.”

God! He looks so ripped! When did those muscles on his arms start to bulge out like that? Just look at those shoulders! Or is this the first time I’ve seen him wearing a shirt with no sleeves? And he’s left the top few buttons open…all of that black chest hair. I wonder if he’s so hairy all over? I’ll bet it’s soft. I want to run my fingers through it, while I lick his skin…

Her reverie was interrupted by the waitress who came out to see if anyone wanted anything else. Raul got up and pulled a chair over from the next table and held his hand out to Veronica, to get her to take his and sit in the proffered seat. Her hand acted of its own accord and she tried to ignore how much she enjoyed the feel of his skin on hers.

“Um, yeah. I came here because I’m too tired to cook myself any dinner. What’s the special tonight?”

“Fried chicken with mashed potatoes, or chicken salad on lettuce with fruit or chips.”

“Can I have the chicken salad with sliced tomatoes instead? And a cup of Gram-Marie’s delicious chicken tortellini soup?”

“Sure thing, Ronnie. And to drink?”

“A cold beer. It’s been a rough day.”

Raul leaned over and patted the back of the hand that she rested on the table. She looked up into his dark brown eyes and almost drowned in them. Jared cleared his throat before he spoke.

“So I take it we are not the only ones who’ve been working hard this past week?”

Focus, girl! Focus!
Veronica took a deep breath to clear her head and nodded. “Well, I’ve taken on two new clients, and had to comb through years of receipts and books to get things in order! One of them is being audited and needs me to be sure she won’t get a huge fine. The other one is no good at keeping records, and really should have had someone helping him with his books all along. So yeah, I’m kind of wiped out.”

“You need to take a day off, Ronnie. Maybe go hiking to clear your head. I’d drag you off on a picnic to make you relax, but the bulk of the trailers are supposed to be arriving tomorrow. I have to be there to be sure they are all in good condition, and to tell them where everything needs to go. Some actors get fussy if their trailers aren’t exactly the way they want them, right Raul?”