Authors: Sophia Knightly
"Shall we put in a little arsenic?" Gabriela teased.
Abuelita Coqui's lips lifted in wry amusement. "I'm mad at Marcos, but I still love him enough to keep him. What about you?" she asked slyly.
"It remains to be seen." Gabriela sighed after reflecting on it. "I am very disappointed in him. He'll have to regain my trust." The truth was that she'd gone along with Abuelita Coqui's "plan" mostly out of guilt over deceiving her. As soon as everything was worked out between Marcos and his grandmother, Gabriela's life would go back to normal.
The thought depressed her.
In a short time, she'd come to feel as if Abuelita Coqui was her grandmother, too, and she'd grown to love her. Even though she had pushed her mom to take the honeymoon cruise over the holidays, the thought of spending Christmas alone made her feel desolate.
"What time did he say he'd be home?" Abuelita Coqui asked, interrupting Gabriela's pity party.
"Seven o'clock." Gabriela glanced at the kitchen clock. "It's ten minutes of seven. Marcos should be here any minute. Shall I open the wine?"
"Yes, and pour us a glass, will you?"
Gabriela giggled. "Of course. But I thought you said the other night that you felt faint because you weren't used to having more than one glass of wine a day."
"I lied," Abuelita Coqui admitted shamelessly.
"I guess one good thing has come of all this. I've gotten to know the real you, and it's been fun."
"Thank you, dear. We're going to have even more fun with Marcos tonight. Wait and see."
Marcos's sudden arrival in the kitchen startled them. Wearing a charcoal gray suit and periwinkle blue shirt with a designer tie, he looked too handsome for his own good. He was smiling broadly as he held two large bouquets of coral-pink roses.
"Did somebody mention my name?" he asked as they gave a collective gasp. He handed each of them a bouquet, followed by a kiss on the cheek. "Ah, my two favorite ladies."
Not quite, Gabriela thought. Was he forgetting Nicole?
The two-timing cad.
"Thank you. I'll put these in the living room vase," Abuelita Coqui said, taking both bouquets with her as she rushed out of the kitchen.
Marcos' arm closed around Gabriela's waist, pulling her toward him. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply of her scented hair. "Mmm, you smell delicious."
"It's the sauce you're smelling," she retorted, stiffening in his arms just as he put her at arm's length.
"Let me see your new outfit." He gave a low whistle. "You look beautiful,
gatica."
Gabriela controlled the urge to spit in his eye. "Thanks, it was a gift from Abuelita Coqui. She insisted I wear it tonight since she knows your weakness for stylish women."
Marcos raised his brows at her comment. "Oh?" He peered over her shoulder. "Don't tell me you made spaghetti and meatballs. It's been years since I've had homemade meatballs."
Abuelita Coqui entered the kitchen. "Gabriela has been slaving over it most of the afternoon."
Gabriela smiled at her. "I didn't do it alone. You helped."
Abuelita Coqui waved her hand in dismissal. "Only just a little. Marcos, Gabriela insisted on preparing a special meal for you since you work so hard and probably never stop for an afternoon snack," she said, keeping a straight face. "Do you?"
"Not usually." Marcos cleared his throat. "I'm ravenous. When do we eat?"
"Now. The table's set and everything's ready," Gabriela said.
"Great. I'll be right back as soon as I get rid of this jacket and wash my hands," he said.
When Marcos returned, he'd removed his tie and rolled up his sleeves. He no longer looked the part of chief of obstetrics. Adapting a casual stance, he braced his hands on his lean hips and waited for the ladies to approach the dining table. Gabriela forced her gaze away from his tanned, muscular forearms. He seated Abuelita Coqui across from him and Gabriela to his right.
"Let's say grace," Abuelita Coqui suggested. "Will you do the honors, Gabrielita?"
"Of course," Gabriela said, bowing her head. After making the sign of the cross, she said, "Thank you, Lord, for this feast. And for my wonderful fiancé, Marcos—an honest man
,
so faithful and loving
.
Amen."
Gabriela glanced up to find Marcos subjecting her to a quizzical look. She gave him a saccharine smile and dug into her salad.
"So, what did you two do today?" he asked mildly.
"I took Abuelita Coqui to Old Naples for shopping and lunch at Tommy Bahama's."
He glanced at his grandmother. "Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Very much! Gabrielita is such good company, so different from your other friend Nicole. I didn't really care for the way she was flirting with you the other night."
"Yes, I saw it, too," Gabriela chimed in. "You should have seen the way she kissed Marcos when you left the room. Why he had to practically fight her off!"
She swallowed a giggle when she heard Marcos choke on the mouthful he'd been enjoying. Forcefully setting his fork down, he shot Gabriela a dark, stern look.
"You must have misunderstood Nicole's intentions," Marcos said, recovering enough to add, "She's a good friend." His flat tone belied the fire in his eyes.
"Good friends don't kiss men who are engaged," Abuelita Coqui observed with a sniff. "I hope that's the last I see of her on this trip."
Marcos' bewildered features barely hid the glower pointed at Gabriela. Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the ringing telephone. When Gabriela rose to answer it, Marcos's hand closed over her wrist like a steel handcuff. "Don't get up. The answering machine will get it."
Gabriela merely shrugged. "Okay," Gabriela said, extracting her wrist from his grip.
For agonizing moments they listened to Nicole's plaintive voice. "Marcos, please call me back. I need to ask you a question about a patient." After a pause, she added seductively, "I'll be waiting up for your call. No matter how late it is. Byeee."
"Speak of the..." Gabriela muttered.
"Devil," Abuelita said, finishing her sentence with an scornful shake of her head. "That one is a she-devil!"
Marcos nudged Gabriela's foot under the table. When she gave him a curious gaze, his eyes bulged at her and pointed to the floor where he'd thrown her napkin.
When they both bent to retrieve it, he mouthed
behave
.
Let him suffer. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Stop it," he hissed, then flung the napkin at her.
"Ouch!" Gabriela cried out, massaging her foot where he had nudged her earlier, even though it hadn't hurt.
"What's going on down there?" Abuelita Coqui asked.
"Oh, nothing." Gabriela straightened and took a long sip of wine. "I had an arch pain. We did a lot of walking today, and my feet aren't used to wearing high heels."
"But you've always worn them with me,
gatica ,
"Marcos said, smiling.
"Yes, but only at
your
insistence, Marquitos," Gabriela replied.
His smile faded. "Don't call me that. Only Abuelita Coqui refers to me as Marquitos."
Gabriela grinned unrepentantly. "Well, excuuuse me. I didn't know you were so sensitive."
"I'm not, but I'd rather you didn't use that nickname again." Marcos leaned back in his chair and skewered her with a meaningful look as he moved the wine bottle to the other side of the table.
"Ooh, it's getting a little warm in here," Gabriela said. She took off her silk sweater and arched her back as she fanned her décolletage.
Marcos' gaze zeroed in on the round, creamy swell of her bosom rising above the neckline. He could just see the outline of her nipples, could taste them in his mind as he watched them pebble beneath his gaze. Shifting in his seat, he fought the throbbing flood of lust to his thickening groin.
Darting a furtive glance at Abuelita, he expected her to be looking at Gabriela's displayed charms in disapproval. But she was smiling fondly at her instead. Lately, his grandmother seemed a lot more liberated than he remembered.
"You haven't had any wine, Marcos," Gabriela observed. "Are you feeling under the weather?"
"No wine for me tonight," he croaked. "I'm on call."
"Well,
I'm
not on call. So fill 'er up," Gabriela said with a sanguine smile.
"No. You've had enough," he said curtly. His jaw clamped down as he chewed his meal with more force than necessary.
"Marcos, where are your manners? This is the first glass of wine we've had all evening." Abuelita Coqui chuckled. "Not counting the one we sipped on while we were making dinner."
Aha! So they
had
been drinking. Small wonder Gabriela was behaving so rashly and his grandmother seemed to have formed a strange alliance with her. If he didn't get rid of the wine soon, God only knew what else Gabriela would say! He had no idea she was such a lightweight—she certainly hadn't acted like that last night.
"How was your day,
mi amor?"
Gabriela asked in a honeyed tone, interrupting his musings.
Now that was more like it. As soon as he got her alone, he'd set her straight about baiting him in front of his grandmother. For now, he'd have to remain calm while he fantasized about wringing her satiny little neck. Gabriela was having a wonderful time at his expense, and he planned to call her on it later.
From now on until Abuelita Coqui left, he'd insist they eat out. For some reason the two dinners they'd had at home had turned out terribly, not because of her cooking, which was wonderful, but because of the odd turns in the conversation.
The phone rang again, exasperating him. Were they doomed to constant interruptions tonight?
"Now who is it?" Gabriela asked, daintily adjusting the top of her dress.
Against his will, Marcos's gaze gravitated to her bosom again. Damn, he'd never seen her dressed so skimpily and it was having a strong effect on him. He hoped he wouldn't have to get up any time soon.
"Let the machine get it," he said, tensing as he wondered if Nicole would dare call again. He'd already told her that he wanted to end things between them. The message was not from her, but from his answering service. Upon hearing it, he rose from the table and rushed to the telephone.
"Hello, this is Dr. Calderon. Please repeat the message," he said into the receiver.
"Mrs. Preston is in labor," the operator said. "She her water broke and her contractions are coming at five minute intervals."
"What number did she leave where I can reach her?"
He jotted it down, then hung up and called Mrs. Preston. After he calmly instructed her to meet him at the hospital, he hung up and rejoined them at the dinner table.
"Sorry," he said. "I'm needed at the hospital." He polished off the last of his favorite dish and stood. "Gabriela, will you walk downstairs with me?"
"Yes, of course."
"Put on your sweater."
Gabriela raised a surprised eyebrow at his command. "Why? Don't you like my–"
"It's cold outside," he cut her off bluntly.
Her lips twitching, Gabriela shrugged into her sweater.
Marcos ignored her amusement as he unrolled his shirtsleeves and buttoned the cuffs. He stalked into his bedroom and retrieved his jacket, then returned to the dining room where his grandmother stood by the table.
He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "
Ciao,
Abuelita, I'll leave you in good hands with Gabriela."
"I think I'll just lie down a bit. I'm feeling a bit. Oh, I don't know... a bit—" Abuelita Coqui faltered, her hand patting her crinkly cheek.
"Peaked?" Gabriela finished sympathetically.
"Yes, that's it, peaked."
Marcos noted how worn out his grandmother suddenly looked. "You've been overdoing it and you shouldn't have had any wine tonight. What am I going to do with you,
viejita?"
"Go to work and stop worrying about me." Abuelita Coqui sighed and turned a wary gaze toward him. "Godspeed."
"Thanks. Now you take good care and rest up
,
" he said, a bit uneasy about leaving her when she looked so done in.
"I'll try," she said, momentarily closing her eyes with a wan smile.
Gabriela smiled gently. "I'll be happy to keep you company tonight," she said, touching Abuelita's arthritic hand with hers.
Abuelita patted Gabriela's hand. "I would love that, dear."
"Be right back," Gabriela said, kissing Abuelita's temple.
Marcos studied Gabriela, perplexed by her odd behavior during dinner.
At least she was being nice to his grandmother!
* * *
As soon as they were outside the building, Marcos confronted Gabriela. "What was the meaning of that performance tonight?"
"I did it to save your hide, you idiot!" she retorted, her emerald eyes glittering with anger.
He frowned. "Hey, who are you calling an idiot? And what are you yammering about saving my hide?"
"Your grandmother insisted that I take her to the hospital this afternoon. When we arrived, we saw you in the cafeteria with Nicole," she told him.
"So?"
"Is that all you have to say for yourself? I can't believe that after our trip to New York, you would make out with Nicole in public," she said, every word punctuated with scathing censure.
"We were
not
making out. I was breaking up with her. She kissed me, not the other way around. If you'd stayed long enough, you would have seen that she listened when I warned her not to do it again."
Gabriela gave a contemptuous snort and turned to leave, but Marcos grabbed her arm.
"It's the truth, damn it! I can't explain now. I have to deliver a baby. Tell Abuelita that what she saw was not what it seemed. I don't want her blood pressure going up."
Gabriela rolled her eyes. "Abuelita Coqui made me promise that I wouldn't tell you that she caught you red-handed with your lover. I had to act like Nicole was the villain tonight because your grandmother was so devastated at finding you two together in such a compromising position." She snorted in disgust. "The hospital cafeteria of all places. Really, Marcos."
"It wasn't like that," he said in his defense. Frustration mushroomed inside of him causing the hearty meal he'd enjoyed to turn to acid. "I need to go to my patient. I'll call you when I get in tonight." He leaned forward to kiss her, but she stiffened and turned her face away.