“No, no. Go home. It’s okay. Don’t listen to me. I’m just –” I started but he reached out, pulled the cell out of my hand then his fingers wrapped around my wrist.
He tugged me into the living room, straight to the decorative chest that held the extra toss pillows and blankets (Z Gallerie, of course). He opened it, pulled out a blanket, handed it to me and walked us to the couch. I watched in stunned silence as he threw my cell on the coffee table, sat, yanked off his boots then reached out and pulled the blanket from my arms. He tossed it to the end of the couch, his hands came to my hips and with a gentle tug he brought me off my feet. His hands went tight on my hips as he leaned back and I fell with him, Hector controlling my fall and me landing right on top of him (yes, right on top of him!). He rolled me to the side so I was stuck between him and the couch, did an ab curl, nabbed the blanket, shook it out and placed it over us.
When he settled on his back, his arm around me, me tucked to his side, my cheek on his shoulder, I belatedly found my voice and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Go to sleep, Sadie.”
“I –”
“Sadie, go to sleep.”
“But –”
“Please, mamita, I’m wiped.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
Well, so much for siccing the Ice Princess on him to get rid of him.
That was my last thought before I gave up the struggle and, within minutes, I fell asleep.
Chapter Ten
Powder Room
Sadie
“Wakey wakey, kids. Time for coffee,” Ralphie said and I opened my eyes.
I could see the coffee table and Ralphie’s legs in his robe walking across the living room. Again, since this wasn’t my normal upon waking vantage point, I assessed my situation.
I was on the couch, my legs bent, something heavy was resting on my waist and there was immense heat coming at me all down the back of my body.
It would seem Hector and I were spooning on the couch. Sometime during the night, I’d moved from having my back pressed to the couch and my front tucked into Hector’s side to being in front of Hector at the front of the couch.
How I slept through that I had no idea.
The arm around my waist curled around more, slanting across my midriff and I was pulled up to sitting. Then two hands came to my waist and I was pushed to a standing position in front of Hector. Hands to my shoulders, he turned me to face him and before I could say “boo” his head descended, he brushed my mouth with his, giving me a soft, sweet, morning kiss. His head lifted, he turned and left the room.
Frozen to the spot, breathing nowhere near normal, I heard the powder room door open and close.
My body jerked out of its stupor and I ran upstairs to my bathroom.
I forced my mind to still as unbidden thoughts of last night rushed into it, thoughts of crazy Marty, incarcerated Harvey and still-at-large Ricky and also thoughts of Hector coming to my rescue.
Instead, I forced myself to think about my most recent predicament and I decided to take it one step at a time. Each step taken would get me through, for now.
I’d think of all the rest of it… later.
First, brush teeth then floss teeth and then wash face. After that make sure I didn’t look like a fright and then put on something so I was wearing more than just silky, lacy pajama bottoms and a camisole but not something that would make me look like I was embarrassed or a prude because that would show weakness and my father told me (time and again), even if you had a weakness, you should never, never expose it.
Finally find my Ice Princess, click her into place and then… proceed.
I took a deep breath, forced all other thoughts out of my head and I went through my mental morning to-do list.
By the time I walked into the kitchen I was fresh-faced, fresh-breathed, I’d put on my full-length, cream, cotton, waffle-weave robe (but I didn’t close the front because that might show I lacked confidence) and I was certain sure I could handle whatever came at me.
Hector was sitting on a stool at the island, so was Buddy, both of them had a steaming mug of coffee resting in front of them. In the air I could smell the brioche toasting and Ralphie was at the counter manning the toaster.
“Hey there, sweets. Coffee?” Ralphie asked me, twirling a knife in the air.
“I’ll get it,” I replied and moved into the room not looking at Hector.
Hector, by the way, was one of those things I was going to think about later.
I made my coffee (dash of milk, one sugar, just like Hector).
“Double H is staying for brioche this morning,” Ralphie informed me happily, like this was akin to William Shakespeare rising from the dead for the sole purpose of eating brioche with us while reciting a couple of his sonnets.
“That’s nice,” I said but it didn’t sound like I meant it. It sounded cold and uninterested and Ralphie’s head snapped around so he could look at me closely.
I gave him a look that said, “What?”
He gave me a look that said, “You know what!”