“You don’t have to. Stay here, I’ll see them off. Two minutes, tesoro.”
In the yard, my friends were sitting staring at the backdoor as I came out.
“Jesus, Lee! What the hell was that?” Nicole asked for them all.
“He was blown up, Nic – three people died in front of him, men he worked with. He gets nightmares.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re taking on?” said Jenna, quietly.
I shrugged. “I love him.”
I could see the concern in their eyes and Alice offered to stay, but I needed to be alone with Sebastian. I promised I’d be in touch.
When I went back to our room, the bed was empty and I could hear the shower running. Sebastian was leaning against the tiles, his hands outstretched, and the water pouring down over his head.
I pulled off my clothes, and walked into the shower behind him. He turned, and wrapped his arms around me, and we stood together, letting his fear wash away.
The next day Sebastian was in a foul mood. He was embarrassed that my friends had seen, or rather heard him, at his most vulnerable, and he blamed me. When I’d had enough of his sulking, I went for a long walk on the beach, and took my time sipping an espresso at a café on the boardwalk.
After a couple of hours to myself, I felt ready to go home and face whatever emotional grenades he’d be tossing at me today.
I think he must have been watching out of the window, because when I walked in, he was waiting by the door.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, pulling me in for a hug and kissing my hair. “I know I’m being a dumb-ass.”
“That’s one of the words I had in mind.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I bet. Hey, I’ve got something to show you.”
He took my hand and tugged me into the living room.
“What’s that?”
A beautiful, red cedar Spanish guitar was lying on the coffee table.
“Your friend Nicole dropped by.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, apparently you told her I wanted to learn guitar. She said she didn’t need this, so she’s given it to me. We talked for quite a long time – seeing as I’d pissed you off and you weren’t here…”
He arched an eyebrow.
I decided to ignore that comment.
“Nicole isn’t quite the ball-breaker you thought she was?”
“I didn’t say that… but she was… okay.”
“Praise indeed.”
“Yeah,” he said, with a smile. Then he paused. “Baby, when did I tell you I wanted to play guitar?”
“A long time ago,” I said, softly. “Ten years ago.”
He stared down at me, his eyes filled with love.
“You take my breath away, Caro.”
He pulled me into a tight hug and I stood there drinking him in. He kissed my hair, nuzzling me softly.
“Oh, hey. You got mail.”
He let go of me and reached over to pass me an envelope that had been tossed onto the table.
“On a Sunday?”
“Yeah, it went to Mrs. Levenson’s house by mistake; she just got back from her grandson’s today and she brought it over.”
I turned the envelope over, looking at the sender’s address.
“It’s from England.”
I frowned. I didn’t know anyone in England – not any more.
I tore open the thick, parchment-type envelope and read the typewritten letter. As I took in the meaning, I couldn’t help gasping with surprise.
Sebastian looked concerned. “What is it, baby?”
I slumped down onto the couch, and handed him the letter without speaking.
“Lawyers?”
He sat down next to me and read through the pages.
When he’d finished, he set the letter down and wrapped his good arm around me, pulling me against his chest.
“I didn’t know,” I whispered. “She never said anything. I knew Liz didn’t have any family, but I never thought…”
“It’s a lot of money, baby. What are you going to do with it?”
I shook my head. I was still trying to process the information.