Cappuccino Twist (6 page)

“So you came all the way across the ocean to solve your aunt’s murder? Do you really think it’s possible?  I mean, so many years have passed.  Not to be negative, but it just seems a little far fetched…” Eduardo said gently.

“I know.  I’ve been thinking the same thing lately.  But I’m on a mission that’s bigger than me.  I’m not working with my own strength right now.  It’s my grandmother’s love that’s getting me through this,” I asserted as Eduardo gazed at me with obvious respect.

“It’s nice to talk to a girl who’s so family oriented.  There aren’t too many girls like that these days.”

“Not too many girls like that in Spain?” I asked doubtfully.

“Europe is changing,” Eduardo mused.  “Everywhere people are becoming less traditional and more self centered.”

“I guess you’re right,” I said, silently acknowledging how much I had sacrificed by quitting a six figure job.  But that was just money.  Honoring the memory of my grandmother was infinitely more valuable than any glitzy Manhattan job and wallet bulging salary.

Unexpectedly, Eduardo leaned forward in his chair and reached across the table to clasp my hand.  His gaze was spellbinding and the touch of his hand electrifying. 
Craving more of his touch, I felt myself magnetically draw closer to the man. As the energy from his skin soothed me, I envisioned Nana smiling down on me and whispering, “See,
mi amor
, you were destined to come to Barcelona.”

Chapter 7

Nana’s whisper floated away into the ether as the deep timber of Eduardo’s voice took over.  “I’m glad I met you,” he said simply as I exhaled, realizing that he wasn’t going to kiss me.  But all the signs were flashing bright red that he wanted to.  Secretly, I longed to tell him how this was the best first date I had ever been on.  How first dates in Manhattan consist of cocktails and peanuts in a crowded bar, not delectable Spanish appetizers and wine in a stylish tapas restaurant. 

“Me too,” I replied softly as we reached for our wine glasses at the same time and took lingering sips.

Two hours later, my belly full of tapas and Sangria, I let Eduardo accompany me to the inn and safely see me to my room.  The place was eerily quiet after dark, like a haunted cemetery, and the windows only shone slices of moonlight.  At my doorstep, Eduardo looked uncertain about how he wanted to end the night.  My mind buzzed with possibilities: would he kiss me?  Hug me?  Just shake my hand? But he didn’t do any of those.

Caressing a stray tendril of my hair, he looked into my alcohol-glazed eyes and smiled.  “Are you working at the coffee shop tomorrow?” He asked huskily.

“Yes, I’ll be there for opening shift,” I responded, fiercely desiring to invite the man into my room.

“Good.  I’ll come by and visit,” he promised, pushing my wispy bangs out of my eyes and turning to leave.

“See you tomorrow!” I called after him, feeling like I had just crashed into cement after soaring on a cloud.

“Yes, you will,” Eduardo called over his shoulder as I shut the door to my room and leaned weakly against the wall, wishing Eduardo hadn’t left.

***

I had no trouble waking up the next morning even though my head was heavy from too much wine and my belly bloated from salty tapas.  The thought of seeing a familiar, and friendly, face at the coffee shop filled me with anticipation that bordered on pure glee.  Selecting a pair of sexy skinny jeans instead of my old pair that belonged in a Good Will bin, I applied a bit more make-up than usual in an attempt to look alluring rather than hungover.  Coffee was the last thing on my mind; what I needed was a bracing glass of ice water to flush all the Sangria out of my system and get my skin back to glowing.

The longer walk to Dario’s Cappuccino Boutique didn’t bother me at all, even though a steady drizzle and fog had settled over Barcelona.  Breezing through the door and waving a cheery hello to Luz, I automatically donned my apron and even dared to stand by the cappuccino machine.  My time in Spain was indefinite, and if I wanted to keep a steady cash flow, I would have to learn how to brew a good cup of coffee sooner or later.

“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Luz observed slyly.  “Could it be the gorgeous sunshine or something else?” She asked sarcastically as the rain started to barrel down in earnest.

“Hmmm, I don’t know,” I replied secretively, not wanting to taint my date with Eduardo by kissing and telling…
okay, no, he hadn’t
actually
kissed me yet.  But he would.  Soon, if I had anything to say about it.  And I didn’t want to share my personal business with the chatty post-adolescent Luz although she already seemed certain that I was attracted to Eduardo.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” she said with a wink and a shrug.  “But I know it must have something to do with a man!”

“You’re right,” I sighed theatrically.  “Dario finally asked me on a date!” I quipped as she exploded into uproarious laughter.

“Ick! Dario! He’s old enough to be our grandfather! You’re
loca
, Marlena,” Luz teased through snorts of laughter.

We both sobered as the butt of our joke plodded into the room wearing an expression as dark as a storm cloud.  “Are you girls socializing?  Or working?” He demanded, reaching into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and cutting through the kitchen to find a dry place where he could smoke.

Unaffected, I made a test cappuccino, giggling as the foam flattened like a frisbee.  “How do I make the foam puffy?” I asked Luz hopelessly.

“I’ll show you.” She steamed a cup of milk until it had the thick consistency of whipped cream.  Then she topped the three layered coffee in an effortless swirl.  “See?  Now you just sprinkle some cinnamon on top.  And voil
à.  A little work of art.”

“I think I can do that,” I said optimistically, trying my hand at a second test cup.

“That’s a little better!” Luz praised as the foam rose about half an inch.

“Very little,” I groaned, suppressing another giggle.

The door swung open as the first customer of the day jolted me out of my playful mood.  I huddled closer to the cappuccino machine as though the contraption could somehow shield me from the poisonous glare that was being cast my way.  Grabbing Luz’s apron strings and pulling her over to me, I whispered, “Do you know who that man is?”

She glanced over at him and rolled her eyes.  “One of the weird ones I was telling you about.  Don’t worry.  He stares at everybody.  But he’s harmless.  Been coming in here every day since I started working here last year and never bothered anyone.”

I wished that Eduardo would walk through the door so I could point out the “harmless” stranger to him.  Something in my gut told me that he had penned those blood red notes.  Whatever his name was.  From that moment on, I thought of him as Reptile Eyes.  What better nickname for such a cold, slimy man?  Then again, Luz didn’t seem to fear him at all and claimed that he stared at everyone…

Before I could ruminate any further on the disconcerting man and his nefarious intentions, he slipped out the door without another look in my direction.  “Huh? He just ups and leaves without even ordering a cup of coffee?” I muttered in bewilderment.

“I told you.  He’s weird.  He drifts in and out of here whenever he feels like it.  But he does order coffee most of the time, which is why Dario has never given him any grief,” Luz explained.

No sooner had the door closed than it opened again and in walked a man who elicited a very different reaction
from me.  “Eduardo,” I whispered, my heart pounding.

Luz looked at me knowingly and poked me in the fleshy part of my upper arm.  “Looks like your lover man is here,” she giggled as I ignored her, all my senses consumed by Eduardo’s
compelling presence in the room.

Carrying his clipboard and looking even more handsome than he did on our date, Eduardo quickly approached the counter.  “Good morning sunshine,” he drawled.  “At least your smile is shining today.”

I hadn’t even realized that I was smiling at him, but suddenly my jaw ached and I knew that I must have been grinning from ear to ear.  “I’m glad you came by,” I said intimately, even though Luz was standing right beside me and gawking.  “Can I get you some coffee?”

“I’d love a cappuccino,” Eduardo replied as I looked pleadingly at Luz.

“I’ll get your cappuccino,” Luz announced as I exhaled in gratitude.  I wasn’t about to risk a dreadful third test cup of cappuccino on Eduardo. 

“How are you doing with signatures?” I inquired
, gesturing to his clipboard.

“I’m about halfway there.  We need a total of 5,000 and I’ve gathered up just about 2,500,” he informed.

“Well, why don’t you make that 2,501?” I suggested, turning to my co-worker.  “I’m sure Luz will support keeping the park alive.”

“Huh?” She asked, putting the finishing touches on his cappuccino.

“Just sign the petition,” I said boldly, feeling like a different woman in Eduardo’s presence.

“Did you sleep well last night?” He asked with concern.

“Very well,” I cooed.  “Thank you again for taking me to that inn…and to dinner.” I ignored the bulge of Luz’s eyes as I inadvertently revealed that Eduardo and I had been on a date.  Thankfully, though, she had the common sense to hand him his cappuccino and busy herself with cleaning the tables.  Still, I knew she was listening to our exchange with the cocked ears of a wolverine.

“No need to thank me.  I had a great time with you, Marlena,” he murmured as Luz halted her cleaning and shifted her head in our direction.  Chuckling at her indiscretion, Eduardo said, “Maybe we can talk someplace more private later? How about lunch after your shift is over?”

“I’d love to…” I started to say.  “But I can’t.  I have to keep working on my investigation.”

“Okay, well do you want any help?  Like I said, I know Barcelona
.  And I can take you anywhere you need to go.”

I
turned his offer over in my mind for a few beats before I gave him an answer.  Being chauffeured by Eduardo was infinitely more appealing than driving around town with Señora Marquez and her blabbering mouth or paying exorbitantly for a taxi.  Plus, I would nab some private time with Eduardo without the pressure of being on a date.  The answer was obvious.

“Actually, that would be great.  Thank you.  Today, I was going to drop by
the family of a man named David Garcia.” I dug into my purse for the address Señora Marquez had researched for me.

“Okay, well this isn’t far at all.  Right here in the Gothic Quarter, in fact,” Eduardo remarked as I handed him the address.

“Great.  Well, I get out of here at noon,” I said in a rushed tone as I heard the thud of Dario’s footsteps approaching the counter.  “See you then?”

“Definitely.  I’ll swing back at noon.”

“Don’t forget Luz’s signature on your way out!” I winked as he chuckled and handed the girl his clipboard.

“Why aren’t you cleaning the tables with Luz?” Dario bellowed as he stomped into the room.

“I was serving the customers.  Someone has to be behind the cash register, right?” I asked rhetorically as he frowned disapprovingly.

“Get a rag and some bleach and clean the tables,” he ordered as I
acquiesced, albeit with a stubborn frown on my lips.

“So you’re dating Eduardo?” Luz whispered as soon as my “lover man” had exited the shop.

“We went on one date.  I wouldn’t say I’m dating him,” I replied awkwardly, grabbing a spray bottle and dousing a crummy table with bleach.

“But he’s coming to pick you up at noon!” She blurted out shamelessly.  “That would make it your second date.”

“I wasn’t keeping a running tally,” I said dryly.

“And what was that investigation you were talking about?” She asked avidly.

“Never mind that.  Let’s just get this place cleaned up before Dario starts barking at us again,” I suggested, turning my back to her and wetting another table with chemical smelling cleaner.

Through the window I spied the glaring stranger with his nose pressed up against the glass.  Gasping, I grabbed Luz by the arm and whirled her around to look out the window.  But in the millisecond that it had taken me to grab her,
Reptile Eyes had slinked away.

“That man! The weird one! He was just at the window looking at me again!” I cried as her features softened sympathetically.

“Relax, Marlena.  Now I think you’re seeing things.  Don’t be so scared of that old fool.  I told you, he’s harmless.”

“No, I don’t think he’s harmless.  Do you know what his name is?”

“I have no idea, and I don’t care,” she replied pertly. 

“I swear he was just at the window.  He even had his nose pressed into the glass!” I insisted as Luz stayed cool.

“Well, even if he was at the window, so what? The guy’s a freak.  He does freaky stuff.”

“The guy’s a freak but he’s harmless?” I snorted, wondering why Eduardo and the weirdo had to be like passing ships in the night
twice
within a matter of minutes.  Why couldn’t they be in the coffee shop at the same time so that I could get Eduardo’s more caring input?  As I sprayed another puddle of bleach onto the table, all I could see were the man’s predatory eyes. 
He’s not harmless.  He’s out to get me.  Like a python getting ready to swallow its prey whole.