Catch Me in Castile (6 page)

Why was she afraid?

Her gaze traveled up the dark wall searching for answers. She narrowed her eyes and peered deeper into the corner of the alcove.

“What is this?” Her voice echoed off the stone walls.

There, written in the dust on the floor, was one word.

She stared at it a moment, puzzled. Lifting her hand, she was surprised to find her finger coated in dust. If she had written the word before she fell asleep, then it must have been important. Hope flooded her senses.

She yelled the word as loudly as she could. And suddenly the tower was gone.

Where am I?

Darkness blinded her eyes. She was sitting on a chair. Something rustled nearby, breathing deeply. Serena sat still, waiting for her eyes to adjust. When they did, she recognized the bedchamber, the chair, and the bed with the large lump in the middle of it.

Espera
, the lump in the bed is…moving
.

Serena tiptoed to the bed. “
Perdón
, can you help me?”

The woman in the bed stirred. “Whaa—?”

“
Por favor
, do the say-on.” Serena poked the lump in what she hoped was a shoulder.

The woman opened one eye. “Go away.”

“I shall, if you do your duty.”

“Damn dreams.” Erin’s eyes were glassy, unfocused. “Let me sleep for once.”

“I am no dream. At least, I do not believe so. Truth be told, I do not know who I am.” She sighed. “What I am.”

“I’m dead tired,” Erin mumbled. “Self-discover elsewhere.”

Serena’s mouth fell open. “Are you dead? You see, I’ve been wondering if perhaps I am as well. It is all so unclear. Sometimes, I remember—” she swallowed hard, “—horrible things. Other times, I can remember not a thing. Except Andrés. I must find him.”

Erin didn’t say a word. Her breathing had deepened.

“Awaken! You must do your say-on.”

The woman who was supposed to reunite her with her everlasting love was snoring loudly.

As Serena sat back down on the chair to ponder what to do next, the room started to spin around her. The next thing she knew, she was back in the tower. Crying. Again.

“Jeez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Do you always wake up like that?”

I plopped back down, yanking the pillow over my head. “Please go away.”

“Snooze later, Erin.” The sound of the shades being lifted grated in my ears. “Time to shop for man-killer gowns.”

“Gowns?” I sat back up. “Are you serious?”

“Serious as a—”

“Hung-over IRS Auditor?”

“No. My brother when he wants to get his groove on.”

I was awake now. “Huh?”

“He’s throwing a welcome home party. For me.” She made a circular movement with her finger. “For both of us. “It’s going to be huge. Everyone’s coming. Come on, get up already.” I groaned into my pillow. “Here.” She pulled the covers back and produced a tray. “Coffee and hot rolls. Now hurry.”

An hour later we were walking into town. “See that place? The one with the shells?” Maria pointed to an unusual-looking house with something odd stuck all over the front of it.

“Those are shells?”

“Carved from stone.” We crossed the street and went for a closer look. “This was originally a palace built in the fifteen hundreds for a knight. My brother loves this place. He used to call it his because the shells were the emblems for the Santiago Order the knight belonged to. Cool, huh? It’s a library now. Maybe one day when we have more time we’ll go in. Today we’re on a mission.”

A few blocks later we came to a large plaza containing a giant four-story, rectangular conglomeration of shops and romantic cafes. It looked hundreds of years old, and the open area in the middle went on forever.

“Holy cow! Would you look at this place?”

“I knew you’d like it. This is the Plaza Mayor, basically the heart of the city.”

“It’s gorgeous.” I tipped my head to see as high up as I could. “The architecture is unbelievable. I feel like I’m in a palace courtyard. I could spend all day here.”

“Another day. We’re late.” She took my arm and we walked through the Plaza Mayor and out the other side.

“Whoa, wait. What is the delicious smell?”

“Mmm,
jamón serrano
. Only the best ham in the world.” We followed our noses to a butcher store with all sorts of amazing animal parts swinging in the window. “That’s
jamón serrano
.”

“A big chunk of pig leg?”

“This ham has been curing for about eighteen months. Just wait until you try it. My gosh, of all the things I have missed, this ranks in the top ten.”

“Eighteen-month-old pig? I’ll take your word for it.”

“No way
chica
, you’ve got to try this for yourself. We’re already late, I guess a few more minutes won’t hurt.”

The butcher scraped off thin strips of ham, somewhat like prosciutto, but a thousand times better. It was sweet, dry and earthy all at once.

“I’m in love,” I sighed.

“Told ya so.” She licked her fingers. “Heavenly. Okay, let’s roll.”

As we passed an ancient sandstone cathedral, I saw a man watching us from across the street. He seemed familiar.

“Do you see that guy?” I whispered to Maria. “Across the street, pretending to look in the shoe store?”

“Yeah, so?”

“I think he’s following us. See? He’s looking again.”

“Oh come on,” she laughed. “Of course he’s looking. We’re
h-o-t
.”

I didn’t laugh. “Does he look like a cop to you?”

“No. Why would a cop follow us?”

I couldn’t meet her eyes. “Stupid, huh?”

“A little paranoid, maybe. Hello!” She waved at the man. He waved back and went inside the shoe store. “See? Nothing to worry about,” she said.

“I guess so.” Still, he was familiar and he was following us. I was sure.

The bells from the cathedral began ringing loudly, methodically calling worshippers to noontime mass. I loved the way the ancient and the modern intertwined.

“We’re here. Lucas Felatilla’s. My favorite dressmaker in Spain,” Maria said. We ducked under a rock arch covered by a heavy vine and stepped into a quaint shop smelling faintly of old building and strongly of rich fabrics.

“Is it really you, Maria?” A sixty-ish gentleman stretched out his arms.

Maria hugged him. “In the flesh. How are you, Lucas?”

“Wonderful,
bella,
since you have returned.” Lucas was an aging Ichabod Crane, thin and lanky. His hair was parted near his left ear and dragged across his balding scalp. While his hair was silly, his gray pinstriped pleated pants and dark shirt suited him to a tee. “And who is this lovely creature?”

“Erin, my friend from California. Do you have any gowns already made in our sizes? What? Stop looking at me that way. I would have given you more time if I had it.”

“Only once did you allow me the luxury to be creative for you.” He pouted. “Ah, but the gown for your brother’s wedding was one of the most exquisite designs I ever created—” He stopped abruptly. A heavy stillness settled on the room. “A thousand pardons. I should not have mentioned that sorrowful time.”

“No worries. My brother is fine, really.” She patted his arm.

His silver eyebrows hiked up for just a moment before he forced indifference across his face. “She was found, then?”

“She’s somewhere, sinking her claws into a richer man. My brother gives most of his money away to charity.”

“Ah,” he said noncommittally.

“Now, what about it?” Maria asked. “Do you have anything my friend and I can try on?”

“We shall see. Come this way.” Lucas eyeballed me. “You’re a size, what, eight in the United States?” he said in perfect English.

“Why, yes.” I was stunned.

“I have something for you to try.” He ushered me into a dressing room and asked me to wait. I could hear the two of them chatting. Gowns rustled as I imagined his long fingers filtering through them. “Maria, why have you stayed away so long? I missed you.”

“It couldn’t be helped, but now I’m back. To stay.”

“Fabulous. Here you go, I think you will like this one best, but knowing you, you’ll try them all. I’ll bring this gown to your friend.”

“Only one for her?” Maria asked.

“Ah
bella
, wait until you see it.” Gently, as if it were a baby made of lace, he handed the gown to me. He tugged the curtain closed with a loud scraping of hooks on a metal rod. “Call if you need any help fastening the back.”

After putting it on, I stood for a long moment staring at the mirror. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.

The pearl-colored chiffon flowed to the floor. The scooped neck bared the upper part of my shoulders. The dress plummeted lower than I really dared to go in the back, ending a few scant centimeters above the tip of my tailbone. It was fitted, but not grossly snug, across my hips. A slit traveled decadently up the right side to my thigh. The whole thing fastened together delicately by a single gold chain dangling down the length of my back. A handful of pearls elegantly finished off the chain, which dipped and swayed against me as I moved.

“Erin, what’s taking so long?” Maria poked her head into my dressing room. “Oh my God. Buy it. Buy it now.”

The closest I’d come recently to a night on the town was pizza delivery in Jack’s office. Not the sort of place where ball gowns were mandatory attire. I mentally wiped the slate clean.

Jack is the past.
The new Erin, goddess in training, simply had to have the gown.

“So?” Maria asked impatiently.

“One question—does Lucas sell matching shoes?”

Maria clapped her hands together gleefully, “Of course.” Her chin tipped up proudly. “You have not lived until you’ve worn Spanish stilettos.”

“That’s what I want. To live in Spanish stilettos.”

“Maria, how in the world could you trade this paradise for the fabric-walled cubicles at DH&L?”

She shrugged. “What can I say? Karma catches up with you sometimes and boots your fat ass to California.”

I snorted. “Fat? Ple-ease.”

“All right. Cute, perky, near-perfect ass.”

“Near-perfect?”

“I’ve got a mole.”

“Of course. So? Tell me about the karma part.”

Her hand swished through the air like she was batting a fly. “Long story.”

“I’ve got time.” I took a sip of my
agua con gas
.

“You forget, we’ve got a huge party tonight.”

“That’s hours away. You’re subject changing. What’s the story?”

“It’s not just long, it’s nasty. Who wants to put a damper on such a beautiful day?”

“Come on, you can’t mess up this day. Did you see the shoes I bought?” I lifted the tote bag. “I’ve died and gone to heaven. So spit it out, why did you spend five years in what I now see was the pit of hell?”

She frowned. “It’s not important. I’m here now, back where I belong. And I’m lucky to have such a great friend.”

My, my how she could redirect the conversation. “Yes, you are, however I am luckier. You rescued me from likely death by takeout and brought me to this romantic café.” I waved my hand at the view. “Our friendship would be perfect if you were a little fatter and uglier.”

“Perfect for you.” She playfully slapped my hand.

“Seriously Maria, you don’t have to be so strong, you know. You can talk to me about anything, remember?”

She stared at me a long moment, debating, chewing on her pink lip. “Five years ago I had this…it was…kind of like a…” her laughter was raspy, “…great big disastrous meltdown.”

I scooted closer to her. “What happened?”

She fell silent, unwilling, or unable, to go on.

“Why don’t you try me?” I gave her my best, encouraging smile. “I know my way around a meltdown or two.”

“I…I can’t,” she whispered. “It hurts.”

“It was a guy, wasn’t it?”

Her face fell, distorting before my eyes like a melting candle. She started fiddling with her things.

“Oh Maria, don’t go—”

“I can’t talk about this.” She snatched up all her bags and stood. “Bad memories are like rotting trash. Best to throw them out.”