Evenings at the Argentine Club (27 page)

Victoria sighed. Damn it. She didn’t want him to go.

Saturday morning Victoria dragged herself out of bed. If she hadn’t promised to take Jaqueline and Lucia to Long Beach she
probably would have stayed under her covers all morning. As she showered, she thought about her parents. Although she was
happy that her mother had decided to take some time to explore herself, that she and Lucia had planned such a fun trip together,
she worried about her parents’ marriage.

Victor hadn’t made an attempt to talk to her or Jaqueline. Carmen told her that if she didn’t call him once a week, he didn’t
call her. Was her father going to simply let his family go? Were these restaurants so important to him that it didn’t matter
if his entire family fell apart? She turned the water off, reached for a towel, and dried her body. She almost felt guilty
for feeling so happy about her own life lately, when her mother and father’s relationship was disintegrating.

She wrapped the towel around herself and left the bathroom.

“Hey,” Eric said, coming out of his room.

So caught up in her own thoughts, Victoria startled and jumped.

“Whoa.” He laughed. “Sorry.” He pulled her into his arms in a bear hug from behind.

She held on tight to her towel, but rested her head back on his shoulder. “You scared me.”

He bent his head and kissed her neck. “Mmm, Victoria. Drop the towel and come to bed with me.”

She turned her head and looked at his profile, surprised by the direct invitation even if he was just flirting. “And when
both our moms miss their cruise, what excuse will we give them?” she played along.

“My mom will completely understand.” He chuckled and brought his lips to her ear. “She is so hoping we fall for each other.”

“I bet. What did you tell her?”

“That I’d use all my charm to convince you I can be your knight in shining armor.”

She smiled as he gently nibbled on her earlobe. She wondered about their conversation. She used all her willpower to lift
her head and turn around in the circle made by his arms. “I’m not looking for a knight in shining armor.”

“What
are
you looking for?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not sure I believe in fairy tales. Especially ones where the prince rides into town and rescues the
grateful princess, making all her dreams come true.”

His arms were loosely wrapped around her, his hands rested on her lower back above her bottom. “That’s too bad. I’d kind of
like to be the hero of a girl’s fairy tale.” He smiled and kissed her chin. “Or maybe her fantasy would be better. Do you
have any sexy fantasies I can fulfill?”

Victoria laughed. “Cut it out. You’re making me blush.”

“Good.” He groaned. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you go, because we do have to get on the road, and because it’s kind of unfair that
you’re almost completely naked and I’m not. It gives me an unfair advantage, right?”

“Right.”

“And it makes me a bad guy to get so excited about that fact. Doesn’t it?” His hands slipped lower on her bottom.

“Eric,” she warned.

He growled and lifted his hands in the air and stepped back. “Fine. Get dressed, damn it.”

He wasn’t the only one who was excited. Not by a long shot. But this wasn’t the right time. She got ready to leave and met
him back in the living room, a little disappointed that he seemed completely recovered from his moment of crazed passion.

Even in early October, the temperature was in the seventies. Eric wore a pair of shorts and a light button-up shirt. And an
out-of-place baseball cap on backward. She handed him the keys to her Saturn. “Want to drive?”

He took the keys and her hand. “Yep,” he said, as they hurried out of the house. They picked up Jaqueline first. Eric helped
her with her bag while she got settled in the car. Then he rushed to Lucia’s house and honked. Victoria frowned. “Have you
exhausted all your gentlemanly manners?”

“I don’t need to get out for her. My dad will help her.”

“I’ll go to the door.” Victoria got out of the car, but before she could reach the door, Antonio and Lucia walked out. As
Eric said, Antonio loaded her suitcase into the trunk. Then gave her a long hug and kiss. Victoria got back into the car.

“What did I tell you?” Eric said.

Victoria ignored his smug smile.

“I should drive you,” Antonio said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. The kids can do it.” Lucia patted his back and walked around the car.

“No use in both of us going,” Eric said, hanging his head out the window.

Antonio agreed and opened the door for his wife.

“Call you later,” Eric told him, and got on the road before the good-bye could drag on any longer.

Lucia and Jaqueline chatted for the entire drive, barely letting Eric or Victoria get in a word. When they finally got to
the dock, Victoria and Eric watched them walk up the gangplank to the ship. Victoria let out a sigh of relief. “I hope they
have fun.”

“I don’t like her going off by herself.”

Victoria turned to see the frown on his face. “Give me a break. She’s a grown woman.”

“My dad was a basket of nerves this morning. Didn’t you notice?”

“He’ll live.”

“That’s a shitty attitude to have.”

She opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind. Instead she turned around and strolled along port, enjoying the
warm day and the awesome view of Long Beach. “My mom needs this break to relax and think about what she wants.”

Eric followed along, with his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. Marriages don’t stay together by people avoiding their
problems. Leaving to spend time by herself isn’t going to fix your parents’ problems,” he said.

Victoria stopped walking. “Eric, give me a break. What do you know about staying around to work out problems? You’re the expert
on leaving and doing what makes you happy, without one thought about the people you leave behind.”

His eyes narrowed and he frowned. “I didn’t leave a wife. I left my parents. That’s different. I went to create a life for
myself.”

“Well, that’s exactly what my mother is doing. After all the years she spent being a mother and wife, she deserves to spend
a few weeks on herself. And so does yours.”

“You talk like being a wife and mother is a jail sentence.”

“Maybe it is.” She turned away and headed to the car. The last thing she wanted was to fight with Eric, but he pissed her
off.

He opened the car and got behind the wheel. “Want to hang out in Long Beach for the day? Not a fancy date, but a date just
the same.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m sorry we disagree.” He sighed. “But let’s not fight.”

She didn’t want to fight, either. “Fine.” Maybe she was just tired.

“And I did think about the people I left behind.”

Would he think about her when he left again? Of course he would. He’d have his damn pictures of her. Damn it—she couldn’t
get the irritation out of her system. She was definitely tired. “I want to go home,” she said.

He reached across and touched her shoulder.

She pulled away.

“Okay,” he said. “We’ll go home.”

Jaqueline and Lucia enjoyed a fabulous dinner and met three couples who were assigned to their dinner table. Jaqueline partly
wished that she was on this cruise with Victor, but another part of her thought it was nice to be here with her best friend.

After dinner, they caught a lovely show with dancing and music in the lounge. Lucia seemed to be enjoying every moment. As
they made their way back to their cabin, she couldn’t stop talking about the costumes.

Jaqueline nodded. “Gorgeous.” And those women had
some
bodies. Even when she was young she didn’t remember looking like that.

Lucia prepared her bed. “I feel a bit guilty. This is the first time all day I’ve thought of Antonio. I hope he had a good
dinner.”

“Call him.”

“Good idea.”

Jaqueline went to the bathroom to take off her makeup, wash her face, and brush her teeth. When she returned to the room,
Lucia was still talking.

“I love you,” she whispered, full of emotion, and disconnected. She sat on her bed with a gratified look. “Eric is such a
wonderful son. He went to have dinner with his father.”

“Good. See, you didn’t have to worry about Antonio.”

“He told me not worry and to have fun. He and Eric ate Subway sandwiches and watched sports.” She giggled. “Men.”

She wondered what Victoria had done that night. They were obviously a couple now, though Jaqueline didn’t know the extent
of their relationship.

“I’m so glad Eric is home. This is exactly what Antonio needs. Time alone with his son.” She undressed and pulled a nightgown
over her head. “Antonio said that Eric seemed upset about me leaving him alone. Isn’t that adorable?”

“Victoria has always been like that with her father. She worries about him all the time. Until recently anyway. But it’s not
the same as having a boy. I sometimes wish Victor had a son.”

“He has two wonderful girls. And he’d better open his eyes and see what he’s got before it’s gone,” Lucia said. “I haven’t
said much, Jaqui, but after all you’ve done for him, he’s acting like un hijo de puta.”

“We’ve never been enough for Victor.”

“Then I feel sorry for him.”

They changed the subject and chatted about everything and nothing until about three in the morning, when they both finally
fell asleep.

Victor spent the whole week in Newport Beach. The structure was really beginning to resemble a restaurant. He’d planned the
new menus and, though the food would be pretty much what he currently had, he updated the look of the menu and adjusted the
prices for the locale.

But as the weekend rolled around and he hung out at the original La Parrilla, still operating at full capacity and needing
his attention, he found himself less focused than usual. He sat in his back office staring off into space. Victoria had stopped
by early Saturday to pick up Jaqueline and take her to the cruise ship. His heart hammered in his chest as he peeked out of
the garage and saw Jaqueline leaving. He worried for her safety and worried that she’d have too good a time without him. What
if she decided she actually enjoyed the single life? What if even after working so hard to build his restaurant empire, Jaqueline
didn’t fall back in love with him?

He decided to go to the Argentine Club on Sunday. Maybe he’d run into Victoria. He missed working with her. He missed seeing
her and knowing what she was up to.

But he spent all afternoon at the club and Victoria never showed. Instead he wasted hours playing cards and losing money.
He watched other families laugh and enjoy being together while his family was scattered all over the place. As he got ready
to go home, he felt like a loser in more ways than one.

“I finally got lucky,” Antonio said, gathering his winnings.

Victor smiled. “Had to happen.”

“Going back to your garage?”

“Quiet,” Victor said, looking around to make sure no one heard Antonio’s big mouth.

“They’ve only been gone one day and I want to charter a boat and go find them. Want to go with me?” Antonio asked.

Victor shrugged. “Enjoy it. She’ll be back telling you what to do before you know it.”

Antonio rested an arm on his back. “Yes, she will.”

Victor grew uncomfortable. He headed to the door, waving good-bye to the others.

Antonio walked beside him. “Eric came over last night worried that I’d fall apart without his mother. I told him I’d be fine,
and he said his mother never should have left me alone.”

“He’s right.”

“No, he’s not. And I told him so. He got into a fight with your daughter because he told her women had no business leaving
their posts as mothers and wives.” He laughed. “I guess little Vicki let him know what she thought of
that
idea.”

Victor felt a hot flash of indignation at any man arguing with his daughter, even Eric. And he was proud she’d stood up for
her mother and women in general. “Maybe we haven’t set the best examples as fathers.”

“I’ve always treated my wife well. I don’t know where he gets these things. I told him to go home and apologize.”

Victor scowled. He hadn’t always treated
his
wife well. He’d taken her for granted more than he cared to admit. What had he inadvertently taught his daughters to expect
from men? In a way, he was glad Victoria wasn’t going to accept the same treatment from a man. “I might have some apologizing
to do myself. To my girls. And to my wife.”

Antonio nodded. “When Eric left home to work as what I considered a construction worker, I didn’t talk to him for a whole
year. And even after that, I kept him at a distance, to punish him, I guess. And because I was ashamed, because I’d failed
him. But I lost a lot of years with him because of my stubbornness. If I had to do it again, I’d support any damn thing he
decided to do, even if it killed my dream for him. No dream is worth losing your kid.”

Victor stared at Antonio. He swallowed a lump in his throat. “You’re right.” He took a breath and stood. “Take care, Antonio.”
He went home. Correction—to a garage in the back of an empty house that used be a home. How the
hell
had his life come to this?