More Than Neighbors (8 page)

CHAPTER 9

Despite one or two of the actors forgetting their lines, and the lead character tripping over the sword he wore in his belt and falling headlong onto the stage, the play was a success. To celebrate, a group of teachers from the school, along with Catalina, Diego, Fiona, and her date, went to a restaurant. Fiona spent most of the evening flirting shamelessly with her friend, while Diego drank one beer after another. In the end, the redhead and her companion left together, and Diego offered to take Cat home. “Perhaps I should’ve taken
you
home,” she remarked, concerned, Diego swaying drunkenly as they stood at the front door of her building.

“Don’t be silly, my angel, I’m perfectly fine.” Her friend stumbled over his words.

“Do you want me to call a taxi?”

“I think I can walk the three blocks to my house!” he replied, offended.

“In that case, good night.” Catalina leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, but Diego, who was almost the same height, turned his head, and she was unable to prevent their lips from touching.

“Cat . . .” He put his arms around her and squeezed her to him, his mouth becoming more persistent. Catalina put her hands on his chest and pushed him away from her. It wasn’t very difficult; her friend was so drunk that she almost shoved him to the floor.

“Diego, I’m not Fiona,” she reminded him, trying to be patient.

“I know that, Cat. Why do you think I’d like you to be Fiona? Fiona’s a witch. You, on the other hand, are beautiful and kind. Do you want to be my girlfriend, Cat?”

“Lower your voice, Diego, you’re going to wake the neighbors.”

“What do I care about your neighbors?” he shouted back. “Hear me, everyone! I’ve asked Cat to be my girlfriend!”

At that moment, an empty taxi drove by, and Catalina hailed it. With some effort, she managed to put her friend in the backseat and close the door. Then she gave the driver Diego’s address and said good-bye, first making sure he had enough cash to pay for the ride. “Farewell, my angel!” Diego yelled, leaning half his body out the window and waving his arms frenetically as the taxi sped off.

Catalina sighed in relief. She was about to enter her building when a menacingly large shadow appeared out of nowhere. Terrified, she pressed her lips together to stifle a scream, then almost instantly recognized her neighbor’s tall frame, as immaculate as ever. “Heavens, Leo! You almost gave me a heart attack,” she complained, her hand flying to her thumping chest.

Her neighbor fixed his eyes on the young woman’s flushed lips, a clear sign they’d just been forcefully kissed. “I’m not surprised you didn’t hear me, Catalina—that was some scene with your friend,” he said with scorn.

“What’s the problem? Have you never had a friend go through a rough patch? You have less empathy than the nail on my right big toe!” For the first time, Leopold had managed to make her genuinely angry.

Crossing his arms, he shook his head in disapproval. “He didn’t seem to be having such a bad time. Quite the contrary: he looked like he was rather enjoying kissing you.” His sarcasm was evident.

“Men!” Cat exclaimed contemptuously. “You can’t see beyond your own noses.”

“And what is it I should’ve seen, may I ask?”

“That Diego’s a mess. He’s just spent the entire evening watching Fiona fool around with a guy right under his nose, and he drank more than he should have.”

“If, like you suggest, he’s in love with your friend, why is he asking you to be his girlfriend? It makes no sense.” Her neighbor didn’t seem persuaded by her argument.

“Oh, Leo! Do I have to explain everything?” she said, exasperated. “It’s obvious he wants to make her jealous, and I’m Fiona’s best friend, after all.”

“I don’t know how you can consider such a man to be your friend. He could end up hurting you—”

“For pity’s sake, Leo, don’t be ridiculous! Diego doesn’t want to hurt me; he knows I’d never fall in love with him.”

“How can you be so sure? Are you in love with someone else?” He frowned.

“What does it matter to you? You’re a nosey parker.” She scowled at him. “But no, I’m not in love with anyone else. Diego’s known me for years—he knows exactly what I’m like.”

“Oh, he does, does he?” Her response had annoyed him even more. “And what are you like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Diego knows I don’t fall in love easily,” she replied with aplomb.

“Maybe you’ve never been in love.” He looked at her with a triumphant expression.

Now Cat was furious. What did this stuck-up man know about her life or feelings? “Of course I’ve been in love. Plenty of times, if you must know. I’ve had several boyfriends, and I lived with one of them for two years.” Incensed, Cat wondered why on earth she was explaining anything to this man. She quickly went on the counterattack. “And what about you? You don’t seem like the type of man to let anyone get anywhere near your heart. You’re going to marry stunning Alison, but I’m certain you’re not in love with her. In fact, I doubt you have any idea what love
is
.”

“Then that makes two of us,” he scoffed, even while asking himself why he didn’t just tell her that he’d broken up with Alison once and for all.

Suddenly, Catalina burst out laughing and regained her good humor. “What a silly conversation. Neither of us knows how the other person feels, so we should talk about something else or, for that matter, about nothing at all, because I have to go to sleep. I’m going away tomorrow, and I need some rest.”

Seeing her smiling again, Leopold relaxed, too. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m off to my parents’ house in Herefordshire. My family always gets together at Christmas. Will you go home?”

“No, I wasn’t intending to.”

“So you’ll spend the holidays with friends?”

“I haven’t arranged anything.”

“Are you telling me that you intend to spend Christmas all by yourself in your apartment?” She looked at him with horror.

“What’s wrong with that? Christmas doesn’t mean anything to me. My mother’s never made a big deal of it, and I haven’t been home for the holidays since I was eighteen.”

As he was speaking, Cat’s eyes grew wider and wider, and when he’d finished, she pursed her lips and then firmly declared, “I won’t allow it. You’ll come to my house and spend Christmas with my family.”

“Are you mad? You intend to turn up without warning at your parents’ house with a stranger in tow, at this time of year?” He was horrified.

“I certainly do. I won’t let you spend Christmas on your own in your apartment like an abandoned dog.”

The comparison wounded Leopold to his core. “For your information, Catalina,” he said, his voice now sounding icy, “I’ve spent the last twenty or so Christmases either alone or on some heavenly beach in the company of a woman, and I do not consider myself deserving of pity.”

“Well, you are,” she said, steadfast in her opinion.

His irritation growing, Leopold was about to give her a piece of his mind, but got himself under control. “I am not,” he said in an exaggeratedly relaxed tone. “I’ll spend Christmas at home, and only because that is what I want to do.” With disbelief, he watched her brown eyes well up, and her lips begin to tremble.

“Leo, please don’t ruin my holidays. I swear I’ll be incapable of enjoying myself knowing that you’re here without anyone to share such a special time with. You can’t be so cruel.”

Leo stretched out his hand and ran a finger along her dark eyelashes, now glistening with tears.

“Good Lord, Catalina. I can’t believe you’re on the verge of tears over such a silly thing.”

“It’s not silly to me! I wouldn’t wish such a thing on my worst enemy, and I almost consider you a friend.”

It was clear that Cat truly felt what she was saying, and though the word “friend” once more irritated him, for some reason, he felt strangely moved by her concern and knew he was about to give in. “But I’ll be an imposition on your family. They won’t appreciate it. They’ll think I’m your boyfriend.”

“Don’t worry about that.” She brightened, as if she could sense he was about to surrender. “It won’t be the first time I showed up with someone. Please come, Leo.”

Leopold was beginning to feel like just another pitiful creature that his benevolent neighbor had decided to rescue from the street, and though he disliked the feeling, he was unable to resist her pleading eyes. “All right, then,” he said with reluctance. “What time are you leaving?”

“I thought I’d catch the nine o’clock train.”

“Let’s take my car instead.”

“But there might be snow on the roads, and I have to take Milo with me,” she protested.

“Not a problem. We’ll take the Range Rover,” said Leopold, settling the matter.

“How many cars do you
have
?” She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

“Just two.” Catalina said nothing, and he was relieved; he wasn’t in the mood to listen to an impassioned lecture on social inequality. “Excellent. So I’ll ring your doorbell at nine on the dot.”

“Perfect. Thank you so much, Leo.” She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Leopold’s nostrils flared as he breathed in her pleasant smell, briefly hoping that one day his affectionate neighbor would give up her maddening habit of kissing everyone.

“It’s me who should be thanking you,” he said, very formally.

“Not yet, Leo, dearest. You should wait until you’ve met my brothers.” She winked at him with an impish expression before heading toward the door, where she turned to wave good-bye.

In spite of the cold, Leopold remained outside for some time, thinking about what had just happened. He couldn’t grasp quite how his unpredictable neighbor had managed to persuade him to embark on such an escapade. He still couldn’t believe that he was going to spend the next few days celebrating Christmas in a house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a group of people he didn’t know. If someone had told him to envision his least desirable holiday plan, he would have described precisely that. At least he’d be with Cat, he told himself with a shrug, and if there was one thing he could not accuse Catalina Stapleton of, it was being boring.

He thought back to the woman he’d just accompanied home and shook his head. He had told Harry to introduce him to the woman he’d heard so much about, and his friend had quickly organized a dinner for four. The evening had gone fine. The young lady was his type, or at least, the type he’d liked until then—blond and curvy—and he’d decided that he would invite her to dinner, just the two of them, another evening. Tonight had been that night.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so bored. The poor woman had done everything she could to please him, basically serving herself up on a plate, but Leopold had no desire to take her up on her offer. Ten minutes into dinner, he was already wishing they were done eating so he could escape. She was stunned when, straight after dinner, Leopold took her home, and she was even more surprised when he turned down her invitation to go up to her apartment for a drink. It was patently clear that it was the first time that had happened to her.

When he’d gotten out of the taxi, still troubled by a gnawing, uncomfortable feeling of dissatisfaction, he had seen Catalina in Diego’s arms, and the sight had frozen him in place. Then, unseen, he had approached them and listened to everything they said. He had been suddenly overcome with a terrible urge to punch that drunken scoundrel’s lights out, and to teach Cat some sense. Someone had to show that exasperating woman that she could not go around giving hugs and kisses left, right, and center. If she continued to do so, one day she was going to get into serious trouble.

He sighed, and the white puff of air floated in front of his face. He’d better go inside if he didn’t want to catch pneumonia, he thought. And anyway, he had to pack his bags for his holiday.

CHAPTER 10

The next morning, after ringing his neighbor’s doorbell, he only had to wait a few seconds before she opened the door. Catalina was ready, dressed in tight-fitting jeans, a thick turtleneck sweater, and some high, sheepskin-lined boots. On the floor, there was a gigantic suitcase topped with a warm coat and a pile of painting materials. An obedient Milo sat waiting by her side, surrounded by his own luggage. “Very punctual.” Leopold looked approving. “Have you told your mother I’m coming?”

“Yup, I phoned her this morning, and she said she’d be delighted to have you.”

“Perfect.” He picked up most of the bags and headed to the elevator, Cat following behind with Milo.

They put the dog in the back of the Range Rover, along with the rest of the luggage, and made themselves comfortable in front. Cat stole a glance at her attractive neighbor, who was wearing an elegant sports jacket, and liked what she saw. She knew her mother would like Leo, too, and she only hoped she wouldn’t get any absurd ideas about the two of them.

The landscape outside the window was covered in a thick layer of snow, adding to its serene beauty. Fortunately, there was no ice on the road, so the journey was trouble-free and thoroughly enjoyable.

Cat was surprised to find her neighbor in such a cheerful mood. Leopold was also confused by it; he was happy that he’d decided to accompany her and was glad that he didn’t have to spend the festive season, which always felt rather depressing, by himself. They only stopped once to refuel and get coffee, so they reached Catalina’s parents’ house just in time for lunch.

They must have heard the sound of the engine approaching, because when Cat and Leopold got out of the car, her parents and three brothers formed a welcoming committee at the front door to receive them.

Leopold sensed Catalina stiffen beside him, and was amazed when she suddenly turned and ran into the snow-covered garden behind them. The reason why suddenly became clear, as her three massive brothers sprinted after her, screaming like lunatics. In the end, one of them dived at her and tackled her onto the freezing ground, while the other two stuffed snowballs down her back.

Cat yelled for help, but her parents just watched the scene with amusement, and Leo didn’t dare get involved. Finally, the three men decided that her torture had lasted long enough, and they helped the poor woman to her feet. “You’ll pay for that, you three!” Cat waved her fist in their faces, though her smiling face belied her apparent anger.

She returned to Leopold’s side, her hair mussed and her face flushed, and made the introductions. “Leopold Sinclair, my three horrible older brothers, Robert, Richard, and David.” Then she led him to the front door and introduced her parents.

Leopold held out his hand and thanked them for welcoming him on such short notice. “Don’t worry, Leo. Can I call you that?” He nodded, smiling, and Cat’s mother continued with a look of approval. “Call me Marisa, and my husband, Martin. My children’s friends are always welcome.”

Leopold was surprised by the warmth that the whole family radiated; perhaps it was their Spanish heritage that made them appear so affectionate toward one another, continually exchanging kisses and hugs without any awkwardness. For Leopold, whose family was not inclined to public displays of affection, the Stapletons were a novelty. Now he understood where his neighbor’s need to touch and kiss everyone came from.

Their home, an old Tudor-style farmhouse with a steeply pitched slate roof and white stucco walls trussed with darkened oak beams, was utterly charming. Though not especially big, it was extremely cozy. Cat led him to a small bedroom with a gabled ceiling and warned him that he’d have to share the bathroom at the end of the hall with her.

After Leopold had unpacked his bags, he went down to the living room as Catalina had instructed him and found her there, sitting on her father’s lap with her arms around his neck as if she were still a girl. Warm feelings washed through him as he observed the tender scene, and once again he felt glad that he’d come.

Marisa soon announced that lunch was ready, and they all sat around the big wooden table in the dining room. It was a cheerful meal. Cat’s brothers frequently needled her, but it was obvious she was used to it, and she took it with good humor, not once becoming angry.

Mr. Stapleton was a teacher, and Leopold had no trouble finding topics of conversation to discuss with him. Marisa was the soul of the home: she made life easier for her absent-minded husband without him seeming to notice, and she controlled her unruly sons and their sister with an iron hand, though it was obvious she adored them all. Leopold was quickly made to feel like part of the family, and before long, Marisa was chiding him for not wanting a third helping.

After the enormous lunch, they all helped clear the table. Then Cat’s parents disappeared to take an afternoon nap, and Cat suggested they go for a walk to help digest the meal. Her brothers decided to stay home, but Leo was up for a stroll—he felt incredibly full and wanted to see the scenery around the picturesque farm. So they bundled up and went outside, accompanied by an eager, off-leash Milo. They strolled for a while in the snow-covered fields, barely speaking, listening to the sound of their footsteps crunching in the deep silence of the countryside. “It’s beautiful here.”

“Isn’t it just?” Cat agreed with enthusiasm. “I adore coming home.”

Leopold glanced at her face, flushed from the cold and framed by a brightly colored woolen hat and scarf, and he found her worthy of adoration, too. “Did you spend your childhood here?”

“Yeah, I grew up here. I love wandering the fields, riding, swimming in the lake that’s just over there.” She pointed to the right. “As my mother always says, I’m her fourth boy. I was a real tomboy when I was young.”

“No one would believe it, seeing you now.”

“Gosh, Leo.” She looked at him with big, smiling brown eyes. “I think you just paid me a compliment.”

“Maybe,” was his vague reply.

“I’ll race you! First to that oak tree wins!” she cried, and shot off.

He reacted immediately, sprinting after her, but Catalina was quick and he struggled to catch up. To stop her before she reached the finish line, he leapt on top of her and tackled her to the ground as her brothers had done, and once again Cat found herself lying in the snow. Leo turned her over and climbed on top of her, pinning her in place. “Now what?” he asked, holding her wrists above her head and moving his face closer to hers. Despite her precarious position, Cat laughed in her contagious way, and Leopold could not help but smile.

“All right, you win,” she said, grinning, her eyes dancing with amusement.

“And my reward?” Leopold gazed at her delicate features.

“We never discussed a reward, Mr. Sinclair.”

“In that case, I’ll choose my prize.” Burning with desire, he dipped his head even closer, until his lips were within an inch of her mouth. Cat wriggled under his weight, but her attempts to free herself were futile.

“Don’t do it, Leo—remember the curse,” she whispered, and her warm breath excited him even more.

“I told you, I’m a pragmatic businessman, Catalina. I don’t believe in curses.”

Ever so gently, Leopold rested his lips on her cool mouth, and just like the previous two occasions when he’d kissed her, the fuses in his mind suddenly blew. Noticing how Catalina was clearly returning his feelings, he began to kiss her with longing. For a moment, he completely forgot where they were and how they’d gotten there; his only coherent thought was that he had to make her his that instant. He slid his hand under Catalina’s sweater to cup one of her firm breasts and was happy to feel it fit perfectly in his hand. She arched against him and his passion reached a boiling point. However, he soon sensed little gloved fists thumping his shoulders, and he realized that Cat wasn’t excited; she was fighting against him. Horrified, he immediately stopped kissing her and lifted his head.

“Leo, stop, please,” she begged him with what seemed like an expression of genuine terror.

“I’m sorry, Catalina, forgive me.” His voice was hoarse and he quickly climbed off her, helping her to her feet.

Cat managed to stand despite her trembling legs. For God’s sake! She couldn’t understand how this man could excite her so much! It’d taken an almost superhuman effort to ask him to stop, and she was aware that she must not let her treacherous body be in control.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Leo, but we mustn’t let it happen again. I’ve already said you’re not a bad kisser. In fact, you’re rather good, but I don’t want to get involved with a man who’s getting married.” Leopold tried to tell her that was not happening, but she stopped him. “There’s no point in denying it. I know you’re not yourself right now, but when you recover your senses, you’ll be glad I stopped you before you made a silly mistake. I consider you a good friend, Leo, and it’d be crazy to throw away something so rare for a meaningless roll in the hay.”

Her prudent words rained like heavy blows on Leopold. Stunned, he looked at the lips that had just uttered them, flushed and slightly swollen, and he wanted to reach for them again and kiss them until she begged for mercy. He couldn’t understand what the devil was happening to him. He’d never lost control this way before; if Catalina hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve made love to her right there, on the freezing earth.

He shook his head, trying to regain his composure. Cat still believed he was going to marry Alison. He had to put her right, but at the same time, he wondered why he should; after all, he didn’t intend to have a serious relationship with Catalina Stapleton, did he?

The two of them were as different as night and day, and Cat didn’t even fit the curvy-blond stereotype that usually attracted him. What’s more, he knew that she’d never accept his endless work hours or his constant business trips, and he couldn’t risk introducing her to his colleagues—who knew what she might say to them?

No, Catalina Stapleton was not the right woman for him. His reaction to her was unsurprising in a sense since he hadn’t slept with a woman for almost four months, and that built-up energy had to be released somehow. A little calmer, he regained his voice. “You’re right, Catalina. I’m marrying Alison. And anyway, if you’ll forgive my honesty, it’s not that I feel attracted to you, it’s just I let myself get carried away.”

“I don’t want to hear any more! I understand,” she interrupted, with an inscrutable expression on her face.

“Really?” He was dubious; he wasn’t sure he completely understood it himself.

“It’s Mum’s stew.” She gestured for him to come closer. Intrigued, Leopold held his ear near her lips. “It has aphrodisiac effects,” she whispered.

Unable to contain her giggles for a moment longer, she dissolved into laughter while he stood staring at her scornfully. Catalina Stapleton was truly childish—she made everything into a joke. “When you’re done laughing, we should get back,” he said stiffly.

“Come on, Leo.” She draped herself unselfconsciously around his arm. “Don’t be angry. It’s much better to have a friend-neighbor than a fling-and-fight neighbor, isn’t it?”

“Yes, of course,” he said in an attempt to salvage his dignity. If that episode had meant nothing to her, then it had meant nothing to him. He’d kissed dozens of women in his life, so there was no reason to make anything of it. True, kissing Catalina had been especially enjoyable, but no doubt, as he’d concluded before, it was just because of his long months of celibacy.

Though he’d worried he’d be bored in the countryside, Leopold found the next few days immensely engaging. Every morning, he and Cat rode horses around the area, and she showed him some of the most interesting parts of the county. Sometimes her brothers went with them, and they galloped to see who was fastest; other times, they sat by the fire in the living room and played the endless games of cards that the Stapletons loved. On Christmas Eve, Leopold helped Marisa prepare the turkey for the next day, and while they chatted in the cozy kitchen, which was filling with delicious aromas, Leopold once again thought about how different Catalina’s mother was from his own.

The only strained moment was on Christmas morning. After a hot shower, Leopold came out of the bathroom with a towel around his slender hips and bumped into Catalina, who was heading into the bathroom, half-asleep. The young woman, wearing only a tiny pair of pajamas, the shorts leaving her long legs bare, walked straight into his solid torso, and he had no option but to grab hold of her arms to stop her from falling. “Sorry,” said Leopold, contemplating the heavy-lidded face still flushed with sleepiness looking up at him, and her gleaming, messy hair. Her chest rose and fell from the shock of the collision, and he had to summon all his willpower not to squeeze her against him and kiss her like he’d kissed her in the snow.

Without saying a word, he slowly let go of her and watched her close the bathroom door behind her. As he walked the few feet to his bedroom, Leopold promised himself that when he returned to London, he’d find a more suitable woman with whom to put out the fire that burned inside him.

The Christmas holidays came to an end, and Leopold and Cat had to return to the city. Leo said good-bye to everyone, thanking Marisa in particular for her hospitality and for being so kind to him. “Come back whenever you like, Leopold; you’ve been the loveliest guest Cat has ever brought home.”

“That’s true,” said Robert, the eldest sibling, throwing an arm around Catalina’s shoulders. “My dear little sister loves bringing home every poor wretch she finds on the road. Do you remember when she introduced us to that oddball Henry?”

“Don’t remind me.” Cat’s mother raised her hand to her forehead with a groan. “He was vegan and wouldn’t eat anything remotely associated with an animal. That year, I had to make Christmas turkey without turkey. Just imagine.”

“And what about Ringo?” Richard interrupted over his sister’s protests. “There’s still a mark on the living-room ceiling from when he decided to fill the house with candles to bring back the Ghost of Christmas Past. My fireman friend still moans about missing his pudding to come put out the burning curtains.”