The Way We Were (7 page)

Ana led her sister to the family room. Again, Opal was propped up on pillows and blankets on the big couch facing the fireplace. She wore a blue sweat suit.

“You look like a queen accepting visitors.”

“Nah.” Opal held out her arms to Elizabeita. “Hug.”

Lizzie crossed to the couch
and sat. She carefully embraced Opal, showing a depth of emotion she often kept hidden. The baby of the family was more complicated than she let on. “I was worried about you, Opalinski!” Jared’s name for her.

“I’m okay. It sucks being sick.”

“I’m sure it does.”

Ana said musingly, “Your aunt was a monster when she was little and came down with something. Once, when she had her tonsils
out, we had to trip over ourselves to entertain her.”

That made Opal grin. “I’m bored, too, Aunt Lizzie. Hey, maybe you can tell me stories like the one when you found out where Uncle Luke was undercover and went to make sure he was all right.”

Ana’s jaw dropped. “Lizzie, don’t tell her tales like that! You scared the life out of all of us when you went upstate. I don’t want her thinking
that was okay.”

“Prosz
ę.”
Elizabeita nodded to Opal. “What did I say about that, squirt?”

“It was foolish. You made me promise not to take a risk like that.”

“Honestly, Lizzie.” Ana sighed with exasperation.

Leaning over, Opal snagged the bag Elizabeita put on the floor. “What did you bring me?”

“I’ll go finish up lunch while you play.”

From the kitchen that overlooked
the family room, Ana could still see and hear them.

“This is an art game.” Lizzie tore the cellophane off the board game, crinkling it. “The museum just got it in.”

“It’s all modern art.” Opal frowned as Lizzie set up the pieces. “I don’t know the paintings’ names.”

“You don’t have to. It’s a memory game where you match the great works of art.”

“Will you tell me about the paintings
while we play? I like to listen to you talk about them.”

“Love to, kiddo.”

With the lull of their voices surrounding her, Ana heated oil in a deep fryer and put in the potatoes she’d already cut. The grease spit and spattered. Then she assembled the sandwiches.

A bit later. “This one’s cool, Opal. Edmund Munch’s
The Scream
. It was controversial in its time.”

When the BLTs with
homemade French fries were ready, Ana called out, “Time for lunch. Opal, if you’re very careful, you can walk out here and eat at the table.”

The meal was enjoyable, as Lizzie entertained them with stories about some of the visitors who came to the Met. Afterward, she helped Opal upstairs and to bed and came back down. By then, Ana had cleaned up the kitchen and was waiting for her. “Do you
have to leave?” she asked. “We didn’t have a chance to visit.”

Lizzie checked her watch. “I can stay for coffee.”

“I’m glad.”

“Coffee
and
talk.”

As Ana plugged in the Keurig, she asked, “Do you need to talk to me about something, honey?”

Plopping down in a chair, she said, “Yeah. What on earth is going on with you and Jared?”

Ana caught her breath at Lizzie’s question.
Could she know what she and Jared had decided? Oh, wait, she couldn’t. Her sister was fishing.

How to talk about this? Ana didn’t want to outright lie. She and Jared were just keeping this…whatever it was…from the family until they saw how being friends, perhaps opening themselves to more, was going to work.

She brought two mugs with different Renoir’s dance paintings on them—a Christmas
gift from Lizzie one year—over to the table and sat down. As she looked at her sister, Ana saw the third earring in one ear Elizabeita must have recently had done. “Why did you ask about Jared?”

“It wasn’t an accusation. I observed things at the hospital.”

“What?”

“How you gravitated toward each other, for one.”

“Our child was in crisis. It’s not unusual for parents to turn to
each other at a time like that, even when they’re divorced.”

“I know that, Ana. But there was more. You let him touch you. In the past, when you had to be with him, he was poison to you.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“No, it’s not. Magdalena saw it, too. Lately, we both think you and Jared have been different with each other.”

Ana waited. “Well, things
are
different. After spending
almost three weeks together, we’ve decided to try to be friends. To lose the animosity we had for each other.”

Now Elizabeita’s eyes burned. “What possible reason could he have for feeling animosity towards
you
?”

“Marriage isn’t easy. We both share the blame for our breakup.”

“We wouldn’t know, Ana, because you never talked to us about it. All you said was that he cheated. And despite
what
Matka
said about Pa, I don’t know how a woman could ever forgive that.”

“Life is complicated, honey. And tough.”

“You’re not going to tell me any more than that, are you?”

“There’s nothing more to say.”

“All right. I won’t push.”

Ana rolled her eyes at her baby sister. “That would be a first. Now, tell me more about these characters who come to the museum.”

Letter #6

Dear Annie,

Magdalena called me and asked me to come to her office. She’s concerned about you. She thinks you’re deteriorating. Your weight loss. The circles under your eyes. How you tremble for no reason. She asked me what was going on with you and said that the whole family is worried. You could confide in them, honey. That might help get us past this hump. Something has
to. Neither of us is sleeping well. Opal is cranky because she feels the tension. I love you and want to help you, but since I can’t, maybe your sisters can.

Two nights later, Jared was in a gloomy mood so he went to the workout room and dropped down on a bench. He remembered when they’d built this space, enclosing a section of the huge garage, outfitting it with weights, a treadmill and eventually an elliptical and stretching bar. Better to think about that than the fact that Ana had a date tonight. That she’d be
with another man. The thought of her letting someone else kiss her, touch her had driven him crazy when they divorced, but he’d learned to block it. Since Opal had brought her into his life again, the demons had returned.

Instead of concentrating on the number of arm curls he was doing with free weights, he pictured Ana letting
him
hold her at the hospital when she was so frightened she could
barely tolerate it. He saw her take his hand, insinuate hers in his, like she used to when he needed support. He remembered how she smiled at him during their days at home, and once in a while, unconsciously, he thought, how she touched his shoulder or his back. They were being circumspect, trying not to let on that something was different, but it was hard when all he wanted to do was clasp her
to him during the night and claim her body with his. Hell. He was acting like the men in a D.H. Lawrence novel. Arrgh! He resisted the urge to throw the barbell across the floor. Instead, he transferred it to the other fist and kept pumping. One, two, three…

“Hi.”

As if he’d conjured her, she stood at the doorway, wearing the red-sequined outfit again. His gaze narrowed, taking in every
detail. Christ, it clung to her in all the right places—gloving her breasts, nipping in at the waist. The beige heeled boots she wore with it made her appear taller, more willowy. More feminine, as if she needed
that
.

“Hi.” He raked his gaze down her outfit. “Deja vu.”

“I know. I don’t have a lot of dressy things to choose from.” She flipped back her hair, which she’d let fall down her
back, then gestured to the weights. “Didn’t you do those yesterday? You’re supposed to take a day off in between.”

What a wifely thing to say.

He set the barbell down and dropped his hands to either side of him on the bench. “I did. And you’re right about alternating. But I found I needed physical exercise tonight.” He was sure the expression of distaste was on his face, but he couldn’t
hide it. When she stared right back at him, he added, “Because of what we decided. Because after that, you’re going out on a date.”

“We
decided
to see how things went between us, Jared. Besides, we didn’t commit to not seeing other people.”

His jaw tensed. “I thought that was understood.”

“Maybe we should see others. To keep this in perspective.”

“Hmm.”

She waited. Finally,
“What are you thinking?”

He fought against his macho side—and lost. He stood. “That if we’re going to see others, we should be sure to keep our eyes on the goal, too.” The silkiness in his voice was evident.

“What do you mean?” But the expression on her face told him she knew.

He took a step toward her. Her eyes widened. Another step. Two. Until he was in front of her and she had to
look up at him. “We don’t want you to forget what we’re trying to do here, do we, Ana?” His pitch dropped and came out throaty. Hoarse. “To see if we can get back together.”

She shook her head, but her breath hitched.

“So, sweetheart. Get ready.”

“F-for what?”

“For not forgetting about
us
tonight when you’re on a date with another man.”

Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders,
and she leaned into him. Her scent, French perfume that she wore years ago, filled his head. He whispered in her ear, “I’m going to kiss you.”

“I can see that.”

“Do you want me to?”

“I—I don’t know. We said we wouldn’t rush into anything.”

Lifting his arm, he ran his knuckles down her cheek. She shivered. Ah, that was nice. “Yeah, but I gotta stay in the game, so to speak.”

The corners of her mouth turned up. “I wouldn’t want to handicap you.”

“So, I ask again. Can I kiss you, Annie?”

“Yes, but—”

He drew her against him before she put caveats on her permission. His body remembered hers—the curves and indentations, the solidness; he melded to her in all the right places. He’d hugged her at the hospital, held her in his arms there, but this was the first
time in over two years that she came to him as a woman.

She looped her arms around his neck.

Moved in.

Their legs tangled. Her hips pressed into his.

Then she stood on tiptoes. It was all the invitation he needed. His grasp on her tightened and he lifted her up. He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. Back and forth. Back and forth. She moaned, gripped his neck now.

“More?” he asked against her mouth.

“More,” she whispered.

He fully aligned their bodies and devoured her. He probed her lips open and explored her. God he’d forgotten the sweet taste of her. When she did the same, his head burst with sensation. This was Ana.
His
Ana, in his arms. Kissing him back.

And it went on…and on…

A shrill sounded from the front of the house, intruding
on the isolated cocoon they occupied. It took them both a few moments to part. Her eyes sparked with deep, genuine emotion. He knew his did, too. He was hard, and her nipples peaked under the dress. They were both gloriously aroused.

She took in a deep breath.

The bell sounded again.

He arched a brow. “You’d better get that. It’s your date.” His tone was amused, and her gaze narrowed
on him.

“You did this on purpose.”

“Guilty as charged.” He chucked her under the chin. “Now, go answer the door.”

Clearly miffed, she turned. When she reached the archway, he said, “Ana?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t forget this.”

“As if I could,” she said under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

But he’d heard her. Very loud and very clear.

Still
shaken from what Jared did to her, Ana walked into the Adria Hotel in downtown Queens with Mark Milburn, and they made their way to the ballroom. At the entrance, Ana studied the fancy decor to distract herself. The space sparkled tonight with glittering chandeliers with swaths of draped cloth between them, lamps crusted in rhinestones scattered around the floor like outdoor lampposts. Stations for
wine and cheese and other small appetizers had been set up in a variety of places. Soft teal tablecloths and starched white-and-teal napkins decorated each table.

“Is your whole family going to be here?” Mark asked. He stood close, with his palm at her back. Every time it grazed her, she jolted inside. Jared’s touch was still with her and wouldn’t be usurped by another man’s attention.

“No, not tonight. Just Caterina, Nia and Paulina.”

“I can’t wait to meet them. Someone at work said they’re all blondes, like you.”

“Have you talked about me to people at work?”

“No. One of the guys asked what I was doing tonight, and I told him. Why, wouldn’t you want me to?”

“I don’t like gossip. But it isn’t necessary to hide that we went out together.”

Ana studied Mark.
He was tall and lanky, like a runner, with light brown hair and eyes. He was attractive tonight in a pinstripe suit and light blue shirt. She focused on how easygoing he seemed. God knew Jared wasn’t easy to be with these days. He used to be, though, in those halcyon days of their relationship.

Don’t let him in your head, girl.

She was trying. She refused to allow her mind to replay what
had happened in the workout room. Refused to recall the sensations of him holding her against his body. “I see some of my family. Let’s go say hi.”

A large display took up space in the middle of the room. Paulina and Adam stood in the midst of the crowd, where many of them pointed and gestured to the table. Mark asked, “Do you know what everyone’s looking at?”

“Paulina said there would
be a model of the sculpture garden and outdoor stage for the music hall. Apparently, Adam spent hours on it. I can’t wait to see the layout and what sculpture they’ve commissioned.”

Her sister caught sight of Ana and motioned her over. They hugged. Paulina drew back. “Hey, thanks for coming. I didn’t expect you because of Opal.”