The Wedding Favor (4 page)

In answer, Mateo released his hold on her hands and sunk onto one of the folding chairs. He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands. “I’ve totally screwed up.”

A rush of empathy washed over Ava. With any other man, in any other circumstances, she would have been edging carefully toward the door, eager to get away. But this wasn’t any other man. This was Mateo Ortega, a man she’d known and respected since she was a young girl. She’d bet her own life that he was as sane as men came. He was just overwhelmed with sadness about his grandfather’s illness. Understandably so, Joaquin Ortega was as good a man as God ever created.

Ava drew a chair alongside Mateo’s. Tentatively she touched his shoulder and when he lifted his head and met her eyes she saw the ravages of grief. Her heart hurt for him. “Let’s start at the beginning. Your grandfather thinks you’re engaged.”

Mateo straightened and turned toward her. She tried to ignore the effect his closeness had on her. It was like a magnetic pull to him. She’d felt it last night at the restaurant the moment she’d seen him.

“Yes. He thinks I’m engaged. To you, Ava.”

“To me? But how? Why?” She hardly knew how to articulate the questions racing around her mind. The rational part of her brain ordered her to just cut and run away from the quagmire this was surely going to turn into. But another part of her, touched by Mateo’s obvious sadness, urged her to stay and find out more. “How on earth did he get that idea?” She sat quietly for a moment. “We haven’t seen each other since we were practically kids. Who on earth would have told him something so absolutely crazy?”

Mateo faced her. “That would be me.”

Ava could only stare. She felt like she’d come into the middle of a zany movie and couldn’t make out the plot.

“First let me apologize for handling this so poorly,” Mateo said.

“Start at the beginning,” Ava urged him. She glanced down at her watch. “I’ve got a meeting in an hour that I absolutely have to make and I imagine you need to get to school. So just cut to the chase.”

Mateo took a deep breath and exhaled. “Abuelo’s cancer hit us all hard, maybe it shouldn’t have given his age and all but it did. He’s the heart of our family, always has been.”

Ava nodded. “Go on.”

“So we’ve all been doing everything we can to make his last days with us as peaceful and happy as possible. Last week we celebrated my niece Alondra’s quinceanera, it was a great night and everyone was happy, Abuelo most of all. I was just shooting the breeze with Guillermo and I overheard Abuelo telling Tia Sylvia that he had one regret.” He paused and met her eyes. “Can you imagine? Living that long and only having one regret?”

“And this regret is?” Ava prompted him, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

Mateo stood and began to pace like a caged animal in the tiny kitchen. Finally he stopped and met Ava’s eyes. “His only regret was not living long enough to see me happily married.”

“Oh.” Ava didn’t know what else to say. She could only imagine Mateo’s desire to please his beloved grandfather. “But why me? We haven’t seen each other since-”

“Since your mother passed away and you took off without a word to any of us.”

“That’s unfair, Mateo, and you know it. After my mother died I wanted to get as far away from the memories of her being sick as I could.” She made a sweeping gesture with her arm. “I couldn’t stay here.”

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. We knew why you left. It was just hard not to have a chance to say goodbye.”

Ava blew out a long breath. “Let’s get back to your grandfather.” She didn’t want to talk about the past. “What about the woman I saw you with at the restaurant last night? You two looked friendly.”

Mateo shook his head. “Jill’s a professional colleague. There’s never been anything between us.”

“Surely you’ve been dating all these years.” Ava tried to ignore her sense of relief that Jill wasn’t his girlfriend, current or former. It was none of her business. Mateo was none of her business. She felt a sudden urge to flee. “If you absolutely have to go through with this charade, and I really question that you do, there has to be someone else.”

Mateo shook his head. “You’re the perfect choice. You’re not a stranger, despite being gone for so long. Grandpa knew and liked your mother, he knew you as a little girl and we all care about you.”

Tears pricked the back of Ava’s eyes. Mateo was right. The entire Ortega family had always cared for her, they were such a loving family. Aside from her mother, they’d been the closest thing she’d had to a family. And they’d been so good to her mother when she was ill. Ava didn’t doubt that when her mother passed away, she did so with a sense of peace knowing that the Ortegas would be there for Ava if she ever needed them.

Except now they needed her. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Mateo’s family had given peace to her mother when she was dying. Was it her turn to do the same?

No. The whole idea was crazy. Insane. How could she possibly put herself through something like this? She’d stayed away from her old neighborhood all these years to keep the pain and loneliness of her childhood at bay. Why would she willingly thrust herself into the middle of the Ortega family? Posing as Mateo’s wife-to-be of all things? No.

Ava placed a hand on Mateo’s arm, surprised at the jolt of electricity that ran through her as she touched him. When he looked down, his eyes were so full of his feelings, so expressive, that she was caught off guard and couldn’t speak for a moment. But then the rational part of her brain ordered her to let him down gently. It wasn’t fair to let him have hope when she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she couldn’t pretend to be his fiancée.

But he spoke before she had a chance. “Ava, I’m sorry.” He covered her hand with one of his own. “I don’t have any right to ask something like this of you.”

Something about this man made her heart and mind want to do battle. His gentle touch, the sincerity in his voice, the warmth in his eyes…it all was too much. She needed to get away before she was drawn too far into his world. “Mateo, I understand why you’d want to do anything for your grandfather, I really do. He’s a wonderful man. But I-”

Her next words were drowned out by a hearty knock on the front door and then the sound of two voices hailing her as the door swung open.

“Ava! Mi hija!”

Before Ava could register just who their visitors were, she was gathered into not one, but two sets of arms for a hearty and effusive hug. As the voices warmly welcomed her back home she recognized their voices. When they pulled back, kind smiles on their faces, she recognized Mateo’s Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Oscar. She returned their smiles, murmured how lovely it was to see them again as well, all the while feeling as if she was being drawn deeper into the unreal world Mateo wanted her to enter.

“Okay, Tia, Tio,” Mateo broke in. “Let Ava catch her breath.”

Ava tried to act nonchalant as Mateo draped a protective arm around her shoulders. Not an easy task. She’d do well to avoid any more physical contact than was necessary. Every instinct told her to go, to leave and put the Ortegas and the past behind her but instead she forced herself to smile at Mateo’s aunt and uncle. They’d never been anything but kind to her, and if they were under the misapprehension that she was soon to be family, that fault rested squarely on Mateo’s shoulders.

She turned her attention to Sylvia. “I am so sorry to hear about your father’s illness. I don’t know what to say except that I hope he’s as comfortable as possible and not in too much pain.”

“Thank you, dear,” Oscar said. He made an effort to smile but Ava saw the sadness in his eyes. “He’s actually resting peacefully right now, the pain medication keeps him somewhere between asleep and awake for much of the day.”

“And we’re sorry to interrupt you two,” Sylvia chimed in, “but we thought we’d sneak over and say hello.” She reached over and squeezed Ava’s arm.

Oscar smiled fondly at his wife. “What Sylvia means is that she’s afraid there will be so many people here tonight that she won’t have a moment alone with you both tonight.”

Alarm bells went off in Ava’s head. “Tonight?” She glanced up to Mateo but a quick glance at his face told her that he had no more idea what they were talking about than she did.

“What’s happening tonight?” Mateo asked.

Mateo’s aunt and uncle exchanged pleased smiles.

“Your engagement party,” Tia Sylvia said. Her smile was triumphant. “The whole family was on the phone all evening making plans. It’s going to be an amazing night.”

“Our engagement party,” Ava repeated. Of course. This must have been how Alice felt once she’d gone down the rabbit hole. She hardly knew where to start protesting. She glanced back up at Mateo. “Did you know about this?”

He shook his head. “Trust me, I’m completely caught off guard.” He turned to his aunt and uncle. “While I appreciate all the effort, why not wait until my parents get back from Mexico?”

“Not to worry,” Sylvia assured him. “I’ve spoken with your mother and she thinks for Abuelo’s sake that we should celebrate immediately. I told her that they should stay, enjoy Cancun, and they can have a private celebration with you both when they get back.” Her smile was playful. “But Mateo, you have some explaining to do. Your mama was completely surprised to hear that you were engaged. She didn’t have a clue.”

“I can imagine her surprise,” Ava said, but good manners and a true fondness for Sylvia and Oscar prevented her from her adding a few more choice words. She pointed to her watch. “I’m sorry but I have to dash. I have a meeting this morning that I absolutely have to make.”

Oscar grinned. “No problem, Ava, now that you’re about to be one of the family we will have plenty of time together. Tonight’s celebration will be the first of many.”

Ava forced herself to smile brightly as she made her goodbyes. She waved away Mateo’s offer to walk her to her car, and she tried not to appear overly startled as he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“I’ll see you in a few hours, Ava,” he softly said.

A few hours? She shook her head as she backed her convertible out of the driveway and headed toward her office. Oh, no. Mateo Ortega was delusional if he thought she was going to go along with his crazy charade.

**

Mateo hesitated outside of his grandfather’s bedroom. He’d left Ava’s house moments ago resolved to come clean about his sham engagement. The stunned look on Ava’s face as she’d left the house filled him with remorse. He had no right to drag her into his world. Or his problems. It had all seemed so much simpler in his mind, his imagination that is, before he’d seen her. But he’d been wrong and now he had to make it right.

He knocked softly on the door and entered when his cousin Elena waved him in. After a quick hug, he glanced over and saw that his grandfather was asleep. “Rough night?” he whispered.

Elena nodded. “But his spirits are good. He’s looking forward to tonight.” She smiled. “We all are. Congratulations.”

Mateo forced himself to smile. “Thank you.”

Elena followed his gaze to their grandfather. She motioned for him to follow her into the hallway. “Mateo, listen, I know it’s painful to see Abuelo like this. It is for all of us. But, we want you and Ava to be happy. This is such a special time for you both, so it’s really okay to let that show. You look miserable, and that isn’t how a newly engaged man should look.”

“I’m not miserable,” Mateo lied. He was. But his misery was of his own making. “I’m sad.”

“We all are.” Elena slipped her arm through his. “But the blessing is that Abuelo is still here to witness your joy. So be joyous.”

Mateo nodded but couldn’t speak. He knew what she was trying to say and he felt like a traitor to the family for setting up this whole farce.

“Did you want me to give Abuelo a message when he wakes up?” Elena asked. “Or did you want to wait awhile until he wakes up to talk to him?”

“No.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve got to get to school. Just let him know I was here.”

“I’ll tell him that you and Ava will see him tonight,” Elena added.

Mateo nodded. “Right.” Or wrong. That all depended on Ava.

Chapter Five

Ava’s meeting was successful. When she finally ushered her clients out of her office, she had a nice size retainer and profitable contract in hand. After the door closed behind her new clients, she slumped against the door frame. It was still only eleven in the morning but she was mentally wiped out.

“Can I get you something, Ava?” her office manager asked. “I can make a caffeine run if it’ll help.”

Ava smiled but shook her head. Coffee wouldn’t solve her problems. Or ease the guilt that threatened to overwhelm her. “I’m okay, Marti,” she said. “Thanks though.” She dropped the file she was holding on Marti’s desk. A small white box with her name on the outside caught her eye. “What’s this?”

Marti picked it up and handed it to her. “Right, I almost forgot. A messenger dropped this off while you were in your meeting. Since you hadn’t mentioned you were waiting for a delivery, I decided not to interrupt your meeting.”

“Good call.” Ava examined the box in her hands. It looked big enough to hold a coffee mug. She had no idea what it could be, perhaps a thank you gift from a grateful client. Her curiosity was aroused but she forced her attention back to work matters. “There’s a check in that folder that needs to be deposited if you don’t mind swinging by the bank after your lunch.”

Marti nodded. “Sure. Speaking of food, there’s a Danish in the break room if you’re hungry.”

Ava shook her head. “Breakfast was quite enough for me.” Not that she’d eaten much of the spread Mateo had laid out. Now she was so wrapped up in knots she couldn’t think of eating. “Thanks anyway.”

Once in her office she dropped the mystery box on her desk and sank into her chair. Trying to concentrate was next to impossible because her mind kept going back to Mateo. By showing back up in her life after all these years, it was as if he’d pulled her back in time. She raked her fingers through her hair. Okay, in all fairness he hadn’t actually had to pull very hard. She’d had an idea it was him when Jessie called with the offer and said a mystery man wanted to meet with her. She’d agreed to meet him for dinner and then again for breakfast.