Page 42 of Loving My Enemy

He said nothing as held me, apologizing with kisses up and down my neck and spine. Trying to take my pain away with his body. It didn’t work, but his body was one hell of a distraction.

Chapter 25

Antonio

“You were supposed to wait for me in the parking lot.” I waited for twenty minutes in the burning sun, looking for Elka’s blond hair so I could help her unload her tools and ingredients for the cook-off. The cooks were allowed to set up as early as five in the morning to make sure they had plenty of time to make the perfect chili.

“I couldn’t sleep so I got here early. It would have been silly to wait for you.” She didn’t turn around. Not that I minded. Especially today because she wore loose-fitting denim shorts that shouldn’t have been flattering, but they were. And the flowing layered tank tops hugged her breasts beautifully, making me wish we were alone and I could touch her. Taste her. Make her scream my name.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?” She’d been acting weird since that morning in her bedroom, but every time I brought it up, Elka denied anything was wrong.

“Maybe I’m nervous about cooking for so many people.”

“Maybe you are but you’ve got this. Maybe you can tell me what’s really wrong?” She still didn’t turn, and I stood rightbehind her so she could feel me there. “You don’t have to carry everything alone, Elka.”

“I’m not carrying anything,” she insisted and turned to face me, blue eyes firm. Solid. Distant. “I just want to stay on track for today, that’s all.”

I didn’t believe her but the best thing I could do for Elka right now was to alleviate any stress she felt by doing my duty as a Hometown Hero. I strapped on an apron and started chopping what was left of the vegetables, wondering how in the hell I managed to screw up. Again.

Bringing up her parents had been a mistake and by the time she finally, reluctantly, told me the truth, it was too late to undo what I’d already done. I tried to prepare her, but after that day, Elka kept everything in perfect little boxes. She didn’t talk about her parents and she rarely spoke about her brother, instead choosing to talk about the present and the future. Like she wanted to forget her past altogether.

I’d been there and nearly let it ruin me, so I knew where she was headed and the damn stubborn woman was determined to push me away. “Okay, all the veggies are chopped.”

She looked over her shoulder and assessed the piles in each bowl with careful scrutiny. “Good job. Thanks.”

I couldn’t take her silent treatment. “I’m sorry, Elka.”

She froze at my words and when those blue eyes looked up at me, I could have cried from the hurt swimming in them. “I wish I believed you, Antonio.”

“I was only trying to help, not dig. I swear.” It was important that she know that. “You’ll never heal if you don’t face this head on, Elka.”

“Yeah? What makes you such an expert?”

This was it. The moment of truth where I spilled my ugly-ass truth to someone other than the department-assigned shrink. “Because I know—”

“Excuse me. Do you have an alternative chili for one of the judges?”

Elka sighed and wiggled away from me. “Yes. There’s a vegetarian option with two types of beans. Cheese is optional.” The official woman with the clipboard seemed satisfied with that answer, gave me a long look, and moved on to the next booth.

“I’ve been where you are, Elka.” Why in the hell was this so hard to talk about? I sighed and tried again. “You have—”

“Elka?” She froze at the sound of the voice, hand gripping the long wooden spoon she used to stir the chili. “Elka, your mother is addressing you.”

She turned and looked at me first, hurt and betrayal shining in her eyes, before she shuttered all her emotions and turned to the couple who looked like they stepped from the pages of a L.L. Bean catalog. “What are you guys doing here?”

Her mother smiled. “Is that any way to greet your parents?”

“To greet you would assume I’m happy to see you and we both know that isn’t the case.” She folded her arms and stepped away from me too. She was an island, one solitary unit. Facing it all on her own. “What do you want?”

“You wouldn’t answer our calls.”

“A hint you clearly didn’t take,” she shot back with more sarcasm than I’d ever seen or heard from her. “Listen, I’m not interested in talking to you or reconnecting. Enjoy your stay in Tulip.” She went back to the simmering pot near the back of the booth, not acknowledging anyone.

“You said she’d be happy to see us,” her father snarled in my direction.

I heard the intake of air, that gasp of surprise, and I knew that Elka had heard. “That’s when I thought you were all just suffering from grief. You need to give Elka some space.”

Her mother put a tissue to her face in distress and her father simply nodded and led his wife away. “We’ll talk soon, Elka.”

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