Page 50 of Seasoned
The oddest things made his chest hurt. Like the scent of vanilla or lemon. Those fragrances reminded him of the vanilla-lemon lotion she used to rub into her feet and hands every night. Even when they argued or got on each other’s nerves, one of the few constants was lying in bed next to her and smelling her lotion. That’s how he’d fallen asleep every night. But not anymore.
He supposed there were worse things in the world than being in love with your ex-wife.
But right now, he couldn’t think of any.
5
“What are you doing?” Adelaide asked her reflection.
She was being silly. Hector was coming by to talk to her about Danny and Jamie and their next steps, not to take her on a date.
They’d talked a couple of times since he came to the house, and at the end of every conversation, she had the uncontrollable urge to scream and yell and kick in frustration. But during today’s phone call, he stated that he was stopping by after work and had taken Adelaide by surprise, throwing her into a tizzy.
She critically assessed her appearance. She had let her hair fall across her shoulders in loose waves and applied a little bit of lipstick. She wore a dress she hadn’t worn in a long time, a spaghetti-strapped maxi that skimmed her body and flowed loosely around her ankles.
Would he notice the way it fit? She was almost embarrassed to admit that she was trying to get his attention. Maybe make him regret the divorce? Hell, if she couldn’t get his attention when they lived in the same house, she sure as hell couldn’t capture it now that they were apart.
Living apart for a year hadn’t diminished her feelings for Hector one iota. In fact, she was almost certain they’d intensified. She still loved her ex-husband, but she had asked for a divorce because in her mind, their marriage had ended long before.
Annoyed and frustrated, Adelaide tossed the dress on the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. She couldn’t remove the perfume she’d spritzed on, but did wipe off the lipstick and give herself a quick pep talk.
“You’re attractive, even if your ex-husband doesn’t think so.”
The doorbell rang and she jumped. A fist of nerves pounding in her stomach, Adelaide went to the front of the house and opened the door.
“Hey there.” Hearing his warm, accented voice brush over her skin, the bundle of nerves tightened in her belly. He had removed his jacket and wore the blue and gold tie she’d bought him two Christmases ago tugged loose around his neck. His dress shirt and pants were a little wrinkled, but they flattered his muscular build.
“Hi.”
Adelaide wanted to do much more than give that simple greeting because he looked so handsome standing on her doorstep. One of his comforting hugs would be perfect right now, but she restrained herself from rushing into his arms by squeezing the doorknob tight.
“What’s that?” She pointed to the white paper sack in his hand.
“I stopped at our—er, at Mona’s Restaurant and picked up some tacos and a couple of quesadillas since you said you hadn’t eaten yet. You still haven’t eaten, right?”
He had almost saidour favorite restaurant,but stopped himself. Funny how certain words automatically wanted to leave your mouth and you literally had to train yourself not to use them.
“So that’s why you asked if I’d eaten dinner?” Adelaide opened the door wider.
“Yes. When you told me you hadn’t had dinner and you were going to eat crackers and hummus, I figured since I was stopping to get myself something to eat, I’d pick up dinner for you, too.” His warm voice sounded directly behind her.
“I’m glad you did. Thanks.”
“Good. I’m a hero.” Hector smiled and set the bag on the counter. “You don’t cook much anymore, I take it?”
“I do but I don’t. It’s hard to cook for myself, so a lot of times I order in. Even though Danny’s here, he’s gone quite a bit with Jamie, so it’s just me.” She shrugged, hoping she didn’t sound too pathetic, living the life she’d been afraid of—a life without purpose—worse because she was no longer married.
“I know what you mean. The owners at the Chinese restaurant down the street from me already know my name.”
“How many times have you had the Mongolian beef?” That was his favorite meal to order at Chinese restaurants.
“This week or since I moved into that apartment?”
“I’m not going to ask about since you moved into that apartment. I’m sure you don’t know because that number would be too high. So let’s stick with the statistics from this week.”
Hector let out a laugh. He was always so serious, but when he laughed, it was the best sound. Rich. Hearty. Nipple-throbbingly sexy.
“I feel like that’s a jab at me, but I’m going to pretend I didn’t notice.”
