-Chapter 6-
The day was a flurry of activity when they woke up late in Thom’s bed and realized their plane left for Chile in less than two hours.
Neither one of them had the next-day-regrets, but instead, they couldn’t wait to see one another again when they separated to pack.
On the way to the airport, he took her hand, and Alex couldn’t help think of how safe she felt when she was with him. He’d guided her around Paris like an expert, making sure they crossed the streets safely and that her glass was refilled at dinner and that she was well-fed and well-rested all week. He was a gentleman through and through and she was always happy when she was in his presence.
The flight to Chile was mostly business. They were flying back across the Atlantic to South America to visit the wineries near Santiago and Thomas spent most of the time on the phone. Alex slept for a while and then handled some paperwork for Thomas.
An hour before they landed, she caught Thomas staring at her over a folder.
He turned on the “do not disturb” button on his seat and walked over to her.
“I can’t stay away from you,” he said. “It’s been more than twelve hours since I’ve run my fingers through your hair.”
He went to kiss her, and it was a bit awkward in the light of day, but they both seemed to surrender to something bigger than themselves.
He laid her down gently on the bench seat. He took off her yellow sundress and put it down carefully, and he stood there admiring her stunning beauty.
She had the perfect body---f breasts, a small waist and supple, soft skin. He stared down at her in amazement, as if he were keeping the biggest secret in the world.
“My god, you are beautiful,” he said.
She said nothing. She seemed shy, suddenly a more vulnerable version of herself than she’d been the night before.
He laid down next to her and massaged her shoulders as he kissed her, moving his hands to her lacy bra and pushing the straps over her shoulders. She shuddered a bit when he cupped her breasts, seeming to get lost in the moment.
He slowly slid her panties down her legs, and then brought his hands back to her stomach where he touched her gently, his fingers lingering just below her breasts.
Thom was a privileged son and a bit jaded by life, but he was a good lover. His mother was a kind and sensitive woman and Thom had inherited these traits from her. For all of his California rich kid sensibilities, he knew how to please a woman.
Alex began to unbutton his shirt, and he took off his slacks and his jeans himself, not able to be patient. She caught a glimpse of his naked body and she felt herself wanting him in a way she’d never wanted anyone before.
When he entered her, he did it slowly and gently, not wanting to rush the moment. They moved in unison together, breathing deeply, gazing into one another’s eyes, reaching their climax at the same moment, releasing their own fears and loneliness in one final sigh of pleasure.
They lay in bed for a while, neither one of them wanting to move. It felt so right, so peaceful in the sky, but it didn’t take Alex long to feel a pang of guilt.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, feeling her muscles tense.
“Have you heard the Country Western words, ‘How could something that feels so right be so wrong?”
He laughed.
“Yes, this is high drama, or at least it would be to our families. But we’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
They freshened up in the luxurious bathroom, ready to do business in Santiago.
Alex put her hair up in a bun and put on a business suit. She sat with her head on his shoulders as he read over a file before they landed. She wondered why she felt so safe and comfortable with him. Is it because she knew him already? She hadn’t spent much time with him over the years. He was always traipsing between one parent’s house and the next like she was.
What would become of this, she wondered?
Her grandfather’s words echoed through her head as they landed.
“Remember to always stay true to who you are,” he’d said.
-Chapter 7-
Santiago was surprising. It was cosmopolitan and energetic—not what Alex had expected from South America. She remembered her old dreams of Peru.
They worked hard during the day, taking long day trips to the wineries Thomas worked with, and then spent the nights strolling the neighborhoods, each one with its own unique flavor. The city boasted grand architecture that they pointed out to one another and they spent several evenings in a flight of sidewalk eateries, cafes and beer halls, dancing, staying out too late, and reveling in this little magic world they’d found.
They took a day off and had an afternoon picnic in a gorgeous hillside park, parked on a blanket and staring up at the warm blue sky.
He pointed out cloud shapes to her, and they watched as flights of birds made their way north in the fall sky.
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” he said, taking her hand and suddenly getting serious.
“I know. I feel like I’m leaving my first boyfriend behind at camp,” she said, already lamenting the next stop on their trip. Northern California was too close to home. Thom Sr. was supposed to meet them in their offices in Napa and they’d have to pretend they were nothing more than business associates.
“Alex, I can’t pretend I don’t have feelings for you. I’ve never been any good at hiding my feelings, not even in front of my dad. He’ll see through me. He has like…laser eyes.”
“Maybe this was just a Paris fling,” she said. “Two attractive people are stuck together on a private plane, landing in some of the most beautiful spots in the world. It’s text book. It had to happen.”
He shot up suddenly and turned to look at her.
“I can’t believe you just said that. I was under the impression that the feeling was mutual here… that we were on the same page, Alex.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, sitting up so she could see him better. “Look, Thomas. I spent my whole life wanting to live somewhere else when I grew up. I thought teaching would be a good way to remove myself from the city, but I find I’m liking business. I never considered it for myself and I always shunned the thought when my mother brought it up, but I like it. I want to stay with the company for a while and see what happens next.”
He was angry. He started gathering up their things, letting her know he was ready to head back to the hotel.
“Hey, wait a minute. I’m being honest with you, Thomas,” Alex said, suddenly feeling as if she’d broken something. “It wasn’t a commentary about us. You know I care for you so much. I’m just worried about that’s going to happen when we get to California. I’m scared.”
He said nothing and she stood up so that she could look in his eyes. He looked like a little boy who’d just had his heart broken and she realized her talent for being impulsive had disrupted another moment in her life.
“Hey,” she said, grabbing his arm. “Let’s not talk about this tonight, okay? Let’s not spoil our last night in Chile.”
He softened then, and grabbed her hand to take her back to the hotel. They’d signed up for a tango lesson at a bar across the street and they decided they still wanted to do it.
“The last Tango in Chile,” she said as they walked along. “Wasn’t that a movie?”
He laughed, but she always made him laugh. Her quick wit, her absolute inability to understand how beautiful she was, and her marvelous brain were the three things he loved most about her.
They were both horrible at the tango. As the lesson wore on, they both gave up and instead watched the other beautiful couples do their thing on the dance floor. They sipped exotic drinks and met some other Americans at the bar, laughing and drinking the night away.
At 3:00 in the morning they made it back to their hotel. They’d only gotten one room when they’d checked in and they crawled in to bed together, naked and drunk and not at all sure how they’d navigate the next morning.
“You are one special lady,” he told her as they snuggled in one another’s arms.
-Chapter 8-
Their first night back in California was a far cry for their night of tango in Santiago. They’d driven to Thom’s house in Napa, had taken separate rooms and slept late in the morning.
When Alex awoke, she walked downstairs to the kitchen where she saw Thom making coffee. Alex hadn’t noticed how glamorous the house was when she’d arrived the night before and it was the first time she’d thought about how different their lives were.
She’d been living in a small house on Quackenbush Avenue in Brooklyn with a father who thought splurging at a restaurant once a month was a big deal. Her mother had helped with her college tuition, but her father was a proud man and he diligently saved for his half through the years.
She realized that her parents were two different people and never would have been happy together. She was only 18 when her mother had married her father, having gotten pregnant when their relationship had just begun to bud.
By the time she was twenty, she realized she wanted more out of life. She fell in love with a young, ambitious Thomas Cooke, whom she’d worked for as a secretary at his fledgling wine distribution company.
“Wine is going to be very big one day,” he’d said and his hunches had been right.
But looking around Thom Jr.’s house in Napa, Alex realized how much she’d missed out on having stayed in New York with her father. Despite living in a big city, she’d led a provincial life, and although she’d never wanted for anything, she’d always thought of life as somewhat limited.
“How do you like the house?” he said, pouring her a cup of coffee.
“It’s a long way from Quackenbush Avenue,” Alex said, somewhat quietly.
“Your mother is coming from San Francisco with your father today,” he told her. “They texted me this morning.”
“I’m glad,” Alex said. “I miss my mother.”
“She always seemed very sad that you didn’t move out here with her,” Thom told her.
Alex said nothing, as she dusted off some hard feelings from her past and put them on a fresh shelf. Everything seemed different today, she thought. The world wasn’t as vibrant as it had seemed on their trips together and she wasn’t sure why.
They took the day off, watched a movie, showered and puttered around. They were both tired from the trip and when Thom sat down to do some work, Alex went and took a nap.
Beth had texted her earlier and Alex texted her back.
“I miss you,” Alex wrote.
She thought of her father, probably sitting on the couch reading the paper right now, ready to do the crossword puzzle. She’d spoken to him at least twice a week since she left, but she hadn’t told him she was head over heels with her stepbrother.
When their parents arrived at dinnertime, both she and Thom snapped into a new routine. They avoided one another’s eyes and they both felt uncomfortable all through dinner at one of Napa’s famous eateries.
Alex pushed the food around on her plate, feeling tired and not at all like socializing. She did her best to fill them in on the trip and Thom Sr. told her how pleased he was with the glowing reports about her that had come from his son and some of their clients.
Her mother couldn’t take her eyes off Alex. She seemed older, more confident and measurably more mature and she was taken aback by how absolutely beautiful she was. And yet, being the same old Alex, she didn’t seem to know it or care. It was refreshing, and also rare.
When they got home that night, Alex went right to her room to change. She didn’t understand why she was feeling so uncomfortable. Maybe all the time changes had gotten the best of her.
Her mother came in and sat down on her bed.
“Everything okay, honey?”
“Yeah, Mom. I think I’m still exhausted. But I want to thank you for giving me this chance. I really love this job. It was the most fabulous two weeks of my life.”
“I knew you would,” her mother said. “I’ve been trying to find a way to get you involved in our lives and I think this was the perfect opportunity.”
Before she left the room, she turned to Alex and told her to be careful.
“Everything’s new right now,” she said. “Take things slowly. Feel your way through them.”
It was as if she knew, Alex thought. But how? Had they made some blunder? Had someone her stepfather knew seen them together somewhere?
They were all due to visit a vineyard the next morning---a new account they were coveting and Alex lamented the fact that she’d have to ignore Thom again. She found herself missing him as she lay in bed, wishing she could reach out and put her arms around him. She was confused, yes, but one thing was clear. Thom had become very special to her. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to live without him, despite what anyone else thought.
She heard a light knock on her door and watched as Thom came tiptoeing in. Alex had to stifle a laugh, watching as he practically crawled over to her, terrified that he’d be discovered in her room.
“God, I miss you,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “I miss you too. It’s lonely in bed without you.”
“You’ve been off today,” he said. “Totally not yourself.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I’m just confused. Sometimes I resent my decision to stay in New York and live without my mother. And the next minute I miss my father and am glad I spent my childhood with him. I look around and see everything that you have and I feel envious sometimes, as if I am Cinderella, just here to sweep the floor.”
“You have a place in this company,” he said. “Your mother always talked about ‘one day.’ Maybe it’s time you made more room for her in your life. I think you sense that, and it must be confusing to you. You’d have to let go of other things, like your life in New York with your father, or your dreams of teaching.”
Alex laughed. “All I wanted to do was move to a place like Wyoming and become a teacher.”
“Maybe it was a way to not have to make a decision. You could choose neither of your parents and live somewhere that was just your own.”
“Maybe,” Alex said, holding Thom tighter in her arms. “But what I wanted was trees and grass and to get away from the crowded streets of New York. Maybe that was a way of yearning for my mother.”
“Alex, give yourself some time. We’ll work for a few weeks and you can go home again. You can go back to where the old Alex lived and try to gain some perspective there. You can work from home for a few weeks before I’ll need you out here. Maybe you’ll decide not to come back at all. But you get to choose who you want to be.”
“I think I could fall in love with you,” she said.
“I was hoping you already had,” he said, hitting her with a pillow.
“Tomorrow morning,” Alex said, sitting up, “we’re going to go downstairs and tell our parents about our relationship.”
She laid back down in his arms, thinking of her little room on Quackenbush. It was waiting there for her and always would be. But Alexander Bill was ready to move on to her exotic place near the trees.
Napa seemed as good a place as any.
THE END
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