“Yes, she did.”
“Did she tell you all the complications?”
“Yes, she told me. It sounds like it’s going to be difficult to work everything out.”
“I hope not. The attorney your mom sent me to has already started to work on the case. We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know how long Tikki is planning to be here or how much time you’ll have, but I wanted to let you know that I’d like to see you some more—you, your mom, and your daughter—if it fits in with your schedule.”
“I’d like that too. I’m sure we can make plans after I talk with Tikki. Her phone call letting me know she was coming was short and sweet. Right to the point.”
“Tell me more about her. Does she look like you?”
“Yes, I think she does. Although, when I look at her profile—her forehead, nose, and chin—I see Jeff’s side of the family. She has the brown eyes and nice legs from my side of the family. And our hair is similar.”
Bryan glanced over at her and then back at the road. “You’ve always had great hair. And nice legs. You’re right about that. The women in your family have very nice legs.”
“Thank you.” She knew that men noticed such things, but it had been a long time since she had heard a man mention her physical attributes in the conversational flow. Bryan did it in such an even-paced way that Carolyn didn’t feel uncomfortable.
“I’m looking forward to meeting Tikki. I still think that’s a great name. Good for Jeff for coming up with that one.”
As much as it felt strange and natural at the same time for Carolyn to meet up with Bryan and to carry on casual conversations, she found it also felt strange and natural for him to praise Jeff and to say that he liked her daughter’s name. The past and present seemed to be merging more and more. It felt very much like her impressions of Las Palmas that first day when she saw how the old overlapped the new. Each still held its place, and yet it was becoming more challenging to see where one ended and the other began.
Bryan parked his small rental car in the outdoor parking area, and they walked together to baggage claim.
“When I arrived the other night, my aunt was delayed in picking me up,” Carolyn said. “This airport at dusk seemed like a different place than it does now.”
“Really? How so?”
Carolyn looked up. No starlings swooped in unison overhead. The flickering, blue-hued streetlamps weren’t in use yet. The mix of cultures and languages didn’t startle her as much as it had when she first arrived. The traffic stopped when they put their feet into the crossing.
“It just felt different,” Carolyn said. “It was unnerving.”
“And how does it feel now?”
“Familiar.”
They entered the terminal, and Bryan took off his sunglasses as he shot her a sideways glance. “Are you sure you’re talking about the airport?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I thought for a moment you might be talking about me. Unnerving a few days ago …”
“And now you’re feeling more familiar?”
“Sure, something like that.”
“Yes,” Carolyn agreed. “Something like that.”
They found the listing of where the luggage from Tikki’s flight would be delivered and joined the group gathering around the conveyor belt. “It looks as if her flight might have come in a little early,” Carolyn observed.
“I’m going to check with the attendant over there to see if this is where my bag will come in,” Bryan said.
“Okay. I’ll wait here with Tikki as soon as I find her.”
Carolyn made her way around the oval conveyor belt, checking left and right for her daughter. She headed back the other direction as the crowd grew thicker.
“Mom!” From across the open area in the baggage claim, Carolyn saw her beautiful, energetic daughter waving and rushing toward her. Tikki dropped the large shoulder bag from off her arm and threw her arms around Carolyn.
The elated greeting surprised Carolyn at first, but then she realized Tikki had just come a very long way by herself and might have been wandering around alone, as Carolyn had when she arrived. Of course her mother was the happiest and best thing she had seen since leaving home.
“You’re here.” Carolyn greeted her with kisses and a strong hug.
Tikki’s hair was a scramble of tussled strands scooped up on top of her head. She had what looked like a coffee stain down the front of her T-shirt and her mascara was smeared under both eyes. Regardless, she beamed when she looked at Carolyn.
“Yes, I’m here. And look at you! Mom, you’re radiant.”
“I’m a little sunburned, I think.”
“No, it’s not that. You look happy.”
“I am happy.”
“Wow, that’s so cool, Mom. You’ve only been here a few days, and you’re already looking better.” Tikki picked up her shoulder bag and corrected her last statement. “I mean, it’s not that you looked bad before, it’s just that you look really good now. Vibrant. Healthy.”
“Thank you. Now what about your luggage? It’s coming in on carousel four, right?”
“Yes, it’s the carousel behind you. It looks like they’re already sending stuff through.”
“How was your flight?” Carolyn asked as they positioned themselves to watch the luggage come around.
“Why didn’t you tell me how long it takes to get here? I slept as much as I could but … Hey, there’s my bag. Let me grab it.” Tikki slid between two shorter people and pulled her suitcase off the carousel.
“Is that it?” Carolyn asked.
“Yup, that’s it. Just one suitcase. I’m here for only eight days. I figured whatever I didn’t bring, I’d have an excuse to buy it here.”
“Good, because I’ve discovered I’m low on clothing options, and I was hoping you would be interested in doing some shopping tomorrow.”
“Sounds great. I’m open to anything. I’m just so glad to finally be here. Get me a bed and about six or seven uninterrupted hours of sleep, and I’ll shop with you wherever you want to go.”
“Are you hungry?”
“No, not really.” Tikki looked at her mom, who was searching for Bryan. “Are we ready to go, Mom?”
“I’m looking for our ride.” She spotted Bryan. He was waving at her and pointing to the luggage belt, indicating that he had spotted his suitcase.
“Did I tell you that Matthew called me?” Tikki asked.
“No. When?”
“About four hours before I left for the airport.”
“What did he say?”
“Not much. I think he was kind of shocked that I was going through with this and actually coming here. But I’ve been thinking through all of this for hours, Mom. The entire way here I thought, you know, you and me, we’re Women of the Canaries, right? We can have a great time just being here together. We don’t need no stinkin’ men.”
Just then Bryan walked up next to Carolyn, pulling his suitcase behind him.
“Bryan, this is my daughter, Tikki.”
“Hola. ¿Cómo está usted?” Tikki politely extended her right hand and added in English, “You look familiar. Now, which uncle are you?”
Bryan grinned. “I’m not a relative. Just a friend of the family. And to answer your question, I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
“I’m good. Tired, you know, but good.” Tikki tilted her head. “What was your name again?”
“Bryan. Bryan Spencer. Here, let me take that suitcase for you.”
“Sure.” She turned over the handle to her suitcase and gave Carolyn a who-is-this look as the three of them started for the parking lot with Bryan leading the way. Carolyn picked up her daughter’s questioning expression out of the corner of her eye but kept looking straight ahead.
“Bryan?” Tikki called as he was about to step off the curb. He stopped before crossing the road to the parking area and turned toward her.
“What did you say your last name was?”
“Spencer.”
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Tikki’s eyes widened. She turned to her mom and then back to Bryan. “You’re not the Bryan Spencer, are you?”
He chuckled. “That depends. What does it mean if I admit to being the Bryan Spencer?”
“You’re the one who took my mom on a camel ride.”
His eyes lit up, and he smiled at Carolyn. “You heard about that, huh?”
“Only what my aunt Frieda will tell me. But I’d certainly like to hear all about it. Maybe you can fill in the interesting parts that my mom won’t talk about.”
Bryan’s expression dimmed for only a moment, as if a mist of regret passed over him. Then it looked as if he remembered that he and Carolyn had confronted and cleared all the regrets from their summer so long ago. His smile widened. “It sounds like the three of us are going to have to visit those camels in Maspalomas so you can see what it’s like for yourself.”
“Good,” Tikki said. “That was at the top of my list.”
“Oh, you have a list, do you?” Carolyn asked.
“Of course I have a list. You know me. So, Bryan.” Tikki hurried to catch up with him, as they crossed over to the parking area. “My aunt Frieda said you were quite the beachboy back in your day. I heard all about your wild hair.”
Carolyn cringed.
Bryan laughed off Tikki’s comments. “Yeah, I guess it was pretty wild.” He opened the small car’s trunk, rubbing the back of his neck and puzzling how to fit the two suitcases inside.
“Tikki, come here, will you?” Carolyn gestured for her daughter to join her out of Bryan’s earshot. “Please don’t say anything else to Bryan about his hair or what Aunt Frieda remembers about him. He’s been really kind to your grandmother and me and—”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I was just making stuff up to have something to say. Can I blame it on the jet lag?”
“Yes, you may blame it on the jet drag, as your cousin Rosa calls it. I know all about that. And it is a real drag. Just be nice to him, okay?”
“Okay.”
Carolyn turned to go, but Tikki reached for her mother’s arm and pulled her back, looking her in the eye.
“Wait a minute.” Tikki’s expression blossomed. “He’s the reason you’re so happy, isn’t he? You still care about him, don’t you? I mean, really deeply care.”
Carolyn glanced over at Bryan, who was stuffing one of the bags into the backseat. She looked back at Tikki and felt herself blush.
“You do! You like him. And you can’t tell me that rosy glow is sunburn. That is not sunburn.” Tikki gave her mom a hug. “Wow, Mom, this is so cool.”
“It’s just what it is right now, Tikki, so please, you know … be nice to him and chill.”
“Okay, Mom. I’ll ‘chill.’” Tikki laughed. She linked her arm in Carolyn’s, and they walked back to the car without saying anything.
Bryan had shoved his suitcase into the trunk and was leaning on the trunk’s lid, trying to close it all the way. As Tikki ducked into the backseat, she leaned close to Carolyn and whispered, “He’s cute, by the way.”
Carolyn grinned and whispered back, “I know.”
The rest of the evening turned into a miniature reenactment of Carolyn’s first night on the islands, with a gathering of relatives and lots of food. Only this time the gathering was at Carolyn’s mother’s apartment and drew in less than half the family members. Apparently the short notice had diminished attendance. Tikki and Bryan shared the novelty of being the guests of honor. Both of them handled the language and the social interactions much better than Carolyn felt she had. The other difference was that the clan left much earlier this time.
Bryan followed Carolyn into her mother’s kitchen, as she cleared the dishes and stacked them in the sink. “You have a great family. I’m sure you know that.”
“I didn’t know much about them until I met them the night I arrived. They were the same way with me as they were with you and Tikki tonight. So open and loving.”
She ran the water in the sink and turned to thank Bryan for the nice day, the great lunch, and the ride to the airport. As she turned to face him, her heart pounded. He was so close. She could have easily kissed him. She wanted to kiss him. The rush of such powerful, immediate feelings overwhelmed her. It had been so long since she had felt this intense rise of passion.
Bryan reached over and slowly pulled a wayward strand of her cocoa-colored hair off her forehead. “You come from a good tree, Carolyn.”
She didn’t know what to say. It was as if a blast of adrenaline was coursing through her veins.
“You better turn that off,” Bryan said.
“You’re right. It’s too soon, isn’t it? I shouldn’t be feeling this way.”
He gave her an odd look. “I meant the sink.”
“Oh!” Carolyn turned off the faucet and realized that she had just said aloud to him the thoughts that had been on the surface when he touched her hair. She couldn’t bring herself to turn and look at him again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that he had moved to the other side of the kitchen and was leaning against the counter.
“Listen, what do you think about asking Tikki if she wants to go into Old Town tomorrow? I have a meeting on that side of town at ten. The two of you might like to see the Columbus Museum while I’m in my meeting, and then we can find something to eat, if you like.”
“Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll see what she thinks.” Carolyn plunged her hands into the water and washed the plates, stacking them in a strainer on the counter.
Bryan pulled a dish towel from the hook on the wall and dried the dishes. The intimacy that caused her to feel toward him was almost too much to hold inside. This was one of the things she had missed the most about Jeff. The way they shared the everyday things in life and kept a continual conversation going through it all. The circles of past and present had overlapped again, and the results were beginning to mess with her mind as well as her emotions.
Bryan’s cell phone rang. He put down the towel, put in his earpiece, and stepped to the far side of the small kitchen, where he pulled out a chair and sat at the table.
“Did you already do a scan of the history?” he asked. “How long ago did you run the interface?”
At first Carolyn thought it was odd that someone was calling him so late at night. Then she realized that this was a business call. With the time difference, his clients would still be at work.
Tikki entered the kitchen and went to her mother, wrapping her arms around her and dropping her head on her mom’s shoulder. “I love you. And I love being here.”
“I love you, and I love your being here too. I love that we’re both here.” She kissed Tikki on the side of her head. “Are you ready for some sleep?”
“Definitely.” Tikki straightened up and noticed Bryan at the kitchen table. She looked to her mom for an explanation as to why he was sitting with his head down and hand over his ear, appearing to be deep in thought.
“He’s on the phone,” Carolyn said in a lowered voice. “He’s working. It’s still office hours in the United States.”
“I thought he lived here, in the Canary Islands.”
“No.” Carolyn quietly explained the circumstances of his stepmother’s funeral and how he came to the birthday party.
Tikki looked amazed. “Mom, this is fairly epic, isn’t it? Both of you returning to the Canary Islands at the same time?”
“I don’t know if I’d call it that. Hey, listen, would you like to go to the Columbus Museum tomorrow?”
She shrugged. “I suppose. Would that be before or after the shopping?”
“Before, probably.”
“Sure, I’m open for anything. Is Bryan going?”
Carolyn nodded.
Tikki’s expression brightened. “Then I’m definitely going because I’m starting to get the feeling that you two need a chaperone.” She picked up the dish towel and gave it a twist and then attempted to give Carolyn a playful snap on the backside.
&nbs
p; Carolyn stuck her hands in the soapy water and flicked the dishwater at Tikki in retaliation. The two of them kept at it and started laughing like they hadn’t done together in the kitchen for a long time. At the same moment they both realized how loud their laughter was and covered their mouths, shooting apologetic glances at Bryan.
He looked over and smiled at Carolyn, making it clear that he loved seeing her with her daughter like this and that the commotion didn’t bother him.
“Okay, that verifies my prediction,” Tikki whispered to her mother. “You two definitely need a chaperone. I can see where this is going.” With a wink she added, “By the way, Mom, you rock.”
“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar en el silencio.”
“Don’t speak unless you can improve on the silence.”
THE INVITATION STILL stands,” Bryan said to Carolyn’s mom the next morning, when he arrived back at the apartment. “You are welcome to come with us.”
“Yes, I know. And thank you. But I have been to the museum, and I would rather stay here this morning. Now, did Carolyn tell you that you’re welcome to come for dinner? Since she has arrived I haven’t cooked for her once. I promised to make ropa vieja for her tonight.”
“Doesn’t that mean ‘old clothes’?” Bryan asked.
“Yes. Very good translation with your Spanish. Have you ever had ropa vieja? My mother was the one who made it the best. I try, but I still don’t think mine is as good as hers.”
“It’s shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base,” Carolyn explained. “One of my childhood favorites. And don’t let her fool you. Hers is better than her mother’s by a mile.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Bryan asked.
“Of course not. You took us to dinner last night.”
“But I didn’t even have to pay.”
“No matter. Let me cook for you today. This is the least I can do to thank you.”
On their way to the car, Carolyn convinced Bryan that her mother loved to cook her Old World recipes and would give herself wholeheartedly to the task all day. “It’s therapy for her. Trust me.”
“My mom’s right,” Tikki added. “You couldn’t have given Abuela a nicer gift than to say you would like to come and eat the food she’s prepared.”