Arlene Sachitano - Quilt As You Go

"I'm on my way to California,” she told him.

"I'll go anywhere with you,” he said. “Let's go."

"Don't you need to pick up Randy?"

"Nah, Carla will feed her eventually."

"You're impossible,” she said with a smile. “Actually, I'm on my way to pick up dinner for my aunt and I. Would you like to join us?"

Aiden was silent. Harriet looked at him. It was unusual for him to not have a ready quip. “What?” she finally said when he continued to stare out the windshield. “Do you have a date?” She was joking… until he didn't answer. “If you have a date, just say so. It's okay."

"I don't have a date,” he said. “Not like you think, anyway. It's just…” He broke off, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"Just what?"

"It's just that I promised I'd be a guinea pig for Carla tonight."

"That's okay,” Harriet said. A deep stab of pain knifed through her stomach; or maybe it was her heart-she wasn't sure. “Carla needs you."

"She wants to have Terry over for dinner, but she's afraid her cooking isn't up to snuff. I've tried to tell her what a great cook she is, but she wants to try the dinner menu first, just in case."

A great cook, Harriet thought. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Carla was his housekeeper, after all. But now she was his cook. His “great cook,” she amended.

"That's fine. I realize I was inviting you at the last minute."

"You don't have to give me notice,” he said. “You know that. I'd rather eat with you, but Carla was so worked up over having Terry over, I agreed. If I'd known you were going to ask me, I'd have said no."

"It's no big deal,” she said. “It's my pain meds talking. Of course Carla needs your support. Are you going to be there when Terry comes to dinner?"

"I told her I'd take Wendy to Tico's Tacos and introduce her to Mexican food."

Harriet looked out her window. Aiden reached over and turned her face toward him.

"I can get one of the vet techs to babysit. I'm sure Carla wouldn't mind."

"It's not that,” Harriet said. “I'm actually worried about Carla being alone with that guy so much. There's something off about his genealogy story. He claims he's trying to get to know his father by retracing his past. He says his dad used to work for Carlton 's dad, but Carlton doesn't remember him."

"And that surprises you?” Aiden asked.

"Actually, it does. Carlton 's dad made him write out the birthday and Christmas cards for all the employees back then. He wrote every name at least twice every year for some number of years. I realize he could forget someone after twenty years or more, but when I told him the name, it didn't trigger anything."

" Carlton 's a weasel-I wouldn't put faith in anything he remembered or didn't remember. I can guarantee you the only thing he thinks about these days is Bebe."

"Still, I don't trust Terry."

"They're just having dinner. They're not even leaving the house."

"Unless they go for a walk by the strait. Then he could kill her and dump her in the water and we might never find her."

"You have been watching way too much television,” Aiden said. “Terry is not out to kill Carla."

"Maybe not, but he's lying about something -I can feel it."

She sank back in her seat, and Aiden drove in silence.

"Have you decided where you want to get food?” he finally asked as they approached town.

"Tico's sounds good and easy to carry, too."

"I'm going to drive you home when you get your food,” he said. “I don't have to be home for a while.” He looked down when he said the last part.

"It's okay, really,” she said and put her hand on his arm.

Aiden guided the Bronco into the small parking lot at the side of Tico's. He got out and came around to Harriet's door, opened it and pulled her carefully into his arms, making sure he didn't jostle her collarbone.

"I'm sorry I can't come to dinner. I really want to."

"Look,” Harriet said as she leaned back and gazed into his ice-blue eyes. “I just overreacted there for a minute. Like I said, it was the pain meds talking. I really do want you to help Carla, and more important, I want you to protect her."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive,” she said, and almost meant it.

She leaned toward him. Aiden steadied her face with his hand and gently brushed his lips over hers. She smiled against his mouth, and he kissed her more deeply, being careful still of her wounded shoulder.

"Please, amigos, get a room,” came a booming voice from the back door. “You're going to drive my business away."

Jorge laughed and waved the dish towel he was holding at them. Harriet laughed, too.

"Busted."

"I guess we better go in,” she said.

"Yeah, he's probably on the phone with your aunt already."

"What?"

"You heard me. Jorge is as big a gossip as any of the Loose Threads."

Harriet finished getting out of the car, pushing him out of the way.

"I don't need them talking about me any more than they do already."

"Do you two want food today, or are you just here to make out?” Jorge asked when they came into the restaurant.

Harriet's face burned, and she took a deep steadying breath before she spoke.

"I actually came to order take-out for my aunt and I."

"What? No food for the señor?"

Jorge couldn't have missed the look that passed between Harriet and Aiden. He clapped his large hands together.

"Well, then, mija, what did you have in mind for dinner? You want to try something different? How about some nice barbacoa burritos?"

"Sounds good,” Harriet said.

There were more than burritos in the bag when she unpacked it. Aunt Beth came through the studio door into the kitchen as Harriet was pouring a glass of lemonade for each of them. She glanced at the two place settings on the island bar, and her eyebrows rose.

"No Aiden?” she asked.

"He had to be home for dinner,” Harriet said, and busied herself dividing the generous carton of guacamole into two smaller bowls. She pulled out a small bag of tortilla chips from the main package and poured them into a basket she placed within reach of both places.

"Are you regretting sending Carla to be his housekeeper?"

"No,” she said, too quickly. “No. I couldn't in good conscience let her continue living in a car with a baby.” She set a container of salsa by each plate-mild for Aunt Beth, medium for herself.

"You didn't have to suggest Aiden. She could have stayed here.” Aunt Beth settled at the bar, and Harriet handed her a plate with a foil-wrapped burrito.

"Aiden does need a housekeeper. It works for both of them. He would have had to pay someone anyway. It might as well be Carla. It's a win-win.” She knew her response lacked the enthusiasm usually associated with such words. She set her own plate and burrito on the counter.

"But…"

"No but,” Harriet said and sat down beside her aunt. She unwrapped her burrito and carefully folded the used foil with one hand. “It's just that I'm starting to feel like the other woman. They have all kinds of plans, and I have to fit in around the edges."

"It's only natural for people who live together to have to coordinate their schedules."

"How many times did Avanell have to miss dinner out with the Threads to be home to eat with Rose?” Harriet asked, referring to Aiden's mother and their family housekeeper.

"That was different. Rose came to Avanell and George when they had their first child. She helped with the baby and took care of the house. They were both working, and she had to contend with their schedule initially. Then, as the kids got bigger, she had to work around their classes and activities, too."

"A big part of me totally gets it. I want Carla living there where she and Wendy are safe and Aiden can keep an eye on her new boyfriend. I just liked it better when she was living at his house and he still had the apartment over the vet hospital. I was getting used to having him around all the time."