She recognized the sharp edge to his voice and softened her question. “Your views as a child would change as you grew older. I’m thinking more of a continuum, a growing awareness of your father as a man.”
“I’m beginning to feel sick just thinking about it. Maybe it’s too soon after his death. People will buy whatever’s written about him, but I saw his mistakes, and he made the same ones over and over.”
“Did he realize it?”
He hugged her. “Maybe, but he didn’t stop making them.”
“Maggie will understand.”
“I wish we’d grown up together. It would have been nice to have had a constant fr
iend.”
She turned to kiss him, but she couldn’t offer to be a constant friend while he’d planned the ending when they’d first met.
Chapter Thirteen
Thursday morning, Libby stayed home while Santos kept his appointment with the orthopedist. She hadn’t wanted to tag along, but to please him, she didn’t dare go past the patio. She’d discovered Fox had a bookcase full of English classics, probably read for school assignments, and she regarded it as an opportunity to reread some Charles Dickens. She read only a few pages of Great Expectations before the sparkling sea became too great a distraction, and she decided watching the waves roll to the shore was as valuable a pastime as reading fine literature. When Santos joined her, he wasn’t smiling, which worried her.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“He gave me a lecture on the importance of therapy to regain complete use of my knee. I didn’t realize there was a question I wouldn’t. I don’t have to use the brace, so I can finally wear long pants when I take you out. That’s the only good news. Therapy starts tomorrow. Apparently, swimming is good, but in a pool, not the ocean. I hate limping around like an old man.”
She regarded him with a sultry smile. “You don’t look old, and you don’t act like an old man in bed.”
He laughed. “You’re a very understanding woman. But I’m looking at six months of therapy before I can train for the ring, which means I’ll miss the rest of the year in Spain. I won’t tour South America or Mexico, so I’ll be out of work for a very long time.”
“If money will be a problem, you might not have any choice about writing about your father.”
He caressed her cheek. “The cologne should pay the bills, but it’s not money that worries me. A matador is as highly trained as an Olympic athlete. I’m not as good as I want to be now, and if I have to swim laps for six months, I may not ever regain my current skill. I’ll have to start over.”
She knew she ought to encourage him, but she didn’t want to sound insincere. “You’re tough, and I’ll bet you’ll come back better than ever.”
“I wish I believed that, but thank you. Let’s get out of here. If you’re ready to go shopping, let’s make sure everyone notices us. If Victoria is behind the attacks, she’ll soon hear I’m laughing and ignoring her threats. If that doesn’t make her careless and easier to catch, the police will have to find her on their own.”
“Let’s go.”
Libby waved to Abigail as they came through the boutique’s front door. “I told you I’d be back. Last week, I saw a tie-dye skirt in turquoise and black. Do you still have it?”
“Yes, we do.” She pulled it from the rack and walked toward her. When she recognized Santos, she stopped dead still. “Are you who I think you are?”
“I’m Santos Aragon. Is that who you were thinking?” he said loudly enough to be heard out on the beach.
Two young women who had been searching through the knit tops nearly pushed Abigail out of their way to reach him. The taller one clapped her hands. “Hi, Santos. I put one of your posters on my bedroom wall when I was fourteen. If you’ll give me an autograph, I’ll glue it on.”
“Find a paper and pen, and I’ll write whatever you want.”
“We have notepads,” Abigail offered.
Santos still had to use crutches, but he moved much more smoothly now. He made his way to the cashier’s desk and picked up a pen. “I’ll sign autographs for your friends if you like.”
“Would you?” the girls gushed.
Santos winked at Libby and then smiled at the shoppers. “Do you want to take photos?”
Abigail pulled a camera from under the counter. “I want one for the store bulletin board too.”
Libby remained out of the way while Santos posed with the girls, but he took her hand to pull her close when Abigail was ready to take one for the store. She smiled as though posing with him were something she did every day. When they were finished, Abigail pointed out the photo of Rafael and Maggie.