A warmth filled him... a kind of peace. Even though it was unsettling, he didn't feel as if he needed the liquor. He'd gone without and had craved a stiff drink for days. Now that he had one... he didn't have the need.
He lifted his eyes to Isabel's. "You go ahead. I quit drinking."
Curiosity caught the corners of her mouth. "You did?"
"Yeah, only I didn't know it until now."
"Then I won't have any."
He reached out and laid a hand on her wrist. "No. Have some of the sangria if you want it."
"It's all right"
She set her glass aside as four men playing instruments strolled toward them from the hotel. Reaching the table, they gave John a nod, then began singing.
Isabel smiled as she watched them.
John stood and held out his hand. "Care to dance, Isabel?"
"Oh... but I don't know how to dance to this. They're singing in Spanish."
"You don't need to know what they're saying. Just move with me in my arms and you'll do fine."
She went with him and they embraced, dancing to the music in a slow waltz. Isabel rested her cheek against the side of his neck. She was softer than anything he'd ever held and smelled like floral bathing salts. John savored the moment and let it embed into his memory for eternity.
"What are they saying?" Isabel asked, her breath warm next to his ear.
The band's lilting song with its accordion and guitar was a romantic ballad.
"Amor... quieres que te acompa�e?"
John translated. "Love... may I walk with you?"
"Amor... eres tan bonita."
"Love... you are so beautiful."
"Suspiro por ti."
"I yearn for you."
"Sue�o con tus besos."
"I dream of your kisses."
"Ven a mis brazos."
"Come to my arms."
"Amor... deseo de mi corazon."
"Love... my heart's desire."
"Angel de mi amor."
"My angel love."
His cheek came next to hers as the ballad continued without words. The song said everything he felt in his heart Could Isabel tell when he'd spoken the words... he'd been saying them to her?
Their dance ended just as several waiters brought a meal to the table--a feast was more like it. John escorted Isabel back and they explored the plates of seafood and salads with slices of avocado. All the while, they traded glances... smiles... no words other than the ones spoken from their eyes.
The third course was halibut with carrots. Then a bowl of baby lima beans in a peppery broth of milk and butter and fried potato slices. For desert, they had a choice from the tray of Mexican pastries. Isabel chose strawberries and cream. John picked the flan. They traded bites, leaning across the table with spoons lifted to the other's mouth.
When the meal was over, they drank cafe con leche and listened to the music as the moon rose.
John hated to bring op the contest, but he did because Isabel was so certain they had to win. "Isabel... we can collect berries and then ride back to town. We could be there by morning. I bought a lantern and blankets. They're on the beach with the rest of my gear. I'll get my horse, if you want."
She exhaled a long sigh of contentment. "I don't want to. Can't we stay here a little while longer?"
"Sure___sure."
Her lashes lowered, and she whispered, "Ask me to walk with you. Like the song."
John's heart thundered. "Amor... quieres que te acompa�e?"
"Yes," she returned, gazing into his face. "I'll walk with you."
He rose from his chair and tucked her shawl about her shoulders. Before she stood, she reached down and grabbed his hat and put it on her own head. John put his arm through hers and they walked down the boardwalk and onto the soft sand.
The musicians stayed behind, but their melodic notes followed. Soon, the sandy beach sunk beneath the couple's feet, and the mellow night enveloped them as they strolled... hand-in-hand.
The hotel's outdoor cookfire had turned the moon into an orange wedge that resembled half a face. Wispy thin clouds slowly drifted across its mouth, then the light streaks of gray were carried on the breeze toward the water.
Isabel and John sat on the blanket listening to the surf as it washed up the sand and went back down again. The rhythm was gentle and soothing, a sound Isabel enjoyed but seldom heard.
"Did you get to the beach much when you lived in Los Angeles?" John asked, as if reading her thoughts while tucking her closer within the crook of his arm.
"Not as often as I would have liked. I never seemed to have the extra time." She rested her head on his shoulder. 'Time is something I'm always chasing. Even now... we don't have much time left."
As she said it, she was referring to the contest, but in a way, the statement was more of a reflection on them--of how their relationship was drifting closer to being defined one way or another. After the contest, what would happen?
She didn't want to think about Christmas Day.
All that mattered was tonight and how wonderful John had made everything for her, the dinner, the dancing, and now the ocean and moon.
He'd made a cozy place for them in a secluded area where ice plant grew in the dunes that kept them hidden. A natural hedge of tree mallow acted as a wind break, its rosy lavender hollyhock flowers in bloom and fragrantly mingling on the sea air.
John's strength beside her comforted her. His arm felt right around her. This was the best time she'd ever had. She didn't want tonight to end. She wanted to take the moment farther... to have a memory above all else that she could treasure.
With her fingers meshed through John's, Isabel ran her thumb over his thick-skinned knuckle. It was the smallest of pleasures, one to be savored. With his free hand, he tilted her face to his.