Hold Me at Twilight (Romano Family Book 1) Read online

  Upon returning, he’d have to wait for two weeks until the new passport came so he could finally go home. He scrubbed his face and drew the curtains aside.

  What was he going to do for two whole weeks to occupy his time?

  His chest constricted. Two weeks with Jacinta were not enough.

  The party for Avó Teresa and Avô António’s anniversary had been going all afternoon and evening. Jacinta looked across the patio where Knox sat on a bench with some of the teenage cousins. As if sensing her, he raised his eyes and smiled. She smiled back.

  The little stolen moments between Knox and her had been too few and far between in the past two weeks. Everything else had taken too much of her time, and her family had monopolized more of her attention than she’d wanted to give them. Not that she didn’t want to help, but she’d found herself falling for Knox a little more each time they went for walks, and those had been insufficient. As soon as he got his passport, he’d return home, and Jacinta wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

  As if lending a hand in the kitchen cleaning hadn’t been plenty, Knox had offered his business skills as well. He’d updated the agency’s website, and had developed new software for Tia Glória’s hair salon. Her younger cousins had loved teaching Knox how to play real football, and he’d gone along with it, pretending their tips made a difference in his kicking skills. Even Dad and Avô António had taken to asking him over to play cards with them, a universal language that didn’t need interpretation.

  How had Knox come to fit so well in her crazy family?

  The backyard and patio were full to capacity. More tables and chairs had been brought in, and there was music and plenty of food laid out. In the kitchen, a replica of the wedding cake waited to be brought out, and her grandparents’ anniversary would be celebrated by their descendants: seven sons and nineteen grandchildren, not to mention spouses, cousins, and friends. Not everyone had been able to come, but most had, and Jacinta knew how much that meant to her grandparents.

  Grandma scooted her chair closer to Jacinta’s. “That boy of yours, Jacinta. He can’t keep his eyes off of you.”

  Jacinta turned her gaze from him and looked to Avó Teresa. “He’s twenty-six, avó. That makes him a man. But he’s not my man.” A small pang of something she didn’t want to identify squeezed in her chest.

  “You know his age.” Avó said with a small smile and a knowing look.

  Jacinta also knew his birthday, which kind of cereal he liked for breakfast, and how he spent his Saturday mornings volunteering. They’d talked about a lot of things, but but she still had so much to learn about Knox. They could talk every day for the rest of the year, and she’d still be craving more.

  “Did he kiss you yet?”

  She turned to Grandma and arched an eyebrow. “As if he’s had the chance.” She should have known this kind of questioning was coming. Avó Teresa was too direct to worry about privacy.

  Grandma winked at her. “You’ve surely spent time together.”

  But not enough time alone to create the right mood for kissing. Not since the night of the holiday when Avó Teresa had unintentionally interrupted them. Jacinta scoffed. “The way Dad looks at him, I wonder Knox still has the courage to talk to me.”

  “He makes up for it by looking at you every few minutes.” Grandma Teresa chuckled lightly.

  “It won’t matter. Knox is leaving on Wednesday, remember?” Two and a half weeks had gone by too fast.

  “Already? That’s come faster than I thought.”

  When Jacinta chanced a glance in his direction, she found him looking at her. Her cheeks warmed and her heart skipped a beat.

  Grandma Teresa patted her arm. “It’ll be okay, Jacinta. If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.”

  Was it meant to be? How could they work it out with an ocean between them?

  Grandma Teresa stood and walked over to Tia Glória, leaving Jacinta to her thoughts of impossible dreams and love without a chance. She blinked, forcing away the tears that lingered too close. She wouldn’t cry about it. Not yet.

  “What’s going on in your mind, Jacinta?” Matias pulled up the chair on the other side and sat down. “You look miserable.”

  She pushed her melancholy away and smiled at Matias. “Nothing in particular.”

  “You could probably fool someone else, but not me.” He glanced to Knox and then back at her. “When is he leaving?”

  She pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them. “He changed his ticket to early Wednesday morning.”

  “So he got his new passport?”

  “It’s arriving tomorrow by special courier.” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat.

  “You still have two whole days left.”

  Jacinta nodded.

  “Have you two had a chance to talk about things?”

  “Not yet.” If she had the courage to bring anything up, she might ask Knox to sit down and talk. But that sounded too much like a define-the-relationship conversation, and what right did she have to bring that up?

  At the other end of the patio, her cousins, Carlos, Nuno, and Paulo slapped Knox on the back. Knox straightened, as if gathering his courage, and exchanged high-fives with the three youth, before heading her way. As soon as he turned his back, the cousins started laughing. What was going on?

  “Those three are up to something.” Jacinta rose from her chair and headed in his direction.

  “I’m right behind you,” Matias said.

  Knox stopped in front of grandma Teresa and cleared his throat. “Gosto de cheirar os meus peidos,” he said loudly.

  Avó Teresa froze.

  Jacinta’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

  For a moment, all conversation stopped on the patio, and the heavy quiet stood in contrast to the music still coming from the speakers. Then everyone burst into laughter.

  Knox turned red. Then he bowed to Avó and stepped back just as Jacinta reached him. Everyone clapped and laughed some more.

  She looped her arm through his. “Let’s go for a walk, Knox.”

  He covered her hand with his. “Great idea.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matias take the troublemakers aside, hopefully to get the scolding they deserved.

  Jacinta unlocked the back gate and they stepped into the side street behind the building. Other than a few people to the other end, it was deserted. She guided Knox the opposite way.

  “I didn’t say ‘Congratulations on sixty years of marriage’, did I?”

  “No, you didn’t.” Far from it.

  He nodded. “I had a feeling I didn’t, when everyone started laughing so hard. What did I say?”

  Jacinta looked away to hide her smile.

  Knox stopped and turned to her. “Come on, tell me.”

  The more she tried not to laugh, the more she did. “I’m sorry, Knox,” she said between breaths. “Please know I’m not making fun of you.”

  He rubbed her arms, his expression bordering on amused. “I’m guessing it wasn’t a swear word.”

  She shook her head. “I like to smell my farts.” She started laughing again.

  Knox’s forehead wrinkled. “Excuse me?”

  “That’s what you said to my grandma. ‘I like to smell my farts.’”

  He closed his eyes. “I should have known.”

  Jacinta wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you check Google Translate?”

  He took her hand and resumed walking. “I did. But I asked them to read the sentence so I could get the pronunciation right, and they said it was all wrong.”

  “They’re sixteen-year-old-boys. What did you expect?”

  He smiled. “That’s what I get for wanting to show off to you that I can learn Portuguese. I walked right into their trap.”

  Jacinta squeezed his hand and stopped in the middle of the street, facing him. “You want to learn Portuguese?”

  Knox looked each way and then held on to both her hands. “Jacinta, I wa
nt everything to do with you. If it takes me three years to learn Portuguese, so be it. But I want to be able to talk to your family when I come back for a visit.”

  A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. “A visit?” she said softly.

  He closed the distance between them. “Is it okay if I come back to see you?” He matched her tone.

  Jacinta brought a hand up to his face and traced the dimple line on the side of his cheek. He caught her hand in his, closing his eyes. When his arms came around her, she stretched on tiptoes and met him halfway.

  This was the kiss she’d been wanting since their first night out. And from Knox’s reaction, he’d been wanting it as much. There was no hesitation between them, no first-time awkwardness, no trace of discomfort or uneasiness; only a deep sense of happiness and rightness.

  A wave of bliss enveloped her heart as her lips molded to his mouth, and her arms wound around his neck.

  Without even trying, she’d found the kind of love to hold on to forever.

  Knox finished zipping his suitcase and wheeled it to the foyer.

  Matias came out of the kitchen to meet him. “You’re off then?”

  “Yes, the plane leaves at eight-thirty. I need to get there two hours earlier.”

  He reached for his key chain, took off the key Matias had given him two and a half weeks before, and handed it back.

  Knox offered his hand. “Thank you for everything. You took me into your apartment, and you didn’t even know me.”

  Matias shook Knox’s hand firmly. “I’m a good judge of character, and so are my relatives.”

  “I’m still in awe at how kind and welcoming your family is.”

  “Just don’t trust a certain few teenagers who like to prank unsuspecting guests.”

  Knox chuckled. “I learned my lesson.”

  “I never thanked you for updating the agency’s website,” Matias said. “It looks great. Jacinta won’t stop talking about it. And the software you developed for my mom’s hair salon is just what she needed. I took a look at it. It’s so simple and yet so effective.”

  “I’m glad it works for them.” Knox had needed something to do, and working with Jacinta on both projects had been enough thanks. “It was the least I could do after everything your family has done for me.”

  When he reached the sidewalk in front of the building, Jacinta waited at the curb, the idling of her car the only sound in the early morning.

  He placed the suitcase in the trunk and climbed in the passenger seat.

  Jacinta held on to the wheel, a tremulous smile on her lips. Her eyes shone suspiciously bright and Knox’s heart skipped a beat. His feelings mirrored the ones he saw in her face, the anxious tightness in his chest as the upcoming separation loomed closer.

  Before fastening the seat belt, Knox leaned across the console and brought his arms around her, kissing her on the lips. She kept a hand on the wheel and returned the hug with the other arm.

  “Jacinta, this is not goodbye.” Another kiss. “How do you say in Portuguese when you’ll see someone really soon?”

  She wiped at the corner of her eye. “Até logo.” Her expression softened.

  With his fingers, Knox tilted her chin up. “This is até logo. Only até logo and not ever a goodbye.”

  She nodded quickly as another tear fell. “Only até logo,” she repeated.

  “We’ll video chat as often as we can, okay?”

  Another nod, and another kiss, this one a little longer and deeper. He was going to miss her so much.

  Jacinta put the car into gear and drove away. He kept a hand on her shoulder. He’d have held her hand but she needed it to maneuver the clutch.

  When they arrived at the upper departure deck at the airport, Jacinta pulled up to the curb. They’d already decided she would drop him off instead of parking and going in with him. He’d almost let her talk him into a few more minutes together, but it would have been harder for him, and he’d reminded her she did have to work that morning. In the end, she relented.

  Knox retrieved his suitcase from the trunk and shouldered his computer bag. She came around and met him on the sidewalk. Immediately, their arms came around each other in a tight embrace. Knox bent over and kissed her long and tenderly, transferring all his feelings into the last kiss for a while.

  “I love you,” he said into her ear.

  “I love you too.”

  Knox pulled back to look into her eyes and memorize the beautiful brown he’d come to love.

  After another kiss he said, “Don’t give up on me.”

  “I won’t.”

  Before he lost his courage, Knox grabbed his suitcase and walked away.

  Three months later

  Jacinta tapped halfheartedly at the keyboard. She’d closed the agency for the lunch hour a few minutes before but hadn’t felt like going home like she sometimes did. Lately, she preferred the solitude and kept herself apart from family gatherings as much as she could.

  A knock sounded against the glass door. She should have pulled the blinds down instead of just turning the lights off. Whoever it was could probably see her sitting at her desk.

  When the knock sounded again, she rose from her chair. It was Matias.

  She unlocked the door and let him in, locking it again. “Hey, Matias.” She leaned up for the customary kiss on the cheek. “What brings you here?”

  “You bring me here, Jacinta. Why else would I have come?”

  She shrugged and sat back down.

  “Turn off the computer. We’re going out to lunch.”

  Jacinta glared at him. “I don’t want to go out to lunch. It’s too hot outside.”

  “You’ve finally noticed the weather?”

  Maybe she’d only kept to the apartment and the agency, and nowhere else, but she was aware of the weather and the passing of seasons. “You’re so not funny, Matias.”

  He came around the desk and took over the mouse.

  “Hey, I was working on that.”

  He let go and stepped back. “Save your work and turn it off. You’re coming with me to lunch.”

  Jacinta grumbled but did as he asked.

  Matias had his car close by and crossed the bridge to the Gaia side. He drove down to the river front and parked on the dock facing the Princess Catarina, the ship he captained.

  A small, anemic thrill sparked in her chest. The ship had a four-star chef on the payroll, and it looked like Matias was taking her to eat there.

  “You don’t get sick of being aboard all the time?”

  Matias arched an eyebrow at her and she immediately regretted the snark in her voice. He didn’t deserve it.

  No one else was aboard the ship, but a table was set at the far end of the lounge in the upper deck. The air conditioned room was a wonderful contrast from the still-hard September sun, and soft piano music played from the carefully disguised speakers in the ceiling.

  Matias served them both a meal of grilled shrimp and dark greens salad with a white wine vinaigrette. For dessert, a chilled mango mousse was the decadent compliment to the lighter main course, and Jacinta took her time appreciating the sweet tartness and smooth texture.

  “We should go to the movies this weekend before I leave on Sunday.”

  Jacinta licked her spoon until there was nothing left, biding her time to reply. “I’m not in the mood to be out in public.”

  “Do you want to go hiking on Saturday morning then? The exercise will be good.”

  “You’re full of advice for me but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you date. How come? You’re good looking, you’ve got a great head on your shoulders, and an interesting job.” He should have girls lining up to meet him.

  He shrugged. “I got tired of dating. And I had three girlfriends who didn’t like my job.”

  “What you need is a girl who’ll come with you on the ship.”

  He smirked. “Like that’s going to happen.”

  “You just haven’t met the right person yet.”r />
  “Maybe she isn’t in Portugal,” Matias said. “Maybe it will take an American to steal my heart.”

  “Don’t mock me,” Jacinta warned. “And Knox didn’t steal anything.” She’d given him her heart willingly. And look where that had left her—just as alone as Matias.

  He turned to look out the sliding door at a seagull perched on the railing. “Sometimes I doubt I’ll ever meet someone.”

  “Watch out, Matias. One of these days a girl will catch your eye, and you’ll be head over heels for her before you know how it happened.”

  He chuckled. “We’ll see, priminha.”

  Little cousin. That was the nickname he’d given her when she was born.

  Matias took a sip of his espresso. “Okay, that’s enough talk about me. Everyone’s worried about this funk you’re going through.”

  Jacinta’s shoulders slumped. She knew her parents and grandparents had been trying to cheer her up, and while she’d put on a façade for a while, even that had been too much work to keep up with.

  “I just need—” her voice trembled and she waited until the emotion passed. “I need a little time. That’s all.” It would take more than a little time, but she’d get over Knox Campbell one day. In time, he’d be a lovely memory she’d recall with both fondness and regret.

  “I hate seeing you like this.” Matias squeezed her shoulder. “When did you last hear from Knox?”

  “Last week. He sent an email setting a time for video chat but he never came on.” She’d waited all day.

  “Maybe he’s traveling for work and can’t get in touch with you until he gets back.”

  She nodded at Matias. “I guess.” She didn’t want him to know that Knox had been on a trip a week after arriving home, and he’d still found a way to video chat with her. But in the past three weeks he’d started going every other day without talking to her, then a few days in between, and now it had been six days in a row.

  He’d moved on, and she couldn’t blame him. Long distance relationships were hard to keep. Absence didn’t make the heart grow fonder, just lonelier.