27
Exhaustion proved a potent elixir. Olivia slept deeply and awoke to an empty cell. Voices sounded from the station door’s other side, but where she lay all was quiet. She rose and dressed and padded into the main station, where a large woman with flashing eyes greeted her with a steaming mug. “I was just about to bring you this. You saved me a journey into nightmare territory.”
Maud said, “Emilia has a thing about jails.”
“As would anybody with a proper brain in their heads,” Emilia replied.
Maud looked over. “Excuse me?”
“Present company excepted, of course.” Her smile was a glorious thing, huge and illuminating. “You must forgive me, Maud. I’m merely excited about saving this lovely woman from her present fate.”
“Actually, that’s exactly what the jail has done for me,” Olivia offered. “Saved me from being stranded in the storm.”
“There, see?” Maud resumed her work. “You’re welcome back any time, hon.”
Emilia sniffed. “Well, that was then and this is now. My Berto has a home for you. Isn’t that wonderful news, Maud?”
“Great.” Maud punched her keyboard with renewed force. “Yay.”
Olivia said, “You’re Berto Acosta’s wife?”
“Of course. Didn’t I say that?”
“Actually, no.”
Maud offered, “She forgets herself now and again, does Emilia.”
Emilia went on, “Berto left with his crew hours ago, which is silly, since my husband won’t do anything but stand around shouting orders while the crew does the real work. So here I am, playing stand-in, ready to show you your new home.”
Olivia found herself struggling to keep up. “Berto is up working on my cottage?”
“She left that part out too,” Maud said, then added, “Bailey’s gone up too. She stopped by here an hour or so ago and collected Dillon.”
Olivia decided now was a good time to retreat. “I need my gear. Bailey’s given me a list of things she wants photographed.”
“Speaking of my dear friend the mayor . . .” Emilia followed her into the jail. She stopped in the cell’s entry, shuddered, then asked, “If you want my advice, you need to watch out. Bailey has what I’d call a wandering eye.”
“It’s not wandering.” Olivia opened her camera case, selected the Canon body, fit on her most flexible zoom, and stood. “Bailey is head over heels in love.”
Emilia’s gaze widened. “You’re okay with this?”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Olivia said, and was both delighted and relieved to discover she meant it.
“Well.” Emilia started back down the central corridor. “This has all the makings of a good telenovela. Which I positively adore. You must tell me everything.”
* * *
Emilia insisted they stop by the diner’s rear door for breakfast burritos and more coffee. Olivia filled in portions of the recent Dillon saga between bites. The woman proved to be a wonderful listener, gasping softly in response to the more salacious bits, humming a sorrowful note at Olivia’s reasons for returning. Claire stood in the doorway, arms crossed, smiling to Olivia’s retelling. When they were done, Emilia ignored Claire’s protests, stuffed bills in the woman’s apron, and declared, “We’re off.”
Emilia possessed a flexible accent, one moment speaking with a flat Californian resonance, the next almost singing to some internal salsa. “We have so many nice people moving into Miramar. You will soon have many new friends. And Berto likes your young man very much.” She touched a finger to her lips, denting her grin. “Next time I must correct these words before they emerge.”
“It’s okay. I have the same problem.”
“See? You are living proof that the currents of life can be altered.” She pointed ahead as they started down the lane between the guesthouse and the coffee shop. “Do you remember this area?”
“Dillon had a friend who lived back here.” Small shops gave way to a rubble-strewn park. On the opposite end, teens played a noisy game of basketball. Every basket was marked by a rattling of the chain-link net. “He used to call it ‘where bad people came looking for trouble.’ ”
“Those days are gone,” Emilia declared. “Thanks to Porter and the town council and good people who want to see things change. Before the storm, this park was to be our next big challenge. Now such things must wait. But not for long. You mark my words.”
