The world was spinning wildly, and flashes of light danced around the pale woman’s eyes. She felt the scorching sun on her skin and, at the same time, a cold shiver rising from within. Beads of sweat appeared on the nape of her neck, while her hands turned ice cold. Her heart couldn’t decide whether to leap out of her chest or come to a complete stop.
“Are you all right, Ludmilla?” Pauline asked with concern.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, startled. “I think I need to sit down.”
She hadn’t even finished the sentence when Esteban was suddenly there beside her. He scooped Ludmilla up in his arms and carried her over to a sun lounger.
Everyone around the pool fell silent. Even the children stopped playing. They might not have understood much about the often complicated world of adults, but they knew one thing for sure: the old German woman was not someone to mess with. It wasn’t worth trying to talk to her, and most people knew better than to go anywhere near her place. And now this stranger had the nerve to pull the ground out from under her. Literally. The group held their breath, waiting to see what would happen next—what kind of consequences this reckless act would bring.
Ludmilla’s reaction went beyond anything they could have imagined. More precisely, she didn’t react at all. As if being lifted up by a man was the most natural thing in the world. Of course, no one could have known what was going on deep inside the most difficult resident in the entire complex. Esteban’s strong arms, wrapped protectively around her, awakened something in Ludmilla that terrified her. Not the fear of needing medical attention—but what she felt when he let her go. That wild, desperate urge to be back in those arms. For whatever reason. Just to be there. To curl up into that firm, reassuring embrace.
“Thank you, that’s very kind of you,” she said in a honeyed voice as her backside met the lounger.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not going far. I’ll keep an eye on you, make sure you’re okay.”
Ludmilla couldn’t even respond. She blushed and nodded with a shy smile, clutching the edge of the lounger with trembling hands.
Pauline’s jaw dropped at the sight of Ludmilla suddenly turned docile. Ted, who didn’t know much about matters of the heart, noted with disappointment that the tantrum, screaming, and arguing he’d been waiting for didn’t happen this time. And he even had a cold beer ready for the show. Carlos, meanwhile, scanned the far side of the courtyard impatiently. Was that crazy María José really not coming out? Wasn’t she going to join the group? If not for herself, then at least for her friend’s sake? Had all his efforts been for nothing? He couldn’t bear the thought that she’d never find out what he’d done for her. Even if she wasn’t ready to make peace with him yet, she had to see. She had to feel his love. Of course, he hadn’t actually expected Esteban to take any real interest in the bitter old German woman. He had only called him over for María José’s sake. The only goal was for the elderly pastry chef to see that he’d done what she asked. Even without the box. He didn’t want it anymore. Not even as a pity gift, even if he had been the one to get it first.
As promised, Esteban positioned himself where he could keep an eye on Ludmilla. The elegant woman, dressed in a white linen dress and clearly strict by nature, caught his eye anyway. He could feel her strength, the firm aura she radiated. She was the kind of woman you had to fight for—someone whose trust had to be earned. Esteban liked a challenge. But losing his wife had killed his appetite for that kind of adventure. Since becoming a widower, the only thing keeping him going was the detective agency. He wasn’t looking for a partner—he’d completely given up on that idea. The thought of getting to know someone new at his age, maybe even dating a rigid, unyielding old woman, felt absurd. He hoped this sudden spark of interest in Ludmilla would fade—preferably by the time he got home that evening. He would sit on his terrace, sip a cup of mint tea, and forget all about having carried a woman in his arms, risking a spectacular fall in the process. By some miracle, he hadn’t lost his balance.
And later that evening, both the unexpected attraction and the guilt would surely fade away too.