Chapter 30
Celia stepped out of the lawyer’s office, her divorce papers in hand. The sun shimmered across the fresh snow that had fallen the night before as she walked to the red sports car in the parking lot.
Theo’s cousin, Tiago, hopped out of the car and helped her into the passenger seat.
He held out a white paper bag. “Would you like a bagel?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She’d never had a bagel, but lately, she was always ravenous, and she knew everything that came from Tiago’s bakery tasted good. After sliding into her seat and adjusting the belt under her belly, she opened up the bag and pulled out a golden ring of bread. She bit through the tough crust to find a chewy, dense interior that seemed designed to satisfy her hunger.
“They’re a little better for you than doughnuts,” Tiago said, patting his belly. “At least that’s what my mama says. She’s been after me to lose weight.”
“I’ll be proud if my son turns out as well as you have,” Celia said, rubbing a hand over her own belly, “and your extra kilos may come in handy today.”
Tiago chuckled as he pulled out his phone. “So, you ready to put our plan into action?”
Celia nodded, passing him the piece of paper with André’s phone number on it. She’d made two extra copies of the note, just in case.
Tiago punched in the numbers and then put the phone to his ear. “It’s ringing,” he whispered.
She heard André’s voice answer on the other end.
Tiago cleared his throat and spoke in a high-pitched Creole that sent Celia shaking with silent laughter. “Hi, André. This is Vera . . . You gave me your number last week. You remember me?”
She could hear the confident charm in André’s reply. “How could I forget?”
“How about The Praia Club for lunch?” Tiago said, drawing out his syllables so he sounded even more flirtatious, and Celia had to clap her hand over her mouth. “Will you be there? Around two o’clock? Okay. Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” He ended the conversation with an exaggerated smooch.
As soon as he hung up, they both leaned back and howled with laughter.
“He totally fell for it,” Tiago said, wiping tears from his face.
Celia kissed him on the cheek, “I had no idea you’re the most desirable woman I know, Tiago. You’re the best.”
He looked at the time on his watch. “I just want to make sure of things. I told him two o’clock. Is that going to work?”
Before, Celia had always thought of André’s drinking as a disadvantage. Only lately, had she begun to see that she could use it against him. If they could catch him sitting at the bar after two or three drinks, they could get him to do anything, including signing the divorce papers. “It’ll work perfectly,” she said.
∞∞∞
At three o’clock in the afternoon, Theo and Yvonne pulled their van into the parking lot behind The Praia Club, where Celia waited with Tiago. “I just talked to the guy who owns this place,” Theo said, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Our man André has had three drinks so far. If we go in the back way, we’ll be in the restaurant portion of the club, and he won’t see us until we’re ready.”
Despite the cold weather, Celia had to wipe her sweaty palms on her skirt as Theo opened a door in the middle of the brick wall. She followed the group through a mustard yellow hallway and out into the main dining room. The scent of grilled meat and spices wafted through the air, though there were only a handful of customers still eating at the tables. She’d expected a dark atmosphere with loud music and mirrors. Though it was somewhat dark, the music was quiet enough to catch a few words of conversation from the neighboring tables while the beachy blue and green hues reminded her of home.
“The bar is over that way,” Theo whispered, pointing to an archway in the opposite wall. “You all sit down. I’m going to see what’s going on with André.”
Celia let her breath out and sat down next to Tiago. She glanced at a menu that lay on the table, showing pictures of grilled pork and fried shrimp. Of course, they wouldn’t have time to order anything today, but her mouth watered all the same. Pregnancy was a crazy thing. As nervous as she was, she could still eat.
Yvonne took off her coat, revealing a hot pink dress that looked two sizes too small. Celia couldn’t help staring, shocked at Yvonne’s transformation. She hadn’t known all those curves existed under Yvonne’s funky sweaters and tops.
Yvonne leaned across the table and whispered to Celia. “We should bring you here some other time. You’ve done so much cleaning and cooking for our family. It’s time we took you out.” She reached a hand out to Tiago, gripping his large hand in hers. “You too, Tiago. We owe you for all those pastries.”
Celia brought the divorce papers from her purse and pointed to the last page. “This is where we need him to sign.”
Yvonne took the papers, looking them over. “That looks easy enough.” As Theo came back to the table, she asked him. “What do you think? Should I go over there now?”
Theo nodded to Tiago. “Let’s try it.” He motioned for them to follow him to the archway.
Once they got there, Celia stood with Theo beside the archway. She peeked her head out from around the wall and caught sight of André. He was wearing the same T-shirt he’d worn the day he came to Theo’s house, and he sat with his elbows on the bar, speaking loudly to the female bartender.
That’s the way it always was—the more André drank, the more it turned up his volume. She could hear every word he said. “That’s one thing I don’t miss about Cape Verde—having to take that ferry to get from island to island.”
Beside Celia, Yvonne took a deep breath. “You ready, Tiago?”
He nodded.
Then, as if she were walking out onto a stage, Yvonne threw back her shoulders. She trotted over to André, swaying her hips. “André?” she cried, bringing a hand to her heart. She seemed so much like André’s teenage fans on Fogo Island, leaning on the counter and batting her eyelashes, that Theo and Celia couldn’t help chuckling as they watched. “It can’t be André Vaz, the famous soccer player!”
André swiveled on his bar stool and grinned at her. “You’re looking at him.” That was the André she’d married, happy and confident. He’d had so much potential then—he still did. If only he could stop blaming everyone around him for his problems and control his temper. “I’m playing for the North Carolina team now.”
André took Yvonne’s hand in his, and Celia gulped. She never could get him to stop flirting with other women. The old ache of inadequacy returned as she recalled all the nights she’d spent alone, wondering what might have been wrong with her.
Yvonne shrieked and wiggled her hips in a little dance. “My heart is about to jump out of my chest. You’re my biggest hero.”
Theo whispered in Celia’s ear as they watched. “Wonder what I could do to get her to put on this little act for me. Maybe I need to take up soccer.”
Celia chuckled. “Be sure to get yourself some itty-bitty soccer shorts.”
Tiago put a finger to his lips, signaling for them to quiet down, but André didn’t seem to have noticed them. Yvonne had transfixed him.
She pointed to the paper in her hand. “Would you mind autographing my paper?”
André, hardly noticing that Yvonne already had a pen at the ready, just kept grinning. “For a beauty like you? It would be my pleasure.”
Yvonne put the paper down on the counter in front of André and pointed to the line for his signature. “Right here if you don’t mind.”
Celia couldn’t help that her knees bounced with nervous energy as André took the pen.
But instead of signing, he picked up the papers and flipped through them. “What’s this?”
Beside him, Yvonne giggled and grasped his shoulder. “You caught me. I’ll admit it. I’m such an enormous fan, I tracked you down here.”
In the few seconds it took for André to flip through the pages, Theo walked out from behind the archway to join Yvonne and Tiago, his muscles tensed.
André read the first page and wobbled a bit. “Are these my divorce papers?” His voice came slow, as if he were trying to figure out a complicated bar tab.
Yvonne replied before Theo had a chance to speak. “Your fans want you to be free. Can you blame us for that?”
As André balled his hands into fists, Celia crept behind the archway, her heart pounding. Why had she ever thought this would work? Now her friends were in danger.
André dropped the papers on the counter and grabbed Yvonne’s wrist. “Where did you get these?”
“From your wife,” Yvonne said, matching his angry tone. “She didn’t want you to have them. She wants to stay married to you.” Instead of pulling away from him, she came closer, sliding her hand across his back. “Don’t tell me you’re okay with that.”
Celia gripped the side of the archway. This was the last thing she needed, for André to think she wanted him back. He’d never sign the papers now.
“She didn’t want me to have them?” André asked.
Yvonne ran her fingers across the back of his neck. “She’s trying to force you to stay married to her. It’s not good for your career.” Then, coming even closer, she whispered in his ear, “Or for me.”
André grinned. “Give me the pen.”
Yvonne passed it to him as Theo took a few steps back toward the archway.
With a flourish, he signed the paper. “Now, let’s have a drink!” he cried.
Yvonne took the papers, rolled them up, and slipped them into her purse. “I wish I could, but my boss will kill me if I’m not back in five minutes.” Still speaking in her flirtatious drawl, she put her arms around him.
André scooted off his stool, pulling her closer. “I’ll talk to him for you.”
“No, that’s not a good idea,” Yvonne said. “We’ll have to meet again tomorrow. Will you be here?” She pulled away from him, still holding onto one of his hands as she stepped away.
André tugged her back into his chest. “You stay here with me. Let that boss solve his own problems.” She struggled to break free, and he twisted her arm behind her back. “I’m starting to think my wife put you up to this.”
Tiago and Theo nodded to each other. They both tackled André, slamming his face into the bar as Yvonne broke free. “Let the lady do as she pleases,” Theo told him.
“Oww.” André stared up at Theo, holding onto his nose, which was dripping blood. “What’d you do that for?” As they turned to leave with Yvonne, he stared after Theo. “I know you. You’re Toon’s cousin.”
No one answered.
Celia pressed herself against the wall. He was bound to figure it out now. What would he do if he saw her?
“Come on, Celia,” Tiago called as he, Yvonne, and Theo walked into the dining room.
Stepping out from behind the archway, Celia turned and her gaze met André’s, but he didn’t act like he was going to come after her. Instead, he was pulling napkins from a dispenser to stem the tide of blood now rushing from his nose.
Now he knew how it felt.
She walked slowly through the dining room and out into the parking lot, where she leaped into Yvonne’s arms. “You’re my hero.”
“You deserve it, my friend,” Yvonne answered.
Tiago took the papers and flipped to the signature page. “Look at how perfect this is, Celia! You can read every letter.”
Celia turned to him, there it was: André Antonio Roberto Vaz. The loops were sloppier, but no one could argue that it wasn’t the same signature that he had on his passport and on their marriage license. Plus, he’d known exactly what he was signing.
She grasped Tiago’s hands. “I’m so grateful.”
“Yvonne was brilliant,” Tiago said as he opened his car door for her and held her hand as she sat down. “But she couldn’t have done it without your idea. That plan was ingenious.”
She relaxed into the cushioned seat. Her troubles were over.