Casa Verde
by
Sandra Carpenter
...Hearing Joni exclaim gently, Brie looked over and saw her lean over a plaid shoulder. Marco's back was turned to Brie, but even so, she felt great surprise engulf her.
Brie's preconceived notion of Marco had been all wrong, it seemed. He wasn't dark-on the contrary, he was tawny as a tiger. His hair, long and thick and curly, was not a typically Anglo blond but a burnished brass, as if singed by the fierce heat of a tropical sun, or lit by a halo. His neck and cheeks were golden, too, or was it a reflection from his glowing crown?
Brie was still staring at Marco when he turned toward Joni with a little hug, then rose to come forward and offer her a hand. She tugged at her blouse, pulling herself up tall so the roll of flesh at her waist was less visible.
"Welcome to my home, Brienna!" he said, in a voice as low-pitched as a cello string. Brie felt Joni watching her eagerly for some sign, then beaming delightedly at the emotion she saw leap up in her face. Barely aware of Joni, unaware of anything, in fact, except the handsome man who stood smiling at her as if he had known her all her life, Brie blushed.
Brie's first impression-that he was all golden, all gleaming, like a flame-didn't leave her. The same vibrant tint of Marco's hair were also there in his cheeks, his bare arms. Something rich in his voice gave Brie the odd impression of harps, or gold pouring out of his mouth. His unusual aura seemed to be due as much to the color of his eyes as to his hair and skin because, though they might be hazel, they held the fire of an opal in their depths. The exaggerated size of the black pupil and heavy dark brows above aroused her.
Not prepared for such a good looking man, Brie had to admit to herself she was stunned. A sort of panic held her tongue, and speech wouldn't come. As she stuttered out a response, her eyes swept back again, then once more, to catch that peculiar effect, that glow that seemed to envelop Marco. He was irresistible. Even his saffron shirt, in a gleaming plaid, lent its part to the gilded illusion. Yellow was definitely his color; he seemed steeped in it. Brie
made a determined effort to regain her composure.
Joni sat down with her fiancé, and they immediately started on the wedding plans that clearly occupied every waking moment these days. Finally, Marco looked politely at Brie and said, "It was nice of you to come so far. Juana has told me so much about your college days together. The adventures with Brian-The Three Musketeers, she calls you. You'll tell me all?"
"Brie can't tell all!" Joni said, grinning. "We have shady pasts, mi amor, you know that."
"Juana tries so hard to impress us with her wicked ways," Tia Alicia chimed in. "But we know her better than she thinks. She loves to laugh about the skinny and the fat twins she loves. We know she's joking. Maybe, Brienna, you would like to set the record straight while you are here?" Marco's aunt pulled up a seat.
"I'll do nothing of the sort," Brie laughed, while she wondered at that bold description of her and Brian. "Who am I to rob her of a wonderful reputation? Someday Joni will want to look back on that wicked past with fond remembrance, so why spoil it? Instead, I'll give you a further list of pranks. It'll take her years to live that down. Huh, Joni?"
A swarthy girl a little older than Marco walked up the porch steps in time to hear this. Breaking into the hilarity of the group, her voice was strident, "Why do you call Juana this Joni' name? She is Mexican; her name is Juana. Damn all Americanos . . . ."
Silence fell on the balmy patio, displeasure showing in the taut expressions. But Joni overcame her shock and ignored the comment, responding to Brie's mock threat instead. "Sure, Brie, why not set them straight? Go right ahead." Satisfaction was evident in her tone. Her back swiveled on the Mexican girl, and fire flew in her eyes.
"Well, are you hesitating, Brie? Then I'll have to get you started. In the first place, Marco, she openly stated that I covet your fortune. She says I'm marrying for money...."
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