New Quarters

by Tey Holden

  “We have the most Scottish thing we can have, we have a Scottish name. McGill.”

  Addy looked at Karen who was mesmerized. Karen covered her mouth and chuckled. “Addy I’m delighted with the idea, but I think you are forgetting a small detail, or maybe not. I just don’t know what to think anymore. But, there is one very important fact missing here that I don’t know if you’ve considered it.” She then whispered. “We don’t know how to make Scotch.” She circled with her hand indicating all of them. Karen thought this was very amusing. JP and James were all of a sudden in shock that such a great idea had actually deflated right in front of their eyes. Their mouths were open and JP’s eyes immediately focused on Addy in search of a response.

  Addy laughed. “A minor detail, my dear Watson!”

  Karen smiled. Of course! I suppose we are all going to be sent to school to learn how to make the greatest Scotch in Scotland! She couldn’t help but smile.

  Addy continued. “We don’t know how to make Scotch, but I found someone who does and is already working on a recipe I found.”

  “That you found?” This time it was James asking.

  Karen continued to smile speechless and amused with the plan. However, she couldn’t help asking. “Where did you find this recipe? In a Martha Stewart home maker’s book?”

  Addy smirked at the sarcasm. “No smarty pants!” She looked at Karen opening her eyes really wide and making an ‘in your face’ type of face. “It’s your grandfather’s very own recipe. A real Scottish recipe.”

  Karen’s jaw dropped. “What? What are you talking about?”

  “I found it among Aunt Charlotte’s things when we cleaned the attic a long time ago. I kept it because I thought it was old and interesting.”

  Karen again chuckled unbelieving the whole nine yards being displayed in front of her.

  “McGill Scotch, an old recipe from Scotland. I would surely buy it. No doubt about it.” James stated.

  “Amazing!” Karen agreed.

  “Thank you, ma’am! I take that as a very profound compliment, coming from you.” Karen continued with her eternal smile.

  “Oh God! What about the wine? Can’t we keep a few vines?”

  “JP, wake up! With all the money you have, and the money you’ll make in the future, you can buy yourself a cellar!” James said.

  “Oh, that’s true! What about the town? What’s going to happen with Altee with all the changes to the inn?” JP asked preoccupied. The inn had put Altee on the map and had made it very prosperous.

  Karen replied. “I think that Altee will continue to grow and benefit. If I were Sarah Foster, I would be looking to expand. The horses, the Scotch, and the manor’s gatherings will still bring a lot of visitors and income to the area. People will need a place to stay, to eat and to entertain themselves. Altee will continue to do well.”

  ***

  After returning to Scotland, and taking care of all the business deals and preparations. Karen and Addy closed down the cottage, left JP and James in charge of the property and took off traveling. For the first six months, they chartered a luxury vessel with crew and sailed the Mediterranean stopping just about everywhere. Laurie, and Addy’s brother joined them at different ports as they sailed east on the Mediterranean. At one point in time everyone was onboard the boat. Even Tania, Melanie and Gerry had joined them at different ports and times.

  Friends and family were told of the sale of the inns and of the opportunity available if anyone wanted to start their own business. Everyone jumped at the offer, and plans were made left and right. They wanted everyone to benefit from their good fortune. Addy was a firm believer that, if you had good fortune in life, you had an obligation to those you loved and to yourself to bring them along with you. She reasoned that life at the top could be very lonely if you found yourself there alone. Addy had a wonderful heart and Karen always agreed with all her good deeds. They had so much money, they didn’t know what to do with it, and Karen had already invested most of it, so their money was already making more money.

  When they finished traveling through Europe, they visited several countries in Asia, then South America and later some places in Africa, even the beautiful Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. They bought a lovely house in the Caribbean, and went back to the USA for some time before going back to Scotland. They were thinking of spending winters in the Caribbean and springs and summers in Scotland. Life was good, and what came next marked the beginning of yet another life adventure, and a defining moment that changed their lives forever, and from which there would be no return.

  Epilogue, as told by Karen.

  Anyone who has ever had a profound moment in their lives, a revelation if you will, would understand that this was my moment. The one moment in my life when I realized that God had blessed me with all his might, and that I had all I’d ever wished for and more.

  As I sit on the patio of our beautiful cottage, and look out at the beautiful rolling green hills of my homeland, I see a woman and a child flying a kite, both, running and laughing. The view is mesmerizing.

  I reminisce on the past few years, and I can’t help but wonder what would have been of my life if I had never met Addy. Life sure turned on a dime for us, as Jean-Paul once said. Of course, Addy, says that if it was meant to happen, we could have been on opposite sides of the world, and it would still have happened. Who knows? I sit here today and bear witness to the power of true love in overcoming all barriers.

  Several years have passed since Addy and I have been together, that’s counting since we became ‘officially’ partners and later married, and that’s not counting the time we were just ‘shacking it,’ as Addy would say. I still think I’m living a dream every morning when I wake up and look at the gorgeous woman sleeping next to me. She tells me that I am her sunshine. I think it’s the other way around.

  Laurie is now happily married and has a daughter. She owns her home and has done very well in her career. She became a lawyer and lives in Italy with her husband and daughter. Her husband is a diplomatic attaché with the USA embassy there. They travel all over the world, and visit us quite frequently.

  After we sold the Inns of Europe and trotted the world for about two years seeing and doing everything we ever wanted to see and do in a very lavish lifestyle, Addy and I came back to our little patch of green in Scotland, as Laurie had predicted a few years earlier. We still run the Manor house, the stables and produce the best Scotch in Scotland (sorry, I’m a bit prejudiced). I’m sure I would not surprise anyone if I said that out Scotch has done extremely well, as expected.

  It was upon our return to Scotland that Addy and I took on another enormous project, our biggest one yet, and one that is still under development. This project was also Addy’s idea, of course, and I must once again say that the woman was right.

  To continue the unbelievable saga of our lives, and to prove Jean-Paul’s theory of how life turns on a dime, the woman who by giving me her love brought love to my life, convinced me that a woman does not know true love until she has a child.

  My reluctance to have a child was totally selfish. I simply did not want to share Addy’s love with any little rascal. However, after assuring me that her love would be undivided, she convinced me to do it, if not for me, for her. Now, here is where the shocking news comes, be prepared for as you know life with us is a roller-coaster ride.

  By now you know, that Addy is everything in my life. So, as I love her blindly and absolutely, I threw caution to the wind and became artificially inseminated. A woman in love does crazy things! Yes, our lives are a continuous torrent of change.

  My reservations about being pregnant were overly compensated by the absolute love and exaggerated attention I received from my adorable wife, who thought that I had become even more beautiful during my pregnancy, another testament that the woman adores me, and that love is blind. To this day, I cannot stop thinking that my loving wife is the most amazing woman in the world, and that her magic is such that she mad
e the impossible possible in so many ways, even getting me pregnant.

  Alex, our little one and project under development, was born on a beautiful spring morning, here in Scotland, as Addy wished. Unequivocally she has got to be the most loved child in this world. She’s adorable in every way. Needless to say, we are both crazy about our bundle of joy, and I think it would be just another miracle if this child does not turn out to be a spoiled one. Addy is absolutely crazy about the little brat, and the little monster adores her, and follows her around like her little chick.

  We picked a donor with the characteristics we both wanted. Addy wanted green eyes to make sure that she was genuinely mine. I never understood this concept since everyone knows where the little thing came from, but those were Addy’s words and there’s no point in trying to explain, that which has no possible explanation. So, the little one has my green eyes. I wanted Addy’s beautiful brown hair to contrast with the green eyes, but that we didn’t get. The little rascal turned out to be blonde and my spitting image.

  Addy claims that Alex, who is now two years old, is her wish come true. She takes pride saying that she now has two of me to adore. I, on the other hand, feel like I have two of her to adore. Although, Alex looks nothing like Addy, the little one is the smaller version of her in attitude and character. Addy’s response to this is that I am the luckiest woman in the world because I got double of what I wished. Once again, I think she’s right. I brace myself, and will most likely totally surrender to what the future holds for me with these two women in my life.

  As Addy predicted, Alex is the heart within my heart and the two of us, most definitely, belong to Addy in heart, body, and soul. The truth is that my initial reluctance to share Addy’s love with any child was proven wrong. The woman has so much love in her heart that there’s always been plenty and more to go around.

  To this day, Addy never ceases to amaze me. She insists that there’s nothing extraordinary about her and that it all comes down to the fact that she loves me to the core, and that I absolutely bring out the best in her. Whatever it is, I don’t really care, the truth of the matter is that she’s fabulous and that she’s, in her own words “all mine.” I don’t know what good deed I must have done in this life, or in any other life to deserve her love, but every night, as I lay in bed next to the love of my life, I thank God for his gift.

  The end.

  This story will be continued in One Little Bit, The Addy and Karen Series - Book 3.

  Tey loves to hear from readers!

  Email her at: teyholden@gmail.com

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  Other books by Tey Holden

  Turning on a Dime

  Addy and Karen Series - Book 1

  Life turned on a dime when, Karen, a gorgeous blonde with a fair share of play in life fell head over heels for Addy who, although attracted to Karen, struggles with her feelings. Jean Paul, a mutual friend, tries to mediate the liaison with hilarious results. Matters get complicated when Karen’s presence is required in Scotland for the reading of her aunt’s will, and Addy agrees to accompany her. At the reading, relatives are in dismay when told that Karen is the main heir. However for Karen to inherit, she must stay in Scotland and embrace a family legacy she never wanted. The turn of events changes both women’s lives drastically, and takes them to a very unexpected future.

  Read an excerpt

  On their way to pick up Addy, Karen warned JP. “Be careful with what you say, JP, remember that she doesn’t know how I feel about her, and that I want to keep it that way.”

  “I don’t know how much longer you can keep up this charade. I think you should just tell her to see what happens. You cannot live your life in this, this limbo situation. I mean you have to move on, girl. You are beautiful and all that, not getting any younger, and soon those wrinkles are going to start to show and your chances of finding someone will go down dramatically.”

  “JP, stop it. I can’t just walk up to her and tell her. She may not be in love with her husband, but she’s still married to him, and she has a daughter. Are you forgetting all of that? And if that was not enough, I don’t know what that revelation would do to our friendship.”

  “It might shake it up and let things fall where they may. That way, if she’s not interested, you would know and would be able to move on.”

  “No. No way.”

  “You are in denial, sweetie. Just know that.”

  “Okay, I may be, but let’s leave things as they are, okay?”

  “Don’t worry, hon, your secret is safe with me.”

  When JP saw Addy, he jumped out of the car to greet her. They exchanged the Spanish/French double cheek kissing. “Hi JP, it’s so good to see you again! You are going to have to tell me what you’ve been up to.” Addy was glad to see JP, she really liked him. She liked unpretentious people and thought that he was a very genuine person. Karen kept looking at them from the driver’s side of the car. She loved to see the interaction between the two. It was really fun to see how well they got along.

  “Come on, you two. Stop the kissing and the chatting and let’s go. I’m hungry.” She smiled.

  “Hey, don’t rush me!” He looked at Addy. “She’s always hungry. I don’t know where she puts her food.” JP remarked.

  “I don’t know either, but she keeps well. Don’t you think so?” Addy said smiling.

  “Absolutely. She’s as gorgeous as always.”

  Karen shook her head and laughed as they entered the car. They arrived at the restaurant, parked, and went inside. Dinner was good and so was the wine. The conversation flowed easily among them and they were having a great time.

  “Looks like our girl here seems to be having fun with us, for a change. I keep telling her that she needs to get a life, and some sex!” JP laughed as he spoke to Addy, who always seemed to find his conversation amusing.

  Karen frowned and almost choked on her wine when she heard the word sex. She immediately frowned. Worry overcame her, and JP immediately noticed that she did not look happy. Oh, oh where is this headed?

  “For what is worth, more than one person here could use more of that!” Addy said laughing.

  Karen turned to look at Addy. “Wait a minute, have you had more than two glasses of wine?”

  “You lost count? Unbelievable! Ms. ‘I like to keep track of everything?’ So that you know, sweetie pie, I think I’m on my third!” Addy raised her glass and brought it over to Karen’s face for her to see it up close.

  “Oh God, I don’t want to get you home drunk.”

  “You’d be the only one who’d care.”

  “You are not having anymore wine and that’s that!”

  Addy addressed JP. “Do you see how she bosses me around? I think that’s why she likes me. She had me fooled, you know? Now I know why she likes me.”

  Karen and JP looked at each other. JP did not hesitate and took advantage of the opportunity, much to Karen’s astonishment. “Well, then why do you put up with her? Do you also like her?”

  Karen looked away and scratched her forehead in disbelief of what he had just said. Addy looked at her wine glass then at JP, then at Karen, then again at JP and she smiled. She knew she was being probed. She was drunk, but not that drunk. She really tolerated alcohol better than she led on.

  “What’s not to like, JP? Look at her. She’s—,” Addy looked at those green eyes looking back at her, “gorgeous.”

  JP raised his brows and looked at Karen. “Well, someone in New York also thought so and practically threw herself at her, but she wouldn’t do her. Do you suppose she might be in love with someone, and she’s keeping it a secret from us?”

  Karen looked at JP almost in shock from his comment. Stunned, she quickly looked back at Addy for a reaction. Oh, shit!

  Addy, who obviously had been enjoying the effects of her third cup of wine, looked at Karen and pouted. “Hum, I hadn’t thought about that possibility.” S
he pointed a finger at JP.

  “Maybe there is a secret love?” JP said adding wood to the fire.

  Karen jumped. “Okay, that’s it, I think you two have had too much to drink and we should go.” She called the waiter and asked for the check. Addy and JP stared at each other.

  “Are you drunk?” Addy asked JP.

  “Nope, you?”

  “No. Actually JP, I’m really having a lot of fun. I think we should talk more about this possibility of an ‘amour secret.’ We need to figure her out. Lately she’s been sending confusing signals.”

  Oh no, they are into the French talk now! They are both drunk. Karen glanced at Addy while she anxiously waited for the waiter to bring the bill.

  Addy was pointing with her finger in the air. “It’s got to be a brunette, she likes brunettes, not redheads. I know that much. The red head didn’t work out. So, we need to think which brunette she might know and like a lot.”

  Oh, God, where the hell is this waiter? Karen kept an ear and an eye on the twosome, but desperately continued to search for the waiter.

  JP raised his eyebrows. “She told you about that?”

  “Yeap, she tells me everything.”

  Shit! This waiter better hurry up. The waiter finally showed up. Karen quickly paid the bill and grabbed Addy by the arm. “Let’s go.”

  Addy pouted. “Party pooper!”

  As they were leaving, Karen chuckled, but gave the evil eye to JP, who drunk and all, got the message.