by Debbie Zello
Gareth also swirled the wine coating the glass. He sipped the wine and said, “Wonderful! Thank you Gerard, my compliments.” Gerard slipped away happy that his choice had pleased him.
“Do you even know what that bottle costs?” Cheri asked.
“Several hundred, no doubt. Worth every penny to be able to watch you watching him. I should have used my phone to record it. It was priceless.”
“I’m glad I’m so amusing,” she said petulantly.
“It wasn’t amusing, my love. It was concupiscent.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The ride back was just as exciting. This time the vistas were on Cheri’s side of the car. She was glued to her window, watching the sunset over the water. “This really is paradise,” she mused.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you think so. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Cape. I want to keep the houses there and use them as often as we can. But working from there would be very difficult for me with everything here,” he explained.
“That’s the beauty in this. Once I pass the bar, I can practice here. Whether I join a firm or start my own is up for discussion.”
“What do you want?”
“When I started my own I was fresh from my separation. I wasn’t thinking about having a husband and children. If I join a firm, there are other attorneys to pick up my slack if I’m home on maternity leave. There’s no one but me in my own practice.”
“You have at least a year to think about it. Maybe nature will help with the decision,” he said thinking about the possibility of a baby.
“Very true. You seem happy about the likelihood of a baby in your future,” she said smiling at him.
Taking her hand in his he said, “Not just any baby, but our baby. I’m ready to be a father, I want that. I’m thirty-six and if I’m going to play on the floor and run to soccer games, I need to get going on the team member.”
“You’ll get no argument here!”
Making love that night was a bittersweet time for Gareth. He tried to give and take pleasure in their union but always in the back of his mind was the realization of her imminent departure. Cheri was in her favorite place on his chest listening to his heartbeat. He was winding her long hair around his finger and releasing it. “We’ll be together in a few weeks,” she said.
“Yup,” he answered quickly.
“Other couples have long distance relationships and seem to manage,” she murmured.
“Yup.”
“I had a wonderful weekend. I love it here, and I love you.”
“Yup.” She raised her head to look at him.
“Why are you punishing me with one word answers? You’ve left me twice and I talked to you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you that you’re going. I’m mad because I can’t figure out a way so you don’t have to. I feel incompetent.”
“If I get a vote, after the last hour or so, I would say you’re quite competent. Skilled, in fact. I have absolutely no complaints,” she said with a kiss.
“Thanks, and considering your vast knowledge on the subject, I’ll still take that as a compliment,” he said kissing her and rolling her on her back. “In fact, I think I’ll add to your experiences right now.”
The morning came far too quickly for them. They showered and dressed, touching, kissing, and holding each other as often as time permitted. He drove to the airport holding her hand. They parked the car and he walked her in as far as he could without a ticket.
Cheri clung to him like bark on a tree. Gareth looked up at the throngs of other passengers approaching the TSA checkpoint and said, “You’d better go and get through the checkpoint before you’re stuck in a traffic jam. Call me as soon as you land. I love you. I don’t want one breath, one dawn, or to ever make love again, without you. Don’t you ever forget that,” he said sincerely.
“I love you and feel the same. I’m only really alive when I’m with you.” One more hug and kiss and then she turned and left. She walked through the checkpoint and came out on the other side, waving one more time at Gareth. The smile she gave him was one forced to appear and strained. Not the face splitting one he got at her arrival. She wanted more than anything to burst into tears, and had she been alone, that is exactly what she would be doing.
She got to her gate and sat in the section nearest it. Her cell phone pinged and she took it out. A Google alert was there so she opened it up to see a photo of her and Gareth taken yesterday. She wondered how they’d gotten these shots without being seen. The caption read, ‘Sources confirm Gareth Marshall is engaged to attorney Cheri Winslow.’ Now she smiled.
“How was your flight?” Joe asked as he grabbed her bag from her.
“It was good. Long and tiring, but good. How’s it been here?”
“Okay. They’re still evaluating the evidence. With the holiday and because there weren’t any fatalities, thank God, it might take a few weeks to complete. They’re working on the possibility it was put there during construction by a disgruntled employee.”
“Really? Then it wasn’t meant for me?”
“They’re not sure yet. But it’s a good chance. I guess the timer was an old model. When they questioned the contractor, he gave them the information on one of his employees that said he was going to get him back. They’re working on the assumption that it didn’t go off for some reason and then was reactivated somehow and did go off.”
“I hope that’s true. It’s not a good feeling looking over your shoulder all the time. I hate to put you out of a job, but I’d love to move back to my cottage and have you move on to your next assignment, Mr. Bond.”
“Joe Bond…I like that! I may have to change that permanently,” he said laughing.
“I don’t think I ever asked you. How did you get Joe out of Walker Johnson, anyway?”
“My baby brother couldn’t get the Walker out. He called me Joe and it stuck.”
“Makes sense. Thank you for picking me up.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cheri had called Gareth the moment she had landed. She told him she would call him once she had spoken with Joe and had a sense of what was going on. She threw her dirty clothes in the washer when she got back to Piper and Ben’s house. Ben was at work and Piper out with Grace so Cheri sat down with a cup of coffee and called Gareth. “I miss you already,” she said.
“I miss you. I went to the gym after you left so I could work off some sexual tension,” he said laughing.
“I kind of thought we had worked that off before I left.”
“We did. All I have to do is think about you and it all comes right back. I’m in a near constant state here. Thirty-four agonizing days until I see you again,” he said sighing.
Cheri caught him up on the information Joe had shared with her. Gareth actually breathed a sigh of relief at the thought it wasn’t meant for Cheri. “I’d like to move back to the cottage, Gareth. It’s like a fortress after you were done with it. I don’t see why I can’t.”
“I’ll talk it over with Joe. If he feels comfortable with that, it’s okay with me. I know even though you love Piper, Ben, and Grace, and they love you, it’s hard living in the same house with their family.”
“Thank you. You’re the most considerate fiancé in the whole world,” she gushed.
“And you’re the most beautiful. Tucker said ‘Hi’, by the way. He’s still lobbying for a change in the wedding venue. I told him he can fly out with me and I’ll hold his hand the entire way.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“He sucker-punched me in the stomach. I think he left a mark. I explained to him, no-can-do. You and I have a deal to meet in September, on the beach, at the Cape, and I intend to keep that date.”
“I’ll be there. I’ll be wearing the white bikini,” she said, giggling.
“Please don’t say shit like that when I can’t touch you. Oh God! I have to go back to the gym and wear myself out. If I’m exhausted, I can sleep without you next
to me. Otherwise, I’m up all night thinking about you. Now you’re wearing a white bikini,” he said, exasperated.
They finished their conversation just as Piper got home with Grace. Grace ran to Cheri and hopped up into her lap. Her little arms went around Cheri’s neck and she said, “I missted you, Cherry.”
“I missed you too, Grace. Were you a good girl while I was gone?”
“Yes. The bunny came and I got books.”
“Go get one and I’ll read it to you,” Cheri said, placing Grace on her feet. Grace ran off as Piper asked, “Sooo…how was California?”
“I love it there. Gareth’s house is right on the beach. It’s in a beautiful area and close to LA. We drove up the coast to Big Sur through some of the most stunning views I have ever seen.”
“And how was Gareth?”
“I believed that I loved David when I married him. It’s not even close to the feelings I have for Gareth. All I want to do is hold his hand and be next to him. I’m afraid to believe this is all real,” Cheri said, releasing a deep breath.
“It’s real, I’ve seen him. If it’s not real, then I’m made up, too. I cut my finger yesterday and I bled like a son-of-a-bitch, so I know I’m real,” Piper said, holding up her bandaged finger. Grace walked in the kitchen with her book and handed it to Cheri. She took her former place in Cheri’s lap and settled in.
Cheri wrapped her arms around Grace and turned the book over to begin reading. “I Am Going To Be A Big Sister.” Cheri began. She stopped as the realization hit her. She turned to Piper and said, “Are you pregnant?”
“I sure am. I’m due at the end of September. We waited to tell anyone to make sure everything was fine. Now that there are two, I’m staying home with them. Childcare is expensive enough for one, with two it’s not worth me working. So you can sell the practice and not worry about me having a job.”
“Cherry, read!” Grace thumped her hand on Cheri’s.
Chapter Thirty
Piper and Cheri struggled through having some files in the temporary office and some still in the destroyed office. The fire marshal did finally complete his investigation, allowing Cheri to hire a crew to demolish the walls and replace everything.
The announcement, offering the practice for sale, was garnering some attention. Cheri fielded several inquiries but lacking the ability to show the building until the reconstruction was finished hampered her progress.
Three weeks after her return from California, Cheri received a call from the chief. “I have good news for you. We’ve confirmed that it was that employee of the construction firm, who planted the device in your wall. He confessed saying he was glad no one got hurt.”
“That is good news, thank you! The office is almost finished and we should be able to move back into it in a few days. I appreciate all you and the men in the department did for me. You’re a great group of firefighters.”
“Thank you and I’ll give them the compliment.”
Cheri hung up the phone, turned to Piper, and said, “You’re losing your roommate. I’m moving back to the cottage this weekend.”
“You don’t have to, Cheri. We love having you with us.”
“You need to get ready for the new baby and I’m in the room. I am so thankful for what you and Ben did, taking me in and all, but it’s time I went back home. The chief said the guy confessed to planting the thing. David has been quiet. I’m ready to go home.”
That night Cheri called Gareth, filling him in on Piper and Ben’s new baby, the chief’s report, the new office, and moving back home. “Are you sure you should move back to the cottage?”
“The weather is getting warmer. People are starting to come back to get their cottages ready for Memorial Weekend. It’s not so lonely there with people around,” she said feeling like she was whining.
“Fine, move back, but I’m going to keep Joe on to keep watch. I still have a feeling about this. I know you think I’m wrong and I very well might be, but I’m not taking the risk. Not with you,” he said adamantly.
“I can live with that. Did you get your ticket yet?” she asked wanting to change the subject to something more fun.
“Yes, I did. I’ll be there next Friday around seven. Are you going to pick me up?” he asked suggestively.
“I will definitely be there to pick…you…up,” she said drawing out the words. Gareth growled in her ear.
“When I was little I couldn’t wait for my birthday or Christmas to come so I could get my present. I don’t know what I was thinking because you are so much better than any present I’ve ever had. And waiting for you is nearly killing me.”
“I love you, too, big guy. I’ll have the cottage all cleaned up and waiting for you. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Gareth worked day and night with Tucker to get the Canada project completely finished, so they could begin the Texas shoot. They had the musical score added and the trailers ready. Two days before his trip to see Cheri he dropped everything off at the studio for production. They were in charge of replication and distribution.
He pulled up to his house and saw a sleek, black, low-rider parked in his driveway. He got out of his car and walked around the fine specimen of design. It was simply sweet. “Back off mister. That’s my baby and if you so much as breathe on my paint, you’ll be sorry,” Naomi said from the open front door.
“When did you get this, Naomi?”
“This morning. Isn’t she pumped?”
“She is! Mind if I take her out?” he said knowing the answer but asking anyway.
“You could ask me for just about anything Gareth, but not that. Nobody rides her but me. She’s my bitch,” she said smiling.
“I have to hand it to you, Naomi; you do have a way with words.”
“Damn straight! I have a favor to ask you, since we seem to be in the asking phase of our relationship.”
“Ask away!” he said walking to the front door.
“I left something on your desk in the big office. I kind of wrote something and if you could read it and tell me what you think, I would appreciate it.”
“Sure. If I don’t get to it tonight or tomorrow, I’ll bring it with me on the plane. Is that good?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” she said.
“What is it, anyway?”
“A screen play I’ve had creeping around in my head for awhile. I don’t know if it’s any good but I figured I’d ask,” she said shyly. Gareth walked in to the house and went to his office. There on his desk was a medium sized box. Peering inside he saw hundreds of neatly typed pages. He thumbed through them and then looked up.
“You have blocked scenes and camera directions, plus dialogue. How long did it take you to do this?”
“Two months, more or less.”
“Which is it more or less?”
“Less. Thirty-nine days to be exact.”
“Holy fuck! I’ve been waiting six months for Jackson to finish the screenplay for “Romancing Broadway” and he isn’t anywhere near completion. And he has a book to use. You did this by yourself?”
“Don’t look so surprised, Gareth. I do have a degree in English and a Masters in Literature. I can read and write.”
“I don’t mean that, Naomi. I know how bright you are. Remember when you applied to be my assistant, I told you then, you could do much more than what I had to offer you,” he said admonishing her.
“That you did. Sometimes it takes me a minute to find myself and figure things out. I wasn’t ready to be anything but an assistant then. Now I want to know if I have what it takes to be something different,” she said holding her head up high.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you Naomi Dillon. I hope you stick around for a while.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Cheri called the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, to secure a reservation for an executive room for this evening. It’s right at the airport and perfect for her plan. Her next call was to Joe. “Joe, I have a favor to ask.”
“Ask,”
Joe said, in his usual man-of-few-words fashion.
“I want to surprise Gareth by staying in the Hilton at the airport tonight. I need someone to deliver a note to him when he gets off the plane. Could you have one of your guys do it?”
“Sure. What time does his plane get in?”
“Around seven.”
“I have a guy there picking someone up right around that time so no problem. What do you want the note to say?”
“Take the sky-bridge to the Hilton. Ask the desk clerk for the key to the September room. I’m waiting all sparkly.” Cheri giggled.
“I’m not asking. You kids give the most outrageous names for things. I’m better off not knowing.”
“Thank you Joe. You’re the best! I was going to just text him but I couldn’t figure out the timing. If he arrived and I wasn’t there, he would be worried and I didn’t want the night to start off that way. Mystery is much more romantic than panic is,” she said dreamily.
“Agreed. Have fun!”
Gareth was slowly losing it on the plane. First, they hit a head wind that slowed their progression. Then, the pilot had to fly around a weather problem. Finally, they were circling the airport because of an unusually busy pattern.
Why was the world interfering with his precious time with Cheri? He must have been shooting invisible daggers at one of the flight attendants because she came over to him and said, “Is everything okay?”
“No, but unfortunately, there isn’t anything that you can do about it,” he replied sadly.
“Meeting someone at the airport?”
“My fiancée. We have a long distance relationship until September.”
“What happens in September?”
“I’ll see her in September walking down the aisle to me. After that there won’t be any distance between us, ever again.”
She sighed loudly and said, “I’m glad I came over to ask. I needed that little piece of romance just now. Thanks for it!” Gareth smiled at her.
