“At the Moulin Rouge? Of course, I spent many a night there. If my mother was still alive, she’d have been very displeased. The Can-Can was considered a scandalous dance of its time.”
“So you lived in England until you went to Paris?” I loved hearing Tobias’ history and wanted to know more.
“Yes, England was home, despite my family being gone for years. But the United States became my real home for the last few centuries. I’d travel back and forth between the two countries, but eventually it became too much. When I was in England I maintained the small plot of land we owned and added more property whenever the opportunity arose.” Tobias began to pour the hot water over the tea leaves. “You could say I had a little fiefdom by the time I was done.”
“Fiefdom?”
“Oh!” Tobias smiled. “Too-old fashioned a term for you. It’s an estate owned by a feudal lord in the middle ages.”
“Let’s see.” I tapped my finger on my chin, looking into the air. Didn’t you live back in medieval times?”
“I’m not that old!” Tobias laughed.
Really? Lucas guessed you could be six hundred real years. You could have lived then. “Tobias, you’re home sounded wonderful. Why did you ever give it up?”
“Too many memories, it was time to sell and start a new life. My parents protected me my whole life. They willed me the property, and I’m eternally grateful. I always had a home, unlike some other Niners.”
“Did they ever question why you didn’t grow like other children?”
Tobias set a pot in front of me, and the aroma of freshly brewed tea wafted in the air. “My mother never questioned it. Said I was her gift from God.” He lifted one shoulder.
“I guess it was your mother that taught you how to make your delicious scones.”
“Actually it was my father.” Tobias smiled, seeming to drift off to another place in time.
“It sounds like a great life.” I pictured Tobias as a small boy, growing up in England and living in a thatched stone cottage surrounded by green grassy hills dotted with sheep. His father in the kitchen teaching a small child with bright blue eyes how to make these special rolls and placing them into a stone hearth to bake. If Tobias’ father had showed him how to cook and bake, I could see why he resisted using the transporter.
“Did you have any sisters or brothers?” I crossed my fingers, hoping I didn’t seem too nosy.
“Yes, I had two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. They married and left for other parts of England but always returned home for visits. I had nieces and nephews I lost track of over the years. It was probably better that way.” Tobias paused and again looked lost in thought.
“And you never married?” I asked with a nervous tone. “You don’t have to answer if you don't want to. I’m sorry.”
“No, I understand. You’re curious. I thought about it once or twice but chose to live out my years on my own. Back in the day, I was quite handsome and had my share of …” Tobias stopped and shook his head. “I really shouldn’t be telling you. Anyway, it was so long ago.”
“I love hearing about your life. You’re still quite handsome, you know. And you don’t have to live your life on your own anymore. You have us. Don’t forget that.” I stood to leave. “I need to get home and see if there’s news.”
“Douglas is still a Congressman, Allison. That hasn’t changed in the last twenty-four hours. And,” he said as he lifted his brows. “You keep forgetting I’m part of the security team. I get constant updates. I can always tell you what you want to know.”
“I have to keep busy, Tobias, otherwise I’d go crazy. Doug’s up to something.”
“He’s consumed your life these last five years, hasn’t he?” Tobias looked at me with sympathetic eyes, and I wanted to cry.
“Yes, but I won’t let him win. I can’t.” I wiped my hand across my eyes as a thought came to me. “Tobias, I need to start training again. When I was at UCLA I took martial arts and went to the shooting range. Since Zak was born, I let it all go.”
“We have just the place.” A picture appeared in front of me on my screen. “The Athletic building has what you need.”
“I think I’ll stop by on my way home.” I kissed his cheek. “Thanks, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
* * * *
“You have to agree, it made sense that Doug wanted to get rid of me,” Lucas said, as we sat in the living room, wine glasses in hand. It had been a long day and felt good to relax.
“You say that so matter-of-factly it scares me.” I shuddered at the thought.
“I guess I can since it didn’t happen.” Lucas pulled me toward him and kissed me lightly. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You didn’t. Doug did.” I hung onto him tightly, not wanting to picture life without him. “It’s back to war now, isn’t it? For the longest time, I compared this year to a Cold War. Ash and I talked about it after she got back from her honeymoon. I don’t think I ever told you.”
“I much prefer a Cold War to the real thing.” Lucas kissed the top of my hand. “So much going on in your mind! But let me change the subject.” His lips moved from my hand up my arm to my neck. He finally came to rest on my mouth. “Isn’t this better? He asked between kisses.
“Remember the woods in Virginia?” I whispered in his ear.
“Yes, we called it our woods.”
“I never got to see it when I was home. I wondered if your bike paths were still there.”
“A little overgrown but still there.”
“You went without me?” I pulled back and looked at Lucas.
“Sorry. I took Zak on a bike ride through the woods and told him our story when you were at work one day. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“That’s so cute. No, I don't mind.” I smiled as I gave him a kiss.
“Let me ask you something.” Lucas placed his hand in mine. “Whatever did you see in me? How did you notice me in high school? I tried hard to be inconspicuous, blend in and wear dark clothes. So how?”
“Let me see.” I tapped my finger on my chin. “Was it that unshaved, unkempt look you had going? Back then you had more hair.” I teased as I rubbed his bald head. “Or was it this handsome face?” I placed my hands on his cheeks. “I knew it was somewhere under that hoodie.”
Niner men were very handsome. I hadn’t met one who wasn’t. Each man had a muscular build, none shorter than six feet tall, broad shoulders, but my favorite feature? Their eyes. They held a kindness that melted a girl’s heart.
“I’m serious, Allie. I never asked. I've had time to think about things especially when we were back in Virginia. Zak would nap and I’d be on the deck thinking. I’m eternally grateful to my brother, Gene, for taking me to that safe house. He chose the state and the house. My life could have gone quite differently if I hadn’t ended up in that exact place and time. It scares me to think of a different ending.”
I grabbed onto Lucas’ shirt and pulled him close. “We were meant to be. We would have eventually met, I’m sure.”
“Yeah, when you kidnapped me while working for your brother!” Lucas laughed. “That’s in your ‘if/then’ life, of course.”
“Lucas! I’d never do that in a million years!” I shivered at the thought of being Doug’s recruit.
“Okay, back to happy thoughts. Tell me about the year before we met. I’d see you in the halls a lot. I thought you had radar and seemed to know where I was at all times.”
“You saw me?”
“Of course, I knew who you were. I’d go home and do my research. Gene warned me you could be related to Doug Sanders, but I argued it could be another Doug Sanders. Why do you think my whole family was against us seeing each other?”
“Everyone knew before we even spoke? Why did they let us start seeing each other much less continue seeing each other?”
“Gene said he never saw me happier in my life. After they met you, they agreed with me. You were special. They fell in love with you, too.”
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“And now we have Zak. I wish Gene could have met him. He’s got the Montgomery stubborn streak.”
“Hey, we’re not stubborn.”
I pursed my lips. “If you say so.”
“I think he got a little of it from you, too.” Lucas gave my ribs a poke.
“We’ll call it even,” I said as I gave him another kiss. “Let’s get back to this. I like it much better than arguing over who’s more stubborn.”
“I can agree with that,” Lucas said as he pulled me into his arms, and we sank back into the couch together.
* * * *
I was up bright and early and out the door before Lucas left for work. Beetle took me straight to the Athletic Center where I’d signed up for a Karate course and weaponry lesson, both Niner and real world, through my chip the night before.
“Hey!” Ashley waved from a treadmill as I walked through the workout room. “Join me?”
“I have a lesson, but will see you in a bit.” I continued on to the shooting range and strolled around looking at the weapons. My hand came to rest on the Niner gun I’d used at the STF complex.
“We call that our all-purpose weapon,” a voice behind me said.
I spun around to face an older man, perhaps in his mid-fifties. His blonde hair had some streaks of gray, and his hazel eyes were welcoming. “Hi, I’m Allie.”
“Aaron.” He extended his arm to shake my hand. “How can I help you today?”
“I want to learn about everything.” I waved my hand around the room. “How they work and how to shoot. I’ll be back this time every day.”
“Then we better get started.” Aaron smiled. “You seem like a girl on a mission.”
“Oh, I am.” I nodded. “But hope I never have to use this ever again.” I touched the gun I’d been staring at before he arrived.
Aaron lifted his brows. “So you’ve used a Niner weapon before?”
My teeth sank into my bottom lip, and I nodded.
Aaron’s face softened, and he looked at me differently. “I should have put two and two together. Allie is Allie Montgomery, right? You had to rescue your baby from the STF complex.” He stuck out his hand again. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Now it was my turn to look perplexed.
“You’re doing everything you can to keep Niners, old and young, out of the STF’s hands. You’re on the frontline.”
“I guess I've never looked at it that way. Doug’s my brother. I'm the one who brought him to you so I need to help get rid of him. The sooner, the better.”
“No,” Aaron said as he shook his head. “I knew of the STF years before the outright attacks started. One of the STF Niners tried to recruit me over a decade ago. You’d have been a child then.” He smiled. “Let’s get started. You tell me, what do you want to work on first?”
After the lesson, I headed back through the workout room. Ashley was nowhere in sight. I checked my messages and found Juice Bar as I scrolled through them. A large glass window separated the two rooms, and I spotted her at a table.
“Look at us,” I said as I slipped in the chair across from her. “Healthy drinks instead of our usual coffee.”
“Oh, I’m not giving that up,” Ash said with a laugh. “But this was close, and we need to talk.”
“About our next step against the STF?”
“Not everything’s about Doug, Allie.” She made a face.
“Sorry. I take it you need to talk.” I placed my order through my chip then gave her my full attention.
“Nate and I want to have a Niner baby.”
“What?” I sat back. “That would take some planning.”
“I know.” She shook her head. “It seems impossible.”
“And two and half years away.”
“We’re young, and besides I have to give birth to this one first.” She smiled slyly at me as she pointed to her stomach.
I flew from my chair. “Ash! I’m so happy for you!” I hugged her around her neck. “Now I see why you wanted that five-bedroom house.”
“Very funny.” She gave me a deadpan look. “This one, a Niner baby, Ryan and maybe one more adoption. Four boys. That would be it.”
“You’re sure?” I began to laugh as my protein drink was brought to the table, and Ash joined in. I held the glass in the air. “Congrats!” I toasted as she lifted her drink, and we sipped through the straws. It finally felt like a normal day, and I tucked this memory away in a special place in my heart.
Chapter Thirteen
I sat in Tobias’ little kitchen and sipped his latest flavor of tea, peach apricot, then slathered a scone with lemon curd. We’d worked hard on the museum during the past month. August was almost upon us, and my goal was to have a grand reopening after Labor Day and the start of school. I could picture children filling the building, taking notes and studying the artwork. I looked up from what I was doing and said, “I’ve invited Lucas and Julian to come to the museum and see the upgrades today. I hope it’s okay.”
Tobias turned from the stove. “They should rightly be informed.”
The museum was taking shape. The hardwood floors had been installed, the walls painted a creamy white and shiny doe color plastic benches were positioned in all the rooms. The large front gallery had paintings grouped by artist. Sculptures from the Modern Era were spread throughout the area and a huge three-tiered round contemporary fountain was in the center of the room for dramatic effect. A rock waterfall fountain with pots of exotic greenery jutted out from one corner. Large colorful jugs of water playfully sent water from one to the other in the opposite corner of the room.
The apartment bell rang, alerting Tobias someone had entered the museum. We watched his monitor as Julian and Lucas strolled through the museum until they reached Tobias’ front door.
“Come in.” He called out, and the door opened.
“Well? You got a sneak peek on your way in. What do you think?” I asked, folding my hands together.
“First I want to know how Tobias gets you to eat something in the morning.” Lucas gestured to my plate on the table.
“If you can get the recipe out of him, I’ll make and eat them every morning!” I laughed.
“It’s an Englishman’s secret.” Tobias’ eyes twinkled. “Maybe one day …”
“We have this conversation once a week.” I teased back. “He’ll never give it to me.” I stood and took Lucas’ hand. “Tobias and I want to tell you our vision for the rest of the galleries. The main room is the only one we’ve completed.”
After we finished the tour, we stood in the main exhibition room to see what they thought. Julian turned in place. “I can’t believe what you’ve done. Magnificent. I have no suggestions.” He looked at Lucas. “Do you?”
“Not a one.” Lucas appeared impressed.
I longed to present my idea, one I'd kept to myself for months, and couldn’t wait any longer. “I have one more suggestion.” Immediately I noticed the raised eyebrows of my husband. “I’d like to turn the Montana compound into a destination for Niner families, with Tobias’ approval, of course.”
“We’re partners, dear, you don’t need my approval.” Tobias smiled. “Go on, I’d like to hear more.”
“From my experiences, there appears to be little travel between the compounds. Once a Niner family picks the place they want to live, they stay put. I know they can still vacation out in the real world if they choose but picture visiting other compounds as a safe alternative. They could come here and visit the museum. Sports teams could come from other compounds and play ours, sort of interleague play or tournaments. Plus, we’re not far from Yellowstone National Park. It would make a great, safe vacation place for Niners. That is, once Patriotic Village is back up and running.”
“Wow, you’ve been thinking a lot about this.” Lucas held his hand to his head. “I like it. What do you think, Julian?”
“Never crossed my mind, but I could picture it as you were describing it, Allie. Didn’t we say we needed someone
like you in our community? We’ve grown stale and needed someone with vision.” Julian looked over at Tobias as if to seek his approval. “Abe would be proud. Don’t you think?”
“Abe would have loved to have known Allison and would appreciate her visions. I’m all for this.” Tobias sat on one of the shiny new benches. “Her plan is a good one. We can offer more than just one museum in the future. Abe had all the art collections sent here but there’s enough to start a Natural History Museum, too. Someone may like to be in charge of that.” He glanced over at me.
“Ashley might like the job,” I said.
“She may like to take it, but I think she has more on her mind these days.” Tobias surprised me. Did he know she was pregnant? She told me she’d wait until her first trimester was over before she announced the news.
“New projects are good.” Julian’s eyes shone with excitement. “We have the high school boys working on the trails and picnic areas along the new roads. The teachers can be informed of these new projects and get their students interested. Some may even like to help.”
“Could I talk to the classes?” I asked. “I’d take a few art pieces with me. I know we’ve been closed since we started the renovations but we’ll need visitors, ones who’ll want to return again and again.”
“If anyone can get them interested in art, it’s you.” Lucas nodded. “This is great to have something else to focus on instead of security and war.”
“Then let’s get started.” I headed for the exit. “I love being able to walk here now. Thanks for getting those new roads done so quickly, guys.”
“Allison,” Tobias stopped me. “In all your excitement, haven’t you forgotten something?”
“Oh, yes, sorry, goodbye, Tobias. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ve got things to do for the rest of the day.”
“No, that’s not it.” Tobias shook his head.
“Zak!” I usually picked him up at lunch and brought him here for the afternoon. “Would you mind?” I looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Of course,” Tobias grinned. “Lucas, could you drop by and pick him up on your way home tonight?” He patted Lucas on the back and walked to the door with us. “You young people are always in such a hurry. Remember to stop and smell the roses.”
29° (Twenty-Nine Degrees) (Twenty Nine Book 3) Page 15
