Aimee stuck her hand out and forced a friendly face. Greg slowly took her hand and they shook quickly. “Thank you, Mr. Townsend. I appreciate you inviting me to spend Thanksgiving with you and Gretchen. I hope you two can come to Eugene for a visit soon.”
Shortly he replied, “We'll try.”
Aimee got in Paul's Lexus and stared at Greg while they drove away. She shook her head. There was no way she and Dylan would see him any time soon. She was going to have to work on Dylan to be the first to make amends, but Aimee already knew that wouldn't happen.
She was barely home from Portland when her phone rang. Sacha and James were gone so she plopped down on the couch and answered the call. Dylan was on the other end.
“Hey,” she greeted.
“Hey back,” he said, but not in his usual chipper voice.
“I'm sorry I let y'all down. I tried my best to out yell everyone around us. Paul and your mom helped, but I guess those damn WC alumni just drowned us out.”
Dylan laughed a bit. “Yeah, well, thanks for being there.”
“I think if they had let you play, we would have won.”
“You think?” he replied.
“No, I don't think, I know.”
“I wish I could have gotten on the field, even for a couple plays. Man, I can't wait until next year.”
“You'll get your turn to show them you're the best quarterback they've ever recruited.”
“I didn't think you were that interested in football.”
“Well, you know it's not my favorite sport, but I love watching you play, and anything that makes you happy, makes me really happy.”
“For real?” he asked.
“Yep, for real.”
“I love you, too,” Dylan said. “Well, you at least managed to survive a visit with my old man. Was he an ass during the game like he was yesterday?”
“No, he was okay today. But I think he was disappointed you didn't get on the field.”
“I doubt that,” Dylan replied. “According to Mom, he's pretty much disowned me once he found out we're gonna live together.”
“I wouldn't say he disowned you. He's just not gonna help pay for anything.”
“That sounds like being disowned,” replied Dylan.
Aimee waited a few seconds before speaking. She could tell Dylan was feeling pretty low. The Bears lost to WC, his dad's alma mater. He didn't even get to play, and now, because of Aimee, his dad was cutting him off financially. “Dylan...” she started.
“Yeah?”
“I really hate being the cause of strife between your dad and you.”
He was quick to respond, “Aimee, he's not happy unless he has complete control over me. You didn't cause this. Trust me.”
“Do you think if we decided to not live together that he would calm down and get over being upset with you?”
“Hell no,” he hissed. “and I don't care if he doesn't get over this. We're gonna to get a place. Mom said she and Paul are gonna help us out. Okay?”
“Okay, but I just wish it could be different. I mean, I know what it's like to be so pissed at your father that you don't care about anything else except yourself. You're right. He's a difficult person to live with. I just hope when he and Gretchen get married...”
Dylan interrupted, “What?! Dad and Gretchen are getting married?!”
“Crap,” she growled. “I wasn't supposed to say anything.”
“So, when is this gonna happen?” he drilled.
“Actually, I don't know. They just got engaged a couple weeks ago when they were in Germany visiting her family.”
“Well, I hope he's treats Gretchen better than he did Mom.”
“Dylan,” Aimee said, “like I was starting to say before, life's too short. He's your dad regardless of the fact he's a pain in the butt, and totally controlling, and he doesn't like the girl you plan on spending your life with...” She paused. Finally she finished, “...but he's your dad. And even though it may seem like he doesn't care because he wants you to do only what he wants, I can tell he would do anything for you.”
Dylan was quiet for a very long time on his end.
“Are you still there?” she finally asked.
“Yeah.” He sounded whipped.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I'm okay,” he answered. “I'm just thinking about what you said. If I remember right, not too long ago you were on the outs with your dad.”
“I was,” she agreed.
“I never understood why, but I remember it took you a long time to get over it.”
“It did. But I've resolved it, because after my accident in England I realized at any moment, life can be cut short, and I, for one, would hate to leave this earth, or have someone I love leave before me, and we weren't on good terms. I don't think I could stand that.”
“Uh-huh,” Dylan said.
“Think about it, and hopefully someday soon you'll be the better man and try to make amends.”
“Perhaps, but we're still going through with moving in together. I'm not bending on that.”
“Okay, Mr. Townsend,” Aimee replied, “we'll live together, but only if you promise me you'll try to work things out with your dad.”
Dylan sighed. After a few seconds he agreed, “All right. I'll promise to try, but that's the best I can do.”
“That's good enough for now,” Aimee conceded. “So, what about tomorrow, what's on the agenda?”
“I'll come by after you get off work, and we'll spend the rest of the day together, and if it's okay with James and Sacha, I'll spend the night.”
“I don't think they'll mind. I'd like that.”
“Good. I have a surprise I've been saving.”
Aimee giggled like a little kid. “What is it?!”
“It's really for your birthday,” he admitted.
“Dylan, you took me out for my birthday.”
“Heck, that wasn't anything special. I couldn't spend the day with you on Wednesday, so I saved your present for tomorrow.”
“No hints before tomorrow?”
“Nope. You have to wait.”
“That's not fair,” she complained.
Dylan laughed. “Well, I like the suspense. I think you'll really like it. I know I do.”
“Geez, I don't think I'll be able to wait. Not even one little hint?” she begged.
“Nope, well, one. It's for both of us.”
She was stumped. For both of us? she wondered. It can only be one thing, Aimee decided. He picked out one of the places we looked at and put down a lease. That would be something special for both of us.
“I think I have an idea what it is,” she revealed.
“Oh yeah, Miss Smarty-Pants,” he replied, “what do you think it is?”
“I'm not saying. I'll let you surprise me.”
Dylan added smugly, “Well, it will be a surprise. I promise you.”
Aimee hoped he picked the two bedroom house they looked at near Sarah and Lynn's. They had looked at a dozen places around town, but it was the cutest of all the places. Nothing fancy. But she could see them fixing it up and enjoying the back deck with the hot tub. Z Boy would enjoy the back yard.
“Okay. I guess I can wait. I'll see you tomorrow after work.”
“I can't wait,” he said with a renewed excitement.
For the first time since yesterday morning, Aimee felt excited, too. “Sleep tight, sweetheart. I love you.”
In a smooth voice, Dylan replied, “I love you more.”
Aimee rolled her suitcase into her bedroom, then dug a nightshirt out of the dresser. It didn't take ten minutes to shower, dry, dress, and brush her teeth. She crawled into her soft, warm bed and pulled the comforter up tight over her body. She was exhausted. The past two days had her feeling almost as spent as one of her travels. Thank goodness that didn't happen while I was visiting Mr. Greg Townsend, she mused. She didn't need anything else to add to his list of things he hated about her. If he only knew his son was in love with a t
ime traveler, he'd find a way to make me disappear forever. Aimee shivered. He was one person who never could find out that secret. Aimee flipped over, snuggled into her pillow, and looked at the clock. 10:26 pm. It was the last thing she remembered as she drifted into slumber.
Chapter 10 Birthday Surprises
Aimee was barely in the door when her phone rang. She yanked it out of her backpack before it went to voice mail. DT was on the screen. “Hey,” she answered.
“Are you home yet?” Dylan quizzed.
“Yep, just walked in. I'm gonna take a quick shower and get ready.”
“I'll be over in about thirty. Okay?”
“I'll be ready,” Aimee responded.
“See you in a few. I can't wait.”
“Me, too. See you in a few.”
Aimee ended the call and placed her phone on the dresser. She quickly hung up her new dress she had just bought, then grabbed the new set of sexy lingerie from the bag, and raced to the bathroom to get showered. Dylan was taking her out somewhere special to celebrate her nineteenth birthday the way he felt it needed to be celebrated. He had already taken her out for breakfast on her official day, a few days earlier, which she thought was perfect, but he didn't think it was good enough for a birthday celebration. Aimee always had a difficult time thinking of her birthday as a special day. To her it marked the day her mother died giving birth to her, not the day she made her entrance into the world. But since seeing her mother a half year earlier on one of her journeys, she didn't know now how she felt about the day that she had always associated with losing her mother. In any event, Dylan wasn't going to let her pass over it without some kind of extravagant observance.
A half pass five, Aimee heard a knock on the door. She was putting on the finishing touch of her outfit; a splash of his favorite perfume. She twirled once more in front of the mirror, giving herself an approval rating of ten, then grabbed her clutch. Sacha had already answered the door and was attempting to get Dylan to reveal where they were going when Aimee sauntered into the living room. Dylan glanced over and suddenly stopped talking in mid-sentence.
Aimee spoke first, “Hey you.”
A grin broke across Dylan's face as he started towards her. “Wow, you look amazing!” he greeted back. A flash of red colored Aimee's cheeks instantly as he gently took her hands and sucked in her beauty.
“Thanks. I found this at the mall today. I was hoping you would like.”
Sacha walked past and commented, “Too bad you're not my size or I'd steal that dress from you. It's awesome.”
Aimee replied, “Thanks, Sach.”
Dylan kissed her lightly on her glossy lips, then asked, “You ready for your special evening?”
“I am,” she answered.
“Well, let's get started. I wanna spend every minute of the rest of the weekend with you, and I think you're gonna like your surprise.”
Aimee felt a surge of excitement pulse through her. She wasn't a betting person, but tonight she was hoping that the surprise for both of them was a key to the cute, little house they looked at to lease.
“Bye, you two,” Sacha said from the kitchen, “have fun, and stay out of trouble.”
As soon as Dylan helped her into the FJ, he flew to the driver's side and slid in. Within a second both of them latched on to each other and their lips cemented. After a very steamy kiss, Aimee broke the embrace. “You know,” she whispered as she guided his hand up under her dress along her thigh, “we don't have to go out. We could spend the evening with take out and have dinner in bed.”
Dylan moaned, “Oh God, Aimee, you are driving me crazy.”
“Then let's stay here,” she said as she gazed demurely into his eyes.
“But I have a special evening planned. Let's at least go out to eat, then we can come back.”
“You promise?” Aimee asked.
“Sure, this is your evening. We'll do anything you want.”
Aimee giggled. “Well, I plan on making passionate love to you all night, and I want you to think about this...” she paused and slid his hand higher up to her lacy panties, then softly kissed his lips before continuing, “...while we're eating dinner.” Aimee could feel Dylan's heart pounding as his lips crushed against hers again. Finally, after a very long, hot make out session, he came up for air.
“You are the hottest, most incredible woman in this world. Damn, I'm one lucky man.”
Aimee's lips perked up and her eyes twinkled. She replied, “I love you with all my heart.”
Dylan took her hand up to his lips and kissed it, then laid it on his lap. “I love you more,” he said. “We better go. I have reservations for six.”
In a few minutes they pulled into the parking lot, and Dylan was out of the FJ and at Aimee's door before she could unbuckle her seat belt. They walked hand in hand, both stealing glances at one another. Of course, he picked an Italian restaurant, just like on their first date ten months earlier. Romance hung thick in the air during dinner. After the main course, the violinists stopped at the table and began to play a serenade. The server brought out a small cake with a lit candle, and the entire restaurant seemed to be watching as the four musicians suddenly started playing Happy Birthday. Dylan watched Aimee with a smug expression. At the end, one of the musicians pulled out an envelope from his shirt pocket and handed it to Aimee. For a couple seconds her eyebrows pulled together. Completely surprised she finally asked, “What's this?”
The musician answered, “It's for your birthday, Signora.” The gentleman smiled at her, then Dylan stood up and shook his hand, thanked the group, and they wished her Happy Birthday once more before they moved on to another table.
Aimee looked at Dylan as he sat back down. She held the envelope delicately in her hand.
“Dylan, what's this?” she questioned with a touch of apprehension.
“Open it,” he requested.
She took a deep breath, then eased her finger under the end and slowly slid it across the sealed flap. She took another long breath before looking.
“Open it,” he repeated with a big smile.
Aimee lifted the flap and looked in. It wasn't a birthday card, nor a key. She instantly knew what was inside. She pulled out the two tickets and tilted them towards the candle centerpiece. Both were round trip airline tickets to New York City, departure on December 26th. Aimee quickly glanced up at Dylan.
“You like?” he asked.
“But Dylan, you have a bowl game over the holidays.”
“I'm only going for a few days. I know you promised Chels a visit to the Big Apple, and I couldn't miss all of our first holidays together.”
Aimee wasn't sure what to say. She had promised Chels a visit to New York, but she told her she was coming by herself, not that she didn't want to go with Dylan, that would be perfect, but Chels was insistent for some reason she come alone.
Dylan waited for Aimee to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She was grappling in her mind with telling Chels she was coming, but not as planned. Dylan couldn't wait, “I've already talked to Chels and she knows we're coming. She's really excited, and just like Chels, she already has a nonstop itinerary planned for us.”
A sigh of relief escaped Aimee's lips, but she still felt guilty that she wasn't as excited about this surprise as Dylan wanted her to be. She had convinced herself this evening's surprise was a key to their first place together. Slightly disappointed, but still appreciative, she said convincingly, “Thank you, Dylan, you couldn't have given me anything as wonderful as this.”
Dylan's face lit up and he squeezed her hand. “I'm so glad you like it. I wanted you, actually us, to have something really special we could do together since we've been apart so much this quarter. And other than the end of our trip this summer, traveling together was really special for me. I wanted us to do it again.”
Aimee managed a big smile. She really was happy about the surprise, only she had her hopes set on getting a place together so they could share what little time t
hey had, together, by themselves; sleeping, eating, studying, and making love where ever and whenever the desire hit without worrying about James or Sacha hearing them or walking in on them while they were in the middle of the throes of passion. Hopefully, the plan to move in together would materialize soon since their quarter was almost over. But because of the friction she had caused with Dylan and his dad, she wasn't going to push the subject. He needed to make the first move.
Dylan said, “Let's finish dessert, then head on to the next surprise.”
“What?!” she exclaimed. “Dylan, this is more than enough.”
“Hell no,” he quickly replied. “I'm just getting started. You're my queen, and I'm going to spoil you tonight.”
After Dylan took care of the bill, the two left. Aimee still had a small glimmer of hope the next surprise was the little house, or even one of the apartments they checked out. But he headed the opposite direction from any of the places they looked at. Aimee couldn't wait. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“Just wait a few minutes and you'll see,” he answered with a smile.
As promised, a few minutes later they pulled into the entrance for one of the most luxurious hotels in town. They pulled up into a parking space and Dylan killed the engine.
The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others Page 18
