“Mom’s probably going to have a heart attack when she sees us. I think we should pull over and call and let her know we’re in town,” Eli said.
“No way, we’re already there. And I want to surprise her,” Niki said.
It would be a year at Christmas since Niki had been in New Orleans. His whole family had been together for the first time in years and it had been great. Every time he came back, he wondered why he didn’t visit more often. Eli turned the rental car up St. Charles, then turned again and pulled into the driveway. The big iron gates of the plantation-style estate were open, as they had been for the last thirty years.
Niki and Eli got out and they were transformed into the boys who had grown up in the house. They raced and shoved each other the whole way down the driveway and all the way to the kitchen door. Niki opened the door and shoved Eli off the back steps then closed and locked the door behind him. He was laughing when his mother turned around.
“Hi mom!” he said.
“Niki!” she yelled, and she ran across the kitchen and hugged him. Niki picked her up and squeezed her, then put her down and kissed her on the cheek. Eli banged on the door, and when she opened it, she exclaimed, “And Eli!”
Eli hugged her. “You look great, Mom!” he said.
“Why didn’t you call and tell me you were coming? I would have fixed a big dinner for you,” she said.
“We wanted to surprise you. Where’s dad?” Niki asked.
“He’s upstairs. I have to call your sister and let her know you’re here. She’ll be so tickled to see you two!”
“Don’t tell her we’re here,” Niki said. “Just tell her she needs to come over.”
Mom was on the phone dialing and while the line was ringing she was calling up to her husband. “Christopher, come down here. We have company dear,” she said, in her sweet voice.
“Charlotte, it’s Mom . . . Hi, dear. I have a surprise for you. Can you come over? . . . Well yes, right now. . . No, it’s nothing bad, darling, it’s something good . . . okay, great. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“She’s coming?” Eli asked.
“She’s on her way,” Mom said. She went to the bottom of the stairs and called up, “Christopher.”
“I’m coming, Lillie. What’s all the fuss?” Dad asked. He walked into the kitchen and broke into a broad grin when he saw his sons. “Well I’ll be damned! To what do we owe the pleasure,” he said, shaking hands with Niki then Eli.
“Oh, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we’d say hello,” Eli said.
“Really? Where were you?” Dad asked.
“London,” Niki said.
Dad opened the refrigerator and handed each a bottle of beer and they sat down at the kitchen table and visited. It was barely fifteen minutes before Charlotte arrived. She came in the kitchen door and screamed when she saw her brothers. They were both out of their chairs and Niki picked her up and hugged her and swung her around like he had when they were kids. She laughed and held on around his neck until he put her down then she jumped into Eli’s arms and hugged him.
“I can’t believe you’re here! What a great surprise. You both look great,” Charlotte said.
“Look at you!” Niki said. “Your hair is so long. I haven’t seen you with it like that for years.” It was like looking at a female version of his brother.
“How long can you stay? I want you to meet someone,” she said.
“Someone, as in?” Niki said.
Charlotte looked at her parents and smiled.
“What?” Niki said. “Are you getting married?”
She held out her hand and showed them her ring. “Yes,” she said, smiling from ear to ear. “Do you not check your mail? The wedding is in two weeks.”
“We haven’t been around much lately,” he said. “But we’ll be here for the wedding for sure.” Niki looked at Eli for confirmation.
“Absolutely!” Eli said.
The family visited long into the night and Niki finally made his way to his old room around midnight. He grabbed the USA Today on the way up and after he brushed his teeth and stripped down to his boxers, he lay down on his bed and starting reading. Niki turned to the second page and sat straight up in bed. There was an article about an upcoming fundraiser in San Antonio with Stacy’s picture underneath it. The article was entitled: “San Antonio’s Darling to Sponsor Fundraiser for Children’s Shelter.” Niki read on.
After recently escaping from a week in captivity in Bogota, Colombia, Stacy Trent, Owner of Trent Advertising & Marketing, will sponsor a charity fundraiser for the Alamo City Children’s Shelter. The event is a black-tie affair, featuring a five-course meal, a ball, a silent auction and a raffle. Saturday night’s affair is expected to draw VIPs from around the country.
Niki looked at Stacy’s picture. It looked like a recent photo, clearly taken before the kidnapping. She looked incredible. He folded the paper into a square with Stacy’s picture on top, and laid it on the bedside table, then he turned out the light and went to sleep. And the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning was Stacy’s smiling face.
Niki woke up feeling rested and refreshed. He went downstairs just as the sun was coming up and his mother was already in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
“Good morning,” Lillie said. “How did you sleep?”
“I always sleep great in my old bed,” Niki said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He bent down and kissed his mother on the cheek and sat down next to her at the kitchen table.
“How about you?” he asked.
“I always sleep well when I know where all my children are,” she said smiling.
Niki sat back and looked at his coffee mug.
“What’s the matter, Niki?” Lillie asked.
The question took him by surprise. “Why would you ask that?”
“I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you,” Lillie said. “Who is she?”
Niki was floored. He had never discussed women with his mother – he had never even introduced her to anyone he had dated.
Niki exhaled loudly. “Her name is Stacy Trent. You probably read about her. She was taken hostage and escaped from her abductors in Colombia,” Niki said.
“I did. I read about her and I’ve seen her on TV. She’s a beautiful girl,” Lillie said. “She’s got your eyes.”
“Well somehow I let myself fall in love with her and I can’t get her out of my mind,” Niki said. “I think about her all the time.”
“But she doesn’t love you?” Lillie asked.
“No, I think she does, or at least she did,” Niki said. “But I haven’t talked to her since she got back from Colombia, so I don’t know how she feels now.”
“Why in the world haven’t you called her?” Lillie asked.
Niki ran his hand through his hair. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m surprised at you, Nikolas,” his mother said. “You’ve never been one for inaction. I would think you would have been on the first plane to Texas when you found out she had made it home.”
“It was very hard not to,” he said.
“Well you obviously have your reasons. All I can say is that, the longer you wait, the less likely she’ll be waiting. If she means that much to you, and I can tell by the look on your face that she does, don’t just sit around wishing you were with her. Make it happen.”
Chapter 36
Holly had called Stacy first thing Saturday morning. “What time do you have to be down there tonight?” Holly asked.
“Super early,” Stacy said. “I need to make sure everything has been taken care of, probably 5:00.”
“Is Scott meeting you down there?” Holly asked.
“Yeah. There’s no reason for him to get there so early. I got a limo for the night and I thought I’d send the driver around to pick up you and your date, and Alex and Alison. I’ll have him pick up Scott too.”
“Okay. I wish I was going with someone I really liked,” Holly pouted.
“Well at least your date isn’t purely platonic,” Stacy said. “Thank God for Scott or I’d be dateless!”
Holly laughed. “Yeah, but when you go with him, at least there’s the possibility that you can meet someone else.”
“That’s true,” Stacy said. “I need to get up and head downtown. Let me call you this afternoon.” Stacy hung up and the phone rang as soon as she put it down.
“Yes,” she said, expecting it to be Holly.
It was her co-chair for the fundraiser. “Stacy, it’s Derek.”
“Oh, hi. Are you already at the hotel?” Stacy asked.
“No. But I had to tell you what happened,” he said, excitedly. “An anonymous donor called and said he would match whatever amount we raise tonight!”
“No way!” Stacy said, in disbelief.
“I’m dead serious!” Derek exclaimed.
“Oh my God, that’s incredible! Who do you think it is?”
“I have no idea.”
Stacy looked at her watch. “I’ll be out of here in 30 minutes. Are you going to meet me downtown?”
“Yeah, I’ll probably get there about the same time as you,” he said, then he added. “It’s going to be good, Stacy.”
“I know!” Stacy hung up and sat down on her bed, absorbing what Derek had just told her. Her goal had been to raise $250,000 and with one phone call, the figure had just jumped to a half-mil. Stacy was psyched. She finished getting ready and headed downtown. She spent the day with caterers, florists and decorators, making sure that everything would be perfect for the function. She checked the podium and microphone, she checked the lighting, and she looked over the room from top to bottom making sure that everything was in place and in working order. Then she had her hair done and went home to dress for the occasion. She put on a simple long black dress with a slit up the side and high-heeled strappy sandals, then she put on an emerald necklace and earrings that had been her grandmother’s. She had just enough time for a glass of wine before the limo picked her up downstairs, and when she walked out of the elevator she looked like a million bucks.
Cocktails were served at 7:00 and by 7:30, the party was in full swing. Stacy had been walking around mingling and when she got to her table, Alex and Alison were just setting their drinks down at their places. Stacy smiled when she saw the two of them.
“Hi!” Stacy said. She gave Alison a big hug. “It’s so nice to meet you! You look beautiful,” Stacy told her, then she turned around and hugged Alex. “And don’t you look handsome? What a nice looking couple.”
Alex looked over at his wife and they smiled at each other.
“You look very pretty, Stacy,” Alex said. He looked around the room and concluded, “We have the prettiest women at our table.”
“You have him well trained,” Stacy told Alison.
“Right,” Alison said, and they both laughed and checked each other out.
“Alex has told me a lot about you,” Alison said with a warm smile.
“And vice versa, but he only says good things about you,” Stacy laughed.
“Not everything I’ve said about you is bad,” Alex told Stacy.
“He said you’re the best person he’s ever been assigned to,” Alison said.
Alex put his arm around his wife. “Don’t tell her that!”
Holly arrived at the table with an extra glass of wine. “You look great,” Holly said, handing Stacy a glass.
“Thanks. So do you,” Stacy said. She looked around, “Where’s your date?”
Holly waved off the question, “Oh, I don’t know, over there somewhere,” she said vaguely. She leaned in and whispered to Stacy, “I love Alison! She’s just like one of us!”
“I know. And she and Alex look so cute together.”
Derek tugged on Stacy’s arm. “You want to get up and say something?”
“Sure,” Stacy said, and she walked up to the stage and over to the podium.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” Stacy said into the microphone, and the room got quiet. All eyes turned to the podium. “I’m Stacy Trent, and I would like to welcome you to tonight’s festivities and thank you all for coming and supporting this very worthwhile cause. The Alamo City Children’s Shelter has provided services in our community for more than 50 years. They have taken care of more children than we would ever want to imagine, and they have helped countless numbers of neglected and abused children find caring and loving homes. Children who have never in their short lives known happiness have come to believe in miracles with the help of this Shelter.” Stacy paused and looked around the audience. “Evidently miracles abound where this Children’s Shelter is concerned, because I witnessed one today myself. My goal tonight was to raise $250,000 for the Children’s Shelter,” Stacy said, and everyone clapped.
“Wait!” She waved at them to stop clapping. “That’s not the miracle.” When the laughter died down, she announced, “We have an anonymous donor who intends to match whatever amount we raise at tonight’s event!” The crowd went wild with cheers and clapping and gave the announcement a standing ovation. “I know! Right?” Stacy exclaimed. It was several minutes before the room quieted down enough for Stacy to be heard, then she continued.
“Please take a look at the items on our silent auction table. There are some incredible antiques, there are first edition books, and one-of-a-kind collector’s items that you’re not going to find anywhere else in the world,” Stacy said. “And please remember where your money’s going when you are bidding on these items.” Everyone clapped again. “Thank you all again for coming, and I hope that everyone has a great time!”
The crowd clapped as Stacy walked off the stage and back to her table. The first course was being served and she went over and sat beside Scott.
“Hi! You look nice,” Stacy said, giving him a hug.
“You were great. Everyone loved you!” he said, kissing her on the cheek.
The night went by fast and before they knew it, it was already midnight and the party was ending. Everyone at Stacy’s table loaded up in the limo. They went down to Broadway 5050, and played shuffleboard and drank until they got kicked out of the bar at closing time.
“Where to?” Holly slurred, as they walked out the door.
Stacy was tired and drunk and she had her arm around Scott, leaning on him for balance. “I need to go home,” Stacy said. “But you can have the limo after he drops me off.”
“Stacy,” Niki called as she walked past.
Stacy spun around and her heart stopped. “Niki?” she said in disbelief, and then it fully registered. “Oh my God!”
Dennis and Alex were on him in a flash, and Niki was having to fight both of them off to get to her.
“Alex, stop!” Stacy yelled, trying to pull Alex off of him. “It’s okay! Stop!”
Alex turned around, mid swing. “You know this guy?”
“Yes, he’s a friend.” Stacy said, desperately trying to get to Niki.
Alex and Dennis let go of Niki, and Stacy pushed past the two to get to him. She threw her arms around Niki’s neck and he wrapped his arms around her and held her. He breathed in her perfume, taking in everything about her.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said. She hugged him tighter then pulled back so she could see his face. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”
“That was never an option.” His relief was so great that it was palpable. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, then stroked his finger down her jaw line to her chin, and the gesture sent her over the edge.
Stacy burst into tears. “Well what took you so long!” she said, shoving him backwards. “You didn’t even bother to call to see if I was all right!” The initial shock was wearing off, and the alcohol was taking over.
Niki laughed and took her hand and pulled her back to him. “It’s only been two weeks,” he said. He hooked his arm around her neck, and gave her the kiss that had been simmering since the helicopter had taken her. Stacy melted into him.
“Two very long weeks,” Niki agreed. He held her close and rested his chin on top of her head. “The two longest weeks of my life. I really missed you, Stacy.”
“You did?” She squirmed out of his hug and looked him in the eye.
“Shit yeah! You’re all I thought about.”
Stacy wiped her eyes. “I missed you too. And I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“Me neither. Can I take you home?”
Stacy nodded and smiled. “Yes.”
Niki looked over at Stacy’s friends and motioned to Scott. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No, you’re my boyfriend,” she said, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him again. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.” She took Niki’s hand and pulled him over to the group. Stacy was beaming when she looked at Holly.
“Everybody, this is Niki. Niki, this is my best friend Holly and her date Grant, and that’s Alex, with the FBI,” she said, looking at him for good measure, then continued, “and his wife Alison, and that’s my friend Scott.”
“I’m stealing your date, Scott.”
“I figured as much.”
“I’ll be right back,” she told Niki, then she did a little sidestep, and added, “I shouldn’t have done those tequila shots.” She left Niki with the group and pulled Alex to the side.
“The long-lost boyfriend?” Alex asked.
“That’s him,” Stacy said, looking over at Niki. “Did you and Alison have fun?”
“Yeah. We had a great time. Thanks.”
“I’m refusing protection, Alex. Will you let Dennis know?”
Alex looked at Stacy and smiled. “I’ll tell him. You take care, okay?”
“I will. And I’ll miss having you around.” She walked over to Holly and hugged her.
“Can you believe it!” Stacy whispered.
“Actually, no, I really can’t. But it’s great. I’m so happy for you.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Stacy said goodnight to everyone and went back and stood beside Niki and leaned her head against him. He draped his arm around her shoulders and led her to his car.
Back on Solid Ground Page 25
