Southern Comfort: Chandler's Story (The Southern Series Book 1)

by Shelley Stringer

  “Chandler, I’d like you to meet my mother. Momma, this is my girlfriend, Chandler.” He smiled as he put his arm around me. He’d never said girlfriend before. I liked it.

  “She is absolutely charming, Banton,” she exclaimed, smiling at me.

  “Where is Dad?” Banton asked, looking around the huge foyer.

  “He ran a couple of errands for me for brunch. He should be back any minute. Now, come in here to the den, and tell us all about how you met.”

  I was barely through how Beau visiting my back yard had brought us together, when we heard his dad coming from the back of the house.

  “Hello, anyone ready for brunch?” he called out.

  Banton’s dad was a distinguished looking man with salt and pepper hair, and dark coloring like Banton. He was also tall like Banton, and I wondered how Julia had skipped the tall gene.

  I rose with Banton when he began the introductions. “Dad, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Chandler Collins. Chandler, my dad, Banton Matthew Gastaneau Jr. His friends call him Matt.”

  His dad’s eyes were glistening when he took my hand. “You are the first girl Banton has ever formally brought home to meet us, aside from just dates in high school. We are so glad to meet you finally. You are all Banton has talked about the last couple of times he’s called.”

  “See, Mom said Dad would do it, too.” Banton laughed, and gave his dad a huge hug.

  We ate brunch on a beautiful patio overlooking the largest swimming pool and spa I’d ever seen. The patio was covered with a portico surrounded by large columns, and massive outdoor ceiling fans whirred overhead. I noticed a rather large outdoor pool table at the end of the patio on one side, and part of a grass-covered volleyball court was visible at the other end. I couldn’t even imagine growing up in a house this grand. I wondered why Banton and John had been living in such a dump as the apartment they had vacated to move in with me. I had assumed all along Banton was the struggling college kid who joined the military to help pay student loans. All my assumptions had been way off. I definitely had some more questions for Banton.

  His family, to my relief, didn’t act in the least like they had money. His sister joked with him like Constance did with me or her brothers. They laughed about stories of Banton sneaking up on Claudia’s dates when he was little, and shooting them with water guns. There had been many slumber parties when Banton was small, with him and his friends zipping themselves up in their sleeping bags and rolling down the staircase for fun. There was even a story about Banton daring his best friend to jump out his second-story bedroom window on to the trampoline and into the pool, and then trying to explain to his friend’s dad (Banton’s football coach) why his son couldn’t play quarterback because his arm was broken.

  You could tell by the way they told these stories they’d told them time and again, and only laughed harder every time they relived them. The entire time we visited, Banton rested his arm on the back of the chair, and several times he moved his hand down to rub my back. He seemed totally at ease showing affection in front of his parents. For some reason, it made me really happy.

  His parents were politely inquisitive about my classes, and the house we were remodeling, but they never asked questions about my family. I guessed Banton had filled them in about the recent tragedy, and they discreetly avoided the subject.

  After lunch, Julia wanted to show me her newly decorated room. Banton asked his dad if he could have a word with him, and they stepped into an adjoining room. I could see it was a large library with a massive desk I assumed was Mr. Gastaneau’s home office. They pulled the door partially shut, and I turned to go with Julia. Just then, her cell phone rang, and she turned to me and asked, “Do you mind if I take this? It’s about plans for tonight.”

  “No, not at all. Go ahead.” I smiled.

  She stepped back into the hallway leading into the kitchen, and I didn’t want to follow. I lingered in the den, walking around looking at family photos. I spotted several of Banton, at the awkward middle-school age with missing teeth and bad haircuts, in baseball uniforms, vacation pictures, and pictures with friends. To see him in this environment with his family made me understand how he could grow into such a wonderful man. He’d come from a wonderful, loving family.

  Just then, I heard Banton’s voice rise in anger. “I can’t believe you are finally telling me this now. Your timing is really great, Dad! Now, with Andie here? You drop this on me? How am I supposed to take this?”

  I froze. Were they arguing about me? My heart dropped into my stomach. I couldn’t stand the thought of me causing any tension between Banton and his parents. Maybe they weren’t happy about him being in a relationship with someone so young.

  Banton continued yelling, “You wait until I come here, already having been exposed to this horror, to let me in on it!”

  I didn’t want to be eavesdropping, but I didn’t know where else to go. I decided I would head to the foyer by the staircase and wait for Julia. It seemed their voices were even louder in the foyer. Then I realized there was another door ajar in the hallway just off the foyer leading to the same room.

  “Son, it was for your own protection.” I recognized Mr. Gastaneau’s deep voice. “The more you knew about it, the more it put you at risk. If they know you know, they will come after you relentlessly. You have to be careful. We can’t be too cautious, we don’t know how they would use this. I don’t want to see you become a political pawn or a weapon. And that is where this is heading. They have put you on this wild goose chase to put you in harm’s way for their own purposes.”

  “Dad, whose side are you on, anyway? You are ex-Navy, for Christ’s sake!”

  “Yes, I am,” his father answered. “The military, as a whole, has intentions that are entirely honorable. But there are a few individuals in power who don’t always have the nation’s best interest at heart. You know the old saying, Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

  “And you are so sure that is what this is about? And what about Sam! If I think there is something I can do, I have to do it. Dad, I have to have more information. Can’t you refer me to a doctor?”

  What was that? Doctor?

  Banton’s father retorted, “There is only one. Your friend and mine.”

  “Doc Lane knows about this?”

  “Since we signed up together. It’s why I took you kids to him. He carries the gene too, Banton.”

  “That’s why they recruited me, isn’t it?” Banton exploded. “I feel like I’ve been lied to by you, by my commanders…”

  “Banton, calm down. Go ask your questions. Talk to Lane. He can answer your questions, and make you understand better than I. Consider your options. But be careful about what you decide. We don’t want to lose you like you lost Sam.”

  A feeling of dread washed over me. Sam was the friend who disappeared off the ship when Banton was in the service. What could they possibly be talking about? Some illness or condition that would cause the military to want Banton, want Sam…

  “I’m sorry. I took too long. Let’s go.” Julia bounced back into the foyer, and took my hand and led me upstairs. After a tour of the fourteen bedrooms upstairs, we came back down as Banton and his father came out of the library. They were smiling, arm in arm, as if nothing had happened. Maybe I had misunderstood something.

  “Well, I guess we’d better get going. Chandler needs to call her cousin and set up a dinner date, and we still have to check into our hotel.”

  “Banton, I wish you would stay here with us,” Banton’s mother began as she came around the corner.

  “No way. I might have to sneak into Andie’s room in the middle of the night, and no doubt the Julia-snoop would have something booby-trapped.” He grinned at her.

  She hugged my waist. “No, I like her a lot, Banton, and I want her to stick around. I’d be on my best behavior.”

  “Let them alone, you two,” Banton’s dad interrupted. “They have their weekend planned.” As we walked out
the front door, he added, “But come back really soon, please?”

  Banton’s Mom urged, “The holidays aren’t far away, and I need to know what your plans are, so call us.”

  “I really enjoyed meeting you. You have a lovely home.” I kissed his mother on the cheek. Julia still had her arm around my waist. I loved that she was a hugger.

  “Drive carefully,” his dad said as we got into my SUV.

  “Always.” Banton grinned and waived.

  He drove back up the long tree-covered drive, and nearing the end, he swiftly pulled over to the side and parked. Turning to me, he pulled me into his arms and slowly lowered his lips to mine, kissing me passionately. It startled me so, it almost scared me. He pulled away and smiled. “I’ve been just dying to do that, but I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of my parents. They loved you, you know.”

  “I loved them too. What’s not to love?” I replied, smiling shyly at him.

  “I’m so glad,” he said, as he pulled back into traffic.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I made my phone call to Constance, and after assuring her I would catch her up on the gossip about Chase at dinner, we made plans to meet her at a restaurant on Bourbon Street at 6:30. As we drove across New Orleans, I picked up one of the books on vampires I’d checked out.

  Banton interrupted me. “Andie, have you read much on this?”

  “A little. Mostly to do with the supposed ties with Madame Laveau and her quest for immortal beauty. And there are some references about blood drinkers in New Orleans before the civil war. Most accounts are to explain the condition of the bodies after yellow fever attacks, and superstition. But there are so many unexplained stories and serial killings in the south over the years. It’s all really fascinating, and I could see how someone could let their imagination run away with them.”

  He glanced out the window several seconds without speaking. Then he asked, “Are there any references in those books to what a vampire’s physical characteristics are supposed to be?”

  “What do you mean?” Surprised at his question, I guessed he was just being polite in showing interest in my creative writing topic.

  “Does it say anything about their eyes?”

  A cold feeling crept over me. I had the same thought, and had been searching the volumes for any mention of the intensely glowing green eyes.

  “Are you asking me if they glow like green effervescence?”

  “Yes.” He glanced at me warily.

  “Do you think I’m being paranoid?” I felt really silly now. He had seen through what I was looking for. This topic was fear, not really for writing.

  “No. After what I saw last night, I want to know too.”

  “What did you see?” I almost whispered. I was really chilled.

  He reached over and put his arm around me, drawing me to him. “I don’t want to say anything until I know more about what happened. And I don’t want anything I might have misunderstood to get blown out of proportion. I don’t want to frighten you unnecessarily.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, Banton Gastaneau. I may be a weak female…I’ve proved that many times the past couple of weeks. But I absolutely do not want you keeping things from me. Ever. Whatever is going on around my house, I have a right to know. And I can’t help you if I don’t know what is going on.”

  “Number one, Chandler Ann Collins, I do not think of you as weak. I just love you, and don’t want you to be afraid! I might be archaic, but I’m the guy. I’m supposed to protect you. And number two, help me with what?”

  “Well…” I paused. “I…I kind of…Banton, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I promise. It’s just Julia left me alone in the entrance hall this afternoon after brunch…”

  “Wait, slow down. What are you talking about?” Banton inquired.

  “When you were talking with your dad. I overheard some of it. I’m so sorry. I tried to go to another room, but your voices were carrying…” I was so nervous now that it was spilling out, I was afraid he was going to be angry with me.

  He frowned. “Chandler. It’s all right. I’m sorry you had to hear that. I wasn’t really mad at my dad. Well, I was, but it’s impossible to stay mad at him. I love him so much.”

  “But what is it you’re afraid of? Banton, you aren’t ill, are you?”

  He smiled at me. “It’s nothing for you to be worried about. I will explain it to you when I understand it better. It’s just a trait that runs in my family. It’s causing some complications with my military ties, that’s all.”

  “That didn’t sound like all,” I challenged.

  “I promise I will explain it all to you.” He rubbed his hand up and down my arm as if to warm me up.

  “Why are they contacting you about Sam?” I whispered quietly now. I felt I was treading on thin ice.

  “Well, I guess it’s all out in the open now, isn’t it?” He looked irritated.

  I knew I’d made a mistake by letting him know I’d heard all of it. I teared up as usual. “I’m just frightened for you, I’m so sorry, I’m...I shouldn’t be asking all these questions. Your dad just said something about the Navy using you, putting you in danger…I can’t even think about you being in danger, or maybe leaving…”

  His eyes softened. “Chandler, I’m not angry with you. I just didn’t know how to tell you about all of this. But you’re right, I do need your help, so I’ll let you in on everything, I promise. As soon as I figure out what I’m going to do. And you may decide you want to run far away from me, screaming as you go. That’s what I’m most afraid of now. That’s why I’ve kept anything from you.” He smiled, pulling me closer to him to place his lips softly on mine.

  “I don’t care what you tell me, I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” There was so much hanging in the air between us now, I didn’t know how to go on. So I dropped the subject for the moment.

  As we drove through the heart of the Quarter, I felt I‘d been transported back 150 years. I gazed out the car windows at the second and third story balconies, imagining ladies with long, southern belle dresses billowing out so wide they touched the railing on either side. Banton slowed, and turned on a side street, down a narrow alleyway and into a small parking lot tucked away between two buildings.

  “Here we are. We’ll get checked in, and I thought you might want to change before dinner.”

  “Sounds great,” I answered him. He retrieved our bags, and we walked around a building to a beautiful old hotel that had to have been built before the Civil War.

  “I thought you might like to stay down here in the heart of things,” Banton smiled down at me. “I know your love of history and antiques, and the period. I thought it might put you in the mood for your writing project.”

  The interior of the lobby was beautiful. It was old southern eclectic, full of old Victorian furnishings and decorated with some new local art mixed in with rich oriental rugs. As Banton was checking in, I wondered if he’d booked one room or two. I was about to find out.

  “We’re on the third floor.” The bellboy took our bags, and headed up the grand staircase. At the second landing, he turned into a wide hallway, and paused at the first set of doors. “Your suite, Mr. Gastaneau.”

  He opened the wide double doors, and I gasped. I couldn’t imagine how much it must have cost to stay here for a night. There was a massive four-poster canopy bed, matching dresser with mirror, highboy, nightstands, and antique wash basin, all matching, all American oak. The bed must have been made to match the other antique pieces, because bedroom suites from that period didn’t accommodate California king mattresses. The entire room seemed to be draped in rich red and green tapestries, green silk and velvet. I walked over to the doorway leading into a bathroom, complete with claw slipper tub fitted with jets and bubble spray. I walked through another doorway to a matching room, but a little more feminine, in beautiful French provincial furnishings, and pale green satins, gossamer and toile fabrics. There was a large antique dressing table with an assortm
ent of bottles of French perfumes, and a beautiful round ottoman in the center of the room for dressing. An enormous floor-to-ceiling gilded mirror faced the bed on the opposite wall. I turned back to Banton in amazement as he tipped the bellboy.

  “A Best Western would have sufficed. WOW, this is beautiful!” I breathed, slowly surveying the room again.

  “Exactly what I was thinking.” But he wasn’t looking at the room, he was looking down at me. When he looked at me he almost made me believe I was beautiful. He leaned over and covered my lips with his. His kiss was slow, and sensually soft. As I twined my arms around his neck, he picked me up and carried me to the bed.

  “I will be ensconced in adjoining rooms with you for forty eight hours…how will I ever keep my promise to myself and to you to take things slowly?” he asked, grinning.

  I kissed his dimple, my new favorite thing to do. “That’s a really silly statement, because we live in a house with almost adjoining rooms all the time,” I retorted in a matter- of- fact manner.

  “Yes, we do. But we have John there to keep us semi-honest. There is no one here but us,” he quipped back, as he traced his fingers around my chin.

  “Are you tired from the trip?” He released his hold on me, and rolled over and sat at the end of the bed. “We could take a nap for a couple of hours before we meet Constance.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m too excited to sleep. Besides, I would like to do some exploring in the shops I saw on the way up the street.”

  “Okay, you win.” He kissed my forehead.

  “I think I will go ahead and bathe, and change for dinner.”

  “That’s a plan. The restaurant isn’t far, so we can shop while we make our way there.” He rose and picked my bag up and carried it into the adjoining room. “Is there anything you need?” he asked as I paused in the bathroom doorway.

  I knew he was asking about the bathing thing. Although this was a different place, that same feeling of dread was creeping in, and he must have felt it. “I like the idea of the nightly bathing ritual,” he continued. “When you are covered in the bubbles, will you let me know?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.