Was Ray breaking his rules to give us the best chance of success? Or, did the events in Philly play out by sheer happenstance?
I gave mom a quick call from the car to let her know we were on our way to the airport and we’re headed in her direction. She was overly concerned about my health. I reassured her. “I’m fine, Mom. I actually feel better than I have in ages. Gregory’s taken excellent care of me. I’ll call you as soon as we land. Love you, too. Bye.”
We pulled up right alongside the plane. We noted the door to the plane was already open and another driver was pulling away “Grandpa and his associates must have beaten us here,” Gregory commented.
Anderson gave us his card, and told us to give him a call any time we needed further assistance. “I’ll make sure to request the area you are going to, so that I may be your driver. I’ve enjoyed getting to know both of you and helping you on your quest to trace your ancestry.” To my surprise, he gave both of us hugs and wished us well. His gentle embrace exuded peace and tranquility, which made me feel calm for the first time in days.
I didn’t know if Anderson was an angel or what his significance was in our journey. Just when I thought I had him figured out, he gives us a business card and throws me off course. How could an angel have a business card and be contacted like anyone else? I didn’t know, but now was not the time to try and figure it out.
The flight home was uneventful. I spent most of my time curled against Gregory’s neck and chest, both of us kissing tenderly, showing we were still in this together, but not wanting to overdo the PDA in front of the suits on board.
Grandpa had a car waiting to take us back to the condo, when we arrived. I called Mom, as soon as we were in the car.
“Hey, Mom. We’ve just landed and are going back to the condo to pick up the rest of our things before heading to your place.”
“That’s wonderful, Jordan. I’m glad to hear you made it back safely; but please don’t rush, dear. I’m not going anywhere. If you need an extra day over at the beach, I’ll be fine.” Her voice seemed a bit off and I could hear other voices in the background.
I tensed a bit and felt Gregory’s arm draw me closer to him. He looked at me with a confused look, probably a reflection of my own expression. “Is everything all right? You sound like you have company.”
“I’m doing wonderful, sweetie. I guess I have the television turned up a bit loud. I need to go, now, but I’ll see you soon. Bye for now.”
This definitely did not sound like my mom’s usual tone. “Bye. Love you.” Before I could even get the words out, she had already hung up. I was hurt that she didn’t want to talk more with me. Was this a sort of punishment for me spending time in Orlando? I know we talked two and three times a day; but it didn’t replace my being there in person. Once I was feeling better, I would rectify my absence and spend more time with her, even if it meant commuting to and from Deland to Orlando, until Gregory and I were married.
I felt his gentle hand rest on my chin and pull my face toward his. “Everything okay, honey?”
I looked into his concerned eyes. “Mom didn’t act like herself over the phone. She sounded distant and like she wanted to get off the phone. Usually she’s asking how soon until she sees us and all sorts of other questions. It sounded like other people were there, but she claimed it was the TV.”
To my surprise, it was Grandpa that spoke. “I’m sure she’s just fine, Jordan. You and Gregory will be wed soon and she needs to learn how to find a new life of her own. You both will share wonderful times together, but you also need to live independent of one another.”
His words were true. I guess what was guilt tripping me was the fact that I had promised my father to look after Mom, but I’ve spent so much time dealing with the mysteries of our past, and my issues at work, that I feel I have lost sight of the present and my responsibility toward her.
The hand Gregory had wrapped around me made small swirling motions on my arm to ease the confusion I was feeling. I looked up and noticed that both he and Grandpa exchanged a strange glance with one another, as we pulled up to the front of the complex.
Gregory was first out of the limo and the one to grab most of our bags, before taking my hand and guiding me toward the elevator, behind Grandpa Frederick. Something felt off. What I didn’t know, but I was determined to find out.
When the elevator stopped at the top floor, we all disembarked and I was surprised to see Grandpa heading toward Gregory’s parents’ place. Gregory put the key in the door and as soon as we opened it, my mother pulled me into a huge bear hug.
“What the…” It was all I could get out of my mouth before Lorraine and Douglas yelled, “Surprise!”
I wrapped my arms around my mother and started crying into her shoulder. “It’s okay, Jordan. No need to cry. If you don’t stop, then you’ll make me cry, too. I’ve missed you.”
“How?”
She patted me on the back, before answering. “Lorraine and I talk several times a week. She knows that you and I are close and how you haven’t been feeling well and that you’ve been staying in Orlando to avoid the long drive to work. She thought instead of you coming to my place, I should come here and we could all enjoy the rest of the weekend together as one big family.”
I stepped back a moment and looked over at Lorraine. She held her hands out to me in an offer of a hug. I quickly accepted. “Thank you, Lorraine.”
“It’s my pleasure, dear. Just because you’re marrying my son, doesn’t mean you have to give up spending time with your mom. She’s now a part of our family, too.”
Douglas was quick to speak up. “Let’s stop all the waterworks around here and enjoy the nice lunch the ladies put together.”
While Gregory took our bags to his room and delivered Grandpa’s bags to his condo, I sat with mom in another room and we talked.
“How was Philadelphia? Did you find what you and Gregory have been searching for? Have you seen anymore of Ray?” She was so full of questions.
Mom knew that Gregory and I were destined for a mission that could help save people, but she didn’t know the full extent of what we were researching or how badly things had turned out in the past. All she knew was what Ray told her and my father, on the day I was born, “Take extra care of her. One day she could be part of a greater destiny that could save many lives.”
I tamed down quite a bit of our journey. “It was good, Mom. You’ll love Aunt Destiny. Her husband was the one that researched our family back to the Revolution. Apparently we were good friends with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington during that period and our relative, Dr. Clark, was pretty well known in the Pennsylvania Colony.
“Douglas’ cousin was helpful as well, with some enlightening information. The town itself was like a walk through time. I could literally imagine myself as part of that era, with all the history that has been preserved there. But, what was most fascinating was to learn that we stayed at one of Gregory’s ancestral homes; it used to belong to the Williams family, but has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast.”
I had never seen mom speechless before, but she just looked at me, stunned. After a few moments, she finally said, “So, you’ve been able to track more of the genealogy chart and put more pieces of the family together. That’s wonderful. Maybe you can incorporate some of the things you found out about our families into your Wedding. But, you still didn’t answer my question about Ray.”
Feeling defeated, I took a deep breath in and admitted. “We did run into Ray and got the information we needed. I wish I could elaborate, but it’s safer that you don’t know everything. I’ll tell you when the time is right, I promise.”
She held my hand tight. “I know. I trust him to keep you safe and guide you on your journey. Just keep in mind that I’m here for you, always.”
I smiled at mom and reached out to her for a hug. “I know, Mom. I love you always and forever.”
“Same here, Jordan, just like your father.” Her words touched my hea
rt and I knew we were okay with one another.
A light knock was heard just as Gregory gently opened the door. “Is everything okay in here?” His eyes were filled with worry.
I could sense something wasn’t right as soon as he walked in. “What’s wrong?” I’m guessing mom could sense it, too, when she held me tighter.
He took in a deep breath. I knew I should fear what he was about to say. “Grandpa and I ran down to the garage to check on our vehicles.” He paused for a moment, looking like he didn’t know what to say next. He walked forward, grabbing hold of one of my hands and kneeled before me. “Your tires have all been slashed and there’s writing on all the windows.”
My mom spoke up. “How could that be? We parked beside the SUV only two hours ago and it looked fine.”
“I have a call in to the local police to come and take pictures and dust it for fingerprints. My dad is going to call someone he knows here, who can get the car cleaned up and the tires replaced before we need to head back to Orlando.”
I shook my head in denial. Who would know where we were at? There were not too many people who even knew what kind of vehicle I drove. “Who would do such a thing?”
He sighed heavily. “I’m afraid I might know of someone. Did you want to see what things look like or would you rather me take care of it?”
I stood shakily, with mom right by my side. “I need to see this for myself—to know what is going on, so I’m aware.” Mom nodded in agreement.
Everyone decided to go check out the damage; so, we locked up and met the police down in the parking garage. The sight of the car made me cringe. All of the tires were shredded. Someone had a fun time jabbing a knife through the rubber again and again. The writing on the windows had expressions of, “Leave him alone! He’s mine! Money grabber! Man stealer! Bitch! He loves me!”
I didn’t have to ask who Gregory suspected; I knew. It was Angela. She had already threatened that I should watch my back. I didn’t realize she was this unstable.
The police took pictures and asked if we had any enemies or anyone that bothered us, lately. Gregory told them how his ex-girlfriend, he had dated early on in college, had been stalking him, insisting they were getting back together and destined for one another. I included the fact that she had verbally accosted me at the History Center in Orlando. Gregory looked at me in amazement, not realizing the full extent of what she said.
It didn’t take long for the authorities to dust for fingerprints and come up with several good sets. Before they left, they informed us they would run the prints for a match in their systems and would ask the Orlando police to see if they could get a copy of her prints, in the event she wasn’t in the system. They suggested, based on our comments, that we get a restraining order against Angela, since she was showing signs of malicious intent. Gregory agreed, citing that would be one thing we did on our lunch break on Monday.
Before the police finished, the tow truck arrived to lift it up on a bed and tow it away. In the process of doing so, the police noticed something suspicious near the underside of the back bumper. They looked more carefully to discover a tracking device. No wonder she always showed up where I was.
I was shaking like a nervous wreck by the time everything was taken care of. Lorraine suggested I have some Chamomile tea to steady my nerves and maybe take a nap to settle my mind. I tried all that they suggested, but I continued to shake, even with Gregory pulling me close to his side in bed. “I need to sit outside, hear the sound of the waves and let it calm my nerves. I can’t be cooped up in here.”
We walked out onto the balcony. He took a seat in one of the chaise lounges and pulled me into his lap. I leaned up against his chest where I could hear his heart in one ear and the ocean in the other.
“Can you hear the waves from here?” He wondered.
“Yes.”
“Your hearing must be getting better, because I can barely hear them from this height. I can see the waves crash against the shoreline, but we’re too high up to really enjoy them.”
I looked up into his eyes. “I hear them as though we were directly on the beach. I need the sound of them to block out the discussion that our family is having about how to keep us safe.”
“So, that’s what is upsetting you?” I nodded, confirming his thoughts.
In a determined voice, I proclaimed, “I want them to stop thinking about it, at least for a few hours, and just let us enjoy the weekend and let the police handle everything.”
He held me close, running his lips over mine and trying to distract me with his kisses. “Hopefully they will.”
I was lost to the power of his sensual lips for several minutes, before breaking our kiss and leaning into the crook of his neck to snuggle. I refocused my thoughts on trying to hear what was being discussed in the house. Not surprisingly, they were still talking about what happened. Suddenly, they stopped mid-discussion and changed the topic to what we were going to do for fun this weekend.
I thought it odd, at first; but then remembered the same thing happened at work a couple of times, along with the incident when Gregory was in his catatonic dream state. At work, I had either thought or spoken, under my breath, that I wanted the discussions and whispers regarding Pamela’s leaving to end, and they did. Then there was the night I had Gregory stop his amorous attempts, after his horrific dream of Aaron and Hannah, and he didn’t move until I told him to wake up. Could this be a new power? And how did it work exactly?
“What’s the matter? You have a puzzled look on your face.”
I didn’t know how to explain, so I was honest. “I think I may be developing a new power.” I went on to elaborate in detail what had happened at work, with him and just now. When I was done, he just looked at me with his mouth open.
After a while, he finally spoke. “It could be coincidence, but it sounds like you may able to change people’s thoughts.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe. But I have no idea if it works on possessed or mentally obsessed individuals. Come to think of it, how are we to deal with people who are possessed? I can tell them apart by their auras, now that we’ve witnessed it in the past, but, what do we do when we come across them? How do we protect ourselves?”
“Maybe Ray, or our dreams, can provide the answers we need.”
The rest of the weekend flew by. My SUV was fixed and ready for us to drive back to Orlando. I had offered to stay with mom and drive to and from work every day, but she insisted I stay with Gregory to avoid the long drive and to have the extra security. We did, however, promise to spend the following weekend in Deland with her.
My doctor released me back to work, but I was limited to regular hours the first week. The first day back at work was wonderful. Everyone welcomed me back with open arms, concerned about my relapse and giving me well-wishes.
The week went by as perfect as a work week can, with little to no stress. Angela had not been apprehended. The police let us know that her prints did match the ones found on my vehicle and they had an APB on her. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.
That weekend we had a wonderful time with my mother, but a sense of dread held heavy in the air around me. I felt like something big was in the works, but I had no idea what.
Gregory kept pushing our dreams toward our wedding, while I kept trying to analyze the past and what to make of Angela’s threats and how they could affect the future. Every time I stepped in that direction, I would feel darkness start to swirl around me. Was this the reason I felt impending doom? It was no surprise that Gregory would surround me with his arms and whisper in my ear, “I’ll protect you. We will get through this, together.”
The dreams were not what I was dreading.
I got my answer the following Monday. Several staff members were absent due to illness. Coincidently, all were members of Pamela’s former clique and all were from areas that required our department to pick up the slack, limiting us on our ability to handle our own work load.
I guess it was a
good thing the doctor released me back to full working duty, because my abilities and tolerance were put to the test. I had deadlines to produce reports for upcoming meetings, and Terry and I had to field appointment calls together, since reception was missing half of their staff. I also had to take some of the clinical calls, because some of the medical assistants were out.
Gregory, Mom and my future in-laws were not happy with how many hours I ended up working. I was getting into work a little after 7 in the morning and leaving a little after 7 or 8 at night.
Since Angela was still on the loose, I promised I would either walk out with someone or call Gregory when I was ready to leave so he could hear what was going on. My mom argued that my calling him made no sense as far as safety was concerned; but how could I tell her he could just transport to me in an emergency? He had been practicing with it by having me go to different places in town and he found his way to me, every time.
Slowly, over the course of the week, some of the employees came back, but others remained out with supposed “flu” symptoms. The ones who returned seemed healthy as could be and were suddenly causing mischief within their departments.
Mom warned me not to become relaxed with everything and to keep my wits about me. I should have listened. I ended up leaving the office late that Thursday night after finally finishing up my reports and placing them on the doctors’ desks for review the next day.
I couldn’t believe it was already approaching 8 and most everyone had left the office, with exception of Caroline. When I went to tell her that I was leaving, she told me she still had more work to do, so I called Gregory once I hit the elevators.
To my surprise, he was still at work, finishing up a PowerPoint presentation for his dad. We continued talking about our plans for the weekend since my mom was coming down and we were all going over to his parents’ place.
Lorraine had another dinner scheduled at a new restaurant to see if I liked that chef’s menu. I knew she was excited about the wedding coming up and tried to be understanding of that fact. Nevertheless, according to her schedule, we were running out of time to find a caterer. I wished for just one weekend where we didn’t have to talk details about our impending nuptials. All I wanted was to rest. Gregory agreed, suggesting maybe we could take the boat or Jet Ski out and disappear for a while, by ourselves.
Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) Page 19
