“What is up?” Dean said in a panic.
At the top of Rowan's lungs she screamed, “Darby and Devon are getting married!” Dean looked at Rowan very concerned, and then he looked at Blake who also looked a bit worried. Dean said, "Is she going to be okay, or are we going to have to slap her?" Sally jabbed him hard in his ribs to which he replied, "Ow! What was that for?"
Letting Rowan run her course of excitement, Blake admitted to Dean that he had known it was coming. Rowan stopped immediately. "How long have you known?"
"Uh well, since before we left Connecticut. Why?"
"Blake Bloomington, you've been keeping this from me all this time?"
Noticing that Dean, Sally, and Josh had all taken a step back, he said warily, "Uhhhh...yes?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, because he hadn't asked her yet."
"So you knew even before Darby?"
"Well, yeah..." Blake answered matter-of-factly.
"Why would Devon tell you before he asked Darby?"
"Oh! Well, he wanted to use mom's ring, so he asked me if that was okay. Dominic had kept it for us and Devon wanted to make sure I was all right with taking it."
"So he gave her your mother's ring? Oh, that is just so sweet. I'll bet it's so beautiful."
"Uh, yeah. It's pretty nice. Anyway, Dominic wants to throw them an engagement party in a couple of days and wants all of us to fly out to surprise them."
"How sweet!" Rowan said.
"Josh, that includes you. We can't leave you here unprotected."
Josh replied, "I don't know, Blake. I appreciate the invite, but what if Lanie needs us and we aren't here to answer her call. Plus I don't really feel right with her out there all alone in danger, while I'm off having a good time at a party in Connecticut."
"I can have all the phones forwarded to us in Connecticut, so we won't miss any calls. As for the party, well, Melanie would kill us if we left you here unprotected after all she's done."
"I guess that's true, but..."
"No 'buts' you're going," Blake said as he smacked Josh in the shoulder. "So, Sally? Dean? Are you in?"
Sally looked at Dean nodding, and Dean replied, "Yeah sure. We're up for celebrating, but only if Rowan doesn't make that high pitched scream again..."
Sally jabbed him again hard in the ribs.
"Ow! Would you quit doing that? You've got the boniest little elbows," he said which got him another jab. "Stop doing that. Between your jabs and her screaming, I'm going to be one hurting werewolf."
“Whiner,” Blake said.
Dean said, "Don't start with me, bat boy."
"I told you not to call me that. I can't turn into a bat and I am almost seventy-five years older than you, dog breath."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, bat boy," Dean said waving his hand dismissively. Blake quickly put Dean in a headlock and the girls knew it was their cue to leave the boys to wrestle while they talked wedding stuff. Josh just shook his head and went to Darby's room where he sat on the bed and rubbed the enormous white belly of Harry, who purred like a maniac.
Chapter 23
Today Melanie had driven right by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. It was quite a sight to see in the sunlight. Though she could see it from quite a distance, it was most impressive up close. She didn't go to the old courthouse nearby, but she did write on the matchbook for Missouri that the courthouse was the sight where the famous Dred Scott case was tried in 1846, in which Dred Scott sued for his freedom along with his wife and two daughters and was denied. It was turned over by the Supreme Court in 1857 and was an integral part of the Civil War.
She had run her credit card in Topeka, Kansas and was staying the night in Belleville, Missouri. She made a phone call and made reservations with her credit card for Lori and Chris Summers to fly from Nashville to Salt Lake City. She would have the tickets sent to their house. She hoped that Dimitri was checking all these credit card receipts or all of this would be for naught. Tomorrow it was Fort Smith, Oklahoma and Collerville, Tennessee, but for now it was time to sleep.
This morning was like any other morning in California for Josh. He woke to a large cat standing on his chest, puncturing his skin with his huge claws kneading Josh's bare chest. It wasn't terribly painful, but there certainly was no sleeping through it.
By 10:00 A.M. the Federal Express truck pulled up to deliver an overnight envelope full of red-eye tickets for all in the house. Josh still couldn't help but feel guilty about attending a party while Melanie was on the road, hopefully avoiding danger. He was starting to get that pent up feeling of frustration again at not coming up with a plan. Surely they had enough information to somehow get Melanie out of danger, but if there was, no one was spilling the beans. The only hope was that in meeting the Larsens, maybe with all of them together, they could come up with something.
From what he could gather, Dominic seemed to be an inexhaustible means of information. If nothing else, he would get to meet the man who had sent them everything they knew up until now aside from the actual bloodstone heart itself. He knew that Dominic would be very excited to see it given his great love of history and legendary artifacts.
The household was teaming with activity as the girls twittered about wedding stuff and giggled like schoolgirls with unabashed excitement. The guys packed in a nanosecond compared to the girls. It seemed to take the girls most of the day to pack.
Blake made a bunch of phone calls forwarding phones and interviewing for a job for about an hour. Before Josh knew it, they were all in Rowan's SUV and headed for the airport.
Josh found it very entertaining to open his mind to Blake and Dean as Dean tried not to be nervous about the flight even though this was his fourth flight in a matter of months, but Blake had it well in control. He could keep Dean good and relaxed with beer so as not to let Sally know of his fear. He thought this information should be his and Dean's alone, aside from the wink he gave Josh when he realized Josh was listening in on his thoughts.
It was good to be in control of his thoughts now, where as a month ago, Josh couldn't imagine himself being on a plane with 200 plus people without his mind overloading. He was very appreciative of Blake's help in that area. He had taught him more in a few weeks than he ever thought possible. Now if only he could get Lanie back and out of danger, all would be right with the world.
Over the course of the recent days, Anton had been pursuing Jules. He sent her blood red roses with dark blue delphinium almost the color of her eyes with a card that simply said:
Would you honor me with a date?
But alas, there was no response. The papers from her office came with the wire of money for the statuette along with the contract and paperwork, but no personal notes whatsoever. That, however, did not deter his attempts. He wasn't quite sure why he was so bent on having a date with her, maybe some of the appeal was the chase itself. Sure she was beautiful, he had dated beautiful women before, of course, but there was something about Jules that intrigued him. Something he sensed or maybe saw in her eyes told him that she, like him, had been hurt maybe beyond repair, but most certainly, despite how strong they both were on the outside, they were both very lonely and sad on the inside.
He continued to send cards, and flowers and notes to no avail. When Dominic said that he was going to put together an engagement party for Devon and Darby, he thought this would be his opportunity. The party was to be black tie and Dominic was sparing no expense. The party would not be huge, mostly just family, and a few close friends. He shopped for a gown for Jules along with shoes and jewelry and had it all packaged and arranged for delivery.
To ensure her attendance, however, he felt that he would have to show up himself and ask. It would be too easy for her to say ‘No’ to an invitation without someone there to convince her she must come and once she said yes, he would have everything delivered. Again he got blood red roses, but he handpicked them out this time along with the delphinium.
With a hand engraved invitation in hand, flowers, and d
ressed to kill in a black Armani tuxedo, he went to her office and proceeded to woo her into a 'Yes.' The women all peeked out of their offices and over their cubicles and even some of the men had to see what the girls were all cooing about.
Anton found Jules in her office working at her computer and completely oblivious to anything else going on around her. He saw remnants of the gifts and flowers he had sent previously placed randomly around her office. He stood at the doorway looking very dashing and knocked softly on the open door. She casually looked up, perhaps expecting to see a co-worker, but when she saw Anton's stunning blue eyes and boyish smile behind at least three-dozen red roses and delphinium she couldn't help but smile. It was then that she noticed what a commotion he had made sauntering through her office looking like Prince Charming, and she quickly got up from her desk, led him into the office, and shut the door behind them.
She turned back towards the divinely dressed Anton and said, "Well, you certainly don't give up easily do you?"
"Sorry, no. These are for you. I hand picked them to make sure I got the freshest and most perfect ones, and the delphinium had to be the darkest blue I could find to match your eyes."
"I see. Well they are certainly beautiful, and I thank you, but..."
Before she could end the sentence, Anton interrupted her. "I've come to invite you to a small family party - Black Tie, hence the tux, thought I'd give you a hint of what would be on your arm." He smiled and bowed. Jules raised the flowers to cover part of her face to hide a smile.
"Mmm. I must say, you clean up very nicely, but..."
"Wait, before you decide, here is the hand engraved invitation to the party. My father is hosting it. It is an engagement party for my cousin and his fiancée. My other cousin from California will be flying out with his girlfriend along with a few close friends. It will be very intimate, I assure you." Again she smiled and looked down at the beautiful invitation on black paper; in gold engraved lettering she saw her name printed in beautiful calligraphy: Juliana D'Angelo. She was very impressed with his persistence.
"Anton, this is very flattering, but it sounds a little too intimate for a first date, especially with the fact that your wife..."
"Please, would you stop bringing her up?" He turned to make sure that the door was closed. "Look, my wife and I had been estranged for years before she suddenly died, and she made no attempt to hide from me that she slept with many, many men. Whenever I attempted to move on with my life and find someone else, she would send the woman away with bribes and threats - of course, I didn't know this at the time. So yes, it is sad that she is dead, but there's not a lot to mourn. My family knows all the dark secrets of the marriage so they would like to see me get on with something healthier too, so it is not an issue of protocol.
"Jules, look. I've not pursued anyone like this, EVER, not even my wife. I think there could be something between us, if only you would give it a chance. I can sense that you are wary of relationships as I have been in the past, maybe one day we will both want to share that pain with each other, but for now, won't you please just say yes to coming to a little party as my date. I think it could be good for both of us. I would just like to get to know you better and maybe have some fun on the way." He took her hand in his and kissed it. He then made his version of sad puppy dog eyes as an added incentive, and she had to admit to herself he looked adorable.
She looked back down at the lovely invitation on her desk and the flowers in her other hand. "Oh, all right. Are you sure you've never done this before, because you seem bloody good at it."
"Well, forty years of marriage will teach you a thing or two about women," he joked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and pushed a couple of buttons as she said, "There is a problem though."
"There is? What's that?"
"Well, I don't have anything to wear on such short notice."
"Aw, well, that is not a problem anymore," he said as a knock came at the door and he opened it, displaying a man almost completely hidden behind the several boxes wrapped in a wide red bow that he was holding.
Anton took the packages from him, said thanks, and closed the door again. He set the packages down on the chair in front of the desk, and then he turned to Jules and said, "Problem solved."
"Wow. You've thought of everything, haven't you?"
"I tried."
"And you've succeeded. So what might I find in these boxes?"
"Oh the usual; a gown to compliment your eyes, shoes to match the gown, and some jewelry to accentuate it all."
"Really? May I?" she said gesturing to the packages.
"Of course, they are for you, after all."
She tried not to show how impressed she was or just how flattered she was by his doting, but when she opened the box with the gown, her breath was taken away. It was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. She pulled it completely out of the box and held it in front of her.
"It's perfect for you. I knew it would be," Anton said with pride.
Unable to speak, she opened the other packages revealing gorgeous silk pumps that looked like they had been designed specifically to go with the dress, and the jewelry to match, which was stunning. It was a simple velvet ribbon choker with a drop of sapphires and what looked like diamonds. There was a dainty bracelet to match along with earrings. He could tell she was pleased by her expressions.
Finally she spoke. "Oh Anton. Everything is so beautiful, but don't you think you've gone a little overboard?"
"Not at all. It suits you. Besides, someone once told me that you never get to redo a first date, so make it special, like the opening line of a book. It has to keep you wanting more, or else why would you read any more of the book? I just hope this might be the beginning of something very special."
"I don't know what to say...thank you, Anton."
"And thank you for saying yes. I am sorry that I can't pick you up personally. I have some things to do to help out in getting ready for the party, but I will send a car for you at your home at 5:00 P.M. that will take you to the house."
"I look forward to it."
"As do I," he said as he kissed her hand again. He smiled as he looked into her eyes and he thought he saw the tiniest blush come over her cheeks. " I'll see you tomorrow evening."
She nodded as he turned and exited, looking very confident as he strode through the cloud of whispers and wondering looks. Jules watched him as he walked away. A flush of warmth flooded over her skin - a feeling she had not felt for at least four centuries A chill to ran through her as her mind caught up with her heart and a long forgotten sensation came over her. Had someone finally touched her icy heart and warmed the very cockles of her soul? She was both excited and terrified at the same time.
Chapter 24
After Melanie ran the credit card in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the afternoon, she headed back down through Alabama and onto Macon, Georgia. She had made good time today and found a diner close to the hotel she was staying in for dinner. Like the diner in which she had met Danny, Ellen, and Debbie in Mobile, it was fairly empty. In a booth, two tables from her, she could hear what she thought was a couple arguing. After several minutes trying to focus on her menu and not listen to their conversation, she surmised that the two were brother and sister (Sandy and Travis). Sandy had been nearly in tears, which is why Melanie was having a tough time tuning them out.
"But Aunt Betsy said things are really bad, Travis. We have to go and see her. What if she dies and we weren't there to be with her?"
"I know, I know, but what can we do? You don't have a car, mine is about to die, and I don't have enough money to fix it, let alone go to Pueblo."
"Can you ask your boss for an advance?"
"No - can you?"
"No."
"Have you asked Ray if he could loan you the money or maybe his car?" he asked.
"Ray left a few weeks back. He says he's moving to New York to become an actor."
Travis snorted loudly. "Ray thinks
he can act? When did he decide he was an actor?"
"Don't get me started, Travis, you haven't exactly been lucky in love either."
"Point taken. So what can we do?"
"Maybe I can sell Grandma Nona's ring?"
"You can't do that, Sandy Irene Robbins - you just can't. That's the only thing either of us has from Dad's side of the family. You just can't."
"Then what?" she asked.
"Can you get any extra hours at work?"
"No, they're downsizing as it is."
"Then I just don't know what we can possibly do, Sandy.”
"But Aunt Betsy says she's dying."
"I know. I just don't know what else we can do! We'll call and explain. She'll understand."
"I know she'll understand, but will WE be able to live with ourselves if this was our last chance to see her?"
"I don't know!” Travis said. “I don't know what you want me to say."
"I want you to tell me this will all work out and that we will see Momma before she passes."
"I can't make promises like that, but I can promise I will do everything in my power to try, okay? Momma knows we’re strapped and just barely making ends meet. She knows we'll try. I'll ask again at the cannery if I can get a few more hours and at the very least I can send you on a bus. At least one of us will be there.”
"I can't go without you."
"You will if that's all we can afford, besides one of us will have to pick up the slack or you'll be moving in with me again."
Sandy stared out the window as streams of tears ran down her face much like the raindrops trailing down the window outside of the diner. Travis put his hand on his sister's and patted it gently. "Don't cry, Sandy. We'll get through this."
"We should have never left her there all by herself."
"Come on now, we thought it would be an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Momma knew that. We couldn't have known it wouldn't work out. We thought we'd both be sending back money for her to join us here."
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