by Gloria Doty
“I don’t think there’s a correct way to behave when you get news like that, but I’m here no matter what you need to do.”
They sat like that for a long time until she pulled away and began to talk.
“You know, I never really had a mother. I’ve asked myself many times why she was so detached from me. Did she hate my father and perhaps I reminded her of him? Or did her pregnancy totally screw up some plans she had for her life? I remember asking her those questions once but she said I was being disrespectful to even ask, so I never pursued the thought again. She took good care of me…the best clothes, boarding schools, a car when I was sixteen, trips, college education…all of it. But I don’t recall one hug or goodnight kiss or ever hearing her say she loved me. She didn’t expect gratefulness…but obedience was high on her list. When I fought her about taking ownership of the magazine, she cut all communications with me. I did ask for her help or insight when I was being threatened with a hostile takeover. I figured she knew the magazine industry better than anyone else I knew, but she wouldn’t even return my calls.”
After a long pause, she added, “I was shocked she allowed me to use her house here in Montana.”
Finally, she said, quietly, “I’m sad that I’m not feeling sad. If I loved her, there would be a glimmer of emotion, I’d think, but I feel nothing. My life will continue as it has…I never heard from her in the past and I’m certain I’m not going to hear from her now or in the future.”
“Who was it that called you?”
“I don’t know if he gave a name. If he did, I don’t recall what it was. He told me she would be cremated and I needed to come to France to take possession of her ‘remains’ as he called them. Ugh. That sounds revolting.”
Collier waited, sensing she had more to say.
“Apparently, she left detailed instructions as to the dispersal of her belongings and her home. If I know Barbara at all, there’s a will somewhere and no, I do not expect to be included in it. She probably left her wealth to the local cat shelter or something like that. He did mention a letter, addressed to me. That would be her one last chance to tell me how disappointing I was to her…spoken from the grave, so to speak.”
“What will you do with her ashes, Camille?”
“I don’t know but I can tell you they won’t sit on my mantel or anywhere in my home. That would be a constant reminder of our fractured relationship. She probably specified where she wants to be…you know, control things to the end…but if she didn’t…maybe in Missouri would be good. That’s where she grew up.”
Quietly, barely above a whisper, Collier told her, “I’ll go with you. I don’t want you to go to Paris alone.”
She turned to him and kissed him. The kiss was returned in a tender, passionate way.
“That isn’t necessary. I’ve traveled by myself for many years.”
“I realize that, but you’ve not traveled on a journey like this one. Even with the worst relationship, you can’t deny she was your mother and some part of you wishes it could have been different.”
CHAPTER 30
WHEN CAMILLE RETURNED home, she collapsed on the couch. The day had been wonderful, even after the phone call. She would wait for the gentleman who called her to call back with more information. If she wasn’t needed to sort through Barbara’s things, perhaps the ashes could be mailed to her. Surely mortuaries had contingency plans for circumstances like this. Not every relative would have the means to jump on a plane and fly to another country to retrieve ashes.
While she was in the midst of contemplating that problem, her phone rang again.
Maybe this was the man she spoke to earlier but when she found her phone, she saw it was Allie.
“Hey, Allie, how’s everything going? Is the new issue ready to hit the streets?”
“Yes, it’s already available on Amazon and will be in the stores tomorrow. That’s why I’m calling you, Camille.” Allie’s voice sounded like she was almost in tears. That was never a good sign, as Allie was the most unflappable employee on her staff.
“Calm down, Allie. It can’t be that bad. What happened? Did someone goof and put my picture back on the inside cover?” she laughed.
When there was an ominous silence on her phone, she sat up and said, “Allie! That simply is not acceptable. That cannot have happened…but it did, didn’t it?”
“Oh, Camille, I’m so sorry. You can fire me if you want. It’s my fault. I thought I checked everything but I handed that one responsibility to Dory and she missed that detail. I guess she was so used to seeing your photo in that spot for all these years, it seemed normal to her.”
‘Right. I remember how upset Dory was at the staff meeting. She didn’t make a mistake…this was exactly what she wanted to happen. I should have followed my gut instinct and fired her back then.’
‘Okay, okay, Allie…I’m not going to fire you, but I need to think. Maybe there’s a chance we can pull it before distribution.”
“We already tried, Camille. It’s too late. Maybe no one in Montana will see it. After all, our distribution channels don’t go west of the Mississippi.”
Camille sighed and had the thought go through her head, ‘You’re a lot more upset about this call than you were about the previous one. What does that say about you, Camille?’
“Well, there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do at this point so we’ll just have to see what happens and deal with the fallout, if there is any.”
***
Maggie had been told to take a few days off before the band members arrived. Hopefully, things would be so busy on the weekend, she’d have to work all hours and shifts. She smiled to herself as she sat down with a cup of freshly-brewed peppermint tea, put her feet on the foot stool and opened the magazine that had been left at The Branding Iron. She flipped through a few recipe pages and some information on how to handle your next hospital stay. She didn’t really care as she didn’t foresee cooking or going to the hospital. The one she was looking for supposedly gave advice and real-life scenarios of dating sites; especially if you were an older woman seeking a younger man. Maybe she could glean some advice for Jace and his experiences on the dating site. Ah, there it was. There were several pages of anecdotes and advice. She laughed and commiserated with the author as she wrote frankly about everything. When she finished, she checked the author’s name…Emily Hasbro…was that for real? How many women are named Emily Hasbro? Maybe it was a fluke, after all. That’s not such an unusual name. She did want to read the next installment of this series of articles, though. The information was good as well as entertaining and useful.
Maggie went to her Amazon account and ordered the next issue. It would be in her mailbox in a few days. She was anxious to show it to Jace and give him some pointers on dating an older woman although his dating might be put on the back burner for the next two weekends.
***
Jace made sure he was available when the band members arrived. The table of regulars hung around longer than usual, just so they could meet everyone. After all, as Ken reminded them… this was his idea.
The atmosphere resembled a national holiday when the three vans pulled up outside The Branding Iron. Two of the vans were used to haul the equipment and the third one carried the rest of the band members and everyone’s luggage. When their gigs were closer to home, they drove their own vehicles but due to the long distance this trip, they used the third van. There were introductions and handshakes all around. Of course, no one would remember names anyway…at least, not today. Introductions were first names, only.
Hubie introduced the members of the band: Seve was the drummer, Tim was introduced as the ‘multi-instrumentalist,’ Travis was the fiddle player and Missy, the only female in the group, played bass guitar and was the vocalist, and the person responsible for making sure everyone could hear the group, was Rod, the soundman.
Jace introduced the men at the regulars table, telling everyone they were permanent fixtures at the bar. He told them
Maggie would take care of their drink requests since she was not only beautiful but the best bartender in the state of Montana. They applauded that statement while Maggie shook her head and grinned.
Mitch directed the two equipment vans to the spaces reserved for them behind the bar. It would be convenient to bring the equipment in the back doors. Ken, Ralph and the rest of the ‘guys’ were more than willing to help with the rearranging of tables and chairs so the band would have sufficient room and be visible to everyone.
“Don’t forget to leave enough room for dancing,” Maggie told them. “I might want to do a little line dancing.”
They wouldn’t play until tomorrow evening but perhaps tonight’s customers would catch the excitement and come back tomorrow evening…with their friends.
When he could speak to Hubie privately, Jace asked about the band’s fee. He wanted to get the check cashed and take care of the money concerns immediately.
Hubie frowned a bit and looked perplexed. “What are you talking about, Jace? You don’t owe us anything. Our fees for both weekends and lodging, meals, everything, have been paid up front. We’re good. No worries there.”
“What are you talking about? Who paid you?”
Hubie laughed. “I’m not supposed to tell you his name but do you know a tall cowboy from Texas?”
Cal Frasier paid you?”
“He mentioned something about paying a debt of gratitude for their grandson or something like that.”
Jace mumbled a few incoherent words and Hubie slapped him on the shoulder. “Enjoy the perks of the friendship, Jace,” he said as he turned back to the group of people gathered around the members of the band. Everyone wanted to get their two cents worth in, forgetting they were going to be around for an entire week.
***
Jace went to his office and sat down. He was still in shock over the fact all fees had been paid. He could return Emily’s check. He hadn’t been feeling so good about taking it anyway. The word ‘gigolo’ had crossed his brain several times since she gave it to him. He did enjoy her company but didn’t want to be paid for spending time with her. If that’s what dating an older woman meant, he wanted no part of it. In fact, since he attended church with Dani and went to her house for dinner, he had been doing a lot of thinking about a lot of things. He was beginning to think the whole online dating thing was not for him…regardless of the age of the woman. He wanted the old-fashioned kind of dating…ask a girl out and see if you like each other, have anything in common…then if it goes well, ask her out again. He sighed. Apparently, that made him a Neanderthal in his thinking. Finding someone on the internet seemed to be the ‘norm.’
CHAPTER 31
WILL WAS ENJOYING breakfast with Lorna while they discussed their upcoming business trip to New York. “I’m looking forward to spending time in The Big Apple with you, Will. I know we’re required to attend the seminars during the day but the fun begins in the evening, anyway.”
She was flipping through messages or emails or something on her phone when she absently asked, “Didn’t you say you had a layover or changed flights or something in Bozeman, Montana on your way to California?”
He nodded. “Yes, I did. I was naively thinking I could find Camille but once I saw the size of the town, I realized how foolish that was. I had a drink at some bar named The Branding Iron and went back to the hotel until I could fly out in the morning. Why?”
“You remember the name of the bar?” she asked incredulously.
He grinned. “Yes, I do. I flirted a bit with the bartender…a gorgeous redhead.”
Lorna didn’t find that too humorous. “Ah, yes, the famous Maggie. I didn’t like her and it was evident she couldn’t stand me. I was going to seduce her precious Jace and although she tried, she never could get him into bed.”
“When were you in Montana? A little out of your usual territory, isn’t it? Out of your comfort zone?”
“The group I was working with was awarded a trip to Bozeman to experience a ‘Week in the Wilderness.’ Like anyone in their right mind would want to spend a week with smelly horses, campfires, insects and very few amenities of the modern world.”
Will nearly choked on his food, laughing at the visions he was having of Lorna in the wilderness. “I must say, I find that quite amusing. I only wish I’d been there to observe you on the back of a horse.”
“Drop dead, Will! The only decent part of the entire experience was meeting Jace. He was our guide and the owner of the Wilderness Trips Company. He also owned The Branding Iron, a bar.”
“So tell me, was he good looking or rich or possibly both? That seems to be what attracts you, Lorna. Since I’m not rich, you must like me for my outstanding physique and my ruggedly handsome face.”
She smiled a slow smile. “He was very handsome and I believed he was wealthy. I mean he owned two businesses for heaven’s sake. Unfortunately, I found out he wasn’t. In fact his bar was in financial trouble. That’s when I left and went back to California.”
“Of course, you did. I wouldn’t expect you to stick by someone and see them through a rough time.” He was joking with her but he knew his words were true.
“You are absolutely correct, my friend. I’m a firm believer in self-preservation, at all costs. I have no sympathy or empathy for people who find themselves in financial straits. It’s always due to their own stupidity. Jace has obviously changed something though or inherited a windfall.”
“What makes you think that?” Will asked as he proceeded to drain his coffee cup.
“I must have signed up for emails from the local newspaper when I was there and I’ve never taken the time to unsubscribe. I saw a half-page ad about some band playing at the bar the next two weekends. They’re not local, either and they just played in Seattle at a music festival. The bar must be doing well to afford that kind of entertainment.”
Will couldn’t quite decide how he felt about Lorna. She was a manipulative, money-grubbing shrew, for sure. She was also intelligent, fun, sexy and a key component in helping him secure the job he wanted. ‘That makes you two of a kind, Will. You probably deserve each other.’
“We have time, Will. Let’s stop in Bozeman long enough to say hello. If nothing else, it will totally tick Maggie off if I show up and who knows, if your precious Camille really is there, she might come to the bar to hear the band. Maybe we’ll both get lucky.” She laughed at the double meaning in that statement.
***
Collier called Camille to check on her. When she didn’t answer, he became concerned and drove to her house. He’d been hesitant to leave her alone last night and even offered to stay and sleep on the couch…no strings attached. He knew the news of her mother’s death had to affect her on some level, even if she didn’t admit it. When there was no answer at the door, he walked around to the back. He found her sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee she hadn’t touched, on the table beside her. She appeared to be napping but smiled at him when she heard him approach.
“What are you doing here, Collier? After playing hooky yesterday, I thought you’d have a bazillion things to accomplish today.”
“A bazillion and one, to be precise. I was worried about you Camille, plain and simple.”
“I’m sorry my mental state has been pushed off onto you. I’m fine, really, I am. I was following your example. I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the spot we were enjoying yesterday, so this was the next best…feeling the sun on my face and enjoying the peacefulness of the scenery and the mountains in the distance.”
“Has it helped alleviate some of your worries or concerns about how to proceed with…you know, things?”
She reached out and placed her palm on his cheek. He was the kindest man she could recall ever meeting.
“Yes, I have, Collier. I spoke to the man who called yesterday. He said he was Barbara’s attorney but I suspect he was more than that.”
When he raised his eyebrows a bit, she nodded and stated, “Oh yes, Barbara ma
y have been distant to me but she liked men and was always in a relationship with someone. Weird to think of your parent in those terms, isn’t it? It’s true and I’d be willing to bet there would be a parade of them at her funeral - if there was going to be a funeral - and if they weren’t probably all deceased.” She paused for a bit, then continued. “He’s going to call when everything is finalized. It will be determined then if I need to be present for the reading of the will. I don’t know why I would need to be there…I know she didn’t will anything to me and that is perfectly fine with me.”
“Do you think you’ll feel up to going to The Branding Iron tomorrow evening? Half the
town is talking about it and I’d love to take you. Maybe a bit of dancin’ will lift your spirits.”
‘You better go, Camille. After all, you’re the cougar who paid for the entertainment.’
“Yes, I’d love to go with you, Collier. I’m looking forward to it.”
As she watched him walk away, she wished with all her heart she had been truthful with him from the beginning. Now there were too many secrets and deceptions on her side of their friendship.
***
“What is that heavenly smell?” Dani asked as she entered the back door. She removed her work gloves and boots and proceeded to the stove where Dean was stirring something.
“Just a little beef stew with a few secret ingredients,” he explained.
She kissed his cheek and told him, “Whatever it is…I’m starving. Y’know I miss Luke being here. That kid could eat a person out of house and home but it seems lonely without him. Don’t you think so, Dad?”
“Yep, I do,” was his only reply to her question.
“Who’s joining us for dinner?” Dani asked when she saw the table set for three and her father ladling up a third bowl of stew.
“I’m baaack,” Luke shouted as he appeared from the living room.
Dani laughed and jumped up to hug him. “What happened? Wouldn’t they allow you on the plane? Where are your grandparents?”
