“Sure.”
Samantha put her hand over the phone and walked into the kitchen where Alice was preparing meat for the grill. “Alice, do you mind if I have a friend come over?” After the disaster with Leonard over the car, Samantha thought it best to make sure she could have people over.
“Of course not, dear. This is your home now, too.”
“Thanks, that’s really nice of you.”
Then Alice quickly rattled off the house rules. “As long as there’s no drinking, no cussing and the bedroom door stays open.” Alice smiled when she was finished, and Samantha knew she was serious, however humorous she might have seemed.
Putting the phone to her ear again, she said to Dakota, “Okay, come on over.”
“I’m on my way!”
On the short ten minute drive, all sorts of thoughts ran through Dakota’s mind. She felt anxious and wasn’t sure if it was because she found Samantha fascinating in a fragile, broken wing sort of way. Or if it was that perhaps Samantha had taken her phone call the wrong way and that’s why she invited her over. Dakota, though very attracted to the woman, would not admit to it or allow it to go beyond that, because she felt that Samantha needed to heal first before she got involved with someone. It wouldn’t be fair to her, Dakota thought, after witnessing her blackout, to distract her with romantic overtures, pulling her away from what should be her only priority, healing.
“Hello, Mrs. Montgomery. My name is‒‒”
“Dakota Lewis. We met in Vicky’s office before she left for Ireland, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Is Samantha here?”
“Sure, won’t you come in? She’s out back on the patio. Just through there.” Alice pointed toward the kitchen glass door and Dakota thanked her, then made her way to the patio.
“Hey, Sam, here I am, as requested.” Dakota didn’t realize Samantha was breastfeeding, “Oh… I’m sorry,” she turned around, “I didn’t mean to intrude.” then blushed fifty shades of red.
Samantha checked to make sure she wasn’t showing something she shouldn’t be, and she wasn’t. She smiled at Dakota’s embarrassment because there was a time, not too long ago, that she would have been the same way.
“It’s okay, Dakota, you’re not intruding at all. Have a seat.”
Dakota timidly turned back around and sat in a lawn chair next to Samantha. She could hear the baby suckling under the cloth covering his head. She had seen mother’s breastfeed their babies before, on television, but seeing it in person made it seem so much more special. She watched as Samantha fussed over her baby and could tell, she was in love with her child.
Samantha looked over at Dakota, “Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’re hungry.”
Leonard stood by the grill cooking pork chops and ears of corn. He waved a spatula at Dakota, who waved back at him. Samantha sat outside so she could enjoy not only the smell, but the similarities between the way Leonard and her own father loved to grill.
“So, it seemed like you wanted to tell me something when you called but was having trouble?”
“Oh, yes, um, sorry about that. I just wanted to call and check on you, but then after you answered the phone I felt silly, like I was being nosy.”
Really? That’s kinda nice. “Dakota‒‒”
“My friends call me Dak.”
Leonard smiled at the girls as he walked by them on his way into the house. That was Samantha’s cue to get right to the point.
“Okay, Dak. I need to be honest with you up front. I think you’re nice…, really nice, but I’m just not in a good place right now to get involved with someone, and‒‒”
“What? N, Sam. I’m sorry if I led you to believe I wanted more than just friendship. Vicky asked me to look out for you.”
“That’s it? That’s the reason you’ve been calling and asking me to play tennis and go for walks and all?”
“Well, yes, initially.” Dakota knew there was no way she could tell Samantha about the suicide note, it would only make things worse. “But it’s also because I really do want to be friends. I don’t know a lot of people in this city. I just moved down here from North Dakota for my job.”
“So you’re a Yankee, eh?” Samantha was relieved and decided to let her off the hook. She knew first-hand how hard it was to make friends in a new place, especially one with a culture completely different from what she was used to. Though most people consider Florida a southern state, Miami, where Samantha was from, was a multicultural population with a wide diversity of societies. Little Rock was much the same, except on a much smaller scale. By contrast, where Little Rock was three-fourths larger than Miami, its population is only a third of Miami’s. To Samantha’s way of thinking, there weren’t enough people here to justify calling it a city. But then, if she were to ask a local resident, they would tell her there’s too many people in Miami to call it livable.
“Yep, I was born and raised there. You?”
The two women relaxed, now that the expectations had been set, and began to get to know each other. Samantha was very pleased. She just now realized how much she really did want a friend to call her own.
***
“Jerry, wait up.” Yvonne called out to him.
Jerry wasn’t leaving, he was pacing. While waiting for Yvonne to come out he was trying to work through his anger. How could his mother ruin the most important day of his life? He was sure that Yvonne must think him an idiot, or worse. Who would want to marry him with a mother like that?
“Jerry. Are you all right?”
“Yvonne, I’m so sorry. That’s not how I wanted things to go at all.”
“Of course you didn’t, Jerry. I know that. But even though your mother has a way of irritating the hell out of a person, I think she does it because it’s the only way she knows to love you.”
“I never liked that kind of love. Listen, Yvonne, in spite of my mother, do you still want to marry me?”
“Only if you can promise me that she will never live with us.”
Jerry smiled, his tension melting away. “I can categorically promise that will never happen.”
“Jerry, I um…”
“What is it, Yvonne?”
“I’m just worried that you will regret giving up your inheritance one day. That you’ll end up hating me for it.” Yvonne wasn’t being coy, it was a true worry for her, and as strong-willed as she was, she had always been insecure when it came to loving someone.
“Yvonne, look at me.” Jerry tucked his hand under her chin and turned her head toward him. “I gave up my inheritance years ago. Long before I met you, or Aidan, or even before I joined the Army. So I can assure you, just as my mother will never live with us, I will never regret giving up her money.”
Yvonne’s eyes began to mist, as she nodded. “I believe you, Jerry.” She grabbed his head with both hands and pulled him to her lips.
Chapter Eighteen
“Honey, are you here?”
“I’m out here,” Aidan called from the balcony of their hotel room, “Grab me a beer on your way, would you please? I’ve got some exciting news to tell you!”
Vicky kicked off her shoes, poured herself a glass of wine, got a beer from the refrigerator and walked out to the balcony.
“Thanks.” Aidan sat the beer down on the balcony railing and took Vicky’s hand in hers. She slipped the engagement ring back on Vicky’s finger, and then kissed it. “Back where it belongs.”
Vicky placed her hand on her heart as if to draw on its strength.
Aidan smiled at her, but then noticed the worry lines across Vicky’s brow, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“What? Nothing’s wrong, why do you ask?” Vicky tried to mask her mood.
“Because you’re frowning. Is something worrying you, kid?”
“There is something I wanted to talk to you about‒‒”
Just as Vicky was ready to explain, the phone rang and Aidan rushed to answer it.
“This is the front desk,” the voice on the other end
of the phone said, “and there’s a Mr. Brandenburg here to see you.”
“Thank you, we’ll be right down.” Aidan hung up the phone and turned to Vicky. “Your boyfriend is here.”
“Oh you goose, he’s not my boyfriend, but don’t leave me alone with him okay? He might get the wrong idea.”
“No worries, kid, no way you’re getting rid of me any time soon.”
Vicky tilted her head, as if to understand better, the implications of what Aidan had just said.
“Anyway,” Aidan continued, “I took your advice and invited him over for a few questions. Care to join me?”
*
“Mr. Brandenburg, it’s so good to see you again.” Vicky shook his hand.
“Please, call me Peter,” he said.
“Thank you, Peter. I’m Vicky and this is Aidan, my wife.”
Aidan nodded her head at him and the three sat down at a table in the hotel bar. Vicky loathed bars, but it was the logical place for a casual meeting.
Aidan wasted no time in questioning him. “Peter, you mentioned at the party that you’d be interested in buying my wife’s ring, and I was wondering what you thought it would appraise for. Not that I’m interested in selling it, mind you, but I was wondering, if perhaps I should increase my insurance on it?”
“It is a beautiful ring, worth maybe one thousand dollars, but I wouldn’t increase the insurance, I’m sure what you have on it is fine.”
“Thank you, that’s very helpful.” And very wrong! He’s either the worse diamond trader ever, or he’s lying through his teeth… but why?
“I must say, it is a unique ring. Where did you say you bought it?”
Vicky wanted to answer that one so she could brag. “It was my wife’s mother’s ring. The only keepsake of hers that Aidan has.”
Peter sat back in his chair, holding his drink. “Do you have any idea where it might have been purchased from? Uh, the reason I ask is that I would love to see what else they might have for sale. I buy and trade diamonds for a living, and antiques like this one can be very valuable in the right market.”
Okay, he just contradicted himself. This is getting interesting. Aidan replied, “I’m not sure where it was bought from to be honest with you. I believe though, that it was some place here in Ireland.”
“And it ended up all the way across the ocean?” he asked.
“Yeah, go figure,” she quipped.
Vicky looked at her closely. She knows something, but what?
“Peter, have you ever been to America?” Vicky thought she’d keep the conversation going, and Aidan couldn’t be more pleased with her question. She sat back and listened as her wife took the lead.
“No, not yet. I hope to have that pleasure someday.”
Vicky replied, “Oh, I hope you will.”
“As I hope you will come to South Africa one day,” said Peter.
“We would like that very much, but I’m afraid to travel to certain places these days. It’s just not safe anymore.” Although Vicky said that as a ploy to encourage him to talk, it wasn’t altogether wrong. She was afraid to travel to those country’s that harbored terrorists, and these days that number was rising.
“I understand what you are saying, but I can assure you, Madame, we do not have terrorists in my country. The bastards know better than to target us.”
Aidan wondered if that was bravado or if he was really being sincere? She was leaning toward the latter, even though from reading the daily reports, she knew that terrorism is rising in South Africa. Still, she thought there was something he was hiding, but what that was, she wasn’t sure.
“I ran into Mrs. O’Leary today. Do you know her? She’s the wife of the Senator.”
He shook his head. “No, no I don’t think I do.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, the way she looked at you last night, I thought maybe you did.” Vicky gave him her prettiest southern smile. “Well, if you did know her, then you’d know how very delicate she is right now.”
Aidan looked at her curiously, as did Peter, who asked, “I’m not sure why you’re telling me this?”
“I just don’t want to see her hurt again.”
He tilted his head and looked at her, first in shock, then in acceptance. “I assure you, I...” He lowered his eyes, searching his mind, and then looked back at Vicky and said truthfully, “She won’t be hurt by me, I can assure you of that.”
Aidan was surprised. How could Vicky have known? Maybe that was what he was hiding. But before she could decide one way or the other, something caught her eye, distracting her thoughts. She saw a man in the corner of the room nearest the bar, who was repeatedly checking his watch. That’s what the waiter was doing last night. Aidan visualized him in a waiter’s uniform, holding a tray and realized, it was the same man. He’s got balls showing his face in public like that. Something big must be about to happen.
“Excuse me, I’ll be right back, I need to use the little girls room.” She kissed Vicky on the cheek and left.
Peter asked, “Little girls room?”
Vicky smiled, “A colloquialism for restroom.”
“Ah, I understand. So tell me more about that ring. It seems to be a little loose. I can have it resized for you, if you like?”
“Thank you, but that isn’t necessary. I prefer it slightly loose. So what is it about this ring that has everyone so interested in it?”
“I can only speak for myself, but I think that the design is very unique. I’ve never seen one like it before.” He held his palm out and asked, “May I?”
Vicky hesitated at first, afraid on so many levels of taking off her ring and letting him hold it. She finally decided she was being overly cautious, feeling that he wouldn’t try anything in a public place. She took the ring off and handed it to him.
He admired the eighteen-caret Celtic diamond ring, with trinity knot mounts on white gold, for a moment, and then took out his eyepiece and examined it closely.
He grinned, oblivious to Vicky watching him. She felt his grin was curious and slightly devious, and a sudden shiver of apprehension caused her to quickly request her ring back.
Aidan came out of the ladies room and took a seat at the end of the bar, where she ordered a beer for herself, and a cocktail for Vicky. She had specifically sat there so she could overhear the conversation going on between the man with the watch and another man. She pulled out her cell phone and unobtrusively took several pictures of the two of them, and then she emailed them to Tom. After that she hit the record button on the audio app and laid her phone under her elbow, hoping to record their conversation. She figured it was a long shot, but it never hurt to try. She could only make out a few words, like money and transfer, but her concentration was interrupted when the bartender brought over her beer, and she had to dig into her jeans for some money. When she was able to return her attention to their conversation, she thought she heard them say her aunt’s name, and she definitely heard them say Senator O’Leary’s name. What the fuck?
The two men left in opposite directions so Aidan took a big swallow of her beer, threw a tip on the counter and hurried back to Vicky. “I’m sorry, but we have to call it a night,” Aidan said in a rush, “Thank you for answering my questions about the ring. I’ll keep you in mind if we ever do decide to sell it.”
Vicky hurriedly collected her purse and stood up, shaking hands with Brandenburg.
Before he could respond back, Aidan was practically pushing Vicky out the door and into an elevator.
“Aidan, what on earth?” Vicky asked, catching her breath.
“Listen,” Aidan talked as fast as she could, “I need to follow a man who was meeting with a fella from the party last night. Wait for me in the room, I’ll explain everything later.”
“To hell with that, I’m going with you.”
Aidan grinned, she should have known better. She grabbed Vicky’s hand and pulled her down the hallway to the front lobby, where she spotted the man that she had just been spying on, walking
out the front doors of the hotel. They followed him down the sidewalk, Aidan holding Vicky’s hand, this time more as protection than as her lover.
Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out. It was a text from Tom. It read, Use extreme caution! Do not approach. Known terrorist. Follow and report whereabouts. Do not lose sight of him, police are on their way. She handed the phone to Vicky and said in a low tone, “I want you to go back to the hotel room and wait for me. No arguments, understood.” It wasn’t a question, it was a command, and Vicky could tell she was deadly serious, but she still contemplated arguing with her anyway.
Aidan suddenly grabbed her up and kissed her hard against a store front window.
“Oh, honey!” Vicky proclaimed, rubbing her bruised lips.
“Sorry, kid, but he doubled back and I had to do something.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining. I hope he turns around again.”
Aidan smiled at her, as she pulled out her cellphone again, and sent a text to Tom. He’s doubled back, down an alley on O'Connell Street. “Stay here!” she barked at Vicky. Then she pulled her gun out, and rounded the corner after the terrorist. But Vicky couldn’t bear not knowing. She peeked around the corner just as the man jump out from behind a trash bin, coldcocking Aidan in the stomach, sending her crumbling to the ground gasping for breath.
“No!” Vicky screamed, and ran toward Aidan, but the man grabbed her and clapped his hand over her mouth, silencing her screams.
“Why are you following me?” he asked gruffly.
She mumbled through his hand, which annoyed him and he pushed her back. She turned toward him, hoping for a glimpse of Aidan, but he waved a gun at her, demanding an explanation.
“We weren’t following you, we were taking a shortcut through the alley.”
“You’re an American, yes?”
“Yes, we’re here on our honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon? Two women? You lie, you bitch.”
Vicky looked him straight in the eye and said, “Tell her that.”
Aidan stood behind him, and when he turned toward her, she elbowed him in the face, sending him flying backwards grabbing his broken nose, as his gun flew under the garbage bin.
Remember, It's Our Honeymoon Page 17
