Manitou Springs

by Claudia Hall Christian

  “Like Mologne House,” Honey said. “MJ stayed there when he was in Walter Reed. It’s closed now.”

  “I remember that place,” Devon said. “It’s a great idea. Total hellhole.”

  Honey nodded.

  “If we can get all the kinks worked out, we’ll release the plans on the Internet so people can make them all over the world,” Jacob said. “First, we have to see if it works.”

  “Which means you have to open,” Devon said, with a nod. “I’m sorry we’ve stood in your way.”

  The topic of conversation shifted to hockey and finally came around to the wedding. Noticing the time, Devon mumbled something about his government job, and he left. Honey and Jacob sat in silence for a moment.

  “So?” Jacob asked.

  “Whoo hooo!” Honey hooted her excitement.

  “We’re almost there,” Jacob said with a smile and a nod. “Do you have to go back to work?”

  “I’m taking the late shift on Jerry’s site,” Honey said. “I’m to end the shift on time and start the pack-up crew. I’m excited. Nervous. I’m taking the fact that Jerry trusts me to do this as a great sign.”

  “It is a very good sign,” Jacob said. “I’ll walk you out.”

  Jacob paid the bill and walked Honey to her van. When Honey was on her way, Jacob walked to his truck. Honey had been so happy. It felt really great to help her where she was stuck. Maybe that would be his new role in life. He sat inside for a moment before realizing he hadn’t taken Sarah out for few days. Humming to himself, he went home to take a run through City Park with Sarah and Buster.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday afternoon — 1 p.m.

  “What is that?” Fin asked no one in particular. “Why is there a rodent in this house?”

  He walked out into the main Castle living room. Even though it was warm out, there was a large fire in the fireplace. He stopped to warm his hands. Abi was sitting on the couch, with her daughter tied onto her with a cloth sling.

  “All creatures are beautiful,” Abi said from the couch to his back. “This is Maxwell. He’s a new addition to their household.”

  “Dinner?” Fin asked.

  “Ivy’s bunny,” Abi said. “He’s a pet, named after Max Hargreaves. You know Max — right?

  “The friend of the one our sister is obsessed with,” Fin said.

  “Brother,” Abi said, with a nod. “Would you like to pet him? He’s very friendly.”

  “Aren’t there dogs in this household?” Fin asked.

  He looked over his shoulder to the small black-and-white rabbit. The rabbit sniffed in the air at Fin.

  “That’s why we’re here,” Abi said. “Delphie wanted me to see how the dogs reacted to this bunny. She thinks the bunny could possibly be an enlightened being. She wondered if I might help.”

  They heard a scramble of nails on the hardwood, and Buster, the ugly dog, came into the room, followed by Sarah, the yellow Labrador.

  “That is an horrific animal,” Fin sniffed.

  Ne Ne came into the room and sat down on the other end of the couch.

  “I think he looks like you,” Abi said with a grin.

  The dogs rushed to the couch to say hello to Abi. Both dogs sniffed Maxwell the bunny, and Sarah gave the new arrival a welcoming lick. Watching their interaction closely, Abi raised an eyebrow in a shrug.

  “See what I mean?” Delphie asked as she came into the room.

  “I do see what you mean,” Abi said.

  “That is the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen,” Fin said. “Why do you have it?”

  “For the same reasons we keep you around,” Tanesha said as she came into the living room.

  Delphie gave Tanesha a sly smile. Ne Ne grinned at Tanesha’s comment.

  “Buster is a loyal friend who always has a keen sense of what’s going on around him,” Delphie said.

  “Like you,” Abi said.

  Maxwell the bunny stretched out his nose toward the ugly dog, and Buster the ugly dog gave the bunny a lick.

  “He’s just wondering whether to have the rabbit raw or cooked,” Fin said.

  Abi and Tanesha openly laughed at Fin. Delphie hugged him. Abi picked up the rabbit and carried him to Fin.

  “Here,” Abi said as she set the rabbit in Fin’s arms.

  He blushed and flustered for a moment while Buster crawled up to the crook of his left arm and settled in.

  “I . . .” Fin started.

  “Pretty great, yes?” Delphie asked.

  “Looks like dinner to me,” Fin grumbled but did not set the rabbit down.

  His right hand moved slowly until it settled on the bunny. His hand lingered there for a moment before he started lightly petting the bunny. Maxwell settled in even more. Closely watching the entire thing, Tanesha laughed out loud.

  “How was the fitting?” Delphie asked.

  “Perfect,” Tanesha said. “The brides need a little adjusting but . . .”

  Tanesha’s cell phone rang.

  “I’m sorry — I need to get this,” Tanesha said. “This is Tanesha.”

  Following Delphie’s intense look, Abi and Fin watched Tanesha as she talked on the phone.

  “Excuse me?” Tanesha asked. She listened intently. “Wow. Okay. Thank you. I need to . . . Yes, thank you.”

  Tanesha hung up the phone. Looking dazed, she sat down in an armchair. Delphie put her arm around Tanesha. Not one for subtlety, Fin scowled at Tanesha.

  “Shall we leave for lunch?” Fin asked.

  Tanesha looked up at him before returning to staring straight ahead.

  “What is it?” Abi asked. She reached over and touched Tanesha’s arm. “Are you all right?”

  “All right?” Tanesha asked. “Uh . . .”

  Tanesha looked up at Delphie, and Delphie smiled.

  “She was offered a summer internship at the Inner City Medical Clinic,” Delphie said.

  “Their mobile medical unit,” Tanesha said.

  “Tanesha applied for it when she applied to medical school,” Delphie said. “Before Jeraine came back.”

  Tanesha nodded.

  “They said that, because I did so well in medical school, and all of my references and stuff, I could work there this summer,” Tanesha said. “I can get a salary, but I think I’d probably volunteer — you know, because Dad’s supporting me now.”

  “That’s fantastic!” Abi said.

  Tanesha’s head bobbed up and down, but her mind was miles away.

  “I think you need to take it, child,” Ne Ne said.

  “But . . .” Tanesha said. She turned to look at Delphie. “How will Jer handle it if I don’t go on tour with him and everything? I love him.”

  Delphie gave her a vague look before she shook her head.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t see it,” Delphie said. “I care too much.”

  “You have to live your life,” Ne Ne said. “No matter what happens.”

  Tanesha gave Ne Ne an odd look.

  “My dad says the same thing,” Tanesha said.

  “I should hope so! He was my star pupil!” Ne Ne said with a grin.

  Tanesha smiled.

  “What do we think about the rabbit?” Delphie asked.

  “The rabbit is interesting,” Abi said. “But the enlightened one here is that one.”

  Abi pointed to Sarah, who was lying next to the fire.

  “Not Buster?” Tanesha asked.

  “Buster shakes things up,” Abi said. “He’s like an earthquake — creates dramatic change everywhere he goes.”

  “And the rabbit?” Delphie asked.

  “The rabbit hasn’t decided who he would like to be in the household,” Ne Ne said. “He’s too new and doesn’t understand the lay of the land.”

  Abi nodded.

  “Why did Ivy select him?” Tanesha asked.

  “She was drawn to him,” Delphie said. “He is very sweet.”

  The women looked at Fin, who was petting the rabbit. He scowled at them. Picking up M
axwell, he held the bunny out for them to take but then instantly pulled him back to hold.

  “Maybe we should order in,” Tanesha said with a grin.

  “That’s fine with me,” Abi said. “Delphie, are you joining us?”

  “I’d love to!” Delphie said. “Would you like me to call?”

  “Please,” Abi said.

  “I’ll help,” Fin said.

  “He means he wants to tell you what to do,” Tanesha said.

  Laughing, Delphie walked into the kitchen for menus. Still carrying Maxwell, Fin followed close behind.

  “We’re going to have to kill him to get the bunny back,” Tanesha said.

  Tanesha sat down next to Abi and gestured to hold Abi’s newborn. Smiling, Abi took the baby out of the sling and gave her to Tanesha. She laid the infant on her knees. The baby was so lovely that she looked like a doll or possibly something from a book or movie. Her face was completely symmetrical. Even with them closed, Tanesha could tell the baby’s eyes were large and her eyelashes were long. She had a bud of a nose and dark skin, like Fin and Tanesha.

  “She’s very beautiful,” Tanesha said.

  “Thank you,” Abi said. “She is exactly herself. I will enjoy watching her grow.”

  “Are you concerned about the queen?” Tanesha asked.

  “Oh.” Abi gave a slight shake of her head. “It’s hard to comprehend, I know, but part of Fand’s brokenness stems from her children being so far away from her. She gets angry that they aren’t around, but they aren’t around because she’s angry.”

  Tanesha nodded.

  “She’s very angry with Fin for being here,” Abi said. “She’s convinced she needs to bring the fairy queendom back to purity. But how are you going to do that?”

  “Especially when she married a mortal!” Tanesha laughed.

  “Don’t tell her that,” Abi said. “She made him fairy — or had me do it.”

  Abi grinned. She lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

  “There’s not much she can do to me or the child,” Abi said. “It’s Fin who’s vulnerable.”

  “Is that why the bunny is clinging to him?” Tanesha asked.

  “I’m sure,” Abi said.

  Admiring the baby, they fell silent. Abi looked up at Tanesha after a moment.

  “I think you should take the chances you are given,” Abi said. “You’ve worked hard.”

  “So has Jer,” Tanesha said. “He really wants me to be there to share everything with him.”

  “Why not go when you’re not working?” Abi asked.

  “Jer’s kind of ‘all or nothing’,” Tanesha said.

  “Are you?” Abi asked. Tanesha looked at her for a moment. “He can be all or nothing but if you’re not, he will adjust.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Tanesha asked.

  “You’ve been down that road before,” Abi said. “Give it some thought. I know you’ll do exactly the right thing.”

  Abi looked down at her child, and Tanesha scanned Abi’s face. Abi looked absolutely in love with her child. When Fin came back into the room, Abi gave him the same look.

  “I wonder if love is Abi’s power.” The thought flitted across Tanesha’s mind and disappeared almost immediately.

  “I will,” Tanesha said. “Think about it, I mean.”

  Abi looked up at Tanesha, nodded, and looked back at her baby.

  “I must tell you,” Fin said. The women looked up at him. “I feel tremendous shame over the sheer number of rabbits I’ve eaten in my lifetime.”

  “Maybe that’s why you like this one so much,” Tanesha said.

  “You are what you eat!” Abi and Tanesha said together and laughed.

  Fin grinned at them. For a moment, Tanesha felt like she was in their circle of love. What was she going to do — live the life she set up while she was alone or compromise and live her life with Jeraine? Guilt and overwhelm filled her with dread. She would have to deal with this — if not today, then soon.

  What should she do?

  Jacob arrived home around the time that their food was delivered, causing all thoughts of this dilemma to fade from her mind.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday afternoon — 4:11 p.m.

  “Hey,” Heather said to Jacob. “I wondered if we could talk.”

  They were standing to the side while the children got their wedding clothing fitted. While Charlie and Tink were pretty straight forward, those rascals, Mack and Jabari, not to mention Jacob’s twins, Bladen and Tanner were a nightmare.

  “What’s up?” Jacob said as he juggled attempting to put a suit on one twin while the other worked to take the suit off his twin. Jacob looked at the “helpful twin” and said, “Stop. He needs to wear this. You have one, too.”

  The baby’s scowl looked so much like Jill’s that Heather laughed out loud. Jacob was able to get one suit on.

  “It’s about Aden,” Heather said.

  “I talked to him,” Jacob said as he started putting a suit on the other twin. “Honey told me about the surprise thing.”

  “And?” Heather asked.

  “He has a whole plan,” Jacob said. “He’s pretty sure he doesn’t need girlfriends’ help with this. At least, that’s what he told me.”

  “How could that be true?” Heather asked with a grin.

  “Exactly,” Jacob said with a laugh.

  Heather grabbed Mack and lifted him off the ground so the seamstress could finish marking his garment.

  “What are you planning to do?” Heather asked.

  “Me?” Jacob asked.

  “Happy wife, happy life?” Heather asked. “You know how Jill’s going to freak out if Sandy and Aden aren’t there on Sunday?”

  Jacob gave Heather a slight nod. He looked across the store, where Jill was helping Katy with her “just like Mommy” dress. Katy’s original was too small now, so they’d had to remake it. Of course, the new dress was not exactly like Jill’s, which upset Katy. Jill was rocking Katy on her lap while Katy cried. Heather followed his eyes.

  “All I can say is that there are two fairies living with you.” Heather nodded toward Jill and Katy.

  “You think . . .?” Jacob asked.

  “I would,” Heather said. “Now, what are you going to do so that Jill doesn’t end up like that?”

  “Jill?” Jacob asked. “She wouldn’t . . .”

  “Have you met your wife?” Heather asked. “She will respond like that if Sandy doesn’t get married with them. And trust me on this — at this moment, Sandy is not getting married with them.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Jacob said.

  “Soon?” Heather asked.

  “Tonight,” Jacob said. He jogged after Tanner, who had toddled away.

  “You’d better,” Heather said under her breath before turning to give Tink her absolutely honest opinion about her dress.

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-four

  Stinkin’ Thinkin’

  Monday night — 7:35 p.m.

  “I just wanted . . .” Aden said. He exhaled his frustration in an “Ahgg!”

  MJ patted Aden’s shoulder from the back seat.

  “Let it all out, man,” MJ said. “Don’t want to keep that in. Causes cancer and small testicles.”

  “I’m all for keeping it in,” Mike said with a grunt, from the seat next to MJ. “Small testicles are sexy.”

  “We need your rage for hockey tonight!” Jacob laughed from the driver’s seat of their SUV.

  “He’s got enough festering rage for a million matches,” Mike said.

  Aden turned around in the passenger seat to look at MJ.

  “Small testicles?” Aden asked.

  “I’m pretty sure I read that in an Army manual,” MJ said. He shifted his voice to a fake nerdish voice, “Studies show that internalized rage causes sure death and small testicles.”

  The men laughed. They were on their way to play pick-up hockey.

  “Sandy’s never had anyone, ever, do anything just for he
r, including me!” Aden said. “I just wanted to give her everything she dreamed of — perfect wedding, amazing surprise honeymoon trip . . . I mean, I even got her a locket in the same pattern as her wedding ring as a bride’s gift.”

  “Wait — you need to give a bride’s gift?” MJ asked. “What about me? Aren’t I the gift?”

  Aden was so surprised that they turned to look at MJ. Jacob looked in the rearview mirror and laughed at MJ.

  “You mean you really didn’t get anything?” Aden asked MJ.

  “He got her a portrait of Maggie painted by a world-famous artist,” Mike said. “Paid for it in cash, after the family discount and extensive groveling.”

  Aden blushed.

  “That’s really a better present,” Aden said.

  “It’s not a competition!” Jacob said. “The necklace is lovely. Sandy will love it.”

  Aden turned around to Mike.

  “Can you paint a portrait of Rachel by the wedding?” Aden asked.

  “Sure — I’ll just pull it out of my ass,” Mike said. “You don’t mind if it’s brown, do you?”

  The men laughed. Jacob glanced at Aden and shook his head.

  “You have good instincts, Aden,” Jacob said. “Especially when it comes to Sandy. The locket is very beautiful. Plus, it gives her something to show her clients and keep next to her heart. It’s a better gift for Sandy.”

  Aden scowled.

  “Honey would take one look at a locket and chuck it in the drawer,” MJ said. “Just not her thing.”

  “What did you get Jill?” Aden asked Jacob.

  “I’m still working on it,” Jacob said.

  “What?” MJ and Aden asked. Mike just laughed.

  “I’ve been a little busy!” Jacob exclaimed. “I have a few days with nothing planned — no Sea of Amber in my future. I’ll get it done.”

  The men laughed.

  “What’s got you so freaked out?” Jacob asked.

  “I just wanted to make it perfect!” Aden said.

  “Listen, man,” MJ said. “One thing you learn in the military — the more you try to make everything perfect, the more likely it is to fall to complete shit.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?” Mike nodded in agreement.

  “Why not tell her what you’ve planned in broad strokes?” Jacob asked. “You can plan little surprises every day.”