Eagle's Destiny (34 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Nancy came rushing up as the plane was boarding.  She hugged me from behind, “See I made it!”

I turned around, “Nancy, just by the skin of your teeth.  I was sure you were going to have to take the later flight.”

As we waited in line to board the plane, I stole a glance at Nancy.  There was something different about her.  She looked brighter, and more animated than ever. 

After settling in our seats, I turned to her, “Okay, what gives?  Something is going on with you.”

Nancy giggled, “Does it show?”  Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and her grin was almost goofy.

“Does what show?  I want to know why you’re all happy and bubbly.  Is Marcus having this effect on you?”  I asked.

Nancy sat back in her seat and closed her eyes.  She still had the goofy grin.  “Oh yes, Marcus.  He’s so very nice.”  She appeared to be bursting with something.  “Don’t think this is stupid, but we’re engaged!”  Nancy said with flourish.

I managed to sputter out with shock on my face, “You are what?  Nancy, what is happening?”

She
kept the grin on her face.  “I know we haven’t known each other long.”

“Long?”  I interrupted, “How about one day?”

“It was really two nights.”  She answered.  “Come on Elizabeth, haven’t you ever felt right about something?  Marcus and I stayed up all night on Saturday night.”

“I bet you did.”  I rolled my eyes.

“No, Elizabeth,” her eyes pleaded with me.  “It’s not about the sex, well maybe a little, I mean he is fantastic.  Oh man does he rock my boat!”

I covered ears with my hands, “No, too much information.  I don’t want to hear this.”

Nancy pulled my hands down and held them, “Elizabeth, I want you to hear this.  We talked and talked Saturday night.  There is so much we have in common.  Our life view is the same.  The things we value are the same.  I didn’t think I would ever find someone like Marcus.”

“Nancy, you are nuts and are being swept away by the romance that is New Orleans.  Both of you have real lives.  You live in Los Angeles, he lives in New Orleans, and there is too much distance between the two of you.”  I said.

“I can do my job anywhere.  I don’t need to live in Los Angeles.  We’re not worried about that.”  Nancy countered.

I shook my head in disbelief and pursed my lips while sitting back in my seat.  “Nancy, don’t do something foolish, something you’re going to regret.”

Nancy lost the smile on her face.  “Of all the people I know, I thought you would be the most understanding.  You know people’s dreams do come true.  Look at you and Michael.”  She sat back in her seat and folded her arms.

I almost commented that Michael and I were not a dream comes true yet, but this was not about Michael and me so I held my tongue.  I remember what Tommy had said about Michael being able to take care of himself.  I needed to remember too that Nancy was an adult and she could make her own decisions and if that included making the biggest mistakes of her life then she had to live with the consequence.

Nancy touched my hand halfway through the flight.  I took off my headset and looked at her.  “Are you okay with me?”  She asked.

I squeezed her hand.  “Of course I am.  If you’re hell bent on taking this course, I’ll be there for you when you come to your senses and help you pick up the pieces.”  I smiled.

Nancy giggled, “There won’t be any pieces to pick up.  I want you in the wedding.  Will you be my maid of honor?”

Before I nodded, I rolled my eyes upward, “Yes, of course.”

Nancy pointed to her laptop screen.  “See.”  She said.  I leaned over and shook my head with skepticism.  She had already started planning for her wedding. 

“Are you planning a big wedding?”  I asked humoring her.

Nancy nodded earnestly, “Oh yes, Marcus has a large family too.”

“Great.”  I nodded my head and went back to my laptop.

Shortly after we landed in Phoenix Nancy had her ear glued to her cell phone.  “No I miss you more my cuddly-wuddly.”

I grabbed my laptop bag and made my way off the plane.  I hoped she was not planning to continue this nauseating speech for much longer.  No
such luck though, the limousine took us straight to the bookstore and the phone was stuck to her ear the entire way.

It would be another late night for us again since the line was around the block.  When we arrived at the hotel, I was tired and wanted to go to bed.  My mosquito bites were itching and my mood was not a happy one.  Thankfully, Nancy finally surgically removed the phone from her ear and actually spoke to me on the ride over to the hotel.  Of course, her entire conversation revolved around Marcus.  I sat next to her repeatedly rolling my eyes.

“Do you think Michael sent flowers again?”  Nancy said as we were walking down the hall toward our rooms.

I stopped short in front of the door behind the bellman.  How could I have forgotten about the flowers?  I turned around and grinned at her.  “I hope he remembered.”  I answered.

The bellman opened the door to my suite.  Nancy quickly gave him his tip and shushed him away.  A big smile broke out on my face, and suddenly everything was okay in my world again.  On the table sat the vase of red and pink roses.  This time the red roses outnumbered the pink ones by three.

Nancy nodded her head, “Oh, he’s good.  I told Marcus about the roses and he told me that it sounded like something Michael would do.”

“Does Marcus know Michael?”  I asked.

“Oh yeah, Michael, Tommy, and Marcus they are all buddies.”

Nancy closed the door behind her as she left.  I plucked the card from the holder and smiled as I read it.  “
Elizabeth, the best is yet to come.  Michael.
”  I smiled and held the card to my chest.  He was right.  Everything was going to be okay.

My fingers pushed the buttons on the phone quickly.  As if Michael was waiting for my call, he answered immediately. 

“Hi Babe.”  His voice was smooth and silky and it made my body shiver.

“Is the best really yet to come?”  I asked.

“And it will be very soon Elizabeth.”

“Thank you for the flowers.  I love them.”

“They express how I feel about you.”

I almost asked if eventually they would be all red, but I was not bold enough.  I tried to push myself over that edge, but could not.

“Did you enjoy New Orleans?”  Michael asked.

My voice took a slightly hard edge, “Yes, I did Uncle Michael.  You know we’re going to have to talk about this.”

Michael sighed, “Yes, I know I did it again.  I’m sorry. 
Do we have to
talk about it tonight?”

“Not tonight.”  I answered, “But we will talk about it.  I need to
understand why.”

He heaved a heavy sigh again, “I know.”

“But on to better subjects.  Nancy is engaged to Marcus.”  I told Michael.

“What?  Did I hear you right?  How can they be engaged?”  Michael’s voice sounded incredulous.  “What did you guys do in New Orleans?”

“We didn’t do anything, but Nancy and Marcus hooked up right away.  Nancy seems to think that they are fated for each other.  How well do you know Marcus?”  I asked.

“I’ve known him as long as I’ve known Tommy.  Marcus went to UC Berkley at the same time we were at Santa Cruz.  Marcus is like a second or third cousin to Tommy on his Dad’s side.”

“So is he an axe murderer?  Do I have anything to worry about?”

Michael laughed, “No, Marcus is pretty safe, he’s a very bright guy and richer than you can imagine.  His mother, the other side of the family comes from very old money.  And, he was a confirmed bachelor up to about 24 hours ago.  I wonder if Tommy knows.”

“I’m sure everyone is going to know pretty soon.  Nancy was making extensive plans on her laptop.  I don’t think Marcus knows what he’s getting himself into.”  I laughed.

Michael chuckled, “And the same goes for Nancy.  Marcus is a character.  He’s very southern, aristocratic, and chauvinistic.  It should be interesting to watch.”

Michael told me that he would be out of town for the rest of the week.  He said something about being on a ship following whale migration.  I told him that as long as he was home by Saturday night he could follow any migrating thing he wanted.  He laughed and promised he would be home in time.  We talked a while longer and while he was reluctant to end the call, I finally begged off.  I needed to bathe my bites.  Michael laughed heartily when he heard I was using the tea on my mosquito bites.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The flight to Las Vegas was quick.  How Nancy managed to stay off the phone during the flight amazed me.  As soon as we landed, she was back on the phone.  Fortunately, she was using her earpiece, but I never knew whether she was talking to me or to Marcus.  And, didn’t Marcus have to work?  I guessed not, because he was spending every waking moment on the phone with Nancy.  She had even admitted to me that they fell asleep last night on the phone.  I just rolled my eyes, something that I was doing a lot of lately.

By this point, when Nancy and I checked into our rooms at the hotel, I knew there would be roses waiting for me.  The question was how many red ones would there be?  Half of me wished I had not come to expect the roses to be there.  Michael had set up my expectations and usually when that happened to me there would always be disappointment.

Sure enough, when I walked into the room the vase with the roses was sitting on the table.  My heart gave its little flutter and it was easy to count how many red ones there were because this time only one pink rose remained.  The attached card was intriguing this time too, no title of a Frank Sinatra song, only the words “
enough said
.”

I was not sure exactly what Michael meant.  Michael’s phone went to voice mail and I left him a message anyway on the off chance that he might be able to retrieve it.  I missed not being able to talk with him and realized that it would be a long three days with no Michael communication.

Interviews
,
meet and greets with fans, and panel discussions filled the next three days.  I didn’t see much of Nancy since she was busy courting potential new clients.  The little cell phone that Nancy had given to me gave up the ghost on the first day in Las Vegas, so I was stuck with using the phone in my room.

By Thursday night, my frustration level was high.  It was close to mid-
night, and I had just made it up to my room after the convention closing ceremonies.  I called Michael’s cell phone just in case, but it went straight to voice mail.  I left him an inane message that was probably not very intelligent.

I fell into bed.  My
flight to Los Angeles was early the next morning.  We had the last book tour stop in Westwood at noon.  It would give me enough time to stop off at my house to see my sister and Dad.  I wasn’t in bed more than
fifteen
minutes and the bedside phone rang jarring me
awake
.
 
If it was Nancy, I was going to kill her. 

I answered the phone gruffly, “What do you want?  I’m trying to go to sleep!”

“Oh sorry Babe, is now not a good time?”  It was Michael’s voice coming over the phone.

I sat up in bed, “Oh, Michael is that really you?  Where are you?’

“I’m at the San Francisco airport.  I just got in from the Aleutian Islands up in Alaska.”

“Wow, you went up there to do your whale thing?”

Michael laughed, “Yeah, I’m part of a marine biology project that is studying the effects of global warming on the gray humpback whale.  The whales will start their migration late next month.”

“Are you there in a photographer capacity or as a marine biologist?”  I asked.

“No, strictly a photographer, my biology days are way behind me.  Hey, I’m sorry for waking you up.  You sound really tired.”  He said.

I sighed, “I am tired.  I can’t wait to go home.”

“Well you’ll be home tomorrow.”

“I’ll be in Los Angeles, I won’t be home.  Los Angeles isn’t home anymore.”  Both of us were quiet on the phone.  Not used to a long pause and wondered if the call disconnected.  “Michael, are you still there?”

“Yeah, sorry.  I guess I’m tired too.  I’m going to let you go.  Get some sleep Babe.  I’ll see you on Saturday.  Call me when you leave Los Angeles.  Do you think you’ll make it up here in one day?”

I giggled, “You bet on it.  I drive really fast!”

I was up early the next morning with a sense of anticipation.  I wanted to get this trip over and I was anxious to get home again.  My dad picked me up at the airport and we had a teary reunion.  On the way to my house, we stopped off at Lisa’s house first so I could deliver the gifts I had collected on my trip.

The kids were excited to see me.  They loved the stuffed alligators I brought them.  Lisa brought me to date on the sale of the house, which was going very well as there were already a few people interested.  She had also arranged for the movers to move the stuff I would be keeping.  Most of the furniture would be donated because I didn’t have room in my little cabin. 
Lisa excelled at this type of organization and I was happy to have her help.

Dad
then
drove me over to my house.  The four of us were planning to attend the Dodger game after I finished the book signing.  My dad had five season tickets to the Dodgers for years.  After my mom passed away the fifth ticket was unused at first, it didn’t seem right, but then eventually we always found someone to invite. 
T
hey were playing the Giants tonight,
and
I
wondered
if Michael
would
watch the game on television.

Thankfully, Lisa had stopped by the house and opened the windows for me.  I carried my luggage into the house.  The first thing I wanted to find was my cell phone, not having it felt like I was missing my right arm.  I spotted it immediately sitting on the dining room table, right next to the large vase filled with long stem red roses.  My heart stopped when I saw them.  He didn’t, did he?

There were no pink roses.  None.  Just eleven red roses.  I counted them twice.  The florist must have made a mistake with the count.  It didn’t matter to me.  I looked for a card.  There didn’t seem to be a card.  Maybe it dropped.  I checked around the table.  No card.

I turned my phone on, it still had a charge, I dialed Michael, and the phone went straight to voice mail.  I
disconnected
and called Lisa to ask her how the flowers arrived.

“They were by the door when I got there this morning.”  She said.

“No card?”  I asked.

“I didn’t see one.”  She answered.  “I’ve got go.  Both kids are driving each other crazy right now.”

The flowers had to be from Michael even if there wasn’t a card.  I smiled.  I had received dozens of flowers in the past two weeks and these thrilled me just as must as the first ones did.  I loved it!

I dressed in jeans and a white cotton short-sleeved blouse.  I tucked the blouse into my jeans and found a belt.  It was tough living out of closets in two different houses.  I rummaged through my closet and was happy to find my old Dodger sweatshirt, which would come in handy at the game tonight.  Even though it was still very much summer in Los Angeles, the nights could get breezy at Dodger Stadium.  For the drive to Westwood, I would leave the convertible top up on my little Saturn Sky so I left my hair down too.  My hair was curling down closer to my waist and knew it was time to cut it again. 

I thought I had left myself enough time to get to the bookstore with time to spare, but as usual, the Friday Los Angeles traffic started early and didn’t let up.  I found myself using side streets and rushing to get to the bookstore.

The valet parked my car and Nancy handed me a latte as I rushed through the door.  “Moments to spare.”  She said.  “You look good.”

“Thanks,” I said taking a gulp of coffee.  “How’s Marcus?”

Her eyes took on a faraway look, “Oh, he’s dreamy.  He’s coming for a visit next week.  You know there is so much to do for the wedding.”

I laughed and shook my head, “Have you set a date yet?”

Nancy nodded, “Yes, next spring.”

“Why are you waiting so long?”

“It’s going to be a big wedding.  There’s a lot to do!”  She said as if I should have already understood this.

Nancy led me in and introduced me to everyone.  A small table was set up in front of large posters of my book.  Several chairs sat behind the table and the two side tables contained copies of all my books.  Nancy ended up holding my latte because the small table did not appear trustworthy enough to hold a book and the latte.

The fans were friendly and again I received requests to sign page 75.  What was it with that page?  I had reread it several times and it didn’t seem that unusual to me.  At four, I checked my watch.  I had to leave no later than five to make it to the game in time.

As I was looking at my watch, the next fan opened the book to page 75 and he laid a red rose down over the page.  “I think this one was missing this morning.”