Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) (17 page)

He was right. I couldn’t complain. Everyone had told me to take it easy, not to push myself, and that I needed to regain my full strength. Yet, here I was, still tiring too easily, weak with exhaustion and unable to handle even the slightest task. “Fine,” I conceded. “What do you have in mind?”

Gregory was true to his word. He spoke with Caroline and his father and managed to get us some time off. Although, he did have to promise his dad he would complete a project that he was working on for his grandfather, even if remotely.

He wouldn’t tell me where we were going and insisted on packing my bag for me. We took my new mini-SUV and went out to mom’s house to gather some additional clothing and spend a little time with my aunt and uncle. No matter how much they pressed, Gregory wouldn’t even hint as to where we were going-- only that it was somewhere that I could rest and we could just relax and not be bothered with work or wedding details.

After a few hours, he indicated it was time to go. To my surprise, we ended up at a beautiful condominium complex over in Daytona Beach Shores. The outside was painted in Tuscan hues and the lobby was decked out in Italian designs. Beyond the lobby, was a re-creation of a small town piazza—complete with a fountain, wrought iron bistro tables and quaint Italian music playing in the garden area.

I was surprised when the elevator stopped on the top floor and exited to find only a couple of doors available to open. He pulled out his room key and explained. “This complex was designed with two penthouses. My parents have one, and my grandfather has the other. This way, each family can have some privacy but, at the same time, gather all the family together into one place for beach excursions.”

Wow. I didn’t expect them to own the entire top floor. The view inside was just as stunning as the exterior. The theme of Tuscany was continued on into the interior. Similar to the Worthington home, the Penthouse was nicely decorated, but felt comfortable and lived in. I guess that’s what I liked most about Gregory’s family; no matter how much money they had, they didn’t flaunt it. They were just grateful to be among friends, family and enjoy life.

Gregory sat our bags down and pulled me outside onto the balcony, to admire the view. I was skeptical that a trip, only thirty miles from my mom’s house, would allow me to relax, but watching to the waves crash against the shore and breathing in the salt air, made my body unwind and brought immediate serenity.

His arms circled around my waist as I stared out onto the Atlantic. I leaned back into his chest, feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks, maybe even months. My hands covered his and held him close, as his nose and lips moved up and down my neck. “I take it that you like my idea?” He asked.

“Uh-huh.” I was at a loss for words.

“Are you ready for some lunch? We can get some eats at a local favorite of mine and then stop by the store for some supplies and pick up dinner for tonight. How does that sound?” His lips headed toward my ear, before he started nibbling on it. “Then we can come back here, just the two of us, and enjoy an evening swim and a walk on the beach.”

I was about to decline lunch, since my nerves were still a bit unsettled, when my stomach roared to life giving away my hunger. Before I could answer, he laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes to lunch.” He turned me toward him, before claiming my lips with his. “Come on, then, let’s get some food.”

I was amazed at how well Gregory knew the area. I had lived close to Daytona for four years and never really knew my way around, except for finding the mall. He talked about this amazing restaurant that was right on the Halifax River and had been there for ages, Auntie’s Fish House.

The food was amazing, offering local seafood favorites and preparing it in any way imaginable. I wasn’t familiar with the restaurant, so I asked both Gregory and the waitress, for their recommendations. There seemed to be a variety of popular choices, but two that stuck out were fried scallops and broiled rock shrimp. I couldn’t make up my mind, so we ordered both and split them. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that they were his favorites, too.

The shrimp and scallops were amazing, as was the atmosphere. It was relaxing watching the boats sail in and out the waterway, as we ate, side by side, in a peaceful and tranquil environment.

On our way home, we stopped off at a local grocery store to pick up a few necessities and some basic food items. I finally asked, “So, how long are we staying?”

He looked around with a sense of dread before leaning in to whisper, in the lowest voice possible, “I’ll tell you in the car.”

We placed the groceries in the back of the car, before climbing in and heading out. “I’ve actually bought a little more food than we needed. My parents will be over this weekend, so I offered to set up the fridge for them.”

He grabbed hold of my hand and placed it on his knee. “Grandpa will be here in a day or two. He’ll stay in his condo, but wanted to spend some time with us, before heading to Philly.”

My eyes quickly jumped up to his. “We’re flying to Philadelphia with him?”

“Grandpa has some contract negotiations to tend to. But, while he’s working on business, we will be tracking down the final pieces to our puzzle.” Gregory reached into the glove compartment, which was noticeably ajar with a small white tube sticking out. He opened it and pulled out a feather and a note from Ray. It surprised us both.

My ride back to the condo was full of tension, wondering how I was going to enjoy myself when the trip to Philadelphia was around the corner. It was no surprise that Gregory had plenty of things to keep my mind occupied.

As soon as we were back at the condo, he had arranged for us to both receive full-body massages in connecting rooms. Afterwards, we put our bathing suits on and enjoyed a dip in the pool and hot tub. Naturally, he left my one piece at home and packed my bikini, instead. I couldn’t be too mad, though, because the one piece, while covering more, still hurt my ribs a bit.

That night, he had a pizza delivered, while I made a salad and he brewed some iced tea. We sat out on the balcony, watching the moon come up over the water, which was gorgeous. I turned to Gregory and noticed he had a far off look in his eyes. I glanced out to where he was looking and soon found myself remembering things from the past. I was back in the dream that began when I passed out in Gregory’s apartment.

“Watch your ears, dear ones. This evil traitor has been living amongst you, peacefully, gathering secrets for the enemy. She denies her crimes and claims to be someone else. Who knows? She may even be a witch, since she is speaking with a forked tongue.” I looked out at the moonlight hitting the water, over which I was perched, precariously, tied into a seat meant for dunking those into admission of crimes they did not commit. My reflection was of Rebecca, even though I could see her standing and talking about us like we were criminals.

She walked toward me, looking down into the water. That’s when I realized she had my reflection and Aaron had Nicholas’s. I looked over Aaron’s head to see Nicholas’s eyes glowing red, in a subdued tone. Was he under some kind of spell? Did Nicholas reflect Aaron’s image?

Underneath Rebecca’s coverings, the noticeable low glow of an amulet was shining. With a flash, I was transported back to the train of death from our Victorian lives. That is where I saw that same radiating light.. Was this the source of the witch’s ability to control things around her? I knew it would shine whenever she took on a new form, but did it give her power, too?

I felt something grasp firmly onto my shoulders and shake me. “Jordan, snap out of it.”

I shook my head a few times and was brought back to the present. “What’s wrong?”

“I think we both remembered something.” He admitted, woefully.

My face must have been one of puzzlement. When we were together and I had a dream, it was always just me remembering things of the past or us recalling the same scene, together. Gregory’s dreams had never taken off on their own path, before. “What did you remember?”

“I think I’ve met Ray, before. I can’t seem to recall exactly when, where, or why; but I was younger when we first met.” He shook his head a moment. “I guess it will come to me when I’m meant to remember.”

His hand came up and rubbed at his face. “You remembered more about us, didn’t you?”

I watched as Gregory nodded and kneeled before me. “The vision you awoke from the other night? I think I just saw it.” His breathing accelerated, as he began. “We were tied to chairs and looking down into a moonlight waterway. However, our reflections were not our own, and there were two others who reflected our looks. Does this make any sense?”

I grabbed his hands in mine. “You are seeing what I am; only you haven’t been dunked in the river, yet. That’s why I woke up having difficulty breathing the other day. I wasn’t prepared for the dunking and felt my lungs fill with water.”

I let one of my hands come up and gently stroke his face. Gregory smiled hesitantly, before leaning into the caress. “I think it is the work of the witch. The person who looks like your sister in-law has a glow, just below her dress. If you didn’t know to look for it, you would never notice it. During the course of the train events back in Virginia the amulet glowed when the witch transformed; but this time, it is constant. Apparently she has the crowd of colonists angered, believing us to be spies and they have taken on our identities to escape.”

I paused for a moment, trying to figure out how best to explain things. “I haven’t seen the full extent of the scene and don’t want to focus on it right now, but somehow I think the images are our demise.”

Gregory leaned in to give me a peck on the lips, but I pushed my hands into his hair and drew him closer, to deepen it. I needed reassurance that we were there for one another through this whole ordeal. After several minutes had passed, he arose from his kneeling position, lifted me up into his arms, “This is to be continued in the bedroom, where we can snuggle. I need to hold you close.”

The food had been put away and only dishes and drink cups remained on the terrace. “Shouldn’t we clean the table first?” I asked.

“It can wait, you can’t! I need to hold you close to me; need to feel the warmth of your skin against mine.”

We quickly changed for bed, climbed in and snuggled close. Neither of us said anything and our minds were drifting back to the dreams. My guess was that Gregory was as scared as I was on learning more about them. We decided that maybe the combination of holding each other closely and the TV would help us keep the memories at bay, so we turned on a popular sit-com to lighten the mood.

I leaned on my good side, up against his chest and wrapped my arms around him to show him I was not going anywhere. I must have been more tired than I thought because I awoke, several hours later, still in the same position, with the TV still on and some offensive noise coming from a paid programming gimmick.

He was still fast asleep with a light snore escaping him. I shifted out of bed gently, needing to turn off the TV and relieve myself in the bathroom.

I was halfway through washing my hands when I heard screaming. “Hang on, Hannah! I will not allow them to cause you any harm. Spare my love. I will admit to the crimes; just please, spare my Hannah!” The last words were said in anguish.

I ran into the room and turned on a soft light in the corner, by a reading chair, before climbing into bed. “Gregory!” I stated as I shook his shoulders to try and wake him from his nightmare.

He bolted upright in bed, eyes fully dilated, and staring straight at me. His arms quickly went around my waist, crushing me up against his body. He rolled on top of me, pressing me firmly into the mattress and smothering me with kisses all over my lips, face and neck.

“Hannah, my love. I am so thankful that you are all right. I dreamt of our deaths and now that I know you live, I want to waste no further time in making you mine. Be with me, my darling.”

His eyes were open; but I knew he was still in a catatonic state, similar to my own after waking from my dreams of us as Angeline and Daniel, in the river, after the train accident, when we were living in Victorian times.