Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) (25 page)

I spritzed some vanilla scented perfume on my skin, before putting on my attire. I put his necklace back on and wished I had some earrings with me that would complement either the necklace or the dress. In my mind, I ran through the earrings I had brought with me and suddenly remembered the earrings that Aaron had given Hannah, returned to me via my aunt.

I was about to tiptoe back into the bedroom, when I heard Ray’s voice in my head.
“Don’t wear those earrings. Not yet, at least. Dark spirits are circling nearby and you do NOT want to draw attention to yourself. Hide your items in the desk before you leave tonight.”

I shook my head feeling a little freaked out by things. Great, just what I needed to hear; that the darkness is close to us. I want them to stop and leave us alone for one night! I felt myself willing this to happen.

I jumped, when there was a knock at the bathroom door. “Everything okay in there, Jordan?”

“I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute, honey.” I smiled at myself calling him honey, my favorite pet name for him, because he was just so sweet to me.

I collected my dirty clothes and put everything back in its place in the bathroom, before unlocking the door. To my surprise, he was waiting on the other side of the door, to swoop in and plant a chaste kiss on my lips.

He stepped back and looked over me from head to toe. “You look amazing! You look the same as the night of our first date night, with exception of the necklace.” He looked a little puzzled, before adding, “There’s just something missing.”

I panicked, thinking there was something wrong with my appearance. What did I miss? Did I not put lipstick on, was my hair not right, what?

Gregory reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “I think this will help complete your look tonight,” he said smiling, knowing he had me frazzled.

I went to touch the lid of the box he was holding and had it halfway opened, when he snapped it shut. I jumped, not expecting his move. “Maybe I should wait to give you this.”

My frown reflected my emotions. “Are you trying to play games with me or just being silly? You have my interest piqued, now. You know it isn’t nice to tease a woman with something that looks like a jewelry box.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. I was just debating whether I should give these to you now or later. But, they would look amazing on you, tonight.” He smiled as his hand lifted the top of the jewelry box to display a pair of dangling earrings. They had a small, half-inch gold chain that slipped down into two hearts, one interlocking the other, with a small diamond where the two hearts met.

I suddenly realized why he said they would look good for me to wear. They matched my necklace, only the hearts where in a different alignment, but still intertwined. I couldn’t believe it. “When did you get these?”

“So you like them?”

“I love them! But, when...how?” I needed to know when he planned this.

“I bought them at the same time I had purchased the necklace. I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to give them to you,” he admitted.

“Seems like you were pretty sure of yourself.”

His expression was one of love. “I knew I cared for you and had feelings for you that I’ve never felt with another. I had already laid the plans to ask you to marry me when I bought them. Plus, after evaluating my early memories of our Victorian past, I already knew we were destined to be together.”

I sat the clothes I was holding on the counter and I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a soft, loving kiss on his lips. “I will gladly wear the earrings with honor, tonight. They are adorable. I love them; but I love you, more.”

He handed me the earrings and I moved to the counter to put them on. He stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “They look lovely on you.”

I turned and gave him another quick kiss. “Thank you. They do compliment the look quite well.”

I grabbed the items from the counter and put them in our dirty laundry bag in the closet. “I’ll go ahead and get washed up so we can meet Anderson on time. I shouldn’t be too long.” I watched as he winked before closing the bathroom door.

His suit still hanging in the closet, so I knocked on the bathroom door. “Did you plan to dress in the bathroom? Because you left your clothes out here.

I heard him mumble under his breath. “Do you mind handing it to me, along with my dark socks?”

I grabbed the suit from its protective zippered bag, realizing that he intended to wear the same suit and tie that he wore the night of our first date. I shook my head realizing this was just another example of how much we thought alike. I was definitely impressed with his choice, since he had no clue what dress I had packed. He cracked the door and stuck his hand out so I could slip him his outfit.

We still had about thirty mintues before meeting Anderson, so I decided to open up the laptop Gregory had brought with us and look through my purse to find the USB stick I had brought along just in case. I wanted to quickly write down my thoughts for today.

August 24, 20 - -

It has been a while since my last journal entry and A LOT has happened! The History Center proved to be a wealth of information, bringing back several memories, including our full names. We were correct in that our middle names were the same throughout our history, together.. It appears that our first names change; but we are always given the same middle name and our last names always begin with a “C” and a “W”. I don’t know how many lives we’ve had throughout the years, but hopefully this will speed up our search on the names in the future.

I took a leave of absence from work, on doctor’s orders. The stress from Pamela being let go, her followers calling me a “traitor”, the dreams of our Colonial selves, Gregory’s ex accosting me in the parking lot of the History Center, my mother in-law-to-be going crazy with wedding plans and my soon to be sister in-law demanding I give over the ring that Grandpa gave Gregory for me, was just too much to deal with.

On the upside, we learned that the ring was destined to be mine. Grandpa told us the story on how he came to purchase the ring and it looks like Ray was the shopkeeper who sold it to him. I somehow feel that it is a means of protection and is keeping me safe, for now.

Gregory swept me away to his parents’ condo in Daytona Beach to relax and unwind for a few days. Grandpa joined us several days later and we all headed up to Philadelphia. He had Gregory work on a PowerPoint presentation for the meeting with another company to acquire some form of technology. Several members of his acquisition team flew with us. I hope Grandpa has good news tonight and that his business meeting was a success.

We’ve discovered a few things about our past life, here and have had wonderful memories of interacting with the likes of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, in the past. Douglas’ cousin, Barbara, had some enlightening information, as did my aunt, Destiny.

One of the most surprising turn of events is that we’re staying in Gregory’s family’s old house. He didn’t recognize the place when he made reservations, because it is called a different name, with a new owner. However, when we were taken to our room, he looked puzzled and realized it was his old room, with the same furniture he’d had in the past–including a desk with a hidden compartment where we found Hannah’s love letters to Aaron.

During lunch today, I found a box for sale that looked familiar. I believe the box to be mine, or rather Hannah’s. I can’t find an opening to it, yet, but am determined to look at it later, tonight. Aunt Destiny had a similar box, smaller in size, that was also hard to open until Gregory remembered making the box for the earrings Aaron gave Hannah. He was able to pinpoint the right pressure points and release levers in order to get the lid to release, revealing the earrings still inside—in remarkable condition.

Anderson took us along the Delaware River on the way back to our Bed and Breakfast. We both recognized the area from our dreams and asked him to stop. As soon as we found the wooden posts that had been used to position chairs over the river’s edge, we knew it was where our lives had obviously ended.

Ray suddenly appeared and swept us back to that time, where we watched the scene from our dreams played out in its entirety. To say that what happened was as bad as the train wreck, is an euphemism. This was a far worse fate for anyone to have to endure: intentional drowning, trying to coerce a confession from innocents.

The witch had somehow managed to transform her image, along with ours, while placing the colonists under a spell of command with words and demon spirits. I don’t know that I can write any more about it. All I can say is that I’m glad that nightmare is over.

I do want to make note that we need to make inquiries into the amulet that the witch wears and how possession, through her dark spirited minions, works. I noticed that only certain colonists were able to be possessed, while others had to be placed under a spell. The amulet seems to glow whenever the witch is transforming into a new form; but is it also her source of power? If we destroyed it, would she no longer exist?

I need to wrap this up. I hear Gregory finishing in the bathroom. We are meeting up with Grandpa for dinner, tonight, and then we will meet up with him and his associates in the morning to fly back home. In one respect, I’ll be happy to be heading home. In another, I’m not excited about going back to wedding planning and work. Not that I don’t want any of it to happen I just wish things could be simpler and normal again, both at work and life.

I’ll try to post again, soon. If our fated mission should fail to defeat the darkness, then I want to give our next lives the best hope of fighting the witch with as much knowledge as I can.

I heard the door open, right as I was powering down his laptop. “What are you doing, Jordan?” He walked over toward the desk I was sitting at.

“I haven’t posted a journal entry in a while and decided I had the time to do a quick update.” I showed him the special USB stick Ray had given me.

I was just about to get up, when I recalled Ray’s words. “Could you open up the secret compartment on your desk, again? Ray somehow entered my mind while I was finishing up in the bathroom and suggested we hide this and the boxes we received inside the desk, while we’re gone.”

Gregory’s eyebrows arched as if in disbelief of my words. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

He sat down at the desk, going through the motions to open the secret compartment. He held both boxes and realized that only the smallest one would fit inside the hidden area with the love letters. He placed the box inside and gently closed the door, resetting all the tricks to opening the compartment. He looked through the desk and discovered a false bottom in one of the drawers and placed the box I bought inside it. I was determined to figure how to open it after dinner.

Gregory stood from the chair and grabbed hold of my hand. “Are you ready to go meet Anderson and have dinner with Grandpa?”

“I welcome a normal evening and a night out on the town. But, no matter where we are, wherever you are is my favorite place to be.”

He leaned down, giving me kisses up my neck to just below my earlobe. “I couldn’t have said it better, if I tried. You are the only place I want to be. I love you to no end.”

I looked up into his eyes, as he pulled back from me. “I love you that much, too.”

We met Anderson by the front door and headed toward the Four Seasons. The hotel was a sight to behold, filled to the brim with luxury. I felt out of my element, but Gregory comforted me. “It’s just a restaurant, like any other; and you know how down to earth my Grandfather is. Relax, sweetheart and just enjoy the night.”

We told the hostess we were here to meet Mr. Worthington. She led us to his table and Grandpa stood when we were within a few feet, reaching out to embrace each of us.

“How have you been enjoying Philadelphia, Jordan?” He asked.

“I love it, Grandpa. We’ve had amazing food and met some wonderful relatives of ours. I just wish your daughter wasn’t away on business so we could have met her.”

He nodded. “It would’ve been nice to see Gloria, but she’s traveling through Europe for her work. Although, you may get a chance to meet her in a few weeks. She’ll be passing through Orlando to spend a couple of days with her son, Damien.”

Grandpa laughed for a moment, leaving me puzzled. “My daughter is a very pleasant person, but her son, let’s just say he’s another story; the black sheep of the family. Gregory here has no problem wanting to work his way up through the company. But, Damien wanted a Vice Presidency right out of college; even demanded it. When I refused, he went to work for one of our competitors and threatened to destroy our company one day.” He shook his head in disgust, before motioning for us to sit.

We took our seats as Grandpa quickly changed the subject and enlightened Gregory on the meeting. “The group was reluctant to allow us to purchase their technologies and we thought we would be shot down, since Damien’s workplace, Vector Electronics, is also vying for the deal. But, the presentation you put together, showing them how their profit margin would increase with our help, pushed them to sign with us. It will be official come Monday morning. So, tonight we celebrate! Order anything on the menu, it’s my treat.”

The meal was divine and our topics of conversation ranged from work to wedding details. Grandpa still showed a distaste for the way Gwen was bothering me and promised to talk to his grandson and set things straight. “Don’t put too much into what Gwen says, Jordon. She’s a lot of bark, but no bite, really. However, she does like to ‘stir the pot’ any chance she gets. For some reason, the girl thrives on chaos.” He reached over and squeezed my hand in reassurance.

I wish I could feel so reassured about Gwen, but something about her spiteful tone was off and somewhat familiar. I shook my head, dispelling the thought.