[Second Chances 02]California Dreams (3 page)

After the funeral, Trent and Sara gathered with Samuel, Jane, Grace, and Daniella inside the small anteroom at the front of the church. The other funeral attendees had all gone to the Mercer home and Trent had promised that he and Sara would stop by soon.

“Samuel, are you sure it’s safe for them to return to San Diego?” Sara asked again. The week prior, Sara had fled from California and in an effort to locate her, her ex-boss David Patterson and his henchman, Trevor Ward, had gone after Grace and Daniella.

“Trevor Ward has been arrested along with the Quintana brothers. Given the way our judicial system likes to draw things out, and the fact that it’s between holidays, they aren’t even going to get a trial date any time soon.”

“But what if they let them out on bail, or…,” Sara fretted, wringing her hands.

Trent took hold of her hands, stopping her from damaging the skin there anymore, “Stop. Samuel’s going to be keeping an eye on things.” He looked at Samuel for his affirmative nod, receiving it enthusiastically, before continuing, “He’ll keep in touch and if there’s even the slightest chance that Grace or Daniella are in danger, he’ll take the appropriate steps.”

“Don’t worry, hon. I’m going to be there as well and I promise to be extra cautious. Trent showed me pictures of all those men and if Trevor even thinks of coming around, I’ll spot him and tell Samuel.” Jane exuded a confidence that Sara hoped was not misplaced.

Sighing heavily, she adopted a forced smile and nodded her head, “Sorry everyone. I guess I’m just still a little nervous about the whole thing.”

“That’s perfectly understandable, but right now, Trevor and the Quintana brothers are guests of the United States Government. Our hospitality is one thing they don’t have the option of refusing.” Samuel grinned as he tried to pretty up the fact that the three men were locked away in a federal prison waiting on the long, slow, arm of the law to work.

“Jane, I want updates and pictures,” Trent told his cousin, pulling her into his chest for a hug. “I’m really going to miss you,” he told her quietly.

Jane sniffed back tears and hugged him back. Trent and his parents had been there for her and it felt like she was leaving a huge part of herself in Montana.
Lord, I hope I’m not making a mistake!

“I will. Between Grace and Samuel, I should have plenty of things to take pictures of.”

Daniella tugged on her hand, directing her attention downwards, “Don’ts forget about me! I’s very photoben…photome…”

“…photogenic?” Jane offered, seeing the frustration begin on the little girls face and dreading the tantrum that would soon follow.

Daniella eagerly nodded her head, beaming,”Yeah! Photogenic! Mommy says I take the bestest pictures ‘cause I’m so darn cute!”

Everyone laughed, unable to remain sad in the face of such a ‘darn cute’ little girl, who knew it and capitalized on it every chance she got.

Trent touched her nose, agreeing with her, “That you are.” Turning to Jane he said, “Make sure some of those pictures include Daniella here.”

Sara chimed in as well, “And I want to hear all about your new preschool class when we talk next week.”

Grace took her daughter’s hand, before saying, “Tell Trent and Sara ‘Goodbye’ and we’ll go get you buckled into your booster seat.” Daniella was still riding in a car seat because of her size and weight, but had informed her mother several weeks prior that only babies rode in car seats. She was a big girl now and needed a booster seat.

Luckily, for her, the car seat she currently was using had a reversible cover. Grace had washed and then re-installed the seat cover, using the opposite side and presented it to Daniella as a booster seat. The little tike had accepted it, which had prevented Grace from having to purchase a new seat just to appease her daughter’s growing need for independence. Daniella was definitely going to be a handful as she grew up!

After Grace left with Daniella in tow, Trent turned to Samuel, pulling him off to the side while Sara and Jane said their farewells.

“You really think they’re safe?” Trent asked.

“For now. Yes. Trevor Ward isn’t going anywhere as long as we have custody of him. As for the Quintana brothers, Hector was coming to the U.S. for a kidney transplant. He’s been on dialysis for the last three years. They incarcerated him and his brother in San Diego Central Jail where they are more than capable of sustaining his dialysis until trial.”

“What are the chances he’ll get the surgery he came here for?” Trent asked, knowing that sometimes inmates and those awaiting trial were given every opportunity for health that came along.

“Pretty good, unfortunately. Since he and Julian are not U.S. citizens, they have to be treated slightly different than Trevor. Depending upon their lawyer’s ability to twist the Constitution and Immigration Laws to their benefit, Hector will most likely get his surgery, and the trial will be pushed back until such time as he is sufficiently healed and given a doctor’s release. That could be several months down the road.”

Trent squeezed the bridge of his nose, “Do me a favor? Don’t tell that to Grace or Jane. I don’t want Sara looking over her shoulder for the next several months. If she thinks there’s even the slightest possibility that the Quintana brothers might be able to get out of jail, she’ll just worry. Keep me posted, but only me.”

“I can do that. Before we leave, I just wanted you to know that I really care about Jane and plan to do everything in my power to try and keep her in California.” Samuel thought it only fair to warn Trent ahead of time; just in case he was expecting his cousin to return in a month.

“I trust that you’ll be successful. She needs to get on with her life and I don’t see her doing that here. Besides, I can’t think of a better man to welcome to the family. Go slowly and you should be fine.”

Samuel nodded his head, “I plan to. I’ve already got a list of culinary schools I’m going to show her tonight.”

“Tonight?” Trent asked, puzzled since they were only going to be arriving in San Diego just before dinner.

“Jane’s agreed to have dinner with me at my house after we land. I want her first glimpse of the ocean to be with me by her side.” He blushed, knowing he probably sounded like one of those sappy television commercials.

Trent smiled and told him, “Wow! You’ve got this all planned out.”

Samuel nodded, glancing over to see Sara and Jane hugging each other, “Yeah. I just want her to be happy.”

Trent watched Sara envelope his cousin and nodded, “That’s all we want. For our women to be happy.”

The plane rides had been uneventful; even the changeover in Denver had gone over without a hitch. Daniella had slept during both legs of their trip and was now full of energy as they headed for the luggage carousels.

Jane and Grace both held one of her hands, as she skipped and swung herself between them, screeching so loudly that both women threatened to remove their hands unless she remembered to use her “indoor” voice.

Daniella was having too much fun swinging so she immediately adopted a pseudo-screech, not wanting either woman to make good on their threat.

Samuel pulled the bags from the carousel, creating a mound of luggage where the women stood patiently waiting. “Let me text Stan and tell him we’re here. I texted him when we left Denver so he should be somewhere close by.”

Samuel got an immediate reply back and nodded towards the exit doors, “He’s already outside. Grab what you can and I’ll manage the rest.”

“I want to take one,” Daniella informed the group in general, trying to pull the handle of Jane’s largest suitcase towards her.

“Hey, sprite, why don’t you take my makeup case for me? But, I need you to promise to be extra careful with it.” Leaning down and whispering in a conspiratorial tone, Jane told her, “If something happened to my makeup it would not be a pretty sight come tomorrow morning.” Jane added a nod and a wink just for Daniella’s benefit.

“Aunt Jane, I’ll be extra careful.” She gingerly took the handle of the small rolling case before looking at both her mother and Samuel and telling them in a no nonsense voice, “Well, don’t just stand there. I have the most important case. You all bring the rest.”

Everyone laughed as she turned and headed towards the exit doors, Grace hurrying to catch up to her precocious daughter.

“She’s something else,” Samuel commented, laughing as he watched her march off, head held high in the air.

“That she is. I can’t believe I’m in California!” Jane told him excitedly. “I can’t wait to see the ocean.”

“Tonight. After I drop you all off at Grace’s house I have to go pick up Lucky from my neighbor.”

“I thought you lived on the beach?” Jane asked.

“I do. My closest neighbor is about a quarter of a mile away, but since we all share the same private beach front, it’s easier to leave Lucky with her when I have to be out of town.”

Jane nodded and plastered a smile upon her face.
Her? His nearest neighbor was female. I wonder if she’s married.

Samuel could see the wheels turning in Jane’s head and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “My neighbor, Miss Watkins, is seventy, widowed, and seems to think it’s her job to check up on me.”

Jane felt a sense of relief and then guilty for having felt jealous of an unseen neighbor. Samuel had an entire life out here that she knew nothing about. She would need to make sure to take everything at face value until such time as it was proven that she wasn’t seeing things as they really were.

“I can’t wait to meet Lucky.”

Samuel laughed, “Well, a few hours and she’ll have you throwing sticks down the beach until your arm is ready to fall off. She’s insatiable when it comes to playing chase.”

“I look forward to it.”

Samuel waited for Jane to walk through the exit doors, pleased to see Stan already loading luggage while Grace settled Daniella in her car seat.

“Thanks for picking us up,” he told his partner.

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad that you all were able to return so quickly. The Quintana brothers hired James Sewell to represent them.” Stan paused and let Samuel fill in the rest of the sentence.

James Sewell was one of those lawyers that gave every lawyer a bad rap. He took the cases that other lawyers ran away from. Usually defending clients who were obviously guilty, and managing to get a fair amount of them off on little technicalities. He was hated by most law enforcement agencies; the FBI wasn’t immune to that emotion. Thanks to him, more than one guilty foreigner had received a free ticket out of jail.

“What’s he asking for?” Samuel asked tersely.

“He’s already filed paperwork asking that Hector be given priority for his kidney transplant and that when one becomes available, he would be transferred to a local hospital where the surgery would be performed.”

“We put him in Central Lockup because they have the capability to perform his dialysis. How long before a trial date can be set?”

“The judge already set it. February 13
th
.”

“That’s only six weeks away. Did you file a protest?”

“I did. I stated unequivocally that the agency believes the Quintana’s to be a flight risk and that they are wanted on charges in several other states as well as federally.”

Samuel nodded, getting into the passenger seat and lowering his voice so the women wouldn’t hear their conversation. “When’s the hearing?”

“Tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock. I can go if you want to take another day to get situated.”

“No. I think it would send a stronger message if we both went. They need to know exactly what those men are capable of.”

“I agree.” Looking over his shoulder, he winked at Daniella before addressing the two women, “Welcome to California and welcome home.”

“Thanks, Stan. Do you remember how to get to my house?” Grace asked, already going over the list of things that needed to be done now that they were home.

“Sure do. Sit tight and I’ll have you walking into your house in a few minutes.”

“Mr. Stan, do we’s got to sneak back in the back door?”

Samuel looked at Daniella in shock, “Sweetie, no! You and your momma can walk right through the front door from now on.”

Grace looked at Samuel and mouthed, “Thank you,” having not even considered that Daniella might have not realized the situation had changed. “Dani, do you remember why momma told you we had to sneak out the back door last time?”

Daniella nodded and then recited, “There were some bad men in the front yard, and Mr. Samuel wanted to play hide-and-seek. So we had to be really quiet and sneak out the back door.” Her last sentence was addressed to Jane, who nodded but said nothing.

“That’s right. Well, the bad men aren’t around anymore, so we don’t have to play that hiding game with them.”

Daniella thrust her bottom lip out, “But, I like playing hide-and-seek.”

“So do I, sweetie. You and I will play a game ourselves.”

“When we get home?” Daniella asked, full of energy.

“Probably not. We have to unpack our suitcases and then get your clothes picked out for tomorrow. Remember, you get to go meet your new preschool teacher tomorrow afternoon.”

Daniella bounced in her seat, “Yay! I gets to go to preschool,” she singsonged for several minutes.

“Settle down back there,” Stan growled, making sure Daniella knew he was only teasing.

“Okay! But I’m sooooo excited about preschool!”

“I do believe we can all see and hear that,” Samuel commented, drawing a laugh from the other adults.

Several minutes later, Stan pulled the car up in front of Grace’s house and then started to unload their luggage.

“I’m home, house,” yelled Daniella as she ran inside the house.

“I hope she runs out of steam pretty quick. I’m so tired,” complained Grace. Turning back to Jane, she told her, “Let me show you where you’ll be staying.”

Grace looked at Stan and Samuel, “Did you all want to come in for a minute?”

Samuel and Stan both shook their heads, “No.”

“I have a few things to take care of before I return to pick Jane up. Jane, I’ll be here around 6:30 p.m.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see you then,” she replied softly and somewhat shyly.

Grace smiled at both of them and then thanked Stan again for picking them from the airport. After the men drove off, she ushered Jane inside her house, gave her a brief tour, and then showed her the magnificent guest bedroom she was to use during her trip.

The room was very large and had an ensuite bathroom attached. There was a walk-in closet, a large canopy bed, a small settee, a writing desk and even a private balcony, which led to the backyard.

When Daniella started rubbing her eyes and whining, Grace excused herself to go put the little girl down for her afternoon nap. They were trying to get away from the exercise, but the excitement of travelling had worn the child out and a nap now would save everyone’s sanity later.

Jane unpacked her suitcases and kept looking outside, anxious to take a walk in the yard. Montana was covered in white this time of year and had been for several months. San Diego was the exact opposite.

The grass was lush and green and the flowerbeds still brimmed with colorful blooms, some the types of flowers Jane had only seen in florist shops, not being able to withstand the harsh weather changes of Montana.

Unable to resist the lure of outside, she finished unloading her suitcases, stored the empty ones inside the huge closet and then donned a pair of flip flops Grace had insisted she bring with her.
Flip flops in December?!
She giggled as she stepped outside and stepped onto the grass. She wiggled her toes and then laughed outright at the feeling. She glanced around and was relieved to see she was all alone.

She walked around the perimeter of the backyard, stopping to look and smell the various flowers and plants in the bordering beds. When she discovered the fragrant herb garden, she closed her eyes and several recipes flitted through her brain.
No more buying herbs at the grocery store!
She could just walk out the back door and pick what she needed!

Grace had made sure Jane knew she was welcome to anything she found in the kitchen or gardens, and was looking forward to learning a few new recipes from her. Jane had secretly looked at several culinary schools in the San Diego area, and right after the New Year, she had arranged to meet with several of them.

She hadn’t said anything to either Grace or Samuel, especially Samuel, as she didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up that she might be making her trip to California last longer than a month. But the idea had taken root and she figured she owed it to herself to look at all her options before she jumped back on a plane. She wasn’t going to waste this opportunity!

“Jane?” came the call from the back of the house.

Jane stepped carefully from the garden and made her way around the side of the house to see Grace standing on the back deck with a smile upon her face. “I’m here. Grace, this place is amazing!”

Grace laughed, “You found the garden.”

Jane nodded and joined her with her own laugh, “Yes. I know you told me about it, but seeing it…I’m wondering why I waited so long to make this trip.”

“If there’s one thing I learned, you can’t take back yesterday, but you can certainly help sculpt tomorrow. So – no more talk about ‘if only’ and let’s make a list of what you want to do – tomorrow.”

Jane laughed; she couldn’t help it. Here she was, an almost thirty-eight year old widow, being given advice by a twenty-five year old! And she appreciated it! “Okay, I get your point. So, I was thinking…”

The two women re-entered the house, talking about visits to the zoo, taking a boat trip to Catalina Island, and visiting Sea World. Grace had several other suggestions and before long, Jane had a list two pages long of things she wanted to see or do before leaving California. This trip was a great idea and the best birthday present she had ever given herself!