[Second Chances 02]California Dreams (6 page)

As soon as Grace could, she left the center and headed home, calling Sara in Montana using the hands-free feature in her car, “Sara?”

“Grace! How is everything going?” Sara sat down in the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace and curled her feet beneath her. Trent had gone into town to take care of some sheriff’s business and she had just been thinking about her sister and niece.

“Great! You’re not going to believe what just happened.”

“Tell me.”

“When I got to the arts center this morning, Derek was just finishing up a tour with an older couple. Their son is the director and teacher of the new preschool where Dani’s going Monday. Anyway, he brought his class to a fall concert and his parents helped chaperone the outing. Now they’ve decided to underwrite the entire semester!”

“What?! But that amounts to almost one hundred thousand dollars, including salaries and such.”

“I know. I asked Derek if he had discussed numbers with them, and he did. I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t believe that in a city as large as San Diego, your daughter’s new preschool teacher, and his parents have both become part of your world. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Well, maybe. But not really. It’s not that unusual for people who are involved in private schooling to also be heavily involved in the arts. They kind of go hand-in-hand.”

Sara thought of that and agreed, “I see your point. Well, congratulations. That means you won’t have to fundraise with your students, and can just concentrate on music.”

“Oh, you don’t know what a blessing that will be. I
hate
fundraising, as you well know.”

“Yes, I do know. How’s Jane doing?” Sara asked, changing the subject.

“Spending lots of time with Samuel.”

“Really? That’s good, right?”

“Yes. Those two were made for each other, if they just quit circling around each other and admit they might have feelings for one another. I think maybe they’ve discussed it, but Jane hasn’t brought the subject up and I don’t really know her well enough yet to ask.”

“Just ask her. She’s one of the easiest people to talk to I’ve ever met,” Sara told her, thinking back to her arrival in Castle Peaks and how easy talking with Jane had been.

“Maybe I’ll give it a try. Hey, I should probably go. I’m getting ready to jump on the interstate and you know how much I hate that.”

“Hang up now. I’ll talk to you a little later in the week. Oh, and we’re sending Jane flowers for her birthday. They should be arriving sometime the afternoon of the 29th. Congrats.” Sara took the decision to hang up away from her sister, disconnecting the call on her end.

It sounded like things were going well in California and she smiled. Trent and she were both hoping that Jane and Samuel would figure out they were meant to be together, but both of them were very stubborn and fairly reserved. Sara had instructed Grace to keep them informed and if need be, they’d do a little matchmaking to ensure a relationship was on the agenda.

*****

Grace arrived home to find Jane and Daniella just cleaning up after having a lovely tea party. “Hello.”

“Mommy, Aunt Jane, and I had a tea party, and played dressed up, and we made finger sandwiches, and…”

“Whoa! It sounds like you and Aunt Jane had lots of fun.” Grace told her daughter, glancing over at Jane who thankfully was still smiling.

“We did! Is it time to go to school?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s why I’m here. Run wash your hands and face and then we’ll change your clothes.” Grace shooed her daughter down the hallway, laughing as she skipped away.

“You seem happy. I guess your meetings went well?” Jane asked, finishing putting the tea cups back into the cupboard.

“Oh, I still can’t believe it. An older couple was at the center when I arrived. They are the parents of Dani’s new teacher and the founders of the Simpson Preparatory Academy.”

“Well, that’s a coincidence. Isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but it gets better. They saw a Children’s Choir show last fall and want to underwrite the entire semester.”

“Wow! That’s great. No wonder you’re in such a good mood. That should take some pressure off.”

“You don’t know the half of it. My assistant director, Katelin, and I spent half of our time fundraising last semester. Katelin was just as happy as I was.”

“I’m really happy for you. So, little miss there seems excited about meeting her preschool teacher.”

“I’m know. We should probably head out. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Samuel just called. He has a meeting to attend at the courthouse and then he’s coming to get me for dinner. Would you and Dani like to join us?” Jane asked, sure Samuel wouldn’t mind in the least.

“No. Now that I don’t have to fundraise, I want to spend some extra time choosing music to do this semester. Dani and I will go meet her preschool teacher and then stop for pizza on our way home. You have fun with Samuel.”

Jane blushed and was about to respond when Daniella came rushing back into the room wearing her purple princess gown and tiara. “I’m ready to go!”

Grace shook her head, “Daniella, we talked about this last night. That is not what we decided you were going to wear. Please go put on your sundress, or bring it here and I will help you.”

Daniella stomped her foot, “No! I’m going to meet my new teacher and he needs to know that I’m a princess. How will he know that if I don’t wear my tiara and princess dress?”

“Daniella…,” Grace stopped, unsure of how to proceed with her daughter. Their appointment with the school was in twenty minutes and it was at least a fifteen minute drive. Getting Daniella to back down once she was in princess mode normally took a minimum of thirty minutes; time they just didn’t have today.

Jane whispered to get her attention, “What could it hurt just this once?”

Grace gave in with a sigh, informing her daughter how things would be from here on out, “Fine, you may wear your princess dress to meet Mr. Simpson. But, you will dress like a little girl, in normal clothes, for the rest of the school days. Mr. Simpson is a teacher and won’t need to be reminded every day that you are a princess. He’ll remember that I’m sure.”

“Deal! Let’s go,” Daniella turned on her heels, the plastic ones that were several sizes too big for her tiny feet, and shuffled her way to the front door and out to her booster seat.

Grace couldn’t help the laugh that sprang forth, “She’s going to be the death of me!”

“She definitely keeps things lively around here. Good luck.”

“I think her teacher may be the one who needs the luck,” Grace told her, chuckling as she headed for the car.

The next few days flew by and everyone got back into the normal routines, while Jane discovered the joys that were to be had in California. Her birthday had come and gone and she had been pleasantly surprised when Samuel and Grace had surprised her with a boat trip to Catalina Island for the day.

Jane thought back to the phone call she had received bright and early the morning of the 29
th
–

“Hello?” she had answered groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Happy Birthday, Jane!” Samuel had told her.

“Thanks. You do know how early it is, right?” she had asked.

Samuel had chuckled, “Yes, but I wanted to be the first one to wish you a Happy Birthday. I also wanted to tell you that Grace and I have a special surprise for you. Get up and get dressed. I’ll be by in an hour to pick you all up.”

“All?”

“Yes. Grace and Daniella are joining us. See ya later.”

She had been a little nervous at first, wondering about being out on the big ocean, but they never got so far away from land that she couldn’t still see a small portion of it on the horizon. They had departed from Newport Beach aboard a ferry, and while the ferry had been full, she had enjoyed herself immensely.

They had taken a boat ride on a glass-bottomed boat and Jane had thoroughly enjoyed seeing the variety of sea life that existed in the ocean. The boat had been equipped with fish feeders and she and Daniella had taken turns feeding the fish that approached the boat curiously.

“Samuel, thank you so much for arranging this day.” She and Samuel were sitting on the back porch of Grace’s home.

“Did you have a nice birthday?” Samuel asked.

“I did,” she nodded. “Everything was fantastic. The food was great. Seeing the ocean through the bottom of that boat was amazing. Everything was perfect.”

“Good. I wanted you to have a birthday to remember.”

“Mission accomplished,” she told him with a smile.

“So, what are you doing for New Year’s Eve?” Samuel asked.

“I haven’t really given it much thought. Why?”

“Well, I was wondering if you might want to come to my place and watch the fireworks with me. They shoot them off over the ocean. It’s pretty cool to watch.”

“That sounds like fun. Trent and I always watched the various programs on T.V. that showed them shooting off fireworks, but I’ve never seen live ones this time of the year.”

“Good. It’s a plan then.” Standing up, he stretched and then looked at her before approaching her chair. Leaning down, he placed a hand on either side of her chair, resting his palms on the armrests, “I need to go. I have to be back in court first thing in the morning to help insure the Quintana brothers don’t convince the judge to do something stupid.”

Jane sat back in her chair and gave him a small smile, “Okay. Thank you again.” Her eyes left his and landed on his mouth. She had felt her gaze being drawn to it throughout the day, and wondered what his kiss might feel like.

It had been so many years since she had been romantically kissed, she almost felt like a shy virgin again. Once arriving in Montana, she had immersed herself in the community and Trent’s family and had never once been tempted to venture back out into the world of male-female relationships. Not until she had met Samuel the first time.

He had stirred that part of her up and she had gone out of her way to avoid him at every opportunity, not liking the way he made her feel so out of control.

Samuel watched her eyes as he slowly lowered his head towards hers. Brushing his lips gently across hers, he waited for her to protest or push him away. When she did neither, he kissed her again, a little more pressure behind his kiss this time, while letting his lips linger against hers for a brief moment.

Knowing that he had to take things very slowly with Jane, he stopped there and pushed away from her, “Goodnight. Thank you for a lovely day.” When she made as if to get up and see him out, he gently pushed her back into the chair, “I can let myself out around the side gate.”

Leaning in, he gave her another short kiss and then took himself off around the side of the house.

Jane sat there for many minutes, her fingers touching her lips where he had kissed her, trying to sort out her feelings for him. The more time she spent with him, the more she liked what she discovered.

She thought back to her courtship with Kenneth and realized that what she felt for Samuel was nothing like that. Her feelings for Kenneth had been those of a young woman, child really, fresh and innocent.

Her feelings for Samuel were more intense and mature. She didn’t expect him to drop everything and dote on her every word. She knew he had a life and found that rather than wanting to pull him away from it, she simply wanted to become part of it. That was different from her previous relationship.

Deciding that she didn’t have to figure it all tonight, she headed indoors and readied herself for bed. Tomorrow would come and she would deal with whatever came when it appeared. Before drifting off to sleep, she sent a brief email to Trent letting him know how much she appreciated the bouquet of flowers he and Sara had sent for her birthday. She briefly described her trip to Catalina Island and promised to call later in the week.

She fell asleep with the images of the ocean fish replaying themselves in her mind and a smile upon her face.

*****

Samuel entered the courthouse at 9 o’clock the next morning, his partner Stan by his side. The purpose of the hearing was to determine if Hector Quintana and his brother Julian were indeed flight risks.

Their lawyer had argued fiercely two days prior that Hector’s medical condition was threatening his very existence and since he was first on the transplant list, there was no logical reason to think he was going to run.

The lawyer had gone on to ask for compassionate relief for his brother so that Julian could be at the hospital the day of his surgery, and granted visitation rights while he was recovering. Everyone familiar with the two men knew that once out of prison, it would be nearly impossible to contain them, or capture them a second time.

The judge had listened to the evidence, and was supposed to render her decision on the matter this morning.

Samuel walked into the courtroom, seeing Hector already seated at the defendants table with Mr. Sewell. When he and Stan seated themselves right behind the federal prosecutor, Hector turned his head and gave them both a confident smile.
He thinks he’s going to win!

The federal prosecutor, Dwayne Ashcroft, was a seasoned professional and had kept more than one federal prisoner locked up and away from the general public. “Samuel. Stan. I have to tell you, I don’t have a good feeling about this one.”

“So what happens if she grants the compassion deal and allows Julian to be at the hospital when he has his transplant?”

Dwayne shrugged his shoulders, “You’ve got me. I’ve already shown that he’s a significant flight risk and a threat to civilians. If she allows the deal, the outcome will be on her head, not mine.”

Samuel and Stan shared a look as the judge entered the courtroom. She was smiling which with this particular judge was never a good sign for the prosecution.

Thirty minutes later, it was all Samuel could do to exit the courtroom before giving vent to his anger. “I can’t believe this is happening!”

Stan stopped beside him, fuming himself. “Can we ask for another judge to weigh in on her decision?”

“Not before he has his surgery. That can take weeks if not months!” Blowing his breath out in frustration, he clapped Stan on the back, “Let me think about our options and I’ll get back to you.”

“Sure. You taking the lovely Miss Jane to dinner again tonight?”

“Yeah. Then I’m going to drive her over to the observatory. A buddy of mine from way back is going to let us look through the telescope. She commented the other night that seeing the stars was the one thing she had found to miss from Montana. Too many lights here to see much.”

“You’re pulling out all the stops.”

Samuel nodded, “I don’t want her to go home when her thirty days are up. I’ll do just about anything to try and make her see she belongs here with me.”

Stan nodded his head, “Good luck. She seems pretty special, and she must be a saint if she’s willing to put up with you.”

“Gee, thanks for the support!”

“Don’t mention it. That’s what partners are for.” Stan laughed at him and then waved him off, “Get out of here. I’ll talk to you in a day or so.”

“Sounds good. Have a good New Year’s.”

“You too man. I can’t think of anything I’d like better than to start the New Year off by putting the Quintana brothers away for fifty or sixty years.”

Samuel grinned, “Wouldn’t that be a great way to start out the New Year? It’d be like an early Christmas present; twelve months early, but worth it.”

Stan and Samuel bumped knuckles and then Samuel jogged down the courthouse steps, “Tell Joanna ‘Hi’ from me.”

“I will. Have good time tonight.”

“You know it.” There was no doubt in Samuel’s mind that he and Jane were destined to have a good time together. So far, every time together had left him waiting for the next one to occur. He loved spending time with her, even if they were only sitting around and not doing much of anything. He loved being with her!