

Laura's Big Win

WINDMERE series – _book one_

Michelle Tschantré

Smashwords Edition

Laura's Big Win

Copyright © 2010 by Michelle Tschantré

All rights reserved.

{4th Edition © 2018}

Cover Design & Formatting by: _Laura Shinn Designs_

http://laurashinn.yolasite.com

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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

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Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

_Laura's Big Win_ is a work of fiction.

Though actual locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any resemblance of characters in this story to any person living or dead is strictly coincidental.

Dedicated to:

...the survival of love.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epilogue

About the Author

Preface

In Windmere Series, book one, "Laura's Big Win", the reader meets Laura Nessing and Ryan Williams, two people with deep emotional voids in their hearts. The common thread is the place called WINDMERE, a former private estate, maybe with some magic included, but certainly with dynamic relationships as things evolve between Laura and Ryan, each filling the void in the other's life, unsure about many things but sure in the growing love each has for the other. Many of the characters one meets in book one also play parts in subsequent releases, such as "Score One for Angela", and "Magnetic Love: When Opposites Attract".

Chapter One – Ryan, In The Beginning

Ryan Williams happened to be an only child, but by neither his nor his parents choice. The baby who would have been his brother never made it into the world, and the miscarriage with his mother's general condition dictated there would be no replay. The good news was that his parents, however they may have favored him, always set high standards, not unrealistic standards, but ones he could reach only by stretching his boundaries. And he stretched regularly. Always attracted to a challenge, he took AP courses in school, ran the lonely man's sport of cross country, played football and basketball as well. Ryan always managed to find a part time job, whether at the resort his parents owned and operated, or in the off season doing deliveries, whatever it took. Someone having a hard time with their own kids asked his parents one time how they talked him into going to college, and his father replied "We never talked about if he was going; we just talked about where. 'If' never came up."

An observant learner in the school of business, Ryan quickly learned that to really get ahead of the pack, he needed something the pack didn't have, and he reviewed his assets. Other than the somewhat small resort his parents owned and operated, there wasn't much in his asset stack. Too, he believed they would probably expect him to come home after graduation and help run the place; after all, he did consider his life up to that point to be a result of their care, and although they didn't really look at it that way, he felt he at the least owed them some time back.

Ryan considered his future potential at some length. He was aware that he did not have the resources to start out on his own, that he would have to find some means of leveraging what was available to him already, which was limited to what his parents already controlled. He was also acutely aware that their assets represented their financial future, so whatever he did, he would have to ensure their protection. After studying the options at some length, he realized that possible expansion of the existing operation was probably out of the question. It would be costly at very best, and there were already plenty of rooms available in the general area. The other problem was that the site was limited both in physical size and by being at the end of the access road; that's when he realized the biggest asset of the site, limited access. 'Privacy,' Ryan thought, 'is what I can use. Suppose I make this a privacy issue, maybe a security issue, even put in a control gate so traffic is limited. I don't have to sell the sun and water; everyone here does that for me. Suppose I sell seclusion and security; we're already at the end of the road, so I can control that, and the other side of the site can easily be made inaccessible. We can spruce up a little, maybe add a gate house, and charge accordingly.'

The summer of his senior year in college he worked on his plan while helping out his parents around the resort. It wasn't that he didn't see the women lounging by the pool watching his tall, muscular form walk by. It was simply that he reasoned there would be time for that later; he had other things to do. At the end of the summer, he presented his plan to his parents, even telling them the risks involved. To protect them, he had devised a property exchange deal where they would sell the property to him, a bank would hold the mortgage, and Ryan would be on the hook through his own corporation to repay that money. His parents realized he had covered all the bases, including hiring them back to run the operation until they wanted to retire. That way, their assets were well protected should anything go wrong. They were impressed that their son had seen some potential they had never suspected existed, and after looking at all his homework, decided they should support him in his efforts. The real change was nine months away when he would return full time to make the alterations and take over the operation.

Ryan initiated internet advertising, staying away from the lengthy mundane chat about tennis courts, water sports, and things like that, and instead touted benefits of "comfort and security with all the amenities for yourself and your friends in our family compound." He was well aware how much it sounded like a similar site up in Hyannis Port that everyone knew about, and liked the comparison for the exclusive tone it set. Better still, he noted the exclusive clientele, and the limited openings remaining available for the summer, even though he actually had no real bookings at the moment. The physical work took place during May while the facility was shut down, and with Ryan there as much as he could with school still in session, things took shape quickly because of the intense and interlocked planning he had done. His parents were briefed each Sunday before he returned to campus on what was to take place the next week, and things unfolded like an inflatable toy, including inflating the new poolside toys. Memorial Day saw him out of school except for final graduation in June, the new gates turned on, and an immaculate used Mercedes Limo in the drive for the runs to the local airport. Knowing the best internet sites on which to advertise had been mostly good research, with a little luck thrown in; within 24 hours of the web site opening, bookings came in like birds on wing, including credit card numbers, reservation fees, the works. If he was at all nervous, Ryan did not show it on the surface, strolling through the guests with a smile and confident stride, as often as not drawing a lustful glance over the shoulder from a wife or girlfriend on the prowl. But this was business, and Ryan understood the requirement of keeping his life and that of the business as separate entities.

Although they operated year round, the three summer months were critical in profitability for the year, or so Ryan thought. In the past, the resort had operated year round because of the temperate climate, but the "off season" bookings were a little more scarce, and while they did bring in a net positive bottom line, it was as much to keep good employees working as to make a significant profit. What Ryan had not anticipated was that his business plan had all been based on the former operation. This new operation had a life of its own, and a much different business plan. High end spenders vacationing there with their "friends", mostly female, saw the potential for using this place as a tax write off for secure business meetings in the fun and sun, an opportunity frequently pointed out by Ryan as soon as he saw the direction things were taking. Sensing a growing opportunity, Ryan took some of the revenue flood and built a media center adjacent to the main dining room but with access to the pool. It could seat maybe 40 persons comfortably, but was appointed with materials that could withstand patrons right out of the pool returning to a presentation after a poolside lunch and a quick dip. The attraction was immediate, and their fall bookings went to maximum. Ryan was aware of the success, but was particularly pleased with himself the day the local airport manager called to thank him personally for the private plane landing fees he had been collecting that summer, and into fall. It was, he said, a bonanza to their small operation.

One of the fallouts of the successful migration from public resort to private playground was this young man's growing reputation among other resort owners as having not only the foresight and knowledge to make the change, but the internal fortitude to pull it off while still attending class. Ryan was now full time, as were his parents, but he realized there was a lot more fun in creating this place than in operating it. He didn't mind the daily operations, and frequently found things to improve on, but the routine didn't stimulate him and he soon discovered the "need" to hire a manager to handle many of the daily routine items. His parents understood the need, and were in many ways grateful for the additional young staffer who could handle things on a 24/7 basis. Ryan saw to it that the pay scale was more than adequate, since he wanted little or no turnover in staff. And one day, when a competitor called about hiring his management services, Ryan took the bait. His only stipulation was that he not be hired to work against himself; he considered that to be a conflict of interest, regardless of how many promises were made, and could not allow himself to do it. But that didn't keep people from calling anyway, and after a couple of successful business turnarounds, he had a whole new direction on his plate.

Three years into the new business plan, Ryan realized there was more he needed to know, particularly about financing things and how to protect himself and his parents if nothing else. A number of his alliances had now grown into multi-million dollar operations with overlapping layers of financing that seemed just a little hazy to him. After considering how to approach the situation, he changed his working arrangement to part time and at the ripe old age of 25 enrolled in a two year MBA program at his alma mater. It was almost strange to be back in class again, particularly since he was a little older than the majority of students. Many of them had simply stayed in school after graduating from four years, and the vast majority had no real clue how business actually functioned in the daily activities of the world. Ryan soon learned that a number of the faculty were equally limited in actual application, but the courses he needed most, finance, were frequently taught by business persons who had retired and elected to teach part time for something to do. Ryan quickly became rather a pet student, but he worked hard at not letting it interfere with learning. The first year passed quickly, especially with commuting home now and then to help earn his keep and a limited number of consulting jobs on the side when he felt the need to get away for a few days. Financially he was in good shape, but when the student teaching job came open, he was encouraged to take it by his professors. He often reflected back that they were just trying to get even with him for being in their classes, but it was in good fun and certainly a new challenge for him. Being in front of people was no problem, but doing a different routine every day and staying ahead of the class was a new challenge he relished as a mind exercise.

Three days into the course, he discovered another reason for teaching: Mary Younger, sitting about the middle of the room. But this was business, and as he had done at the resort, he kept his distance, only taking admiring glances when he was sure she was not looking. Ryan was very good at maintaining business confidentiality, but the personal level was something at which he was not practiced; it was down to a matter of hours before Mary was made aware of his interest by every other woman in the class, even if he did keep his distance. She had been doing course work at a junior college part time, trying to decide what career to follow, and now in her mid-twenties, she had decided business courses were where she needed to be and she transferred to full time. A dedicated and bright student, she seldom needed help with anything in the course, but that didn't stop her from creating opportunities for Ryan to step up. Meeting in the campus coffee shop to allegedly discuss a class, Ryan finally broached the subject of their relationship and explained why he had been maintaining his distance, the student-teacher thing and all that. Mary understood his dilemma, but it didn't change her mind. This man was worth going after, and she opened the dialogue.

"We're on quarters, and we are now four weeks into this course. In eight weeks the class will be over. I guess what I really want to know is, when the class is out, is that it for us, or is there more? A girl has to sort of know these things, you know, and truthfully, I just can't read you, so I'm asking."

"You know me, at least some, and you know why I've stayed at arm's length; I think that's only fair to the other students. But I'm not blind, or unaware of you. At the end of class, if I reach out, will you be there?"

"If you want me to be there, I'll be there."

"I want you there, and I think it's going to a damn long eight weeks; if we can stand that much, it's good practice for a lifetime."

Mary was startled at this turn of events, from a simple dating situation to a comment about a lifetime commitment, but she realized this was a man who knew what he wanted, and she was apparently what he wanted, pretty much sight unseen. Maybe he was a quick learner, or a good reader of people, or something. She only knew for sure that she wanted to know all those things about him, and it would indeed be a long eight weeks.

Chapter Two – Mary, In The Beginning

As things turned out, the commitment ran a little over the eight weeks they had planned. At the end of the spring quarter, Ryan and Mary enjoyed two graduations and a wedding all in the same week. After a two week honeymoon traveling about the globe, they returned to home base and started looking to the future. Mary was aware that he was ambitious to a point, less for the personal wealth he would gain than for the challenge of the project, and she enjoyed wrestling with the data to see how they could work things out. It was not unusual for them to be up at all hours working on something, but the important thing was that they were together and they enjoyed each other to the max. When he became be too serious, she would poke fun at him, and where her data became boring, he knew just which rib to tickle to get a wrestling match started. They were a duo to reckon with. One of the late nights Ryan had been scanning the internet looking for real estate potentials, maybe a place they could take over or buy out, and convert into a really exclusive business oriented resort with all the A/V, IT, and every other gadget modern business needed to function, combined with tight security. One thing they had not looked for was a home since they had agreed they would take five years to work out their wild ideas then settle down for the long haul; couple of kids, and probably a pet or two to fill up the house.

"Mary, look at this place for sale in some burg called Conyerville. It's an old family estate the heirs want to get rid of. Come see. I think we should go take a look. What do you think?"

"Wow, it has everything. Are you sure we can swing the deal? It looks huge, even has a golf course attached to it, and at least in the pictures it doesn't look like it needs a lot of work. What are they asking? Oh, okay, I see the price. God, that's all? Are they crazy?"

"No. I'd say they're spoiled brats who have no idea what a gold mine they have on their hands. All they see is an old building from which they want to get some money then go down the road. People like that have no vision, no sense of the possible. Think we should take a look see?"

"Yes. I can get us a letter of credit in the morning. Do we have any hours left on the Gulfstream?"

"Enough hours to get us there and back. I'll call up the schedule, and if it's clear, I'll e-mail the pilot now so he gets it first thing in the morning and we can make the run."

The Conyerville airport was a rather nice field, albeit a little small, and didn't see many planes like the charter Gulfstream that came rolling in. Worse, there was only one rental car left, or as Ryan surmised later, maybe one car was all they had. Regardless, they made their way to the place called Windmere and met with the realtor. He seemed a little reluctant to be there, as though he thought maybe these kids were simply a waste of his time. He quickly learned it was not a fool's errand when the questions came rapidly, on point and in depth: taxes, utilities, easements, any liens, any problem with neighbors, current zoning and could it be changed without too much difficulty later, police protection, fire protection, any plans for airport expansion, local workforce availability, and so on it went for several hours. Both Mary and Ryan took copious notes and shot dozens of photos inside and out of the house, carriage house, cottages, golf course club house and potential for a pro shop. Quick estimates were drawn up of the remodel and repair work needed, and refinishing of surfaces; the utilities were marginal and the air conditioning units were showing tell tale oil seepage around the gaskets. All told, it would be a substantial renovation project, but it was within range. Ryan suggested they retire for a late lunch then meet in the realtor's office with the owners; there was no sense, he said, in the realtor taking offers and running back and forth between the parties when they could do this eyeball to eyeball and see where things shook out. The realtor was indeed grateful since he was not accustomed first of all to dealing with people like this, or property like this, and the owners were, as Ryan surmised, spoiled brats who were difficult to deal with at best.

Over lunch, Mary and Ryan planned their strategy, good cop/bad cop, and nailed down all the numbers they would need. That done, they discovered the food they had been mildly ignoring was rather good, and home baked pie even better heated, with vanilla ice cream on top. And Ryan noted as they paid and left a generous tip that it was a curious fact that the cook's name was Cook, Doris Cook. He'd have to remember to dine there again if the deal went through.

And go through it did. Meeting face to face, the heirs were no match for Ryan and Mary; every counter offer was countered lower and documented, leaving no doubt about who was really in charge of the negotiations. But finally, they decided their time per hour was worth more than they could gain per hour of negotiation, and they made a last offer, payable in cash, right then. To say the realtor was stunned when they made one phone call and transferred the entire purchase price was a significant understatement. The heirs were left with enough after the negotiations that they could enjoy it for a few years before it was squandered; Mary and Ryan found themselves with a project level to the top of their heads and couldn't wait to get started. It would be a long haul the first year, although the final price was well within their reach and their financing would cover nearly two years of renovations, if it took that long. Ryan still commuted to consulting jobs, taking Mary along when possible. After a long year of hard work, including much of their own sweat, Windmere got a new ornate sign at the front entrance and a power security gate that could crush a small car. With things well in hand, and bookings starting to pick up, Ryan suggested in passing one day that the small stand of woods off to the side of the main drive had a clearing large enough for a house. Up until that time, they had been living in adequate quarters in the main house, working all hours, and enjoying each other, but Mary quickly picked up on where Ryan was going with the house idea.

"Yes, I think maybe it's time. But I want to build exactly what we want, so don't be in a hurry. First of all, I have a basic idea what I want, but what it really comes down to is how many bedrooms and bathrooms. Wild guess?"

"Yes. Five and six. Maybe seven. I mean, suppose your mother comes to visit; we'd need at least one bathroom just to store her curlers. And...."

Mary had lunged at him, bowling him over and jamming a finger into his ribs. "Make comments about my mother will you? Take that, and that, and Oh God...."

Ryan had retaliated by rolling her in his arms and legs and had her totally helpless while he nibbled on an ear. The planning resumed later in the afternoon, and it did include five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, although Ryan could not be specific as to why. He just said that seemed like a nice number for some reason or other, but that if the house was designed right, they could add a room or two later and it would still all blend together. The basic plan would be two story frame, with the first floor arced so the kitchen, breakfast room, dining room and great room were all one open space, but the kitchen would be out of sight from the great room, and mostly out of sight from the main dining room. The bedrooms would be cantilevered over the great room so the access balcony would have visibility into the great room but the bedrooms themselves did not. Mary dove into the project, but it was always their project, not just hers or his.

Almost a year later, and without the loss of any large trees, the house had taken final shape before them, complete with some antique appurtenances they had discovered in their travels, such as the double door entrance with stained glass sidelights they had discovered in a house about to be demolished in New England. The house had run a tiny bit over budget according to Mary's numbers, by a large 30% according to Ryan's numbers, but Ryan's attitude was that money in the bank wasn't food, or shelter, or warmth, and brought him no happiness; spending for the house did bring him happiness if for no other reason than the smile it brought to Mary's face. For that alone, price was no object, although they were hardly breaking their bank with the revenue they were seeing. Furnishings took months to acquire, carefully selected piece by carefully selected piece, and only two of the bedrooms were furnished with very specific items, although one of the other bedrooms was comfortably furnished to be a guest room. The main bedroom was a work of art, complete with a work alcove with all the bells and whistles and connections, huge "his" shower and an equally sized "her" bathing room, king sized bed, and a massive flat screen television on the wall that could be fed a multitude of signals; there was even a balcony over the porte-cochere with sliding doors to enjoy the evening breeze, and a table with a couple of comfortable chairs for reading or maybe drafting some piece of an idea. The second bedroom started to acquire furnishings for very small occupants, although no specific traditional color pattern was developed. Mary decided the colors would be neutral so there could be no gender bias, although Ryan reminded her that he was very gender biased, particularly for her gender and all the things she brought with her.

Move in day included a staff party, house tour, all the good things that come with a completed project; everyone was impressed with the noted transitions in the house, from the more farm house style large kitchen through to the more ornate and staid great room. Even in the formal great room there was a diversity of furnishings, at once tasteful and refined, while retaining comfort as a primary goal. It was a house to be lived in, a home, and the homeowners were delighted both with the final results and with themselves.

"There's just one more thing we need, maybe two." Mary noted later that night. They had finally retired for their first night in their beautiful bedroom after a long day, and with the lights out had opened the cover on the expansive skylight to look at the stars.

"I'm not sure the budget can stand just one more thing, but for you, anything my love. Could I go slay a dragon or something, just so it doesn't involve having to get out of bed now that I'm all warm and comfortable with your cold feet all over me," Ryan responded.

"Nope, no dragons. And you don't have to get out of bed. In fact, that would sort of ruin my plan. I stopped taking any birth control meds two months ago. Wanna play baby roulette with me?"

"You know, I thought something was up. You've been a little different the last few days, and I like it. Sure, I'll play. Any instructions?"

"Shut up and use Braille."

In a fairy tale they would have lived happily ever after, but as the months went by and there was no pregnancy, they started looking for reasons, never blaming or accusing, always as two people with one life and one goal. Testing didn't seem to rule anything in or out for either of them, although one doctor did say he knew something was wrong but just couldn't quite identify what he was seeing. And then there was the tired feeling Mary seemed to get from time to time, although she always gutted it out as was her nature. They still had a thriving business to run and she had every intention of doing her full share until other duties called. It was during one of those tired spells that Mary decided to go from the office area to the house to lie down a bit, not something she ordinarily did but today things just seemed to be a little worse. Coming back from an errand, Ryan asked her whereabouts then went to the house to see how she was. It was then he found her comatose, and the run to the hospital was on. Again no one could seem to find the problem and Ryan pulled out all the stops. Calling people with the right contacts, they flew to Minnesota for a consult, and wished they had not gone; at least now they knew what they were dealing with. The oncologists simply said there was no radiation, no chemo, no nothing that would even slow down the tangled entrenched tumor in her brain, that the end was inevitable and not too far distant. They could prescribe pain medication, but were otherwise helpless. They were also quick to point out that it would have made no difference if the tumor had been discovered sooner; its malignant nature and fast growth made it a killer without equal as cancers go. Worse still, there was no surgery for removal or even reduction because of the way it grew in the brain cells.

Ryan and Mary returned to their beautiful house, with a full time nurse, and a lot of prayers. Mary often sat up in the recliner when she had the strength, watching the beauty of the wildlife around the house, and she would not let Ryan hang around but made him continue functioning. Joking about it, she chided him that he might even have to learn how to run the washing machine after all, something he actually could do, but avoided when at all possible. Thoughts of children were gone. And then one evening, while Ryan held her hand and watched her as she slept, Mary's spirit left, and with it a sizeable piece of everything he had come to care about.

Ryan awoke with a start. His mind told him he had just heard Mary talking to him, saying "I have to go now, my time here is over. Remember that I will always love you. Please don't live your life alone; you're a good man, the best, and somewhere there is a good woman who needs you very much. Do this for me, my love. Goodbye." For a long time he would be unsure if what he thought he heard was real or not, but he did know Mary was gone and he was in severe pain. She would be laid to rest three days later after a procession of mourners had filed by and stayed near for hours, maybe not so many in numbers, but a multitude in the outpouring of emotional loss. One of the things they had discovered in building the house was a small private cemetery on the grounds in an adjacent clearing; there Mary would rest in the sunlight, with an American Beauty rose at the headstone, for she truly was that. For his part, Ryan kept himself contained as was his nature, but he moved back into the apartment and ordered the house closed with no one to go there; the hedge was allowed to grow until it all but obscured the house from his sight. Work became his refuge, and as the staff grew at Windmere, he traveled more and more, trying to escape the memory.

Chapter Three – Laura, In The Beginning

Laura Scott rather liked numbers and the way they seemed to explain things and made them work, even in grade school. She was less interested in pure math than in story problems, which pretty well explained her later interest in business accounting and in information systems. Although she dated some in high school, she did not have the outgoing personality type of two-years-younger sister, Nancy; Laura tended to look a little farther down the road than Saturday night at the movies or a house party. College was a must for her long range plans. Although she did not rule out husband and family, it was more of a mirage in the distance with little substance and given little thought.

After two years at the local junior college, Laura transferred to State as a Junior, and looked forward to graduation in two years. Her summers were spent in a variety of odd jobs, everything from a stint as a cook in a sandwich shop to a job weighing trucks at a concrete batch plant. She had fond memories of the batch plant job, and even fonder memories of the revenue it produced. The plant was involved in a continuous pour for nighttime highway construction work, and she frequently worked the twelve hour overnight shift; the shift differential plus overtime pay made for a really nice paycheck every week and she was pretty well set financially for the fall session to start. Then too there was the driver banter on the radios, although they were very careful about their language in an effort to impress this beautiful young woman at the scale house window. Laura wasn't interested in them but was always friendly and polite; most were married with children anyway, but she was a bright spot in their world otherwise filled with screaming engines, diesel exhaust, and cement dust. She would look back in a few years and marvel at the simplicity of it all.

Her Senior year was just as demanding time wise as the other years, but she was getting better at budgeting her time, and now and then found time for recreation. On a late September night after a varsity football game, she found herself in a large group of partiers, including some MBA candidates from the grad school. She remembered that sometime during the night she was introduced to Richard Nessing, a tall, handsome MBA candidate several years her senior. She remembered being impressed with his directness, and how he seemed to know everyone and always be on top of every situation. And she remembered him walking her home afterwards, collecting one small kiss for the evening, and a promise he would call. Call he did and called again, until she promised to go out with him the next weekend. After that first real date, it just somehow seemed automatic that they would be together and she didn't think much more about it. Richard was not pressing her for anything she was unwilling to do, but she found her willingness horizons stretching further by the day. Even at that, she often found he seemed a little reluctant to engage in any heavy romantic activity with her, probably, she thought, because he respects me and knows my boundaries. She didn't look down at or condemn her sisters who were sleeping with someone; that was their business, accidents and all, but neither did she want to become one of them. That didn't seem likely with Richard, for which she was grateful. Still, as things between them developed, she sensed that her interest in him ran deeper than his in her; perhaps, she thought, it was because his time was so limited. He had left a promising career in underwriting commercial/industrial insurance to come back to school, and he still kept a hand in with the business when he could. He maintained a high profile on campus, and a grade point average nearly as high as hers. One brighter spot was that he actively encouraged her to excel in her studies, even encouraging her to take more difficult classes although it would limit their time together; he said there was togetherness time later, that her education had to come first. What Laura would learn later was why he really wanted her very well educated. Then there was that other little issue that nagged at her a tiny bit; Richard liked to gamble, on almost anything. That was the down side. The up side was that he was good at it and he won a lot more than he lost. He even said it was just an extension of the insurance business, "You know," he said, "Win some, lose some; I just don't plan to lose in the insurance business."

And so, while it was not really visible on her radar screen, it was no big surprise when he asked her to marry him after graduation. They agreed she could initiate her own career in accounting and information systems wherever they were located, and that she could work out of their home on a limited basis after the children were born. It was a pleasant if not particularly memorable wedding day, and Laura looked forward to discovering that night what some of the other girls had been talking about. That too was not particularly memorable. If anything, Richard seemed almost reluctant to initiate any activity and once active seemed anxious to get it over with, not at all what she had expected. Or maybe, she thought, this just took practice and things would get better with time. Maybe men really weren't preoccupied with sex, or that driven, or maybe she needed to learn some things or do some things differently. Maybe that really was all there was to it. Maybe. But the thought nagged her that something was missing, and she felt neither fulfilled, nor satisfied, with the way things had gone. Still, she was now a married woman, and any thought of seeking answers elsewhere was out of the question. Richard was it, and she would have to deal with the reality, like it or not. She had accepted his proposal without giving it the thought she would have applied to an accounting problem; she had to live with the consequences.

Within a week they were relocated to where his previous position had been, and Richard was back at work full time, leaving Laura pretty much to her own devices. She did find a job after a little looking around, although it was a temp job that moved her around as different companies called for assistance. A few months of that, and one company liked her production well enough to bring her on full time. Between that, and her return to night school to just sort of keep up with the evolving technology, her days were filled with activity. The nights remained pretty much unchanged, except that Richard was now back out on the road some overnights, and even when he could, he didn't make any effort to drive the extra hour to come home. By the end of the first year, he decided to split from his company and while he would rep for them, he would be on his own and could drive his business as he saw fit. About the same time, he encouraged Laura to stop any birth control she may have been using, although he seemed not to know or care if she had been doing so, and said they should have a child in their home now, that it was time. And, he said they needed to find a three bedroom house in a nice suburb, one that he could bring clients to for dinner now and then. She realized this was all part of a plan to grow his business, and since it was also related to her well being and security, supported it fully.

The next few months found her newly pregnant, working full time, and house hunting. Richard didn't seem to have any interest in houses at all until she had narrowed the field to three or four she thought would do nicely and were within their means. He did devote an entire Saturday, but only because all of his potential clients were closed for the weekend. They were soon comfortably settled like thousands of other couples and Laura was developing some new friends. They seemed to be happy enough, and she often longed to just talk about all the little things that seemed to be missing in her life, but she couldn't quite bring herself to initiate the conversation. On the other hand, she sensed that maybe things were mostly her fault, and she admitted to herself that maybe she didn't want to know that either. Things weren't all that bad, really, and Richard was working hard at building his practice. And he did make it home in time when Jackson "Jack" Nessing made his appearance in the world, right on schedule. The tiniest thought occurred to Laura as she and her new son were getting better acquainted: 'I wonder what would have happened if the doctor had been off time on this delivery. Would Richard have been here?' Not that it mattered a great deal. Her sister had flown in for the delivery since she was one child ahead already and therefore "experienced" and all that. Nancy went into the birthing room with Laura since Richard had declined the offer to attend. Two days later Laura and Jack went home and started a new chapter in her life.

For three months Richard didn't come near her in the bedroom, although they shared a bed. He worked late and rose early, and the baby was hers to tend to at night. Then almost as if some specific goal had been reached, he announced that they should have a second child soon because things would be easier for her with children closer in age. His logic seemed sound to her, although he had more announced it to her than discussed it with her. Anyway, it had its effect. And with a three month old on her hip, she began expanding with Amanda. The only real difference with this pregnancy was that Richard seemed to be very anxious about the sex of the baby, even to the point of asking her to get an ultrasound as soon as it was feasible. Not that he went with her, of course; he was far too busy for that. She even toyed with the idea of not telling him for a while that she had gone, but he'd see the bill anyway so she told him they would be welcoming a girl this time. That seemed to relieve whatever was on his mind, even to the point of his insisting they go out to dinner that night, something not usually permitted in his budget process. That was the other thing that seemed strange to her, Richard claiming they would have to be on a strict budget, but at the same time wanting the expense of another child; it didn't make sense, but he was being successful and she realized maybe she didn't understand everything that he had to deal with. It was also a little strange that she maintained all of his company books, handled the invoicing, recorded all the insured property and things like that, but never saw any of the money. He insisted on direct deposit, which most companies were happy to do, and he held the check book at all times. There was no real issue since any time she had a bill that needed paid, she simply gave it to him and it was paid, and he did provide some cash to her for the smaller expenses. Most of what she needed was handled on a debit card, and it simply didn't occur to her to go to the card issuing bank and ask for a deposit record. It all seemed to be working. And there was the trickle of income from her part time activities she continued to find a little time to conduct for a few clients; Richard never asked about that at all, and when she mentioned it, he seemed to dismiss it as unimportant to their life.

Amanda was born nine months to the day, if Laura had been accurate at all, but Richard had to be out of town and Laura's sister again stood in for him. The birth went well, and in the typical two days later, Laura and Amanda went home to continue their new relationship, and for Jack to meet his new sister. Richard managed to arrive home three days later, apologetic to the maximum as usual but with no real meaning in his voice. He could voice all the usual platitudes and make things sound good, just as when they were still dating, but Laura slowly came to realize it was his salesman's facade she was seeingeHe. He was delivering a pitch to his wife and kids; it just seemed to her that there was no need for him to do that, unless there was something she was not able to see.

Be that as it may, their life continued without significant events for the next few years. Richard traveled more than before, and continued to make no effort to be home when he could have done so. Nor did he make any effort at all in the bedroom, usually claiming fatigue from his long work hours. Laura learned to tolerate the absence of physical love, partly because it had never been a high point in their relationship to begin with, and immersed herself in other things. At least she had a good provider who seemed to at least care that they were well taken care of and all their needs met, and that fact she used to excuse the other voids in their relationship. On the other hand, he brooked no excuse from her if he called to say he was bringing a client home to dinner that evening. It didn't matter what else had been arranged in his absence, it didn't matter if one or the other of the kids was ill, it didn't matter how Laura felt about anything, and it was adequately clear that the only thing that mattered was that his client be shown a good time, fed a good dinner. The kids were to be spotless, polite, and quickly invisible at the same time. Laura was equally to be the epitome of the ideal housewife, charming with just a hint of sexiness, clearly a perfect mother, and ever so happy to see her returning spouse.

It was more an existence than a life, but Laura had two great kids to keep her busy; she maintained a few clients for her accounting services and used that income to go back to school now and then to stay a little more current in a rapidly automating field. She had a social life of sorts with some of the neighborhood ladies, and there was the occasional dinner party they would attend as part of entertaining his clients. She did still believe things could be better, or at least different, but wondered if they really were for other families or if it was all just window dressing. One thing that did bother her a bit more was when she saw fathers playing with their children, or at least with them at a ball game or something like that; she realized that Richard had no idea what went on in his home when he was gone, nor did he seem to care. Laura had even briefly entertained the thought of perhaps doing more socially than she would have previously considered, an affair by another name, but two things stopped her. She didn't have any idea how to go about it, and she realized she could not live with herself if she wrecked her marriage and ended up losing her children because of her own selfish expectations. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'I could become a little more active in the job market next year; Jack is five now and headed for first grade in a few months when he turns six, and Amanda could go to daycare at least part of the day.' She needed to do something to break what had become a routine she could do asleep. Richard or not, she simply was unwilling to let her brain die.

What Laura didn't know, nor could she have known, was that life was about to be irrevocably changed for her, for Richard, and for Jack and Amanda, and in at least one case not for the better.

Chapter Four – Eviction

The midweek day dawned like any other: no Richard home for a couple more days, summer day activities to get the kids ready for, maybe a trip to the pool, a little laundry to take care of, and she needed to call the appliance repair shop about the dishwasher dripping water on the floor. Some days she actually wished they had a dog to walk; every day was a new adventure to a dog, she thought; maybe some of it would rub off on her life. But Richard would hear none of that; he made it painfully clear he would allow no animals where they might cause even the slightest problem with a client, always the client, never a thought about his family or their needs. Laura was slowly coming to the conclusion she and the kids were all just some part in his scheme for success, the up and coming business man with his picture perfect wife, two kids, and beautiful house, all just parts in a plan, nothing more. Shaking off the dark thought, she had only a few minutes of quiet before the kids hit the floor at full throttle; time to call the repair place and get that arranged.

Laura flipped through the book to the right page, found the number, picked up the wireless, and punched the number in one-handed. The beauty of working with numbers a lot was that she automatically memorized the configuration of every keyboard for every appliance in the house, even on her mini-van door locks; she could key anything without looking, even in the dark. Phone to ear, she waited for the usual ringing tone; silence. Checking the number, this time she confirmed the number entry and re-tried. Silence. Undaunted, she headed into the office to try the wired set in there. Silence. Someone must have dug up the wires again, she thought; it had happened once before during some neighborhood excavation. Not a problem; her cell was always in the countertop charger and ready to go. Number in, hit send, silence. The tower wouldn't accept her phone. This was becoming an irritation. She would have to load up the kids and drive to the phone company and to the cell store to get things straightened out, and there was still the dishwasher problem; strange that both phones quit at the same time, but she didn't put too much concern into the coincidence.

The kids were climbing out of bed now, anxious to start another day of summertime fun. Laura found their favorite cereals for starters, and enjoyed another cup of coffee while they dined mightily. Amazing how much food went into those little mouths; she thought: 'If I ate that way, I'd weigh 200 pounds in a week!' although in truth she weighed what she weighed the day she graduated from college; she did not consider having two children to be an excuse for "letting go". Even at that, she often thought there must be something wrong with her body, or maybe her looks, or something about her that kept Richard away. It had been a long time since he had even looked at her as a woman. But as usual, she banished the thought to the back of her mind and looked forward to a day spent with her children. Now, if it weren't for the miserable dishwasher and the phones, the day would be a little brighter.

When the door bell sounded, Laura thought it a little early for anyone to be calling, but headed for the front of the house to respond. Opening the door, she saw a rather rough looking, unshaven man in blue coveralls with a "Bud" name patch over the pocket, and noticed a tow truck sitting in the drive.

"Morning, ma'am. I'm from A1 Towing and Salvage; I'm here to repo your car. Usually I just take 'em, but this looks like a nice neighborhood so I figured there wouldn't be any rough stuff. Now, all I need is your keys and I can get on with it. Okay? All sets if you have more than one, although the locks get changed anyway as soon as they're impounded."

"Repo? I don't understand. I haven't done anything. What's the problem?

"Look lady; I just repo 'em. If you want details, ask him." As he gestured over his shoulder Laura noticed a police patrol car sitting at the curb.

"Okay, just wait a minute until I get this straightened out with the officer. I'm sure he can clear up this mistake in a second. Will you wait a minute?"

"Sure. Take five if you want, but the van goes with me when this is over. I got my orders."

Laura walked out to the patrol car, from which a somewhat portly, older officer was now emerging. This all had to be some sort of big mistake, first the phones, now this. It didn't make sense. And it didn't exactly look great having a patrol car sitting in front of their house.

"Good morning officer. There seems to be some misunderstanding here about my van; this gentleman says he's going to tow it, one way or another. Can you help get this figured out?"

"Morning ma'am. Yes, I can get it figured out; I just didn't plan on starting this early. Anyway, I have to inform you that he has a right to tow the van. One of the reason's I'm here is to see that he doesn't have any problem with the impoundment, since it's court ordered. Now, would you get the keys for him, or do we do this the hard way?"

"No, no problem getting the keys. I'll be right back, if that's what you say, but I don't know what's going on here. I haven't done anything wrong; what's the problem? Can you tell me, or should I call a lawyer?" Laura realized the futility of her last statement when she recalled that none of the phones were working, but it sounded good anyway.

"No problem lady. Just get him the keys as he asked, and I'll fill you in, as if you didn't know."

Laura found both sets of keys, and after removing the house keys, handed them to the tow truck operator. "Can I take our things out of the van before you go?"

"Sure, anything you want, but I need to get moving now so hurry it up if you could. I have a couple more to do this morning."

The kids were finishing breakfast as Laura went to find a laundry basket, the quickest thing she could think of to hold the assortment of things in the van. Realizing something was going on, they followed her to the driveway, excited at seeing the tow truck and not realizing it was not entertainment but bad news.

"Where's the car going, mom? Is it broke, is that why there's a tow truck here?" Jack asked.

"No, it isn't broken, that I know of. This man just needs it for a while for some reason, so he's going to take it along for now. I'm sure it will be back soon and everything will be fine. Okay? Now, stay out of the way. You can watch from the sidewalk." And with that Laura removed their assorted belongings and handed the keys to the operator.

"Sorry lady; you look like a good sort; I sure hope you can work things out. Nice kids. Sorry. Gotta go." With that he loaded the van on the tow truck and drove off.

Left with the police officer, Laura invited him inside, followed by the kids, now curious at this new event in their lives. In the kitchen, she offered him a cup of coffee, which he refused, and again asked what was going on.

"You really don't know? You know, I deal with this a lot, and most people are just playing dumb, but you don't seem like the sort for game playing. So, you don't know about the bankruptcy? For real?"

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about, and I can't call my husband to ask him; for some reason the phones aren't working just now. What's going on? Please, can you tell me something, anything about this repo?"

"Look lady, Mrs. Nessing, that's you, right? Laura Nessing, Mrs. Richard Nessing?"

"Yes, I'm Laura Nessing; Richard in my husband. He's on a business trip at the moment but I'm sure he could clear all this up in a second, if I could just get hold of him."

"Mrs. Nessing, your husband filed bankruptcy last month and declared no assets. I don't know much about it, and I don't think I could get the states attorney to talk about it much with a case pending, but what I do know is this: since he declared no assets, everything you have is subject to impoundment, except your clothing and identified personal items. We don't normally enforce impoundments, but since this is a bankruptcy, we have to get involved and protect anything of value. The other thing I need to tell you is that as of 4 PM this afternoon you must vacate this premises. I'm sorry, but that's how it is. You can go anywhere you want at this point, since only your husband is involved in the bankruptcy filing. He'll probably be called to testify when it goes to trial, but since you say you don't know anything about it, all I need is a forwarding address where we can contact you later if needed."

"I still don't understand; how could he file bankruptcy? He has a good job, I work part time, we have money. We put money in the bank all the time, and I'm sure he keeps the bills paid."

"Are you telling me you haven't seen any of the notices for payment due? How could you not? We impounded the contents of your post office box yesterday afternoon and put a seal on it; the thing was packed like you hadn't emptied it in days, notices from everyone under the sun: power, phone, cable, the bank, credit cards, all that stuff. I'm probably telling you what you already know but give me a break lady; you owe everyone, and it's no surprise your services are being cut off one by one. And you still say you didn't know?"

"No, not a word of it. You say a post office box? We don't have a post office box; all our mail comes here."

"Mrs. Nessing, if you really don't know, then I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but you owe everyone in town and then some. Come to think of it, the letters I saw yesterday only had his name on them, not yours, but the bankruptcy affects all joint property, including the house. To tell the truth, I did hear some talk about him owing a ton to the casino over on the state line; is he a gambler"

"Yes, he is, only I thought it was just for fun. I had no idea things had gone this far. I don't have any idea what to do, and I have two kids to take care of. What should I do now?"

"I can't advise you in any way; I've probably said a lot more already than I should have, but if it were me, I'd head for a friend or relative and lay low until this gets cleared up and you find out how bad things are. Do you have anywhere you can go for a while?"

"Probably my sister's, but I can't even call her with the phones out. Look, you say we have until 4 PM? That's it, no chance for an extension?"

"No extensions. Sorry to say, but the court warned you several times before taking this action. Looks like maybe your husband kept you in the dark on purpose. It's just that...I've been doing this quite a few years and I'm a pretty good judge of character; you don't seem like the type to do something like this and lie about it. That sort of leaves him, doesn't it? Do you have any resources at all, cash? I'm supposed to preserve all assets, but between you and me, if you got it, hide it so I can't see it. Remember, 4 PM. I'll be back before then. And, don't do anything to damage the property; that will only make things worse; okay?"

"Yes, okay. Thank you; I know you have a job to do, and I truly did not know about any of this. I'm sorry for causing a problem."

"Not you lady, I don't think you caused it; but your husband is probably going to get some time over this if it's bad enough. Anyway, I'll be back...by 4."

With that the officer left, leaving Laura Nessing with a huge problem, and no answer. Her sister was the best option if this really had to happen, and it looked like it was a real enough problem. Nancy was geographically closer than their parents, and with two kids of her own might even welcome an extra pair of hands for the few days it would take to resolve this mess. Why hadn't Richard let her know? And with that question in mind, Laura Nessing came to a conclusion she had been avoiding for a long time: Richard didn't care; it was that simple. They were just pawns in his game, expendable at best. It occurred to her also that she had not seen any of the bills of late, which the post office box would explain; when she asked Richard about the absence, he just said they were probably late and she shouldn't worry about it so much. But the more immediate problem was money so they could travel. Laura had always been somewhat saving by nature, put a little back for the rainy day sort of person, call it mad money or pin money, and today was surely a rainy day the way things were turning out. She put a favorite video on for the kids to watch, mostly to avoid their questions about why the officer had been there, although it was against her principles to use TV as a babysitter. She needed a few minutes to get her head straight, and the video would buy that time. It did occur to her the power could also be turned off, but she hoped that wouldn't be the case, at least for a while.

Heading back into her bedroom, Laura reached far back into the closet and found a small envelope she had stored there several years ago and added to the contents now and then. Counting the cash, it was several hundred dollars, enough to get them to her sisters she hoped. She was also owed a little money by a couple of clients; maybe there was some way to collect that without going through the bank. If this thing was really happening, she realized anything she deposited in the bank would simply fall into the debt pit for now, and she had no idea how deep the pit was, or if it was growing. What to do first. She had always prided herself on keeping fit, and one of the things she enjoyed was riding her bike, even with the kids loaded up, one in the carrier and one in the trailer. It looked like that was their option for now, since apparently the van would not be coming back. Having resolved that issue, Laura spent some time considering what to take along for the trip, realizing that what they didn't take they might not ever see again but knowing she could only handle so much carry-on. By then the video was over and she told the kids they would be going for a bike ride, and maybe the park. That suited them just fine on a warm summer day, and off they went.

The ride was somewhat fruitful, although the two customers she did manage to contact were a little puzzled as to why she suddenly needed their accounts paid, and in cash. She assured them it was just a minor cash flow problem she had to deal with, that everything would be fine. Back home again she realized her remaining hours were down to four, and she needed to tell the kids at least a little basic something about what was going on.

Calling them into the kitchen for a snack, Laura tried to explain to them that they had to go on a trip because there was a problem with the house. "I'm not sure what is going to happen; maybe your dad can take care of things when he comes back in a couple of days. In the meantime, we have to move out of the house. I need to tell you that I don't have much money, and we don't have much time. So, here's what we're going to do. We're going to visit your aunt Nancy for a few days until all this is settled, so pick out a couple of things you want to take along. I have a little room in the duffle bag beside our clothes, but remember I have to be able to carry it, at least a little ways. I'm sorry all this has happened on a day we should be out having fun, but I'm sure it will all be worked out in good time. So, find a couple of things and let's get ready to go."

That went well, she thought, until Jack asked: "Where's dad; did you call him to come get us? I don't understand."

"Jack, it's okay if you don't understand; I don't really know what's going on either. But to answer your question, no, I haven't talked to your dad. The house phone is out of service and so in my cell phone, so I can't call him. But that means his cell phone is also out of service, and as much as he uses it, I'm sure he knows there's a problem."

"Then why doesn't he come, mom?"

"Jack, I'm sorry. I just don't know that answer. But, I do know the policeman has a job to do and I don't have any choice right now. The best thing I can think of is to go visit your aunt Nancy until I can get control of this problem, whatever it is. It's going to be a long bus ride; I don't have enough money for us to fly, and we can't get there by train even if I did have enough money, so I have to ask you kids to be good and make the most of this for right now. She'll help us out for a few days, and by then maybe gramps and grannie will be back home and we can visit there if we have to. You know they're out sailing around on the ocean right now, so I can't talk to them either, and I can't afford the fare to go that far. But, look, this will all work out; things are just a little disorganized right now. Okay?"

"Okay mom. I'll watch Mandy for you."

"Thanks, I knew I could count on you. You hear that Amanda? Jack has my permission to watch over you so we're all safe. Okay?"

"Yep mom. I'll get my dolly and some of her clothes for the ride. Okay?"

"Yes, okay. I think we better finish up now. The policeman just came back."

Laura returned to the front of the house to let the officer know she was aware he had returned. Again she tried to engage him in discussing what was wrong with everything in the Nessing household and why they were being essentially evicted from their home. "I thought people who filed bankruptcy, like you say my husband did, at least got to have a place to live. Why do we have to leave? I don't understand why I have to travel a day in a bus with my kids after doing nothing wrong. Can you explain that?"

"Look lady, Mrs. Nessing, believe it or not, I feel rather badly about all this. I mean, it's not much fun evicting people anyway, even if some of them deserve it. You don't seem like that type at all, so I'm sorry about that, but I've got my orders. I did do a little inquiring around since you truly seem to have no idea what is taking place here; you're either a really great actress or I just can't read you. Anyway, I asked a few questions. Seems your husband had re-mortgaged the house, took all the equity out, so he agreed to let it go back to the bank sixty days ago; they've been waiting for you to move out, not knowing you had no idea. That's how the eviction process got started. The other thing is, and this is just what I heard as kind of a rumor, your husband hasn't paid bills for months in some cases, and he stopped making payments on your van; that's why the tow truck was here after it. Whatever assets you may have had in a bank were seized today. So, that's about it. Now, you need to vacate this house, by 4 PM. Have you decided where you're going?"

"Yes, to my sisters, but it's a full day bus ride with two little kids. I don't even know how I'm going to get to the bus station."

"I think I can help with that, seeing as how you were blindsided by all this.. It isn't something I'd normally do, but I guess one exception won't hurt my record. Are you about ready?"

"Yes. Kids, come on; we have to go now. This nice officer has agreed to let us ride in his patrol car to the bus station; won't that be fun!" Laura said, hoping the patrol car ride would help ease some of their trepidation at these strange events.

And so, they left their home in the back of a patrol car, with few belongings, but at least with a destination in front of them. The kids, and to some degree their mother, looked forward to the visit; it would add stability for a few days until Laura could get her feet back on the ground. The bus was late arriving, but not too bad, and at last they were on their way to aunt Nancy's place. The kids were amused by looking out the window at the passing scenery for a while but the overtaking darkness took care of that. It was not a particularly crowded coach, so they were able to spread out a little, but they had to change to the express bus after two hours and that had less spare room. Laura ended up with Jack beside her and Amanda on her lap most of the time, finally getting some sleep herself in the late hours of the night. Things could be worse, she thought; at least she had a little money left after paying for the bus tickets, enough anyway to buy some snacks at the rest stops. The kids slept into the next morning light for a few hours, awakening when they were down to about eight hours left of the road trip. Playing travel games helped, and Laura had the foresight to bring along a couple of books both the kids enjoyed listening to.

Late that afternoon, nearly 24 hours since the outset, Laura, Jack, and Amanda arrived at the bus station in Conyerville, Nancy's current home town. Laura carded the payphone and looked forward to hearing a friendly voice for a change. After several rings, a familiar voice, but certainly not Nancy's, answered bruskly.

"Yeah? Who is it?" came the voice of Nancy's husband Leonard, or Lenny as he preferred to be called.

"Oh, hi Lenny. It's Laura. How are things going?" Lenny had never been exactly a favorite friend of Laura's, but she was always careful to not show her dislike for the man. After all, he was her sister's husband.

"Not bad, considering. You know I lost my job when the factory shut down; haven't had much work since. Things are pretty tight right now. I suppose you wanna talk to your sister?"

"Sure do. Is she around somewhere close?"

"No; she and her girl friend drove over to the metro-mall this morning. Don't know why; we ain' got any cash to spare. Anyway, she won't be back until really late tonight, probably after midnight. You could call her then. We gave up our cell's to save money."

"Lenny, I have sort of an emergency. My kids and I are here in Conyerville at the bus station and we need a place to stay for a couple of days. I was sort of counting on Nancy to help us out a bit. Can you put us up until she gets back?"

"Well...uh...look, we just don't have anything to spare right now and I don't think we can do that. Tell you what: grab a room for the night and call her in the morning. Okay? See ya then kid. Bye."

Silence, deafening silence. Laura was stunned by this sudden and unfortunate turn of events. All her hopes had assumed Nancy would be there for her, and instead of Nancy, Laura got her lout of a husband, Lenny, who had frozen her out in a heartbeat. Laura wondered if it had more to do with her family being seen as better off than Nancy's, or was he just being an ass of some sort. Regardless, they needed a place to stay for the night, and with money in very short supply at this point, charity was becoming the answer. Screwing up her courage, she approached the part time ticket agent, a pimply faced youth of generally unkempt appearance, but her sole source of information at this point.

"Hi. Can you help me with something?"

"Yeah, what?" the youth responded as though he had been busy doing anything at all.

"We seem to need someplace to stay for the night, and I don't have any money. Is there a Y here, or someone from whom I might get help?"

"No...wait a minute. There's some place for homeless people over on Second Avenue, old hotel that's been converted. Isn't much of a place, but then I guess you can't be too choosy can you...unless maybe we can work out something else." The kid leered at her in what he probably believed was a suggestive manner, but which only showed his lack of dental hygiene.

"Fine, thank you. That should be good for now." Laura responded, and thought about adding 'I'd rather sleep with a dog than you' but restrained herself as the lady she was. "Come on kids; we have a walk to take; it's not very far." Laura lugged the heavy duffle bag along, thankful that she at least knew Conyerville enough to know where they were going.

The shelter did turn out to be an old hotel, better than sleeping in the open but not by much. Finding the night super, Angie Costello, Laura told her their plight, how they were virtually penniless with no place to stay and a relative that had turned them down. Angie had heard a lot of stories and was not particularly impressed by this one since it sounded like a familiar refrain, but she did have a room adequate for the three of them. She also had some rations left in the kitchen to tide them over, but she had to point out the building problem they had just encountered.

"Our central air never did work very well, and this afternoon during this heat wave it just stopped working entirely. I'm sorry; I know you've had a tough day already, but we just do not have the funds to get it fixed right now. The best I can do is get you cots and you can stay in the day room on this floor. At least there's a little breeze through the windows. It's taking its toll on all of us. Can you live with the cots for at least tonight?"

"Sure, we'll make do. I'm sorry to be such a bother; things have just not gone well for us the past day or so, and to tell the truth, I really don't know what to do next. Maybe a night's rest will bring some new idea. Thanks so much for what you've already done. I didn't relish the thought of sleeping in the street with two little kids."

"Not a problem. Here, there's some room here you can settle into for now. Grab a couple of chairs over there to mark your space... That sounded bad, didn't it? And we'll bring the cots as soon as we can uncover them in the storage room. It's strange it being this hot so early in the summer, but I guess stranger things have happened. Like that camera crew over there filming our problem. Must be a slow news day for them to come in here." Unbeknownst to the night super, stranger things indeed were about to happen.

Laura got some chairs to, as the super said, "mark your space", and settled in to maybe read the now tired and restless kids a story to entertain them for another night until they could drift off to sleep in the stifling heat; surely the cots would arrive soon. Amanda was comfortable on the duffle bag for now, and Jack was sitting on the floor; Laura was a little concerned about the floor part of it, but reconciled herself with the thought they had just spent an entire day breathing other people's exhaled air on the bus; could the floor be any worse than that? Sometime later, just as she was getting well into reading the book, she noticed a small entourage coming through the door to the rec room: the night super, a tall well appointed woman probably in her early sixties, and a man so big he literally filled the doorway when he came through. And they were clearly headed right for her small assemblage. 'Oh, hell' she thought to herself, 'now what's wrong?' and just as quickly chided herself for even thinking language she did not want the children to hear. Things just couldn't get worse could they? And the answer was, no, things weren't going to get worse. In fact, they were going to get a whole lot better, even though it would take Laura a little time to get past her recently well developed wariness of new situations. She and her children were about to be rescued by persons who knew what they were doing, but not why; it would be some time before all would understand.

Chapter Five – Channel 15

The eight day business trip had gone well for Ryan. He had signed supervisory management contracts with several new clients, and a couple more intended to present his proposals to their board of directors. His reputation preceded him, or at least that of Windmere. Success begat success, and his plan to grow Windmere into a national firm, maybe even an international firm, was coming along nicely. Still, living out of a suitcase, however experienced he was at the task, could not take the place of being home. At that thought, the sadness returned as his memory recalled happier days with his beloved Mary at his side; she had been gone nearly two years now, and while the grief had subsided, he believed it would never go away entirely, nor did he want it to. Without the memory, however painful, he would have no memory of Mary; that was unacceptable. 'Better to have loved and lost...' he thought to himself, but that hardly filled the hole in his spirit. He worked nearly non-stop now, had ordered closed up the "White House" he and Mary had lived in, and moved back into the rooms they had occupied before building the house, conveniently adjacent to his office.

Windmere had maintained time rights on a private jet, but Ryan, ever the good businessman, seldom used it for his own travel, preferring to use the local airport services. It was more cost effective, but took its toll on his 6'3" frame. He unwound his legs from the puddle jumper and went in to retrieve his luggage and laptop from the baggage claim area, then strolled to the parking lot to locate his tired Taurus. It was the car he and Mary had purchased right after they were married, with the intent to add at least a couple of kids along the way. But, it was never to be; the children didn't arrive, and Mary was gone now. He kept the sedan anyway because of the familiarity, and because he considered it unfair to his staff to make them wait on him at airports, especially when it would be their normal time off. It was a somewhat strange turn of events, but Ryan simply did not know how much his staff appreciated him and would do anything for him, especially now that they sensed his continuing sadness. Retrieving the mile weary car, he headed for Windmere, food, and a night's rest before tackling the paperwork that always went with business deals.

Leaving the car in the drive, Ryan dropped the luggage in his sleeping room, the laptop in the office, and headed for the kitchen to see what Mrs. Cook had left him. That was one of the job perks he did enjoy, having something ready for him when he returned. Mrs. Cook pretty well knew his food preferences, although now and then she would leave something new for him to give a try; she had not disappointed him yet, and tonight would be no exception. He retrieved the plate from the refrigerator, added a cold Mexican beer he had come to enjoy, and headed for the Great Room to catch up on the local scene. Normally he would have retired to his own quarters, but there were no guests just now, and the Great Room flat screen was one piece of technology he did appreciate. With no remote in sight, he hit the "On" button on the front of the unit, decided to watch whatever was on, enjoy his meal, and find the remote later. The set lit up with Channel 15, the local station, something he didn't watch much since his interests were more on the national level. But, it was on, and he still didn't see the remote; it wouldn't hurt him to keep track of the local scene, especially since most of his staff lived in Conyerville.

The commentator was talking to the administrator about the loss of the cooling system in a local homeless shelter, and the effect it was having on those the shelter protected. It was a former hotel, somewhat rundown from its glory years, but unquestionably better than living under a bridge or in a cardboard box. As the camera panned around, the effect of the heat and humidity and the distress it was imposing on the residents was obvious. Most of them were now in the rec room area trying to get some breeze from the floor fans, their rooms being far too hot to be habitable. The panning hesitated for a moment or two on a young woman holding an exhausted looking little girl with very sad eyes, and an equally exhausted appearing little boy who looked like he was standing guard to protect them and their remnants of some former life. In that brief moment, Ryan saw in Laura's face a look of quiet desperation intermingled with a look that said "I don't belong here, but I'll do whatever it takes to care for my children." It was a look that burned into his mind, and re-ignited an interest he had long kept sequestered in his emotional being.

As quickly as the panning resumed, Ryan hit the house intercom button before even thinking about the time. It was well past 7 PM and the staff had retired for the night. Slightly embarrassed with himself for this unexplained lapse of judgment, Ryan was somewhat startled when Mrs. Hamilton answered the page and without knowing Ryan had initiated the call, asked if there was a problem. Memory now serving a little better, Ryan remembered that all calls went to Mrs. Hamilton, when she so elected. When the system was first installed, she had insisted in having a monitor placed in her cottage, not to monitor staff as she quickly assured them, but to make sure every guest call was quickly answered. She had on this night elected to answer calls herself, even though there were no guests in residence at the moment..

A woman of her own means, Mrs. Hamilton had elected to move into a guest cottage on a permanent basis shortly after Windmere was remodeled and open for business. She had done a little work there some years before for the owners when it was still a private residence, and truth be told, her children felt better about her living at Windmere than in the large home where she and her late husband had raised their family. A tall, graying woman of slightly more than 60 years, Mrs. Alice Hamilton was respected more than feared by the staff, but no one wanted to test her will. Although she was actually a paying resident at the time, Ryan had asked her to help out with the planning logistics of a large meeting since his hands were already full with other matters. From that beginning, her position had grown from guest to essentially Major Domo of the facility over the last couple of years, a position she enjoyed but did not flex with unreasoning power. She expected the best for the guests, and staff delivered. And, she still had plenty of free time to seriously spoil grandchildren when they visited. That was one of the reasons Ryan had added the water jet and wading pools adjacent to the larger pool. He truly appreciated her abilities, frequently wondering where she got her strength. And then there was the present call to be explained.

Ryan quickly responded that he had acted without thinking about the time and apologized for disturbing her at the late hour.

"Never mind all that stuff. What's going on?" Alice had a way of cutting to the chase before it even began.

"I've been watching Channel 15 about the problem at the homeless shelter. Have you seen that, all those people trying to get a little comfort in an untenable condition? And that woman with the two little kids?" The image of Laura was as real in his mind as if he were watching it again. Ryan had the uneasy feeling he needed to do something about what he had seen, but he was unsure of himself, a condition unfamiliar to him.

"Wait. I'm on my way." was Alice's reply. Even had he protested, Ryan knew it would be of no use. Alice was into this now, and he found himself unable to come up with a reasonable excuse for why Laura's image stayed in his mind so clearly.

As she entered the Great Room, the video feed was replaying the lingering shot of the shelter. Alice caught the image of Laura and her two children, saw the look on his face, and just as quickly understood what was going on inside Ryan's being.

"You know, Suite A isn't in use just now, and we don't have anything booked for the next few days. We would certainly have room for those three. Besides, you're right; those people just do not look like they should be there. Not that anyone should be left homeless, but they look completely out of place and desperate. I think maybe someone needs to go after them. Any objection?"

Ryan had no objection; he didn't even have any reason for what was going on, but he also knew Alice was going to do what he wanted to do, yet was personally unable to carry out just now. "I can't ask you to do this, you know, and even if you do go, you can't go alone. You'd need a driver at least." he added, certainly not to dissuade her, but in the hope it would clarify his own thoughts at the moment.

"Not a problem. Dennis owes me from last weekend's game. I'll give him a page."

"And Alice, I think we need to see if we can somehow help out with their air conditioning problem, whether those people come here or not; it only seems fair, and I think Windmere can afford to be a good neighbor. Okay?"

"Sure thing; I'll ask Dennis what he knows."

The staff poker game was a frequent weekend occurrence, but usually only for in-house staff. The betting was minimal as was the ante. Mrs. Hamilton had learned the game late in life, but enjoyed it thoroughly as much for the companionship as for the sheer fun of playing. She ran "The House", and any profits went to charity. On the bottom line, "The House" also stood the cost of snacks and beverages for the session, so for Windmere it was anything but a net gain proposition. Still, it was harmless enough, and Dennis did owe her a favor, having lost a bet to "do a good deed" on a simple card turn; Alice didn't cheat at cards, but neither did she forget a debt.

Alice Hamilton poked the number for Dennis's pager and hit "send". Ryan could see from the look on her face she was now on a mission, not to be diverted, or interfered with. He was still unsure what he had initiated, but somehow, he knew it was the right thing in spite of his unclear feelings.

Dennis Anderson was a man of somewhat frightening proportions. As a semi-pro football lineman topping 340 pounds on a 6' 6" frame, he was feared as a competitor. But the years in the pits had not been kind to him, or to any parts of his body, from his arthritic knees to his gnarled fingers, each of which had been dislocated at least once. Cut from the team, he was driving a cab in Conyerville to earn a living and picked up Ryan at the airport one evening several years ago. Ryan saw in Dennis the answer to a problem he was wrestling with: the facilities at the Windmere home property were starting to get prime bookings, and he needed to have available some basic security. He also needed to develop a secondary driver who was reliable, personable, and who could also handle the significant baggage some clients liked to travel with. After a brief conversation, Ryan made Dennis an offer to work part time for Windmere, sort of a trial basis.

Although a part timer, Dennis frequently stayed at Windmere in carriage house quarters when an event required drivers to be available on a moment's notice; as often as not, he was the driver who made the late night, very secretive airport runs to deliver clients. He remembered well the aging rock star who was having a very public fight in the press with his own family, but who had his family flown into Windmere so he could secretly visit with them away from the media. The only real issue he had with the job was the down time between runs or other activities, so he found something to keep busy and pass the time when needed. As it happened, Mrs. Hamilton found Dennis one day idly weeding a flower bed in need of attention, something he enjoyed doing. Commenting on his interest, she was politely informed the beds needed much more than weeding, and was treated to a recitation on soil conditioners and what could be done with a little proper care. On her recommendation, Dennis Anderson suddenly found himself chief groundskeeper, a full time position that included caring for the nine hole private golf course on the grounds; that sent him back to the books, but it was truly a labor of love. He retained his position as a driver and security icon, and for the first time in a long time, Dennis Anderson was secure and content. On the other hand, while he was grateful to Mrs. Hamilton for her recommendation, he was not so grateful as to willingly lose to her during staff poker games. And so it was, when she called, he hauled.

Once Dennis was in the Great Room, she held what could be considered as a mission briefing, explaining their directive, and telling him what she had seen going on at the shelter: that they were to pick up three people and bring them to Windmere, with little fanfare, or lost time. The other thing was that they were to find someone who could repair the air conditioning at the shelter, regardless of the time of night; Dennis assured them he would tell his roomie Franz the problem as soon as they were rolling. Franz would know what to do about the A/C and would communicate with Ryan on that issue.

"Two of them are small children. Do we have any car seats Dennis?" She was not about transport young children without the proper equipment, no matter how badly they might need transported. Alice Hamilton might be on a mission, but that would not keep her from doing things right.

"Yes, ma'am; we have the ones we used last year when the rocker flew his family in. Should work for these kids; actually, I have two sizes, so I'll load up one of each." And off went Dennis to load in the seats and bring their mission vehicle around to the front door. Although he knew little about what was going on, somehow he got the impression this was a good thing they were about to do, even if no one, including Alice Hamilton, seemed to know exactly why they were doing it. That, of course, was not his problem.

Within minutes, Dennis and Alice were rolling along in the huge SUV. Designed to transport persons who cherished their privacy, and to provide security during the ride, Dennis truly loved the vehicle that was much like him in many ways. It had a quiet strength powered by the huge block engine that loafed at interstate speeds. And, while it was a luxury ride, it could also go cross country with ease and out sprint anything in its weight class. The basic unit had been fitted by a security design firm with full electronics, DVD player with drop down screens, complete sound system, GPS, cell relay, even a fax machine, not to mention back-up equipment. Gloss black, the machine had very little chrome detail, with the exception of the two large, chromed exhaust extensions jutting out from under the bumper. If nothing else, it's very appearance was intimidating, a fact not lost on the designers. In the near dark it was virtually invisible save for the Xenon headlamps that pierced the night air.

They arrived at the shelter quickly and Dennis maneuvered the heavy iron into an unoccupied loading zone. Together they entered the facility through the throng of people trying to cool off in the evening breeze and located the night supervisor. Alice explained their two fold mission to the supervisor, indicating that the super could call anyone she liked to check on their authenticity. First, Alice explained, her employer would pay to have the A/C unit repaired, and was at this moment looking for a repairman to make the service call (at a nighttime rate of double time no less). Secondly, they wanted to meet the tall woman with two small children, someone they believed to be in her early thirties.

"They're in the rec room. The bunk rooms aren't habitable with all this heat. I'll take you to them." And while she communicated with Alice Hamilton, Angie Costello's eyes were on Dennis Anderson, with as much interest as fascination at being near someone that large who appeared to be every bit the boy scout at the moment.

Laura looked up as the night super approached with Alice and Dennis, an unlikely duo, in tow. Apprehensive at this turn of events, she rose to meet them, shushing Jack and Amanda. Jack scrambled to his feet and got in front of his mother, prepared to defend his family, even against this man who cast such a large shadow if need be. Alice introduced herself and Dennis, assuring Laura there was no problem, just an opportunity. Without directly mentioning Ryan, she outlined their offer: shelter for a couple of nights for Laura and her children. In the morning they would discuss the future since, as Alice noted, "You're in a homeless shelter and appear to be in some need of assistance. We are promising a safe comfortable place to stay, a respite if you will, for the next few days. What may develop we will discuss tomorrow when you are rested. Besides, this is a little outside my normal office hours. I would like to point out, in case you were wondering, that this is not a charitable act in particular. I was given specific instructions to contact you, but not the reason why. I am just as unclear as to the reason we were sent as you are at this point, but I can assure you this is a valid offer. I can give you a few moments to consider our offer if you wish, but either way, I would like a decision in the next few moments."

How could Laura refuse? Her children were in need. Still, how could this be happening after all that had gone wrong in the past couple of days? Excusing herself, she took aside the night supervisor, who was totally bemused by these people and what they were offering. "I don't know these people, and we're already pretty bad off in many ways; I don't want to make things worse. What do you think about all this? What should I do?"

"I can't tell you what to do and take that sort of responsibility, but I will tell you this. I would pay a lot of money just to see the inside of Windmere, and I can tell you, from everything I have heard, the company is a class act to work for. Getting on staff out there is tough. I know a couple of people who work there from time to time; they won't mention any names, but they say it is a top dollar operation, really high end, if you know what I mean; nothing but the up and up. I don't know about the woman, but I've seen the big guy around; he seems to have a good reputation. My guess? I think this offer is good, and they promised to fix the a/c whether you go with them or not, so either way the shelter wins. I don't know what you've got, honey, but somebody saw something; I'd cash that check while I could."

Laura reasoned that things couldn't get much worse since they were already homeless and virtually penniless. Facing Mrs. Hamilton, Laura agreed, but agonized in her mind about the decision. After all, her last major decision of any sort had been to marry Richard and she was living with the consequences of that error. The only good thing to come out of that decision was her two wonderful children, whom she would protect at all cost. She told the children they would be staying somewhere else for the night, to gather up their few things, then reached for the duffle bag that contained the remnants of their previous life. To her surprise a huge hand was already on the handle of the bag.

"Sorry ma'am, but carrying the bags is part of my job along with driving, and besides" nodding toward Mrs. Hamilton, "I owe her one."

Grateful for the help with the heavy bag, Laura noted that the big man with the soft voice didn't even seem to notice the weight as he lifted the bag, more like it was a pillow full of feathers with no weight at all, just a smooth, powerful flex. She wondered at the time what else he did for the company, bouncer maybe, but for the moment just following in his wake was enough of a task.

As the small procession started to make its way out of the rec. room to the waiting SUV, something happened to Dennis that he would never forget, and that would win Amanda a gentle giant for a protector all the remaining days of his life. Her little four years old hand reached up and grasped one of his thick fingers, an entire handful for her, and as he glanced down at the touch, she looked up at him with wide open eyes and an expression of trust and confidence. The pang of compassion that shot through Dennis's heart nearly brought him to a halt. Releasing the bag for a moment, he reached down and scooped the little girl up, setting her on his wide forearm where she was clear of the crowd, and where she could literally see over the top of everyone in the room. "Now," he said "You can see better and we won't lose you in the crowd." But as he retrieved the duffle and started for the door again, the tears in his own eyes made seeing difficult. The act did not go without notice from Laura, whose own heart stopped for a beat when she saw the big man first reach for her comparatively tiny daughter. It was an act of kindness that, reasonable explanation or not, said these people, if nothing else, loved small children. And with that, the shelter was behind them.

Jack's eyes widened at the big SUV. Like many small boys, he was fascinated by anything automotive, and while his 5 year old mind couldn't grasp all of the significant details, it was perfectly clear to him that this was a much better ride than the long bus trip. As the side door powered open, Laura was surprised to see the car seats already in place, somehow not what she had envisioned in a vehicle like this. Clearly, this was not the average family sedan, but that fact was lost on the kids as they climbed into seats, ready for launch. At a quick glance, Laura estimated it would hold eight adults comfortably, plus luggage and probably a couple sets of golf clubs as well, but if nothing else, Dennis seemed quite at home in it. Sensing her curiosity, Alice said: "We don't usually have the car seats in this unit because it's so high up off the ground for the kids to climb into, but we do keep them available; some clients bring their kids, and we knew we would need them tonight. Dennis picked this vehicle for the run; I think maybe it's his favorite, and since he volunteered, I had to overlook the poor gas mileage it gets. I should tell you that you made the local evening news television. That's how all this got started, but, again, my orders were just to get you out of the shelter if you wanted to come with us. I think you will find it was a good decision, although we'll know better in the morning. Anyway, you'll have a good night's sleep, so it can't be all bad."

Dennis expertly powered into the traffic stream, but the sight of a familiar landmark logo ahead prompted him to ask if anyone was hungry. Laura was a little embarrassed at the "Yes, Sir" chorus that rang out, although she knew their last meal on limited funds had been somewhat marginal for growing children. She had rather counted on Nancy's generosity, and while the shelter fed them, they were close to the end of their available finances and were making do as best they could. Dennis glanced over at Alice, who simply nodded in agreement with his decision. Laura, swallowing hard, had to stop this before it went too far; she simply didn't have any funds left. But as she started to speak with a tremor in her voice, Alice sensed the problem and cut her off: "Courtesy of Windmere. Consider it to be a part of our client hospitality greeting package. Besides, I think Dennis just volunteered to buy, since he'll probably stick the company for overtime anyway. Not that I'll authorize it."

"Thank you" was all Laura could muster at the moment. These people really did seem to understand the dire nature of her situation, and apparently really were there to help her.

Kids meals distributed to eager hands, Dennis also ordered extra of the large chocolate chip cookies, for "emergency uses" as he explained it. And not to be out eaten by two small children, he also ordered the extra size triple burger and made it invisible in about four bites. The ladies, ostensibly more delicate in nature than the former footballer, went for the high end salad combo's, but didn't hold back much on utensil speed. In her distress, Laura had not realized how very hungry she had become.

Later on, while Laura and Alice were relaxing for a moment, Jack and Amanda were taking turns trying to fly in the play area. Climbing on whatever they could find, they burned off significant energy by hurling themselves into the air, to be caught in mid-flight by the waiting Dennis. Twenty minutes of that and Mrs. Hamilton thought they were probably depressurized enough to continue their journey

It was fully dark out now and Laura couldn't make out very much along the side of the road, but it did appear the houses were farther apart now, more of a rural area. Her apprehension was just beginning to nip at her a little again when they came to a driveway blocked by an impressive iron gate. The word "Windmere" in gold letters stood out in the headlights, but one touch of a remote in the SUV and the gate slid silently back, reclosing smoothly behind them as they entered. Laura recalled the words of the administrator at the shelter: 'I would pay a lot of money just to see the inside of Windmere'. Well, they were in, she thought to herself, but she still didn't know much about these people and what the morning would bring. Yet, she and her children were out of the shelter, well fed, now behind a large security gate, and in a vehicle that could probably stop bullets. Indeed, the SUV could stop bullets if need arose.

Dennis stopped at the back guest entrance since it was closer to their rooms than the main entrance to the great room. With Alice in the lead, the troop entered the building and quickly came to Suite A. Mag carding the door lock brought on the lights and adjusted the thermostat for occupancy; it would operate that way so long as the sensors recorded movement every few hours. The Nessing family followed her inside, and although the children were just grateful for the space, the room exceeded what Laura expected from her conversation with the shelter night super. The understated elegance said "You're worth it; enjoy". Clearly, this was no chain hotel, or even a high end place for travelers, but rather than creating an unease at the luxury, it was at once warm and inviting. Quickly, Alice showed Laura around, the fully appointed kitchenette, the large bedroom, and the bathroom with its spa tub and adjacent walk-in triple headed shower. The large bed looked like a field of flowers with the beautiful spread in place, matching the other items of décor in the room. Probably enough room for four people on there, Laura mused, and they wouldn't even have to be friends. Plus, her two small children could have their own section to sleep in. Sensing what Laura was thinking, Alice pressed a nearly invisible button in the wood paneled wall, and two bunks folded down from the wall, showing spreads matching the large bed.

"We don't have much call for these, but now and then guests bring small children and we do like to think of everything anyone could want. And by the way, the consumables in the kitchenette are for your use. You'll find some familiar snacks; please feel free to use them if you like. I have a few things to do early in the morning, so I'll come collect you about, say, 8 AM? That should give you enough time for a good night's sleep; we have a lot to do tomorrow, but please don't concern yourself about a thing for now. Windmere is a little bit like a fortress for security, and besides, I think Dennis likes the kids; they couldn't find a better protector." The big man smiled at her reference. "If for any reason something goes wrong, or you just feel uneasy about something, press zero on the phone and I'll respond. This card is the door key; the other way in is the voice command, which we'll address in the morning, or to have facility computer code access; that system pretty much controls everything, but don't concern yourself about it for now. "Warmer" and "Cooler" on the suite control panel mean exactly that, one degree per button push. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"

Laura just wanted to cry, these people had done so much for her in so short a time, but she managed a "No, thank you. You've done so much already I don't know how to thank you. The kids seem to like Dennis equally well; for now they've had a long day already and I think bedtime calls. Thank you again; I'm sure we'll be fine."

With that, Alice and Dennis departed, leaving Laura and her children to settle in for the night. Laura opened the duffle and extracted their night clothes, such as they were. Limited though their wardrobe was at that point, she did intend to maintain some semblance of civil living, as least as much as she could, but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by childish squeals of delight. Afraid this dream could somehow be in jeopardy, Laura flew to the kitchenette to find her children staring into an open refrigerator full of snacks, including ice cream bars.

"Can we have one, can we have one, pleeeese?" came the plea. Laura thought about it for a moment, and decided 'What the heck? If this is what it takes to ruin a dream, it isn't much of a dream' "Yes, one and only one. Remember, we're guests here (wherever this may be, she thought), and then it's off to bed with you."

Within minutes they had devoured the treat, went horizontal without protest, and quickly fell asleep in comfort for the first time in days. Kids asleep, Laura explored the large marble tiled shower, washing away the days accumulation, and a lot of stress in the process. It took a bit of doing to learn the shower operation, but with a little luck she figured out the three heads operated independently and could be adjusted in about every possible way from stream to mist, pulsate to major flood. Shower complete, she dried off with one of the towels provided; the sheer size and thick texture of the towels did not go unnoticed, and the terry robe that matched the towels swathed her in comfort until she could climb into one corner of the bed. Her next thought was left incomplete, so fast did sleep overtake her. Somehow, 9:30 PM seemed rather late.

Chapter Six – The Morning After

Awakened by streaming sunlight, Jack helped Mandy dress and led her in a very limited version of tooth brushing and face wiping; then, curiosity overcame them and they decided to open the door just a little bit to peek out. At that moment, Dennis was heading to the kitchen for a morning booster shot of caffeine and caught sight of the two peering out. "Anyone hungry?" he repeated his question of the night before, knowing the kids always seemed to be hungry. "Yes" again came the chorus, but subdued enough that their mother, still sleeping soundly in the bedroom, didn't awaken. Dennis shushed them with a finger to the lips, then took them in tow to the kitchen. 'This' he thought to himself 'should be a change for Doris. No sense letting her get bored.'

Doris Cook had worked in some really exclusive hotels and restaurants in her career, some of the best, places recognized for their gourmet menu and ambience. She was a rarity, a female in charge in a male dominated profession. Her husband, Louis, was almost equally adept in the kitchen, and at one point had worked under his wife's direction. Their lifelong dream was to operate their own high end restaurant, but the means to do so had eluded them. Louis became critically ill during one point in their marriage, and their funds were seriously depleted. So it came to pass that when Doris' aged mother needed assistance, and the money was tight, they relocated to Conyerville to care for her. Doris hired on where she could find work, which provided needed revenue but little in the way of a culinary challenge.

In the early days of Ryan's ownership of Windmere, since there was no real kitchen staff, Ryan and Mary occasionally took their meals at one of the assortment of restaurants in town. Recalling their original foray to Conyerville, Ryan found the restaurant they had formulated their offer in, and became acquainted with the unassuming, but hugely qualified, Doris Cook. At that point in her life, she had resigned herself more to the hamburger end than to Chateau Briand, but it was a living. Ryan changed all that. With Windmere, Inc. becoming a reality, he needed expert advice on food service and an expert in the kitchen; Doris Cook filled both needs. Wanting to semi-retire anyway, she loved both the demands and freedom "her" kitchen at Windmere allowed. In the process, she had also learned the joy of less demanding cooking for people who simply enjoyed good food well prepared, and genuine friendship. Her kitchen became an informal staff meeting place, always with fresh coffee or cold drink, aided and abetted by a particularly enticing snack or two just out of the oven. And, on those occasions when it was more than one person could do, Louis often joined her in the effort, along with Maria Hernandez, the weekend cook. Since she normally did only workweek breakfast and lunch, she frequently checked the travel schedule, and as on the previous night, left a prepared meal in the refrigerator that took little preparation.

Doris was not surprised to see Dennis, that was pretty routine, but the appearance of two small children with him brought out all her grand-motherly instincts. "Okay Dennis, talk. They look pretty young to be new hires."

"Alice and I went to town and picked them up at the homeless shelter last night; bosses orders. I guess that would include feeding them for the next few days as well. Now you know as much as I do about what's going on. Coffee hot?"

"Of course the coffee's hot, and fresh. Does this look like a fast food joint of some kind? You kids look hungry. Ever eat pancakes?"

And the chorus rang out: "Yes, please, ma'am."

"And polite too. Dennis, find the boosters please, and set them up over at this table so the loafers can't gather." Everyone was accustomed to her accusing them of loafing any time they were in the kitchen, an accusation neither they or Doris took seriously. Kids in place and griddle hot, Doris poured the usual puddle of batter, then poured two small puddles at the top, and one very small puddle at what would be the front of the design. The kids recognized the mouse like figure at once and expressed their joy in syrup swirls and flying forks. Glasses of milk disappeared equally fast, and within a few minutes, Doris knew, if nothing else, the kids were very healthy eaters. She did still wonder about their status, but since Dennis seemed to accept them, she placed them in the "guest" status for now. Maybe they would find out more later in the day; regardless, she would enjoy their openness, and their unfettered appetites.

As the kids were finishing up their breakfast, Franz Smith appeared for the same reason Dennis had been on his way in, caffeine replenishment. In fact, Franz and Doris reprised the earlier routine Dennis and Doris had gone through. The kids, just finishing up stuffing themselves, at least for a few hours, were curious about the newcomer, and his somewhat different speech pattern. Being kids, it was neither good nor bad to them, just different, a curiosity. They were quick to realize Franz was as much a part of this group as everyone else, sort of like a big family of assorted relatives. Although he was a relative newcomer, Franz was indeed considered to be "family" by the others. Born with a slight speech impediment, he had often been treated as someone who was a little "slow" so to speak. To make matters worse, he was of slight build, and grew up in a part of town where being "different", especially with something as obvious as a speech problem, could make life difficult. Franz got by on street smarts and a sixth sense that alerted him about impending danger so he could stay clear. Still, his opportunities had been limited in life, and when Ryan first saw him, Franz was working for a grounds maintenance company. Observant as usual, Ryan noticed Franz handled all of the equipment problems for the company on site, quickly and with a seeming ability to see mechanical problems at first sight. The crew gave him plenty of practice since if the equipment was down, they could power down for the few minutes it took to fix it. With Windmere growing, and their 100% satisfaction policy, Ryan needed not only on-site maintenance, but competent and responsive maintenance. Ryan also saw an advantage in Franz being physically small since he could get in and out of tight places quickly; on top of that, Ryan believed that Franz would cleanup well and would fit into the team he was building. A few minutes of conversation confirmed what Ryan had thought; seeing through the slight impediment, he saw a rather knowledgeable and perceptive man who just took a little longer to make his position known. In the great scheme of things Windmere, a Franz could unobtrusively fill a need, and avoid the appearance of a grease monkey on the loose at the same time. An offer was made, and accepted. Franz truly loved his position where he was pretty much his own boss, and, when he went into town for parts he secretly enjoyed knowing that he was way ahead of those who had treated him, if not badly, at least not as well as they should have.

Listening to the casual conversation between Dennis and Franz, Jack quickly learned that Franz took care of the facilities mechanical needs and cars, and decided this man should be his friend, playmate, and so on. For his part, Franz had no objections to the tag along; he enjoyed company, regardless of size, and reflected back to when he would have appreciated someone to stand with him when he was that age. And when he hinted about other vehicles that might be in the carriage house, Jack was hooked. Finishing his cup of coffee, Franz asked Dennis if there were any plans for the kids that morning. Dennis hadn't a clue, but taking a shot in the dark, said "No, nothing that I know of; besides you have your pager if we need you back for some reason. Road trip this morning?"

"Yes; I need some air conditioning unit filters, and there are some repair parts in for the fairway mowers. Gotta stay ahead in the parts race you know; those operators could break a steel ball playing with it. Anyway, you think there would be any problem if short stuff here went with me?"

"No, but if something comes up, it's on me. I'll let Alice know the deal as soon as she shows up. See you back here for lunch about twelve?"

"You got it. Jack, you ready for a parts run with me? Bathroom check first?"

Jack flew off the booster seat, in and out of the nearby bathroom, and was ready to go in under three minutes. This was more fun that he had seen in a while and he was not about to miss the chance. Besides, much as he liked Dennis, this guy was more his size. And a friendship that lasted for years was begun in a bouncing 4 by 4 making a parts run.

With Jack and Franz gone, Dennis announced he had to make a security round of the grounds and check on some plantings. "There're two seats in the cart. Anyone around here want to ride shotgun?"

Amanda could hardly get the "Yes" out of her mouth quick enough, but Dennis turned toward Doris: "You hear some noise in here? Sounds like a cricket to me. Well, I have to go make a round now. Too bad I'll be all alone."

Prompted by the big man's seeming disregard, Amanda was bouncing up and down in her seat saying "Me too, me too."

"I'm just teasing; of course you can go, but first: potty check, shoes tied, and you need a ball cap; sun's bright today. I have a cap you can use in the carriage house. Ready?" And after Doris supervised the potty break to make sure Mandy was truly ready to go, off they went in the big ATV.

Laura had been sleeping the deep sleep of the exhausted when the kids had awakened and made good their escape. She was starting to drift toward consciousness when the knock at the door came. Startled to awareness, her heart leapt when she realized her two children were nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, she flew to the door, to find the ever calm Alice Hamilton waiting for her.

"Is there something wrong? Where are the kids; are they all right?" the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Calm down, please, take a breath. Everything is fine. Amanda is with Dennis making a security round of the facility in his ATV, and Jack is with Franz in the Jeep making a parts run to the hardware store. I can call them back here at any time, but suggest for now we leave them where they are. You've met Dennis, so you know Amanda is in good hands; you'll meet Franz later and I'm sure you'll find him to be equally reliable. We do not employ anyone here who could be questionable in any way. Now, are you rested and ready for some breakfast and 20 questions?"

"Let me at least rinse the sleep off my face and get a little more presentable; then I'll be ready for the day. I won't be more than a minute or two. I don't remember when I've had a night's sleep that good; been a while, and I do feel much better now even though I have no idea how or why all this is happening. I'm still very grateful you got us out of that crowd last night."

"Later I'll answer your questions as best I can. For now, freshen up and we'll go do breakfast. I'll wait here." That's what Alice said aloud, while inside she was thinking that this young woman looked better disheveled and unmade-up in the morning light than most women would look all day. Alice wasn't jealous; she had had her day in the sun; was today going to be Laura's? Time would tell.

Laura quickly found the best dress of what little she had to choose from and rejoined Mrs. Hamilton at the door to the suite. "I'm sorry, but I just realized I haven't called my sister this morning. I tried to talk to her last night but she wasn't at home. I really need to let her know we're okay. Could I just take a minute to do that?"

"Sure. Take whatever time you need. Dial one and then the rest of the number. Is she here in Conyerville?"

"Yes, she is, but I couldn't get her husband to understand we were pretty bad off when we got here on the bus yesterday and needed a place to stay. Again, I can't thank you enough for all you've done. This will just take a minute; please come in and have a seat."

Alice did as requested, and tried to not listen to the conversation, but Laura's end was all too clear and Alice was getting a picture of sorts.

"Nancy? It's Laura! ... No, we're fine, and kids and I... Yes, I heard we were on the TV news last night... Lenny said you had enough problems of your own since the plant closed. I'm sure he didn't understand the rather extreme nature of our problem. Anyway, look, we're doing okay for the moment. We were relocated yesterday evening by some very nice people from a place called Windmere; that's where we are now. ... Yes, it's a little like a fortress, but in fact, it's been more like a wonderland so far; I'm almost afraid the balloon will burst. ... No, don't come out for us. Let me see if there's a number you can call if you need me for something; I don't have a cell phone anymore, and I don't know where Richard is. It's a really long story I'm not even sure I understand yet, but I'll see if these nice people will let me call again later so I can fill you in a bit on what I do know. I don't think it's a pretty picture, but we're fine for now. ... Catch you later, oh, and let the folks know when they get back in the states, okay? ... Love you too; take care."

That done, Laura and Alice walked together for the few steps to the kitchen. Doris greeted them as they entered;" Good morning ladies. Alice, I know what you want; I heard you coming down the hall and it's in the toaster. And it looks like this girl needs a running start on her day. Hi; I'm Doris Cook; I assume those two children that nearly ate us out of house and home belong to you?"

"I'm Laura, and yes, they belong to me. I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Not a bit of it. I get a kick out of seeing them chow down, both of them; we'll see how they do at lunch. But, as for you, how about I clean out the refrigerator and stir you up an omelet? I assume whole wheat on the toast; you look positively too healthy to be hanging around us old folks. Time we put some pounds on you so we don't feel so guilty."

Laura laughed at the cook's accuracy on the toast, but said "Please, not if it's any trouble at all. Sounds great but I don't want to be a bother to anyone."

"Not a bother. I get paid to do what I love to do. Can't beat that with a stick, and not only that, but they aren't a bad lot to know, are they, Alice? I assume coffee with no sugar, French vanilla on the creamer?"

"How do you do that? Do I look like a no sugar, one creamer person or something?"

"Practice, honey. I've been at this a long time. Anyway, I don't know much about how you got here, or why you're here, but in my kitchen, you eat, and your kids eat. You wouldn't want to jeopardize my job over a couple of eggs would you? Now, have a seat while I wrangle the range." and with a twinkle in her eye she turned to the refrigerator and started rummaging for omelet fixings.

Laura complied, sitting across from Alice, coffee with no sugar, one French Vanilla creamer in a large mug in hand. She knew enough about coffee to know this was not your average store blend but a rich perfectly roasted mixture of more exotic blends. The aroma itself was entrancing, and the taste even better, but more importantly, who was Franz, and why was this kitchen so large; what kind of place had a cook on duty just to feed the staff, and who used coffee that good every day? The questions swirled in her head, to be replaced by the aroma of a well turned summer omelet; hunger won out for the moment. Doris Cook was pleased with Laura's obvious relish of the dish; 'one thing for sure, this woman is no scrawny super model, but she sure takes care of herself. I hope she stays around. Wish I knew what was going on, but the boss has a great track record so far; guess we need to trust him one more time.'

Breakfast done and with a fresh cup of coffee, Laura felt for the first time in several days she could face the world, even if it brought more travails; she was ready for whatever Alice might ask. Alice initiated the conversation by answering the first question Laura wanted to ask: "We were sent to get you last night by the boss. Your picture was on the local news and, simply put, you didn't look like you belonged there. That is not to say you were seen as better or worse, just different. Anyway, you're here now. And in case you were wondering, Franz is every bit as reliable as Dennis, although much smaller. That stands to reason; almost everyone is smaller than Dennis," she added with a smile.

"First, I would like to hear, in general, how you ended up in a shelter with two kids and apparently few belongings. I'm less interested in who may be responsible for what, more the general events."

Laura told Alice about the last year or so, and mostly about their eviction, her brother-in-law's apparent inability or unwillingness to help, and turning to the shelter as a last means of protecting her children. Although it was clear Richard has been the primary cause of their present misfortune, Laura also admitted she had refused to recognize the growing problem when she knew it posed a danger. Alice simply nodded as she listened to the story unfold. Usually a calm self-contained person, Alice Hamilton felt an inner growing need to find Richard Nessing and back-hand him so hard his head spun around; but, none of that was allowed to show through during the interview. Alice did file the thought for future reference, and in a later moment wondered if Dennis ever hired out to "explain things" to people?"

At the conclusion of Laura's narrative, Alice summed up: "Okay, I understand what happened. Second question: now that you appear to be on your own, how will you manage? What can you do, what experiences do you have that you can use to earn a living?"

Laura thought for a moment before responding. What did Alice want to hear, or did it matter? The reality did not seem very bright when she thought about it in those terms. She had found shelter, but now what? Maybe just the truth of the reality needed to be faced. "I wish I knew what to do. People don't rehearse for this sort of thing to happen. We are apparently safe for the moment, wherever this may be, but you're right; I need to support us. I'm willing to do almost anything for my kid's sake, clean, wash dishes, do yard work, and obviously I did those things as a mother and housewife. But, I also ran the home office for Richard's insurance business, keeping the data base current, invoicing, and things like that. The only thing I didn't handle was cash management, but I guess that's rather obvious. Since he was on the road a lot I took some day courses in spread sheet construction and data base management, even threw in one on CAD systems for good measurement. I haven't had much of a chance to apply what I learned, but I'm sure it would come back to me quickly. Anyway, whatever happens, my kids come first; I'll have to find something. I mean, being here is wonderful, but I can't live on your hospitality; I need to stand up on my own."

Again, Alice only nodded in understanding. "This morning is pretty well gone. Let's do this: I need to go see the boss for a few minutes. Why don't you go back to your rooms and do a quick inventory of your immediate needs, for both you and the kids, you know, essential things like underwear, clothes, toiletries, and so on. We have a laundry room here that is fully supplied, so you can skip that part of the essentials for now. But what about shoes? No woman can have just one pair of shoes, so think about that also. Big as it is, I know that duffle doesn't hold enough for three people to live on very long. We'll meet here again at noon; may even find out what the kids have been up to. Okay?"

"Okay. I just hope the kids haven't been too much trouble."

"Not likely, knowing who they're with. Dennis and Franz can be a little mischievous at times, so I think it's pretty much a match. See you in a bit."

Chapter Seven – First Meeting

Roger Brown had retired at age 55, a successful businessman who had all the means he needed for himself and his wife, plus plenty to spare for spoiling the grand kids. He really believed he had "done the dream" with his early retirement. Always a careful planner in business, he thought he knew what he wanted to do in retirement. The problem was that he soon tired of playing golf every day with his cronies, and fishing the lake was becoming boring. He had read all the books on his "must read" list, and even the daily business journals he still received were less than interesting now that he was out of the loop. Then one day he was teamed with Ryan in a foursome at the Windmere course, and things changed for Roger Brown.

One of the problems Ryan had to deal with was his youthful appearance. He knew what to do, no question about that, but his older clients were concerned about his apparent lack of seasoning in the business. After all, how much could a person this young know about what they needed? So, a deal was struck: Ryan would continue to run the operation, but Roger would be the "front man", the guy with the $1200 suit, the mature look, and clearly a lot of business savvy. Roger loved the deal. Now he had a challenge ahead of him, learning a whole new business, but with Ryan's net under him. A code was worked out for use in meetings so Ryan could relay his thoughts to Roger while the meeting was going on, with no one being the wiser. The ruse was successful enough that Roger got the mention in a trade journal interview about the up and coming Windmere rather than Ryan. Most of the top managers in the Windmere organization knew the realities, and for the others it was of no consequence.

So it was that Alice Hamilton went to Roger Brown first with her information. Ryan fully trusted Roger with such operational decisions, but this was one time Roger was lost. "He told you to do what last night, and they're here now?" was the first question. Alice told him everything she knew about the rescue, which didn't help except to clarify that Ryan had an interest in this woman and her children. Roger called Ryan on the intercom, asking if he had a moment to discuss something. Once in Rogers' office even Ryan couldn't explain why he had accepted Alice's rescue offer so readily, but once Alice briefed them on what she had learned about Laura, they agreed there was potentially a position for her in the organization, if she was interested. Having arrived at that decision, they adjourned to the kitchen for lunch.

Lunch in the Windmere kitchen was pretty much self-service as far as Doris Cook was concerned. She posted the menu a week in advance so staff could elect to opt in or out at will. It was easier than trying to keep track of everyone's travel schedule and dining preferences. The noon meal being the main meal for the day, easily accessible food items were always available to resident staff for self-help evening meals. Today's menu was a favorite: do it yourself hard shell taco's with plenty of spiced beef, cheese shreds, refried beans, and other assorted taco fillings, with salsa and chips on the side for those of hardy constitution.

Ryan, Alice and Roger arrived at the kitchen just as Laura returned, almost as though it had been orchestrated. That first meeting of his eyes with Laura's told Ryan he might not know why he was doing this, but it was clearly the thing to do and he would not be dissuaded from keeping this woman in the front of his mind.

Alice introduced Laura to the two men, and the four of them, at Doris Cook's urging, headed for the assembly line only to be interrupted by Dennis and Franz returning with two slightly grubby but obviously delighted children. Words couldn't tumble out of their mouths fast enough to tell their mother what they had been doing, but a gentle reminder from her and off they went to wash up a little before eating. Dennis offered to help Amanda, while Jack handled things by himself. Laura could see the hand washing sink in the kitchen, and it reminded her of the previous night when she saw Amanda's tiny hands disappear into the ham like hands of Dennis for a thorough washing and a little water splashing in the process. Strange, she thought, how gentle this big man is; maybe he just doesn't have any reason to be otherwise. That was partially true. Laura would never see his other side to any significant extent, but someone she knew would see it clearly before this was all over.

The conversation as they dined was light, mostly about favorite ball teams, things like that. It was broad based enough that Laura could join in without having to know a lot of details, and they made sure she was included. As lunch came to an end, Laura noticed Amanda nearly nodding off in her chair from all the fresh air and running about. "I think I see someone who needs a nap." she said, and although Mandy protested with the practiced lines of a child's repertoire, it was a pretty feeble try at best. Alice seized the opportunity to move things along, and offered to take the kids for a rest. Jack had to voice his protest, but was assured he could check out the videos in the room, which he did for the 30 seconds or so it took him to fall asleep. Just as Alice and the kids departed, Doris showed up with mugs of fresh coffee for the adults, poking a little fun at Laura with her "no sugar, one French vanilla creamer, if you please" line. Being gently teased made Laura feel all the more at home with these people, although she was still in the dark about a lot of things. 'This Roger looks like a man in charge; maybe I'll learn something now,' she thought, 'especially about this Ryan guy.' As Doris disappeared, the more formal process of interviewing Laura Nessing began.

Laura was becoming aware of just how good a team these people played on. The experience of the past day told her that at least they had good intentions if nothing else, but it was very evident this experience was still evolving. She realized suddenly that she had known these people less than a full day, yet Alice Hamilton had just left with her two children, and the kids had been heaven only knows where with two men, one of whom she didn't know at all. Nevertheless, with Mrs. Hamilton watching the kids, and Doris Cook suddenly invisible, Laura found herself across the table from Roger and Ryan. Roger had mentioned his wife in the earlier conversation, but this Ryan person remained somewhat enigmatic. Laura surmised he was about her age, and she felt sure he was a runner, or worked out a lot, maybe both, partly from his appearance but as much from his athletic stride when he had entered the room earlier. Just what he did for Windmere was unclear at the moment, but she sensed he was an important player. Although she was still a legally married woman, with two dependent kids, learning more about this man couldn't hurt, his tall good looks and build aside.

Roger opened the interview, first of all welcoming Laura and her kids, on behalf of the staff, to Windmere. "I know the events in your life the past few days must have been somewhat traumatic and confusing. To some degree, I can understand that feeling (and indeed Roger was still mildly confused, but the boss had spoken). Please, let me assure you that, first of all, we mean you and your children no harm. Secondly, I understand your family looked very out of place in the shelter, somewhat like a lost island in a sea of people. So, Windmere management decided you needed to be relocated, at least until your options improve. As you can surmise, Mrs. Hamilton, Alice, briefed us on your situation. I don't want to seem uncivil here, but Windmere is not in the social services industry; while we like to think of Windmere as a reasonably altruistic enterprise, we are unquestionably a profit motivated organization. That said, let me first brief you on what Windmere does, then we will review your abilities and interests in comparison to our present staffing needs. And by the way, the shelter's A/C was repaired late last night; we did as we said we would.

The company is comprised of three separate operations under a single corporate umbrella. As you can see, this location is a private, very exclusive and well protected combination of a golf resort and meeting space, which also serves as Windmere headquarters. When we do a facilities tour you will see that 'headquarters' may seem somewhat misleading. Executive decisions are made here, but specific functions are in more appropriate locations, as needed. The other facet of our local operation is to provide a place for executive meetings when a more public venue would not be in the best interest of the participants. And, there are some persons who simply want to kick back without reporters hounding them; we can provide that atmosphere. I might add that Dennis is not our only source of security; we employ some rather high tech methods, and some older, very effective methods that have prevailed over the years. We have, upon occasion, hosted meetings for the federal government, particularly the State Department. I can't for security purposes, of course, mention any names. I'm telling you this so you can get a better picture of Windmere's social operating level. The second operation is a service we provide to other resort operators, including some national chains you recognize. Upon request, we will send in a team to examine their operations and see where our management expertise and purchasing power can make them more efficient, pronounced 'profitable'. We can also send in covert 'hit squads' to test and evaluate their staff, facilities, and physical plants. Based on our findings, we make recommendations for improvements, all this being done virtually incognito. The third arm is direct operation of wholly owned spas and resorts. All of these are very high end. We maintain a list of individual guest preferences, so their needs are considered before they arrive. It makes Windmere owned operations a preferred destination. The other side of the coin is that we maintain a list of persons who are not acceptable as guests because of their behavior record. Regardless, we have little vacancy and usually a waiting list.

All of our operations are conducted in absolute confidentiality; there can be no other way. I have not told you anything that couldn't be learned on the internet, but you won't find our guest lists or anything like that. It would even be somewhat difficult to locate all our facilities. Now, is there anything I can explain better at this point?"

Laura was awed at the scope of the operation being run from Windmere, but outwardly remained calm. "No, not at this point. I see the nature of the operation, and how it interfaces between functions. It seems to me that if you have a person particularly skilled in a function, it would be good management to apply that skill wherever needed. It assures the performance level, and makes the various operations more transparent and seamless. So, no questions, although I would like reserve the right to exercise that option later. I'm with you so far."

Ryan and Roger exchanged glances. Not only as this woman articulate and self-assured in spite of what she had just gone through, but she had quickly grasped the essentials of what made Windmere so effective as a company. Now the question became, could they fit her into the operation, and would she be interested beyond just needing a job? Ryan remained silent, but inwardly his mind was considering the pleasure in just seeing her every day; at the same time, his mind was saying 'Stop thinking that way, she's a married woman with kids; behave yourself', and he knew he would, like it or not. Strange, he had not had these stirrings since Mary had passed away, and he wondered that the feelings should come back now so strongly. "Please continue, Roger" was his only indication he was still in the conversation, but Laura was drawn to the strong, resonate voice full of confidence.

"Okay so far. We have become a little concerned that our recent acquisitions and new management contracts have loaded on demands that exceed the supply of management time. We cannot permit that to happen. Any decline in performance would go against everything that identifies us as unique. We need a means of quickly identifying data relevant to a developing problem so we can get out ahead of it with remediation measures. We understand you have a working knowledge of data base management. Could you clarify please?"

Doris had suddenly reappeared with a fresh carafe of coffee, which she placed by Laura, and just as quickly disappeared again. Laura responded to Roger's question by first refilling their cups to buy a few seconds while her mind raced, then responded as forthrightly as she could: "It's true I have some experience in data base management. My husband sold and managed commercial/industrial insurance and loss prevention policies, and I ran the office end of things in our home. Mostly, it was recording the insured assets, location, information like that. He handled claims and so on, but I did all the prep work. As you probably already know, I didn't handle the cash flow. I am embarrassed to admit that was an area I didn't have under control, and worse yet, I never allowed myself to suspect. But, I'm sure you're not interested in the blame game. To repeat, yes, I have data base management experience, but I won't lie to you. I don't know if I can handle an operation of this size and complexity. I can tell you that I understand the need for confidentiality. What you might consider is facility coding so whomever manages the data base only knows some parameter is out of its limits and can bring it to your attention, but doesn't know the name of the actual facility. It might be a little cumbersome, but from a data management standpoint, it's just data and whatever you name it, it's just still data and the system doesn't care. Anyway, it's a thought. And there you have it. I guess my answer is 'I think I can' but truthfully, I'm a little nervous."

Ryan winced slightly at the words "my husband". As good a businessman as he was, his exact thoughts at that moment were on a far different track, and the sharp reminder of the existence of Laura's husband snapped him back to reality. He chided himself mentally; this was no way to be thinking. He had certainly seen his share of beautiful women, some articulate and well educated, some very interested in furthering their interests in him, yet none had held his attention like this woman. She was much like his Mary, yet different in many respects, and married. That point Ryan fixed in his mind so he would be ever mindful of the fact.

In the meantime, Roger had forged ahead in the interview, unaware that Ryan had been mentally absent for a few moments. Roger considered Laura's very candid response and respected her "cut to the chase" approach. "Other things aside for a moment, we know some really good consultants. If we brought in a consultant to help set things up, establish an interface network, things like that, would you like to discuss further managing the data base for us?"

"Other things aside, yes, I would."

"I should mention before we go any farther that no job or position at Windmere is considered to be any more important or any less important than any other. If I need to be a bartending CEO, or help Dennis get the grounds in condition, or Franz make airport runs, I do it. I'm telling you this so if you are asked to serve dessert at 2 AM to some potentate to help out Doris or Marie, it would be because the task needs done, not because anyone else is more or less important to the organization. We will never ask you to do anything you believe to be illegal, immoral, or against your will, or dangerous to your being. About the fattening aspect, that's Doris' problem. Shall I continue?"

"Please do."

"Windmere considers people to be individuals. Employment agreements, where possible, are tailored to the person. For instance, we are aware that for you to attend a 2 AM meeting would require childcare services. We do try to not surprise people with those events, but we do have some really heavy hitters for clients who like to have their way. Occasionally, things just happen, and we cope. The other issue of financial significance has to do with where you live if you decide to stay. Some staff, like Dennis and Franz, and Mrs. Hamilton, live at Windmere. Others, such as myself and Doris, live in Conyerville or close by. It matters only to determine the starting pay level, that is, do you need to pay rent or not. I will tell you also, in case you were wondering, our allowance for housing is not the same as we charge a client for an equivalent unit. So, would you care to tour while thinking this over? Your kids are probably wondering what happened to you by now anyway."

"Please, potty break first. I mean...sorry, that just sort of came out. I've been around little kids a lot the last few years. I guess it didn't sound very mature or adult."

Roger enjoyed a good laugh at her discomfort. "Our kids have been out of the house for probably twenty years now, and we still refer to it as a potty break. Old habits die hard. And, besides, you're right; good as that coffee is, it's coffee in, coffee out. Why don't we take a little break, then head out for a brief tour of the place?"

"Great. I'll be just a moment."

"As will I" Ryan commented. "I'm going to run over and get my shades. Sun's a little bright for me today"

A few moments later found the group reassembled and headed towards Suite A. The kids were getting up from the naps they didn't need, and were ready to go some more. Roger suggested they walk the tour since it wouldn't take very long and he needed to stretch his legs a bit. Laura realized her kids probably knew this place better than she did, partly because she had only seen the outside in the dark of night when they arrived the previous evening. As they headed out the back visitor door, she was greeted by the myriad of colors on the grounds. The flower beds were beautiful, along with a manicured lawn all edged neatly and a deep green throughout. Glancing back, she realized Windmere was once a private home in the grand style known as a Painted Lady, with gingerbread work on the gables, and real shutters, all painted to both contrast and blend with the surroundings. The room additions blended with the original house so well they looked perfectly natural.

Hosting the tour, Roger commented: "Anything you would like to ask, please feel free. If you don't mind, I'll sort of do a little travelogue as we stroll. First of all Windmere was a private residence at one time, built by a very wealthy family. As you can see, they liked to have guests during the summer, and made it convenient by building extra rooms during the original construction. Later on, they added the small houses you see along the roadway here, sort of guest cottages for people who were staying a little longer, possibly for their children and their families to visit. Some of what we believe is mostly guesswork since there is no written history on the estate. The heirs who sold it were only interested in divesting, not history. Anyway, the cottages are two bedroom and really complete living units, as Alice can confirm. She has lived here for a number of years, originally just because she didn't want to deal with a big empty house, and later because we managed to get her pulled into our conniving and plotting."

Alice enjoyed the banter as they went along, and responded in kind. "Sure, right about that. I'm still not quite sure how I managed to become an employee. That said, it doesn't hurt my feelings, and I can't say I mind living next door to these gentlemen, well most of the time anyway."

Nearing the two story carriage house, Laura noticed what appeared to be a large dog run, or maybe ponies she thought as she considered the size and height of the fence.

"Mommy, doggy!" Amanda quickly pointed out the rather obvious. She was obviously remembering something more. The fence gave no indication of what it held in, or out, but Laura was soon to discover what Amanda already knew.

"That's right Amanda. Did you play with the doggies today?" Roger asked.

"Yep. Doggies, come out!" she yelled, startling Laura, but the sound had its effect. Laura had never seen German Shepherds like the two creatures that padded out of their den and into the run. 'My God' she thought; 'they could pass for Great Danes in the dark, except for the long bushy tails'. The pair had been sleeping in the cool of their den inside the carriage house when they heard Amanda, but roused themselves quickly in case there was a good scratching available.

Roger continued. "Meet Bruno and Daisy, our night time security staff. They were probably penned last night when you arrived, since the guys knew you were coming. Otherwise you would have become acquainted a little quicker, and on a lot scarier terms. Of course, there's the chance they were down at one of the water hazards swimming," Roger added, "But no one seems to want to find out the hard way. Here, let me introduce you properly." and he unlatched the gate, letting the dogs run free. "Bruno, here." was all he had to say, and the huge dog trotted over and promptly sat where Roger pointed. Daisy, in the mean time, was already sitting in front of Amanda and Jack, eyes closed, getting her ears scratched. "Now, Laura, I assume you will be with us for at least a few days, so here's how we make sure these two don't mistake you for lunch some evening. No, it's okay; come closer to him, put one hand over his eyes, and with the other, cup his chin; that's right, reach right in, he doesn't bite, much. Now, very gently, blow on his muzzle three times." Roger knew she was perfectly safe at this point but was amused at the look of mild fear at what he was instructing her to do. Still, she screwed her courage up and did as she was instructed, gently blowing three times at the huge dog. "Okay, now uncover his eyes, but leave your other hand close to his muzzle; don't pull away. You'll see why."

Laura uncovered the dog's eyes, to find him looking right into her eyes, as though he was looking as much through her as at her. 'My God', she thought, 'what if he decides he doesn't like me', but as quickly as the thought raced through her mind, she felt the dog's tongue licking the palm of her hand and saw his tail start to stir up dust from the drive. Instinctively, she reached out and scratched him under the chin and behind the ears, sealing a friendship that would last for many years. Daisy was next, although she was reluctant to leave the pleasure the kids had been delivering.

That done, Roger decided the dogs could stay out for a while, although their real job was after sunset. "Okay, obviously this is the carriage house. It originally stored at least one 'Sunday go to meeting' carriage, probably at least a two horse rig, and maybe a depot wagon. There were four horse stalls, so we know the family was pretty well off for their day. Franz and Dennis converted the upstairs grooms quarters into pretty plush surroundings if you ask me." stating the later part of his observation a little louder so Dennis and Franz, now nearing the group, couldn't help but overhear.

"Yeah, yeah; you're just jealous because we keep the good stuff locked up." Franz commented, with Dennis nodding in agreement.

"You kids behaving, just like I taught you?" Dennis asked.

"Yes Sir", the kids chimed in unison, but just as quickly broke down into giggles at some hidden joke they shared with this man.

Dennis returned to his tasks, leaving Franz to handle the carriage house part of the tour with Roger. Continuing the dialog, Roger said "Obviously, we don't keep horses anymore, at least not for the time being. Franz is our auto guru. How about a quick rundown of the rolling stock, then we'll discuss transportation options."

"Sure" Franz replied. "I have to apologize since I talk rather slowly. It's kind of a problem with me. I hope you don't mind."

Laura responded quickly, putting Franz at ease: "I assure you I want to hear what you have to say, and I'll always listen at the same speed you talk, never faster, never slower. Please continue."

Franz was clearly pleased that this woman simply accepted him as he was, on his terms; he would remain at her service whenever she asked. "I understand you're familiar with the Dennis mobile from your ride last night. It's the most secure and highest tech unit we're operating right now, but when the backup unit is replaced next year, the replacement will have a few more security options installed by the customizer, options I'm working on at the moment. Anyway, the backup unit is a little less sophisticated, actually a lot less sophisticated, since it's basically a family soccer mom van, just with a larger engine and run-flat tires installed. Then for the less demanding jobs, we have the small SUV, a 4x4, two full size sedans, and an elderly but serviceable Taurus that someone demands we keep around."

Ryan put on his best fake scowl at the mention of the Taurus. "Just take care of my baby. It's been here longer than you have." The others knew the elderly Taurus was the first car he and Mary had purchased, the car they had intended to use to bring babies home from the hospital, and go to T-ball games in, and teacher meetings, all the things that had been lost two years ago when Mary died. Ryan could not bear to part with this last reminder, not yet. Laura sensed that the car had special meaning, and filed the thought away for future research.

"We have things worked out so if someone needs a ride, or needs to use a vehicle, it's made known to Calvin and he keeps track of things; you'll have a chance to meet him later. Dennis and I both drive if needed, and sometimes that's just easier on everyone. Alice took lessons from Mr. Collins, so we have to watch her pretty close; you'll meet him if you hang around here very long. Anyway, employees on company business are insured by Windmere, so we pretty well make sure every trip is 'company business'. I'm the go-to guy if a vehicle is developing a problem. So far, it's been a very workable system. We do have some other rolling stock, but it's mostly kept at the golf course storage barn; then, there is the other garage past the carriage house where we store vehicles for special guests, like Mr. Collins. So, that about does it; anything else I can tell you?"

"No, not really. I'm not going to pretend I know much about cars or trucks or SUV's, things like that, but if it's okay to ask, could you give me an idea what a vehicle like the Dennis mobile costs curbside?"

"Roughly, $90K, more if you want gas in it; forty gallons including the reserve tank." Franz chuckled. "You call, we haul, at your service madam."

"I'll keep that in mind, and I thank you for the information. I need to consider a lot of things these days."

As Franz returned to his duties, the tour group started around the house toward the front. Roger suggested to Alice that maybe the kids could run the dogs a bit, and the three, along with the two great dogs, headed down the path to the wooded area. Continuing with the remainder of the group, Roger observed "This is sort of the recreational area of the property." pointing out the enclosed swimming pool, hot tub, and wading and jet pools to the side of a brick pathway from the house. "We thought about making it connected, but there is something about the pool humidity, plus the chlorine fumes now and then, so you see where it is. The enclosure is kept locked unless there is some major activity in progress, but your room card opens it. The security system is capable of operating individual access programs, so if the kids eventually become card holders, theirs would open where they live but not the pool door unless they are of adequate age. The program is easily customized to suit various guests; we can even keep their files in the system for reuse. Tennis courts are a little farther down the path, asphalt, not clay. Clay is just too expensive to maintain, and to tell the truth, most players wouldn't be helped by it anyway. We do have the courts resurfaced with a very fine topping mix when they need it, and don't get any complaints, so I think it works out fine. Oh, and one other thing; you know we have a nine hole golf course here at Windmere, one the original owner installed, and we're negotiating land for a back nine. The road past the carriage house leads out to it. Ever play golf, Laura?"

"No, not for real. My husband wanted me to learn but didn't have much patience with me. I can see a little better now why he wanted me to learn, but I never did."

"Maybe you just needed a better instructor." Ryan commented. "It's a frustrating game, changing every time I play, which is probably why I love it so much. Maybe I could do a little instructing some time if you're interested."

"Yes, that would be fun to do, but I'm not so sure I'd ever be any good at it." Laura's mind was already painting pictures, but she quickly stopped the thought before it could develop toward inappropriate areas.

"Not a problem. We have players at all levels, not to mention a part time pro, when he feels the need to work. Really, he is here when he needs to be; it's just that he hasn't helped my game much of late."

"Maybe," Roger interjected "it would help if you stayed here instead of running all over the globe."

"Just doing my job, just doing my job."

As they walked a little farther along the roadway, Laura noticed what appeared to be a fairly good sized residence off to the side of the road, at least three bedrooms or more, apparently in good repair but with the landscaping somewhat overgrown. 'Strange,' she thought, 'with everything else so neat and trim that this one area should look like this. Might as well find out.' "Is that house part of Windmere also?"

Roger opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Ryan's terse "No. It's on the grounds; that's all."

Laura was startled by the response. This Ryan had seemed rather easy going for the most part, but his statement was one of finality. Clearly, he would allow no more discussion of the house, although Roger was apparently the person in charge. This was something she would have to learn more about, but for the moment it was clearly not a subject for discussion. Her only response was a quiet "Oh," and she left it at that as the group continued at a little quicker pace to the front of the house.

Returning to his narrative, Roger pointed down the drive toward the entrance gate. "As you probably saw last night, this is a gated facility. What you don't see is the security fence around the rest of the property; we have a tele-monitoring service that notifies us if anything disturbs the fence structure, and if necessary someone goes out to check. Usually it's nothing, although once in a while some youngsters will get a little over energetic and decide to visit the hard way. Usually a little chat with Dennis or a visit by the dogs takes care of things. We generally invite the local first responders, city and county, to dinner at least once a year, troopers too if any are living in the area at the time; it's a good insurance program. Anyway, your room card will operate the card reader at the gate, in and out. The vehicles have remote controls, as you probably observed. There's just one thing, and I don't think it would ever be a problem or ever even come up, but if you come through the gate and someone tries to follow you, you know, run through while it's opened for you, stop just inside the gate, stand on the brakes, and hit the red button on the remote three times in quick succession. Even if the other car tries to push you, the gate will have it for lunch in about five seconds. The red button is like a hyperdrive for the closer, and believe me, it is not to be operated without cause. Anyway, I don't think you'll ever have the need to use it; things stay pretty calm around here most of the time. That about does it for the outside. This is the main entrance where most of our clients arrive. Your rooms just happened to be closer to the rear entrance. We'll go in here and take a look at the office area. The upstairs has sleeping rooms much like a bed and breakfast, with a staircase that enters the great room; we'll tour that also."

Laura was impressed by the large Oak doors at the front entrance, easily eight feet high with heavy metal work, but balanced so they were easily operated by someone of slight stature. The entryway itself had the original ornate inlaid tile pieces on the floor and the carved panels on the walls and ceiling; it gave off a feeling of subtle opulence, warm and inviting. One of the truly nice things about Windmere was that the family who inherited it from the original owners did not have time, or the interest, to change any of it to any significant degree. The majority of the original fine craftsmanship that had been maintained through the years remained intact. Modern utility systems had been installed in such a manner as to be inconspicuous, using existing access channels through the house, and even some of the original fixtures where they could be retrofitted without obvious change. The design and construction of the house had been well ahead of its time, even to the generating plant for electric lights, something nearby Conyerville would not have until several years later. Of course, the old elevated water tank was no longer needed now and had been removed before it became a hazard; the newer utilities were much more efficient and dispersed nearly invisibly through the facility. A central computer operated the building systems as well as security features, sensing, for instance, when a meeting room was occupied and needed more cooling, or the lights turned off when no activity registered in the area. But mostly, all the modern features were well hidden, humming along in their daily tasks unseen and unheard.

Moving farther into the building, they entered the Great Room, a combination of living room, meeting room, recreation room, dining room, whatever it needed to be at the time. The furnishings were certainly high end, but not overly ornate. Clearly, this was a room where things could get done, deals made, debates conducted. Laura was impressed, partly because the system sensed their presence in the entryway and activated the lighting ahead of their path, but equally by the design and furnishing of the room. It was at once fully comfortable while remaining as utilitarian as it needed to be. The massive stone fireplace remained in place, almost as a counterpoint to an equally massive flat screen display on the opposite wall. Old and new, it all blended toward one end: serving the occupant.

"To state the obvious, this is the Great Room. The fireplace is operational, not particularly energy efficient, but it does have an ambience on a cold night. It seems almost incongruous that we have had some client's children roasting hotdogs in it while multi-million dollar deals were on the table, but Windmere seems to be capable of holding all those different activities at the same time and making them look like they belong together. It's a feeling I can't really describe. We can take a look in some of the office areas if you like, but I think for now I'd just like to show you where you would be working, and maybe a couple of other offices. I know we've flooded you with information at the moment, and I don't expect you to remember much of it. Mostly, I just wanted to let you see the place so you know we aren't a bunch of quick buck artists or rummies. Unless you have some questions, I suggest we conclude the tour for the most part; you can feel free to wander around later and see the other meeting rooms, things like that, and you know where the kitchen is. I'm sure the kids will know most of it within a day or so. Any doors you shouldn't enter simply won't unlock with your card. I don't say that as a warning, just that we do have some permanent living quarters upstairs, the computer room, places like that. So, any questions?"

"No, I don't think so. I'll admit, it's a little overwhelming to see all this at one time, and it is very impressive to say the least. But, you surely understand, in the last 48 hours my children and I have been from one end of the Maslow pyramid to the other; it has taken a bit of coping. So, where do things go from here?"

"It's mid-afternoon. Why don't you take a couple of hours to think things over, and we'll meet in this area about 5:00 to discuss the future. Okay?"

"Very much okay; thank you," and each went their own way for the time being. Ryan and Roger met with Calvin and did some brain picking to get an idea what good accounting and IT people were earning in the market. It became clear to both Roger and Calvin that Ryan had an interest in this woman, but it remained unclear to them, as much as it did to Ryan, just what that interest was.

Chapter Eight – The Offer

Laura couldn't decide if 5 PM was approaching too slowly or too quickly. She turned the events of the day over in her mind while trying to listen to her children talk about running the dogs in the woods and all the other things they had seen and done. It was strange, she thought, that they seem to be happier just now than they ever were at home, even though they were among only adults and there were no other kids around for playtime. Still, these adults treated them like people, not chattel; maybe that was the difference. Richard never seemed to have much time for any of them, unless he was bringing a client home to dinner. Then it was always show time, best behavior, good clothes, make an impression; as soon as they were shown off, it was as though they didn't exist anymore. Richard would depart with his client without so much as a good night, good dinner, go to hell, for any of them. It had always bothered Laura, but he did seem to provide what they needed and they had all the amenities to keep up appearances, at least they did have until recently. She did wonder about other families and how they got along, but it didn't occur to her to ask a few little questions here and there. After all, she was the devoted wife and mother. It had not yet occurred to her that they had been used like property. Besides, that era was apparently gone forever and she had to make choices now about her future and that of her children.

The time to choose was getting near. Alice would watch the kids while Laura had her business meeting; in fact, Alice, who almost never cooked for herself, had promised them supper at her place when that time arrived. In the meantime, she had some grandkid games available, and some kidvids; incongruous as it seemed, she looked forward to sitting on the floor and enjoying herself. Kept her sharp for her own grandkids she thought to herself.

Refreshed and ready to face whatever came, Laura went to the office area to find Roger. Seeing her approaching, the men rose as one from around the small conference table, an act of habit for them, but for her an act of courtesy awesome in its simplicity and statement.

Calvin Harrison worked his way through college in a variety of jobs, sometimes several at once, but always with the goal of a degree and the good job it would merit him. Majoring in business, he interviewed for and was hired as an assistant to the purchasing agent in the local branch of a major manufacturing company. The PA was scheduled to retire in two more years, but the truth of the matter was, he had already retired in place. Mostly, he didn't care what Calvin did, so long as it didn't involved much work on his part and the materials kept flowing into and out of the plant. For Calvin, it was a golden opportunity to learn the complete operation while still having some protection from a senior department head. Given plenty of leash to run on, he learned to negotiate with vendors for almost anything of consequence in the plant, learning when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em as the situation warranted. Then came the day the PA actually did retire and left the plant, recommending strongly that Calvin take over as PA. Everything had finally fallen into place after a lot of hard work: good job, bright future climbing the corporate ladder maybe to division headquarters, beautiful wife carrying their first child, and their own home; it might be sort of a starter house, but it was theirs to do with as they pleased. They truly were pleased with both the house and themselves. Then the company went offshore and shuttered the plant, taking only the division manager along.

Calvin found a job working in a local hardware store and although it wasn't the income he had been receiving, they had reined in wherever they could and things were working out. That was where he was when Ryan had come in for some repair parts Franz needed. The two men knew each other from charity golf outings the previous several years, and although Ryan knew about the plant closing, he had assumed a bright guy like Calvin had been moved up the line and somehow protected as a valuable asset. But the old company didn't care about people assets, and Calvin had to make a living, so it was the hardware store. Ryan thought about the injustice of the situation first, but that was quickly overtaken by his mind searching for a place Windmere could use this man, not for charity but because Windmere needed good people in its growth phase and this was a good man. Arranging an after-hours meeting with Calvin, the deal was made, and two weeks later he started as the power shopper for Windmere. It was a decision Ryan would regard as one of his best. And so it was that Calvin had been invited as a member of the interview team and joined the other two men at the table. He was quick to notice Ryan's eyes watching Laura as she entered, although he didn't read much into it at the moment.

As usual, Roger took the lead: "Please, have a seat, make yourself comfortable. Anything I can get for you before we continue?"

"No, thank you; I'm fine and, I think, ready to deal with life, at least for the moment. That would not have been true this time yesterday, having found myself without a home, any means of support, and a sister who wouldn't help. Oops; I'm sorry. That just sort of slipped out; one too many things to keep track of, I guess."

Ryan interjected: "Your sister? You have relatives in Conyerville?"

"Yes, my sister, Nancy Pickett, but I don't want you to think she left me out in the cold or anything like that. Actually, when we got into the bus station yesterday, I called their house, but her husband Lennie said they were having hard times and just couldn't help for the moment. I called again this morning and talked to Nancy. She was still furious at Leonard. She said she had seen us on the late news, but by the time she called we were gone and the night supervisor would only tell her we were in a safe place. But, we are not here to talk about my family issues. Sorry that came up."

Roger continued: "Not a problem. I'm sure in the long run you'll work things out with your sister. And it is true, you are in a safe place; you've seen how we run things around here. But, I digress. We are indeed here to see what can be worked out to everyone's best interest. Oh, I'm sorry; my manners are terrible this afternoon; please, let me introduce you to Calvin Harrison. Cal is our expediter for want of a better word, does purchase contract negotiations, that sort of thing."

"I'm please to meet you Mr. Harrison."

"Please, Calvin, or Cal; either is fine with me. If you decide to stay around here, please feel free to yell anytime you need a hand, or have a question about something we do; it's how I learned a lot of this, sort of making it up as we went along in the early days. I guess we did all right. Anyway, welcome to Windmere."

"Thank you. I look forward to the adventure."

"Don't let that smiling face beguile you. Ryan and I both learned Cal can be tough as nails in a negotiation; probably why he makes way too much money for his own good. So, cards on the table. The three of us met to consider the situation, Windmere's needs, things like that. We are fully aware that you have some reservations about being able to do what we ask. In that regard, please let me assure you that the position we are considering is wide ranging in scope; it is still very much in development, and we would expect you to have a lot of input as it fleshes out. As mentioned, we are prepared to hire assistance in developing the system, but you would call the shots for the consultants; we can tell you what we need, how you deliver it would be your call. Since you clearly know a lot more about that than at least two of us, we will trust your judgment in formatting and so on. All we ask is that you deliver product in useable form. So, you know what we need; here's what we are willing to trade for that service. It makes things a little easier if we reduce it down to dollars and cents, but that doesn't mean there is no wiggle room. For instance, if you elect to move to a cottage, there is a figure that is comparable to what you would have to pay in rent for equivalent housing in Conyerville, plus an allowance for utilities, that sort of thing. The medical is pretty straight forward, standard deductible although we use a disappearing deductible our agent hates; the numbers are all there. We did assume you would elect to buy insurance; I believe you will find the rates favorable, but you always have the right to go shopping. Board is spelled out, including the allowance for meals taken in the kitchen. We pretty well assume breakfast is a given; Doris told me she truly enjoyed feeding the kids this morning; I know she would look forward to that being a regular occurrence. Other meals are as scheduled. I know you are looking to start at least one person in elementary school this fall; I think we can waive any costs if he decides to carry rather than use the cafeteria; not a big issue. If you decide to buy your own car, there is a small offset cost for not using a Windmere car, but since we have to maintain them anyway, you won't find it to be a real significant line item. Income tax withholding and all that is pretty well determined by Uncle Sam, as you know. There is one other item I need to clarify: this is a corporation operating under the laws of this state; this umbrella wholly covers the three subsidiary operations. As a corporation, although it is not publicly traded, it does have treasury stock available; that stock is used solely to provide shares to employees who elect to withhold some pay to buy shares. You may want to think about that for the future, or if you feel confident, you can elect in or out at any time. Shares are redeemable only upon severing your connection to the company, and only by being returned to the company; they are not negotiable, and will not be recognized if held by anyone not in the employ of Windmere, Inc. I don't mean to sound harsh, just very thorough so no wrong ideas are conveyed. Now, having rambled on for some time, we come to the bottom line. Here is what we offer at this time. I know this is sudden and that you have had to cope with major changes in the last few days, but please consider our decision making process. You see, Windmere is a company that tends to make good decisions, and make them quickly; the sooner a good decision can be implemented, the sooner the benefits accrue to the company. I don't want you to think we're buying a piece of machinery or an automaton; we are very well aware of you as a person. We believe your potential as an excellent team member lands us clearly on the positive side of the hiring equation. Decision made. Okay, your turn. Any questions?"

"This is a lot of information to swallow at one time. Please, let me be honest and very forthright at this point. Clearly, I need a job, but I would rather look at this as an opportunity to grow, get better, learn things. I can find something to do for money if I have to, but I see this as an opportunity I never expected to come along. Two things: working hours, and, I'm reluctant to ask this, time off?"

"Cal thought of everything, as he usually does. Here's our schedule of paid holidays, vacation days earned with time worked, sick time accrued, and working hours. We like to do somewhat regular hours Tuesday through Thursday, flex on Monday and Friday. Because some of our operations are in different time zones, we adapt as needed and compensate accordingly. We do not believe working harder is any way to get ahead; working smarter is. No 80 hour work weeks for us. I know you may be concerned about the kids, who takes care of them, and so on. If you decide to stay with us, we can work all that out. Alice is very knowledgeable in that area since we do have whole families stay here from time to time, as is her twin sister Alicia Resnick. Dress is normally casual in the office area unless we are hosting; then dress is predicated on the level of the operation; some companies like it formal, some don't. We will always keep you appraised of that ahead of time so you don't get caught unawares. Also, Alice did mention in passing that your wardrobe might need a little help; should you elect to join with us, we are prepared to advance you expenses to some level adequate to replenish your wardrobe, to be repaid over time as you generate personal revenue, that is, get paid. So, the big question is in your hands. I know it's pushing pretty hard, but we would like a decision in the morning if at all possible. We don't normally work on Saturday, but Ryan lives here; you can let him know your decision. What do you think?"

"I intend to have an answer for you by 8 AM if that's acceptable. I don't want to awaken anyone too early on a Saturday."

"Not a problem for me," Ryan interjected. "Please, call any time you want, I mean, any time you need to; never mind. You know what I mean. I run early and will be back in by then for sure. I look forward to hearing your answer." Silently his mind continued the sentence with 'but only if it's YES.' The two men noticed his seeming mental lapse; not like him at all, and they concluded this woman seated across from them was the catalyst. It just seemed to them that there was more going on here than they could quite see, whether Ryan could see it or not.

Laura folded the paper, thanked them for their courtesy toward her, and headed for the kitchen and a little evening snack of some kind. She found herself not at all shaken by all this; it just seemed to somehow flow naturally. 'Maybe', she thought, 'it's because they don't treat me like Richard did; they talk to me, not at me, and it's a dialog, not a monolog'. Entering the kitchen, she remembered that Doris had told her where to find sandwich materials, and to help herself. 'Use the food,' she had said with a laugh; 'it stays fresher that way.' Laura quickly found a plethora of sandwich meats, cheeses and other things necessary to construct a really fine sandwich of significant proportions. Just as she was really starting to enjoy the experience, Ryan arrived in the kitchen with about the same thing on his mind.

"We meet again, and so soon. I have about everything out here you could possibly want; what can I assemble for you?" she asked.

"Please, I can do it myself, really; I don't want to put you out any."

"Not a problem. I enjoy this sort of thing. It's a lot less complicated than other things in life, and I know the end result. Not too many things like that anymore, so what'll it be? Start with some roast beef, thin slices for better flavor, layer of Swiss with the big holes on one side of the beef, slice of provolone on the other, quartet of pepperoni slices for a little zest, light mayo on one whole wheat face, light mustard on the sourdough face, leaf lettuce, pickle on the side and some chips if I can find them, cut on a diagonal, no fancy toothpicks. Sound about right?"

"Yes, sounds great. How'd you ever think of a combination like that? I'd never think to use two different kinds of bread, or the pepperoni. Guess I'm too conservative."

"No, not at all. I worked in the campus sandwich shop one semester; money wasn't great, but the food supply was pretty endless. I'm a little out of practice. The kids can live on peanut butter and jelly, so my life has been pretty basic in that area. Anyway, does this look like something you can get your teeth into, so to speak?" as she slid the loaded plate across the table hash house style.

"Yes, ma'am. I can do that. How about I find us some drinks. Name your poison and I'll see what I can find in the fridge."

"Ice tea, unsweetened if possible."

"You're on."

And the two sat across the table and dined, enjoying both the food and the conversation, with no idea that in the long run the scene had repetition possibilities. Ryan seemed interested in the kids, asking what they did and how they thought about things, what they played, and if they got along with each other. Laura was pleased to talk about her children; Richard had never seemed interested in any of that, yet this man whom she barely knew seemed truly interested. And never once did he mention the job offer or any of the other events of the day; it was as though the two of them were on an island alone in the middle of the house.

Dishes in the washer, they parted ways for the day, each bidding the other a good night, each anticipating the morning.

Chapter Nine - Acceptance

Laura walked out to Alice's cottage and found two happy but tired kids.

"So, not that I want to pry... Yes, I guess I do just a bit... How do you think things went with the boys?" Alice asked. "I have always had a pretty high opinion of all of them for the way they do things, always up front, discrete when they need to be, but most of all, just plain honest. What you see is what you get. But, I don't what to keep these kids up all night talking, so give."

"Truthfully, Alice, I don't really know. I'm afraid to look at the written offer. If I can't live on it, I'll have to pass on a wonderful opportunity; if it's too high, I'll think they expect too much. Guess I need a hot shower, a cup of tea, and some time to think. The other thing is, I really want to ask you about Ryan, but I don't want that to get in the way of my making a good decision for myself and the kids. That will have to wait for a bit, curious though I may be. Anyway, I need to get these sleepyheads into bed before I have to carry them. Thanks a bunch for watching them, again. Everyone here has been such a help to us; I mean that; Doris and the guys, even the pup dogs have been friendly. But, I don't want to wear out our welcome, and I have some serious decision making to do."

"Okay, kids; get it up off the ground; time to turn in. Your mother has a lot to think about yet tonight; and Laura, if I had to vote, even without knowing the whole deal, I'd hire you in a second just for the life you and the kids bring to this place. The last 24 hours have been a treat, to say the least. Tomorrow brings what tomorrow brings, but I hope you stay, at least for a while. Let us help you get things back together. Okay?"

"Okay. I can't refuse an offer like that. Anyway, by 8 AM I guess we'll probably both know. News seems to travel pretty fast around here."

"Only if we want it to. Anyway, take care; I'll see you in the morning, after 8. Good night for now."

With kids in tow, Laura headed back for their room. Half an hour later the kids were already asleep in the bunks, Laura was in and out of a hot shower, and had a cup of steaming green tea in front of her. Carefully, she unfolded the written offer, took a deep breath and a first look. It was carefully laid out, straightforward; accustomed to handling data, Laura scanned it quickly and realized her decision was virtually programmed for her. Cal had done his job well: base starting salary, room, board, 90 day incentive, six month incentive, one year incentive, insurance; everything was there. The offer seemed rather high to her, but not so high that the expectations would be overpowering up front. 'These guys are really good at this,' she thought. 'They know I need and want this, they know what they need, and I bet they believe they know what will bring me on board. They even talked about school starting for Jack, day care for Amanda, all those things. But I remember what Richard made, and this seems like a lot for starters. Wonder what Richard's doing these days, now that he's rid of us? Not that I much care after what he did; the S.O.B. Anyway, I bet Cal made some calls and knows what IT people go for these days. I just wonder if there's anything I'm missing here. Even Alice seems very positive for me coming on board, and I sure don't take her for any fool. And there's that Ryan guy, but I can't let any of that type thought cloud my judgment; gotta keep my cool and make the best decision I can for the kids sake, and mine. Okay; I'm going to get up early and think about this some more, but they sure make it easy to say "yes"'. And with that, Laura Nessing ended her second day at Windmere, tired but excited at the new prospects the day had presented to her. Warm, safe, certainly well fed, with kids happier than she had seen in a long time, among people who really seemed to care about her and the kids. Maybe this is all just a dream.

It was horrible: frightened, alone, lost, in a deep pit with no way out, kids crying, waking with a start and realizing it was a really bad dream. Laura took a couple of minutes to shake off the cold fear the dream had immersed her in; warmed by the streaming sunshine, the fear left, replaced by hope, optimism, and the need to decide on a path to follow for starting the rest of her life. After she finished her morning routine, and found the best outfit she had, she awakened the kids and got them ready to face the day. 'At least they didn't escape me like they did yesterday,' she thought, although the thought of it was more funny than irritation at their escapade; somehow, these people seemed to make everything all right. 'You know,' she thought to herself, 'even as young as they are, maybe I need to tell them what's going on here; after all, they picked up on Dennis being a teddy bear rather quickly, and they don't seem to be afraid of anyone here. Maybe it's worth the question.'

"Jack, Amanda, I need to talk to you about something for just a minute. I know you're hungry so I did a couple of little pastries to tide you over for a minute while we talk, then we'll go to the kitchen and meet Maria, the weekend cook. Okay?"

"Yep" "Okay mom."

"Okay, here's the deal. You're old enough to know that we're on our own right now. For whatever reason, your father has decided he won't help us anymore; I don't want to talk about that just now. What I do want to tell you is that we need, I need, a job so we have money to live on. The people here at Windmere have offered me a job doing what I studied to do in college; it's a very good offer, and I'm pretty sure I can do what they want. Now, in order for me to work here, you two will have to be in some sort of day care for about eight hours a day. Jack, once school starts in the fall, you'll be in first grade, and Amanda, you'll start preschool probably half days and daycare the other half. I may have to travel a few days a month; someone would take care of you then. Mrs. Hamilton's twin sister will help us make those plans."

"Two Mrs. Hamilton's? Wow!" the chorus chimed.

"Yes; there're two Mrs. Hamilton's. Anyway, today is the first day of the rest of our lives. I have to tell the people who own this place whether I want to work for them or not. I think I'd like to do that, and I think this would be a good place for you two to grow up, at least for now. But, I realized this isn't just my life I have to decide; it's your life too. I know it's a big decision, but what do you think I should tell them."

"Can I play with Dennis if we stay here?"

"Yes, Mandy, I'm sure you can part of the time. But remember, he has a job to do here and it isn't to be your playmate. And, you'll meet kids your own age to play with in pre-school pretty soon."

"Can they come over and play?"

"I think so, but I don't know all the rules just yet. We'll have to learn the rules first, but I think we can work that out. Okay?"

"Yep. Can I have a new dolly?"

"We'll see about that. I don't have the job yet. Jack, you're being very quiet. What do you think about all this?"

"I think this is a lot better than where we were; that was pretty scary. Franz said he thought if we stay around I might be able to take care of the dogs; I could earn some money that way if I need to; I know it's not enough for us to live on but I could help. I think we should stay here if we can. "

"Okay. Done deal. We stay as long as things work out for us, and I hope that will be quite a while. Now, let's go meet Maria for breakfast, and I need to make a call. Ready?"

With the decision now made, Laura and family headed for the kitchen, breakfast, and their future. Coping with the world one day at a time had been difficult for all of them, whether the kids really understood all of it or not, and the decision to stay at Windmere had done much to bring a little order to their world. Entering the big warm kitchen, they found Maria there ready to go, and her two children with her. It was not unusual that Fernando worked early on Saturday morning when he could, and there was an understanding with Windmere that Maria could bring the kids with her on those days when it would not interfere with an event on premises. Meeting Ernesto and Victoria, Jack and Amanda soon found they had new friends about their own ages and dove into the relationship with abandon. In short order, Maria had the four of them seated at a short table where they were more comfortable, dining on cereal and fresh fruit. Laura wondered about the little table and matching chairs; she didn't remember it from the previous day. Seeing her puzzled look, Maria mentioned that Dennis and Franz had been there earlier, bringing the table and four kid sized chairs.

"Those guys; you know, they come up with about anything they see a need for. My kids aren't here very often, but I guess they were thinking about your kids. Anyway, it looks right and the kids all like it."

"They seem to. I'm so glad your kids are here today. Mine haven't seen anyone their size for several days, and I know that as great as Dennis and Franz are with them, they still need someone their own age to play with and grow with. I look forward to a lot of Saturday mornings, I hope. You probably know what's going on with us, all that has happened in the past couple of days. This morning I have to decide our future, at least for the foreseeable future. How long have you been here?"

"About three years, back when the Senora Mary was still with us. She was such a nice person, and I felt so bad for Senor Ryan when she died. Maybe I shouldn't be talking about that. You must have many more things on your mind."

"Yes, I do have a lot to think about this morning, but some time I'd like to hear about Senora Mary. You say she died?"

"Yes, very suddenly. But Senor Ryan is here now; he doesn't like to hear about those things. I think it still makes him very sad. You go; we'll talk some other time."

With that, Laura turned to meet the approaching Ryan.

"Good morning Laura, Maria. Kids. How is everyone this morning? Ready to do business, I hope." he said, looking directly at Laura. "Yes, I can tell time, and I know it's not quite 8 yet, but we have a little problem at a facility and I have a plane to catch this morning. Any chance we can make some early progress?"

Sensing the change in things, Maria brought a couple of steaming mugs of fresh coffee to a table for Laura and Ryan. She didn't miss the way Ryan looked at Laura; although she couldn't quite place the level of interest, her instincts said this man was interested beyond hiring another employee. But, that was for the two of them to work out and she turned her attention to the kids for the time being.

Laura continued the conversation. "Okay, we can do business. The kids and I took a vote this morning and you lost, or maybe you won, depending on how you want to look at it; anyway, we're staying, if you still want us." Laura paused for a moment and studied her clasped hands in front of her before continuing. Sensing her anxiety, Ryan remained silent, waiting for her to resume speaking. "I guess I'm still a little nervous about this happening so fast. I know I have a valid offer, and I know this may sound really strange coming from a prospective employee, but is this the best thing for the company? Sorry, I must sound crazy."

"Remember yesterday when we said Windmere makes good decisions based on the relevant information, and wants those decisions implemented quickly to start reaping the benefits? We continue to believe that is the situation here, so if you have no objections, you're hired; is that simple enough? Can you start Monday morning?"

"I hope so. I need to get some things in place for the kids; they still have to come first, but, yes; I'll do everything I can to start Monday morning."

"I thought that might be the case, so I did a couple of things yesterday evening that might help. Alice will be here in half an hour or so. Dennis will take the two of you, and your kids, to see her sister in Conyerville; Alicia has a lot of contacts for day care and things like that; we frequently use her services when we have guests with children. Next, Windmere management met concerning this matter; it was decided that you should be given a hiring bonus up front, mostly because you need some wardrobe funding; I'm not saying you're not well dressed; I'm not going there at all. I'm just saying the company may have some dress expectations at an event and it was thought you should be prepared. So, here's a debit card for you to use shopping, with enough funds credited to at least give you a good start. It was decided the bookkeeping to reclaim a loan would be too expensive and time consuming, hence the bonus idea. Also, rather than expense out ATM costs, it was determined than you would probably need some immediate cash funding; again, that will be part of the hiring bonus, which you will find in cash in this envelope. So, everything you should need for the immediate future can be in place today, or certainly within a couple of days, if you do some power shopping. We believe we have made a good decision and are willing to invest in supporting that decision. Questions?"

"I am nearly speechless. Do you move this fast with all your new hires, or am I getting special treatment because I look like I need help or something? I knew you wanted a decision; I'm just not accustomed to things moving this quickly."

"To reiterate, we plan to make good decisions, and the sooner we make them, the sooner the dividends from that decision start to accrue. May I confirm that you're on board?"

"Yes, thank you, and thank you for the 'hiring bonus'. Somehow, I suspect that is not a routine exercise."

Mentally Ryan acknowledged her observation, but did not verbalize confirmation of the exception they had just made for her. It was an idea he himself had proposed to Cal and Roger even as he realized he had no clear motive to do so. "Madam, please let me remind you of the adage about gift horses. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to sooth a restless client or two. I should be back at start of business Monday or thereabouts. Should a crisis arise, Alice knows how to get hold of me, or Roger, or Cal. Okay?"

"Okay, and again, thank you. Please have a safe trip; I'm getting accustomed to having you around." and having said that, Laura promptly blushed under his gaze, something she had not done since being a high school girl. For his part, Ryan told himself he sure would be back just to look at her, and was surprised at himself. In both of them, the tiny flame of attraction was beginning a warm glow, although both knew the wall between them, and knew that good people of high standards didn't breech that wall. Still, time was running on many things yet to come.

With Ryan out the door, Laura turned her attention to the kids and found them totally absorbed in chatting with their new found friends. Alice and Dennis arrived at about the same time Laura was finishing off a bite to eat and considering what to do first. Clearly, the Windmere staff was out ahead of her in some respects, and she wondered just how deep Alice was immersed in the organization. Ryan seemed to know she didn't have much more that a couple changes of clothing, although he had never seen the duffle bag that held their worldly belongings. Anyway, it appeared her morning had been outlined, and it was time to get started.

"Good morning Alice, Dennis. I understand we're going to get in some quality time today, lots of togetherness. Alice, I'll have to depend on you for a lot of guidance since I don't know a thing about Conyerville, or even have any idea about where to start shopping. You saw the list from yesterday. We sort of need everything. So, where do we start?"

"Well, first of all, Mr. Anderson here has to select our transportation. It needs to be something that can easily hold all of us, is easy to get in and out, and has a ton of storage room for boxes, bags, probably some hangers. Get the picture Dennis?"

"Yes madam. You'd like a semi trailer with a monumental grand staircase entrance; tough luck. But, I do have a family friendly blue van with room for eight and cargo space in the back. And, I have an idea: why don't we take Ernie and Vicki along for the ride; I'll take the kids to the park while you power shop. That way they get to burn off some energy, and in the afternoon when they need to be with you to try things on, Maria's kids will be back with her and yours will be too tired to resist. Sound like a plan?"

"Dennis, I'm thinking of nominating you for sainthood. That's a great idea. Maria and her husband work very hard for what they have; I think it would give everyone a break. How much fun can it be to sit here waiting for her to get off work? Besides, the four kids seem to be getting along pretty well. Deal?"

"Deal, if Miss Laura agrees."

"No disagreement here. Dennis, how do you come up with ideas like that?"

"Second childhood probably. Besides, I like the park in summer to watch the girls go by, you know, observe for fashion statements in accessorizing and things like that, but don't worry, I can pay attention to the kids at the same time. Right, Alice?"

"Right; from a guy who thinks clean sweats are a fashion statement. Maria, can we borrow your kids for a while?"

And the adventure started. Alicia Resnick welcomed them into her home, and once the kids got past the twin sisters issue, she showed them her playroom and briefed Laura about available services. At the end of an hour, Jack and Amanda were enrolled in a six week church summer camp that was starting up Monday, one where Alicia would be around so they would have a familiar face in the crowd, and transportation issues to the camp and back were all resolved. Mostly, the kids just needed some suitable clothes, and that was next on the list. A six week camp would buy a lot of time for planning, and give Laura a chance to exhale for a change.

Back in the van, and off to the mall and the park. Dennis dropped the ladies at a very well known but rather exclusive women's store, then headed for the park with the kids. Sensing Laura's reluctance, Alice reassured her it was the right thing to do. "Laura, think about it for a minute. Does Windmere look like a one on every corner chain store type operation? Do you know the company pays more for a pound of coffee than most people pay for a whole large can, and what about that behemoth Dennis drives most of the time, even the little van we have today has every accessory known to man on it. The kids were watching video's as we were driving into town. So, do you believe that appearances have an important part in the product Windmere sells?"

"Well, yes, I'm sure they do but..."

"No buts. Windmere charges companies right up in the "ouch" range for its services, and it delivers top shelf every time. That means if you advertise a Rolls, it better look like a Rolls, run like a Rolls, and ride like a Rolls. Is today's mission becoming a little clearer?"

"Okay, I get the message. It's just that, I've always tried to be a little more conservative, you know, save something for a rainy day, get by with a little less. You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do know, but let me ask you this: you did all that, and when it rained on you, what happened? You were nearly drown. Let's step up a notch to higher ground so the water can't get you ever again. Okay? Ready to shop?"

"Okay, it does really make sense when you tell it that way. I'm not very good at this. Where do we start?"

"Lingerie. Us girls gotta make the most of what we have, and that means working from the inside out. The guys don't have to see it; we just have to know we're wearing it. I know, makes me sound like a tart, and at my age, but let me tell you something: Alice Hamilton may be reserved on the outside, but my husband, God rest his soul, never lacked for a playmate. Now, into the store, debit card in hand. Let's find out just how generous the big boys really are."

Three floors up, Laura and Alice stepped into the world of push up, push down, push around, whatever it took to achieve "the look", whatever that was. One thing for sure, this store had everything from basic cotton to exotic silk, prices to match, and proud of it. But they were no match for Alice Hamilton, a woman on a mission to convert Laura Nessing from okay housewife to office chic. Essentials gathered, they checked out at the floor cashier stand, and learned they still had over $500 credit to go.

"Guess the old boys like you, or maybe the young boys. I've never known anything like this to happen before, but I'm sure it's all in the best interest of Windmere, Inc. Those guys don't miss much. Anyway, so much for the inside, down one floor for the outside and accessories. Gotta have shoes." Alice was clearly enjoying herself, and Laura was beginning to get the spirit. Maybe these people really did believe in her that much; she was just hopeful their trust would be met, and exceeded. Regardless, she was aware that she owed them a great deal already, and it was barely three days into this whole new life. For just a second she wondered where Richard was, and what he was doing, but the thought had no staying power next to Alice Hamilton's shopping drive.

"And, we need to get you a basic black dress, you know, one that says you've got it all and you know what to do with it, you're in control, but you might negotiate. I'm not real clear what makes them work so well, but they do."

Two hours and $400 later, Laura and Alice found themselves burdened with more packages than they could safely carry, and the call went out for Dennis. Promptly answered, they met with Maria after lunch to return her kids to her keeping, then drove to another store to shop for the two kids who were equally in need of clothes. Along the way, Jack mentioned something about bully's in the park trying to pick on Ernie and Vicki. Her attention elsewhere at the moment, Laura had to ask him to repeat what had happened. Jack said two older boys had approached the four of them on the playground equipment and said something about not liking illegals in their park, that Ernie and Vicki were wetbacks and should leave. Jack said he told them he didn't know what a wetback was but these were his friends and they could play anywhere they wanted. Laura assured him he had done the right thing in defending his friends rights, and asked what the two boys did then.

"They didn't do anything, really; just started to walk toward us, then all of a sudden I think maybe they saw Mr. Anderson coming over to us. Do you know how fast Mr. Anderson can run? Anyway, the boys took off running; I think he could have caught them if he wanted to. They kept running until I couldn't see them anymore, and no one else bothered us. That wasn't right was it, mom?"

"No, it wasn't right. But Mr. Anderson did the right thing by letting them go. I bet they never come around you kids again. Is that about how it happened Mr. Anderson?"

"Yes, but what's with the Mr. Anderson all of a sudden? Makes me feel like an old man. It's Dennis; okay? And, yes I can run pretty fast, just not for very far. Guess maybe they saw me coming and I hope I scared the hell...I mean...the heck out of them. Punks are lucky we didn't bring Bruno and Daisy here to play. We showed 'em, right Jack!"

And it was true that the two punks ran until they couldn't run anymore; they had never seen anyone that big, that fast, and looking that angry before in their lives. It would be a lasting memory, even that fall when Jack and Ernie started first grade together.

The day wore on through a couple more stores, until everyone was feeling hungry and tired at the same time. Alice suggested they try a fast food place, much to everyone's surprise.

"Got you hooked, didn't I?" Dennis quipped.

"No, not at all. It just seems...well... more efficient you know. We could go back to Windmere, but I'm sure the kids are hungry now."

"Right; blame the innocent children. Works for me. How about this one?" as he steered around the arches by the drive.

"Okay, but this time it's on me." Laura interjected. "The two of you have worked wonders this day; the least I can do is feed you. I guess maybe I better see if I can afford it before I run my mouth too much." As she was talking she dug out the envelope she had nearly forgotten in the debit card frenzy, to find a neat stack of ten $50 bills inside. "Looks like that won't be a problem. Whatever you want Dennis, doubles and triples included, and thank you for being so patient."

"Ms Laura, you may regret what you just said, but you're welcome anyway. And Alice, try the fried turnovers with soft-serve over them; taste great."

And so the day of major shopping ended, but not before Dennis Anderson proved that, without effort, he could consume the same amount of food as the other four combined, and still was able to play a bit with the kids.

Finishing up their meal, Alice suddenly remembered something else she had discussed with top management: housing. "Laura, I nearly forgot something in all the shopping. I was supposed to ask you if you have made a decision on living quarters. I know you haven't had much time to think about it; these guys move along pretty fast. Anyway, would you like to take a look at the cottage next to mine? It's the same general layout, two bedrooms so you can have one of your own. They're not exactly primitive."

"Yes, I'd like to take a look. You're right; I haven't had time to really think about it. I do remember seeing an allowance figure in the hiring proposal if I decided to stay elsewhere, but if the cottage is anything like the rest of the place, why would I?"

"Works for me. Onward, Dennis. Anyway, we need to free up suite A in the next few days. We keep it ready to go on a moment's notice. You'll find things can happen pretty fast around here at times. The last few days have been slow paced in comparison, but it isn't all rat race either. We have a good time."

Laura thought about the omnipresent "we" Alice frequently used, and decided to be a little more venturesome. "Alice, this may sound a little goofy, but you keep saying 'we' when you talk about the company. That tends to make me think you're part of the organization and not just a now and then employee. Am I right?"

"Well, yes and no. Now that you're on board, you probably need to know a little more than you do already. Do you remember Roger mentioning stock purchasing options you might like to pursue later on?"

"Yes, I do. The stock always stays within the control of the company employees. It's kind of a strange deal, but I'd take a look at it when we get on our feet again. No sense passing up what could be a good opportunity."

"No, and believe me, it's a good opportunity. Since I don't really need the money, I take whatever I earn in shares. That makes me a part owner. I realize someday I'll have to sell it back, if I leave for some reason, but in the meantime name me something else that is running a consistent +25% PA. Mine is set up as a drip, so the more I make, the more I make. It's the miracle of compounding. Anyway, now you know why I say 'we' a lot; and truthfully, I do feel like a part of this goofy family. But of more importance at the moment, Dennis, can you take us to the cottage next to mine so we can have a look?"

The cottage turned out to be everything they would need for the foreseeable future, and came pretty much furnished with the basics, including a goody stocked refrigerator. Since it was getting late, they agreed to do the actual moving from Suite A in the morning, but unloaded the van into the cottage as a good start. Walking back toward the big house, Laura tried to express her gratitude:

"Again, Alice, and Dennis, I can't thank you enough for all this help and friendship. I don't know when I've had this much fun, certainly not in a long time. Whatever prompted you two to start out on this adventure? I mean, we were sitting there in the shelter virtually abandoned by life and you two show up like angels of mercy, and now we have a stack of new clothes, I have a job I think I'm going to love, and we have a great place to live. How did this ever get started, and don't tell me you don't know."

Dennis looked at Alice. "Your call Boss Lady. I think I have to go home now."

"Look, Laura, I really don't know what started all this, not for sure. Let's just say it happened and let it go at that; maybe someday things will be a little clearer. In the meantime, rest up; moving day tomorrow!"

"Okay, I can deal with that, but someday..."

"Yes, someday. Now, come along Dennis, I think it's probably past your curfew, or parole check in, or something. Good night all."

"Good night Mrs. Hamilton, and good night Dennis" came the chorus of young voices. Truly it had been, as their mother said, a great day, and tomorrow they got to move.

Chapter Ten – Summertime

The first six weeks at Windmere went by like a speeding bullet. Laura found herself immersed in, and daily more fascinated by, this wide ranging enterprise that apparently knew no bounds on creativity or the considered expansion of operations. The cottage had come together as their home, and the kids had discovered more friends at the church camp. The company had sent Laura to spend five days with a major IT vendor; her plans for managing Windmere fiscal systems were coming together, in spite of some start-up bumps. She was pleased with herself that after only a few days, she was starting to recognize phone voices, and putting them together with time zones. She had dealt with differences in time zones in the USA, but the calls that came in now could be from anywhere in the world, with the attendant accents and phraseology. That in itself was a learning experience. One of the things she learned quickly was that her tendency to present herself as a helper willing to explain the system won her a lot of friends. Part of it was, she realized, the reputation this company had among their peers; Alice had been right about the Rolls comparison.

The usual Monday morning routine was to sit down informally in the small conference room and talk about upcoming events. Usually it was routine planning, and Laura had not yet been included in the staffing for meetings on site. Roger assured her she would be included, but they really wanted her to get well into the IT issues before being distracted by other things. This morning would be a little different. Laura, Alice, Roger, Ryan, Cal and Marcia were the usual group; Doris was also in attendance today, along with Dennis and Franz. It was considered to be an open meeting, and anyone could come in if they felt they had an issue of concern, regardless of their position at Windmere. Laura recalled what Roger had told her about people at Windmere all being equal when the need arose. Today would present one of those needs, as Roger described.

"Okay folks, today we need to chat about the annual first responders cook-out scheduled for next Saturday. Laura, to get you up to speed, we host a summertime cook-out and a wintertime buffet for the first responders in the area, the firemen, paramedics, police and deputies, people like that. That's why you see Doris and the guys here. It's pretty much an all hands evolution to get this done. We could hire people to help, but we believe that takes away the spirit of the event. Anyone who attends has free play on the course, or in the pool, on the courts, whatever; volleyball and baseball games are usually going quickly, although I believe they tend to play a tackle variety of those sports. These are some pretty tough people in demanding jobs, and it's a chance for us to show our appreciation and for them to blow off steam, a lot of steam. We have never had a problem with anyone getting tanked up, they seem to take care of each other very well. For those who can last the day, we start about eleven in the morning, Alice may run a poker game in the evening. We provide them a $20 stake, and they get to keep their winnings. Is it selfish on our part? You bet! We want them to love us!. Okay. Alice?"

Each in their turn noted their responsibilities and where they were with ordering supplies or getting out equipment and setting it up, food prep, things like that. And finally the ball came around to Laura. "Okay, I guess it's my turn. What do I get to do?"

"You are the substitute player; you get called in whenever there's a need, from burning burgers to running the tap. Work for you?" Roger asked.

"I can do that. This sounds like a lot of fun, but I think my kids probably need to miss it. I can take them to Alicia's for the day."

Roger clarified: "Not necessary. Some of these people are single parents and their kids are with them on their day off. So, we run a daycare for the day, some kid games, plenty of supervision and so on. Problem solved?"

"Problem solved. Thanks."

"There's just one more little item I need to bring up while everyone is still in here. The Tom and Jerry act will be here week after this, arriving sometime to be announced on Monday and staying about five days near as we know.. Any questions?"

Several "Oh, God's" were voiced around the table, but it seemed as much in mock complaint as anything.

The names somehow sounded familiar to Laura. "Are these the people you mentioned gave driving lessons? I remember hearing something about them right after I got here."

Franz laughed: "You could call it that, or not, depending on how much you value your life. Thomas and Geraldine Collins, Tom and Jerry, are truly a fun couple; she's just about as nutty as he is; well, maybe not nutty, let's say fun loving to the max. Remember the other garages I said things owned by guests were stored in?"

"Yes. You did mention that now that I remember, and I remember Jack talking about them. Is that why the Collins's are coming?"

Franz continued: "Mostly. They're in their mid eighties now and Tom just can't see very well at all, certainly not good enough to be driving. About three years ago he got pulled over on the Garden State Parkway for some little thing, and the cop discovered Tom was visually unsafe at any speed. As a result, he lost his license, but not his will to drive. He just can't do it on public roads. So, he had the cars shipped here for storage and they come here now and then to drive around the property or have me take them out on the road for a spin. And, it looks like we are about to be graced again."

The explanation was plausible to Laura, but she was still a little curious: "That all sounds like fun, but why doesn't he just hire a car locally and go drive around a golf course or a parking lot, something like that?"

"Please allow me to clarify: Sir Thomas drives a 1930 J. Walter LeGrande Torpedo Phaeton Duesenberg. Not too many of them around for rent, and Jerry prefers her Model A Roadster, top down. Truthfully, I have a ball with them, and it's been no real trouble. He can see enough to stay on the perimeter roads, and we make sure no one else is around on the golf course, just in case. You'll like them, and I'm sure your kids will love them as pseudo grandparents."

"Sounds like they have a lot going for them in their twilight years." Laura thought aloud.

"They do," Roger interjected. "And they like to spread it around with their friends. I'm not sure Tom has any idea what he's worth these days, or even cares. They just like to have fun. If you do a search of Who's Who in industry, his name will pop up pretty quick; not bad for a guy who started out in his dad's one bay welding shop. Anyway, Alice has fun with them, don't you!"

"That I do. They like to play a little poker among themselves and they get me to deal. Ever wonder what it's like to have $50,000 on the table on the turn of one card? It isn't my money, but it's still a bunch. The thing Roger didn't mention is that the house earnings go to charity. Some local people have been a little surprised at the donations from time to time, and the size of them. But, it's all in good fun. Now, anyone want to go to work or is it break time yet?"

Once again the CEO, Roger mock barked at them to get busy, and off they went to their various devices and duties. Laura returned to her office and started bringing a new facility into their data base. It was something she enjoyed doing, seeing how much their operation would be improved, and having the feeling of actually accomplishing something in her life. It was going to be a good day, a good week, and so far a good summer. There were a few things to take care of, Richard being one of them, but today was not a day for depressing thoughts. Actually, things were going to improve, if improvement was really possible.

About 10 AM, a phone call was routed to her from the front desk. "This is Laura. May I help you?"

"Yes, I think so. This is Cindy Jefferson with the Conyerville fire department; I'm one of the EMT's. With the three of us here at the fire department, and the police and deputies, we only need one more woman to field a softball team next Saturday. Can we count you in?"

"Really? I don't know. I haven't played ball for years. And I'm staff here; I'm not sure I can do that. I'd have to ask. Sounds like fun though."

"Ask if you want, but that Ryan guy who lives out there usually plays on one of the teams so I don't think it's a big deal with them. It's all just in fun anyway. By the way, do you drink a lot of beer when you play?"

"No, I don't drink much of anything, maybe some iced tea. Ryan plays on a team?"

"Great. The guys do drink a lot of beer, and in the summer sun, it takes its toll. I mean, they don't get stinking or anything, but it gives us a leg up against all that muscle. And yes, he plays on a guy's team. The girls all wish we could recruit him for our team, but I don't think that has anything to do with softball. He's a real doll, know what I mean?"

"Yep, I know what you mean. Sign me up; this is going to be fun."

And so it came to pass that on the following Saturday afternoon, Ryan Williams was in for a real surprise. Laura had pitched in all morning getting the food line going, wiping tables, drawing cups of beer, whatever was asked of her. The kids were in their own group and well entertained. Once the food line slowed down, things weren't as demanding, and the time came to crank up the softball tournament. Teams had to sign in on the chalkboard, and as it turned out, there were six altogether although no one seemed to know much about the "Elite Estrogen" team that was listed.. The girls had managed to keep their team composition secret, even to the point of buying team ball caps and t-shirts on the sly. They were the third pairing on the first round of play, which in effect gave their opposition more than another two hours to eat and mostly drink cold beer in the hot sun. Laura had watched Ryan playing one of the earlier games and was impressed; he showed as much light hearted intensity at having fun as he did at work, and turned out to be an excellent first baseman, snagging a fly ball on a reach to get the last out they needed for the win. And she didn't miss some of the comments made about him as the women looked on.

When the call came, the girls quickly donned their tee's and caps and took the field, amid cat calls, cheers, whistles, and probably some comments they couldn't, or didn't want to, decipher. Ryan watched in amazement at this women, her grace and almost cat like movements, tall and very athletic looking. 'Stacked' he thought to himself. 'Damn she looks great.' For her part, she just grinned back at him for the moment. Laura patrolled the left field area, hoping most of the time nothing came her way, but she surprised herself when it did, running under it with ease, and throwing back in with a strong arm. The game didn't last very long, being over on the ten run rule they agreed to observe, but it wasn't the girls who lost, much to the chagrin of some burly firemen upon whom the sun and cold beer had taken it's toll. With the ladies playing intensity, it didn't take much of an error for them to capitalize on things. The guys may have been on a testosterone rush, but the estrogen in the air was palpable.

They received a bye on the second round, and ended up playing Ryan's team for the top prize, a case of cold Mexican beer and Tecate tee shirts. Things stayed pretty even, at least until Laura came up to bat. Tagging a grounder toward center field, she flew toward first base, and straight for Ryan guarding it. Seeing he was not going to move, she slowed just a little and tried to sneak in past him, but he was a little quicker than she had planned, and with one quick swoop, he scooped her up in his arms and wouldn't let her tag the base. Ball now in hand the pitcher raced over to tag her out, as Ryan let her down just enough to safely tag the bag.

Laura was trying to be irate, but was laughing too hard at the same time. "You big bully! Quit picking on me. I'm safe fair and square and we can beat you guys any day anyway!"

"Okay, okay. You win. You're safe. Alright?"

About that moment in time, both of them realized his arms were still wrapped around her and she wasn't struggling very hard at all. It was one of those moments in time when everything just seems to stand still, and everybody seems to be looking at you.

"Hey, Ryan!" one of the guys yelled. "Whose side are you on anyway? Are you aiding the enemy?"

"My side, and no. Play ball." was his reply, and he unwrapped his arms slowly, depositing her on the base.

The rest of the game was uneventful, in comparison, and the girls lost, but the guys shared the spoils anyway and no one cared much in the warm afterglow of good food, good fun, and a lot of camaraderie.

A little later, Cindy came over and thanked her for playing with their team, commenting on how much fun it had been. "How'd you get Ryan to do that little trick on first base? Pretty interesting. I didn't think he was going to put you back on the ground for a minute there"

Laura flushed just a little. "I don't know; it just sort of happened, not that I'm complaining. I enjoy knowing him, and he's great to work with."

"Kid, I've been watching him. He's plenty interested in you. It's none of my business, but I wouldn't let one like that get away. The great one's are hard to find."

"Don't I know it. Unfortunately, I just happen to be still married to a bum, but you probably know that story. Conyerville is a fairly small town in comparison, and word gets around."

"No, can't say that I've heard anything, but if you want my advice, and you probably don't, dump the bum and go after this guy."

"I'd do that, if I knew where the bum was. Anyway, the guys are sharing and I've never had a Tecate. You game?"

"I'm game."

In the late afternoon the day ended quietly in a warm glow. Laura retrieved her kids and they powered down the rest of the evening sitting on lawn chairs in front of their cottage, dining on junk food now and then, thinking about how far they had come in such a short time and how different things were here. Ryan strolled by after helping to stow some of the equipment for the evening, and stopped for a brief chat. "Hey, kids. You have fun today?"

"Yep, we got to go swimming and everything and I think I got sunburned and Vickie pushed me in the pool but I pushed her back and I have some new friends now and maybe I'll get to go to their house and it was a lot of fun."

Ryan was amazed one little girl could talk so much on one tank of air, but turned to Jack to get his input. "How about you, Jack?"

"Yes sir, I had a lot of fun too but Franz said he had a special job for me tomorrow. He said he had some cleaning to do and wanted me to help. Do you know what he's talking about?"

"I might know, but I think that's Franz's secret and I don't want to give it away. If it's what I think it is, you'll have a good time tomorrow also." And looking directly at Laura, with the feel of her in his arms fresh in his mind, added: "I had a really good time today, some parts better than others, but a good time."

"So did I. Maybe you need to rethink the once a year part. And by the way, if you ever need mouth-to-mouth, don't call the rescue squad; you'd die while the girls fought over who got to administer it."

It was Ryan's turn to flush just a little, but undaunted, he bid them good evening and continued toward his quarters.

Jack was up early the next morning, anxious to see what Franz had been talking about the previous day. The kids had adapted to the safety of Windmere so well that Jack simply wandered on his own from the cottage to the kitchen at the big house for something to eat, but more importantly, to find Franz. Entering the kitchen, he found Franz and Ryan enjoying a second cup of coffee with some other people Jack didn't know; none of that made any difference to him, however, and he pulled up a stool as best he could and climbed up by the two men. Maria piled some scrambled eggs and toast on a plate for him, but breakfast was not the main thing on his mind. After listening a respectable time to the chatter, he politely asked Franz about the cleaning job he was supposed to do.

"Hear that Ryan? I think you have a great new employee here; and he's so young you can get a lot of years of service out of him. Think I should put him to work today? I need to drag the Deusey out and get it in shape for tomorrow. Probably only take a couple of hours, but this is my day off. You know, if I had a paid helper it would probably go a lot faster and I could get in a day of rest."

"Okay, okay. You win. Actually, Jack is already on the payroll for taking care of the dogs, but I guess some more hours couldn't hurt. He's probably saving up to buy something for his girlfriend."

That was enough for Jack: "I don't have a girl friend, I don't like girls anyway. They're too much trouble."

"Can't argue that point, can I?" Franz chimed in. "'Course some guys may have girl friends and not even know it at the time. Right, Ryan?"

"Go take care of the car," Ryan laughed. "I think it must be time for a special evaluation for employees or something like that, especially ones who don't know what they're talking about."

"Yeah, right. Come on, Jack. We have things to do, and Ryan says you're on the clock this morning. I'll show you what I was talking about yesterday. Does your mom know you're out loose already this morning?"

"No sir; she was still asleep when I left. I think she was tired from playing ball yesterday or something. She said something about tackle softball; there isn't really a game called tackle softball is there?"

"No, there isn't, but grownups can do weird things sometimes."

"Yeah, like my dad. Mom never talks about him but she gets real sad sometimes and I think it has something to do with him. I don't know where he is."

Franz hardly knew what to say, although he knew the story pretty well. "Look, Jack, I don't know what happened; maybe your dad had some reason. All I can tell you is that the guys here aren't like that; we're all good friends and friends don't do things like that to each other. I count you in that group. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I could use some friends. I mean, there's other kids, but it was Ms Alice and big Dennis who came after us in the shelter; kids couldn't do that."

"No, but that doesn't mean they are any less of a friend. We all have things we can do and can't do. Look at Dennis; he could probably crush rocks in his hands that I couldn't even pick up, but that doesn't make either one of us less of a friend. Anyway, enough of all this talk. Are you ready to open the garage door?"

"Sure am. How come we're at the storage garage? Are you getting something out of here?"

"Yes, that's the job I was talking about. We store a car here for a gentleman and he's coming to drive it tomorrow so we have to get it running and cleaned up. How are you at dusting things gently? This car is over 80 years old but she's still a beauty. Okay, unlocked; open her up."

With Franz helping a bit, Jack pushed the overhead door up out of the way until he couldn't reach it anymore. Behind the door was what looked like a mountain all covered with protective drop cloths. Working slowly, they carefully removed the covers and folded them neatly for reuse. Jack's eyes got wider each time they removed a cover until he just couldn't stand it anymore.

"God, Franz, what is it? I've never seen anything like this before? Does it really run? Can we ride in it? How big is the engine?"

"Easy, easy now. Yes it runs, actually it runs really great, but we're not going to start it just yet. Dennis is bringing a tractor and we're going to tow it around by the garage so I can check it over and reinstall the battery. I keep the battery disconnected and inside so it doesn't get run down and corrode the terminal posts. First we check to see the tires are up enough so it can safely be towed; these baby's cost a fortune to replace if we ruin one. Here comes Dennis now."

Tires checked and tow strap in place, with Jack and Franz in the front seat, the tractor lugged the big car around to the garage for servicing. Franz handled the battery and the other service items while Jack started wiping down the inside of the car. It was truly a labor of love for the big buggy and Jack fell to it with gusto. The more he wiped, the more the big car glistened in the sun.

An hour later Jack suddenly realized he could hear his mother calling for him from the cottage. "Over here mom. You gotta see this. It's great!"

Laura was duly impressed by the big car, but a little less impressed by the fact Jack had simply disappeared out of the cottage that morning. "You, young man, need to let me know where you are going, and who you will be with, instead of just wandering off. What happens if Mandy starts doing things like that? That is not acceptable."

"I'm sorry mom, I won't do it again, but look at this car. Isn't it great? I get to wipe it down so it looks ever better; I get paid to do it so Franz can take the rest of the day off."

"1930 Duesenberg Torpedo Phaeton isn't it?" Laura recited, recalling it from the previous Monday morning meeting.

"I dunno. Is it Franz?"

"Yes, it is exactly that. Your mother must be pretty smart to know that, don't you think?" Franz seized the opportunity to change the subject from Jack's early morning departure from the cottage, but give Laura the upper hand at the same time. Nonetheless, Jack was still entranced by the car.

"Is it okay if I work on the car mom? Please?"

"Franz, he won't be in the way will he?"

"No ma'am, not a bit. And he's right, we do need it dusted down a bit. Sir Thomas would not be pleased if he could see it just now. Should have it running within the hour if you want to come back for a test drive."

"Okay Jack, you can stay, and yes I will come back for the test drive. This has to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wouldn't want to miss it."

True to his estimate, the Duesey was purring within the hour, and they took a tour of the perimeter road to make sure, as Franz explained, "it runs like it's supposed to run. Wouldn't want to strand Sir Thomas. Besides this thing makes a Rolls look like something off an assembly line." The remainder of the morning was expended on the second bay of the storage garage, a Model A Ford Roadster, perhaps not as flashy as the Duesey, but certainly a runner in its own right. And by noontime, both cars were back in their stalls ready for their owners to arrive. One thing Jack learned from Franz that would stay with him a long time was that if you took care of fine machinery and treated it right, it would serve you a long time. "They're just like people" Franz would say; "You get a lemon now and then, but treat them right and things might just work out. Never can tell."

As per schedule, the Collins group arrived mid-afternoon on Monday, in party mode as usual. One of the really nice things about them was that they never felt any need to play their wealth card. While it was true that the Windmere staff went out of their way to make sure things went well, little bumps on the path of life were taken as just that, little bumps and nothing more. Dennis sighed that it would take days to replace all the divots on the course, but it was a half-hearted complaint; he was pleased to see people enjoying themselves and each other, and to some degree it was catching. His compatriot Franz was equally pleased because he understood that these people appreciated fine machinery and would take good care of it. Both cars were given a good workout, including a road trip through the countryside for the sheer pleasure of feeling the wind mess up their locks. With eight people in the party it was somewhat of a squeeze in two cars, but the rumble seat housed a couple easily (although getting in and out was not so easy) and the big car could host a bridge game in the back seat alone.

In the midst of all the fun, Jack and Amanda arrived home from summer camp. Franz was right about the Collins group enjoying kids. Unable for the moment to spoil their grand kids directly, they lavished time on Jack and Amanda, to their delight of course. The nightly poker games started up as usual, with Alice running the show, and in general things went very well and to everyone's satisfaction. The minor bumps were ignored, but a big bump was coming.

On Wednesday afternoon, after a leisurely lunch and while some of the others were taking a siesta in the midday sun, Tom Collins decided it would be fun to take a run around the perimeter road one more time. He realized his opportunities to do so were going to be limited in the near future as his eyes deteriorated, and he knew there was nothing that could be done, not yet, even with all the research about age related macular degeneration. So, it was reasonable that he would make good use of his remaining time. The kids, playing near their cottage at the time, heard the big engine cough to life and came running.

"Please take us for a ride. Can we go? Please?" was their plea, although just seeing them come running would have been enough to convince Tom. Just in case, though, he looked over to Franz with eyebrows raised in question. After all, as much as he loved entertaining them with simple hand tricks and so on, they weren't actually his kids or grandkids and he didn't want to get in a bind over parental permission or something so simple as that.

"Not a problem" Franz replied. "I'm sure their mother wouldn't object, but I can check in a second if you want."

"Maybe we better do that, just in case. Don't want to step on any toes you know."

Franz quickly called Laura on the house line and told her the deal. "He's safe enough around the grounds and doesn't go very fast. Shouldn't be any problem, and the kids are really anxious. Is it a go?"

"Yes, it's a go" Laura replied. "Just tell them to behave themselves. Mr. Collins is an important guest and they need to learn the rules of the business. Besides, good manners are always in style. Okay?"

"Okay Miss Laura. I'll deliver the lecture...Your mother said you kids can go for the ride but if you misbehave, I get to beat you. Okay? Now off with you."

The kids giggled at the warning, but were aware that it was serious at the same time. At Sir Tom's bidding, they piled into the big back seat where they could stand up holding on to the back of the front seat to see the scenery better. And off they went at a leisurely pace of maybe fifteen miles per hour or so. The big car rolled easily down the road, and they chattered about the deer they saw crossing the road with her fawn in broad daylight, and they caught a groundhog sleeping in the sun until the engine noise awoke him up and he dove for his burrow. Jack noticed that Mr. Collins was starting to look sleepy, head nodding a little. Just like grown-ups to not take a nap when they need one, he thought to himself. Coming around another slow turn, the big car strayed off the roadway and into the fairway itself. Jack wasn't very concerned; after all, this was a paying guest, and a grown-up, the fairway was dry so the car could roll along, and certainly Amanda was enjoying the novel trip. It wasn't until they came over a slight rise and started slowly down the other side that Jack started to get nervous. "Mr. Collins, are you trying to scare us?...Mr. Collins, do you see the water hazard? I think it's too deep for the car to wade through. Mr. Collins, what's wrong?"

But Tom Collins didn't hear him because a tiny blood clot in his neck had caused him to pass out cold with a stroke, and he was slumped over the steering wheel while the car continued to move. Jack was now frightened, and Amanda, sensing the fear in his voice, was starting to cry. The only thing Jack could think to do was to try to steer the car away, but to do that he needed to be in the front seat. Just as he arrived at that decision, hands gently pushed the two kids back onto the seat. Looking up, he saw a woman about the age of his mother standing on the running board next to Tom, and as she reached in and turned the steering wheel, the big car turned slightly, rimmed the water hazard and went axle deep into the adjacent sand trap, killing the engine and leaving them shaken but entirely safe. Jack heard her say "Run get help, as fast as you can. He'll be okay if you hurry, both of you. Now run, quickly!"

At her urging, the frightened kids bailed out of the big car and ran for the carriage house they could easily see from where they were stuck in the sand. Longer legged and older, Jack knew he could outrun Amanda easily, but he couldn't just leave her. Taking her hand, he paced her as fast as he could, sometimes almost dragging her, but never leaving her. Franz happened to glance up when he no longer heard the gentle rumble of the big engine, and saw two kids tearing at a frantic pace toward him. Fearing the worse, he yelled at Dennis and the two of them raced off down the roadway.

"It's Mr. Collins, I think he's dead or something and he really needs help. The lady said we should run and get help. Maybe he's asleep but we yelled at him and he didn't wake up. Can you help him, please?"

"Dennis, 911 right now, then call the big house. I'm on my way to the car. You kids get to your cottage and stay there; there's going to be a lot of people flying through here in about five minutes and I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Okay? Scoot. I'll be back as soon as I can." And with that, Franz vaulted on to the ATV and left at full throttle.

As soon as Dennis informed the big house of the problem, people started for the back door and the course as fast as they could, nearly running over each other in the process. Cal and Roger led the group at high speed, and by the time Ryan could bolt the office they were well ahead of him. Once out the door, he could see there were plenty of people on their way, and he knew 911 had been called; the sirens were a faint noise but already getting louder. Calling back for Marcia to open the main gate, he thought to stay where he was and direct the paramedics to the course access road. And then he saw two small and very frightened children standing by their cottage; Laura had to get off line before she could leave the office due to the sensitive nature of the material she had been working on, and she had no way to know her children were involved in any way. It was apparent these kids were scared and in need of an adult to take care of them. Ryan jogged over to them and knelt on the ground by them. "You two look scared to death; what happened?" That was all it took for the two of them to rush into the protection of his arms, sobbing and tears streaming, unable to talk. Now that the action around them was over for the moment, the serious nature of what had happened was overwhelming them. Ryan simply held them next to him until they became a little calmer, by which point Laura had arrived at the cottage. She could see the kids were apparently fine, but very distressed, and could also see Ryan was calming and protecting them like their father never would have.

"Are you kids okay? What happened out there?" At the sound of her voice their courage returned a little, although Amanda needed her mother to hold her a bit longer. Jack was able to talk now, and told their tale.

"We went for a ride with Mr. Collins. Franz said it would be okay because it was just around the outer road and no one was around. We aren't in trouble are we? Will Franz get fired?"

"No, no one's in trouble, at least not until I find out what happened out there. So, you were riding along on the outer road. Then what happened?"

Amanda had recovered a bit more and was not about to be left out. "We saw a deer and her baby and a big thing that lives in the ground that we scared."

"Okay, that's good Amanda. But what happened then?"

"We were driving on the grass and Jack got scared and Mr. Collins wouldn't talk to us and then I got scared and started to cry and then the lady made us sit down on the seat and she steered the car into the sand and then we ran here like she said to get help," told all in one breath by the little girl.

"Jack, is that what happened?"

"I yelled at Mr. Collins; he was driving into the water hazard and wouldn't listen to us and I got real scared. I was gonna climb into the front seat 'cause I couldn't reach the steering wheel, but this lady made us sit down and then she steered the car into the sand trap and it got stuck and we ran here like she said."

"Both of you keep talking about a lady steering the car; where did she come from, how did she get there; can you tell me that? I'd like to thank her, whomever she is, for averting what could have been a disaster."

Both kids looked at him, unable to answer beyond a shrug of the shoulders. Ryan was getting nowhere, and he seriously did want to thank this person for taking action that could have been perilous to her person, regardless of how things came out for Mr. Collins.

"So you kids didn't see where she came from?"

"No sir; she was just sort of there all of a sudden." Mandy nodded her head in agreement with her brother.

The rescue truck came screaming by on its way to the hospital with the ailing Mr. Collins, slowing at the big house only enough to allow his wife to climb aboard, then roaring off down the road. Franz came along with the big car, able to free itself with a little throttle power properly applied, followed by Dennis on the ATV. Others followed along at their own pace. Seeing Ryan and Laura with the kids, Franz came over to make sure they weren't in trouble for something he had authorized.

"You kids okay?"

"They are." Ryan assured him; Laura nodded her assent. "What's the story on Sir Tom?"

"Paramedics said they thought he had a small stroke, although I guess a stroke is never really small. Anyway, they said his vitals are very good, he's awake again for the most part, and they think he'll probably make a full recovery. These kids getting the alarm in as quick as they did could have made all the difference in the world for him. They were really flying when I saw them coming. And I want you to know I really did believe it was safe enough; I'm sorry if I caused any trouble here. I sure didn't mean to."

"No, no trouble. I think Laura and I are just grateful the kids are safe. How were you to know what was going to happen. But, the kids say a woman steered the car into the sand trap to avoid the water hazard. Did you see her, or anyone around the car?"

"No, sir, I did not. But I can tell you this: the car wasn't going very fast or it would have gone a lot farther into the sand trap; I just backed it out under its own power. The thing is, the front wheel tracks curved pretty tight to miss the hazard; on a car like this, that takes some arm power. Nobody in the back seat is going to reach over and steer it, especially not with Mr. Collins laying against the wheel. Anyway, the car is fine, and it looks like the kids are too. Sorry I can't help ID this person; nobody there when I got there, and it didn't take more than a few seconds with the ATV."

Ryan was not about to give up at this point although it looked like the available information was scant at best. "Kids, do you remember anything about the lady, maybe what she looked like? Had to be someone local, although we didn't have any security alarms. There just isn't anyone else here. Jack? Amanda?"

Jack seemed somewhat puzzled for a moment, but after a little thought volunteered a final comment: "I was pretty scared, and I didn't get a real good look at her, but I remember she was pretty like mom, and not at all scary. That's all I remember."

Amanda's final comment was similar, and Ryan could see he was at an end. "Guess we'll just never know unless someone comes forward. Anyway, I'm glad everyone is safe and Mr. Collins will recover. You kids did a good job, running for help. Burning up all that energy running, would ice cream bars help you recover?"

"Yes, sir. We know where to get them. Okay, mom?" the voices were in close enough harmony to be rehearsed.

"Yes, if this gentleman says it's okay, it's okay with me." Laura wondered how Ryan knew that changing the subject and diverting the kids attention would close the trauma for them. It was almost as though he had prior experience with children, yet she knew he did not, and was an only child in fact. She had also learned from Alice and Marie, and other bits and pieces of information, that his first wife had died before they could have any children, and that while he functioned very well, there was still a lingering sadness. Alice had told her that Ryan and his wife frequently talked about a family, and were taking a step toward that path when the illness occurred. Laura realized that this man, powerful and self assured in business and with other people, was still mourning the loss, at least to some degree. It was one of those things that may heal over in time, but is never forgotten. She often wondered if it felt something like being abandoned with two small children, no resources, no roof over their head. And in her musings, she also remembered the feeling of his arms around her at the softball game, and his seeming reluctance to let go. Neither of them had mentioned it since then, but she knew it did happen, and she wondered what was next. This was a wonderful man, and Laura had every intention of learning more about him, especially now that she had seen how he related to her children. Still, she realized that with a husband out there somewhere, she was hardly in a position to develop a greater closeness to Ryan, and she did feel she wanted to be much closer to him.

Events have a way of overtaking people, and like ripples on a pond pass under lily pads and rock them gently, sometimes events can affect things not at all directly related to the occurrence. Fate could even intervene at a riverboat casino, where a man who had abandoned his wife and children bet everything on the sure thing turn of a card, and lost. Laura would be the unknowing beneficiary of such an event in the coming months, but would have to be patient and let things develop in due course.

Chapter Eleven – Extortion

What remained of the summer, after the incident with Mr. Collins, had virtually flown by. He had recovered quite well, and was off somewhere finding another adventure. The kids frequently received souvenirs and assorted trinkets from the Collin's, and looked forward to their return visit some day in the future. Jack was enrolled to start first grade in September and Amanda would go half days to a pre-school. The other half of Amanda's time Laura would have to make arrangements for, but even that seemed to be falling into place. Windmere had a small room set aside for kids to stay in while the parents did business, or partied late as was more often the case. While Jack and Ernie were starting first grade, Maria also needed a place for Vickie, and Cal's wife was looking at returning to the work force part time, so the need for a half-day onboard service was becoming apparent. Alicia found a young teacher who was starting her own family but wanted to work part time, and the deal was made. When regular pre-school started, the half-day school would also start, more as a play room but with some goals for learning. The beauty of it all was that the half-day was at Windmere, with its kids playground, wading pool, woods to walk in and a myriad of other attractions. As summer ended, things quickly fell into place for the remainder of the year, and life went along rather smoothly, almost.

In mid-September with school in session and life in general under control at Windmere, Laura had a chance to think back over the past three months. It had truly been a roller coaster ride, one with a lot of bumps, but things were healing over. There was still the nagging problem of what to do about Richard; after all, she was still married to the rat. He hadn't even so much as called Nancy to see if she knew where Laura had disappeared to with the kids. Not that Laura wanted anything to do with him, but she was becoming more interested by the day in Ryan, and felt he shared her interest; she knew in her heart he would never approach her so long as she was a married woman, in spite of the horseplay at the ball game. On the other hand, she felt the legal and moral obligation as much as did Ryan; while it chaffed her greatly, there was no discernable way out, at least not at this time. That was about to change, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, depending on where one stood.

Marcia was at her usual desk when the intercom from the gate lit up. Checking the monitor quickly, she saw a rather battered old sedan at the gate, and a man leaning out the window toward the intercom box. It was not all that unusual to get strangers at the gate, but there was something about this man that she did not like, and she hadn't even asked what he wanted. Keying the intercom, she responded to the call: "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I think so" the man's voice responded. "I'm Richard Nessing and my wife is in there. I need to see her...now."

"One moment, please," Marcia told him, then fled to Laura's office with the message.

"What should I tell him? He's at the front gate and he knows you're here."

"Ask him to come in, please, then show him to the small conference room, and you might see if Dennis is around somewhere close."

"Done. I'll bring him to you once he's in the door, and I will find Dennis."

Returning to her desk Marcia keyed the intercom and directed Richard to come up to the house. Watched on the monitor, the big gate slid open, then quickly closed behind the car. Richard Nessing came to the front door as instructed, leaving the car in the drive. Entering the building, Marcia showed him the way to the conference room where Laura waited. Entering the room, Richard sat across from Laura; Marcia left the door open on purpose, although Richard really didn't care much who heard what he had come to say.

Laura opened the conversation with one word: "Why?"

Gone was the smooth façade of an uber salesman she had so often seen, replaced by the ugly jagged edges of a self-immolating egoist. "I had a few little debt problems to handle and didn't need the extra baggage at the time. Face it: you and the kids were window dressing I needed to get ahead in my business. But, all that is behind me for the moment. Right now I need $10,000 from you, cash. My little debt problem has become slightly larger; I still don't know how I could have lost that card turn but it doesn't matter. I need to pare the debt down a bit before the big boys start to play rough."

"Where in the world do you think I could get $10,000, and why would I give it to you anyway? You have to be out of your mind coming in here asking for that after what you did."

"Not a problem for me; big problem for you. Either I get the cash, and right now, or I file for custody and drag you through every court in the land. Shouldn't be a problem finding you an unfit mother; after all, even if you aren't much in bed, everything I see says you're putting out for the boys here, or you wouldn't be where you are. It may or may not be true, but juries are fickle bodies. So, make your choice and take your chances, but remember, there's a chance I might win. Really, I don't want the two brats, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes. And your answer is...?"

Laura was nearly unnerved by this demand, and the really nasty accusation he had delivered, but the ordeal this man had put her through had given her a strength belied by her soft voice. "Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes. I would suggest you stay in this room and don't wander around; it's for your own safety." Her bravado lasted until she was well clear of the door, but by the time she got to Rogers office the tears had started. "Roger... Please... Can I see you for a minute?" The words were halting and broken by gasps. Roger quickly ushered her in and closed the door.

"Laura; what's wrong; what the hell's going on?"

"It's my husband; he...came here to get money...and...he says he's going to tell people I'm promiscuous...and an unfit mother...and he'll take the kids and I just can't let that happen but I don't know what to do."

"You did the right thing coming to me; I think we can help. Now, sit, take a breath, let it out slowly, that's it. We have a few minutes to sort things out. I need to tell you, we have been asking around about Mr. Nessing for some time now. It's not exactly a secret that we like to protect our interests, and like it or not, you're part of our interests now. After hearing what he did to you and the kids, I put out a couple of feelers through an investigator we use now and then, just so we could maybe stay ahead of him; you know he has a serious gambling problem, and he's in really deep to some very bad guys just now. How much does he want? I'm assuming that's why he's doing the extortion gambit. Hang on a sec," and keying the intercom said "Marcia, would you have Dennis accompany Mr. Nessing so he doesn't get lonesome?"

"Yes sir. I called him like Laura said. Dennis is here and Mr. Nessing is going nowhere, at least not in one piece."

"Thanks Marcia; good work. Now, Laura, back to the numbers. How much?"

"Ten thousand. I don't even have any savings, at least not much; where am I going to get that kind of money? Anyway, I have a bad feeling that's only the beginning if I give in, but I don't want the kids dragged through court. What should I do?"

"Okay, here's the deal. Ten thousand isn't all that much; it won't even pay off what he already owes, and I don't see an end to that problem, not at this point. I want you to go back in there and tell him to be here at 3 PM tomorrow and you'll do the deal. Please do not talk about anything else, only the money Then, ask Dennis to 'help' Mr. Nessing out of the building while you come back in here. Can you do that? Tears gone now? Okay; good girl. We can get you through this, but I need to know where you would like to end up. So do your part and come back. I just hope to hell Dennis doesn't get wind of this guy threatening Mandy; could be the last thing he does in one piece. Okay?"

Laura smiled at the reference to Dennis. "I seem to be thanking you a lot of the time for a lot of things. Guess I'm pretty needy."

"No, not at all; you just need a little help with a bully now and then, just like the rest of us. Now, into the breech with you girl."

Laura heard Roger intercom Marcia to call a Harry Comstock as the door closed. She wondered who that might be, but the more immediate problem was handling Richard. She looked up at Dennis lounging against the wall in the corridor, and the look she saw on his face reminded her he had professionally made a living at one time inflicting pain on other human beings; it was not pretty, but it was reassuring that help was near at the slightest hint of any danger to her person. Entering the room, she addressed Richard in a clear, unwavering voice, from a woman who was back in control of herself, and the situation, at least for the moment: "Okay, this is the plan. Be back here tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM. I believe funds will be made available to you then. Any questions?"

"Yeah; who do you have to do to get that kind of money that quick?"

She looked up just in time to see Dennis starting for the door; clearly, he had overheard through the open door and was not pleased. "It's okay, Dennis. Just a small misunderstanding. Would you escort Mr. Nessing here to his car now? Remember, Mr. Nessing, 3 PM tomorrow."

Dennis looked at her intently, nodded, and took Richard Nessing by the arm. It was somewhat unclear whether Richard wanted to leave or not, but his arm was going with Dennis regardless.

Laura returned to Roger's office but stopped short when she realized he was on the telephone talking to someone. Looking up, Roger motioned her into the office. "Yeah, Harry, that's the deal. Do you want in? Right, I thought so... Usual fee, and maybe some passes for the course, and dark South American chocolates for the recorder? ... Can do. I'm putting things together for 3 PM tomorrow out here, Nessing will be back then; with money on the table, I'd bet on it, only if it were legal to do so of course; wouldn't want to offend you. And Fred Dawson if you can; I think there's something in the stash he'd like... That would be super. I'll fill you in on what all we need to get done within the hour and you can take it from there... Great. Talk to you later. And thanks Harry; this means a lot to us."

Laura was curious at what was beginning to look like a scheme of some sort. "I'm sorry to have caused all this trouble. Maybe I could find some way to deal with him without involving..."

"Not a chance." Roger interrupted. "Look, we like to protect our own. Bluntly, we have an investment in you we need to protect, in more ways than one. And face it, you're a whole lot better to look at across a table than Cal is. First of all, things are going to be worked out, so you can quit holding your breath, but I would like to know how far you would like to have things worked out. Harry Comstock, with whom you heard me talking, is actually Judge Harry Comstock, Senior Judge for this county. Harry's still on the bench but hands most of the stuff to his juniors to handle. I called him because I know him personally, I know a weakness or two he has, and I know what will get him moving. I wouldn't want to call it bribery; hell, Harry'd do this anyway, but I want him to know how important this is to us. Anyway, I need to ask you a rather tough question or two. Ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready, even if I don't understand what's happening."

"Okay. Here we go. Do you want a divorce from Richard Nessing?"

"Very much so. I could probably get along but what he did to the kids is unforgivable."

"Okay, that's step one. Next question: do you want sole custody of your children and with or without visitation?"

"It wouldn't make much difference to him. He already said we were all just pawns in his game. But the answer is yes; no question, and no visitation; he wouldn't come anyway unless he needed more money."

"I don't think that will be a problem. Third question: do you believe he would kidnap the children as a means to obtain funds from you?"

"I'm guessing, but I think he would after what he has done already. Can you keep him from doing that?"

"We can pretty much assure that won't happen by putting the fear of God in him. So, let me sum it up: by 4 PM tomorrow you would like to be an unmarried woman, with sole custody of your two children, and a protective legal net around you. Right?"

"Yes, right, but can you really do that, and how do I ever repay you for all this. I guess I don't know much about the law but I thought a divorce took a year to become final, at least in most states. How are you ever going to get him to agree with all this?"

"Harry loves a challenge. And he knows his business. This isn't a legal matter to him; it's a matter of fairness and justice. He took to it like a trout to a fly, even suggested bringing along a court reporter for the proceedings; that's where the South American chocolate came in. Hard telling what that's going to cost me."

"See? That's what I mean. How am I going to pay for all this, the judges fee's and things like that? You certainly pay me well enough, but this has to be expensive."

"Remember back a few months when two people picked up you and your kids in a homeless shelter and you trusted them enough to go along? Same deal. Trust us now; you might even enjoy the show. Now, leave things to me; I have a lot to get done in the next few hours. Hey, Ryan, can you come in a minute?" Roger yelled through the door for his associate. "Laura, could you give us just a minute in here, maybe hang out with Marcia for a few minutes?"

"Sure Roger, anything you say. I get the feeling whatever is going to happen tomorrow is going to happen with me or not."

"Nope, not a chance; you're our key player. Now scoot so I can chat with Ryan a bit. Ryan, come on in please; I just need a minute or two." Roger filled him in quickly on everything that had happened. Although he knew Ryan had obviously been listening intently, he was still the boss and Roger needed his final approval on the path he was taking. Ryan quickly agreed to the plan, and they had some debate over just how badly they should actually frighten Richard Nessing. Both men were starting to enjoy the deal, but were aware that there was still an outside chance things could go wrong.

"Just one more thing Ryan, before you go. Laura needs to really be in control tomorrow. We've seen how good she can be working a CEO or two, but this is a little different; it's personal and involves her kids. I'm going to suggest something here, and it's only a suggestion, you can do what you want, but why don't you take her to the driving range and hit a bucket or two. It's close to quitting time anyway, and I think the physical workout would be good for her. I can ask Alice to catch the kids if you like so you have plenty of time. How about it? Look, I know you have an interest here, maybe more than just for an employee. Hell, I know more than for an employee; I've seen your expression when you look at her. I'm just asking you to help calm her down a bit. This is really important for her, and maybe for you. Deal?"

Ryan was caught off guard by the suggestion, and he realized Roger was looking at him rather intently, waiting for a response. Pondering the idea for a moment, Ryan realized it actually made very good sense, even if he did think Roger was starting a little early with the matchmaking. "Okay, but would you kindly quit meddling after this?"

"Only if I think you don't need a little push, my boy. Now get out of here so I can deal with Harry"

Ryan grinned somewhat foolishly at Roger as he backed out of the office, but got it under control before Laura could see his face. "Okay, lady. I have our instructions from Sir Roger. Thee and me are to go to the driving range and hit a bucket or two of balls. Ready? You'll need a little different attire to make it easier; we'll stop on the way to the range so you can change, maybe shorts or Bermuda's would work. Okay?"

"Now wait a minute. I don't play golf, and there's still work to be done in my office, so how..."

"Sorry, Sir Roger has spoken. Marcia, shut down her office will you, and ask Franz to roll out a two seater for me. Thanks, you're a doll as usual. Ask Alice to watch for the kids; okay? Thanks. Come along lady; we have our instructions."

Marcia grinned at him as Ryan and Laura left; glancing back, Ryan stuck out his tongue as a last feeble gesture of defiance. Stopping by Laura's cottage, she made a quick change into shorts and a pullover top that was loose fit enough to go on easily, but snug enough to outline her figure. Checking quickly in the mirror, she thought for a second about changing the top, but Roger's comment about her looks came back to her and she decided to go with things as is. Back out and into the two seater for the trip to the driving range, where a bucket of balls was already awaiting them, and an assortment of drivers.

"Okay lady..."

"Laura, if you please."

"Yes madam, Laura it is. Now, have you ever done anything like this before?" It was a simple enough question, but the way Ryan pronounced the line, and looked at her, it sounded a lot more like a tease than a question.

"Only once, and then it wasn't very good for me. Is it good for you?"

Taken slightly aback by this quick sass, Ryan was pleased they were having a dialog instead of talking about accounting data or some esoteric numbers trend she had uncovered. Unquestionably, this was lot more fun, and just the nearness of her was a reward in itself. He was well aware her married status had not changed, but it was a beautiful day, the driving range looked good, Laura looked great in the sunlight, and he was getting a flow of testosterone he had kept under control for a long time. Tomorrow he would obtain her freedom if he had to take out her soon to ex-husband by himself. Even at that, he realized that long term this might not work out at all; still, he was willing to give it a shot. "Yes, it's good for me. Now let's see if we can figure out how to make it good for both of us. Let me get the bucket, we'll size a driver for you, and look out gophers, here we come."

After some careful club selection for her height, they teed up and Ryan drove first so she could watch his swing. Laura was truly entranced by his swing, the ripple of muscle under his shirt and on his arms, and his flexibility; actually, she rather forgot about the golf ball entirely in her musing.

"Wow, I really got into that one. Did you see how far it went? Best drive I've hit in a long time. You must be having some sort of effect on me." And it was true she had an effect on him. The extra bit of testosterone not only drove his muscles harder, but it piqued the male show-off gene just a bit as well.

"No, I missed it. Did you hit it? I don't see it on the ground anywhere. Maybe it's in the woods." She, of course, had heard the hit, but she enjoyed the bit of banter they had going on and wanted to sustain it.

"It is not in the woods. It's so far down the range I can't see it anymore. By the way, it's your turn now. Let's see what you've got." The question was a bit rhetorical, he thought; 'I already know the answer...and I like it.'

"Okay, but you have to help me do this. How do I hold this thing? It looks a little like a pool cue with a weird end. And how do I stand?"

It took some time, and a lot of practice swings with his arms around her, his hands on her hands, until she finally could drive reasonably well on her own. With the bucket empty and arms worn out, Laura drove the last ball halfheartedly, laughing at the short distance, turned and looked directly into Ryan's eyes. "I think you did it."

"Did what?"

"Made it good for me too. Thanks, I needed that, and the company was great. We should try this again sometime; maybe we can knock off a gopher or two in the process."

Ryan laughed, and realized how easily the laugh had come in her company. Looking back into her eyes he had a surge of desire than nearly overcame him. Grasping for stability, he said they should head back toward the house in case Roger needed him, but they both knew, or sensed, that if they stayed there things would happen they were not prepared to handle, not yet.

The rest of the day was rather a blur for Laura, with the events to come the next day taking front stage. The kids seemed to sense she was a bit preoccupied, and stayed on good behavior. Although the two had to share a bedroom, the bungalow's were spacious enough that it was far from crowded and each had their own area. Laura decided against telling them the events of the day; things weren't done yet and she didn't want to tell them something that might not come to pass. Besides, she had to decide how to sleep with two aching arms. Sleep came quickly that evening.

Chapter Twelve – Justice By Harry

The next morning found Laura well rested, relaxed, and only mildly sore armed. With the 3 PM showdown still somewhat distant, she completed her morning routine and headed for the office, passing the door to Ryan's office in the process. Usually a rather calm person, just as she passed the door she heard a muttered oath come forth from the office, unusual for Ryan at any hour of the day. She wasn't going to interfere, but the thought occurred to her that these people were going all out for her, at who knows what expense, and she needed to do what she could to return the favor. Besides, if he was unhappy over a program problem, she really did need to know, and she could still feel his arms around her from the driving range.

"Good morning. Are we unhappy about something this morning?" Laura said after lightly tapping on the door before she swung it open.

"Yes, we are unhappy. You're the IT person; why can't I get the system to compute the differentials between these columns, and give me an average so I can trend it? No matter what I do, it doesn't seem to be working. And, I think I did something at the driving range yesterday; my neck is all stiff and sore."

"Okay; I can see that, yes, we are unhappy. May I help you, since everyone else here seems to be helping me in some way or other; I'd like to at least take a shot at repayment."

"Fine. Jump in; I can use some help. What do I do?"

"First, sit up straight, then back out two clicks. Here's how we fix it." And saying that, Laura stepped behind his chair and started massaging his neck muscles while she coached him through the programming issue. Five minutes later, with the program running smoothly, she asked "So, are we better now?"

"Yes, we are better now. How did you do that, to my neck I mean? I thought sure it would give me grief all day, and now it feels great." Swinging his chair around to face her, he added "You know that little chunk of change we're expending this afternoon, I think you just earned it. I could really get used to that sort of treatment, I mean...here in the office...when my neck is sore, you know what I mean? I think...don't you?"

"Probably, yes, of course, here in the office, anytime."

The two of them realized whatever it was they were talking about didn't make much sense but it really didn't matter; proximity did matter, and they wanted to sustain that as long as possible. Neither moved to close the distance, but both wanted very much to take the denied first step. The next few hours could pave the way. For now, they had their own responsibilities to handle, and their locked gaze was broken, for the moment.

Roger wandered in some time later, and checked with Laura to see how things were going for her as the day's events unfolded. He reviewed what they were about to do, verified her intentions had not changed, and made a few more calls to clarify things with the others involved. As things fell into place, he suggested they do an extended lunch so he could recap the plans, and brief the players on what they were to do. The clock hands moved slowly, but with eventuality, to the 3 PM show time.

Marcia was watching the video feed and keyed the gate open several times when she recognized the cars, the last being the sedan of Richard Nessing at 3:15 PM. As people gathered in and around the conference room in the half hour before the 3 PM deadline, Roger made sure Laura met everyone as they arrived. She became aware these people all knew each other, and were friends as well as business and social allies. Judge Harry Comstock was a delight to meet as he teased Marcia about her love life; a big man physically, with a mane of silver white hair, he had a voice that resonated in a courtroom with judicial certainty. Roger was quick to reassure Judge Comstock that he had checked his sources and found the required material Harry had been offered to preside. Introduced to Laura, Judge Harry was his usual blunt self:

"Damn, Roger, I can see why you want to keep her around. She drops the average age in this mausoleum by ten years just being here. Now, Ms, tell me this: do you want me to just scare the hell out of this guy, or put him in the slammer for 90 days to cool off? I can do either one, based on what I expect to hear. Your choice. What'll it be?"

"Please, whatever you think best. I mean, I don't want you to do anything illegal or anything like that. Sorry, I guess that sounded a little goofy, but you know what I mean. All these people have been so great about all this; I don't want to impose."

"Not a problem for me. No 90 days. You probably want this guy as far away as quickly as possible, but we can have a little fun in the meantime. The guys filled me in on what he did to you and your kids. This isn't about the law; it's about justice and what's fair and right. Okay?"

"Yes, sir. Roger said that's how you looked at things. How do I ever thank you for this?"

"Roger will take care of that. Truthfully, I'd do this anyway. The law should work for people now and then. I love these opportunities. But, for the moment, I see my reporter has arrived. Excuse me please while I brief her," and with that Judge Harry went to meet his court reporter.

At the moment, Roger arrived with another gentleman for Laura to meet, a man with steel gray eyes, moustache like a bottle brush, and an archaic butch-waxed flat top haircut. "Laura, please meet Sheriff Fred Dawson, our local version of Dirty Harry. Fred, Laura here is the celebrity of the hour at Windmere."

"Pleased to meet you sheriff. Sorry to disrupt your day like this; I'm sure you have more important things to do."

"My pleasure, ma'am. When Harry told me about this, I couldn't miss this sort of opportunity. Besides, I owe him a favor or two, and Roger said the stash might have something in it older than my kids. By the way, just to make sure things happen the way we want, I've had a couple of guys sort of shadowing your soon to be ex- husband. He's pretty much a minor player for now, but he's headed for some rough stuff up ahead if he doesn't pick better friends. Anyway, I'm not real partial to blackmail or extortion, especially not where little kids are concerned. What the hell: would it be easier if I just shot the guy now and saved us all this trouble?"

"My God no, you can't just... You're kidding, right?" Laura had caught the hint of a grin on Fred's face just in time. "You can't just shoot people can you?"

"No, ma'am, I can't just shoot people, not even with provocation. But, we could take him deer hunting. Anyway, I need to talk to Harry while he has a moment, if you'll excuse me." And with that, Fred Dawson walked off, leaving Laura to wonder if he really would take someone out in the woods and shoot them. Probably not, she concluded, but there remained a nagging doubt. Anyway, the time was drawing close, and she had planned to make an attire change for the main event.

Retreating for the moment to change, Laura wondered at her own calm in this life changing event. The only rational thought that came easily was that these were mature, adult people who were interested in fair play and justice, and who were not against having a little fun. It dawned on her that while they realized how important this was to her, it was almost recreational for them, a diversion from other events of the day. They were players, and were protecting her as one of their own. She felt comfort in the thought of this being an event of her now extended family, a family that had just circled the wagons. She quickly finished changing and checked her appearance in the mirror, smoothing a stray lock or two. The choice was a medium gray pinstriped business suit, white blouse, and a colorful scarf, almost flat shoes, and her gray bound leather portfolio as her only accessory. According to instructions, she returned to her office to wait until called.

Richard Nessing probably was just not smart enough to be a gambler, at least not smart enough to play at this table. He left the old sedan in the drive, as instructed, and entered the main doors only to find Dennis Anderson waiting to escort him to the conference room. Directing Richard into the conference room, Dennis pointed to a chair and said "Sit." in the same voice he would use with Bruno or Daisy. Richard dropped into the chair quickly, not wanting to excite this large individual with an intense scowl on his face. In reality, Dennis had a much greater regard for the dogs than for this person. Richard was well aware he was late arriving, but in his own small mind he was the major player and the world would wait on him. Little did he know that Harry Comstock had other things on his mind, like sampling his "payment", and was in no mood to prolong things. Confident he had swung the deal and ready for a handful of cash to come his way, Richard slowly grew less confident as more people filed into the room. The reporter was first, with Ryan carrying her recorder for her. Next came Roger Brown in possession of a single white envelope, followed by Laura. As he had not seen her since she had changed clothing, Roger nearly lost his composure when he had gone to her office to escort her, finding a composed, singularly beautiful and impeccably appointed young woman ready to do business with the big people. Her effect on the assembled men was a stunned silence, while the reporter simply looked up at her and winked an eye. Next in was Fred Dawson, who stood aside from the door and announced "All rise." in a voice strong enough to bring Richard and everyone else to their feet without question. Harry Comstock was well known for his stylish entrance to a courtroom, and this smaller venue didn't cramp his style. Laura was not aware he would be robed, but the black robe and silver hair looked positively Supreme Court level; she could not have been more pleased. Harry ordered everyone to be seated, and Dennis returned to the open doorway behind the judge, filling it and clearly ensuring no one was going anywhere. Richard Nessing was beginning to be very nervous about all this, but had not yet grasped the details. Judge Harry would spell it out for him.

"This proceeding is now in session. I want to make it clear to all present that while this is not my usual venue, I remain an officer of the court while in session and any decisions here will be legally binding on all concerned. Anyone who would care to authenticate my authority is welcome to call of the States Attorney of this county. The matter before us today is a petition for divorce filed by Laura Nessing herein present. I have read her petition, which clearly establishes grounds of desertion in a most heinous manner. Do you have anything to add before I pronounce judgment, Mr. Nessing?" Harry was quick to the chase and intended to take no prisoners.

For his part Richard Nessing was stunned by the events, but simply not quick enough to realize he had been outflanked by some real pro's. He had not come here with a divorce in mind. In fact, he had every intention of hanging on to this potential cash source as long as he could. "Hell no, I don't want a divorce. I didn't abandon her at all; I just had a little streak of bad luck and needed a few days to recover; that's all. I'm here now to claim my husbandly rights. Besides who do you think you are interfering in our private business like this? You've got no rights..."

"I am Senior Judge Harry Comstock. This is my jurisdiction, as I already explained to you; maybe you weren't listening. Well, listen up now: did you abandon this attractive young lady and two minor dependent children with no funds, no utilities, no housing, and no nothing? Did you do that or not, and I warn you, I consider perjury to a very serious contempt of court act. Respond now."

Richard was beginning to sense he was in a net and didn't like it a bit, but neither did he see much of a way out. "She might have taken it that way; she's not very smart."

"Mr. Nessing, I find your comments unnecessary; simply respond yes or no to the question. Did you abandon this attractive and intelligent young woman with two nearly infant dependent children, or not?" Harry was starting to lard it on, which did not go unnoticed by either Roger or Ryan. Laura had picked up on the "attractive" in Harry's initial question, and wondered just how far he would go when the "intelligent" was also added, and her two children were now nearly babes in arms, or at least the transcript would read that way. One look at Harry's face and she realized he was well into the game phase of all this and enjoying it immensely.

Richard was starting to squirm a bit. "If you say so, then yes, I guess it looked like I abandoned her."

"And two infant children?"

"Come on judge, these aren't infants, they're five and six years old for God's sake, not babies. Where do you get off anyway, making this stuff up?" Richard was bristling at the chaffing he was getting from this judge; it was not a wise thing to do.

"Mr. Nessing, did you abandon these people or not? Simply answer yes or no, now."

"Okay, it looked like I abandoned them, but I came back yesterday so I didn't really abandon them after all."

"Sorry; time's up on abandonment. Finding for Laura Nessing on her request for dissolution of marriage to Richard Nessing. Ms Nessing, do you wish to waive the one year probationary period."

"Yes, your honor, I do."

"Probationary period is waived, final decree of divorce is granted. You are no longer married to this man." Maybe Harry Comstock sensed more than she realized, or maybe Roger had filled him in, but when he granted the decree he didn't look at Laura, he looked at Ryan Williams, and a slight smile appeared.

"Next issue before the court is custody of the two minor children of this marriage, Jackson Nessing and Amanda Nessing. Ms Nessing, since you filed for custody, are you prepared to share that custody with your former husband?"

"I am not."

"And are you prepared to grant visitation to your former husband?"

"I am not."

"Do you seek any support for these minor dependent children, financial or otherwise, from this person?"

"I do not."

Having set the stage for the next step, Judge Harry now turned to Richard Nessing. "Mr. Nessing, it is my understanding there is an offer on the table at this time from the plaintiff. For the sum of $10,000, payable here and now in the form of a cashier's check, you agree to not contest these actions now or in the future. Should you agree and subsequently violate the agreement you will be required to refund the payment along with interest at the going rate from this date forward, and will be found guilty of contempt of court. How do you respond?"

Richard now realized that he had not only lost a wife, about which he cared not one way or another, but he was about to lose the only hold he had over her to extract future money. The prospect of being hemmed into the choice angered him. and before he thought things through, he started to rise out of his seat and his mouth came open. "Judge, this is pure bull s**t. You got no right to take my kids away, money or not. Those are my kids and...."

"Shut up, Mr. Nessing, and sit down before the Sheriff here seats you. I find your choice of scatological references to be appalling, out of order, and contemptuous of this court to the tune of 30 days in the county jail, suspended pending your return to this county in the future. Do I make myself clear?" Harry delivered the sermonette like a practiced preacher, and indeed it was one of his favorite pronouncements from the bench.

Richard suddenly found himself with the choice of possible future revenue, or the money he badly needed right now to save his own hide. And he understood this was going to get really ugly if he didn't go along. A tiny bit of common sense finally worked its way into his head, and his next response was very cautious considering the odds now stacked against him. "Sorry about that Judge, I just got a little excited. As I understand it, if I agree to not contest sole custody without visitation to my former wife, I can have the ten grand. Right?"

"Mr. Brown, the check please."

Roger slid the envelope over to Judge Harry, who opened it like he was announcing Oscar winners, and held it up for all in the room to see. "Ten thousand dollars, cashier's check, payable on demand to one Richard Nessing. What's it going to be?"

Richard was caught and he knew it. These people knew how to play, and they had turned what seemed like a sure fire scheme on his part into a large snake that was biting him where it hurt. He had but one choice. "Okay, I agree to the custody. I need the money. Gimme the check and let's get this over with"

"I will be happy to do so, in just one moment. You have just sold your interest in children you claim are yours, for a nominal five thousand dollars each; the fact that you physically abandoned them several months ago, in effect stranding them without resource, and that you just legally abandoned them for a paltry sum, gives me cause to be concerned for their well being. Accordingly, I am issuing an order of protection, in perpetuity, for a distance of not less than one mile, effective upon delivery of this cashier's check into your hands, with a grace period not to exceed twenty minutes from time of issuance; failure to respect this order will add 30 days in jail to the 30 you already have waiting. Do you have any questions?"

Richard was seeing a lot of light all of a sudden, and he realized his best move at this point was to get the hell out of there before this judge character decided to throw him in jail just for the fun of it. The idea added a certain amount of respect to his thoughts, but probably not quite enough. While he was burning about the deal he was getting, he came to the conclusion that his former wife was every bit as smart as she was beautiful, and he was kicking himself for having totally misjudged her and blown the opportunity of a life time. In fact, he was so angry with himself that one more time he let what apparently was a hummingbird sized brain be overpowered by an alligator sized mouth. "Yeah, I got a question. How many of you guys did she have to do to put this together, not that I give a damn? I just want my check and out of here."

It had been a long time since Harry had ordered a court room cleared, but it was getting real close again. After hearing Richard's words, embarrassed though she was at the implication, Laura wrote off the comment as sour grapes. Glancing around the room, she realized some others were about to make wine out of those sour grapes, the hard way. Although the movement was slight, she caught Roger's hand grasping Ryan's arm to hold him in his seat, and on the other side, the sheriff rose to intercede and stop Dennis before he could get to Richard and do major harm. Judge Harry was not particularly displeased, but after all, it was his courtroom, and he was responsible for what went on. The most reasonable thing was to get the check in Richard's hands, close the hearing, and get the hell out of there before things really broke loose.

"Gentlemen, and I assume you all are, please restrain yourselves from beating the s**t out of this... Oh, God, sorry. Louise, clean that up on the record, okay? Anyway, there being no more matters before this court, hearing's adjourned. Mr. Brown, Ms Nessing, I would like to see the two of you in Mr. Brown's office please. Sheriff, would you please escort Mr. Nessing to his car? Thank you." And with that Judge Harry swooshed out of the room, followed by Laura and Roger.

Laura had looked at the reporter after Harry's little slip of the tongue, only to see the reporter looking back at her and obviously, from the shaking shoulders, laughing loudly into her dictation mask. Dennis did not relish the sheriff shooting him or anything like that, and backed off a little, but did make a request of the sheriff.

"Look, if I promise to not hurt him, can I escort him out of here? Please?"

Fred knew this big man well enough to know he was a man of his word, and agreed to the request: "Okay, Dennis, but I don't want to have to call the meat wagon or anything like that. No rough stuff, okay? Mr. Nessing: Mr. Anderson here will escort you to your car; I suggest you get out of here as quickly as you can; your twenty minutes are running and my deputies are waiting at the county line."

Dennis took Richard by the arm as before and left with it; Richard, still being very attached, came along willing or not. Once outside, Dennis walked him straight to the car, but not without a little clarification: "My advice is for you to get clear of here as quick as you can. Your kind isn't wanted."

Never one to give up a parting shot, no matter how stupid it might be, Richard shot back: "Yeah, what the hell's it to you, big boy?" In later years when Richard thought about it, he could never figure out how he went from being halfway in a car door to being within inches of Dennis's very contorted face in zero elapsed time. He didn't remember his feet touching the ground at the time and the bruises on his upper arms from Dennis's grip lasted over a month. The thought would still send cold chills down his spine.

Dennis remembered his promise to the sheriff and resisted mightily, yielding only to words: "Look you stupid bastard, I promised the sheriff I wouldn't kill you. But get this: if I ever see you near Miss Laura or the kids, or if you ever cause them trouble, I will personally put your mangy ass in intensive care for at least a month, if you live. Get in your car and get the hell out of here, now, before I change my mind." And letting go, Dennis literally hurled Richard into the car, slamming the door behind him.

For his part, Richard was too damned scared to do anything but fly out the gate, out of Conyerville, out of the county as fast as he could, and out of their lives.

Chapter Thirteen - Payback

Harry, Roger and Laura retired to Roger's office for the moment. Once inside, Harry broke the silence: "Was that fun or what? I have to admit, I thought things were going to get out of hand there for a minute or two; good thing Fred was there. Miss Laura, just how stupid is your ex?"

"He was pretty up and coming when I married him; I guess that says a little something about me."

"Nope, I wouldn't say so. I'd say you were young and impressionable, and he's a salesman; looks like he sold you a bill of goods. Anyway, I think we've seen the last of him for a long time, if not forever. Now, Roger, I think we should drink a toast to our success. You wouldn't happen to have some really elderly single malt Scotch around here, would you?"

"Could be. You'd share some in a toast if I can find some?" Roger had already turned toward a file cabinet in the back corner of his office and was unlocking it. The bottom drawer slid out noiselessly to reveal another locked compartment that was quickly keyed open. Inside lay several boxes of different shape and size, all with gold seals. Extracting one such box, Roger carefully placed it on the desk, and magically produced three small glasses.

"Guess I have to share now. Miss Laura, I don't know if you partake or not, but I believe this is one occasion we should all mark as one small step toward justice for all. You in?"

"Yes, sir. I'm in. Right now, after all this, I think I could down Hemlock and feel no ill effects. You were wonderful in there, your honor; how do I thank you?"

"Well, if you ever need someone to do a wedding, I'd be happy to preside at the more joyous occasion. Just thought I'd mention that. Never can tell what might happen. Anyway, Roger, would you do the honors please?"

"Thank you, but no, I would rather not. This is your jug, and I know if I spilled so much as a drop I'd never hear the end of it. Suppose we have the guest of honor do the decanting? Okay?"

"Okay by me. Miss Laura, pour please."

Laura carefully opened the latched wooden box, noting the intricate printing and embossed seals on it, then gently extracted the amber bottle and removed the cork stopper. She didn't know much about whiskey, Scotch or any other kind, but she did know that the to-do about a single bottle meant it was either rare, or good, or good and rare. The liquid inside was crystal clear and a beautiful amber in color. Laura poured three equal shots, and replaced the bottle carefully in the box.

Harry was impressed with the exact measurement, but more so with the care she took in replacing the bottle in the box and carefully closing it. "Ladies and gentlemen, justice has been served; I give you the newly freed Laura Nessing. To you, Miss Laura."

Clinking glasses marked the end of a trial by marriage for Laura. The whiskey slid down her throat easily, not at all like some drinks she had experienced in the past, but one was quite enough.

"Again, I thank you Judge, and you too Roger, for putting all this together. I don't know what I would have done without you two. I still have to tell the kids, but somehow I almost look forward to that. I think Jack has worried that somehow his father might come back and disrupt things for us; this has been hard on the kids. Roger, could I ask you something, and it's not another favor?"

"Sure, ask away."

"I saw you reach over and restrain Ryan's arm. What was that all about, if you don't mind my asking."

"Ah, well, I'm sure you saw the sheriff get up and intercept Dennis. I was doing the same thing with Ryan, just not quite so overtly. It was coming down not to whether your ex-husband was going to get the crap kicked out of him or not, it was who could get there first to do it, Dennis or Ryan. Either way, he was in big trouble, but out of respect for the Judge here, we just couldn't let that sort of thing go on, could we Judge Harry?"

"No, we could not, although it would have taken me a long time to issue the stop and desist order. Might have thrown a punch or two myself if I wasn't so high mileage. Anyway, he's worse off now than if he'd been beaten. I'm sure he would have tried this on you again if you had given in; we weren't about to let that happen to you. We both know why Dennis took offense at the comment: he sees an attack on you as an attack on those kids, and I really believe he would kill for them. As to Ryan, Roger might not tell you, but I will; he needs you very much to give back to him what he lost a couple of years ago: his wife, and more than that, kids. They were such a great couple, and I felt so bad when that damned cancer took her; it just wasn't right. You probably know that's why that beautiful house they built together stands vacant with weeds around it; it isn't abandoned exactly, but he won't let anyone in it. I think the guys take care of it anyway when he isn't looking. Anyway, that's my opinion; I watched him in the hearing room; I don't think he ever took his eyes off you. He may not know it, but he's a goner. The only thing is, I think he's still in mourning, and things might move rather slowly; still, I'm sure you're the answer he needs; be patient. Trust me on this."

Laura was awed by this man's perception of things, and more than a little embarrassed that he had read her like an open book. No wonder Harry had made the comment about marrying people. Still, it looked like a long road ahead, and she yet had to tell the kids, and earn a living, and deal with other events that are required to go on living. But most importantly at the moment, she was clear of the marriage, her children were safe, and she had discovered what real friends are for. She understood that while Roger and the group professed this to be a business matter, she did not, for a moment, believe that was entirely the case. Some weeks later, when calm had pretty well returned to the offices, she casually drifted into Cal's office and mentioned that Harry had really seemed to enjoy his "payment", telling Cal she was idly wondering if Scotch was expensive to buy. He informed her it was not particularly expensive, unless it was very elderly single malt imported from a small distillery in Scotland; in that case $250/bottle was about par. Laura concealed her amazement as best she could, but the point of how much these people were willing to invest in her well being was most certainly not lost.

The remainder of liberation day Laura spent almost in an afterglow, only a bit of which was due to the well aged Scotch. The kids heard her out on what had happened, and seemed relieved that it was over, Jack in particular. She called her sister to fill her in, and her parents a little later in the evening. She would not see Ryan for a few days since he was off again on a business trip with several stops; maybe that was for the better after what Judge Harry had told her. At least she knew more of the story, and knowing that much, maybe she could get Alice to fill in some of the details. There was something else she had learned, or rather, sensed, about Ryan; from her first days at Windmere, Laura believed these people held Ryan in some special place in their lives, seeming at times to be as protective of him as they would a child. Maybe it was their empathy for him at the loss of his wife. Whatever it was, they did not appear to be excluding her in any way. Reflecting on what had happened over the last few months, she laughed at what a soap opera her life would make, and there was more to come.

The next couple of months seemed to fly by, but not without their highlights. Since the divorce, Ryan had several times suggested they go to dinner in town, sort of a "working dinner" to review things going on at Windmere that needed their attention. In retrospect, Laura realized they never talked about business at all over dinner, and on more than one occasion had discovered music and a dance floor that couldn't be neglected. Ryan made no overt gestures other than maybe a kiss on the cheek at her door. She sensed that Judge Harry had been right; there was more going on than she could see, and she would have to be patient. In the meantime, Ryan had suggested they take the kids to a nearby amusement park for the day, including Ernie and Vicky in the group. Laura was well pleased with the way he treated her children, realizing they were drawing closer to him than they ever had been to her ex-husband. Ryan seemed to enjoy their company and he seemed happier than she had ever seen him. It was one of those moments when the kids were enjoying cups of ice cream, Amanda wearing hers as much as eating it, when Laura realized her hand was in his; she didn't know when he had reached out, or even if he did, but the hand was there nonetheless. Fearful of breaking the moment, she glanced briefly at him, only to realize he was looking at her, and then down at their clasped hands. The important thing was, he didn't let go, and when they were leaving and had to part hands to go through the gate, his hand again sought out hers as soon as the gate was behind them. It was a small step, she realized, but it was a step, and again she heard Judge Harry's words: "...be patient..." Maybe Harry knew something she didn't, maybe not; she would be patient and find out.

Opportunities occur when least expected, and so it was with Laura, an opportunity to repay a kindness, a deed that in the joyous end became much more than she had intended. Most Saturdays Laura made sure the kids were well into whatever activity they chose at the moment, then would go to her office for a brief review of e-mails and such; it was quiet time, but seldom did she spend much time there on the weekend; that was pretty much company policy. Today was no exception to the rule; after a brief look, she closed down her desktop and decided on one more cup of coffee. Entering the kitchen, she was surprised to see Doris rather than Marie.

"Good morning Doris; what brings you out on a Saturday? Miss us?"

"Nothing that easy. You remember that company retreat we had scheduled for today and tomorrow? I know you weren't very involved with it; anyway, it was cancelled about two hours ago. Seems they had a fire in their Singapore plant and all the top brass went there today instead of coming here. Probably a good idea on their part, but it sort of leaves me with a disposition problem to handle."

"Really? What sort of disposition problem? Anything I can do to help?"

"Probably not. Anyway, the deal is, we were supposed to have a big steak cookout tonight, you know, open grill, open bar, that sort of stuff, salad, baked potato with full boat toppings, all the good stuff. Fernando picked up the meat yesterday from a butcher we use from Johnson City, then put it in a secret marinade he concocts; best steaks you ever had when he gets done with them. So here we are with 75 prime...and I do mean prime...steaks that have to be used today or discarded. Seems criminal to throw them out, but we can't sell them or take them back after being in the marinade, and even if everyone here ate one, we wouldn't do much to the pile. I mean, these are thick, prime Angus, could be used to feed a small army. It just pains me to think about throwing them out when people elsewhere are going hungry."

Laura pondered the dilemma for a moment. "How many steaks?"

"Seventy-five, plus spuds, salad, and so on. Everything's paid for; even though they cancelled they have to cover the procurement costs. Probably a drop in the bucket to those boys."

"How much time before you have to decide what to do with them?"

"Probably noon time or within a couple hours of that at the most. You having some thoughts on this?"

"I am having thoughts on this, yes I am. I'll be right back." Returning to her office, Laura called Roger at his home. Quickly she made her apologies for disturbing him on a day off, and laid out her idea. The response was positive and swift in coming.

"Laura, you are a goddess to think of this. Tell you what: get the numbers, and if we can't cover the multitudes let me know what more it would take. The only thing is, this is going to take some people to get it done, and except for Doris and Marie plus their husbands who were already scheduled to work the retreat, and you can count on me and my wife; maybe we can swing it. Let me know the count as soon as you can. I cannot believe you came up with this; you are truly wonderful."

The next call was to the homeless shelter, and as fortune would have it, the night supervisor she had met, Angie Costello, was temporarily working days and answered the call. Laura identified herself, and briefly outlined her plan. Angie was incredulous this was taking place, and sought reassurance it was not a practical joke of some sort.

"Okay, you're telling me you are going to show up here this afternoon with enough steaks to feed the 59 adults and six kids we have in-house, plus baked potatoes, plus salad. Is that what I'm hearing? I find this a little hard to believe. I mean, you know, I want it to happen; we're really short of funds right now, but out of the clear blue like this? Come on; you can't blame me for being a little gun shy. It would be a really cruel trick to pull on these people, after we're down pretty much to peanut butter or bologna sandwiches. Is this for real?"

"I assure you, it is for real. I don't know just yet how I'm going to get this done, but I will find a way. You gave me a place to go when I had no place to go, and I would like to repay you at least a little. So, I need to get off the phone and try to find some help. This isn't going to be easy, but trust me on this. I'll call you back within two hours with the details, and after we stuff our faces, I'll tell you how all this happened. Okay?"

"I don't know. This sounds far too good to be true, but I do remember you, and I know you understand how mean a trick this would be on these poor people. And I remember that monster sized guy who came after you, plus getting the air fixed. Two hours?"

"Two hours, but I have to start now or I'll never make it, and I have a lot to do. Okay? Talk to you later."

Returning to the kitchen, Laura briefed Doris on her proposal, and assured Doris she had obtained not only Roger's blessing but his assistance as well, and that of his wife. Now her problem had become one of logistics, how to transport the food and the grills and other things they would need; good deeds can be contagious. Comrades in arms looking for a light snack and cup of coffee, Dennis and Franz wandered into the kitchen, accompanied by their weekend shadows, Amanda and Jack. Sensing an opportunity, Laura quickly explained the problem and asked if they had any ideas on how she could get all this done. It had all the effect of a toreador's cape; this was something to do, different, no doubt a good deed, and probably fun. Dennis was first out of the starting gate.

"Franz, how about I get old blue fired up and bring her around? What shape is the tandem in, good enough to use it for a hayride?"

"Good enough shape after we air up the tires. You got any of those straw bales left in the field house? We'll need some seating, and knowing these girls, probably a fire extinguisher and restraints before it's all over."

"How about the volleyball posts? We can load them with the hand truck and still leave room for the two big grills and the charcoal and stuff. Girls: what all do we need to load? Oh, and Franz, we need the revolver on a post for safety. Okay?"

"Done. Now if I could just get a cup of coffee in this burg so I had the energy...."

Laura leaped for the coffee pot. She was a little unsure of what had just happened, but it seemed the process was suddenly out of her able hands. "Dennis, can you translate please? I think I missed something in there somewhere. Who's old blue, or is that 'what's old blue'?"

"Go ahead, Jack," Dennis coached. "You know all the stuff we got. Can you tell your mother the deal?"

"Sure thing" Jack replied, anxious to be a part of whatever these people were up to. "Old Blue is the big ol' farm tractor the guys restored; it's kept in the field house 'cause it's too big to fit into a regular garage; I mean, it's too high for the door with the stack on. Mom, you should see it; it's really neat and it runs great."

"Sounds good so far. What's a tandem? I always thought it was a bicycle of some kind." Laura replied.

"Mom, it's not a bicycle; that's silly." Jack had never actually heard of a tandem bicycle and thought his mother was teasing him. "It's a big trailer with two axles, that's why it's called a tandem. And they can haul stuff on it like the grounds mowers and things like that. Can I help you get the stuff Dennis?"

"That you can. You think a dozen bales are enough Franz?"

"Should be. I'll go to work on getting the light ready. Girls, anything you need to haul should be in one of the big plastic carriers; this could get a little dusty before it's over. Now, who's going to help me with all this stuff I have to do?"

Amanda was quick on the trigger. After all, her brother had switched associations and got himself hooked up with the machinery side of things and she didn't want to be left out. "Me, me!"

"Okay, let's get on with it. We have some wiring to do. Ready?"

And out the door went the four of them, bent on a mission. Laura was trying to keep up with events but had the uneasy feeling things now had a life of their own. She remembered she had promised to call Angie at the shelter to confirm things, but was interrupted in mid-thought by an incoming call. "Hello... Yes, Roger...this thing is gaining speed. I think maybe I just have to get out of the way. Dennis and Franz heard what was going on, and they and my kids are out doing things with old blue and the tandem, whatever all that means... Wow, that's great. I'll add that to the list, and Roger, thanks a bunch for all this. We'll see you about 2:30 at the shelter."

Laura's ears were assaulted by the roar of engine exhaust as her transportation arrived in the form of a large blue tractor followed by the long flat trailer. The original design had been modified with stake sides so it could carry more bales, and it worked out great that the single tier of bales made fine seats, with the side boards as backs. While Franz and Amanda worked to install the revolving warning light, Dennis started the loading. Marie and Fernando, unaware the original plan had been scrapped, arrived to start food prep for the cookout. Brought up to date, Laura suggested one of them retrieve their kids so they could go along for the ride, while she would help the other do whatever was needed in the kitchen. Fernando was back in their car in a flash, while Marie took Laura in tow and headed for the kitchen storeroom.

"Here, Senora, is where we make things fly. You and me, we will do the salad. Okay?"

"Fine by me, but why are we in the storeroom?"

"We need the cutter. Here, we put this on the cart; then I will show you how to make lots of salad very quickly."

Laura helped her load the heavy machine and wheel it back into the kitchen. Marie opened the large cooler and pulled out a tub full of lettuce heads, washed and ready to be chopped. After placing a small metal measuring cup upside down on the work counter, Marie took a head in both hands, carefully turned it until the base was straight down, and drove it down on the cup in one smooth motion. Pulling the head back up, she reached underneath and pulled out the liberated core. Laura was duly impressed, but then it was her turn. She missed twice on her first try, causing minor damage to the lettuce head but none to herself. Between the two of them, the giggles started, only to be made worse when they were ready to feed the cutter and realized it worked much better plugged in. Marie was certainly right about one thing; they made a lot of salad and in a hurry. The powerful cutter made short work of the lettuce, while the girls added salad tomatoes and other ingredients as the lettuce flew. In short order the tub was back in the cooler and ready for transport. That done, they turned their attention to packing up the utensils and things they would need on their road trip, and helping Doris as she needed a hand. The steaks were already resting comfortably in their marinade containers, and the loaves that would become garlic toast were split and ready to go.

Just as they were doing the final loading, Roger called back one more time. "In case you were thinking about dessert, although I don't know how anyone is going to eat any after one of those steaks, a friend of mine is going to bring some by later in the day. Just thought I'd let you know. And I'll pick up some hamburger patties as well; I'm sure the little kids don't want to deal with a big steak; they'd rather go play. Anyway, see you in a little while. Oh...Cal and his family will be with us also; he sounded pretty excited about it." And with that, he was off the line.

Laura was impressed with the load-out. The guys had actually managed to load the very heavy volleyball standards, and the net, all of which wasn't much of a strain for the big trailer but a good load for a couple of people to handle. Fernando had returned with Ernie and Vickie, and helped the guys carry out the coolers filled with steaks, and the other food items. Dennis would drive, since he looked more at home on the big tractor, while Franz would ride the trailer and try to keep everyone safely inside.

"Okay, last call for a potty break. Everybody ready?" Four small bodies raced for the bathroom, just in case. Laura, suddenly remembering the call from Roger, had a quick chat with Dennis while they waited for the kids, then with everyone in place and seated, the big blue tractor roared to life, down the lane, through the gate, and onto the open road. One of the things Franz had never been able to accomplish with the machine was to cure it of one small ill that, while it didn't seem to affect the way it ran, took getting accustomed to. Every so often the engine appeared to belch, and would blow a big puff of black smoke out the tall stack; it was a sight to behold, and the kids simply loved it, however disconcerting it may have been to Franz. The flashing amber light high in the air above the trailer served as adequate warning to approaching vehicles, although the big machine and the hazard warning on the tail gate would be pretty hard to miss. Along the way to the heart of town and the shelter, Dennis made a short detour past the local soft drink distributor; Roger's call to Laura had been to tell her he had called in a favor from the distribution center's owner, and drinks were awaiting them. Pulling into the dock area, the men loaded the two big coolers onto the trailer, straining with the weight of the boxes full of drinks and ice chips. Then, back on the road and on to the shelter. Dennis knew the area well enough to know he could cut through the alley, then swing into the parking lot beside the old hotel, leaving plenty of room for the cookers, coolers, volleyball net, and whatever else they brought. Roger, Cal and their wives were there waiting for them, as was the totally amazed Angie Costello. If Angie recognized anyone in the group, Dennis stood out in her mind from their one previous meeting. She had watched him scoop up Amanda as they were leaving the shelter; that one act had stayed in her mind a long time.

Had it been a little less organized, the event could have been mistaken for a small riot. People from the shelter had not really been told what was to take place; Angie just could not believe this was going to happen, even as much as she wanted to trust Laura, but here all of them were. Dennis muscled the rusty gate of the parking lot closed to keep curious onlookers out, and the guys started unloading and setting up the cooking line and the volleyball court. Angie announced on the PA dinner would be in the parking lot in a couple of hours, but she needed some help carrying tables and chairs. People who minutes before had no spark of interest or energy, down on their luck, or just depressed with their condition in life, were suddenly given a chance to do something, however briefly, for their own good, and they took the bait. Introduced all around, Angie remembered Laura and the kids from their one brief encounter.

"I just can't believe this is happening. Are you sure this is for real, there's no catch to it, no hidden camera or something like that?"

"Nope, nothing like that. As soon as we can get things just a little organized and the cookers heating, we'll have a chat about how this happened. In the meantime, I think the guys could use a little direction setting things up so the line can move along easily. They do great with eating, not so good with the "how to" end. If you work with them, I'll see what else needs done. Okay?"

"Deal, even if I can't believe this." Angie could see the problems developing with the food line and hurried over to make some adjustments. Working with Dennis while the other men unloaded and set up the volleyball court, she showed him where things should go so people could serve themselves a little easier. Laura watched out of the corner of her eye when she could, amused at the incongruous matchup between the extra large Dennis and the medium small Angie.

"Okay, Dennis, we need to set up two steak lines if we can. I know there aren't that many people here, but believe me, when the serving starts, it's gonna be like a stampede. Some of these people haven't seen a meal like this in a year or two, maybe more. Okay?"

"Yes ma'am. Where would you like this?" Dennis had simply picked up one of the large cookers at arm's length and was waiting to reposition it according to her wishes. Admittedly, he was a little taken with this woman he had just met, her small stature compared to him somewhat fascinated him, but mostly it was because she talked to him not like a big, dumb jock but as another human being.

Floored by his raw power, Angie could only point to the location for the grill until she could gather her wits a bit. "Jeez but you're strong. Do you work out a lot or something?"

"No, not so much anymore, just hard work at my job keeps me going I guess."

Laura had worked her way back through the assemblage in time to hear the vocal exchange. "He's an ex pro football player, you know. Aren't you Dennis?"

"Are you really? I should have guessed, all those muscles. What position?"

"Lineman mostly, wherever they needed me, but it was more semi-pro than the big time stuff, and my knees couldn't take it anymore. Do you watch football?"

"I do, I just love it, but you know, I know there's stuff about it I just don't understand. I mean, all those little hand signals the coaches give, and then there's the zebras running around all over the place. Things like that."

"Maybe...we could watch a game together so I could explain some of that. Maybe?"

"I think that would be great. Right now, I have to do a couple of other things whether I like it or not. We'll talk about it a little later for sure, okay?"

"Okay. Find me."

"You can count on it."

Dennis found himself in a mental jam. He wanted so badly to ask this woman out to his place, but he thought it might be awkward with Franz around, and he just couldn't ask Franz to stay away. That wasn't right either since they shared the quarters. What to do? Maybe, he thought, he should ask Franz; they had been roommates for a while and had few secrets. Dennis knew he wanted a couple of cold beers very badly right then, but decided his own courage would have to do. With things pretty well set up and volleyball underway, Dennis located Franz and took him aside for a moment.

"Look, buddy, I got a real problem here and I don't know what to do. I don't want trouble between us, but Angie's a real doll and I ain't gettin' any younger you know. I want to ask her out to the place, but she might feel a little strange being there with the two of us; you can see my problem.

"Yeah, I can see the problem. I got the same deal with Bernice over at the hardware store. I know she likes me, and I think maybe she'd go out; I just haven't had the guts to say anything to her... Wait a minute. You remember that old thing about strength in numbers? How about this: we both take the plunge, and invite them out to our place for pizza and beer tomorrow afternoon? I could call Bernice now. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay, make the call. Man I'm nervous; I never was before a game, even a big one, but this...it's all different. Lemme know what she says. Maybe the girls would like to talk to each other; they seem to do that a lot on television."

And so it went, but in the end four people met in the carriage house loft at Windmere for pizza and beer, not necessarily in that order. It would become a weekly event, and in the course of time, a lot more.

After the brief comment about Dennis, Laura had continued to move around making sure things were going well. Everyone was doing their job, the grills were heating, drinks were being distributed, and two food lines set up. Things were coming along well and she was getting a really good feeling about all this, Roger had been well pleased with the idea and everyone had jumped in quickly. The people at the shelter could hardly believe their good fortune, and Laura made sure they knew it was because Angie had welcomed Laura and the kids when they needed help. Laura sort of glossed over the fact that they had not actually stayed even one night in the shelter; it seemed to her that was more information than anyone really needed to know. Besides, she had just seen something else she wanted to look into. Sitting on an old park bench that was a permanent part of the parking lot was a fairly young looking girl; she seemed a little withdrawn from the rest of the crowd, not in any hostile manner, just somewhat left out of the activity. Laura made her way over to the girl to see if maybe she just needed a better invitation to join in the activities, and discovered why she was sitting by herself, the nursing baby concealed in a blanket so as to be nearly invisible. Neat trick Laura had done herself when it was feeding time and she was out in public, but this girl looked more like she needed a friend at the moment.

"I'm Laura; mind if I sit a minute?"

"Whatever. It's a public bench."

"Beautiful baby. Boy or girl?" Laura was determined to draw this girl out a little and find out why she was at the shelter.

"Boy."

"How old?"

"Ten days, that's about how long I've been in this place, not that it matters."

"It matters to me, and I was only here one day, with my kids, a few months ago."

"Naw, you couldn't have been. I see your clothes and your friends. Somebody said you were doing all this for the shelter; you couldn't have been in here, not you."

"Doesn't matter what I look like today. About six months ago I was sitting here like you, wondering what happened, when some nice people came along and helped me out. If you tell me your story, maybe I could help you out in turn. How about it?"

"I don't think so; nobody can help me, anyway nobody wants to; that's how I got here; nobody cares."

"Okay, maybe that's fine for you, but what about your baby? Doesn't his father care what happens to him?"

"Hell no. You think I'd be here if that bastard cared? When I told him I was pregnant he told me to get lost or get an abortion, it was all my fault somehow, and then when I wouldn't get an abortion he said if I tried to get child support he'd take my baby away. My folks let me stay there 'til he was born, then my dad said he didn't want his slut daughter around, he was ashamed of me, and put my things on the front step. So, there, do you know enough now? Satisfied?"

"No, but don't be angry with me. I didn't get you into this, and I may be able to help you get out of it, at least a little. If you don't care about yourself, at least you could care about your baby."

"I do care about him, I just don't know what to do and nobody wants to help me and I'm afraid...."

Laura put her arms out and the young woman leaned into them, tears streaming and sobs wracking her body, all the while her baby happily nursed along oblivious to the ongoing trauma. When things has subsided a bit, Laura leaned back and looked at the child with child. "Okay, now that we have that out of the way, talk to me, name, age, things like that."

Reddened eyes still weepy, she started in: "Les, Leslie really, Leslie Friend, I turned 20 last week. I'm sorry for talking so mean to you; it's just that nothing has gone right about the last nine months...."

And the story finally came out. Les had graduated from high school in Conyerville at 18 and wanted to become a paramedic. With no funds available from her parents, she had hired on at a cleaning firm to work nights, earning enough money for tuition at the community college to carry a couple of courses a semester and still have time for the homework. All had gone well the first year; the second year she had been assigned to a different building, one with a lot of professional offices. An impressionable young girl, she was seen by a lawyer in his early 30's as a fairly easy mark, easy to impress with his expensive suit and some expensive gifts, and it wasn't long before she believed she was in love with him. He even engendered her sympathy with his "frigid wife" story, in spite of his three children, and how he was going to divorce her. Someone more experienced would have read him like an open book, but Les was young, and inexperienced, and eventually pregnant. Her mother was sympathetic, her father was not. Her lover wanted only for her to go away and not rock his little boat. With no place to turn, she was in the shelter where at least she could find food and a roof for her baby, but not a lot of hope. She was nursing because she really did believe that was best for her baby, and, she simply couldn't afford formula anyway. She wanted to continue working after delivery, but the company wouldn't let her take her baby along, and without a job, she couldn't afford child care; Leslie Friend had learned the true meaning of "between a rock and a hard place", but she had just met Laura Nessing.

"Sounds like you were beaten up on pretty bad, and abandoned by the very people who should have been helping you. I'm not sure what I can do to help, but I do know some people here and there and I can make some calls. Now, here's what you do. Here's my business card with my direct number on it. Monday morning you call me, say 9 AM; I assume you have no transportation, so I'll have someone pick you up and bring you out to my office at Windmere. See the big guy over there, and the smaller guy next to him?"

"Hard to miss the big one. Friends of yours?"

"Yes, they are; the big guy was one of the people who picked me out of here a few months back. Anyway, one of those two will be driving you, just so you know. We'll talk things over and see where things can go from there. Okay now?"

"Yes, thank you; I'm sorry, I guess I was just feeling sorry for myself. I know things haven't really changed much, but somehow I feel better now. Are you sure this is okay, for me to call you? I've heard people talk about that place, how exclusive and fancy it is and all that stuff; I don't want to get you in trouble or anything."

"Nope, no trouble. See the guy over there dipping soft drinks out of the ice for the little kids? He's the CEO of Windmere. Can't get closer to the big dogs than that. Come on; I'll introduce you, and don't tell me no. He may be the person to get you out of all this."

And so it went, Laura with Leslie in tow, intent on repaying what was done for her by doing unto others.

All the little asides were played out with minimal notice, Franz and Bernice, Dennis and Angie, Laura and Leslie, but there was one thing left to be done this day, other than the inevitable clean-up and trip home. Laura noticed a man wearing some sort of what looked like a delivery driver uniform talking first to Roger, then to Dennis, and finally turning and walking out the gate as though he were leaving. Dennis strolled over to the heavy gate he had closed several hours before and dragged it open about one lane width, just in time for the refrigerated truck to drive through. Stopped in a convenient location, the driver popped back out of the cab, clipboard in hand, strolled to the back of the truck and said "What'll it be? Anything that's on my truck, courtesy of Sievers & Sons Distributing."

There was not a kid in the parking lot who didn't know what that truck was, or an adult for that matter. Deluxe ice cream. It may not have been Christmas, but surely this was Santa himself, just a lot thinner. Laura couldn't wait to get to Roger: "Is this your idea of the dessert you promised me earlier? You are one big thinker, but what is this going to set me back? Eye watering or mind bending?"

"Neither. I called up the owner and sort of negotiated with him a bit."

"Negotiated? How?"

"I sort of told him we were getting free soda pop, and if there was any publicity to be had, those boys would suck it all up. He took the bait okay. The driver said his boss called him at home and told him if he wanted to make the biggest one stop sale he'd ever make in his life he needed to get his truck at the plant and bring it here. All he has to do is keep track of what he hands out, and his boss pays him the commission on the sale like he was doing it door to door. Old man Sievers refused to be one upped by the bottling boys, and here we are. What I want to know is: who in hell thought up all this? Wait a minute! That would be you, wouldn't it? If you can do for Windmere anything at all like you did here today, we are all going to be very happy people. Nah, I won't hold you to that, but you are one miracle worker. Anything else I don't know about up your sleeve?"

"Roger, there is just one little thing about this girl who's coming to see me Monday in the office...."

"No, I don't want to know anything about it. She isn't a convicted felon or something like that is she?"

"No, just someone a lot like me."

The stampede to the ice cream truck capped off a long, truly great day. It was true that it was only one meal, although there were a lot of leftovers carried off, and the shelter had a goodly supply of ice cream in storage, but the effect it had on people lasted a long time. Not everyone benefited long term, but some did like Leslie Friend, and eventually Angie Costello, and Bernice from the hardware store. There was never any intention to gain publicity, but word got out anyway, and the word was good. The ride back to Windmere was punctuated with occasional snorts and clouds of black smoke from old Blue, but the path was illuminated with the glow of having done a good deed. On Monday, Leslie Friend would pull her feet out of the mire of rejection and start up the ladder. Roger e-mailed Ryan several pages of details, along with some pictures he had taken of the event with his digital camera, especially the happy faces of children, and Laura with her arms around Leslie. Roger couldn't explain that photo except to say "I think her do-gooder gene is acting up again. Brace yourself."

Chapter Fourteen – Next Level

Most of Sunday was spent with the kids, reading to them, playing games, talking about what they had done for others on Saturday. Alice returned from her week of vacation mid-afternoon and the two of them enjoyed a little wine as a coming home toast while Laura filled her in on the activities of the weekend.

"You, lady, are something to behold. I go away for a week and when I get back, you're running the place like a pro. That was great thinking, the kind this organization needs."

"Maybe less good thinking than a sense I owed those people something for being there when I needed them. Anyway, it all worked out. Ever had a ride behind ol' blue on a hay trailer? We should have taped it for a session on what not to do on your weekend. It was a blast."

"No, can't say that I have; something to look forward to. Anyway, who's car is parked over at the carriage house? Not one I recognize."

"Oh God, Alice, I almost forgot to tell you. The boys are feeling their testosterone these days. Remember the supervisor at the shelter the night you were there, nice looking, somewhat small statured woman? She latched on to Dennis yesterday at the cook-out; I don't think he was running very hard anyway. Franz apparently has a girlfriend in there as well, and I'm sure he has known her for a while; they seemed to really know each other when the girls got here. Somehow, I think this is all about watching football, beer, and pizza, some of one and lots of the other. It was so funny watching Angie and Dennis; he was tiptoeing around her as though she was fragile, protective, all that. I guess I never thought much about his lifestyle."

"I think Dennis and Franz deserve better than what they have been getting from life. Not that Windmere hasn't been good to them; it has, but it can't replace human interaction, if you know what I mean. A little action couldn't hurt them."

"Alice Hamilton, I'm shocked. Well, maybe not very shocked. Actually, I think you're right. Since we're being basic here, I learned some things about the white house over the past few days, like who built it and so on, but how much more do you know? Guess I'm more than a little curious, and I'll admit it's because Ryan figures in there pretty big. Talk to me...please?"

"I can't add much. Back almost three years ago now when they were still living in it, they had parties in there now and then, just for the fun of it I guess. It's a beautiful house, and Mary did a wonderful job of bringing things together you would never think go together. It has five bedrooms, I think, and at least as many bathrooms. The first floor is an arc, so each room is open to the rooms next to it but you can't see the one beyond. Makes the whole place seem larger than it is, and it's already large enough. Anyway, Mary died in her bed in the house, with him holding her hand. It was nearly as hard on the rest of us as it was on him, and we were scared to death he couldn't weather it, they were so much like one person. The original owners of all this managed to have a private cemetery permitted when the big house was built; I guess they could afford the paperwork; it's in the trees out behind the white house. Ryan and Mary discovered it all overgrown and neglected when they were laying out the house, and had it cleaned up out of respect. That's where she was laid to rest. After that, the house was ordered closed up, and no one was to go there, ever. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but the guys maintain it when they have a chance, so it hasn't really deteriorated; mostly needs a major dusting I would guess. I don't know what will ever happen to it; to tell the truth, I think Ryan is still mourning for her, so your guess is as good as mine, but I also believe if anyone can bring him out of it, you can; it will just take a lot a patience."

"Strange, but I heard almost that exact same speech from Judge Harry the other day: 'Be patient.' I know Ryan likes me, and the kids, but something is holding him back and I just do not know what it is. Maybe you two are right after all; patience. But, new subject, now that you mentioned dusting..." And Laura told Alice the story about Leslie, the whole unvarnished story. Alice listened thoughtfully, considered the situation, and after a minute or two responded.

"You can't kill the bastard, even Judge Harry can't do that, at least I don't think so. If this girl is willing to pull herself up, I do have an opening in the housekeeping staff. Susan's husband is transferring, so I'm losing her by the end of next week. We could start this girl say Tuesday so she can learn the routine from a really good worker. If she's half the person you say she is, we'll lose her in a couple of years, but you can deal with that."

"Me, deal with that?"

"Yes, you. I foresee you will be mistress of the manor at that point in time, and staffing is one of the jobs. So there!"

"And you're just going to waltz out of here one of these days?"

"No, not exactly. I'll be in large motor home, with my belongings, and Vincent...Vinny."

"That's it, Alice. You've been holding out on me; start talking."

"Ah, well, I didn't exactly mean to say anything about that just yet, but I guess now is as good a time as any. You know this past week I went back for a high school reunion, homecoming, whatever they call it these days. I have no idea why I did that; first time in years. The crazy thing is, I got the class newsletter that comes in now and then from back east, but to tell the truth, I didn't take time to read it and just pitched it, at least I thought I did. Then I saw it again on the coffee table, even though I'm sure I threw it out. Anyway, I opened it that time and read that my old high school was going to be demolished and my class wanted to do something in remembrance. So, we were to meet at the reunion and think of something. I decided it was just not worth the bother, and I know damned good and well I threw that letter into the trash that time. Next day I found it laying on the floor in the living room. Needless to say, I don't believe in things like that, but it was getting to me, and I decided to take another look. It was almost like the prompt I needed to get out of my rut and start living again, so I did, and the rest is history. I went. None of us have aged of course, even though we hardly recognized each other. It was the craziest thing but there was a fellow I went out with a time or two in high school, nothing real serious, and we went our different ways after graduation. I recognized him as though we had never been apart; Vinny Lupinacci, Vincent. Character extraordinary. Anyway, Vinny and I hit it off real well; his wife passed a couple of years ago, so we're sort of in the same boat. He's been very successful, but retired to, as he says, 'do some living before I die'."

"And I assume that 'do some living' now includes you?"

"Patience child; I'm getting to that. Anyway, we sort of danced the night away, had a really good time, and I agreed to come see the pictures of his grandkids if he would look at pictures of my grandkids."

"So, you were lured to his hotel room, is that your story?"

"Not exactly. Vinny has a motor home, a really big motor home, and had a rental car for local use. So, we went to his motor home and looked at pictures...and things. Did you know you can get a motor home so big it comes with a built in wine cooler, and a king sized bed?"

"You're changing the subject."

"No, I'm just sort of...maybe...delaying?"

"You were in the motor home with the wine cooler, and the king sized bed. Alice, are those two things somehow related? Were you a bad girl?"

"No, I wouldn't say bad exactly. Vinny and I are both consenting adults, and there was nothing bad about it; in fact, it was great. He's a great guy, in great shape, and to tell the truth, it all just seemed so natural. He makes those ED drugs advertised on TV look like tranquilizers. I don't know if he really will call or not, but I hope so. If he doesn't, well, I had one hell of a good time anyway, so there. If he does, and he really does ask me to go along, I'll go. I'm not going to get any younger; no sense blowing an opportunity like this, if it comes along."

"So, what happens if he doesn't call?"

"I go on living, but I realized there is a lot to see, and I need to go see it. I love it here, but my time is running. I wasn't kidding when I said this would be your place to run; I really believe that. So, I'm going on tour, ready or not."

"Wow, I'm not so sure about trying to fill your shoes; you just seem so great at keeping it all together, knowing just what to do, and you make it look really easy."

"Look, don't try to fill my shoes; they aren't the ones he's looking at. You know that, I know that, and as for the rest of it, after what you pulled off yesterday, it's a piece of cake. No hill for a real climber. Now, I need to get back to my place and put some serious thought into my future out in the wide world. You do the interview tomorrow with the new girl; you know the drill. Okay? See you in the morning. Can't wait to see Doris' face when I tell her."

And with that, Alice retreated to her own cottage and Laura was left with some very mixed emotions. What Alice had said about running the place seemed reasonable, but could Laura really do it? Was there maybe someone else in line? She was still somewhat unsure of herself in some ways, and she knew managing even a part of an enterprise like Windmere was not for the faint of heart. Still, there were Doris and Marie, Dennis and Franz, Cal and Roger...and Ryan. What was holding him back; was it something she said or did? She wanted very badly to take a step up in their relationship, and now with the divorce behind her, she was free to make her own decisions; things were progressing, however slowly. Time to corral the kids and get things wrapped up for the day. The next day would come whether she was prepared or not. As it turned out, the new day would bring an event which she both longed for and was unprepared for at the same time.

The morning kitchen scene was chaotic when Alice dropped her bombshell to the rest of the staff, but as disruptive as it seemed, the unspoken transition of authority to Laura gained instant traction. In considering it later, Laura puzzled about how clear a transition it had become, yet she was by far a junior partner at Windmere; was there something she was missing in all this? She resigned herself to being on the learning curve, but even at that, she had learned a lot about the White House, Ryan, Alice, and a lot of other things. It was time to earn her keep and she headed for her office, stopping along the way in the center area to pick up some printer paper for the small color unit in her office. It was at that point Ryan came in, returning from a weekend field trip, and saw her at the supply cabinet.

"There's our miracle worker girl. Roger sent me the pictures he took Saturday. How in the world did you manage to pull that off, and on such short notice? Everybody in the pictures looked fat and happy, except for that one girl; maybe you can explain her later today when things calm down a little."

"It just seemed like a good idea at the time, and the whole thing sort of came to life all at once. The guys with the tractor were a riot, and to tell the truth, the whole thing made me feel good. I think everybody felt that way."

"So, you should be rewarded, but," he said as he kissed her on the forehead "that will have to do until you're better paid."

There are moments in each person's life when things happen that seem to be outside them, almost as a third person. Such a thing happened to Laura at that moment, probably not beyond her will to control but certainly beyond her desire to control, and she heard someone say, in her own voice: "You missed; my lips are way down here."

She had no more heard herself say those words than she realized what she may have just done to their relationship; where was her patience now when she needed it so much? What would he do? Were things ruined? Would he be angry, or just pull away?

Ryan heard the words escape her lips, felt her nearness, even her warmth from being so close to him, and it was too much for his self imposed restraint. Hands still on her upper arms, he leaned back just a little, gazed straight into her beautiful eyes, and said simply: "Do overs?"

Laura's voice was small and trembling when she answered with one word: "Please."

Slow motion would have seemed like light speed, but there was no more hesitation, no going back, not this time. Just the two of them in their own world. As his arms encircled her, and his lips found hers, the thought occurred to Laura that she didn't need the ream of paper for anything just then, but she did need both arms around this man, and she simply let go of the package, at about shoulder height. It was not a significant event in the context of the pure emotion the two of them were generating at that moment, but in the remainder of the world the heavy package of paper made a significant impression when it hit first the end of the copier, then in a ricochet fell into the metal waste can, turning it over and striking the nearby desk leg. In his office early, Roger had missed all the quiet conversation between Ryan and Laura, but the crashing sounds brought him quickly to his office door to investigate; and just as quickly, he turned around and went back to his desk, with one thought emblazoned in his mind: 'Now, by God, we're getting somewhere with those two.'

It was similar with Marcia, arriving for work as usual, and doing a high speed u-turn in the hallway. Time for one more cup she thought; no sense disturbing things now.

Slowly it dawned on the two lovers that they were standing in the middle of an office that would soon be busy with other people. Their full contact, no holds barred kiss, had literally taken the breath from both of them, and they stood holding each other until the tumult subsided enough that they could at least talk. Laura was first to speak, but still with a very small and somewhat shaky voice. "Do you promise to reward me like that again if I do more good deeds?"

"Count on it, but just in case I think maybe we should practice in between times, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sure I can work that into my schedule."

"In the meantime, do you realize we have brought an entire corporation to a standstill by taking over the main office?"

"Yes; do you care?"

"No, but we probably should let these people get to work. Okay?"

"Okay, but I want a rain check on a replay"

"A whole book of rain checks, madam. Now hie thee to thy office and crunch some numbers for the stockholders. Oh, almost forgot to mention we have a merger group here next week I need you to sit in on, probably as much to referee as aid and abet. And save some practice time this evening. No sense forgetting what we just learned." Ryan's grin said he would certainly not forget, and he looked forward to a replay.

For her part, Laura simply said "Yes, master; off I go to the salt mine. I know: practice, practice, practice. Slave driver." And with a giggle she departed for the confines of her office.

As the week wore on, Laura and Ryan had occasional moments to share between the two of them, but had not gone on an all out romantic binge. She would make it a point to stop by his office first thing in the morning and see if his neck was bothering him, and it seemed every day he had some sort of problem with it that needed her attention. The understanding between the two of them was that massaging his neck constituted a good deed for the company, if not for him personally, and should be rewarded. It was a silly game, but it invariably ended up with them in each other's arms before getting on with the day's work. The evenings offered them less protection in the form of other staff being around to slow thing down, although Jack and Amanda were certainly around. On more than one occasion Ryan had suggested they come to the great room with a movie DVD, or to watch some kids special. It was true that the great room, when not otherwise occupied for business, could be used by anyone, but when he had moved from the White House to the apartment , it became recognized more as Ryan's living and recreation room, although he did not spend an exorbitant amount of time in it. Things had changed in the last few days, not only between Ryan and Laura, but in his relationship with her children. Whether they sensed something or not, they seemed closer to him than before. Amanda was openly accepting, and more than once had fallen asleep in his lap, to be carried gently to her bed in the cottage. Jack was less accepting, and it occurred to Ryan they needed to talk, with no one else around, man to man as it were.

Saturday morning after his run, Ryan wandered out toward the carriage house, but not aimlessly. He was well aware of what went on around the place, and he knew Jack and Franz often spent Saturday mornings dismantling things so Jack could learn what went on inside and how to determine a problem without having to always disassemble things; even at the tender age of six, it was an invaluable education, although to Jack it was simply entertainment. True to form, Ryan found the two of them in the repair shop with a small engine in complete disassembly on the workbench. He had to admit to himself he would have no idea where to start putting it back together, and he highly respected Franz for his abilities. Moreover, he had heard about the hosting event Franz and Dennis conducted over the past weekend, and Ryan became more aware of this man as a person. But, that was not the point of the mission this morning.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Doing a little surgery on the one lunger?"

"'Morning Ryan; yes, we are. Fill him in assistant mechanic Jackson."

"Yes, sir. I found this ol' thing on the junk heap down by the old farm house, you know, where they found ol' blue. Anyways, it was on a mini-bike and Franz said if we could get it running and my mom said it was okay, I could learn to ride it someday. So we're trying to find out what's wrong, aren't we Franz?"

"That we are. Mostly, I suspect it is simply worn out, but the block is still good, and the crank and piston look good, so I think if we're patient, by the time Jack is maybe 16 or so we can have it going."

"Sixteen?! You said maybe a couple of weeks; I know you said a couple of weeks, didn't you?"

"Well, maybe I did say a couple of weeks, but that's not saying your mother is going to allow this, ready or not; nothing I can do about that, but maybe this guy could." Franz had lobbed one over the net to Ryan, who didn't even see it coming. His fielding was less than expert, but Ryan was a quick study and the response was sure and on point.

"Not me, coach. I think maybe she runs that show pretty well as it is. Far be it from me to interfere. Anyway, I need something this morning."

"And that would be....?"

"I need to borrow your assistant mechanic for an hour or so. Probably bring him back in one piece; I just need to do a little legislating before things get out of hand."

The real meaning of the discussion went right over Jack's head, but Franz understood what was taking place. Word traveled quickly around Windmere, and there had been more than mild speculation about Ryan and Laura, and how her two children fit into the puzzle. It seemed obvious what would eventually happen with the adults, whether they knew it yet or not; the money was going down on a calendar pool, with the winner being the person who guessed closest to the actual date on which they would be married. It was rather wild speculation at the moment, but these were optimistic people who enjoyed a good wager for the fun of it. In the meantime, Ryan needed to clear the air with Jack, or at least try to do so.

"Feel free; he's all yours. I'll be right here when you get back from wherever you're going Jack. Take your time. Okay?"

"Okay. See you when I get back. Where are we going?"

"Not very far; mostly just a short walk, but I want to show you something. How about we let the dogs out for a run with us?"

"Okay. I'll get the gate."

The dogs heard the bolt slide on the kennel gate and were out of their house in a flash, ready for action. Ryan started off down the drive to the golf course with Jack at his side and the dogs bounding for joy out ahead of them. About half way to the course boundary itself, he made a turn off the driveway, pointing to a pathway that was somewhat overgrown and not readily visible. The dogs did a quick reversal of course and caught them in no time, racing through the trees to "protect" the humans coming behind them.

"Wow; I been through that drive a million times and never saw this trail. Is it a secret or something?" Jack's curiosity overcame his reticence to accept this man he saw as somewhat of a threat to his position in the family. After all, Jack felt it was his job to protect his mother and sister, much as he would have done in the shelter if Dennis had proven to be a threat. Size didn't matter when his family was threatened, and he knew now that his father would not be there at all, probably never. His reluctance with Ryan was only natural in his six year old eyes; he had a family to protect and lately things had been going on that he had no control over. His mother seemed to be preoccupied with this man and it appeared he was a threat to Jack's position.

"Sort of. I found it a few years ago and just never cleaned out the brush, but it's passable and goes where I want to go. We'll have to single file part of the way, but it isn't real far. I don't think anyone else knows about this place; at least, I've never seen any sign that anyone else has been here. Suits me just fine. I think everyone needs some place to go, just by themselves, to think things over. Only a couple more minutes now."

The trail was reasonably passable, single file, then suddenly they were in a clearing beside a small pond. The old growth trees formed a canopy overhead, with only a small opening for the sun to shine directly on the water. The lack of direct sunlight had kept the surrounding area much like a forest floor, with only a short growth of moss like ground cover. Adjacent to the pond edge were several short sections of log on end that served as places to sit. The dogs waded in to their knees and lapped copiously to slake their thirst, then went about exploring the rest of the clearing. Ryan stood for a moment or two just taking in the surroundings, while Jack was somewhat transfixed by the solitude it offered. At six, he had already seen more than he needed of some things, and had experienced more stress than some adults could handle. This new experience had a calming effect, and whatever the reason for their being there, this was a good place to be. Ryan walked over to the logs and propped up a foot while looking at the clear pond surface, tiny dog induced ripples smoothing themselves into a glass surface.

"Ever skip rocks, Jack?"

It sounded crazy to Jack. Rocks couldn't skip, could they? "No. Rocks just sink; I know better than that."

"Watch." Ryan picked a smooth oval stone from a small pile by the log, bent over so his arm would be close to the ground, and sidearmed the stone across the water in a hard throw. The stone hit, flew upward, and hit twice more before finally disappearing under the surface. "Your turn. You should be good at this; you're closer to the ground than I am, and no doubt a lot more limber. Remember, side arm it, and snap your wrist at the mid-point of the throw; makes the stone come out faster."

Jack had watched the demonstration in amazement; it didn't seem reasonable that stones could fly like that, but he was about to give it a try anyway. After sorting through the small pile for just the right stone, Jack wound up and gave it a mighty fling, into the dirt bank. Embarrassed by his poor showing, it was made worse when Ryan started to chuckle. But Ryan Williams was not a mean man, and he was intent on salvaging the moment.

"Looks like the same thing I did when I tried it the first time. You look like you've got a good arm; give it another shot." Jack was disarmed by what he had just heard. Here he thought this guy was laughing at him, and he wasn't; he was somehow laughing at himself, and encouraging Jack at the same time. It was a strange feeling to start considering this person as other than a threat. Ryan sorted through the pile, selected a stone, and passed it to Jack. "Try this one; it's smooth and pretty oval; just what you need. Remember, side arm, low, snap your wrist, right out across the water."

Jack took the stone, planted his feet firmly in the soft dirt, and hurled the stone with all his might, remembering to snap his wrist as he let go. It hit, and to Jack's surprise, rose from the surface and bounced again before sinking. "I did it; I did it! Did you see it fly?" Whatever pain Jack might have felt at missing the first throw had evaporated with the skipping stone.

"I did. See, I knew you could do it. Try this one." Again the stone skipped, and Jack was hooked. "Okay, you pick one. Oval, not round, and it has to feel right in your hand."

Jack threw again. The third bounce was pretty tiny, not much elevation, but it did look like a third bounce. Jack was elated. A handful of stones later, and Jack's arm needed a bit of a rest. The two of them sat on the logs, Jack looking at a stone in his hand, while Ryan poked the dirt with a stick he had picked up. The dogs had finished their survey and come back to lay by the human's feet, or on their feet, as the case may be and dogs are prone to do.

Ryan considered what to say to Jack, what the boy needed to hear to ease his fears. There was no obvious answer staring at him. 'Maybe', Ryan thought, 'I should just do this unvarnished.' "Know how I found this place, Jack?"

"No sir, but I like it."

"So do I. You know, I was married to a wonderful woman for about five years. She didn't look like your mom at all, but they had many of the same traits: compassionate, caring, loving, trustful, all the great stuff that men should come to appreciate in women. Then she got really sick one day. There was nothing anyone could do. I tried everywhere to find something to cure her, but one night, almost three years ago now, when I was sitting by her bedside, she died. She was buried here on the property so I could watch over her grave and keep it nice, but it made me so sad I had to find some place private where I could let all the sadness out of my heart. I don't really know exactly how I saw that overgrown path, but I did, and at the end of it, here I was. So I came here every day for weeks and let the sadness out until so much of it was gone that I could accept the rest and live with it. I've never talked about it to anyone else, and it brings back a lot of the memories, some good, some not so good. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand how tough things can be at times, and I know you have had some hard things to get through. The thing is, my wife is gone, but her memory will always be with me; I loved her a lot, but she's not here, I am, and I have to go on living life. Does that make any sense at all to you?"

"I remember when we had to leave our house, and we had to leave most everything there, even most of our toys and things; I heard mama cry when she thought us kids were asleep. I don't understand all those things, but I know I felt a lot like crying myself. I think everything is better now and I don't feel bad about things anymore."

Ryan realized the concept of loss through death would have scant meaning to the little boy and wanted to find some suitable means of comparison. At the mention of "us kids" a way seemed to appear to explain better what may lie ahead for them. "So, when you were in that house, you were your mother's son, right?"

"Yes sir, then Amanda was borned."

"Right, but you were still your mother's son, even though she now also had your sister to take care of. Right?"

"I guess so."

"And now you're here, and she's still your mother and you're still her son. Right?"

"Right, I think."

"So, even though some things changed, like living here instead of where you were, and even though you have a sister, you will always be your mother's son and she will always love you like the day you were born. I'm sure she loves your sister just as much. I know it can be confusing and a little hard to understand. Here, how about this? Do you like these dogs?"

"Sure, I like them, and I take care of them in the morning; that's my job."

"And Franz says you do a good job. But if there were three dogs, would you like each of these two a little bit less so you could like the third dog equally well?"

"No, I don't think so. I think I see what you mean but it's really hard to understand."

"Jack, all you have to understand for now is this: I like your mom a lot, and I'm pretty sure she likes me a lot, but that doesn't mean she loves you any less. You will always be her son, and she will always love you. When I was your age, and I can remember back that far believe it or not, I had a good time playing and stuff; I think because a lot of things went wrong, you've been holding things together for your family, sort of being the man of the family so to speak. If I can, and if things work out, I'd like to do that for you, and you go back to doing the things a six year old should be doing, you know, being a kid again and without the grown-up concerns to worry about. Can we agree on that?"

"I think so, but I don't understand a lot of all that stuff. I know you showed me your secret place, and how to skip stones, so I guess it's okay."

"Pretty much, that makes it okay. I just need you to understand that I will never take your place in your mother's eyes, any more than your sister has, or anyone else can. If your mother and I...um...things change, and I don't know what will happen next; I just don't. So, how about a few more stones, then we probably need to go back before they send out a search party for us. Okay?"

"Okay." Somehow, Jack felt better about everything, even though he didn't really understand much of what he had just heard. He did know that when Ryan was talking about his wife, Jack could hear the sadness in his voice. The other thing, about being his mother's son, that sort of made sense too. And if his mom really liked this guy, that couldn't be a bad thing, could it? Anyway, he now knew of a secret place in which he could find refuge if he needed time to think about things, and he knew how to skip stones. Life was getting better by the day.

For all the small steps they had taken in the past few weeks and months, the next few weeks would pick up the pace. Ryan knew his path now, but there was still one thing not in place, and he had no way to know when that would happen. His wait would be short.

Chapter Fifteen \- Full Bloom

Monday morning brought the first new duty Laura would experience as heir apparent to Alice Hamilton. According to their earlier arrangement, Franz picked up Leslie Friend and family, bringing them to Windmere and Laura's office for the interview at about 9 AM. The first part of the employment interview consisted primarily of filling out the requisite forms for job application, withholding, prior experience and similar information. Leslie turned out to be in better spirits than at their first meeting, probably because she sensed a little relief from all she had endured the past few days, the rejection of her lover and of her family, and a new life to care for, a responsibility she had to undertake on her own. These Windmere people were interested less in her history than what she could contribute to their operations, and they seemed interested in her well being and that of her newborn. Forms completed, Laura took her into her office for the more verbal part of the process.

"First of all, let me welcome you to Windmere. We're both undergoing a new experience here, you being interviewed and me doing the interviewing. It is quite a story but my responsibilities here seem to have suddenly grown to include staffing as well. At least I feel competent to do this, not because I think housekeeping is that easy but because I have done it, at least in my own house. You will find that Windmere seems much more like a residence than a business, at least on the surface, but underneath it is almost all business and has to be done to a very high standard. As you saw Saturday, we do have our moments of fun, and I don't want to give you the impression this is like working in a dungeon. If you are interested in progressing and openings occur, we will give you the opportunity. Truthfully, that's how I got here, and from the same place you're staying just now."

Leslie was floored at the information she had heard for the second time. "I know you told me Saturday you stayed at the shelter, but I thought you were just trying to get next to me. Do you mean you lived at the shelter, just like me? But you're so... I don't know how to say it... I mean, you know, so professional, and you look great, and no one would believe you were there. Really?"

"Yes, really. I was there, homeless with children, but didn't stay there overnight. I can't take the time just now to explain what happened that night, in fact, some days I'm not even sure I believe it, but here I am. Now, back to you. I know you told me a lot of things about yourself Saturday, but what I want to know now is two things: what do you expect to get out of working at Windmere, and what can you do that we need done. Okay?"

"I think I understand. I was doing housekeeping work at night because my family didn't have money to pay my tuition at the JC and I wanted to learn to be an EMT. I think I did mention that Saturday. Anyway, I still want to do that, learn to be an EMT, and... I'm sorry... I just have to pick him up. He'll be okay. I'm sorry."

"Feeding time? Go ahead. There's no one here but the two of us, and no one's going to come in while my door's closed. Besides, you know how to do the cover-up job so no one knows what's going on anyway. See? Problem solved. We understand you will need to stop work every so often and do this, and we'll make allowances. Really, it hasn't been that long ago I was doing the same thing myself..." Laura's mind made a sharp turn somewhere in mid sentence. She realized Ryan seemed to really like her own kids, but what if he wanted children of his own, could she do that, and what if he didn't want kids but something happened and she got pregnant, and this was all crazy to think about because all he had ever done was kissed her and that was wonderful but....

"Is something wrong Laura? Did I say something?"

Laura snapped herself back into reality. "No, Leslie, you're fine. Sorry. I just sort of got caught up in my own thoughts for a minute there. I apologize for the lapse; my fault. Now, you were talking about the EMT program?"

"Yes. I was taking the basic courses I needed before actually entering the program itself. I thought if I got all prepared, and saved up a little money, I'd be able to go full time and still work enough to keep things together. Then I got pregnant and here I am: no job, no school, no home, one hungry baby. I can do the work you need done; I've done all the different jobs, even carpet extraction, and I'm not afraid to get sweaty, or dirty, or whatever it takes. I just want to be on my feet again, and take care of my baby. I need to work out the childcare but will do whatever hours you need. Something I'd like to do is go back and do the EMT training, but I know I have to get things together first. So, that's about it. I sure need the job, and I know I can do a good one for you. What else can I say?"

"I think you've explained yourself quite well, and I think we can work something out here. I understand we will have a full time day opening starting next week, and we would want you to actually start tomorrow to work with that person and learn her routine in the time she has left. Take a look at this rundown on the pay scale and benefits program while I make a phone call, then we'll see if we can come to an agreement. That will show you what we believe the job should pay starting out, and the increases that come with experience. I had the time this morning to work it all out ahead of time. It also details child care and how all that works out. We do not presently have accommodations that would allow you to live here; I'm sure Angie will take good care of you for the moment, and we are willing to help make arrangements to get you out of the shelter as soon as we can. Now, you read while I make the call; I apologize for the interruption but this call is really necessary just now."

Laura paused for a moment to look up the number, then called Cindy Jefferson at home in the hope it was her day off from the fire house. Cindy's bright cheerful voice soon answered, and Laura leaped into the conversation. "Hi, Cindy, it's Laura from Windmere. Remember me from the softball game?"

"Remember? How could I forget, slugger. How's that big boy out there coming along; making any progress?"

"Maybe a little, maybe more than a little, but that's not why I called. Can you talk to me about the EMT program at the JC? I have a former candidate I'd like to help out but I don't know where to start. She's had a tough time of things, but I think she's a good kid and needs a hand up. I can explain if you have a couple of minutes."

"How about I come out there? It's my day off and I've sort of been looking for anything to do but clean this place. Sounds like an excuse to me. Work for you?"

"It works for me. Tell you what: how about I buy lunch in our kitchen while we chit chat and give you a chance to see this girl before you get any farther involved. If you take a walk, I'll understand that was in your best judgment. But I'd like to see her at least get a chance. Deal?"

"Deal! Be there in about half an hour. I'd at least like to be somewhat presentable. See you then. Say 'Hi' to the Big Guy from us girls!!"

Laura turned her attention back to Leslie to see if there were any questions about what Windmere was offering. "Anything more I can tell you? Any questions?"

"No, not really. That's not true; I don't have any work clothes. I had to give them back to the company I was working for and I don't have much besides jeans and pullovers. I'm still carrying a little more weight than I normally do, and the jeans don't fit too good right now. Maybe I can borrow something."

"Hang on a minute; let's see what we can do." Laura intercomed Cal's office with her question. "Cal, I have a potential housekeeper interviewing here to take Susan's place next week. Do we have any of that special fund left; you know, the one you used a few months back when I showed up here? I'm looking for a couple c-notes at the most to tide things over."

Leslie couldn't hear the response from Cal on the other end, or she would have heard him laughing and referring to Laura as a hopeless do-gooder, but two minutes later a hand came through the door with a white envelope for Laura.

"If we finalize things here today, and I think we will, we can advance you some cash for something a little closer to what we prefer our staff wear. Susan can tell you about that when we met her. Here's the name of the store to buy from; we have negotiated pricing there and I can assure you it is more than fair. One other thing: buy yourself something pretty, something you want but would feel guilty buying just now. Buy it anyway and enjoy it; words from someone who knows, who got that advice from someone else who knows. So, it looks like someone has finished lunch and gone fast asleep. Shall we adjourn to the kitchen for lunch, and to meet some people?"

"You don't have to feed me too, after all you've done. I don't know what to say except that...I sure don't want you to take this the wrong way because I know we aren't really very far apart in age. It's like getting a mother back," and the huge tears started down the cheeks unabated.

"This place can to that to you now and then. All we ask is that you do the job we hire you to do; if you need help with it, see me or one of the other managers here. We aren't perfect by any means, but we do intend to do our best. Now, dry your eyes before people think I've been beating you; we save the beatings for regular employees. For now let's go see what Doris has in store today. By the way, eating in the kitchen is one of the benefits of working here, only it's pretty tough on the thighs and rear end. Trust me, saying no to Doris is nearly impossible."

Laura never ceased to wonder how things worked out at Windmere, and how the timing always seemed to be right on cue. As she and Leslie entered the kitchen, Susan came in from one of the cottages and Cindy popped in through the side door. The ensuing conversation among the four of them opened several other doors for Leslie, not the least of which was being semi-adopted by the ever ebullient Cindy. But if there was a true highlight of the day, it happened when Dennis asked to see the soundly sleeping baby, and ended up with the child in his powerful arms; it was a whole new experience for him, something he had never done in his life, and the wonder lit up his face. The effect was not lost on the other staff members in the kitchen when the behemoth of a man held the tiny baby, and it clearly drove home the point of just how gentle this big man could be.

The rest of the day was spent on more mundane matters, but Laura felt good about having handled her first interview, although she also realized it was on a pretty basic position. Others might be much more difficult and time consuming, but she was learning. She also realized she had referred to herself as "management", something that had not occurred to her previously. Taking the baton handed her by Alice was much more than a token showing; it meant Alice believed in her and trusted her. It also meant she was in closer proximity to the man she was sure she was growing to love more each day. If only she knew where she stood with him; he seemed so interested, and certainly when they were together the passion seemed evident, but still he seemed to be holding back, As frustrating as it might be to her, she also knew this man did not do things on the spur of a moment, at least not things that really mattered long term, and the admonitions to be patient echoed in her ears. She would wait, certain that the prize was worth the wait.

Tuesday morning, about mid-morning, Leslie stopped by Laura's office for a brief moment to thank her again. Dressed in her new work clothes she was very much presentable, and seemed downright happy to be alive. "I still can't believe all this has happened to me. And, get this: Cindy made me come home with her. She said the shelter is no place to raise a baby and she had extra room and besides she told me she loves to take care of babies and wants someone in her house when she's on 24 hour duty. We had such a good time last night, but even better, her younger brother Jason was there doing some wiring for her in the afternoon; I know I just had a really bad time with a man and all, but Jase is my age and he's not afraid of the baby like some guys."

"The question is this: did you buy something for yourself yesterday?"

"Yes, I did as instructed, and I know this sounds crazy, but it's a front carrier I really wanted but couldn't afford. They're kind of expensive but I know they're much more comfortable for babies to be in. That way I can take him with me to class; Cindy called somebody and I'm going to night school all of a sudden, and on some scholarship program she knew about. So, anyway, I just really wanted to say thank you again...mom."

Laura laughed at the suggestion, but realized how serious the title was to this woman-child. "Okay, but only when we're alone. My own kids will wonder if they're being replaced. Now, get your tail back out there and earn your keep."

"Yes, ma'am. Oh, that Alice I met? She told me who your boyfriend is and pointed him out while we were in the kitchen. Wow, what a hunk. No wonder you smile a lot. Gotta go now. Thanks again. See you...mom." And she was off in a flash before Laura could even explain the boyfriend part of her life. It was enough, she thought, that others knew that she and Ryan were slowly drawing together.

The rest of the week turned out to be routine for the most part, with the usual small problems to be ironed out. There were the kids minor problems to deal with at home in the cottage, new clients to bring on line, the standard Ryan neck massage every morning followed by some close clinches that were growing in intensity, plus a little studying to learn enough about the upcoming merger meeting so she would have a reasonable grasp on what they were doing. The Friday meeting was fairly routine in nature, and Laura had been through both mergers and dissolutions before, so Ryan was right in his estimation she would be little more than a baby sitter. Her primary task was to represent Windmere in case the clients needed some special services they had not anticipated. The morning session had gone well, and Doris had done her usual magic for the buffet luncheon, but the afternoon was starting out with little bumps here and there. The two company lawyers were doing most of the negotiating, flanked by their respective CEO's, and there were frequent pauses while hushed asides between the men took place. Laura had pretty much dreamed through the morning and did busy work on her laptop, but picked up her attention a bit as things seemed to deteriorate.

The problem, it seemed, was that neither side was willing to concede a sale to the other. The sticking point was when one chain did not have a part which was available at the other chain. Rather than make the referral, the initiating store would order out the part, or maybe even lose the sale. The discussion continued for a couple of hours, with the lawyers trying to find a way around the impasse. Most of the problem was that both CEO's had come up through the ranks and had worked hard to achieve their present success. It seemed purely unreasonable to them to refer a sale to someone else, although they both knew they needed the merger to compete with other even larger chains in the cities they served. Laura was starting to see that the entire deal was in jeopardy as the discussion became more heated. The crazy thing, she realized, was that each of them would lose a sale rather than act for the good of the joint venture. Why, she wondered, couldn't they see a way for both of them to gain rather than for both of them to lose. Someone had to do something; it was not good for Windmere to allow failure of any sort on their own grounds, even if it was not their fault. Working her phone discretely, Laura called Doris in the kitchen for a little help, and was assured it could be delivered in fifteen minutes or less. Ten minutes later, Doris sent a short text message "Cavalry is mounted and riding", and which point Laura stood up and broke into the heated debate.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Could I have a moment of your time please?" She timed the interruption for a moment when the two lawyers were doing asides with their clients, catching both sides unprepared to respond. And, the tone and authority in her voice clearly implied she did not need their agreement to continue; she was only being polite before doing so. "Thank you, I hear by your silence that it is all right to continue. There seems to be a mounting problem here that I believe I may be of some assistance in resolving. But first, the amenities. Mrs. Cook, who you see coming in the door and who provided you with that most excellent luncheon buffet, is bringing in a batch of cinnamon sticky buns fresh from the oven. There will not be coffee this afternoon gentlemen; coffee is a morning drink. There will be instead, hot tea, from a rather large and somewhat exotic collection we have made available this afternoon. You will find all the proper instruments and ingredients for a delicious repast. In return, I want the services of the top IT person from each organization for about thirty minutes, in my office. Thank you for your cooperation. Gentlemen, please follow me; I'm sure Ms Cook will reserve some refreshments for you since you will be missing that opportunity."

With that Laura started for her office, only glancing back long enough to see that indeed there were two persons following her like the herd follows the Judas goat, at the direction of their respective CEO's. Taking a deep breath, she realized she was into it now, but at the same time, felt the confidence rising in her that she knew how to do this and had the situation well in hand and under control. Once in her office, she opened the wall screen that ran wireless from her desktop, and started into her solution. The two IT persons had remained speechless thus far, wondering that they had been dragged into this and how they were going to save themselves. Both took seats and waited for the play to begin.

"Gentlemen, first of all, let me say this is going to work whether you like it or not. Not only that, but you can be the shining stars coming out of this if you throw in with me and solve this thing, or I will solve it by myself, do the presentation, and sink your ships. What will it be? In or out?"

Neither man had any idea where this was going, but they were in it, and clearly this woman was not threatened by them, or evidently anything else. Both agreed to follow her lead.

"Okay, here's what we are going to do. We are going to build, in thirty minutes, a system of cross referral between these two companies that will not only wrap up a sale but make things as easy for the customer as we can. We will need to access your files giving us the geographic location of each store, we will build an access path between your inventories, and we will show your bosses how they can both make money. And don't look at me that way; I do this sort of thing all the time. Windmere clears thousands of orders through hundreds of vendors on a daily basis, providing the quickest or most economical service, and usually both at the same time. Hold on to your seats gentlemen. Marcia is here with your laptops; they're wireless but communicate only to the network here at Windmere and are encryption secure. Our server is more than powerful enough to hold your files. Please access the files we need and load them into our server while I work on the merging part of the software. We can do this. And by the way, Doris, Mrs. Cook, always holds some sticky buns in reserve in the kitchen, although you may need a drink more than food by the time we're done. Start your engines."

Both gentlemen were awed at the data intake speed of the Windmere server. Although their company systems were modern in all respects, they did not have Laura's connections in the computer world and had only what was available to the public. The server at Windmere was a loaner, not on the market yet, still somewhat experimental, an absolute voracious demon at crunching numbers, and able to suck in data like an oceangoing whirlpool. The two companies information bases were accessed and poured in data while Laura constructed the information bridge. The finer details needed some additional input from the IT persons that was easier to extract from their brains than the gigabites of stored information. Laura was well into the programming by the time the data transfer had been completed.

"Okay gentlemen. I need to know a little something. First of all, do you use a consistent markup on everything you sell, or are there at least groups of things to which different markup's are applied."

Mr. Green Shirt replied first: "Categories, groups of things. We sell some really big ticket items we don't mark up very much, and a lot of little things we simply double the price on because the traffic will stand it. We may get two dollars for a blister pack of license plate fasteners we paid $.37 for from the supplier, but we can't mark up a $2500 rebuilt transmission like that or it would cost over eight grand. So, yes, but the pricing isn't random; it's done in five categories."

Mr. Blue Shirt agreed, and confirmed they used a very similar strategy at their company. Both men agreed the mark-up's were comparable and little would be lost if the two schedules were averaged across the board.

"Okay. So we plug that in. Now, one of you check his inventory in the data bank for something you don't have in stock, anything at all, except that it does have to be in stock at the other company and in reasonable proximity. Okay? I'll give you a moment to do that, and make it good, That's going to be your selling point."

Both men fell to the task and quickly came up with an expensive engine overhaul kit worth nearly $1200 because of the high performance parts it contained. Both companies carried it, but only one had it in stock. The final price with markup was calculated, and the profit margin noted.

"Okay, gentlemen, here's how this is going to work. Watch well because you get to do it next and we're down to five minutes." And with that Laura quickly ran through the program she had developed, sent it back to the mainframe for storage, and herded them back into the great room, their reluctance fading as they realized they had a good product to sell their bosses.

Once back in the great room, Laura found things to be more congenial, at least on the surface. The sugar and tea had done their work, and the competitors retook their seats for the show. The lawyers, skilled at deal making, could not believe this person had solved this problem in thirty minutes. Laura fired up the flat screen and called for the main frame to send the video stream there so all could see, then pointed to the two IT reps and twirled her finger in the air, the traditional signal to "get on with it". Armed with their wireless laptops, the two reps traded taking the lead, using the transmission rebuild kit as an example of how things would work. The key element Laura had added was the ability for each vendor to get something out of the deal, based on a percentage of the profit level. Windmere played its usual strange effect on the two reps, and before long, they were adding to the program as they went along. One came up with the idea of the supplying store meeting the customer on the curb with their parts in hand, where it was reasonable to do so, sort of a reward to the customer for having stayed with them and making the extra drive. The other suggested that if they did not use this system and let the customer drive down the road uncommitted, they might well drive into a competitors store, and both partners would lose the sale. In return, his counterpart pointed out that getting the customer to commit in the form of cash was as good as any other sale, even if the part wasn't really there. Strange to say, the positive atmosphere spilled over into the room, and as the screen flashed the progress of the presentation through all the numbers involved, others joined the commentary with even more ideas on how things could be done together. Half an hour later, when the two CEO's rose and shook hands over a done deal, spontaneous applause broke out. Laura was relieved that what she had started had worked out so well, and not in the least concerned that the two IT men were, in general, getting the credit. Windmere would profit in the long run; she was so elated she squeezed down hard on the hand holding hers, and with a start realized her hand was indeed in someone else's very familiar feeling hand. Ryan had come into the room as things were picking up speed but had stayed more behind her than alongside so he didn't disturb the drama; once it was done, he had simply touched her hand and she slid hers into his as though it had always belonged there, without even knowing she had done so. In fact, Laura was so excited at that moment she wondered later why that event felt so great, yet some other acts that should have been greater, were not.

"I think you won today. How does it feel to know you can take on the world and beat it out of the starting gate, around the track, and cross the finish line without even being out of breath?"

"Oh, I'm out of breath alright; I was more than a little scared when this started out. These guys just needed to think outside their own narrow corners a bit, and you probably saw what happened; once they got started with a good idea, they jumped on big time, and the others had to come along or be left out entirely. It worked, and even if it hadn't, at least they were talking again."

"I think it's a special day. You stood up, and were not only counted, you did the counting. You do realized we may have to pay you more, now that our competition will be calling. No, don't look at me like that. This is a cutthroat business; once the word gets out how great you are, not to mention how great you look and your killer body, hell, we'll have to beat them off with a stick."

"Stop already. You know I'm not going anywhere, but I do feel like celebrating. Suggestions?"

"Yes. See if the kids can do a sleepover with Marie's kids tonight. It's early enough to arrange that if you can work it out. You know, just in case we get in late; wouldn't want to wake them unnecessarily. If you do that, I'll see if there's any place we can get some franks and beans for supper, maybe find something entertaining for later. Yell when ready; I need to clean up just a bit. Say we head out about six; the afternoon is pretty well gone already. We could drop the kids on our way to the hamburger stand. Okay?"

"Okay by me. I'll make the call. If they can't stay there, Alice loves to have them over and maybe I can prevail on her in her romantic reverie. I do hope that guy shows up for her. See you at six."

And so another business week closed out, but not all the surprises had been revealed. For Laura, life was still unfolding. She hurried to the cottage to let the kids know what was taking place, and to tidy herself up a bit before the evening's activities. Tidy up may not have been accurate considering the lengths she went to in getting ready, but after all, this was her man whether he knew it or not, and she had decided to go after him make or break. After all, she thought, I'm already in my thirties; time is going to run out on me. Little did she know the most important part of her day was just beginning.

Chapter Sixteen – Engaging Conduct

Six PM arrived in due time. Ryan arrived at the cottage to pick her up, with his usual shop worn and somewhat tired sedan. Alice already had the kids in tow and would take them to Marie's later in the evening. Laura was comfortable with the car since she knew what it had meant to him in the past, and she knew that some day he would be able to let go of it just as he had let go of some of his sadness. Ryan commented on how great she looked, especially after her day in the trenches, and again praised her ability to stand on her own and run the show.

"I called the hotdog stand; they're fresh out of brats, so that's out. Maybe I can find some other place milady would find suitable. I know: how about I just take you somewhere unannounced and surprise you. Okay?"

"Okay. I learned some time ago you are very trustworthy, or I wouldn't be in here on a darkened road, with night coming on, and my kids not here to protect me. Is it safe?"

"Probably. Anyway, I'm driving, and I think this will work out well for us. I do believe today was a special day for you, really. You got out in front and lead the pack, proved you can do the job, and that you can hold your own in a crowd. You, in fact, are a fully functional and very capably independent adult female. So there. And what I said about the competition, it's very true. You'll get the headhunter calls, count on it. Part of it is because you are, simply put, really great at what you do. You proved that today and word gets out. Secondly, companies are desperate for female executives, preferably good ones, and you most certainly qualify there. And the rest of that stuff about you being very sexy with a great body and all that, well, that's just my opinion, but I have a feeling it's shared by any guy who sees you."

"You do go on some. What makes you think I'm 'sexy' or whatever. Flatterer!!"

"Nope. Just reality. Remember those times in the pool with your kids when you thought I was out jogging? Well I was, but I jogged past the pool a lot of times just to take a look. I think I put in a couple extra miles those days. Anyway, we're about there. This okay with you?"

Laura had not been paying attention to where they were in Conyerville, but quickly recognized the country club where Windmere held a company membership. They used it on occasion when the big house simply could not hold enough persons for an event. The club was well used by its patrons, tonight being no exception, but Ryan and Laura were escorted past the waiting line, through the main dining room, and into a small room at the back Laura had never noticed on their earlier visits. Ryan tended to be less than formal on most occasions, but they had dined here several times over the past few months on special events, always in the main dining room, and frequently to the envious stares of eligible females in the dining room. Still, Laura had not seen this room, and was well pleased, if a little puzzled, by what she saw. The room was not large at all, and held a single table in the center, with only two chairs placed across from each other. The recessed lighting and soft drapes gave the whole room an almost hazy, rosy look, while the small vase and lit candles on the table contributed a bit of color to the atmosphere as well as a pleasing scent. The maître de seated Laura, while Ryan settled himself in the other chair and reached for the contents of the wine bucket.

"Your favorite, I believe?"

"It is. How did you do this on such short notice? You are really just great at doing things that constantly amaze me. This is simply beautiful, and secluded to say the least. A girl could get swept off her feet by all this attention, but trust me, I could get used to it."

"It did take a little threatening, and I made them evict an elderly couple celebrating their hundredth wedding anniversary, put them in the freezer until their hundred and first. The grape juice I bought some time ago and had them hold it in their wine cellar for today, even though I didn't know when this day would be. But there's more. I have another little surprise for later on in the evening. First we talk, and dine. Haven't you ever heard that old saw about how the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"

"I do know one way is with a sharp knife between the third and fourth rib pairs, left side, but I don't think this knife is up to the task. Anyway, I might want to hear what you have to say. So, say on."

"First, I want you to tell me everything you know about your kids. I know, I know. I've seen them dozens of times, carried Amanda to bed more than once, and I think Jack and I have come to an understanding of sorts; it's a male thing, you know. I want to know more than that. I want to know what you think of them, what you hope for them. No hurry; we have all night since the two of them are already safe and secure for the evening. And, you never talk much about your parents, or your sister and her husband. I've met them, but that's all I know and it isn't enough. I know there was a little problem there, but you seem to have grown past that okay. Talk to me; I want to know about you and the people around you, and if you're a good girl, I might even think up some reward."

"I still like your last idea of a reward. But if you really want to know all that stuff, it's going to take a while. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Besides, I told the chef to slow things down. Here, let me decant a bit to loosen your tongue. Please, Laura, talk to me."

And talk they did, for what seemed like hours, about her kids, about what she hoped for them, her sister, her parents, everything but herself, and in turn he talked about his family, his lost brother, how he ended up where he was. There was a little he left out, although Laura would also be told those parts when the right time came. What amazed her was how much he already knew, even to the foods she liked, and the desert she craved after dinner. The time flew by as they faced each other, learning and processing what they heard, seeing how much they had in common and how their differences made them more interesting to each other. Finally, hands holding across the table, Ryan suggested they take another short journey, sort of a surprise he had held in store. Ever curious about this man, and not about to lose him now, Laura agreed.

"Where in the world are we going now? I don't think I've ever been... No...wait a minute. I know where we are. I'm just not used to coming from that direction. We're at the lake. There's the boat house. I thought those things were supposed to be all put away for the winter and things like that. Are you suggesting we go for a dip? Little chilly for me."

"Nope. No dipping, just riding. I had the woody kept in service this fall; thought maybe I'd want to use it some evening, and sure enough, here we are. Hang on; let me get some lights here."

Using his phone, Ryan cleared the boathouse security, and turned on enough of the outside lighting so they could see where they were going as they made their way to the door. Laura had seen the "woody" Ryan referred to, but it was seldom taken out of the boathouse, for a couple of reasons. It wasn't really very big as boats go, holding may a half dozen comfortably, and it was elderly at a minimum. The boat was all varnished wood of various types, with a mahogany deck covering an updated inboard engine, and had modern navigation devices but still looked as old as it had originally appeared. Approaching headlights made Laura look back for a moment, and she saw the security patrol check the car, then cruise on. In the meantime, Ryan had opened the boathouse and turned on the lights. The larger power boat and the ski boat were both gone and in storage for the off season, but the woody still hung in its cradle, sleek and polished as only true craftsmanship can be. Ryan set things in motion to take the boat out, and the two of them boarded carefully.

"You may need this. It can get a little chilly out on the water at night, especially this time of year." and picking up a stadium blanket he carefully placed it around her shoulders, being careful to put both arms around her and brushing her lips in the process, only to find both her arms around him and lips on his that demanded more than a quick pass by. Breaking the clinch for a moment, Ryan started the muffled engine, opened the remote controlled door on the water side of the boathouse, and carefully backed out into the lake. By most standards, it wasn't much of a lake, but was good enough for recreational boating and a steady water supply. Shallow draft boats could even run upstream for quite a few miles, but Ryan wasn't interested in seeing the sights tonight. He wanted complete solitude with this woman, no interruptions. The evening had gone so well this far, and they had learned so much about each other. Always before, their talks had been less in depth, more about events in their lives than just each other, but tonight there was only the two of them, face to face, spirit to spirit.

Ryan was right about the night chill, but under the blanket, Laura felt a warmth from within just being near this man. She didn't know where all this was leading, but intended to stay the course, no matter what, and if it didn't lead where she wanted to go, well, there was a lot she considered she would do just to continue the relationship. She came to the realization, without ever having used the word, that she loved this man beyond reason. What he felt for her, she was unsure of, but in his arms she felt protected and cared for, all the things she wanted to feel.

For his part, Ryan was equally at sea. This evening was going as he had rehearsed it in his mind over and over, always waiting for the day when it could come into reality. Having truly loved his Mary, he knew what it felt like, and he knew that feeling had been growing within him since the first time he saw Laura. He knew he didn't understand how some of these crazy things had come to pass, but here they were, in the middle of a lake, in the late fall, just the two of them. Ryan turned on the proper navigation lights, and stopped the boat when they were in about the center of the lake. One of the redeeming features of this maintenance intensive boat was the round cockpit area with large padded bench seating. There was plenty of room for two people to sit back and stretch out, especially if they were really close together. The low profile of the boat made it great for just sitting and observing things, and the crystal clear night sky overhead only added to the ambience. In much less than a coincidence, there was an ice bucket resting in the small console, from which Ryan extracted another split of Laura's favorite juice. Somehow, that did not surprise her in the least when he handed her a glass. "To us, to tonight, and to our future, whatever it may hold" was the toast he proposed, and she accepted.

Ryan sat on the padded cockpit seating and invited Laura to sit in front of him, and use him as a backrest, with the stadium blanket draped over the two of them. Blanket warming them, she rested against him, head on his chest and his arms about her with her arms locked over his, hand in hand. In his own meticulous way, Ryan had planned this scene in his mind, and tonight played particularly well for his intentions. Although they were in the center of the lake, the bow was pointed toward a small cove. With no significant breeze, the boat drifted very little and remained pointed as Ryan wished. Always the planner, he knew there would be a full moon rising in about ten minutes. The list of things he really wanted to know was pretty short, now that they had learned so much about each other. With the moon just starting to peek over the tree line, he plunged in.

"I know all kinds of things about your kids, your family, and I know what happened to your marriage, but do you ever think about marrying again, I mean, if someone came along you could really love, would you jump in again knowing what you know now?"

"I think so. I wasn't very smart the first time around, guess that showed, but still I think I'm the eternal optimist about love. If it's there, it's there, and if I loved someone enough, maybe I just haven't learned my lesson but I'd be willing to take the chance, if it came along that is. I don't want to live alone the rest of my life."

"But what about the kids? Do you think they'd object?"

"No, not really. You see, I couldn't love someone they would find unsuitable, even at their young age. Kids are very perceptive, probably without knowing it. I remember the night in the shelter when Amanda reached up and grabbed Dennis by the finger; pure trust; read him like a book, didn't she. Anyway, the kids come with me. Guess we're sort of a package deal."

"But what about if he wanted to adopt them legally and all that?"

"Same deal. Names don't matter much; that's just legalese. It would be nice just to have to keep from explaining the name difference, and it would ensure them better security should something happen to me, but if he loved my children, then what would it matter? Does that make sense at all?"

"Yes, really it does. So, if some guy comes along and somehow convinces you to marry him, the kids come along as a package deal. Right?"

"Right, although I think it would be best to at least talk to them about the deal, you know, get some buy in. You're a good salesman, you could do it. I mean...that is...for example."

"I need to tell you something, and I know it may sound a little crazy, but I just want you to know what I've been going through the past few months. I loved my wife very much, and when she died, I'm sure a part of me died with her. But the rest of me kept on living, painful as it was. You know I'll never forget her, or the good times or the bad, but since you've been in my life, I find I can deal with those memories. They don't control my life anymore, and the part of me that went on living wants to do just that. I wanted so much for this relationship to blossom into a beautiful flower, but more than that, I wanted to know that whatever developed, it was not because of need but because of want. Today, you proved you can stand alone; simply, you don't 'need' a man in your life to keep things together; you can depend on yourself. Recognized self-reliance is a huge step. Is that understandable at all, a little Maslovian perhaps?"

"It is. Today I felt as if I could do it all. I know I can't, but I sure can give things a run. Yesterday I thought maybe I could; today I know I can. Is that what I kept sensing between us? Were you afraid I'd want you for a security blanket?"

"Less that than wanting you to stand on your own like I knew you could. It's a great feeling and if you came to depend on me, you'd always wonder "what if", but you see, tonight there is no "what if". If you're angry with me for being that way, I'll understand. I just believed it was best, and I know I have no right to decide what's best for you. So, how angry are you at me for all that?"

"Not angry, but I don't understand why you did things that way"

"Because...I discovered months ago that...I love you very much, and I want you and everything that comes with you in my life, but I also want so very much for you to want me, not need me. Like you, I'd always wonder, so I wrestled with myself for months, wanting to tell you how I felt, but afraid it would somehow change things. And maybe now, I've managed to muddy things anyway. I'm sorry if my good intentions caused harm; where do we go from here?"

"I don't know; I missed everything after you said 'I love you', and I don't care about the rest. I think I started loving you the first time I saw you. I don't know why, but this thing just seems to have a life of its own, whether we like it or not, and probably in spite of us. I decided coming out here tonight, I would do whatever it took to stay in your life, and I have to tell you, I'm yours, any place, any time you want. I love you that much. I have never ever done anything like that in my life, but I have 'want' for you, and plenty of it."

"Remember all those goofy questions earlier; you know, the 'what if's'? What if, instead of saying 'some man', I said Ryan Williams; would it change your answer?"

"No. When I answered, your face was the one in my mind, along with a lot of hope. Was I being foolish?"

"Will you marry me Laura, be my wife?"

"Yes...oh yes. It seems like forever I've waited to hear those words, and they sound so wonderful to me. What can I say but yes."

"And do you promise to massage my neck when I have a muscle strain?"

"Every day, but what a strange thing to bring up right after proposing to me"

"Not so strange. I have a strain right now that needs massaged, and here I am."

Laura was quick to read the hint that time, and rolling over under the blanket slid up until she was lying full length on top of Ryan, lips on his, arms around him tight, heart pounding as hard as his. There was no question she wanted this man and very badly, even if she knew in her own experience that the rush would be mostly his. That didn't matter.

"Ryan, what I said about being yours, I meant it. I've never...I can't...what I'm saying is I love you and I'm willing to prove it if you want me to, but I've never initiated anything like that and I'm scared; I don't know what to do. Help me, please?"

"You don't have to prove anything. I love and trust you, and if you say you love me, I believe it. As to initiating anything, all you have to do is flit through my mind to set off a wild flurry in me, but I do love you and I want all things for us to be in due time. I think maybe this will have to do for now. Okay?"

Ryan had wiggled one arm free enough to reach into a pocket and retrieve a small jewelers box, offering it to Laura. As though she were handling the most fragile thing in the world, and even knowing what had to be in the box, she so carefully opened it in the bright moonlight that the reflection off the stones still nearly caught her by surprise. The impressive arrangement glistened like the fire in her eyes, but could not match the flow of hot tears of joy flooding down her face.

"How did you do all this, how did you know? I love it, and I love you even more, ring or not. It's beautiful. Can I...?"

"It's yours. Of course you can wear it. It should fit perfectly, if Alice is any sort of spy at all."

"Alice? She knows about this?"

"Not exactly. Like me, she didn't know when this would happen, but she knew it would if I had anything to do about it, and, she managed to get your ring size for me. But, no, I picked out the ring myself. That's not something I would ever let someone else do. It looks great on you, but I'm sorry if that's not the highlight you were looking forward to. I just...well... I guess I'm living in the last century or something when it comes to us. Yes, I do want you, very much, but first of all, I want you as my wife."

"Ryan, I only said that because if that was the only way I could hold you to me, that's what I would be willing to do. I also want to wait, so things will always be the way they should be between us, the way you want, the way we both want. I want so much to be everything you hope for. I know I can never take Mary's place, and I don't want to. Somehow, I think she would want this to happen, and if I can bear your children, I don't think I could ever be happier. Yes, I will marry you, as soon as you want."

"I know this may sound a little silly, but I think we need to go back to the house now, before what I'm feeling for you runs over my better sense. I can feel you against me, and I so much want to feel that again, but where we have a whole night or day or whatever ahead of us to explore each other, enjoy ourselves. We'll have that time, but for now, I don't want you to turn into a pumpkin, and besides, you probably need a refill on tears. I have never seen a woman who could cry that much without at least having a drink to refill."

Laura giggled at the suggestion; "I understand, and even if I don't know much about making love, I want it to be as great for you as it can be. If we wait, we wait, and I'll love you the more for it. How come you're such a wonderful man?"

"You bring out the best in me, what there is of it."

The two of them managed to stand up enough to operate the boat, but remained touching each other in some way, arm in arm, hand in hand, or lips to lips when they had a moment. The sleek craft glided through the moonlight like a magic carpet with the two lovers aboard, lost in their own world. Each would remember the night in slightly different ways, but both knew it was a major turning point in their lives, now to be joined as one. In the ride back to Windmere, with feelings a little more in check, they talked more about their future, and the realities of a wedding. Leaving the car in its usual place, Ryan walked Laura back to the cottage for a final embrace of the evening, and reveled in the ardor of her kiss in response.

"Ryan, can I... Is it all right... I mean, do you want me to keep this secret for now? I'm so excited, I don't know what to do, but I just have to call my mother if it's okay."

"Wife to be, you can do anything you want, tell anyone you want, and show off your ring all you want, but your mother may be just a little hostile at 2:30 in the morning."

"It's that late? No wonder you suggested Marie and Fernando's for the kids."

"Speaking of kids, how do we...? I didn't ask you about adopting them legally, did I?"

"You did in all that 'what if' stuff we went through, and I did say 'yes'. I think they need to be told what's going on as soon as we can, the two of us together, but they need to have some input. I know they're under age and I have legal control over their lives, but they're people just like us, only a little bit smaller. I think we need to give them a chance, don't you?"

"I do. Look, how about I come by for breakfast at whatever time we manage to get up. I've done that before and survived rather well; we could talk to them then. Besides, as I recall, you can give Doris a real run with an omelet pan. Deal?"

"Deal. See you mid-morning. Now, I need your seal of approval, right here, so I don't forget."

After a final kiss, the betrothed physically parted for the night but remained ever closer in spirit..

The morning sun came a little early for Laura, with two well rested kids bursting in the door. Alice followed shortly, and her eyes immediately went to Laura's left hand. The look on her face said it all, and all she could think to do was hug the young woman as a mother would hug a beloved daughter. Laura really didn't have many details to share, since her engagement was now only hours old, but she promised Alice would know everything and be involved in everything with the wedding, that is, if Alice hadn't disappeared with her new "friend" before then. The two women chatted enough to bring each other up to date on events, but with Ryan's arrival, Alice excused herself, grinning at him and being grinned at in return. If there was one thing Alice had lived to see, it was to see this man happy in life again, and there was no question that had come to pass. The kids were busy watching morning cartoons for the most part and hadn't noticed the change in status of the two adults. Laura did a maximum effort omelet for Ryan and watched him devour it with gusto. 'I can do this,' she thought to herself; 'I can take care of this man and these kids; I may not know exactly how I got here, and I'm not real sure of the future, but I'm going to love the ride.'

Ryan and Laura started the planning, but not before she asked him if he was still so sure about his proposal, wanting to hear one more time that it was all real.. Assured that it was for real, they started looking at dates, guests, large or small, all the myriad of details weddings require, but mostly about how to talk to the two children. The kids were getting bored with cartoons and ready for something else to do, when Ryan and Laura decided there was no better time than the present.. They had agreed that Ryan would take the lead, since Laura was their mother and more of an authority figure.

"Jack, Amanda, can we borrow you for a minute? I know you want to get outside and see if the guys are around this morning, but a deal has come up that I need to ask you about. Okay?" Ryan moved to the footstool so he was more on a level with the kids; Laura sat on the floor near him when she returned with the refilled cups, leaning on him slightly so he could feel her presence as well as see it..

"Yep" "Okay" The two kids came and sat by the coffee table, enjoying cups of hot cocoa she had made for them while pouring fresh cups of coffee for the adults.

"As I tell you about this deal, any time you want to ask something, ask away, either me or your mother. As the man would say, we're all in this together, and I want you two to understand things. First of all, your mother and I love each other very much, and we will be married very soon. That means I will be a permanent member of your family. That's for your mother and me to decide, and that's what we want to do. Now, since you two are her children, and she alone is responsible for you, I have asked her if it is alright to talk to you about me adopting you."

"You mean you'd be our dad, right?" Jack asked.

"Jack, it seems that simple, and mostly it is. I would become one of your legal parents, but there's a little more to it than that. I've never been a dad before, and I don't know much about it. You kids would have to help me out. Mostly, your mother would still be in charge, just like now, and I'd learn as quick as I could. Moms and dads are different people and sort of do things differently, at least my parents were that way, and it sort of helps people understand things better later in life. Anyway, that's pretty much the deal. I would be around all the time instead of just part of the time. You are both very safe and very secure right now with your mother taking care of you; I'd just be helping her out with that. It's a very important job, raising kids, and I think she deserves the help. Anyway, your mother and I talked about this, and for now, it's your choice. What do you think?"

Jack seemed lost in thought for the moment, and both Laura and Ryan wondered for a moment if the kids really understood what they were being asked to decide for themselves. It was, after all, a life changing decision, and maybe just too much for their young minds; after all, picking a father wasn't exactly something they learned in school. Maybe Ryan and Laura should have made the decision for the kids, and looking at each other, each could see the other was having a case of nerves at the moment. Amanda finally broke the silence.

"If you 'dop us kids, do I have to call you daddy?"

"No, you don't if you don't want to. You can call me something else we can decide on. I know this will take a while to get used to, me being around all the time."

"If mama wants you around, I guess that's okay. And I might call you daddy sometimes 'cause it's easy to remember. Will you still read to us?"

"Yes, I will still read to you, and if you call me daddy now and then, that's okay too. So you think maybe my adopting you would be okay?"

"Yep. I don't want to see mama cry anymore, and she smiles a lot more when you're around. I think being 'dop'ed is okay."

Ryan and Laura looked at each other, realizing Amanda was well aware of a lot more than they thought. And since they had always been rather guarded about a lot of physical contact when around the kids, she must have picked up subtle signs they were unaware of. But, she was on board. One to go.

"Jack, you seem lost in thought. Anything I can tell you, anything you want to ask?" Ryan was trying to help but really didn't know what to say or do. He had thought Jack would be the tough sell since he was still in family protector mode, but Ryan also thought the talk by the pond would have helped, at least a bit. Finally, Jack looked at Ryan with the eyes of someone a lot older than he really was, and broke his silence.

"I remember the pond. Is this what that was all about, the things you said?"

"Jack, it is. I didn't know then how things would work out between your mother and me. But what I told you about loving people, and how each relationship doesn't diminish the others, that's all true. Your mom and I love each other, but that doesn't mean she loves you any less. I could tell you I love you like a son, but to tell the truth, I don't have a son and I really don't know what that would be like. I do know I would do anything to protect you, and your sister and your mother. The rest of it...you'd just have to help me learn along the way. Make sense?"

"I guess. Can I go to the pond?"

"Either way, any time you want or need to go to the pond, you can always go there. You know why I went, and if you need to go there to think this over, then go. If you want, I can go with you, or not. Your call."

Jack was beginning to understand what it was like to have the father he never had to talk to. This big guy was laying it on the line, talking about things only the two of them knew, and Jack wanted to know more. "You said taking care of a family is a big job. I know you're going to marry my mom anyway; you gonna run things now?"

"I don't...know how to answer that. Your mom does such a great job, I think she deserves a vacation now and then from having to do everything, sort of like relying on a partner to do their share. Run things? You make that sound pretty bad. Tell you what, as I learn things dads are supposed to do, I'll do that, and you do things kids are supposed to do. That work for you?"

"You said at the pond I could be a kid again. I'm not sure what that means, but did you mean it?"

"I did, but that doesn't mean you can run wild. Your mom still has the say."

"Okay, I guess so, and I'll pay back all the money too, but I don't make much so it might take a long time."

Jack's last statement was a fast curve ball no one saw coming; Ryan and Laura stared at each other in wonder. What could Jack be talking about? They were about to see the wonder and reality of young minds at work. Ryan pressed the issue. "Jack, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. Tell me about the money; I don't understand what money or what this has to do with adopting you."

"A kid at school said his mother told him you paid a lot of money to my first dad and now you own us kids, and mom told us he sold us out and wasn't going to ever come back; I don't want anyone to own me or even my sister, so I'll pay you back but I don't have very much." Jack delivered the entire sentence in one breath, the same way a bomb is delivered, one big package. The misunderstanding was clear to the adults, not so to a young mind hearing it without knowing all the facts. This needed to be stopped right now before it did any more harm. Ryan took the lead, while Laura tried to sort out what she would like to do to the mother who talked about things of which she knew nothing. Obviously the woman had seen something in the required publishing of legal decisions, put two and two together and came up with seven.

"Kids, it is true a sum of money changed hands, but not the way you think. What you may think about your 'first dad' is up to you, but here's what really happened; I don't own you and you don't owe me anything. I'll keep it simple. He came here because he knows your mother loves you very much and would do anything to protect you; he used that to get money from her by threatening to take the two of you away. I can tell you, he wanted the money, not you, and I know that isn't very nice to hear, but it's the truth. With some good friends of ours, we made a simple business deal: for the money we gave him, he had to divorce your mom because that's what she wanted, and he had to give up all rights to ever see or be around you kids again the rest of his life. If you ever want to see him again, that's up to you when you get older, but for now, if he comes near you, he goes to jail. That simple."

"But, I don't understand. How come you spent all that money if you didn' really get anything for it? The kid told me his mom said you were getting plenty, but he didn't know plenty of what. What was he talking about?" Jack asked, still trying to get his mind around all this.

"Jack, sometimes things just need to be done because it's right, not because you get something out of it. This was one of those times, and I want you to remember it. I guess in the long run, I will get something out of it, a family, but that's not why I did it. It just needed doing. Make sense?"

"I guess so, if you say so. Is that pond talk?"

"It is."

"Then I think I want to be a kid again."

Ryan intended to seal the deal man to man and started to extend his hand to Jack, but was caught by surprise when Jack jumped up and threw both arms around Ryan's neck in a hug. Kid number two had signed up, and the wheels of progress toward a wedding and two adoptions started moving forward again. Both Ryan and Laura breathed a sigh of relief; if business deal's took this much out of people, no mergers would ever be concluded, but on the other hand, business partners seldom kissed each other very warmly as soon as the kids went outside. And, the day was just getting a good start.

Chapter Seventeen \- Women's Work

Laura spent the next half hour on the phone to her mother, and then to her sister, while Ryan was on his cell to his parents. They had not yet even discussed a date, but just the initial announcement was received with joy. Laura's parents were relieved that she had "found someone" to take care of her and the kids, and they had welcomed Ryan with open arms at first meeting. Nancy, on the other hand, was congratulatory but could have been more so; she was coming to grips with the notion that her older sister had managed to dump the bait and land the big fish, while Nancy had managed to land a fish who had turned into bait. Laura realized the comparison, but neither made mention of it nor did she dwell on it for any time. In their younger days, Nancy had been the campus socialite, while Laura lingered in the shadows; today Laura was becoming the swan. All of the names, of course, went on the invitation list, with many more to come.

The two betrothed spent the time before lunch in some basic planning, but decided to join whomever had signed up for lunch in the big kitchen, along with the kids. Those already there were not particularly surprised when the four of them came in. It had become a more and more familiar sight over the last couple of months, but the glint of a large diamond engagement ring fueled a minor riot as word spread. In the usual division, the guys pounded Ryan on the back and shook his hand with vigor, saying things like "Lucky dog", while the women were less physical and more vocal. In his wisdom, Ryan took a back seat when the talk turned to the actual planning of the event. Earlier in a private moment, Ryan had confided to her his feelings on the subject: "You will never ever hear me say this about anything else in the world, but weddings are women's work; let me know if you need something."

Laura had taken his words at face value, realizing this man said what he believed, and was grateful for his candid approach. "Just promise me that when this is all over, you'll still be there for me. And I think we need to talk money along the way, if you don't mind."

They had not arrived at talking about the cost of a wedding as yet, but both had been through medium sized weddings once, and knew prices had gone up. Laura needed some idea of how big an affair he was willing to accept, and there really was the matter of who was paying for what, all those mundane but vital decisions. But first, there was lunch and a couple of hours of the ladies chatting over coffee while the men and kids went back outside; as he left Ryan confided quietly to his bride to be: "Let me know when we can meet again. I can see you're busy right now." and after Laura had started to get up, added "No, really; enjoy this glow; you're entitled. I'll be here when you need me, always." The look she gave him said she was grateful for his understanding.

By mid afternoon they were back in the cottage with lists of things spread out all over the table. Ryan had negotiated some major deals in his lifetime, but when he had first married, he had missed most of this part. Mary and her mother, and his mother to some extent, had done everything, proving his point on it being women's work. This time around it was different. The two mothers were not close at hand, and the sister was not really invited to participate much, but there was, of course, Alice, and during the week Marie and Marcia and others. Ryan was allowed to sit at the planning table as though he knew what he was doing, while in reality he had little knowledge about the flower arrangements having to match the color pattern selected and things like that. It was a much more complicated evolution than he had imagined, but he loved this woman and it was important to him that everything be as she wished it to be. Turning back to the guest list for a moment, Laura asked for his input beyond those already listed: "Okay, I have your parents, and a few other close relatives and friends, maybe a dozen all together; is that really it? I mean, that doesn't seem like very many. I don't want to miss someone and cause some hurt feelings."

"That's about it for now, really, but for planning purposes, add twenty-five spots just in case."

"Twenty-five? Are you sure? What do you mean, 'just in case'. Is there someone you have in mind you haven't mentioned yet?"

"Call it an act of prudence. Okay, add in everyone who works here, full and part time; for the singles, add in an escort or partner or significant other or whatever they're called these days. Then add the 25 spaces. Okay?"

"Sure, I'll itemize all them later, but can you at least give a girl a hint of what you're thinking about?"

"There may be some other persons who hear about this who might want to attend. I think if we plan for some last minute guests, it's a lot easier than trying to add them later. And we know you can handle disposing of excess food supplies, especially the expensive stuff."

Laura laughed at the reference to her shelter escapade, but added 25 unnamed spaces, just in case. This assemblage was starting to become sizeable all of a sudden, and she started wondering about the cost. "Ryan, I don't want to bring this up, but I have to before this gets out of hand. We're both adults, we're in this together, and I feel I should pay my fair share; I don't have a lot of bank yet, and a lot of what I do have is for the kids education or in Windmere stocks I don't exactly want to part with. This is starting to balloon. I mean, look at what just happened to the guest list, and we've been talking about not just a reception but a dinner as well."

"Do you love me?"

"You know I do, silly; what a question to ask."

"Then would you trust me to handle my end if we sort of divided things up to get all this in hand?"

"Of course I trust you; I'm about to commit the rest of my live to loving and trusting you, but I don't want to be unfair about this."

"Okay, here's how we'll do this. I think better in terms of contracts and things, you know, the more concrete aspect of things than color combinations for corsages and whether I should wear my shorts with the big hearts on them for the ceremony."

"You wouldn't!"

"I would, but who'd know? You could find out, but there's only one way!"

"I plan to, and that's how."

"I think we're getting off track here. Look, I'll admit I don't know much about weddings. Suppose I just handle the financial arrangements, paying the bills and stuff like that, and you do the planning. I'll help with whatever, whenever you ask, and I'll show up when I'm supposed to. That way, you won't use valuable time on stuff I can handle."

"How will I know when we go over budget, or if I'm getting too far out in left field with something; will you tell me, and honestly?"

"I will tell you, and honestly. If I see things happening I don't feel we can afford, I'll say something. Okay?"

"Yes, but, how will I know how big my share is getting to be before I drown in it?"

"I will always be your life preserver; count on it. But if you're really worried about that, let's set a general limit right now. We already know what Richard got for the kids, so they're worth something, plus interest." Leaning back in his chair, Ryan openly eyed her from one end to the other, grinning as he did so. "I'd say pound for pound, you're their equal, so we'll double the basic worth based on that assumption."

"Are you saying I've got a big rear end?"

"No ma'am. I would never say that; I don't have any sort of death wish. Besides, it isn't true, at least not what I can see from here. I'll let you know more about that if things change. Anyway...where were we before I was so pleasantly distracted. Let's see; 10 k-bucks for the kids, plus 10 k-bucks for you, plus interest. Now, we add in the cost avoidance for a wedding planner, because you're already doing all the work, so add in another 10 k-buck contribution, I expect there will be some donations we can allow for so add 10 k-bucks for that, and I come up with a total estimate of 40k, which I will gladly match if I get to handle the money and you do all the hard work. Sound reasonably unfair to you?"

"I don't know how in the world you ever got through school with math skills like that, but I see the handwriting. Okay, that comes up to $80,000, which is a ton more than I was thinking about. Are you sure about this? We could just fly to Vegas?"

"Do you know how many people we would tick off if we pulled something like that? Besides, I want the world to see you in your dress and all that. What the hell; I'll admit I want to be seen with you, and seen going on a honeymoon with you. Call it an ego trip, whatever."

"Ryan, about the dress, now that you mentioned it. I know you're pretty traditional about a lot of things. White dresses are for the first time around, at least that was the custom for a long time. I've been around once, not that I'm real proud of it. So, where are we with that?"

"The reality is, you have never before been married to me. In fact, I'm not sure you were ever married at all, the way you were treated, so I think this is like starting all over again and you can wear whatever you want. Personally, I'd like you in white, but whatever you feel comfortable in, that's what I want to see... I'll get the door, okay?"

Ryan heard the tap on the door, and actually felt a little relief at the break in planning. There were just so many things to do, and some things he still felt he needed to be quiet about, although he would not flinch from the truth if asked. As it turned out, Alice Hamilton was at the door, and looking like neither of them had ever seen her before. She had a schoolgirl grin on her face, and the almost dancelike movement in her gait said something was really going on in that head.

"Planning session, kids?"

"Yes, but we're taking a break right now. What's going on, Alice? You look positively radiant, and just a little giddy I might say." Laura had picked up quickly on the other woman's state of mind.

"He called. He's on his way, be here tomorrow. I'm so damned excited I don't know what to do next. I know I'm crazy at my age to act this way, I just can't get over it and I had to tell someone or bust."

"Alice, that's great. I assume you're talking about Vincent...Vinny?"

"The one and only. I don't think I was this excited on my wedding night. I mean...well, you know what I mean. I just can't wait, and Laura, he said he's coming for me and when he leaves, I go with him, ready or not. He even said if I can find a preacher, he'll marry me on the spot, but one way or another, I go with him. What'll I do?"

"Woman, this calls for action; can't let a live one get away, can we?. This wedding stuff can wait a bit. I think Ryan was ready to escape anyway. First of all, got any booze? We have to have a toast to start things out right. Next, Ryan, can you take the kids while we make a high speed shopping run into town?"

"Can do. I'll have the guys roll out the van, while we have that toast, assuming I'm invited, and I'll track down the kids and let them know what's happening. Besides, this will be good training for me. Why a shopping trip?"

"Girls have needs, Ryan, so Alice and I are going to do a little shopping this afternoon. But first, Alice, about that drink."

"Got some good stuff at my place. I've been waiting for a special occasion, and it doesn't get any more special that this, at least not for me. I know you have a wedding to plan and all that, but you kids have a long lifetime ahead of you. I need to strike quick at my age, and I know you're going to just love him too."

"Are you sure about this Alice, marrying the guy and all?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I've had time to think about it, and like I told you, one way or another, I have to get on with my life. That's why I made that goofy trip back to the old high school to begin with. Anyway, I'm not likely to get many more offers at all as good as this one, not at my age. No sense letting him get away."

Ryan was getting the distinct feeling he was once again being run over by events, and he didn't mind in the least. It would maybe give him some time with the kids, and helping Alice enjoy her moment was a pleasure in itself. They adjourned to Alice's cottage for the promised drink, and discovered she truly knew the meaning of "the good stuff". Her stash was right up there with what Roger kept under lock and key in the office. A drink later, as they were walking out toward the waiting van, Ryan asked Alice once again about her intent to marry, and was reassured she was so intent.

"Assuming he doesn't get cold feet, and it doesn't sound like that is even a remote possibility, what kind of a wedding did you have in mind?"

In truth, in her excitement and as out of character as it was, Alice had not thought past even getting married itself, let alone any of the details. Her world was upside down and revolving in a whirl. "I don't know, just something to make it legal I think, so our kids and grandkids won't fuss or think we're crazy. I can leave all the fancy stuff to you kids. No sense wasting any time. Why were you asking?"

"Well, for one thing, you need a practitioner, a place, and a time. I have a practitioner in mind; what about the rest?"

"Can it wait until we get back? Better yet, I'll call him on my cell while we drive into town, make sure, then call you on your cell. By the way, Laura, why are we going to town?"

"Wendy's Works. Always wanted to go there; this is great excuse. Besides, I might want to do a little shopping myself. You never know. Ready?"

"For this? You bet. See you Ryan. I'll call." And they were off down the road, leaving Ryan watching the disappearing van.

For his part, Ryan's mind was having a shouting match with itself, and both sides were losing the battle. He had never been in Wendy's Works, and was not likely to ever go in, at least not of his own volition but he had walked past the shop a time or two and the effect was not lost. It was strictly a women's apparel shop, with a very limited scope of merchandise, all being pointed toward poolside and bedroom, with emphasis on the bedroom since the entire collection of scant swimwear took up so little space. Ryan had mused, from a purely engineering standpoint of course, how some of the garments stayed on, or up, or whatever, with no apparent support anywhere, particularly where the mannequins were not very well endowed. It was a whole new field of physics he just didn't know much about, but somewhere in the mix of images, Laura popped up, again, and again. He needed to pick a wedding date, for a reality check on his imagination. But in the meantime, he put in a call to Harry Comstock, let the kids know where their mother had gone, and told them Alice was about to depart Windmere. He also informed Dennis and Franz about the nature of the emergency run, and enjoyed the look of wonder on their faces. Asking them to watch the kids for a bit, he decided taking a couple of miles on a run was probably the best thing he could do at the moment. During the course of the run he received a call from Alice confirming Vinny's arrival the next morning, and his intentions toward her, including a marriage if things could be managed. Harry was going to love this one.

Later in the day when things had calmed down a bit, Alice joined the four of them for the evening meal in Laura's cottage. Plans were reviewed, enjoyed, and a million kids questions were answered, mostly about whether Alice would ever come back or not. Assured that she would not miss their mother's wedding, even if she had to walk, they settled down for the evening with Amanda on Ryan's lap watching some reasonably harmless television while the ladies continued talking at the table. And finally, after Amanda had been carried to bed, and Jack was settled in for the night, Alice bade them a good evening and departed with her own thoughts.

Ryan had noticed a time or two during the evening when Laura seemed to be deep in thought, but in the glow of Alice's news, he didn't pursue it at the time. Now, sitting on the sofa not actually watching anything but each feeling the presence of the other, he brought it up. "You seemed lost in thought a couple of times. What did I do this time?" Ryan asked, broaching the subject with a light air.

"Are you sure you don't want to do like Alice and Vinny and just fly off somewhere? I know this is asking a lot from you; I may turn out to be terrible to live with after all."

"Two things: yes, I think we need to do this the long way because I really believe that is the memory we want to have, and secondly, after you left for Wendy's Works, my imagination got the best of me, and I want to find out if it's right, but at the right time. So there."

Laura felt her face flush at the thought, but at the same time was pleased she could have that effect on this man she loved so much. And he was right about the wedding plans; she intended to remember this for a long time, with him at her side. Then her own imagination started generating images as her mind wandered and she enjoyed the warmth of his presence, snuggled against him. But as the images rolled through, one more stray thought popped up.

"Ryan?"

"Umm?"

"Where are we going to live after we're married. There's plenty of room here for you, but the kids are getting bigger and will need their own rooms soon. I was sort of thinking about that."

"Tell you what, let me handle that for now. I'll do the finance and property management; you do the social things. Deal?"

"Deal. Wanna sign a contract or – Mufft." Laura's comment was cut off in mid-sentence by lips on her own, a response she both understood clearly and enjoyed thoroughly.

"I think I probably need to head for my own digs for now. Half of my brain is trying to talk the other half out of that 'let's wait' commitment I made, and it's starting to win. Besides, I think with the Alice and Vinny deal tomorrow, we'll probably need all the sleep we can get. Kiss me enough to last until morning."

And after a lingering good night kiss, the two parted for the evening, but looking forward to another day closer to their own wedding.

Chapter Eighteen – Alice's Restart

The day dawned clear and crisp, a little warmer than average for a fall day, and a perfect day for a wedding. The Windmere family was not about to let Alice get away without at least a semblance of a party, and efforts were underway to get organized. Much depended on the arrival of the groom, but Alice received assurances that if he didn't show as promised, Dennis would go get him, wherever he might be. As it turned out, Vinnie called mid-morning to say he would be a little later than the promised 11 AM, having had to stop and replace a tire enroute, but that he was on his way to claim his woman. Alice was back on cloud nine again, and amenable to almost anything the gang suggested. Dennis assigned the gate intercom to his pager so there would be no delay getting the motor home captive on Windmere grounds, while Franz and Jack worked out a way to feed temporary power to the unit so they could forego the generator for the time being. Laura, with Amanda helping a bit, assisted Alice in doing some packing of precious belongings, some for storage, some to go with her. Vinnie's attitude was that they would buy what they forgot to bring along, but he understood about keepsakes, grandkid pictures, and things like that. Doris had decided the previous day that at least a wedding dinner was in order, and came in on her day off to help fete her long time friend and ally. The entire place seemed to be taken with the prospect of a lot of fun, with a deep appreciation of this woman who had helped so much to forge the image of Windmere and what it had become. Everyone understood that Laura now stood where Alice had stood for a long time, and they recognized that now was the time in Alice's life she could truly reap the rewards she so richly deserved. It went without saying they would truly miss her, in spite of e-mails and things, but there would not be the slightest moment of hesitation in giving her what was due in recognition and happiness.

Dennis anticipated the arrival perfectly, positioning himself at the main gate just as the motor home rolled to a stop in front of it. Introducing himself, Dennis gave Vinnie brief instructions to follow his quad-runner on to the grounds, and started the triumphal entrance. Dennis was quick to realize the huge motor home would need plenty of turning space, and made a quick mental note on how to get the job done. He was also in possession of a secret and wanted very much to see the faces of the assembled group when they met Vinnie for the first time. Passing by the group, he led the unit past the cottages toward the golf course to gain enough space for it to turn around with style and grace rather than a lot of backing and filling. Dennis was a little surprised to see no small car in tow as such motor homes usually had for convenience, but assumed it had been left somewhere for the time being.

Making the turn around, Dennis guided Vinnie to the front of Alice's cottage and brought the parade to a stop. The sheer height of the motor home made it difficult to see through the windshield, and the assembled crowd was anxious for their first glimpse of this man who could work such excitement in the staid Mrs. Hamilton. The side door opened finally, and out stepped...not the short, olive skinned, dark eyed Italian man everyone had rather come to expect, but a man somewhere over six feet tall, slender but in obviously good physical condition, blue eyed, with silver hair rather than gray. One step and Alice was in his arms; there was no question she knew exactly who this was and the welcome wagon was out. Finally breaking their clinch, the two turned to start with the introductions, Alice with a big grin on her face at having put one over on all of them. She could see in their collective faces they were having a difficult time reconciling Vincent Lupinacci with the man they were seeing.

Alice reveled in the moment: "Gotcha, didn't I? Please let me introduce to the lot of you Mr. Vincent Lupinacci, Vinnie would do nicely. I should mention that he is Italian as you may have thought, but from northern Italy close to Germany. Now, if you please, say something, someone."

Ryan was quick to jump in: "Okay, you got us good; so we were stereotyping; I'll admit it. But, please, Mr. Lupinacci, I'm Ryan Williams, and this lovely being is my betrothed, Laura Nessing, her children Amanda and Jackson. Welcome to Windmere; whatever this day may bring, may it include everlasting happiness for the two of you."

"You are indeed a gentleman and a scholar, sir. It is with pleasure I make your acquaintance, and that of your betrothed. I feel welcomed, and honored. Now, you kids ever see the inside of one of these critters? Maybe Alice will take you for a tour; she knows what the inside looks like, don't you my dear?"

Alice Hamilton blushed for the first time anyone could ever remember, and it was rather clear she knew a great deal about the inside of the motor home. "Okay kids, up for a tour?"

"Yes ma'am, please?" and in the door they shot like bullets. In the meantime, Vinnie and Ryan continued with the introductions, finding himself comfortably among friends here, all of whom seemed to be as caring and concerned about Alice's well being as he could ever ask. Vinnie was equally impressed with the preparations that had been made to receive him and the mammoth motor home. Franz had dozens of questions, but was outflanked when Vinnie produced a set of compartment keys and simply told Franz to open up whatever he would like to investigate.

"And when you get that far, my friend, if you like engines, pop the hood on this thing and take a look. Had it modified so it would fit this chassis; nothing like having a Caterpillar if you're driving something the size of an earthmover."

True to form, Franz headed for the engine cover and was duly impressed by the big v-8 diesel, with a blower. It reminded him a lot of what semi rigs used for the long, heavy haul, and his appreciation of Vinnie notched up considerably, from a rich guy who was stealing Alice away to a consummate consumer of heavy iron.

The motor home itself had been custom built for long term comfort, everything from the powerful diesel to handle any hill, to the six way power seats, to the popouts that made it even larger when parked. Franz admitted he had never seen a motor home with a bogey axle to help carry the weight of the large unit, but was curious, as was Dennis, about the absence of a small car for convenience.

"Not something I have ever done," Vinnie confided. "Towing something is a pain in the butt; you can't see where it is without a remote monitor, and you can't back up more than a few feet. I tried it once and gave it up. Now, once my route is set, I call ahead and have a car delivered to wherever I decide to spend time. Works for me. But say, Alice hasn't told me much about this operation. Looks pretty exclusive to me. How about I get a couple or three Iron City's and we chat a bit?"

As Dennis and Franz would discover, this man traveled well, and made it clear he traveled sober but was always well prepared for the night's rest. Neither had ever imbibed an Iron City, and both were impressed with the new aluminum bottle. Truth be told, Vinnie knew how to win friends and keep them. It is possible things would have deteriorated, but the arrival of another guest changed the direction of the festivities to a more serious note.

Judge Harry Comstock would not have missed this moment for anything, but came with a surprise of his own. Apparently, he had invited an associate to participate in the festivities. Parking clear of the crowd around the motor home, Harry and associate quickly joined the ranks.

"Morning, Ryan, Laura, and the ever beautiful Ms. Hamilton. I see the kids have you in custody."

Jack and Amanda remained a little in awe of this man, as much for the tone of authority in his voice as for what had been explained to them about how he had helped their mother through the recent bad times. They had just finished their tour of the motor home and were waiting not so patiently to tell their mother all they had seen inside. Still, they would not interrupt this person, not Judge Harry. An accomplished reader of people, Harry sensed the kids' excitement and granted them freedom as quickly as he could. "Tell you what kids; you tell these two what you saw in there while I have a short business conference with Ms Alice here. Okay?"

"Yes sir," came the quick response. They weren't really afraid of him per se, but their respect was quite healthy. Anyway, relief had been quick in coming and the words came tumbling out to Ryan and Laura, as Harry and Alice turned to meet his associate.

"Alice, I'd like you to meet Father James Jesse from Saint Matthew's, and no smart remarks about the name. I don't know all the details here since Ryan was a little sketchy on the phone. All I know for sure is you landed a trophy fish and you want us to help you fillet him; right?"

"Father, the pleasure is mine, in spite of the company you keep. What has this madman told you in error so far, besides everything?"

"Ms Hamilton, Alice, Harry is a near and dear friend of mine for many years, back when we were in high school together. I preach goodness on Sunday, and he scares the hell out of 'em the rest of the week. Anyway, he brought me along as a back-up; promised me I'd have a good time, he did. Neither of us knows where either of you stands with religion, so Harry figured if you wanted something with a little more God in it than is in his normal routine, I'm his resource. I'd be happy to oblige, and by the way, being Roman Catholic is not one of my requirements for a wedding. So, there you have it. I'm at your service."

"And I could not be more pleased with you being here. This may sound a little nutty, but we actually like Harry too for some reason. Would it be out of line if you two did a duet, or is that asking too much?"

"You up for this Harry? Dog and pony show? How about I do a little reading or two, quote some scripture, we'll skip taking up a collection this time around, and you follow up with the civil stuff?"

Never one to waste an opportunity, Harry replied: "Great, but are you sure about skipping the collection? May have to run an extra night of Bingo this week."

"Heathen."

"Do gooder."

Father James pressed on regardless: "I'm in. What's show time, Alice?"

"We're working our way around to that. Come over and meet the catch of the day, and of a lifetime for me."

As the three went in search of Vinnie, the crowd continued to swell by twos and threes as word spread and people arrived: Roger and wife, Cal and family, Alicia and her husband, Fernando plus children as summoned by his wife, and others from the Windmere family and close associates. Half an hour later, Doris sought out Roger as CEO and told him dinner would be ready about 1 PM, if they intended to have a wedding first. And with the authority vested in him simply because these people all liked him on this highly unofficial but perfectly delightful occasion, Roger checked with Alice for confirmation, and confirmed to the assembled gaggle, now numbering well over fifty and still growing, that there was "about to be a weddin' hereabouts". In the meantime, Laura and Alice had retired to her cottage for a minute or two to get ready, Vinnie ducked into the motor home to change clothes, and Franz and Dennis found a makeshift riser of sorts so everyone would have a good view. Harry and Fr. James reviewed their routine, thought it would go well in harmony, considered floating it as a Broadway musical, and decided they would behave and do what was asked without undue hurrah. Since he had heard that Ryan was probably next in line for this sort of adventure, Vinnie had asked him to be a witness for his side, while Laura would stand by Alice. Roger would be the escort of record for the bride, and for an impromptu and mildly unorganized gathering, the event took shape of its own accord, there being no "his side" or "her side" to deal with, just a lot of good and caring friends.

No one ever figured out how Franz had managed to get the wedding march played over the temporary loudspeakers mounted in the carriage house, but it carried well toward the cottages and had the desired effect. Everyone moved into place, and Roger with Alice on his arm started their short walk from the cottage. Video cameras hummed from multiple locations, but without disturbing the proceedings. It was a scene to be recalled later with fond memories by all the assembled guests: Alice looking radiant in her happiness, Vinnie reflecting her joy, Harry in a judge's robe and Fr. James in his cassock, sun beaming down on the assembled party. Whether it was in a church or wedding chapel or a field, nothing could have been more perfect for these two people. Fr. James held his own, but kept things reasonably short, then deferred to Harry for the legal ceremony. The pleasure they took from performing this ceremony was evident, down to the moment when they jointly presented the newly married couple to the gathering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we take great personal pleasure in presenting to you Vincent and Alice Lupinacci. Sir, you may kiss your bride." Vinnie complied with enthusiasm, matched by Alice, to the wild applause of the crowd. It may have been unprecedented in the annals of Windmere history, but it certainly set the tone for the rest of the day. As the congratulations were extended, Roger gently noted that dinner was being served somewhere inside, exactly where being unknown to him in that he didn't know exactly what was being cooked, by whom, or for how many. But, everything else having carried the day, there was no reason to believe the dinner would be anything less than a match for the other events. Not to be outdone by the Harry and Fr. James duet, Doris and Marie were prepared to the gunnels, each in her own area of expertise, and with Roger's blessing to use whatever they wanted for the meal. It would be the wildest combination meal anyone had ever seen, and was in itself memorable for the range of edibles. Both women hauled out their favorite recipes, Doris from her New England cookbook and Marie more from memories of her Mexican heritage. The combination of two cultures produced scents that by themselves could make a mummy hungry. Alice had told Laura a little secret about hosting high level cocktail parties and avoiding problems with drinking guests: keep food, really good food, in front of them and they'll be too full to drink much. Not that it would have been a problem with this group, but Laura noted the menu for future reference, and watched as notably picky eaters were stuffing with gusto.

With deference to those assembled, Fr. James gave the blessing, which was notably short, then got out of the way. Sidling up to the Judge, he commented "You're right about this place Harry; it may seem a little scary to the uninitiated, but these are wonderful people. What I heard about Laura and her kids, the deal with the homeless shelter, things like that, makes a better believer out of me. By the way, that Dennis fellow, is that his girlfriend I see him with? I've seen him around, and I know her from visits to the shelter, but I didn't know they were an item. Maybe I need to get out more."

"You got me. I think maybe this is somehow related to that sacrifice to the food gods they put on at the shelter; Roger and I were having a cup the other day in town and he said something in passing about Windmere suddenly becoming more alive than it had been in years, at least for the staff. They have a habit of making money, and evidently going out of their way to lend a hand to deserving people. I hear they took in a girl and her newborn from the shelter just the other day. And then there's Ryan and Laura. That sort of started things off. Nothing has been quite the same since that girl came here, and it's about time Ryan got on with his life. We know there's going to be a wedding, and I would guess pretty soon. Maybe you can get in on that action, too. Should be a little more organized, and quite a bit bigger."

"Sounds good to me. Really, the thing about all this is that there are all sorts of people here who seem to be a family, getting simple joy just from knowing each other, and seeing one of their own make a large step forward. I mean, have you ever had a soft shell taco with New England smothered beef filling, or seen an Iron City can sitting alongside a Tecate bottle? It truly does restore my faith in mankind, and womankind if you want to get picky about it."

"Truly does. But for now, where's one of those brats with the TexMex chili on it? Gotta die from something, and I think maybe this will do it. Cheers, Father."

The festivities continued unabated for hours. Alice had been right; keep the food coming and no one can get tanked. Not that considerable amounts of beverage were not consumed; they were in general, and in particular during the multitude of toasts given and received. The container rebates alone could have made a considerable sum, something not lost on Jack and Ernie. Ever aware of impending opportunity, they made it a point to offer to run drinks for people, and since it was all free, and even more especially since Judge Harry let them bring him a drink, it was all sanctioned; the boys made a point to salvage all the aluminum containers and recyclable bottles, generating a sizeable pile by the end of the day. Cash-in time would see them well rewarded.

And finally, as a gesture of his true appreciation for all these people and the love and kindness they had shown him and his beloved, Vincent Lupinacci stood on his chair and declared himself the happiest man on earth, surrounded by the best people he had ever met, and truly fortunate to find a love of his life in these later years of life.

"There can be no greater feeling of love and belonging than I have right now; I have more happiness than I have seen in years, and I owe it to this woman, who I love very much, and to all of you who have made this possible. Is there a man here who could be happier? I believe not. I thank you."

With those words, things slowly wound down, with the newlyweds retiring to the motor home for their first married evening, where a small package from Wendy's Works remained to be opened for a trial run. It had been a memorable day in every respect, but more was to come in the next few weeks.

The next afternoon, with Laura and Ryan helping a bit, Alice and Vinnie packed her required "take along" belongings into the coach, said their farewells, and virtually sailed off into the sunset with the big cruiser. Waving goodbye, Dennis called out: "Hey, Alice, where ya goin'?"

"With him, Dennis, with him," and the big coach glided away, for the moment.

Chapter Nineteen – A Step Closer

At their usual workday morning meeting, Laura and Ryan finally got around to discussing exactly when they would like to be married. The excitement of the previous Saturday's events with Alice and Vincent had made them realize more acutely they were losing precious time in their own lives. Working on his morning neck massage, Laura decided to bring up the subject, ready or not.

"I know we've talked about a lot of things, but we never did quite get around to deciding when we'll be married. You know" as she wrapped both arms around him "I don't want to let the big one slip the hook. You're not thinking of bolting, are you?"

"Nope, not a bit. In fact" swinging around in his chair while still managing to hold on to both her hands "I'm not so sure who caught who. Anyway, I've been thinking about that myself, and I think you're right. After seeing those two lovebirds Saturday, it's as happy as I've ever seen Alice. He's a heck of a guy and I'm sure they'll have a great time between the two of them.. Sort of puts to rest all those ad's for ED drugs for middle aged men; he's a real poster child for virility in later life, isn't he?"

"True, but how's that related to our setting a date? Feeling weak these days, or just threatened?"

"I'm aging more every day, and the thought of going off on our honeymoon with a cane or a walker just doesn't seem right. So, I think we need to pick up the pace, okay?"

It had now become more banter than conversation, but the two of them enjoyed the repartee and the closeness it brought as they understood each other even more. Arms intertwined, Ryan finally got specific.

"You know we're heading for the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, all those festivities. I was thinking maybe we go for it on the Saturday between Christmas and New Years Day, mid-afternoon, reception and dinner to follow. To tell the truth, I don't want to wait any longer than that for a number of reasons, my own personal desire to be married to you being number one on the list. I don't want you to make a break for it when you regain your senses. How about it? You willing, or are the feet getting chilly now that I'm getting serious?"

"Not a chance; you're not getting away that easy, Big Guy. That's what Cindy calls you, the 'Big Guy. How ya doin' with the Big Guy? Makin' any progress with the Big Guy?' She just went nuts when I told her we were engaged. We have to invite her, okay?"

"She's in, but you didn't tell me if the date is good. Better hurry. I'm thinking about going to Wendy's and see if any of those models are still around."

"Yes, yes, yes; that Saturday is fine. I still have tons to do, but if you're threatening to go to Wendy's and look around, guess I'd better hurry. By the way, when Alice and I ran there the other day, I did a little shopping myself; you'll see. So, how do we tell people the date; grand announcement?"

"Grand announcement. I'll do that; you get a move on with the invitations. Marcia can help."

"But Marcia...."

"I know, I know; Marcia is supposed to be doing company business, but this involves two officers of the company; what could be more company business than that? Besides, if you tell her she's invited, she'll do anything. In the meantime, I need to go see Roger about our annual meeting with staff. Maybe we need to set it up a little this year. Probably wouldn't hurt to get it clear before the holiday pace sets in and takes up all our time partying. Okay?"

"Okay. Kiss me enough to last until...mmff."

"Enough?"

"No, never, I'll be back for more. Guess I really should do something for the company now. See you, love you."

"Love you too"

"I forgot; one more thing. Remember when you told me the headhunters would call, and I didn't believe you. You were right; I shouldn't have doubted. Anyway, I'm not going anywhere, so don't get your hopes up on escaping me."

"I'll refrain from the obvious, but really, it makes sense. Myself aside for the moment, Windmere is fortunate you're here; we want to keep you."

"So, how about you? Do you want to keep me?"

"Sure, if you want to be a kept woman. I have some things in mind on how you can earn your keep."

"I'll bet you do. Now go back into your den. No...wait...replay. It didn't last long enough." Ryan complied, willingly, but had a lot to do in the next few hours.

Ryan made the short trip to Roger's office, greeted him, and settled into a chair. It had been the custom at Windmere to combine the annual employee/stockholder meeting with a non-designated holiday event. The nature of the company staff was such that there was an assortment of religious beliefs, races, colors, creeds, ethnic background, nationality, and a little of everything else. So, it was a general meeting, non-descript in name, although everyone knew it was "The Christmas Party," with a festive air. This year would just be a little more festive. Ryan outlined his plan to Roger; set up the meeting date to the coming Saturday, and suggested they let everyone know as soon as possible, then turn the staff loose on the preparations. Roger was enthusiastic from the beginning, setting the "can do" tone in his response.

"We need a staff meeting with everyone here right now to get this in place. I had sort of been aiming toward three or four weeks from now, but you're right; we always seem to get caught in a holiday time crunch of some sort. How about I rally the troops for a brief sit-down to get the basics in line?"

"Sorry to drop this on you at such a short notice. We just sort of decided we need to get on with our lives and, well, Alice and Vincent made us a little jealous I think; maybe that was what we needed. Anyway, think we can swing it? Your call."

"Marcia, can you do an all call for a meeting in the kitchen at 9:30 this morning...just people already here...great. Thanks... Now, you were saying? Gotta tell you, I have always loved being here and being a part of things, but since Laura has been here, the place has its life back, and so, by the way, do you my friend. I've seen you watching her; you might fool her, but I know why you want to get married so soon. Little backed up on the testosterone are we?"

"Not that it's any of your damned business, but, maybe a little backed up. You think that's a problem?"

"Not from what I can see. I don't blame you. I was your age once, although it's getting harder all the time to remember that far back. Anyway, what else do we need to talk about?"

"Can we get Cal to have the private accountants send us a statement, to date plus year end forecast? I haven't looked in a while and I want to see if we have some wiggle room to maybe give some bonus money out this year. Work for you?"

"You're the boss."

"Shhh. Only about a dozen people actually know that, and for now, that's enough. I haven't discussed it with Laura yet; time just didn't seem right; but, I'll get that far soon enough. There were just a lot more important things to handle first, like convincing her to marry me. Strangely, I think maybe that was her idea and it just finally soaked into my thick skull. This whole thing has been like it's orchestrated or something; things seem to fall into place. I mean, that episode with the Duesey; who did the kids see? I'm sure they saw someone; it wouldn't occur to them to make up a story like that. Guess we'll never know. Anyway, let's see if Cal can get a hard copy, then meet back here maybe this afternoon and see where we are."

"Works for me. By the way, my daughter said she saw Alice and Laura in Wendy's the other day. I think they were shopping for Alice, but from what she told me Laura was looking at, you better start your vitamins now."

"Lecherous old man!"

"Stallion!"

The staff meeting in the kitchen was somewhat raucous but good spirited. Everyone dealt with the early date in their own way, quickly adapting their time frames to fit the shortened schedule. Roger suggested they notify their "travelers" as quickly as possible, and make the meeting optional because of the short time frame. He also suggested as an incentive, that Windmere provide a breakfast for the morning meeting. The actual meeting, he anticipated, would take less than hour, but suggested they leave time for informal discussions. Doris would be there to bake iced cinnamon rolls, on the theory that if her baking could melt the minds of a couple of crotchety old auto parts execs, they could do anything. Doris agreed, but countered that they should also have an omelet line since Henry needed Christmas money to buy things for her and only Fernando was really qualified to make a Spanish omelet anyway. Roger was an easy sell, with fond remembrances of Fernando's culinary skills. Daycare would be provided if needed. The meeting would start at 9:00 AM, after everyone was well fed, coffeed, pottied, and so on. Spouses were included as usual. Pagers, cell phones, land lines, and data lines were hot for the next hour to get the information out, while Laura sat back a bit and again watched in amazement at how this team could function like a greased rocket when the need arose. One thing for sure, she felt more at home here than she had felt at any other place in her adult life, with the sole exception of her own parent's home; even there, she realized that being in Ryan's consciousness was more important than her physical surroundings.

By mid-afternoon, the numbers were hand delivered to Cal and he went to meet with Roger and Ryan. Although the general accounts and daily operating funds were accessible to everyone who needed them, the capital and major operating accounts were maintained by a CPA firm in Conyerville. Ryan had hired them back when the operation was starting out and he and Mary didn't have the time to do bookkeeping. As Windmere developed and the accounts grew in size, the accountants did less and less of the daily work, functioning more as financial advisors handling major transactions as properties were acquired and the business spread its wings. Only they knew exactly who the stock holders were, and since the company was privately held, no one else had access, even Laura and her growing IT operation. What mattered was that the operation was on solid footing; the chief accountant was tasked to watch trends in operations, and to flag anything he believed to be significant, much as Laura was doing with the daily operations. If there was a difference in operation, it was only that they had far fewer, but much larger, accounts to watch over.

Taking a seat, Cal handed out the copies of the annotated operating statement, along with the year end predictions. As a long term employee with an excellent track record, his opinion was highly respected, as was his discretion with information. The three sat back and quickly scanned the numbers. Their chief accountant had sensed what they needed and delivered the information in blocks: money in, money out, what's left over at the end. He did take time to separate the various operations Windmere conducted, such as held and operated properties, properties operated for other owners, their procurement operation, and more recently, Information Technology services provided on a membership basis. Roger was the first able to speak after reading the numbers.

"Ryan, elope. Marry that girl right now; lock her in her office, do something so she can't get away. Do you see those numbers on the IT operation? And that's for only part of a year; can you imagine a whole year at that rate?

"Ryan, I agree with Roger. Watch those headhunters. This is a whole field we've never been in before, and it's looking great. I can't say that I know much about it, but I do know what she's done for my end of the operation is wonderful. We were sort of plodding along like everyone else, getting things done, moving the numbers around. Now I can negotiate on-line with multiple sources, send everything to one file I can watch build on the second screen, place my order, send break-bulk shipping orders, and never break a sweat. While the other guys are looking for something to write on, I'm done and off to the next thing. No one I ever talked to has heard of using two monitors at the same time to make things easier and certainly faster. She said it's something she learned from taking a basic CAD system class one summer, told our IT system suppliers what she wanted, and, viola, here we are."

It was one of the very few times in his life Ryan Williams was unsure about anything. "Damn. What can I say? I mean, I know she's got brain power; I just never...well, you know. I'm as floored as you are. I'm almost afraid to tell her; hard telling what it would cost us. Suddenly Cinderella could run the whole place; well, maybe not the whole place, but a couple of major wings anyway. I really don't know where to go from here. Should I tell her?"

The three fell silent for a moment. Their operations to date had been very successful, but this new line was generating profits beyond anything they had encountered, and with virtually no investment in physical plant assets. It was a pleasant dilemma, but a dilemma none the less; the whole of the IT operation rested on the well shaped shoulders of one Laura Nessing, soon to be Mrs. Ryan Williams. If anything happened to her, things could go very wrong and very quickly. How much should they tell her about all this, and would it make a difference in their relationship? Cal broke the silence.

"Ryan, the obvious aside for a moment, why do you stay here, really? There's a ton of companies out there who would pay you megabucks just to sit in their boardroom now and then, and you wouldn't have to deal with day to day operations. Frankly, you have enough money in the bank for several people, you could play golf every day, run when you want, go deep sea fishing, whatever. Why do you stay, and Roger, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be retired. Me, I have a growing family to feed and house, but beside that, why do I show up here every day? Any ideas?"

"I don't know about Roger, but I pretty well started this place and grew with it and just kept going as it expanded. But, I see what you mean; I've never thought about it that way. I guess it's because this is what I do, what I truly like to do. You're right about the money, and I want for very little really. I do this because I want to see if I can, and it's not just me. You two aren't exactly starving either, and we have hundreds if not thousands of people better off today because they work for Windmere. So, maybe that's part of the reward too. This whole thing with Laura, it's crazy when you think about it. I mean, she really is Cinderella in a lot of ways. Push come to shove, you two need to know I'd take a pass on this place before I'd lose her; that's how deep it goes. But what about you Roger? You're being rather silent all of a sudden."

"And with good reason. What we're talking about, it's Maslow, isn't it? There I was, retired, plenty of money to live on, solid future doing nothing, but that was it, doing nothing that counted toward what, a lower golf score? What's that worth besides a little bragging? Here, I can direct traffic, take on a challenge. Hell, just the divorce hearing with Harry was worth coming to work for, and besides that, I got paid to do it. Fellas, it doesn't get any better than that, having fun doing what you love to do, and getting paid for it. I see what you mean, Ryan; it isn't about just the money, and since Laura's been here, that has become less important all the while it has been growing like a weed. You're right; there's craziness afoot, but I love it. Is that where you were going Cal?"

"It is. Sure, I need a job, and with this place as a reference, I've had my share of calls, but there's something about this place today that is more like a living organism than ever before. Maybe we tend to think in terms of physical plant, and not the people who really are the organization. Maybe we need to change that. I think you need to at least let her know how big a part of this place she has become; that would only be fair, marriage or not. My guess is, she's into the program like we are; she'd stay anyway, and besides, Ryan, I don't think she's going to let go of you. So, I think you need to bring her up to speed; after all, in a month or so, unless you're holding out on us, she's gonna be the boss lady in more ways than one."

"You're right. She's earned a right to the information, and speaking of that, we will have no pre-nup. I can see where that could be necessary for some people, but I know this woman and she knows me; the subject never came up, nor will it if I have anything to say about it. Okay, I'll handle bringing her up to speed. Now, what about a bonus fund for 'deserving personnel'. Looks like the kitty is about overflowing. Thoughts on that subject?"

The three of them massaged the information a bit, looking at their capital needs for the next year, estimated cost of property acquisition, an annual stock dividend, and other things in the big picture of the operation. At the end of the discussion, subtracting out all the designated funds, there was still a sizeable amount of revenue coming in beyond the company's needs. Based on their experience, there was no one good way to award the bonus money, so in the end result they developed a formula with a minimum level so even short term employees would benefit, while the others would be fairly rewarded. They agreed there would be no discussion of percentages or things like that, just an announcement that the checks would be a little fatter in two weeks. Ryan agreed to talk to Laura about the success of her IT operations and what it had meant to the company bottom line, and the other two started moving things along toward the Saturday meeting.

Later that day when they had a few minutes alone, Ryan filled Laura in on the discussion about the success of the IT operation and how pleasantly surprised they had been. And, because of that, the excess funds would result in bonus checks for a lot of people who had worked really hard, including Laura. He concluded the discussion by suggesting perhaps she should get an even bigger share for all the hard work she had put in to engender that success.

"Don't be silly. I'd love a bonus check, sure, but that's not why I do this. It's like, I don't know, being something as part of a larger picture, maybe giving away food, taking in young girls with babies, stuff like that; am I nuts or something?"

"Nope. You're great, as expected. Cal and Roger and I were talking about that this morning, and they said about the same thing; but, you know why? They say it's you. You have become Windmere's personality, it's soul so to speak. We would never have thought to do some of those things you did; Alice would not have reassessed her life and made a life changing leap like she did. This place has changed. We didn't sit there and talk about what property we could buy next or something we could develop; we talked about the people that make up Windmere, you know, all creatures great and small. Roger's right; the place is alive again, and so am I, and I love you very much. Would you marry me someday, maybe the Saturday between Christmas and New Years?"

"I will. You can't buy me off with a bonus check either. But come closer and I'll show you what will work on...mmmm...."

The remaining days of the week went even faster than Monday as plans came together. It appeared they would have a rather good turnout in spite of the short notice, and Laura looked forward to meeting some of the people she had only heard about, the "travelers" Windmere used to conduct their field operations test services on clients places of business. Mostly, these were everyday people who had worked their way into a lucrative and very entertaining good time, for the cost of doing a little paperwork for the company. It was no secret how Ryan had managed to come up with a cadre of surveyors; he had simply approached the members of the local amateur theater company after he and Mary had attended a performance for an entertaining diversion one evening. It was simple, he thought, to go from learning lines for a play and learning essentially the same thing for a road trip. The theater company was thrilled at the prospect of paid vacations, plus some badly needed revenue for their small theater operation. The whole thing was rehearsed on weekends at Windmere itself until the travelers could play their parts with skill and ease. The diversity of the group itself made it work even better, and the individuals command of language made their reports not only readable but more importantly, understandable to clients in exquisite detail if needed. Because some members were retired, and some worked different days or hours, Windmere was not limited to providing their services only on weekends. There was a tendency of resorts to staff down a bit during the week when there might be fewer paying customers, and that is frequently when weak points would best be discovered by the travelers. If nothing else, it was a very rewarding symbiotic relationship.

Saturday came, and with it more people than Laura had seen at Windmere since the auto parts deal she had aced. The mood was very upbeat as people who saw each other rarely were trying to catch up. Some of the off-site managers had been able to make the trip in, which delighted the airport manager with the landing fees accumulating in the register. Even more importantly, Doris had been right about the food, as usual. Both Henry and Fernando were kept busy, although those who elected the "hot" version from Fernando were also seen consuming large glasses of juice to quench the fire down below after eating. Laura was introduced to many of the travelers, and to those managers who could make the trip; she was surprised that everyone seemed to know a great deal more about her than she knew about them. She surmised, correctly, that Windmere had few secrets among its ranks.

Nine o'clock, and with the great room packed to the doors, Roger started with a general report and some slides showing the overall progress in operations during the year in various categories, everything from growth in employment numbers to growth in actual revenues. He particularly outlined the growth in vended IT services, and gave Laura all the credit for the new direction Windmere had taken along with its more traditional lines of service. Winding things down, Roger took a few minutes to explain that the unexpected increase in revenue had caused a serious management planning problem, that is, what to do with the excessive funds. A number of suggestions were shouted from the crowd, none impolite or unrepeatable, but Roger kept going. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of dithering, but in reality was less than a minute, he reported that the funds would be disbursed in bonus packages during the next regularly scheduled payday. The applause was deafening, interspersed with a few yells plus a strange native noise Fernando had been known to emit from time to time.

Winding down his portion, Roger once again gained the crowd's attention. "That about wraps it up for me for this year, except to say you are a great staff, a great family, and together we beat hell out of the competition. Truthfully, we have seen a few competitors arise in the past couple of years, and die off about as fast. We have added services faster than the competition can think of them, and this last thing, the IT services, has them really scratching for something they can advertise they do better than Windmere does. I believe we are in this for the long haul, and it's going to take a Brinks truck to handle the load. If there is an area of operation in which I have a concern, it is in the staffing of management here at the home office. I believe we have hit upon a partial solution to the retention problem, now that certain staff members are becoming well known outside of Windmere, and the headhunters are knocking regularly; isn't that true Laura? So, I give you Ryan Williams to discuss that issue. Mr. Williams."

The assembled staff was somewhat puzzled by this turn of events, but realized these people had a unique way of making things come out right. And in the process it was certainly not beyond them to have a little fun. Most were well aware of the events in Ryan's life, the loss of Mary, his love of children, the weight of sadness he carried for a long time. Yet today, he seemed happier, more cheerful, more like his former self; many of them knew about the relationship with Laura and how things were developing, although most were not quite up to date with things. They also knew that Laura had stepped into the shoes of Alice Hamilton and wore them well along with her other duties. There were, indeed, few secrets at Windmere. Ryan stood to address the assemblage, with as solemn a face as anyone could imagine.

"My friends, in order to assure the peace and domestic tranquility... Wait a minute. I think that speech has been done once. But speaking of domestic tranquility, I find that working next door to this woman, this Laura person, who of late has become a real moving force at Windmere, is making life difficult for me. I find it is nearly impossible to come in here in the morning and be grumpy all day. Passing her in the corridor...well...I just want to turn around and look back. It's that sort of thing going on that can disrupt the social structure of an office so much that it is barely functional. And I find that I need to leave my office frequently just to look in hers to make sure she's still with us. I have discussed this with her at some length in private, and I believe we have reached an amicable solution. In short, we have a deal. But, businessman that I am, I would like to present that deal to the stockholders for your approval. Ms Laura, please rise."

Laura hesitated at first, wondering what this man she so loved was up to, but gave in quickly. "Ryan, what's going on? What are you up to?"

"Nope, not good enough. Here, up on the chair." And placing his hands on her waist, he literally picked her up and stood her on a chair for all to see. Her puzzlement grew, but she loved and trusted this man, and if this was what he wanted to do, well, it was fine with her.

"Okay, can everybody see her now, our IT guru and princess of the domain? Here's the deal. Laura, will you marry me on the Saturday after Christmas, to have and to hold, and all that, forevermore? People, here's your chance to vote. What do you think?"

The chant started as a roar and grew ever louder by the second: "Say yes, say yes, say yes..." so loud, Ryan could barely hear her reply and she had to shout it out over the crown noise. "Yes, yes, yes you crazy man; I'll marry you!"

The chant dissolved into general applause and cheering. In retrospect, it was unclear if everyone was really that happy for Ryan and Laura, or if it had something to do with the hot pepper omelets that morning; regardless, the people had spoken, and now wanted to hear more.

"Okay. With every deal, there is a plan, and we have that all worked out, with the help of some of you, probably a lot of you. You are invited. We know the time. My job is to find the place and things like that. I'm a manager, and you all know what that means: I know what to say, but have no idea how to actually get it done; that's why all of you have jobs, and partly why all of you are here. We gonna need a little help here with this. Okay? Big picture: the ceremony will be in a tent on the grounds, weather permitting or not; we have no backup plan. The reception following that will be in the Great Room of the White House; dinner will be served somewhere in here eventually. Open bar. Any questions?"

The hall that had been noisy before was now very, very quiet. Finally Franz, in his halting speech, broke the silence. "Did you say the White House Great Room? We are to open the White House, is that right?"

"You are right my friend; open the White House. It's been closed too long and needs some sunshine, and probably a lot of dusting. I know you and Dennis have been taking care of it the past couple of years, and I thank you for that. You know, it isn't exactly easy to disguise footprints as big or deep as his. Let me assure you; you did the right thing. So, that's it. I have a bride to be, I have a time, and I have a place, and I have all of you. My job here is done; anyone for seconds in the kitchen? I believe this meeting is adjourned. Okay Roger?"

"You got it. I need a brief chat with the travelers please, just a couple of minutes."

And with that, the meeting broke into small chat groups of friends, some with Roger or Cal, others just as friends. Ryan and Laura made their way around the room greeting people and receiving their congratulations. Wandering back into the kitchen for the moment, Laura noticed Leslie standing to one side, enjoying another cinnamon roll and a cup of Windmere's finest coffee, but without a baby on her arm.

"Les, good to see you this morning, but aren't you missing someone? I'm not used to seeing you empty armed."

"Oh, Laura, no, he's here, just not right here. There he is; see? But mom, I think maybe I screwed up this morning."

"What happened, Les?"

"Cindy had to work and Jason came over to bring me here. I cooked breakfast for him and all that, then told him I had to feed my baby before we could leave. He asked if he could watch, and I said okay. I mean, I know I'm nursing; how could I forget that? I guess I wasn't thinking or maybe just wanting to have him stay around. Anyway, I do my feeding in the rocker, so I went on in, unbuttoned, unhooked, and plugged in; simple as that. What was I going to do, tell him no at that point? Anyway, I promised."

"How did he react? He didn't know before time you were breast feeding?"

"No, he's just never been there and I guess I never mentioned it. But, mom, it gets weirder. He seemed a little embarrassed at first, maybe more than a little, but after a few minutes he said in a real funny sounding voice it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he'd wait in the kitchen. It sounded like he was all choked up, and I cried after he left the room. No one has ever said anything like that to me before, not ever. How bad do you think I screwed things up?"

"Les, not at all. I think you got to see a side of him most women never get to see in their men, and I do think he may be your man. I wouldn't go around doing that little act a lot in public, but it is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, and I think he very much respects that you are a good mother. Is this him coming now?"

"That's him, and thanks mom; I feel better about things now."

"And don't call me mom."

"Okay, mom."

Laura had noticed the tall, well built young man only from the side, and knew he looked a little familiar but was not someone she actually knew. Now that he approached face on, Laura could see that the facial resemblance to Cindy Jefferson was unmistakable, as much as the baby in the new front carrier resembled Leslie. The look on Leslie's face summed things up pretty well; like Laura, she had gone from somewhere below zero, to regaining her pride in herself and what she wanted to be.

"Mom...I mean Laura...this is Jason Jefferson, Cindy's brother. He's a fireman and teaches some of the EMT classes I take. I don't know why, but he likes wearing babies around his neck...this one anyway."

"Pleased to meet you ma'am. Les has told me a lot about you, and what you've done for her. I sure appreciate that, not that it's any of my business, but it sure seems nice of you to do, you know, like that."

Laura intervened before he ran out of oxygen trying to thank her. "Look, someone helped me, and I think it's right to help someone else, sort of pass it along. Les just looked like she needed a hand up, that's all. Besides, she's a great employee, and we're proud of what she's doing with her life. She told me about you, too, working on Cindy's house. Sounds like you're a great brother to have around. And you're welcome here anytime, preferably not in an official capacity though."

Jason laughed. "I see what you mean. Anyway, I do plan to be around, as least as long as Les is around. I just sort of standby in case she needs any more help all of a sudden, you know."

"Come on Jason; I'm not old enough to be your mother, but I can read a man's face, and I like yours. Les seems to like you, and if you like her back, that's a good start. We're sort of like a family here; once you're in, it's hard to get rid of us."

"You're not kidding. That big guy over there saw me come in with Les and watched me all the way through the room. Sort of scared me, he did, not that I can't handle myself."

Laura followed his gaze, and landed on...Dennis Anderson. "Not to worry about him. Dennis will only mangle you into bits if you don't treat Les right. He has a bad temper about things like that. Les, you need to introduce them, so Dennis doesn't worry."

"Okay, mom."

"And quit calling me mom. Next thing you'll be wanting tuition money from me."

"Nope. You already got that for me. Thanks, mom. Come on Jase; time to meet Dennis the Menace." And off they went.

By the end of the day Laura was convinced there was some sort of plot working toward having her marry Ryan, not that she minded. Things just seemed to fall into place, and Ryan adding the White House was totally unexpected. She knew what it meant to him, and when they had time to sit and feel each others' warmth and presence, she finally decided she had to know. "Ryan, you didn't have to include the White House; I know the history and how deeply ingrained in you that history is, and I can sense how difficult that must have been for you. But I already love you, and you don't have to prove anything."

"It's not that I'm trying to prove anything, unless maybe to myself. You're right about the house holding a special place for me, but you're in that special place now. I told Jack that things get better, that we shouldn't ever forget the past, but that we shouldn't let the past control us. My memories of things past don't change things present. Truthfully, when Mary died, I wanted to die too, but I didn't; and now I see that I had a lot left to do. I don't know why she had to go, but I had no power over that, and it's over and done. Much as I loved her, and miss her, I can't have her back. But, I need someone to love me for being me, and I need to love them for being who they are, and that's why I love you. As much as you are like Mary in many ways, you are so opposite in many others; you're two different people. I loved her very much in the there and then; I love you very much in the here and now. Does that make sense at all?"

"It does. You are who I believe you are, and I understand that, and love you the more for it. This has been one crazy day. Think things will calm down a bit after we're married?"

"I hope not. But just in case we ever have a fight or something, I think we should practice making up, you know, sort of a rehearsal, in case we ever have to know that sort of thing. Maybe if you just sort of turned around so I could get both arms around you... There, that's much better. Now, where were we....?"

Sometime in the small hours, after they awoke and found their interlocked arms totally asleep and had a good laugh about it, they parted for the day, looking toward a future that promised to hold as much organized chaos, and love, as they could stand.

Chapter Twenty – Alice's Return

The ensuing weeks between their date setting and the actual day of the wedding flew like the wind. Guest loading business actually increased, which kept the home facility itself very busy. It had become apparent to some companies that having a holiday party in a controlled environment away from the office would generate the desired familiarity between managers from different branches, but would avoid the pitfalls so often seen where familiarity and alcohol generated unacceptable behavior. Then, too, there were the Thanksgiving Holiday festivities to deal with thrown into the mix, not to mention school events involving Jack and Amanda. It was during a quiet evening repast with just the four of them when Jack mentioned the school activities in the upcoming weeks. The Conyerville school district had neglected to keep up with the times, in particular where keeping religion out of holiday activities came into play. It wasn't that they flaunted their violation of state school policy, they simple disregarded it as a matter of course, and people came to like it that way. It was a very fine line they toed, but they managed somehow to continue flying under the governmental radar. And so it was that both Jack and Amanda had events for parents to attend. After talking about what they would be involved in, Jack asked his mother if she thought maybe she could come to see him.

"Of course Jack, I wouldn't miss it, you know that. And I'll get to yours too Amanda. You kids are pretty high up my list you know."

What caught Laura by surprise was the deep male voice next to her saying "Wouldn't miss it for the world. You know, some of our travelers are getting on in years. I need to start looking for some good actors to replace them. Besides, if you're anything like your mother, you'll look great in a spotlight." Richard had never ever attended anything for either child, regardless of what it was, and here was a man to whom she was not yet married taking time from a hectic schedule to spend time with two little kids. It was true that she was sure he was developing a love for them as his own, yet to actually take that step was a notable milestone. But just to be sure, she turned to face him and asked for a little assurance it was all true:

"Can you go, really? The kids would love it, but I thought you were out of town that day and wouldn't be back until later. Really, if you can't, just the thought you would try to be there would mean a lot to them."

"Can't miss my first opportunity to see them perform. Besides, I overheard Marie the other day talking about it, so I called the school and checked. They were a little reluctant to talk to me, until I told them I planned on coming with you. Guess I sort of invited myself, if that's okay. I reassigned my travel to someone closer to the site; they needed a break from routine, and so did I. Did I do good?"

"You could not have done better. I know we haven't been through any ceremony or anything like that yet, but right now you are a better dad than these kids have ever known. Where have you been all my life?"

Jack had been listening and watching as the adults turned toward each other: "Look out Mandy, I think it's gonna get mushy in here and...eeeahhha!"

Laura had gathered Jack up and was planting little kisses all over his face, while he wriggled mightily to get free and Amanda went into the giggles. "Mushy, mushy, mushy. I'll show you mushy." Laura intoned, while Jack broke down in gales of laughter. Not to be left out, Amanda jumped into Ryan's lap, wound both arms around his neck, and asked if he would come see her as well. Assured that he would, peace finally ensued, and they returned to a little quieter time; Laura would remember it later as the most "family" thing she had ever seen in her married life, at least where she and her children were concerned, and she wasn't even married to this man, yet.

Later in the week when they actually attended the school activities, Laura learned something else. She thought about it later and decided maybe her senses were a little keener with Ryan at her side, or maybe she was getting territorial about him. She didn't catch it at first, walking through the corridors, but when she paused for a moment to look aside at a display, she realized several women they had just passed had slowed and turned enough to look back at them. Laura was sure they were not looking at her, or her children, but solely at Ryan. At first she dismissed it, but involuntarily checked over her shoulder the next time they passed some women, and sure enough, they looked back. They had been walking along more or less as a group, but now Laura moved closer to Ryan and interlocked her arm around his, almost as a defiant gesture to the other women around. In his maleness, Ryan simply enjoyed her closeness, never realizing the stir he was causing.

Stopping for a treat after the school activities, Ryan was seated where he could observe the playroom, while Laura placed the order and the kids burned energy at will. The familiar voice that greeted him was from a temp who had worked at Windmere several years previous, and who had kept her eye on Ryan from the outset. She knew he was married at the time, but she also knew Mary had passed away, and as near as she knew, he was a single and very eligible man.

"Ryan, how nice to see you again. How are things with you?"

It never dawned on Ryan this woman was on the hunt, and he was in her sights. "Oh, Gail, good to see you. Things are going good for me. And you?"

"Really good, now. I stopped dating the guy I was seeing back when I was working at Windmere, so my life is less complicated, and I have some free time to enjoy. I was sorry to hear about Mary; I enjoyed knowing her. But, life does go on, like it or not. So, what have you been up to recently? Anything good?"

"Yes, he has been up to some good things. He's really great with my kids, soon to be our kids." Laura had come up on them so quickly it was almost as though she appeared magically. "Ryan, that tray's going to be pretty heavy. Could you carry it to the table please?" And with that, things became perfectly clear to Gail that Ryan was no longer a fish in the sea. Although they exchanged pleasantries, Gail melted away quickly, but not before Ryan caught the scent of animosity between the two women. It was not something he had ever bothered himself with, but obviously Laura did, and he was concerned about allowing any misunderstanding, however small, entering into their relationship.

Later in the evening, kids asleep in their beds, Ryan and Laura were having a nightcap before separating for the night, chatting about minor things they needed to discuss concerning their upcoming wedding. Laura remembered the incident in the ice cream shop earlier in the evening, and needed to clarify things a bit, as much in her own mind as for Ryan.

"I need to tell you I'm sorry about that little fit I threw when we stopped for a treat. I don't know exactly what set me off, but I want you to know it was my fault and I won't let it happen again. It wasn't very fair to you, putting you in the middle like that. So, I'm sorry. Okay?"

"I knew something was wrong, and that you were clearly upset, but I didn't understand what happened. Really, all she did was stop to say hello to me. That's all."

"Look, we think differently. Men and women are just different...."

"For which I will eternally be grateful, especially in your case."

"Me too, but let me finish, okay? What you heard was her asking how you were, but what I heard was her telling you she had dumped her boyfriend, she knew you were flying solo since Mary was gone, and the way she was standing said she wanted to take you for a test drive. You were obviously sitting there waiting for someone since you weren't in line or eating, and the only other people in the place were me and the kids. I guess I saw her as invading my territory, and I know I don't own you or anything, so I shouldn't have reacted so quickly.. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive. You do own my heart, and I guess I'd be a little put out if you didn't defend your territory. So, suppose we call it a draw for now. I can put my class ring on my ring finger and wear it upside down so it looks like a wedding band, if you like, until I get the real thing. I know: how about a nose ring with a string on it for a leash? Are we having a lover's 'incident'? If we are, can we practice making up now? I'd like that."

"You're smart mouthing me, aren't you, and I'm trying to be serious."

"No, ma'am; I'm being very serious. I understand the deal, but if you think I'm smart mouthing you, meet me halfway around the table and I'll show you what else we could be doing."

So ended the discussion about Gail. Laura satisfied herself that Ryan either didn't read Gail's advertising, or discretion being the better part of valor, had elected to ignore the signs. Either way, Laura felt assured he was not vulnerable to approaches from other women, and her concern receded.

Christmas Day morning saw the four of them in the cottage. Virtually all activity at Windmere had stopped for the day. Other facilities would be operating full tilt, but the home office had done quite well during the year, and in truth, decided to take the day off. People would check in from time to time, and being on-call was assigned to top management in three hour increments so everyone had a fair shot at an uninterrupted day. It was notable of the Windmere operation that the home office had sufficient confidence in their operators at other locations that they could virtually shut down for a while; it was something developed over the years by giving those operators the confidence to make decisions based on their training and knowledge of their operations. The only caveat was that the operator making the decision be able to justify the reasoning. It was a productive system that tended to weed out those unable to handle the demands of being decisive based on the best information at the time. Not one operator had ever been discharged for failure to act in a crises, even though not all of their actions had been exactly correct. It was more important that they be seen as doing something proactive, right or wrong, than being weighed down with inertia.

Laura had warned Ryan to be up early or miss the ripping open of gifts. She was grateful that she had the income to buy things for the kids, and was equally grateful that she did not have to justify her purchases to anyone. Ryan was totally lost about what kids wanted or needed, so the two of them had done some joint shopping. Although he did come up with a couple of things on his own, he ran his ideas past Laura before ordering, just to make sure they were both doing the right thing. It would not, she assured him, get any easier, because kids grew and changed so quickly and people who marketed to kids were both greedy and devious. That aside for the moment, Ryan arrived early enough, and with a good morning kiss to sweeten his coffee, the two of them awaited the still sleeping children. They had discovered to their surprise that as the day of their marriage grew closer, they not only grew closer to each other, but if they had any apprehensions about it, those apprehensions diminished in the anticipation of the many good things that day would bring.

The waiting was soon over as both Jack and Amanda appeared to pop out of their beds at the same moment. Laura maintained strict rules on morning hygiene, but that was disposed of quickly and the kids piled into the living room. Past Christmas Day activities had virtually been programmed into them: open things, say thank you, take things to your room if you ever want to see them again. It was one more thing about Richard that Laura had learned to loath, but today she was not married to him anymore and the kids were allowed to be kids. Laura had restrained herself, and Ryan to a degree, so there was an impressive array of presents, but not so much as to be overwhelming. The other precaution she had taken was to remind Ryan that these were kids and that their priorities were not always the same as the adults in the room; she did so to protect his feelings just in case he gave them something that was not an immediate hit. It was an effort without future justification. At the same time, it was curious to her that while she knew Ryan had purchased some things, she had seen him bring nothing into the cottage. There was the usual assortment of clothing, kid's books for later reading on someone's lap, and an assortment of toys and games. When they had finally worked their way through about everything, Ryan announced that Santa had mistakenly left some things in the big house and that he had brought them along that morning. Asking the kids to help, he opened the front door and rolled in a four wheel cart Laura recognized as coming from the kitchen, but laden with several packages instead of equipment.

"Carefully, carefully. We don't want your mom to yell at us for messing the place up." In truth, the place already looked like a confetti plant, and Laura laughed at his incongruous remark.

"Jack, I think this may belong to you. Mandy, I'll have something for you in just a minute, okay?" Ryan's biceps bulged under the weight of the package. Whatever it contained belied the pretty wrapping paper. Jack tore into the paper, to expose a very heavy packing box under it. They virtually needed some kitchen tools to get the box open, but when the top flaps finally yielded to the pull of young hands, Jack's eyes widened until Laura thought they might meet in the middle; she caught it with her camera just in time.

"Franz, and Santa, tell me these engines are pretty temperamental, but once tuned correctly, they are both powerful and have a high top end. I know you may not recognize the name right now, but you will in time."

"Yes sir, I recognize the name, I just can't say it very good and I don't think Franz can say it at all, but I've seen pictures of 'em on things, mostly carts and stuff like that. I can't wait to find something to put this one on and see it run."

"Tell you what, Jack; after we get done here, and you get some breakfast in you, suppose we go over to the carriage house and see what else may have come along with this and just got dropped off in the wrong place. Franz said he had some weird things there, oh, and by the way, here's one more thing you'll need eventually. Your mother said it is a requirement. Okay?"

Ryan handed the boy a smaller, lighter package for him to open. Laura was quick with the camera when Jack managed to free a helmet with visor, chin strap, and flame painting, from the box. The grin on the boy's face literally lit up the room. Ryan was delighted at the way things were working out, and he had cleared it all before taking the plunge into go-cart racing for the boy who would soon be his son. In her own wisdom, Laura trusted this man to do the right things with her only son, and while she was not exactly entranced at the thought of racing, Ryan had all the facts on his side. He pointed out how few things really went wrong in cart racing compared to kids left to develop bad habits on their own, and he would be there to watch as much as possible at the local track. It was truly a father-son moment.

"Thank you sir, this is the bestest present I ever got from anybody. I promise I'll take great care of it, and I'll always wear my helmet."

"You're welcome Jack; it's my pleasure. But, remember to wear that helmet or your mother will beat both of us. Now, I have a little something for your sister, who has been waiting very patiently. Amanda, can you help me with this box?"

Lightning couldn't have been faster to get to Ryan's side as they slid the huge box off the cart. It really wasn't all that heavy, but Ryan made a show of it anyway. Laura had known about the engine and the cart awaiting assembly, but this one was a secret even to her. Finally, with the box placed in the middle of the floor, Amanda started in with the unwrapping, tearing through what seemed like layer after layer of paper and packing material. The pile of discarded material grew considerably before she came to what looked like the final wrap, a soft cottony blanket of material gently placed around whatever was contained. As the removed material started to expose the contents, Laura gasped aloud. Jack was pretty busy in his own world, but stopped examining the engine for a minute, and the eager Amanda made short work of the remaining wrap. There it stood, a dollhouse sized version of the White House, the place they had only seen from the road, but which in only a few more days they could enter. The real significance was probably lost on Amanda, who was simply thrilled to have the huge dollhouse to play with, but Laura looked at Ryan for some explanation.

"It took a little doing to come up with this. After the plans for the White House were drawn up and construction completed, I took the drawings to a model builder and asked him to build a replica sized so scale model furniture would go with it. My plan was to give it to my little girl someday, but things didn't work out so well with that idea. Anyway, it's here today, and there's a little girl here; I think she likes it. How about her mother?"

"You never cease to amaze me. And by the way, as of this Saturday afternoon, you will have a little girl. Remember? We're a package deal."

"And I like the package very much, especially what I see from here. Now, before I forget entirely, here's the box with the furniture. We can move this whole thing into the bedroom before she gets too far with it."

"Ryan, that's my only concern about this doll house. There isn't much room left in here now that we have managed to gain back some possessions. I'm afraid the house could be damaged if it stays here; I wouldn't want that to happen, and I know Amanda would be upset, so...."

"Not to worry. Remember our deal: you do weddings, I do real estate. I'm working on a solution to that problem even as we speak. Trust me on this; I can work it out. Okay?"

"Yes, okay. I know you have some way of making things all work out for us. Guess I should trust you one more time. But really, are you looking at a place? I know, I know, that's your part of the deal, but us girls get curious now and then. Any hints?"

"Nope, no hints, but the answer is that I'm getting pretty close. Besides, we will be married in a few more days, and after that suppose you, we, I mean, you know, suppose there's more of us in the future. I'm taking all that into account. Anyway, I think I'm getting too weak to do much on that just now."

"I got the hint. Southwestern omelet? Or do we move the dollhouse into the bedroom first, or are you going to go carting with the guys first, or is there something else you'd like to do?"

"There is, but I'll settle for an omelet first. Oh, by the way, Santa left this for you."

Ryan extracted a small elongated box, neatly wrapped, from his pocket. From the look of the paper, Laura surmised correctly that a store had wrapped it, but it was coming from Ryan's hands and that is what mattered. With the kids absorbed in their own activities, it was almost as though Laura and Ryan were in the room alone when she finally opened the box cover. Typical of a jeweler, it was a box within a box, but that was quickly resolved by her nimble fingers. Raising the lid, Laura could only hold her breath at the sight of the diamond necklace and matching earrings. If there was a moment of doubt, it was dispelled by the tiny sticker of origin in the corner of the box.

"Do you like them?"

"Oh my God, Ryan, I'm shaking. I know you love me, I do, but this is crazy; they had to cost a fortune."

"Let's see how they look on you. Ready? Let's go into the bedroom for a moment so you can see yourself in the mirror."

In the bedroom, Ryan fastened the necklace as Laura donned the earrings with shaking hands. Kissing her gently on the back of the neck, he asked again. "Like them?"

"Yes you crazy man. I love them, but you don't have to do things like this. I mean, we have a wedding to pay for and all that. You are what I want. They're beautiful and I love them, but we can take them back."

"Nope, no going back. Besides, I did this to prove a point."

"Prove a point? What do you mean?"

"I told the jeweler that only around your neck would they achieve true beauty, nowhere else. I was right, of course, so there they stay. Now, this doesn't change anything for the wedding does it, like color of clothes or flowers or something? That was the only thing I was worried about, really."

"No, no changes, unless I could move it up to right now. Do you know how frustrating it is when you do things like this for me, and you're this close to me, and there's a bed right there, and I can't do a damned thing about it? You just wait, my man. I can't let you get away with this."

"I'm counting on it, but I did it because I love you and I want everyone to know it and if you like them, well then, that's all there is to it. But, I could use just a little sample of what you're talking about, then we need to get out of the bedroom before I change my mind. I'm starting to weaken pretty quickly."

Laura delivered a sample of what was to come, pressing her length against him in the process, arms wrapped tight around him. The remainder of the day was less eventful, at least between the two of them. After breakfast, Jack and Ryan took the new engine to the carriage house to discover what more lay in store, while Laura and Amanda unpacked the furniture and set up housekeeping in the doll house. Laura mused to herself that it was the best Christmas Day she had spent in a decade, but not because of the diamonds; it was the best because there was happiness, everyone there wanted to be there, and they cared about each other without reservation.

The project at the White House was pretty much a labor of love for those involved. Dennis and Franz had never given it up for lost, maintaining it as needed to keep everything functioning, sure in their hearts that one day it would regain its place in Ryan's life. They found it interesting that only the great room had been called into use with wedding activities, but when the doors were opened again, an entire housekeeping crew started in on all the ground floor rooms. The theory was, they were told, that accumulated dust could migrate from room to room, so it all had to be removed, all furniture waxed, area carpets cleaned, chandelier crystals polished, everything to spotless condition, including the kitchen equipment. The guys weren't much on cleaning techniques, but the physical plant was put in mint condition, including the new voice recognition access devices on the outside doors and a wireless communicator with the IT system in the big house. Dennis had a crew working the grounds as soon as he could round them up, trimming and pruning; even the cemetery was looking good, although the American Beauty rose bush was a little less than beautiful in appearance. Still, it was the winter season, and the rose was resting until the Spring growing season. If there was a surprise in all the activity, it came that Friday afternoon as staff was leaving for the day. The downstairs of the house was spotless and more than ready for the big event the next day, but when the head housekeeper called a meeting right at quitting time, she called all staff, not just those who would be helping out on Saturday. The assembled group was told they were to store their equipment in the pantry room for the moment, not in their usual work areas, and that as of Monday morning, they were to return to the White House for work, not their regular positions. No more information than that was given, except for the admonishment to not discuss their Monday morning assignments with anyone if they loved their jobs. It would be a secret well kept.

The next big event Windmere saw during the week was on Thursday morning. In her office to keep up with the flow of work, Laura heard Marcia answer the phone, yell something like "You're in", and then do an all-call on the in-house pager system. Curious about all the excitement from this normally very stable and quiet employee, Laura poked her head out of her office to see what was going on.

"She's back! Alice is back. Come on; we gotta go see. I got my wireless on." and indeed Marcia had her headset with the tiny antenna poking up so she could staff the main phone line and still be free to roam at will in the office area. Whether it would work all the way to the carriage house did not appear to be paramount in her mind at the moment.

"Go! I'm right behind you. Did you tell the guys?"

"I did an all-call as soon as I knew. Franz wants them at the carriage house so he can plug them into power. Is this place crazy or what?"

"Are you telling me things used to be a little dull around here?"

"They were until you showed up. Nothing has been the same since. I don't want to bring up bad memories or anything, but even your divorce hearing was almost fun. I know the judge had a good time. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have brought that up, not with Saturday being your big day and all."

"No, that's okay. The divorce had to be done so all this could happen, but believe me, I sure didn't plan it, and I wouldn't change a minute of it, even if I could. Yell at Doris when we go by, or whoever is working the kitchen today; I can't keep track anymore."

And out the back door they went to the carriage house, just in time to see the big motor home make the circle at the end of the road to the golf course and start back toward the carriage house. Everything seemed to be in place, except that it appeared somehow incongruous that Vinnie was standing talking to Franz about the plug-in, and the motor home was now moving toward them. Vinnie positioned himself by the building, and using hand signals as though he were guiding an airliner into a gate, motioned the big machine into position. Once it was stopped and the engine turned off, he turned to Laura and Marcia.

"Okay; I think it's safe enough now. I know you want to, so go on in; you kids too if you want. Door's open."

Laura was first in the door, with the rest close on her heels. It was a sight worth a thousand words, and those probably couldn't describe it with accuracy. In the large captain's chair that served as a driver's seat was Alice Hamilton Lupinacci, in shorts, strappy sandals for footwear, and a lightweight sweatshirt that read "Grandma", green eyeshade on her head, plus a large coffee mug on the console beside her. Spinning around in the chair, she jumped down to hug and be hugged. Laura found it hard to believe this was the staid, self-contained, example setting Alice who had left them such a short time before.

"Alice, I'm amazed. You really drive this cruiser down the road?"

Vinnie's voice responded from behind them. "Hell, I can't get her out of the seat. Every morning, soon as the big Cat is ready to purr, we're pounding down the pavement. I think we even forgot to unplug a couple of times before we left. Woman is a white line fever demon; I just close my eyes and pray."

"Yah, yah. I can see better than he can, and besides, he's busy playing with his thing, you know, that GPS thingy, and his laptop, trying to figure out either where we've been, or where we're going. Something like that. But how've you all been, and how are things coming for the big day Saturday. I know I can't wait; I can imagine how you feel. So, what's new? Talk to me."

"And I can't believe I'm seeing you in a sweat shirt, not the Alice Hamilton I used to know."

"I think she may be gone for good. I wear this because, just between you and me..."

Alice leaned close to Laura's ear before continuing the conversation.

"Alice Hamilton. You wouldn't! Really? No, I don't believe you."

"Believe. Truck stops, scenic overlooks, once in a national park. It's convenient as hell to have a bedroom on wheels," and seeing two sets of rounded eyes looking at her quickly added "...in case at our age we need to take a nap after lunch." But her eyes told Laura a far different story. "At our ages, we need to keep cashing those checks as long as there's money in the bank."

The three women exited the motor home, in time for Alice to get an enveloping bear hug from Dennis, and a just as enthusiastic but potentially less harmful one from Franz. While Vinnie took care of securing the touring machine to sit for a couple days, the ladies headed for the kitchen and more chatter.

"Alice, I have to tell you, we're using the great room in the White House for the reception. Ryan made me promise I wouldn't go in until I go in as his wife; believe me, that's an easy promise to keep; I would much rather be his wife than look at a room."

"Ah, but you haven't seen the room yet. Anyway, you get to do both in almost hours now. It sounds like you're making some real progress with our boy; going back into the White House has to be difficult for him at best, but I think he's well into being on the mend from that wound. I knew it would take time."

They were at the kitchen door then, where Alice and Doris greeted each other like sisters, which in many respects they were. "One with French Vanilla creamer and no sugar, one with no creamer but two sugars, and you, Missy, don't look like you're old enough to drink coffee yet."

Marcia was quick on the defensive; "No, but I'll help you elderly people pour if you like, so you don't spill too much in your tremors, then I have actual work to do."

"Sassy, isn't she, but just for that, please bring me a mug too. We have a lot to talk about and a short time to get caught up."

Marcia served up the coffee as promised, then retired to the office area to keep things under reasonable control, and to clue in the guys when they got back from their meeting later in the day. It was all deteriorating nicely, and the week still had two days to go.

Chapter Twenty-One – Wedding Wonders

Saturday dawned picture perfect, the winter sky azure blue with a few billowy white clouds scattered about to interrupt the backdrop. Although it was winter, even Ma Nature seemed to be in favor of this event as the temperature, never really cold-cold, had moderated temporarily with a warm front and pushed the air into the mid 60 range for mid-day. The big green striped tent rather blended into the landscape, and, always the prepared bunch, had an auxiliary heater in place, just in case. Ryan had been correct when he said there was no back-up plan; it was all go and go; there was no no-go permitted. The morning kitchen was riotous, particularly for Saturday when most activities were somewhat muted from the busy work week activities. Both Laura's parents and Ryan's parents had arrived Friday afternoon, partly to visit their children, but as much as to get to know one another better since they would now be related to some degree; they would even share grandchildren at some point in the future, and Jack and Amanda in the present day. They were about the same age, and aided and abetted by the newly-mischievous Alice Lupinacci, were in for the time of their lives.

Poker was pretty much a staple of all resorts, to some degree or other, and once the grounds tour, house tour, and general visiting with their kids was completed, Alice suggested a friendly game, joined by Vincent and whoever happened along. She had not forgotten the house rules, and carefully explained things before they got too deep into the proceedings. The game was set up in the first floor of the carriage house, since that was about the only place not already involved in the wedding arrangements. A second table was soon added as arriving wedding guests floated through the area and wanted in on the game. Vinnie turned out to be an excellent dealer in his own right, and again carefully explained the house rules. Although the playing did stop for the wedding, and occasionally for food or drink breaks, it continued for the better part of nearly 16 hours. In retrospect, several people won goodly sums, and with the house limit on loss, no one suffered much. Weeks later reminiscing about the games when they were back on the road, Alice and Vinnie realized what a unique assortment of characters had been in the carriage house at one point in time, when play had resumed after the wedding. Alice admitted that even with her vast knowledge of Windmere clients, she did not know some of the persons in attendance. It was, she opined, a little like a UN conference, but without the infighting. Each time someone new joined in, the house rules and loss limits were carefully explained, but at one point a gentleman at Alice's table asked to suspend the game for a moment while they had a discussion.

"This is America, the U S of A, right?" was his opening discussion line.

"It is." was all Alice could say at the moment, not seeing where this was headed.

"Land of opportunity and free will, right?"

"Well, yes, but not without limits. The house rules are so everyone can play and no one gets in trouble at home by losing too much money. That's why we have the rules, sort of as an equalizer." Alice had hoped the re-explanation would clarify things, but it didn't seem to help.

"And as I understand it, the house profits go to a charity. Right?"

"True. We distribute the winnings to a couple or three places, as needed."

"What I propose is that the rules be suspended for six hands and six hands only. That way, each of us has a chance to win for a select charity. I will represent, let me see, do you have a Catholic Church?"

"We do, St. Matthews."

"Okay, that's mine. I hope I win good pots; I have some things to atone for. Name five other charities, one for each of these gentlemen. Each of us will write a number on a slip of paper, the amount we feel comfortable with losing, no questions asked, payable at the end of the sixth hand to the respective charities. Low number is the max limit. I understand why you have the house rules, and I think it's a great idea, but loss of money, well, it isn't that big a deal, not to me anyway. Besides, everything is going to charity anyway, so whoever is in the game has already written that much off. Six games. Deal?"

Alice pondered the situation. These were not ordinary players, and even though she didn't know most of them personally or professionally, she was a good reader of people, and these people liked to play with adult sized pots. It was a great opportunity to do something for some charities without them asking, and these guys were going to ask for a tax write-off anyway, she'd bet on that. Her answer was not long in coming.

"You have a deal. Now, before we start, we're taking a five minute recess. You decide amongst yourselves the six players, and remember, the house has a charity as well. I can tell you this much, based on what we know from our own charitable activities, the Salvation Army has a summer camp fund raiser going on at the moment; the Baptists had a fire last month and are trying to build a new church, the YMCA/YWCA needs repairs to their swimming pool, the local Synagogue also has a summer program, the Fireman/Policeman Benevolent fund helps needy families after catastrophic loss, and the AME group needs some building repairs. The house takes the Conyerville homeless shelter. Any questions? Five minutes; once we restart, no leaving the table unless you're busted or we end game six."

Dennis had been floating around the area, as much a goodwill ambassador as anything, but he quickly picked up on Alice mentioning the homeless shelter, his favorite charity for one somewhat diminutive reason named Angie. He made his way over to her during the break and inquired in a subtle manner what she thought was going on with these people.

"Dennis, to tell the truth, I think they just want to raise the stakes for the fun of it. These guys would bet on a race with three legged horses, just for the unique challenge. Personally, I think they have more money than they know what to do with and they enjoy a creative and fun means of disbursing it. That's it, plain and simple. I've been watching them, and I didn't see any cheating. I don't know who a couple of them are for sure, but you can count on this: the checks will cash. So, here's hoping Angie does good, okay?"

Dennis blushed slightly at the reference, but stood his ground. "You haven't changed a bit Alice, except maybe, I think, you've got kind of a wild streak we didn't know about. Looks like your sheep are coming back for the shearing. Good luck."

The group reseated themselves at the table. One player had opted out, and a woman had taken his place. The slips of paper were distributed, each wrote a number and passed the paper back to Alice.

"Gentlemen, and lady; the low number is $20,000. We will expect you to cash out at the end of the sixth game. Game is Texas Hold 'em. Please identify the charity for which you are playing. Are there any questions?"

There being no questions, the charities were identified and the games began. Six games later, the homeless shelter was doing quite well, and in retrospect, all the charities came out ahead considering it was money from out of nowhere. The players arranged fund transfers to the Windmere charitable account, or ordered out checks as needed to their respective charities. All in all, it was the biggest stakes game Alice had ever dealt in her life, but strangely, she didn't feel any pressure at all, probably because these people liked the fun of the game and cared little about the money. If nothing else, it was a memorable experience, with more than one player suggesting a rematch at Windmere in the future. Over the years, it would become an annual event, but by invitation only; Alice and Vincent would return many times to run the tables.

For all the excitement in the carriage house, Alice did have other responsibilities this day, one of which was to get Laura to the "church" on time. Mostly, that consisted of making sure the dress was properly worn, hair fixed just right, things like that, even including a last minute pep talk just in case the flesh was willing but the spirit was getting nervous. Alice was to serve as the Matron of Honor, while Roger stood as Best Man. The bride would be escorted by her father, but "given" by her children when asked "Who gives this woman in marriage?" It was a line they rehearsed often, even with Father Jim, just to make sure they got it timed correctly. For his part, Ryan was as sure about this and as calm as he could be; he even sensed that he could feel the "rightness" of this day. Once planned, things rather took their own course toward completion, even though Laura had planned much of this day herself. As with most things that seem simple on the surface, it is the underlying complexity that makes it seem so. On the other hand, the Windmere staff was accustomed to handling large gatherings of assorted persons; they just had a higher interest in this particular gathering. Laura had become "theirs" to take care of for the moment, and when little rough spots popped up, as they will in any large venture, the staff squelched them with accuracy and rapidity. She had not considered the large number of cars to park, since most large gatherings at Windmere were transported from the airport; this was more local in nature, and a good many invitees elected to drive it, even from some distance away. But then there was Franz, and Dennis, who handled all the parking and provided cart transportation to and from the tent area. Cal had thought to arrange with Sheriff Dawson to hire off duty deputies for the gate. Doris and Marie, and their husbands, had been there since sun-up, and the housekeeping staff on duty had rounds assigned to keep the place looking good at all times. The day care area was in full staff early on, and in general, the place could not have held much more activity, with one exception. A call from the airport manager said he had a radio call from a helicopter that intended to land at the golf course pro shop parking lot; whomever it was knew the area, but wanted to let people know it was not an accident. It was just one more thing in a whole series of events that made the day memorable. If there was any one thing of any importance left undone, Laura remembered it mid-morning.

A couple of months previous, a middle age couple who had been at Windmere a time or two for business reasons called and wanted to know if they could rent a suite for maybe a week, in December, just the two of them. In the office that day, Laura had handled the call, checked the schedule, and reserved Suite A for the couple. The reservation was scheduled properly, the couple was picked up at the airport, and since housekeeping took care of the Suite itself and the couple had already been there and knew the ropes, Laura had rather neglected them in the wedding excitement. This morning she realized her neglect and thought it best to make apologies directly to the guests. Tapping on the door to the suite, she was met by the husband.

"Good morning. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I'm Laura, the one who made these reservations for you. Can I come in for a moment?"

"Sure, come on in. There isn't some problem is there?" he asked.

Laura noticed the tension in the room between the man and his wife. They seemed civil enough to each other, but it seemed more like two acquaintances who didn't know each other very well, rather than a married couple of nearly 30 years. Invited to have a seat, she did so on the familiar side chair, introducing herself to the wife in the process.

"First up, if there is a problem it is that I have neglected to do my job in making sure guests are taken care of and feel at home here. What you see going on here today is not our usual Saturday activities, and it's pretty much my fault. I will marry Mr. Williams of Windmere this afternoon; you may have met him. But, that is no excuse for not tending the store, so to speak. It's sort of a collateral duty for me, but all of us are here to see to your needs, whatever they may be. My immediate problem is, I don't know what your needs are, or what I can do for you. I'm sorry if it seems you have been neglected; we haven't been through anything like this before, and the learning curve is a little steep. So, is there anything I can do to enhance your stay with us?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment before the wife finally spoke up.

"No, I don't think we need anything, really, except... Look, we don't even know why we're here. Maybe this was all a mistake; I don't want to burden you with our problems; with a wedding on your plate, I'm sure this doesn't matter. We'll be fine, really."

"Sorry, but I don't think we can leave it at that. I know you two have been married quite a while. Kids?"

"Yes, two, boy and girl."

"And, where are they now?"

"They're both out of the house now, out of college and doing their own thing. We hear from them regularly, but mostly it's just the two of us in the house."

"So, you woke up one morning and realized this man living there had become a complete stranger, with habits and things you didn't even know about. You have to know that he's having the same issues. Trust me, it is a whole lot better you are learning these things now rather than having a couple of lawyers arguing over who gets to keep the cat. I can relate to this, but believe me, I did it the hard way; today...I got really lucky when this man crossed my path. We talk a lot about things. But, that doesn't help your problem. Play golf, either of you?"

"I do, my wife doesn't; she just never learned. Guess she never had the time with the kids on her arm."

Laura was remembering her "golf lesson" with Ryan the day before the divorce hearing, and how much fun it had been. Turning to the wife, she asked "Would you like to learn?"

"Well, I... Maybe I could."

"Good. Stand up and take a swing using...um...this umbrella as a substitute for now. That's it, good. Now, do you see anything wrong with the way your wife swings a club, real or not?"

"I...um... Yes, but I don't see...."

"Okay; now, can you stand behind her, hands on hers, and try it again slowly, couple of times... That's it, slowly now."

This is crazy, Laura thought to herself; I'm not a marriage counselor or therapist or anything. What am I doing here? But as she watched them take a couple more practice swings, she realized that the stiff arms and postures had relaxed, that they were actually touching in other areas now. She wondered if they had ever even touched each other's hands in the past 20 years. But, 2 PM was coming, and she needed to move things along. "Here's the deal, if I can pull it off. First, if I can find the golf pro, I'm going to have him set you up with an assortment of drivers and a couple buckets of balls. The course isn't really open this time of year, but you can use the driving range. You have to teach her how to drive. When you're done, come back here to grab a shower, have lunch sitting with whomever you find in the kitchen, then come to the wedding. There will be people there who know each other, and people who don't really know anyone, so you'll have company. Dance. Enjoy each other, and talk, even if you have to yell above the music, talk. This time tomorrow, my new husband and I will be a happily married couple; you two can be as well, if you work at it. Bet I can have your golf cart at the back door before you can change clothes. Any questions?"

"Just one." the wife asked. "How do you know this will work?"

"I don't. That's up to you, but I think you're started. Okay?" Laura had noticed that even though the practice swings had come to an end, his arms were still around his wife, and hers were over the top of his. Laura could feel Ryan's arms around her just then and it sent a delicious shiver through her being. "Sorry; gotta run. Wedding to go to; mine! See you there." And out the door she went.

"Hi. My name is John. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Willadeen; you can call me Willy. Wanna play golf?"

"Yes, with you. And I've never really learned how to dance, but I remember you like dancing; how much patience do you have?"

"A lifetime, if you want."

"I do".

That was something entirely different, Laura thought to herself, as she wished the couple the best. Her own world had been though the same thing, only hers had come crashing down around her while theirs had a good chance of recovery from what she had seen. She vowed to herself to never get so caught up in things that she neglected Ryan, not with work or home or kids or friends; nothing was to come between them. The fact that she loved having him around helped, of course, and she was about to make that a permanent situation. Stopping in the kitchen for a quick snack, she met briefly with Alice to talk about the afternoon, then realized it nearly was afternoon already. It had long been the custom that the groom was not to see the bride on their wedding day until she came up the aisle; today would be no exception. Her parents would help get Jack and Amanda ready for the event and would keep them in tow for the duration. Laura herself would finish dressing in the big house ladies lounge since it was much closer to the tent than her cottage. In the meantime she conferred with Doris and Marie about the dinner arrangements, learning that they were prepared to serve until people quit eating. Both agreed this was easier than when Alice married, mostly because they had time to coordinate their efforts, and to bring enough help to handle the work load. It was a tribute to the two of them that they got along so well, literally working in each other's territory from time to time. At the end of the day when Fernando produced a bottle of Tequila he had carried back from their last visit to Mexico, the four declared their friendship forevermore, laughing about the things that went a little wrong, and enjoying what they had learned from each other.

Checking with staff, Laura learned that Ryan was in the White House, so it was okay for her to go see the tent set-up and to check out the great room of the big house. She almost felt as though she were in a dream sequence, looking in from the outside at the beauty of the arrangements. The tent was filled with flowers, chairs, more flowers, a raised platform for the ceremony, more flowers, and so on. There was a sound system, but it had been done so skillfully it was nearly invisible, and instead of the more traditional loudspeakers, it was setup with more of a surround sound effect, excellent coverage without a lot of volume. The temporary lighting was more than enough, and if there had been much of a chill in the air, the lights heat output would have been enough to warm the air anyway. Tripods with remote controlled video cameras were in multiple locations, all designed to interfere as little as possible and to be very unobtrusive. The great room of the big house was in similar stage of readiness, with the large conference tables removed and a number of smaller tables brought in to provide more intimate seating for the diners. Doris had estimated correctly that they could not seat many more than one third of the attendees at any one time, which is why she and Marie had elected to serve continuously over several hours.

With everything coming together, Laura made a quick visit to her office, more for having something to keep her occupied than anything urgent, then headed for the ladies lounge and her beautiful white dress.

Ryan arose at about his usual time, and decided an early morning run would be in order. Running togs on, he planned on doing the golf course perimeter road for a lap or two, but a sudden urge made him change course. Turning off his original path, Ryan made his way to the pond. He had let the dogs out to accompany him, and they were noisily lapping water and chasing after water walkers for sport. Sitting for a moment, Ryan recalled the conversation with Jack, and he wondered if he was doing the right thing, marrying this woman and adopting her children. What if he really couldn't pull it off and things didn't work out so well. It was at that moment an apparently stray thought made its way to his conscious mind: "You planned on having children with Mary; why do you think this is different? You're being given a chance to catch up on lost time. You can do this, Big Guy." Ryan grasped the thought, turned it around in his mind and examined the logic. It was true, he realized, that he was being given some time back by adopting the kids, and he was sure Laura wanted him rather than needed him. That much was obvious. In a moment of crystal clarity, Ryan realized this was not just the right thing to do, it was the only thing to do unless he wanted to squander this chance of a lifetime. He felt a growing knot of anxiety in his belly, not for fear these events were about to happen, but for fear they wouldn't for some unknown reason. The feeling passed quickly, and he realized that this was the place and the time; he had a warm glow and felt an urgent need to get on the with the rest of his life. Rising with a clear mind to continue his run, Ryan noticed for the first time that the pond didn't seem to have its usual musky smell or the dry leaf scent of early winter; there was a faint hint of roses in the air, although he knew full well there weren't any growing in the dense brushy undergrowth, and certainly not at this time of year. Filing the thought, he called the dogs, and feeling as though a weight had been lifted and his vision clarified, he continued his run.

After a quick shower and back into street clothes, Ryan checked on Laura's whereabouts, ever aware of the "no see" rule on their wedding day, and with Doris' clearance on the subject, popped into the kitchen for a bite. Downing a light snack, and coffee, Ryan decided it was time to go to the White House, a structure he had all but abandoned over two years ago. What he had said about staff maintaining the place was true, and he had allowed it to continue while his own wounds healed. Today he would complete the healing process at last by returning to where the pain had started. The mere act of opening the front door was significant, and once inside, closure was begun. Looking around, he realized the memories were still there, but the pain was gone, and for a fleeting moment, Ryan imagined he heard children's excited voices in the rooms. The head housekeeper had assigned herself to this area for the day, but kept in touch with the rest of her staff by pager as often as she needed. Ryan found her in the kitchen area making sure all preparations for the reception were in place.

"Morning Edna; got it all under control?"

"Morning boss; It's coming along well, even if I do say so myself. Any new orders?"

"Kind of. Place looks great, but then I knew it would. On Monday, all the furniture in the master bedroom comes out and goes to the Salvation Army thrift shop. The furniture store will be bringing in all new in the afternoon, along with some things for the other two finished bedrooms. Those will be kids rooms for you know who, so you know what goes where. The furniture for the main bedroom is leased, so we can change it out easier later on. The other furniture, I had a lot of help from a lot of people picking it out, so I hope it's the right thing. Anyway, not a word about this to anyone else today, okay?"

"You got it. It's a surprise for the new missus, isn't it! Anyway, let me say 'Welcome home'. You belong here, and I think the world of her and the kids. This place needs a family,"

"Thanks, Edna. You're a treasure. By the way, how's that new girl working out, Leslie?"

"Love her like my own daughter. You know word travels fast, and we all knew Ms Laura had taken the girl in. Les has never mentioned it or used it for anything that I know of. All she needed was a chance, and believe me, she's earned it. Dirty shame the way that guy treated her, but I think she's got a good one on the line now. I've seen them together outside here, and he treats her and the baby like pure gold. She's a great kid, but we're going to lose her in maybe a year, soon as she gets her EMT ticket. Anyway, for now it's great having her here."

"That's really good to hear. My Laura seems to have a knack for reading people, better than I have. Have to run for now, but thanks, Edna. You didn't have to come in today."

"Yes, I did. This is my place too and I want it to be right. Now, you get out of here before I stuff a dust wipe in your hand, and Ryan...."

"Yes?"

"I look forward to the pitter-patter of little feet in here. This place wasn't meant to be a house; it was meant to be a home, and I don't mean just Jack and Amanda either, if you get my drift."

"Come on. We're not even married yet, Edna."

"No, but you're a great guy, marrying a great gal. Can't let it stop there, can we?"

"Edna, only time will tell, but if that happens, we may need a little help. When's the last time you changed a really bad diaper?"

"Last weekend. Grandbaby. I'm still in practice; maybe I'll need to teach you a thing or two, Big Guy."

"Could be, just could be. But, I'd sort of like to get married first. Now, remember, not a word about the upstairs until Monday; okay?"

"You can count on me; now, get out of here and go get married."

With that order, Ryan took leave of the kitchen, but couldn't resist heading for the front stairway. The velvet rope was across the stair, a polite way of pointing out that while the downstairs might see anyone for an event, the upstairs was a private residence. Ryan unhooked the rope and took a step, only to hear a voice behind him say: "Sorry mister. That part of the house is... Oh, I'm sorry sir. I didn't know it was you. I'm sorry."

"Not a problem. You did the right thing. You're Leslie, aren't you? How's that EMT program coming along, and the new boyfriend?"

Les turned slightly red in the cheeks before responding: "The EMT program is going great and I really like it; as for the boyfriend, how did you hear about that, not like it's a big secret or anything."

"Les, there are virtually no secrets in this world. Do you know how many people are watching over you? I just talked to Edna, and you know about Laura, and that crazy Cindy person. And, I heard about your friend meeting Dennis. You have a pretty good sized fan club. I hear he's a nice guy; sounds like things are going good. Keep it up."

"Thanks, Mr. Williams. I will. It's like having a whole new family, and one not much like the original, thank God."

"And please don't call me Mr. Williams. Makes me sound old. It's Ryan, okay?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Williams; I mean... Well, you know."

"I know. See you Les."

Ryan walked up the steps, savoring the experience. It felt good, not at all like the last time he had climbed these steps, to sit with Mary for what would be the last time. Like entering the front door, the memories were there, but not the pain, and he realized he was thinking about coming up the stairs with Laura, and the kids, and luggage, and noise; a family. Edna was right; Ryan and Mary had built a home, not a house, and it deserved to be lived in. He recalled Alice talking about giving up the house she and her husband had shared for many years. In one of those poignant moments, Alice had said: "It's a family home, and it deserves little kids in it. I've sold it to a young couple with two on the ground and one in the hanger. It needs lived in, and I can't do that anymore, so I think it's a good decision." Alice had been right, of course, and Ryan remembered the moment well. This house too, he thought, deserves a family, and if Jack and Amanda are it, then it's still a family; but maybe... And his thoughts trailed off to looking around one more time. Five days, he thought; didn't seem like much time, but the kids had to get back into school after the holiday recess, and this wedding thing had rather crowded some other things around in the Windmere schedule of events. It could all be done, but everyone needed to carry their load, including the newly formed family: Ryan, Laura and kids. Pleased with what he had seen, Ryan headed back to the big house to finalize a couple of things, then find some lunch and get dressed. Seeing a light smoke haze from around the other side of the house, he had to take a moment to investigate. Rounding the corner, he found Fernando sitting on a camp stool almost in a flower bed adjacent to the nearby kitchen door, with a smoke cloud coming apparently from the ground.

"Good morning Fernando; starting a volcano?"

"Buenos Dias, Senor Ryan; I told Marie we shouldn't do this, but she says Grande Senor Dennis says it's okay for me to dig here. He even brought the rocks and took away the dirt for me."

"Rocks?"

"Si, Senor. I dig a hole, set a big fire, pile in the rocks, and let it burn down until the hog he goes in. I dug the hole yesterday and started the fire early this morning; about an hour ago, in goes the wet straw, and senor hog, yes?"

"Yes, I guess. You're telling me there is a whole hog under the tarp, being cooked by hot rocks and wet straw. Have you done this before?"

"It is a side business for us. I do ten or twelve a year, but could do more if I wanted. The sauce I bring from my home town in Mexico when we visit; the peppers there are better than what I get in the store here. It takes time, but I have done several for the same people each year. Is it okay that I dig this hole, Senor? There is no trouble?"

"Nope, no trouble. It's fine that you dug the hole. I look forward to having some of senor hog later today, and if I remember, I'll tell Dennis to repair the hole so it's permanent and easy to uncover next time you want to use it. I think Windmere just added a menu item. Have a good day, Fernando. Marie did the right thing."

Ryan moved on through the kitchen, after making sure Laura was not there, then headed toward his quarters for what would be the last time as a widower, to change clothes and return to the White House to wait for the appointed time.

Judge Harry Comstock and Father James Jesse were enjoying the day, to say the least. After a leisurely breakfast, by late morning they were on their way to Windmere to get the lay of the land, and do a last minute practice run. Fr. James had officiated at weddings both large and small in his years of office, but this was only his second one with Harry Comstock at his side. It was an unusual experience, that first one, and this time around, while supposedly better organized, apparently had quite a few of the same players. He did recall with fondness the food and drink made available. 'A few more of these gigs and I could retire', he caught himself thinking, and indeed at a later time he would recall that thought as a turning point in his retirement plans. Arriving at the gate, they were waved though by the off-duty deputy who saluted as the judge passed by. Franz returned them to the kitchen from the car parking area, and the two took in some lunch, chatted with Doris and Marie, checked out Fernando's fire pit, and then headed for their duty station. They were having a rather great day.

Surveying the interior of the tent, both men were well pleased with what they saw. In many respects, it made some church weddings look rather plain, but the real key was that the place looked warm and inviting, more like being in someone's parlor than in a tent. The plan was pretty straight forward, following the details on the program. The only surprise, and a pleasant one at that, would occur after Ryan and Laura were officially wed. Both men were prepared to handle that turn of events, and looked forward to it. Retiring for the moment to the White house, they took a seat, Les brought them coffee, and the two waited for the appointed time.

The clock hands, seeming to have dragged along all morning, suddenly were at 1:30, time to finish dressing and take positions. Ryan knotted his tie expertly over the white shirt and Brooks Brothers medium gray pinstripe suit; Roger would be similarly attired. The two met in the White House at 1:45 as agreed, greeting Harry and Fr. Jim as they entered. The pieces were falling into place smoothly.

Alice found Laura at 1:30 in the Ladies Lounge of the big house. In short order the dress was on, hair finalized, and the ladies sat for a moment. If there was any final discussion to be had, Alice cut to the quick:

"Laura, you know it isn't too late. How're you doing with all this? It's been pretty quick for you the last few months; I know that."

"It is too late Alice. I can't go another day without being married to this man. I want to be so good to him, if he ever looks at another woman, he won't be able to remember why. And Alice, I know he's marrying me, not for what I am, or what I do, or anything like that. He isn't doing this because married men do better in business than unmarried men."

"And he wants kids. You have two, so he knows your fertile. And, I'll bet he likes to wrestle; you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but the man has an iron will. Truthfully, I point blank told him I'd go to bed with him anytime, anywhere. He didn't turn me down; he just said he loved me and that part would happen when it was the right time. To say I was a little surprised would be an understatement. There I was, ready to do anything to keep him, and he said he wanted me for who I am, not for what I could do. I have never felt so loved at any time in my life, and Alice, I'm going to prove that tonight, just for him."

"You might be in for some surprises yourself. This is one smart man, and a gentleman. Don't hold back. No doubts?"

"Nope, no doubts. I think it's about time. Ready?"

"Ready, Mrs. Williams almost."

The big tent was SRO, sold out, when Harry and Fr. Jim entered from a side flap. Both had expected a full house, but this was really impressive. Taking their positions on the dais, Fr. Jim leaned toward Harry and in an aside said: "Wish I could pack 'em in like this on Sundays. Maybe I need to do a little recruiting."

Harry responded quietly, but very much on point: "Do a good job here today and you just might get some recruits. Anyway, I think we're going to get some more jobs if this goes well... Show time."

Right on schedule the music swelled. In the time honored prescribed order, in they came: groom's mother and father, bride's mother with Jack and Amanda in tow, Alice from the back meeting Roger entering from the side, Ryan from the side, and finally, Laura on her father's arm. Aside from her sheer natural beauty, it was clear this was not a dewy eyed young bride with no real clear vision, but an adult woman with the maturity to fully understand what she was doing, and why. As they paused at the forward end of the aisle, Fr. Jim stepped forward and the ritual continued.

"Who gives this woman in matrimony?"

Well coached and prepared, Jack and Amanda rose, and in unison said "We do.'"

And so it continued. It was the ritual familiar to many if not all, although exactly what Judge Harry Comstock was doing there was a little unclear. Those who had attended the abbreviated wedding of Alice and Vinnie knew that Harry had played a more significant part in that event. This time, Fr. Jim handled the majority of the ritual. Ryan and Laura had decided to go with the standard rites, not alter them as is frequently done by younger couples. Fr. Jim understood and addressed that point during his brief homily, noting that it is not what is said that makes a marriage work, but the two persons who want to make it work. It was not a long service, and the traditional ending was soon at hand. Pronouncing them husband and wife, Fr. Jim directed Ryan and Laura to turn and face the assemblage of friends and relatives: "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Sir, you may kiss your bride."

It was an order quickly and gladly carried out, to a standing ovation from the crowd. Laura was experiencing an emotional rush at a level she had never before attained. In spite of her plethora of negative experiences, she was feeling an urgent and nearly overpowering urge to become one with this man. The other feeling intermixed in her emotional being was of being safe and secure in this man's arms. It was almost with reluctance she again turned to face the crowd and the continuing applause. When things had quieted down a bit, Judge Harry stepped toward the front of the dais, and in solemn tones started reading from an official looking bi-fold. It clearly was a legal document, the meaning of which became obvious rather quickly. After intoning the document as legally required, Harry leaned down and addressed Jack and Amanda directly. That part was not actually legally required, since they clearly were minor children, but it allowed Jack and Amanda to vocalize their say in their future; buy-in to the maximum. Judge Harry was not only a legal scholar, but an excellent reader of people as well, and he wanted these two kids to be fully vested in this family.

"Jack and Amanda, do you understand that Ryan here wants to adopt you as his own children?"

"Yes, sir, we do." came the rehearsed response.

"And do you understand that when I sign this paper, he will officially be your legal male parent?"

"Yes, sir, we do." The lines had purposefully been kept simple, but direct. At that point, Fr. Jim produced a sterling silver fountain pen, and with a flourish, Harry signed the document, then announced to the crowd: "And may I present to you the Williams family: Ryan, Laura, Jack and Amanda. Kids, you may join your parents."

That was all they needed to bolt from the front row, and leap on the single riser in one bound. Jack proudly stood in front of his mother, with her arms around him from the back, while Amanda jumped into Ryan's waiting arms to be picked up. The crowd reaction was to again burst into applause, a standing ovation that went on for some time.

When near normalcy had returned, Ryan invited the crowd to both the reception and the on-going dinner. It was a party that would last for hours, into the late night, not to mention the poker game that had just resumed in the carriage house. Some charities would do well before the weekend was out.

As the wedding party retired from the tent, they made their way across the short distance to the White House. Laura was already experiencing a near euphoric high, walking arms linked with her husband of a few minutes, toward a place she knew was etched in his heart. Remembering something from a few minutes previous, she turned toward Ryan slightly and asked: "In all the noise in the tent, I couldn't hear much, but did Amanda say something to you when you picked her up?"

"She did, and I almost lost it in spite of myself. She whispered in my ear: 'Now when I call you daddy I won't have an accident.' I know, I know, but I knew what she meant anyway. It's a rather big 'first' for me, you know."

Laura noted the somewhat husky sound now in his voice, and it confirmed for her his deep attachment to these children. The emotional impact was nearly as great on her as it had been on him. But even more experiences were in store, as Ryan reached for the handle on the front door of the White House. Holding it open, he invited her to enter first the house that Mary envisioned. Laura's reaction was much the same as she had first experienced when they had landed in Suite A for what was to be a few nights of respite. That all seemed so long ago and far away now. The understated elegance of the White House didn't awe first time visitors; it reached out to them, drew them in, and made them feel welcome at a comfort level of a family home. Laura loved it in an instant, and with her husband at her side, the euphoric feeling grew, if that was indeed possible given the already high level. Kids in tow, they did a quick tour of the ground floor, then let the kids head off hand in hand to be with their own friends. It was less of a formal reception and much more a meet and greet style assembly. Ryan and Laura made their way around the room person to person. Meeting her sister for the first time in several weeks, Laura just opened her arms and hugged her. There was little that was said, or needed saying.

By early evening, they had met virtually everyone on the grounds, both in the White House and in the great room of the original house. Laura had made a quick side trip to change, the two of them saw Jack and Amanda into the care of Marie and Fernando for the next few days, and Franz came in to announce their ride to the airport was ready. Their departure was not without notice, and they were given a rousing sendoff. It was only when they got outside they realized the big Duesenberg was awaiting them. Franz informed them that the Collin's family had sent him funds and insisted the car be used for the start of their honeymoon, a sendoff hard to beat.

And so it was that Laura and Ryan Williams departed the confines of Windmere for the first step in the rest of their long life together.

Chapter Twenty-Two – Sleepyhead

Laura had asked about the plans for the honeymoon, but got no farther than: 'Sorry, but we agreed that was my job; trust me with this, okay?' and she did trust him, without reservation, in this and everything else that would come along in their lives. She knew in her heart he would always put her and the children above himself; it was a feeling she had not experienced before, but was savoring the meaning of the feeling now in this new life. If she had a doubt at all, it was not about Ryan but about herself and her ability and desire to please this man in every way. She knew that what she had experienced in marriage before wasn't love; it was a business deal, and while she was so very sure she was deeply in love with this man, there remained doubts in her mind about her own abilities. In her memory she heard the caveat that had served her so well in all of this wild, improbable ride, from her arrival at Windmere to this moment: 'Give it time.' 'Well,' she thought to herself, 'I'm in it for the long haul now; we'll see what happens.'

The Duesey rolled easily through a side gate held open by a guard at the airport, coming to a stop beside a small twin engine corporate jet. One engine was already idling in readiness. The second pilot ushered them aboard, then retracted the ladder into the fuselage as he welcomed them to the passenger cabin. He informed them they would be off as soon as the ground crew had loaded the minimal luggage, which put them on the runway in less than five minutes, engines blasting and reaching for the sky.

"Ryan, this is too much, our own private plane? I know, I know; if I trust you, you'll take care of it, but this, well, I love it and I know the company books hours, and I know we've made trips before, but a whole plane for two people? Did Roger approve it?"

"Yep, he did, but there isn't a cabin attendant to disturb us, so we'll have to rather fend for ourselves. Still, I don't want you to get dishpan hands or anything like that; at least not today. The drudgery of husband and family will be back soon enough, okay? Besides, this is all part of the package I booked for the three days before the kids join us. Come, sit by me, my wife, and we'll see if there are any libations in the cooler."

The two of them had settled into separate seats for the take-off, but now reseated themselves toward the back of the cabin on a plush sofa. Ryan popped open what appeared to be a footstool fastened to the floor for security, but in reality was an ice cooler, from which came a bottle of her favorite wine and two chilled glasses. Pleased as she was, she had come to expect things like this from this man, who seemed to take so much pleasure in surprising and pleasing her. While they sipped, cuddled, and chatted about the events of the day, their future and what it might hold for them, the sleek jet made short work of the run to the Caribbean resort he had selected. It was not the largest resort, and probably not the fanciest, but it was the warmest in personality and rife with amenities large and small that put a polish on the experience many other resorts could only envy. The beauty of the plane was that nowhere was very far away at those speeds, and in not much more than an hour or two, they were descending out of the night sky, braking hard on the somewhat short runway, then rolling to a stop a brief distance from the terminal itself. The flight time had been well spent as they engaged in some talking, but mostly just enjoying the closeness of the other, kissing, holding, touching, gentle and caring in how each approached the other. Few words were needed to explain what activity lie ahead during the night; both knew, both anticipated, and much for the same reason.

At the airport, they thanked the aircrew for a great flight, and were ushered into a waiting limousine. Laura thought it quaint, almost condescending, that they were addressed by the driver, as well as the bell crew, as "Boss Man" and "Boss Lady". She noted in her mind to ask Ryan if that was an island custom or just at this resort. The facility itself was beautiful, small enough for personalized service and large enough to have everything available, and then some. Their minimal luggage was portered to the top floor, the penthouse, converted for the moment into the bridal suite by changing to mostly white décor, with plenty of flowers. Again Laura was both bemused and flattered by the "Boss Lady" title with which she was addressed. Ryan seemed to take it all in stride, paying off the bell crew as they backed out, carefully placed the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on the doorknob. and closed the entrance door.

The suite, beautiful in its own right, was made more so by the flowers and other amenities. The luggage had carefully been placed on stands in the master bedroom. Ryan had been adamant about the amount of luggage they brought along. His reasoning was not at all illogical; he said that unless they lived on an island all the time, most of their clothes would not be appropriate for resort wear and therefore she should not pack much. They would acquire what they needed as they went along. Any unpacking could wait until morning since it was getting a little late and there was still one thing Laura wanted to do, in bed, with this man, on their wedding night. Later she would recall thinking to herself what an incongruous situation she had managed to place herself in: here she was with two children, about to go to bed with a man she loved very much, and her actual bedtime experience was so limited she didn't really know what to do to please him, or really how to start down that road. Maybe a quick shower would help, and on the reasoning she needed to "freshen up" a bit, she retrieved a small package from Wendy's Works and retreated momentarily to the "her" shower room. Shower over quickly and now clad in what amounted to not much more than a postage stamp sized area of actual material, she looked at herself in the mirror, blushed at what she saw, strengthened her desire to gratify her husband, and donning one of the luxurious robes while waiting for the right moment to show off her wares, she went back to the bedroom.

Anticipating with much desire about what was to come, Ryan said he also would jog through the shower, then they could begin the rest of their live together. Robe wrapped around her, Laura lay down on the big bed, trying to decide how to go about this. It wasn't a seduction by any means; both of them wanted this moment, and had patiently waited until the time was right in every respect. Both were mature adults, both had agreed that birth control was something they would talk about later; for now, they agreed to not concern themselves about that issue. She also considered the smell of fresh coffee that permeated the room, and the brightness of the light that shown through her eyelids. That didn't seem to make any sense at all, and she was not quite ready to make love in the light since to date all of her experience had been in the dark of night. Trying to understand what was going on, Laura opened one eye slowly, not realizing how long she had been soundly asleep, and saw....

Ryan Williams had indeed jogged through the shower, with visions of this beautiful, physically very attractive, and probably scantily clad woman of his dreams waiting in bed for him. Roger had been right about one thing for sure: there was a testosterone rush in Ryan Williams he had not felt in a long time, and he would have to pace himself through stern self control for fear he would rush things when he wanted so much to be gentle and caring, making love not just having sex. Having quickly considered all that, minimally clad himself, he returned to the bedroom with growing anticipation, to find this beautiful wife of his...sound asleep in the middle of the bed. Ryan Williams was a wise, thoughtful man, and one of his dreams was that when they made love, they would not be two people, but one person in two bodies, each acting for the benefit of the other, and he also knew this first time would have to wait a few more hours. Carefully lying down beside her for the first time as her husband, he gently covered her, and was rewarded when she rolled to her side, pressing against him, and in her dreams wrapped an arm around him. The passion would be delayed a few hours.

Laura's slowly opened one eye and saw a man in a white robe sitting in the other room, sipping coffee and watching her. She was apparently still attired as when she climbed into the bed, robe and all, and now had a warming cover over her. It was bright because the sun was streaming in through the shaded windows. The dawn had arrived full throttle into a bright, crystal clear tropical day. Worn down by the events of her wedding day, the new Mrs. Williams had fallen fast asleep on her wedding night. As the realization crystallized in her mind, Laura felt a deep feeling of failure within her, a hollowness, and the tears started down her cheeks. The man at the table, seeing her stirring herself awake, rose, came into the bedroom, and sat on the bed beside her.

"Good morning; I love you." Ryan said as he began gently kissing away her tears.

"Oh, Ryan, how can you love me? I fell asleep on our wedding night when I wanted so very much to be so good for you and everything and...you should just beat me. Now our wedding night is over and I messed it all up and..."

"Hush; you aren't a failure. Everything is fine, trust me; I still love you very much, and beating you is not what I have in mind. You just needed a little nap, and it didn't hurt me to catch some zzz's either. But, look at it like this: we've been married less than 24 hours. So, technically, it's still our wedding day, right?"

"Yes, it is, if you say so. I just feel so bad about this."

"That's okay, no harm done. So, we agree it's technically still our wedding day. Now, if it's light here, it has to be dark somewhere else; right? See? It's still our wedding day, and somewhere it's night, so what's the problem, Mrs. Williams?"

"How do you always make things somehow go right for us? I really screwed up this time and I still feel pretty bad about it, and I know you're going to make me feel better; maybe just a small beating?"

"Nope, no beatings, but I'll tell you what I'd like to do about this. Better yet, I'll show you. Move over and make room for me. Wanna make a tricycle motor?"

"A what...a tricycle something?"

"Shut up and kiss me. I'll explain later"

In the course of the next hour, Ryan and Laura Williams would learn much about themselves, and about each other. Moreover, Laura Williams finally came to understand what many other women her age already knew quite well: in broad daylight, aided and abetted by a loving man who was wise in many ways, and who understood that she had never before experienced true love at this level. It was not all one sided. Laura had always seemed a little reluctant in physical love, even after she had offered herself to him in the boat the night he had proposed. He understood she did that as an act of love. What he didn't understand was that this woman had a decade of frustration bottled up inside her, a decade of always wanting more and never receiving more, and eventually a developing belief that there was something very wrong with her psychologically or physically, or something as yet undefined. There was always that feeling of climbing the mountain, but never reaching the top and always sliding back in frustration without seeing the other side. Today, however, she met a mountain man named Ryan; he would climb with her, helping her when the way was unclear. To his credit, and pleasure, when the mist was cleared from blocking her way to the top, he could see not a mountain to be scaled, but a volcano of frustrated passion. It was not to be feared for its explosive power, but guided, its beauty understood for what was happening to Laura for the first time.

In the afterglow, lying pressed full length against full length, arms and legs intertwined, neither could find words, or even needed words, to explain what had happened. When breathing and heart rates were somewhere back toward normal, in a very small, almost little girl voice, Laura finally broke the silence, if only barely above a whisper.

"Ryan, was I...was it...you know...okay?"

"No, you were... I can't describe how great you were for me, and I think maybe things went pretty good for you; at least I tried to make things go good for you, but then everything just sort of took off, and there wasn't much I could do but hang on."

"That's just it. I don't know what happened to me. All of a sudden every nerve in my body just exploded and all I cared about was that you didn't stop making love to me. I think I just went totally crazy for a while. Do you think...is there something wrong with me? Do you think that will ever happen again? I just don't understand what happened."

"Whoa; so many questions. Look, I'm no expert here but I know a few things. I know that what happened for us never happens at all for some people. I know that I don't make love to you; I make love with you, and always will. I'm pretty sure this will happen again, if you want it to; we can make it happen, and next time you'll understand and it will be even better. I know as my lover, you are a partner most men only get to dream about. In fact, I can't wait to tell the guys around the shop how great you are in bed!"

"You...you wouldn't really do that...would you?" Laura's voice actually sounded a bit fearful as she asked.

"No, of course not. What happens between us in our bedroom is between us, only us, but I do have to tell you that you are really, really strong when you get...well, you know what I mean."

" I didn't hurt you or anything like that did I? I didn't mean to; it's just that it was so overpowering and I knew I didn't want to stop...couldn't stop. I've just never, ever...I can't explain what happened. Do you really think it might, we might, make it happen again?"

"I think so, but I think I need to run through the shower again; that was quite a workout, and I think maybe we should order in some breakfast, and maybe some mega-vitamins; I have a feeling I'll need to keep up my strength for the next few days, now that you know how things are supposed to work. Okay?"

"Do you have any idea how much I love you, just for being you. And if it never happens again, you took me to places I've never been, and I thank you for that. I am willing to slave over a hot telephone all day to order you some breakfast, and then I probably need a shower myself. Your breakfast preference, master?"

"Tell you what: we'll order, but it's already a little after nine. Call for delivery at say 9:30, okay?"

"Yes, master."

Placing their orders and specifying delivery time, Laura replaced the handset and asked "Me next?"

"Nope; you now, with me, in the shower. I'm only at 237 and have a lot of intensive studying to do. Okay?"

"I've never...I guess...I love you; teach me. But what in the world are you counting? I don't understand."

"Do you remember that soap commercial about people having 3000 body parts? I've been checking yours pretty closely. I have a long way to go, but everything I've seen so far has been great, and I want to count some more; okay?"

And extending a hand to his wife, Ryan and Laura headed for the first of many joint experiences they would enjoy over the years. Initially, Laura had some serious misgivings, but she realized quickly that not only did it work both ways, she discovered she was not embarrassed or shy or anything else with this man, so strong was the bond. She reveled in his attentions, and came to learn that the term "body wash" could have a whole new meaning.

Dried off and clad now in their robes, Ryan and Laura strolled hand in hand to the dining area to await the delivery of breakfast, and seated themselves so they were within touching distance.

"See, it is fun, and I made some real progress on my counting by the way. How about you?"

"I don't think you made as much progress as you think. You examined a couple of things several times, and very closely, so that can't possibly count, not that I minded; in fact, any time you want to resume the count, I'm ready. The thing is, for me, I've never...ah...I don't know how to say this, I've never seen a man,...in the light ...without his clothes. And, I learned something I've always wondered about, a lot of women have wondered about. So there."

"Really? Like what? Men are men, mostly, I think. I've never run around looking for myself."

"I learned that the conventional wisdom about the size of a man's feet may well be true, at least in your case, and I can't wait to tell the girls in the shop about that either."

"Sure, just like I'm going to tell the guys I got lucky. Anyway, sounds like breakfast just arrived. I'll get the door."

Ryan took the few steps to the door of the suite, opening it wide for the cart to enter, but was surprised to see who was doing the delivery. "Jorge, what are you doing? You're supposed to be in the kitchen serving the paying guests, not up here, with your helper alongside. Anyway, it's great to see you again. How are things with you?"

"Buenos dias, Senor Boss Man y Senora Boss Lady. When the Boss Man is here, Jorge takes care of him; numero dos can serve the guests. Please, be seated and we will serve you properly. If there is anything, say it and it will be done."

As requested, Ryan returned to his seat while the two men laid the table with fine china and the heavy silver, poured a light bodied wine, placed new flowers, fluffed the cloth napkins, and served the meal. Laura was amazed at the detail they went to, making sure everything was just right in every respect, garnish on the plate at exactly the right position, utensils placed at an exact distance. Jorge did talk with Ryan a bit, mostly in English, or his version of it; she realized she needed to dredge up her high school Spanish quickly to really make the most of this adventure. And she noticed that when things were all set to their satisfaction and they were preparing to leave the room, Ryan pressed a bill into Jorge's hand. But Jorge put the bill back into Ryan's hand, closing the fingers over it, glanced at her, and said something quickly in Spanish that she couldn't quite make out. Bidding them a good day, the two backed out of the room and left Ryan and Laura to their first real meal together as husband and wife. The food was very, very impressive, both in presentation and actual taste, and they both realized how hungry they were. Laura was coming to realize there was more to this high end living than she had known, and while it might pose a little challenge now and then for her lack of knowledge, she understood that she could easily get accustomed to it. She cautioned herself mentally to remember she was not royalty in her everyday life, however great things might be at the moment.

Finishing up the remnants, the two finally had satiated themselves to the point where they could resume a more normal level of conversation rather than between bites. Laura had been thinking about the issue with the tip Ryan had offered and decided maybe there was something to be learned.

"Can I ask you something?"

"For you, always. What is it?"

"I saw you try to tip Jorge, but he put it back in your hand and told you something in Spanish I didn't understand. This is all pretty new to me and I want to understand how things work. My Spanish is pretty rusty."

"Oh, nothing really; he just didn't want to take it."

"I get the feeling there was more to it than that. I know he told you something, and I saw him look at me just before he said it. Should I call the kitchen and ask him?"

"Okay, okay, Ms Perception. When I tried to tip him, he said that a man who has just made love to such a beautiful woman first thing in the morning is a man among men and is to be revered and honored. He could not take money from such a man. Okay?"

"Ryan, you didn't say something to him, did you? I would be so upset with you..."

"Nope, not a word. But look around; the bed looks like a hurricane went through, what passes for your nighty is on the floor, we're both in robes, barefooted, with damp hair, and your robe is revealing enough so it's a little obvious you have nothing on under it. And, truthfully, he really meant what he said to me as a very serious compliment."

"Oh my gosh; I didn't realize my robe was open that far. I'm sorry."

"I'm not. No more than a bikini, and I had a really good view."

"Did he really say that to you?"

"He did."

"And he's right, you know; at least I think so. But can I ask one more thing? Why does everyone call you boss man and me boss lady? Is that something they just do here to make people feel good? I've heard the expression used before, but it was more in casual conversation, maybe from a porter or barkeep. This is consistent. I just want to know, so I don't screw up and look foolish."

"There is something I need to tell you, and I want you to know up front that if you had asked me, I would have been truthful; the subject just never came up, and now is a good time to take care of that."

"Should I be nervous about this?"

"No, I don't think so; it's just something I need to explain to you so we'll have, what's the expression, 'A level playing field'. Let's take our coffee and go sit...Better? Okay. Here's the deal. Remember hearing that Windmere is a limited, private corporation, with the stock closely held? People who are employed by the company can buy in, but under the rules of the corporation, only those people can hold stock. So, it's not like a GE or GM or someone like that with stockholders all over the place. Anyway, the majority of stockholders are pretty small in shares owned. When we started out, I sold shares to generate enough capital flow to get things going, but I also bought back when I could and retired the shares. Because more of the investment was mine to begin with, I'm pretty much the majority stockholder now, which sort of makes me the boss. And, that's why I get called Boss Man, I guess, and since you now are my partner, in many things, that makes you the Boss Lady."

"Okay, I understand all that; it makes sense now; actually, I sort of like it, having a title. On an ego trip I guess, but I don't want to get carried away with this thing. Is that why you were sort of evasive when we were doing the wedding planning, and you wanted to handle the money? And what about Roger; I thought he was the CEO."

"So he is. But CEO is a title; Roger is actually an employee hired because I needed someone with gray hair to offset my rather youthful appearance when all this started out. Besides, he was bored being retired. Yes, I did ask his opinion about using the corporate jet for our trip here; I didn't want to overwhelm you. He said you deserved the whole damned airplane if you wanted it."

"So, we could afford a bigger place to live, for the kids, you know, and just in case. I think caution went out the window about an hour ago."

"I think so. Just so you know, since we're partners, our approximate net worth is around $64 million right now, but I expect to break 100 within two years as the loans are paid down; more after that. I think we can live in a bigger place, but remember, that was one of my tasks, and I'm working on it as we speak."

"How much did you say?"

"About $64 million, give or take a few million at the moment."

Laura's voice was clearly shaking as the numbers soaked in; "Oh my God; I thought that's what you said. Ryan, with your looks and that kind of cash, you could have had any woman anywhere anytime, even out in public, with a crowd. Now I understand what you were going through, what with me and two kids showing up on your doorstep out of the blue; no wonder you were concerned about what was going on. But surely there were women after you. Why me?"

"Exactly why, honestly, I'm not sure, but I love you, and I am so thankful I had Dennis and Alice come retrieve you and the kids from the shelter that first night, even if it was sort of accidental. I saw you on the local news station and the need to keep you safe simply overcame any other thought I might have had. Truthfully, I didn't know what to do next, once you and the kids were at Windmere; Alice saved the day for me there."

"And all this time I thought Roger was just doing a good deed, but since we're telling the truth, I'll admit the first time I saw you and you were a little standoffish, I decided you were the man for me, no matter what it took. The crazy thing is, we were still pretty bad off at that moment, but I didn't think of you as a safe haven; I just sensed you were the man for me, in spite of all that had happened. I should have been a man hater about that point, after all Richard did to us. Anyway, I think I started loving you right there and then, and I too am so very grateful you came to our rescue, even if I didn't know it at the time. I love you so much for all that, and so much more."

"As I love you for being who you are, and so much more, and speaking of that, I think maybe my strength is returning, along with some other attributes that seem to fascinate you. Still interested in making tricycle motors?"

"So that's what you said. I didn't understand before, but I'm ready for another test run, Big Guy. By the way, I decided to do some body part counting myself...I only got to one, and I'm thinking of starting over."

And that was pretty much the end of the money conversation. Thinking about it later, Ryan found himself very pleased that Laura cared much more about pleasing him, and maybe herself in the mix, than sitting around being impressed with how much money they had. In the span of their life together, it was always that way; each being first in the other's eyes. When she did, in an idle moment, ask about the reasoning behind the original "hiring bonus", Ryan admitted he had come up with the idea solely because he has an unexplainable urge to protect and provide for her and her family.

Lunch was served at 3:30 PM, after which they went outside for the first time since arriving. The kids would show up two days later, and while that did alter some things a bit for Laura and Ryan, it was the start of a long, delightful, and respectful relationship between Ryan Williams, Laura Williams, Jackson Williams and Amanda Williams.

Chapter Twenty-Three – Everafter

To be sure, it was a shorter combination honeymoon/vacation than they would have wished, but the holidays were ending, the kids had to be back to school, and there was that business back at Windmere that had to be managed. Ryan had reserved the corporate plane for the trip home, and Laura understood now that using it was well within their means, even if she didn't always approved of such expenditures. The flight back with two rested and excited kids was enjoyable, with Ryan and Jack talking about the cart Ryan had given Jack for Christmas while Laura and Amanda magazine shopped for furniture they would need for their "new house", whatever that might turn out to be.

The plane landed to the side of the terminal as usual, and stopped near a passenger van parked nearby. Ryan was first off, and helped Laura and the kids deplane as the crew opened the luggage compartment and started unloading what was a much more significant heap of luggage than when Ryan and Laura had set out six days earlier. Laura had maintained limits on what the kids could spend at the islands open air market when they visited, requiring them to make decisions on their purchases, a lesson that might have seemed a little onerous to them at the time, but which would enable them to make good decisions later in life. Ryan was impressed with her parenting skills, and paid close attention, learning how to be a father as he went along; he readily understood that saying "yes" all the time was of little use in raising responsible children, even if it seemed momentarily easier.

Luggage off the plane and ready to be reloaded for the trip to Windmere, Ryan handed Laura a small remote control unit with a couple of keys on the ring. "Your transport, Madam. You may want to move it a little closer to the luggage pile, or I can simple drag all of it over there; your preference."

"Is this for the van over there?"

"It is. Standard remote control. Only thing is, I think you should drive, since it's yours; I wouldn't want to scratch it or anything like that. Okay?"

"Mine? Really? You're kidding, right? Did you buy this for us? Oh, wow! Kids, see our van!"

As excited as Laura was, the kids were equally elated at having a ride of their own, something they could leave books in and video's and toys, all the things that kids need to feel comfortable. Laura quickly moved it closer to the luggage heap, which Ryan dutifully loaded into the back of the van, then took his place in the passenger's seat while she familiarized herself with the myriad of controls. Everything in go condition, the guard opened the gate for them and off they went, Laura fiddling with the seat controls on the door as they went, and asking a ton of questions in the process.

"How did you know I liked this series? They're great for kids, and look at all this extra stuff. My old van didn't have all this. And, I love the color; how did you know I liked this shade of blue? You are just such a smarty, you are."

"I cheated. Fred Dawson did a little research for me through some people he knew, so I could get something you were familiar with. I have to tell you, I ordered it out before you agreed to marry me, because you deserved it, but since special orders take a little longer to produce, it only came in a couple of weeks ago. I thought this might be a nice surprise. I sent in a color picture of you, a copy of the one taken for your Windmere ID card; the final paint coat was mixed to match the color of your eyes. So, I gather you like it?"

"No, I love it, and if I weren't driving...well, never you mind. Too many people present, even if they are distracted at the moment. Tonight, you get repaid for this. Vitamins for supper?"

"Deal. So, what would have happened tonight if I didn't get you the van?"

"Same thing, but that doesn't mean I don't love the van anyway."

In a few minutes, the big front gate of Windmere came into sight. Ryan indicated which console button remote operated the gate, and they rolled closer to home. Normally, they would have stayed slightly to the left, rounding the big house on the east side to drive past to the cottage area, but Ryan would alter their course at just the right moment.

"Nope, not left. Bear right here...little farther...now turn right, slow down, hit the center button on the console, try to not go through the back wall...and...stop. Welcome home, Mrs. Williams."

"Ryan, this is the White House; we just went into the garage. What's going on?"

"Like I said, 'Welcome home, Mrs. Williams'. We live here now, mostly in the upstairs. I had everything moved from your cottage and my room in the big house while we were gone. The luggage will wait a minute or two. I know you saw the great room for the reception; I want to take you for a personally guided tour of the upstairs. Ready?"

"Yes, you crazy man. You knew this all the time, didn't you, and you just kept telling me you 'were working on a house' for us. Come on kids; we need to see what your dad has done this time."

Ryan nearly stumbled getting out of the van; for the first time, Laura had just casually referred to him as "your dad", and the very thought made his knees weak. The kids had made their own choices for addressing him, Amanda switching to daddy as the easiest thing to do for her, Jack still using "Sir" a lot, but reverting on occasion to the less formal "dad". Even more importantly, for Laura to recognize his role as a matter of fact, that was the capstone, the crown he so wanted. At the moment, however, there was a house to tour.

"First things first. We're going in through the door here in the garage to the mud room. In case the door is locked, here's how it works. Amanda can do this first, then Jack. Okay, Mandy, push the button, and when the little light turns green, say 'Amanda says open'. Okay? Push the button, Mandy."

And push she did, as directed. No sooner had she pushed, than the little light turned green, and right on cue, "Amanda says 'open'." The sound was almost inaudible, just a slight 'snick' somewhere in the vicinity of the door, but the light turned red before extinguishing again. Ryan reached for the knob, turned it and easily opened the door. Again pushing the button, he said "Ryan says 'lock'", and as the light turned green again, the same slight sound was made. Ryan indicated to Jack to try the door, which was indeed locked, then had Jack order it open again. The kids were fascinated by the system, but Ryan explained that while it was fun, it was somewhat expensive for a play toy; the real reason it was there was for security, and so they didn't have to carry keys on their person.

"All the outside doors on the house work the same way, voice recognition locks. But, let's continue the tour. The other door goes more directly into the great room, and we only use it for meetings and things. Anyway, there are two ways to get to the upstairs, the front staircase you saw last week, and this back one that comes from this hallway. That way, if we have to use the great room for business or something a little more formal, you kids can still sneak down here for ice cream bars when you're supposed to be in bed, if you mom doesn't catch you."

"Some kind of example you set; what kind of parent are you anyway?" Laura asked in laughing tones, knowing he was putting them at their ease in a place that was new and possibly strange to them.

Un-phased, Ryan continued the tour, heading up the back steps toward the sleeping quarters. The kids were right on his heels, excited at the new adventure.

"Okay, you kids see if you can decide who goes with which room? Ready? Go. And you, Mrs. Williams, can come with me please."

A few steps down the hall, Ryan and Laura came to a set of double doors, and opening one leaf, entered into what clearly was their bedroom, complete with king sized bed, an assortment of chests and dressers, night stands, dressing table, and several easy chairs as well as a desk and settee. The décor was obviously well thought out, elegant but understated, with everything the lady of the house could need; adjacent doors opened into his and hers bathrooms, while a third door opened onto the veranda over the porte-cochere, yielding access to the hot tub and a screened outdoor sitting area. Laura stood in the middle of the room and took it all in, unable for the moment to speak.

Ryan broke the silence, to tell her something she needed to know before she had to ask: "Just so you know, this is all leased furniture, rentals. None of the original furniture is here. This is our room now, yours to decorate as you like. I hired this done solely because I find making love on the floor is hard on us older folks, and I didn't want to bring you home to an empty room. Okay?"

Laura appreciated his answering the one question she had about all this: where did Mary fit in, and it was obvious that while Mary and Ryan had designed and built the house, he intended for it to be his home with Laura. Mary was gone, a wonderful memory, but a memory nonetheless. Putting both arms around him and holding him close, she could only quietly say "Thank you. I love you so much for taking care of me."

Their reverie was short-lived; however, as two wild eyed kids bolted into the room, excited to the point they could hardly talk at all. Both wanted Laura and Ryan to come see the other rooms, the rooms they believed, with accuracy, were theirs. Jack's was the closest, and he pointed with pride at the NASCAR designed bed, masculine details in the furniture, and all his things neatly arranged on shelves where he could see them, plus a computer desk, with all the necessary equipment. Amanda was next, anxiously showing off her French provincial furniture, with a canopy bed, her dolls all in a row in a display case, and the doll house on its own stand; her room also had a fully equipped computer system, and very feminine décor. And best of all, each child's room had its own bathroom, which would become their responsibility to keep clean. Something struck Laura suddenly, and she looked closer at the doll house; it was true, what she had perceived. The rooms in the doll house matched the rooms in the real house, including the décor to some extent. Such a love Mary must have had for this place, and Laura resolved in her own heart that she would always honor that memory by also loving this home, and the man that came with it.

But the tour wasn't quite over. There were three more rooms in the upstairs they had not yet seen. The first was a sitting room, mostly for the family to gather at times, maybe work on home work or to play a game or two, watch television together. The other two rooms were bedrooms, but just like the dollhouse, they were unfinished beyond the primer painted walls. Laura looked at Ryan, understanding the implied intent of these rooms. "Tricycle motors. But please, I don't know how well things are working; I'm not implying there's anything wrong; it's just that, well, women don't really have much say on when things happen or they don't. I mean, we can sort of help things along, but if nothing happens for a while, please understand. I want this for you, and for me; there is nothing I want more than to carry your child, nothing, but I don't know if or when it will happen. Please understand."

"I do understand, and I know sometimes things just don't work the way we would like them to. Believe me, I know all about that."

"Oh, Ryan, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up hurts; I just want you to know how much I want this for us."

"That's okay; I understand. That's in the past. Today we start the rest of our lives, which, by the way, could include some food, if you care to visit the kitchen and browse around a bit. Or we can go to the big house; your choice."

"I choose home; that would be here, with you. Come on kids; let's go find food."

With that, the rest of their life started. Monday morning the routine set in again for the most part, kids off to school, Ryan and Laura into their respective offices to oversee their growing business empire. In some respects, things were a little simpler, now that the soap opera issue of "would Ryan marry Laura" was settled, and while everyone knew Laura was half of the duo of majority stockholders, she would never, in the years she had yet to work, ever mention the fact. That was for Ryan to deal with. It was not a matter of disinterest; that would truly be abnormal for a human being, but in fact she married the man; his wealth just came along with him. The good things it could bring she appreciated, but she appreciated even more that no amount of money could have found her a man she cared about so dearly.

In mid-February, with a chill still in the air, Laura felt a little under the weather one early afternoon. Ryan was in Conyerville meeting with the senior accountants and would be gone most of the afternoon; the traffic through the office had slowed down a little with the usual February national holidays, and Laura had a few moments in the afternoon in which nothing was very pressing. She told Marcia she was not feeling well and was going over to the White House to lie down for a bit; maybe this would pass quickly. Laura disliked not being up to speed, whether it was for business, her kids, or making love with her husband. A nap should help.

Laura walked slowly to her beautiful home, which she had come to love so much, and up the front staircase. It would be several hours before the kids came bounding in from school, enough time for a recuperative nap. Entering the master bedroom, she paused to look in the mirror for any sign of illness, and was for some reason not surprised to see a reflection of someone standing in the doorway. Turning, she looked directly at the person, a question on her lips that was answered before she asked.

"Hello, Laura; I'm Mary. Please, don't be frightened of me. I am just who I seem to be, and I mean you no harm. I need to tell you some things, and then I'll go and you won't see me again."

"Hello, Mary; I feel as though I know you. Welcome to my home."

"Yes, it is your home now, not mine. I had my time, and although I don't know why it was cut so short, that's how things are. I came to tell you three things, and I have to hurry. I am not allowed much time for this. First, you aren't coming down with anything; you are with child, children really, fraternal twins, about six weeks along. Secondly, I hid the remote for the flat screen in the Ficus plant so Ryan couldn't change it; I needed him to see the local channel when he came home. It was the only way I could get him to see you, and I wanted so very much for him to see you and your children. He deserves so very much that which I could not give him, and which you are now in the process of doing, whether you know it or not. And finally, please tell him there is a letter for him in the secret place."

"Please, can I ask something of you?"

"I have only a brief moment left."

"How many children? Can you tell me?"

"We are not allowed to see the future directly; too much temptation I think; it's a little hard to explain how things are on this side. When I learned of your pregnancy, I saw a table with eight chairs; I don't know if that means anything or not, but I believe this will not be your last pregnancy. I have to go now."

Suddenly it came to her to ask the unanswered question: "The car; were you at the car?"

"Yes, I was. I got in a lot of trouble for that; we're not supposed to interfere, but I didn't know then what I know now, and I wanted so much to protect Jack and Amanda for Ryan, and for you. I have to go now. You won't see me again for a long time, when I come for you. Be happy. Goodbye"

"Goodbye Mary; and Mary, we love you."

Laura stood in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around herself, unsure of what was real and what was not, unsure if this had happened or not, not knowing if she was having a fever or had just spoken with someone not of her world.

Ryan had returned from his meeting, and was informed by Marcia that Laura had not been feeling well and had gone to lie down. Old fears bit at him; this is how it had started out with Mary; surely this was not happening again. His heart was heavy as he made his way quickly to the White House and up the stairs two at a time, to find his Laura standing in the middle of their bedroom, her arms still wrapped around herself, perfectly still, but with a look of confusion and disbelief on her face.

"Laura, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Ryan, just hold me. Please, hold me close."

Ryan wrapped his strong arms around her, over the top of her arms, holding her against his own body, his strength serving as her strength; Laura trembled slightly as though taking a chill. Finally, when the trembling had subsided, she spoke in a quiet voice while still safely in his arms.

"I have to tell you something, and I want to tell all of it before you say anything, because I don't know if it's real or not, yet I hope it is real, for both of us. Mary was here, just now. I came to lie down because I didn't feel good, and when I came into the room, she was just here; I don't know how. She said she had three things to tell me, and they are these three things: first, I'm six weeks pregnant, with fraternal twins, your twins, and she thinks there may be more after they're born; secondly, the remote for the flat screen, the one you couldn't find, she hid in the Ficas plant so you would see the local channel, with me and the kids in the shelter; and finally, she said there is a letter for you in a secret place. I asked her about the car accident with Mr. Collins; Ryan, she was the one who turned the wheel. I just know she was here, I'm sure of it. As she was leaving, I told her we love her, and I meant it. And that's it; that's all. I don't know if I'm awake or dreaming, but I am so sure that happened."

"Wait here." With that, Ryan walked over to a large picture decorating one wall of the room; pulling it gently from one side, the picture swung out on hinges to reveal a small wall safe Laura had never before seen. Ryan had actually forgotten about the existence of the safe, but quickly recalled the combination and spun it open. Inside was a solitary letter, addressed to him. "Laura, come, please sit by me. I want us to see this together."

"My Dearest Ryan; I know I will not be here much longer, even if you don't want to admit that to me. My strength is almost gone. I have asked Marcia to write this for me, and I want you to thank her for me. She is helping me say what I have to say. You know how much I love you, and if it is possible, I will continue to love you even in the next world. I can't give you what you so deserve, a child to love; that was never to be. I want you to know, that if there is any way possible that I can have anything to do with making that come true, even in the next world, then I will do anything and everything I can, to the extent of trading my own well being, to see that come true. You are and always have been my one and only love, and I know you have loved me truly. I don't know why this has happened to me, but it has and there is nothing any of us can do about it. I want you to go on, to find another someone you can truly love; you have so much of that to give, and deserve so much in return. I regret I will not be here to be that person, but when you find her, love her as you have loved me, and that will be all she can ever ask of you; it will be more than enough. I am tired now, and the end is closer. I love you. Mary."

Laura gently put her arms around Ryan and held him until the great sobs subsided into an occasional sharp intake of breath. Finally, with the same difficulty speaking that Laura had trying to tell him what had happened, Ryan spoke: "I know you saw her, and talked with her. I wish I had been here, but you are whom she wanted to see; you are doing what she wanted to do, and it's very clear to me, you are her choice for me. She is very wise, and I am doing as she asked: I am loving you with all my being. I think she had guided the both of us to this end. And there's something else; do you notice the scent of roses in the air?"

"I do, now that you mention it. Strangely, that night in the shelter, when I had to make the decision to stay there or come here, I remember thinking just briefly someone had rose perfume on; I think she was there, guiding."

"And the day we got married, I went for a run but turned off and went to the pond instead; when I was unsure, not of you, but of myself, and whether I could be what you wanted, I smelled the scent of roses, and the thought came to me that I was being given a second chance, you were my second chance."

"I told her we love her; I think she has done this for us. I don't pretend to understand it, but I do believe it. This may sound silly, but do you have a picture of her somewhere that we could put maybe in the great room; she would have loved that room, and it seems only right. I think it's the least we could do; I am proud to have met her."

"There is a painting I had done. I had it removed, because I thought it might be a problem for you. But, I think you're right; the great room would be perfect. I'll find it, if you'll help."

And that's how it came to pass that the picture of Mary Williams was placed with loving care in the great room of the White House, to watch over the home she had loved. Ryan and Laura had just finished placing the picture in a place of honor, when Jack and Amanda bounded in from school, full of their usual energy and wanting to tell their parents about their day. It wasn't usual that Laura or Ryan would be in the great room, so Laura called to the kids when they came in the back door. Entering the great room, the kids paused only for a second to glance at the picture now on the wall. Jack commented, almost just in passing, "Look, Mandy, it's the lady who steered the car. Who is she, mom?"

"It's a long story, Jack, but someday we'll talk about it. I think you'll like the story."

That fall, almost exactly nine months to the day after they were married, Ryan and Laura Williams became parents of twins. It was a fairly uneventful birth, but just as the second child was born, both Ryan and Laura caught the scent of roses in the air. It happened again two years later when the second set of twins was born.

Three days after their birth, Ryan and Laura had taken their new babies home to Windmere and the White House; Ryan had returned to his office to keep things moving along while Laura recuperated. That afternoon, Dennis Anderson darkened the doorway to Ryan's office, knocking lightly. Ryan looked up, seeing Dennis, and noticing that the big man looked very strange: "Come in Dennis; what's up? Is something wrong?"

"No, sir. I mean, I...hell, I don't know. Can you come with me for a minute? I can't tell you about this; you have to see it. Out in the garden, by the cemetery."

Ryan rose and followed Dennis into the garden. Rounding the corner of the house, as the cemetery came into view, Ryan understood why Dennis was floundering for words. There in the cemetery, at the head of Mary's grave, stood the American Beauty rose, in full leaf, with six perfect flowers, the first time it had ever bloomed.

Dennis was still at a loss for words, but tried his best: "It just isn't right; I mean, it should be dormant this time of year, and it's never done very well anyway; never has bloomed. I've done everything I know how, and it just sort of sits there. Now this. I don't know what to make of it. I had to show somebody."

"You did right, Dennis. I can't exactly explain it either. We planted this to honor Mary; instead, I think she's telling us everything is okay now. Six great kids, six great roses. More than a coincidence I think. My guess is, tomorrow the rose will be done; Mary has what she wanted. I might be nuts, but I think that's the deal. And Dennis, if you've never believed in the hereafter, start."

The next day, Dennis Anderson removed the dry stalk that the day before had been in bloom. In what would have seemed strange to anyone else, he carefully burned the remains and sprinkled them over the grave. Mary had what she wanted.

In the years that followed, many things came to pass at Windmere, but none like the orchestrated events that brought Ryan and Laura together as one. Some things did happen as an eventual result: Dennis and Angie Anderson would have one son, and adopt a daughter. Franz and Bernice Smith married and lived in the carriage house; they would have no children but were great surrogates for watching the children of others. Judge Harry would finally retire from the bench for good on his 80th birthday, and pass away quietly into the night on his 87th. Father James Jesse retired but stayed in residence at St. Matthews as sort of a bench player; he and Harry would continue to make guest appearances at weddings, and Fr. Jim did recruit a substantial number of parishioners. Leslie Friend became Mrs. Jason Jefferson, graduated from EMT school, and had a second child, a girl named Laura. Doris Cook and Marie Hernandes, along with some other associates, published a Windmere cookbook, including a section on the proper digging of roasting pits. Roger Brown retired, again, and with his wife, became a traveler for Windmere. Some years later, Calvin Harrison, with his wife, would do the same. The Christmas vacation of his senior year in college, Jackson Williams saw the beautiful Victoria Hernandes for the first time in several years; they would be married within a years' time. Amanda loved her doll house so much, she redecorated it several times, growing into a highly successful interior designer. In his later years, after a continuing succession of failures at about everything, Richard Nessing developed early onset Alzheimers disease; his last days in a locked treatment unit were paid for by Jack and Amanda for the sole reason it was the right thing to do; Jack had never forgotten the talk at the pond. The state allowed Windmere to expand the little cemetery behind the White House, but it was restricted to former employees of Windmere and their spouses; others need not apply. In a local law firm, the principles met, called in one of their associates, and terminated him point blank for his reprehensible treatment of a young, impressionable, and pregnant housekeeper; he never discovered how they found out, but Harry didn't like unfinished business. And in the end, all other things aside, Mary did indeed have what she wanted.

Epilogue

Ryan had been gone for almost two years now. They had moved out of the "White House" some years ago when Ryan had proposed that Jack should become Windmere Corporation CEO; the Board of Directors agreed. Ryan and Laura became travelers for a few years after that, but only for new facilities where they were not known, finally retiring to their cottage for most of the year. Their golden years goal was to spoil first grandchildren, then great grandchildren as often and as much as possible, and they were successful to a level not unacceptable to the children's parents.

Now, Jack was considering retirement, so quickly had the years gone by. Laura was not tired of life, but without Ryan, things just did not hold the interest they once had. The grand's and great-grand's couldn't offset the loneliness in the quiet hours. She did not long for death, but neither was she afraid of it, and she looked forward to the promised reunion in the afterlife she believed in. It was a warm fall evening, and she dozed a little in her favorite rocker, comfortable and satisfied that she had led a complete life as her thoughts wandered back over the years, to Ryan, and to their life together.

"Laura... Laura? It's Mary. Ryan asked me to come for you; he's busy watching over some of the great grand kids just now. Besides, you know how men are about all this girl talk stuff, and we do have a lot to catch up on. Remember, I told you I would come for you, but I can't stay here very long. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I'm ready. I remember your promise, and I've been waiting. I can smell the roses." Looking back as she walked out of the cottage, Laura saw herself still sitting in the chair, but realized her spirit was free.

The End

About the Author

_Michelle Tschantre'_ has accrued years of "people" lore, mostly listening and encouraging, letting them find their own way past whatever issue prompted the conversation. The WINDMERE Series of fictional events uses some of those experiences, a little science here and there, some reality now and then, a belief that there may be powers greater than we know, and an everlasting belief in good outcomes for good hearted people. It is what the author has come to believe over the years: plan for the worst, hope for the best, deal with the reality. In " _Laura's Big Win",_ the foundation is built for the books that have followed, with some of the same people, some new faces and problems, and Windmere in there somewhere keeping it all going.

