"Mmmmffff..."
Cate protested feebly as again Jon devoured her mouth. She whimpered when his
hand moved to her breast, cupping it needfully.
He wasn't making this easy.
Summoning her willpower,
Cate pulled her hand from Jon's jeans pocket and grasped his hip. Her other hand flattened against his
chest. She pulled back her head,
disengaging her lips from her husband's with a wet smack.
"Jon." Her voice was a husky sigh. "Now isn't the time."
"Why not? They're occupied, and it's gonna take 'em
awhile to find us. We've got at least a
few minutes." He reached again for
her mouth, but Cate pulled back.
"Jon, the doors are wide open." She snorted softly as a wry smile turned her
shiny lips. "And a few minutes?
Oh, Gee. That's just what every girl wants to hear."
Cate rolled her eyes with her sarcastic observation.
"It's called a
quickie, Baby. You never complained
before."
"Before I wasn't worried about your sons walking in on us."
"Oh? Just Christmas party guests?"
Cate blushed, her body
instantly sparking at the vivid memory of their daring holiday tryst in the
wine pantry several months ago. That
time they had nearly been interrupted by Jon's brother.
"We almost got caught
then, too." Cate shook her head
lightly, making her copper locks ripple over her shoulders. "You shoulda learned your lesson."
"Maybe I like the danger." Jon arched a brow, his lips curving into a
dirty smirk.
"Well, even if you do, I don't want to have to explain to your sons' mother what they
witnessed on our family
vacation."
Jon snorted. "Oh, believe
me, Baby. That discussion would be all on me, not you. Dorothea would be too happy to have a reason to rip me a new one."
That made Cate's lips twist
amusedly, even as she inwardly cringed at the thought of facing Jon's ex-wife
after such a humiliating mishap. It had
been hard enough to see her in the aftermath of Jon's boozy birthday-party slip
of the tongue, when Cate had been only the innocent victim.
"So we're gonna be sure it doesn't happen." Cate firmly pushed Jon's hand off of her
breast. "Got it?"
Jon grumbled a sigh. "Yeah, yeah. But Christ,
Cate.... you gotta lighten up a little.
Relax. You're on vacation, for fuck's sake."
Cate's smile faltered as
she heard the surly note buried in his smooth voice. "Lighten up? I need to lighten up? Just because I won't let you have your way
with me whenever -- and wherever --
you want?"
"No, because you won't
even entertain the possibility. I'm
barely gettin' revved up and you're already shuttin' down the engine."
She felt a pang of
annoyance at his sulky accusation. Cate
reached behind her, grasping Jon's forearm.
He didn't resist, recognizing her displeasure at his flip remark. Remaining silent, Jon slid his hand from
inside Cate's pants and let it fall to the mattress. Cate pushed herself up until she sat on one
hip, then looked down at him through narrowed azure eyes.
"Maybe you should
think with the head on your shoulders instead of the one in your pants.
Then you wouldn't have to limp around with blue balls."
Cate's response was calm
but biting. She had felt guilty last
night after halting their brief makeout session in the Navigator's back
seat. But she admitted some culpability
in that encounter; this time Jon had brought about his discomfort all on his
own.
Jon peered back up at her,
feeling a jolt in his gut and in his crotch at the ice in her sapphire
glare. There was no doubt his wife was pissed
at his stupid, snarky comment. There was
also no doubt her simmering anger made her look twice as hot.
He couldn't help himself,
though he knew the words were a mistake before they passed his lips.
"And maybe you should just stop thinking and let yourself get fucked."
Cate's jaw dropped. Her eyes sparked with shock and indignation
as she gaped at her husband, hardly believing what she had just heard.
"I... WHAT???" Cate couldn't formulate a coherent response.
Jon's lips pressed into a
line as he pushed himself up on one elbow.
He winced slightly when the change in position stretched the
already-tight denim across his crotch.
Jon gave Cate a direct look, his own blue eyes darkening with his agitation.
"Just stop it, Cate. Stop worrying. Stop over-thinking and over-analyzing every
fucking little thing. For Christ's sake!" Jon reached up to run a hand through his hair
as he growled another sigh, gathering himself before he went way too far. He had already put more than a toe over the
line. He pulled his hand from the back
of his neck to wave it animatedly as he spoke, emphasizing his argument.
"This is supposed to
be a family vacation, yes. But it's also supposed to be a time for us...
all of us... to just live in the
moment. Just be here. Together. Forget about all the other shit going on in
our crazy damned lives. Forget about
work, forget about school, forget about bosses and partners and teachers and
annoying kids and directors and agents and assistants and exes
and..."
He stopped to take a breath
after his sing-song tirade. His hand
dropped to his thigh with a dull smack
of flesh on denim, then he continued.
"...And to forget about all the daily bullshit." Jon's frown softened. "To let it go, Cate. Just for
awhile."
He saw her lips part to
protest, and cut her off.
"Look, I know.
I know we have to be discrete
around the boys. For fuck's sake, Cate! Do you really think I want them to know what
goes on in our bedroom? Of course I don't. And here, now?" Jon waved his hand vaguely at their
surroundings, then let it fall again to his thigh. "I wouldn't have gone so far that they
would have walked in on anything graphic. Hell, not even anything R-rated. Even if it does
leave me with a case of blue balls."
He sighed. "I would hope you
think I'm a better father than that."
Cate swallowed hard. Her anger was slowly subsiding, replaced by a
creeping guilt. She nodded mutely.
Jon lowered his chin,
continuing despite his better judgment.
"Is it so fucking wrong
that I want to be affectionate with my wife,
Cate? That I want to touch her, hold
her, kiss her... To try to find that spark that's gone missing?"
His blunt admission stunned
her. Jon had never before so starkly
admitted their sex life had diminished.
Cate found her voice
somewhere behind the lump in her throat.
It was hoarse. "Of course
not. I'm just... just... uncomfortable."
"With the
boys?" Jon's voice matched hers in
timbre. "Or with me?"
Cate's eyes moistened as
she stared at him for a long moment before answering truthfully.
"Both."
Jon stared back at her, his
recoil visible not in his expression but in his stormy gaze. He licked his suddenly-dry lips. "Oh.
I see."
Cate dropped her gaze as
another pang of guilt prodded dully at her gut. She couldn't bring herself to
apologize this time. Still, she needed
to say something, to at least try to explain.
"Jon, I..."
"No." Jon shook his head as he held up a hand. "Just... don't."
"I'm not..." Cate heeded his repeated head-shake, then
sighed heavily. "I shouldn't
have...
"No, I shouldn't have started. You're right.
I should ask if you're comfortable
with me touching you first."
Cate felt her eyes moisten
again, his intentionally-brusque words needling her guilt. "That's not what I..." She let
out an exasperated sigh. "Baby,
it's not that I don't want you to... to kiss me, or hold my hand..." Cate frowned, struggling to find words that
could explain but not make matters worse.
"But when it's more than that, I just... with Jake and Romeo here,
I just can't..."
"Well, they're here.
For the whole trip. So I guess
I'll just keep my hands to myself, then."
Jon's statement came out more bluntly than he intended, but he stifled
his cringe. Instead he gave Cate a
half-hearted glare.
"That's not what I said, Jon. Or what I want."
"Oh? Coulda fooled me." His brow arched with his sarcastic reply.
Cate mirrored his response,
now starting to get annoyed with his pissiness.
"You wanted a family
vacation, Jon. You wanted to drive to Florida. And I'm glad.
It's nice that you wanted to do something so... normal... with your boys."
Her voice gained strength as she saw he wasn't going to interrupt
her.
"And I'm glad that you
wanted me to be part of it. I'm touched,
honestly. That the boys want me around
while they spend time with their Dad.
That you want me to be a part
of their lives, of their happy memories.
To be a... a mother to
them. Even if just a surrogate one, for
a few days." Her voice quavered
slightly as she verbalized how she felt about her untested role.
This time Jon couldn't hide
his reaction. He winced at the break in
her voice, now realizing he had inadvertently touched a more sensitive nerve
with his flippant horny frustration.
"Cate..."
"I want them to have fun, Jon. Like they would if we were a real family, if
I was their mother. But how are they supposed to see me as more
than... than their father's..."
Cate's voice wavered again and she cleared her throat. "...than their Dad's girlfriend... if..."
Her voice trailed off and
she turned her glittering eyes to Jon's. His expression softened with his voice.
"Jake and Romeo don't
think of you as a surrogate, Cate. Or an
outsider. Hell, they don't even think twice about you anymore. You're part of their world. You're just... Cate." He gave her a
little smile. "They know I love
you, and I want them to love
you. So they do."
When she didn't answer or
look up, Jon sighed. "Look, I'm
sorry. It was stupid, what I said. I didn't mean it."
That made her eyes
narrow. "Yes you did, Jon. It's obviously how you feel. That I'm
the reason we..." She sighed
again, suddenly realizing she was weary of this argument and didn't want to
pursue it further. She wasn't even sure
how they had gone from affectionate to antagonistic in the blink of an
eye.
"Okay. It's... okay.
I'm sorry too. I'll try... try
not to be so... prudish."
Now Jon's eyes narrowed at
her begrudging apology. It was clear
they hadn't resolved this issue, the real reason for their argument. "I don't think you're a prude, Cate. And I'm not
saying I want you to act like a horny fucking schoolgirl, either." He added the qualification hastily, when he
saw her lips part to argue. "I just
want you to relax, and to realize you don't have to try to be anything. Just...
be Cate. Be my wife."
He reached for her hand and
was silently relieved when she didn't pull it away. "Look, I promise you. You don't have
to worry about Jake and Romeo. I'll back
off when they're around. Okay? But Cate, I'm not gonna completely ignore
you just because they're here with us."
Jon squeezed Cate's hand. "I
think it's good that they see some affection between us. That's what people who
love each other do. Hold hands, embrace, kiss..."
Cate nodded slowly. She couldn't disagree with Jon's statement,
but her in her mind the caution flag still waved.
"Yeah, but nothing
too... PDA... Okay?" Cate winced. The juvenile acronym was all she could come
up with to explain the boundary of her discomfort.
"Okay." Jon chuckled and nodded, then gave her a long
look. "But when it's just us, when the
boys are asleep or off doing something... then I'm gonna want more of you,
Cate. I need more of you." His
voice softened, carrying a note of wistfulness.
"I miss us, Baby, how things used to be."
Cate sighed. "I miss us too, Jon. But I need you to understand that things
can't change overnight. Not for me,
anyway."
"But we can find ourselves again, Cate, if we
try. But we have to fuckin' try.
We have to make an effort, then once we're started, just let it go, let things
happen..." Jon paused as a lyric
floated through his mind, then he chuckled before letting it escape in a husky
croon, knowing it would make her
smile. "Show a little faith, there's magic in the night..."
He was right. Cate's lips curved into an involuntary sheepish
smile. She snorted softly, then sighed her surrender. "Well, this is allegedly the Happiest Place on Earth..."
"For boys and girls of
all ages," Jon agreed. He tugged lightly on her hand, encouraging
her to move closer. "This place is
all about fairy tales and fantasies, Baby.
Why should they all be for kids?"
Cate gave Jon a long look
before answering softly. "But fairy
tales aren't real, Jon. And they don't
come true."
Jon stared back at her, his
indigo eyes brightening as his lips curved.
He leaned closer, until his breath warmed her skin. His response was soft.
"Don't they?"
Cate's heart clenched as he
reminded her of the truth. She blinked
as again her eyes moistened. Not so long
ago she would have considered this very moment to be nothing more than a
fantasy: to be here in this beautiful
place with him beside her, gazing so earnestly at her from his place beside
her on the bed. The life that was now
her reality would have been incomprehensible just a few short years ago.
She hesitated before acquiescing,
then leaned to accept the apology on his offered lips. When his hand moved to stroke her cheek,
Cate's heart squeezed. She let him urge
her a little closer, settling onto her side and propping on an elbow, mirroring
Jon's repose. Cate rested her free hand lightly
on Jon's side as again their mouths joined in a languorously bittersweet
kiss. He didn't move closer, respecting
the subtle boundary she imposed with her body position.
Cate sighed softly as the
last traces of her anger and guilt slipped away, taken by Jon's breath. She silently resolved to do as he asked, to
try to rekindle the romance that had once come to them so effortlessly. Maybe she needed this vacation too, not to
escape reality but to prepare herself for what lay ahead.
"DAAAAAAAD!!!!! CAAAAAATE!"
The voice was nearby,
ringing through the suite from the hall.
Cate turned her head,
making Jon's mouth slip from hers. "And
there he is..." she mumbled,
unable to keep an "I told you so" smirk from her lips. She quickly pushed herself back up to her prior
position, seated beside Jon's prone form on the mattress. Clearing her throat, she fixed a smile and
looked expectantly at the doorway.
Jon didn't reply, instead rolling
onto his belly. A soft grunt emitted
from his throat at the extra pressure on his crotch, the firm mattress yielding
only slightly to his movement. He let
his cheek drop against the coverlet as he sighed, mentally preparing himself
for the energetic encounter he knew was coming.
"Dad?" Romeo bounced through the suite's door and
stopped, looking around the sitting room.
Cate stifled a giggle at the boy's bewildered expression when he spied
the zebra-hide rug beneath the furniture.
"In here,
Romey." Cate called, directing his
attention to the bedchamber. Romeo's
head swiveled at the sound of her voice.
"Dad! There's a
zebra rug on your floor!"
"Yeah? So?"
Jon mumbled against the mattress.
"But you're not
supposed to skin zebras!" Romeo's voice carried a note of panic. "They're like horses!"
Cate quickly
intervened. "Romey, it's not a real zebra skin. It's fake."
Romeo glanced skeptically again
at the rug, then looked back toward Cate.
"Oh." He considered her
reassurance for a moment, then shrugged. As Romeo skipped through the wide doorway into
the bedroom Cate let out a silent sigh of relief. Thankfully her stepson wasn't going to
challenge her false supposition.
"What're you
doin'?" Romeo stopped beside the
bed and craned his neck, looking up into the canopy. "Wow.
Your bed is made of trees."
"Sleeping." Jon's voice was a monotone mumble, again
muffled by the coverlet.
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"Then why are you
talking?" Romeo giggled and climbed
onto the bed, using the twisted-wood footboard as a ladder of sorts.
"I'm not."
"Yes you are!" Romeo giggled again and stood on his knees
next to his father's prone form. He
wiggled, trying to pull his feet over the footboard without losing his balance.
"Romeo, don't get your
shoes on the bed," Cate chided, though she was certain her warning would
be ignored.
"Okay." Romeo answered absently, a mischievous grin
splitting his lips. With another giggle
he pounced onto Jon's back. He waved his
feet in the air, causing Cate to duck backward to avoid an inadvertent kick to
her jaw.
"OOOOFFFF!" The sound was squeezed out of Jon as his son's
weight pinned him to the bed. He groaned
as his swollen balls were squashed against the mattress, then again as his
tight back muscles protested the blow. "Gahh...Romeo!"
The boy giggled. "Wake up."
"Okay, okay! I'm awake!
Get offa me!"
Jon grunted again as Romeo
rolled over his back and onto the mattress.
Romeo grinned as he lay beside his father, his legs propped across the
backs of Jon's thighs. Slowly Jon raised
his head to give the boy a mild glare.
His attempted stink-eye was foiled by another involuntary wince as his
balls throbbed.
"Can we go see the
animals?" Romeo wiggled himself
into an upright position.
"I think they're
already in for the night," Cate commented.
Seizing the opportunity, she grabbed Romeo's feet and tugged off his
sneakers.
"Hey!" the boy
protested as Cate tossed the shoes onto the floor.
"I told you, no dirty
shoes on the white bed." Cate gave him a smug look and patted the
duvet.
"You're wearing your shoes. And Dad's wearing his."
"And our feet aren't on the bed." Cate ducked down until she was eye-to-eye
with Jon's son. She made a silly face to
punctuate her argument.
"But your butts are." Romeo giggled with his counter-argument.
"Hey..." Jon warned.
With another uncomfortable grunt he shifted, propping himself up onto
his elbows and turning to peer over his shoulder at his son. "Watch it."
"Can we? Go see the animals?"
Jon shook his head slightly. "Not tonight. Like Cate said, they're all in the barn. We watched 'em go in, remember?"
"There's probably more
animals somewhere else."
"Nope, they're all in
for the night."
"How do you know?" Romeo gave his father a comically-suspicious
look.
"Because I've been
here before. And I read it on the
website. The animals all go inside at
dark, then they come back out in the morning." Jon's rebuttal was half-surly. "Where's your brother?"
"I dunno."
"Did you guys look
around the rest of the villa?"
Romeo nodded. "Yeah.
We couldn't figure out how to turn on the TV."
Jon snorted. "Good."
"Oh! But guess
what?" Romeo's face brightened as
he recalled something else.
"There's a hot tub
outside! It has lights that change
colors. And it's got a waterfall!"
"What?" Cate answered for Jon. "You were outside?"
"Yeah! There's a door at the bottom of the stairs
that goes outside to the hill. There's
like a kinda cave cut into the rocks, and it has a waterfall that goes into a
hot tub!"
"Stairs?" Jon shifted, half-rolling onto a hip to
relieve the pressure on his crotch. He
grunted again and resisted the urge to rub at the source of his discomfort. "Where are there stairs?"
"Behind the wall. The one with the big stone head on it."
"Huh." Jon looked at Cate and shrugged. She mirrored his movement. "How do you know it's a hot tub?"
Romeo rolled his eyes. "Because. It said Jacuzzi on it, and there were buttons
to push to make the bubbles and the lights go.
DUH."
"Did Jake go out there
with you?"
"Yeah."
"Did he come back in with you?"
"Uh huh."
"Then why don't you
know where he is?"
Romeo shrugged. " 'Cause I don't care."
"Romeo!" Cate chastised him again, this time more
sternly. "Don't say that. He's your brother!"
"So?"
Jon sighed and reached up
to lightly biff Romeo on the back of the head.
"Stop it. We agreed, no
fighting. Remember?"
Romeo shrugged again. "I'm not fighting."
"For the moment,
you're not." Jon sarcastically
countered his son's statement. He
fidgeted again, causing another twinge of discomfort in his jeans. Jon turned his head toward the door leading
to the hallway before bellowing. "JAKE!"
"Jon, don't yell. I'll go find him." Cate slid toward the bed's edge.
"Yeah?" Jacob's reply floated through the doorway,
immediate but more distant than Romeo's had been.
Jon turned his blue eyes to
his wife. He gave her a smug smirk. "Don't bother." Again he addressed the doorway and shouted.
"C'MERE!"
Less than a minute later
Jacob's dirty-blonde head poked through the doorway. He quickly dropped his gaze when Cate smiled
at him from her perch on the edge of the big canopy bed.
"Can we go eat
somewhere? I'm hungry." Jake's question was half-mumbled.
"Yeah, I guess
so." Jon looked down at his
wrist. "It's almost seven-thirty."
"Can we order a
pizza?" Romeo's suggestion made Jon
smile despite himself.
"No, we can't order a pizza."
"Why not?"
"Because." Jon took a deep breath before rolling
sideways and pushing himself up. He
winced again at the pinch of tight denim, then finished his answer. "They don't have pizza on the African
savanna. Besides, we're at Disney World, Dude. We're not gonna just sit in this place -- as
amazing as it is -- all night. There's
gotta be something going on."
Taking his cue, Cate slid
off the edge of the bed. "There's
probably a park schedule somewhere around here." She drifted across the bedroom and into the
sitting room, her gaze sweeping over the tables in search of some sort of
literature.
"There's a hotel book-thing
in the living room," Jacob offered.
"Want me to get it?"
Cate turned to give him
another smile. "Sure. Thanks."
Jacob nodded curtly and disappeared
from the doorway without answering. Cate
looked at Jon, her smile turning to a look of bewilderment. Jake had been uncharacteristically cool to
her all day.
"Did I do
something....?"
Jon shook his head
brusquely, cutting her off before Romeo could pick up on her concern. "Naw, he's just being Jake. I'll talk to him."
"It's not a big deal,
Jon..."
He shook his head again,
repeating his assurance. "I'll talk to him, Cate." Jon reached for Romeo, capturing the boy in
his arm and pulling him to his side before rubbing his head playfully with his
free hand. Romeo giggled and struggled
against the sudden entrapment.
"From this point on, nobody is
gonna be a pain in the ass. We're all
gonna get along. Right?"
"Yeah, Dad..."
Romeo could barely get the words out through his giggles. He managed to slip from Jon's grasp, then
bounced onto his knees. The boy launched
his own counterassault, lurching toward his father and wrapping his arms around
his neck.
"Alright,
alright..." Jon protested hoarsely, half-choked by Romeo's clutch. "Enough.
No wrestling on the bed." He
raised his hands to tickle Romeo's exposed midriff, causing the boy to squeal
and recoil, releasing Jon. Romeo fell
back onto the bed, holding his stomach and giggling madly.
"Here." At the word Cate turned away from the amusing
distraction in the bedroom, just as Jake thrusted a leather-cover binder into
her hands.
"Oh! Thanks..." Before Cate could finish a response Jake had
darted past her and into the bedroom. He
slouched across the big room and around the bed to stand before the windows,
his shoulders slumped and hands in his pockets as he stared out at the view.
Jon frowned. Jacob's shortness with Cate was bordering on
disrespect. Even in light of the
previous evening's incident, there was no excuse for Jake to be rude.
"Jake. Turn around."
Recognizing the displeased
tone in his father's quiet voice, Jacob did as he was told.
"C'mere."
Jon waited for the boy to
move. When Jacob had silently traversed
the few steps to the bedside, Jon continued.
"Now, listen. Both of
you." Jon poked at Romeo's arm,
making sure he had the younger boy's attention.
"We're here to have fun. As
a family. So I expect you two to act
like young men, not wild animals. Got
it?"
He paused and gave Romeo a
sideways stink-eye when the boy giggled at the inadvertent pun. "I'm not kidding. No picking at each other, no fighting. This ain't the first vacation we've ever gone
on together, and I know you can get along.
Let's all have a nice time,
okay?" Jon turned to nod at
Romeo. "Okay?"
Romeo nodded and grinned. "Okay, Daddy-Oh."
Jon looked at Jake. "Jake?
Okay?"
"Okay." The boy nodded, then looked up to meet his
father's gaze. His sulky frown relaxed
when he saw Jon's half-smile.
"Good. And..."
Jon paused, his smile broadening. "We also have a responsibility, we
Bongiovi Men." As Romeo giggled
again Jon tipped his head toward the bedroom's doorway, where Cate stood
leafing through the binder Jacob had delivered.
"This is the first time Cate has ever been to Disney World for fun.
Can you believe that? So we owe
it to your Stepmama to show her a good time.
Give her a real family
vacation experience. Got it?"
At the mention of her name,
Cate looked up. She hadn't been paying
full attention to what Jon was saying to his boys as she scanned the park schedules,
searching for evening activity options.
She smiled self-consciously as she found three sets of shining eyes
fixed on her now.
"Ummm.... What?"
Jon chuckled at her puzzled
reaction. "I said, this is the
first time you've been to Disney for fun.
So we have to show you how to do a vacation."
"You've never been
here before?" Jacob's question was
a surprise.
Cate shook her head, then
shrugged. "Well, I have,
but only for work. When I was doing
protective service details I used to come here every now and then with
our Principals and their families..."
She stopped herself, realizing she had lapsed into cop-speak. Jake's puzzled expression confirmed her
suspicion, that he had no idea what she was saying. She chuckled and tried again.
"I mean, yes. I've been here, but when I came I was
working. I was a bodyguard for important
government people and their families while they were here on vacation. But that was quite a few years ago."
Jacob's expression
brightened. "Really? You were a bodyguard?"
Cate nodded. "Yeah.
Used to be part of my duties before I became an instructor. Long
before I met your Dad." She smiled
at Jacob, encouraged by his interest in her backstory.
"So did you follow
them around with guns?" Romeo
bounced again on the bed as he asked his excited question. "Can you be our bodyguard?"
Cate laughed. "No, Romey. No guns." She smirked at her fib. Of course she had been armed, but her weapon
had been well-concealed. Disney security
frowned upon display of weaponry at the Happiest Place on Earth. "I just made sure everyone stayed safe
and people left them alone so they could enjoy their vacation."
"And no, she's not playing Bodyguard on our trip," Jon interjected
firmly. "She's the one on vacation. We're
gonna protect her." He gave Cate a nod to emphasize his
declaration. "So she can enjoy
herself and do the stuff she didn't get to do before."
"Like go on Space
Mountain?" Romeo grinned and
bounced again on his knees.
"Yep, like go on Space
Mountain." Jon reached out to clamp
a hand on Romeo's shoulder, stilling the fidgety boy's bounce. Every spring of the mattress caused a denim
pinch against his still-tender nuts.
Cate snorted softly at
Jon's interaction with Romeo before returning her attention to Jake. She wanted to be sure she had fully satisfied
his query, since he had been so distant to her all day. "Disney security is pretty cool. They have some really ingenious surveillance
stuff in the parks. If you're
interested, I can show you some of their tricks while we're there."
Jacob shrugged but didn't
frown. "I guess." He tried to appear nonchalant, but Cate saw
the corners of his mouth curve a little.
"Okay." Cate smiled and nodded. She didn't want to push Jake now that he seemed
to be warming to her, so she would leave it at that.
"I'm huuuuuungryyyyyy....." Romeo
announced in a pretend-whine. "Can
we go eeeeeeeeat?"
Jon nodded his agreement
and clapped his hands together.
"Yes. Let's get outta here
for awhile." He gave Romeo a little
shove with a gentle hand. "Get off
the bed and go get your jacket."
Romeo shifted on the bed,
uncurling his feet from under behind before sliding to the floor. "I don't need a coat," he
announced, standing up straight.
"Yes, you do. The sun's down and it's chilly."
"I'm not cold."
"And you're not outside, Doofus." Jon took a breath before pushing himself up
off the mattress. Again his strangled
groin protested, another throb emanating from his testicles. Jon couldn't control a muffled grunt. "Go.
Get your jackets. Both of
you."
"C'mon,
Romey." Jake quietly prodded his
brother, waiting for the boy to pick up his sneakers and bounce ahead of him toward the doorway. Jake's glance upward was met by an approving
smile from his father. His mouth curved
in response and he shuffled from the room.
"Uuughhhh..." Jon
half-sighed, half-groaned as he turned to face Cate. "Well,
that went well."
"Actually, it
did." Cate nodded sincerely.
"Yeah, well... we'll
see how long it lasts." Jon reached
to cup his hand over his crotch, finally able to make the adjustment he had
desperately needed for the past ten minutes.
He gingerly shifted his genitals, loosening the bunched denim and cotton
that had held them constricted. Again he
groaned with relief.
Cate snorted quietly,
feeling the slightest bit of smug satisfaction at his discomfort. Romeo's sudden, boisterous interruption of
their private moment had perfectly underscored her point to Jon, that her guard
would be up as long as the boys were around.
Maybe now he would understand, and not take her caution so personally.
Not eager to resume that
conversation, Cate cleared her throat and again consulted the binder. "Okay, so we have a couple options for
tonight, depending how far we want to go and what you want to eat."
"I'm not that
hungry," Jon commented, shaking his head.
"Those two say they are, but you know what they'll do. They'll take a few bites of whatever and
declare they're full."
Cate chuckled her
agreement. "Yeah, well." She flipped a page, then turned the binder to
show Jon the literature. "There are
six or seven places to eat here at the Animal Kingdom resort, if you don't want
to go too far afield tonight. There's
even a place for pizza."
Jon moved over to where she
stood, walking carefully since his discomfort had not yet fully subsided. He took the binder from her hands and quickly
scanned the page. "Sounds fine to
me."
"Or..." Cate
reached up to flip a couple more pages.
Her fingers brushed across his with the effort, making him smile. She pointed at a printed schedule. "If you think the boys might like it, we
could go over to one of the other properties and get something to eat, then
watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks."
Jon's lips pursed as he
considered that suggestion. Disney's fireworks
were legendary; his boys always enjoyed the spectacle. But this was only their first night here, and
they would have many other opportunities to take part in that tradition.
"Or..." When Jon didn't respond, Cate reached again
to flip the page. "We could just go
to Downtown Disney and grab something to eat there. Maybe walk around a little, look at the
shops."
Jon peered at the page for
a moment before shaking his head.
"Nah, let's do that another night.
I don't want to deal with crowds."
Cate chuckled at his
comment. "Well, then you're
definitely in the wrong place. Disney
World at Spring Break? Nothin' but crowds."
Jon smirked and nodded his
agreement. "Then let's avoid from
it as long as we can, yeah? We'll just
stay here tonight. Go up to the resort,
get a bite to eat, check out the pool, maybe find something else to do for
awhile..." He flipped the binder
closed and turned to toss it toward the bed.
It landed on the mattress with a light thump.
"Then come back here
and get settled. Maybe check out that
fancy-ass waterfall jacuzzi that's supposedly outside. Or play a game or something, until the
Chuckleheads finally pass out." Jon
stepped closer to Cate, smiling down at her.
"And I promise, I'll be a
perfect gentleman."
Cate felt a twinge of
guilt, knowing under Jon's purr there was a tiny bit of snark. But she chose to ignore it. She looked up at him, her eyes shining
brightly.
"That sounds
lovely. Like a wonderful family evening." She reached for his hand, twining her fingers
gently into his.
"DAAAAAD!!!!! We got our COOOOOOATS!!!! Can we GO?"
Jon sighed and shook his
head before dropping his forehead against Cate's. "S'gonna be a long week,
ain't it?"
Cate chuckled. "Could be."
Jon smiled and kissed the
end of her nose before stepping back and turning toward the door. He gave Cate's hand a little tug, cueing her
to follow him.
"ALRIGHT!" Jon bellowed
back toward the villa's main space, not having any idea where his boys may be
at the moment. "We're COMIN'! Who wants fried WILDEBEEST for dinner?"
"EEEWWW! DAD!"
*****
"Uggghhh.... UNCLE."
Jon dropped his spoon and
slumped back in his chair. He stifled a
burp, then rubbed his belly. An amused
smile turned up the corners of his mouth as he regarded his sons. Both were practically sitting on the table,
still enthusiastically attacking the remnants of the massive ice cream sundae.
"You don' wan' no
more, Dad?" Romeo tried to ask the
question through a mouthful of strawberry, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
"God, no. And don't talk with
your mouth full, Buddy." Jon wrinkled
his nose and looked sideways at Cate.
She had given up her ice-cream spoon after only a few bites. "Where the hell are they putting all of it?"
"I have no idea." Cate shook her head in response. "I guess they were hungrier than we
thought." She chuckled with quiet
amusement, watching Jake shovel a huge spoonful of dessert into his mouth.
"Jesus, I'm afraid of
what woulda happened if we took them to the buffet,"
Jon joked. When they arrived at the
main resort several hours ago there had been a spirited debate about what to
eat for dinner. The boys had ultimately
prevailed, convincing Cate and Jon that pizza was in fact a viable option in
"Africa." They had then proceeded
to devour an entire large cheese pie while the adults opted for lighter fare of
chicken and vegetable flatbreads with salad.
Their appetites sated, the
family had spent the next hour exploring the resort before the boys begged for
dessert at the ice cream parlor. Jon had
quickly caved when confronted with the myriad dessert options, letting Jacob
and Romeo build a custom sundae. While
the boys were happy, he now saw the error of his lazy parenting. It would be hours before they came down off their
sugar high.
Jon groaned and patted his
gorged belly again as his intestines grumbled.
He wondered how long he would be in the bathroom, experiencing the
aftermath of his dairy-overdose. At
least Cate wouldn't have to worry about the boys walking in on any salacious
acts tonight. She probably wouldn't even
want to be in the same room as him, let alone get too close. Not that he would blame her.
Jon smirked to himself and
stifled a hiccup. Ah, the joys of
marriage. Sharing a bed with a gassy rockstar
would rank high on his wife's list of marital blisses, no doubt.
Cate's eyes narrowed at
Jon's smug little chortle.
"What?" Her tone was
gently suspicious.
"Oh,
nothin'." Jon grinned and reached
for her hand. He gave it a reassuring
squeeze. "Just remember in a few
hours, Baby... those vows said 'for better or for worse'."
Cate sighed, picking up on
his implication. She shook her head,
though she couldn't help a smile.
"Fabulous."
"Can we come back here
tomorrow?" Romeo swiped his finger
around the edge of the huge platter that had served as an ice cream bowl,
collecting remnants of hot fudge and whipped cream. He popped the finger in his mouth before
sticking it back into the sugary debris where the ice-cream mountain had once
stood.
"Nuh-uh." Jon shook his head vigorously. "No way.
You've already exceeded your ice cream quota for the entire week."
"But Dad!"
Cate quickly
interjected. "He's kidding, Romeo. We'll have ice cream again. Just not tomorrow."
"Or maybe not for a month," Jon mumbled, again rubbing
his belly and letting out a half-stifled burp.
His reaction made Jacob and Romeo giggle.
"Where are we gonna go
tomorrow?" Jake asked. He dropped his long-handled spoon into the
dish and reached for his water bottle.
"Can we go see the
animals in the morning?" Romeo
interjected excitedly.
"Romey, chill
out. We'll see the animals." Jon raised a hand with his reassurance. "Don't worry. I'm gonna call the concierge in the morning
and have them set up a tour or something."
He looked at Cate.
"Actually, we should probably give them a couple things, so they
can work on whatever it is they have to do."
Cate cocked her head. "Didn't you have Renee set up an
itinerary for us?"
"No. I figured we'd decide when we got here what
we wanted to do." Jon frowned. "Why?"
His wife was an obsessive
planner, but he had never had such an inclination when it came to personal
travels. Jon had learned long ago that money and celebrity could get him pretty much anything he wanted or needed
when it came to leisure. That was one of
the perqs of fame he wasn't hesitant to use.
"Because, Jon... it's
Disney World. At Spring Break." People
book these tours and stuff months in advance.
Even dinner reservations."
She looked at the boys, then back to Jon. "A lot of things will probably already
be sold out."
Jon chuckled. "Cate.
We're paying for a luxury villa.
I'm pretty sure we can go
wherever we want and do whatever we
want. With reasonable notice, of
course."
She gave Jon a skeptical
look, hoping she hadn't physically cringed.
Though she knew he didn't mean it, her husband's statement had sounded
pretty arrogant. "I don't know,
Jon..."
Jon sighed and again patted
his belly. "Baby, it's fine. Seriously.
Disney has a VIP staff for a reason. You can't tell me the dignitaries and their
families you protected didn't get special treatment, right?"
"Of course they
did. But we coordinated all that far in advance. And a lot of it was for security reasons, for
protection of the family from...." Cate stopped, realizing Jacob and Romeo
were listening intently. She cleared her
throat quietly. "It was all handled
before they arrived."
"Cate, we're not going
to ask for anything crazy. Just some
tours and stuff." Jon shook his
head and gave her a little smile.
"Relax. You're the VIP now. Enjoy
it. Let people do for you."
"Well...
okay." Cate sat back in her chair,
trying to mask her skepticism. She was
sure Jon was far from the most notable celebrity served by Disney's VIP
program. This might be one of those
times when his status wasn't quite enough to get him all he requested. She just hoped Jake and Romeo wouldn't be
disappointed.
"Alright. Now."
Jon reached for the glossy folder he had obtained earlier from the Guest
Services Manager. The effort of his
stretch made him grunt. He relaxed
against his chair back as he flipped open the folder and rifled through the
sheaf of flyers. "Since this is a
family vacation, each one of us is gonna pick one thing that we most want to do while we're here. A show, a tour, whatever. Then we'll go to all four places and enjoy
them together. As a family."
"We're only gonna do four things?" Romeo's eyes widened.
Jon snorted at his younger
son's alarm. "No, Silly. We didn't drive all this way to only do four things then go home." He chuckled through his grin. "Don't worry. We're gonna do plenty of other things. But everybody gets to pick one special thing
for our family to do together.
Okay?"
"Oh. Okay!"
Romeo shrugged and dragged his fingers again through the chocolate pool
at the bottom of the ice cream dish before sticking them in his mouth.
Jon winced as he watched
Romeo's action, then shook his head resignedly.
"Okay. So, since I'm
the one who planned this trip, and I'm
the one who drove all the way here.... I get to pick first." Jon grinned smugly.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Jacob protested.
"Yeah! Kids get to go first!" Romeo agreed.
Jon shook his head. "Haha! Nope! Not this time!"
"Dad!" Romeo looked to his stepmother. "Cate!
Make him let us pick first!"
Cate raised her hands,
chuckling her reply. "I'm not
getting in the middle of this mess.
Sorry."
"C'mon, Dad!"
"Nuh uh." Jon grinned as he plucked a colorful brochure
from the pack. "I'm picking
first. And I pick..." He held up the paper. "Wide World of Sports."
Cate couldn't help but roll
her eyes. "Of course you
do." She snickered softly. Actually, spending a few hours at the sports
complex sounded like fun to her, too.
"Dad! That's not part of Disney!" Romeo protested.
"Yeah it is,"
Jake countered. "My friend Dawson
went there for a soccer tournament. And
his sister's cheerleading team came here for some kinda competition, too." Jacob looked at Jon, his mouth curving with
an eager smirk. "Are we gonna see
cheerleaders, Dad?"
Jon arched a brow at
Jacob's question as he grinned back at the boy.
"Do you wanna see
cheerleaders?"
Jake shrugged, a light
blush tinting his cheeks.
"Maybe."
"Well... maybe we
will. There might be a competition going
on. I'm sure the Disney people will let
us know." Jon gave his son a wink,
knowing full well that Jake wouldn't act his usual sullen self if surrounded by
cute girls bearing pom poms.
"Uuuuuucccchhhhh!" Romeo
made known his displeasure at the idea of spending a day with
a bunch of strange girls. "Dad, that's not
fair. You should have to pick something
that's inside one of the parks."
"Nope. I can pick anything I want. In fact, I don't even have to pick something
Disney. It could be anything around Orlando. Another theme park, or shopping,
or golfing, or spending a whole day
at an art museum...." Jon grinned
as he further needled his son.
"NOOOO!" Romeo
moaned. He slumped forward, dramatically
faux-collapsing onto the table.
"Get up," Jake sighed, poking his
brother in the ribs. "Dad picked sports.
There's all kindsa stuff to do there.
Like ESPN Zone."
Romeo gave his brother a
skeptical look, but remained slumped against the table.
Jon ignored his younger
boy's dramatics and pointed to Cate.
"Okay. Your turn, Babe. What do you pick for your special day?"
"Please don't say shopping..."
Romeo's whine was muffled, his face buried in his folded arms.
Cate swallowed a chuckle,
giving Jon an amused smile. He rolled
his eyes and shook his head.
"It doesn't have to be something on Disney
property, right?" Cate's smile
broadened as an idea came to her. She
honestly hadn't even considered the week's events until now. She had assumed they had a pre-arranged
itinerary within the Disney park and resort complex.
"Nope."
"Well then...."
Cate paused and looked across the table at Jacob and Romeo. Jacob was staring apprehensively at her and
Romeo wasn't even looking up. She
chuckled. "I think I want to go to
Harry Potter World."
Jon grinned as Romeo's head
popped up from his sulk. "That's at
Universal Studios, I think." He
pulled a pen from the folder and grabbed a napkin from the holder. He chuckled softly as he scribbled his and
Cate's choices on the napkin.
"Yes." Cate nodded as she watched the boys exchange
surprised looks. "We don't have to spend the whole day there, but I
think it would be fun for a few hours at least."
"Okay. Got it.
Cate's choice is Harry Potter Land, or whatever it's called. Jake, you're up."
Jake's smile faded and he
shrugged. "I dunno."
"Aw, c'mon Dude. There's gotta be something you wanna do."
Jon gave his boy an encouraging smile. "Besides check out cute
girls."
"Dad!" Jake blushed
again, dropping his chin. His shaggy
blonde bangs obscured his blues eyes as he shrugged again. "I guess Harry Potter, too."
"We're already gonna
go there. You can pick something else,
something you wanna do."
Jake shrugged again. "I don't care. I just wanna ride the rides and stuff."
Jon sighed. Of his three sons Jacob had always been the
most laid-back, the one who rarely asked for anything. Of course, the boy hadn't really needed to
ask; because of family circumstances Jon had admittedly gone out of his way to
spend more time with Jake than he had his older children when they were very
young. As a result, Jon had probably
spoiled Jacob a bit more than his siblings, something he secretly didn't
regret.
"Jake," Jon's
voice was more gentle, encouraging.
"Everybody gets to pick
something special. You too. Do you want to look at this stuff?" He indicated brochures on the table.
Jacob shrugged. "I guess." Jon slid the folder across the table to him,
and Jacob picked up a couple glossy pages.
"Can I pick
now?" Romeo was clearly impatient
with his brother's indecision.
Jon raised an inquiring
brow at Jacob. "You okay if Romey
picks before you?"
"I don't
care." Jacob flipped over a
brochure and perused its contents.
Unimpressed, he stuffed it into a pocket of the folder.
"I want to see the animals!" Romeo announced loudly, not waiting for his
father's prompt. "Can we take the
safari ride?" Pleeeease?"
Jon shook his head,
grinning as he dropped the pen to the napkin.
"Okay. Lunch with Cinderella
it is..."
"DAD! NOOO!"
Jon laughed at the boy's
protest. "Alright, alright. Calm down." He looked up at his littlest boy, his bright
blue eyes shining. "How about we do
more than a safari? There's a
behind-the-scenes tour where you get to go talk to the animal keepers, visit the
vet clinic, and see the facilities where they keep and feed the animals. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah!" Romeo jumped up
from his chair with excitement.
"Can we do it tomorrow?"
"Well, probably not
tomorrow, Romey. It may take a couple
days for the people to set it up for us."
Jon's smile gentled, his heart squeezing at his son's beaming little
face. "But I promise we'll do it
before we leave. Okay, Buddy?"
"Okay, Dad." Romeo nodded.
Grinning happily, he settled back onto his chair.
Jon returned his attention
to his older son. "So, Jake...
anything there catch your eye?"
"This looks kinda
cool." Jacob held up a shiny black
brochure emblazoned with futuristic font.
"What is it?"
Jacob looked at the
brochure again, then handed it across the table to his father. "A space mission thing, at Epcot."
Jon's eyes narrowed as he
scanned the brochure. "Jake, I
think this is just a ride." He
squinted as he tried to make out the smaller print, then held the paper further
from his face. Pretty soon he was going
to have to put vanity aside and start carrying his reading glasses with him.
Cate chuckled, recognizing
her husband's difficulty. She took the
brochure from his hand and quickly perused it.
She nodded, then looked up at Jacob.
"This is a ride, Jake. It looks really cool and we can definitely do
it, but it's not really an experience, like a tour or a show or
something."
Jon nodded along with
Cate's assessment. "Yeah,
Jake. We'll absolutely go on the ride,
but don't you want to do something bigger than that? I mean, there's all kinds of VIP tours and
stuff..."
Jake shrugged. "I don't really care. Just... whatever."
"Well, didn't anything
else catch your eye?" Jon gestured to the brochure. "Cate, do they have some kinda
space-tour or something?"
Cate scanned the remainder
of the brochure's text and shook her head.
"No, but..." she looked up at Jacob as an idea flashed in her
mind. Maybe there was something special
that Jake would enjoy... something she could facilitate.
"Jake, are you
interested in space? Like, astronauts,
the shuttle, that kind of stuff?"
Jacob gave Cate a wary
look, then nodded. "Yeah,
kinda." He nodded at the brochure
in Cate's hand. "That's supposed to
be like a launch simulator or something."
A broad smile curved Cate's
lips. "Would you like to do
something bigger and better than a simulator ride? Way
better?"
Jon's brow furrowed as he
fixed his wife with a half-confused, half-amused look. He could tell from her smile she was excited
about something, but he wasn't quite sure what.
"Yeah, I
guess." Jacob shrugged again.
"I know a couple guys
over at Cape Kennedy, in the security office.
I could give them a call, see if they can set up a private tour for
us."
Jon's smile widened
and he nodded, unconsciously encouraging
his son to agree to Cate's suggestion.
"Jake you know what Cape Kennedy is, right? The Kennedy Space Center?"
"Yeah, isn't that
where they launch the shuttle from?"
Jacob's response was less drab, his interest piqued by the option.
"Well, they used to
launch the space shuttle from there," Cate corrected him. "The shuttle program is officially
over. But before the shuttle there were
the Apollo missions, and they still launch payload rockets from the Cape. They have a big museum, an Astronaut Hall
of Fame, some memorials, and a really cool rocket garden...." She smiled.
"And we can probably go into the big hangars where they build some
of the space equipment."
"That sounds really cool!" Jon interjected before Jacob could
comment. He reached over to squeeze
Cate's knee. "I think I wanna
change mine to that! Forget the sports thing..."
"No!" Jacob's exclamation slipped out. He grinned sheepishly, unable to hide his interest
in his stepmother's offer. "I
mean... it sounds cool. If it's not a big deal to set it up."
"For you,
Jake..." Cate waited until the boy
looked up at her, then she gave him a smile.
"No problem."
Jacob's shy smile warmed
her heart. It was followed by a gentle
pat of Jon's hand upon her thigh, a silent, affectionate thank-you.
Cate's blue eyes sparkled as she felt a reconnection with Jon's reticent son. She hoped the unexplained awkwardness between Jacob and her was passing; it had happened suddenly after what she thought was a breakthrough in their relationship. Perhaps the boy hadn't been quite ready to call her "Mom." Whatever the case, Cate hoped he would open up to her on this vacation. This seemed to be a good start.
Cate's blue eyes sparkled as she felt a reconnection with Jon's reticent son. She hoped the unexplained awkwardness between Jacob and her was passing; it had happened suddenly after what she thought was a breakthrough in their relationship. Perhaps the boy hadn't been quite ready to call her "Mom." Whatever the case, Cate hoped he would open up to her on this vacation. This seemed to be a good start.
Jon's smile gentled as he
watched Cate's exchange with Jacob. He
could almost read her mind, seeing the happy relief written across her
face. A tiny prick of guilt stabbed his
swollen gut as he saw the seeds of tears in her sparkling blue eyes; Jake's
distance wasn't her fault. It was simple
embarrassment, the result of an inadvertent and awkward pubescent
experience. And it was something his son
had to come to terms with on his own.
Jon sighed softly, glad the issue seemed to be working itself out.
Now he could focus on solving a more complicated physical and emotional
matter. Then maybe he could relax and enjoy his
vacation, too.
"Okay, so we got
it. Wide World of Sports, Harry Potter,
Kennedy Space Center, and Wild Kingdom."
Jon clicked the pen and dropped it on the table, then folded the napkin
on which he had scribbled. "I'll
get the Disney people on it."
"I'll text Gus, have
him send me Steve's number so I can call him in the morning," Cate added.
"Steve?"
"Former student of
mine, works at KSC. He's Deputy Chief of
Security now."
"Ah." Jon nodded his understanding.
"What are we gonna do
now?" Romeo fidgeted.
"How about go back to
the villa and go to bed?" Jon
chuckled as he made the suggestion, knowing what the response would be. It would be hours before Romeo collapsed into
sleep.
"No! Can we stay here?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah, Dad... can we maybe do that Quest
game thing?" While waiting for
their pizza the family had perused the Lodge's amenities guide, and had
discovered a number of family activities.
One of the nightly events was an African-themed guided scavenger hunt
that took players throughout the complex, to encounter various role-players and
eventually discover a prize.
Jon and Cate exchanged a
look, then he shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
"We have to go get
wands. They're at the gift shop."
Jon sighed and nodded at
Jacob. "Okay. If I can heave my butt outta this chair I
guess we can go. But we're not buying anything else at the gift shop tonight. We're gonna be here all week, and you'll have
plenty of time to pick out souvenirs."
"Okay."
"Alright, then." With an exaggerated groan Jon pushed himself
upright. He stood and pulled out
Cate's chair for her, then burped again and rubbed his belly. "Don't be surprised if that
quest-wand-thing points us toward a bathroom pretty soon."
"Da-AAD!" Romeo gave his father a disapproving frown. "Come on! You gotta get movin'!" He grabbed his father's hand and tugged.
Jon turned to Cate, giving
her a bemused smile. "Oh. Guess I gotta get movin'. Lardass that I am."
Cate laughed softly, picking
up her purse from the table.
"Yep, guess you better." She reached out to give Jon a playful pat on
the back pocket. "You're not feelin' too
lardy yet."
"You wanna check that
later?" Jon waggled his brows
playfully.
"Not the way all that
ice cream's gonna affect you. I don't
wanna be anywhere near your butt
later." Cate grinned cheekily.
"Wise plan." Jon replied over his shoulder as Romeo towed him
several steps away from the table. "Oh, I guess we're going now..."
Cate giggled. "I'll meet you in the gift shop. I'm gonna stop at the ladies' room, then text
Gus."
Jon acknowledged her plan
with a wave as he followed his sons toward their destination.
Cate watched their
departure, then headed the opposite direction toward the restroom. After completing her necessities there and
sending a text message to her partner, she wandered slowly through the resort's
shopping arcade. A number of small, themed
boutiques featured everything from Disney and resort souvenirs to baked goods, housewares, fashions, jewelry, and fine chocolates.
At the end of the arcade loomed the entrance to a massive gift shop
styled to look like a village marketplace, the retail centerpiece of the
resort.
Cate strolled into the shop
entrance and paused to look around. She
saw no familiar heads among the nearby displays, which didn't surprise
her. Cate doubted she would easily find
Jon and his boys in the gigantic space, nor was she in a hurry to locate
them. She was rather enjoying her
leisurely stroll through the marketplace.
As she wandered through the
displays of wares, Cate stopped to check prices of several items that caught
her attention. She would have to
remember to bring back a few souvenirs for friends and co-workers. Slowly Cate worked her way past racks of
clothing, shelves of kitchen wares, bins of toys, and piles of stuffed animals
until she found herself in a softly-lit alcove of the shop. This was clearly the high-end area of the
shop, as the walls were adorned with framed paintings and prints and
African-themed sculpture sat in glass cases.
A jewelry counter housed diamond necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and
other cases displayed other handmade African jewelry pieces and artifacts.
Cate strolled slowly along
the cases, stopping to look at several pieces and gently rebuffing offers of
assistance from attentive sales clerks. She had no intention of making any purchases;
she was simply drawn to the beautiful things for sale here.
As she followed the displays
around the room's perimeter, Cate found herself facing a small section of
elegant women's clothing. In the center
of the display a sleek ebony mannequin stood atop a pedestal made from a wide
cross-section of tree trunk. Adorning the
figure was a striking garment that made Cate pause and gaze in wonder; it
reminded her of the ethereal canopy covering the beautiful bed back at the
villa.
The sheer, flowing gown was
translucent, sewn of delicate cream-colored chiffon gathered into an
exquisitely-beaded scooped neckline.
Long drapes of gauzy fabric cascaded from neck to fingertip, forming
wide, flowing sleeves. The body of the
gown was also free-flowing, hanging in soft drapes from neck to toe. Through the yards of gathered fabric Cate
could clearly see the mannequin's silhouette; this was not a modest gown. It looked as if it would be worn in the
boudoir by a leading lady in a romantic "Out of Africa" period
film. Cate couldn't resist reaching out
to touch the elegant garment. It was so
soft, it seemed as if she were touching mist.
"It is beautiful,
yes?"
The rich, melodious voice
made her turn. Cate smiled sheepishly at
the ebony-skinned saleswoman.
"Stunning."
"From Senegal. This gown was hand-sewn and beaded by women
of a village collective. The Disney
company supports artisans in developing regions of the continent by selling
their goods here in America. The
money earned by the collective pays for food, water, electricity, sanitation, and schools in African villages."
Cate nodded. She had heard of such enterprises through her
work, and was impressed by the innovative ways companies were able to help
third-world villages without having to deal with bureaucratic red-tape.
"That's
wonderful. I can imagine you sell many
items such as this, made by such women."
"Yes. But we can always sell more, to help."
Cate smiled at the woman's
subtle sales pitch. She glanced at the
name tag on her tunic. "I imagine
so, Elodie. But I'm just browsing right
now. We've only just arrived here."
"Well, if you like, I
can hold it for you."
Cate chuckled softly. "I don't think so. It is beautiful... truly... but not really my
style."
"Ah, well. If you change your mind, Miss... you may
call, or come back to the shop. We can
also deliver to your room."
"Yes, well... I'll
think about it. Thank you." Cate's nose wrinkled as she saw the
saleswoman's eyes shift, looking past her.
In a second she realized why.
"Aha. Though you were going to hide from me,
huh?" Jon's husky voice filled her
ear as his hands settled on her shoulders.
Cate smiled.
"Drat. You found me."
"Mmm hmmm."
Cate turned to look at
him. "Where are the boys?"
"Back there." Jon waved a hand over his shoulder. "They found a video game demo
model. They'll be there until we drag
them away."
A soft chuckle from the
saleswoman reminded Cate she was still there.
"Miss, if you wish for
any other assistance, please don't hesitate to ask." Elodie nodded respectfully, then glided away.
"What did you need
assistance with?" Jon asked, his
mouth curving slyly. "Did you find
something you like?"
Cate shook her head
slightly. "No. I was just looking around, and I wandered in
here. There's some incredible art, some
beautiful jewelry. But nothing I
need."
"Mmmm...." Jon looked up at the gown-draped
mannequin." "That's
pretty."
"The saleswoman was
just telling me it's handmade, by a women's cooperative in Senegal. Part of Disney's world outreach program,
supporting indigenous artisans and improving third-world villages." Cate looked up at the gown again. "Nice that they do that."
"It is," Jon
agreed. His hand dropped to hers and he
gave it a squeeze. "So, you about
ready to go? Game time is
in..." He raised his hand and
consulted the dial of his Rolex.
"T-minus twelve minutes."
"You got the wands,
huh?"
"Oh yeah. And the hats, and the costumes, and the guide-hyena..."
Cate chuckled. "So much for 'no souvenirs', huh?"
"Eh, what can I
say? I'm too tired and too full to
argue." Jon shrugged. "Romey's got somethin' for you, too."
"I'm afraid to
ask."
Jon grinned. "Go see." He pointed toward a large fake tree that held
a display of brightly-feathered stuffed fowl.
"They're right over there, under the bird-tree."
Cate nodded. "Okay.
You comin'?"
"Yeah, in a
minute. I wanna check out those masks over
there. Dean may like one for his collection." Jon nodded toward the wall behind a glass
case, upon which a collection of hand-carved wooden African masks hung.
"Alright. I'll go find the boys." Cate gave Jon a stern look. "You really shouldn't leave them alone
in a place like this, you know."
"Cate, they're thirty
feet away. As soon as you get around
that totem-pole-thing you'll see 'em."
Jon waved at a large sculpture near the entrance to the upscale enclave.
"Still. Can't be too careful." Cate pulled her hand from Jon's and shook a
gentle finger at him.
"Yes,
Officer." Jon smirked through his
reply. "I'll be over in a
minute."
He waited until Cate had
turned her back to him and moved past the large sculpture. Then he sauntered over to the case in front
of the mask wall. Jon smiled and pulled
out his wallet as Elodie glided over to his assistance.