Chapter 64
Hmm hmm hmmmm hmm hmm hmmhmmhmm hmm hmmm....Hmm hmm hmmmmm hmm hmm
hmmhmmhmmmmm hmm hmmm....
Cate's mouth curved slightly
in recognition of the melody but her eyes didn't leave the tablet on her lap.
Hmm hmm hmmmmmm hmm hmm hmmmmm...... hmm hmm hmmmm HMMMM HMMM
HMMMMMMMM.....
"Jon."
"Hmm?"
"You're doing it
again."
A throaty chuckle of
admission followed. "Sorry. Can't help it."
"Try. Please."
"It's a catchy little
ditty."
Cate glanced sideways from
her screen, at her husband's profile. He
smirked lightly and resumed his humming, now drumming his fingers against the
steering wheel as his sunglass-shielded gaze stayed forward, on the highway.
"People have literally
resorted to violence because of that 'catchy little ditty,' you know."
"This song? Nah.
It's a happy song."
"It's maddening. And it's been three days. So please. For all
our sakes."
Jon glanced up at the
rearview mirror before advancing his rebuttal.
"Jake and Romey don't mind."
"Only because they
can't hear you with their earbuds
in." Cate couldn't stop a smile
from curling the corner of her mouth.
Jon was doing everything he could to keep her engaged in conversation, having tired of sports-talk radio.
"They still wouldn't
mind. Watch." Jon lifted a hand from the wheel and waved
it, attempting to attract his sons' attention.
Jake noticed and tugged at the wire leading to his ear.
"Huh?"
"It's a small, SMALL WOOOOOORLD!" Jon sang with the gusto of Pavarotti,
gesturing with his free hand.
Jake pushed the electronic
plug back into his ear without comment.
Cate snorted at her
stepson's response, or lack thereof.
"What happened to the 'no
screens on this Family Vacation' rule?" Cate taunted gently, her voice deepening to
mimic his stern edict.
"You know what happened. And don't pretend you're not happier now," Jon replied smugly, his eyes remaining on the
road.
"Mmm." Cate hummed a non-committal response, then
chuckled. Early in their trip Jon had
been steadfast in refusing to allow his sons to use their tablets, iPods, and game
devices, mandating that this was a time for family fun and togetherness. He had held firm through most of their time
at Disney, much to his sons' chagrin. But
when his parents decided to stay "just another day or two" Jon had
finally relented, sympathizing with his boys' pleas for respite from their
Nana's nonstop clucking.
Jake and Romeo hadn't been
the only ones needing relief from their grandparents. Jon had finally surrendered, announcing a short-notice
change to the family's travel itinerary.
As a result Jon, Cate, Romeo, and Jake were headed north on I-95 a day
earlier than planned, having cut short their stay in Orlando. Jon had used the excuse of wanting to
sightsee on the way back to Jersey, but Cate knew he really wanted to escape
his mother.
The elder Bongiovis'
impromptu visit hadn't been bad, exactly.
In fact, Cate had been a little taken aback by Carol's uncharacteristic
warmth and friendliness. Though Jon's
mother had never been nasty to her, Cate had always felt a little uneasy around
the family matriarch. Carol maintained a
close relationship with Dorothea, and Cate suspected Carol still harbored hope
that someday her son would remarry his high-school sweetheart.
A breathy whistle pulled
her from her musings. It was the same
cheery tune.
"Dammit, Jon!" Her words
held a hint of exasperation. "Stop it!"
Jon's white teeth flashed
as his pucker dissolved into a grin. He
turned his head slightly toward Cate, keeping one shaded eye on the road. His voice slid out in a sexy, playful
croon. "It's a small, small world, Baby...."
"Oh Good Lord." Cate rolled her eyes and sighed. Still she couldn't stop a smile. Bored Jonny may be Annoying Jonny, but at
least he was cute.
Flipping shut her iPad's
cover, Cate turned her gaze to the passing scenery. She had been reading for an hour or so, not
really paying attention to their progress.
"Where are we?"
"I-95."
"No kidding. Where
on I-95?"
"Northbound." Jon grinned.
Another exasperated sigh
slipped from Cate's lips. "It's
gonna be a long ride..." she
grumbled beneath her breath.
"Hey!" Again Jon waved his hand to attract attention
of the backseat dwellers, punctuating the movement with a loud
exclamation. This time Jake didn't
bother to remove the bud from his ear before replying loudly.
"What?!?"
"Who's hungry?"
"ME!" Romeo immediately responded, his attention
diverted from his game by the mention of food.
"Can we stop at McDonald's?"
Cate half-turned in her
seat to give the boy a wrinkle-nosed smile.
"Really? Again?" They had started their morning travels with
Egg McMuffins and hash browns from the drive-thru. She could still smell the faint greasy odor
of fried food, though the wrappers had been long discarded. Cate's stomach rumbled its dissent to the
thought of more heavy fare.
"We can have hamburgers." It was clear from Romeo's reply that he
thought no explanation was necessary.
The "DUH" was
implied.
"Nah. No fast food." Jon's response made Cate nod. She suspected the McMuffin was still sitting
heavy in her husband's belly as well.
"I'm thinking something fresh."
Romeo sighed noisily before
half-whining his displeasure. "DA-AAD.
Not another SALAD."
"What's wrong with salad?
You eat 'em all the time at home."
Jon glanced in the rearview mirror, his blue eyes twinkling merrily
behind his shades. Cate smiled at his
gleeful expression. He was almost always
successful in pulling Romeo into a playful "debate." The boy had not yet learned to detect his
father's teases.
"It's a bowl of weeds."
"So? A hamburger is a piece of cow. On bread."
"But a hamburger tastes good."
"So does a salad. Put a little dressing on it, some
croutons.... maybe some tofu...."
"Ugh." Romeo rolled his eyes and flopped back
against the seat. Cate supressed a
chuckle.
Jon grinned and glanced
again at the mirror. "And who said
I wanted salad, anyway? Maybe I
don't."
"Yes you do."
"No, I don't." Jon shook
his head, then glanced at the road and the Navigator's side mirrors. A flick of his left hand activated the signal
before he slid the big SUV into the right lane.
Another flick silenced the flasher before he continued. "Actually, I have a hankerin' for some
seafood."
Cate's nose wrinkled again,
this time with amusement. "A hankerin'?"
Jon nodded. "Yup.
A hankerin'. Maybe for some... oh, I don't know... crab cakes?" He glanced sideways at Cate, his cheeks
dimpled with his smirk. "You know
any good places?"
She stared at Jon for a
moment, puzzled with his question. How
on earth would she know where they could get crab cakes along the
Interstate? She didn't even know where on the highway they were...
Suddenly she
understood. Cate turned her gaze to the
road ahead as she felt the Navigator slightly decelerate. Ahead of them a nondescript green-and-white
highway sign marked the exit, a familiar number above an arrow pointing them
down the cracked asphalt off-ramp to a faded two-lane highway. She smiled as the SUV drifted onto the exit
and curved onto the road, slowing to a more modest speed.
"Actually, I do
know a little place." Cate looked
at her husband, who was grinning widely now that his ploy had been
revealed. "And so do you. I think you put on five pounds in two weeks,
just from the cornbread."
"Not just from the cornbread. The pie too." The lines at the corner of Jon's eye crinkled
as he gave her a wink. "You did
your best to work that offa me, if I recall."
Cate chuckled as her cheeks
pinkened at the memories.
"Where?" Jake's curiosity got the better of him. He had been stoically monitoring the
conversation from his seat, but now that they were clearly preparing to stop he
figured he'd better speak up or risk being forced to choose his meal from a
menu of unpleasant options.
Cate turned to look at the
boy, her smile warm. "A little
place called Barbara Jean's. I took your
Dad there when..." She paused, not
sure how much of the story of their romance Jon had revealed to his younger
children. "... A long time
ago."
Jacob's reply was
wary. "Oh. Uh....where is it... er... are we?"
"You're in the Great
State of Georgia, Son." Jon
answered, a hint of a drawl tinging his Jersey.
"Best place for peaches, Vidalia onions, sweet tea, and Barbara
Jean's crab cakes."
"What?" Romeo was confused. Somehow his argument for a Happy Meal had
been hijacked to this conversation.
"Don't they have McDonald's here?"
"Nope." Jon grinned through his lie.
Cate snorted before gently
correcting Jon's fib. "Yes,
Romey. There's a McDonald's here. But you'll like this place... they have hamburgers
too. Good ones. Or you can have shrimp or chicken fingers, or
whatever you like."
"Or a salad." Jon gleefully needled the boy.
"DAD!" Romeo protested loudly, disgruntled that his
lunch recommendation had been ignored.
He gave Cate a displeased half-scowl.
"I don't want a salad."
"That's fine. There's lots of other stuff to choose
from. And it's good, Romeo. Really, it is." Cate reached back to pat the boy's knee. "We can sit on the patio if you
want. You can feed the birds. And probably the squirrels. They're pretty brazen, come right up to the
tables."
Romeo visibly perked up at
Cate's suggestion, though his response was wary. "Okay..."
"Great," Jake
muttered, dropping his face again to his tablet and slouching back onto the
seat.
Jon glanced in the rearview
at his older son. "You'll like it,
Jake."
"Whatever. I'm not that hungry."
Jon let his head fall back
against the headrest as he rolled his eyes.
He turned to give Cate a look that clearly said "Jesus Christ, if it's not one it's the other...." She chuckled and reached over to give Jon's
thigh a reassuring pat.
"You remember how to
get there?"
Jon pulled his head forward
and nodded. "Just follow this road
to the bridge, then straight down through the village, right?"
"You got
it." Cate shifted in her seat,
turning to face fully forward before leaning to drop her iPad into the tote bag
at her feet. When she straightened she saw
her husband's hand extended toward her, palm-up. She smiled as she accepted his offering,
twining her fingers into his. Then she
looked ahead, watching the familiar, idyllic scenery unfold before them as they
rambled down the old highway she knew so well.
*****
"Romeo, you haven't even touched your hamburger. EAT."
"I am!" To
support his argument Romeo absently stuffed a french fry into his mouth.
"No you're not. You're feeding the birds." Jon glanced at the boy's plate, where a ground beef patty sat atop a green
lettuce leaf next to a scattering of shoestring-cut potatoes. "Christ, you fed them the whole bun?"
"No." Romeo looked at his plate to confirm his
response. "The bottom part is under
the lettuce." The boy eagerly
tunneled his fingers under the patty and vegetables to grasp the soggy warm
bread. "See?" He extracted a piece of the bun-bottom and
held it up for his father's evaluation.
Then he grinned mischievously and tossed the morsel on the ground. Three gray-brown sparrows promptly hopped
toward the bread and pecked at it with their tiny beaks.
"Romey, I swear... you
better eat that burger. I'm not
buying you anything else when you're whining about being hungry in a
half-hour."
Romeo shrugged. "Okay."
Jon rolled his eyes and
turned his attention to Jacob. "How
was your crab cake?"
"Good." The boy nodded and reached for another fry
from the dwindling number on his plate.
Unlike his younger brother, Jake had devoured his sandwich with gusto.
"Told ya they were
good." Jon smiled and winked. "Your Stepmama knows her seafood."
Jake shrugged, turning his
gaze to Cate. "You used to eat here
all the time, huh? When you lived here?"
Cate sipped her iced tea
before answering. "Yes. Before I met your Dad. I lived here for a few years when I worked as
an instructor at the Training Center."
"Yeah, I know. That's how he met you -- you taught him cop
stuff for that movie he did."
Jake's mouth curved slightly.
"It was kinda dorky. The
movie, I mean."
Cate chuckled and
nodded. "Yep. But that wasn't my fault. I had nothing to do with the script. Or the acting. Or... well, just about any of it. I just had to teach him how cops do
things. It was up to him to make it look
cool... or not."
"I'm sitting right here, you know." Jon interrupted, his protest mild and
accompanied by a little smirk.
"Jeez."
"Sorry, Baby... but it
was... uh... let's just say it wasn't your best
work." Cate smiled sympathetically
and reached over to pat his hand.
"Yeah well..."
Jon pulled his hand away in faux-affront.
"That's your
opinion. A lot of my fans loved 'Dirk Steele'."
Cate snorted. "A lot of your fans love anything you do. You could pick your nose and scratch your ass
for an hour and a half on screen and they'd start a petition demanding you get
an Oscar nomination." Her sarcasm
was delivered in a teasing lilt.
"Yeah, yeah..." Jon waved his hand, dismissing the topic. He couldn't argue his wife's point. "Anyway... it was a good experience,
making that movie." He smiled
sweetly. "If I had passed on that
role we wouldn't have met."
"No, we wouldn't
have," Cate agreed, returning his gentle grin and again extending her hand
in truce. Jon slid his palm against hers
as his blue eyes sparkled brightly.
A heavy sigh from Jacob
reminded the adults that they were being sappy.
Again.
Cate chortled softly,
giving Jon's hand a squeeze before picking her napkin up from her lap and
dropping it on the table. "Okay,
gentlemen. If you'll excuse me for a
moment...."
Jon quickly rose from his
seat, his hand going to the back of Cate's wicker-backed patio chair. He chivalrously helped her rise. "I'll walk you."
"Thank you, but I
think I can find my way to the ladies' room.
Stay here with the boys."
Cate glanced at Jon's sons.
"Romeo may feed his burger to the squirrels if you don't."
"Squirrels don't eat
meat! They eat nuts!" Romeo protested.
"Zombie squirrels eat meat."
Cate winked at the boy before turning away. "Be right back."
"Take your time."
Jon crooned softly, his lips puckering expectantly. He grinned after accepting a peck from Cate
and watched her step off the patio and into the restaurant. When his wife had disappeared inside Jon
settled back into his seat and picked up his iced tea. He gave his sons a smug look. "What?"
Jake rolled his eyes. "Nothing."
"So, you guys wanna
walk around the Village a little bit?
There's some cool shops and stuff."
Jon waved a hand toward the little town's main street, where a few dozen
midday shoppers strolled along the walks.
"I guess," Jake
shrugged.
"Can we go to the
beach?" Romeo asked. They could
hear the rush of the surf where it met the shore just two blocks away.
"Sure. It's not much of a beach here, though. Just some rocks and a little strip of
sand." Jon pointed the opposite
direction, toward several large buildings in the distance. "Up there is where the nicer beaches
are, by the hotels."
"I thought we had to
get on the road. You said we were
driving all day." Jacob raised a
brow with his query. Suddenly his father
was in no rush to make it to another lame landmark or tourist trap. The boy's suspicions were aroused.
"We can take a little
time. Why, do you want to be stuck in the car for eight more hours?"
"No." Jake's eyes narrowed as he tried to read his
father's cryptic smile.
"Can we go swimming,
then?" Romeo interrupted the
exchange. "If we go over there,
where the nice beaches are?"
Jon turned his smile to his
youngest son. "Why don't you ask
Cate when she gets back from the Ladies' room.
Maybe she'll say it's okay for you to swim on her beach."
"Cate has a beach?" Romeo's incredulous response made Jon chuckle. He shook his head slightly.
"Well, not
exactly. But her house is on the beach. It's nice.
And private."
Jacob's brow furrowed, then
his mouth curved into a slow smirk. Now
he understood... their father was playing them, trying to make them accomplices in
whatever plot he was weaving.
"Cate still has a
house here?" Jake's question was
casual and deliberate. "I thought
she sold it. You know, when she moved
away and married you."
"No, she still has
it. For sentimental reasons." Jon smirked back at his son. The twinkle in the boy's blue eyes mirrored
his own.
"And you want to go there?"
Jon looked away, confident
Jacob would read his expression. He
waved a hand nonchalantly. "I
didn't say that. But if you and your
brother want to go walk on the beach, then..."
"Swim!" Romeo corrected him.
"...Swim... at the beach, that would be
the best place. Just sayin'."
"So you want us to go to Cate's house." Jacob raised a brow as he fixed Jon with a
direct stare. The Old Man wasn't as good
at trickery as he had once been."
"Why? What's there?"
"It doesn't matter to me if we go to Cate's house or
not." Jon tried to maintain his
nonchalant demeanor. "I just
thought maybe..."
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe nothing! Sheesh! Just... the beach by her house
is nice." Jon turned his attention
to Romeo. "Are you gonna eat that
burger or not?"
"No."
"Then why were you
yammering on about wanting a hamburger when we were driving?"
"I wanted a McDonald's hamburger. Not this
one."
"Well, if you don't eat
this one I'm not buying you anything else.
Especially not ice cream. So
don't ask."
Jacob watched the exchange
between his father & brother with little interest. His lips pursed thoughtfully, his
smooth-cheeked face a replica of his father's typical thoughtful
expression. Still something wasn't
adding up.
"It's April."
Jon turned his face to
Jacob's in response to the statement.
His brow crinkled with puzzlement.
"Yeah, so?"
"The ocean's too cold
for swimming." Jacob's blue eyes
narrowed. "We can't swim from the beach.
There's another reason you want us to go there."
Jon let out an unconvincing
exasperated sigh." "Jesus, Jakey... what's with the
conspiracy theories?"
"You're trying to make
us part of your conspiracy." Jacob
gave Jon a pointed look, a touch of triumph in his tone. "The question is... why?" A melodramatic
pause followed.
Jon stared back at his son,
silently willing himself to maintain his neutral facade. The kid was getting too smart, not as easy to
manipulate as his older brother had been at this age. Of Jon's three sons, Jacob really was the
most like him. He was quick to read
people, and quick to decipher their motives.
Jacob blinked, then rolled
his eyes. His shoulders slumped with
realization. "Oh, now I get it. You want to drag us to see where you and Cate met, and where you had your first date, and all that sappy crap. Just like you made us do with Mom." The sneer in his voice relayed his utter lack
of excitement for the idea.
Jon bit back a
chuckle. Jake had been correct in
sniffing out his concealed motive of spending more time on the Island, but he
had missed the mark on his reason. He
played along for Romeo's benefit, certain he could still count on the younger
boy's unwitting cooperation.
"What's wrong with
that? You guys thought it was cool to go
to the chapel in Vegas. I seem to recall
you saying you wanted Elvis to be your
minister when you get married."
"Dad, that was Vegas.
This is some random little town with nothing
to do."
"How do you know
there's nothing to do? You've never been
here before."
"Look
around!" Jacob threw a hand in the
air, waving vaguely toward the street.
"We hardly saw anything
while we were driving here! And we're on
an island!"
Jon smirked and sipped at
his tea. "When we go to Saint Barth
we're on an island. You don't bitch
about that."
"Because that's a tropical island. With a nice
beach. This is.... Georgia." Jake sighed
noisily, his exasperation finally coming to a head. He started to complain further, but mentally
checked himself. One surefire way to
make his father mad was to disparage his Stepmother or anything to do with
her. That would result in them spending
the rest of the day doing exactly what he didn't
want to do... be dragged around this sad excuse for a vacation spot while his
Dad and Cate held hands and told sappy stories.
Instead he slumped back in his seat.
Jake's visible frustration
pricked Jon's annoyance. He took another
deliberate swallow of iced tea before calmly setting the glass on the table and
leaning back in his wicker chair.
"I'm sorry this place
doesn't meet your lofty standards,
Jake. But it's a nice place, with nice
people." His voice was calm,
without a trace of anger. "And it
means something to me. So I wanted to
share it with you, even if only for a couple hours."
The boy's chin dropped to
his chest and he shrugged. The gesture
telegraphed his guilt, though his response was noncommittal. "Whatever."
"You know, there's
some pretty cool cop stuff going on just a few miles from here. It's not all just palm trees and sweet tea
and crabcakes. Over at the Center
they're shooting guns and driving cars real fast and blowing stuff up...."
A silent shrug from Jake
told Jon he wasn't buying his father's pitch.
Jon sighed softly and shook his head.
It was no use trying to convince the boy. He would come around on his own, or he
wouldn't.
Romeo's voice broke the
standoff.
"Hey Cate! Can we go to your house and go swimming on
your beach?"
The corner of Jon's mouth
curled at the question. He could always
count on Romeo. Jon pushed himself up
from his seat as Cate emerged from the restaurant, then stood with a hand on
the back of her chair.
Cate shot Jon a puzzled
look. He shrugged and smiled, pulling
out her seat. As she settled into the
wicker chair Cate replied to the boy.
"My beach?"
"Yeah! The one at your house. Dad said you live here."
Cate chuckled, now
understanding. "Well, I don't
exactly live here, Romey. But the house I used to live in is here. And
yes, it's on the beach."
"Can we go see
it? And go swimming?"
Jon's amused smile remained
unchanged though he mentally high-fived himself. He had succeeded in covertly coaching Romeo
into asking exactly the right question.
Cate's nose crinkled as she
offered a gentle rebuttal to Romeo's question.
"Romey, I don't think we have time to go over to my house. Besides, there's not really anything
there. It's just a cottage on the
beach. Nobody's even lived there for a
few years." She shook her
head. "And the water's too cold for
swimming."
"Awww MAAAAAAAN!!!!" Romeo had just about
had enough with this lunchtime detour.
It seemed like his every request was being rejected, for no good reason.
Jon chuckled. "I think we can spare a little time to
go see Cate's house, if you really want to." He gave Romeo a wink. "And at least go walk on the beach a little bit.
Not swim."
Cate's gaze swung to Jon,
her blue eyes widening with mild surprise.
"What? I thought you wanted
to make Richmond tonight? We've already
spent over an hour here. At this rate we
won't make it before midnight."
Jon shrugged. "So?
We'll just stay somewhere else then.
We don't have to make it to
Virginia tonight." He gave Cate a
little grin. "And I thought maybe
we'd check out the shops anyway, stretch our legs a little bit. We can do that then head over to your
place. I think the boys would get a kick
out of seeing where their Stepmama lived."
"Yeah!" Romeo agreed enthusiastically. "Can we, Cate? Please?"
"And then we can let
this one off his leash and run him until he's tired," Jon teased, nodding at his bouncing son.
That made Cate giggle. "Well, okay.... as long as you promise
you won't complain later about not being further down the road. This is your
call. Jake and Romeo are my
witnesses. Right, Boys?"
"Yeah," Jake
mumbled noncommittally. It was apparent
his opinion didn't matter. He just hoped
his Dad would be so wrapped up in his memories that he wouldn't rag about Jake
listening to his iPod for the duration of this island detour.
"No bitching. Promise." Jon gave Cate's hand a squeeze before
reaching for his wallet. "Besides,
while we're here you may as well check in on the place, right?"
"I'm sure the house is
fine, Jon. We would have gotten a call
if anything was wrong."
"Still, as rough as
this winter was, can't hurt."
Cate shrugged. "Guess not." She took one last sip from her watered-down
iced tea while Jon dropped a couple bills on the check. She looked at the quieter of her two
stepsons. "Jake, you okay?"
"Yeah. Just full.
And kinda tired."
"Okay." Cate paused, not convinced by his
unenthusiastic response. "You know,
they have a pretty cool surf shop here.
How about we check that first?"
She stood and picked up her purse.
"Sure." Jake shrugged, then pushed back his
chair. Following his Stepmother's lead,
the boy rose and stepped off the patio onto the sidewalk. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder a
second before Jon's voice rumbled close to his ear.
"Try to be at least a little enthusiastic. For Cate."
Jake nodded silently, then
sighed. He forced a half-smile when Cate
glanced back over her shoulder at him.
He felt his father's hand move from his shoulder, releasing him from the
minor scold as he began to shuffle down the sidewalk. Behind him, Jake heard his brother's voice
followed by an exasperated half-snarl.
"Can I have ice
cream? I'm hungry."
"NO!"
*****
"This is your
house? Wow! It's so LITTLE!"
Cate chuckled as Jon pulled
the SUV into the concrete drive of her little coastal cottage. She turned to look behind her, at Romeo's
adorable wide-eyed face.
"I didn't need a big
house. I was the only one who lived
here." Her smile softened. "Well, just me and my dog." Her heart squeezed at the memory. Her big, loveable collie had crossed the
rainbow bridge several years ago, after living out her days on Jon's Jersey
estate.
"How did you both fit
in there?" Romeo's question was
half-puzzled.
"Romeo!" Jon intervened. "For Christ's sake, it's not that small! It's a normal beach cottage. You know, like the ones down the Shore back
home." He put the SUV in park and
killed the engine.
Cate laughed softly at her
husband's exasperation. Sometimes he
needed to be reminded that his children's perspective of "normal" was
rather skewed. Unlike Jon and their
mother, they had never lived in a modest dwelling. Even their travel accommodations were usually
luxurious.
"We managed,
Romey. It was... cozy." Cate gave the boy a wink before turning away.
Cate pushed open the door
and climbed out of the vehicle, then approached the garage door. "Hope I remember..." she muttered
as she raised the shield on the keypad.
Cate tapped five digits in sequence and hit the "enter" key,
then stepped back as the garage door rumbled upward. When the door was fully-raised she wandered
into the empty bay, Jon and the boys in her wake.
"So... here it
is." Cate announced with a chuckle before turning the knob on the interior
door. "The Sullivan
Mansion." She stepped up and into
the small closet-like entry, then moved into the kitchen. She blinked against the bright light
streaming through the unshuttered ocean-side windows, its brilliance both
momentarily blinding and confusing her.
"What the... the
service must have left the curtains open..." Cate mumbled, raising a hand
to shield her gaze as she looked through the pass-through from the kitchen to
the living room. Her brow furrowed as
she noticed something else was not as expected.
Upon her last inspection her furniture had been draped with sheets to
protect against dust and light-fade. Now
the room looked liked a feature in a magazine spread, every pillow, throw, and
tchotchke clean and tidily arranged.
Above the room the blades of the ceiling fan turned lazily.
Cate stepped around the kitchen
island and moved to the living room entrance.
"What... why...." she sputtered, unable to form a sentence to
communicate her confusion.
"Somebody's been in here."
"You mean like a
burglar?" Romeo asked, a bit too excitedly.
"No, you
idiot." Jacob answered
quickly. "A burglar would have stolen stuff. The TV and stereo and stuff are still
here. See?"
Jon chuckled at Cate's
bewilderment as she moved into the living room and turned in a circle,
surveying its contents. He stepped to
the doorway and leaned against the jamb.
His blue eyes sparkled as he watched her.
"Don't you have a
service come in every month or so?"
"Yes, but they just
cover the basics. They check the
faucets, be sure there's no leaks, check for pests..." Cate continued to revolve as she answered
Jon's query. "They don't mess with
the furniture or anything..."
"That's
weird." Jon smirked. "Maybe you have squatters. Think somebody's living here without your
knowledge?" He arched a brow when
she gave him an alarmed look.
"No.... no. That can't be it..." Cate shook her head firmly. "Danny would know if anybody
tried...." She stopped in
midsentence as something clicked. She
froze and stared at Jon, her eyes narrowing.
"Wait..."
"I'm thirsty! Cate, can I have something to drink?"
Romeo's question caught her off-guard, momentarily distracting her from her
theory.
"Oh... sorry, Romey,
but there's no water. I turned off the
lines since nobody's living here...."
Cate moved across the small living room and rounded the corner to
re-enter the kitchen through the doorway opposite the garage entry. She saw Jon's wide grin as he turned to watch
her, his blue eyes twinkling merrily.
Her lips curved.
"Jon, what
did...." Cate didn't finish the
question. Instead she stepped toward the
sink and turned a knob. A stream of
water whooshed from the faucet into
the porcelain basin. Turning off the
water, Cate reached to pull open the refrigerator. The light revealed a small stock of
groceries: half-gallons of milk and
orange juice, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, butter, jam, and other condiments,
and an assortment of canned sodas and juices.
"Can I please have a
soda?" Romeo's query was polite and
hopeful. "Please?"
"Sure. You too, Jake." Cate's smile widened as she stepped away from
the refrigerator to allow the boys access.
As they perused the soft drink assortment she turned to face her
grinning husband.
"What did you
do?"
"Nothin'. Not a thing." His answer was smug. Jon straightened from his door-frame lean as
Cate moved over to him.
"Liar. You obviously had some hand in this."
Cate's voice was soft and full, her smile beaming. She raised a hand to Jon's chest, resting her
palm over his heart.
"Okay, so maybe I had
a little something to do with
this...." Jon shrugged and raised a
hand to cover hers. "But I had
help."
"Danny."
"Yeah. Danny."
Jon chuckled throatily, his heart swelling at the happiness in Cate's
glowing expression.
"So you two conspired
to do this. Get my house ready for a
visit."
"Uh-huh," Jon nodded, then winked. "I told him we needed to bust out of
Florida early. He was a willing
accomplice, but said his help comes at a price."
"Which is...?"
"We're making dinner
for him and Charity tonight."
Cate giggled softly. "Of course we are." Her best friend's services could usually be
bought for the price of a home-cooked meal.
"But why here? We could have
cooked at their place."
"Because I thought it
would be nice for us to sleep in our own bed instead at of some hotel."
Cate felt her eyes moisten
at Jon's quiet reply. He had been the
only man to share her bed here; that he considered it his home as well made her
heart squeeze.
"So all that talk
about getting to Richmond tonight....?"
"Complete
bullshit."
"Of course it was." Cate stepped closer, turning her face up to
Jon's. He willingly accepted her sweet
kiss, chuckling against her lips as two loud, carbonated POPs reminded them of their audience.
Jon slid his lips from
Cate's, then kissed her forehead before looking over at his boys. Both were staring at the couple, Romeo
grinning widely and Jacob wearing a resigned expression.
"Alright, you
two. If you haven't already figured it
out, we're staying here tonight. Go grab
your stuff from the car. You're sleeping
on the pull-out couch, but you can dump your bags in the bedroom." Jon hitched a thumb over his shoulder, in the
direction of the bedroom. "After
that you can watch TV or go down to the beach... whatever. We're just hanging out the rest of today and
tonight."
"Awesome!" Romeo exclaimed. "I wanna go in the water!"
"NO swimming, Romey," Cate admonished, turning to face the boys. She smiled as Jon's arm slid around her
middle. "It's way too cold. But you can go
pick up shells or something." She
craned her neck to look up at Jon.
"You should go with them, just in case...."
"Yeah." Jon nodded, then continued his address to his
sons. "Let's get your bags and then
we'll go down & throw around the football or something. Give Cate some peace and quiet so she can
figure out what to do for dinner. C'mon." Jon dropped another kiss against Cate's
temple and gave her a squeeze, then slipped from behind her toward the door to
the garage. He waited while the boys set
their sodas on the kitchen island before herding them out the door.
Cate watched them depart,
then pulled in a deep breath. She looked
around at the familiar surroundings, her
blue eyes gleaming with contentment. She
was still somewhat stunned at this surprise adjustment to their itinerary, but
she would quickly adapt.
She didn't know how he did
it, but Jon always seemed to know how to give her just what she needed most,
even when she didn't realize it herself.
Even though she no longer resided here, to Cate this little cottage was
still Home. It was the place in the
world she had made for herself, the house she had bought and decorated with her
own money and style. It was her refuge
from the harshness and sorrow of life, the demands of her job, the loneliness
of her heart. It was the place she could
hide away and just be. Alone.
Until he had come along,
anyway. Jon had changed her life, taken
her away from this little house and her quiet life here, given her everything
she had ever wanted and much, much more.
But somehow he understood that this was the one thing he couldn't touch,
couldn't change. He had never suggested
or even hinted that she sell the cottage, or even rent it out. This place would always be Hers, even if he
sweetly called it "theirs."
And it felt so good to be
Home, even if only for a short while.
Cate reveled in the comfort
for a few moments, until the boys returned with their bags. She pointed them toward the bedroom and told
Jon where to find spare sheets and pillows, then turned back to her
kitchen. She had dinner to plan. The idea made her smile.
*****
Several hours later Cate
stood by the windows, looking down onto the beach as she wiped her hands on a
damp dishtowel. She had spent a blissful
afternoon chopping, stirring, simmering, and glazing, and now the evening feast
was nearly ready. Cate had confirmed in
a spirited conversation with her best friend that Danny and Charity would
arrive for "cocktail hour" at 6:00 p.m., to be followed by an evening
of food, friendship, and family board games.
She hadn't stopped smiling
since Jon had confessed the full extent of their plans. The
Bongiovi Family would spend the next two days and nights at Cate's house,
enjoying a "detox" from their past week-and-a-half at Disney World. They would spend tomorrow at the Center,
visiting Cate's former colleagues and giving the boys the Grand Tour of the
nation's premier law enforcement training facility. Even Jake had been unable to contain his
excitement at the news that the boys would be allowed to shoot, climb, run,
investigate, and beat or be beaten up, just like real Agent Trainees. In the evening, Danny and Charity volunteered
to host the boys so Cate and Jon could enjoy a night out together. The following day would be spent visiting the
local wildlife refuges, giving Romeo his "animal fix." Then it would be back on the road to New
Jersey and the conclusion of their Spring Break Adventure.
Cate chuckled. Jon had managed to pull it off. His much-ballyhooed "Bongiovi Family
Vacation" was a success. She had
fully expected their trip to degenerate into an epic Griswoldian tragi-comedy,
but instead she had truly enjoyed this vacation. Grandparents and all.
Her smile gentled as she
looked down at three of the most important men in her life -- her wonderful
husband and his precious sons. Cate
watched affectionately as Jon tossed her beat-up football back and forth to
Jacob while Romeo sat on the sand, counting a pile of seashells. She still was amazed at how all this had
happened to her.... somehow she had ended up with the life she had always
fantasized about but had never felt she deserved. It was close to perfect.
Close.
Cate sighed, crossing her arms across her middle and giving herself a little hug of reassurance. Maybe this was all she needed.... Maybe it
was enough. To be a wife and
Stepmother. To be able to spend every
day with Jon, to work on projects that caught her interest, or that were
important to him. To be able to travel
with him, when he toured with his band or when he journeyed on behalf of his
business and philanthropic endeavors.
Maybe.
She pondered the idea for several
more minute before a muted buzz against her hip alerted her. Still watching the activity below, Cate
fished her phone from her jeans pocket.
She glanced at the screen that announced the identity of her caller, and
was immediately hit with a jolt of irony.
CALL FROM SANTO, GUS
973-792-4688
Her finger hesitated over
the "answer" icon.
whoa, it's back and just as good. Can't wait to see what Gus has up his sleeve.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to see this chapter!! Great writing as usual! Thanks Catte!!
ReplyDeleteMichladydi
happy that your finally back, good chapter.
ReplyDeletedon't answer Cate!
ReplyDeleteit's good to have you back :)
A great read as usual ...absolutely luved it....Yes there might be a necessary wait but man...its always worth it....lol...thankyou Catte..
ReplyDeleteCan't begin to tell you how happy I am with a new chapter. Favorite story ever. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteDon't answer the phone !!!!
ReplyDeleteglad you're back! you hit this one out of the park. I love how Jake is getting wise to his dad & what Jon did for Cate was just awesome! now Cate needs to turn her phone off until their vacation is over.
ReplyDeleteLove this history.......
ReplyDeleteGus, not now, go away............
ReplyDeleteCatte, can you give us some idea of when we might except a chapter, please? Just so I know when to look. Thanks.
ReplyDelete