Stories by Claudia

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CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Sandy opened the loft door.

They thread their way through Jacob’s old apartment to the long stairwell. Sandy held up the bottom of her dress and Jill began her descent. Reaching the landing, she slipped on her Louboutins and turned left into the main Castle living room.

Jill stopped so fast that Sandy ran into her. All of her friends, Jacob’s friends and their friends stood to create the borders of a small pathway. Each person held a cream colored long stem rose.

Sandy nudged Jill forward between the people. She walked past her friends from Pete’s Kitchen. As she passed, they gave her their well wishes, congratulations and hugs with their cream colored rose. Risto, the beefy cook who broke up Jacob and Jill’s second kiss, had tears streaming down his face. He gave Jill a bear hug which caused the crowd to cheer and clap.

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CHAPTER TWENTY

Two weeks later
September 28 – 10 A.M.
Paris, France

“Remind me again why I cannot come with you?” John asked. He moved to stand behind her.

“It’s a tradition for the groom not to see the bride’s dress until she walks down the aisle,” Alex said. She made a face then adjusted her fake blond hair in the full length mirror. “Don’t you want to be surprised?”

“Oh love,” John said. He pulled her toward him. “Every moment is a surprise.”

They stood looking at each other through the mirror. They were staying in Max’s apartment in Paris. In a move that made more sense now, Ben sold his family’s Paris apartment to JAM properties when Max started working in Europe. The apartment, which had been in Ben’s family for over seventy years, was small, two tiny bedrooms and a bathroom, but had a priceless balcony overlooking the Seine from the tenth floor. Max was staying with Fran so they took his apartment.

“Plus you have your tailoring appointment,” Alex said. “Dr. Drayson can’t live in scrubs alone. Max ordered a couple of suits for you. You need to get them fitted.”

“Hmm.” He kissed her neck. “Why does Max get to go to your fitting? Doesn’t he need to replace his suits too?”

“He did that when he was here last. He wants to meet…,” she turned to look at him, “our siblings.”

“He’s never met them?”

“When we’re in Paris together, we want to be together. I’ve spent a lot of time with Ben’s family, but he’s never met them.”

Alex kissed John then held him to her.

“You seem nervous,” John said.

“I guess I am.” Alex turned back to the mirror. “It’s the first time I’ve seen Ben since we found out.”

John kissed her nose. “And?”

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CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Saturday – 3:15 A.M
Pete’s Kitchen

“Do you want to marry me?”

Her eyes searched his face. She nodded. He stepped back. Holding his hand out he said:

“Come with me.”

Without thinking, Jill took his hand. Jacob picked up her overnight bag. They were near the door when the manager touched Jacob’s arm.

“See you in an hour?” The manager asked. He held the door open for them.

“Hour and a half will work,” Jacob said.

“See you then.”

Jill jerked to a stop just outside the door.

“Didn’t you read the postcard? I can’t marry you! I can’t. I can’t. I can’t I can’t.” Jill’s voice rose with each ‘I can’t’. “I’m not some prize or trophy that you win. You can’t just decide something is going to happen then….”

Jacob dropped her bag to hold her close to him. She batted at him with her fists but he held on. When her storm of anger had passed, he let go, stepped back, picked up the bag and held out his hand to her.

“Come with me.”

Flushed from her anger, she looked him up and down. She shook her head, crossed her arms across her chest and looked away from him.

“Come with me. I’ll explain everything. But not here. Not on Colfax with an audience. I’d rather not be after-hours entertainment for the hookers and drunks.”

Her head turned to look at him. She let out a breath and took his hand. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the fleshy part between her thumb and index finger. They walked to the corner, then Jacob turned right. Jill stopped walking.

“Where are we going?” Jill asked. “Aren’t we going home?”

“I came straight from work,” Jacob said. “I have a Lipson truck in the parking lot. Plus I wanted a chance to talk to you before we got to the Castle.”

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

A week later
September 16 – 8 A.M.
Denver, Colorado

“I call to order the meeting of JAM properties,” Max said.

“Do you have to say that every time?” Alex whined.

Max laughed at Alex’s distress. They sat together in a chair in the hotel suite’s sitting area. John looked up from a stack of papers to watch the twin’s make faces at each other. He sat in the middle of the couch.

“Let the notes reflect that we have guests. Cian Kelly and Eoin Mac Kinney are here to discuss a project,” Max said.

“Who keeps these notes?” Alex asked.

“We tape the meetings, love. We have for the last three years,” John said. He had to work to keep the exasperation from this voice. Alex attended their monthly financial meetings but never paid attention.

“He’s not a guest then?” Cian asked. He pointed to Raz, who sat down in a chair across from John.

“He’s a member of the corporation,” John said. “He joined a couple years ago.”

“There’s no ‘R’,” Eoin said. “John, Alex and Max, I get that.”

“They call him Art,” Cian said to Eoin. “Do you share our Alex’s ‘A’?”

“Something like that,” Raz said.

“Ew, Rasmussen is not his real name,” Eoin said.

He and Cian shared a look.

“What was that?” John asked.

“We’re just with the big boys….” Cian started.

“…and girl…” Eoin added

“Now,” Cian finished. “Cloak and dagger.”

“Spooks.”

Alex furrowed her brow at Cian and Eoin, then laughed.

“Are you going to pay attention this time?” John asked Alex.

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Can you believe it!? One year ago today, Jill and Megan argued over whether Jill should go to Trevor’s engagement party!

Wow.

As a way of thanking you for your support, we are offering a 36.5% (or $5.09) discount on The Denver Cereal (including signed books) for this week only. This is your chance to get a great deal on Denver Cereal. Buy a copy for a friend! Stock up for Christmas! Get a copy for your mother or sister! Donate a copy to Operation Shoebox or your local hospital! Or simply get your very own signed copy of The Denver Cereal.

This is the only discount. The Denver Cereal will never, ever be this inexpensive again.

Act now! The sale ends Saturday June 20, 2009.

Go to this store and

use this discount code : 8BR63JYZ

Thank you for all of your support over the year. It’s been an amazing project for me. I remain grateful to Jill, Jacob, Katy, Valerie, Mike, Delphie, Sam, Aden, Sandy, Noelle, Nash, Heather, Blane, Honey, MJ and everyone who has shown up on the Denver Cereal pages. This is their story. I only strive to tell it well.

Thank you for reading, caring, and enjoy the Denver Cereal!

Claudia

P.S. The next print edition of Denver Cereal will be out this summer! Watch this space for details. Your purchase of Denver Cereal automatically puts you will be on a list for discounts, information and special pre-release details for the next print edition.

Previous chapters

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

An hour later

Blane lay on the bed with his head in Heather’s lap. He liked communing with the baby. Now that he was so sick, he liked her warm comfort. Plus, he hadn’t thrown up in almost two hours. A major accomplishment he thought.

“Ok,” Heather said. She had been reviewing the site tapes on his laptop. “Here’s the part I think you should look at. We looked at last night, right?”

“Yeah,” Blane said. “Nothing.”

“What’s weird is that Aden and Bambi found the concrete under the shoring,” Heather said. “I reviewed all of yesterday.”

“When did you do that?” Blane asked. He rolled on his side to look at the computer.

“While you were asleep,” Heather said.

“I wasn’t sleeping,” Blane said.

“Uh huh,” Heather said. “You forgot what you’re SUPPOSED to say.”

“Yes, wifey,” Blane said.

They laughed.

“Watch the timestamp,” Heather said.

“You’re going too fast.”

“Ok, slow boy,” Heather slowed down the fast forward. “Right here. See this guy.”

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Five hours later
September 9 – 5:13 P.M.
Denver, Colorado

“I’m not going to call you Papa,” Alex said answering her cell phone. She was standing at the window of their hotel room with the door open to the suite sitting room.

“I’d be a little offended if you did. It would be nice to not be the sperm donor anymore.”

“I’ll think about it,” Alex said disagreeably. “Why didn’t you use protection?”

“Because I planned on marrying your mother. I thought….” Ben blew out a breath. “It was my last chance at a normal life. She was gracious enough to want to be with Patrick instead of me. She saved us both from a real mess.”

“Hmm,” Alex said.

“Property?”

“Yes, let’s move on,” she said.

“There’s nothing in any of the transcripts about a land or property of any kind. Raz ran one of his programs and came up with nothing. You don’t remember the call.”

“I remember Eleazar telling me that everyone was dead. I have this vague impression that he screamed at me.” She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

“Focus on the vague impression.”

She sighed.

“Ok… The feeling is that he knew I tricked him.”

“Tricked him?’

“I mean, I wasn’t surprised that he wanted this thing or that he was angry. And at the same time….”

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Author’s note: This is the original beginning to the Fey. During the blog tour, I was asked by Reika at The Eclectic Connection for a side story. This is my editor’s favorite story about Alex, Max and Patrick. In many ways, it explains how Alex became a Green Beret.

THE PINKY SWEAR

“Where is she?”

General Patrick Hargreaves shook the rain from his jacket and yanked off his hat. His wife, Rebecca, watched him from the kitchen of their tiny home. Even eight months pregnant, she watched his movements with clear interest.

“Under the dining room table” she said. She returned to feeding the towheaded toddler seated in the highchair in front of her. “I tried to talk to her, but you know how she gets.”

Patrick kissed her neck as he squeezed between her and the stove in the small blue kitchen. For a moment, she relaxed into his warmth and smell – rain, Old Spice, and all male. His hand touched the side of her expanded waist, then he was in the dining room.

Patrick Hargreaves smiled. Fatherhood came to him late in life. After years of service in the United States Army, one warm spring day, he attended a formal charity function in Chicago and fell in love. Just like that. At 40 years old, Patrick was in love for the first time. What happened in a breath grew into deep happiness, love and children. They had four children already and one on the way.

His 5-year-old daughter, Alex, brought him home in the middle of the day.

He watched the lace table cloth quiver to the rhythm of soft sobs. Sitting down on the floor, he pulled the child onto his lap. Her long ash blonde hair covered her tear stained face and her big brown eyes. Her dress was torn, knuckles bruised, and shin scuffed.

“What’s wrong, Pumpkin?” he said. He brushed her hair out of her eyes.

“It’s Maxie,” she said.

“Max?” he asked. Max was her identical twin brother and best friend. They were inseparable.

“Maxie told me that I can’t be in Spec’l F’rs’s. He said no girl can be a Green Beret.” She sobbed into her hands. “I punched him. He won’t take it back. He has to take it back. He told Mommy that I was being a baby. I punched him again.”

“Then he tore my dress.” She held up the damaged dress. “Mommy’s mad at me.”

Patrick caught the look Rebecca shot him from the other room. He nodded.

“Are you sure you want to be a Green Beret? You know it’s not a lot of fun.”

“I wanna be a Green Beret!” Alex screamed. “I can’t be a Green Beret because I’m a girl. I hate being a girl. How come Max got to be the boy?”

He sat rocking her on his lap until her tears abated.

“Alex, you can’t hit your brother. Any Green Beret knows that violence is always as a last resort, always.”

“I’m never gonna be a Green Beret.”

“I think you could do anything you set your mind to,” he said. “If you want to be in Special Forces, I promise you today that I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

Her tear stained face lifted and her brown eyes cleared.

“Promise?” she said.

“Pinky swear,” he said.

Giggling, she held her pinkie out to him. They shook pinkies.

Picking her up, Patrick wandered back to the kitchen to find Max hiding in the pantry.

“I didn’t mean to make her cry or tear her dress.” Max dissolved into tears. “She punched me.”

“Does it hurt?” Patrick rubbed the injured arm. Almost an exact match to the girl in his arms, the same tear stained brown eyes looked up at him.

“No, I’m tough. That’s how boys are. That’s why boys are Green Berets not GIRLS.”

Max’s attempt to run into the other room was cut off by Rebecca. Rebecca and Patrick shared a glance of exasperation and humor.

Alex began her chant: “I wanna be a Green Beret.”

Max took up the call with his own version: “Girls can’t be Green Berets.”

There was only one solution this dilemma. Drawing on his years of diplomacy and conflict resolution in the Army, Patrick said the magic words, “Ice Cream?”

Max and Alex squealed with delight.

“I want some too!” His oldest daughter Samantha said as she came into the room. The toddler in the high chair squealed and laughed. It was unanimous.

Rebecca’s hazel eyes held Patrick’s baby blue eyes for a moment. She gave him a faint smile while he helped her with her coat. The children ran through the rain to the car. He helped her into the front seat. When he settled in to the driver’s side, she leaned over kissing him on the cheek. He kissed the palm of her left hand.

The rest of the day dissolved into happy family memory.

Previous Chapters

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

One hour later

“I’m not sure what this fuss is about.” Sam put his hand on the home owner’s arm. “From what you told my site manager, Tony, you knew about the waterline problem. Sounds like you and your neighbors have already spoken with the city about it.”

The man shook his head at Sam.

“Listen, it’s snowing,” Sam said. “You’ve had a difficult morning. Why don’t you head back in? I’ll let you know what we find out.”

Mumbling under his breath, the man nodded and turned back to the house. Sam jogged to catch him.

“I heard you say that you need help with the kids?”

“The Nanny quit. My wife’s on bed rest. Twins due any day. My two year old would drive a saint insane. And I have to get to work.”

“I’m sorry about your wife,” Sam said. “Christy told me that she thought your wife was pregnant.”

“Who the fuck is Christy?”

“She’s one of our road girls,” Sam said. “Blonde? Pretty? She worked your corner this week.”

The man nodded.

“Why don’t I send Christy in to watch your two year old? She’d be happy to help. You can get to work and not worry.”

“My son’s a pain in the ass,” the man said.

“So’s mine,” Sam laughed.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“What do you mean? He wants me dead.”

“Probably. Do you remember the first phone call?”

“Not really, why?”

“I came in the room while you were on the phone, just before he screamed at you.”

“Screamed at me?”

“He yelled at you and you dropped the phone,” Rebecca looked over at Alex. “I thought you knew this.”

“No, I only remember him telling me that the team was dead.” Alex gulped at the grief rose with the words.

“Yes. You were upset by that but you didn’t start….”

“Ripping at myself?”

“Writhing, until he told you he wanted something.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Some land… no property. He wanted his property.”

“Really.”

“You became very agitated and ripped your stitches. Matthew and those big guys were trying to keep you still. They had to put you out.”

Alex looked at her ridiculous, superficial mother with new eyes. Maybe her mother wasn’t a complete idiot. Alex nodded.

“Thanks.”

“For what?” Rebecca said.

“I don’t remember the call. Mattie and the guys only remember how upset I was. That’s really good information, Mom.”

“You mean your mother isn’t a complete idiot?”

“Something like that.”

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