“You’ll be famous!”
he laughed.
“No
, you will!” she laughed.
“Ok, we will!” he replied.
Putting his arms around her waist, he slid her toward him and said, “People will know it’s you.”
“
Only if we tell them,” she laughed.
“Look at it this way, we could say who it is and maybe people won’t care, maybe they will. Or we could take
great care to keep it private and then “the woman in the picture” becomes an enigma, a mystery, and then everyone
wants
to know who she is.”
“I see what you mean,” she said after a minute or two think
ing it over. “It is a beautiful picture… my hat in magazines all over the world!”
~ ~ ~
Andy made the trip to Jacksonville the day of the gala, checking into the hotel around one that afternoon. He rested a while, and then dressed for the evening, arriving at Geni’s just as Thomas and Angela pulled up. They exchanged hugs and went inside.
“Hey Mom! We’re here
!” Thomas yelled.
As Geni came around the corner
, Andy looked up. She was stunning.
“
Wow, Momma Davis. What a dress!” Angela said hugging her.
“Wow’s good!” Geni hugged her, and then
Thomas. Then she went to Andy. She hugged lightly and quickly, and Thomas noticed her back away and smiled.
“Geni, you look beautiful,” Andy said.
“Why, thank you,” she said as Brian and Malia came in the back door. Geni handed Andy a bottle of wine; he opened it and poured a glass for all of them.
Finally, the three couples made their way to the Menner Center. Andy noticed the whispers as they entered the room. But this time it wasn’t whispers over ‘Andy Stevens.’ This was whisperings of ‘Genevieve Davis is with a man.’
Geni had her hand through the bend in Andy’s arm as they followed her sons into the event. She noticed the w
hispers too, and leaned into him to whisper in his ear. “They’d have whispered ‘Poor Geni’ if I had come alone. Now they’re whispering, ‘dang, who’s that good-looking-man Geni is with?’” she laughed.
Mayor Dancy Delaney made his way to
ward them. “Genevieve, you look beautiful, as always.”
“Thank you, Dancy. I don’t know if you’ve met my sons
; this is Thomas and his wife Angela, Brian and his wife Malia. And this is my good friend, Andy Stevens,” she said.
“Ah, the holiday music for the Schumacher Center,” he said as he shook Andy’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Genevieve, as always
, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“Thank you Mayor, I always have great help. Enjoy the evening.” She turned to Andy and whispered, “
Butt-kiss number one… check!” Thomas and Brian heard her, and laughed out loud.
A string quartet played soft music as hor
s d’oeuvres were served. The men went to the
bar for drinks. The Center had a variety of artwork displayed for the event. “All local artists for this event,” Geni explained as she and Andy mingled. She introduced him often, and returned to her family several times with a ‘butt-kiss count’ that kept them laughing throughout the evening.
Finally
, it appeared that the schmoozing was complete, and the enjoyment could begin. Brian took Malia to the dance floor and then Thomas and Angela joined them.
“Shall we?” Andy asked Geni.
“I’d love to,” Geni replied and took his hand to join him.
Andy held her close as they danced. He saw her smile
, and it made him happy. She was wearing a bright peach-colored, one-shouldered gown with a trail of sparkles from the shoulder, curving down and around her waist. It was form-fitting to her knees, where it flared slightly to the floor.
Angela was right, ‘what a dress,’
he thought.
Andy looked down
as they danced and saw toes polished just a darker shade of peach than the dress. He looked up and noticed her hair; it was dark, like Matthew’s, and twisted into an up-style in the back. She was accessorized perfectly, and
beautiful
Andy thought.
“You look like Jaclyn Smith,” he whispered in her ear.
“And you look like some rock-star!” she laughed in return.
“Do you see what I see?” Malia whispered in Brian’s ear as he held her close.
“A star, a star dancing in the night…” Brian laughed out loud as he sang his response a little louder than he’d intended, and the room looked his direction. “Sorry babe, sometimes I crack myself up! I couldn’t resist.” He pulled her closer and continued “What I
see
is a beautiful woman having a good time.”
At the end of the evening, Geni’s sons headed home, and Andy drove Geni to hers. “Come in for another glass of wine?” she asked him.
“I’d like that.”
He followed her into the house and took off his tie and jacket. He eased the cork out of a bottle of wine he’d brought with him and poured. Geni sat on the sofa, kicked her shoes off, and pulled her feet up, getting comfortable. Andy sat across from her, so that he could see her.
“Thank you so much for helping me through that!” she laughed.
“It really was my pleasure,” he said. “I’m looking forward to those chicken and dumplings tomorrow.”
“So are my girls! Percy and Megs love Mimi G’s chicken and dumplings!” she laughed. “You said you had something you wanted to talk about
. The gang will be here tomorrow, and it gets loud when the girls are here, so shoot.”
Andy noticed that a
fter a couple of glasses of wine, she was not only beaming, she was fun. “Just in the thinking stage at this point, but tell me what you think.”
“I’m ready,” she took another sip, and laughed. “I think!”
“I’m missing Carlee. I’ve tried to allow them their space, to settle in, get to know each other, and be a couple,” he said. “But I don’t know how much longer I can hold out. I’m thinking about talking to Matthew about going over next month and surprising my girl.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!”
“Join me?” he asked.
“That’d be nice, let me ponder’pon it,” she said in that velvety southern drawl.
They talked a while longer, and finally Andy rose to leave. “I should go,” he said.
“Come over early,”
she replied. “We’ll probably eat around one, but there will be coffee any time after eight, so just come on.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” he replied. He wa
nted to hug her, but he didn’t.
“Thank you again for joining me this evening. It was a nice time, and I enjoyed the company,” Geni said and walked with him to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lying in bed that night, Andy’s mind wandered… He looked over at the empty space beside him. It had been empty for a long time, and for the first time in a lot of years
, he wished it wasn’t. He and Adaleigh had shared their thing, and he’d had a fling or two. But he hadn’t really missed someone being there beside him, not just for the sex, but for intimacy and companionship, until now. Carlee had filled the companionship void, but now he found that he needed more.
Geni was fun
; she was smart and engaging. Conversation with her was always easy and he missed that more than anything. She was a beautiful woman and he enjoyed her company, a lot. But there were so many ‘what if’s’ that he held back.
Geni dressed for bed and crawled in with thoughts of the evening, as well. She had fun. It was nice to laugh, but nicer to laugh with someone other than her family.
It felt good being in a man’s arms,
kept running through her mind. She tried to push it aside, but it kept coming forward and she couldn’t stop it.
It felt good being in a man’s arms.
She’d danced with Andy at the wedding, but that night was different for some reason.
It felt good being in a man’s arms
she thought once more. It had been almost a year since Tom passed away… She rolled over and tried to sleep, but she was awake a long time before sleep finally came.
It felt good being in a man’s arms
just kept going through her mind.
Sunday morning Andy showered and dressed to head to Geni’s. He pulled in the driveway at 9:10. She met him at the back door with a cup of coffee, just like he liked it - black and strong.
“Wow, what are you
, like a mind reader or something?” he laughed.
“Just been around you enough to know how you drink your coffee,” she said. She looked at him as he walked in the kitchen,
sixty-seven and the man still looks good in jeans
, her mind wandered.
“Mmm, something smells incredible!” He lifted the lid on the pot
his words bringing Geni back to the moment.
“Brats learn early how to make the basics,” she laughed. “Biscuits, fried chicken, grits, gravy… and chicken and dumplings are just glorified biscuits and gravy!”
“Brats?” Andy asked, turning to look at her.
“Bitches raised around the south!” she laughed.
“Well, it sure smells good!” he said, and laughed at her comment.
They sat at th
e table sharing coffee and pastries, talking about a trip to London. Geni agreed to go, so they planned a journey east. Her boys arrived at noon and by two the pot of chicken and dumplings was empty. Percy and Megs loved all over Andy, and Geni looked on and smiled. They all missed Tom. She was lucky to have a friend like Andy.
She rose and went to the kitchen and pulled
out the pan she had slipped into the oven earlier. As she did, Brian took a big sniff, “Mom! Is that peach cobbler?”
“It is,” she
said as she looked at Andy, and grinned.
CHAPTER THIRTY ~ Come Together
Carlee was homesick. Andy’s birthday was in a few days
. She’d sent him a gift, but she missed him. It had been two months since she’d seen him. She knew they couldn’t go home because of Matthew’s schedule, and she wouldn’t go without him. They were going at Christmastime, and she was blue, thinking about how much longer that was.
Saturday morning
, Carlee was pushing the cart through the market, shopping for the week. She found that she loved cooking and was always exploring new recipes to try. Matthew dropped her off to run around the corner to the wine shop. As she shopped, she heard his voice and turned to see him approaching.
He handed her his phone,
and she scrunched her nose looking up at him. “Hello?”
“Hello, beautiful!” she heard Andy’s voice.
“Hello, Papa!”
“I was missing you terribly, and needed to hear that sweet voice
,” he said.
“I miss you too,” she said and tried not to cry.
Carlee heard another voice in the background; it sounded familiar but she said nothing. Suddenly Geni was on the phone.
“Hello
, darlin’!”
“Geni!” She looked at Matthew, who shrugged his shoulders.
A moment later, both Geni and Andy rounded the corner to the aisle Carlee and Matthew were on.
“What on earth is going on?” Carlee yelled as Andy grabbed her, lifting her off the floor in a big hug. She looked over
his shoulder to find Matthew with a big smile.
Geni grabbed the cart
, “What’s for dinner?” she asked as they walked away, leaving Matthew and Andy shaking their heads.
“I’m telling you, the two of them can talk,” Matthew laughed.
“I’ve seen it,” Andy said with a chuckle.
Andy and Matthew went to the wine shop. In the car, Andy turned to Matthew and said, “Thanks for letting us come. I just needed to see my girl, and your mom was missing the two of you, as well.”
“Hello? Did you see Carlee’s face? She lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw you!” Matthew laughed.
“We’re in a suite at White’s, but in separate rooms,” Andy added.
Matthew laughed and replied
, “You don’t need to explain anything to me. You’re grown people.”
They picked out a few bottles of
wine and made their way back to the market.
Geni and Carlee made their way through the store, happily chatting and filling their cart. When the guys returned, the groceries were loaded in the two cars, and they headed to the flat. Andy and Geni followed them.
On the way, Carlee turned to Matthew. “Did you know they were coming?”
“Not until last week,” he said, “and Andy swore me to secrecy.”
Carlee smiled
, thinking about Andy and Geni together. And then she remembered… “Oh, my goodness, Matthew, the picture!” she shrieked.
“It’s OK, I knew they were coming,” he laughed. “Your half-naked photo is safely tucked away.”
“Nice!” she said and rolled her eyes, then smiled. She playfully ran her fingers up his neck and through his hair. “I love you.”
“I know,” Matthew laughed, “and you do
it so
well!
”
“Nice,” she said again, and
they both laughed.
When they arrived, Geni and Andy wandered around commenting on how everything looked, how their lives had come together. They decided to order Chinese for dinner that night, and ate, and drank wine while they chatted.
“I’m so glad you
’re here! We’ll celebrate Papa’s birthday tomorrow!” Carlee said with excitement.
“Thanks for letting us invite ourselves,”
Andy said.
“I don’t know why we didn’t think of it first,” Carlee said. “
I have a new recipe I want to make and y’all can be my test-eaters!”
They talked and laughed late into the evening. “It’s getting late
, Geni. We should head back.” he said in an attempt to hurry them along so that Carlee and Matthew could call it a day.
“Come early
tomorrow; I may need help, but most of all, I need every second I can get with you,” Carlee said. She rose from the couch and quickly sat back down and put her head between her knees.
“What is it?” Andy asked, alarmed.
Carlee just sat there. Matthew sat beside her and rubbed her back. “She’s had some dizziness and nausea a couple times recently,” he said.
“Have we made a doctor appointment for this?” Andy asked, anxiously.
“No,” Carlee said, and quickly added, “not yet.”
“Why not?” Andy asked trying not to bark at her.
“‘Cuz it hasn’t happened in a while,” Carlee said and started crying.
“Carlee,” Geni started
, and Carlee looked up at her.
Thinking she knew her thoughts, she interrupted, “I’m not pregnant.”
“Well, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Geni laughed and sat on the other side of her on the sofa.
“It’s good. I don’t think we’re ready for that. We did a test and it was negative,” Carlee explained.
“Then why this nausea?” Andy asked.
Geni looked at her watch. It was late afternoon in the U.S.
, and she whipped out her phone and went to the other room a moment.
When she returned, she explained. “I have a friend who’s a physicians’ assistant; that’s who I called. She told me to make sure you see a doctor as soon as possible, but said to ask if you’ve had any ear discomfort, or ringing in your ears. That could be the problem, or an ear infection, maybe?”
Carlee shook her head, no.
“Carlee,” Andy said, “especially after what happened at camp, I don’t like this.”
“I’ll call in the morning. I swear.”
“Do it. It’s important to me,” he said. Matthew rose from the sofa for him to sit beside her. Wrapping her in his arms, he said again, “It’s important. I love you.”
“I love you too, Papa.
I will, I promise.”
That night in bed, Matthew pulled Carlee into his arms. She was wearing a pair of the satin pajamas he’d given her. He loved the feel of her, caressing her back through the satin.
“
How are you feeling?” he asked. Scooting closer to her, he kissed from the top button of the pajama top up her neck to the place behind her ear.
She snuggled closer
, his breath was warm, but sent a shiver up her spine. “I’m fine now, it’s weird Matthew; it just comes out of nowhere.”
“
Have you had any of these dizzy or nauseous spells that you haven’t told me about?” he asked.
“
The other evening when you came home and lifted me up to sit in the counter, I did. But once you set me down it was OK.”
“You have to promise to tell me, Carlee. And make that doctor appointment.”
“Are you good with them?” she asked changing the subject.
His
hands still caressing her back through the fabric, he asked, “The pajamas? Yeah, are you?” he laughed, kissing her again.
“No, Papa and your mom,” she laughed. “Would Thomas and Brian be OK with it,” she asked.
“Yeah, we’ve already talked about it,” he kissed her once more.
She ros
e up, her curls falling forward. “You have?”
“Yeah, when they started calling each other, and then when he went with her to the Gala,” he pulled her closer and kissed her again. “Mom
’s still young, so is Andy. They can have a good time together. If it turns into more, it’s our job to support what
they
decide, not our place to encourage or discourage,” he told her. “I love the way you feel…” Pulling her closer he whispered in her ear, “I love you, Carlee.”
“Thank you for loving me, Matthew Davis,” she whispered back and melted in
to his arms.
~ ~ ~
In the suite, Andy and Geni shared another glass of wine and chatted about the evening.
“Thanks for suggesting this,” Geni said.
“It’s always a pleasure to share your company,” Andy said.
She was sitting across from him and he noticed again, really noticed what a beautiful woman she was.
“I’m looking forward to being their guest for dinner tomorrow. Carlee has done a beautiful job bringing their lives together, making their place
home
,” Geni said.
“Uh hunh,” Andy replied, sipping the wine, watching her over the rim of his glass.
They sat quietly for a while, enjoying the wine. “Well, I’m gonna call it a night. The flight, the time difference, this old gal’s whipped,” she said finally.
Andy rose from his chair. He went to her with only the intention of hugging her, thanking her for joining him, but when his arms went around her, it was more. She felt good to him. She turned to kiss his cheek, but he turned too, and their lips met.
It was a gentle, soft kiss and Geni responded, and then, she quickly pulled away. “Good night, Andy,” she said and quickly turned to go to her room.
She dressed for bed and crawled in, but she knew sleep wouldn’t come anytime soon. A little while later, her phone rang. She looked at it and smiled. It was Andy. Laughing, she answered, “Hello…”
“Don’t let that change anything about our time together. I think I’ve wanted it to happen for a while, but I don’t want it to change anything.”
She smiled, thinking, quiet for a minute, and then said, “Thank you, for the trip, for the kiss, for the call… Good night, Andy.”
Sunday morning, Andy called room service to order coffee for them. He worried as he waited, about mood, the tone of the day, how Geni would act when she finally came out of her room. He braced himself, but she gave no indication that there was anything uncomfortable.
“Good morning
; I heard a knock at the door… Oh good, coffee! Are these the brown sugar scones Carlee loves?” she asked, grabbing one. She poured coffee into a cup for herself and refilled Andy’s.
“Yep
. We’re picking up a pan to take with us for Carlee and Matt,” he said.
“I did some searching
last night; that dizziness and nausea looks like it could possibly be vertigo, but I’ll be anxious for her to see the doctor.”
“
Me too. What would cause vertigo?” he asked.
“From what I read, there are several causes. I guess we just need to wait and see. Happy Birthday, by the way,” she said.
“Thank you. I know our tickets are for Tuesday morning; I may postpone mine, and wait to see if Carlee can get in to see the doctor?”
“
We’ll play it by ear,” she replied.
“
You ready to go?” He liked that she didn’t seem out of sorts about the previous evening.
“I
am. Kinda like you – I want every minute possible with them,” Geni replied.
Carlee had coffee ready when they got there and was happy to put the scones in to warm.
“Good morning,” Andy said, hugging her. “How are you feeling?”
“Happy Birthday, Papa! I feel good! I was telling Matthew last night, it’s just the weirdest thing. It comes out of nowhere.”
They sat at the table enjoying the coffee and scones
. As they talked, Geni told them what she’d read on-line about vertigo. Carlee listened intently, but couldn’t think of anything going on that Geni was suggesting.
“I’ll call the doctor first thing in the morning,” she told them. “Today, we have a birthday to celebrate!”
She headed for the kitchen and Geni followed. “Tell me what you need help with.”
“Cake first, because it has to sit a while,” Carlee explained. She
plopped a cake mix down on the counter.
Geni picked up the box
- spice cake. “Well, I’m ready! Tell me what you need me to do with this!”
Grabbing eggs, and oil, she handed Geni the mixer. “Just follow the instructions on the box!” She then
sat out a jar of stewed apples, along with a jar of apple butter.
After Geni had the mix
ready, Carlee had two round pans waiting; Geni put the batter in the pans and Carlee stuck them in the oven. She opened the apples and apple butter and mixed them into a pot to simmer on the stove.
“What are we making?” Geni asked.
Carlee leaned to whisper in her ear, “Apple butter cake. Nanny told me a cheater way to make it! It’s Papa’s favorite. When mama’s nana made it they used real apples and made the apple butter homemade. I don’t think I’m ready for that!”
Matthew had a soccer game on the TV, and Andy joined him in the living room. From where he sat, he could see them in the kitchen, and he watched. Matthew was watching Andy watch them.