“They’re sorry. Some of them didn’t even have anything to do with upsetting you, but they’re sorry.” Remy put his hands around her waist from behind. “I had full intentions of talking to you about him tonight. I swear it. It was also my plan to tell you what we all know about him. Which isn’t all that much.”
“He was a pirate.” Remy said he’d heard that. “Why did you not tell me sooner, Remy? Did you think I’d be too stupid to understand?”
He turned her around quickly and looked at her. “Good heavens, no. I was trying to save you. You’ve been rejected before when your mother left you behind. I just didn’t want you to feel that way a second time if he decided not to come to talk with you. If you want to know, I think you scared him too.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, well, he’s a very old vampire and has powers that none of us have ever seen. He might well have taken you away from me.”
“I would have come back to you. After I murdered him.” He kissed her on the nose. “I’m all right now. Did the rest of them leave? I feel foolish for being so pissed off at all of you.”
“They’re waiting for you to come back. Kelly is here, as well as Gwyneth. She knew Fergus when he was younger, I guess. He’s older than her.” She asked if he was serious. “Yes. I don’t think I want to find out just how much older he is.”
“Me either.”
They went back into the living room, and she sat down. They were talking now, about the times when they were younger vampires and how they’d managed to survive. Lizzy was glad she’d been turned in this century. She would never have survived the one they were born in. She would have killed everyone given the chance.
Lizzy must have dozed off at some point. She hadn’t been sleeping all that well, and usually, sometime during the day, she’d go and take a nap. But this was more than that, she thought. Exhaustion had never been a part of her workday like it was now. She’d have to talk to someone about it before she literally fell asleep standing up. Perhaps all the stress was catching up to her from the last year.
Remy had told her that she wasn’t in heat, or whatever they called a woman ready to get pregnant, so she knew it wasn’t that. Exhaustion, she knew, was something you didn’t mess with. She had been tired for a long time, and it was just now catching up with her. Deciding to rest when she needed it, Lizzy thought she’d be over this in no time.
Chapter 9
Fergus didn’t have pictures of her mother that he could share with his daughter, but he did have plenty of wealth. Even though she’d told him she didn’t need him to give her anything, he donated a great deal to the charities she and her new husband were working on. Good charities, too, ones that could be counted on to keep the poor healthy and happy.
“You really do like to poke the bear, don’t you, Fergus? How are you, old man?” He hugged Gwyneth and asked the same of her. “I’m getting around. Having young people like my granddaughters around gives me a little extra boost. They make me wish I had taken better care that I understood the times better. Do you? Use all those apps on your phone to do things?”
He laughed. “Not as much as I think my employees wish I did. We run a large spread, and sometimes it’s just easier for me to go to them rather than try and figure out how to call one of them. The horses are used to me popping in and out, but it still scares the riders.” Gwyneth asked him what made him go into ranching. “Nothing much, really. I was with a buddy that was looking for a pony for his daughter, and there weren’t any around that he could get because of him being a wolf. I hit on the idea, and it’s worked out well for me. As well as little girls that want a pony for their birthday.”
“What a lovely thought. I’m assuming you do a good business. When Bancroft was small, he wanted to have a pony. And just as you said, it’s not possible for vampires and other non-humans to have such a joy as a pony or any creature like that.” He said they also raised cows, pigs, goats, and all sorts of other animals. “I once knew a man that raised trout. I thought him insane for the venture. Then I found out he was selling them to not just fishing ponds or whatever but to restaurants. I should have invested with him when he asked. I just never thought it would take on. I remember a time when if you wanted a fish for dinner, you went and caught one.”
They were both laughing, and Fergus was glad for it. “Well, I’m glad he made a success at it, despite you not thinking it was necessary. I have to admit, I might well have turned him down as well. It took me a long time to believe anything was going to change from what I started out seeing.”
“Yes. I remember the day it hit me that things were going to be changing, no matter if I kept up with them or not. It was the first time I saw a television. I know what you’re thinking, and I did the same. How did it take me so long to figure this out? Well, seeing that thing in my friend’s home nearly made me weep for all the things I’d been missing out on.” He asked her what sort of things. “There is the icebox. Not that I needed the thing to keep my food cold—I didn’t eat enough to warrant it. It was the idea of needing one that I should have thought of. I think that is where I messed up. I saw all these changes coming along, and I couldn’t see how it would help me, so I just ignored the progression of things.”
“I understand completely. That was my problem too. Not getting out to see the larger picture of the way things could not just help humans, but myself as well.” Fergus looked at Gwyneth as he asked her something that had been on his mind for the last few hours. “I’ve gone ahead and made donations to each of their causes. I was just thinking before you arrived that I don’t have anything else to give her, so that would be good.”
“You don’t have— What do you mean, you don’t have anything to give her? I should pop you upside the head. I would, too, if I wasn’t afraid of giving you more brain damage. Because there isn’t any way, you just said that to me. My goodness, what a thing to say. You have plenty enough to give her, and it’s not the amount of the check you’ve written. I could just scream at you for— What about love? Friendship? Or, for that matter, finding out what she needs you to do to help her?”
“Like what? Whenever I ask either of them what they need me to do, I get this ‘We’ve got it under control.’” Gwyneth just glared at him. “What did I say now?”
“They do not have it under control. I know for a fact that something Remy was working on just yesterday is giving him fits. They’re trying to purchase the land next to the high school, and the board is trying their best to keep them from it. Something about future projects. Well, I’ll tell you right now, this will be the future projects for those children.” He just loved watching a woman get fired up. But wisely, he kept his mouth shut and only asked her what she wanted to do. “Several years ago, there was a place where the children could go and explore. I’m not sure when it started to not be used. Anyway, that was for the younger groups. But for the high school, Remy and Lizzy thought older children could learn a great deal about the woods and how they might be able to survive there. She told us that once she escaped from that man, she had to figure out all kinds of things in order to live. What she could use to know the time of the day and such. Also, what they might be able to eat and drink.”
“What a magnificent idea.” He did like the idea. Fergus thought that even a few vampires could use an idea like this. Not so much the food, but how to find their way when they were lost. It didn’t happen as often as it did when there were fewer people in the world or cell phones, but it did sometimes happen. “I should like to help with that.”
“Buy the land. Donate it to them and make a donation to the school for their generosity. Even if you think you’ve paid too much, thank them with more money.” He nodded, thinking he’d not have a clue how much was too much. “Would you like me to go with you? I’m on the board, though I don’t know why. They never do anything but bitch about not having enough funds for whatever project is coming up. You want to know why? Because they only w
ant to do things that are lame.”
“What sort of things would you try to make money for the school? Just so you know, you’re not alone in that. I believe all schools are not just underfunded, but they are also having trouble finding teachers.” She looked at him. “You would be a fantastic person for something like a reality teacher. I don’t know that they have those, but it certainly is something I think you’d be good at. I remember my trouble in even trying to balance a checking account. For that matter, I have two employees right now that haven’t the foggiest idea of how to write a check. Not that I’m a whiz at it, but something like that would be so helpful.”
“I had the same issues. It took me a month before I felt good enough to write one without having to call on Banny to make sure it looked right. And don’t get me started on having a last name. I know that’s not much of an issue these days, but it was an issue too.” They spoke back and forth about things they’d run into while trying to fit in. “I’ve never really fit in with the women things. I can if I am needed, but I’d much rather just do things on my own. But this teacher idea. I like that. If the school wouldn’t allow it, I could just rent out a building and do it on my own.”
They were still talking about her teaching a reality class as she drove them over to the high school. That was something else he’d never learned how to do, drive. There hadn’t been much use for them when he could just go where he wanted at any time. A car, a recent addition to the world, was a nasty smelling thing that he just didn’t want to fool with.
The teachers were all in their classrooms when they arrived. Just looking in the windows, he wondered how they were able to be stuck in a room all day when there were such wonderful things to discover out of doors. Gwyneth told him that was just what she had been talking about. A way to have a nice class or two out of doors.
Only one of the board members was there, in addition to Gwyneth. She told Fergus she’d wait in the hall while he went in to talk to Malcomb Harley. When Fergus told Malcomb what he wanted to do, the man told him he didn’t have time to speak to him about such matters, especially ones that had already been turned down this week.
“Well, I’m here to make you an offer that I don’t think the school board should turn down.” Fergus reached out to his son-in-law and asked him if he’d come to the school with him. Gwyneth told him that would be a good gesture for the two of them to get closer. “My daughter and her husband were in here, and they were turned down. As a person who is thinking of becoming a member of this town, I’d like to know how a school that is forever low on funding can turn away that sort of money?”
“Look, I’ll tell you what I told him. There are plans in the works for that area. Plans that I’m not able to discuss with you.” That didn’t stop Fergus from figuring out what the plans were by looking into his thoughts. “We, as a school board, are going to hold onto the land so that in the future, we’ll be able to use it for what we purchased it for.”
“Are you talking about the future plans for the strip mall that is in the works? Or are you talking about the lot the city is planning on buying to put their extra trucks on during the winter months? That’s why you won’t sell it. You are thinking of purchasing it for yourself, so you can sell it to the highest bidder later.” Fergus shook his head. “Neither of those are going to work, you know. First of all, the strip mall won’t come to fruition because they’ll be using all their funds in just paying for the land. In the meantime, the land will be taken over by people selling their used cars and velvet paintings. Unsavory types will set up businesses there, the kind that are here and gone before the police can catch up with them. Is that the sort of people you want next to a high school where kids can get into trouble? Or worse yet, killed?” He asked him how he’d known that. “Everyone knows what you’re up to. If not for you holding things up, the land would be bringing in money as well as being used for something for the students. I don’t think a person such as yourself needs to be on the board. There shouldn’t be a profit made for helping the children out.”
“What do you know?” Fergus told him he obviously knew more than he did. “No. I don’t think so. I’m going to be able to finally make some real money from working here. It’ll be my little nest egg when one of these things go ahead. I don’t know how you got your information, but I’m not taking on any partners, nor am I going to be blackmailed into making sure they get a cut of what I’m doing. This is my idea, and I’m going to run with it.”
Gwyneth came into the room without opening the door. Fergus was certain she’d heard every word that had been said. By the look on her face, she wasn’t any happier about it than he was. The man was about to get his comeuppance, and Fergus stood back and watched it unfold.
While Gwyneth was busy putting Malcomb in his place, both Lizzy and Remy joined them. Lizzy went to stand with Gwyneth while Remy stayed back with him. He gave him a brief rundown of what was going on, and also why he was there.
“That’s very generous of you, Fergus. We’ve been trying to deal with this man for the last few days. First, he doesn’t come to the meeting, then he gets called away. This morning was the first time we’d been able to talk to him, and he just flat out ordered us out of his office.” He told Remy how they’d just shown up. Sort of caught him off guard. “It seems to have worked. I didn’t know he had all that going on. I should have checked, but I thought it was the school board that was putting us off and not a man that has his head up his ass.”
When it was all finished, Malcomb was taken to jail. The only thing they could hold him on was threatening Lizzy. It was enough, however, to get him off the board and someone else in his place. Fergus was very proud that Lizzy took the job offered to her by the other two members.
Cloris Keller had come to the school when she heard on her police scanner that there was trouble. “I would like to propose that we sell this land to Mr. Strickland. He is willing to make a large donation to the school to be used for improvements to the classrooms.” Ms. Keller had decided she’d make the motion so there wouldn’t be any trouble down the road. “He is offering us a good amount of money for the land, and I see no reason whatsoever that we don’t cash in while the money is being offered.”
The vote between them was three to zero in favor. Fergus did wonder for a minute or two if they had to have a larger group to vote on it, but as it went in his favor, he didn’t care. He turned the project over to Remy, and then wrote out a check for the donation for their generosity. Things were looking up for the school, he thought.
He was just getting ready to go back to the house with Gwyneth when Lizzy walked up to him. He didn’t know her well enough to judge her moods or facial giveaways, so he waited while she looked at him. It startled him every time he looked at her as to how much she looked like her mom.
“You didn’t have to do this.” He was lost in memories and asked her what she meant. “Buying the land and the donation to the school. If you did it to get me to like you or something then—”
“I didn’t. I had hoped you’d like me anyway.” She smiled at him. “That right there, Elizabeth, is worth every penny I spent today. But as to what you were saying. No, I didn’t do this to win favor with you. I did this because I believe children should be given as much information as they can, regardless of whether or not they’re human. I’m sorry you had to learn these things the hard way, but you survived, and that is about all a man could hope for.”
Going back to the house later on, he felt like his step was a little lighter, his heart just a little fuller. His daughter was lovely, and she had a good head on her shoulders—two things a man could wish for his children.
~*~
The courtroom was packed. Lizzy had thought there were just too many for the attempted bank robbery and was told it was an all day affair of setting up court dates and assigning fines to people who had only gotten a ticket. She was waiting in the back of the room with both the Mrs. Ai
ms, wives to the two men she was hoping to get taken care of.
It was sad, really, that most of the people were there to either fight a ticket or to get the things settled up for prison time. She’d only just found out that Bret Aims was on his third stint if he were found guilty. Jefferson, his brother, had never even had a parking ticket but had gone along with his brother to get a cut of the money. The guns they had weren’t even loaded, not that it mattered now.
The man that stood up when his name was called stumbled his way up to the microphone. He was an elderly man, and he looked to be having trouble seeing. When the officer who arrested him told the judge why he’d been arrested, the judge asked the man if he always broke the law.
“I never have before that day, Your Honor. My wife, she’s ill, and I just wanted to see her again. It had been a couple of weeks, and nobody was coming around.” The officer explained how Mr. Rogers was to have help daily, but they weren’t showing up. Part of the deal was for them to take him to see his wife in the nursing home twice a week. “I called and called to see why they just stopped coming, but got nothing from them. And my wife, you see, she missed me something terrible, and I wanted to ease her heart a little.”
The judge turned to the officer. “What were you able to find out from the place caring for Mr. Rogers? I know you, Davy. You looked into it.” He grinned and told the judge what he’d been able to understand. “Mr. Rogers, did they tell you they weren’t coming? Did anyone come over and tell you that you needed to get other help, as they’d gone out of the business of helping people?”
Stanley: Dalton’s Kiss Book 2 (Dalton's Kiss) Page 12