“And you shall. How long until you think you’ll begin to turn a profit in your firm?” Carolena asked.
“I’m not sure, maybe three years, five at the most,” Felicity answered.
“Fine, set up a payment plan to go into effect five years from today. Nothing exorbitant, just enough to repay the loan over time and not so much that it leaves you in a tight place, either.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Felicity told her, stunned by her good fortune.
“Yes, Carolena. We are about the same age. No ma’ams allowed,” Carolena smiled at her.
By the time they arrived at Carolena’s home, soon to be Rowan’s home, Felicity understood exactly what Carolena wanted and expected. And the ladies were laughing and chatting pleasantly as well. They climbed from the carriage and went inside the house.
When the door opened, Enthrall, standing on a ladder in the living room, his back to the foyer and the front door, called out, “Carolena! Look what we’ve done, love!”
Felicity smiled tightly. She’d known that she’d have to be around Mr. Larocque, but the effect he had on her she’d managed to diminish in her mind.
“What did you do?” Carolena called back, hanging her coat on a hook near the front door. She walked into the living room and stopped short, “Oh, my! She is lovely, isn’t she?” Carolena remarked, smiling with happy tears in her eyes.
“She is. And I decided to call the shelter, ‘Clara’s House,’” Rowan announced from her place beside Enthrall where she supervised.
“Oh, Rowan. It’s perfect. Thank you so much!” Carolena said, hurrying across the living room to embrace the woman who had become her dearest friend.
“It just fit,” Enthrall said, climbing down from the ladder after securing the life sized painting of Rowan’s mother above the huge natural stone hearth.
Rowan was looking at Felicity, “Hello, welcome. We’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other, I suppose.”
Enthrall, rubbing his chest again, turned to see who Rowan would be seeing quite a lot of. On seeing Felicity, his whole countenance changed. He smiled at her, but again found himself lost in her eyes. Felicity forced herself to look away from him. “Is there an office where I can draw up the papers for transfer of ownership of the house to Rowan?”
“Yes, of course. Come with me, you can use my father’s office,” Carolena answered.
Chapter 30
Destroy stood back, looking over his home with pride. It was a beautiful home, Rowan would love it. And he was very excited. She’d told him she’d be there in three weeks. Today was the 19th day. That meant in two more days she’d be here. He’d taken care of everything. He’d talked Carnage into allowing him to walk through his house and take stock of all that Carolena had amassed. Then he’d had Anton make a list, and Anton and Gaston had gone to town and bought everything on that list. What they didn’t have in town, Gaston ordered for him so that it’d be there soon.
He sat in the rocker on his own porch, smiling, having a glass of sarsaparilla tea from one of his own glasses. Now all he had to do was wait. He patted his shirt pocket where his final surprise rested. He couldn’t wait to give it to his Rowan. He was a happy Goyle.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The papers had been signed, despite Enthrall’s lurking presence in the doorway of the office. He constantly distracted Felicity, but she’d managed to focus somehow and take care of the task at hand.
“There you are, all yours, Rowan,” Felicity said as she signed the papers herself and pulled her personal seal out of her briefcase to officially seal the documents. “I’ll file them at the courthouse tomorrow and call it done.”
“Thank you, Felicity,” Rowan said, thrilled and a bit humbled as she played with the purple ribbon tied about her wrist.
“You’re very welcome. Are you going to live here, too?” Felicity asked.
“No, I’m going home to Louisiana with Carolena. But my parents will be running the shelter for me,” she answered.
“Ah, yes, I met them earlier. Very sweet people,” Felicity commented.
“They are, and my grandmother will help them, too,” Rowan added.
“The women who will shelter here will be very lucky to have you behind them,” Felicity said sincerely.
“And you, too. I’d love to have you involved in any capacity you’d feel comfortable,” Carolena added.
“Really? I’d love to help,” Felicity said happily, then, the smile dropped from her face when Enthrall appeared again.
“Rowan, would you mind if I spoke with Felicity in private for a moment?” Carolena asked.
“Not at all, I have to go see what awful color combination Mamaie has chosen for the next bedroom anyway. You can’t leave her unattended for very long, you know,” Rowan said.
“Yes, I do know,” Carolena chuckled.
As soon as Rowan left the room, Enthrall appeared in the doorway. Carolena got up, crossed to the door, said, “Go away, Enthrall,” and closed the door in his face.
A snarl followed the door closing, and that made Felicity’s eyebrows raise, but it was quickly forgotten when Carolena turned to her and said, “You like him, don’t you?”
“What?! No! He’s your husband! I’d never allow anything to happen!” she immediately got flustered and defensive while at the same time trying to assure Carolena that she had nothing to worry about.
Carolena sat back in the chair that Rowan had just vacated, propped her feet up on the desk, and crossed her arms, smiling while she watched Felicity sputtering.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Felicity asked.
“He’s not my husband,” Carolena said, watching her closely.
“What?” Felicity asked.
“He’s not my husband,” Carolena repeated.
Felicity flopped in the chair she’d sat in earlier to produce the documents required for the transfer of ownership.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
“He’s a dear friend. Family, actually. And he pretended to be my husband so that Mr. Thorpe and his attorneys would not try to take advantage of me. We’ve signed the papers, both of us, with our given names. There was nothing mentioning he was my husband, just that he was accepting half of my holdings at my request. So whether Mr. Thorpe knows now or not, doesn’t matter. But, you need to know, Enthrall is not my husband,” Carolena finished.
Felicity sat there, unsure of what to say, to ask. Finally she lifted her eyes to Carolena’s, “Is he your lover?”
Carolena shook her head, “No. I am married and very happily so. We have a daughter. But for reasons I don’t care to get into now, he’s not able to be here with me. So Enthrall volunteered to escort me. He’s family. That’s it. Oh, and he’s single.”
Felicity’s eyes popped up to Carolena’s, “He is?!” she asked a little too excitedly.
“He is,” Carolena answered.
Felicity looked around at the office they sat in, thought over all of Carolena’s words, her offer of employment and the backing of her very own law firm. She looked at Carolena, “It doesn’t matter. We can never be more than friends.”
“What?! Why?” Carolena jumped up.
“Because I never mix business with pleasure, and he’s your family and close friend. If we dated and it didn’t work, it may change all you have offered.”
“Never. That will never change. All the contracts are drawn up and signed. All the details, the ones that matter anyway, worked out. But even more importantly, in my heart of hearts, I know you’re right for this. No matter what does or doesn’t happen between you and Enthrall, this is your job.”
“Thank you, Carolena,” Felicity said.
“But, don’t allow a wonderful man to slip through your hands. He can’t keep his eyes off you. And you can’t keep yours off him.”
Felicity opened her mouth to protest, but Carolena steam-rolled right over her.
“I’m not saying you have to fall in love and move in with him this minute. What I’m
saying is give him a chance, take it slow if you must, but don’t turn him away because he’s a friend of mine. Give him a chance.”
Felicity wanted to give him more than a chance, that was the problem. She wanted to give him everything. She exhibited control in every area of her life, and the fact that this man made her want to throw control to the wind was a very, very scary thing. She smiled up at Carolena, who now stood facing her across the desk, “I’ll give it a chance and see what happens. But I have to move slowly!” she warned.
“Slow is good, slow is still moving,” Carolena smiled.
“Now, one last bit of business before I go pack for home,” Carolena said.
“Oh, okay. What’s that?” Felicity asked.
“I want you to move in here for now. You can stay as long as you like, or go as soon as you like, but I want you out of that apartment you’re in. It’s too close to where you used to work, and you’ll be all alone there. Please move in here so that you can help oversee things. Rowan’s family is perfectly capable, but they come from another country, and while they’ll nurture the women beautifully, they don’t know the legalities of everything that may arise. You could really help by being on premise. If you want to establish your law firm and have the ability to take on other clients, I applaud you, please do. But if you lived here, you could be available if needed in the evenings and on the weekends, while still having your firm on your hours to run as you like. Will you consider?”
Felicity couldn’t wait to get out of that cold, tiny walk-up apartment, “Yes!”
“Wonderful!” Carolena exclaimed.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Carolena had warned Enthrall that Felicity needed space — he’d do best by moving slowly with her. So he’d done his best. He and Andrew had accompanied her to her apartment to pack and move her things to ‘Clara’s House,’ as Carolena’s childhood home was now called. He’d chatted pleasantly at dinner that night and at breakfast the next morning.
And neither could keep their eyes from each other.
Now he stood in the foyer at the front door, waiting for Carolena and Rowan to say their goodbyes. He listened as Rowan promised to visit soon and to take care of herself.
Everyone, including Felicity, was there to see them off, “All will be well when you return,” Felicity said to Enthrall.
“I’m sure it will. I’ll be a couple of hours,” he answered, smiling.
“Oh! I thought you were escorting them all the way home,” Felicity said.
“No, it won’t be necessary. They’ve rented a private car and will be very safe while they travel home. I’m seeing them to the station and will wait until they’re away.”
Felicity smiled way too much for someone who just thought of Enthrall as a friend upon hearing the news that he’d be back in a matter of hours.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Carolena, Rowan and Enthrall took a carriage to the train station. Once there they slipped unnoticed across the tracks and into the train yard itself. They found an isolated rail car and hopped inside. Enthrall embraced them both and ghosted them away to Whispers.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Carnage and Lily sat on the front deck of their home, enjoying a late afternoon snack of fresh fruit and cheeses. There was a commotion behind Carnage, and then Lily was screaming, “Mama! Mama! Mama!” She jumped down and ran to Carolena’s open arms.
“Hi, sweet girl! Did you miss me?” Carolena asked, bending over to pick up Lily and hugging her tight.
“Yes, Mama! But I have fun!” Lily said and started rattling about all she did with her Papa.
Carnage almost knocked over the small table they sat at trying to get to his feet and to Carolena. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, mumbling, “No mo’, no mo’,” while he kissed her lips, her face, her hair.
“No more,” she echoed, not for that long, never again.
“Miiiinne,” he growled low and deep.
Carolena kissed him with tears in her eyes, “Mine,” she snarled back.
“You bringed me a ‘prise?” Lily asked.
“I did,” Carolena answered, looking behind her for her bag. Enthrall and Rowan stood there, watching the family reuniting with smiles on their faces.
“Here you go, Carolena,” Enthrall said, handing her her bag.
Carolena knelt down on the deck, opened her bag and handed a package to Carnage and a package to Lily. Lily squealed when she opened hers and found a whole bag full of rock candy. It was her favorite.
Then Carnage tearing into his like a child himself rumbled with happiness when he found four whole pounds of assorted chocolates. Carnage was certifiably addicted to chocolate. He wasted no time in tearing into them; he used a claw to open the bag and popped one into his mouth right away, a contented rumble purring from his chest as he hugged his wife.
“And I have more gifts for later,” Carolena promised. “But for now, I just really want to go inside and relax, enjoy being home.”
Lily and Carolena went inside after Carolena paused to kiss Enthrall’s cheek. “Thank you for everything. And remember, go slow,” she told him.
“I’ll try,” he said, grinning.
Carnage trudged over to Enthrall and Rowan, first patting Rowan on the top of her head like a pet, then embracing Enthrall, “T’ank eww!” he said, sincerely.
“You’re welcome, Carnage. Anytime,” he added. “Now, go inside and enjoy your wife and your chocolate.”
Carnage smiled, holding up his chocolate, “‘Es!”
Inside Enthrall could hear Lily say, “I go pee, Mama.”
“Well, go, baby. And it’s potty, not pee,” Carolena said.
“‘Kay!” Lily called much like her father would say it as she jumped down from the sofa and ran for the front door.
“Where are you going? The bathroom’s that way,” Carolena’s voice called out.
“Find a twee,” Lily answered as she burst through the screen door, slamming it behind her.
“Carnage!” Carolena yelled, “Why is my daughter looking for a tree to pee behind?”
Carnage’s eyes got big, and he stuffed his box of chocolate in the back waistband of his pants as though he was afraid Carolena would take it. He grimaced at Enthrall, and Enthrall dissolved into laughter just at the same time he wrapped his arms around Rowan and ghosted away.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Enthrall and Rowan ghosted to the front porch of his house. He called for Destroy, but no one answered.
Rowan looked a little disappointed, “Maybe he’s off taking care of something. We didn’t give him an exact day,” Rowan said.
“Maybe,” Enthrall said.
Then they heard Destroy — he was calling to them as he jogged across the expanse of land separating his new house from Enthrall’s.
Enthrall turned and couldn’t believe his eyes. There was a house, about 400 feet away from his, almost hidden in the tree line.
“Rowan!” Destroy called, while jogging toward her.
“Destroy!” she called back, running down the stairs to meet him.
Destroy grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug that promised to never end.
“Welcome home, Row,” he said sweetly, kissing her lips gently.
“I missed you,” she confessed.
“I missed you, too,” he said, toying with the ribbon she still wore on her wrist.
“Why is there a house in my yard?” Enthrall asked.
“Why is there a house in our yard?” Destroy corrected.
Enthrall raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well, I decided that since I did such an amazing job at filling in for you, I’d most likely be called on to do it again, or at the very least assist you. This way, I’m nearby. Anyone comes looking for you for assistance or help of any kind, I’ll see them looking for you if you’re not here. And I can handle it. If you want me to that is. If you’re here, you can do it yourself, you know, because you’re the best.” Destroy stopped talking and offered his most charming smile, the o
ne where his head cocked slightly to the side, and he batted his eyes like Lily had taught him.
Enthrall laughed, he couldn’t help it. “And what makes you think that I won’t be around to handle things on my own?”
“Well, Lore said that you’d found your mate. And he was pretty serious about it. So I figured he must be right if he was that serious.”
“Lore has a big mouth,” Enthrall muttered.
“No, well, actually, he didn’t tell me. He told Murder, and I happened to overhear,” Destroy explained.
“How did Murder get into this?” Enthrall asked.
“Well, when we came to save Rowan, Murder is who we left in charge. So he was here when we got back,” Destroy said. Then he said, “See? I didn’t just leave Whispers unprotected. I made sure Murder was here to watch over everything ‘til I got back.”
“I see,” Enthrall said. “And Lore just decided to tell you both about my mate?”
“Oh, no. See I was up on top of our house,” he paused to point the house out to Rowan, “that’s our house,” he said grinning.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I was finishing up on the roof, and they were leaving. I heard Lore’s voice as he told Murder about her. But I didn’t tell anybody!” Destroy rushed to assure him. “I didn’t tell a single soul! That’s your business, and I’d never intrude like that. But I did decide to build right here in case you needed me.” Destroy looked chagrined, “And in all honesty, I decided that before I knew you had a mate.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Destroy,” Enthrall said. He looked at the house across the way. Destroy had done a very good job. He regarded the Goyle that several months ago, he’d not trusted with his favorite cup. He thought about all the changes he’d seen in him and all he’d learned about his past. “If you don’t mind, Destroy, in the future I will be spending more time away from Whispers. I’d appreciate it if you’d assist me. Help me keep everything in order.”
Destroy, Book 2, Whispers From the Bayou Page 24