A Dizzying Balance

  She read through all the documents again, then put the envelopes into the safe and spun the dial.

  * * *

  On Sunday, Aaron arrived with lists, sketches, swatches of material and a huge floor plan of the house and grounds. Jen grinned as she opened the door for him. “I had intended to just sit in the living room, but it looks like I’d better clear off a table in the library.”

  “Good, because I’ve got a stack of magazines and some more stuff still in the car.”

  They had unrolled the plan, anchoring it with books at each corner, and had gone out to get the rest of his things when Tony and Colleen drove up.

  “Hi, you two.” Jen juggled the magazines to wave. “If you’ll take these, Colleen, I need Tony’s help to move the drink tray I set up from the living room into the library.”

  When they were settled around the table, Jen sat back and let Aaron take control, interested to see something other than the dry, precise, financial side of his personality. He had relaxed his sartorial rules enough to wear shirt and jeans, but the shirt, open at the throat, was a crisply ironed grey button-down and the jeans were, of course, black.

  He lifted a box up onto the table. “Almost all the guests have already been notified but since they’ll need invitations to get past the guards at the gate, you’ll have to write names on envelopes, Colleen. We’ll hand out the ones to the people at SailingStar and mail the rest. Can you have those for the mail ready by tomorrow?”

  “There aren’t many. I can do them while we’re talking.”

  Aaron handed her a small pile from the box and gave one to Jen and to Tony. Edged by a thin double line of brown and grey, the printing was embossed in the darkest of browns with a brown and grey two-seater bicycle at the top. Tony whistled his little four-note tune and grinned. “What do you think, Daisy?”

  “They’re lovely,” she smiled at him. “Now, don’t distract me or your sister’s will end up on the other side of the country.”

  “Sister, Tony?” Aaron had moved the box to the floor between Colleen and Tony.

  “She and her husband live in Montana. They’ve had some important function planned for months and can’t come down to the wedding, but she wants an invitation for her scrapbook.”

  “It’s a shame that they can’t make it,” said Jen. “Perhaps they would be my guests for a weekend sometime. I’d love to meet them.”

  Tony chuckled. “Getting my brother-in-law out of Montana may take dynamite, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  Aaron was waiting, only just a little impatiently, to take back the floor. “Because two-thirds of the guests are needed at the studio on Saturday, it’s an evening wedding and should be long gowns and black tie –”

  “No. Not only no, but hell, no.” Tony’s voice was definite. “If you think you’re getting me back into one of those monkey suits, you’re crazy! Not at my own wedding.”

  Colleen laughed. “I’ve already bought my outfit and it’s street-length, not floor-length. Simple dresses and suits are what we want. I’ve already told most of the guests that I’ve talked with.”

  “And just because you look great in a tuxedo, Aaron, you’re not going to talk me into one.”

  With a laugh, Aaron yielded the point. “Okay, short dresses it is. Now, a buffet on the long table in the dining room, a side table with the cake, and small tables set up in the entry hall and on the terrace for sitting and eating. The bar will be here,” he pointed to the breakfast room, “but I’d also like a small arrangement at the end of the living room near the conservatory with a waiter to serve champagne and wine.”

  “Both Luke and Miguel asked if they could help,” said Jen. “Betsy will work with Mrs. Brown, Sam with Thelma, and Ellen said she’d be happy to keep an eye on the children.”

  Aaron pointed again. “We’ll set up the library here for the kids. There’ll be at least ten, maybe more, and that’s too many for one adult to keep an eye on so I’ll call an agency. I’ve gone over the menu with Mrs. Brown. She’s a jewel, Jennette.”

  “Yes, she is. She told me that weddings at Kenting have been her specialty since Rick’s parents were married here long ago.”

  “I was very impressed by her suggestions for the food and her command of the kitchen. She has several women ready to start preparations on Thursday. The rental agency will be here early on Saturday to bring in the tables, chairs, plates, glasses and all the rest, and they’ll be back first thing Sunday morning to clear up. The photographer will arrive by six, and the small band I hired should get here about the same time.”

  “Music. And dancing!” Tony was smiling contentedly, all signs of his ruffled feathers gone.

  “I’ve planned the band for here,” Aaron indicated the wall by David’s office. “After dinner, we’ll have the tables moved so that people can dance on the parquet and with the doors open, on the back terrace as well. The musicians have strict instructions to keep the volume down and the music suitable for all ages.”

  Colleen looked up from her writing with a smile. “Thank you, Aaron. I’d rather have them play Three Blind Mice over and over than have to listen to some of the music I hear on the radio these days.”

  “I heartily agree. I don’t like loud music.”

  “Loud, schmoud. If it’s got a good beat and you can dance to it, that’s all that’s important.”

  “Not on Saturday, Tony,” Jen laughed. “Adelia will have two fits if a wedding at Kenting turns into a rock concert.”

  “Now,” Aaron called them to order by handing out magazines. “Flowers and decorations.”

  But Jen interrupted. “Wait a minute, Aaron. We should have a rehearsal dinner and since Friday will be impossible with David’s board meeting that afternoon, how about Thursday?”

  “Oh, Jennette, you’ve done so much already.” Colleen’s face was anxious, but Tony jumped in.

  “Now, Daisy, if Jen wants to do it, we should let her and besides, I wouldn’t mind a quick run-through just to soothe my nerves.”

  “Yes, Colleen, I do want to do it and I’ve already talked with Mrs. Brown. Please?”

  When she hesitated, Aaron said firmly. “It’s agreed. Thursday evening. Now, the decorations.”

  But there was a knock at the door. Betsy came in with lunch and Colleen reached into her purse. “Tony, don’t forget that you have to take these before you eat.”

  “Are you sick?” Jen was concerned.

  “Nothing to worry about,” he said offhandedly. “The doc just said high blood pressure and all the rest of that high stuff.”

  “And you have to lose some weight, don’t forget, and take it a little easier.” Colleen scolded gently. “The doctor’s concerned. You don’t eat right, and you work long hours.”

  “Aw, honey, a couple late nights can’t matter that much.”

  “A lifetime of late nights, fast food, and not enough exercise, he said. Now, take them.” Her chin was firm as she held out the little case.

  “Yes, Tony, take them. Colleen’s right.” Jen was thoughtful as she watched him gulp down the pills with a swallow of caffeinated, sugared soda. He wasn’t a young man anymore and she’d been pushing him too hard for too long. If the doctor had prescribed rest, she would see to it that he got some time off to relax.

  “The decorations –”

  Jen’s phone rang. She finished as quickly as she could, aware that Aaron’s patience was wearing thin.

  When she had slipped the phone into her pocket, he said sternly, “Now –”

  And they all chorused, “The decorations!”

  “Finally.” His dramatic, exaggerated sigh was so unlike the usually serious Aaron, so unexpectedly funny, that it was several minutes before they could stop laughing and let him talk.

  Colleen was helping Aaron carry the last of his things out to the car and Tony was about to follow with the box of invitations when Jen stopped him.

  “Tony, have you made all the arrangements for the minister and the honeymoon and the licen
se? Have you gotten Colleen’s rings? I’m not trying to push you. I only wanted to make sure that you’ll have everything ready.”

  “We’ll just have something simple. Bill’s a judge and a friend of mine, one of my neighbors. He’s going to make a ceremony out of it, speechify a little, something to give it the formal touch, you know. And Colleen and I’ll only be gone four days up to Monterrey, so don’t worry about the work at the office. We’ll be back before you know it.”

  “I’m not worried. We can handle whatever comes up.” He had given her a hug and was turning to leave when she said casually, “Oh, I’ve got a surprise for you, but I’ll tell you Thursday at dinner.”

  * * *

  Rob arrived later than expected. Rick went to pick him up at the airport, but the flight was delayed, and it was almost time for dinner before they got back. Jen and David were having sherry with Adelia in the living room when he appeared in the doorway, on crutches.

  Sitting in her chair by the fire, Adelia saw him first. “Robert, what has happened?”

  David hurried to help him to the other chair and Rick came in grinning.

  “We spend almost three weeks scaling some of the highest mountains in South America without a scratch but two days ago, my graceful brother climbs a tree and falls out.”

  With a grimace, Rob stretched his leg out and set aside the crutches. “And it wasn’t even a very big tree, but it was raining and slippery and I didn’t have the right gear because my absentminded brother carried it off with him when he came home.”

  “It’s up in my room, but don’t try to make it my fault,” he laughed. “Wet branches have been your nemesis since you fell from the tree house and broke your collarbone.”

  “Is your ankle broken, Robert?”

  “No, Aunt Adelia, just badly sprained. The crutches were merely for protection from the crowds at the airport.”

  “I will tell Thelma to look for one of your grandfather’s canes. You should keep your weight off it as much as possible. Now, how have you been? Have you made any progress with the rainforest issue?”

  “Yes, Rob,” Rick was grinning again, “don’t leaf us in suspense. Let’s get to the root of the problem with no bark on it.”

  “Richard, if you don’t stop those dreadful puns, you will eat in the kitchen tonight.”

  “Auntie, wood you banish me?” His stress on the word made it obvious that her threat hadn’t frightened him.

  “You are incorrigible. Be quiet so that Robert can talk.”

  David was standing by the mantle. “Good to have you home, Rob. I’ll check on dinner and tell Thelma to find a cane.”

  As he walked out, Jen recognized his move for what it was. He had no desire to listen to a discussion of environmental concerns that would, most probably, lead to another family argument about the land sale.

  She watched Rob as he told Adelia about his work in South America. It had been hard to determine his height when he had hobbled in, bent over his crutches, but she guessed that he was only a little shorter than Rick, and he had his brother’s same brown hair and eyes warm against the tan of his face. But, as Danni had said, his resemblance to David was strong in the reserved, intent way he described his most recent struggles to change opinions in an attempt to save the rainforests. His passionate concern for the environment revealed itself only in the tightness of his lips as he talked and an occasional soft hit of his clenched fist against the arm of the chair. He would fight David over the destruction of the trees on their small tract of land as adamantly as he fought to save the resources of the endangered Amazonian forest.

  He also displayed David’s diplomatic skill by deftly changing the subject at dinner, avoiding the issue of the board meeting and focusing attention on family matters. When Jen had explained their plans for the wedding, he smiled.

  “I’ve known Tony for years, of course, but haven’t had many opportunities to get to know Colleen. We haven’t had a wedding here since yours and David’s.”

  She looked down the table to see David frowning. Apparently, their wedding was also a topic he had no desire to revisit. She answered quickly. “That’s true, Rob, but Danni was telling me about her wedding, how lovely it was, and Mrs. Brown is really looking forward to Saturday.”

  “Robert, Danielle wishes you to go down to Santa Barbara while you are here. How long can you stay?”

  “My reservation is for Sunday afternoon.”

  “Only a week?” David asked.

  “There’s an ecological conference in London and they’ve asked me to give a short talk on my organization’s work.”

  “Then,” said Adelia, “since Ellen needs to be away until Wednesday, you and I will take Anna with us to Danielle’s.”

  “Use my Jeep,” Rick teased, “but you’ll have to drive, Auntie, since Gimpy here is out of commission.”

  “Don’t be absurd, Richard.”

  “One-footed and one-handed, I can drive that Jeep better than you can, little brother.”

  “I agree,” said David with a laugh.

  Adelia nodded. “Miguel will drive us in the limousine tomorrow morning and return to pick us up on Tuesday afternoon.” She pointed at Rick. “Your presence will not be required. I might not be able to send you to your room in disgrace any longer, but I will have peace and quiet without you in Santa Barbara.”

  Rick turned to Jen with a mournful look. “Just because I’m the youngest, see how they gang up on me?”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jen was working in her office at the studio the next morning and had just finished a ten o’clock meeting with the planning department when Rick walked in.

  “Aunt Adelia and Rob are off to Danni’s with Anna and I find myself at loose ends since I was so affirmatively not invited. Are you busy?”

  “Not as much as I was an hour ago because I’ve just given a large piece of my work to some of my even less busy workers. Why do you ask?”

  “I’ve come to spirit you away from this dreary drudgery. It’s too lovely a day to spend inside working.”

  “Are you kidnapping me?”

  “I will if I can,” he smiled. “I want to go up to Solvang and I’d like you to come along. The director of one of the museums there is a friend of mine. He’s interested in Danish history and culture as well as folk art of all styles. I need to speak with him and we could talk on the phone, but I thought that you might like to drive up with me. Are you chained to that desk?”

  She gave him a sad look. “Yes, and only the boss has the key.” Then she grinned and fluffed up her hair. “Isn’t it lucky that I’m the boss?”

  He chuckled. “Okay, boss lady, it’s a date. As I recall, the museum’s not open to the public on Mondays, but my friend should be there working so I’ll call him to let him know we’re coming.”

  “Just give me a few minutes to finish an e-mail and to let Colleen know I’ll be gone.”

  When they walked outside, he saw her eying his Jeep and said firmly, “Today, we take my car and I’m not putting the top back on, so you’d better get your Mata Hari disguise.”

  “If it doesn’t fly right off my head in the wind,” she muttered, but she got her things from the Jaguar.

  The drive up past lush, sun-drenched vineyards was, in fact, more than a little breezy but with the floppy hat jammed down around her ears and the sunglasses as firmly on her nose as she could manage, she was neither wind-blown nor recognized when they pulled into one of the angled parking spaces near the center of town.

  Jen looked around at the old-world architecture, the colorful village shops, the big white windmill with its four red sails. “This is charming!”

  “The Danish Capital of America. Haven’t you ever been here?”

  “I’ve lived in the Los Angeles area for years but never had the opportunity to visit before.”

  “Never took the time?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry to say, but I’m glad I’m here now.”

  “My appointment isn’t until two. Le
t’s walk around a little.” They wandered up one little street and down another, looking through some of the shops and peeking into restaurants and cafés. The sun was warm, the surroundings interesting, and in spite of the tourists who, like they, had come to enjoy the afternoon, the town was surprisingly quiet and peaceful.

  They found a bench to sit on and from their vantage point, they could see down several of the quaint narrow streets. “It’s like being transported back in time a century or more. Solvang, that’s an unusual name.”

  “It means sunny field, or fields, I’m not sure which, and it was founded the same year that the original house at Kenting was built. I was nine or ten the first time I saw it.”

  “Has it changed much?”

  “Yes and no, but most of the change has only improved it. Now, I’m hungry. Let’s find something to eat.”

  “We won’t have far to search. Simply take your pick.”

  After lunch, Rick insisted that they stop into one of the bakeries. They had perched on a wall under the shade of a spreading oak tree and Jen was finishing her pastry by licking her fingers. “I worked in a bakery once. It was part of a little restaurant where I baked in the morning and worked the grill in the afternoon.”

  He looked at her, surprised. “I didn’t think you could cook.”

  “You mean Jennette can’t cook.”

  “Damn and blast,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, Jenet.”

  She was gazing up at a thatched roof across the street. “It’s okay. I forget myself sometimes.”

  He put his arm around her and taking her chin gently, he turned her face to smile down at her. “Will you be Jen and only Jen for me today?”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good,” he gave her a little squeeze, “and now that I’ve gotten sticky sugar all over your face, here’s a napkin and tell me how you learned to cook.”

  She was happy. She would be Jen for the afternoon, and Jennette could just go hang.

  “Tillie taught me.”