“Not for long, I don’t imagine, or she’d have had a lot more questions.”
“The ones she had were sufficient to deflate my ardor on the spot,” Zach admitted ruefully.
Kelly laughed. “Yeah, I noticed that.” She flung back the sheet, and climbed out of bed. “I guess this sort of thing is to be expected when you have children. The trick, they say, is to remain calm.” She grabbed her terry robe off the back of the closet door. “Didn’t Becky ever walk in on you and Rachel at an inappropriate moment?”
“No, thank God. As for remaining calm, I’m not sure that’s possible, when they creep up on you from out of nowhere like that. And to prevent such an occurrence in the future, I’m going to install a lock on our bedroom door.”
Kelly headed out of the room, and Zach called after her, “Where are you off to now?”
“To make sure Sydney got back to bed all right and to take a quick shower.” She popped her head back inside the bedroom and gave him a taunting grin. “Why? Were you hoping I’d return with some magic potion to restore your flagging… ego?”
Zach called from Seattle a few days later. “How is our little Peeping Sydney?”
“As inquisitive and ornery as ever,” Kelly told him. “She’s determined to unload all the boxes I’ve already packed. I finally had to go to the hardware and buy some heavy-duty duct tape.”
Zach laughed. “For her or the carton?”
“For the boxes, mostly, but thanks for the idea.”
“I’ve dickered the price down a bit on the island, but it’s still too much.” He named a sum that made Kelly’s eyebrows rise several inches. Even the down payment he quoted was staggering.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Try to get them to lower the price, of course, but they’re pretty firm about it, so they won’t reduce it by much, if at all. On the bright side, they have agreed to include mineral rights, and give us a reduced tax rate for the first ten years, but I’ve still got to come up with some ready cash. I can’t sell my business, or we won’t have the equipment we’ll need to build on the island or to do any mining, which is going to cost a pretty penny as it is, not to mention that I would no longer have a source of income.”
“We’d have mine,” she reminded him. “I’ve got the Australian club up and running again, and I’m close to doing the same with the other two.”
Zach nixed that proposal. “I’m not going to sponge off my wife, like some damned gigolo,” he stated adamantly.
“What if you sold your house and moved in with me?” she suggested.
“Your apartment only has two bedrooms,” he pointed out. “What would we do with Becky?”
“The couch makes into a bed, or she could bunk in with Syd. It would be rough, but we could make do for a while. At least we wouldn’t have to pay rent someplace, and we’d be down to one set of utilities.”
“And Becky would have to change schools in the middle of the year. No, there’s got to be another solution.”
“Okay, you think about it, and so will I. In the meantime, keep the negotiations open,” she said. Then, “I found my wedding dress. It’s perfect. Very simple and just right for a second marriage.”
“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he declared. “By the way, everything’s arranged on this end. Judge Simon is going to perform the ceremony, and we’ve rented the lodge at the lake. If the weather cooperates, we can exchange vows outdoors, under the gazebo, which would please Mom to no end. To her way of thinking, the gazebo would almost double for a huppah.”
“A what?”
“The canopy that symbolizes the home in the traditional Jewish wedding,” Zach explained. “She’s determined that some of our rites and rituals will be included, even if it is basically a civil ceremony. She even wants us to break the wine glass at the end.”
“Signifying what?” Kelly questioned.
“The destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of our people.”
“In that case, I don’t see why we can’t,” Kelly conceded. Then she admitted with some chagrin, “I always thought it symbolized the end of the bride’s virginity, and we both know mine has been nonexistent for years—in which case breaking the glass would have been too sacrilegious for my peace of mind. It’s enough that we’ve gone from a simple exchange in the judge’s chambers to having bride’s maids and a reception afterward.”
“Is Alita still going to be able to stand up with you as your mind of honor?” Zach inquired. Gavin had already arranged leave in order to be Zach’s best man.
“Yes, but Blair has sent her regrets and a gift. She’s up to her ears trying to get her book written before the baby is born, plus trying to teach Anton the fundamentals of housekeeping and childcare. I told her we understood, and that we’d get together at a later date.”
“Becky’s still bucking the idea,” Zach warned. “Her dress is ready, but she insists she doesn’t want to take part in the wedding.”
“Then we’ll have to be satisfied with one flower girl instead of two,” Kelly replied with an inward sigh. “I only suggested it in the first place so she wouldn’t feel excluded. We’ve still got Syd, and little Seth as ring bearer.”
“I still say he’s mighty young to be a ring bearer,” Zach contended. “He only learned to walk a few months ago, and he’ll probably fall half a dozen times before he gets to me. Which is why I intend to have Gavin keep your ring in his pocket, and let Seth carry a fake. I suggest you do likewise, or we may have to delay the ceremony to search for it under our guests’ feet”
“It will all work out fine, Zach. You’ll see. And those little tykes, all dolled up in fancy dress and tux, are going to steal the show. Which will take some of the heat off of us, thank heaven.”
“Ah, now I see the method behind your madness. Getting the pre-wedding jitters, darling?”
“Not yet, but I intend to, big time.”
Their wedding day dawned bright and clear, with no rain in the forecast, and a warm front predicted to send the autumn temperature into the mid-seventies by afternoon. It was a perfect fall day, made to order for an outdoor ceremony. Inside the lodge, Kelly was surrounded by a swarm of chattering women. Her mother kept fussing with Kelly’s veil, Sydney had stepped on the hem of her dress, which Kathy was now hastily basting back into place, Leah was attempting to remove gum, which the little boy had found stuck to the underside of a chair, from Seth’s bowtie. Alita and Beth were trying to get Becky into her dress, despite the girl’s continued and loud protests to the contrary. Not even for Alita, her idol, would she relent. Altogether, in Kelly’s estimation, they favored a disorganized band of circus performers—primarily clowns.
Alita’s patience lasted far longer than Kelly would have guessed, but they finally gave out with a predictable spate of Spanish curses, “You rotten little mocosa!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “You stinking spoiled brat!” She shook a lacquered fingernail in Becky’s face. “You are too stupid to know when you have it good. Here you are, feeling so sorry for yourself, when I would have given my right arm to have a mother like Kelly. But no, you have to pout and whine and make everyone else as miserable as you!”
Again, she tossed her hands out, as if to wave Becky away like a pesky fly. “Bah! Have you even tried to be friends with Kelly, for your father’s sake? I think not. Well, let me tell you something, chica. She is my best friend in the whole world, and your dad loves her very much. They are going to be married today, with or without your cooperation, and they are going to be very happy together. The only one who is going to be sorry is you, all because you are too stubborn to see the truth.
“What did you think, Becky? That if you threw enough of a fit, your father would give her up? He’d have to be loco to do that. And I’ll tell you another thing I’ll bet you do not know. If not for Kelly, your father might not be here today. He’d be buried back on that island, with a bullet in him. Kelly is the one who threw herself at him, preventing him from gett
ing himself shot. She put her own life, and that of the baby she carries, in danger to save your precious papa for you. So chew on that news, little girl. Think about it long and hard. Also think how lucky you are that your daddy is home again, and happy, and wanting to give this wonderful woman to you, so you can have a real mama again, a real family with brothers and sisters.”
“Alita,” Kelly interrupted. “That gun wasn’t e—”
Alita pointed that fingernail-cum-dagger at Kelly. “You hush! I am speaking to Becky,” she commanded sharply.
She turned back to Becky, who was staring up at her in mute stupification. “It seems to me you have two choices, nina. You can either go on being a brat, or you can make the best of things and be nice. Which do you think would make your papa most pleased with you?”
When Alita finally paused, Becky replied in a shaky whisper, “Being nice.”
Alita nodded curtly. “That is correct. Now, if you truly want to make him happy, you will get your sweet tush into that dress, pull in that lip you are about to step on, and put a smile on your face. No more pouting, no more sniveling, no more nastiness. Let that be your wedding gift to your father and Kelly on this, their special day. It will be better than any present you could buy for them, especially if you keep being pleasant, and really try hard to put your jealousy aside. Not only that, it will make me, and all of us, very proud of you.”
From that point, the wedding progressed smoothly. Becky was nominally pleasant, which was more than Zach had expected. Syd and Seth were everybody’s darlings, even when Seth tripped halfway down the aisle and put up such a wail that his Gramma Sarah had to rescue him and hold him on her lap through the remainder of the ceremony. Kelly was a vision of loveliness, taking Zach’s breath away as she approached him in her antique white gown, with her hair unbound and flowing down her back like a second veil.
The reception afterward was an odd blend of Jewish and Christian revelry, and everyone seemed to have a grand time. They toasted the bride and groom, stuffed themselves on a variety of delicious foods, and danced long into the night to the eclectic mix of music the band provided.
The newlyweds took their departure earlier in the evening, after the traditional tossing of the bridal bouquet and garter, seeking blessed solitude in a suite at a seaside hotel. As Zach rubbed Kelly’s aching feet, she declared with a sigh, “It was lovely, but I never want to have to go through that again! I’m so tired, I feel as if I’ve been beat with a stick!”
Zach responded by sticking her toe into his mouth and suckling it, which immediately brought Kelly bolt upright, with a high-pitched squeal. “You devil!” she shrieked, laughing. “You know that always sets me off!”
“Like fireworks on the Fourth of July,” he replied with a roguish grin. “Now that you’ve got your second wind, how about some fireworks of our own, Mrs. Goldstein?”
“Kelly Goldstein,” she mused with a dreamy smile. “I do love the sound of my new name, not to mention the man who gave it to me.”
“You’d better,” he told her fervently, reaching for her hand and kissing the finger that now bore his ring. “It and I are going to be yours for a long, long time.”
Epilogue
Two years later—Spice Island
Kelly closed the bedroom door, snapped the lock, and smiled at Zach, who was lying on the bed waiting for her. “That’s it. The kids are in bed, and I’m all yours until morning.”
Zach returned her smile, and patted the space next to him. “Then come here, sweetheart, and let’s make every minute count. God knows, with four children running about underfoot, especially the twins, we deserve a little time to ourselves when we can steal it.”
Sure enough, just as Kelly had warned, their “baby” turned out to be a pair of boys. Aaron and Adam were now a year and a half old, and into everything that wasn’t tied down or hung out of their reach. But Becky really was good about helping to watch her baby brothers, when she wasn’t busy with her schoolwork, which she did via a computer-linked classroom similar to the school of the air used by students in Australia. Then there was Sydney, now four years old and still full of mischief. Her only blood relative, her mother’s sister, had entered a convent and therefore hadn’t been able to take Sydney. Sister Agnes had heartily approved of Zach and Kelly adopting the little girl, and tried to visit the child every few months or so.
Kelly kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed, fully clothed. Zach automatically leaned over and began undressing her, slowly revealing the delights that awaited him.
“The grand opening of the resort went well, don’t you think?” Kelly commented lazily.
“Thanks to you and your idea of holding a memorial service for Frazer and the crash victims, we’re booked solid,” Zach said. “And inviting the President to be part of it was a stroke of genius.” He swirled his tongue into her naval, and chuckled as she gave a wild lurch. “Ah, another ticklish spot to add to my repertoire. This just keeps getting better and better.”
“Speaking of repertoires, Alita was in excellent form this evening. I’ve never heard her sing with so much feeling.”
“Maybe seeing Gavin again inspired her,” Zach suggested. “I can’t believe he’s already been married and divorced.”
“I can’t believe he’s actually studying to become a lawyer!” Kelly exclaimed, her tone that of someone betrayed. “After Brad, I’m really sort of soured on them, but Gavin claims he’s going to be one of the ‘good guys.’ I can only hope so.”
“He will be, I’m sure. It’s Blair and the transformation in her that has me in shock. Having a bestseller made into an Oscar-nominated movie has really given her a wealth of self-confidence. Poor Anton can barely hold his own with her now.”
“Yes, the shoe certainly is on the other foot in that household,” Kelly agreed. “And high time, too, I hope the movie wins this year’s Oscars, At least one for Blair and her film script, and another for Alita as best actress. And I’m not just saying that because they’re our friends. It is an excellent film.”
They’d been invited to the premiere, and had left Pete in charge of continued construction on the resort while they extended their trip to the U.S. mainland to visit both sets of relatives. Pete, Leah, and Seth were now permanent residents of Spice Island—so dubbed by Becky upon smelling the vanilla, ginger, and multitude of fragrant fruits and flowers growing in such abundance. The other family members had taken to reserving their vacations and holidays for extended visits to the island, and would probably do so more frequently now that the resort was open for business.
It had been a long time coming, and it wasn’t entirely complete as yet. Zach still wanted to build several private bungalows to complement the main villa, and a group of industrious Polynesians had just begun work on an authentic thatch-hut community along one of the beaches. It promised to be a great tourist draw, with the villagers selling their handmade arts and crafts. The small landing strip along the west coast had been one of the first projects to be initiated, essential for bringing in goods and building materials. However, some items and guests still arrived the old way, by ferrying in on flat-bottomed rafts from ships docked beyond the reefs. The tourists from the cruise liners seemed to get a kick out of arriving in that fashion, claiming it added that special island flavor to their trip.
Fortunately, the geohydrological report Zach had ordered before beginning construction had sited a large underground freshwater spring, the hidden origin of the pool. Without this, or some other source sufficient to sustain a small community, they would have had to abandon the notion of creating a resort on the island. Nor would they have been able to do it if the mining project had proved unprofitable. They’d hit a large vein of rich ore, which extended out onto the ocean floor. And they wouldn’t have been able to purchase the island at all, if Kelly hadn’t sold her two U.S. salons and presented the proceeds to Zach in the form of a bridal dowry, to use as their down payment on the bank note.
Zach had, at first, been adama
nt against using her funds, but Kelly had been even more stubborn. “It’s going to be my island, too, Zach, and I want to contribute my fair share,” she argued. “And you can’t reject my dowry, after all, without rejecting me as well.”
In the end, he’d relented, and it had all gone splendidly. So well, in fact, that Gavin’s share would allow him to start his own law firm immediately upon graduating and passing the bar exam. And Blair’s portion, along with the royalties from the book and film, had ensured she would never have to clip coupons or shop for her children’s clothes at garage sales again, unless she wanted to do so. As for Alita, if she never made another album or movie again—which she would, of course—she’d always be able to afford her caviar and champagne and those outrageously flamboyant costumes she so adored.
For Zach and Kelly, it meant the resort, combined with Kelly’s newest health club/boutique, and raising their family on the island where they’d first fallen in love—far from the fast-paced, crime-ridden environment beyond their shores. This time they weren’t totally isolated, as they had been before, and had the added convenience of indoor plumbing, which made their tropical paradise all the more pleasurable. After spending a fortune to tap into the undersea cables, they had electricity, telephone, and fax service, instant communication with the outside world—a world just a few hours away by plane, or a couple of days by boat, in case Kelly got the urge to immerse herself in a major shopping binge at an honest-to-goodness mall.
For now, however, they were perfectly content with their semi-isolation, and the only thing Kelly wanted to immerse herself in at the moment was her private whirlpool tub, built for two. “What do you say, Zach? Do you feel like romping in the spa with me?”
He grinned at her. “Sure, but no more of that wimpy mermaid/merman stuff. This time I want to be an octopus on the attack.”
Horizons Page 33