LaCasse Family Series

by Ju Ephraime

  “That’s what I have to tell you. Please wait while I change into my lab coat.”

  “You don’t have to bother with that. I overheard Josh saying something about giving you some time off to recover fully. But don’t hold me to that. I could have heard wrong.”

  Josh. She hoped Damon had not taken it upon himself to call Josh about her. She wanted to do this herself. She’d always made all her own decisions, ever since she turned twenty and moved to college. She needed him to allow her some independence. Anyway, she didn’t know if there was any truth to Marcella’s statement. She would not jump to conclusions.

  She didn’t have long to wait to find out. Josh was in the lab talking with two of her colleagues when she walked into the lab. She went to her locker, grabbed a coat, and walked back into the main area.

  “Ah, Franchesca, can you come into my office when you get a moment?”

  “I can come now, Josh, before I get started. I’ve some catching up to do.”

  “Okay, come along then.”

  Franchesca was ready to explode in anger, but she was brought up short by his first words to her.

  “Franchesca, yesterday I had a conversation with Marcella about how you were recovering after your injury, and she expressed concern about your state of mind. Is there something bothering you? Please, feel free to tell me.”

  “There’s nothing bothering me, Josh. I was going through a bad spell, but I’m over it now.”

  “You are?” He pointedly glanced at her hair, which she was aware was not in the best of shape, but she felt fine.

  “You have not taken most of the time you have accumulated in the five years you’ve been with us. I have no reservation in giving you the time off that you need to recover. After all, you were injured while you were at work. Therefore, effective immediately, I’m giving you six weeks off. I’ll talk with the personnel department so they are aware. Go on now, Franchesca, go take care of yourself, and don’t return until you are back to your old self.”

  Franchesca was speechless. It was true she had a lot of accumulated free time, but she had no family, no significant other, so all her time was spent doing what she loved best, her work. Now her life had changed. She no longer had only work; she had a fiancé. A very demanding fiancé, who she knew would be happy when he heard she had six weeks off work.

  Regardless, she had a breakfast date with Marcella. She had yet to share her good news with her. She knew Marcella would be happy for her.

  She had walked into work today with a spring in her step. Now she was practically leaping for joy that’s how happy she was. She went to meet Marcella in her office, and together they went into the café for breakfast.

  Franchesca was happy to see she’d not been wrong in her expectation of Marcella. When she heard the news, she was ecstatic.

  “I’m so happy for you, Franchesca, you deserve it. When will I get to meet the man who was able to bring you to your knees literally?” she said laughing. “He must be some man.”

  “He is, believe me when I tell you. Since it’s the weekend, maybe we can plan something for tomorrow. I’ll run it by Damon and see if we can have you over for dinner, but for now, I want to enjoy my breakfast with you and go get my hair done, again, before returning to my flat. I’ll see Damon this afternoon. We have a lot of plans to make. We are going to visit my family on Thursday, and I’ll be gone for three weeks. I don’t know if Damon will stay the full three weeks, so we have to discuss this and more.”

  “So when are you getting married?”

  “I’ve not thought about it. This all has been happening so quickly. I feel like a kid on her first roller coaster ride—with my head going round and round, so many things to do.”

  “Well, maybe you could get married while you are in Martinique.”

  “Girl, I never thought of that. That is an excellent idea. I’ll run it by Damon to see if he’s okay with it. His parents will have to travel to Martinique, and his dad just had a mild stroke. But it’s worth considering. I know if I were to tell my mom, she’d have the entire thing arranged before I could blink, but that’s my mom.”

  “Well, it’s just an idea, and I’m willing to help in any way I can. But now that we have discussed all the secondary stuff, isn’t there something you want to show me?”

  “Something I have to show you? What thing?”

  “Girl, that ring you’re wearing that is practically blinding me.”

  “Oh my God! I completely forget I was wearing this ring. How observant of you, Marcella, but then you always were. Here, take a look,” she said, placing her hand on the table so they both could admire the ring.

  “It’s gorgeous, Franchesca. I was trying hard not to gawk as you were waving your hand about. This is some rock. He must be a very wealthy man to be able to afford this ring.”

  “He is kind of wealthy. But I don’t want to dwell on his wealth. I love him for him. I would take him without a penny to his name. He’s that special.”

  “Wow, that’s saying something. I can’t wait to meet this paragon. Does he have any brothers? I’ll even consider a sister.”

  “Girl, stop it. He does not have any siblings, but what would you do with his sister, if he had one?”

  “You never know. I’m very inventive.” Peals of laughter rang out, which had everyone in the café looking at them as they acted like teenagers. When she finally took her leave of Marcella, it was with the promise to call her as soon as she had spoken with Damon.

  Walking out of the building, she took the time to go visit the track where she’d met Damon. She still couldn’t believe it had been only a little over two weeks since she first met him. She always believed in fate. Now she was convinced she and Damon were fated to meet. Nothing else could explain the intense sexual attraction between them and the grand passion that made them hunger for each other. It was like magic.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  She went to her favorite beautician to get her hair shampooed, blow-dried, and flat-ironed. She preferred to wear it that way, not only because it brought out the mahogany highlights in her hair but because it was more manageable.

  She put in a call to Damon to find out if he was in town and wanted to do lunch. As it turned out, he was ten minutes away finishing a business meeting and he would meet her at Le Chateau. It was a five-star restaurant, notorious for its buttery dishes. She wasn’t too hungry, but she had a sweet tooth and had her dessert while he had a serving of coq au vin.

  They left the restaurant and went for a walk on the promenade, holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. They took a seat on the yellow chairs, and he turned to her and said, “Now tell me why you left work.”

  “I was given the boot,” she said laughing.

  “You were what?”

  “I’m only kidding. Josh told me to take some time off because I had accumulated a lot of free time. So I took six weeks off. Now you have me night and day, day and night. Let’s see how you handle it.”

  “Don’t tempt me, darling. I’m already thinking of the things I’m going to enjoy doing with you, but before we go into this, we have to decide on our engagement.”

  “Well, I had an idea, how does getting married in Martinique sound to you?”

  “I don’t care in which country I marry you, so long as it happens soon,” he told her.

  “Really, are you sure about that?” she asked.

  “As sure as day follows night. Whatever you decide is fine with me, sweetheart.”

  “Not good enough. I’ll go with your decision. As for me, the sooner I marry you, the better. I want you in my bed every night. I want to take care of you. I know you’ll want to keep working, and I won’t object to that, but maybe you can limit your hours so I don’t feel neglected. I’m very jealous.”

  “You don’t say? I saw how you reacted when I went on that innocent drive with Thorpe.”

  “I couldn’t help myself. I was never that way with anyone else. You bring out the beast in me. Thorpe had
been with me while Izzabella and I dated. He was the best man at my wedding. I never reacted to him being with Izzabella; as I did with you, that’s a whole other matter.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m all yours, now and forever.”

  He gave her a kiss, and then he asked, “So what will it be?”

  “Well, before I tell you, I invited my friend, Marcella, to dinner with us this weekend, if it’s all right with you. It was tentative, and I’ve not finalized it yet, so you tell me the day and time that’s good for you.”

  “Darling, it’s your friend. I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”

  “Okay, we’ll do it for Saturday evening.”

  “Good.”

  “Now about our wedding. Since I would like to have my family at my wedding, are you in agreement to us getting married while we are in Martinique? I could talk my mom into making it a double wedding. She loves planning and organizing things.”

  “I don’t see why not. It’s your day. I’ll do whatever I can to expedite things. Speaking of which, we’ll have to go visit my parents to tell them the news. I want them to meet you. So we’d better do it sooner rather than later. How does this Sunday sound? We’ll fly over and spend a couple of days with them. This way, if my dad is able, they could fly to Martinique for the wedding.”

  “I think that’s excellent. It’s going to be a rush, but it’s doable. I’ll call my mom when we get to the house and tell her the news. I’ll get you to talk with her and my dad.”

  “Why don’t we surprise them?” Damon suggested.

  “I wouldn’t dare descend upon them with the affluent Monsieur Dumont without giving them fair warning.”

  “Me, affluent?” he teased.

  “You know you are. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make certain this is all real—all happening to me.”

  “Any time you get tired of pinching yourself, let me know, and I’ll gladly oblige you.”

  They drove back to Tranquility in Damon’s black Maybach. This was her first time in this particular vehicle. She was not into cars. To her, they were just something to take her from one place to the next, but she fell in love with the car.

  It was not much to look at, but it drove like a charm. She couldn’t even hear the engine while it was running because it was so quiet, and when Damon shifted, not a sound was heard. And talk about going fast, it ate up the miles as though they were nothing. She was impressed.

  That night they had a light supper and retired early. The staff was pleased about her and Damon getting married. The only one who didn’t know the good news was Thorpe. He was noticeably absent at dinner. Damon said he had him working on a business deal for him in Paris, but he could have made it back in time for dinner, if he’d so desired.

  After dinner they retired early. They entered the bedroom and couldn't wait to undress. They made love until they had exhausted each other before finally going to sleep. Franchesca couldn’t help thinking that she could get used to this. She loved sleeping with him although she had to get used to sleeping in the nude. Damon didn’t like clothes.

  He slept in the nude, and every time he got out of the bed, her body reacted as it had the first time she’d seen him naked, in awe. She had to compromise and sleep in his T-shirt because she found herself unable to go to sleep with nothing on. It was the funniest thing. Damon thought it was hilarious. He called her his little prude. She didn’t care. She’d always worried about something happening in the night and there she’d be, as naked as a jaybird. She didn’t think so. Also, if she were to die in her sleep, she didn’t want to go meet her maker in the nude. This superstition was from childhood. As a devote Catholic, it was ingrained in her.

  *****

  They had a wonderful time with Marcella, who could not stop oohing and aahing at the splendor of the house. She wanted a tour, and Damon gave Franchesca and Marcella the tour. She had visited both wings of the house and most of the rooms on the second floor. But she was still in awe, so Marcella’s reaction was not surprising.

  Marcella was just as impressed with Damon as Franchesca had been when she’d first seen him, but she admitted he seemed too much man for her. Franchesca had to agree with her, tongue in cheek. He was indeed too much man for most women, but he was perfect for her.

  After Marcella left, they stayed up late into the night talking and finalizing their plans to visit his parents the next day. It was an early flight, and they had to leave the house before 6:00 a.m. to make it on time. While they were racing to make the flight because, of course, they overslept, she was curious as to why he didn’t have his own private plane.

  “How come you don’t have your own private plane, Damon?” she asked.

  “I don’t like being in the air. I fly if I have to, but I much prefer to be on the ground or on the sea. I do own a yacht. She’s my pride and joy. I don’t spend enough time in her as I would like, but I try to take her out for a month or so in the summer.”

  “I love sailing. My family spends a lot of time on the sea. I grew up with it.”

  *****

  They made the flight in the nick of time, and very soon they were on their way. The flight was a bit over 1000 kilometers so they arrived in Cornwall well before noon. Damon did not want to trouble his mom, but she and his dad met them at the airport.

  She liked his parents immediately. His mom was a petite woman who obviously doted on her husband and son. His dad was a slightly older version of Damon. He was a tall, strapping man with a sense of humor that had her laughing so hard she was in danger of peeing her pants. He had a lot of fun imitating his therapist’s singsong voice.

  She liked their home as well. It was a quaint cottage-style home that sat on the top of a cliff overlooking the beautiful port of Newquay. There were several yachts in the bay. The scenery looked like something from a picture postcard. There was just something about blue sky and blue water that put her in a relaxed mood.

  She’d never been to this town before, but the thing about Cornwall was that every place was within a stone’s throw of the water. And the entire place looks as if it was frozen in time. Small picturesque homes hugging the cliff side precariously, white fluffy clouds in the sky, narrow streets surrounded by quaint shops and friendly people.

  An easy meander made visiting Newquay a treat. Cornwall was a place worth visiting, again and again. She had forgotten how peaceful and beautiful the place was. Damon’s parents seemed happy and contented in their little home, which seemed filled with love and happiness.

  “Have you been to Cornwall before, Franchesca?” his mom asked.

  “Yes, but not to Newquay.”

  “Where have you been to?”

  “I’ve been to St. Ives and Falmouth.”

  “Yes, we love Falmouth. St. Ives is okay too, but we love Newquay the best.”

  They were pleased to learn she and Damon were going to be married. When they learned it was to be with the next six weeks, they wanted to know if she was in the family way.

  “What’s the hurry?” his mom wanted to know.

  “There’s no hurry, but since Franchesca will be going to Martinique to attend her brother’s wedding, we thought, why not do it then, and have a double wedding? I want you guys to come. I’ll let you know the details when I get to the island. We have the date already, but we want to be certain dad can make the trip. He seems to have recovered nicely.”

  “You young people are always in a hurry, rush, rush, with everything.”

  “I know what you mean, Mrs. Dumont.”

  “Please call me Angel. Mrs. Dumont is too formal if we are to be related. Don’t get me wrong. Damon’s dad and I are happy he’s finally found his soul mate. We want to see our grandchildren before we depart this earth. At the rate Damon was going, we both feared it would never happen, so we thank you.”

  Franchesca didn’t want them to put any pressure on her and Damon, but now was not the time. She did want to have his children, but she wanted to enjoy him a lit
tle longer without the interference of a pregnancy. She’d waited a long time for him to come along.

  They went out to a seafood restaurant for dinner. Damon would not hear of his mom cooking. He was able to convince his parents that they would have more time with him without her having to be in the kitchen, cooking and cleaning up.

  It was indeed a fun, relaxed dinner. They returned to the cottage and retired to the room that Damon occupied when he was visiting. It was not a very spacious room, and the majority of the space was taken up by the large bed. They were both too exhausted to do anything more than crawl into bed. She was surprised to see Damon kept his shorts on.

  “What happened to the man who sleeps in the nude?”

  “I have one exception. I respect my parents, and I won’t sleep in the nude in the event I have to get out of bed in the middle of the night for something to do with my parents. Also, I don’t want my mom walking in on me while I’m lying in bed with a woody.”

  “I agree. Now you can appreciate my dilemma, growing up in a large family.”

  The next morning they had a hearty breakfast and got ready to return to Nice. They hugged each other and promised to meet again at the wedding. This time his dad drove them to the airport. Damon reminded his dad to remember to take things easy, and they were off.

  “Thanks for bringing me to meet your parents, darling. I had a wonderful time. I like them both. They seemed to care very much for each other. It’s funny how you favor your father so strongly and have nothing of your mom.”

  “I do. I’ve been told since I was a child that I got my unusual coloring from my mom’s side of the family. My maternal grandfather looked just like me. He was a sailor. It was he who settled in Cornwall because of its proximity to the sea. So I’ve the sea in my blood.”

  They were soon taxiing on the runway in Nice. Damon had left his vehicle at the airport garage, so they wasted no time and were on their way home in record time. They had a lot of arrangements to make, so she knew she was in for three hectic days before they left on Thursday. She hoped Marcella could attend her wedding in Martinique. She planned to ask her the minute she got home. After all, she had her to thank for suggesting it.