The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  Gigi thought for a minute before answering her friend. She knew that there was a division now between her old friends and her new life. She didn’t want it to be the case, but she’d started feeling it shortly after Arianna had passed away and even more so once she’d married Douglas. She was no longer one of them.

  She had tried at first—to keep in touch and get together just as she’d done when she was working, but several of her friends stopped returning her calls and making excuses whenever she’d attempt to get together—at least that’s how it felt to Gigi. Evelyn wasn’t like that, though. The two of them had known one another the longest, and Gigi counted her as a genuine friend.

  “Oh, I just haven’t been myself lately, I guess,” Gigi said after several seconds had passed.

  “How so?”

  “It’s hard to explain, really. And I know it probably sounds silly. I just feel—I have this sense of unhappiness. I don’t really know how to explain it except to say that I feel pretty bored half the time.”

  Evelyn raised an eyebrow, and Gigi started to feel slightly annoyed at herself for mentioning it.

  “I went into the agency the other day.”

  “Really?”

  Evelyn was definitely surprised by this statement.

  “Yes, I was thinking that maybe a part-time job might be good for me for a while. Take my mind off things and, you know—have someone to take care of again.”

  “Gigi. You do have Douglas to take care of. And sorry to say it, but do you know how many people would kill to be in your shoes?”

  “Yes, I know. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. And I’m not. I’m just trying to figure some things out, I suppose. Forget I mentioned it.” But she knew that she couldn’t take it back.

  Evelyn got up from the table to come around and give her a little hug. “Don’t be like that, Gi. That’s not what I meant. You know you can still share stuff with me. And of course I want you to be happy. It’s just that it’s kind of hard to hear you talk like that when so many good things have happened to you.”

  Gigi felt her mouth go tight as she looked to her friend to continue.

  “Oh, I don’t mean what happened to the Sinclairs—or to Arianna—God rest their souls. Of course I don’t mean that. But everything else. Everything good that you do deserve. You know?” Evelyn said.

  “I know. I do. And of course I’ve thought about what you’re saying too. I’m lucky to have Douglas—I know I am. I’ll be fine.”

  Gigi stood up to give Evelyn a hug goodbye, anxious now to be heading home.

  Douglas had texted her earlier to see what time she’d be home, and she had yet to respond to him. She sent him a quick text now before she started her car to head towards the house, her thoughts on the conversation that she’d had with Evelyn and how ridiculous that she feared she’d sounded.

  Chapter 9

  Gigi came in the front door, anxious to have a chat with Douglas about his day. He’d left right after a quick breakfast, and she’d not spoken to him, which wasn’t typical of them. She smiled as she realized how much she did miss him, even when it was only a day that went by when they saw each other less than normal.

  She called out a greeting, noticing that her favorite classical music was playing and the house was quite dark.

  “Hello, my love.” Douglas was by her side quickly, kissing her on the cheek and taking her by the hand towards the living room.

  The room was lit by a big fire he had going in the fireplace and the various candles placed around the room.

  “Douglas, what’s all this?” She noticed her favorite takeout Italian meal set up on the nice china on a blanket in front of the fireplace. The conversation she’d just had with Evelyn flashed in her mind. She was so lucky to have Douglas—he really was romantic and thoughtful. “Did I forget an anniversary or something?” Gigi laughed, allowing Douglas to pull her down next to him on the sofa.

  He smiled at her before taking her face in her hands and kissing her gently. “I just really wanted to do something nice for you—to surprise you.”

  Gigi stared into his eyes intently before returning his kiss with one of her own. “You surprise me every day, darling—by how wonderful you are to me.” And she meant it. She knew that any unhappiness that she was feeling didn’t matter. Douglas would make everything okay. Being loved by her husband would make everything okay.

  Douglas reached over to the table in front of them to hand her the champagne that he’d already poured. “Darling, I have a surprise for you.”

  She loved the look that she saw on his face—the glimmer in his eye as if he was about to share the most marvelous of secrets with her.

  She took the glass from him and waited as he picked up his own. “Well, honey, I’ve already said yes and we’ve sealed that whole marriage deal a few years ago.” She laughed, curious as to what was going on.

  “Funny that you should bring up our marriage.” His eyes shone. “That’s a perfect tie-in to what I have for you tonight.”

  “Is it?” Gigi was playing along, enjoying the banter between them.

  “Do you remember my vows to you? The part where I told you that loving you had opened my heart up to adventure again?”

  Gigi’s eyes instantly filled with tears. She remembered their wedding day in the garden as if it were yesterday. “Yes. I remember. You promised that our every day together was going to be a new adventure.” She leaned over to kiss him softly on the lips. “And it has been, Douglas. Every day.”

  Douglas looked her in the eyes for a moment before he pulled away to reach behind and get something from the sofa. He held up his glass of champagne for her to reach out her own for a toast.

  “Here’s to our next adventure, darling.” He grinned widely as he placed something on Gigi’s lap for her to see.

  Gigi looked down and back up at him in shock when she saw the two tickets to Guatemala lying in her lap. She didn’t attempt to stop her tears as the reality of what he’d done hit her. She was almost afraid to put the question into words.

  “The orphanage? Really, honey?”

  Douglas wiped her tears with his hands, before he held her face gently. “Really. Your happiness means everything to me.”

  They kissed again and Gigi felt more content than she’d felt in months. An adventure indeed. She was ready for it.

  Chapter 10

  Douglas squeezed Gigi’s hand from the backseat of the car as they weaved in and out of the airport traffic coming from the airport in Guatemala City. Gigi was feeling tired after their eight-hour flight, but any fatigue she felt was being overcome by excitement over their arrival.

  “Wow, we are certainly not in Kansas any more,” Douglas joked as they both peered out the windows.

  Gigi laughed. “No, we are not.” She squeezed his hand. “And I love it.”

  She’d not felt this alive for a long time. Douglas had been right on with surprising her with the trip, and she loved him dearly for knowing her so well—for knowing what she needed and being willing to give that to her, even though she knew that it wasn’t really his idea of something fun to do in their retirement. But he’d assured her several times that if it made her happy, he was fully on board. He’d go anywhere in the world with her to see her content and smiling. And she believed him—that he loved her that much. She leaned over now to give him a kiss.

  “What’s that for, my love?” He smiled at her sitting beside him.

  “Oh, I just love you so much. And I want you to know how happy you’ve made me.”

  He laughed. “Well, we’ll see how happy we both are a few weeks from now. Or which one of us is missing our comforts of home the most.”

  Douglas had done a lot of research prior to their departure date, filling Gigi in on some of the precautions and risks of being in a less-developed country—a place where they did have to be smart about safety issues and also the various health concerns. But he’d lined everything up for them—visits to the clinic to get the proper shots and p
ills, informing himself about the area of the country where they would be staying, and everything else that he could do to help them to feel as prepared as possible.

  “Is this your first time here to Guatemala?” the driver asked them.

  Frank and Loretta, the founders of the orphanage, had hired a car and driver to greet them at the airport, making that transition quite smooth for them upon their arrival.

  “Yes, it is,” Douglas said. “And so far, it looks quite hectic out there.” He laughed as he referred to what seemed to be some crazy driving outside of his window.

  The driver laughed. “Oh, this is is nothing. You should see it during the busy time. But soon we will be out of the city. You will notice a difference on the roads.”

  “How far is it to the orphanage—to Antigua?” Gigi asked.

  “Not too far. Once we get through this traffic, we will be there in about thirty or forty minutes.” The driver smiled as he glanced at them in the rearview mirror. “You will like Antigua. Many of the tourists like it the most, I think.”

  “We’re very anxious to see it,” Douglas said.

  “And the rest of your country,” Gigi added.

  “Your English is very good,” Douglas said to the driver.

  “Thank you very much. I spent two years in America—I have a brother there—in Florida. Hablas español?”

  “No, not really,” Douglas said. “But maybe we will learn a little bit while we are here.”

  “There are many good language schools in Antigua. Maybe I can recommend one for you?”

  “I think we’ll be pretty busy at the orphanage, but if that changes maybe we can contact you.”

  Gigi knew that Douglas was only being polite—that he didn’t really see the need for learning Spanish, as they’d only be there for a limited time, and Loretta and Frank had assured him that they’d get by just fine with their very limited knowledge of the language.

  When Douglas had told her that he’d signed them up for a month with the volunteer program at the orphanage, Gigi had agreed that it seemed like more than enough time. Secretly though, she thought that she might like to be at the orphanage for a bit longer, but she knew better than to press her luck on the subject. Douglas was being such a good sport about it all, and he did agree that they’d stay on as long as they liked in order to travel a bit and see some of the country. The fact that he was willing to do that much really did surprise Gigi. They were both used to traveling in quite a luxurious way, so to say that they’d be a bit out of their element here would be an understatement.

  After they’d gone for several miles, Gigi squeezed Douglas’s hand as she looked out the window at what she guessed was Antigua. “It’s so lovely, isn’t it?”

  Douglas nodded his head, seeming also to be caught up with the view out his window.

  There were colorful buildings and what Gigi thought must be a volcano off in the distance. She’d read about them and had an ambition to hike one of the volcanoes after they were finished volunteering at the orphanage.

  She and Douglas had laughed about how thankful they were that they’d put their regular exercise routine into place months before, per their doctor’s recommendation for their general good health. They had been comfortably doing many of the gorgeous hikes that were available to them in Marin Country where they lived. They were both feeling very fit, which Gigi felt quite proud of at her age. So some hiking in Guatemala seemed like a very doable thing to Gigi, and would only enhance this grand adventure that they were on.

  Gigi’s thoughts were interrupted by the driver, who was pointing out a lively outdoor area to them.

  “You can come here to buy many local items and sample some of the good street food of Antigua.”

  Gigi was fascinated by the women she saw out the window. There was a large square with a grassy area and benches in the center, and local women selling various items throughout. They were dressed in vibrant-colored clothing, and Gigi found herself looking forward to a time when she and Douglas could come back to check out what all the items were that they were selling.

  “Honey, can we come back to this part of town soon?” Gigi directed the question to Douglas, but it was the driver who spoke up.

  “The orphanage is not far from here. You can easily walk during the day or take a taxi at night if you’d rather not walk during the dark.”

  “Is it safe? To walk around here at night?” Douglas asked the driver.

  “Yes, you should be fine. Just mind your wallet and purse. The biggest issues in this part of the country would be petty crime such as that, not as much any violent crime to worry about here.”

  “As we’d do back home in the city—using our common sense, I mean,” Gigi said to Douglas. “I don’t feel too worried about safety here. Do you, honey?”

  “No, not really. But we’ll just take care to know where we are going.”

  “Many of the volunteers and staff of the orphanage come to the main part of town a lot. I’m sure someone will be able to show you all of the best restaurants and coffee shops around town. The volunteers seem to need their burgers and beers.” The driver laughed and Gigi thought she detected a hint of something in his voice.

  “Well, I for one will be wanting to sample some of the local food before we go for any burgers. Do you feel the same, honey?” Gigi said.

  “Yes, I agree.” Douglas looked at her. “And I suppose after we’re here for a few weeks, a burger or some other western food will have a certain appeal to it, won’t it?”

  Gigi nodded her head in agreement, already thinking about corn tortillas with rice and beans.

  The two were silent in the backseat of the car, each lost in their own thoughts as they watched the new scenery out the windows.

  “We are almost to the orphanage now. This is the street where you will be staying,” the driver said.

  “This looks almost like it could be any neighborhood in the states,” Gigi said.

  “It does look much more—I don’t know—residential, maybe? Than what I’d imagined it would be,” Douglas said.

  “Here we are.” The driver had pulled the car into a big carport at the side of what looked like a very large house.

  Gigi could see the sign placed above the front door; she read it out loud. “Place of Hope.” She leaned over to give Douglas a quick kiss. “Looks like we made it. I can’t believe that we’re here.”

  She could hardly put into words the excitement she was feeling. Something about being there—pulling up in front of the actual orphanage—was making her heart pound wildly in her chest. She looked over at Douglas as he was making his way around the car to open her door.

  “Wow, it is really hot here,” he said as Gigi got out of the car.

  She laughed as the full force of the heat struck her outside the air-conditioned car. “Yes, I suppose we’ll want to change into more suitable clothing right away.”

  They hung back for a minute as the driver carried their luggage onto the front patio of the house. After a few seconds, Douglas brought Gigi’s hand up for a kiss.

  “This is it, my love. Our big adventure is about to begin. Are you ready?” He winked at her and Gigi giggled.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She pulled him to her for a kiss on the lips, not bothering to wipe the few tears away that were on her cheeks. “Thank you, Douglas.”

  Chapter 11

  Before Gigi and Douglas had made it to the front door of the house, a woman with dark curly hair popped her head out with instructions to the driver about the luggage. Gigi recognized her right away from the article and segment they’d seen on TV. It was Loretta, the American founder of the orphanage.

  “Gigi, Douglas.” The woman extended her hand for them to shake. “It’s so good to meet both of you. I’m Loretta.” She turned towards the man standing beside her. “And this is my husband Frank.”

  Frank stepped out to shake their hands. “How was your flight?”

  “A little long, but the flight itself was
good,” Douglas said.

  “We’re very excited to be here—to have a look around,” Gigi said, smiling. “So far, what we’ve seen during the drive has been pretty interesting.”

  “Yes, you’ll have some time for exploring tomorrow.”

  Gigi noticed Loretta giving Frank a look before she continued.

  “We’d love to show you around the orphanage, and then we have reservations for a nice dinner scheduled,” Loretta continued.

  “I’m actually surprised that I don’t hear any children.” Gigi laughed lightly but in truth she thought it was very odd that the house was so quiet at this time of the afternoon.

  “Oh, the kids are doing their studies right now. We have them on a pretty strict schedule—it’s what we think is best for them.” Loretta took the hand that Frank was offering her as he stepped in to continue what Gigi couldn’t help but feel was a rehearsed conversation.

  “We try to run the orphanage somewhat as a boarding school, with a focus on their studies and coming away from here with the ability to get jobs—”

  “Or to continue with their studies.” Loretta interrupted.

  “What about the smaller kids? It seems like we saw several on the TV program we watched that were not school age?” Douglas asked.

  And Gigi knew that he was asking on her behalf. All of the kids had touched her of course, but it was the little ones in particular—the ones that hadn’t had a chance yet to know as much love or heartache—that Gigi felt drawn to. And she had shared as much with Douglas.

  Gigi couldn’t be sure but she thought she saw another quick glance pass between Loretta and Frank before Frank responded to Douglas’s question—glances that were making her just a bit uneasy, if she was being honest with herself.

  “Well, we sometimes partner with another child care organization in town that takes care of the younger children. That’s part of the footage that you probably saw on that TV segment,” Frank said.