Abby appeared to be contemplating his words. “Maybe I should take that leave of absence now, or at least take a few days off. I’m sure I’ll be good as new once my body has had a chance to relax for a bit.” Abby did not sound the least bit convinced by her own words. “Wait, I need my purse!” Abby said.
Chris hastily parked in a no-parking zone. “You stay here. I’ll get your purse.”
Minutes later, Chris returned with Abby’s purse slung over his arm.
“My purse doesn’t go with your outfit,” Abby teased, already feeling more like her old self.
Chris knew she was making small talk to ease the moment. He pulled out of the parking lot, onto Santa Monica Boulevard, and into the flow of traffic. Already, it was heavy, but since they were not in a hurry, it didn’t really matter.
“You want to stop for lunch?” Chris asked.
“No, Mavis made a big breakfast at the beach house. I’m not hungry yet. I just want to get home. I’ll need to check in with Mom to make sure they’re okay.”
Chris didn’t tell Abby that Toots had already called him on her way home from the airport after she arrived in Charleston, but he simply let Abby talk, hoping it would take her mind off the panic she’d just experienced.
Abby looked out the passenger-side window at the landmarks and buildings. They passed by her in a blur. How many times had she driven the same route to work and never noticed that most of the buildings were pastel-colored? Had she been that intent on reporting whatever news Hollywood’s current miscreant stars of the month were generating? Again, it all seemed so unimportant to her now. Did she really care if Jennifer Aniston was pregnant or that Lindsay Lohan was headed to jail yet again? Suddenly it all seemed so pointless to her. Who really cared? she thought, but then reminded herself this was all that some people had to look forward to, and maybe it wasn’t so silly, after all. But she wasn’t convinced that she should continue to feed the public their weekly dose of Hollywood gossip. Maybe it was time to reevaluate her career choice. She was, after all, a journalist; she’d worked for the Los Angeles Times in the early stages of her writing career. She had left on good terms and knew that if she chose to become a serious journalist again, her old job would be waiting.
“She called me as soon as they arrived. Sorry. I guess I should have said something,” Chris told her as he guided the Camry through the streets of Brentwood.
“I figured she was okay. I have the flight thing on my cell phone now, and whenever it pings, if I remember to look, it lets me know that whoever is flying has arrived safely. I’ve been so screwed up, I didn’t even bother to check it,” Abby said.
“You look good. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not. You were in such a hurry to leave for The Informer, I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” Chris said, nodding at her wrists.
“Can you believe it? Ida is really onto something, big-time. I almost didn’t believe my own eyes when I looked in the mirror. Then my wrists”—she held both arms up for his inspection—“are practically healed, too. She’s going for the wrinkle factor in her plans to market this, but I’m not so sure she shouldn’t aim toward the medical field. I even mentioned that she might want to talk to you about starting her own corporation. You’ll probably hear something from her soon enough.”
Chris sighed. “I can send her to a buddy of mine who practices corporate law. I don’t know that I want to mess with that right now. I’ve just about given up all my clients after that shit with Laura Leighton. It’s almost become meaningless to me, a sort of joke. An entertainment attorney. My dad’s probably spinning in his grave. He always wanted me to uphold the law, and look at me now.”
Abby was shocked to hear Chris speak that way. Yes, she had known that he’d reduced his list of clients to just a few, but she really hadn’t asked him how he truly felt. What amazed her even more was, her thoughts were running along the same line as his. Maybe her mother was right. It might be time for a change. Just what that change would be, well, she could ask Sophie, but Abby honestly didn’t want to know what the future held in terms of major events in her life.
Chris pulled into her driveway, and Chester went wild, racing toward the backyard as soon as Abby let him out of the car.
“Okay, boy, that backyard is all yours,” Abby said as she took her key ring from her purse. “Come on in, Chris, and I’ll make a pot of coffee.”
“Sounds good. I could use another dose of the stuff. Since your mom gave me that Keurig coffeemaker, I need at least five cups to get me going.”
Abby pushed open the door that led to the kitchen. “Damn, Chris, and here I thought it was me that kept you charged up,” she teased him, feeling more like herself than she had all day.
Chris pulled her into his arms. “Trust me, you do.”
She leaned her head against his chest, and Chris knew this woman was his destiny. He planned to tell her this, too. Would now be the right time, or should he wait, plan another night out on the town?
“I can’t believe it was only three nights ago that we were at the movie premiere. It seems more like it happened in another lifetime,” he said.
Abby poured water into the coffeemaker, then scooped coffee into the filter and clicked the ON button. Within seconds, the scent of aromatic brew filled the kitchen. “I can’t believe that low-life piece of garbage would do something so despicable, kidnapping. I always knew he was a scumbag, but I never thought he would stoop that low. I hadn’t thought about him in ages. I figured he’d either drunk himself to death or been shot by the husband of whatever wife he had messed with last. The philandering son of a bitch always did have an eye for the married ones. That way, he used to tell me, he managed to remain free of any commitments. Why get involved with someone he would have to provide for when there were all those accommodating fellows marrying women who still preferred to play the field, so to speak? Boy, is he a piece of work.”
Chris observed, “What goes around comes around, I guess. The thugs who shot him were sent by the husband of some woman he was screwing in Venezuela. Not sure whether the husband cared about the screwing of his wife or Rag screwing him out of a lot of money. The tragedy, of course, was his thinking he could take you and get away with ten million dollars, and really, he could have succeeded had those two punks not stepped in when they did. Your mom was completely prepared to do whatever he asked to secure your safe return.”
“Were you there when he was shot?” Abby asked.
“No. I was at the pier, but Goebel insisted I stay with your mom. We met at Bubba Gump’s while Dave, Goebel, and the guys made the drop-off. You know your mother. She would have ripped that son of a bitch to shreds, albeit verbally, had she been there. Truthfully, though, Toots wasn’t in very good shape, Abby. I’ve never seen her like that. I just wished I could have been there to see that bullet knock his ass to the ground.”
Suddenly, Abby started laughing. Chris stared at her, thinking she might be hysterical, but then she stopped laughing and just grinned. “If I tell you something, you promise not to turn me in to those cop friends of yours?”
“What did you do, Abby?” Chris asked, a smile as wide as the Pacific on his face.
She poured them each a cup of coffee, then brought the cups to the table. “Remember when you came back to the hospital room, and I told you I had been looking for a Coke machine?”
His eyes twinkled. “I knew it! You were sneaking, weren’t you?”
“Let’s just say Rag suffered a nosebleed, and his poor little man part, and I do mean little, was exposed for all to see. He made me pee in front of him before locking me in the closet. I just wanted to let him know how it felt to be humiliated that way.”
Chris didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry. “It’s going to be a very long time before he ever takes a piss in private, Abby. I’m sure he’ll take whatever plea deal is going to be offered. Life in prison will be much more tolerable for the cowardly bastard than a death sentence.”
Abby heard Chester scr
atching at the French doors in the living room. Apparently, he was too good to use his doggy door today. Getting up to let him in, she pulled the doors aside, and the German shepherd raced through the living room, then hopped up on the sofa. Noticing that Chris’s tuxedo jacket was tossed over the back of the sofa, she yanked it up before Chester had the chance to cover it with hair. She took the black jacket and folded it across her arm, and something fell from the inside pocket.
Abby bent down and picked up what looked like a ring box. Shocked, she opened it and saw a diamond ring.
Before she could say anything, Chris asked, “Will you?”
Chapter 41
The shutters were closed; all the lawn furniture and plants were stored in the gardening shed; anything loose was secured. Toots knew she was as prepared as one could ever be for a hurricane.
Once Bernice had gotten over getting caught in her ongoing lie, things progressed nicely. Their new neighbors were thrilled at the prospect of a hurricane party, both claiming they’d never been in an area where hurricanes were the norm. Toots assured them that they were safe, or at least as safe as they could be, and to enjoy the night ahead.
Wade and Mavis, along with Coco, whom they had discovered hiding in the basement after Mavis realized the little pooch hadn’t been there to greet her, hadn’t taken their eyes off one another. Apparently, talking about dead people excited them both, and for once, Coco was on her best behavior.
Bernice and Jamie had made enough food and desserts for a small army. Pralines from the bakery, in every flavor, muffins, and cupcakes. Sandwiches with chips and pickles, olives, and peppers were just a few of the items they were going to have at their hurricane party. When Toots saw that their party preparations were ready, she found some booze that had belonged to that cheap ass Leland. She took the rocks glasses from the hutch in the dining room and made a minibar on the kitchen counter. There was beer and wine, but Toots knew she and the girls would hit the hard stuff tonight. With Abby safe at home and Rag headed for a very long term in prison, it was definitely time to celebrate. There was just one thing left to do.
Call Phil.
“Hey, it’s me,” Toots said into the phone. “How’d the emergency go?”
“Looks like they’re gonna live a few more years, so I guess that’s a good thing. What are you up to? How is Abby?” Phil asked.
Toots could hear the concern in his voice and more than appreciated it. He was truly a good guy. “The last I heard, Abby was fine. I was called away on an emergency myself this morning. Seems there’s a hurricane headed toward Charleston, and someone had to batten down the hatches.” Toots let her words hang, hoping he’d catch on.
“You’re in Charleston?” Phil asked.
“Yes, I am. And the reason I’m calling, we’re having a hurricane party. I thought you might want to join us. We’ve got new neighbors here who just happen to be without electricity, so they’ve joined us. I thought maybe you could come over before the storm hits.”
Phil laughed. “I guess in all your preparations, you haven’t seen the latest report. It seems this hurricane has made a turn and is now headed directly for New York City. I guess the ‘cone of uncertainty’ strikes again. We should only get a bit of tropical storm–force winds and some heavy rain. If the party still stands, I can be there in half an hour. By the way, Dr. Carnes called. Frankie is doing fantastic. I’ll tell you about him as soon as I see you.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Toots said, grinning. “I’ll be waiting.” She clicked off, then went to the kitchen, where everyone was gathered around the table, filling paper plates with food that Phil was sure to disapprove of. Nothing heart-healthy in sight. They spent the next half hour stuffing themselves with the finest pralines in the South and the best country-ham sandwiches money could buy.
Toots clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Listen up. It seems that in all of our merrymaking, we have neglected to listen to Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel. I just spoke with Phil, who informed me this hurricane has taken a turn and is currently expected to make landfall in New York City! So, we’re no longer having an official hurricane party, but we’re going to celebrate the little storm we’re about to get. We sure as hell could use the rain.”
Everyone started talking at once. Then Sophie banged her spoon against a glass. “This calls for a toast, wouldn’t you all agree?”
They all agreed, and Sophie took the bottle of hundred-year-old scotch and poured a liberal amount into ten rocks glasses that Toots had lined up along the counter like shot glasses. When she finished, she and Sophie passed out the glasses.
“Now, Sophie, what is it we’re toasting?” Toots asked, not caring one way or another. They were having a good time, and now more than ever, she truly appreciated the loved ones in her life. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about just how blessed she’d been. Yes, there had been a few rough spots along the way, but she wouldn’t change a thing. Life was good.
Just as Sophie was about to speak, the doorbell rang, and Toots had the sudden thought that it was about to get better. “Wait! Hold the toast!” She placed her glass on the counter and practically raced to get the front door.
She pulled the heavy oak door aside, and standing there like a drenched puppy was her new man, or whatever they called them nowadays. In her day, they called them boyfriends. “You’re just in time to join us. We were about to make a toast,” Toots said, guiding Phil to the kitchen.
“To what, might I ask?” he said.
“I haven’t a clue,” Toots said when she entered her kitchen, a room she truly loved, the room that like no other said “home.” She clapped her hands together a second time. “Everyone, this is Phil, Dr. Phil Becker, the famed cardiologist, and if it weren’t for him, my dear older sister, Bernice, wouldn’t be here today. I say we toast him!”
Glasses were raised, and introductions made. The rest of the evening was spent telling old stories, learning new ones, and making new memories with the new men in their lives.
Toots realized she’d had a little too much to drink, and seeing that the rain was nothing more than a light drizzle, she stepped outside to smoke. Sophie spied her across the room, where she gave Goebel a healthy kiss, then joined Toots on the wet steps, where they both plopped down, their rear ends soaking up the moisture.
“You know what, Toots?” Sophie asked, then took a drag from her cigarette.
“What’s that, Sophie?”
“Life doesn’t get any better than this,” she said.
Toots nodded in agreement. Then, as they stood to go back inside, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Who would be calling her at this hour?
Looking at the face of her phone, she saw it was Abby. Her heart raced for a moment. The last time she’d received a late-night call, it had been Chris, telling her Abby had been abducted.
“Hello?” she said, instantly sober. “Abby! Are you all right?”
“Mom, are you sitting down?” Abby asked.
“No, but something tells me I should be.” Toots sat back down on the wet porch steps, with Sophie plopping back down beside her.
“Oh, Mom! This is the best news! Chris has asked me to marry him, and I said yes!”
Momentarily stunned, Toots was at a loss for words.
“Mom, are you there?” Abby asked.
“Yes, yes, I’m here. Abby, I don’t know what to say except this is the best news I’ve had in forever! God has answered my prayers. I have always hoped this day would come. You have made me the happiest mom in the world!” Toots exclaimed.
Sophie pinched her. “What is it?”
Toots placed her hand over the phone. “Shut up, Sophie. Chris asked Abby to marry him, and she said yes. We’ve got a wedding to plan.”
“Abby, I just told Sophie. I think she’s dumbfounded.” Toots laughed, her world so perfect at that exact moment, she was afraid to do or say anything else, fearing it would break the spell.
“Mom, Chris wants to speak
to you.”
“Hey, old girl, I hope I have your blessing. I know if Dad were alive, he’d be thrilled. I was going to ask Abby to marry me the night of the premiere, but, well, you know what happened. I just wanted to tell you how much I love your daughter, and I will devote my life to making her happy.”
“Well, Chris, all I can say is, this news has made me the happiest woman alive. You both have my blessing. I love you, you know that, right?”
“Oh shit, Toots, don’t go getting all mushy on me.” Chris laughed. “Here’s Abby.”
“Mom, I just wanted to share my fantastic news!”
“Wait, wait! Have you set a date?” Toots asked excitedly.
“No, but you’ll be the second to know when we do. Gotta go, Mom. Tell the other godmothers for me, okay?”
“Sure,” Toots said. “Love you, Abby.”
“One more thing, not to put a damper on my news, but we just learned an hour ago that Rag accepted a plea. He won’t see the light of day ever again. And I love you, too, Mom,” Abby said before clicking off.
Toots and Sophie raced inside the house, not caring that their tushes were soaking wet. For the third time that night, Toots clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “I just received a phone call from Abby, my daughter, for those of you who have never met her. Apparently, she’s just accepted a marriage proposal from Chris, my stepson, and no, don’t ask, but it’s a good thing!”
Mavis and Ida gushed like two old hens. Sophie poured them all another glass of scotch, and they toasted Abby and Chris’s engagement numerous times throughout what was left of the evening.
Everyone huddled in groups of two: Sophie and Goebel, Bernice and Robert, Mavis and Wade, Toots and Phil, leaving Ida attached to her cell phone. From this modern-day messenger pigeon they all learned that Dave Thompson was coming to Charleston in three days. It seemed that all the members of AARP at the party were about to fall head over heels in love.
Once again.
Fern Michaels' Godmothers Bundle: The Scoop, Exclusive, Late Edition, Deadline & Breaking News Page 116