by Haley Jacobs
Gaston’s eyes were a deep, liquid brown, as intense as they were soulful. Molly felt as though Gaston was peering straight into her core. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as he gazed at her.
“Yes?” Gaston said, his voice weary.
Molly stuck out her hand. “I’m Molly Garcia. Julia Pratchett’s maid of honor, and after what happened this afternoon, her wedding coordinator.”
Gaston stood. He was well over 6-feet tall, and Molly could see the definition of the muscles in his chest. His abs rippled under the thin shirt. Molly could hardly breathe.
“Bon jour, Molly,” said Gaston. His deep, velvet voice made Molly blush, and his smooth, French accent sent a bolt of warmth down Molly’s spine that pooled between her legs. Gaston took her hand and squeezed it with a firm gentleness.
“I am Gaston,” he said. “Gaston—“
“Leroux,” said Molly. “You’re Gaston Leroux! I thought you looked familiar. Oh my God, I ate at your restaurant in Paris and it was one of the greatest meals of my life!”
She was still holding on to his hand. Releasing him, she realized that her palms were wet. Even without the contact, she could still feel the roughness of his hands. Gaston was staring at her, smiling.
“Merci,” said Gaston. “That had to have been at least five years ago. I have been here for about that long.”
“But why are you here?” Molly blurted out.
“Let’s just say, life can be very complicated,” Gaston closed his eyes and chuckled softly. “And fate sometimes brings you interesting turns.”
“That’s for sure,” said Molly.
Gaston was still looking at her. She could drown in those deep, brown eyes.
“Listen,” said Molly, shaking herself back to reality. “I know you’ve had a rough day today—I was in the dining room at lunch—but Ryan told me you would know where Larissa’s notes on Julia and Jake’s wedding would be. He said you had what I was looking for.”
Gaston wrinkled his brow. “Ryan said that? Ryan knows many things that others do not. Perhaps you have what I am looking for, too?”
Molly’s heart hadn’t stopped pounding, and now her legs were getting wobbly.
“Yes,” said Gaston. “A rough day indeed. Come with me, and we will go to Larissa’s office. You will get what you need.”
Gaston led Molly out of the kitchen and down a short hallway. He pulled keys out of his pocket, unlocked the door, and switched on the light. The office was in shambles. There were papers stacked on the desk and on the floor. The remnants of an old sandwich lay on top of a stack of old Cosmopolitans.
“I don’t even know where to look,” said Molly.
“I know Larissa,” said Gaston, “I’ve known her since we were children in Provence. I know how she thinks. Excusez-moi.”
Gaston slid past Molly, gliding his hand from one shoulder to the next. The warmth of his hand left a trail of heat that radiated through to her heart. She could smell his masculinity, an intoxicating mixture of sweat and musk. She breathed him in deeply. Gaston stopped as their eyes met. He smiled in a knowing way and turned to the filing cabinet, checking the top, then the middle, then the bottom drawer. Molly’s eyes trailed to his ass.
Stop staring! she told herself as she snuck another peek. Holy shit, he was perfect! She could imagine herself grabbing those perfect butt cheeks, and moving her hands to the front to stroke his…
“Found it!” said Gaston, straightening up and spinning around. Molly snapped out of her daydream. He handed the file to Molly.
Molly opened the file, recognizing Julia’s school teacher-perfect handwriting, listing everything she wanted. She leafed through the pages to the printed checklist form.
Which was blank.
“Is this all?” asked Molly. She was kind of hoping Gaston would bend down again.
“That is all,” said Gaston.
“But there’s nothing here!” said Molly. She laid the file on Larissa’s desk
Gaston furrowed his brow, and standing close to Molly, looked through the file. There was nothing.
No officiant.
No music.
No flowers.
Larissa had done nothing.
“Fucking typical!” said Gaston. He looked shocked. “I’m sorry. I should not have said that.”
Molly laughed. “Fucking typical, huh? Didn’t Larissa talk to you about the menu?”
“I worked the menu out with Jake and Julia months ago,” said Gaston, “I asked my sous-chef Sam to take care of this. I know that Sam has it under control. I trust him.”
Molly ran her hand through her hair and sighed.
“Well, the wedding is in three days,” said Molly. “I guess I have my work cut out for me.”
“No,” said Gaston. “We have our work cut out for us. Sam can run The Redwood. Today, we are The Dynamic Duo!”
“Batman and Robin?” said Molly.
Gaston frowned.
“How about Christine Daaé and Raoul de Chagny?” said Gaston.
“You mean from The Phantom of the Opera?” said Molly. “Seriously?”
“Written by Gaston Leroux. He was my Great Grandfather. I am named after him.”
“Christine and Raoul it is!” said Molly. “Let’s just hope there isn’t a creepy Phantom lurking around.”
“Emilia is the only phantom I know,” said Gaston. “And she is a friend.”
“Emilia?” said Molly.
“You will find out about Emilia,” said Gaston. “I am sure.”
“I’ll do what I can tonight,” said Molly. “Can I meet you at The Redwood at 9:00 tomorrow morning.”
Gaston smiled in a way that made Molly melt. “I shall count the hours.”
4
Molly dreamed she was alone in a forest of tall trees. She was naked. She could feel the coolness of shade against her bare skin. She was not cold. It had just rained and she could feel the brush of each drop as her legs brushed the wet ferns. The feel of the twigs and earth against her feet filled her with fantastic sensations. Molly threw her hands up to the sky and looked at the trees towering above her. The smell of the wet earth, the moss and the trees filled her senses with an intensity she had never felt before. A gentle breeze tickled her chest and abdomen. She was here. She was home.
A sound behind her made her pause. Molly froze where she was. Her senses were alert. She whirled around and crouched in a defensive posture. Nothing. All was silent. She stayed there, motionless. A deep, soft, unkind feminine laugh punctured the air around her. Molly heard a snarl. She turned around.
A huge white wolf was only a few feet from her. It bared its long teeth. Its green eyes glowed with intensity. The wolf stared hungrily at Molly.
“Stay away from what is mine!” snarled the wolf.
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Molly was gripped with icy fear.
“Stay away from what is mine!”
The wolf suddenly leapt toward Molly.
Molly woke with a start. She was sweating, and for the moment, couldn’t remember where she was. The wind was blowing, rattling the windows. It was 3:30 in the morning. She hadn’t had a nightmare in years, and certainly not one that vivid. She tried to laugh it off, but the image of the leaping wolf came back every time she closed her eyes. As the memory wore off, she began to remember the first part of the dream. It was every bit as vivid. She felt part of the forest. That surprised her. Molly had always been a desert girl.
She tried to bring back the forest part of the dream, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Gaston.
Nope! thought Molly. Back to the forest.
She tried to imagine walking naked through the forest again. She was almost there when Gaston showed up. Again.
Stop that! thought Molly. He’s taken.
She tried again, this time imagining a forest ranger. Rough, muscular, outdoorsy, an L.L. Bean model but without a stitch of L.L. Bean on his body.
Forest, check.
&
nbsp; Ferns, check.
Rain drops, check.
Cool breeze, check.
Gaston’s calloused hands running down her—
STOP IT!
Molly’s inner forest battle went on for about an hour before she finally fell back asleep again.
Molly headed down to meet with Julia for breakfast at 7:30 the next morning. After a couple of nice, successful fantasies about riding High Mountain park rangers, Gaston was officially out of her system and she was ready to face the day.
Besides, there was no way he could pass The Test—Molly was sure of it.
True to her natural sense of organization, she had already written several pages of notes in preparation for the wedding. She wanted to be as prepared as possible for her meeting with Gaston at 9:00.
She had spent at least 45 minutes trying on outfits that accentuated her best attributes. Since the day was warm, Molly finally settled on a white sundress that showed a bit of cleavage. She kept telling herself it wasn’t for Gaston. She just wanted to look her best.
Molly found Julia at The Redwood.
“Hi, girl!” said Molly, giving her friend a hug.
“…hi…” said Julia. She looked like she hadn’t slept.
“Okay,” said Molly. “Out with it. What’s going on?”
“It’s my parents,” said Julia, glumly.
“You have them on separate flights and staying in separate wings of the hotel. So what’s the big deal?”
“Mom’s flight got delayed,” said Julia. “They’re both coming in on the same plane—Mom and Dad. And I have to pick them both up!”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry!” said Molly. Separately, Julia’s parents were fine but having them together was like throwing a match on gasoline. Unless they were dancing. For some weird reason they were great dance partners. Go figure.
“I’m so happy Jake is here,” said Julia. “He got home late last night.”
“Speaking of which, where is Professor Dreamboat?”
“He’s writing up research reports,” said Julia. “He wants to get them finished up before everyone arrives so that he can focus on the wedding.”
“You seem to be taking this awfully well.”
“It’s part of being a research professor’s fiancé,” said Julia. “Mountains of paperwork is part of the gig. How’s the planning going? Are you able to pick up where Larissa left off?”
Molly thought about telling Julia the whole story about how Larissa had fucked everything up. But Julia had enough to worry about between Jake and her family.
“Everything’s fine,” said Molly. “Gaston and I have this figured out.”
“Gaston, huh?” said Julia, smiling. “Interesting…”
“He’s taken,” said Molly. “Even if his fiancé is a raving loony.”
“Larissa’s not his fiancé,” said Julia.
“She’s not?” said Molly. “Then he’s available?”
“It’s kind of complicated,” said Julia. “Larissa doesn’t even like him. He comes from an old and powerful family in France. Larissa doesn’t want Gaston, she wants the Leroux name.”
Julia narrowed her eyes. “Is something developing between you and Gaston?”
Molly blushed. “No! He’s not at all my type. Way too indoorsy. I mean…he’s kind of cute, but…”
“Remember when I said that the Lone Pine wasn’t like other places?” said Julia.
“Yeah,” said Molly.
“Things happen at the Lone Pine. It’s a magical place.”
Molly had her breakfast with Julia and was lingering over her third cup of coffee. Or was it her fourth? Julia left a half hour ago to pick up her parents from the airport. Jake had been planning to come for support, but there was only room for three people in their pickup truck.
Poor thing!
Molly had her notes spread out in front of her. There were so many holes to plug! She looked down her list:
Officiant, Flowers, Seating Chart, Transportation, Music, Food. At least Molly knew Gaston had taken care of the food and cake.
“Christine Daaé, I presume?” said a voice. It was Gaston.
“Huh?” said Molly.
“Christien Daaé” Gaston wrinkled his brow. God, he looked adorable when he did that. “The Phantom of the Opera. Remember? Le Comte Raoul de Chagny at your service.”
Gaston bowed low and kissed Molly’s hand. Her cheeks flushed as his soft lips brushed her hands. She could feel the roughness of his stubble against her fingers. What it would feel like on her inner thighs? She was blushing. She felt her panties dampen.
“So,” said Molly changing the subject. “We have a lot of work to do.”
“We do,” said Gaston. “But it is not impossible.”
Molly pointed to her list. “But how are we going to find all of these people before Saturday? We’re pretty isolated here.”
“But that is why it is not impossible,” said Gaston. “We may be far from Anchorage, but people get married here all the time. We have everyone we need!”
“Music?” said Molly.
“Gus! He is the pianist at the Redwood Grill.”
“Transportation?”
“Jessica! She is the shuttle driver.”
“Seating Chart?”
“Ryan! He is a good friend of Jake and Julia and would do anything for them.
“Hmm…Flowers?”
“Wildflowers! We can pick them together.”
“Aren’t those federally protected?” said Molly
“Some are,” said Gaston. “Some are not. We use them all the time in the Redwood Grill. I know which ones to pick.”
“OK smart guy,” said Molly. “Officiant. Who exactly are you going to get to perform this wedding? Got you there!”
“But no!” said Gaston. “You wound me!” He put his hands over his heart in mock injury. “That would be Frieda!”
“Frieda?”
“She is the local bush pilot and an ordained minister,” said Gaston. “AND the wife of Gus the pianist. So what do you think of me now, Miss Christine?”
Molly leaned forward on her elbows. “I think you’re pretty amazing, Raoul de Chegny.” Gaston leaned forward toward Molly.
Molly straightened up. Gaston sat back in his chair, stroking his chin. His deep brown eyes almost seemed to glow as he peered into Molly’s core.
“So what now, Gaston?”
“Now we go to the Ballroom, Cinderella,” said Gaston.
“Cinderella? I thought I was Christine Daaé,” said Molly.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Gaston. “To me, you are still royalty.”
Molly looked at Gaston skeptically. “Does that make you the Prince?”
“But of course.” He paused for a moment. “You do not have a Prince Charming in your life?”
Molly blushed again. God! This was becoming a habit. “Nope. No Prince Charming. Not even a Prince Pretty Good.”
“There is no reason for that,” said Gaston. “You are so beautiful!”
Another blush. This time it headed due south.
“No one yet, and I’ll bet you say that to all the Princesses,” said Molly.
“So far I have only met one Princess,” said Gaston. “Now, to the Ballroom, Cinderella!”
The Grand Ballroom had seen better days. It was clean, to be sure, but it was worn. Its beautiful parquet floor was deeply scratched from decades of weddings, parties and dances. Heavy velvet curtains hung from the windows. Molly frowned.
“You are disappointed?” said Gaston.
“Yeah,” said Molly. “I am. I thought it was going to be bright and sparkling. I mean, the feeling here is amazing, but it’s just…”
“Worn out?” said Gaston.
“That doesn’t even begin to describe it. But this is where Julia and Jake insisted on getting married.”
“But do you not feel the magic?” said Gaston.
The magic? Molly wasn’t sure what Gaston was talking about, but now that he had mention
ed it, the place was kind of buzzy with something she couldn’t explain.
“Let me show you something,” said Gaston. At the opposite end of the Ballroom was a small raised stage. Behind it was a heavy purple curtain that stretched from floor to ceiling. Gaston stepped up on the stage. Molly began to follow him, but Gaston held up a hand so she stayed where she was. Gaston reached around to gently pull a cord on the right side of the curtains. They parted and Molly gasped at what she saw.
Behind the curtains was a huge stained glass window. The morning sun shone through, casting rainbows onto the floor.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Molly. “Why is this hidden?”
“The Lone Pine,” said Gaston. “It holds many secrets. There are some who do not want these secrets to be revealed. Look closely.”
At first glance, the scenes were what you would expect from a National Park. Trees. Bears, of course, and wolves. And people. People who were half people and half animals, like they were caught in the middle of changing from one form to another. The longer Molly looked, the stranger the stained glass window became.
“Are you beginning to understand?” said Gaston. “There are people and there are animals. Then there are those in between. They are people and they are animals. They are neither. They are both. This is a place for them. Do you understand?”
“No,” said Molly. “I really don’t.”
Gaston sighed sadly. “When we find our…mate…our true love, you would call it, there are no others.”
Molly felt a strange sadness come over her. She walked slowly toward Gaston. There was a magnetic pull she could neither deny nor resist. She stopped only a few inches from Gaston. This was wrong.
“I would never take you away from Larissa,” said Molly, pulling back. “I just won’t do that.”
Gaston looked as though a weight had descended onto his shoulders.
“Larissa is not my true love,” said Gaston. “And she does not love me. She is trying to steal my family inheritance by forcing me to marry her.”
“So Larissa is not your…mate…true love or whatever?” asked Molly. “Does she have a mate?