Keeping Victoria's Secret

by Melinda Peters

  “Yeah, but it would only have been Van Winkle, so what would be the harm?” interjected John.

  “But wait, it gets even weirder. The old guy leaves me a note, letting me know he’s on our side, but I’m thinking, does he just want to shove Van Winkle aside so he can get the farm? Whole thing is just plain crazy.”

  Vince looked thoughtful. “Jonathan could have a case if he really is the grandson. The thing is, what you don’t know is exactly who the hell is the old guy? Related to the Willet family? He didn’t actually say how? There’s your wild card.”

  John asked, “Jack, what do you want us to do? Sounds like Fred is taking care of the legal knots and it will all get unraveled eventually, but you realize these things never happen quickly. Get a bunch of lawyers and government helpful types together and they can make any job take ten times as long as it should. They’ll make sure it costs everybody ten times as much while they’re at it too.”

  “You guys are driving around the county all the time. What I’m asking is this. Could you watch what Van Winkle does, where he goes? I just don’t trust him. He’s been bothering Victoria, and I don’t like that. Fred may sort this mess out and win Victoria’s case for her, but I don’t want to count on that entirely. I’m going to do anything I can to keep Van Winkle from getting his greasy mitts on that property.”

  “Let me get this straight Jack, you haven’t got a dog in this fight. You don’t know for sure who owns the place, except you know that you don’t. Am I right?” asked Van Wart.

  “Sure, but I don’t want Victoria to lose it either. We sort of have an agreement, and I’m still working the place.”

  “What you’re saying is in addition to everything else, you’re a little sweet on this Victoria woman?” Van Wart said, grinning.

  Jimmy shifted his eyes sideways at Jack grinning as well. “Think you might be onto something there John.”

  Vince Cangelosi chuckled. “You guys should have been there that day the girl called nine-one-one on our pal Jack here. She thought he was going to rape her or something. Can’t say as I blame her. He was running around the place stark naked.”

  They’d all heard the story and already had many laughs at Jack's expense. He had something of a reputation locally as a ladies’ man, and the incident served only to enhance it.

  He shrugged and looked around at the three grinning faces and took a long pull on his beer.

  Vince changed the subject. “Jack, speaking as an officer of the law, we can’t be doing anything illegal for you here. Know what I mean? That wouldn’t be right.”

  He shook his head emphatically. “No Vince, nothing like that. All I want you to do is keep an eye out for anything unusual. Who knows what he might do? Do any of us trust Jonathan Van Winkle as far as we can throw him?”

  “Couldn’t throw that tub of lard very far,” said Van Wart, and they all laughed at that.

  Vince and Jimmy finished their beers and said they had to get home to their families. Both agreed to lookout for anything unusual that might be of some help.

  John stayed after the other two left and ordered more beer. He leaned over the table, lowering his voice. “Jimmy and Vince are both government guys, know what I mean? They’ll do everything totally on the level. Me now, I’m not bothered so much by my conscience. Were you to need something…?” His voice trailed off and he made a nondescript gesture with one hand above the table. “I got your back. Just let me know what you need.”

  “I appreciate that, John.”

  “This is something of a mystery. Let’s think about it for a minute. Do we know for sure if Van Winkle is really related to the Willets? Do we know who this mysterious old guy is? Nope! Lots of stuff we don't know."

  “I think Fred’s looking into all that.”

  “Now, tell me about this Victoria. She’s nice looking. Seriously man, if you’re not interested I wouldn’t mind hooking up with her.”

  He looked at his friend in surprise, startled. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Why not?” John leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “Have you taken a good look at the rack on her? And those long legs? I saw her when you two came into town the other day.”

  “Yeah…I’ve looked at her.” Jack thought guiltily of the time he spent staring through her window as she undressed.

  Later, when he returned to the farm, Jack noticed that all the downstairs lights in the house were lit. He pulled the truck into the garage and stepped outside. When he realized Victoria was sitting on the back porch, he decided he should tell her about enlisting his friends in the campaign against Van Winkle. He walked to the screen door, knocked and entered.

  “Hey Victoria.” He noticed right away that something was different about her appearance.

  “Hi Jack,” she said a bit too enthusiastically.

  He was surprised to see that she’d gone through some effort to set the small porch table elegantly as though she were expecting company. A pretty tablecloth was spread over the scarred old wooden top and a tall candle flickered above a cake missing one tremendous wedge.

  Fascinated, he saw that Victoria wore a dollop of white icing on the very tip of her nose. The little blob of frosting was a cute touch. In front of her was one of her grandmother’s china plates, liberally smeared with frosting. An empty wine glass sat next to an empty wine bottle. Victoria grinned at him, hiccupped, giggling nervously.

  Then it hit him. She’s tipsy! Proper little Victoria is snookered. Amused, he took a few steps and looked down, tempted to kiss that charming little nose and lick the frosting off.

  “Mind if I sit down Victoria? I want to talk about things.”

  “Yes. Jack I do. Want you to sit. That is, I want to talk too.” She patted the chair next to her. “Sit sit sit!” Victoria gestured wildly. “Where are my manners? Would you like to have some birthday cake with me? I’m not going to tell you today’s my birthday.”

  “Oh, I see. It’s a party then. Sure, I’d love some cake. Don’t get up I’ll get myself a plate.

  As he rooted around in the kitchen for a plate and fork, he grinned to himself. Victoria’s sure in a very friendly mood. And…she looks very sexy all dolled up tonight for her little celebration. I wonder what she’s wearing underneath that sexy outfit. Okay, cool it. Remember she’s drunk.

  Jack returned to the porch to find Vicky struggling with another wine bottle. “Did you need some help with that?”

  “I can’t understand it. I had no trouble with the other one. What’s wrong with this?” She frowned at the bottle, cork screw in hand.

  “Sit very still Victoria and don’t move.” He plucked a napkin from the table and carefully wiped the end of her nose. “There was frosting on your nose.” He took the offending bottle and easily unscrewed the twist off cap, handing it back to her.

  “Oh, I understand.” Victoria said as she looked cross-eyed, trying to see the end of her nose.

  “It’s okay. I got it all. Victoria, you look very beautiful tonight. Happy Birthday.”

  “How did you know it was my birthday?” Puzzled, she squinted, waving the bottle in the general direction of her glass.

  “Just a lucky guess.” Jack said dryly as he rescued the hovering wine bottle and poured them both a glass and sat down to join her. Cutting himself a piece of cake, he took a bite and smiled. “This is delicious!”

  She rested her elbows on the table and looked at him, blinking. “Thanks, it’s my favorite, chocolate with cream cheese frosting.” She leaned over and whispered. “I’m not giving any cake to you. I mean I’m not bringing you a cake, like you said those other women are always doing.”

  “I see that.” He smiled.

  Draining her glass she said, “This is good! Jack, what are we going to do?”

  “About what?” he said around a mouthful of cake.

  “The farm and everything. Van Winkle scares me.”

  “Victoria, I’m sure it’ll work out all right in the end. Let’s try not to worry about it
. This cake is wonderful.”

  Vicky began to sniffle, and dab at her eyes.

  Oh shit! Don’t start crying.

  “Jack, I’m gonna lose everything. Just when I thought everything was fine, kaplowey! Overnight it’s all turned upside down. Then on top of everything else I turned twenty-six today and my life….” The tears came in earnest, like a summer shower.

  Crap, I never should have stopped to talk to her. Let me out of here. She’s having a melt down! Panicking, he indicated the empty wine bottle, hoping to change the subject. “Did you like the local apple wine?”

  Vicky nodded; dabbing at her eyes with a paper napkin, and then blew her nose. “Jack, I’m twenty-six years old and I never, well I never… Oh, never mind what I never.”

  He was having a hard time keeping a straight face. “You never what, Victoria?”

  “I’ve never even had a boy friend. No relationships, no nothing. I flunked life, or at least the most important part of life. Oh, why am I telling you all this?” she said as the tears started up again.

  “Maybe I’m just lucky?” He considered escaping back to his apartment. “You never dated anyone in high school, or had a college sweetheart? No boy next door?”

  She shook her head decisively. “No Jack, I took care of Nanna.”

  “Didn’t your parents help?”

  “They died almost ten years ago.”

  He remembered Fred telling him about the car accident.

  Gulping her wine she gestured with the glass. “There was one guy, at the library that was real friendly.” she confessed. “We had a couple of dates, but that never went anywhere.

  Jack poured the rest of the bottle into her glass.

  “I only went one semester to community college before I dropped out to take care of my Nanna.” Hiccup! “Nope, nobody wants me. My life sucks.”

  “Victoria, it can’t be that bad?”

  She took another healthy gulp from her glass and set it carefully down. Vicky looked directly at him as tears streamed down her cheeks. She blinked, opened her mouth to speak and then shut it again.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Snuffling and dabbing at her eyes, she blurted in a rush. “I’ve never done it.”

  “Done what?” He was puzzled.

  “I’ve been kissed a few times, but I’ve never done it.” Her voice became louder as she began shouting. “You know, sex! I’m a twenty-six year old virgin.” Her head sank onto her arms and she started to weep. “Nobody wants me! Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

  Please God. Let me out of here! He couldn’t believe she was telling him either. What can I say? How can I help? Oh no, forget that. He’d gotten way more than he bargained for when he decided to stop by. This was definitely too much information.

  “I’ve never had sex…except in my imagination,” When she said this, her head popped up, a curious smile spread across her face and she continued, “but in my imagination, I’m very, very good. I’m real good at the sex thing!”

  This was becoming just a little too weird. He sipped his wine thoughtfully and leaned back. “I see,” he said.

  “I want another piece of this cake. Hey, it’s my birthday, right?” She sighed and pulled the cake plate closer and cut another generous slice. “Damn Jack, why is my life such a mess. Am I so plain and homely that no man wants me?”

  “You’re not plain and homely. You’re beautiful. I just told you that. Not only are you quite pretty, you can cook too. Mind if I take another piece of your cake?”

  “Sure, let’s eat the whole thing.” Hiccup. “You’re just being nice to me. Do you really think I’m pretty?” Hiccup. “Oh dear.” She reached for the wine bottle and as she tipped it to pour into her glass, Jack guided her hand and set it down. Draining the glass she stared at it, looking confused.

  “I think it’s empty, Victoria.”

  “Yeah, I knew that. Yes, it’s good, the apple stuff. You said they use our apples?”

  He nodded, still chewing. He noticed that she’d said our apples.

  Vicky’s head bobbed up suddenly, bright eyed. “Jack, down in the cellar there’s some more wine. No labels, just sitting there a little dusty. Can we drink it?”

  “Oh right. I guess that must be some of Uncle Charley’s Apple Jack.”

  “Apple Jack? Is that your apple wine, like this stuff?” said Victoria twisting the bottle to squint at the label.

  “You could say that. Kind of like apple wine, just more thoroughly processed.”

  “Great! Go get some. Please.”

  “I don’t know. Not sure that’s a good idea, Victoria.”

  “Come on Jack. I want to try it. It was made from our apples and I want to try it. Bet it’s good.”

  “Yeah, our apples, but don’t say later that I didn’t warn you.”

  Jack went down into the cellar, returned with a bottle and found the corkscrew. When the cork gave its little celebratory pop as it left the bottle, she applauded enthusiastically.

  “Jack, this is a real party. This is fun.”

  As he poured them each a glass, he thought, “The party may be fun, but not too smart.” He touched his glass to hers and smiled. “Happy Birthday, Victoria.”

  The wine glasses clinked musically. She raised hers and sniffed at the liquor. “It smells good. Very appley. Our apples are in here?” She peered in the glass and took a small tentative sip and emitted a little purr of approval. Then, to Jack’s horror, she downed half the glass in one big gulp. She gasped, audibly drawing in her breath. “Oh my god.” she rasped. “You didn’t tell me it tastes like lighter fluid.”

  He shook his head. “You’re supposed to just slowly sip on it, not toss it back like that.” This is a really bad idea.

  “Oh. Okay.” She took another tiny sip.

  “Victoria, getting back to what you were saying, your life isn’t messed up. You’ve never had a relationship, but that doesn’t mean you never will. Who knows? Trust me, you’re not unattractive.”

  “You really mean that? I was busy with Nanna and with the writing. I mean working.”

  “What do you write? Is it technical stuff?”

  Vicky sat back, toying with her glass. She demurely gave him a conspiratorial grin. “You’d never believe it even if I told you.” She paused, hiccupped again and continued. “But I’m not going to tell you.” She lowered her voice. “It’s a secret.” Hiccup.

  She rested her forearms on the table, yawning expansively. “Thank you Jack, you’re nice. Really, really nice.”

  He watched Vicky’s head lower slowly onto her arms. “She’s asleep!” Sighing, he shrugged, and got up. “Been here, done this before,” he muttered.

  Very gently he picked Vicky up and carried the sleeping girl up the stairs and laid her on the big sleigh bed. Looking down at her he smiled as she began to snore softly. He resisted the urge to remove her clothes, covered her with the quilt on the end of her bed, and went through the house turning off the lights

  Victoria’s Decadent Chocolate Birthday Cake

  A delicious moist three-layer chocolate cake

  with either chocolate whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.

  Ingredients for Cake:

  1 cup cocoa

  1 3/4 cups fresh hot coffee

  1/4 dark rum

  2 3/4 cups flour, sift before measuring

  2 teaspoon baking soda

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  1 cup butter, room temperature

  2 1/2 cups sugar

  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

  4 eggs, room temperature

  Combine cocoa with hot coffee and mix well, then cool to room temperature. Stir in rum. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 3 – 9” round layer cake pans. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar until well creamed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, add vanilla. At lower speed, beat in 1/4 of flour mixture a
lternately with 1/3 cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not over beat. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove and cool on rack. Wrap and chill layers for easier handling.

  Whipped Cream Frosting:

  3 cups whipping cream, very cold

  1cup sugar

  3/4 cup cocoa

  3 teaspoons vanilla

  Chill bowl and beaters.

  Sift together cocoa and powdered sugar. Whip cream on slower speed, adding sifted cocoa mixture gradually. Add vanilla, then increase speed until thickened. Fill layers generously, then frost swirling lavishly. Chocolate shavings or a sifted dusting of cocoa are a nice touch.

  Cream Cheese Frosting

  2 – 8 oz packages cream cheese, chilled

  1cup butter, softened. (2 sticks)

  1 tablespoon vanilla, or 1 teaspoon almond extract and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

  2 lbs. powdered sugar. Sifting helps to incorporate, but not necessary.

  Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add softened butter, beat well. Add vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Chill about 30 minutes. Fill and frost. Freezes well.

  Chapter 12

  Vicky took one look in the mirror and gasped. “Horrible! I look horrible. How could a little wine do so much damage?” Head pounding, she shuddered. The aspirin she'd just swallowed was burning a hole in her stomach.

  After a long warm shower, working with hairbrush and makeup, she did her best to repair the ravages of the night before and then ventured slowly downstairs. She approached the coffee maker cautiously. Squinting against the bright morning light, she measured out coffee and water, and jabbed a finger at the on switch. Hurry up coffee pot.

  She was pouring her first cup as the coffee pot was gurgling to a conclusion when Jack rapped on the back door. She shrieked tossing most of the coffee on the counter as she whipped around to see his smiling face. Damn that man. He looks even better than he did last night.