by Vicki Keener
An hour later, the group gathered in Agust's and Celena's suite. Cray said, “I imagine the trip has tired you. I took the liberty of ordering room service for dinner so we can eat and get to know each other better.” He answered the door when room service knocked and helped orchestrate the seating arrangements for the eight of them and asked the servers to remove the coverings from the serving dishes and set up a buffet. As they left, he slipped them each a large bill.
Darja didn't miss a thing and when he caught her staring he winked at her and she smiled. She sidled up to him and whispered, “How much has this cost you in gratuities?”
He shrugged and said, “It's my pleasure to make you comfortable.”
The more they ate, the more they relaxed and the conversation flowed in an easy manner. Angel noted her parent's fatigue and said, “Mamma and Pappa, you're tired. You should get a good night's sleep. The difference in time takes some getting used to, so we'll leave you alone to prepare for bed.”
Celena said, “Angelica, where is the kitchen? We must return these dishes.”
“The girls and I will stack them and put them in the corridor. A hotel staff member will remove them.” She kissed her mother and father's cheek and bid them good night.
When they finished clearing the room and their parent's had retired to the bedroom, Angelica said, “Bekka, Darja and Dirk, are you ready to go to bed or do you want to do something?”
“We slept on the plane,” Darja said and Dirk nodded. “I'm ready to hit the sights.”
“Well, all right then,” Mona said. “Let me make a couple of calls and we can party hearty. Bekka, you game?”
“Yes, I'll go along if it's okay with you.”
“What do you have in mind, Mona?” Cray asked.
“There's a new club in Greenwich that just opened. Freddie says it's hot. I'll call him and tell him to bring Jackson with him. Why don't you go with us?”
Cray glanced at Angelica and she said, “Why not? We're not old married folks yet.”
“I'll order a limo. Is anyone changing and when should I tell the driver to get here?”
Bekka and Darja said they wanted to shower and change and asked Mona to advise them on what to wear. Forty-five minutes later, they piled in the limo and headed for Greenwich Village and the new club. Bekka and Darja wore sexy outfits chosen by Mona that would get them noticed.
“I see Freddie and Jackson waiting outside for us,” Mona said, “We'll go in as a group and you don't need to feel like you have to stay with them. Dirk, you're mine tonight and I don't want to catch you ogling other women. Keep your eyes focused on me.”
Cray laughed and said, “She's bossy like that. If you see someone you like better, go for it. She'll survive.”
“I don't want you browsing the merchandise, either,” Angel said.
“Can't I even look?” Cray asked.
“It depends on whether you want to be left at the altar or not.”
“I found the best, why look?” She nuzzled her nose in his neck.
A line waited in front of the club. Mona introduced the two men to Dirk, Bekka, Darja and Angelica. Freddie said after the introductions, “We can go right in, our table is waiting for us.”
“Who do you know here?” Mona asked grinning.
“The owner. He invests with me and I made him so much money he bought the club. There's a table waiting whenever I want it. I made the call after your call.”
Darja had slipped her arm in Jackson's the moment they were introduced. She looked up at him and said, “Is that true?”
“Yep.”
“And what do you do for a living?” Darja asked.
“I invest in commercial real estate.” The bouncer at the door beckoned to them and as they went to the front of the line, the ones still standing there complained loud and long.
“Is that profitable?”
He stuck his hand in his pocket, jingled coins, grinned at her and said, “I can show you a good time while you're here without resorting to a bank loan.”
When they settled at the table and ordered drinks, Angel excused herself to use the restroom. She transformed her look from the cornflower blue dress she wore with a matching jacket by removing the jacket and baring her shoulders in a strapless top. She pulled the combs from her hair that kept her French twist in place, shook her head and let her long hair flow down her back. From her purse she extracted a bold shade of lipstick, applied it, splashed a dab of expensive perfume on her pulse points and sauntered back to the table where the four men stood at her appearance. Cray smiled and said, “There's my dance partner. Come on, honey, I'm in the mood to snuggle.”
Jackson leaned close to Darja's ear and said, “You must come from very good stock. Your family is so good looking.”
Darja laughed and said, “We're peasants, but we do all right. Which one of us do you think is the prettiest?”
“You're beautiful. Let's dance.”
Dirk and Mona had disappeared among the crowd and Freddie maneuvered Bekka to a less crowded and quieter corner where they could still dance and talk. She told him about being a nurse and how much she loved the job when he asked about her profession.
“Are you aware that Cray and your sister set up a foundation to help children in need who could otherwise not afford it? They asked me to serve on the board and I'm finding it so fulfilling and satisfying. We've just gotten underway and the results are remarkable. Children with crossed eyes and cleft palates are shiny and new again. I've monitored the first few children and gotten to know them. The change in their personalities and confidence is beyond belief and so wonderful to see. It was your sister's idea and Cray got on board. I'd love you to meet a few of these children if that interests you.”
“I'd love to meet them. Children are our future.”
“My family supports loads of charities and I do personally, but until I witnessed the impact on these children first hand it didn't register with me. These kids come from poor families and without a leg up their futures don't seem bright.”
Bekka frowned and said, “A leg up? I'm not familiar with that saying.”
“I'm sorry. It means a helping hand.”
She gave him a most beatific smile. “Yes, children from impoverished families can use a leg up in this country. Norway has a universal health system for all its residents.”
“Bekka, you should smile more often. You light up the room when you do.”
“I do smile for my patients. This trip and this city is a bit intimidating to me. It's the first I ever flew. The entire country of Norway has less than six million people. I live and work in a town near Oslo and I'm fearful when I go to the city by myself with its half million people.”
“One does have to be alert when in this city and there are some sections of the city I'd never venture even in an armored car.” He laughed and she joined him. “I'm sure Cray and Angelica have plans for you while you're here, but if you have any free time, I'd love to show you my New York.”
“Why don't I make myself available to you when you're free?” she said.
“I did promise Mona I'd escort you, Darja and Dirk if you wanted to experience the nightlife. Have lunch with me tomorrow and spend the afternoon with me.”
“Don't you need to work?”
“Not if I don't want to work and tomorrow I don't want to work.”
“That's very generous of your employer,” Bekka said.
“I'm my employer and my employees are happy when I take time off and leave them alone.”
“In that case, it's a date and thank you. We're staying at the Waldorf Astoria and I'll give you my room number.”
On the dance floor as Cray held her close in a slow dance, Angelica said, “I can't take long strides in this tight skirt. I never dreamed we'd be dancing tonight.”
>
“As long as you're tight against me,” Cray said, “I don't care if we do nothing more than sway.”
“Do you like my family?”
“Of course I do, honey. Your parents are wonderful and so appreciative.”
“They're overwhelmed.”
“Yes, I can tell,” Cray said, “It took courage for them to come here. It shows how much they love you and want to be with you on our wedding day.”
“Thanks to you and your parents for bringing them here. I could have afforded it, but the expense would set me back a bit.”
“Angel, I'd do anything in the world for you and so would my folks.”
Three couples returned to the table to freshen their drinks and catch their breath. Jackson sauntered toward them and Angelica said, “Where's Darja?”
“See that huge crowd of men by the bar? She's in the center of it holding court and the men are lapping up every word she utters.”
“But you're immune,” Freddie said.
“Hell, no, I'm outnumbered.”
Angelica stood and said, “This isn't right. You made a special effort to meet us here on a minute's notice. I'll talk to her.”
Jackson put his hand on Angelica's arm and said, “No, please don't cause a problem with your sister for my sake. She's not obligated to stay with me for the evening.”
Bekka said, “She does that all the time when we go out for an evening. I won't go with her anymore.”
Cray checked his wristwatch and said, “It's close to two. Is everyone ready to call it a night?” They nodded. “I'll get Darja.”
They watched him saunter through the crowd, towering above almost everyone. He got to the cluster of men surrounding Darja and said, “Fellows, excuse me. It's time for Cinderella to return to her carriage.”
He wedged his way next to Darja, put his arm around her waist and said, “Dance with me.” She had no choice but to follow him as he danced her toward the group waiting for them.
She looked up at him with her big blue eyes. “Are you rescuing me? I wasn't in danger.”
He smiled at her and said, “We're ready to leave and we wouldn't go without you.”
“You acted like you own me. I don't appreciate that Cray.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. Would you rather I stood at the edge of the crowd and whistled for your attention like an over protective big brother?”
She grinned. “No, that would be embarrassing. You don't approve of my behavior.”
“Darja, the first night I saw your sister she stood in the center of a crowd of men and I did exactly what I did tonight. My intentions were different, but it had the same effect.”
“I've been watching you since we landed. Every time you look at Angie your eyes soften and get all dreamy.”
He smiled. “I didn't realize that, but what you see on my face is the way I feel inside, too. I adore your sister. I'd do anything in the world for her. We consider ourselves lucky to have found each other.”
The days passed with dress fittings, shopping, sightseeing and in the evenings Cray and Angelica took her parents to quiet dinners, Broadway shows and the opera while the rest went seeking the nightlife that New York City provides better than any other city in the world.
Dirk and Mona indulged in a bit of petting and necking, but decided they were better suited as good friends who found each other hysterically funny. Freddie and Bekka formed a deeper bond and spent any spare time they could grab together exploring his city as he called it.
Cray walked into the condo after spending a couple of hours at work taking care of a few things only he could handle. He listened to Darja's raised voice coming from the den. She said, “I've seen everything New York City has to offer.”
“A gross exaggeration if I ever heard one,” Dirk said.
“I want to go to White Plains and meet Birch. He's probably my one and only and we need more than a couple of days to get to know each other.”
Angelica spoke, “Darja, you're acting like a petulant child. There are more people than you to consider. I thought you had fun going out every night with Jackson.”
Dirk said, “Jackson insulted her last night and she's furious.”
Cray stepped in the room and said, “Insulted you Darja? What did he say to you?”
“He called me a wild child and I don't like the implication.”
“Cray,” Dirk said, “don't defend her because she doesn't deserve it. Jackson has been a gentleman and he's put up with Darja's shenanigans, the way she throws herself at men and the provocative way she dances, it's no wonder he called her a wild child. He didn't say it in a nasty or mean way.”
“He's condescending and patronizing,” Darja said.
Cray looked at Celena and Agust sitting beside each other on the sofa with their heads bowed, shame and anguish on their faces because of their youngest daughter. He crossed the room where Angelica sat in a chair at a right angle to them. Cray perched on the wide arm of Angel's chair and placed his hand over Celena's hands folded in her lap.
Celena looked up at him and he said, “I talked to my parents this morning and they expressed how anxious they are to meet you. It occurred to me that you might enjoy spending a few extra days with them and since the dress fittings are finished we can leave any time for White Plains. Does that appeal to you?”
“You are so kind,” Celena said, “and such a generous man.” She glanced at her husband, saw his nod. “Yes, that would please us.”
“Angel, you and I will drive your parents to White Plains this afternoon after lunch, when they've packed their bags. Mona, may I depend on you to make arrangements for the rest to get there when they've checked out of the hotel?”
“Sure, I can do that. I'll rent a van.”
“I thought you didn't own a car,” Darja said still sounding like a spoiled brat.
Cray turned to her and said, “I never said that, Darja. I do own a car although I seldom use it.”
Mona said, “Bekka, I realize that Freddie invited you to meet his parents tonight at their home for dinner. Don't change your plans. You can stay at my place and Freddie planned to come to White Plains over the weekend so he can drive you if you don't mind being alone at my place.”
“I don't mind one bit and thank you. I'll call him now and tell him the plans to make sure it's okay with him.”
Mona laughed and said, “Trust me, he's going to love the change of plans. Is everybody happy?” she sing-songed. Cray and Angelica laughed.
Chapter 16
The travel plans changed again before everyone departed Cray's condominium. Cray and Angelica needed to pack for the week in White Plains, so Mona called for a limo to take the elder Anderssons, Dirk and Darja to the hotel to pack their bags and check out of the hotel while she arranged for a rental car that would hold everyone's luggage for the trip to White Plains later that afternoon.
When Bekka called Freddie, he told her he'd meet them at the hotel for lunch and see that she got to Mona's condo with her luggage. Cray said that Angelica and he would meet Celena and Agust at the hotel at two after lunch.
As the door closed behind the group, Cray embraced Angel and said, “Alone at last.”
Angel buried her head in his shoulder. “I'm sorry my family is causing these problems. You're being so nice about it. They're driving me crazy.”
“Honey, I'd do anything for you. Hold on to the thought that in another week or so you and I will be spending the next three months alone.”
They walked to the bedroom and began to pack the clothes they'd need for the coming week. They'd be back in New York City after the wedding before they left for Europe. Those suitcases already had a lot of items in them.
“My mother asked if we will spend at least a week in Oslo with them towards the end of our honeymoon. Do you object t
o doing that?”
“No, not at all. I should have thought of that. I'd love to spend time where you were born, visit the schools you went to, meet your friends and have you show me what you did for fun. We don't have a specific itinerary while we're abroad.”
“My mother meant it when she said you're kind and generous.”
“I could tell she did. Darja is embarrassing them with her outspokenness. I feel bad for them, but I don't want to tell them it's okay because I doubt they'd believe me.”
“She's acting childish and it's not becoming in a twenty-eight year old woman. Since none of the men she met worked out here in the city, she's ready to pounce on your brother, Birch. You should warn him about her.”
Cray laughed. “He's no novice when it comes to demanding women. He seems to attract that kind. He'll do one of two things. Either he'll put up with her for the short time she's here or he'll put her in her place, they'll call a truce or he'll give her the cold shoulder. They've been talking on line for months now. I doubt that she's been coy and demure the entire time.”
An hour later, Cray's phone rang. Mona said, “Put me on speaker so Angie can listen. Everyone is at the hotel getting packed. I hopped a cab to my place to pack for the week and I'm meeting them back at the hotel as soon as the rental agency drops off the car at my place. Angie I love you like a sister, but your youngest sister is driving me nuts. She wants to know the exact time when she'll meet Birch. Hell, he's not even aware we're arriving early. Your poor parents are mortified, but given the fact that Darja is a grown woman they can't control her. I didn't call for advice, I called to bitch.”
Angel laughed. “I'm sorry to laugh and I don't have any advice to offer. I told Cray he should warn Birch, but he assures me Birch has a way of handling women like my sister.”
Mona screamed with laughter. “Yeah, he does. It should be an interesting week and a half, but I'm not sure he's ever encountered or dealt with a snow princess from across the pond. They'll either kill each other or if there's chemistry the bed springs at his condo will get a workout.”