I Remember (Remembrance Series)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  When we arrived at his townhouse, he parked out by the curb, rather than in the driveway, and I pulled up behind him. He unloaded my things and took them inside. “I need just a few minutes to grab some clothes and then we’ll be on our way. Make yourself at home.”

  “Why did you bring my things inside?”

  “It’s a surprise. One of the perks of being a Worthington,” he said smoothly, giving me a wink. His hand reached up to caress my chin and lifted it up to meet his gaze. His lips brushed gently over mine. “I just want this weekend to be wonderful and full of surprises. Can you trust me?”

  “Yes, I trust you with all my heart.”

  While he finished packing, I decided to go freshen up in the upstairs bedroom. For some inexplicable reason, the room seemed to call to me and, since I really didn’t stay in it when I was here, I felt the need to go up see it, again.

  The moment I stepped into the guest room I felt at home. I walked over to the full length Victorian mirror and just stared at the image, which was not my own, Angeline’s. Memories of dreams past started flooding my mind. Images of Angeline, sitting on the bed, reading by way of an oil lantern at night. I reached over and touched the nightstand, where she placed the books she was reading and kept fresh flowers from Daniel.

  My body trembled with all these recollections. How am I visualizing all of this? A knock at the open door alerted me to Gregory’s presence. “Are you ready to go?”

  Through the mirror, I watched as he entered the room. Only it wasn’t Gregory coming in, it was Daniel. My hand shot to my mouth and my body shook with fear. He looked worried as our eyes met in the reflection. “Is everything alright, Jordan?”

  “How is it that I remember this furniture, Daniel?” I realized my mistake as soon as I said it.

  His eyes widened as he dashed across the room, encircling my shoulders with his arms. “Shh, it’s ok, Jordan. Daniel is a part of the past, I’m here, now.” He turned me around and pulled me close against his chest, kissing the top of my forehead.

  My head began to feel fuzzy and I tried to push away from him. Suddenly, everything shifted as I felt myself falling forward. I heard the muffled words. “Jordan….no.”

  My eyes fluttered open as I heard and felt the purr of a car’s engine. “Thank goodness.” Gregory’s voice sounded relieved. “You had me worried.”

  I turned to him. “I have your seat leaned back as far as it will go. Don’t try to sit up until you feel you’re ready to.” He instructed.

  “What happened?” I questioned.

  He looked over at me, quickly, then back at the road, as his hand found mine and began squeezing. “I’m not sure. One minute I found you staring at my guest room furniture and the next you looked like you had seen a ghost and passed out in my arms. I put you in the bed for awhile, hoping you would come around. I finally went to my neighbor, a resident at one of the hospitals, and had him take a look at you. He said you were probably shocked by something and that you’d come around, soon.”

  “Thank you.” I realized we were in an unfamiliar vehicle. “Whose car is this and where are we headed?”

  “It’s mine. A present from my parents for my twenty-first birthday. I rarely use it, but thought I would drive it for a change of pace and to hopefully make it an extra special weekend for you.” He smiled warmly. “We should be at my parent’s house in about half an hour. My neighbor said it should be safe enough for you to travel.”

  “I think I can sit up now.” Before I knew it, my seat was automatically lifting into a more upright position.

  I got a better look at the car we were in. The exterior appeared to be white, while the interior was the most breathtaking cerulean blue leather I had ever seen. The car appeared to be a two-seater with a small space in the back for a few items. The electronics were definitely high end. It was a beauty to behold.

  “You like the car?” He questioned, smiling.

  “It‘s beautiful. What kind of car is it?” I wasn’t familiar with the logo affixed to the steering wheel.

  “It’s an Aston Martin Vantage Roadster convertible,” he proclaimed with pride.

  “But, aren’t most convertible’s soft tops?”

  “Most are, but I’m safety conscious and my parents understand that; so, they purchased a hard top for me,” “I wouldn’t have bought something so lavish for myself, but my parents felt guilty for having bought my brothers new sports cars and not getting me one.”

  He turned, smiled and made a quick wink at me. “I have to admit, I love driving it. You can drive it this weekend if you want.”

  “It’s stunning, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking it for a spin.”

  After we drove a few minutes in silence, he asked, “Do you know why you fainted and why you called me Daniel?”

  “I think the furniture belonged to Angeline. I saw a vision of her sitting on the bed and looking in the mirror.”

  At that moment, my phone rang and I followed the sound to my purse, on the floorboard of the car. “Hello?”

  Gregory mouthed the words, “Who’s that?”

  I held the phone from my ear for a moment as I said, “It’s Mom; she made it to Uncle Henry’s.”

  He reached over and held my hand as I finished my conversation.

  The houses rushing past the window caught my attention, as they began to grow bigger in size and the subdivisions more elaborate, some with gated fences.

  I suddenly realized I had no idea where we were. “Where are we?”

  His hand patted my knee. “Windcrest. On the southwest part of town. We should be there in a few minutes.”

  Gregory turned into a gated subdivision marked Lake Buchard Estates. He paused, momentarily, to enter a code into the box and the heavy metal gates swung open. He continued on before turning into a long, brick paved driveway and up to a two-story, Tuscan house with a tiled roof and large majestic windows.

  My stomach was suddenly unsettled, finally realizing how well off his family really was. I was totally out of my element. Before I could even say a word, he pulled my hand to his lips, kissing it, gently. “The house is not as big as it appears. Remember, my family had very humble beginnings—no need to put on airs here, just be yourself.”

  He came around to get my door. Before I could completely stand and get my balance, his parents bounded out the door with open arms. “You must be Jordan,” a beautiful blonde with emerald green eyes exclaimed, throwing her arms around me in a friendly hug. “I’m his mom; call me Lorraine.”

  No sooner than Lorraine let me out of her embrace; when she grabbed her son and gave him a warm hug. In the meantime, I was being swallowed up by his dad’s arms. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jordan. I’m the dad; please call me Douglas. My father, Frederick, will join us later this evening for dinner.”

  His dad stood around six feet, with a sturdy, muscular build, and golden brown hair with a touch of white along the ear line.

  Gregory grabbed both of our bags in one hand and slipped the other around my waist, drawing me protectively to his side. “Let’s go inside so I can show you to your room and give you the grand tour before we sit down for lunch.”

  I felt calm as long as I was close to him. I was grateful I had listened to his suggestion of us both wearing shorts and t-shirts, today, as his parents dressed in a similar manner.

  “Lunch should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Lorraine told her son. Then turning to me, she asked, “I hope you don’t mind hamburgers and hot dogs? We are grilling out on the lanai.”

  “That sounds delicious, Mrs. Worthington.” I haven’t had a grilled burger since my dad last barbequed.

  She touched my arm lightly, smiling. “Honey, please don’t be so formal. Call us by our first names.”

  “Okay Lorraine.”

  “Welcome to our home, Jordan. Please, make yourself comfortable.” Lorraine spoke warmly, as we followed her and Douglas inside.

  My eyes could not believe how grand the entryway was
. It was practically a room, itself, with both the living room and dining room connected and a large winding staircase, with wrought iron balustrade, flanking one side. The open second floor overlooked the entire living space. I was awestruck by the beauty of the home; however, even though the architecture was majestic, the furniture was downplayed and comfortable; giving a welcoming feeling.

  I watched Lorraine and Douglas disappear through the dining area and into the kitchen. Gregory grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs. “We have a loft and three bedrooms up here. My parent’s room is downstairs. Here’s your room.” He opened the door and placed my bag on the bed.

  The room was amazing, decorated with deep burgundy and gold. The bed was a rich maple, four-poster, double bed. “Wow, this room is fabulous.” I went over to the window to check out the view and found a wonderful balcony seating area, overlooking the pool and the lake. “The view is breathtaking. What lake is that?”

  He smiled warmly as he walked over, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my shoulder, “That’s Lake Louise. We can go swimming and jet skiing later, if you want.”

  “I’ve never been jet skiing. Is it fun?” My heart pounded at the thought of doing something different and exciting, for once.

  “I think you will like it. I’m glad you like the room; it is actually mine,” he whispered as he began placing tiny kisses just below my earlobe.

  “You don’t have to give me your room. I would be happy to sleep in one of the other bedrooms. Where are you going to sleep?”

  “I will take the room next door or I can stay in here with you, if you like. My parents understand that we both have old-fashioned values and trust us to do what’s right. I already told them that we like to cuddle.”

  His candor was a bit overwhelming, but comforting. “I guess it’s up to you, as long as I have privacy to bathe and change.”

  I felt his arms start to turn me toward him. His hands held my head in place as the fullness of his lips met mine, parting them slightly.

  He finally came up for air, leaving me breathless and lightheaded. “That should be no problem. We should head down before they think we are up to something. Come on and I will give you the rest of the tour on the way out to the patio.”

  I discovered that the upstairs patio was actually a wrap around lanai that had stairs leading down to the pool area. The loft must have been part of the children’s play area, because it had several video game consoles, DVD’s, CD’s, books and board games.

  The downstairs consisted of a formal dining room, living room, kitchen, breakfast nook, family room, wet bar and small theater room. The kitchen was amazing, all stainless steel appliances with deep hued cherry wood cabinets, a center island and a breakfast bar that could accommodate at least six people. The family room opened out to the pool and lake area that contained a built-in barbeque grill, small refrigerator and preparation area, along with a patio table large enough to entertain a small crowd.

  Before Gregory could show me anymore, his mother spoke up. “You can finish the tour after we eat; lunch is ready.”

  We made our way to the table. “Is there anything I can do to help, Lorraine?”

  “Don’t be silly, Jordan. You’re our guest this weekend; enjoy yourself.”

  We both sat down across from his parents and began passing the food around. There was a delightful array of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fruit salad, a nice green salad and unsweetened tea to drink.

  For a moment, I started to tear up, recalling similar times with my mom and Dad. Gregory leaned over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Everything all right, Darling?”

  I looked up to see everyone concerned. “I’m fine. I waved my hand across the table. “It’s just that this reminds me of last summer and the last time my dad barbequed. It brought back a beautiful memory.”

  Douglas and Lorraine were quick to apologize; but I told them not to worry, they are happy memories that I needed to hold on to. Gregory leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Remember, your dad is still watching over you and loves you dearly, as do I.”

  The food was amazing and the conversations enlightening. Lorraine told me about herself, her side of the family and about her other sons and their wives. She said her parents lived in Virginia, along with a brother, sister and several cousins.

  Douglas was just as talkative, telling me all about his parents, his brother in Colorado, a sister in Philadelphia, and how Worthington Industries came to be.

  I tried to return the pleasantries by telling a little about my parents, that I was an only child, along with a little information about my job. To my surprise, they had already heard everything from Gregory. I turned to him. “You weren’t kidding when you said they knew all about me.”

  He squeezed my hand lightly. “I’m sorry Jordan. I guess that wasn’t very polite of me, but I wanted them to know how wonderful you are and how much I love you.”

  Lorraine reached across the table and patted my hand in reassurance. “Don’t worry Jordan; Douglas was the same way when we dated.”

  Her smile was endearing as she turned and gazed, lovingly, into her husband’s eyes. I could feel their love, after all these years of being together, reminding me of the affection my parents shared.

  After lunch, Gregory took me for a tour of the property, showing me the boat house, a Jet Ski and power boat in the water, as well as a small sitting area looking toward the west. . The view was amazing. I couldn’t wait for sunset.

  We finished with a tour of the garage. I was surprised to see that the three car garage was anything but. While there were three doors leading to it, it was quite lengthy, holding several more cars in the back. Before I could ask, he explained that a couple of the cars were his brother’s. Plus, he had a vehicle, a deep blue Mercedes ML 350, stored here—a gift from his parents for his graduation-- but it was a bit too ostentatious to drive all the time.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Maybe you would like to drive it?” His voice was hopeful.

  “I couldn’t possibly drive something so expensive.”

  “I figured you wouldn’t, just thought I would ask. I hate to see it just sit here.”

  He grabbed hold of my hand, as we walked back toward the house, “You ready to go for a spin around the lake and maybe a swim?”

  I nodded, knowing my huge smile lit up my face with anticipation.

  We quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed out to the dock, where Gregory took me for a spin around the lake on one of the jet skis. I had never been on one before, but loved how I was able to get close to him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, holding on.

  The lake was much bigger than I had imagined, it even had its own little island in the center; that looked to have a few picnic tables and an area for volleyball. To my surprise, he pulled up to a small dock on the island and climbed off.

  “Why are we stopping?”

  “Because it’s your turn to drive,” he said with a quirky grin on his face.

  I moved forward on the seat, as he climbed back on behind me. His arms wrapped tightly around me, as he leaned in to whisper, “I love having you wrapped up in my arms. Now that I’ve found you, Jordan, I won’t ever let you go.”

  To my surprise, the Jet Ski was not that difficult to drive, given Gregory’s detailed instructions. It reminded me of driving my cousin’s go-cart, as a kid.

  We took a few spins around the lake before retiring to the pool, where we sunned, swam and conversed with his parents. I found myself falling freely into conversation with Lorraine, especially when we talked about history.

  I wasn’t as comfortable talking with Douglas. I mainly listened to him and Gregory’s excitement as they discussed a couple of upcoming company projects.

  After a while, his parents went inside, citing Gregory’s grandfather would be there soon, so they needed to get dinner prepped. I suddenly felt a little nervous about meeting the matriarch of the family.

 
; “Maybe we should go in, too,” I suggested, grabbing my cover-up.

  He could sense my nervousness. “Don’t fret, my grandfather is much easier to talk to than my parents; and they adore you!” He grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me close which immediately relaxed me.

  Gregory showed me to his bathroom and insisted on drawing me a bath, after he caught me eyeing his huge tub.

  “According to Mom, dinner will take some time; so enjoy your bath and take all the time you need.” He kissed my forehead and smiled in a secretive way as he turned to leave.

  The water was perfect, loaded with bubbles, leaving a light vanilla scent lingering in the air. It was just what I needed. All the built up tension of work, life and everything else, just melted away.

  When the water began to cool, I decided it was time to get dressed and offer Lorraine some assistance with dinner. I was surprised to see my, navy and white, polka dot sundress, along with a light weight, white bolero sweater, that wasn’t mine, laid out on the bed, and my white sandals on the floor.

  I took a deep breath, to steady my nerves, and dressed in the attire laid out for me. I used the hair dryer in the bathroom to dry my hair loosely, so it would form waves and curls. I kept my make-up to a minimum, only using a little bit of blush, mascara and some pale pink lipstick.

  There was a light knock at the bedroom door. “Come in,” I said softly.

  Gregory opened the door, hesitantly, “Just wanted to make sure you were dressed.”

  “No worries. I was just trying to put on the necklace you gave me. Whose sweater is this?”

  He looked quite handsome in his lightweight, white linen button down shirt with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up. Of course, his shorts were navy to match.

  He took the necklace from my hands, “Let me help you with this, Jordan.”

  I turned around, pulling my hair to the side, as he fastened the clasp at the back of my neck. He leaned into my neck delivering a multitude of light kisses. “You look breathtaking, tonight and you smell divine.