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The Tessarae Inn |
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The
Son Also Rises
CHAPTER
8 “I suspect you don’t remember me. No reason why you should but I was with your cousin the other day. Came to drop the baby off.” She stared at him with a blank face then she smiled. “The driver.” “Philip Spenser. Don’t mean to be forward but I’m a stranger to this country and it’s kind of a treat to see a familiar face.” “Cassie Callison. Nice to see you again. Out shopping?” “The grandness of this place is a marvel for a poor lad like myself. I like to walk around and just look and smell…the smells are grand.” She laughed brightly. “I know. There is no reason why I should be sitting here eating a cinnamon bun but I couldn’t resist. Why don’t you get one and join me? Maybe I won’t feel so guilty for my over indulgence.” “If it is not an imposition, I would love it. The smell is quite tempting.” Some people know how to convey pleasure in a way that is almost tangible. Cassie was one of those people. The cinnamon bun was the biggest he’d ever seen but she handled it as if every crumb was a treasure. The smile on her face made him happy. What was it about these women? Back home he had a reputation, duly earned of being deadly serious and sour. He did not place much faith in pleasure that was true but somehow in his short time in this big expansive, freewheeling country, he had found himself thinking twice about all the things he had denied himself. Mostly, he had been thinking about her. “So are you married, Mr. Spenser? Have a family here?” “My wife died recently and I came here to make a new start. Was just the two of us.” “I’m sorry. She must have been quite young.” “It was a double tragedy. She was too young to die and her death was without reason other than bad choices and foolish decisions.” Cassie stared at him and he realized he had said too much. He needed to cover himself quickly. “A train wreck. I asked her not to go but she refused. There was a terrible accident and I lost her.” “You must know it was not her fault then.” “My heart must rage at something or it will drown in its own sorrow.” Cassie looked off into the distance and he knew he needed to change the subject. “I enjoy this place. I enjoy my job and your cousin reminds me that nice people do exist in this world.” Cassie smiled. “You actually just missed her. She was shopping like mad.” “I guess she can afford it.” “Yes, she can but this wasn’t for herself. She was getting some things to surprise someone else.” “Like I said, your cousin is a very nice woman.” “Yes, she is.” “And beautiful. Is she seeing anyone?” Cassie’s eyes grew large. “She’s married.” “I suspected as much given the baby and all but is she happily married?” “Very.” “Her husband is a man of some means and power, I surmise. Does he treat her right?” “Mr. Spenser…” “Phil.” “Phil, this is getting a little personal. I am not comfortable discussing my cousin’s private life.” “Maybe you will understand this, maybe you won’t. After my wife died, I never thought I would feel anything again. Then I met your cousin and …” “She loves her husband and he loves her and they both love their children without restraint.” “Forgive me if I overstepped my station. I needed to know just in case. I know better than most that love is a gift.” He gritted his teeth when he realized that she seemed on the verge of tearing up. He really didn’t have the time or inclination to deal with an emotional female. He stood up and crumbled his cinnamon bun wrapper then tossed it into a nearby can. “You have a nice day, Miss Callison. It was a pleasure to spend a moment with you. And don’t worry about your cousin. Life is just so often about missed opportunities, I wanted to be sure that what was impossible was indeed impossible.” Cassie nodded. He bent his head as if he was tipping his hat to her then Sean-Ryan turned and walked toward the north end of the mall. So Blair Manning was in love and happy. In all likelihood, Todd Manning did not deserve her but what was, was. Katherine’s son was probably in good hands and maybe finally had a chance to be a happy. And Katherine was dead. Sitting across from Cassie Callison he had come to a startling revelation: he came to America hoping to find Katherine alive. Flynn had been right to question his sanity given all the drinking and whoring around he had done lately. But, if he knew about this trip, it would have pushed Flynn over the edge. And in the end it didn’t matter because Katherine was not here and never would be. He had to face the truth. It was time to go home and get back to work. ======== “You gave him a cell phone?” “Just like Starr’s. He’s upset. This is a strange house. He can call if he needs us.” “Needs us? Why the hell would he need us? I don’t like this, Blair. Not at all.” “You’ve been to Viki’s. You’ve seen that room she had him in. A huge bed with flowers everywhere. He looked lost and alone. I left Viki’s and went straight to the mall. In two hours I got the furniture, the clothes and the other things for the room and in another hour the room was ready for him. I bet he’ll have his first good night’s sleep in weeks in that bed tonight.” “Don’t you think you should have talked to me about this first? He’s a stranger.” “He told me that you stopped by every morning to check on him.” “Well, that was just as a favor to Viki and a hell of a long way from having the kid move in with us.” “I tried to reach you several times but your phone was off. Where were you by the way?” “Don’t try to change the subject. You brought that child home without talking to me and Starr doesn’t like him. This can’t work out, Blair. I can’t have Starr all upset.” Blair moved close to Todd and touched his arm. “She did a terrible thing to him and I want her to understand that. I’m hoping that having more contact with him will soften her stance and let her apologize.” “What are you all of a sudden, Mother Teresa or something? All of her friends will know he’s living with us.” “He’s just a little boy visiting for a few days.” “This isn’t like you, Blair. It’s not fair to set up a situation where that child could get hurt just to punish Starr.” “This is not about punishing Starr, although I hope like hell she will develop some compassion.” “What is it about then?” Blair bit her lower lip for a minute. “I couldn’t leave him there, Todd. I just couldn’t do it. He was alone. I know what that…” “The house is crawling with people. Jess and Natalie are there. And Viki will be back soon.” “Jess and Natalie are busying. They barely talked to him. And I’m sure Viki did the best she could but she’s out of the country.” “I don’t like this, Blair.” Blair moved closer. “I’m getting that message but will you just roll with me on this one?” “How about this? I’ll go talk to him. He was probably happier at Viki’s.” “He’s asleep and so are Starr and Jack. The door is locked, the baby monitor is on and the children’s cell phones are on with our number set to speed dial. The only problem I see is that you still have on way too many clothes.” He stared at her with half-closed eyes then traced her lips with his index finger. “Don’t try to distract me with sex, Blair.” She kissed his finger. “Distract you? That’s the last thing I want to do. I want your full attention on me. I want to take your breath away. I want to feel your body tremble and see your eyes roll back in your head. I want to hear you beg for it.” “What are you saying? You think I’m easy or something?” “I think I love you and there’s nothing easy about it.” He smiled. “Don’t play me, Blair.” “You don’t like to be played? Could have fooled me.” She turned away slightly. “I’ll go unlock the door and let you get some sleep.” He pulled her back around and closer to him. “Okay, I’ll let you play me, but just this once.” “Suppose I need it more than once? Can I play you all night long if I need to?” He pulled her to him and whispered, “Damn, you,” in her ear as he pulled the straps of her nightgown down. He turned her around and pressed his body close to hers. When she tilted her head to the right, he kissed her neck and cupped her breasts. She felt her nipples grow hard immediately and her breathing became hard and ragged as she sank back into him. “All night long,” he whispered. “All damn night long.”
Blair glanced up at Todd. Her head was on his chest and their limbs were intertwined and he was fast asleep. It was funny because usually she was the one who fell asleep only to awaken later wrapped in his arms and with him watching her. She listened to the sounds of Jack breathing for a few seconds then carefully brushed Todd's hair off his face. She just liked looking at him when he was so unguarded. Finally, she slowly shifted her body and carefully untangled her arms and legs from his. Maybe the gods hadn’t heard her the other day when she said her life was perfect. Maybe they were off messing with someone else for a change. Maybe, but she wanted proof. Rock solid proof that she could let her guard down and breathe like a normal person. She glanced down at Todd. Maybe she had all the proof she needed. Could she love him anymore than she did right now? And even the gods would have to admit that he showed her on a regular basis how much he loved her. Could Starr and Jack be anymore loved? What clearer sign could she hope to find? She took a deep breath and released it. She slipped on her nightgown and robe then checked on Jack, then Starr and finally Sean. She sat on the edge of Sean’s bed and watched him sleep for a few moments. She touched his hair and moved her fingers along his hairline. He was fast asleep. Did he feel safe, finally? An image of something familiar flashed through her mind but it was gone before she could catch it. What kind of threat could this small boy be to any of them? Starr needed to learn to give people the benefit of the doubt and having Sean here for a few weeks could only help with that. And she would never allow anyone or anything to come between she and Todd again. So, in the end, what did she have to worry about? Things were right in her world. She walked quickly down the hallway. She wanted to curl up next to Todd again and listen to him breathe and watch him sleep. Cherish every moment. She opened the bedroom door slowly and slipped into the room as quietly as possible so she would not wake Todd but the bed was empty. She turned quickly and found herself face-to-face with him. Her whole body trembled at the sight of him and the way he was looking at her sent chills of anticipation down her spine. She closed the door. “Lock it,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “There are at least five more hours till morning.” Comments?
The Son Also Rises FAN FICTION SLIDESHOWS
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