Chapter 9
Buoyed by her talk with Diego, Annie phoned Gemma Kendrick for an appointment as soon as she got back home. She drove over that day. “Hey, nice to see you,” Gemma said, smiling warmly. Annie couldn’t help but admire her sophisticated summer suit in deep mauve with beige heels on her feet. “I was hoping you would come in some time.”
“You always look so nice, Gemma.”
A shadow passed through the counselor’s eyes. “Ah…thank you.”
Annie offered, “I always dress up when I’m feeling bad.”
“I prefer these clothes. And this isn’t about me, but we could have lunch some time and talk as friends. Now, where would you like to start?”
“I’m having some trouble with being kidnapped.”
Perfect brows arched. “Of course you are. I know what happened. You poor thing. Tell me more.”
“I dream I’m back in that basement. The stink, the darkness. I thought I was going to die there.”
“I can’t imagine it. Dreams? Flashbacks?”
“Both. I had a flashback coming over here. I had to pull over. Denzi was still alive and cutting me.”
“Show me your arms.”
Annie took off her light outer shirt. “Shallow. Good. Will it scar?”
“The docs don’t think so.”
“That’s good, too, though the internal scarring won’t heal for a long time.”
“What do I do, Gemma?”
“The common treatment for PTSD is talking about it. Once you bring those memories out in the open, they can’t hurt you as much. Eventually, hopefully, they’ll go away. Who do you share things with?”
“Maisy. My sister Bianca.” She looked away briefly. “It’s easiest with Diego. Rodriguez. We have history.”
“Fill me in on him.”
When Annie was done, Gemma sat back. “Wow. That’s a very complicated past.”
“It is.”
“But?”
“I couldn’t stay away when he got hurt. That’s why I ended my engagement to Seth.”
“We were all surprised.”
“I dreamed last night I married the wrong man. Seth, instead of Diego.”
“Maybe you’re ready to see Diego again. What’s happened since?”
Again, she gave Gemma more details.
“Your relationship has gone far.”
“We’re backing off some now. Friends only. We’re both overwhelmed with feelings.”
Gemma gave her an indulgent nod. “That’s okay for now. But you might want to consider sleeping together soon. I find that it cures many ills.”
Annie laughed out loud. “He’ll like hearing that.”
“Now let’s get back to Denzi Lomax. She died.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you feel guilty?”
“No. Not at all. But I do feel bad for a young girl so corrupted that she ended up this way though.”
“That’s okay. You’re a nice person.”
“But…”
Gemma waited.
“I think I’m angry too. I didn’t realize it until just now.”
“Then let’s talk about that.”
Annie felt better when she left Gemma’s office. The woman was a mystery to her, to everyone, but she was a great therapist.
Checking her watch, she saw it was lunchtime. Maybe she’d stay and visit Maisy.
She found her friend alone in the office. On the phone. “This is Maisy again. Please, Mr. Kane, Jackson, let me know you’re all right. I’m very worried. Especially if you’re alone. You don’t have to be.” She disconnected and Annie said, “Sorry, Maisy, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
Maisy pivoted. “That’s okay. I’d tell you about it but that’s private information. I don’t think Mr. Kane would like me to share.”
“That’s all right. So, you’re back to Mr. Kane?”
She shrugged. “No, but I’m trying to stay distant from him.”
“You’re attracted to each other.”
“I’ve stifled all that. If he feels it, he has too.”
“Maisy, how many times have you told me stifling isn’t good?”
“Too many. Talk to me about what happened to you. I was at Diego’s when they were searching for you.”
“Yeah. I heard you got Jackson in on all that. He saved me. Thanks.”
She smiled. Maisy smiled. And Annie felt better.
* * *
“Hey, Adam.” Diego was on a first name basis with the principal of Pathways because of Annie. He nodded to Mick Thomas. “Chief. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“We have some things to talk about with you.”
He sat.
Adam said, “I’ll start. The boys will be leaving us in September. How would you feel about joining us here at Pathways for June, the first month?”
Diego waited.
“I understand you’re not ready to go back to police work yet.”
“I’m not.”
“I think you’d be a good influence on them. And you could really help the kids learn to get along with law officers.”
“Boys like them usually hate cops.”
“Then we need to change their minds.”
“What would I do?”
He held up a binder. “Jackson has finished the curriculum for the summer program a bit later than he expected because he’d been tied up with other things.” He handed Diego the binder. “It’s very creative.”
“He wasn’t available today? I’d like to talk to him, thank him again for rescuing Annie.”
“He’s taking some time for himself.”
“Ah, I get it. He feels bad about Denzi.”
“He feels bad whenever he loses somebody he tried to save.”
Diego cleared his throat. “I know the feeling.” He leaned forward. “Well, let me see those plans.”
Chief Thomas stood. “I’m leaving. In case you want to do this, which I sanction, know that I approve of this work only as a stopgap, until you have time to heal physically and mentally.”
“We’ll see.”
Diego left the office building with the binder in hand. He hadn’t committed to anything. He was almost at the gate when he saw Annie emerge from the classroom building. He waited for her. “Hey, babe.” Automatically he leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“Hey.” She held onto his arm. “I didn’t know you were on campus.”
“Yeah. You won’t believe this. Adam Phillips wants to hire me for the summer.”
“Oh, for his interim session?”
“To work with the boys.” He held up the binder.
“Are you interested?”
“I think so. Do you teach here in the summer?”
“No. I’m going back soon, though, to finish out the year.”
“You decided.”
“Yeah. In a week. I just had a session with Gemma.”
“I’m seeing Caleb today.”
“Are you glad?”
“It’s hard.”
“It is. You want to get some lunch before that? Maybe we can talk about second chances.”
“I like that idea.”
She smiled.
He smiled.
The sun came out.
* * *
The courtship lasted four days…
“You remembered!” Annie said when they were seated at La Belle Gourmande, just inside the city limits of Syracuse. The hushed atmosphere and the dim lighting coordinated with the soft white tablecloths and black napkins. This place was classy.
“Of course I did. We were planning to come here when you graduated after you came back to Westwood to live.”
She hadn’t returned to their hometown for three years. That part of their past was still painful.
Reaching across the table, he grasped her hands. His were firm and strong. “Hey, no shadows in those beautiful eyes of yours.”
“Okay. No shadows.”
He’d already ordered champagne. It arrived and when the waiter uncorked it, the pop was loud and caused patrons to stare at them. “A toast,” he said, after it was poured. “To a new courtship.”
“To a new courtship.”
The champagne was crisp and cold, just as she liked it. Annie cocked her head. “I missed you, Diego. So much. I kept trying not to admit that to myself, but I finally had to.”
“And I missed you, querida .” They smiled at each other. “Let’s talk about the future. Not the past.”
“All right. Are you excited about your new job at Pathways?”
“Very. I read the binder Adam gave me. Jackson Kane is a real innovator.”
“I’m…worried about him.”
“Because he took off like he did?”
“How do you…”
“Adam confided in me. He’s worried.”
“I am too. And Maisy’s a wreck. She tried to console him after Denzi died but she couldn’t get through to him.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“They’d make an interesting couple.”
“They might. Except for the conflict of interest. Plus, Maisy hasn’t had good luck with any of her beaux.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she gets bored with them.”
“Jackson is anything but boring. And we owe him a lot for finding you.”
“We do. Maybe we can help bring them together.”
He shook his head. “Are you content at Pathways?”
“I’ve always been content there. I love the job.”
“No aspirations to move up?”
Her jaw dropped. “And be an administrator? God, no.”
Annie steered the conversation to his family, hers, some people they knew, but stayed away from talk of their current counseling and the latest series of events. All she wanted now was to enjoy Diego, their truce, perhaps their new beginning they had to look forward to.
* * *
“You hate wine tastings.”
“They’re just not my thing. And besides, this is for you.” He ducked his head. “I’m embarrassed that I’d never go with you in summers when you were home from school.”
“No talk about the bad parts of the past.”
“You’re on.”
They perused the selection. The reds they sipped were dry and the whites even dryer. Diego found he liked some of the merlots and purchased a few bottles. Annie bought three different kinds of white.
When they finished, they stowed their packages and got in the car. “There’s this park not far from here. I love it. Want to go hang out?”
“Sure.”
After they drove there, Diego was surprised when she pulled a picnic basket out of her trunk along with a blanket. She said, “I came prepared.”
“Obviously.”
They crossed to a picnic table. She put out a spread of cold chicken, salads and bread. Diego stared out at the lake. Its surface was calm, and right now the sun sparkled off it.
He took that as a good sign.
* * *
“I’m glad I let you plan this date.” Diego held her as they took the elevator to the first floor. She looked gorgeous in a sequined form fitting blue dress, high heels and her hair done up.
“I knew you’d like it.”
“I haven’t been here in what seems like forever.” They arrived at the main floor and the door opened. The loud pings, the whistles and din of talk hit them square in the face. “I forgot how loud a casino could be.”
“It’s loud all right.” She hooked her arm with his. He loved how she leaned into him. “So, what’s your favorite machine?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Come on.”
“I’ll know it when I see it.”
They wandered through the rows of machines and people concentrating on them. Then he spotted one. “I always liked the Quick Hits.”
“There’s two seats available.” She slid into one and said, “Hurry before someone else takes it.”
He sat beside her, content to just watch her.
Annie checked the bidding levels. “You can play five dollars a pop?”
“Yep.”
“What do you play?”
“Usually, I start out with a dollar, then go up depending on if I win.”
Annie put a bill in. “Yikes, a whole dollar.”
“You gotta take a chance, baby.”
She held his gaze. “Okay. I’ll jump right in.”
Annie won. And won. And won.
Diego lost his shirt.
They were laughing when they got back on the elevator. He took her hand and they rode up to the top floor in silence. In expectation. They hadn’t made love in all this time. They were starting over. But she’d picked this place, so he was hopeful. And he came prepared.
Once inside, she threw herself at him. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. “Make loud and messy love with me, Diego.”
He didn’t have to be asked twice. When they got to the bedroom, he let her down by the bed. Started to undress her. “No, take our own clothes off. It’s faster.”
When they were naked on the mattress, he touched her all over. Her nipples were hard, and she was already wet. At one point, she pushed him to the mattress and tortured him with kisses and little love bites everywhere.
“Lay on your side.” She did. He faced her. And held her gaze as he slid on a condom and slowly inched inside her. At one point she had to close her eyes. He smiled. Soon, though, his body took over. He drew back and thrust inside her. Once, twice, and that was enough. She exploded in pleasure. Soon, he did too.
Annie was breathless. “God, I thought the top of my head would come off.”
“I think I blacked out for a few seconds.”
They chuckled.
Annie cuddled into him and he wrapped his arms around her. He grazed his fingers down her bare arm. They stayed that way for a long time.
Then Diego drew back some, turned and reached over to the nightstand. When he turned back, he held a maroon square velvet box in his hand.
Her blue eyes widened. “Diego?”
He opened the box. Took out a ring. Her eyes filled when she saw it was the same one he’d proposed with all those years ago. She raised her eyes to his. “You kept it?”
“I wanted to throw it in the lake. I gave it to Sara to sell. She never did, even though she could have used the money. She told me about it after I was injured.”
“I love you so much.”
He grinned. “You’ve never said that since we got back together.”
“Neither have you.”
“Of course I love you.” His expression turned serious. “Annette Stefano, will you marry me?”
This time, her answer came fast and forceful. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
He slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. They fit perfectly. They laid in each other’s arms, quiet for a long time to enjoy this momentous moment.
Annie thanked God that they found each other again.
Diego thanked God that she’d given them another chance.
All was right with the world again.
* * * * *
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