Chapter Nine
Alex
When I woke up the next morning, I reached out for Charlie, running my hand across his side of the bed where his body should’ve been. The cold sheets spoke to the fact he’d been up for some time. Slipping on a pair of lounge pants, I went in search of my fiancé and found him in his father’s room.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yes, trying to gather all the information on the artifacts we have. I’m sure we could sell them for a pretty penny to a collector, but somehow that doesn’t feel right.
I’m not sure my father gathered these items completely legally, so I’d rather see them sit in a museum than end up in the wrong hands.
” He stood and stretched, giving me a glimpse of his slim torso.
Slimmer than it had been in some time now, which concerned me.
He crossed the room and greeted me with a morning kiss, but I held on, not willing to let him go just quite yet. “I completely agree with your assessment, sir. After that whole pocket watch debacle, I don’t know if any of these other items are cursed.”
Chuckling, he responded, “Between it doing my father in and me damn near losing you, I’m thinking you’re not far off.
I’ll feel a lot better when these things are tucked safely away behind locked glass displays, far away from us.
Maybe then we can finally remodel the house so it’s more to our tastes. ”
“Great idea.” Reluctantly, I let him go.
“Come on, let’s go eat breakfast before the museum opens.
Plus, I’ve got a bit of work to do today while you make your call.
” After we ate, Charlie called Nolan, the museum curator, while I touched base with my boss and dove into work.
Not long after, he knocked on the office door.
“What’s up, babe?” I swiveled around in the desk chair to face him.
He crossed the room and sat on my lap. My arms instinctively wrapped around him. “Nolan agreed to let us use one of the exhibit halls for a short, no-more-than-fifty-attendees, wedding ceremony on New Year’s Eve for a small fee.”
“Small fee?” I questioned, concerned about how much this may cost us. I really didn’t want my parents to foot the bill for any of the wedding costs. Charlie and I lived here basically for free, so most of our money sat in the bank, earning interest.
“Donation, actually, and I committed us to a thousand dollars.” He nervously chewed on his bottom lip.
I plucked it from between his teeth. “You know that drives me crazy,” I growled, feeling a bit smug when his pupils dilated. “A thousand-dollar donation is not only doable but will be a tax write-off since it’s a donation.” I drew his pouty lip between mine and sucked it.
“Mmm, yes. Taxes,” Charlie mumbled. His eyes were closed, but his hands roamed across my chest though all too quickly he pulled them away. “He um, asked about the pocket watch.”
Shocked, my eyes flew open. “What did you tell him? I would feel loads better if we got rid of that damn thing.”
“I know, and while I struggle internally with getting rid of anything of my father’s, I do agree that it’s dangerous.
I told him we were in possession of it and would gladly donate it to the museum.
I also let him know about the other items in my dad’s collection, and he asked me to send him pictures as soon as I could.
I get the impression he knows more about my father’s endeavors than we ever will.
” Charlie stilled, waiting for my response.
“I think that was a wise decision, my love, and I applaud you for it. But I’m not giving it to you.
We will hand deliver it to him—together.
” That was a non-negotiable for me, though I was a bit concerned this Nolan person knew about it.
Hopefully our gracious donation didn’t end with another life taken.
He nodded, agreeing, but didn’t move from my lap. Guess he had more to share.
“For the reception, what do you think about having it at Mom and Dad’s house?” Shyness wasn’t Charlie’s style, but for some reason that question made him feel that way, which was beyond cute.
Nuzzling his neck, I responded, “I think you and Mom should make that decision together, but I’m here for whatever you need from me.” He hopped up and slapped his hands together like a child getting a treat.
“Yes, I’ll call her now. Oh, honeymoon? Do you want to go on one?
School will still be out the week after we get married.
We could spend that time away somewhere, anywhere.
You choose. Surprise me.” After unloading all of that without taking a breath, he disappeared, speeding off down the stairs.
His vampire teeth “Bite Me” boxers were the last I saw of his retreating behind.
I shook my head, laughing. I loved the crazy boy inside of him and hoped it never went away.
Now, I guess I had a honeymoon to plan. Someplace he’d never forget.
January in Seattle was cold and dreary, so white, sandy beaches would be fantastic.
My company’s corporate travel agent should be able to help with that.
I shot her an email with the dates and ideas I had.
Seconds later she responded, congratulating us and said she’d get to work on it.
All-inclusive was the plan, that way we wouldn’t have to worry about anything while we were there.
I thanked her and went back to the business proposal I had been working on.
Several hours had passed when my empty stomach complained. A quick glance at my watch showed it was dinner time. We had completely bypassed lunch. I went on the hunt for Charlie and found him knee deep in artifacts in the living room, snapping picture after picture.
“Hey, you,” I called out as I weaved my way through to him. “Any thoughts on dinner?”
He checked his phone. “Oh shit, I didn’t realize how late it was. Pizza?”
“Quick and easy, I like it.” I pulled up the app on my phone and ordered the usual then did another glance around the room. “Will we be able to sit in here and eat tonight?” We had a dining room, but our usual go-to was to eat in the living room while watching a movie.
“We will if you can help me out. Nolan has called me so many times I’ve lost count,” he huffed.
“Sounds like he’s a bit obsessed. I hope he doesn’t go down your father’s path.”
“Yeah, same. He’s adamant that we bring the watch to him as soon as possible and sign the contract for the rental space.
I promised I’d have the pictures to him tonight, and that we’d be at his office tomorrow after they opened at ten, which seemed to pacify him.
” He sighed. “But will you please help me wrap and box these? I don’t want to put them back on the shelves.
I’d really like to be done with them once and for all. ”
I couldn’t agree with him more, knowing absolutely nothing about any of these artifacts. Could any of them be possessed? On that thought, I jogged out to the garage and grabbed boxes, tape and wrapping materials. “Where do you want me to start?”
“What’s on the coffee table are the items I’m taking pictures of next. The stuff on the couch and loveseat can be packed up,” he returned to his photo lineup.
“What do you want to do with all these bookshelves?” I asked, packing up a creepy stone statue. Jesus, I hoped like hell it didn’t contain someone’s ashes.
“Honestly, I say we donate them. They don’t go with the motif I have in mind,” he said, snapping away.
“Motif?” I laughed, thoroughly enjoying his word choice. From artifact photographer to interior designer.
Even sitting on the floor he managed a cocky attitude, hand on his hip and all. “Yes, motif. I’m thinking light and airy, earth tones with a hint of Under the Tuscan Sun.”
“Under the Tuscan Sun? Does that include the five million empty water bottles she unearthed?” His sassy side was truly its own work of art.
“No, smartass. Now, are you gonna help me or not?”
“Down, boy. We can load them up in the truck tomorrow afternoon and take them to the donation center. It’ll be nice to not feel so boxed in here anymore.
” Wall to wall shelves of creepy shit I’d had enough of.
“Are we taking all these boxes with us in the morning to see Nolan, or just the watch?” I was hoping for the first option but expecting the second but either way that damn watch was gone.
“Let’s wait until he sees the pictures first. That way if he doesn’t want them, I can start submitting them to other museums.” He shuffled through the papers he had, matching what he’d found in his dad’s mess with its item.
A thought suddenly occurred to me, having temporarily forgotten our earlier conversation. “Hey, did you call Mom?”
“Yes, and she’s ecstatic about having the reception at their house.
I told her she could even pick the food and reminded her we’d only have around fifty attendees, if even that.
I promised her we’d sit down this weekend and go over the guest list as well as choose what colors we wanted for decorations, the cake and our tuxes.
” He was beaming from ear to ear. That smile alone made whatever bridezilla craziness this turned into worthwhile.
“Ugh, the wedding cake.” Due to recent events, that thought left a very, very bad taste in my mouth.
Charlie laughed so hard he grabbed his sides. “Bite me, smart-ass,” he managed to say between giggles. “And no, I did not learn how to bake during my time there.”
The doorbell rang, and I carefully extricated myself from the tomb of wrapping I was buried under to answer the door. The living room was still a mess and there was no way we could eat in here. “Um, Charlie, we’re gonna have to eat in the kitchen.”
He nodded and followed me into the kitchen, grabbing two beers from the fridge, along with the paper plates and napkins. “Well, after dinner let’s give it a couple of hours then call it a night.”
My mouth was full of pizza, so I gave him a thumbs-up. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until that first bite of cheesy, pepperoni madness hit my tongue.
Charlie shook his head, “Neanderthal.”