Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Logan held Audrey after they had made love. It still amazed him, the beauty of the act that he and Audie shared. It imprinted itself into his very soul, every caress, each tender kiss, they were a part of him now and he knew that he would surely die of wasted depravation without her in his life.

Would he scare her if he asked her to marry him already? He knew that she was his mate; her sweet essence had indelibly marked him as hers. Why was he so sure? Most vampires he knew were single, not wanting to entangle their lives with anyone else. Especially a human, which brought a whole other set of issues he understood. Being a vampire was hard enough without dragging a mate along with you, but when you knew that it was right, why not go for it.

Mick had found his Beth early on and had kept her safe until the time was right for them and Logan instinctively knew that they would be together forever. On the human side of things, Clark waited for years to convince Dorothy to marry him, staying quietly in the background of her life but always making sure she was safe. That was what love was and he knew that it was what he felt for Audie.

Love was steady, willing to care no matter what the obstacles were and vampirism presented a hell of an obstacle. Still, she loved him and he knew that. Maybe he needed to go and do a little shopping for a ring for her. Yes, that was what he would do.

But first he needed to call Josef. He groaned at the thought and Audrey stirred beside him, reaching up to caress the side of his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

“I need to call Josef. I just hate to break the spell. I love having you next to me. I love you Audie; I didn’t ever think I would find someone like you who would love me, geek and all.” He looked down at her and saw her smile up at him in response.

“You are an idiot sometimes Logan,” she laughed. “I’m a worse geek than you are and we were meant to be together always. I know it in here,” she said, touching her heart.

He traced his fingers over hers; stroking the very place her fingers had and felt her heart beating steadily with the sincerity of her words. It made his own heart kick out an extra beat or two he realized with joy.

Yes, he needed to get that ring pretty quickly.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth’s call was answered on the first ring and the excited voice on the other end made her smile a mile wide.

“Bethy, oh baby, how are you?” Dorothy asked. “Are you feeling well?”

“Mom, I’m a vampire for heaven’s sake, I feel awesome!” she answered. “Seriously, I’m good. What about you? How are my brother and his mysterious sidekick doing?”

“Kicking my sides! Well, moving around a lot anyway. But that’s a good thing really. When we first discovered we were pregnant neither one of us even suspected that it could be twins. Beth, I don’t know if I’m prepared for this, seriously!” Dorothy stated with a slight quiver to her voice.

Beth closed her eyes for a moment and tried to see what might happen but it was all blank. She wondered if it were just a fluke that she saw Robbi in that shirt and problems with the birth. But she knew it wasn’t – she’d never before seen that shirt. She tried to shake the emotion of it all off and said, “Well, even if you’re not I’d bet that Clark is. He is, isn’t he?” she laughed.

“Yes he is. We have two cribs, two changing tables, and two dressers, two of everything. We just don’t know what the second baby is yet so we haven’t bought many clothes. All the furniture is put together and ready to go too. If the baby is a girl we have two rooms for them, although they’ll probably stay in the same room for awhile. The two bassinettes will be in our room at night. Heaven’s, I can’t even imagine dealing with 2 am feedings and diaper rash again. I’m going to be the worst mother ever,” she said, feeling every one of her 43 years. Soon to be 44 she thought.

Beth smiled, knowing how wrong her mother was; she had been the best mother in the world, to her and Lani. Lani had been like a sponge when they were kids, always soaking up every bit of love she could get. It made Beth sad to think how much she needed someone in her life and yet she pushed them all away. Before she got maudlin she asked, “Have you guys talked to Logan? I meant to call him earlier but haven’t really had a chance.”

“Yes, we have. He called a little bit ago and said he was working for Josef, hunting for that Katrina woman who apparently escaped. And then he said he wanted to come and talk to Clark tomorrow at the office. It was all very mysterious actually. So unlike Logan.”

“Hm, you’re right. I hadn’t heard about Katrina either. I suppose Mick was trying to keep it from me, if he knows that is since I don’t know if he’s talked to Josef today. Hey, on another subject, have you talked to Robbi? She doesn’t sound very good Mom.”

“I spoke with her yesterday; she’s struggling I know. I told her to make sure Kevin calls us when she goes into labor because we want to be there.”

A momentary pang struck at Beth’s heart, knowing that she wasn’t going to be there with Robbi. Hopefully the Skype thing would help. When she spoke again she sounded sad, wistful. “Mom, I’m really worried about her. I’m glad you’re going to be there and I know that Lani is too.”

“Yes and we’ll report regularly.” Dorothy listened to her daughter give out a long sigh and couldn’t help worrying about her. “Beth, are you alright? Really?”

“Yes, Mom, I really am. It’s amazing how good I feel. Please don’t worry about me.” Her words were sincere; she didn’t want her mom to worry about her.

“Okay, I’m glad to hear it,” Dorothy replied and the conversation changed to lighter topics until they ended the call a half an hour later.

When she hung up the phone Dorothy sighed deeply and ran her hands over her burgeoning belly, feeling a bit of movement with the babies. Clark heard her and was immediately at her side, concern written starkly on his face, his deep brown eyes meeting hers in question.

“I’m fine honey, and so are the babies. It’s Beth I’m concerned about. She says she’s fine, but there is something bothering her I could tell.”

“Dorothy, you’re her mother and you’re always going to worry about her. What has happened to her is extraordinary and it will be an adjustment for everyone. You’re fretting because you want to see her, to visually see that she is alright. Mick emailed me earlier with an idea I think you might like.”

“What? Can we go and see her? Please tell me that’s it?

“Well, no, but you can still see her. He’s going to set Skype up on their computer and I’m going to do it here, with Logan’s help of course and then you two can talk and see one another at the same time. How does that sound?”

“Oh Clark, that would be wonderful. You and Mick are just the best!” She leaned up and kissed him, his warm mouth capturing hers until her toes were tingling.

“You ready for bed?” he asked, his eyes twinkling, a sexy smile playing on his lips. He stood up and held a hand out to her and helped her to get up. The walk to the bedroom took too long.

But the reward was well worth it all.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Josef listened to Logan as he explained what they had found and did with Katrina’s reserve account, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. Cutting her funds off didn’t find her and that’s what he wanted most, to find her and make that bitch pay excruciatingly for what she had done.

“Will the alternate ID’s help at all Logan?” he asked. “Make sure you have them completely covered.

“Maybe, depends on how desperate she is but since her bank funds are cut off she’s probably going to be really cautious about using any of the established ones. I’ve got messages out to all the folks around the country that help people relocate. That might help,” Logan told him, understanding Josef’s impatience.

“Yes, especially if you let everyone know that there is a 5 million dollar price tag on her head – if I catch her and she’s alive. How many people do quality work in the US Logan? I mean, if she’s going to try to get out of the country it has to be quality, official looking work.”

“There are only a half dozen or so Josef, but have you considered that she might have already headed into Mexico? That would be so much harder to track you know; she could disappear into Central America and beyond and that just complicates everything. We know that the money from the bank in Switzerland was transferred to a bank here and then she closed that account. She was still here at that point, but the fact that she closed that account would tell me that she has another bank set up somewhere for the Cayman Island bank money. We’re running checks on all US banks with her name and the alternate ID’s. I have a friend at Homeland Security, I’ll see if they have anything useful. ”

“Hm, you could be right about her heading south. I’ll contact Ryder and have him get with you about that. But in the meantime put the bounty out on her, not only to the counterfeiters, but to vamp bounty hunters and any other sleazy low-life that might be interested. Don’t worry about trying to hide it – if she knows she’s a wanted woman she’ll get nervous and sooner or later that means she’ll make a mistake.”

They ended the call and Josef checked his watch; it was almost noon and he needed to head to the airport because Tango would be landing in a half an hour or so and that he actually looked forward to. It had been too long since he’d seen that died-in-the-wool Brit. The thought of some of their escapades brought a lop-sided grin to his face.

At the airport Josef waited in the cool comfort of the air conditioned car as the small jet landed and taxied to the hangar. When the door opened and the steps were let down Josef climbed out of the limo and watched as Tango disembarked. He was dressed head to toe in black leather and Josef laughed; evidently he was already slipping into his new role.

“Tango,” he said, holding out his hand as Tango approached. He took it and shook it briefly before pulling Josef to him in a bear hug. “Hey, careful of the Armani!”

“Armani? Quite dandified don’t you think? Goodness, I might rumple you!” he teased his old friend. “Very smart, I might add.”

“Come on, they’re unloading your luggage now. Let’s have a drink in the car while they get it stowed away in the trunk and then I’ll take you to the condo I’ve arranged for you. You’ll like it I’m sure!”

“Bloody well better come with liquid refreshment Josef!”

“Oh, it does,” Josef said, happy to see his friend.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Carl punched the button for the 37th floor in the Billings Market building where the offices of Sesumi International were located. His hands rested in his pockets and he jingled the change in one of them while the elevator climbed, making occasional stops along the way. When the ding sounded and the doors opened he stepped forward onto a floor that was bustling with activity. It was a semi-frantic and yet controlled environment that was fascinating to watch. At the station it was frantic and loud and sometimes deafening. Big difference here.

Even the décor was calming he noticed; sky blue and a creamy color were prominent and provided a soothing backdrop for the people who manned the main floor cubicles and the offices that lined the perimeter.

He walked to the main desk and leaned slightly on the counter and was greeted by a young man whose attire was flawless as was his friendly attitude. “Welcome to Sesumi International sir. How may I help you?” he inquired.

“I’m looked for Lani Parker, um, Lanelle Parker that is. Is she available?”

“May I say who is inquiring?” he asked politely.

“Yes, please tell her that Carl Davis would like to see her.”

“Certainly sir, one moment.”

Carl looked around as the young man punched a button on the phone console and spoke to Lani. He quickly hung up and said, “Ms. Parker will be right with you sir.”

“Thank you,” Carl said. It only took a moment for Lani to emerge from one of the corner offices, a wide smile on her face.

It always amazed Carl when he saw Lani like this, all dressed up for business. She hardly resembled the college girl who loved to party and drove the boy’s crazy for her. He shook his head as if to dispel that image and held his hand out to her as she approached him.

“Carl, I’m so happy to see you!” she said with a bit more enthusiasm than she felt. This had to be about Beth and she hoped she had the right answers or the ability to bluff her way through them. “Come on back to my office. Would you like some coffee?” At his negative nod she turned and headed back the way she came, walking down the long and wide aisle and then turned to the right where her office was.

It was quite impressive Carl thought. He had never been up here before and he saw that Lani had one of the prime offices, corner with floor to ceiling windows that faced west and south; he knew the views would be spectacular at sunset.

Her office was very much Lani, muted off-white shades with accents of bright color to draw the eyes; very minimalistic and yet comfortable at the same time. She moved to sit on the white leather couch and indicated he should sit there as well. He sank down onto the butter soft leather with a silent sigh, it was wonderfully comfortable and he knew it had cost a fortune. He wondered if Sesumi paid for the decorations for the office or Lani did.

Lani leaned back and crossed her legs in a relaxed posture; the expensive vivid red suit was surely designer, although he didn’t know who and it was accented by red suede pumps that were business like and yet a bit sassy too, a combination many women couldn’t pull off. And yet Lani easily did. Even her jewelry was classy, enough to highlight her outfit but not flashy at all. All silver too, or white gold maybe he thought with a shrug.

Lani looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to question her because she knew that he would. She seemed at ease she thought but inwardly she was quaking. Good thing she wasn’t trying to hold a cup of coffee because he would surely see her hand trembling. He knew her well, at least he knew the college Lani well she knew but not so much now and that could be an advantage. At least she hoped it would be. She’d learned a whole lot about hiding things, a necessity when you’re friends with so many vampires. The words suddenly struck her as funny, saying that she was friends of so many vampires and she realized that it was true. A sobering thought indeed she admitted. She let out a soft laugh and Carl looked at her curiously.

His eyebrows lifted, opening his brown eyes wider and it made him look just that much handsomer. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Hm? Oh, nothing really. I was just remembering that time at the beach party, when we all should have been studying for mid-terms and you and Rondel thought you’d play macho men and take a dive off those rocks; into ice cold water I might add,” she laughed.

“Well, it was March you know, the Pacific was pretty chilly,” he smiled at the memory. It wasn’t really a wild thing but it had been fun later, and when Beth used her body to heat his, man did that work well. It was funny, those were such great memories and yet there were no pangs of regret over what didn’t happen for them. He somehow knew now as he did then that they were not meant to be together.

He stood up and walked around the room, looking out the windows at the traffic moving far below. Not a single sound could be heard up this far; it was peaceful, tranquil. He turned to look at Lani, still sitting comfortably and peacefully on the couch, watching him with inquiring eyes. His hand had migrated back into his pocket and he stood there for a moment, listening to the rattle of coins as his fingers moved through them.

“Lani, I’m worried about Beth; about why she and Mick just disappeared like that,” he said, just spitting it out.

Before she could open her mouth there was a brief knock on her door and then it opened and Cami stepped in. When she saw Lani had a guest she apologized for the interruption.

“So sorry. Lani, I have the equipment review for Kostan Industries, thought you might want to look it over.”

“Yes, thank you. Cami, do you remember Carl Davis? He was at Mick and Beth’s wedding.”

She did indeed and he looked as good here as he did there. She smiled demurely at him and walked forward, holding out her hand to shake his. “Yes of course I do. How are you Mr. Davis? Or actually, its Lieutenant Davis isn’t it?”

Carl stepped forward, meeting her half way and returned her smile as he held out his hand to her. When they shook, he realized her hand felt almost icy and he glanced down at it and then up to her face; a very beautiful face but also a very pale face. Another one he realized; they seemed to be everywhere. Vampires; Josh was right. There couldn’t be any other explanation. He looked back up at her face, hoping his own didn’t show what he was feeling and answered, “Carl, please. That will do fine.”

“Carl then,” she smiled. Her long lashes swept down over her cheeks, again a very modest gesture and he realized that even though she was very beautiful, she was shy. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Lani, let me know what you think when you have a chance?” With Lani’s nod she left as quickly as she could. Carl Davis made her stomach flutter and that wasn’t a good thing for a woman who hadn’t been involved with a man for many, many years.

As the door closed quietly Lani realized that Carl was waiting for an answer to his question. “Carl, she is perfectly fine. Newlyweds, you know? Probably getting busy on every surface of the house up there!” she said with a laugh.

“Yeah, but it was very sudden, don’t you think?” he probed.

She shrugged and said, “I was with her the night they left. To me it looked like two people who couldn’t keep their hands off of one another. Mick carried her onto the helicopter that took them to the airport.” That much was true at least.

“Helicopter? Wow,” he said, surprised to hear that.

“Yes, Josef Kostan arranged it. He was there with us. His jet took them to Seattle.” She told herself to just stick to the truth as much as she could. She hated lying to Carl.

Carl digested the information with a slight frown. “But it was just so sudden wasn’t it? I mean, totally spur of the moment don’t you think?”

“I don’t really know what they might have been planning Carl; I didn’t ask,” she said with a shrug. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and met his eyes, hoping that it would be enough.

“Hm, well okay; if you really think she is okay. It just doesn’t seem like Beth; I mean the leaving and then suddenly quitting her job part. I know that she is impetuous, always has been but this is extreme even for Beth.”

“Well, that IS our Beth you know. Seriously Carl, I wouldn’t worry. She’s fine,” Lani declared.

“Okay then,” he said, smiling at her. She was lying, about some of it anyway. She knew WHY they had left so suddenly and Carl wasn’t going to stop until he found out too. “Well, I’ve got to get busy and go arrest some bad guys Lani.” He walked to her as she stood up and straightened her skirt, smoothing it into place. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and grinned at her. “Hey, let’s go and catch some lunch someday soon okay? Catch up on old times?”

“Sounds good. Call me when you have some free time. But none of those taco stands you love to frequent Carl,” she laughed, wagging a finger at him. “A real restaurant, where we can sit down!”

“My, my, aren’t you all fancy nowadays,” he laughed as he opened the door and stepped out into the aisle. “See you soon Lani.”

“Yeah Carl, see you.” She watched him walk to the elevators and waved as he turned to her as the doors opened. A second later he was inside and the doors swept shut, taking him from her view. She could only hope that she had convinced him.

Down in the lobby Carl noticed a coffee kiosk and headed over, deciding that he needed a nice, strong cup before heading back to the precinct. He placed his order and while he waited he noticed Cami standing with a cup in her hand, blowing gently on it and reading the headlines on the monitor that was at the end of the kiosk. He picked up his cup and headed over to where she was standing and said, “Well, you’re a coffee fan too huh?”

She turned and looked at him, a soft smile spreading across her face. “Yes, addicted to it I’m afraid. At least 2 or 3 cups a day.”

“You call that an addiction? Lady, try a dozen or more! It’s protocol for a cop.”

She laughed and said, “I thought that was donuts?” He loved the way her eyes twinkled as she spoke.

“That’s the old cops,” he chided, his grin making her belly tighten with a totally foreign feeling. “Do you ever drink anything else?” he asked and watched her eyes widen in shock, or maybe that was a bit of fear and he realized it was a terrible thing to say to someone he was pretty sure was a vampire.

“I – uh, I like wine,” she said and hastily looked down, hoping he hadn’t noticed how his question had shook her up.

“Well Cami, then would you like to meet me after work sometime for a glass of wine? You can pick the place,” he said, his smile reassuring and very charming.

“Yes, I would like that. How about Quigley’s Mirage, around 7, tomorrow?” She couldn’t believe how bold she was acting, but he made her mouth feel dry and her knees weak; she had to get to know him a bit better.

“Sounds perfect Cami,” he told her, meeting her blue eyes; a vibrant blue so deep they were almost sapphire. “Until then.” He smiled once more and then turned and headed out the revolving door, onto the pavement. When he cast a quick glance over his shoulder he could see her staring at him though the tempered glass wall, a smile on her face.

Carl felt the same way. He could only hope it didn’t lead to disaster.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Mick got the Skype connection set up and Beth immediately called Robbi, needing to see her friend. When Robbi answered Beth was appalled at how she looked. Her face was very red and puffy, as were her hands and Beth could only imagine what her feet looked like. Still, it was good to see her for herself but it made Beth worry even more.

Robbi seemed tired and sluggish and she shifted in her seat a great deal, obviously not comfortable in any position. She laughed about it a bit.

“Beth, he’s a zero station which means he’s ready to make his appearance; it’s sort of like sitting on something really uncomfortable.”

“Does it hurt him; I mean is there all sorts of pressure on him?” It looked so uncomfortable for Robbi – she could only imagine what it might be like for the baby.

“No, I don’t think so. But I am SO ready for him to make his appearance. Seriously ready,” she said as she tried to make a joke of it, but Beth could see that she didn’t feel like joking. The image came to her mind again of the baby with the cord around his neck and Beth panicked a bit.

“Robbi, is he moving around a lot still? I mean, I don’t know what happens at this stage.”

“No, he’s pretty quiet actually. And you’d better start reading up on all of it since you and Mick are already trying for one of your own,” she smiled.

“Yeah,” Beth said, trying to focus on something else. “I’d probably make the world’s worst mother you know? Forget where I let the baby or something.”

“Maybe at first, but you’ll learn. Besides, I’ve watched Mick with Bri and he will make up for all you lack, I can tell. He is so good with her and she adores him you know.”

“I know, it amazes me. He has so much patience; maybe a little over protective though,” she laughed, having had some personal experience with that.

They only spoke for a few more minutes; Robbi was visibly worn out and when the call ended Beth couldn’t shake the feeling that things were not alright. Did she say something to Kevin? She’d sound like a lunatic, she knew.

Mick had gone into the room that he had made into a home gym when he bought the house. He was lifting weights as she peeked in and thrilled to the sight of him, muscles bulging and sweat trickling down his sides. She wanted to lick it off of him and walked up behind him, running her hands over his tight abs with a sigh of pleasure.

She had learned that even though she would stay pretty much the same size as when she was turned she still needed to maintain her body so had reluctantly started working out as well. When she worked at Buzzwire there was never any time to do that, not with any type of regularity because of her erratic schedule. At the DA’s office it was better but if she were totally honest with herself (and who wanted to be really?) she had to admit that she hated doing it. She’d told Mick that maybe if there were a tv or something to keep her amused in there it wouldn’t be too bad. She was totally enthralled watching Mick, but that led to physical exercise of another type. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad right now she decided, letting her hand slip farther down his stomach. He stirred in her hand and she felt him step away and grab a towel and wipe his face before turning to her and bending to kiss her softly.

“Nuh uh, not now. I’ve got a surprise coming for you in a few minutes. I need to hit the showers. Now go ahead and get your work out in baby,” he teased, watching happily as she rolled her eyes in frustration and expelled a long breath. Even the thought of a surprise hadn’t perked her up.

Since Beth had been turned her main preoccupation had been sex; not that he was complaining but she just looked at him and it was like a magnet pulled him to her and they were doing it anywhere and everywhere. The things and places they had discovered almost embarrassed him. Sultry, sexy, his mate brought a whole new meaning to the word sensual.

If she couldn’t have sex it suddenly occurred to her that he mentioned a surprise. “What’s my surprise?” she goaded, licking her lips and staring boldly into his hazel eyes that couldn’t seem to look away from her crystalline blue ones.

He turned away from her gaze and said, “Just wait and see! That’s why they call it a surprise.” He laughed at her small huff of impatience and walked out of the room to hit the shower.

As he showered he thought of her progress; she was amazing at what she could do and he knew that there was still so much they hadn’t discovered yet. Her ability to scent was better than his – a lot better and would develop even more. He wasn’t sure what the deal with Robbi was though; it seemed precognitive and that wasn’t an ability that any vamps he knew had. Sure, he could sometime scent brief glimpses of the future but what she had done was very difficult. It had sort of blown him away when it happened and it was worrying her tremendously. She was right about the shirt, was she right about the rest? She tried to pick up something from her mom, but nothing came to her which could mean a lot or nothing at all.

In a few days he was going to teach her to reach out with her senses to feel what was going on, not just scent it. Could she scent the past as he did? That also wasn’t known yet, but they’d get to it. He didn’t doubt that she would be great at it – she had excelled at everything else so far.

He couldn’t seem to resist her; vampire Beth filled his senses and his head and his heart until he wasn’t aware of anything else around him and that could prove dangerous in some situations. He was so focused on her when she was around that he lost himself and felt like a gauche school boy. He hadn’t known that making love with someone could be so completely consuming and sometimes it was all he could think about.

Yes, they both had a lot to learn and understand. Each day with her was a gift; her love and devotion couldn’t be measured by any emotion Mick had ever had. He prayed that it never changed.

As he finished getting dressed he heard a vehicle pull up out front and knew that Beth’s surprise had arrived. He hurried downstairs just in time to see Beth open the door and squeal with delight as she stood aside so that Tim and Mary could enter.

When he walked into the living room he saw her greeting them with enthusiasm; these were the first people she had seen since she had been turned and while he hated to think that she might be bored with him, everyone deserved a distraction. Plus, the surprise was still in the truck.

He stepped forward and shook Tim’s hand and then pulled Mary to him in a warm hug and kissed her on the cheek. That’s when a feeling like someone stabbing him in the back overcame him and Beth jumped in between them, growling loudly. She pushed them apart and stared at him, her eyes glowing the most brilliant silver blue he had ever seen. She turned to Mary and said, “MINE” and Mary backed up a step, cautious of this side of Beth.

“Beth, its Mary baby. We’ve been friends for years, you know that. Think about it Beth.” Mick watched her strain to get her emotions under cover; he saw her try to breathe and calm down. Every second felt like a minute as she tried to control her inner vamp. Low growls still occasionally emanated from her throat but gradually her posture relaxed a bit and her eyes returned to their usual clear blue.

Suddenly, as if realizing what had just happened, tears flooded her eyes and she hung her head in shame. She lifted her head and looked at Mary, her eyes wounded and filled with shame. “Mary, I’m so sorry; I don’t know what…I don’t understand,” she finished.

Mary was still a bit wary of her but she understood what it felt like with your mate and she also clearly remembered how possessive a newly turned vamp could be. She smiled at Beth and murmured, “I understand Beth. It won’t always be like this, really it won’t.”

Beth nodded, her face a mask of misery and finally ran upstairs, shame taking control of her. Mick started to go upstairs and Mary laid a hand on his arm and urged, “No Mick, give her a few minutes and then I’ll talk to her. It will be alright, I promise.”

Tim had watched all of it closely; he knew that his mate had never really been in any kind of jeopardy and he also knew how bad Beth would feel. “Mary is right Mick; she will need to work this out and Mary is the one to help her with it. Let it be. Besides, you need to help me get those two huge television sets out of the truck. I have to say though, I sure liked what I saw in that store; I may have to go and buy one of those for Mary and I so she can watch her soap operas on it.” He was rewarded by a smack on his behind by his wife as he headed out the door.’

“More like so you can watch football on it old man. Men…” She rolled her eyes as they headed outside and then looked up the stairs. Beth wasn’t crying any longer, so it was now or never. Time to help the young one adapt because heaven help her, Mick just didn’t understand!



To be continued…