Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series (16 page)

Chapter 35

Susan Martin rolled over in bed and
reached for her cell phone on the nightstand. The ping was probably a text
message from Aaron, telling her he’d boarded his flight to Westbury. She
stretched. It was nice to linger in bed instead of racing to the shower and
then off to her office or the courthouse. Susan opened one eye and clicked on
the message.

Slight snafu. Driver’s license expired and
couldn’t get thru TSA. Will get it renewed today. Booked on late morning flight
tomorrow. Will be there before party. So sorry. Didn’t want to wake you. Love
u!

“Didn’t want to wake me, my foot!” Susan fumed. “He
doesn’t want to tell me over the phone.
Coward
.” She sank back into the
pillows and began typing her response. Before she could hit the Send button,
her phone rang.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

“I was just calling to check on everybody. You
were all sound asleep when I left for Town Hall. Who stole your sunshine?”
Maggie asked. “You sound terrible.”

Susan filled Maggie in on Aaron’s predicament. “I
was just typing my reply when your call interrupted me.”

“I hope it’s a sympathetic reply,” Maggie said. “Remember
when that happened to me right after your father died? It can happen to the
best of us.”

Susan remained silent for a beat. “I’d forgotten
about that. I guess you’re right.”

“I’m sure he’s incredibly irritated with himself.
I know I was. You don’t need to rub salt in the wound. He’ll be here tomorrow
in time for the party, and it’ll be fine.”

“Okay, okay. You’re right.”

“So what will you and the girls do today?”

“I’m feeling pretty lazy. Any ideas?”

“Why don’t you get out the spare sheets and let
the girls make forts with them in the library? You can have a tea party in
there with the cats.”

Susan laughed. “That’ll be quite the affair. Sarah
and Sophie will love it. Not sure about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup,
though.”

“They can take care of themselves. See you
tonight. And cheer up. In the grand scheme of things, this disappointment is inconsequential.”

***

Susan scrambled through an opening
in the sheets and headed in the direction of her ringing cell phone. Bubbles,
wearing a lacy baby bonnet and one tatted bootie, saw her chance to escape and
streaked after Susan.

“You let her out!” Sarah protested as Sophie dived
for the opening in time to prevent Blossom from joining her sister. Only
Buttercup seemed content curled up in Sarah’s lap, a crocheted shawl strewn
over her back, while Sarah brought an empty cup to Buttercup’s mouth and
pretended to serve tea to the purring cat.

Sophie motioned for her twin sister to remain
quiet. They both leaned toward the hallway, where Susan now stood talking to
her boyfriend. The girls exchanged a knowing glance and eavesdropped as best
they could.

“These things happen to everyone, Aaron. Don’t
worry about it. At least you’ve gotten it renewed and have a flight tomorrow.”
Susan was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Her tone was warm and mellow
when she spoke again. “Me, too. I can’t wait until you get here, and we can
concentrate on each other for a few days. I love you, too.”

Sarah hugged Buttercup and grinned at Sophie, who
nodded in return. Their aunt Susan was in love and that’s exactly how things
should be.

***

Susan inserted her key into the
back door of Rosemont the following day. She’d dropped the twins off at Loretta
Nash’s apartment and had twenty-five minutes before she had to leave to pick up
Aaron at the airport. He’d texted her when he’d boarded his flight and told her
they expected to be on time.

The morning had been sunny but late afternoon
clouds were rolling in and thunderstorms were predicted. She hoped they
wouldn’t spoil the fireworks Marc had arranged for later that evening.

She eyed her watch. She’d touch up her makeup and
be on her way.

***

Susan’s phone rang as she was
merging onto the freeway. She attempted to retrieve it from her purse sitting
on the passenger seat but knocked the purse onto the floor, sending its contents
scattering. “Darn it,” she mumbled, casting a quick glance at the items rolling
around the rental car. She’d either have to pull off the highway or wait until
she got to the airport to find her phone. Since Aaron would still be in the
air, she reasoned, it couldn’t be him. Anyone else would have to wait. She’d be
parked at the airport in under an hour.

Susan pulled into a spot in the short-term parking
lot and lunged over the passenger seat to retrieve the contents of her purse.
Her pulse quickened when she saw that the missed call had been from Aaron. They
must have arrived early, aided by strong tailwinds from the storm that was
rolling in. She punched the playback button as she hurried to the terminal.

She was pushing through the heavy glass door when
she stopped abruptly. Aaron’s flight had been delayed on the tarmac for almost
five hours before they’d been told that it had been canceled for mechanical
issues. He was waiting in line at the ticket counter to book himself on another
flight. Susan slumped against the large trash barrel outside the door.

“Are you all right, miss?” asked an older
gentleman in an expensive-looking business suit. He peered at her over the top
of his half-moon glasses.

“Yes, thank you.” She straightened. “Fine. I’ve
just had some disappointing news.”

He nodded and moved on. Susan retraced her steps
to her car and placed a call to Aaron.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he said. “I can’t
believe the damned airline let us sit on that blasted plane all afternoon. If
they would have returned to the gate and let us off, I’m sure I would have been
able to get on another flight. As it is, I’ve been waiting in line at the
ticket counter for almost an hour and there are still at least fifty people in
front of me. Some customer service!”

Susan drew a deep breath. “Even if you leave
within the hour, you won’t make it to the party. And we’re all scheduled to
come back day after tomorrow. There’s no point in your raising heaven and hell
to get here now. Don’t bother.”

“This is all my fault. If I hadn’t let my license
expire, I’d be in Westbury right now. I hate not being there for Alex’s party,
but I mainly regret not having the time with you. I know I’ve been busy, but
don’t think for a moment that I haven’t missed you. That’s the worst part of all
of it,” he concluded miserably.

“Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Susan said.
“You’re not responsible for the flight cancellation, and I know you wanted to
surprise Alex and spend time with me. You’ve worked yourself to the bone, and
you deserved this break.” She drew a deep breath. Now was the time to swallow
her disappointment and comfort him. “Here’s what you do. Get out of that stupid
line and go straight to the nearest steakhouse. Order the biggest steak on the
menu, then go home and watch the Padres on that enormous television of yours.
I’ll text you at the right moment, and you can call in your toast to Alex.”

Aaron paused. “That sounds awfully tempting. Are
you sure?”

“Positive. You need to do something fun for you.
Since what we’d planned can’t work out, you need to go to plan B.”

“I’m exhausted. Sitting on the tarmac all day was
horrendous. I’d love to get something to eat and take a long, hot shower. I’ll
be ready for your call. I have things I’d like to say to my big brother.”

“And you will say them. You go eat, and I’ll turn
around and head back to Rosemont before the storm hits. I’ll talk to you
tonight.”

“You’re wonderful. You know that, don’t you? One
in a million. I’m the luckiest guy on Earth.”

***

Alex Scanlon tossed his keys onto
the kitchen counter and headed for the stairs. He was exhausted from the months
of long days working on the fraud case as special counsel to Westbury. Marc was
right—it was his birthday, and he was entitled to leave the office at a
normal hour. All he wanted was to take a shower and park himself in front of
the television. The Padres were playing, and it would be a real treat to watch
his favorite team on the tube.

He was starting his assent of the stairs when his
partner, Marc, called out to him. “Happy birthday!” He approached the stairway.
“Where are you headed?”

“To the shower and then the couch. With no stops
in between.” He surveyed Marc. “Looks like you’re going somewhere.”

“I left the cord for my amp at The Mill last
night. You know how hard it was to find a replacement last time I did that. I
should have bought two, like you suggested. Anyway,” he said, motioning to
Alex. “Why don’t you ride out there with me? It’s a gorgeous drive. We can have
dinner and come straight home.” Alex began to shake his head. “It’s your
birthday,” Marc pressed. “You deserve a decent meal. And they have that new
chef. Everyone was raving about him last night. We’ll be back in a couple of
hours. I’ve got the game set to record.”

Alex turned and retraced his steps down the
stairs. “Sounds good. I’d rather watch the game when I can speed through the
commercials. A good meal and a quiet evening are just what I want for my
birthday.”

***

Alex took two quick steps back and
grasped the hostess stand to steady himself when fifty of his best friends
yelled “Surprise!” as he entered the rear dining room at The Mill. He clutched
his chest with one hand while turning to his partner.

Marc beamed. “Happy birthday, buddy.”

Alex made his way around the room, shaking hands
and accepting hugs. Waiters circulated with trays of appetizers

“You knew, didn’t you?” Susan whispered in his ear
as she drew him close.

“I’ll neither confirm nor deny,” he replied
softly. He leaned back and looked at her. “Was it obvious?”

Susan shook her head. “Not really. You’re a good
actor. I was standing by the door and saw the look on your face as you
approached. You were anticipating your next  move—or so I thought.”

“I wasn’t sure. No one said anything. But I caught
wind of the fact that you were in town, and Maggie didn’t mention it to me.
That was odd. And Marc has been secretive about something lately. I put two and
two together.”

“Glad you didn’t spoil his surprise,” Susan said,
patting his arm. “Aaron planned to be here, too, but a comedy of errors got in
the way.”

“I’d have bet he wouldn’t take time away from
work. That seems to be a common failing of the Scanlon brothers.”

“That’s part of it. He can fill you in on the
rest.” Susan arched her brows at him. “The two of you need to learn how to
lighten up.”

“True enough. I’ll talk to him. He doesn’t want to
become a workaholic and lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him.” Alex
smiled at Susan.

“See that you do. Now, go mingle with your other
guests.”

The dinner of lobster bisque, an heirloom tomato
salad, filet mignon, and tri-color potatoes au gratin was flawless. The new
chef clearly intended to impress the crowd. The head waiter wheeled in a
two-tiered cake dressed in fondant that replicated a stack of law books. Forty candles
blazed on top. Servers circulated with glasses of champagne.

Alex inhaled deeply and blew out the candles in
one long, sputtering breath. He closed his eyes, presumably making his wish,
and the room erupted in applause when he opened them.

Susan walked over to him, cell phone and wireless speaker
in hand, and motioned for the crowd to be quiet. “Alex’s brother planned to be
here today to mark this momentous occasion,” she gestured to Alex and the cake,
“but airline maintenance got in the way. I’ve got Aaron on the phone with me
now, and he’d like to deliver a toast to his brother.

“I’m so sorry that I’m not with you all tonight to
celebrate in person.” The speaker projected the voice into the room. “Here’s to
a man that exemplifies courage, tenacity, and integrity. From working your way
through college and law school to recovering from your horrific injuries in
that crash—without a moment’s complaint or self-pity—to your
tireless efforts to bring the perpetrators of fraud to justice, you are a role
model and tireless public servant. I also want to say, personally, that you
have been a kind, supportive, and generous big brother. TO ALEX SCANLON!”

The room erupted in a chorus of “Hear, hear!” as
Alex’s friends raised their glasses and drank.

With the toast completed, Marc leaned in. “The
weather’s cleared enough to allow the fireworks to go forward. Grab your cake,
and let’s head out to the back lawn.”

“You two go find a spot. I’ll bring us all a piece
of cake,” John said to Maggie and Susan.

Mother and daughter linked arms and wove their way
to the edge of the crowd. Susan sighed heavily and leaned against her mother.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Maggie asked.

Susan nodded. “I just hope I don’t have to spend
my whole life missing him during every big occasion or event. I don’t want that
kind of life.”

“I understand that, sweetie, but I think you may
be jumping to conclusions. I know that this isn’t what you want to
hear—no one really likes to hear this—but my advice? Give it some
time. Quit reading too much into this. Aaron’s failure to get here doesn’t mean
he doesn’t love you. The airlines got in the way here. Stuff happens. Don’t
condemn him for that.”

Susan brushed the hair off her face. “You really
think so?”

“I know so.” Maggie smiled as John approached,
juggling three plates loaded with thick slices of birthday cake. The first
fireworks exploded over the crowd. “Let’s enjoy this night and leave tomorrow’s
worries until tomorrow.”

***

Maggie Martin settled their
shopping bags on the bench of the booth at the ice cream parlor and handed
Sophie and Sarah laminated menus featuring photos of burgers and fries, sodas
and sundaes. They looked identical to the menus in use when she was their age;
it was nice that some things didn’t change. She looked at the shining faces of
her granddaughters, seated opposite her. “You’ve both picked out wonderful
outfits for the first day of school,” she praised. “You’ve become quite the
savvy shoppers, and you know what you like. And the outfits are both very
different from each other.”