[Second Chances 02]California Dreams (7 page)

“Where exactly are we going?” Jane asked.

“To see the stars,” Samuel replied.

“What are you talking about? It’s not even close to getting dark.” Jane looked out at the sky and wondered what he could be talking about.

“Well, we have about two hours until we get there. Ever heard of the Hale telescope?”

Jane looked at him with her mouth open, “You’re taking me to Palomar? But I thought it was up in the mountains.”

“It is, about a two hour drive from here.”

Jane looked out the window, but all she could see were buildings. “I didn’t realize it was within easy driving distance.”

Samuel nodded, “A buddy of mine works there and is going to give us a private tour. They actually close around 4 p.m., but when I spoke to him yesterday, he said there was no one else scheduled this evening and we were more than welcome to join him.”

Jane smiled, rubbing her hands together, “This is going to be so much fun. Trent is going to be so jealous. He’s the reason I first got interested in stars to begin with.

“Right after my husband died, and I moved in with Trent and his family, he came home from school one day upset and angry. He had decided to take an astronomy class because he thought it would be easy.

“The teacher actually expected these high school boys to study the stars at night. Anyway, I pulled Kenneth’s telescope out of storage and set it up in the backyard. Every evening around midnight, Trent would join me and we would watch the stars, count the shooting stars, and identify the constellations.”

Samuel grinned at her. That was the most she had spoken to him voluntarily in…ever. “So, what’s your favorite constellation?”

“No, it’s your turn. Tell me something about Samuel Drackett that I don’t already know.”

“What do you want to know?” Samuel asked.

“What were you like in school?” Jane requested, trying to envision the strong man sitting next to her as a young boy. The adult Samuel was 6’6” tall, had shoulders that looked strong enough to carry whatever needed carrying, his blue eyes were dark – almost black, and his tanned body was a testimony to the amount of time he spent in the sun.

“Well, regardless of what my teachers might say, I was a model student. No, really, I was a good kid. I can only remember one time when I got sent to the principal’s office.”

“Oh, yeah! What for?”

“Smoking in the boy’s bathroom. I was fourteen and had just learned my mom was probably going to die sooner than later. I was trying to skip class by hiding out in the bathroom, when a couple of seniors caught me. They convinced me that smoking would help take the edge off the pain I was feeling. It sounded good, but the reality was horrible.

“I coughed and felt like throwing up. My mother was less than pleased with her favorite son, and I can still see the disappointment in her eyes. Knowing I had disappointed her was worse than anything else that could have happened to me.”

“So, the principal caught you?” Jane queried.

“Yeah. I wasn’t quick enough to ditch the evidence, and was still holding it in my fingers when he caught up to me. To make matters worse, he made me call my parents and tell them what I had done and that they needed to come pick me up from school so I could serve my suspension.”

“You got suspended for smoking?” Jane asked, thinking back to her own high schools days and how even the teachers had openly smoked around the students. Now, every school was a smoke-free, drug-free zone.

“Yeah, and my punishment didn’t end there. I still had the packet of cigarettes in my pocket, which my mother found when we got home. She showed them to my dad who then proceeded to make me smoke every last one of them.

“I don’t remember much about the cigarettes, but I remember puking my guts up time and again. To this day, the smell of cigarettes turns my stomach.”

“I agree with you. I’ve never smoked before, and I never want to!” Jane told him, pleased that they had yet another thing in common.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Jane asked, “Why the FBI? Why not the Army or the Air Force?”

“Why not?” Samuel asked. “At the time I applied, they were giving aptitude and shooting tests. I aced both and the rest as they say is history.”

Jane thought about how different their lives had been. She had married Kenneth and become a Marine widow before she had even acclimated to being a Marine wife. She wondered what dream she would have followed right after high school if she hadn’t gotten married.
Where would she be now?

“Penny for your thoughts,” Samuel offered, having watched her grow silent and pensive.

Jane shrugged her shoulders with a grin, “Just wondering what I would have done with my life if I hadn’t married so young.”

“Can I give you a piece of advice?” Samuel asked, reaching over and taking her hand to soften his next words. “Don’t go there. Nothing good actually comes from playing the ‘what if’ game. Stay in the present and play the ‘what now’ game and you’ll be a much happier person.”

Jane felt tears threaten to spill from her eyes. His words to her held so much truth; truth she needed to hear. But more importantly, they came from someone who cared deeply for her and for whom she was developing strong feelings for as well.

Nodding her head, she composed herself just as the observatory came into view. “It looks just like the pictures online.”

Samuel grinned, “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Definitely. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

Samuel hoped so.

Several hours later as they drove back to San Diego, he knew so. Jane’s knowledge of the solar system had even astounded his friend, and that was hard to do. She had asked all the right technical questions about the Hale telescope, had been up-to-date on the latest discoveries, and had intelligently debated the planet status of Pluto.

“Thank you,” Jane said, leaning over and kissing Samuel on the cheek.

“Come here,” Samuel said, pulling her over to sit beside him.

Jane willingly went, buckling the center seatbelt and leaning her head upon his shoulder, “I can’t believe how tired I am.” She yawned, trying to hide it behind her hand.

Samuel tried not to laugh, but his shoulders shook a few times before he gained control. “Why don’t you close your eyes and take a small nap. I’ll wake you when we get closer to the city.”

Jane yawned again; going to sleep uppermost on her mind. “That seems so unfair to you. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay awake and talk to you?”

“I’m sure. Besides, tomorrow night’s a long night as well. Close your eyes and get some sleep.” When she didn’t respond, Samuel glanced and then smiled. Jane had closed her eyes, and was fast asleep upon his shoulder.

New Year’s Eve arrived and Samuel invited Grace and Daniella to join him and Jane to watch the fireworks. Grace hesitantly accepted, not wanting to be a third wheel, but Jane had insisted.

Grace and Jane spent the morning cooking up a storm, making sure to include another batch of sugar cookies per Daniella’s request. The little girl was still feeling the effects of their trip and rather than deleting her afternoon nap, had taken to lengthening it significantly.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with her once school starts. She’s in the afternoon class and at this rate will be sleeping through the entire thing,” Grace told Jane as they finished decorating the cookies.

“She’s young and the last several weeks have been hectic and full of upheaval. She’ll adjust once school starts.”

“I hope so. She was also coughing a little bit when I put her down, which is unusual for her. She’s always been extremely healthy, even when I caught a cold, she usually managed to fight off my germs without any complications.”

“Wait until she starts preschool,” Jane offered with a smile, “She’ll be subjected to everyone else’s germs and probably be sick the entire semester with one thing or another.”

“Thank you for that encouraging word!” Grace told her ruefully.

Jane laughed, “Just telling you to prepare for the worst and if she happens to be healthy a week or two, count your lucky stars.”

Grace smiled, “I’ll do that.” Wiping her hands on her apron, she surveyed the plates of finished cookies and other treats they had made to feast upon at Samuel’s house. “We’re all going to need a New Year’s diet after eating all of this!”

Jane laughed, “That’s what tomorrow is for. Making a new resolution so that is can be broken before February arrives.”

“That’s the truth. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever managed to keep a New Year’s resolution for more than a week or so. Isn’t that sad?”

Jane shook her head, “Not really. That’s why I made a resolution five years ago, to never make another New Year’s resolution. I haven’t broken that one yet.”

Grace laughed, “Oh, that’s good! That’s really good! So good in fact, I’m going to borrow it tonight. Imagine, never having to feel depressed again because I broke one of those stupid resolutions I shouldn’t have made to begin with. Oh, I can feel the stress leaving my body already.”

Jane laughed with her, “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

Grace nodded, “Yeah.” Glancing at the clock, she asked, “What time did you tell Samuel we’d be coming over?”

“Around 3 o’clock? I wanted to give Daniella plenty of time to finish her nap. I told her about Lucky and I figure she’ll wear herself out tossing a stick for her. That dog never seems to get tired of playing fetch.”

“Daniella loves dogs. I was thinking maybe after she gets settled in at school I should look into getting one, but then I calculated how many hours a day we’re gone, and it just wouldn’t be fair to an animal to leave it alone all day, every day!”

“That’s probably a wise choice right now. Maybe when she gets a little older and can help care for the animal, you could revisit the idea. I had a dog while I was growing up and knowing that it was my responsibility to make sure he had plenty of water and food each day really taught me responsibility.” Jane thought back to the small terrier her father had brought home one afternoon when she was nine.

She had named him Klutz because his feet seemed to be a bit too big for his body, and when he ran, he ended up rolling tail over nose more times than not. He was the most awkward dog she had ever seen, but had become her best friend and confidant during her teenage years. She loved that dog and had cried for days when he got sick and had to be put down during her senior year of high school.

Kenneth had offered to buy her another dog, but she had refused, saying she didn’t want the heartache that came along with it. Looking back, she should have taken him up on his offer and would have if she had known he would be dead within a few years. At least she would have had someone besides her pillows and the wall to listen to her cry out her frustration and anger at being widowed so young.

Shaking off those depressing thoughts, she nodded absently when Grace announced she was going to go wake up Daniella. She made a conscious effort to focus on the upcoming evening and decided to go freshen up before it was time to leave. Samuel was opening his home to them for the evening and she couldn’t decide if she was more excited to see live fireworks over the ocean, or the man she would be viewing them with.

So far, since arriving in San Diego, she had spent some part of each day with Samuel Drackett, and she was starting to look forward to that. Last night they had only spoken on the phone, and several times it had seemed that Samuel wanted to tell her something, but then he would start a new subject and the moment would be lost.

Maybe tonight she would finally hear what he seemed reluctant to tell her. Maybe sometime tonight she would find time to tell him that she was becoming emotionally involved in their friendship and would welcome the chance for it to become more.

The fireworks over the ocean were awesome! Daniella managed to stay awake until midnight, which surprised all three adults. The little girl had spent a solid hour throwing a stick for Lucky, and then collapsed on the sand, the dog lying next to her as they recovered their energy.

Jane and Samuel never found time to talk alone, but at the stroke of midnight, he had turned her into his arms and kissed her soundly upon the mouth. The way Jane figured it, that action spoke volumes in and of itself.

Jane had returned his kiss and then been grateful when Daniella interrupted them demanding her turn. “Princesses should always be kissed first,” she had instructed them.

Samuel had played along and dutifully apologized and made amends, “Your humblest apologies, my lady.” He offered her a gallant bow and then dropped to one knee, taking her hand and placing a kiss upon its back.

Daniella had found his antics so funny, she had fallen over in her tiredness and laughter. The moment had brought the evening to a close, but on an upbeat note and without the awkwardness that often came between two people after they shared their first
real
kiss.

Jane and Grace had gathered their dishes together and taken a very sleepy princess home. They had then stayed up talking late into the night about the upcoming week and making plans for each day that included both Daniella and Samuel.

When 3 a.m. finally rolled around, they both headed off to bed, hoping that the little princess asleep down the hall would stay that way until at least noon.

They both got their wish, as Daniella didn’t voluntarily wake up and when 2 p.m. came and went, Grace finally forced her to get up and eat some food. She was starting to grow concerned about her daughter’s health. After discussing it once again with Jane, she decided to make an appointment with the pediatrician if her symptoms worsened or she became any more lethargic.

The next few days passed in a blur of activity with Grace getting ready for the upcoming semester, Jane trying to check off as many activities as she could on her bucket list, and Daniella preparing to attend preschool come Monday morning.

On Saturday, they cleaned the house together and then decided to tackle another item on Jane’s bucket list. Samuel had driven up north to take care of some paperwork associated with the Quintana brothers case and wouldn’t be back until late, so they had the entire day to themselves.

They made a trip to the zoo where Daniella informed anyone within earshot that she wanted to take all of the baby animals’ home with her. Her continual chatter made the three hour walk around the zoo memorable. The question word of the day was “Why” and she used it in regards to everything.

Why do the baby giraffes walk so funny? Why can’t I feed and swim with the seals? Why do snakes look so creepy? Why? Why? Why?

Grace had the patience of a saint when it came to her daughter, most days. Today however, Daniella was cranky which had put Grace into a cranky mood. When their time at the zoo was over, Jane had never been so glad to head home.

Daniella had become even crankier the longer the afternoon dragged on, and after three hours, both women had given up trying to placate the whiny little girl and called it quits.

Daniella had promptly fallen asleep on the way home and been hard to rouse once they arrived home. Jane had carried her inside, lying her down on her bed and removing her shoes. “All of that walking wore her out.”

“Me too. I forgot how spread out everything is. And we only saw the first half of it.”

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Jane told her as they arrived home, “but I’m heading for a long soak in the bathtub.”

“Oh, that sounds heavenly. Go ahead. I’ll put her to bed and then I may take a bath myself. There’s always plenty of hot water since I had one of those Forever Hot Water Systems installed.”

“How about I make us some dinner once I get out?” Jane offered.

Grace readily agreed, “I could eat, especially if you’re cooking.”

“Good.” Jane headed straight for the tub in the guest room.

Grace headed for her own bedroom.
Maybe Daniella will wake up in a better mood.

Grace finished her shower and was just exiting her bedroom when she heard the phone ring. Picking up the receiver, she was pleased to hear her sister’s voice on the other end.

“Grace, are you there?”

“Yes. Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year to you too!” Sara said with a laugh. “Did you guys watch some real fireworks? Jane mentioned something about them in her last email to Trent.”

“We did. Samuel invited us over to his place and we watched them shoot them off over the water. Your niece was a real trooper and even managed to stay awake until midnight.”

“Oh, don’t tell me that. She’s growing up too fast.”

“Yes, well she starts preschool on Monday.”

“Can I talk to her for a few minutes?” Sara asked, not having talked to Daniella since they had returned from Montana.

“Sorry, she’s still asleep. Jane and I took her to the zoo today and it completely wore her out. She didn’t even make it back to the primates. She was really cranky before we left.”

“Is she still not feeling well?” Sara asked, concern in her voice.

“I don’t know. Some days she’s her normal active self, and then other days it’s like she can’t seem to get enough sleep. And she seems to be injuring herself a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for instance, the night we arrived back from Montana, I was drying her off after her bath and she had several bruises over her spine.”

“What? She didn’t injure herself at all while she was here.”

“I know. That’s what she said. But now she has several bruises on her arms and legs, and no one seems to know how she got them. Even her. She’s also back to taking a nap every afternoon.”

“What about school?”

“That’s another issue. In order to secure her spot in the class, she has to attend a minimum of three days per week, and they meet all day long.”

“Have you taken her to the doctor yet? Maybe she’s got some bug or something.”

“No. I thought I’d see how she did over the next few days and then make an appointment if she doesn’t seem to turn the corner.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Well, Trent just got home. We’re headed to the church for a meeting about the new center.”

“Are you getting excited?” Grace asked, happy that her sister had found something meaningful to do in Montana.

“A little bit. The entire town seems to be behind the idea. Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day. Have a good day tomorrow. Is Jane going to church with you?”

“Yes,” Grace replied, “Samuel’s coming along as well. He’s been attending one of the mega churches in the area, and when the subject came up over New Year’s Eve, he mentioned that he really liked the feel of the church up in Castle Peaks. I told him about the small little church Daniella and I have been going to and he asked if he could join us.”

“That’s great. I think that’s one of the things I like most about Castle Peaks – the people and the community feeling. I never had that in San Francisco. Not even close.”

“So, everything’s good with you and Trent?”

“Yes. Everything’s perfect,” Sara replied with a sigh in her voice. “Oh, Trent’s telling me that if we don’t go now we’re going to be late to our own meeting. Love ya!”

“Love you too. I’ll tell Daniella you called. Maybe she can call you tomorrow and tell you all about her first day of school.”

“Yes! That would be great. Bye!”

Grace hung up the phone to see Jane walking towards her with two plates in her hands. Reaching out to take one of them from her, she sniffed appreciatively before asking, “What’s this?”

“One of my favorite comfort foods – grilled cheese. There’s tomato soup on the stove as well.”

Grace giggled, “My mom used to make this for us when she couldn’t think of anything else to cook.”

Jane got a cup of soup for herself and then took her seat, “I thought maybe Daniella would eat when she woke up.”

“She probably will. I’ll let her sleep a little while longer and then wake her up. She needs to take a bath tonight as well. Tomorrow’s Sunday and we never seem to have enough time in the mornings for extra things.”

“I’m excited about church tomorrow. How big did you say the congregation was?”

After dinner Grace woke up a very sleepy little girl and gave her a bath. After eating half a sandwich, Daniella crawled up on the couch between the two women and fell back to sleep.

Grace left her sleeping on the couch for a while as she and Jane finished watching a movie. When it was over, she picked her daughter up, told Jane “Goodnight,” and headed off to bed. She was looking forward to church the next day and hoped that Jane and Samuel were made to feel right at home.