The West Wind (12 page)

“I recited that one to her, actually.”

“Did you?” Zach mused. “Your mother also reminded me of that
poem,” he said, a little sadly. He paused for a moment before he spoke again.
“Jessica definitely doesn’t.”

“Dad, Jessica is not in the picture anymore. What do you think of
Hero?” Xander reiterated.

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” he quoted from Robert Harrick’s
poem, ‘To the Virgin’s, to Make Much of Time.’

“Carpe diem, while good advice, is not an opinion about the woman
I may want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Zach sighed. “I think you’re young, Xander. You both are. I don’t
think you need to rush into anything.”

Xander waited, his eyebrows raised to suggest that Zach go on to
answer his question. His father nodded in recognition.

“I think she’s pretty true to her namesake. If you, my son, are
going to be rash and young, she’s probably the perfect woman for you to be rash
and young with. Tis the east, and Juliet the sun.”

Xander thought about his father’s words for a moment.

“You were rash and young once, weren’t you?” Xander asked his dad.

“What do you mean once?” Zach answered with a grin, gesturing at
the library and via it, the house as a whole.

His son laughed. “Good point. Oh, by the way, there’s something
important I have to tell you,” Xander said somberly, as if the fate of the
world hung on his next words.

“What’s that?” Zach asked, curious.

“Hero wasn’t named after the Marlowe poem,” his son replied
melodramatically.

“She wasn’t? You mean she. . .” Zach trailed off.

“Yeah,” Xander said. “Anna’s favorite Shakespeare character is
Hero from
Much Ado about Nothing
.”

“Oh,” his father said. “I suppose I shouldn’t have expected more
from your mother-in-law.”

Xander snorted, while Zach continued. “Well, your Hero certainly
isn’t quite so flat. Not quite as voluptuous as your Rosalyn, but. . .”

“Ok, you’re done with the metaphors and the allusions to
Shakespeare and the allusions to everything else. And since I know that’s
impossible for you, I’m going to bed. Big day tomorrow, I hear.”

“Tis the nightingale and not the lark!” Zach protested.

Xander left.

Xander looked at his watch for what was probably the 150th time in
the last hour. It was three o’ clock and Hero was due to arrive at any moment.
It had already been a long day and he was eager for the party to start. Anna
DiBenedetto had arrive at 8 that morning with an army of caterers supported by
everyone else involved in the behind the scenes work. The weather had taken a
turn for the worse and dark clouds covered the sky, though it was still warm.
After two hours of setting up canopies under Anna’s constant direction, Xander
and Zach had fled the house on the pretense of having to pick up some
construction materials for the dock, a project they hadn’t actually planned on
approaching this year, but suddenly was quite pressing. They had returned to
the house around 1 to give themselves time to get ready and found the event
already in full swing, though the lady of the hour had yet to arrive. Xander
wasn’t sure if it felt more like a wedding or some kind of Southern debutante
ball. Either way it was extravagant and people of all ages from Vista Bay and
other parts of California had made their way to the Brighton House to
celebrate. Jared DiBenedetto and his father were already deep in conversation
with some affluent businessmen, somewhere near the open bar that had been set
up in the dining room for those old enough to partake.

As Xander waited on the wide front porch people began to drift out
of the front entrance and form a semicircle at the peak of the driveway.
Nothing seemed to be happening, so he assumed they must be reacting to some cue
he had missed. More and more of the guests piled out of the house until a large
crowd had gathered in front of the house.  They talked in a soft buzz that
grew louder as uneventful minutes passed.
Waiting is,
Xander muttered
under his breath to remind himself. No sooner had the words left his mouth when
a classic black limousine pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of the
house.

The crowd fell quiet as if expecting to receive royalty. Events
seemed to be occurring as if according to a script and Xander found himself
wondering if he and the weather were the only ones who didn’t have one tucked
in a back pocket or folded into their purse. His thoughts were interrupted as
the chauffeur came around and opened the limo door for his passengers.
Apparently the entire Coven had come together. Jeremy got out first, dressed in
a light blue zoot suit. He reached his hand in and helped Leana out, who wore a
matching light blue polka dot vintage dress with black satin trim. Xander
laughed. The suit complemented Jeremy’s personality perfectly and Xander was
still amused by how thoroughly Leana had him wrapped around her finger.

Evan got out next, dressed as a Newsie to the nines, hat and all.
He offered his hand to Jaimie, who appeared in a grey and black polka dot
pencil skirt dress, for once from her own closet. She took her boyfriend’s arm
and glared up at the sky as if to reprimand it for being overcast. To Xander’s
surprise, the sun chose that moment to break through the clouds. Jaimie smirked
as though she somehow secretly had control over the weather. The four who had
exited the car made their way to the porch. After they had come to stand in place,
conducted by Anna DiBenedetto, Brian stepped out of the car. He was quite
dapper in tight, black, skinny-leg dress pants, wing-tipped shoes, a white tux
shirt with rolled up sleeves, a black halter vest, a bowtie, and a bowler hat.
He turned back to help Hero out.

The first thing Xander saw of Hero was a silver, sparkling heel as
it emerged from inside the limo. Her dress slipped away from her calf as Brian
drew her out, then flowed back down to settle just above her toes. Xander
inhaled sharply. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. The little
sun beaming down shimmered off the silver satin of her dress, spun from cloth
that hugged her curves and flowed over her form so fluidly that as she moved it
seemed woven from liquid moonlight. The halter formed a mobius of ruched satin
that looped through an eyelet. The eyelet framed a modest window in an empire
waist that fell away to her mid-back, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. A
single diamond rested at the hollow of her neck, hung from a matching satin
choker and more diamonds sparkled as they dangled just below her earlobes.

As Brian escorted her toward the house, someone began to sing
Happy Birthday. The rest of the crowd joined in. Xander thought it rather
ill-suited to the moment, but Hero dimpled and curtsied to the crowd as if it
had been expected. It must have been somewhere in that script he wasn’t privy
to.

Hero warmed her guests with a smile as they sang to her. It was
difficult for her to tear her eyes off Xander. A three piece pinstripe suit
rested beneath a matching fedora, tailored so well that his shoulders looked
like they’d split the seams at any second, yet never even stretched the cloth.
She was looking forward to the party, but
this
was the moment she’d
really been waiting for, the freedom to spend time with him again. The dancing
wouldn’t begin until later, but she was impatient to slip into the roles of
lead and follow with him. That was a few hours and a change of clothes away,
however.

When they reached the porch, Brian brought Hero straight to
Xander. The young man in the bowler hat winked as they approached. “I imagine
you’d like to cut in.”

Xander laughed, he liked Brian. “I would, yes,” he said without
looking away from Hero. He took her by both hands and stared into her eyes
while the crowd waited. There was a few moment’s pause while she stared back.

“You look like you were poured into the mold of a goddess,” he
told her.

She smiled her appreciation.

This was not in her mother’s imaginary script. “Hero!” Anna hissed.

“Love-zombies,” Jaimie coughed from off to Hero’s right.

Hero leaned in close, as if to kiss him, and Xander leaned down to
claim it. Anna looked like she was about to have an apoplectic fit. At the last
second, Hero moved her head to the side and whispered in his ear.

“No, I’m sorry. It’s too easy,” she said coyly.

Xander laughed and offered her his arm. “Shall we go inside,
Milady?” he asked easily.

“Oh, I think we shall,” she replied dramatically, taking his arm.
Together they lead the crowd into the house, Anna muttering on their heels.

The party was without a doubt a success, Hero thought. Everyone
she wanted to see had shown up, and plenty of people she didn’t know or would
rather not have seen had been invited as well. This included Jessica, who
mostly contented herself to glaring jealously whenever she thought someone
wasn’t looking. After one smug look, Hero contented
herself
to ignoring
the redhead.

Still arm in arm with Xander, Hero mingled with her guests,
introducing him as her boyfriend without a second thought. After the first
introduction as her boyfriend a rather amused expression had glued itself to
his face. She wasn’t sure she liked it. She decided to bring it up after the
third introduction, when it seemed to have set like concrete and she was
beginning to wonder if it would be stuck on his face forever. It was beginning
to drive her crazy.

“What are you thinking?” she asked him as she waved to someone
across the room and guided him toward them. He let her lead without a hint of
resistance.

“Me? I’m just enjoying myself.”

“Are you sure? You look like you’re laughing at a joke no one else
knows.”

“Hmm?” He shook his head and shrugged. “Nah, I’m just happy to be
close to you.”

She let it drop for now, somewhat mollified. The expression
remained on his face as they approached a Hispanic couple who were family
friends.

“Mr. and Mrs. Roberto, thank you for coming. This is my boyfriend,
Xander.”

“Encantado, señor, señora,” Xander said, flashing them one of his
most charming smiles. To Hero’s irritation the impression that he had some
amazing, amusing secret somehow remained tucked away one of his dimples. She
frowned briefly but let it slip away as they chatted with the Robertos.

“Pleased to meet you too, Xander,” Mrs. Roberto gushed a little
after giving Hero a warm hug. “You two make such a handsome couple.”

Mr. Roberto nodded his agreement as he greeted Hero. Hero blushed
and tightened her hold on Xander’s arm fondly. Xander inclined his head in
thanks and the amused expression settled back in with full force. Hero’s entire
frame tensed a bit as her frustration built, but she hid it as they chatted for
a few minutes before moving on.

Outside, the weather had grown worse and worse. A warm summer wind
had picked up and the sky darkened as if a curtain had been drawn over the sun
by a sleepy hand. Hero and Xander had just stepped away when thunder boomed,
shaking the house. The weather was beginning to match Hero’s mood. Xander
grinned suddenly.

“Hey, let’s take a break,” he suggested.

“I should go get changed, actually. We’re going to start the
dancing soon.” Hero’s voice was colored with her annoyance.

“I have a surprise for you. . .” he offered.

“Can it wait?”

He looked up at the ceiling, then back at her. “No, I don’t think
so. We should hurry, in fact.”

She looked at him suspiciously, wondering what kind of present
would require a hurry. If he had a kitten or puppy stuffed in a box somewhere,
she was going to kill him.

He started to lead her toward the hallway. “Will you come? Please?”
he asked.

“Xander, we should talk,” Hero said, still worried and perturbed
about his earlier reaction to her guest’s comments about the two of them as a
couple.

“Great!” he smiled. “Let’s do it upstairs.”

“Upstairs?” she asked, confused. The upstairs was still
unfinished, with the exception of Xander’s room, which had its own stairwell.

“Yes,” he said, turning to leave. “Are you coming?”

“Umm. . . ok,” she said, taking his hand.

He lead her down one hall, turned down another, then up a flight
of stairs off the kitchen that had once been utilized by the serving staff back
when Brighton House was still in its full glory. The upstairs was quiet, since
the party had been limited to the finished rooms on the first floor. He took
her down another hall, then opened a tiny, closet-like door on another
staircase she’d never seen before.

“Where does this go?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he answered. Thunder boomed again. “Hurry,” he
encouraged.

He lead the way up the stairs. They opened up into a large attic
space that hadn’t been touched by any of the preparations for renovation. An
orange extension cord snaked its way across the floor to a stereo with speakers
that faced out a pair of open French doors. A vase with a dozen sunset colored
roses bloomed on top of the stereo.

“Xander, what are we doing up here?” Hero asked. He ignored the
question and pulled her through the doorway, stopping only to hit play. The
opening chords of Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be,” began to drift from the speakers.

Hero found herself on a balcony formed above the entrance of the
Brighton House, complete with a wrought iron railing. Xander stopped and
offered her one hand.

“Hero DiBenedetto, would you like to dance?”

She took his hand but resisted his gentle pull. “Xander, you know
it’s going to rain, right?”

“I’m counting on it,” he replied with a smile.

“I don’t understand,” Hero said, not particularly happy with the
idea of getting soaked.

“My mom loved the rain,” he said softly, his voice intense, “and
she loved dancing in it. Dad and I moved here to get away from the rain,
because it reminded us too much of her. And it always rains in Seattle.” He
took her other hand and looked her in the eye. “Hero, will you dance with me?
Give me a reason to love the rain again.” His expression was so sincere and
hopeful that her heart ached. She nodded. He took her into his arms and stepped
immediately into a spinning Viennese Waltz turn. Lightning cracked, thunder
shook the house, and the sky opened up.