I Remember (Remembrance Series) (31 page)

I followed Gregory down to his place in my car so I could get to work on Monday.

When we arrived at his townhouse, he parked out by the curb, rather than in the driveway, and I pulled up behind him. He unloaded my things and took them inside. “I need just a few minutes to grab some clothes and then we’ll be on our way. Make yourself at home.”

“Why did you bring my things inside?”

“It’s a surprise. One of the perks of being a Worthington,” he said smoothly, giving me a wink. His hand reached up to caress my chin and lifted it up to meet his gaze. His lips brushed gently over mine. “I just want this weekend to be wonderful and full of surprises. Can you trust me?”

“Yes, I trust you with all my heart.”

While he finished packing, I decided to go freshen up in the upstairs bedroom. For some inexplicable reason, the room seemed to call to me and, since I really didn’t stay in it when I was here, I felt the need to go up see it, again.

The moment I stepped into the guest room I felt at home. I walked over to the full length Victorian mirror and just stared at the image, which was not my own, Angeline’s. Memories of dreams past started flooding my mind. Images of Angeline, sitting on the bed, reading by way of an oil lantern at night. I reached over and touched the nightstand, where she placed the books she was reading and kept fresh flowers from Daniel.

My body trembled with all these recollections.
How am I visualizing all of this?
A knock at the open door alerted me to Gregory’s presence. “Are you ready to go?”

Through the mirror, I watched as he entered the room. Only it wasn’t Gregory coming in, it was Daniel. My hand shot to my mouth and my body shook with fear. He looked worried as our eyes met in the reflection. “Is everything alright, Jordan?”

“How is it that I remember this furniture, Daniel?” I realized my mistake as soon as I said it.

His eyes widened as he dashed across the room, encircling my shoulders with his arms. “Shh, it’s ok, Jordan. Daniel is a part of the past, I’m here, now.” He turned me around and pulled me close against his chest, kissing the top of my forehead.

My head began to feel fuzzy and I tried to push away from him. Suddenly, everything shifted as I felt myself falling forward. I heard the muffled words. “Jordan….no.”

My eyes fluttered open as I heard and felt the purr of a car’s engine. “Thank goodness.” Gregory’s voice sounded relieved. “You had me worried.”

I turned to him. “I have your seat leaned back as far as it will go. Don’t try to sit up until you feel you’re ready to.” He instructed.

“What happened?” I questioned.

He looked over at me, quickly, then back at the road, as his hand found mine and began squeezing. “I’m not sure. One minute I found you staring at my guest room furniture and the next you looked like you had seen a ghost and passed out in my arms. I put you in the bed for awhile, hoping you would come around. I finally went to my neighbor, a resident at one of the hospitals, and had him take a look at you. He said you were probably shocked by something and that you’d come around, soon.”

“Thank you.” I realized we were in an unfamiliar vehicle. “Whose car is this and where are we headed?”

“It’s mine. A present from my parents for my twenty-first birthday. I rarely use it, but thought I would drive it for a change of pace and to hopefully make it an extra special weekend for you.” He smiled warmly. “We should be at my parent’s house in about half an hour. My neighbor said it should be safe enough for you to travel.”

“I think I can sit up now.” Before I knew it, my seat was automatically lifting into a more upright position.

I got a better look at the car we were in. The exterior appeared to be white, while the interior was the most breathtaking cerulean blue leather I had ever seen. The car appeared to be a two-seater with a small space in the back for a few items. The electronics were definitely high end. It was a beauty to behold.

“You like the car?” He questioned, smiling.

“It‘s beautiful. What kind of car is it?” I wasn’t familiar with the logo affixed to the steering wheel.

“It’s an Aston Martin Vantage Roadster convertible,” he proclaimed with pride.

“But, aren’t most convertible’s soft tops?”

“Most are, but I’m safety conscious and my parents understand that; so, they purchased a hard top for me,” “I wouldn’t have bought something so lavish for myself, but my parents felt guilty for having bought my brothers new sports cars and not getting me one.”

He turned, smiled and made a quick wink at me. “I have to admit, I love driving it. You can drive it this weekend if you want.”

“It’s stunning, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking it for a spin.”

After we drove a few minutes in silence, he asked, “Do you know why you fainted and why you called me Daniel?”

“I think the furniture belonged to Angeline. I saw a vision of her sitting on the bed and looking in the mirror.”

At that moment, my phone rang and I followed the sound to my purse, on the floorboard of the car. “Hello?”

Gregory mouthed the words, “Who’s that?”

I held the phone from my ear for a moment as I said, “It’s Mom; she made it to Uncle Henry’s.”

He reached over and held my hand as I finished my conversation.

The houses rushing past the window caught my attention, as they began to grow bigger in size and the subdivisions more elaborate, some with gated fences.

I suddenly realized I had no idea where we were. “Where are we?”

His hand patted my knee. “Windcrest. On the southwest part of town. We should be there in a few minutes.”

Gregory turned into a gated subdivision marked Lake Buchard Estates. He paused, momentarily, to enter a code into the box and the heavy metal gates swung open. He continued on before turning into a long, brick paved driveway and up to a two-story, Tuscan house with a tiled roof and large majestic windows.

My stomach was suddenly unsettled, finally realizing how well off his family really was. I was totally out of my element. Before I could even say a word, he pulled my hand to his lips, kissing it, gently. “The house is not as big as it appears. Remember, my family had very humble beginnings—no need to put on airs here, just be yourself.”

He came around to get my door. Before I could completely stand and get my balance, his parents bounded out the door with open arms. “You must be Jordan,” a beautiful blonde with emerald green eyes exclaimed, throwing her arms around me in a friendly hug. “I’m his mom; call me Lorraine.”

No sooner than Lorraine let me out of her embrace; when she grabbed her son and gave him a warm hug. In the meantime, I was being swallowed up by his dad’s arms. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Jordan. I’m the dad; please call me Douglas. My father, Frederick, will join us later this evening for dinner.”

His dad stood around six feet, with a sturdy, muscular build, and golden brown hair with a touch of white along the ear line.

Gregory grabbed both of our bags in one hand and slipped the other around my waist, drawing me protectively to his side. “Let’s go inside so I can show you to your room and give you the grand tour before we sit down for lunch.”

I felt calm as long as I was close to him. I was grateful I had listened to his suggestion of us both wearing shorts and t-shirts, today, as his parents dressed in a similar manner.

“Lunch should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Lorraine told her son. Then turning to me, she asked, “I hope you don’t mind hamburgers and hot dogs? We are grilling out on the lanai.”

“That sounds delicious, Mrs. Worthington.” I haven’t had a grilled burger since my dad last barbequed.

She touched my arm lightly, smiling. “Honey, please don’t be so formal. Call us by our first names.”

“Okay Lorraine.”

“Welcome to our home, Jordan. Please, make yourself comfortable.” Lorraine spoke warmly, as we followed her and Douglas inside.

My eyes could not believe how grand the entryway was. It was practically a room, itself, with both the living room and dining room connected and a large winding staircase, with wrought iron balustrade, flanking one side. The open second floor overlooked the entire living space. I was awestruck by the beauty of the home; however, even though the architecture was majestic, the furniture was downplayed and comfortable; giving a welcoming feeling.

I watched Lorraine and Douglas disappear through the dining area and into the kitchen. Gregory grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs. “We have a loft and three bedrooms up here. My parent’s room is downstairs. Here’s your room.” He opened the door and placed my bag on the bed.

The room was amazing, decorated with deep burgundy and gold. The bed was a rich maple, four-poster, double bed. “Wow, this room is fabulous.” I went over to the window to check out the view and found a wonderful balcony seating area, overlooking the pool and the lake. “The view is breathtaking. What lake is that?”

He smiled warmly as he walked over, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my shoulder, “That’s Lake Louise. We can go swimming and jet skiing later, if you want.”

“I’ve never been jet skiing. Is it fun?” My heart pounded at the thought of doing something different and exciting, for once.

“I think you will like it. I’m glad you like the room; it is actually mine,” he whispered as he began placing tiny kisses just below my earlobe.

“You don’t have to give me your room. I would be happy to sleep in one of the other bedrooms. Where are you going to sleep?”

“I will take the room next door or I can stay in here with you, if you like. My parents understand that we both have old-fashioned values and trust us to do what’s right. I already told them that we like to cuddle.”

His candor was a bit overwhelming, but comforting. “I guess it’s up to you, as long as I have privacy to bathe and change.”

I felt his arms start to turn me toward him. His hands held my head in place as the fullness of his lips met mine, parting them slightly.

He finally came up for air, leaving me breathless and lightheaded. “That should be no problem. We should head down before they think we are up to something. Come on and I will give you the rest of the tour on the way out to the patio.”

I discovered that the upstairs patio was actually a wrap around lanai that had stairs leading down to the pool area. The loft must have been part of the children’s play area, because it had several video game consoles, DVD’s, CD’s, books and board games.

The downstairs consisted of a formal dining room, living room, kitchen, breakfast nook, family room, wet bar and small theater room. The kitchen was amazing, all stainless steel appliances with deep hued cherry wood cabinets, a center island and a breakfast bar that could accommodate at least six people. The family room opened out to the pool and lake area that contained a built-in barbeque grill, small refrigerator and preparation area, along with a patio table large enough to entertain a small crowd.

Before Gregory could show me anymore, his mother spoke up. “You can finish the tour after we eat; lunch is ready.”

We made our way to the table. “Is there anything I can do to help, Lorraine?”

“Don’t be silly, Jordan. You’re our guest this weekend; enjoy yourself.”

We both sat down across from his parents and began passing the food around. There was a delightful array of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fruit salad, a nice green salad and unsweetened tea to drink.

For a moment, I started to tear up, recalling similar times with my mom and Dad. Gregory leaned over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Everything all right, Darling?”

I looked up to see everyone concerned. “I’m fine. I waved my hand across the table. “It’s just that this reminds me of last summer and the last time my dad barbequed. It brought back a beautiful memory.”

Douglas and Lorraine were quick to apologize; but I told them not to worry, they are happy memories that I needed to hold on to. Gregory leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Remember, your dad is still watching over you and loves you dearly, as do I.”

The food was amazing and the conversations enlightening. Lorraine told me about herself, her side of the family and about her other sons and their wives. She said her parents lived in Virginia, along with a brother, sister and several cousins.

Douglas was just as talkative, telling me all about his parents, his brother in Colorado, a sister in Philadelphia, and how Worthington Industries came to be.

I tried to return the pleasantries by telling a little about my parents, that I was an only child, along with a little information about my job. To my surprise, they had already heard everything from Gregory. I turned to him. “You weren’t kidding when you said they knew all about me.”

He squeezed my hand lightly. “I’m sorry Jordan. I guess that wasn’t very polite of me, but I wanted them to know how wonderful you are and how much I love you.”

Lorraine reached across the table and patted my hand in reassurance. “Don’t worry Jordan; Douglas was the same way when we dated.”

Her smile was endearing as she turned and gazed, lovingly, into her husband’s eyes. I could feel their love, after all these years of being together, reminding me of the affection my parents shared.