Endings and Beginnings: A Peter Gunn Story
Set in September 1961 right after the series finale, Pete and Edie are happily married when an old girlfriend of Pete's comes waltzing back into his life.
Fulfills Lynda's Wicky challenge using the words purple, eight, and June.
The main setting for Seasons 1 and 2 Mother's bar was replaced with Edie's supper club in season 3
Big thanks to Lynda Mayfield for keeping me going and helping me with ideas.
Not your usual Peter Gunn tale but a lot of fun to write. Just wanted something different.
Dreamsville was written by Henry Mancini, Jay Livington and Ray Evans.
Lover Man was written by Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez; and James Sherman
They Didn't Believe Me was written by Jerome Kern and Herbert Reynolds
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Peter Gunn sat at a back table, his glass of ginger-ale halffull, and a dopey grin on his face. He kept fingering the gold band around the third finger of his left hand with a love and pride that made his heart almost explode. Three months ago on this day he had stood before friends and family at the St Mary's of Sorrows Irish Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginiaand married his best friend, sweetheart, and lover. It was the day that Peter James Gunn and Edith JUNE Hart exchanged rings and signed the book and officially became man and wife.
For the third or fourth time since leaving the jewelry store he checked the side pocket of his suit, feeling for the box he had picked up there. He had expected his wife to be here when he arrived at her restaurant of the same name, but Leslie, the Maitre D' had said they were low on bourbon and a few bottles of wine and instead of sending someone stubborn Edie had to of course go herself.
"Do you need a refill Mr. Gunn?" Caroline, the pretty brunette waitress asked him placing a bowl of soup in front of him. "The chef would like you taste this and see if it's too salty. At least that'swhat I think he said." She wrinkled her nose.
Jean-Marc was an excellent chef but his English was still a littlewobbly. Pete took a sip, noting that the broth smelled wonderful. "Would you please tell the chef?" He said picking up his glass and draining it"that he should really reduce the salt and yes I will take a refill."
"Right away." Caroline nodded, a smile playing on her lips.
"Oh and has my wife returned from the liquor store? Leslie said she'd been gone twenty minutes when I got here and it's been almost an hour."
"I'll see what I can find out." She promised, gathering hisempty glass and the bowl of soup.
One of the bus boys brought out his ginger-ale and crushed ice hurrying away to clean a table that was going to be pushed together with another table for a party of twelve that was semi-patiently waiting to be seated. Caroline had taken the group from Leslie, who was with a quartet of well-dressed socialites. Across the room the waitress shook her head at him indicating he supposed there was no news on Edie.
There was barely time to save his drink before one of the members of the party Leslie was leading to a table bumped into Pete's and almost knocked the ginger-ale all over the detective.
"I'm extremely sorry sir." An over dressed young man apologized and Pete nodded his head in forgiveness.
"Martin you must really look where you are going." A woman of the group had lingered behind and now she playfully ran to catch up. Peter Gunn looked up at the sound of her voice and took in her green eyes, her impeccable dark curls, and the cut of her green linen dress and he wished he would disappear. But it was not to be so.
"Pete?" She gushed the moment she saw him, leaving her friends once more. Pulling the chair around to sit directly beside him, she said his name again and kissed him soundly on the mouth. "Pete, darling you look absolutely marvelous."
"Hello, Miranda."
"What no return kiss?" she put on her shocked face. "I remember a time you couldn't wait to kiss me." She whimpered.
"He's grown older and wiser since then." He heard an unmistakable voice behind him. "Hi, you must be Miranda Elliott, I'm Edie Gunn." And he watched with amusement as his wife held out her left hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you."
Miranda took the hand that was offered and gave it weakshake. "Hello."
Pete stood up and gave his wife a peck on the check. "I've been missing you, dear," his hand going to the small of her back.
"I had to run some errands," she told him as though Miranda wasn't even sitting there. "I need to check and make sure Marco and James are putting the bottles away correctly."
He could see Miranda watching them out of the corner of her eye, trying not to mind she wasn't the center of attention. "Don't forget we have dinner reservations at Quincy's tonight for 10:00."
"Not for the world." She gave him the smile that made him light up inside out and kissed his cheek. "Again it was very nice to meet you." She turned towards Miranda and gave a smile that looked very like a shark circling her prey. They both watched as Edie made her way through the crowd, stopping at tables to greet her guests.
"Why her?" Miranda asked him the moment he sat back down. "I'm afraid I don't understand Pete. Five, five years we were together and we were the handsomest couple in town. When we walked down the street people noticed." Caroline stopped by asking if they needed anything and Miranda ordered a martini. Pete shook his head to the negative.
Miranda watched as Pete took a box of cigarettes out of his pocket and gratefully took the one he offered her. Ever the gentleman he lit hers first and she let out a stream of smoke. Caroline came by with her martini and the woman smiled at the waitress like they were best friends.
I'll wager she doesn't have half the contacts I have or the business savvy. "We had the best of everything." Miranda continued. "I already had a thriving business and we both were known, still are, for being the best in our field.
"If I remember correctly the main reason we broke up was because of my field." Pete said dryly, taking a small puff.
"I guess that's not a problem for you anymore," she took a drag on her cigarette, watching the smoke blow over her head.
"Excuse me?" He laid his cigarette in the ashtray and wished he had refilled his drink. And that he had asked for a good bourbon or scotch neat.
"Having a w-i-fe," she said the word like it was poison,"that works late nights. Didn't you tell me last time we saw each other she was a singer or some other late night occupation?" And it took everything for the private investigator not to slap his companion silly.
"Edie is a singer." he replied much more calmly then he felt and she is also the owner of this supper-club." The pride in his voice was obvious.
"And how much money does that cost you?" Miranda arched one eyebrow expertly.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh come on Pete, she is very cute." Miranda sighed. But a singer? Do you even know who her people are or what her background is? I imagine you've sunk quite a bit of money into her little past time here. "
"That's really none of your affair, but she's worked very hard to make this place a success."
" You know Daddy was going to give you everything when he died." Miranda shook her head. "You've hurt him very deeply." She tried a new tactic.
"I'm sure Daddy's gotten over it by now ." He told her bluntly.
"That was always a problem with us wasn't it Pete? You'd never take anything from anyone." They both watched as Edie came out a side door, her figure shapely in a black dress that fell mid-calf, blonde curls skimming her shoulders.
"I could make her look better." Miranda said. "Your wife should be wearing tailor made clothes. I have a new line that would make her look taller, less curvy, more business like. If you insist on being with her she should dress worthy of you."
"I think she looks just fine."
"Of course you do darling. You don't know any better."
He felt his hands were actually trembling and he put them together to quiet them. "It was nice seeing you Miranda and I'm glad you're back from where ever it was you were, but I think it's rather rude for you to leave your friends like this and I see someone I need to talk too, so good luck in your endeavors and he got up quickly.
"You still never answered my question." She called out after him. "Why her?"
"That's easy." He turned his head to answer."I fell in love."
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Pete tuned in the radio on the way home but Miranda still managed to stay in the corners of his mind. The Elliott's were a local family, her father Donald had made his money in stocks and bonds, his father before him had been a banker and unlike most of their class they lost nothing during the Depression.
He and Miranda had met at a party for a childrens' charity that he had attended with his former partner from his days at the police department Jay Cox and his wife, Cecilia. Miranda had been beautiful but also had a decent sense of humor had her own successful business and everyone said she was his type. They were together for five years but the last two and half to three were mainly out of habit and the last year most definitely was. In all that time he never once told her he loved her. He didn't believe in lying when he didn't have too.
He entered the front door of the townhouse he and Edie had bought recently and moved into just a few days ago and called for the dog. Jac, the low to the ground, brown dachshund that someone had left in the coat check room one night had made Edie fall in love with him and he was now the king of the Gunn household. The dog tripped happily down the stairs demanding to be petted, Pete obliging him by picking him up and carrying him to the kitchen. After a good amount of caressing Jac's ears and telling him what a pretty boy he was (but he never could do it to the dog's satisfaction like Edie could), he sat him on the floor while he gave him fresh water and added to his food bowl. "You'll just have to wait for your bit of steak until morning." He told the canine's wiggly behind as he ate the dry food happily. "Because I've got your mommy booked for the rest of the night, you hear me?"
Jac ignored him completely and Pete laughed. "Dumbdog."
He climbed the stairs to the bedroom, the little dog following close was all too clear Jac had spent most of the day in the middle of the bed, he looked at the crumbled covers. The room was a nice size with windows that pushed forward and would fit a queen size bed if they ever got around to getting one. Right now they had the double from his old apartment and the bureau that Edie had bought for $2.00 when she first got her own place. The master bathroom was adequate with two sinks and a tub and was a slightly smaller room across the hall that right now was being used for a catch all but they both hoped that one day it would be needed for something else. But so far all their good work had come to naught. A smaller bedroom was beside that one, they would make it a guest room and another bathroom was across the hall.
He took a shower, shaved, put on his favorite suit and glanced at his watch. They didn't need it but he re-shined his shoes, made sure his answer service was in place and that they knew he was not to be disturbed. He went outside to check on the ginger cat Sherlock but saw no sign of him, waved to one of their neighbors they hadn't met yet, checked his watch. He might as well leave.
He arrived EIGHT minutes early which Leslie told him quite severely when he walked in the door. "But you should be happy to hear your little friend left so you shouldn't get attacked again."
"Thanks, that's good to know." And he headed back to Edie's private office.
"You're eight minutes early." She greeted him as she opened the door.
Pete pulled her into his arms and kicked the offending door closed with his foot. "So sue me."
She smelled heavenly and her skin was soft as he nuzzled the back of her neck. For several moments they shared kisses deep and sweet until they knew they had to let go. "If we don't leave this minute, we'll be late." Pete told her, not wanting to move one muscle away from his lovely wife.
"Then we should go."
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