Let me apologize beforehand because I find this chapter a little boring. I had it planned out and then I got a different idea to happen next and I just wanted to end it. I guess it's kind of cute with them visiting the cemetery, but we'll see. Reviewers, I hope you make it through and keep reading. On a side note, my very good friend, Elsie03, just started an account and as soon as she gets home from vacation, she'll start posting her stuff. I've read it all and it's good. It's mostly one-shots, but they're very cute and sometimes unpredictable. You'll love her cause I do.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
Tommy woke up the next morning to find Nic sitting on the couch in his room, sipping a cup of coffee.
"What are you doing in here?" he yawned. "It's only 8:15."
"I know," she nodded. "I couldn't sleep, so I came in here and waited for you. I'm thinking we go to Butterfly today."
He sat up and stared at her. "Really? Are you sure you want to?"
"Tom," she said plainly. "We can't come to Hilton Head and not go; it's tradition."
"You're right," he agreed, getting out of bed. "Why don't we plan to leave at 10:00?"
Nic stood up and went to the door. "Should we tell everyone else?"
"I will," he told her. "You go get ready."
Twenty minutes later, after he'd finished his shower, Tommy walked to the other house and found Sadie and Kwest in the kitchen eating breakfast.
"Good morning," she said sleepily. "Where are you going so early?"
"Butterfly Hill," he reported. "Nic and I will be gone until this afternoon, so don't make your plans around us."
"Butterfly Hill," Sadie repeated. "Why does that sound so familiar to me?" She paused. "Oh, my God, it's one of the wealthiest, uhh, cemeteries in the country!"
Tommy nodded awkwardly. "Our grandparents are buried there and since they raised us more than our parents did as kids, we like to go whenever we're here to visit."
"I'm sorry," Sadie apologized quietly. "I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."
"It's all right," he assured her. "We should be back by 1:30-2:00, so if you have things you want to do before that, do them."
"Sure," Kwest said. "Take your time, man."
As Tommy pulled into the gated cemetery, he could feel Nic begin to tense up. Their maternal grandparents had parented them much more than their own parents as children and in the time since they'd passed away, their parents had become more distant, leaving them alone for the most part. Nic especially had a hard time because of her messy divorce, so being at Butterfly broke her heart every time.
"There it is," she breathed, nodding at Jack and Elise Boulaise's private mausoleum. "God, this is always so depressing."
"But we do it," he reminded her. "This is Honey and Pops here, Nic."
"I know," she sighed. She climbed out of her Ferrari, which Tommy had wanted to drive, carrying two large bouquets of tulips, her grandmother's favorite flower. "Can you remember where the names 'Honey' and 'Pops' even came from?"
"You," he answered. "You didn't like anything that sounded like your friends would say it, so you chose something different. Five-years-old and you already wanted to stand out."
"Innovation," she smiled, "is the key to success."
"Do you want to go first or me?" he wondered.
She looked down at her feet. "You can go."
"Okay," he nodded. "Are you just gonna wait at the car or walk around?"
"I'll walk," she shrugged, heading off in the opposite direction.
Tommy sat down on the steps to the building and sighed. "Man, do I wish you guys were still around or what? I am a mess. It's been a while since I've talked to you guys, so let me fill you in on my life over the last six years. Obviously, I gave up on my own music because Darius owned it and I was kind of on a downward spiral. Then, Georgia came along and offered me a job as a producer to work with her new artist who was the winner of some hokey talent show, Instant Star. She was 15 at the time and her name is Jude Harrison. At first, we didn't get along, but she warmed up to me and we hit it off. In fact, I fell in love with her. We played a little cat-and-mouse game, as Nic calls it, for a couple of years, but the night I was ready to take her on our first date, a real date, an issue came up that I needed to take care of. I'll let her talk about that. Anyways, while I was with Nic, I met this girl, Megan, and we ended up getting married. I know, I know, two failed marriages before 30 doesn't look so good, but if I could get the girl I want now, the girl I've wanted all along, it would last. I would make it last. Do you remember Jude, the girl from three years ago? Yeah, it's her. We have our issues right now, but I think she's easing up on me and hopefully by the end of the month when we all go back to Canada, I'll be going home to Toronto." He sighed. "I guess that's it for now, but I love and miss you both."
Nic was sitting on a bench when Tommy found her.
"You done?" she asked quietly, pulling the petals off a flower she'd picked.
"Yeah," he answered, sitting down. "Go ahead; I'll be here."
She took a deep breath and walked to the mausoleum. "Hi, guys, it's me, Nic. I feel like I'm a horrible person for having not been here in a few years, but I've been busy and crazy and it's frustrating. So, since I last came, when I was 16, I graduated high school and did the whole college thing at McGill University, where I graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism, so I do freelance work for various magazines. Now I'm living in Montreal and things are finally beginning to look up. At 19, though, I lost my mind momentarily and got married. It last two months and like a child, I needed Tommy to come bail me out. It's now been three years but the ex, Chris, is around, trying to get revenge on me divorcing him for spending my money. Recently, I calculated a plan to get Tommy back with Jude, who I'm sure he told you about, and I did this with her best friend and lead guitarist, Vincent Spiederman, but we just call him 'Spied.' Anyways, I'm really starting to fall for him, which scares me, cause I don't want Chris going after him like I know he might. You both would've hated Chris cause he's so uppity, but Spiederman is so laid-back and down-to-earth that you, Honey, would especially adore him. I really miss you two. Mom and Dad are still in Paris, pretending like we don't exist, so that's nothing new to me and Tommy." She wiped away a few stray tears. "Most of the time, I feel like I'm old enough to do everything for myself like I don't need anyone, but I'm really grateful for Tommy. Even though I wish he would go back to Toronto, it's not to get him away from me; it's so he can be happy again, cause that's all I want for him. Yeah, he had issues when he was younger, but I look at the way he got himself out and I'm so proud to be his baby sister. That's weird, right? When we were kids, I was always so embarrassed having him keeping an eye on me all the time but now I totally appreciate him."
Tommy watched from the bench as Nic spoke with their grandparents. He sometimes felt a little morbid coming here, but he did it for her. Regardless of how they got along sometimes, he loved her more than anyone, even Jude, if he was being completely honest. It was just a different kind of love.
"Hey, are you ready?" she called to him. "We can get some lunch for everyone to take back!"
"Sure," he said, walking back to her. "What do you want to get?"
"Well, I know Spiederman likes Wendy's, Kyle likes anything, Wally prefers Taco Bell, Jude would want Arby's, Kwest only eats fast food from McDonald's, and I have no idea about Sadie," she reported.
Tommy's jaw dropped. "How do you know all of that?"
"I'm smart," she smirked, getting into the Ferrari. "I did go to Harvard of the North."
"Here we go again," he mumbled, pulling out of the cemetery. "People argue that Queen's University is more prestigious."
"Yes, they do," she confirmed. "And those people are also stupid."
"So, should we make multiple stops or just pick one and let everyone deal?" he wondered. "We're coming up on Wendy's."
She closed her eyes. "I'm tired, so just go to Wendy's. We can almost get anything there and they have the best hamburgers."
Twenty minutes and $55 later, they pulled up to the two houses and found everyone back around the pool.
"Food!" Wally yelled, grabbing for the bags. "Aww, Wendy's?"
"Yes!" Spiederman cheered. "Whichever one you picked this is the best."
Jude leaned over to Sadie. "Then I wonder who picked it?"
"You're welcome," Nic told him. "So, tonight, anything going on?"
"We're going shopping," Sadie announced, pointing to herself and Jude. "A place called Coligny Plaza?"
Nic nodded. "Cute shops, but I usually go for the mall."
"What's better about the mall?" Sadie wondered.
"Oh, man," Kwest groaned. "Here she goes, talking about shopping. We'll now be here all night."
"It's by Shelter Cove and there's a Saks Outlet and a Belk and Banana Republic. It's just really nice and open," Nic explained. "But Coligny is cute and original; there are lots of bathing suit shops and local t-shirt people."
Sadie turned to Jude. "Can we go to the mall?"
"Wherever you want," Jude shrugged. "I don't care."
"Well, what about you guys?" Nic asked everyone else. "Anything fun?"
"I was actually thinking we could play some football on the beach," Kwest spoke up. "If Nic plays, it'll be three-on-three."
"Yeah!" Nic cried. "Beach football!"
"Wait till we get back," Jude whined. "I wanna play but I promised Sadie."
Spiederman looked at his cell phone. "It is now 2:15; you have until 5:00 before we start without you and you have to wait until the second game."
"Let's go!" Jude said, jumping up and pulling on Sadie's arm.
Sadie scoffed as Jude hurried inside. "That poor, poor girl. So often she forgets I'm practically a certified shopper." She shook her head and followed after her younger sister.
"A 'certified shopper?'" Nic smirked. "My ass. When she spends $15,000 in two hours, then she and I can talk."
I know, I know, it wasn't great, but if you review, you'll be cool. Remember, everyone's doing it. Ha.
