Chapter 34

The chill of the night air cut through them as Hope and Cameron were ushered the short distance between the house and the stables. Their eyes had been covered up for the full effect with both Lucy and Rhonda guiding their steps along the packed snow. Soft music was heard in the distance, growing louder with each step and by the time the four of them reached the creaky door to the stables, Hope recognized the soft voice of Harry Connick Jr. crooning the lyrics of some song which, although familiar, she could not name.

Hope felt Lucy's arm in hers, guiding her as she heard the squeak of the barn door and felt the unfamiliar crunch of what was likely hay under her feet.

'All right you two' came another unexpected voice, that of Becky who, unbeknownst to Cam and Hope was already inside the stables, waiting for them. 'You can take your blindfolds off now.'

The soft neighing of Cinnamon, Grace and the other two horses was heard nearby, almost as if they were in on the surprise, the sound starting out as a squeal and ending in a nicker.

The place looked nothing like it had two days earlier when Hope had last been there to suit up for her ill-fated horseback riding lesson. There were fairy lights up against the back wall, right behind a small round table which had absolutely no business being there — yet looked perfectly quaint. The table was set for two with a checkered table cloth, fine china, glassware and a bottle of wine in an orange coloured plastic pail doubling as an ice bucket.

'Where did you get those?' Cam asked, pointing to the starry lights.

'From the bin of Christmas decorations' Lucy replied with pride.

'We've made dinner for you' Rhonda exclaimed. 'You guys sit down and we'll go get it.'

The two younger girls stepped out, taking care to close the door behind them, trapping the heat from the infrared gas heater. It did a reasonably good job of keeping the stables warm for the horses during the winter months and on this night, it would act as a furnace to keep the young lovers warm and toasty.

'Here, give me your coats' Becky said, taking her brother by the arm.

She checked over her shoulder, making sure she wasn't being overheard by her younger siblings. 'I know you two haven't had much time alone since you got here so I've got another little surprise for you' she said, coaxing him towards one of the empty stalls.

Unbeknownst to her sisters, she had set up a discreet little corner should the young lovers want to linger a little after dinner. Set out over the hay was an air mattress, a blanket and throw pillows surrounded by a couple of battery operated lanterns - a perfect little love nest.

'Don't tell the girls - or Mom and Dad' Becky whispered in Cam's ear.

Cameron brought his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. 'Looks like you've done this kind of thing before sis' he teased. 'Thanks, this is great.'

He and Hope were invited to sit at the table and Becky was pouring them each a glass of wine when the two younger girls returned with a crockpot and a shopping bag brimming with food.

'It's just macaroni and meat sauce' Rhonda confessed sheepishly.

'With Mom's homemade rolls and butter and a cherry pie for dessert' Lucy added.

'We didn't have a lot of time to be very creative' Rhonda explained, laying out the food on the small table.

The three Armstrong women stood there, looking rather proud of themselves and their little surprise. Cam cleared his throat and grinned at them, waiting for them to take the hint.

'Oh… yeah. I guess we should leave you alone' Becky said, tugging on the arms of her two younger sisters.

'Have fun!' Lucy called out over her shoulder as she was dragged away.

WCWCWC

Sara was sitting up in the hide-a-bed with a stack of papers on her lap when Neal returned from having a shower, barefoot and wearing nothing but sleep pants and a t-shirt.

She looked up at him over her reading glasses and gave him an exaggerated pout as he turned out the lights in the kitchen and made his way over to join her.

'I'm sorry… again' she said for the umpteenth time.

Neal crawled in beside her and picked up the sales slip she'd left on the small table by the couch, pointing to the delivery date.

'You know when you squint, it really does look like a five' he said, putting a good face on things.

The fact that she had misread the delivery date for their new bed had taken the wind out of her sails and she had been apologizing ever since dinner. A quick call to Jerrold's Bed Emporium had confirmed that, in fact, the delivery of their brand new fancy schmacy bed was scheduled for February 6th and not the 5th. Consequently, unless they wanted to sleep on the hardwood floor in their room or lug the old mattress back into the house, they would be forced to make do with the much less comfortable hide-a-bed in their family room.

Neal had found the whole thing rather amusing but Sara had managed to get herself all worked up, first by arguing with the person at the other end of the phone before conceding that, once her glasses were securely perched on the end of her nose, the delivery date they'd agreed on was clearly legible. Eating humble pie was not among Sara's favourite things but she did her best - first, apologizing to the poor, hapless clerk she had chewed out on the phone and then making amends to her poor husband for having nagged him into moving the old bed out of their bedroom twenty-four hours too soon.

As with most situations involving his wife, Neal had been quick to forgive, putting a good face on their little misadventure and telling her that it could have happened to anybody - which of course was a total fabrication but still, awfully sweet of him all the same.

'It's just like camping' he said as he slipped in under the blankets.

He wagged his eyebrows at her, trying to make her laugh. 'I could make us some smores if you want, set up a campfire.'

She gave him a playful slap on the arm, taking in the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

'Look, there are worse things in life than having to spend a night on the hide-a-bed. As a matter of fact, I have fond memories of this here mattress' he said, bouncing up and down on the bed and making the old springs creak.

'Remember those first few weeks after I got shot? I seem to remember a few little frisky experiments on this bed… including one that involved chocolate pudding.'

She smiled at the recollection. Thank God she had such a considerate and understanding husband. She might lose it from time to time but he rarely did; another one of those wonderful characteristics that made Neal Caffrey so endearing.

She returned her attention to the pile of documents on her lap. 'I guess this assignment at work has got me a little more rattled than I realized. This is the biggest account we've ever had and if I blow it, there'll be hell to pay.'

'Is that the famous list?' Neal asked trying to get a peek at the pages she was holding in her hands.

'Yeah, this is the addendum to Randy's old insurance policy. Since this list was written up he's made some new purchases and he's gotten rid of some stuff. It'll probably take me a couple of days to go through everything in his East Side apartment.'

Neal let out a low whistle. 'Wow!' he said, squinting to get a good look at the long list of treasures. 'He's got some pretty amazing stuff there.'

'Hey, keep your eyes to yourself, Caffrey' Sara said, pulling it away. 'This is confidential stuff.'

Something had caught his eye - although it was hard to tell for sure without his glasses.

'Oh yeah?' he said playfully, attempting to wrestle it from her.

Her half-moon reading glasses slipped off her nose, landing in her lap and Neal placed a kiss on her cheek in an effort to get a better glimpse at the top page.

She melted and sighed.

He attempted to peek once more but he wasn't getting anywhere without his own glasses. He gave up and let himself fall on his pillow.

'It's getting late babe' he murmured.

'You're right' she acknowledged, collecting her glasses and the pile of documents and setting them by the side of the couch.

She reached over and turned off the lamp by the couch as they settled in the bed - definitely a substandard mattress, thin and lumpy. And noisy. Even if Neal had been up to it, any extracurricular activity on this bed would likely have woken up the whole house - and perhaps the neighbours as well.

'Ugh. I hope our backs survive' she complained, settling into his arms.

To his silence, she continued. 'Maybe we should go shopping to replace this old thing. We've had it for… I don't remember how long.'

'Oh no you don't. You are not dragging me out to shop for a hide-a-bed. Shopping for our new mattress was painful enough. Besides, you have better taste in these things than I do.'

That, of course, was an absolute lie but nonetheless, Sara took the compliment and pressed her cheek against her husband's chest, curling up for their usual end of the day debrief.

'Caitlin looks pretty settled, huh?' she said. 'I think she's over the worst of it.'

'Yeah, I'm hoping she's not faking it. But what's going to happen when Jesse gets it touch with her again, which he inevitably will.'

'I think you should give her some credit. She's wiser than you think. She's getting ready to start university… she doesn't want to mess all that up.'

'So, how did Liam seem to you?' she asked, switching it up. It wasn't bedtime unless the Caffreys talked about their kids, what challenges they were facing, what they were up to.

As he always did, Neal had caught his son's basketball game against the Boston Terriers online, his eyes glued to his son for any obvious signs of fallout from the rough few days he'd just had. He'd noticed none. Liam had had a great game, had been high scorer for his team in fact. If this thing with Todd had been on his mind, it hadn't been apparent in the way he'd played.

'He looked great on the court but… who knows. He said he'd give us a call tomorrow when he gets back to Syracuse. Any news from Hope?'

'Not since yesterday. She said she went horseback riding with Cameron's sister.'

Neal chuckled. 'I would have paid to see that, I wonder who was more stubborn, her or the horse.'

He grew silent for a moment. 'Maybe it'll give her some new material to work with… it's pretty up there in winter. She's always had a really great eye for landscapes.'

'Oh, and she asked if we're going to be home tomorrow night' Sara added as an afterthought.

'Do you think they're finally ready to come clean about a wedding date?'

'Could be… she was pretty adamant about making sure we'd be home' Sara replied. 'Can you believe it Neal? Our baby girl is getting married.'

He grew quiet for a moment, perhaps imagining himself walking her down the aisle. 'It seems like just yesterday we moved into this house.'

He felt Sara nodding against his chest. 'Do you remember our first night? There was stuff all over the place. Hope woke up and started crying and she ended up in bed with us.'

Neal chuckled. 'She was babbling like crazy. More pig headed than a mule… I was trying to get her to say 'mama'.'

'And I'd been teaching her how to say 'poppa'.'

'So damn stubborn… still is' Neal said with a chuckle. 'What was it she ended up saying that first time?'

'It was some garbled version of 'elephant', remember? Peter had given her that stuffed pink elephant and she was reaching for it from her crib.'

Neal nodded. 'Oh yeah, I remember. That thing must have gone through the washer and dryer dozens of times.'

'It's no wonder, she used to drag it around with her everywhere she went.'

They both grew pensive.

'And now, she's getting married' Sara said, her voice tight.

Things were getting a little too melancholic for her taste. 'So, are you all right with Peter's big news?'

She felt him shrugging. 'I guess it was inevitable at some point. I just didn't think the day would come so soon.'

'So soon? Honey, Peter is seventy-three years old. Most people have already retired by that age.'

'I know, I know… but Peter's not most people. I still think of him as strapping, gun-toting Peter…'

Sara chuckled. 'Well, even strapping, gun-toting Peter is getting older and so are we.'

Neal was obviously not ready to go down that road and he grew quiet, his breathing beginning to even out.

She thought he'd already fallen asleep when he spoke once more. 'What do you want for dinner tomorrow night?'

'I don't know… maybe chicken' she replied without much enthusiasm.

He sighed. 'Okay… chicken it is.'

'How about that recipe with rice and mushrooms? I really like that one.'

'Sure' he replied, kissing the top of her head. 'Well, g'night Repo.'

'Goodnight Neal.'

WCWCWC

Over in Brooklyn, a similar scene was playing out as the Burkes prepared for bed. Elizabeth threw the blankets off the bed and climbed in, looking slightly annoyed.

'It's almost as if you're having second thoughts' she told her husband.

'Of course not, honey. I'm not having second thoughts. It's just… it was hard to tell him, that's all.'

'But he took it well, right?'

'Yeah, yeah. I don't think he was totally taken off guard. Had you told Sara about it?'

Elizabeth avoided his probing gaze. 'I might have mentioned it to her. I told her I was selling Burke Premiere Events.'

He nodded. 'Well, I think he was expecting me to tell him I was cutting down on my hours but he seemed surprised to hear I was calling it quits.'

'But you said Cameron is ready to take over, right?'

'Yeah, yeah. That'll be Neal's decision to make but… yeah, Cameron could easily manage the day to day at the gallery. I could teach him how to do the books, he's smart, he'll learn.'

He settled in the bed next to her and Elizabeth perched herself on her elbow, a smile on her face. She ran her finger down the front of his pyjama, stopping to fiddle with one of the buttons.

'Oh, honey, it's so exciting! We can finally start planning our future.'

Peter forced a smile. 'What do you want to plan? You want to go on a trip?'

She let herself fall back on her pillow, her eyes dreamy. 'We can go anywhere we want. How about that tour of the Greek Islands we always talked about taking?'

'Greece, huh? That could be nice.'

Surprisingly, he felt a smile creeping in. In that moment, Peter thought that maybe this wasn't such a crazy idea after all.

WCWCWC

Making love to the sound of horses neighing nearby was a brand new experience for Hope Ellis-Caffrey. Cameron didn't seem the least bit distracted and she wondered if he'd done this kind of thing before. Once they'd settled for a post-coital cuddle, she couldn't help but ask.

'You ever… make out in the stables before?'

His slight hesitation told her all she needed to know.

'Who was she?'

'You know, that girl I told you about… the one I dated during my last two years of high school.'

'Janet something or other?'

'Jeannette. She moved here from Montreal. She taught me French. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?' he said with the worst accent she'd ever heard.

Hope giggled. 'I think that was Lady Marmalade but… nice try. So, what was she like?'

'Jeannette? She was nice. Sweet, quiet, shy. We'd hang out, go horseback riding. I think Becky still hangs out with her.'

Hope felt a little twinge of jealousy. 'Have you seen her since?'

'Not since I moved to New York' he replied, squeezing her shoulder. 'What's this sudden interest in my life before I met you?'

'I don't know, just curious I guess. So, was she your first?'

'Hope!' Cam said, pulling away to get a good look in her eyes. 'I really don't want to talk about my ex-girlfriend while I'm holding you in my arms. Besides, you dated a few guys before we started seeing each other. What about that Justin guy you told me about.'

'I was like thirteen, Cam. The truth is I wasn't all that keen on guys until I met you. There was just too much going on in my life to sit around and pine over some guy. Anyway…' she said, bringing her hand up and admiring her ring, '… you're the only one for me.'

He took her hand in his, gazing at the sparkling diamond and bringing it to his lips. 'So, tomorrow's the night we tell our folks.'

'I was thinking we could make dinner for your mom and dad. You know, thank them for their generosity. We could tell them over dessert. I already told my folks we'd be calling home.'

'How'd that go over?'

'My mom tried to pry it out of me. I think she suspects that we came up here to tell your parents in person. But the whole church thing will be a surprise.'

'My folks will be really happy when we tell them we're having a church wedding' Cam said with a soft smile.

'Speaking of which, did you remember to tell Father Bertrand we wouldn't make it to class this week?'

'Uh huh, he said it was fine. It was a discussion on birth control. I promised him we'd do some research on our own' he said with a laugh.

Hope nuzzled his chest. 'Well, mission accomplished' she said naughtily.

Outside the small red building, came the muffled sound of an engine, growing louder, followed a few seconds later by the unmistakeable sound of voices. Cam sat up suddenly and threw off the blanket they'd been cuddling under. He was instantly on his feet, pulling Hope up and grabbing for their clothes.

'That's my folks, they're home!' he called out in a panic.

WCWCWC

Neal adjusted his vest and glanced over towards the two tables he was tending to. The first one was occupied by two grey-haired gentlemen in their mid to late sixties, serious types who had been discussing business since they first sat down. One of them was on his third Kettle One and Sprite while the other man had been drinking from a bottle of 1998 Chateau Montelena, a modest choice at $390 a pop. Neal pegged them for lawyers, discussing some upcoming merger from what his curious ears had been able to glean.

The second table he was serving on this particular night, however, was the one that had truly captured his attention. By the window, with a breathtaking view of Central Park and its lit fountain, sat a power couple in their mid to late forties. Neal had immediately recognized the man as Randall Piper, a high tech magnate he'd seen on more than one occasion in the high society pages. As a server at Per Se, one of the most exclusive restaurants in Manhattan, Neal made it his business to know his clientele as best he could. He'd seen the man dining in their establishment on a couple of occasions although he'd never been assigned his table. One thing was for sure, he'd never laid eyes on the woman before - of that he was certain. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he would surely remember her if she'd ever stepped into his orbit.

'Who's the woman with Piper?' he asked his colleague as the two waiters stood behind a divider, waiting to be summoned.

'That's his new wife, Sara Ellis or should I say, Sara Piper. She's an insurance investigator for a firm here in the city. Did you catch that ring on her finger? That thing is a whopping sixteen carats, worth about half a mil. And when you get closer, check out that necklace she's wearing. I read somewhere it clocked in at $750,000. It was his wedding gift to her. That and a new place in the Hamptons.'

The man disappeared to tend to his own tables, leaving Neal to ponder what he'd just heard. He glanced in the direction of the newlyweds, noticing the couple staring into each other's eyes as they sipped a bottle of pre-dinner champagne. He glanced down at the label: Krug, Reims, a champagne rosé that would set the guy back just short of five hundred bucks. Considering that's about what he racked up in tips on any given week, he couldn't help but be envious. He thought of the can of tuna and wilted lettuce that awaited him back at his studio apartment in Alphabet City and sighed.

The woman couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from her new husband and Neal watched as she threw her head back and laughed throatily, sending a shiver down his spine. Her deep voice resonated in the small space and her eyes, the colour of emeralds shone in the candlelight.

She looked amazing and if Neal believed in such things, he might think he was falling in love at first sight.

Randall Piper lifted his hand nonchalantly to summon him and Neal immediately returned to their side.

'Yes sir' he said, awaiting orders.

The man gestured to his new wife's glass which was half empty and Neal proceeded to refill it. He leaned in and caught a whiff of perfume emanating from the gorgeous redhead; a sweet, intoxicating scent of citrus. He inhaled deeply and felt his pulse quicken.

'Darling, you're so thoughtful' the woman said, squeezing her husband's hand.

Up close, the woman was even more exquisite than from afar, her raven hair perfectly coiffed in an up do, revealing an exquisite swan-like neck and slender shoulders. Diamonds shimmered from her both her neck and wrist, leaving no doubt as to their value. She wore a simple yet striking cocktail dress in écru and Neal's eyes were drawn to her cleavage as she leaned forward to reach for her glass.

The man seemed annoyed and cleared his throat, drawing Neal's attention.

'Is there are problem?' he asked curtly.

'No, no. Of course not sir' Neal stuttered. 'Are you ready to order?'

Sara looked coyly at her husband and blew him a kiss. 'What do you think, darling? Shall we go for the nine course chef's tasting menu? I'm dying to try the gougères and the smoked salmon with crême fraîche.

'Whatever you want, my love' the millionaire replied.

He turned to look at Neal. 'Please send the sommelier over and let him know we'd like a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild. Do you have a 1982?'

Neal's eyes popped out of his head. He knew that the restaurant only had two such bottles and they sold for $8,800 apiece.

'Oh, Randy. You know how much I love the '82' the man's wife said, fawning over him.

Neal sighed and Piper gave him a look of annoyance.

'Well, why are you standing there, looking at us? Get busy. You heard my wife, we'll have the nine-course meal. Chop chop!'

'Yes sir, of course' Neal said, adjusting the cloth napkin on his arm and backing away.

His eyes remained trained on the woman, unable to stop staring and he backed right into a champagne bucket, upsetting it and sending it's contents flying onto the floor.

'You idiot!' someone called out as Neal scrambled to recover.

'What the hell is the matter with you man?' his fellow server asked when Neal returned to the serving station. 'Your first course is up.'

Neal picked up the covered dish of oysters with pearl tapioca the restaurant had dubbed 'Oysters and Pearls' and headed back to the table where the newlyweds were still making goo-goo eyes at each other.

He placed the dish in front of Sara, opening it with a flourish as she stared down in disdain at its contents, definitely not the crustacean and fish eggs she'd been expecting.

'Ugh!' she cried out. 'What is that?'

'It's the chicken with rice and mushrooms you ordered' he said as he watched her stare back haughtily.

'That's disgusting' she declared.

Neal frowned. He could have sworn she'd asked for chicken with mushrooms and rice.

'But… but Mrs. Piper.'

'Neal! Neal!' he heard as he was shaken from his sleep.

'Mrs. Piper… Mrs. Piper… Mrs. Piper….' he repeated, over and over again.

Sara reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. 'Neal! Neal! Wake up! You're dreaming.'

She hovered over him, her brow furrowed. He was covered in sweat, his breathing off the charts. He blinked, taking in his surroundings, surprised to find he was in his bed - or at least a bed in his own home, with his own wife.

'What —? Sara!' he called out breathlessly. He touched her cheek as if to check that she was real.

'What is it? What's wrong? And who the hell is Mrs. Piper?'

Neal blinked a few more times as he realized it was all just a silly dream. His heart was still pumping to beat the band. He pulled Sara in to him, holding her tightly against his chest.

'You're here' he murmured, relieved.

'Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?'

The strange dream began to slowly fade, remnants lingering just beneath his conscious mind.

He took a few steadying breaths, coming back to reality.

'Maybe… maybe salmon for dinner tomorrow night' he said breathlessly.

TBC