Chapter 36

As he finished his shopping for everyone else and the holiday was fast approaching, he still couldn't decide what to get for her. Tom thought about calling Miranda, but then remembered the look she had given him at Thanksgiving and thought better of it.

Finally with only a few days to spare he came up with a plan that if it worked would be the best of all possible solutions. He would purchase two gifts, one personal and the other suitable for the daughter of his friend. He would wrap them both but not place nametags on them. This way, if he could open her gift to him first he could judge which of the two to give her. The perfect solution! Now all he had to do was decide what two gifts to purchase for her.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

1035 EST

Dulles International Airport

Francesca arrived at Dulles for her weeklong stay with her Papa and Miranda with several things weighing on her mind. Should she really have come? How was she going to face Tom after not showing up at Thanksgiving? Would he know that he was the reason behind her not being there? How would he treat her when they met? That and more worried her as she looked for her father in the busy airport. Spotting the tall handsome bald man she called out to him, "Papa!"

Hearing his daughter's voice AJ's head turned and he was able to hone in on her in the crowd. Waving he made his way to her and then caught her up in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you Darlin'. We missed you terribly at Thanksgiving."

"I am sorry I was not able to come Papa. It was unavoidable."

"I know, but that didn't stop us from missing you. But you're here now and that's all that counts." They collected her luggage and as usual AJ grumbled about how much she brought for a one-week stay.

"Well I do have Christmas gifts in there this time, but I guess I could have saved some room by leaving yours out," she teased him.

"I have a mean and cruel daughter," he sighed as he saw her reach into her purse, pull something out, and popped it into her mouth. He had never known her to snack between meals, being in the fashion industry, even though she wasn't a model she still insisted on staying thin so she could wear her own designs. If it was medication then she was popping it like candy and that wasn't good. AJ promised himself to keep an eye on her while she was visiting to see if he could figure out what was going on.

He wondered just how unethical it would be to ask Miranda to have a 'look' to see if she could get one of her visions to discover the truth. As they got into the Escalade he decided to wait to do that in the hopes that he could figure it out without Miranda having to pry into Francesca's privacy.

"How is everyone Papa?"

"They're fine Darlin'. Looking forward to seeing you." They chatted during the forty five minute drive catching up on things that had happened in their lives since their last time together at AJ and Miranda's wedding. Even while they talked she couldn't get her mind off Tom Boone. She knew that he was going to be at the house Christmas day, but she was worried that he might just drop by unexpectedly and she didn't want that. Francesca wanted to look her best when she next saw him and could really only do that if she was prepared for his visit.

Reaching into her purse she pulled out a small handful of Jelly Belly jellybeans and popped then into her mouth. She had recently developed an obsession for them and just couldn't get enough of them. Francesca didn't notice the odd look her father threw at her as she munched on the sweet treat.

AJ was becoming very concerned at what his daughter was eating like candy. He knew that there were women obsessed with being and staying thin even to the point of taking drugs. He certainly hoped that Francesca hadn't fallen into that trap. Keeping a watchful eye on her during this visit now became his primary goal.

To be continued…