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"Come on in, Pete," Jace said cheerfully as he opened the front door of his home. An exuberant Colleen greeted them before they could get two feet into the room.
"Hello M'Lover!" She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him deeply. When she pulled away, she said in her thick accent, "and who might this be? Could it be the man Jace has spoken so highly of these past weeks?"
"I don't know about that, ma'am," Brunell said, smiling sheepishly. He took Colleen's outstretched hand in his and leaned forward to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Thank you for the dinner invitation. I have been looking forward to meeting you."
"It's m'pleasure, darlin'. " Colleen motioned for everyone to settle into the living room and get comfortable. "Jace, m'love, why don'dun ye pour drinks while I see to dinner?"
Colleen left the men to finish setting the dining room table. When the food was laid out and placed just so, she surveyed the table and sighed with satisfaction. The trout baked in white wine and herbs turned out lovely. Side dishes of braised celery and Kale with cream complemented the dish. For dessert, she had made a lovely Irish Coffee pudding. She smiled and called the men to the dinner table.
"What a beautiful table, Mrs. Parker," Pete said sweetly as he seated himself where Colleen indicated.
Jace sat at the head of the table and Colleen sat to his right. Pete sat opposite her to Jace's left.
"Mrs. Parker... if I may offer my congratulations in regards to the baby," Pete said as he took the plate she handed him.
"Why thank ye. But please, do call me Colleen." She smiled brightly as the men tucked in to their dinner. "Do ye have children, Pete?"
He nodded. "Six. Four girls and two boys. They range in ages from two to ten years old. Unfortunately, I don't get to see too much of them. Divorced twice," he admitted.
"I'm so sorry," Colleen replied. "It must be difficult for ye."
"Yes, but thankfully I'm still close with my ex-wives and I can see the children as often as I'm able. And I do...every free moment I have."
Conversation continued through the dinner and ranged from personal to business and the subject of the IA investigation came up.
"Don't worry about it Jace. It's our word against the witnesses. There's no way it will go against us," Pete assured.
"How can you be so confident? There was a message for me at the desk to meet that McKendry bitch at IA HQ tomorrow morning." Jace slammed his fist on the table, toppling over his glass of white wine.
Colleen clicked her tongue as she mopped up the spilled wine. "I dun like anyone upsettin' m'love like this. D'ye think a visit from the Irish would get her to back off?"
Jace chuckled and covered her hand with his. "Thank you, baby, but I think you might better stay out of this."
"If ye insist," she said with a smirk.
Pete laughed. "That would be a sight. I do think it's because of Ms. McKendry's new partner you're going back to IA so soon. He probably wants to gauge your reactions to her questions himself."
"New partner?" Jace asked.
"Mmm...yeah. And she didn't seem too happy about him either. Big guy, dark...strange accent that I could not quite place. Anyway, the whole time she talked...he just watched me like a hawk. Strange guy."
Jace nodded. "Well, forewarned is forearmed or something like that."
"I'll just be gettin' dessert," Colleen said, clearing their plates. Apparently they enjoyed the meal; their plates were as clean as a whistle. Chuckling, she headed toward the kitchen. So, Frank went UC with Shay. What would make him do that? Was she in danger...more danger than they first thought possible?
While Colleen went for the dessert, Jace suggested they wait in the den and have dessert served there where they could be more comfortable. As they headed toward the room, he stopped to flip through the pile of mail. Something caught his eye and he ripped open the envelope. Pete watched the deep furrow develop in his brow as he read over the paper. It looked like a statement of some kind from his vantage point.
"Excuse me just a moment, Pete. I'll be right back." Jace made his way to the kitchen.
Colleen, bowl of pudding in hand, turned, hearing someone enter the room and found Jace standing just inside the doorway, glaring at her. "Jace?"
"What the hell is this, Colleen?" He thrust the paper at her.
Frowning at his angry tone of voice, she took the paper and glanced at it. "Tis the bill for the babe's furniture."
"We can't afford this, Colleen! We talked about this," he yelled, uncaring that his voice carried throughout the house.
"I know we did, darlin', but we need furniture for the babe, and I don'dun want no crap from Kmart. My babe will ha'ehave the best," she insisted.
"Cancel the order, Colleen. We can't do it."
"NO! I will no' an' ye can no' make me!" She stomped her foot for emphasis. "I gave up everythin' to come here with ye! My job, my friends...I will no' be givin' up my plans for my babe's future." In a fit of rage she tossed down the bowl of pudding at his feet, turned and ran from the room.
The glass bowl shattered and pudding spattered him from head to toe. "Goddammit, Colleen!" he screamed.
Colleen ran down the hall sobbing loudly only to be caught up in the arms of Jace's partner. "I...I am...*hic*..."
"Shhh...." he shushed her soothingly and rocked her in his arms while stroking her hair. "Don't you worry, Colleen. Things will be fine. And I'll take care of that bill," he added as he pried the paper from her fist.
"No...it's no' right for ye to..."
"Nonsense. Jace is my partner...and we look out for our own and our families. Families come first, Colleen. I'll handle Jace...all will be well." He kissed her forehead and gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. "You go on now...rest. I need to talk to your husband."
Colleen sniffed and nodded as she headed for the stairwell. "Thank ye, Pete. Ye are a godsend."
--
Pete went to the kitchen and found Jace angrily cleaning up pudding from the floor and himself. "Jace..."
"Sorry you had to hear that, Pete."
"Don't worry about that. There is something you should know."
Jace stood to face his partner. "What is that?"
"If I ever hear you yell at your pregnant wife like that again, I'll teach you the meaning of the word sorry," he threatened.
"Pete..."
"I like you, Jace. You're almost a brother to me...but I cannot abide a man yelling at his wife, especially when she's pregnant. Know this...children are our legacy. There is nothing...and I mean...nothing more important than a child. You remember that when you think you can't spare a nickel to get what your child deserves."
"I..."
"And I'm also here to tell you...I'm here to help you with that problem. We'll talk more tomorrow, but I can assure you...your money problems are over." He slapped Jace on the back and with a nod, turned and left the house.
--
Traditional and Modern Irish recipes found at http://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~owls/irishlst.htmhttp://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~owls/irishlst.htm
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Colleen stood at the washing machine and dryer throwing the soggy clothes into the dryer from the washer. Tears were running down her cheeks and every now and then she hiccupped. "Damn ye Jake.." she muttered.
"Baby...?"
"What, come te yell at me s'more?" she drawled out in her thick accent. "I don't think ye need te be worrying about me right now."
Jake flinched when she threw a pair of his pants into the dryer, the button and zipper clanging loudly against the back of the dryer. She was so angry and upset that she flinched every now and then. "I'm worried about you. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
"No, ye shouldn't have." Frankie didn't turn around as both hands stopped and rested on the edge of the washing machine. "Ye shouldn't have. Ye should have known that the furniture would be completely paid for."
"Baby, it's not that." Jake slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her swollen belly to stroke it protectively. Judging by her words just now, she was losing Frankie to Colleen.
Frankie shrugged him off and leaned over into the washer. When she gasped softly and froze, Jake gripped her shoulders gently and pulled her back. "You shouldn't be doing this. Here..."
"I'M FUCKING PREGNANT, NO' AN INVALID!" she yelled at him as he moved her to one side and reached into the basket. Just when he turned around with a shocked look on his face, she winced and stumbled against the dryer for support.
Jake immediately gripped her by the shoulders and steadied her. "Baby, calm down! You're not doing yourself any good by getting upset." Gently he guided her to the chair and helped her sit down. He brushed the hair off of her forehead and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.
Frankie sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Go on Jace, go see to Brunell."
"He's gone home already darlin'." Jake knelt down in front of her, his hands resting on her knees as he looked up at her. "Frankie," he whispered. "I'm in. Pete's offered to help us with the finances. I know he's going to bring me into his little secret tomorrow when I go to work."
Frankie looked down at him. "Well, it's good te know that. At least it wasn't in vain that ye screamed at me in front of a complete stranger. Good te know that I was rather useful to ye tonight."
Jake sighed and rested his head on her knees. "Please don't do this baby. You know it was all an act. It was Jace yelling at Colleen, not Jake at Frankie."
"Act or no', Jake, it's YOU yelling at ME."
Jake took her hands in his and kissed her knuckles tenderly. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and I was wrong to use you like that." He kissed her fingertips gently one by one. "We're that much closer to finishing this now Firecracker. But I need you, I need you safe and healthy and stress free."
Frankie sighed and looked down again. She untangled her fingers from Jake's and traced them down his cheek slowly. "All the furniture I paid for..." she said softly, wincing as the baby kicked her hard in the ribs. She took his hand and laid it there where the kicking was. "WILL be paid for when this is done. Frank and I worked this out before I came on this assignment."
Jake purred contentedly as he felt his baby kick again and again. Each time he felt it, no matter how many times he'd felt it before, it never failed to stun him. He was going to be a father! "I don't give a flying fig about the furniture. Order a solid gold crib for all I care, so long as you're happy and healthy." He laid his cheek on her stomach after the baby had stopped it's kicking.
"We never decided if we wanted to know the sex of the baby."
"You never called your mother."
Frankie sighed and put her hands on Jake's head, stroking his hair softly. "And I won't either. It's no use to call her."
"Baby, she's your mother. You should tell her."
"I don't know..." Frankie's voice hitched slightly as she looked down at the top of Jake's head cradled against her belly. She still remembered the vile reply she'd received for the wedding announcement sent to her mother. The hateful letter she'd sent had put Frankie in tears for days with Jake holding her tight trying to calm her down.
"Take one of the cards Frank gave you and find a payphone. Call her, tell her. Maybe a grandchild will change her tune towards you." Jake leaned back and looked up at her. He could see the fear and doubt in her eyes. He smiled one of his patented boyish smiles that never failed to turn her insides to mush and leaned forward, kissing her horrendously large abdomen.
Frankie groaned. He cheated and knew it. "Alright. I'll call her tomorrow from the mall." At Jace's look, Colleen chuckled. "The neighbor's takin' me there tomorrow for some shoppin'. She said I can' ha'e this babe without some clothes. It'll be her present to the baby."
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To be continued...
Enough Jake for ya, Nicky? ~giggle~