Jason and Maureen were on a flight to Indianapolis.
Jason appeared to Maureen not to be the least bit nervous. Maureen was grateful for that, for his sake.
She was nervous about her parents and her grandmother and their behavior. They were such snobs, she thought to herself.
To Maureen, Jason was so perfect that anyone who thought he didn't make the grade or the cut in anything was just a snob. She thought most of the world would agree with her.
In Jason's life, with his family, he had every reason to be confident. Maureen had warned him that her family was worse, but that was hard for him to imagine. She was nervous about him confronting them, for his sake. He was so sweet and handsome, sitting next to her there on the plane. How could anyone, upon meeting him, think he was anything but the most perfect man in the world?
Maureen felt aggravated at her parents just thinking about that. It did give her some spirit, though. She felt ready to fight them, take them on. She just dreaded the idea of imposing this unpleasantness on Jason.
He took her hand. "Don't worry," he said, reading her mind.
"I love you," she said. "I've been so busy lately, I haven't said so."
He squeezed her hand. "It goes without saying."
Maureen leaned over and kissed him.
When they arrived at the airport, Maureen found that a limousine had been sent to pick them up.
"Impressive," Jason said, as they got in.
"If they had just come themselves," Maureen said. "See what I mean, Jason? Your family would have come themselves."
"I'm not sure," Jason said. "Mom or Dad could be at the hospital, unable to get away. AJ would have come, though."
"What about Grandfather?"
"I don't know. I think he would have come. If he had meetings, he might rearrange them. My parents show they are important by where they have to be; my grandfather shows he is important by how much say he has over things."
"And my parents show they are important by not being able to show up but sending a limo instead."
"What is it with our relatives?" he asked, grinning at her.
She smiled into his eyes, feeling all her love for him hit her full force.
"OK," he said. "Both of your grandfathers are deceased, right?"
"Right."
"So there is Grandmother Bridges and Grandmother Donovan."
"Yes. Grandmother Bridges is a bit easier to talk to. A snob, but not so much that you want to run from the room screaming."
Jason laughed. "OK," he said.
"Grandmother Donovan is the one to watch for," she said.
"So I should not call her Grandmother," Jason said. "But Mrs. Donovan."
"Yes, that's a good idea. See what I mean? No matter how bad you think your grandfather is, he lets me call him grandfather."
"He's so used to hearing it that he would let the pizza delivery man call him that."
Maureen laughed. "Now let me warn you about Aunt Eunice," she said.
"Super-snob?"
"Not at all," Maureen said. "Very down to earth. Nice lady."
"So what's to warn about?"
"She talks. And talks. And talks. Until your ears fall off."
"Oh," said Jason, laughing.
"She tells you about everything," Maureen said. "Everything you want to know, everything you never realized you might have wanted to know, and everything you don't want to hear."
"For me she might be a novelty," he said, reassuringly. "You've just heard it all."
"And then some," Maureen said.
"Does Katie still live there? I had the impression she doesn't."
"She doesn't, though she's not that far. Katie we will go to see when we need relief."
"Katie's OK," Jason suggested. "I knew that."
She leaned over and gave him a kiss. He kissed her back and pulled her towards him. They were still kissing as the limousine pulled into the circular driveway at the Donovan mansion.
V. did not hear from Rick for the next week. She wondered. She knew that if he did not contact her, it was out of some scruple and not because he wasn't interested in seeing her again.
She had talked to both Amy and Amanda during that week, too.
V. finally decided that it would be all right to make a move from her side in this case. He had asked her to the nurse's ball, and she didn't think he was so old-fashioned that he would run in terror at the idea of a woman inviting him out. Maybe he would. But if he did, that would show her something about him that she needed to know.
V. didn't have much patience for men who had rigid ideas about limits women should adhere to. There was nothing like having a daughter, or two, to ease a man's male chauvinist proclivities, anyway. V. knew that from the fact that her father never did think women should be cops until his daughter said she wanted to be one. Then suddenly, there was no reason why they shouldn't.
She called him and got his voicemail. She left her name and number and asked him to call her.
She knew he liked her, and so concluded that his hesitation had to do with something else. Well, she would find out about that something else and find a way through it.
She was about to ponder some way of running into him, since he obviously wasn't going to return her call, when he called.
"Hi," she said. "I wanted to ask you out for dinner, is that OK with you or should women not do that?" She had decided that direct was best.
"Thank you," he said. "I don't think that there's anything wrong with a woman asking."
"But?"
"I don't know if I should."
"Why don't you just come and tell me about it there?"
"You're doing a lot to help all three of us," he started to say. "Amy, Amanda and I-"
"OK, that's telling me about it. Want to make it in person, so it will be easier to discuss?"
"OK," he said.
"I'll meet you at the Outback," she said and then suggested a day.
"OK," he said. V. thought she might be imagining it, but he sounded relieved.
Sarah and Duane were in the stables on Cassidine Island, petting Sarah's horse, Noha.
Sarah took a deep breath. She looked determined. She got up onto the horse, flinching only slightly.
"There's time you know," Duane said. "If you can't do it today -" he cut himself off. "Who am I talking to? You'll do it today."
Sarah smiled down at him and touched his cheek. "I'm not going to try to do much more today than walk," she said, of the horse.
"What a relief," Duane said. Of course she had the sense to take it one step at a time.
"You know, you could teach me to ride," he said.
Her eyes lit up at him, that happy light that it was becoming a pleasure for him to invoke.
"Really?" she asked. "You would learn to ride just so I could teach you?"
"Why not?"
Sarah got down from her horse and put her arms around his neck. She leaned her head against his chest. He stroked her hair a little.
She explained to him how to get onto the horse. He had already made friends with the horse. That part was the most important, she told him.
He was a quick study, she noticed. He soon had control of the horse and was able to walk on it.
"You'll be cantering in no time," Sarah said.
"Can you get up here with me, or is that too dangerous?"
"Not too dangerous," she said, charmed.
She jumped up, which was easy when he helped her.
She was sitting in front of him then, side saddle. He urged Noha forward, slowly.
"Like a rescue of some kind," Sarah said. "Like a scene in a movie."
Noha walked, slowly. "Does anything hurt?" he asked.
"Not a thing," she said. "This is easier than just flat out riding." She reached out and stroked the horse's mane. The horse walked forward a couple of steps, then Duane stopped her.
He got down. Sarah smiled down at him, still sitting side saddle. "Maybe I ought to try it this way," she said. "Old fashioned, but it might work."
He smiled up into her eyes. "I love you," he said.
Stunned, Sarah slid off the horse. She put her arms around him and held him close.