Chapter 30---Another chapter of this story finally up...hope you enjoy and thanks for the comments!
After having spent the afternoon helping Ed realize his vision, C.J. had headed on back to the cabin. The sky had grown dark, the winds had begun to pick up and she just knew that meant snow. Or so Ruth Ann had told her when she had stopped in the general store to pick up the last batch of those little sweet pickles she just had to have these days.
The snowflakes had already started to fall when she turned into the driveway leading to the row of cabins and she had turned on the windshield wipers until she parked her car at the end of the road. She had bundled up that morning anticipating that the weather might take a turn and had been thankful about that. She walked into the kitchen as soon as she started up the fire place to prepare some hot tea and snacks for the women who would be coming to her cabin for the latest round of the Scrabble tournament. After doing that, she jumped in the shower and then changed into some comfortable slacks and a long woolen sweater before returning to the living room. She had stopped by the mirror for a look but still didn't notice anything different, well except for some pounds here and there.
Shelli arrived first and had brought some crisp fries that Dave had helped her make for her.
"Dave's fries are the best," she said, "He could wrap them up and sell them on cable television."
C.J. didn't doubt that. They were the best she had ever tasted and a couple of the pounds she had gained had no doubt come from eating them.
"I've got some mustard to go with the pickles," she said, "It's almost as good as the maple syrup."
Shelli looked at her and then shook her head.
"Girlfriend, you've got it bad," she said, patting her own abdomen, "but I did have this thing for that honey comb cereal mixed with caramel syrup."
C.J. raised a brow.
"That doesn't sound bad actually."
Shelli chuckled.
"I drove Hollings nuts tracking down the caramel syrup," he said, "Maggie was very nice and all, bringing in extra shipments from a specialty shop in Anchorage."
She and Shelli set up the refreshment table as the other women began to arrive and set up the Scrabble game so that they could get down and serious after piling up their plates. Maggie sat down with a contented sigh amongst her row of letters.
"So how was your flight to Anchorage," Ruth Ann asked, "You meet up with that friend of yours?"
Maggie nodded.
"Sure did," she said, "Molly Devers, who's an accountant and married to her high school sweetheart with two kids."
Shelli tilted her head.
"What's she doing up here," she asked.
"She shacks up with a charter pilot a few times a year," Maggie said, "He's based in Juneau but he happened to be in town."
Shelli's mouth hung open.
"Wow…is she like a multi-tasker?"
Maggie snorted.
"She could have any guy she wanted in high school so she picks the homecoming king," she said, "and she's cheating on him with some two-bit flyboy."
Ruth Ann looked at her.
"This wasn't by any chance your ex-boyfriend," she said.
Maggie paused.
"We went to prom together," she said, "and to the eighth floor of the Regency Hotel afterward."
Shelli furrowed her brow.
"But you couldn't have been together for very long, because he's not dead," she noted.
The other women nodded.
Maggie looked from one to another.
"Guys, could you just drop the whole Black Widow thing," she said, "I had nothing to do with the deaths of my boyfriends…they were all accidents."
Ruth Ann patted her arm.
"I'm sure that's the case," she said, "Now I think I have a high point word to start off with…"
Matt sat drinking his second beer at Hollings. He had just faxed off another round of paperwork to Murray back in L.A. and had checked in with Roy, telling him that he wouldn't be coming home just yet. Roy told him not to worry about either his company or his investigative agency, that both would be just fine and that he should take all the time he needed with C.J. Matt felt better when he got off the phone and looked at his watch. C.J. had invited him to drop by the cabin after she had finished hosting the Scrabble tournament with the town's other women.
Hollings came by, while cleaning some of the empty tables.
"How'd your day go," he asked.
Matt touched the rim of his mug.
"I did a lot of thinking today…about a lot of things."
"That's not always a bad thing," Hollings mused, "When you've got a baby on the way, a man's likely to do that a lot."
"There's so much to think about," Matt said, "I've never had someone depend on me for everything."
Hollings shook his head.
"I thought I would go my whole life without adding to my family's tree," he said, "People live a long time in my family tree so I thought I'd have plenty of time before I'd even have to think about it."
Matt listened to him, thinking that despite the differences in their ages and backgrounds, they shared a lot in common. Then Hollings' face lit up.
"Until I met Shelli, then it just seemed like it was the right time."
Matt looked into his beer.
"I thought about having kids most of my life," he said, "but I always put it off, I never seemed to find the right woman...when all this time she was right there with me."
"Life's funny like that," Hollings agreed, "sometimes what we're seeking is all the way across the planet trying to find us. Other times, it's hiding in plain sight."
Matt realized the truth behind what the man said, knowing that he had spent most of the time he had known his best friend taking her for granted, that she would always be there when he needed her, whether it was on a case, a stakeout or a personal crisis. She had nursed him through many a broken relationship including his engagement with Elizabeth that had nearly ended at the altar. He had tried to be there for her when she needed him in return. And in the past, she had allowed him in when she needed him. But this had been different, instead her behaviors had been more guarded and she had kept herself at a distance from him even after all they had shared together. But then again, Matt reminded himself, she had thought it had all been destroyed forever right in front of her and he knew that the scars from that night still ran deep. At least she had given him some room to work with in recent days and he planned to take whatever inch he could.
"My child could never have a better mother," Matt said, "She's always been great with kids, really patient with them."
"You two have any siblings?"
Matt shook his head.
"I have a cousin Will," he said, "but C.J. was an only child. Her parents died when she was young."
"So she spent a lot of time with you while growing up," Hollings said.
"She moved in with her uncle who was a rancher," Matt said, "but he mostly wanted another hand on his spread. We spent a lot of time together growing up working on both of the ranches and a lot of spare time as well."
Hollings nodded.
"She didn't talk much about her life in Texas but she did talk about her best friend."
Matt sipped his beer.
"We've been through a lot together," he said, "The only time we're separated is when I was in the military and she was at Harvard. As soon as we finished those obligations, we started working together on our first business venture."
"Your company's on the Fortune 500 but you donated it all to charity."
Matt knew that many people had questioned that decision that he had made after he had discovered a new branch in his twisted family tree. He had kept it to himself until after his father's death and even from C.J., until that night they had spent together.
"I had my reasons," he said, "Money never really seems to make people as happy as they think it will."
"Family's what really matters at the end of the day," Hollings said, "and at the end of a man's life."
Matt rubbed the back of his neck, remembering what his last thoughts had been when he thought he was looking at death after stepping inside that vehicle. The last vision that had flashed through his mind, of the woman he had just left, with a kiss goodbye and a promise to return to her. A promise he hadn't been able to keep right away. And he had left her pregnant, not that either of them had known at the time.
"The women should be winding down their tournament round pretty soon," Holllings said.
Matt began to gather his things together, noticing that it had started to snow outside.
C.J. and Shelli washed dishes in the kitchen after the tournament had wrapped up. Maggie had won this round narrowly over Ruth Ann and C.J. had spent most of the evening thinking about Matt and the fact that he would be arriving soon, for a late dinner. She had some venison preparing in the oven and some of the potatoes that she had started last night. What she didn't have prepared was what she was going to say to him when he arrived.
Matt tried to look through the snow as he drove down the road leading to her cabin. He saw some other vehicles parked at the end and chose the last spot. Getting out of his car, he saw that several of the women were walking to their cars and they shot him smiles as they prepared to leave. He entered into the cabin and the warmth inside embraced him as Ruth Ann squeezed past him.
"We've just finished up another round of Scrabble and are heading home," she said.
Matt walked into the living room and heard some voices from inside the kitchen where Shelli and C.J. were finishing up. Maggie took one look at Matt and rolled her eyes.
"Not surprised to see you coming around," she said, "We're on our way out of here so you'll be able to set things right with her."
"We're having dinner together," Matt said, "There's still a lot for us to work through."
Maggie shook her head at him.
"She loves you, you love her," she said, "I can't for the like of me figure this male-female thing out but if the two of you can get it to work for you…then I say go for it."
Matt knew that she meant what she said and that she was right. During his life, he had piled up one success story after another and had achieved just about every goal that he had set for himself. Now ahead of him laid the most important person in his life and for the first time in his life, he had felt at a loss of what to do. So concerned that he would say or do the wrong thing and lose her. But through his hesitation, he had left her feeling as if she were still alone.
C.J. walked out of the kitchen and looked up and saw him, stopping in her tracks.
"You're here…"
He gazed at her face, which had softened under the light.
"Am I early?"
A smile lit her face and she shook her head.
"No, you're just in time," she said, "I've got dinner out of the oven. Shelli's just finishing up before she heads back. Hollings going to keep an eye out for her in the snow."
"Yeah, it's really starting to fall out there," Matt said, "They said we might get nearly a foot."
She frowned suddenly.
"I can't let you drive in it later on," she said, "You can stay here tonight."
His brows rose.
"Are you sure," he said, "I can take the couch."
She started to answer and then Shelli entered in from the kitchen and went to gather her things after bundling up.
"Hollings going to meet me halfway," she said, "So I'd better get going."
C.J. and Matt looked at each other.
"Drive safely," C.J. said.
Shelli left them alone and C.J. looked up at Matt.
"Are you ready for some dinner," she said.
He smiled at her and then reached out to stroke the hair off of her face. She closed her eyes enjoying his touch. She felt her heart began to loosen its wrappings that protected for just a moment. He seemed to sense that and backed away.
"I'm ready when you are," he said.
She slipped her arm in his and they walked into the kitchen to serve themselves some dinner.