Chapter 59

So what could she do? Meredith honestly didn't care about Max or his marriage to that mousey woman. She did like her niece, Jordan, but couldn't understand why she had kept a baby conceived under the circumstances hers had or why she had married that milk-toast detective. AJ would not talk with her any more that day at least so there was no reason to stay. Taking a day breath she headed to the door with her head held and left without a word to anyone.

When AJ returned to their table alone, Jordan couldn't stop herself from looking back at her Aunt. She had tried to get everyone to give AJ and her Aunt Meredith as much privacy as possible by not staring at them. But now she just had to find out what had happened and why her Aunt had allowed AJ to come back to the table alone. "Is everything okay?" she questioned AJ.

"I hope so," he told Jordan. "I wished her well and came back here."

"More than that had to have happened!" Jordan exclaimed.

"It was a private conversation, Jordan," he reported.

"But she's my aunt, and you and I are friends! Surely you can tell me!"

"Jordie…leave it alone," Woody cautioned.

"But…" she started to protest again, but when she saw the look in her husband's eyes her shoulders slumped and she said, "Okay. I'm sorry AJ."

"It's alright, I know you are concerned about both of us…" with a sardonic grin he added, "You will just have to trust that we are both old enough to take care of ourselves."

"Okay," she agreed with a smile and then teased, "I would love you forever if you would snag me a piece of wedding cake while I nurse this little rascal."

"Hey! Why are you offering to love him forever when I am right here!" protested Woody.

"Because you already know that I will love you forever and I know how you are about cake! You would eat yours and mine both if you got a chance!" Jordan laughed.

"How do you know AJ won't do the same?"

"I remembered Aunt Meredith telling me how often he runs and anyone that dedicated to staying in shape wouldn't try and steal cake from a poor new mother!" she sighed dramatically.

"Are you saying that I'm getting out of shape?!"

AJ, who had been listening to the interchange up to that point with a smile said, "I'd better get that cake before you two come to blows!"

Both of them looked startled at his comment then looked at each other and laughed. However, Woody silently made a promise to himself that he would start working out the next day. Jordan promised herself that she would invite him to join her as she used the work out videos she had gotten to help her get back into shape.

AJ returned with two pieces of cake and then Woody got up to get his. Jordan never even realized there was an unspoken pact between the two men to never leave her alone.

That night Meredith Cavanaugh sat in her rental car outside her brother's house waiting for the newlyweds and AJ to return from the reception. As hour after hour went by and no one came, she got madder and madder. She didn't know that Max and LaVon had taken the bridal suite at the Hyatt or that AJ wasn't staying with them, but with Jordan and Woody instead. By the time she was ready to give up it was too late to be calling Jordan's, what with a new baby in residence. So, instead she drove to a hotel and took a room for the night. As she was checking it occurred to her that AJ might be in a hotel. She inquired if he was registered there. When they told her he wasn't, she went up to her room and started calling nearby hotels to see if he was staying in one of them.

Meredith got very little sleep that night and was not in a very good frame of mind that morning. It was a very cantankerous woman that placed a call to Jordan's house as she waited for room service to arrive.

To be continued…