Ann: A Love Story Ch. 47

"Okay...I'll call Tommy in a minute and get the info on where they stayed. I'll do my best on this Neil. But to tell you the truth, I'm not sure I can pull all of this off. It's already almost noon, and if you want this to happen, the first part of this really has to be set today. I'm..."

"I know, Nancy. This is a pretty big favor."

"It's not that, Neil. I want to help you...you know that. It's just that I'm swamped this afternoon, and this is just a lot to ask one person to do in such a short amount of time, that's all. And I want to do it right...you know me. I'm a perfectionist."

"That you are. And you know what, you're right. This is too much for one person. But fortunately, I have someone in mind that might be willing to help us out. I just have to make another call."

"Really, who is it?" Nancy asked.

"Let's just say she's...a former accomplice of mine," I laughed. "With a little luck, she'll be willing to be one again. If she is, I'll have her call you."

~*~*~*~*~*~

I dialed the number so quickly it was like it was on mental speed dial. I knew it that well by heart. Too well, it turned out. I had punched the numbers so automatically that I forgot I needed to dial an area code first. Dialing a second time, I waited for someone to answer. Fortunately, the person I wanted to talk to answered the phone. I recognized her bubbly voice right away, and my cock jumped just a little, thinking about what I used to dial that number for.

"Good morning, Sexy Styles. This is Tina; how can I help you?"

Her voice was like a song; sweet and melodic, and it made me smile. I was also smiling from hearing Tina say the name of her shop. And the reason was that when I'd left for California just a few short days before, it was called 'Contemporary Styles.' I could only wonder what happened for Tina to change the name. The shock must have hit me, because I hesitated for a moment.

"Hello?" Tina said a second time, and I knew I was close to that perilous moment where she was about to hang up.

"Hi Tina," I said quickly. Almost too quickly...to the point she didn't recognize my voice at first.

"Yes...this is Tina. How can I help you sir?"

I was a little surprised that she called me 'sir'. But I took advantage of her not knowing who I was, and I said, "Pussy, it's me...James. I need your help with a mission."

Tina giggled and said, "Neil? Is that you?

"Yeah...it's me."

"Oh my God...what's going on? I thought you were in California."

"I AM in California."

"Really? How's everything going!"

"Amazing...what's with the name change?"

"Uh...well, frankly, 'Contemporary' wasn't cutting it. No pun intended," she laughed as she thought about her comment. "I mean, we were doing well. But sex sells Neil...even in a town as small and conservative as ours. Just by putting 'Sexy' in the name, my appointments have increased by 30 percent this week."

"Wow...really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't expect that to continue. I'm sure I've gotten some new customers that were just curious, and it will be a one-time thing. But if I only increase my business by just 10 percent, I can't tell you how much of an impact it will have." I smiled, thinking about how amazing Tina was. She was a beautiful, smart, sexy woman, who had so much more going for her than she gave herself credit for. Then she blew me away. "I have you to thank for this, Neil."

"What? Why are you thanking ME?"

"I never thought about my being successful until you said I was. And that kind of hit me...hard. I started thinking about my business, and realized that if I want to get more out of my life...and have a life, I need to put more effort into building this up so I don't have to work my ass off forever just to keep my head above water."

"I think you would have done that anyway," I said.

"I don't. It took you telling me I was successful for me to believe it. Now, I want more. Seeing how happy you are with Ann...Neil, I want that in my life someday. I want to find my prince too."

When I heard Tina, I had a feeling come over me. And I knew I needed to act on it. "Can I be honest with you, Tina?" I asked, my voice becoming more serious.

"Or course...you know that."

"If you want to find your prince, stop pretending to be something you're not."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've told you before, Tina. You're not a slut. So stop pretending you are one. You can still love sex, and not present yourself..."

"Already done, stud. I heard you loud and clear on our little trip, and I felt it too. Hopefully, I haven't done too much damage to my reputation. But that's another reason I'm working so hard on the shop."

"So, do you still think it's a good idea to have 'Sex' in the name of your shop then?"

"I'm not selling sex, Neil. I said that sex sells. Besides, you said it yourself. You said that my job is making people feel better about themselves...to make them feel beautiful. Somehow, I don't think making a person look 'contemporary' helps them to feel that way. But if they come away looking sexy, they'll feel sexy, and that's why it works."

"You know, you're right, Tina. It does work."

"Thanks Neil," she said excitedly. "But that can't be why you're calling long distance. Hell, why are you calling long distance?"

"I told you, Pussy...I need help with a mission I'm trying to set up. It involves me...and Moneypenny!"

Tina was silent for a moment, which was monumental for her considering how much she loved to talk. Then she said, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious. I'm calling you from California, aren't I? I told you, Ann and I are having an amazing time. It's been better than I ever could have imagined. But now, I'm actually trying to put that imagination to good use," I laughed.

I gave Tina a rundown of what I was trying to set up, and she was so excited I could feel it through the phone. Like Nancy, she had a couple of ideas that were going to make the experience even better, including one that expanded on what Nancy had said about staying closer to home on Saturday night so our Sunday wouldn't be so long.

I didn't have enough time to expand my original plan on my own, so any good ideas Nancy or Tina thought up were more than welcome. But the way Tina said she would make our Sunday memorable actually made a tingle run up my spine. I had no idea what she had in mind, but I knew enough to trust her. And trust was one of the main reasons I decided to ask Tina to help in the first place.

The biggest part of the plan that Tina could help with was execution. Nancy would be able to do a lot from her desk, but Tina would be able to do follow up things that Nancy wouldn't have time for with her job. And, while I liked Nancy, and I had no reason to worry about her...I trusted Tina a lot more. I suppose it was because of the number of secrets we shared, and that I had been with her in a lot of interesting situations. I mean, Nancy and I shared one big secret. But Tina and I had been running around together for months, and keeping it quiet in a town that lived for gossip.

Add to that the 'mission' we had been on, and it was fair to say that I looked at Tina like a partner...a fellow agent that I had been through tough, physically demanding operations with. Tina was battle tested. Hell, I had tested her, in every way I could think of. And that meant that I trusted her.

And the thing I needed the most trust in was money...specifically, my credit card. To make the plan work, Tina and Nancy would have to know where we were going to stay ahead of time. Ann and I had originally anticipated just driving aimlessly, and stopping when we got tired. But in truth, we had to go a certain distance each day in order to make it home by Saturday, which was our original intention. And that meant there were logical places that Nancy and Tina could use as stopping points to even out the trip. But it also meant that there had to be a room waiting for us at each place to carry out the plan...and that meant a reservation was required.

Hotels weren't going to hold a room based on the promise that we would show up. There had to be a reason to create the reservation, and that meant a credit card. But I was going to pay in cash...the cash Ann's Uncle Marty gave me to spoil her with. So the card was just going to be used to hold the room. Yet, they would need the card information, and I wasn't comfortable giving that to Nancy. That seemed a little odd, since she was older, seemingly more mature, and she'd done similar type negotiations for the management staff of the plant, including my Dad. But I had been intimate with Tina in ways that built trust, so I went with my gut.

I gave Tina the information, much to her surprise. But she took it, and accepted the responsibility the way I knew she would. We finalized a couple of details that I knew would be important, and asked her to call Nancy.

"She's going to be thankful for your help, Tina. Give her a call, and get going. You don't have a lot of time."

"Don't worry. I won't let you down, James. Pussy is ON the job," Tina said with another of her bubbly giggles. ~*~*~*~*~*~

I sat in the living room of Ann's house. Actually, as I looked around the room, I realized it was Chad and Dana's house. I know I'd told Ann it was her house too, since she lived there. And Chad and Dana had done everything they could think of to make Ann feel like it was her home too, including sacrificing the master bedroom to give her more privacy. But it was Ann's last day there, and as I waited for her to come back, it began to feel like it wasn't hers any more.

It was odd that I was having such an emotional reaction to that fact. I'd only been there a couple of days, and yet I could feel the change. It was a melancholy moment for me, and I really couldn't figure out why.

The phone rang, interrupting the mood I was wallowing in at the moment. It was Tina, who gave me the details of where Ann and I would be staying the first night. She told me the name of the hotel, and how to get there. That's all I needed to know, really. I told Tina if I got to the hotel, and that's all they were able to accomplish, that would be fine. I didn't want them feeling any pressure, or putting themselves out trying to accomplish the impossible because there wasn't enough time.

"You need to have a little faith, Neil," she said, her voice practically saying 'tisk, tisk' in the tone she'd used.

"I have faith, Tina. I'm just being realistic, that's all."

"You gave me a mission to complete, my friend. And I owe you...AND Ann. I'm going to make sure I do everything I can to make it happen. You just show up at that hotel and leave the rest of your plan to me. Okay?"

"Okay...Tina. Thanks," I said, admiring her determination.

"You can BOTH thank me later. Have a great time, and drive safe," Tina said as she hung up the phone.

I couldn't help but wonder how we were supposed to thank her. The way she said it made me think she had something in mind. But that thought popped out of my head when I heard the garage door going up.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann was driving, and we'd traveled the first hour in almost complete silence. The second one wasn't going much better. But I didn't push it. I knew there would be times in our relationship where it would be tough. Truth be told, we really hadn't even had a real fight yet. I wasn't looking forward to the day that would happen, but I knew it would, eventually. Even though I considered us to be perfect together, we weren't perfect.

Ann wasn't silent because she was mad though. She was quiet, because she was sad, and it made her mad to have to admit that. She was mad at herself.

The night before, Ann had insisted that she was at peace with her decision. And in truth, she was. She'd said goodbye to her friends, and I knew she was not only being honest about her feelings once we'd left the restaurant, she was also realistic. There was no hidden agenda to make me think she was better than she really was letting on. There was some heartache in leaving a place she loved. But there was far more joy in both of our lives since we'd found each other. That was what Ann chose to focus on.

Ann really had come to grips with leaving her friends and family. Even the end of the party the night before, as hard as that was, was a lot better than I expected. Ann was quiet in the car, but after a quick moment of inner reflection, she was ready to move one. And I thought she had. But when she came back to the house as I sat in the living room, she was in an entirely frame of mind.

Walking through the door, I could tell that Ann had been crying. Sobbing was more like it. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. And since I knew she had slept, at least a little...that meant that she was more than a little upset. She went past me, down the hall, straight to her bathroom, not saying a word to me. Closing the door, I could hear her start crying again.

I let her. Sometimes, you know when you need to say something, and you do. And there had been times when Ann and I had talked on the phone that I had to deal with her crying...and we talked it out. This wasn't one of those times. I knew that the moment she walked past me. So, instead of trying to 'get to the bottom' of Ann's feelings, and do the thing men normally try to do, which is 'solve' the problem...I did the other manly thing I could do. I packed the car.

Ann had said we were leaving, and I took that comment literally. So, I started carrying out the remaining things she had in the house, along with the things I'd brought with me, and I put them in the garage next the her car. Ann had backed in, centering her little car in the two car garage, to make things easier. And that was enough confirmation for me that we were going to be leaving, since she always parked out in front of the house in the street.

I will say that Ann's little Civic held a lot more than I would have given it credit for. It was crammed, but there was still some room left. I tried to pack in a way that made sense, making sure we had access to things we would likely need. But in a lot of ways, that was a guess. So I also tried to pack strategically so that if we DID have to get to something that was buried, I could do it by going from one of two directions in the car and not have to unload everything. I was pleased that there was still some room left over for things Ann had in the bathroom with her, and for the emergency supplies I had promised my Dad we would take along.

I was standing in the garage, sweating a little as I checked the fluid levels in the car. Ann had said she'd just had her car serviced the previous week, but I wasn't taking any chances. I wanted to feel confident that it was ready for the long journey. As I was putting the dipstick back into the car after checking the oil level a second time, I heard the door open. I resisted the urge to look around the hood. But I did want Ann to know I cared.

"You okay, babe?" I asked.

"I will be," she said quietly. "Here's the rest of my stuff. I need to write Chad and Dana a note, and leave my key and the door opener."

"Okay. I'll finish packing. How long are you going to be?"

"Ten...fifteen minutes. Why?"

"I'll run to the store and get some supplies for the trip. Take your time."

Ann didn't say anything. Instead, she shuffled back into the house. The trip to the store didn't take that long. I was able to get all of the emergency things on the list I'd prepared, and I was back before she was finished...and I know I was gone the fifteen minutes, plus another fifteen. But instead of going in, I just waited for her in the driveway. She finally came out, and closed the door with the button pad. I had had the sense to move to the passenger seat, and she climbed in behind the wheel. Looking at the house one last time, Ann took a deep breath and turned the key. We were on our way a minute later, but only she knew where we were going. It was a little after ten in the morning, and all I knew is we were heading west.

After the first half-hour, I leaned the seat back and closed my eyes. Driving in silence, even with the windows down, was driving me nuts. But I knew I needed to wait it out. Ann would talk about what was bothering her when she was ready. I just needed to be patient and give her some space...which was easier said than done in a car stuffed as full as Ann's was.

I woke up an hour or so later, and the only thing that had really changed was that the cassette player was playing. Ann still seemed to be in mourning...but her eyes were looking better. She had changed at the house, no longer wearing the sweet summer dress she had on earlier. She was wearing a pair of white jean shorts and a baggy red T-shirt. She had tennis shoes on, and her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She looked as dressed down as I seen her, and yet she still looked sexy as hell.

Yet, as much as I wanted to stare at her beautifully toned legs, or the striking lines of her exposed neck, I knew this wasn't one of those times where flirting would help like it had the night before. So I sat up, and looked out the windows at the beautiful scenery of Northern California, wondering where we were going. And wondering where our day was headed.

"Neil. Do you think they'll remember me?" Ann asked, her voice quiet and shaky.

"Who, babe?" I answered, trying not to act surprised that the silence we had been sharing had finally been broken.

"Mindy and Allison? Do you think they'll remember me?"

"Of course they will. Why wouldn't they?"

"Because they're kids."

"They're not babies or toddlers, Ann. Allison's eight years old. And Mindy's five. And they're both smart."

"They're kids...and kids forget."

"Who was your first grade teacher?" I asked.

"Mrs. Long. Why does that..." Ann stopped, and turned to me. Her eyes smiled, and mine smiled back.

"Kids remember people that have an impact on their lives, Ann. You lived with Mindy and Allison for over a year. You love them, and I know they love you. That's not going to change just because you're moving...unless you let it change. And I know you Ann. You don't let those kinds of things happen when it comes to people you care about."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you may not see them in person, but you'll still see them in your heart. And I know you'll find ways to stay connected."

Ann was silent again, staring at the pavement as she drove down the freeway. One mile became two. Five became ten. Finally, she spoke again, her voice cracking. "It had to be hard to lose Maddie."

Ann was referring to Madeline, my former niece, whom I 'lost' when I got divorced, because she was my sister-in-law's daughter. A smile came to my face, and I said, "Yes, it was."

Ann looked at me, surprised that I was grinning. In fact, she looked shocked at my reaction. "Did you hear me right?"

"Yes. You said it must have been hard to lose Maddie, and I said it was. Why?"

"I just didn't expect..."

"I can't think of Maddie and not smile Ann. Can you think about Christina and not smile?" I asked

Ann thought about her Cousin Valerie's baby, and she started beaming. First it was a simple grin, which evolved quickly into a wide, toothy smile. "No, I can't", she said with a little giggle.

"That's the thing about kids, Ann. They make me smile. As hard as it was to lose Maddie, I'm just grateful she was in my life at all."

Ann choked back her emotions, the smile on her face filled with the grace I'd come to love from her. It was yet another silent moment, but this one spoke volumes. As we drove a little farther, I could see a single tear running down Ann's cheek. I reached over and wiped it away with my finger, bringing it to my mouth; the salty taste lingering on my tongue.