Lady in Red Ch. 23

“Good morning! You look refreshed and well satisfied,” greeted Nadiya with a wonderful smile. “Gwen was just telling me that her time with her Austrian suitor was well spent. You expended a lot of energy last night demonstrating why Gwen should have no interest in her Olympic champion.

“Seeing you in that towel is even more impressive than in that shirt you wore when you performed last night. I have to say that Mr. Muller does not want to find himself in a position where the two of you are compared.”

“Nadyia is staying in this hotel. Last night someone told her we were here, so she found out what room we were in. She wanted to visit some more before we leave for home. I’ve invited her to breakfast. You’d better go get dressed. The poor girl is drooling already.”

Steve grinned, picked up some clothes that were on the bed and returned to the bathroom. “I wanted to tell you that your song about needing a hero was tremendous. All of you sang so well. It was an amazing performance. I sneaked a few peeks at Felix when you were singing to Steve. It was very obvious to those of us in the audience that Steve embodied everything you sang about. It was magical, although it appeared that Felix did not think so. He scowled and left for the men’s room. I don’t think he bothered to return.”

Steve, Gwen and Nadiya joined Gwen’s family at the breakfast table. “Oh, wow!” gasped Kate. “Jordan got a boyfriend and Steve replaced the first night. I never thought you’d find Jordan’s equal, but you sure gave it the old college try. She’s beautiful! She’s the girl that you danced twice with last night, isn’t she? Please don’t tell me that Austrian ass is coming down next!”

“Let me explain a few things to Charlie and Nadyia right now,” insisted Gwen as she took her seat. “Steve and I are in a monogamous relationship, with no exceptions. Kate lives in a fantasy land where every girl we are seen with has been sleeping with Steve. Pay no attention to her. This is Nadiya Misko. Her dad is the head of the Ukrainian trade delegation and they’re staying at this hotel. She and I have a lot in common and have become very good friends already.”

“Yeah, and one of those things you have in common is eating my toast!” complained Kate as she tried to remove a half eaten slice of toast from Steve’s hand. “Don’t worry about it, Nadiya. We all have something in common with Gwen. It’s the hunk sitting next to me eating my food.”

“I seem to have joined a rather large club,” laughed Nadyia. “As I was telling Gwen and Steve, the performance last night was amazing. Miss Quick sang that song better than I thought possible. It brought tears to my eyes. The band was excellent. It was a night I will not soon forget.”

“I’ve invited Nadiya to visit if she ever gets to Sparta, or to Stanford next fall. I’ve also warned her to stay away from Washington and Annapolis next year,” joked Gwen.

Steve noticed Jen standing in the doorway and stood. He motioned her to the table. “Join us, Jen. I didn’t know we’d see you before we left, but I’m sure glad we did. We’re just getting ready to eat.”

“Thanks! I just had to come and tell you that I had the best time ever the last couple of days. When I got back to our hotel last night, Mom and Grandmother were waiting up. They wanted to know everything that happened. I showed them the video Kate took of me dancing with Steve and the ones I took when you guys were singing. Mom was in tears when she watched it, but the most surprising thing was Grandmother. She listened to everything I said, asked a few questions, and even sobbed a little when I showed her the videos.

“When I told them I was coming here to have breakfast with you this morning, they never argued or complained. I think Grandmother’s beginning to see what she lost when she chased Aunt Jen away. I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to forgive her, but I think she’ll be much more polite to you if you ever see her again.”

Steve felt Gwen kicking his leg with considerable force under the table. He looked up at her and she motioned with her head toward Jen. He knew Gwen expected him to say something.

“Jen, I never knew I had a grandmother, an aunt, or a cousin. I don’t even know what other relatives I have. You can tell your mother and your grandmother that I don’t hate them. I’m trying to forgive them. I expect to see a lot of you over the years. You’re my favorite cousin, after all, and that means I’ll probably see your mom and grandmother at times. If they’re polite to me, I’ll reciprocate. They’ll have to accept that I’m going into the Navy and I hope to be a SEAL. If that’s a problem, they should probably avoid me and I’ll do the same for them. If they can accept it, we may get along eventually. That’s all I can promise. I hope it’s enough for you, and for Gwen.”

“Oh, Steve! That’s more than I ever expected! You’re wonderful. I’m going to visit you when you’re at Annapolis sometimes. It’s not that far from our house. Maybe someday you’ll be willing to have dinner with us, but that’s just a dream. Don’t think I’m trying to push you into anything. I’m so proud to know all of the people at this table. Whenever any of you want to visit Steve at the Academy, you can stay at our house. Mom told me I could offer you that. She said she’d be very pleased to have you!”

Gwen gave Steve a smile of approval for his treatment of his cousin. Then she switched gears. “I checked my email this morning. The head of the Senior Prom committee has asked if we could supply the music for the prom this year. That brings up a few questions.

“If we decide to play at our own senior prom, which would be extremely cool, we’ll pretty much need a whole band. I’m posing two questions to various people at the table. Do we want to do perform at our own prom? And if we do, can we get Charlie’s band to play for us? The prom is four weeks off. The class had a band lined up since Halloween, but two of the members were recently busted for drugs and the principal didn’t think we wanted to bring in a band with drug problems. Now they’re playing catch up. The head of the committee, Tyler Smith, is trying to play catch up. So what does everyone think?”

“I’m pretty sure we’re free that weekend and the guys would love to play there. We owe you, big time. Plus, we want to be known as your band. You guys are making us famous. If you decide to it, let me know right away so I can mark it on our web page and put it on FaceBook,” responded Charlie.

“That seals the deal for me!” exclaimed Jordan excitedly. “Charlie’s band is pretty darn good and I like singing with them. I know I’m not the head of this group, but that’s my vote.”

“Does this have anything to do with getting Charlie to visit you in Sparta?” questioned Steve with a straight face. “Are you trying to accept the gig and rope in a date at the same time?”

Surprisingly, Jordan blushed at Steve’s comment. “I wouldn’t try to pressure Charlie to be my date. I know I’ve screwed up a lot and he deserves someone better than I am. I don’t deserve a date for the prom after the things I’ve done.”

“Jordan, would you go with me to your prom?” chipped in Charlie as Jordan was fighting to hold back her tears. “I’ve been out of high school for five years, but I’d love to escort you, if you’d go with me. I’d be the luckiest guy in the country.”

A gasp escaped from Jordan just before she stood up, moved over to Charlie, and dropped into his lap. “Yes! I’ve never been to a prom and I’ve never had a date with a nice guy like you. I’d love to go with you!”

“Way to play hard-to-get!” wisecracked Kate. “You could’ve let him swing in the breeze for a little while. When Steve asked Gwen out the first time, she turned him down flat. She played him like a fine violin before she finally went out with him. Now she has him eating out of her hand, or at least eating out something.”

“Kate!” reproached Paula. “You shouldn’t talk like that, especially in front of company like Jen, Nadiya, and Charlie.”

“Please, Mrs. Anderson, don’t worry about Kate offending me,” laughed Nadiya. “She just gives me another reason to be envious of Gwen. I am aware of the expression and what it means. Gwen is a very lucky lady.”

“I am lucky! Let the record show that we agreed to perform at the prom. I’ll let Tyler know. I’ll also drop a hint that if he wants a certain world traveling super model with the ‘Lady in Red’ line to go with him, he’d better ask her very soon. The European men were flocking for chances to dance with her on two different occasions this week.

“This has been a wonderful trip. Being here with Steve was better than I ever dreamed it would be. I thought I loved him last week, but it was nothing compared to how I feel about him this week. I love him so much it hurts.

“We’ve made great new friends. Nadiya will always be close to me and Steve. Jen will be always be a part of our life. Charlie and his band mates are special to us. Our ‘Lady in Red’ line had a very successful launch in Paris. We became closer with the President of the French Republic and his family. We saw some of the sights. We even played the Olympia Theatre. I’ll never forget this trip, for all of these reasons. It’s time to head back home and make that movie!”

“Yeah, it was a great time! I got to be Lara Croft and show off my big guns,” chimed in Kate. “I was hit on in at least four different languages at the two dances we attended. I got to dance with Gwen’s Austrian suitor when she finally danced with Steve. He kept telling me about his giant slalom, but I told him I saw Steve in his jungle panties after dancing with my mother. Now that was a giant slalom!”