Louise Ch. 12

The first two quarters crept by, and he was dying to know if Nathan or Patrick had seen the proposals. As soon as half time was announced, he made a beeline to the refreshment table. He had mixed feelings when he saw that the folder was gone. He turned to see Nathan talking quietly with Leon and Patrick and then heard Leon laugh.

"Come on Nate! You can't be serious!"

"I am." Nathan replied laughing.

"Tell you what." "Leon said, "If your guys win, I'll buy you dinner."

"I'm with Leon." Patrick said. "And if you lose, you owe us dinner."

Even Victor got in on the discussion.

"I'm with Uncle Nathan."

Gene stood in the back seething with anger. He just didn't get how easily Leon ingratiated himself with their future in-laws. A few minutes later, the game started again but this time, Leon sat between Patrick and Nathan completely at ease.

"What time is dinner?" Leon asked Nathan laughing after the game was over.

"I'll check my schedule." Nathan said good-naturedly.

Gene left without saying anything. He had seen and heard enough.

*******

"Alright ladies." Kevyn said when they were all in the room set up for the spa treatments. "Enjoy!"

Juliette didn't need to be told twice. She took Celeste by the hand, led her to the pool and got in.

"Come on baby." she urged gently holding her hand out to the little girl.

After a brief hesitation, Celeste took Juliette's hand and allowed herself to be picked up. After a few tense moments, she relaxed back into Juliette's arms. Wanda sat next to Juliette, looked up at her and smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Juliette asked.

"I like Mr. Hans and he likes us." she replied.

"He is nice." Juliette agreed and turned her attention to Celeste.

"What color are you going to get your nails done in?" she asked not wanting to discuss men with an eight-year-old.

"Pink." Celeste said with a smile that was becoming more frequent as time passed.

"How did I know that?" Juliette asked and kissed her cheek.

Barb sat in the hot tub with Kevyn and Louise not saying anything for several minutes.

"Where are we eating?" she asked.

"Jonesy's" Kevyn replied.

"Really?" Barb asked perking up. She had forgotten the cool reception that she received when she called Jonesy a few weeks before.

"Patrick already called him so it's all arranged." Kevyn replied. "After that we'll go shopping."

Barb frowned, "Won't the stores be getting ready to close?"

"Patrick arranged for the stores to stay open past closing." Kevyn replied.

"Must be nice." Barb grumbled. "So explain something to me." she said in a deceptively pleasant tone. "Why is it that they got to come in a jet, got picked up at the airport and got suites?"

"Because." Louise said, "You came without being invited. You just showed up and expected the royal treatment. "But there's more, you came to look for a rich husband and hoped that we would help." Louise added.

Barb stared at Louise. She was again amazed at the change in her once shy and reticent youngest sister.

"That doesn't explain the room does it?" Barb snapped.

"No, it doesn't, and I'm not going to justify anything that I've done." Kevyn said. "I told you when I called to tell you about the wedding that I wasn't going to put up with your shit. I'm going to give you a choice, behave or go home."

By this time, Juliette and the girls were at the hot tub.

"What's going on?" Juliette asked sensing the tension between her sisters. "I thought that this was supposed to be fun."

"You're right." Kevyn said. "Who's ready for a manicure and pedicure?"

A few minutes later, all of them were sitting with their feet in warm soapy water.

"Have you thought about what you're going to wear?" Juliette asked.

The discussion went on without any input from Barb until Louise asked for her opinion.

"Peach always looked nice on you." she replied. "I know that it isn't spring but I think that you should wear the color that looks best on you."

"I was thinking peach too." Louise admitted. "Will you help me find something?"

"Ummm sure." Barb replied oddly touched by the request.

"Will you help me too?" Wanda asked her voice filled with hope.

"Sure Wannie, and you can help me." Barb replied unaware that Celeste was watching her.

Two hours later, it was time to get ready for the evening.

"Thank you so much for this." Juliette said giving Kevyn and Louise a hug. "It was wonderful."

"You're welcome and we'll meet you all in the lobby in about an hour."

As they walked out, Juliette pulled Barb aside.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "We're supposed to be having fun and not fighting."

"Who's fighting?" Barb asked.

Juliette looked at her, started to say something and thought better of it. She was going to take the advice that she had given to Leon. She was going to let Barb sink or swim.

********

Jonesy met them at the front door with a big smile.

"Twice in a few weeks!" he exclaimed as he hugged Patrick. "This has to be a record."

Patrick laughed as he returned the hug.

"Yes I know, but where else would I bring my family?" he asked and began to make the introductions. "Kevyn, Louise and Barb you know." he said. "This is Juliette and her children Wanda, Victor and Celeste."

He made the rest of the introductions ending with Gene.

"Welcome!" Jonesy said with a smile. "Patrick and I have been friends for a very long time so his family is my family as well."

Barb eyed Jonesy acutely aware that he was ignoring her, and that he considered her no more than the guest of a close friend. She waited until everyone was seated, and slipped away saying that she needed the restroom.

"Want me to come with you?" Louise asked.

"No, I'm fine. I wouldn't want Nathan worried about you." Barb replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Nathan gave her a small but cool smile, but didn't say anything.

Barb went in the direction of the bathroom, and then doubled back toward the kitchen. She could hear Jonesy's deep voice as he gave instructions on how he wanted the clam chowder to be seasoned.

"Excuse me." she said loud enough to attract attention.

Jonesy and the chef turned in her direction and waited.

"Jonesy, may I have a word with you?" she asked

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"No problem I just need a moment of your time."

"Otto, remember, just a pinch of salt." Jonesy said as he removed his apron and left the kitchen.

"What is it?" he asked when they were alone.

"I'm sure that you know about the wedding and reception tomorrow night..."

"What of it?" Jonesy asked tersely.

Barb was surprised by his attitude. She wondered if that was how people felt when she talked to them in that manner.

"I was wondering if you would like to go to the reception with me."

"What happened? Can't find anyone else?" Jonesy asked. "Let me tell you something," Jonesy said. "I'm not anyone's last resort, and don't bother denying that I'm not. It just so happens that I already have a date for the reception, and even if I didn't, I would still have said no. Is there anything else?"

Barb walked away humiliated and angry. She was tempted to leave the restaurant and go home but changed her mind. She would make up for her humiliation by spending Patrick's money. She plastered a smile on her face and returned to the table where everyone with the exception of Gene was talking and laughing.

Leon and Nathan were making another bet as to who could eat the most hot wings and Louise was trying to tell him that he would lose.

"What?" Leon said. "Have you forgotten that I'm on the wall of fame at 'Bruno's'?"

"No, but Leon..." Louise said.

Barb watched and forced herself to participate. She found that after several minutes that she really was beginning to have fun. By the end of the dinner, she was really laughing and not forcing it.

Louise watched and felt a surge of hope. Maybe it wasn't too late for Barb to change after all.

*******

The first stop was at the boutique where Louise and Kevyn bought their dresses for the twin's wedding. After two hours, the only one who found a dress that she liked was Juliette. It wouldn't be until three boutiques later and one children's clothing store that all of the females had their outfits. No one missed the fact that Barb chose the most expensive dress that she could find, and that it cost more than Kevyn and Louise's outfits put together.

When Juliette started to say something, Louise laid a hand on her arm and stopped her with a nod of her head. The next stop was for clothes for the men. Gene hung back while Leon and the other males of the group picked out clothes for the wedding. Leon helped Victor and then picked out extra items for himself.

Gene smirked at the thought that Leon was taking as much advantage of the shopping trip as he and Barb were. The smirk turned to a scowl as Leon paid for everything that he picked out himself including his clothes for the wedding.

"Hey." Leon said, "Are we having a bachelor's party?"

Patrick and Nathan looked at each other. They had planned to spend the rest of the night, and the day of the wedding in bed with their mates.

"Come on," Leon insisted. "We'll watch movies and I'll tell you stories about my sisters."

"And," Juliette chimed in, "You're not supposed to see each other until the wedding. So... all of the ladies will spend the night in my suite."

The plans for the evening and daytime hours were taken out of Kevyn and Louise's hands. Even Barb joined the cause in support of Juliette and Leon.

"Will you at least allow us to have a few minutes with our brides?" Patrick asked.

"Just a few." Juliette teased. "Besides, it will give me some time to get the kids settled, and for me to order some snacks."

********

Nathan held Louise close. Neither of them was looking forward to spending the night/day apart.

"We could say no." he said as he nuzzled the top of her head.

"We could but this means so much to them." Louise replied. "Did you see Barb tonight? She actually was having fun."

"I saw, and while it was nice, I don't trust it." Nathan said. "But be that as it may, keep your phone close because I plan to call you as often as I can get away with."

Louise wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She was nervous at the idea of being separated from Nathan for so long.

"Can I wear one of your shirts?" she asked afraid that she sounded silly.

"Of course you can." Nathan replied understanding. "Do you still have your tee shirt?" he asked.

A few minutes later, his pillowcase was replaced by Louise's tee shirt and she was wearing the shirt that he wore that night. Louise was almost to the door when Nathan appeared in front of her blocking her way.

"Don't go yet." he said as he picked her up, carried her back to the bed, and was inside of her before she could blink.

"I love you, and don't let anyone try to tell you any differently." he said as he kissed her.

A few minutes later, he walked her to Juliette's suite.

*******

Barb changed into her pajamas angry that she had let her guard down, and had actually enjoyed herself. The memory of Hans and then Jonesy's rejection of her soured her mood. Anger at her sisters resurfaced negating the pleasant feelings that she experienced earlier. She was wishing that she could skip the pajama party with her sisters and thought about calling and saying that she wasn't feeling well.

In truth, she wasn't feeling well, but if she didn't go, then they would insist of coming to her. She chewed two tums, which no longer seemed to help with the bouts of nausea that seemed to come only at night or the very early morning hours. She grabbed her overnight bag even though she was just going down the hall, and left her suite hoping that the night passed quickly.

She was the last to arrive at Juliette's suite grimacing when she saw that Louise was wearing the shirt that Nathan had just worn that night. She bit back a snide remark, sat her bag down and made an effort to be pleasant. The attempt didn't last for long. It ended soon after Juliette asked Kevyn and then Lou how they met Patrick and Nathan.

"Isn't that sweet?" Barb asked with a tinge of bitterness. "Kevyn, you still haven't told me how the two of you managed to catch men from the same wealthy family."

"I told you that I can't." Kevyn replied. "It just happened that way."

Louise saw Barb's claws coming out and tried to head her off.

"Does it really matter?" she asked.

"No, but I still find it odd." Barb replied beginning to direct her anger at Louise. "So you met Nathan at a family gathering, but I was here for almost three weeks before I met anyone. Why is that? Were you ashamed of me?"

Louise looked as if she had been slapped, and then got angry. She wasn't feeling well, she missed Nathan, and she wasn't in the mood for Barb's nonsense.

"We weren't ashamed of you." Louise said. "We knew what you were up to, what you're still up to. Let's get something straight. Tomorrow is our wedding, and you can be as pissed off as you want to be, that's your choice but you will not do anything to interrupt or ruin it in any way. The same goes for the reception. If you can't promise us that then you need to stay away."

"I was just making conversation." Barb said backing down.

"No, you weren't." Louise replied. "You were determined to say or do something to ruin this, congratulations! You've managed to succeed."

Louise stood up, stared at Barb until she looked away. After a few seconds, she went into the bathroom. She didn't answer when she heard the soft tap on the door.

"Lou? Can I come in?" Juliette asked as she opened the door without waiting for a reply.

Louise looked at her, and began to apologize.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, but Barb does. I'm sorry that she ruined this for you."

"I should have known." Louise replied. "She seemed to be having so much fun earlier that I thought that maybe she was beginning to change."

Juliette gave Louise a small smile.

"I believe that she is." She said. "But I also believe that she will always be at heart the Barb that we know. I also think that tonight has more to do with jealousy than anything else does. You and Kevyn have what she wants. Hell it's what I want to some degree, what every girl dreams of; a knight in shining armor to fall madly in love with them and to take them away."

"I never asked or looked for this." Louise replied.

"And that's probably why it came to you." Juliette replied. "And what if you did want or ask for it? That doesn't make you a bad person; it makes you human. But you know what I think?" she asked. "I think that as happy as you are, you feel guilty when there's no reason why you should. Remember how mom used to say that good things happened to people who did good things? Lou, that's you.

You did so much for us and without a complaint. We used and abused you; left you alone to care for mom, which is something, that I will always feel guilty about and did our own thing. You now have a man who would move heaven and earth for you, and he loves you. Enjoy it and whatever you do, don't make the same mistake that I made with Angel. Grow with him and don't take anything for granted."

As Louise listened to Juliette talk, she realized that she did feel guilty although she hadn't realized it until Juliette mentioned it.

"What about you? Do you feel the same as Barb?" she asked.

"Jealous?" Juliette asked. "Hell yes, but the I'm happy for you kind of jealous. Lou, don't worry about Barb and don't let her ruin this for you. If you do, you'll be giving her what she wants."

"You're right." Louise murmured and then smiled. The smile faded when she thought about her parents. "I just wish mom and dad were here."

"Me too." Juliette said. "They would be so happy for you and Kevyn. What do you think? Are you ready to take control of your party?"

When they went out, a contrite Barb was waiting for them.

"I'm sorry."

Louise paused for just a second and then spoke.

"Apology accepted." she said just as her cell phone rang.

*******

Nathan lay down, got up and lay down again. He missed having Louise next to him but was managing until he felt that she was upset. Even then, he waited before calling as much as he wanted to. He already knew the reason for the upset and wanted to give Louise time to deal with it her way. When he felt her tension ease, he called her.

"Hello sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm ok... I miss you though." Louise replied.

"And I you... are you sure that you're alright?" Nathan asked ready to go after her if there was any doubt.

"I'm fine." Louise replied. "I just wish that I could see you."

"Go to the bathroom." Nathan said quietly.

"Ok... I love you." Louise said and hung up.

She looked at Kevyn who nodded almost imperceptivity.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." She said and was gone before Juliette could say anything.

"Is she alright?" Juliette asked as she started to go after her.

"She's fine; just give her a few minutes." Kevyn said stopping her.

******

Nathan was in the bathroom when she got there. He immediately took her into his arms and held her so tightly that it bordered on pain. Louise didn't care but held on as tightly as she could. She was more than ready for the day to be done.

Nathan pulled back, bent down and kissed her.

"What human came up with such a ridiculous tradition?" he teased.

"I don't know." Louise replied laughing quietly, "but I don't like it."

"Agreed, but after today we don't sleep apart no matter what." Nathan said kissing her again. "By the way, tell Kev that the car will be out front to take you to our house at five. I left a pair of specially made sunglasses for you at the front desk as well as a jacket to help protect you from the sun. You'll be fine once you're in the car. I'll be in the car waiting for you. A car will be there for the others around the same time, I'm sure that your sisters will want to help you and the girls get ready."

Louise relaxed a little gladder that she didn't have to wait until seven to see Nathan.

"I almost forgot." Nathan said. "Tell Kevyn to call Patrick if she wants to see him."

He kissed her again and was gone. She relayed the message to Kevyn and the others as soon as she could. Barb and Juliette assumed that she called Nathan back and she said nothing to contrary.

The rest of the night passed relatively peacefully with Barb and Juliette falling asleep around six am and Louise falling asleep shortly afterwards.

******

Patrick was waiting for Nathan when he got back.

"How are they doing?" he asked.

"Kevyn seems to be fine but Louise was having a bit of a hard time, but she's fine now. What's up?"

"A couple of things." Patrick replied as he handed Nathan the folder containing the proposals.

"What's this?" Nathan asked as he opened the folder.

"Something that Gene left for us by the refreshments yesterday."

Patrick waited as Nathan looked through the proposals.

"Is he out of his mind?" Nathan asked. "They're good proposals but does he really think that I would invest this much money with him?"

"Apparently he does, and he expects me to do the same but that isn't my only issue." Patrick said. "It's the fact that he didn't approach me directly. It makes me question his integrity."

"I agree... have you said anything to Kevyn?" Nathan asked.

"No, and I'm not going to until after the wedding." Patrick replied. "We've got more than enough drama with Barb."

"What are you thinking?" Nathan asked.

"I may invest with him, but not the amount that he wants, but not before I talk with him about his lack of approach." Patrick replied.

"That's reasonable." Nathan replied. "I'll do the same. You mentioned a couple of other things."