Taming Theresa (29 page)

Jack stuck his head into Vicky's office. "Can
I interrupt?"

She looked at him, but continued typing for a
moment. "Of course. What is it?"

"I think I found out what John's problem is,"
he said, handing her the note and sitting in the chair next to her
desk.

She read it and looked up at him. "Oh Jack,
that's so sad."

"It seems Terry and John were busy while we
were away," said Jack.

Vicky reached for her phone. "I'm going to
call her. John obviously took this pretty hard." She punched the
buttons on her phone and waited. "No answer. It went straight to
voice mail."

"Try her parent's house, they'll know where
she is," suggested Jack.

"Good idea." Vicky dialed, and then hit
speakerphone. "Hello, Aunt Rose. It's Victoria. How are you?"

She turned to Jack, smiling when they heard
Rose's voice.

"Victoria sweetheart, so how was the
honeymoon?"

"Just great, Aunt Rose, we had a fantastic
time."

"Wonderful, I'm so glad for you. And how is
that gorgeous man of yours?"

"Good, Aunt Rose, he's right here with me.
Listen, we want to thank you and Uncle Dom so much for everything
you did. You're too kind, both of you."

"Nonsense, it was no trouble. You know Dom
thinks of you like a daughter. We were happy to do it."

"You helped make it a wonderful wedding.
Terry too. We couldn't have done it without her. Hey, is Terry
there? We'd like to thank her."

There was silence for a couple of beats
before her aunt answered. "Theresa is at work. She came back on
Thursday and I got to tell you, I'm a little worried. She's not
herself. All she does is go to work, stay late, then go back the
next day. She won't stop by here, just goes home to that apartment
and sleeps. I don't think she's eating. Someone doesn't eat, you
got to worry. That's not good. Wait a second, Honey; your Uncle Dom
wants to talk."

Jack and Vicky listened while Dominick gave
them an apologetic account of Tony DePalma's activities and his
arrest by the FBI.

"Victoria, they have yet to find this money
that Tony was searching for, but I understand that he did some
damage at your house. I will take care of that. It’s my
responsibility."

"Uncle Dom, I think John is almost through
with the repairs."

"He’s there?"

"When we got home we found him hard at
work."

"Thank God he was there to protect my Theresa
and no one was hurt. That's the important thing. Ask him for me, to
put better locks on your doors while he's there. Your safety is
paramount. I will repay him when he gets here."

"Okay, Uncle Dom." After she ended the call,
Vicky quickly sent her cousin a text thanking her and asking her to
call.

"He's a great guy," said Jack.

"You're right." She smiled at her husband.
"Now I want to know what happened between John and my cousin last
week."

Jack's cell phone rang. It was John. "Hey,
Jack. I'll be back out there in a few minutes. What do you want on
your pizza?"

Jack raised his eyebrows and asked Vicky,
"Pizza?"

"That sounds great, I'm starved."

"Anything but anchovies." Jack closed his
phone thoughtfully. "That didn't sound like the same John that left
here a half hour ago. Sounds like he's getting ready to kick
somebody's ass

The elderly woman made her way cautiously
down the dark cellar steps. It was her ninety-second winter and her
old bones were not as strong as they once were. The arduous descent
was precarious with a lantern clutched in one hand to light her way
and the precious wooden box cradled to her chest with the other. It
was near midnight and Tamsin Van Wart was entirely alone.

Relieved that she’d safely reached the packed
dirt floor, Tamsin raised her lantern and surveyed the progress of
the workmen, inhaling the pleasant aroma of freshly sawn lumber.
They would return early the next day. Not quite finished with their
labors, they had stored their tools and stacks of lumber neatly
against the far wall.

Slowly she moved about the cellar, her skirts
floating in an eerie pool of candle light. In a large closet, she
found a place suitable for her needs. Shelving lined one wall
nearly to the floor above. The carpenters were paneling the top
foot or so to cover the stone foundation and a few of the oak
panels were not yet nailed in place. She rested the lantern on one
of the shelves, and cast about for what she needed.

Standing atop a large wooden crate, she laid
the box on a shelf in the stonework. The opening was just large
enough to contain her treasure. Then she carefully secured the rest
of the panels in place with a hammer and several small nails.
There, it was finished, hidden from those who didn't deserve to own
it. Ethan, she reckoned, or his descendents, had as much claim to
it as did Isaac's family.

Tamsin climbed down and dropped the hammer
with a dull thud that sounded unnaturally loud in the silent
cellar. She was exhausted from her labors and her mind clouded for
a moment. She looked about herself in confusion; forgetting where
she was and what she'd come to do. Dancing shadows cast by the
flickering light played tricks with her mind.

Then the memories flooded back. The events of
seventy-five years before were as clear as though they were only
yesterday. She smiled at the memory of Ethan, and his brother,
Isaac bravely fighting to free them from the English King and his
murderous thieving Tory allies. Then the image of tall strong John
Paulding in his Hessian soldier’s jacket flashed before her mind's
eye. Tamsin shuddered as she recalled the terrible vision of Major
André swinging at the end of the hangman's rope in his bright red
coat. A damp ghostly chill enveloped her. They were all dead and
gone. She alone survived.

Even the tavern had burned to the ground. The
new tavern, built on the stone foundation of the old, was a fitting
resting place for her treasures. She picked up the lantern and then
slowly and painfully made her way up the stairs out into the
night.

From: 'Love in Rebellion' by Tori Baxter

"I can't believe it! We leave town for one
week, one short week and everything here goes all to hell. I don’t
get it. Why would Tony shoot the place up? The FBI bashes in our
door chasing the creep. Couldn't they have just knocked?” said
Jack. “No wonder poor Terry was so scared she took off back to New
Jersey.”

Vicky looked at her husband, her pretty face
screwed into a frown. “I don’t like Tony damaging our house either,
but I’m really concerned about my cousin. Terry came up here after
she found that idiot in bed with her friend. Then Tony follows her
up here and starts chasing her with a gun? What’s with that? Thank
God, John was here with her.”

“I just don't understand it," said Jack,
shaking his head. “And did you see John? He was a total mess. I’ve
never seen him so depressed.”

“It’s not like Terry to run away from a
situation. She’s such a fighter. Maybe she really was in love with
Tony.” Vicky paced the kitchen.

“No way! Nobody could love that guy,” said
Jack, as he stepped onto the porch and opened the back door for
John.

“What’a ya mean nobody could love me?” whined
John as he slipped three large pizza boxes onto the kitchen table.
They proclaimed in large red letters: “Sal’s Pizzeria. World’s Best
Pizza. Hot and Ready 4 U”.

Vicky looked amazed. “Three large pies?”

"Sure, one for each of us," said John lifting
a box lid and taking a slice of ‘sausage and pepper’ pizza, biting
off the juicy tip. “I’m starving,” he mumbled.

She handed him a plate and some napkins.

“I’m good,” he said, leaning over the table
and chewing, taking another bite.

“Well I’m not! That’s grease running down
your arm.” Vicky sighed and pushed him into a chair.

“Oh, man,” exclaimed Jack. He reached for the
next box. “Pepperoni and black olives. Did you get an extra cheese
with basil and mushrooms for Vicky?”

“Of course.” John was reaching for another
slice when he looked up. “Sorry, I’m really hungry. I couldn’t eat
after Terry left.”

“Missed her good cooking did you?” Vicky
smiled as she sat down with Jack, passing plates and napkins.”

“Nah,” said John, swallowing. “I missed the
sex. It was incredible.”

Vicky’s pizza slipped from her hand and
landed cheese side down on her plate, splattering oil on her white
blouse. “No way! Shut up!”

Jack laughed and put his arm around her.
“Don’t listen to him. The asshole’s lying to us. Cut it out,
John.”

“No offence, but I know my cousin would never
have gone to bed with you. She didn't really; I mean you two didn't
have....” She smiled, looking from her husband to John, amused with
them both. “I’m just saying.”

“Hey, I’m serious.” John finished his slice
and grabbed another. “I wouldn't lie about something like this.
Yeah, we really did and I couldn't believe it myself. That girl is
amazing. What a body. I gotta tell you, Jack, when that girl....”
He grinned sheepishly, “Uh, sorry Vicky.”

“No way!” She spluttered. “Get out of town!
She wouldn’t even let Tony...I mean, not until they were
engaged.”

John took another slice and closed the pizza
box. His eyes twinkled. “Well, she let me...and I think it
surprised both of us. I gotta tell you, never before in my
life....”

“No wonder she ran away,” Vicky murmured.

“Hey!” John looked indignant.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said,
turning to him. “You have to understand. Terry’s very close to her
family and her church. She would never...unless she was in
love.”

John drained the last of his beer and
belched. "That's just it. She is in love. With me. I've made up my
mind. I'm going down to Jersey and bring her back."

Vicky shook her head. “But don’t you see?
That’s why she left.”

Jack dropped his pizza crust onto his plate
and sighed. "What makes you think Terry would want to come back
with you?"

"She loves me. I know she does," John said
confidently.

“Forget it, John. That’s not what Terry
wants, or she’d still be here,” Vicky tried to reason with him.

He leaned back. “She belongs with me, and I'm
not taking no for an answer.

“Why would she move in with you? She's only
known you, for what? Two weeks?” said Jack.

“You don’t get it. It’s not just the
mind-blowing sex. We’re perfect together. She fights with me, but
puts up with my shit.” He looked down. “I’ve been miserable from
the moment she left.

“But don’t you see.” Vicky laid a hand gently
on John’s arm. “There’s nothing in it for Terry if she comes back
here.”

John’s chin shot up. “Sure there is! I have a
big house and I have my own business. I can give her whatever she
wants. I need her, Jack. It wasn't until after she left I realized
it. Vicky, you understand what I'm saying?”

Vicky gathered up the plates and walked over
to the sink. Turning she leaned against the counter and asked,
“John, the question is, what does she want?”

“She loves me. I know she does.”

“Yes,” Vicky agreed. “Terry must love you,
but she wants marriage and a family, not what you’re offering.
Please, just leave her alone.”

“I can’t. When I woke up Thursday morning and
she was gone, I felt like somebody had ripped my heart out by the
roots. Then I heard you guys drive in. You seemed so happy
together. I want that with Terry. Like I said, I'm not going to
take no for an answer."

"So," said Jack, "Are you going to ask her to
marry you?"

"Well," said his friend hesitantly. "Maybe
someday...."

Jack laughed. "Yeah. Not ready for commitment
yet, right?"

"Something like that, yeah," said John
shifting nervously in his chair, casting a glance at Vicky. “I did
bring my grandmother’s engagement ring to the jeweler for her. My
mother left it to me.”

“And that means what?” Vicky asked.

“Let me get this straight,” said Jack rocking
back on his chair. “Terry leaves her job, her friends, and pisses
off her parents so she can come up here and move in with you, then
what?”

“All right, all right, I get your point.”
John looked defeated.

“Hey, I know where you’re coming from.” Jack
went over and hugged his wife. “I felt the same way until I met
this unbelievably beautiful awesome lady.”

The gravel drive outside crunched, a car door
slammed, and Jack went to the window. "Hey it's Vince, and he's in
his uniform. Hope he's not here to arrest you, Bud."

“Funny,” murmured John.

The police officer came in through the porch,
examining the rubble from the damage to the back door. Lifting his
hat, he nodded greetings to everyone.

"Vince, how about some pizza?” asked
Vicky.

“Are you sure there’s enough? John can put
away some groceries.”

“We'll never eat all of this." She
laughed.

"Thanks, maybe I will.” He took off his hat
and joined them at the table. “I just got off duty and was on my
way home. Thought I'd stop and say hello, see how the honeymoon
went. You guys have a good time? Got pictures?"

"Thanks! It was awesome," said Vicky. As soon
as I find our camera, I'll put some pics online."

He looked back at John’s handiwork. “It was
that tough little Agent Rodriguez that blew through the back door,
right?”

"Yeah Vince, I wouldn't want to be on her
shit list. She seems like the 'kick ass and take names later' type.
Know what I mean?" said John.

“I wasn’t on duty then, but I heard about the
FBI arrest. Glad they got the bastard. Now maybe things can get
back to normal."

Vicky brought him a plate and napkins.
“Thanks, Vicky,” Vince said as he slipped two slices onto his
plate.