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To The Point 3
Gideon
Thesilenceofthe study was disturbed by the sudden opening of the ten-foot double mahogany doors. Diana’s parents were back with a vengeance and a list of questions. Duckworth paced with a pipe between his teeth. Betina’s mouth looked like she’d been sucking lemons. My head was down when I heard a new voice, “What did you do the next day? Saturday, wasn’t it?” I thought that was an odd question from a stranger. I looked up to see a lavender-haired dowager empress with bright eyes and a bowed mouth mounted on a Hover-round. Her jewelry must have been snatched from Harry Winston’s Art Deco collection. Her lap robe was a print of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Wisteria stained glass panel. Her slippers were peep toe and those toes were painted the same color as Diana’s. Is this an ally on our side? The demon dowager flew past Betina on her scooter to park at Duckworth’s right hand.
Diana crossed the room and bent to embrace the old woman. “Queenie, I want you to meet someone very special to me.” She stood and wagged her eyebrows for me to join her.
I would have been more concerned with what my granddaughter was doing during the night, but… I think I can get chatty with Queenie about the next day.
I bowed to shake her hand. “Ma’am it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Betina drew in a long breath and sighed out her words. “Mr. Sullivan, this is Mr. Bauder’s mother. Countess Imogen Ballard Bauder.” I was trying to wrap my head around a reply when the old gal did it for me.
“Just call me Queenie, dear. I’m glad to see Didi has a young man and an athlete at that.” The family hovered waiting to regain control of the situation at hand. “Did Didi tell you, Ducky fenced for Princeton?”
I caught a look at the old guy and grinned. I love this woman. “No, she did not. Evidently, we have lots to talk about.”
Duckworth cleared his throat. “I believe your question was valid, mother, and still unanswered.” He turned to me. “What did you do on Saturday?”
I rubbed my forehead and deleted all the words about how we woke up in each other’s arms declaring eternal love.
I looked into her sleepy eyes and saw the same fire I saw when I suggested she tell her parents to go to hell. I questioned my own sanity at this point. But that didn’t stop me. “How crazy are you?”
“I’m crazy for you.”
“How spontaneous are you?”
She flinched and shook her head. “I finish all my term papers at least a week before they are due.”
“Want to walk on the wild side?”
Once my script was scrubbed squeaky clean, I nodded at Diana. “Sir, Diana brought the dog out to pee. She woke me up with a cup of hotel coffee, and we headed off for a hike and more time at the beach.”
I caught a wink exchanged between Diana and her grandmother.
“And Sunday morning?” Betina ground out.
“Oh, Bitty, don’t be such a tight ass.” Queenie snapped.
Diana piped up painting a G-rated picture. “It was time to take the dog back to Bluto and head back to school. On the way back we thought Henri might enjoy another soft serve while we had egg McMuffins, so we stopped before we got to the inn. We took him back to Bluto and headed back home to Stanford.”
Betina’s brows would need a few shots of Botox to release the creases she created today. “We have called the president of the university and asked him to join us. He will be here shortly.” She glanced at Diana. “I suggest you and Mr. Sullivan take dinner by the pool while we wait.”
My heart sank. My future depended on graduating early, and expulsion could really slow that down. I couldn’t understand why they were making such a big deal about a fencing wager pool. Unless…they knew our secret…”
Back to the obedient daughter, Diana stood. “Yes, Ma-ma.” She beckoned me and as I reached her side, she whispered. “Let’s get outta here.”
The pool looked like something that belonged at a Vegas hotel with all those statues in togas silently judging us. Right on cue, a uniformed woman pushed a cart to our umbrella table. When she whisked the covers off the plates, I was prepared to see myself with an apple in my mouth. Instead, it was a chicken Caesar salad and iced tea. The strongest thing on the tray was the buttered garlic knot.
With our heads down over our food, Diana whispered. “Do you think they know?”
I chuckled. “What? Do you have a GPS chip embedded in your neck like a prized pet?”
She giggled. “No. But this is so weird, what the hell does the university president have to do with anything?”
I didn’t tell Diana what I was thinking. I didn’t know what to think. “Didi, let’s forget this bullshit and remember how wonderful it’s been to find each other.”
Saturday morning was my turn to play twenty questions. After quizzing her on the proper way to hang toilet paper and where to keep the kitchen mitts, I made up my mind. So, I asked the most important question. I unwrapped the cherry ring pop and slid to the floor on one knee. “Diana, will you be my lawfully wedded wife?”
