บท 64: Chapter 11. Key Lime Season (January)
5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!
Fabian pulled Lisa into a kiss. Just as their lips touched, fireworks began over the lake with a mighty roar. Both started, then began to laugh.
"What is it with us and fireworks?" Lisa wanted to know. "I always thought the fireworks were supposed to be figurative, not literal." Fabian laughed.
"Always our first kiss, too. Our first ever, and now on our first of the new year." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "This is your last New Years as Lisa Kreider," he informed her. She smiled.
"It's also the first time I've had a date at a New Year's party."
"Good... well I'll be." Fabian grinned, looking over her shoulder. She slowly turned in his arms and stared in surprise. Franco had Shelly in a clinch; both were oblivious to the rest of the party.
"That's fantastic!" Lisa grinned.
"It is. I wasn't sure how I'd like having us look more alike again, but I'm finding that I do. He's working very hard and I'm proud of him."
"It shows. And you guys look a lot alike. Franco fooled Shelly's brother."
"That truck driver who likes you?" Fabian frowned. Lisa nodded.
"He saw them at the movies and came to me with some story about how you were dating Shelly behind my back. I knew better, of course, and of course he didn't believe me."
"How does he insist that he's in love with you when he doesn't believe a word you say?" Fabian wanted to know.
"Beats me," she shrugged. "I asked him the same thing at the time. I don't really care. I love you." Fabian pulled her close.
"Want to watch the fireworks or dance?" he asked. Subtle Origami had played much earlier in the evening. The group that was playing now was a jazz band, who had slowed things down after midnight. There were quite a few couples swaying in the middle of the room.
"I want to dance," she said.
"Good. You're more beautiful than the fireworks." He swept her onto the dance floor and gathered her into his arms to dance. He kept back at first, just to look at her. She was especially beautiful tonight. She had her hair in a french twist again and wore her Christmas Eve outfit -- long black velvet skirt with a frilly white blouse. The sapphire pendant and earrings made her blue eyes stand out.
"You're in love," she accused.
"True," he admitted with a grin, "but that does not make you any less beautiful. I love you, Lisa Kreider."
"I love you, Fabian DiSanti."
Autumn Mowery has apprenticed herself to Lisa and seems to take it very seriously.
"Hi, Autumn," Fabian said to the little girl sitting on Lisa's back stoop. "What's the matter? It's freezing! Why are you out here?"
"I can't get in," Autumn was very upset. She wasn't crying; she hardly ever cried. But she was in obvious distress. "Lisa's sick, and I can't get in to help."
"How do you know Lisa's sick?" Fabian knew; Anne had called the school and left a message for him.
"My brother Ransome said that they were talking about it at the diner. That Lisa went home early."
"Tell you what. I'll let you in today, and when Lisa's better we'll see if we can't get you keys of your own. Where do you want to go to help?"
"I could fill pies."
"Let's check the kitchen and see if Lisa has any orders she needs to fill right now." He went over to the garage to the pie kitchen and unlocked it. "Did you check the henhouse for eggs?" he asked Autumn. Autumn nodded.
"The only ones were the ones that Lisa wants to hatch," she said. "I fed the chickens and they have lots of water." Fabian went to the refrigerator where Lisa had a chart of what desserts she had due, where, and when.
"I don't see anything that needs to be done," he said. "Let's go see if there's something you can help with inside the house." He led her out and locked the pie kitchen again. He let Autumn in through the back door, which led into the kitchen. Here, there was work for Autumn to do -- Lisa hadn't had time to do her dishes and Buster was waiting at the door to go out.
"I'll take him out and clean all this up," said Autumn, now all business.
"Thank you, Autumn. I'm going to check on Lisa."
Fabian looked around as he passed through the house on his way to the stairs. It was a very nice house, but rather small, for some reason. As though whoever built it had only wanted part of the house. The upstairs surprised him more than anything -- it only had two bedrooms. There was a third, but it was really too small to count as a bedroom. The bathroom was very small and the fixtures were antiquated. Fabian wondered how difficult it would be to add on to the house. Maybe change the layout a bit upstairs.
Lisa was curled up in the center of a large canopy bed in the master bedroom, sound asleep. He noticed that there was medication by the bed and signs that she'd taken something, so that made him feel better. Too often, Lisa would try to just sleep away her headaches. He tried to tell her that they lasted longer that way, but she had shrugged and told him that sometimes she was too nauseated to swallow pills.
He pulled the blanket over her and pressed a soft kiss on her pale cheek, then looked around. The furniture was antique and ornately carved. It was well taken care of and had a good shine from attentive dusting and furniture polish. Leo the lion was in a place of honor on her bureau with the stuffed rhinocerous Fatima had given her for Christmas. Lisa's jewelry box was open. She didn't have much. The sapphire set he'd given her, a delicate cross on a chain that she'd told him was a confirmation present from her parents, and a pair of gold hoop earrings. He smiled. He would enjoy filling this box in the coming years. He looked around the room some more. There was a small room off to the side of the bedroom. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a closet. With a window. He wondered about the oddly-shaped and sized rooms in this house. Then he went back downstairs. Autumn almost had the dishwasher loaded and was wiping the counters. Fabian sat at the kitchen table.
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