“Yes, he did. Then I got so busy I didn’t think about him. In hindsight, I believe he planned it that way. He gave me what no one else could.”
“Why do ye think he didn’t want to talk about the brooches with ye? Any ideas?”
“I once believed he was ashamed or regretted something in his life. Every time I asked a question about his brooch, he dropped his eyes and quickly changed the subject.”
“We’ll never know now. But ye never traveled through the light or another cave door?”
“Never. But I like the theory that the light transports you to another location in the same year, maybe even the same month and date, and the door will take you to another century. As of yet, David and Kenzie haven’t figured out when or how the light turns on.”
“Maybe they should try ‘open sesame.’”
“I think Kenzie tried that,” Tavis said, laughing. “But here’s another problem we have to solve. Once you go through the light or the door, how the hell do you get back?”
“That’s not a problem. Ye just have to use a brooch for the return trip. But the bigger problem is how will we ever find out? Who wants to be the first to walk into that light?”
“Not me,” Tavis said.
Meredith poked her head out the door. “We need to change, Elliott. I told Joseph we have a surprise for him tonight, so we can’t mess it up.”
Elliott threw his cigar into the firepit below. “Have I ever screwed up my role?”
“The jury’s still out.” Meredith closed the door to the large family room, took Joseph’s hand, and led him away.
“Emily’s flying in about now,” Elliott said. “When ye see the lights at the heliport come on, will ye drive down to get her?”
“She texted earlier. She won’t be here for another hour, but I’ll go down as soon as the landing lights go on.”
“She’s a good match for ye.”
“Don’t start, Elliott. Astrid hasn’t even been gone a year.”
“Nothing says a man has to wait a year.”
“That’s true. But a man needs to wait until he’s ready, and that’s different with every man who loses his wife. I’m on the slower side.”
“Just don’t be like those birds who mate for life.”
“If you lost Meredith, you’d never date again.”
“I’m a lot older than ye are, and besides, no other woman would put up with me. On my good days, I still piss her off.”
“Don’t give me that shit. You two are a perfect example of those birds who mate for life. You have a strong, honest marriage. A few months ago, you put it through the wringer, but you worked it out. And I’d say you’re more in love today than you were this time last year.”
“Ye think ye know the inner workings of our marriage?”
“I don’t have to know. I see it in the way you treat each other, the joy on your faces when one of you walks into a room, the attention to each other’s needs. Yeah, you two mated for life.”
“Our marriage didn’t heal overnight, but we were determined to move past what happened, learn from it, and make sure we never made those mistakes again.” Elliott clasped Tavis’s shoulder. “Don’t forget Emily.”
He left Tavis alone on the deck to finish his cigar and relive his memories with Erik. Tavis wouldn’t admit it, but Elliott knew the lad was still angry because Erik never told him the truth. Who wouldn’t be pissed as hell?
Elliott entered the house and walked straight into a gaggle of women camped out in front of the fireplace, drinking wine and laughing. Penny sat nestled in a bunch of pillows and blankets, discreetly nursing one of the twins.
“Hurry up, Elliott,” she said. “The kids are all downstairs waiting for their surprise.”
He removed his jacket and cap and hung them on the hat stand near the door. “I’m sure they figured out what it is by now.”
“The ones who know pretend they don’t, and the ones who don’t pretend they do,” Kenzie said. “Try saying that five times. I bet you can’t do it.”
And that led to all the women trying out the tongue twister at the same time and laughing when they couldn’t. Elliott wondered if any of them, other than Penny, were sober.
Rick walked in carrying the other twin. “Want to switch?”
“Sure. This little guy is done for now.” They switched babies, and Rick left the room, carrying the wee laddie like a football. The guys were probably all hanging out in the billiards room, drinking beer, shooting pool, and watching ballgames.
These warrior men and women were extraordinary people, full of grit and resolve, love and friendship, compassion and passion, and he loved every one of them.
He returned to the suite he shared with the love of his life to dress for one more performance. Maybe next year, he and Meredith could retire and hand their costumes down to another couple. He entered the room and closed the door.
“Do ye know how many people are here?” he asked. “I’m just curious.”
Meredith was stripping out of her warm-weather clothes, dropping pieces on the floor on her way to her closet. “I tried counting but gave up. Amber and Penny know the count for meals, and that’s all that matters.”
“What about the presents?”
She walked out of the closet, tying the belt to her robe. “They’re all in the bags with each person’s picture taped to the gift. You won’t get confused.”
“It’s just the young McBain twins who confuse me, and I think they do that on purpose.”
Meredith stood in front of the dresser and removed her earrings and necklace. “You may be right.”
“So what’d ye get them this year?”
“They all went through the Roman treasure catalog Sophia put together and picked out one piece they wanted for their private collections.”
Elliott picked up her clothes and his and dumped them all in his dirty clothes basket. Littering the floor with her discarded clothes was her way of saying
