When he finally stood in front of her, he didn’t know what to do, but Jane took charge as she always had. She reached up, embraced him warmly, and said, “Sorry to give you such a shock.”
“These days my life is full of them,” James replied as he continued to stare at her. In the few years they had been apart, fine lines had sprung around the corners of Jane’s eyes and around her mouth, but she was still one of the loveliest women in the room. “But it’s good to see you, even though I can’t begin to imagine how you ended up here.”
Jane laughed. “It’s good to see you too. And you’re as handsome as ever. I thought I’d pick a public place to make my appearance. I wanted to make certain there’d to be a defibrillator around in case you needed a hasty revival.”
“That’s very considerate of you.” James couldn’t help but grin. Jane and he had always shared a similar sense of humor. “And are you here with someone?” he couldn’t help but ask, with a trace of unkindness, for his wife had left him for a hotshot trial lawyer. And having seen the disagreeable Chase Martin Esquire only hours before, James wasn’t particularly fond of those working in that profession.
“I’m alone. Kenneth is out of the picture,” Jane replied flatly. “He has been for a while now.” She shrugged and looked away. “I left a decent and devoted husband for a cruel playboy. I was afraid of becoming predictable and I longed for excitement and well, I got it.”
The pain and fear in her voice stirred protective feelings in James. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
She shook her head, her eyes blazing in anger. “No. Not me.”
James was just about to ask what she meant by that remark when the sound of a bugle call caused him to whip his head around so that he faced the door. The startling noise was immediately followed by unified cheering from the townsfolk as Bennett was led into the room.
It was obvious that Bennett had not expected such a reception. His eyes darted wildly about the dozens and dozens of shouting, clapping figures, a smile frozen on his face.
“I’ll be back!” James yelled to Jane over the roar of the crowd. “I think he could use a friend to lean on right about now.”
Jane patted him on the back. “You always excelled at that,” she said loudly. “I’ve never met a more loyal man than you. Go on! I’ll catch up with you later.”
For once, James was glad to possess some bulk, for his height and solid physique enabled him to barrel forcefully through tight clusters of well-wishers until he reached Bennett’s side.
“I can’t believe this.” Bennett was clearly dumbfounded. “Can we escape out the back door?” He asked weakly, but the tide of townsfolk closed in behind them and the two men were gently prodded forward toward the temporary stage.
“It’ll be over in a minute,” James assured his friend and pushed him up the last step leading to the dais.
Bennett glanced over his shoulder and said, “That’s what they say about executions, but that doesn’t mean I wanna go to one!”
The mayor pumped Bennett’s hand up and down heartily and then, throwing decorum aside, gave him a maternal hug. Leaning over the microphone, she recited a brief speech.
“Welcome home, Bennett Marshall!” She paused to allow for applause. “You have made us all very proud. The world is now aware that the community members of Quincy’s Gap, Virginia, can be both smart and sincere. And darn good looking on that television screen too. Wouldn’t you agree, ladies?” The majority of the women whistled and hooted. “Now, we didn’t have much time to prepare you a formal celebration, so we did things Quincy’s Gap style. Your friends and neighbors have fixed a mouth-watering feast and The Overlook Boys will be providing us with some down-home entertainment. But first, I’d like to present you with a very special award. Bennett Marshall, I give you the Key to Quincy’s Gap.”
The mayor stepped away from the mic in order to hand Bennett a shadow frame containing a brass key that had been engraved with the date and the town name. Kissing him on the cheek, the mayor gestured at the podium and waited expectantly for Bennett to address the crowd.
“Thank you,” he spoke from too great a distance from the microphone and only the front row could hear him.
“Git closer, son!” A man hollered kindly.
“Um, thank you all for doing this,” Bennett said. “I sure didn’t expect it and I don’t believe I deserve it.” He cleared his throat nervously. “This would be too much even if I’d won, and I don’t know if you were watchin’ a rerun or something, but this mailman didn’t bring home the trophy.” He held out the key to the mayor. “I’m not worthy of this. I didn’t win, ma’am.”
But the mayor didn’t raise her arms to reclaim the key to the town. Instead, she grinned widely and jerked her head toward the front door. Along with every person in the room, James swiveled around and watched as the crowd parted to allow Gillian passage to the podium
As his friend walked up the aisle like a bride, James gasped. Gillian looked absolutely stunning. She was dressed in a flowing silver dress that shimmered as she moved. Her neck was bare of her customary string of necklaces and she wore a single silver bangle on her right wrist. Her hair, usually so bright and wild, had been colored a dark auburn and was swept off her face using a narrow headband of light blue. Her aquamarine eyes were fastened on Bennett, and as she seemed to float to him, he appeared utterly stricken by a mixture of terror and adoration.
“She looks like a mermaid,” someone whispered and James agreed. Beautiful and serene, Gillian could have just walked from the frothy surf like a modern-day Botticelli Venus.
Gillian walked up the stairs to the podium with deliberate grace and then stopped within inches of Bennett. Placing her hands over her left breast she said, “You did win, Bennett. You’ve earned the admiration of your fellow citizens and stirred the emotions of countless television viewers.” Bennett remained frozen. Gillian’s next words were whispered softly, but James was close enough to overhear her say, “And Bennett Marshall, you have won my heart .”
Bennett released his pent-up breath and offered the woman before him a dazzling smile. With the entire town looking on breathlessly, he then pulled Gillian roughly toward him and commanded, “Kiss me, woman!”
The couple’s lips met, tentatively at first, but then their arms wrapped around one another’s backs and they seemed to melt together.
The audience erupted in ecstatic cheers.
THIRTEEN
The sound of his alarm, which could easily rival a nuclear-fallout siren, harshly forced James into wakefulness. Glancing at the clock numbers, he was certain there must be some mistake. He had just gone to sleep, hadn’t he? Noting that his wool blanket was in a heap on the floor and that his pillow protruded halfway out of its wrinkled case, he realized that the little sleep he had captured had been very restless.
And no wonder, he thought as he wearily sat up and ran his hands through his hair, which was sticking straight out like a porcupine’s quills. All that excitement with Bennett and Gillian and Jane. Oh my Lord, JANE! My ex-wife was in Quincy’s Gap. I looked for her everywhere in that firehouse, but she was gone! Was she a hallucination? He considered the possibility. Brought on by eating too many brownies?
Sifting through his closet, James wondered what one was supposed to wear to an ash scattering ceremony. Except that it wasn’t a ceremony. Chase clearly planned to toss out the ashes with no fanfare and had already forewarned his relatives that no words would be spoken.