Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(101)

“Okay.” Under no circumstances did Alix want to miss it.

As she changed out of her wedding dress and into comfortable traveling clothes, Susan Turner joined her.

“Oh, Alix,” she whispered and snapped open her purse to search for another tissue. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you today.”

Alix was uncomfortable with the praise.

“You took care of everything.”

“I didn’t do—”

“Yes, you did.” Susan touched her arm. “You kept your head, you held the family together, you and Jordan made crucial, on-the-spot decisions.”

Alix shifted from one foot to the other. “Speaking of Jordan, I’d better go find my husband.” Calling Jordan her husband for the first time seemed momentous to Alix. Until now, the meaning of that word had been abstract, impersonal, describing a role, not a man.

Now it meant Jordan.

Husband.

Alix had never realized how intimate it sounded. Intimate and yet public—a declaration of love and belonging.

“I won’t keep you.” Susan hugged her tightly. “I hope we can be very good friends, Alix.”

Alix hugged her in return. “It’ll be nice to have a mother,” she whispered.

CHAPTER 37

Colette Blake

After Alix and Jordan’s wedding, Colette returned exhausted to Elizabeth’s home. They had a quiet dinner of shrimp salad later that evening. Neither of them spoke much. With every day that passed, their hope diminished. It was only a little after nine when Colette excused herself and climbed up the stairs to bed.

Surprisingly, she fell asleep almost right away, only to be awakened abruptly by Elizabeth at around ten. “Colette,” the older woman said excitedly, coming into the bedroom and turning on the overhead light. “Christian’s been found! He’s alive!”

Colette immediately sat up and blinked against the bright light and the shock.

“He’s on the phone,” Elizabeth told her.

“You mean now?” Colette cried, thinking this must be part of some wonderful dream.

“Yes, yes! He’s waiting to talk to you.”

“Oh, thank God, thank God.” Tearing aside the sheets, Colette leaped out of bed and raced down the stairs so fast her bare feet slipped on the carpeted steps. Breathlessly, she grabbed the hallway phone.

“Christian? Christian!”

“Colette?” He sounded as if he was phoning from the moon. She heard an echo, and his voice seemed tinny and distant.

“Yes, yes, it’s me! Are you all right? Where are you?” She dashed away tears of relief and joy.

“I’m okay,” he said, “and anxious to get home. I’ll land tomorrow night. Will you be there? I have so much to tell you.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll come to the airport. What time?”

He gave her the airline and flight number while she frantically searched for a pen and paper to write it down. When she had all the details, she repeated them back to him.

“I’ll be there, Christian. I’ll see you tomorrow….” She was so excited now she doubted she’d sleep again.

“Colette, listen,” he said, speaking quickly. “I know I’m throwing this at you out of the blue, but I need to tell you something important. I’m not involved in smuggling. I couldn’t tell you before, but the INS sent me to China. We were cooperating with the Chinese government. I was supposed to make contact with some smugglers. Get evidence.”

“Christian, tell me later. As long as you’re safe…”

“I can’t spend another second having you believe I’m a criminal! Colette, I—”

There was a burst of static on the line, cutting him off.

Colette wanted to scream with frustration. “Repeat that,” she pleaded when he came back on. “I couldn’t hear you.”

“I have to go. I love you, Colette. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she cried. The connection was completely broken then, but she held the receiver against her ear, letting his parting words settle over her. He loved her.

After a few minutes, she reluctantly hung up the phone and turned to find Elizabeth standing at the top of the stairs.

“Christian’s coming home!” she shouted. “He’s safe!” That was by far the most important news. Christian who’d been lost had now been found, and even better, he’d soon be on a plane and flying home. “He told me he’s working with the INS—”

“I learned that, too,” his great-aunt interrupted.

“Your sources…”

“I couldn’t get a thing out of them,” she muttered, shaking her head as if to say it was a sad state of affairs when the government didn’t trust her with its business.

“He’s safe,” Colette repeated simply to hear the words again. “He’s safe.”

“I certainly hope he realizes he’s put us both through hell,” Elizabeth said briskly.

“Well, it was hardly his fault,” Colette murmured. Then she smiled, and because it was impossible to hold back the words any longer, she cried, “He loves me.”

Elizabeth sighed impatiently. “I already told you that.”

“I know, but he said it to me himself.” That made all the difference.