“So, a little birdie told me you were making out with Danny on the patio this morning.” Jenna tilted to one side as she tried to whisper in Anna’s ear.
“And, I’m the lil’ birdie.” Samantha slurred in Anna’s other ear.
They were at Coupe, the fourth, and last, stop of the Blue Shawl Crawl. The Champagne bar was a converted Victorian building with the original pressed-tin tile circling the ceiling. The building had been lovingly restored by Presley a couple years before and had become a popular hangout with the locals.
So far, it had been a successful bachelorette party. Anna and Frankie were making sure whatever Jenna wouldn’t remember was recorded on their cell phones. Anna never drank more than one glass of wine and tonight was no exception. She needed a clear head to keep track of Jenna and Samantha tonight.
“Time for the tradition, Jenna!” Someone in the crowd started the chant, then they all joined in. “Blue Shawl Crawl! Blue Shawl Crawl!”
Jenna stood up and wrapped the Blue Shawl in question around her, as though it were a priceless fur wrap instead of a lumpy blob of yarn and Mitten’s rejected fur.
“My name is Jenna and I’m getting married next week!” A chorus of cheers went up from everyone in the bar. “Thank you everyone for coming to my Blue Shawl Crawl.” Jenna waved the ends of the shawl at several people in the crowd.
“Tradition has it that anyone who gets married has to wear the blue shawl or be cursed with a bad sex life. Fortunately, Mike and I have both worn the blue shawl. Many, many times. Just the blue shawl, if you catch my meaning.” Jenna giggled and tried to wink, but she tipped sideways. Anna caught her just before she fell over and the entire bar broke out in laughter.
“I’d like to thank Frankie DeLuca for donating Mittens’ fur to the blue shawl.”
Frankie stood up to correct her, but the party goers had already heard this several times before and they all shouted, “Rejected fur!” along with Frankie.
Anna sat back and watched as the town of St. Helena helped Jenna celebrate the beginning of her new life. Anna had never thought she could have a family again, but she realized she had a family here as a part of the St. Helena community. Jenna and Samantha were her sisters in every way that counted, and Mike was the annoyingly protective big brother.
After her parents died, she didn’t think she’d ever have a family again. And, she gave up any school-girl dreams of getting married and having children. But if she was wrong about not having a family, could she have been wrong about getting married and having children?
Jenna wrapped her arms around Anna and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for my bach-hiccup-bachlurrr party.”
Samantha tackled them both and said, “We think you should marry Danny, so we can have another Blue Shawl Crawl. This is so much fun.”
Jenna squealed with joy, almost bursting Anna’s eardrum. “Yesssss, marry Danny. Then we’ll all be one big happy family.”
“Maybe Samantha should marry him.” Anna replied.
Samantha and Jenna started laughing so hard, tears were streaming down their face. Shay and Emme came rushing over to see why they were crying. In between fits of laughter, Jenna and Samantha tried to explain that Anna should marry Danny, but Anna thinks Samantha should marry Danny. That set Shay and Emme off as well. Anna felt she was missing the joke, but laughed along with them. Jenna finally composed herself enough to answer.
“Oh my God, Mole. Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you? Trust me, Sam could be standing next to you butt naked, and he’d still only see you.”
That set the group off again in a fit of laughter. Shay and Emme added in how he brings her tea with two sugars, just the way she likes it. The last part was said in unison. Samantha held up her hands and quieted the group.
“If the little side show you put on in the back yard is any indicator, I’d say someone’s already wearing the blue shawl. If you get my meaning.” She dropped her head to the side and make exaggerated kissing sounds, while the other women laughed.
Anna joined in the laughter, but before she could defend herself, her phone buzzed. She distracted the girls with another glass of Champagne and slipped outside to check her voice mail. Well, speak of the devil. One missed call from Danny. She started to play the voice mail, but Mr. Impatient called her again. She thought of Mike and quickly answered.
“Is everything okay? How’s Mike?”
“Hello to you, too.” He laughed softly. She was beginning to really like that little chuckle. And, damn, there went that funny, squiggly feeling in the pit of her stomach again. “Don't worry, Mike's okay. I was just calling to see what time I should be there to drive everyone home.”
“I guess your bachelor party ended early?”
“Yeah, the groom passed out after 2 glasses of water and a pain pill. He’s out for the night. How’s your party?”
Anna was standing in the shadows next to the back door of Coupe. She scanned the parking lot and neighboring buildings by habit. “I think the bride is just about done for the night as well. We’re at Coupe for a final toast with Champagne, then I’ll take them home. Thanks for the offer-”
Movement near the back of the parking lot distracted her. Was it just a late-night customer or someone else? She hadn’t seen any cars arrive since she’d been out here. There it was again. A moving shadow. Was it a man or woman?
“Anna? Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” She whispered. She scanned the lot for movement, but whoever was out there had stopped moving. The itch between her shoulder blades was stronger than ever. She needed to get inside, but opening the door would put her in a spotlight. The door beside her opened and a couple of the party girls stepped out. Anna took advantage of the movement and slipped back inside.
“Hey, thanks for the offer. Can you pick up Jenna and Samantha in about 15 minutes?” She had to talk loudly to be heard over the noise in the bar.
“Sure, but what about you?”
“I’m not drinking so I’m okay to drive. Why don’t you take Jenna and Sam back to Jenna’s house? They can sleep it off tomorrow morning. Sneakers likes to play loudly in the morning and I don’t think they’ll appreciate his barking tomorrow.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
She stalled, “What? I can’t hear you. It’s too loud in here. See you in 15.”
She hung up before he could respond. She stayed leaning against the back wall for few minutes, watching the carefree crowd. She still hadn’t checked the search results from the other day. Maybe it was time to open that can of worms. But, would they be able to tell her who is causing the itch?
* * *
Danny put another glass of water on the table next to Mike, then grabbed the keys and headed out. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t been drinking whiskey. And, he’d only had one glass of wine, so he was good to drive. After Mike fell asleep, he’d poured the wine back into the bottle and switched to water.
He replayed his conversation with Anna on the short drive to Coupe, she’d started out open and friendly, but something in her tone changed and she’d shut him out. What had happened?
He pulled into the parking lot and glanced around. A group of three women were leaving the bar, one walking straight and sober, while the other two weaved back and forth. It seems there would be quite a few pounding heads in the morning. Other than the trio, nothing else was moving. Just another Saturday night in a small town. He enjoyed the peace and quiet for a moment, then looked up at the stars. This far away from the big city lights of San Francisco and Sacramento, the winter night sky was clearing up from the earlier rain storm and the stars were shining brightly.
This would be a good place to settle down and raise a family, he thought. He could see why Mike was so happy here. Not just because of Jenna, but because the life they have here is good. It reminded him a lot of his home town, a small town in the Central Valley. It was a good place to plant roots and grow a family, just like here.
The door to the bar opened again and a few more women walked out. He recognized Emme and Shay from St. Paws, but he wasn’t sure who the third person was. Shay recognized him and started laughing.
“I heard you wore a blue shawl.” She could barely say the whole sentence without laughing. The other two with her joined in.
“Hi, I’m Danny.” Danny looked at the third person and stuck out his hand. That only set Shay and Emme off in another fit of laughter.
“Frankie DeLuca. Don’t mind these two.” Frankie shook his hand and squinted up at him. She paused, then said, “Yeah, you’ll do.”
“I’ll do what?” Danny watched as the three walked away, arms linked together and laughing hysterically.
The bar was still packed with women, and a few brave men. He traded nods with a few of the guys he knew and noticed most were drinking water. He guessed they were the designated drivers for the night. If not for the surgery, these guys would have been out with Mike and Danny tonight at Mike’s bachelor party.
He saw Anna and hung back a moment to watch her. She was laughing at something Jenna and Samantha were saying. He noticed she was constantly looking around the room, keeping an eye on the women and the doors. He figured she would spot him on her next sweep of this side of the room. Just as she turned her head his way, she reached down and rubbed her stomach, as if she had an itch there. Then, her hand stopped flat against her trim torso and she just stared at him.
He was pretty sure he’d have Samantha and Jenna to thank for the outfit she was wearing. He made a mental note to make them a big breakfast in the morning. Well, maybe Monday morning.
Gone was the baggy sweatshirt, jeans and running shoes. Instead, Anna wore tight dark blue jeans tucked into black leather knee-high boots, a form-fitting black top, with long sleeves. The sleeves had slits in them that showed off her toned arms. The top had a scoop neck that dipped low, much lower than the damn sweatshirts she always wore, but he couldn’t tell just how low because she’d wrapped a scarf around her neck that looped down to the top of the shirt.
It didn’t matter what he could or couldn’t see. He knew she was stunning. Inside and out. It didn’t matter if she hid behind a baggy sweatshirt or a scarf, she took his breath away. He saw the heat in her eyes as she took him in. He hadn’t dressed to go out, but the jeans and long-sleeve t-shirt were comfortable. It was probably wrong for him to stalk over there and lay claim to her mouth, but hell if he wasn’t tempted.
“Danny!” Jenna’s drunken shout could be heard clearly across the room. He saw her weaving in place next to Anna. She was not going to be a happy camper tomorrow morning. He made his way across the bar to the trio. Samantha and Jenna just grinned like fools at him, while Anna tried to avoid looking straight at him. He hadn’t been mistaken, she had looked at him with barely restrained heat just a few moments ago. But, something happened in the 15 seconds it took to cross the room and she’d shuttered her gaze against him.