Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 05 - Till Death Do Us Part (39 page)

Chapter 39

Something wet and sticky was on my head. Was it blood? Had I been hit with some flying metal? I ran my fingers through my hair and brought it around to see the damage. I expected to see blood, but what I saw was chocolate cake.

I turned back to see that our wedding cake had exploded into a million crumbs, taking out the table it was sitting on, part of the head table, the Garden’s arbor that we walked under when we first got there and several of the round tables that were nearest to it. Most of them were on fire!

Tom turned to me and said, “Stay here!”

As all of the FBI agents surrounded me, my dad and Jordan, Tom and his cop friends went running toward the fire, grabbing tablecloths from tables as they ran past, no doubt in an attempt to put out the fire. But within seconds, every one of Amelia’s workers, all ten of them, came running up with fire extinguishers. They made quick work of the fire and it was out within minutes. Tom sent several of the FBI men after Pedro, who was the one who insisted upon the placement of the wedding cake. The extra bouquets he added turned out to be the explosives.

When it was out, I walked over to Amelia and asked, “Do you always have that many fire extinguishers?”

“Nope, after your Jeep exploded, I brought them in and assigned every one of my workers to an extinguisher.”

“Smart woman,” I told her.

“I guess we’re not getting any dessert,” Kenny said.

“Oh, yes, we are,” Tom said, then turned to Amelia. “Did you get the shipment I sent you?”

“Yes. It will take me a few minutes to start heating them up, but we’ll start passing them out.”

“What are we having for dessert?” I asked.

Tom kissed me on the cheek and said, “Chocolate Melting Cake and vanilla ice cream, of course.”

“You knew this was going to happen?” I asked.

“No, but I thought the guests would enjoy them along with the wedding cake.”

“I love you, Tom Owens,” I squealed, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him.

And that’s what we did. Everyone enjoyed dipping the vanilla ice cream into the warm gooey chocolate cake and eating it. It was better than any wedding cake ever was.

While we ate, Amelia and her crew took away all the burnt tables and cloths, setting up new ones. The dance floor was scorched but none of Joe’s equipment was close enough to the fire to get wrecked. Joe started an entire set of songs with the word fire in them. He played:
Light My Fire, Ring of Fire, Burning Love, She’s on Fire, Walking on Fire, Put Out the Fire
and the list went on.

Everybody laughed and danced all around all of the tables. The dance floor expanded to include the entire reception area. Michael danced with Nelly.

Around ten o’clock, Jordan came over and said, “It’s time for the two of you to change and get out of here.”

“Yeah, we’ve got an early flight tomorrow,” Tom said.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret,” Tom said.

“I hate secrets,” I told him.

“No, you don’t,” both he and Jordan said together.

I blew a raspberry at both of them, then said, “I didn’t pack a bag because I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know whether to pack a bathing suit or a parka.”

“That’s okay, Sis. I packed a bag for you. It’s already in Tom’s truck,” Jordan said.

We went back into the dressing room, changed and then went back outside. Everyone was still dancing. Tom and I joined them for one last song. Joe played
We Are Family
. Everyone sang as loud as they could and danced!

Then Tom and I left to cheers and clapping. Behind us a black sedan followed. I hoped they didn’t think they were going on our honeymoon.

We stopped at a hotel by the San Francisco airport. Tom checked us in.

When we got to the door, Tom slipped his hands underneath my legs and said, “It’s tradition to carry you across the threshold.”

I put my hands around his neck and leaned my head into his chest. This tradition I wouldn’t argue with.

We made love as husband and wife for the first time and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

In the morning, I said, “So where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Tom insisted.

I crossed my arms and said, “I’m not getting on a plane with you unless you tell me where I’m going.”

Tom frowned.

“Please?” I wheedled.

“I tried to think of some place that Stretch and Liza would both enjoy. That wasn’t easy.”

“I’m the same person, I like lots of things. Where am I going?”

“At first I thought Disney World.”

I smiled.

“But then I thought three days there wouldn’t be enough.”

“That’s true, that place deserves at least a full week.”

“I thought you’d agree.”

“Then I thought camping. I love to camp.”

I frowned. Just the thought of sleeping in a tent on dirt made me shudder.

“But I knew you preferred hotel living.”

I nodded.

“So where is the one place that Stretch can get her thrills and Liza can enjoy herself, too?”

I shrugged.

“How about Vegas? It has casinos for Stretch and shows for Liza.”

“That’s great!” I threw my arms around Tom and kissed him. We almost missed our flight.

When we were settled into our seats on the plane, I got a text from Kenny.

Kenny: So do you know where you are going yet?

Me: Yes

Kenny: Where?

Me: Vegas!

Kenny: Good choice!

Me: I can gamble and Tom has tickets to see the Jersey Boys and one of the Cirque du Soleil shows.

Kenny: Perfect :)

Me: Yes :)

Kenny: Have fun!

The plane took off and Tom held my hand and smiled. “How are you doing Mrs. Owens?”

“I’m doing fine, Mr. Owens.”

He leaned toward me and we kissed. I had a lot to do in the next several weeks. I needed to move and set up a new classroom but I was looking forward to waking up in the arms of the man I love every day. It was perfect.

Tom closed his eyes and he was asleep in minutes. I just can’t sleep sitting up or in the middle of the day, so I read the Sky Mall magazine. There were some cool things in it, especially for Shelby.

My phone dinged, so I got it out of my purse. There was a new message.

Kenny: Stretch?

Me: What’s up? Miss me already?

Kenny: Of course I do.

Me: So what can I do for you?

Then nothing for several minutes. Was he still there? What was wrong?

Me: Kenny?

Kenny: I’m here.

Me: What’s up?

Kenny: I need my partner.

My stomach fell and knotted into a big ball as my breathing and heart rate raced. I took several calming breaths, holding tight to the arm rests and then I continued to type.

Me: Where are you?

Kenny: At a rest stop, I’m on my Ducati

Me: Where are you going?

Kenny: LOL

Me: What?

Kenny: Vegas

Me: Why?

Kenny: A girl in trouble.

Me: Come to me and we’ll fight the monster together.

Kenny: I’m on my way.

Maury’s Frittata

Ingredients:

½ medium onion, minced

3 medium garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons chicken broth

½ cup chopped cooked ham

½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ medium tomato, seeds removed, and diced

½ cup spinach

3 large eggs

1 tablespoons basil, chopped fresh

2 tablespoon rosemary, chopped fresh

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup cheddar cheese

Cooking Directions

Mince onions and press garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon of broth in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Sauté onion over medium heat 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, mushrooms, spinach and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon broth, chicken, tomato, ¼ cup of cheese, salt, pepper and cook for another minute. Stir well, and gently scrape pan with a wooden spoon.

Beat eggs well, and season with salt and pepper. Mix in chopped basil and rosemary. Pour eggs over vegetables evenly and turn heat to low. Cook eggs for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom with a heat-resistant spatula. When eggs are mostly cooked but still very wet, stop stirring. You want to see cooked eggs scattered throughout, but loose egg in between. Continue cooking on stove for another minute.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Put skillet under broiler. Watch carefully while top browns. This will take 2-4 minutes.

Remove skillet from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes to finish cooking in center. Cut in wedges and serve.

Chocolate Melting Cake

8 ounces of semisweet chocolate

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter

7 eggs, divided use

6 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 cup of flour

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter and cool for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix four eggs with sugar. Whisk. Then add flour and whisk.

Whisk the remaining three eggs and add the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture. Pour this mixture into individual ramekins.

Bake until just done, about 15-20 minutes (interior will be melting).

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

It’s best if you dip your spoon into the vanilla ice cream then into the center of the cake. Feeding it to someone else is always fun, too!

About the Author

I have always loved books, being an avid reader for as long as I can remember and until I was a senior in High School, I was also a prolific writer. Life continued, as it always does. I got my degree, married a wonderful man, Mark, and had two fabulous daughters, Lynn & Michelle. Michelle married, Adam, and gave me a delightful grandson, Austin. We all live in Hilmar, California. I have been an elementary teacher for twenty-six years.

It wasn’t until 2001 that the urge to write returned and it came on with a vengeance. To date I have written forty-five novels. You will notice that in all my novels the characters have pets. That’s because I always have a multitude of animals in my life.

Under Peggy Dulle, I have several published mystery novels. In my Liza Wilcox Mystery series:
Death is Clowning Around
,
Apple Pots and Funeral Plots
,
Secrets at Sea
, and
Saddle Up
. Other mysteries include my Get Away Diner Mystery series:
The River’s Secret
and
A Kept Secret.
Paranormal mystery:
Spirit of Consequence.
Visit my website:
www.peggydulle.com

Under PD Musso, I have two fantasy novel series. 
Dawn of Destiny
is part of the Hunters series and
Recruitment
is part of the Blood Badge series. Check out my website:
www.pdmusso.com

Connect with Me Online:

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ILV2RT

Facebook:
http://facebook.com/PeggyDulle