Chapter Five

Aurora and Drew finally come face to face.

Chapter Five

Aurora checked herself and her loyal companion, Sassafras into a hotel.  She tipped the bellhop and got the dog ready for a walk.  

She walked outside the hotel and started down the main drag.  She continued until she saw some things that looked familiar.  She stopped and looked around, trying to let the sights and smells take her back.  The dog tugged on the leash and looked at her impatiently.

“Sorry, Sass.  I’m trying to take a trip down memory lane.”

She saw some shops and wandered past them.  She could remember places she’d gone with Melanie and the other girls, but nothing of her time with Drew.  She saw shops selling clothing and other souvenirs, but nothing with the type of dress or shawl she’d been wearing.  She walked further down until she came to a tavern she knew had been there before.

It appeared to be open.  She saw a bouncer standing at the door and approached him.

“Excuse me, I know you probably didn’t work here nine and a half years ago, but is there anyone who has been here that long?”

“You look like Aurora Mendez.  Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Every day of my life.  So, do you know anyone who’s worked here that long?”

“Sure, Barney’s been around forever.”

“Is he working today?”

The bouncer stuck his head in the door and hollered.  A short man with salt and pepper hair and a mustache came to the door.

“What is it?  Harry here won’t let you bring the dog in?”

“Uh, no.  I took a trip here about nine and a half years ago.  I was wondering if you knew how to get to the Chapel of Doves.”

“Hey, Barney, don’t she look like Aurora Mendez, the movie star?”

“Yeah, you look like her.”

Aurora produced the envelope her marriage certificate had come in.  She also held up the pressed flower.  “Would you happen to know where this grows?”

“Well, isn’t that you in the picture?  Don’t you know where you got that them?”

“I sort of have amnesia.  I can’t remember what happened and I need to find out.”

“I’m not too sure about the flowers.  That chapel is on South Las Vegas Boulevard.  It's about a fifteen minute walk from here.  Unless you want me to call you a cab.”

Aurora declined the cab, thanked the men and walked off with Sassafras.  She walked past businesses, checking the numbers on the front of the buildings as she went .  She found a boxy metal structure with the words “Chapel of Doves” on a sign in the front.  

“Kind of generic,” she muttered and shrugged.  She pushed the door open and walked in.  The place looked empty.  She held the photo up and looked to the front.  This was the place, all right.  It had a new paint job and new light fixtures, but the layout was the same.  She stood taking it all in, grasping for some tiny flash of memory.

“May I help you?”  Aurora turned to see a heavyset woman with red hair in neat curls capping her head.  She wore a smock and jeans.

“I’m sorry.  Do you not allow dogs in here?”

“No matter, so long as it’s house trained.  I can’t say we’ve ever had a dog in here.  I’m the housekeeper by the way.  Were you just looking around?”

“I got married here almost ten years ago.  Can you tell me if Peter Krause still runs the place?”

“Sure does.  You looking to renew your vows for your ten year anniversary?”

“No, I’d just like to speak with Mr. Krause if that’s possible.”

The housekeeper went though a door on the right and came back a few minutes later with a balding man.  He adjusted his spectacles and held a hand out to Aurora.  She took his hand.

“Mr. Krause, I am trying to remember my wedding here, but I can’t.”  She showed him the photo of her and Drew.

“Why, you’re Aurora Mendez.  After news of your divorce hit the papers, some reporters managed to dig up the fact that your wedding took place here.  I’ve been fielding quite a few calls from news people wanting to know if we had photos.  I also got a call from a woman claiming to be your lawyer.  She wanted to know if I could testify that you were under the influence of alcohol when you got married.”

“Was it a woman named Cassie Stark?  What did you tell her?”

“I don’t recall the woman’s name.  I told her it was a long time ago and you weren’t famous then so I’d have no way of remembering that particular ceremony.  I do so many they all seem the same after awhile.  Did you say you're having trouble remembering?”

“I just don’t recall the night I was married here.  You see, I did have quite a bit to drink that night.  I never even knew a wedding took place until a little over a month ago.”

“Is that fellow trying to get a big settlement?  I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.  I just want to do all I can to help.”

“That’s okay.  He think he is.  I just wish I could remember one little thing.  Do you know where I could have gotten these flowers?”

“Those grow wild around here.  My guess is you picked them.  Not something you’d get from a florist.  We have some growing out back, as a matter of fact.”

“Really?  Could you show them to me?”

“Sure.  This way.”  Aurora followed down a hall and through a back door.  He showed her a spot on the side of the building where a bunch of flowers grew.  

“Do you mind if I pick some?”

“Not at all.  They’re just wild flowers.”

Aurora plucked a few and held them to her nose.  The scent was definitely familiar.  Peter Krause was watching her keenly.

“Help any?”

“I think so.  Am I keeping you from something?”

“Not much.”

“I’d just like to go look at the chapel one last time, and then I’ll take off.”

“Here’s a business card in case you think of anything else to ask me.”

“Thank you.”  

Peter walked down another hall, Aurora presumed to his office, and she went back to the chapel.  She took off her jacket and placed the shawl around her shoulders.  She stood in the place she appeared to be standing in the picture.  She held the flowers up to her nose.  She imagined the room with different paint and light fixtures.  The shawl began to slide down and she reached up, still grasping the flowers, to adjust it.

That had happened before, only it was Drew who had adjusted the shawl.  They were kissing and she had one hand on the flowers and the other encircled around Drew.  It must be a memory.  She also had a feeling, one of being excited and happy.  I was falling in love, she thought.  

*****

Aurora stood in the bedroom of her lodge the day of her hearing with Drew.  Cassie was due any minute, and she was standing there in a robe, with a pile of discarded clothes on the bed.  She’d already rejected a tailored suit for being too businesslike, a black dress for looking like something she’d wear to a funeral, and a sweater and pants set for being too casual.  A tap sounded on the door, followed by Sassafras’ bark.  

“You’re not ready.”  Cassie looked surprised when Aurora let her in.  

“I can’t make up my mind what to wear.  Everything seems too formal or too expensive looking or just not right.  It's also twenty degrees out there.”

“Let’s see what you’ve got.  You seem really nervous.  Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.  I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t think it’s the hearing I’m nervous about.  It’s Drew.  I can’t believe I’m going to see him again.”  There was a catch in her throat.

Cassie chose a wool pant suit with a red blouse that would do for the hearing.

Aurora added a puffy winter jacket and knit cap and picked up her purse.

“Here goes nothing,” she said.

Aurora was a bundle of nerves the car ride, but Cassie insisted she drive since she’d never been to Evergreen Gap before.  The hearing was in the courthouse in the county seat.  Aurora found a visitor spot in the lot.

“Beautiful building.  Amazing architecture,” Cassie said.

Aurora agreed.  “I left when I was twenty-one and I never thought I'd miss the Laurel Highlands.  But I do sometimes."

They walked across the lot and into the front doors of the building.  They had to go through metal detectors and be checked by security.

“I guess even small towns have to do this.  Why do you keep looking from side to...oh, you’re looking for him, aren’t you?  How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”

“Is it that obvious?”

They took an elevator up to the third floor and followed a sign to the right.  They were ushered into a meeting room by a young man who appeared to be some kind of clerk.  The room was empty.  Aurora and Cassie were the first to arrive.  They both took seats.  Cassie noticed Aurora’s hands were shaking and her breathing was shallow to the point of hyperventilation.  

“Calm down.”  Cassie pressed her hand onto Aurora’s.  “I don’t want to have to give you a paper bag to breathe in.”

“You see why I never had the nerve to ask him about back then,” she whispered.

“Yeah, but give you a couple glasses of spiked punch and see what happens.”  They both giggled.  

  After several of the longest minutes of Aurora’s life, the doorknob turned.  She and Cassie stood.

A trim man who looked about forty years old entered first.

“I’m Steve Clark, Mr. Macpherson’s attorney.”  He shook their hands.

Drew walked in next.  Aurora felt her face become hot and she hoped she wasn’t blushing noticeably.  Her stomach fluttered and her heart pounded in her chest.  No other guy, from Hollywood to New York City, had the power to make her feel that way.  He wore a gray suit, white shirt, and blue tie.  His broad shoulders and chest were evident despite the suit.  His eyes contrasted his dark hair so much that Aurora stood mesmerized for a moment.  She gulped, trying desperately to moisten her dry mouth.

“Cassie Stark, Ms. Mendez’s attorney.”  Cassie extended her hand to Drew.

Just then a portly man with an obvious hairpiece walked in.  He announced himself as Judge Hartwick and told them all to be seated.  

The judge spoke, and then Steve.  Drew could barely comprehend what was being said.  He had expected Aurora to look like some phony, made-up doll.  He’d seen photo spreads of her in magazines with hair and make-up jobs that made her barely distinguishable from the natural beauty he remembered.  There was no spray tan, no Photoshop, no professional make-up.  It was just...her.    

Over the years Drew had conjured an image of a spoiled and selfish celebrity.  He thought of her going on shopping sprees, pampering herself with spa treatments, barking orders at people while they attended to her every need.  Thinking those things made it easy for him to hate her.  Now that she was sitting across a conference table from him, he found the anger and resentment of the past decade slipping away.  He saw before him a slightly more mature version of the young woman he'd known those first two years of college.  He could easily picture her in a short dress, flitting across the dining with her friends or in a cozy sweater studying in the library, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear.

“I have an affidavit from Herbert Johnson, a witness who was present just after the wedding took place,” Cassie said.

Drew shot to attention.  Hal?  They had Hal as a witness.

“Andrew Macpherson was not abandoned by my client, your honor.  As you can see, my witness found Mr. Macpherson asleep the morning after the wedding.  They had to rush back to Pennsylvania before my client could be found.”

“That doesn’t explain why your client ran off to New York instead of waiting for the man she married,” Steve countered.

“My client had no memory of the previous night.”

“That’s her word.”

“We have a witness willing to testify that she complained of a blackout the next morning when she awoke, alone, in her hotel room.”

“Who is this witness?”

“Melanie Potter Colby.”

“A close friend of Ms. Mendez, I presume?  And how much is your client paying her to say this?”

“Your honor...”

“That’s enough, Mr. Clark.   Mr. Macpherson, do you admit you fell asleep after the wedding and were unable to find your bride before she left for New York?”

“Yes, to the best of my recollection.”

“Was this marriage ever consummated?”

Aurora and Drew both looked up with a start, then quickly down at their laps.  

“I have little memory of the night in question.  My friend, Melanie Colby found me, alone, in the hotel room I was sharing with her.

“Mr. Macpherson?”  Judge Hartwick turned to Drew.

"I don't recall any, um, sexual relations.”  

“Well, at least you agree on that matter.  Let me get this straight.  Mr. Macpherson testifies that Ms. Mendez moved to New York within two days of the wedding and did not leave any forwarding address or phone number.  Ms. Mendez says she planned to go to New York all along and since she had no memory of actually being married, saw no reason to change her plans or tell Mr. Macpherson how to contact her.”

Both sides agreed with Judge Hartwick’s summation of the case.  He said they would meet again in one week to hear more testimony.

Aurora went to lunch with Cassie and showed her some of the sights in Evergreen Gap.  They had the car radio on when a weather advisory came on. 

“Turn up the volume,” Aurora said to Cassie.

The weather announcer called for twelve to eighteen inches of snow, starting at seven o’clock that evening.  All travelers were cautioned to seek shelter and only drive in the event of an emergency.

“I was going to visit my family in Ohio for a few days.  I guess I won’t be going anywhere,” Cassie said.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  You’re going to be stuck in a lodge in the middle of nowhere on account of me.”

“Don’t worry about it.  I could use the break, actually.  I haven’t had time to relax in ages.  I can ski, watch movies, read a book.  This might be a blessing in disguise.”

“Hopefully it won’t give me too much time to think.”

“How do you feel?  I don’t mean about the case.  What was it like seeing him again?”

“He looks good.  It made me sad, knowing I hurt him, even if it was unintentionally.  I guess I’ll always wonder what might have been.  I guess everyone has someone like that, someone they consider the one who got away.  Even before I found out we’d gotten married, I thought about him all the time.  No guy I’ve ever met makes me feel butterflies in my stomach the way he does.  I wonder any guy will ever again have that effect on me.  You probably think I’m silly.  I know some of the most desired men in the world, and here I am pining over an old crush.”

“It doesn’t sound silly at all.  I think you’re right.  We all have that one person who will always been in the back of our minds.  The one that got away, like you said.”

“So, who’s the one you let get away, Cassie?”

“I met him the summer before I started law school.  At the time I was engaged to someone else.  I met my fiancé in college and we were going to go to law school together and then get married.  It seemed like my future was all worked out, but there was something missing.”

“He didn’t give you those butterflies?”

Cassie chuckled.  “I guess you could say that.  The other guy was in a relationship too.  I never  meant to fall for him, but it happened.  To make a long story short, I went off to law school and never saw him again.  I broke it off with my fiancé.  I never told him there had been someone else.  I figured it would just cause him unnecessary pain.”

“Have you tried to look for him?  Maybe he's single.  Or maybe you'll get a much-needed dose of reality.”

“It seems like Drew still has an effect on you, yet you haven't mentioned that he's pretty much available.”

“Well, a lot of time has passed.  We've moved on.”

“Have you really?  You've been in movies with some of the hottest men in the world and he was engaged to a leggy blonde, but you both looked like nervous school kids in there.”

Aurora twitched a little at the mention that Drew looked nervous too.  "As soon as this is resolved, I am going back to California and forgetting all this ever happened.”

"If you say so."

Drew made an appointment to discuss the case with Steve before the next hearing.  He had a missed call from his mom, probably wanting to know what happened.  He had cleared his calendar for the day and decided to spend the rest of the day skiing.  He called his mom while he was home getting his gear.

“So, what happened?”  she seemed more anxious than he expected.

“Everything has been continued until a week from today.  Steve had to leave right after, so I’m meeting with him later this week to discuss what happened and how we’re going to proceed.”

“Did you tell the truth about what happened?"

“Yes.  I think you're right.  I’m going to talk to Steve, my attorney, about the possibility of dropping the case and getting an annulment.”

“I'm so glad.  You could even get married at the church.  Someday."

“I’m going skiing.  I’ll keep you posted.”

"Drive careful.  And stay at the Evergreen Lodge if the roads are too bad to come home.  Text me tonight so I know you're safe.

He called his newest client and told him they‘d have to postpone the work until after the storm.  He knew he should meet with Stacy and have a talk with her. The meteorologists weren’t always accurate, but he could already see flurries out the window.  He packed extra clothes and things he’d need for an overnight stay along with his gear.

The slopes were full of fresh powdered snow, but after a few hours it was snowing so hard that visibility was impaired.  Drew decided to take a break and head to the lodge to grab some dinner.

He walked into the restaurant in the main lodge and noticed there were about fifteen people inside.  One group of teenagers was whispering and glancing covertly toward a table in the corner.  He looked over and saw what all the commotion was about.  Aurora and her lawyer were seated at a table, deep in conversation.  Aurora wore a cranberry colored Fair Isle sweater that clung to her curves with body hugging jeans and brown leather boots.  Cassie was nothing to sneeze at either.  She had the well-toned body of an athlete and had obviously been skiing.  Her long blond hair glowed in the light from the fireplace.  

Drew, however, could barely take his eyes off Aurora.  Seeing her brought back so many memories.  He wanted so much to take her in his arms and do all the things he’d never had the chance to do on their wedding night.

Drew strode over to their table.  “Fancy seeing you two ladies here.”

They both looked up.  “Drew.”  Aurora made it a statement.

“Hello, Aurora.  Ms., uh, Stark?”

“Have you been skiing?”  Cassie smiled up at Drew.

“Yeah, actually.  But it’s almost whiteout out there, so I came in to get something to eat.  What about you?”

“I figure as long as I’m stuck here, I may as well enjoy myself,” Cassie said.

“Would you like to join us?”  Aurora glanced at Cassie.  “That would be okay with you, wouldn’t it?”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

Drew took a seat and a waiter came over and asked if he wanted a menu.

“Just a burger and fries, and some coffee to drink, please.”

Cassie and Drew talked about skiing for awhile longer.  Aurora didn’t ski, so she had little to contribute to the conversation.  There was a lull in the conversation when Drew’s food arrived at the table.

 Drew checked his phone.  There were two missed calls from Stacy.  Now what did she want?  He checked his text messages and there was one from Stacy asked how the hearing went.  He thought of the papers he'd seen in her apartment, and wondered if she wanted to know how much money he was getting.  He decided not to text back.

"There's something I have to tell you.  I am planning to talk to my lawyer about getting the marriage annulled.  We were both young and stupid.  You shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

Aurora gasped.  “I don’t know what to say.  That really says a lot about your character.  A court might decide you deserve something, after all.”

Drew nodded his head slowly.  “A lot of it was my ex's idea.  She even told me which lawyer to hire.  I'm not even sure I should trust him. I think she planned it all along.  She started planning an extravagant wedding before we even got engaged."

“Women tend to think about their weddings long before they ever meet the person they are going to marry.”

“I’m not talking about hypothetical plans, here.  I mean she tried to book the Pine Hollow Country Club, put a deposit on a designer gown...the list goes on.  Stuff  never discussed with me, that I never agreed to." Drew shook his head. "Can we talk about something else?  How is it being back in Evergreen Gap?  Are you bored to tears?”

“Not really.  It’s nice being able to visit family and friends for more than a day or two with everything all rushed.  I was even thinking of buying a house here so I can spend more time here when I’m not working on a project.”

“Excuse me.  I’ve got to go to my suite and make a phone call.”  Cassie got up from the table.

After Cassie was gone, Drew looked at Aurora.  “I’ve been wanting to talk to you ever since the hearing.  Do you want to stay here or go for a walk or something?”

“I was just going to take my dog for a walk anyway.”    

“Is the dog in your cabin?”

“Yes, why?”

“Do you mind if I go with you when you get her?  I just had this awful sense of deja vu.”

Aurora laughed.  “Suit yourself.”

They walked to her cabin and Aurora opened the door and Sassafras circled around them.  Drew petted her head.

“What’s her name?”

“Sassafras.  She seems to like you.”

“I like dogs.  I’ve been thinking of getting one, but Stacy wasn’t too crazy about the idea.”

“Well, dogs aren’t for everyone.”

“You seem awfully defensive of someone you’ve never met.”

“I didn't want to sound catty.”  She hooked Sassafras onto her leash and they started off.  It was still snowing steadily, but they were able to walk without too much trouble.  Sassafras buried her nose in the snow as she walked along and periodically flung snow in the air as she turned to look at Drew and Aurora.  There was a ring of snow on her snout.

“She seems to like the snow.”

“She does.  It’s pretty new to her.  We don’t get much snow in California.  Do you want to go around the lake?”

“That sounds fine.  So, is that where you live most of the time...California?”

“Unless I’m on location or promoting a new project.”

Aurora looked at him when she said that, and she nearly took his breath away.  Her cheeks had turned rosy from the cold, and snow nestled the top of her hat and dotted her hair.  Even all wrapped up in winter clothes, he could imagine her curves, and he imagined taking her someplace warmer and getting rid of a few layers.

“So, is that what you wanted to talk to me about?  Where I live?”

“No, I just wanted to know...I mean, I believe you but...you really didn’t know?  All this time, you had no idea we were married?”

“All I could remember the next morning is that I’d seen you and talked to you.  I wanted so much to remember what happened.  I had feelings for you for so long, and the one time in my life I actually talked to you, I had a memory lapse.”

“I couldn't believe it when you told me in Vegas.  It was like I won the lottery.  And then you said you were going to New York, and it was like I lost the winning ticket.”

“Well, I don’t just go around marrying people for fun.  I got a little bit back.  I went to the chapel.  I even picked some of those flowers, like I’m holding in the photo of us.”

“What on earth made us take such a huge step, though?”

“I wanted to hold on to you and we were drinking and I guess YOLO got the best of us."

They both dissolved into laughter for a minute, but suddenly Drew looked serious.

“I went to New York that summer.  I looked for you."

“I know.  Your mom told me."

“I'm sorry,” she said.  

"You didn't know."

“But I'm sorry things turned out the way they did...”  Drew cut her off.  He leaned in and met his lips with hers.  Aurora was so stunned, she dropped the leash.  He kissed her hard, and Aurora kissed back eagerly.  He soon deepened the kiss and his hands wandered up her back and fingered the snowy tendrils of hair that fell down her back.  Aurora felt heat surge through her body, making her want less layers of clothes and more touching.  She ran her hands through his thick, dark hair and then let a finger trace down his face to his jaw line.  

Sassafras barked, and they broke apart.  Aurora called to the dog, who ran immediately to her.  She bent down and scooped up the leash.  She was about to turn back to Drew when a snowball hit her square in the behind.

“I’ll get you for that,” she said impishly.  She bent and scooped up some snow, and tossed it at Drew.  Sassafras tried to chase it and ended up skidding to a halt where her leash ended.

She unhooked the dog and put the leash in her pocket.  Another snowball hit her.  Sassafras barked and dashed toward Drew.  Aurora made another snowball and tossed it in Drew’s direction.  She missed.  She went to make another when she was caught off guard by another.  Her balance was jolted and she felt her feet begin to slip beneath her.  She landed flat on her back, but the snow gave her a soft landing.  She held a gloved hand in the air.

“Truce!  I surrender,” she shouted.  Suddenly Drew was on top of her, straddling her.

“Did you say you surrender?  Her grinned down at her, the dimple in his chin deepening as he did so.