Chapter 33

Once again I had a lot to think about as I drove away. I seemed to fall into money like some people fell in love. Early and often.

"Remember to ask them about the nano fabrics the military wasn't interested in," Bud said just as we were turning east onto Guerneville Road. I thought about that during the drive in. There were plenty of times Bud kept quiet, and plenty of times he spoke up, and I wasn't sure if he was calculated in choosing his times. I had to keep reminding myself that Bud was 'The Voice', and perhaps the reason I had woken up in Cooper James' body. Bud was the one who kept saying I was going to be a super hero and showing me how to do the telekinesis stuff. I might trust Bud, but that didn't mean I was going to forget that Bud had an agenda.

My ruminations kept me distracted until I was pulling into the parking lot of the Hillside Inn. I parked near the door and headed for the door when Kelli came out to meet me.

"Hi Kelli," I called.

"Hello yourself Cooper," she replied as she walked over to me, putting her hands on my shoulders and going up on her tiptoes. When she kissed me lightly on the lips, I realized for the first time that Kelli was a tall woman. Tall enough that I didn't have to lean down in order for her to kiss me, and my Cooper James body was six feet four.

"I'm glad to see you," I said, grabbing a hand as I walked her over to the Wrangler to open the door for her.

"Oh rough day already?" she asked.

"Not rough, but a little weird." I laughed.

"Well, you can tell me all about it. As well as this mystery Fourth of July thing."

That conversation got put on hold as Kelli started giving me directions. Michelle's Patisserie was only a few blocks from the inn, so the directions were minimal and the trip was brief.

I'd been half expecting a very feminine, ladies-only décor, given the name, but it was much more gender neutral, done up in stainless steel, chrome with a white and blue enamel painted stripe around the room at the height of, and in the dimensions that suggested an old fashioned chair rail, though the decorative accent was merely that, and not meant to be protective. That decorative touch was echoed by a matching strip near the ceiling that suggested antique crown molding. The tables and place settings matched the tones and colors, replicating the blue and white of the wall decorations. It was feminine, I realized, but in a very subtle way.

A young woman greeted Kelli by name. "Kelli! Welcome back."

"Hi Melissa, nice to be back, as always. This is Cooper. Cooper this is Melissa."

We exchanged greetings and then Melissa showed us to a table. I really hadn't had enough coffee yet so asked for coffee when she asked what we'd like to drink. Kelli asked for tea.

"I'll be right back with your drinks," I took my eyes off Kelli to look at the menu. There were some very interesting sandwiches, and I was drawn to what was called a 'crusted lamb and tomato' sandwich. I ordered that along with an 'Agean Summer Salad'. Kelli ordered the same salad as her meal.

"So," she said as we waited for our meal. "What's happening on the Fourth of July?"

"There's a parade, I said. I paused long enough after saying that to get an overly-dramatic frown from Kelli. "The local Harley Davidson enthusiasts participate. I have a Harley Davidson."

"So you'll be riding in the parade? I nodded. "But I don't have a Harley Davidson, so what's the catch?"

"Well..." I drew out nervously. "I've seen pictures from last year's parade. Each of the riders had a passenger riding behind them. I'd like to ask you to be my passenger."

"You want me to ride in the Fourth of July parade with you. Is this one of those things like I've seen on TV about motorcycle rallies? Do I have to wear some skimpy bikini or something?"

"No, absolutely not!" I protested immediately. "some of the women in the picture I saw were wearing bikini tops and halter tops, but plenty of them were wearing shirts and shorts. It was a sunny July day after all."

"I see," she said, and I could tell this was suddenly less amusing than it had been.

"Kelli, this is something of a lark, that's all," I told her, reaching out for her hand. "I know we'll have a date or two between now and then before this idea would seem more acceptable."

"You're right about that," and her smile came back a little.

"So I'm not actually asking you yet, okay? I'm just letting you know this is something I'm thinking about doing, and I wanted you to know as early as possible, not just spring it on you with no warning."

"I can understand that," her eyes softened to match the smile. "I guess I'm being a little paranoid."