Chapter 5

Mom had the chore of seeing that Annie was well taken care of during the day. Mary and Ginny did nearly as much. Annie was good and never asked for her mother. She and I lived in the house alone. I think I was lonelier than Annie for she had Tippy to cuddle with. I cooked at least half our meals. Mom worried that we weren't eating correctly. We did eat out, but I was very careful to make sure our meals were nutritious.

I think what made Annie such a joy to care for was that she always listened to me. If I instructed her she would do as I said to do. I did buy her some board games to play with, and spent much of any spare time I had playing them with her. We subscribed to Netflix, but other than that we didn't watch much television.

Halloween arrived the week after Sandy left. Ginny and Junior came and got Annie into a costume and we all went trick or treating. We walked as far as Mom and Dad's and had cider and donuts with them. I had to carry Annie home, but when we came into the house she declared she had a wonderful time.

I was working everyday and Annie got into a routine where she appeared to be reasonably happy. Sandy called quite often expressing her guilt at leaving me and Annie. This was usually after Annie had gone to bed. I assured her we were doing fine. I suggested Sandy talk to Annie on Saturday mornings when I was home. With her the conversation revolved around the kitten and was always short.

At this time, Sandy would tell me about what she was doing and how happy she was with her duties. She was shown a lot of respect from the other agents because they knew of her history and the close calls she had had. I came to the conclusion that this was what Sandy should be doing and I was glad she had found herself.

Sandy called the Saturday before Thanksgiving. "Johnny, I was talking to Gordon yesterday. He was wondering if he could stop in either the day before or the day after the holiday. He is visiting his aunt in Putney. I told him I'm sure you would like to see him."

"Of course I would. You won't be coming with him?"

"No, I can't, I'm sorry. Gordon will have a friend with him. Someone who is getting out of the bureau shortly. You are always good for coffee and I said I didn't think you would mind."

"If they come the day after, I'll have some of Mom's leftover pie. I wish you were with him."

"I know you do. I promise I'll be up for Christmas and spend a few days. How is Annie?"

"She's fine. Today she is playing with Ginny. Everyone loves to have her around. On a different subject, can you tell me anymore about the terrorist investigation? I never did see my van at all."

"I was talking with Bill the other day. The investigation is complete. When the FBI took charge of it due to Abdul being identified, it was wound right up. The papers and pictures found in his hotel room opened up a window into the new cell he was connected to. They are being tracked now. I do have pictures of our van. I'll bring them with me at Christmas time."

We hit a dead spot, thinking of nothing to say. "Johnny, have you gone on any dates since I left?"

"No, not yet. To be honest I haven't even thought about it. Have you?"

"I've been out a couple of times. No one from the office, just a couple of men I met socially. Johnny, make the effort. You need someone to cuddle with and Annie does need a mother. Some woman who is satisfied with being a homemaker and who will love both you and Annie."

"I will, Sandy, I will. Hey, keep in touch. I'll never forget you. It was pretty damned exciting while you were here."

"Bye Johnny, I'll call again soon." I smiled, thinking the dating pool was much bigger in DC than it was in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Gordon called me on Tuesday at the compound, "Johnny, I'm in town. Will you be home tonight?"

"Sure will be. Come on up."

"I'd like to take you and Annie out to that place up the road from you. The New England house I think it is. Bring a lady friend if you like."

"Annie likes to eat in a restaurant and look at the people. So far she is my only lady friend. Shall we meet you there or will you come to the house first?"

"I think we'll swing by your house first. Five okay?"

"See you then."

I collected Annie from her Aunt Mary's and took her home. "Take a bath, sweetheart. We are being taken out to dinner. Pick out a pretty dress. Can you put it on?"

"If you would button me up I can put it on. Can I wear my earrings and shiny shoes?"

"Of course you can." I was in the closet getting my jacket when I heard the car door close. "Annie, go to the door and let Gordon in."

I had two wool jackets and it took a minute to decide which one to wear. I was shrugging into the grey one when I looked up. "Caitlin? Caitlin is that really you?"

"In the flesh, Johnny. Both Sandy and Gordon told me you would be glad to see me. Johnny, I wanted to see you too."

"I'm so glad you came up. Is your husband with you?"

"Johnny, that's one question you didn't get to ask and I didn't get to answer. There hasn't been a husband for a few years. I've always said I was married to keep the wolves from the door. That is until I get to know someone. I know you well enough now to tell you about my life."

"You'll spend some time here with me, then?"

"We'll talk about it later. I think little Annie is sick of playing hostess for Gordon. It's been a long day and I'm hungry."

"I made reservations, thinking you might be with us. That way Annie won't have to sit too long."

Caitlin laughed. "Sandy said that Annie is first with you in everything. I can see what she means. Johnny, when I chose Annie for you, I had the wish I was still married so I could adopt her for myself. I didn't know about you and I knew something about Sandy to make me have reservations. She did well by Annie though, didn't she?"

"Yes she did, but it turned out that any child would have been the same for her."

Annie was tugging Gordon toward the door and I hadn't even had a chance to say hi to him yet.

We were seated right after we reached the restaurant. Our drink orders were taken and menus brought. When the drinks came Gordon said, "You may order anything you like, Annie, I'm paying." I nodded my head that she could.

"Annie you go first."

She looked at Caitlin. "Nice lady, would you help me, please. I can't read yet. This looks very good." She pointed to a picture of the entrée.

"That is breast of roasted chicken. It comes with mashed potato and gravy and you can get two vegetables with it. Corn, beans, peas and cold slaw are the choices."

The waitress asked if she was ready to order. She was. "I'll have the roast chicken, the potato and some corn. That will be enough to fill me up."

When the waitress turned away with our orders, Annie asked Caitlin if she would take her to the bathroom. "Mommy used to take me and she said you should always go with another lady for protection. If we go now, we won't have to go while we are eating."

I looked at Gordon and burst out laughing. "And now we know why two women always go together." Caitlin was laughing almost as hard as we were. It was a pleasant meal and for me more so with Caitlin there. No one wanted dessert and I said I would make coffee when we reached home. Gordon said he was going to head for his aunt's house. He was having Thanksgiving with her and his cousins.

Caitlin said, "Johnny, I'm being bold, but may I have your guest room for tonight?"

"Certainly. Actually you can have it until Gordon picks you up. Annie and I would love to have you join us for Thanksgiving. Lord knows there will be food enough. I'd really like to insist on it, but I don't want to disrupt any plans you may have made."

"Being bold again, I was hoping you would invite me. I'll even bake a pie. I have pecans and the syrup for it in my suitcase."

"That's all settled then. Gordon we haven't had much chance to discuss the night that Abdul died. I would like to know a little more. I'm curious how the FBI got the chance to take over from our state troopers."

"I'll fill you in Friday. I think I'm going back on Saturday." Before he left, I retrieved Caitlin's two suitcases from his car. I had a moment out of her hearing. "Johnny, Caitlin quit her job the first of November. Sandy is feeling guilty about leaving you alone to care for Annie. You might consider hiring Caitlin temporarily until she finds something to do."

"What's her financial situation?"

"I have no idea. She has always been secretive about her personal life. Anyway, it is a thought."

"Thanks."

Caitlin was playing with Annie and the kitten. I sat in the living room thinking about Caitlin Bluth. I had liked her from the first time we had met back at O'Hare several months ago. I thought she was a nice lady then and I did now. Tonight she was totally different than I had ever seen her. Some of it was how she wore her hair. Before it was fairly long, but never had I seen her with it styled in any way.

Also she almost always had on a business suit, grey or blue and worn with a white blouse. Tonight she had on a colored wool skirt and a colorful top and the outside jacket was chic, a warm tan color and definitely expensive. Her eyes sparkled when she talked and laughed. It was like she had one persona and had shed it before she arrived here to gain a new one. I liked this one.

I was in my reverie when Caitlin appeared in front of me. "What'cha thinking?"

"Deep thoughts."

"Good ones I hope."

"They could be."

"Do they have anything to do with a bold and brassy hussy who inveigled a room from you?"

"Maybe, but I assure you they are all good thoughts."

"Hold that for now. Annie wants a kiss good night. You know, I'm a bit surprised that you haven't had her sleeping with you, but she says she doesn't."

"There's a simple answer for the reason I haven't. Eventually I will marry again. If she was used to coming to my bed, I'd have to ask her to stay in her own bed. It might make hard feelings between the new mom and Annie. She needed to learn early that my bed is for adults and her bed is for children. It didn't take long before she accepted this.

"The only exception is if she is ill and I suppose if I needed constant care she would be there for me and would return to the status quo as soon as either of us was able to."

"Don't you ever want to relax the rule when you've had a bad day?"

"Of course I do. I often needed someone to hold, but if I gave in to my own rule, it wouldn't be long before there was no rule at all. A child needs rules to live by. It makes it easier for them to know what's right and what's wrong. We do cuddle on the couch if it is needed. Enough of this; come with me while I say goodnight to Annie."

"From what you say it sounds as if you are very strict, but I can see Annie loves you so you must be doing something right."

"I never have had to physically discipline her. I don't lose my temper and shout at her. A child can't be reasoned with like an adult. This is only because they don't have the maturity to reason, so if there are rules and guidelines for them to live by, it works out very well. I don't use much bribery either. I've seen where parents used bribery to get their kids to do just the basic chores."

Annie was almost asleep. "Daddy after I kiss you goodnight, can I kiss the nice lady goodnight, too?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart. You know the nice lady has a name, don't you?"

"Of course I do. It's Caitlin. She was at Mommy and your wedding and you called her Nice Lady. I like her a lot so I can call her Nice Lady too, but I will call her Caitlin sometimes."

"Well, I think you are a nice little lady, too, and I think you are very special."

"Thank you, Nice Lady, I like to be special."

When we left Annie I made a call to my mother. "Mom, Annie won't be coming over in the morning. I have a person here who will be watching her tomorrow. The two of them are going to bake a pecan pie. Would it be okay if I invite her for dinner on Thanksgiving?"

"Of course it will, Johnny. What's her name?"

"Caitlin Bluth. She is a friend of Sandy's and I have known her just as long as I've known Sandy."

"Are you sure you want to leave Annie alone with her?"

"I'm positive. We went out to the New England House for dinner tonight and we had a wonderful time. If you are out and about tomorrow, stop in and visit. Annie will introduce you."

"I might just do that. I can't stay long because I have a lot of things to get ready for dinner on Thursday."

"Okay, Mom, that'll be fine." I hung up the phone and turned to Caitlin who had been listening.

"I'm sure Mother will be here and pretty early too. Probably Mary will be with her. Ginny and Junior will stop in to see Annie after school is out. You probably will have them from noon on because school is out then."

"You're leaving me all alone to meet your family? That's mean."

"No, it is showing them I trust you to take care of Annie. Now, I think it's time I got to know a lot more about you. Tell me about your life, all or just what you want to share."

"I could say 'you see me, that is what you get, ' but I'll share. I grew up in the midwest. My parents are very successful farmers. I was always intrigued with law enforcement and went on to school to learn more about what it takes. I met a boy my third year in college. I fell in love ... or thought I did. His father was in the bureau, and I probably thought how lucky for me it would be if I married the son. I would have an opening into the FBI.

"I used him and got on as a probationary agent. We married soon after being hired. I was so serious about my job, I guess, I neglected my husband. It lasted two years and we divorced. Mr. Bluth senior, blamed me for the breakup. He is still in the there. My job has gone absolutely nowhere for the nine years I've been with the bureau.

"I can't claim I have been held back because I don't have any evidence of it. You have seen what my duties have been like. I arrange things for people like I did for you. I'm like a house mother in certain situations and make travel arrangements. The one gem I'm most proud in my career was finding Annie for you. That capped my entire time in the bureau.

"Since I met both of you I've done some serious thinking about my life. I'm thirty-one years old. I have no husband and no children. I quit the bureau on the spur of the moment after deciding I would take two years to see what my life would be like outside the Bureau. If I want to stay with law enforcement, I can get on with some local force near my home town. I have no black marks on my record so it shouldn't be difficult."

"What do your parents say about this career change of yours?"

"My parents want me to be happy, that's all. My grandmother, to whom I'm closest, is the one who convinced me to change my life. I was with her last week. I told her about you and Annie." Caitlin stopped speaking. I was waiting for her to continue. She didn't so I gave her a prompt.

"And?"

"And that's it. I'm taking a vacation."

"And you just naturally showed up here."

"Yes I showed up here. Johnny, you have named me 'Nice Lady, ' and I think I am. I feel you are a comparable 'Nice Guy, ' so why shouldn't we get to know each other better?"

"I'd like that, but I'd want to go a lot slower than I agreed to with Sandy. We didn't really fit together all that well. We both gave it our best shot and I don't have any regrets and I know she doesn't either. Best of all, Annie wasn't hurt over it. I was able to fill in for Sandy when she left. As long as you're on vacation, would you consider staying here and make this your headquarters? You might help out a little with the care of Annie during the day."

"Johnny, do you feel as if I'm putting pressure on you in any way by taking a vacation here?"

"No. I'd like to get to know you better than I do now. That will give us a chance to see what each other is like."

"Okay then, I'm officially on vacation. Shall we watch NCIS--Los Angeles?"

I was having my coffee at 5:30 when Annie staggered out rubbing sleep from her eyes. "G'morning Daddy. Do you have to work today?"

"Yes, but just this morning. Caitlin is still here. Will you stay with her?"

"I guess so. Will I be going to Grammy's?"

"No, but I think Grammy will be coming to see you and Caitlin. I called her last night. I don't have to leave yet. You can go back to bed or you can curl up on the couch. I think Tippy is in there already."

"I'll play with Tippy."

Just then the other bedroom door opened and Caitlin ducked into the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out. She had on a long bathrobe and hadn't combed her hair yet. She had got the sleepy out of her eyes though. "Did I hear Annie?"

I jerked my thumb toward the living room.

"Good morning, Annie, and good morning, Tippy."

"Good morning, Caitlin. I'm glad you are still here. I thought you might have left. Nurse Brenda left the day Mommy came and then Mommy left, and I thought you would too."

"No dear, I'm going to stay for awhile."

"That's good cause I like you. Are you going to get my breakfast?"

"I certainly am. Are you hungry now?"

"Not yet, but I will be. Will you make me oatmeal with lots of raisins and some siminmin?"

"I will do that and I will have the same. If you are playing with Tippy, I'll have a coffee with that nice guy who is your daddy."

"Okay."

When I left I pointed out the phone list for Mary and Mom and the shop phone if Caitlin had to call me. I almost used my first wife's name. Caitlin and Bernita were much the same size. Caitlin's hair was blonde whereas Bernita's was a reddish blonde the same as Annie's. Caitlin's shape was fine, better than Sandy's, but then she hadn't been where she couldn't take care of it. Yes, I checked her out. A habit of mine, Todd's, and even my father's when a woman was present.

I was extremely busy all morning and didn't give much thought of how Caitlin and Annie were getting along. Todd was coming up later to see my guest. Everyone else had met her and were all at the house when I got home. Mom, Dad, Mary and Annie's two cousins had just finished a lunch and had a prepared plate for me.

Mom sat down beside me while I was eating. "There is a change of plan for tomorrow. I mentioned that Bernita always had the family in because you have more parking and more room for all of us. She said then we should have it here so that's the plan. The pies are all finished, the four kinds you like and the rolls are rising. Kate will put them into the oven in a little bit.

"I sent Dad down to the house to get the turkey and Kate will put it into the oven here. Mary and I will cook the vegetables at home and bring them with us. All we have to do tomorrow is get the snackys and dip laid out."

"You called her Kate?"

"Yes, she said that was her nickname. That's easier for Annie to say. Kate said you had another name for her."

"I did. She was a nice lady when I met her. I was pretty damned nervous, not knowing what I had got myself into with Sandy. I've always been comfortable around Caitlin whenever we were together."