My Cherie Amour (Fully Posted)

Chapter 46

"The dream Tia had about us has to be a premonition," Cherie said to Blaise the next morning. They were at Mirela's kitchen table poring over Laurencia's schedule, which was graciously faxed over by his Knight Studios contact. "That means that the place she saw is real. I wonder if we already know it."

"It's too bad she bailed after breakfast," he said. "Maybe if she'd go over it again, we'd learn something new from the details." As he spoke, he heard his impatience and wished that he hid it better.

"She only left because Jacinta called, but she should be back before seven."

"I see. Did something happen?"

"Nothing to cause alarm. It's actually a happy occasion. Jacie's eldest daughter and her husband have been trying to adopt, and their son is coming today."

"Congratulations to you all," Blaise said with sincerity.

"Thanks," Cherie said. She went on to smile, snag a pencil off the hutch, and draw asterisks by gaps in Laurencia's schedule.

"Do you need to be with them right now? I don't want to be the reason you aren't there."

"You aren't," she assured him. "We're a pretty big group to take in as a whole, and we'd rather not overwhelm him. So, today is only about him and his parents, grandparents, and great-grandmother. They've been waiting the longest."

Blaise thought about his own relatives. "It must be something, to be so wanted."

She stopped marking up the printout and looked at him.

"I'm okay," he said. "I just remember what it was like for me growing up, drifting between family and friends while my parents were very much alive and raising their other children."

Cherie put one hand on top of his. "I'm sorry you went through that, Blaise."

"Don't be. My wife and I decided long ago that we'd make our own family. Between each other, our friends, and the few blood relatives we're cool with, that's enough people for me."

She withdrew her hand. "When, not if, she comes back to you completely, I think you'll make beautiful children."

Blaise sensed a wall had gone up, but he couldn't figure out which one of them had placed the first stone.

Cherie looked down at the table.

"What about you?" he asked.

Her hands had returned to the printout. "What do you mean?"

"You're still planning to start a family, aren't you?"

"If it's in the cards, yes, but a lot would have to happen before I pursued that."

Blaise frowned. "You used to be surer. Has that changed because of us?"

"Yes and no. Just like meeting you showed me that I wasn't really living, breaking up with you showed me that I have a lot to learn."

"Are you trying to wait until you're perfect or something?"

Continuing to look at the table, she said, "No, but I need to make peace with where we are, and I need to work through my history. That is not news."

"True, but why change your whole life plan?"

Suddenly, she looked up, and he saw her face was weary.

"Please don't attack my decisions. I'm doing the best that I can. I'm not saying I have it figured out, but I'm trying to do what's right."

Blaise was silent as she went back to work, and he wondered if this was them now. Walking on eggshells. Leaving things unsaid. Firm in the conviction that what they were doing was correct but saddened by the casualty of closeness.

He didn't apologize because he guessed that she was sick of his apologies, but he did what he thought was next-best. He didn't ask about her future anymore.

***

When five o'clock came, so did Mirela, who was in the best of moods and excited about her great-grandchild. Once they'd reconvened in her living room, she showed Polaroids to Cherie.

Blaise kept quiet about his own interest and focused on Laurencia's schedule. He had it on good authority that her position on Newcastle was precarious, which he'd partially expected with his favors off the table. If the reduction in her airtime had happened the year before, he'd have tried to step in and save her.

Knowing what he knew now, however, he focused on how convenient the holes in her calendar were. He and Cherie were hoping for an audience.

"Tia's ready," Cherie said, effectively pulling him out of these musings.

Noticing that the women were looking at him with concern, Blaise cleared his throat. "So am I."

The younger woman spoke to the elder. "Tia, was there anything really unique about the place that you saw in your dream? Anything at all?"

In an attempt to conceal his anxiety, Blaise said, "We understand if it's fuzzy."

"No, it's clear like I've just had it," Mirela said. "Not only because I've dreamt it so often, but also because premonitions tend to stick with me."

"Great. So, let's not waste time," he said. "The quicker we nail down the place, the quicker Karina and Laurencia get separated."

Mirela nodded. "I'll start with the river. It ran through a forest of beech trees."

"Michigan's riddled with those," he observed. "Port Matthews alone is filled with them."

The storyteller pursed her lips. This prompted Cherie to conceal what Blaise knew was laughter with her hands. Meanwhile, he tried not to gulp.

"I'm sorry. Please go on."

"I remember the terrain was hilly, and there were many rocks. Some of them made a bridge that spanned the width of the river. I imagine you must've crossed them to get to Karina beforehand, since you, her, and who I now know is La Llorona were on one side, and Cherie was on the other. Anyway, there were lots of flowers. Unusually large bluebells and—"

"Hold on," Blaise said, and tacked on a rapid 'please' to stop Mirela from scowling. He turned to Cherie. "Do you know Solomon's River?"

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