The Gypsy Ribbon Read online

  After dinner at one of the local seafood restaurants, thoughts turned to more exciting pursuits. With a small fleet of limos at their disposal, the gradually expanding group headed for the area hotspots. Several drinks after arriving at the pulsating 2001 nightclub, Ian grew noticeably uncomfortable and pulled James aside, talking loudly over the blasting dance music.

  “Look…this is grand and everything, but if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to head back to the hotel. I’m just…em…”

  James grinned and finished the sentence for him. “…missing your lady love.”

  “Aye, that’s it exactly.” Ian nodded, coloring slightly.

  “Off with you, then. Our car’s out front. Just tell the driver to take you back, then come for us later.” James winked at several young women staring open-mouthed at him from two tables over and said, “You’ll be sorely missed, but I shall endeavor to entertain myself in your absence, brother.”

  Ian laughed. “I imagine you will. Just be careful. Keep ‘em close.” His gaze flickered around, taking in the half dozen bodyguards doing an admirable job of blending into the partying crowd while still managing to stay within an arm’s length of James.

  “Always,” James assured him, waving as Ian turned and left.

  He watched his big brother pick his way through the gyrating crowd en route toward the door, oblivious to the hungry looks from the women he passed. Ian was happier than James had ever seen him. He drained the rest of his Long Island iced tea. Maybe one day he would find somebody to make him feel like that. His reverie was broken as a sultry female voice cut into his thoughts.

  “Oh. My. God. Are you really James Kelly?”

  He turned to face the source and saw spiky black hair, a pretty face, long legs, and suspiciously buoyant breasts encased in a low cut spandex dress. She’ll do for a bit, he thought absently, giving her his patented roguish grin. “Why, yes, yes, I am. And who might you be, darlin’?” he said as he offered her his arm, leading her toward the bar and the waiting drink that would hopefully ease the emptiness fast overtaking him.

  It was just after one in the morning when the revelers arrived back at the oceanfront resort hotel and gathered in the drummer’s suite to continue the party. James managed to pry off the drunken black-haired groupie and led her to a lanky man with long blond hair. “Have you met our guitar player?” he asked. “This is Bryce. Bryce, allow me to introduce the lovely Cheri.”

  The tall guitarist cast a sideways grin at James and replied in a thick Welsh accent, “Pleasure’s all mine, luvvy.” Cheri made a moue of her mouth and offered her hand, fully aware she was being passed off. She sighed, resolutely turning her full attention to her new companion. Giving Bryce a wink, James slipped out unnoticed and headed down the hall to the elevator alone.

  Letting himself into his hotel room, he left the lights off and opened the blinds onto the balcony so that the moonlight spilled in across the plush carpeting. He peeled out of the skintight leather jeans and cable sweater, tossing them across one of the chairs. Changing into a baggy pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he padded barefoot to the door to the adjoining room. He tried the knob, found it unlocked, and quickly slipped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. It was dark in that room too, the blinds parted in much the same way he had left his. The sliding door was open, and James moved silently toward it, stepping out onto the darkened balcony. “Strike out, did you?”

  James scoffed. “Not bloody likely. It’s all I can do to fight them off.” He flopped down in the wooden rocker next to Ian and propped his feet up on the railing as his brother was doing. They sat in silence for a long while, relaxing and enjoying the quiet sound of the surf and the cool breeze coming off the Atlantic.

  “I miss the sea,” Ian sighed. “That’s the only bad part about living in Brandon, it’s pretty far inland.” Reaching into the ice bucket next to his chair, he pulled out a pair of Guinnesses and handed one to James. They popped off the caps and clinked the bottles in toast. “Slainte, my brother,” Ian said.

  “Slainte,” echoed James. Taking a long swig of the dark beer, he settled back into his chair and stared stoically at the breaking waves on the beach below.

  “Want to talk about it?” Ian asked quietly.

  James shook his head. “Nope. I want to hear about your girl,” he said with a grin.

  Ian’s brilliant smile was visible even in the dim light. “You’re going to love her. Best thing that’s ever happened to me. She’s beautiful, smart, funny…just a truly amazin’ woman.” He re-crossed his feet on the railing. “You know I used to have a hell of a time with insomnia. Now it only bothers me when we’re apart.”

  James gasped in horror. “You slept with this woman out of wedlock? What would Ma say?”

  “Shut it, Seamus,” Ian laughed. “You’ve no room to talk.”

  James frowned and looked down at his beer. “Why don’t you ever call me James like everyone else does?” he said quietly.

  “Because it’s not you. James is this larger than life persona you’ve created, Seamus is the man I know you are,” Ian explained. “For example, I can safely say that right now James is on top of the world, but Seamus is pretty fuckin’ miserable.” Pulling his feet down, he sat up and turned to face the younger man. “So I’ll ask you again, Seamus, do you want to talk about it?”

  With a world-weary sigh, James let his head fall back against the chair. “I’m so tired, Ian. I want to go home and when I get there I want to sleep for a month. I just want some peace and quiet.”

  “And the rest of it?”

  “And I’m tired of being so fucking alone all the time.” James admitted. “All these girls throwing themselves at me and none of them know anything about me other than I sing for a band.” He snorted in disgust. “It’s shameful, really. Not that I didn’t enjoy it in the beginning, of course, but now…as funny as it sounds, it would be nice to hear ‘no’ from a woman once in a while.”

  Ian chuckled. “Careful what you wish for. Saying something like that will definitely come back to bite you in the ass and I don’t need the sight to see that one coming.” He took a long swallow of the stout and tilted his head to look at the younger man. “Am I actually hearing that you’re ready to settle down, then?”

  James thought for a moment and sighed again. “Maybe. I don’t know. All I do know is that this just isn’t working for me anymore.” He regarded his big brother for a moment then added quietly, “Settling down seems to be doing you good. Maybe I want something like that.”

  Ian raised his bottle in salute and smiled. “Then here’s to you getting what it takes to make you happy.”

  2

  Brandon, FL, US –Present Day– the last week of April

  Lisbeth Vargo threw a baleful look over her shoulder at the full-length mirror in her small apartment bedroom, glaring at the way the fabric of her new dress clung to her behind. Lily lay sprawled across the bed, watching her try on the knit outfit and trying her best not to giggle at her friend’s disconcertion.

  Beth rapidly shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “I can’t possibly wear this. See, just look at my butt when I move. Looks like two bobcats fighting in a sack back there.” She looked back over her shoulder again and grinned, “At least they’re healthy bobcats, wouldn’t you say?”

  Howling with laughter, Lily clutched her stomach and waved a hand frantically for Beth to stop so that she could catch her breath. When at last she was able to speak, she said, “The dress looks fabulous on you.” Suddenly she wriggled around on the bed and felt around underneath her. “You’ve made a book up in the bed again,” she giggled as she reached beneath the covers, “Let’s see what you’re reading this week.”

  Beth shrieked and lunged for the paperback, but Lily snatched it back from her fingers at the last second. “Touch of the Highlander,” Lily read, flipping through the pages of the historical romance, “Ooh, this one sounds good. Doona ye ken how bad I’m wanting ye, lass…”

&n
bsp; “Give me that,” Beth laughed, plucking it neatly from Lily’s hand. “It’s research.” She dropped it on her bedside table and waggled a menacing finger. “I need to know what to ask for specifically when I’m conjuring up my dream man.”

  Glancing around the bedroom, Lily spied the carefully arranged cluster of candles on the desk. “Let’s see. Yellow for attraction, red for love, hibiscus and jasmine petals in the bowl …yes, my little witchy friend has indeed been busy.”

  Beth appraised herself in the mirror once again and grudgingly decided that maybe it did look okay, although not the kind of clothes she was accustomed to wearing. The gray sweater dress did wonderful things for her lush figure, accentuating the long legs and generous breasts. It also, much to her dismay, hugged the slight extra padding she carried over her stomach and hips and she picked at the material trying to will it to loosen just a little. She was hardly overweight, just–as she put it-lumpy in places she shouldn’t be.

  “Quit it. You look great,” Lily ordered. “Better than mortal man deserves.”

  Giving in, Beth gave her dark red curls a toss and nodded, “Indeed, if you say it, it must be so.” She regarded her friend in the mirror. “Are you getting nervous yet?” she asked in a more serious vein.

  Lily blushed slightly and smiled. “A little, I guess. It’s hard to believe the wedding is only a few days away. It seems like just a week or so ago I went to the Castle with you to apply for that job.”

  Beth remembered back to that day around seven months before. She worked as a Tarot card reader at Castle Wilde, the renaissance faire theme park owned by Dan and Meg Wilde, the groom’s sister and brother-in-law. She had dragged her friend with her to apply for a job reading the cards part-time. Lily had met resident artist, occasional cast member and soon-to-be husband Ian there and the rest, as they say, was history. Their relationship hadn’t been always smooth, however, marred by a complicated love triangle and nearly culminating in the death of all three. Now that the drama was over, Lily was happier than she had ever been, getting ready to begin a new life with the man of her dreams–literally–and Beth was ecstatic for them both.

  She eased out of the dress and carefully hung it up, slipping back into her familiar jeans and her favorite Dr. Seuss t-shirt. Giving her unruly hair a good shake, she turned to Lily and finally voiced the question that had been on her mind for the last couple of days. “So…how was it meeting the whole family?” she drawled.

  “He’s very sweet,” Lily replied promptly, “not what I expected at all.”

  Beth tried her best to appear nonchalant at that statement, but knew Lily would pick up on her excitement. “You’re describing the whole family as a he?”

  Lily giggled. “You’re not fooling anybody. I know who you’re asking about, and James was very nice. Funny. Even handsomer up close, if that’s possible. He’s got a little bit of a beard now, it suits him very well. It’s amazing how much he and Ian look alike when they’re standing right next to each other.”

  Beth stared up at the large Horizon poster hanging near the bed. James stood in the foreground wearing leather jeans that had to have been spray-painted on, shirt unbuttoned, his arms folded arrogantly across his broad chest. The gold hoop dangling from one ear gave him a careless piratey air. She was certain that the camera lens must have melted from the carnal Trouble with a capital Oooh Baby look it captured.

  “The whole family’s got the same color eyes, you know,” Lily continued.

  Beth knew, all right. As a huge Horizon fan, she had enjoyed some pretty interesting fantasies over the years about the lead singer, most of which involved him, her and…well, him and her. Stunned into speechlessness at the revelation that James was Ian’s younger brother, she nearly fainted dead away when she learned that he would be her escort in the wedding party. The diet had started immediately, but as yet hadn’t succeeded in defeating the last ten pounds that had declared open warfare on her hips.

  Lily followed Beth’s line of sight and peered up at the poster. “Have you ever taken a good look at the medallion he’s wearing? Ian has one just like that.”

  “He mentioned it in an interview once. It’s a Celtic dragon - his grandmother painted it for him. He’s a Fire sign, so that makes sense,” Beth answered.

  Lily nodded. “Ian’s has a hawk on it.” She checked her watch and jumped off the bed. “I need to get moving if I’m to make it to the Castle by six. Think they’ll start the rehearsal without the bride?”

  “You’re not allowed to walk down the aisle at rehearsal anyway, ees verrah verrah bad luck,” Beth intoned in her best gypsy accent. “You get a stand in to walk up the aisle, then you and the Prince meet on the stage.”

  “Are you ever going to stop calling him that?” Lily giggled then held out an arm so Beth could see her watch. “You’d better get ready too. I’ll see you there.” Snatching up her purse, she scrambled for the door and waved as she fired her parting shot, “Wear the dress. It looks great on you!”

  Beth laughed and locked the door after Lily left. She headed back toward the bedroom to start getting ready, but abruptly changed her mind and sat down on the couch, pulling the wooden box on the coffee table closer to her. She opened it and took out her Smith-Waite Tarot deck and shuffled it, thinking of the upcoming evening.

  What can I expect tonight?

  She laid out three cards face down, and turned them over one by one. The first card was the four of Wands. “We’re having a party,” she sang, reaching for the second card. Eight of Wands, swift events unfolding. “Hmmm…” she murmured, turning over the last card. The Knight of Wands, passionate and impulsive. She put the cards back in the box and with a smile headed for the shower, thinking that perhaps passionate and impulsive would be just what the doctor ordered, in whatever form it chose to come.

  Castle Wilde closed early for the evening wedding rehearsal. By the time Beth stepped through the gates of the list field, everything was in full swing. In the months prior, Meg had informed her that a true Irish wedding goes on for at least a week. Although Beth had thought it a colorful exaggeration at the time, she now suspected Meg had spoken the truth. The members of the wedding party were having a delightfully chaotic time much to the disconcertion of the director. That poor woman ran to and fro, trying unsuccessfully to herd all of her rebellious ducklings into a tidy row.

  “Beth!” Camille Evans, mother of the bride, waved her over. “Thank goodness you’re here. We can get started now,” she called to the harried director. Camille was a bit on the frantic side herself as she grabbed Beth by the arm and led her over to two women. Both were petite with flame colored hair, the younger of the two pregnant. “Beth, this is Moire Kelly and Meghan Wilde, Ian’s mother and sister. Wait, you work for Meg, so you already know her.” Camille glanced around, spied her next target and took off toward him at a trot. “Ian! I need to talk to you about…”

  Beth laughed. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kelly. You too, Meg.”

  “I’m delighted to finally meet the famous Beth. Ian and Lily have told me so much about you.” Moire smiled.

  Meg giggled and took Beth’s hands in hers, giving them a happy squeeze. “You look lovely this evening, Beth. That dress is stunning on you.”

  Murmuring her thanks, Beth picked at the knit again where it clung to her hips. Meg gently swatted her hand away. “Stop it,” she whispered. “You look wonderful.”

  Attired in a lovely floral dress that swirled around her when she moved, Lily glided up bearing two plastic cups. She took a sip of one and handed the other to Beth, who peered into it and sniffed. “What is this?”

  The bride-to-be grinned and took her friend by the arm. “It’s mead, kind of a spiced wine honey thing and it’s excellent. C’mon, I’ll introduce you around.” She led her to the edge of the crowd gathered near the stage and pointed out the other family members present. “You see the tall black-haired man talking to my dad? That’s Ian’s brother Sean. The ginger-haired lady next to him is his wife Le
slie. She’s from Scotland, has the coolest accent. Sean runs Gallia Diamond Corporation from where they live in South Africa. They’ve got three of the most adorable kids. Their twins Siobhan and Ryan are our flower girl and ring bearer.” She sipped her mead while they walked. “All the Kelly brothers and sisters are just about two years apart. Sean’s the oldest, then Meg, Ian’s in the middle, then James and Heather.”

  A tall blond man walked by with a pretty young woman on his arm. His face lit up when he saw Beth and Lily. “Beth!” Renaud exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. One of the Castle’s most popular cast members and fencer extraordinaire, the handsome Frenchman was also one of Beth’s good friends. Releasing Beth, he turned to Lily and shook his head with mock sadness. “Lily, ma chere, you I dare not touch. Ian might see and I like my face just as it is, thank you. You look tres belle, Beth,” he added. “Have you met Ian’s sister Heather? She’s studying to be a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. You’re due to graduate soon, non?”

  “Mais oui.” The beautiful green-eyed blonde smiled sweetly. “I feel as if I already know you,” she said, clasping Beth’s hand. “Ian and Lily speak of you so often.”

  Beth laughed and replied, “Only the good stuff is true, though.” She had just lifted her cup to take a sip of her drink when she sensed a presence behind her. She froze, holding her breath in anticipation. There was only one Kelly left to meet.

  “Me next,” a lilting baritone purred. The bearer of said voice stepped into view and Beth’s heart skipped several beats as she gazed into the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. Lily grinned and introduced the newcomer.

  “Beth, this is James Kelly, Ian’s brother. James, meet my best friend and maid of honor, Beth Vargo. You’ll be escorting her.”