She was gorgeous and they were as much in love as any two people ever had been. It was well past ten, and there was no light in the room save for the ...arm glow of holiday decorations. ‘What are you looking at?’ Although her eyes were partly closed, she retained her almost otherworldly sense of his presence. ‘Something beautiful,’ he answered simply. ‘Flirt,’ she shot back warmly. There was silence for a moment, broken by the clunk as she leaned forward and placed her mug on the coffee table.. I took one girl in each arm and we walked to the top of the stairs.“Ladies and gentlemen,” Elyse said. “May I present Brigadier General Stephen Adams of the 5th Georgia Cavalry and his lovely daughters, Miss Sofia and Miss Kara!”Everyone applauded and there were hoots and hollers as well. I was wearing a full Civil War re-enactors uniform, complete with boots, hat, sash, and ceremonial sword, and Kara and Sofia were dressed as beautiful southern belles, complete with low cut dresses and push-up. Some are stuffed with pimento, some with blue cheese and some the way Mr. Darden likes them, stuffed with jalapeno. You can help yourselves, or I would be happy to pour for you.”“I would like to have two of the jalapeno stuffed olives in mine,” David told her. Holding out his glass, he said, “I’d appreciate your pouring. I’m a bit of a klutz.”“I rather doubt that,” Shannon said with a smile and took his glass. She prepared David’s drink before taking care of Ed’s as if she’d done it a hundred. I'm not certain howthey find such a man."They drove in silence for some minutes across the flat terrain."Maris, you do love Jon?"Now Maris turned toward the landscape, "Yes".I tried to reach Maris on her cell. I hoped she wouldn't answer becausethen I would have to start asking questions; no answer. Hanging-up Iconsidered how I would initiate the discussion regarding what I'd seenlast night and last week. Each scenario I made came back to my havingviolated her privacy, their privacy. I felt.