ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

Armed with a small bottle and the kitten, Anderson headed toward Shana's room. He tapped on her door. "Shana, Malachi's hungry. Do you want to feed him?" He heard her moving, but silence. Patience, give her time to get herself together.

Moments later, Shana opened the door and took the kitten and the bottle. "You hungry, little guy?" She shook the bottle. "It's cold. I'd better warm it."

"He's a cat?" Anderson's eyes widened.

"I know that, but he's still a baby. His mother's milk would be about one hundred degrees." Shana passed by Anderson and continued into the kitchen.

As she warmed the bottle, Anderson touched her arm. "We need to talk."

"I already know what you're going to say. What you want can't happen."

"Please explain why not."


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 32 part 2

Walking to the living room, Shana sat in a comfortable chair and proceeded to give Malachi his bottle.

Anderson sat across from her. "How long are you going to ignore me?"

"I'm not ignoring you. I've nothing to say that hasn't already been said." Shana studied the kitten. "He was starving, poor little baby."

"Will you answer some questions? There are a few things I don't understand." Shana nodded, so he said, "Are you afraid of me?"

"Physically, no." Her eyes met his. "You've gone out of your way to ensure I'm always protected."

"Good." Anderson hesitated. "Are you worried I'll hurt you emotionally?"

Tears welled in Shana's eyes as she turned away. "No, you're very caring and would make sure that wouldn't happen. I believe your feelings are genuine."

"Okay. So what are you afraid of?" When Shana didn't answer, Anderson continued, "You're afraid of something. When your feelings for me come to the surface, you get scared and back off. I'd like to know why."

Shana held up the bottle. "He finished the whole thing. I wonder if you burp a kitten, like a baby."

"I don't know." Anderson moved his chair closer and touched her arm. "What are you scared of? I need to understand."

Shana remained silent.

"Sweetheart, if it's not me, who or what?" After releasing a deep breath, Anderson said, "I'm sure it has to do with the Jewish/Gentile issue." He watched for a reaction before he continued, "Okay we're getting somewhere."

"I didn't say anything."

Anderson grinned. "I know. You slightly tensed your muscles." After a short pause, he teased, "I doubt your rabbi would bring the wrath of God on you." He flexed his neck to relieve tension. "You're always concerned about your dad. What about Benjamin?"

Shana adjusted herself in the chair.

Taking her hand, Anderson said, "So it is your dad. You were/are Daddy's little princess." Shana swallowed, and then he continued, "I can't picture Benjamin hitting you."

"Rarely did I get spankings."

"I figured as much." Anderson paused. "You're afraid he'll disown you."

Shana stood. "I think Malachi needs another bottle."

Anderson rose from his chair. "Sweetheart, I can only address that as a father. There's nothing Emily could ever do that would stop me from loving her. I'm sure Benjamin feels the same."

Shana's eyes met his. "Do you..."

Barking from Thor and Romeo interrupted Shana.

Yells of fire came from outside.

"Stay here." Anderson ran to the back patio.

Jeff met him. "It's by the lake. I'm thinking it's a diversion. Stay with Shana. There are enough men to surround the house and put out the fire. There's a man at each door and window."

Anderson stood beside Shana. "Jeff says everything's under control. We need to stay calm." He looked around the room, ran his fingers through his short hair. "I have no idea what to do." He shook his head. "Since meeting you that feeling has become very familiar. I'm not used to it."

Shana whispered, "Sorry."

He put his arms around her, careful not to squash the kitten. "Don't worry about it. I'll get used to it." He petted Malachi's head. "Is he always going to be between us?"

"His name is Hebrew for 'a messenger from Jehovah.' Shana smiled. "From Father's mouth, to God's ears, to Zack finding him and, bringing him to me."

Anderson's eyebrows widened. "It doesn't work that way, does it?"






Characters so far:

Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Oscar - - Team Leader of the security detail
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective
Agent Allan Ryan - - FBI agent