"Yes, all right," he agreed then hung up.
He turned to Milo, "would you like to take this down stairs and have a
drink?"
NM:
Julia dropped Ria and Kat off, calling out to Kat that she'd check in on her
when she got back. She waited until they were both inside and the door
closed before leaving, keeping the cell phone free, as promised, and heading
toward the airport to pick up Sister Ingrid Rayne.
She was half surprised Derek had agreed but then thought that it might have
been because Ingrid had been the one in need of a ride that he'd let her
take the UV.
Or maybe, she thought humorously, he actually figured out you weren't a
Daytona race driver after all. One could only hope.
It took almost an hour to get through late night airport traffic before she
was able to pull up to the depot and there, given a wide berth of respect
with the uniform and all around countenance the woman had about her, was
Ingrid, smiling pleasantly when she spotted her brothers UV and pointing it
out for the carrier that had stayed outside with her.
Julia pulled up close enough so that the carrier could load the bags in back
without trouble and pressed the small button under the steering wheel to pop
open the hatch. She was about to get out and help when the baggage carrier
shook his head and opened the passenger side door to help Ingrid in, then
went to the back to load her suitcases.
"Hello," Ingrid greeted her as soon as the door was opened. Her gaze was
open and obviously curious and yet humble. Julia knew without asking that
Derek had told her about Julia's circumstances and return "I'm not sure
which to be more impressed with, your being here or your ability to talk my
brother out of his vehicle."
Julia chuckled at that, immediately liking Derek's sister. The carrier
finished and came over to the driver's side to give Julia the tickets to the
bags. She thanked him and gave him a tip before grinned his thanks and
waved goodbye to the nun that had been so nice to him during her wait.
"Nice young man." Ingrid commented as she sat back to enjoy the ride,
looking at Julia's profile "Would you mind if I...?"
"Asked questions?" Julia countered with a soft smile, navigating traffic and
getting them on the highway back toward home "Not at all, ask away."
By the time the two women got home they were both laughing, teasing and
joking as if they had known each other for years.
Jonathan could only blink in surprise at the commotion they made.
Admittedly, it wasn't the kind of noise contributed to loud and disruptive
noise he was used to with some of the residents -- but Sister Ingrid was
usually a quiet, calm kind of person with an equally quiet demeanor.
When they entered the house Julia was carrying Ingrid's bags and asking the
other in an aside if she thought Derek would get upset with the late night
order of pizza they had called out for on their trek home.
Their antics were enough to let those waiting downstairs for their return
know that they were home, just as Ingrid said something about an instance
when Derek was a boy and Julia chuckled low, thinking he must have been a
cutie then too - before clearing her throat and covering up a quick flush
as, unneeded but still his duty, Jonathan went to let Derek know of their
return.
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