“It may just be me, but I’ve always thought flowers made a good centerpiece,” Baylor said.
Hobie nudged Baylor with her elbow.
“I know it must appear terribly odd to you, but you’ll both have to trust me. The Pentasium is a three-dimensional planetary map. It’s essential to the ceremony and its use will become clear in a short while. Let’s begin, shall we?”
“It’s probably a way to communicate with the mother ship,” Baylor whispered to Hobie.
The ceremony proceeded as smoothly as if they’d all performed it every day of their lives. Rebecca, along with two women from the guild, lit the long line of candles on the table in order, from the outside in. Rebecca read a number of short passages, one in a language that neither Baylor nor Hobie recognized.
Finally, she stood before Hobie and Baylor. “It’s time for you to say a few words, Baylor.”
“Huh?” Baylor didn’t remember anyone telling her that she had to speak. She looked at Hobie, who shrugged. “Say something?” she questioned in a low voice.
“The stars request a petition to show that you’re ready.” “The stars?”
“The stars will only come together upon confirmation of your love. All you have to do is make a statement regarding your love, your commitment to Hobie Lynn. Tell her what she does for your life, how loving her affects you.”
“You guys didn’t say anything about talking in front of everyone,” Baylor said under her breath.
“It doesn’t have to be the Gettysburg Address, Baylor. Simple is good,” Rebecca said. A few more moments passed in silence. “Baylor?”
“I’m thinking!” Baylor felt a tug on her slacks. She looked
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down to see Noah’s earnest face staring back at her. “You can do it, Baylor. Come on.” He smiled.
Baylor couldn’t help smiling back. She loved the youngster who seemed to have so much more courage than she did. She winked at him and took a deep breath. She had no idea what to say, but the moment she turned and looked into Hobie’s eyes, the words were there. “I’m probably going to sound like a real idiot here.”
Hobie reached out to quickly grasp Baylor’s hand.
It took one squeeze to ground Baylor. She focused her attention on her heart and listened to what it had to tell her. “Hobie Lynn, the best thing I can think of to say about you is that you make me want to be a better person. I suppose the funny thing is...when I’m with you, I think I am.”
“I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Hobie said.
Rebecca nodded appreciatively and Baylor breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Hobie Lynn?”
Smiling nervously, Hobie looked at Baylor. She loved so many things about the obstinate, sometimes eccentric, woman. To pick just one would be difficult, so Hobie concentrated on the one thing that had made the strongest impact on her.
“Baylor, you know I love you. You’ve made me feel well loved in the short time we’ve known each other. Since we decided to be together, I’m not afraid anymore. That sounds so silly, I know.”
She looked down at her shoes before returning her gaze to Baylor. “I used to wake up in the morning afraid of what the day would bring, terrified of the smallest things. I don’t feel that at all now, and it’s because of you and the love you’ve shown me.”
“Wow.” Baylor was unable to say more. Such a simple declaration, yet the words had such power.
“Ah, the timing couldn’t be better,” Rebecca said. She smiled brightly and gestured toward the Pentasium.
“Did you see that?” Baylor asked.
“Maybe,” Hobie said slowly. “You tell me what you saw and
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LJ
Maas
I’ll tell you if it’s the same.” “Hobie, it’s moving.”
“Yep, that’s what I saw, all right.”
They watched in fascination as the arms began to move, slowly at first, but eventually picking up speed. It took a few moments for the contraption to look like a wild carnival ride. As they revolved around the sunlike center, the planets rotated on their brass rods.
Baylor chose that moment to look up into the nighttime sky. “Oh, my God.”
Hobie followed Baylor’s line of vision. She took in a sharp breath as she watched the two stars that were the focus of the evening. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered. “They’re closer.”
“They’re really close,” Baylor echoed. The bright stars appeared to be on a collision course.
A loud pop caused Hobie and Baylor to jerk in surprise, and Hobie held her hand to her chest once she discovered that Rebecca had opened a bottle of champagne. Carefully maneuvering around the rods, Rebecca poured the champagne into the two glasses. She didn’t have to look up to see how close the stars were. She remembered the previous ceremony as though it had just taken place.
Just as the two rods bearing the brass rings came into perfect alignment, Rebecca picked up a small bowl that had been hand carved from a solid piece of jade. She lifted the lid and placed it to one side. Inside the polished green bowl was a small mound of white crystalline sugar stars.
“To love, long life, and Ana Lia.” Rebecca held the bowl up to the sky at the moment that the two stars collided.
The impact caused the two stars to explode into one. Their light shot down to earth in a single beam, passing directly through the open rings of the Pentasium and culminating in a brilliant explosion as Rebecca dropped two of the crystal stars into each glass. Whether it was due to the light or the sugary stars, the champagne frothed and foamed over the sides of the glasses.
“To Ana Lia.” Rebecca offered a glass to Hobie, then to Baylor.
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“To Ana Lia,” the ladies of the guild echoed.
Stunned into silence, Hobie and Baylor drank to the toast. They knew they would discuss the subject at great length one day, but at that moment, all they could do was stare at the sky and each other.
Chapter 26
“How long will they stay that way, Tanti?” Baylor asked. “Until dawn,” Evelyn said. “Tomorrow evening, when the
stars come out again, your two stars will appear exactly as they did before.”
The women sat in a pair of comfortable chairs set far back on the expansive lawn. Evelyn’s walker rested beside her chair, but she swore that she wouldn’t need it for too much longer. Beside the walker lay Arturo, sound asleep. Noah and his friends had worn the poor pup out, and he lay on his back with all four paws in the air, snoring pleasantly.
Rebecca Ashby had spared no expense. The Cove had arranged a beautiful buffet that spread across three tables, and it seemed as if everyone on Ana Lia stopped by to wish Baylor and Hobie well. There was even a small string quartet on the lawn playing Vivaldi.
Baylor studied her grandmother’s profile. Evelyn looked almost sad as she stared out over the ocean.
“Aimee used to love that sound,” she said distractedly. “The sound of the waves breaking onto the shore.”
Baylor watched as her expression grew sadder. “You must miss her so much.” She hadn’t comforted her grandmother much after Aimee died, not that Evelyn was one to allow anyone to hover. Baylor regretted the depth of her self-involvement, which had prevented her from seeing what was evident to everyone else.
Evelyn turned toward Baylor. “We had so many more years together than anyone ever anticipated, dear heart. When the doctors diagnosed Aimee’s cancer, they told us she only had a year or two to live. She lived for another twenty after that.”