ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

Benjamin went to his daughter. Shana went into her father's open arms. "You'll always be my little girl. My blessings go with you."

"Papa, I love you."

"Shana, if you have any doubts, now would be a good time to discuss them." Anderson paused, before he continued, "Your family loves you and wants the best for you." His cell phone rang. He checked it and declined the call.

"Do you need to take that?" Shana chewed on her lower lip.

"Business can wait. Your well-being is more important."

Shana took time to study her father's face, next her mother's, and finally, she went into her grandma's arms, as tears welled in her eyes. "Grandma, I've done my best to get your painting back."

With a kiss to her granddaughter's cheek, she said, "My dear, your well-being is more valuable than any painting. Now go. God will guide you."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she turned to face Anderson. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure? You don't look ready." She nodded and walked toward the door. Anderson placed his hand under her chin and moved her head so their eyes met. "Shana?"

"I'm ready. I'm sure."

"Okay." Anderson put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the waiting limousine.

The driver opened her door.

After she sat, Anderson leaned forward. "Before we leave, I need to say something." He swallowed and then continued, "Earlier your mom made an important statement. She said, 'All knights eventually fall off their white stallion.' Then she asked, 'What's Shana going to do then?' Shana, I'm hardly a knight. I will fall off the stallion you have me on."

Anderson knelt to her level. "The last thing I want is to hurt you. I want you to understand that at any time you want or need to return to Illinois, I won't hesitate to fly you back. I'll assign security guards to you. You have your freedom. I never want you to be afraid to talk or tell me anything. The other night when you indicated you were afraid or maybe embarrassed to tell me about your nightmares, it hurt. I want you to feel you can come to me at any time with anything."

Shana opened her mouth to speak. Anderson put his finger over her lips. "I need to finish. You know I have feelings for you. I can't and won't deny them. That being said, I understand the Jewish/Gentile issue. Until you can come to terms with that, my feelings are unimportant."

"What are you saying?"

"If you change your mind and want to explore our relationship, you're going to have to come to me. I'll never pressure you. Understand?"

"Thank you."

"Ready?" After she nodded, Anderson turned, waved at her parents, and said, "Remember, anytime you want to visit, let me know. I'll fly you down." He got in his side of the car.


TODAY'S POST:

Chapter 22 part 1

Once the jet was in the air, the pilot said, "Mr. Sharp, there's a possibility of turbulence. You'll need to keep on your seat belts."

"Thank you." Anderson turned to Shana. "You must be tired. Maybe you can grab some sleep before we land. Last night you only slept a few hours. Behind those seats..." he pointed, "there's a bed. You'll be more comfortable."

"With everything that's happened, I doubt I can. There's so much rolling around in my head." Shana chewed her lower lip. "I'm sorry Papa invited Liam over."

"It's not a problem, but..." Anderson grinned, then continued, "this shy, quiet, young lady, I've come to know has a spunky side." He laughed. "You took me by surprise. I'm glad Paul warned me."

"You and Paul discussed me?" Shana's eyebrows crunched together. "I'm not sure I like that."

"Don't worry. He had nothing, but praise for you." Anderson paused. "I was surprised Aaron wasn't at dinner."

"He's doing his residency and couldn't get time off."

Anderson nodded. "That makes sense." He handed her a blanket. "At least try to rest." As his cell phone rang, he shook his head. "I guess they'll never leave me alone."

Shana closed her eyes.

After the call ended, Anderson took his laptop and worked.

Long into the flight, Shana opened her eyes. "Drew?" As he turned toward her, she noticed the computer. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were working. It's not important."

Anderson closed the laptop. "Business can wait. Please go on."

"When Grandma told you to help Momma clear the table, you basically said okay. Just like that. It surprised me."

"I have a Grandma too. She's a sweet lady, but nobody argues with her." Anderson grinned. "Soon, you'll see our families aren't that different. In New York City, I'm a highfalutin oil-baron. At home, I'm the boy next-door. I prefer that image." He frowned as his cell rang. "I need to take this. It's Zachery, my..."

"Brother."

Anderson nodded. "Whoa! Slow down, but yes, you heard right. The Russian mafia has put a hit on me and, yes, we need to beef-up security on the oil rigs, basically all our properties and businesses. I understand it's inconvenient and will cost money, but we have no choice. We'll discuss it after I land." He put his phone away.

"I'm so sorry. I never thought all of this would happen over a painting. I wish I could undo everything. I've messed up not only my life, but yours." Shana wiped an escaped tear. "I wish I never got into your car."

"I'm glad you did. I'd hate to think what Kuznetsov's men would've done." Anderson tapped his fingers on the computer. "My business issues are none of your concern. They'll take care of themselves. My only concern is your safety. Besides, if you hadn't got in my car, we never would've met."

"And you would've been a lot better off."

"I wouldn't say that. I think you've enriched my life more than you care to know about."

Shana tilted her head. "What are you saying?"

""Mr. Sharp, we're preparing to land. It could be a rough one. The Texas wind is rearing its ugly head. Gusts are up to fifty-five miles per hour." The pilot laughed.










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 and confident

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.

Liam -- Shana's high school boyfriend