CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Hi, Sydney," said Micaela. "Feel like some company?"

"Is this the lonely wives club?" she smirked.

"Sort of," laughed Lyra. "We've learned that going through these things is always easier if we do it together. I think you've met everyone, but that's Caroline, Finley, Gail, Lyra, Harlow, Sage, Brooke, Ramey, Winnie, and Casey.

"I'm still working on remembering all the names, but yes, we've met. Nice to see you all again. Do you work here on the property?"

"I do," said Casey. "I'm a chef both in the cafeteria and at the new restaurant at the front of the property. I spend most of my time up here, though."

"Me too," said Finley. "I'm an engineer working on some things in the bayous."

"Things?" frowned Sydney. Finley just nodded.

"I'm a veterinarian with the animal sanctuary," said Caroline. "Micaela is an interior designer. Gail is a nurse. Sage is a jeweler, very helpful for our team. Brooke is a former DEA agent. Ramey is a former Marine, and Winnie is a pharmacist."

"Wow," said Sydney.

"We've got some incredibly talented men and women on our teams," said Casey. "It's hard to wait here for them to return, but we've found that if we wait together, it gets easier." Sydney's eyes traveled behind the women, staring at a strange, hazy mist that seemed to be moving toward the women.

"Am I seeing things, or are there more ghosts?" she whispered, looking behind the women.

"Oh, no," laughed Caroline. "We have a number of ghosts on the property. That's Martha Robicheaux, an ancestor of Matthew's. Beside her is Trak's grandfather, Nathan. Yori is Hiro's grandfather. Franklin worked here on the property for years. Grip and Tony were both part of our team at one time. Claudette was living at the island mansion with her family when a plague hit. Marcel is a Robicheaux as well, a former pirate."

"My dear, I was a sailor with an entrepreneurial spirit," he smiled. Caroline laughed, shaking her head.

"And the shy, quiet one in the back is Billy. He doesn't usually come over to the main property. It's nice to see you, Billy."

"Ma'am," he nodded.

"You speak as if they're family," said Sydney.

"They are family. As much so as you and me. Most were here long before any of us, so it's their home even more than ours. They're insightful, full of humor, and ironically, full of life."

"I was always told that when a spirit is stuck here, it's because they have unresolved business," said Sydney. "Is that what this is?"

"I don't think so, dear," smiled Yori. "I think I was with Hiro all along, but when he moved here, I was able to appear before him. It's been wonderful sharing in his life."

"It must be hard," whispered Sydney. Martha tilted her head.

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, you get to see people come and go, live and die, but you're stuck," she frowned.

"My darling girl," laughed Martha. "We are not stuck. We are privileged to be allowed to enjoy this beautiful family and the people here. We get to live on the property where most of us lived and died. I have hundreds of friends that I did not have when I was alive. As a woman in my era, I could not have done the things all of you young women are getting to do. It is a joy to see it, to be some small part of it."

"Martha was very helpful to me," smiled Finley. "I'm not always the quickest to pick up on subtle cues and things, and I often say things I shouldn't."

"Like?" asked Sydney.

"Like it's enjoyable watching the men run. They have very firm behinds, and if you're in front of them, their penises bounce up and down. I think they're too big to contain. Is that it, Grip?" Grip laughed, shaking his head.

"I believe that might be it, honey."

"I see," smiled Sydney. "Noted."

"Martha has helped many of the men and women here, and there is no denying the value that Yori, Nathan, Grip, and Marcel bring. They have tremendous experiences and wisdom."

"It all feels so strange to me," said Sydney. "I keep thinking I'm in the wrong place. I keep thinking I should be in Korea with the others, doing my job. Except then, I remember that right now, I don't really have a job. I've been placed on leave."

"Maybe that's a good thing," said Gail. "Everyone needs a break now and again. I had a break, although it wasn't exactly planned."

"I don't understand."

"I met Tobias while I was on vacation with Dana. We met JB and Tobias in a bar, and well, Tobias and I thought we would ‘hook up'."

"I see," smiled Sydney.

"We didn't. I mean, we wanted to, but we didn't. I think we both knew it was more than just a hook-up. Things happened, an incident that forced me to leave. I knew that JB and Dana were crazy about one another, and I was thrilled for her. I went home, but something happened. Something that my family caused. I was attacked. Brutalized and raped."

"Oh, Gail. I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything more," said Sydney.

"No. No, it's okay. I've learned that it's good for us to speak about it. There are more here than just me that suffered something similar. Anyway, I had Tobias's number in my phone, and when I needed him most, he came. He came and brought an army of men to protect me. I've never loved a man in my life, Sydney. Not until him."

Sydney smiled at the woman, nodding her head. The ghosts all grinned, nodding as well, and she felt as though she were in a dream.

"We've all got a story, Sydney. Some are good. Some tragic. Some sad. I met Christian while I was investigating the death of my brother. He'd been shot, and I was trying to help him. Stubborn fool," she smirked. "Lord, how I love that man and how he loves me."

There was laughter and high-fives as the women all nodded. Sydney watched the spirited exchange, realizing that she'd never seen women so connected to one another before. Most of her girlfriends tended to be competitive and catty with one another. Why couldn't they be like this?

"You've formed something pretty special here," she commented.

"It started with Mama Irene, Erin, Lauren, Sara, some of the original wives. When all the Robicheaux brothers were part of the team, it just seemed to explode," said Caroline. "The senior wives, Erin and the others, they have this beautiful piece of advice. These men, these men protect so fiercely, so devoutly it's all-consuming. And they love the same way. All-consuming. It's remarkable to watch and a blessing to be a part of it. If you want my advice, don't question anything. Just let yourself feel. These are special men, and if you don't mind me saying so… it will sound a bit conceited on my, on our part, but it takes special women to be with them."

"That's beautiful," she whispered.

"That's not all," smiled Brooke. "The new leadership wives, Kate, Ajei, and the others, they have their own version that I like just as much. Love is so very hard to find, that when you do, recognize it as the gift it is. You should hold it gently. Don't squeeze too hard, but don't let it go. These men are different in every way. Their lives have been entirely about protecting others, with no thought as to who would protect them. Expect that they'll be overbearing, alpha in every way. But recognize how unbelievably special that is and that they've chosen us to be by their sides. He will protect you, but you will protect him as well. He will drive you mad with his overprotection, but he will soothe you with his love and adoration of you. And there is nothing like the love of one of these men."

"You know, it makes sense now. The way Conor looked at me in that dark truck, I almost wanted to risk getting shot and run. It was so intense. Almost predatory. I watched him as they beat him, and he was so stoic. So brave, it was remarkable. When I made the decision to find him after hearing he'd been rescued, I knew in my heart that it wasn't about making sure he was okay. I knew it was more."

"He's a good man," said Claudette, smiling at the woman.

"You look so young."

"I died when I was just fourteen," she smiled. "But I am more than two hundred years old." She gripped Tony's hand, the young man smiling down at her. Sydney nodded, understanding what she was telling her. Looking at Nathan and Martha, it became clear.

"We can have relationships in the afterlife?" she asked.

"Whether we all can or not, we do," smiled Nathan. "I am not from here. I did not die here. Yet the spirits brought me here to help my grandson, my great-grandsons, and now great-great-grandsons. And most importantly, to help me find love again with this woman."

"I've stepped into Utopia," she smirked.

"No," said Yori. "You've stepped into a world where people are respected and treated as they should be. A place where life is a bit slower when it should be, allowing for all of us to take our time and enjoy what the world has given us."

They were all quiet for a moment, listening to the birds sing, the soft buzz of bees. The wind carried the fragrance of the gardens to them as the cypress moss floated to and fro. Caroline smiled at her.

"How would you like to meet some of our animals?" she asked. Sydney smiled at the other woman, nodding.

"I think I'd like that very much."