Page 40 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“Oh, I’m sorry. Cormac MacBayne, this is Angelina Woods. Angelina this is Cormac. He’s visiting with us for a few days. Dylan couldn’t make it tonight, so he volunteered to be my escort.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Cormac. Lucky you,” she said looking at Jenna and then to Cormac. “I’m Jenna’s aunt. Her mother is mymucholder sister.” She smiled at this last bit of information and offered her hand, which he took and brought to his lips. He was surprised at the reaction he got every time he made that simple gesture which was common in his own time, but obviously not done here.
“Oh, Angelina, I’m glad Mom isn’t around to hear you say that,” Jenna teased.
“Are you accepting the award for them tonight, sweetie?” Angelina asked.
“I am. I’ve got my speech memorized and I can’t wait to get it over with.” Jenna replied.
A waiter stopped and offered them each a glass of champagne.
“Slainte mhath,”Cormac raised his glass to the ladies. They both smiled and clinked their glasses together.
“What does that mean, Cormac?” questioned Angelina.
“Good health,” Cormac replied.
“Gaelic?” she asked.
“Aye.”
“He’s from Scotland,” Jenna offered.
“Nice. I love a good Scottish accent and a good Scot.” Angelina winked at Cormac and he nearly choked on his champagne, once again marveling at how very forward women were here in San Francisco. Not that he didn’t enjoy the attention, but he didn’t want Jenna to be concerned about it.
“I’m going to go mingle. I’ll see you at the table. I believe we’re seated together.” Angelina touched Cormac’s hand as she began to walk away and whispered something into Jenna’s ear, which made Jenna blush a lovely shade of pink.
“Yer aunt is very flirtatious,” Cormac stated. He didn’t ask what Angelina had said to get that reaction from Jenna.
“She’s a very big flirt, always has been. She goes through men like some people go through water. Come on let’s go find our seats,” Jenna said.
They found their table number and their seats near the dais. Cormac held out Jenna’s chair for her and then sat down beside her. He took her hand and examined her fingers, running his finger over her nails.
“Nail polish. Do you like it?” she asked.
“I’ve never seen the likes of it before.”
“Don’t tell me… they don’t have this where you’re from, right?”
“’Tis correct,” he smiled.
Jenna just shook her head at him. He continued holding her hand, as Jenna didn’t seem to mind and he was enjoying the sensation of it in his own.
* * *
The dinner was very pleasant, although Cormac had to fend off Angelina’s advances throughout. Jenna hid her laughter. She knew Angelina was not a threat. She just really enjoyed men and flirting was second nature to her. Cormac looked a bit uncomfortable and Jenna tried to let him know that it was alright. In fact, she was quite sure that if he flirted back, Angelina would lose interest and set her sights on someone else, but Jenna was enjoying his discomfort, so she’d keep that piece of information to herself.
The award ceremony began and Jenna was called to the stage to accept the award for her parents, amidst loud applause. She wasn’t comfortable speaking in front of large crowds, but she took a few deep, calming breaths and began.
“Thank you so much. On behalf of my parents, I’d like to accept this prestigious award. They wanted me to let you know how honored they are to be recognized. Their passion in life has always been helping children, whether here in San Francisco or in the remote jungles of Southeast Asia, South America or on the savannahs of Africa. It was a simple choice to help out the Children’s Hospital by donating a new wing to the existing building. It is their hope that with this extra space, the doctors and researchers of San Francisco will work their magic and do what they do best – to come up with cures for some of the more virulent diseases that are affecting children today, not just here, but worldwide. They’ve put together a brief film to give you an idea of what they have been working to accomplish, through their foundation. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy it.”
The crowd erupted in applause and Jenna left the stage and headed back to her seat.
“Jenna, I am so proud of you,” Angelina gushed.
“Aye, lass, that was verra well done,” Cormac added.
Jenna smiled at them both and sat back to watch the film. She was proud of the work her parents were doing, even if it meant she never got to see them. She was a grown woman. She didn’t need them anymore. She could manage her life on her own, without their help. That wasn’t really true. They had helped her with Jonathan and she knew if she asked they would be there for her in a heartbeat. She had never been their main focus though. Growing up, her dad was always busy with his start-up company and her mom had been very involved as well. After they sold the company and made a gazillion dollars in the process, they’d dedicated their lives and time to helping underprivileged children. Dylan had the same issues with his folks. They had followed in the footsteps of Mark and Sally and become world travelers. It was an odd feeling, being both frustrated and proud. She hadn’t figured out how to get around it yet, and maybe she never would.
