42 - The House That Built Me

Cara dropped Ari off in front of Petit Soho and told her she would come by for dinner.  Pausing for a moment before she opened the door Ariana still couldn't believe all of this was hers, but she was ready to face whatever challenges it would bring her way. She saw Max taking inventory as she walked in. 

 

"Hey there. Welcome home."

 

"Hi. Thanks." She dropped her bags on the floor and took a seat. "Max, I want to thank you for everything you've done these past weeks. I couldn't have made it without you."

 

Max covered her hands with his. "Ariana you are my family, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. We – you – can do this." 

 

"And you're my family." She felt a slight pang in her heart as she said those words.  "I can’t do it without you."

 

"I'm not going anywhere.” He kissed her hands. "I do have something I want to ask, but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries."

 

"You can ask me anything, you know that.”

 

"We've known each other for a long time and I've seen a lot over the years."

 

"Max, cut to the chase and just ask."

 

"What is going on with you and Jon? Are his intentions good?"

 

Ariana couldn't help but giggle. "Speaking like a big brother, eh? Thank you for your concern.  It means a lot. Without boring you with all the details, I will tell you his intentions are very good. He is getting a divorce if that is what you are worried about." 

 

"I was. Like I said, I've seen a lot.   I sensed something was different this past week, but didn't want to pry, and with Lili no longer here, I wanted to be here for you." 

 

Ariana hopped off the stool and rounded the bar.  Placing both hands on his shoulders she looked up at him, and her eyes filled with tears. “Max, I love you dearly. Thank you for worrying, and for wanting to be here. If you only knew how much that means to me. I may still need you.  It is going to be a little tough the next couple of months." Ariana squeezed him tight.

 

"I'm here. Any time, any place." He pulled away and looked at her. "Anything! Remember that."

 

"I will. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go upstairs and do a few things. Are you okay down here?"

 

"Yes. I'm fine. You go. Don't worry about me." He went back to his inventory. 

 

"Call me if you need me. I will be down for dinner, Cara too." She lifted her bags and headed toward the kitchen, to the secret passage that would take her home. 

 

♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱

 

Somberly, Ariana walked from room to room looking at the photos and trinkets of her life displayed throughout, each sparking a memory, some good, some sad.  Remarkably, she was okay.  She felt a sense of calmness, an inner peace of sorts. Before long, she found herself standing in the hallway between Lili's room and hers.  As much as this was her home now, she couldn't bring herself to stay in Lili's room.  Her room was just as big and served the same purpose. 

 

As Ariana placed her suitcase on the bed, she smiled as she thought of herself and Jon trying to sleep in the small bed and she soon felt the fiery rush as her skin tingled with the memory of him waking her with his naughty game.  It was the night she said yes.  The night she finally allowed herself to openly admit she wanted him more than anything she ever wanted.  She knew the next few months would be long at best, but after that, they would be together.

 

The rest of the day was spent unpacking, doing laundry and sorting through the mail that had accumulated over the last week.  Looking at her to-do list, she found that she would stay busy right through the holidays.  

 

She still needed to resign and decide what to do with her house in California.  Would she really need it anymore?  Her trip to London would be here before she knew it.  Glancing at the clock she was surprised at the hour.  The sun had just begun to set.  

 

Grabbing her phone and a sweatshirt she headed out into the yard.  After brushing away the leaves that had fallen, she kissed her fingertips and touched the engraved stone under the tree.  Curling up in the lounge chair, she tapped her telephone screen and waited.

 

“Hey you.  What are you up to?”  His voice sounded as if he was on speaker phone.

 

“Hey.  Where are you? You’re echoing.” She stretched her sweatshirt over her knee.

 

“In the car.  We’re heading back to the house now. What are you up to?”

 

“Did I catch you at a bad time?  You can call me back.”  She hadn’t thought about that before she called.  She was sure he wouldn’t have answered if he was with the kids, would he?

 

“Nah.  It’s okay.  It’s only Richie.” 

 

“Fuck you.  Hello Bella.  I’m sorry to hear about Lili, she was classy lady.  How you doing?” 

 

Ariana knew the first part wasn’t meant for her.  “Hey Richie.  Thank you, believe it or not I’m doing good.  How about yourself?  Staying out of trouble I hope.”  They had formed a special bond over the years.  She suspected he knew, but he was always respectful and they never talked about it.

 

“You know me, trouble is my middle name.”

 

“Do you two want me to leave you alone?” Jon interjected.

 

A chorus of “Awww’s” filled the car.

 

“I won’t keep you, I just called to let you know that I’m home and to thank you again.  Cara and I had a nice time.  As a matter of fact, she should be here soon.  We are having dinner together.”

 

“Baby, you don’t need to thank me. You’re gonna need to get used to me doing things like that.  I’m glad you had fun.”  He pushed the button on the remote to open the gates and made his way down the driveway.

 

“What are you boys up to tonight?”  She hoped he took the hint and didn’t push the issue.

 

“Bella, this is where I say goodnight.  Tell Frenchie I said hi.” Richie opened the door and stepped out.

 

“Will do. Goodnight Richie.” 

 

Ariana heard the door shut and a series of clicks indicating she was no longer on speaker.  “Are you sure I didn’t interrupt something?”

 

“No. We just got back from saying goodbye to the kids, my folks are taking them back to the city.”

 

“Did they ask why you weren’t coming?” Ariana stood the chilled grass cracked under her feet as she paced back and forth.   

 

“Uh huh. Richie being there sorta helped with that.”

 

“That’s good.” Ariana made her way up the stairs when she spotted Cara standing on the balcony.  She held her finger up to letting Cara know she’d be just a minute.  “Cara is here, so I’m gonna get going.  You boys behave and I’ll talk to you in a few days.” 

 

“Oh no, I can’t wait a few days, I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you.”

 

“Love you too.”  Ariana was about to hang up as Cara grabbed the phone from her hand.

 

“Me too, Rockstar,” she squealed into the phone.

 

“Bite me, Sexerella,” Jon replied as he stepped into the kitchen.

♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱

Cara handed the phone back to Ari.  “He so loves me, too,” 

 

Rolling her eyes, she tucked her arm into her friend’s. “Oh yeah, he soo does,” 

 

Over dinner Ariana listened contently to Cara as she told her about her invitation to the Art Museum of Ontario.  Only five random artists were chosen each year by the Board of Directors.  The invitees were granted permission to attend an upcoming exhibit planning meeting in which they would present a piece of their work that they felt would best benefit the exhibit.

 

“You’re going to come with me, right?” Cara asked.

 

“When is?”

 

“The weekend of October 30th, Friday through Sunday?” Cara pushed her half-eaten cheesecake away.

 

“Yeah, I’ll come. I don’t have to leave for London until Sunday, I’ll just leave from Toronto now.”  Ariana pulled out her phone and added the dates to her calendar, along with a voice memo to remind her to tell Jon.

 

“Girls weekend.  We haven’t had one of those in a long time.”

 

“It has been a while. It should be fun.” Ariana covered her mouth as she yawned. “Excuse me.  I think I’m gonna call it a night if that’s okay.”

 

“Yeah, me too.  I have to be up early tomorrow to start working on my piece for the exhibit.” They both stood and hugged each other. “Goodnight mon amie.”

 

“Ciao Bella.”  Ariana walked her to the door to see her out, and then went to see if Max needed her anymore.  He told her he would lock up and see her in the morning.

 

Once upstairs, Ariana stripped off her clothes and slipped into Jon’s shirt before climbing into the small bed.  First thing tomorrow she’d go and  buy a new bed.