Dressed and ready to enjoy this beautiful day, she padded off down the hall to the living area and opened the shutters on the room's French style doors. Sunlight instantly filled the room as she made her way over to the kitchen to get a jump start on breakfast before the house woke.
Two hours later, she surveyed the mess of dishes scattered all over the counters and the island full of food. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but once she started cooking, she couldn’t stop. There was enough food to feed an army. Silver dollar pancakes for Romeo, three different omelets each for Jon, Stephanie and Jesse. There were cheesy scrambled eggs for Jake, a platter of fresh fruit, and, last but not least, some sausage, bacon, and ham.
Opening the cupboard door, she reached for the black ceramic mug with the red handle she had made her father when she was in the second grade and poured herself a cup of coffee. The freshly brewed aroma had taunted her all morning and she couldn’t resist any longer. Besides, a little indulgence wouldn’t hurt her. Popping a piece of bacon into her mouth, she took her mug and went to sit out on the deck.
With a crisp, clear sky, the beach was quite busy this morning. She watched as an array of fitness fanatics passing her by. You had your avid runners, the ones who no matter what the weather conditions were, they’d never miss a day to the lovebirds who were out for a romantic sunrise stroll. Then, there were the tourists and their families, who came to Half-Moon Bay expecting a beach vacation, but were not quite prepared for the unpredictable weather and were undoubtedly going to soak up as much of the day's sun that they could get.
Setting her cup under her chair, she pulled the fleece throw up under her chin and curled her legs under her. Off in the distance, there was an athletically built man who looked as if he was out for a morning walk with his dogs but was having a bit of difficulty managing them. The dogs, five to be exact, were the ones doing the walking of him instead. It was a pretty comical sight that she was enamored with, watching him get tangled up in the leashes. It wasn’t until she heard his voice behind her that she looked away.
“You expecting company?”
“I got a little carried away.” She pulled back the blanket as he climbed in next to her.
“I’d say. How long you been out here, anyway?”
“Not long, I think. I've been people watching.”
“I see that.” Jon pointed in the direction of the dog walker. "What time did Romeo climb in with us?”
“Around two-ish. I got up to pee and stretch my legs when I saw him coming down the stairs.”
“You know, you can tell him no.”
“I know, but it’s not all the time.”
“If you keep telling him yes, it will be.”
Jon leaned for his routine morning kiss, but she tasted so good, like coffee and French vanilla, he pulled her close, deepening it and like two teenagers stealing a moment alone, they snuggled closer under the blanket as their tongues and hands explored each other.
It was Ariana who broke away first, brushing her thumb over his swollen, wet lips as her tongue did the same to hers.
“What was that for?”
“Can’t I kiss my wife good morning?”
“No complaints here!”
“Good. So, what’s on the agenda? It looks like the sun may actually stay out today.”
“Shh... Don't jinx it." Sitting up, she crisscrossed her legs and faced him. "We have the last doctor coming for an interview."
"Oh, that’s right, so we can just hang out here all day. The kids have been dying to play on the beach. Maybe we can even make a beach fire, roast some marshmallows.”
“Sure, I think there may even be some chocolate and graham crackers in the cabinet.”
“Think maybe I can bribe Stephanie to take Thing One and Thing Two for a walk while we interview the doctor?"
"That's gonna cost you big time." Stephanie appeared in the doorway, holding a plate full of food.
"C’mon can't you throw your old man a bone."
"Bones... Like doggie bones?" Romeo knocked his sister aside and stumbled onto the deck.
Rolling her eyes, Stephanie plopped into the empty chair. "Oh geez, here we go again."
Sticking out his tongue, Romeo blew raspberries at his sister. "Daaaaddy..."
"Roooomeo." Jon mimicked his son's long drawn out name calling.
"Can I have a dog?"
"Why are you asking..." Stephanie's laughter had Jon stopping mid-sentence. "Wait a sec, what did your mother say?"
The boy’s brown eyes saddened as he let out a breath. "She said no."
"Then you have your answer."
"But what about for your house? Since you don't live with mommy anymore, your house, your rules."
Ariana had to give it to Jon’s kids. Not only did they have impeccable timing, but they were also all astutely swift, particularly Romeo. For only six, he sure was a smart little cookie.
"Who will take care of said dog?” Jon asked.
"I will." Romeo answered proudly and looked his father straight in the eye.
"Buddy, you're not always with us. Who will do it when you’re not there?"
"You and Ari."
"We aren't always there either."
"Lidia is."
“It’s not her job to take care of your dog.”
"But we had Copper?"
"Yes, we did. But that was when we all lived together. I don't think it would be fair to have a puppy when no one’s home to care for it."
"Fine!" Not happy with his father’s answer, Romeo stomped his feet all the way back into the house, bumping into both his brothers, who were coming to join the rest of the family on the deck.
♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱ ♱
Ariana was busy putting the last of the dishes away when the doorbell rang. She called out for Jon to answer it, but she got no response. Where could he be now? She had asked him to stay close, as Dr. Cummings would be there soon. Tossing the dish towel, she made her way down the hall, pausing to fix a loose strand of hair in the mirror before opening the door.
"Hello, Dr. Nicole Cummings, you must be Ms. Moretti."
Ariana opened the door to find a tiny, but beautiful blonde woman wearing a very conservative charcoal colored business suit. "Hello, please come inside and call me Ariana.”
Waiting until she was inside, Ariana pushed the door shut and ushered her down the narrow hallway and into the living room.
"Please take a seat. I'll go find my...."
Before she could finish her sentence, they were interrupted by the cries of save me, save me Ari which were followed by a soaked, very sandy Romeo tumbling into the room and taking cover behind her legs, followed by an equally wet, water gun toting Jon, who was shouting.
"Oh, no you don’t. She can't save..."
Jon stopped short when he noticed they weren't alone. "Oops. Sorry." He smiled, handing the toy down to his son and motioning for him to go outside with his siblings. "Just boys being boys. Now, if you give me a minute, I'll be right back.” Kissing Ari’s cheek, he disappeared down the hall.
While they waited for him to return, Ariana offered the doctor a beverage from one of the pitchers set on the table in front of them. She happily declined, retrieved her laptop from her bag, and began typing feverishly on its keyboard. When she'd got this assignment, she glanced over the file briefly and she was pretty sure there was no mention of the man who had barged into the room. She had thought Ariana had looked familiar when she answered the door but couldn’t place where and if they had met already. But seeing Jon, Mr. Bongiovi, she quickly remembered when and where.
Thinking it would be best to be upfront with them both, Dr. Cummings cleared her throat, “Ms. Moretti."
"Ariana."
"Ariana.” She moved her laptop to the coffee table. “Before we get started, I think I should tell you a little about myself."
"Okay, I’m back. Did I miss anything?" Jon reappeared and took a seat next to Ari.
"Hiya, I'm Jon."
"Dr. Cummings, nice to meet you both.” She shook his extended hand. “I was just about to explain to your wife we have met before.”
Confused, Jon and Ari looked at each other, then back at the doctor for her explanation. Ariana had thought she looked familiar when she answered the door, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
"It was in Hawaii. At your show, Mr. Bongiovi.”
“That’s right.” Ariana nodded. “You were with your sister and graciously shared your seats with me.”
“Yes.”
Ariana turned to Jon. “Remember that night in Hawaii, when you waited until the last minute to have Matt find me a seat out front. I sat next to Dr. Cummings and her sister.”
“Ah, yes, I remember that night.”
“Your security detail was gracious enough to give us front-row seat to a show of our choice. We are actually going to use them at one of the St. Paul shows. Which is where I’m from, actually.”
“Not Hawaii?” Jon asked.
“No. We were there for my sister. She was renewing her wedding vows.”
“The couple on the beach, I remember now.”
“Yes. It was funny that you mentioned that during the show.”
“How many years are they married?”
“Fifteen. Your show was an anniversary present from her husband. The renewal of their vows was a surprise for my sister. Which is why I was there in the first place. My brother-in-law used your show as distraction so he could plan everything.” There was an awkward pause before she continued. “When I accepted this interview, I did not know it would be you, so I’d understand if my being a fan will be an issue.”
“May I say something before you continue?” Jon interjected. “First, I’ve read over your credentials and some of the work you have done, and it is quite impressive. Second, you not knowing who we were was not done on purpose. My wife is still getting used to using her married name. So as for you being a fan, I don’t have any issues with it just as long as it doesn’t interfere with why you are here."
“I assure you, Mr. Bongiovi, I am very professional.”
“Good. Then why don’t you tell us a little about what it is you do and why you do it, and we, in turn, will tell you what we expect."
“Fair enough.”
Over the next hour and a half, Jon and Ari listened as she told them about herself and her business. Why she went from owning her own practice, to giving it all up, to do what she does now. She explained to them how things went and how she worked, and she listened to why the both of them wanted to have a doctor on hand for the remaining months of the tour.
Ariana talked about her family’s medical history and how her pregnancy had been going so far. When she talked of her mother and the dreams she’d been having, Jon held her hand. Dr. Barnes gave her opinions on where they could be coming from and suggested a few things that Ariana could do to try to prevent them from occurring so often. When all was said and done, they thanked her for coming all the way to California and informed her they would make their decision later on that day and that she would hear from them one way or another.
Remarkably, the kids hadn’t interrupted them the whole time the doctor was there. Both were quite perplexed at what could keep Romeo occupied so long, so they went around the back of the house to check on them. As they rounded the back of the house, they saw Romeo charging up the beach with one of the puppies Ariana had been watching frolic with its owner just that morning.
Man, that kid was his father’s son.
Ariana thought. It took some major negotiating and a promise that he would see the pup again before they headed home in a few days to get Romeo to hand the dog back over to his owner. When he finally listened and did what he was told, his father ushered him back into the house, leaving Ariana to thank the man for his patience.
“Thank you so much for putting up with him.”
“No problem,” the guy replied. “It wasn’t an issue at all. He’s a sweet kid, plus he got Meatball here to take a nap.” He said with a laugh, gesturing to the puppy currently asleep on his lap.
“Meatball?” Ari asked.
“Yeah, he already named the little fellow. I’ll see you in a few days with the adoption information for him.”
Waving him goodbye as he jogged off down the beach, Ariana thought to herself, Wow! Romeo sure is counting on getting this dog. Wonder what Jon will have to say about it. She secretly wanted the puppy too. He was pretty cute after all.
lol Romeo going get that Dog. lol
ReplyDeleteMeatball. lol