Chapter 10

No comments at all on the last chapter? :0(   

I hope that doesn't mean it totally sucked!  LOL!  Maybe this one will be more to your liking.  Thanks for reading!! :0)

As soon as Allegra had exited the room, Dorothea turned to Jon.  “This is ridiculous.  Two nights in a row now she was supposed to have dinner with us and begs off at the last minute after dealing with kitchen issues. Can’t you find a more appropriate ‘job’ for her?  Something a little less Cinderella-ish?”

He looked at his wife.  “It’s not like the two of you have been best friends your whole lives.  She’s another family member who is working for me, and she’s informed me that she doesn’t NEED a protector.  So, what’s the problem?”

“Your other family members are doing what they want to do, and enjoying it.  She’s obviously not enjoying this.”

“It was a mutual decision.  You know that she and I decided this together.  ”

She had her suspicions about that, and decided to call him on it.  “Did you?  Or did you steamroll her into it like you do everything else?”

“Not now Dot,” he warned, dismissing her. 

An uncomfortable silence had fallen over the group.  The Bongiovis didn’t usually have their disagreements in public, so the band members were unsure how to handle the awkward situation.

Alejandra had no such reservations.  After looking back and forth between the pair several times, she nudged Tico.  “Tell them.”

He shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn’t think it was appropriate.  “This is between Jon and Allegra,” he told her quietly.

“Bullshit.  I just made it fair game.  What is it Ali?”  Dot asked.

Alejandra gave her husband a brief glance as he went back to his salad.  “Tico told me that he thought she’d be better suited to PR.  Maybe special fan events.  Does Matt need someone?”

In response to Dorothea’s smug look, Jon sighed and sought out his drummer’s gaze.  “What makes you think so, T?”

After slowly placing his fork back on the table, Tico leaned forward on his elbows.  “All I said was that it seems like her talents are being wasted.” 

There was no immediate response, so he went on with his explanation.  “We spent some time together on the trip out and she told me she’s trying to find something that feels like it fits for her.  Talking to her, it’s plain to see that she genuinely cares for people.”  He shrugged, not really wanting to make unnecessary waves in the camp.  “I just wondered if it wouldn’t it make more sense to have her dealing with the public.”

“Well, I don’t see how cooking for us is helping her find a career, if that’s what she’s looking for.”  Hugh interjected.  Kelly put her arm around his shoulders supportively and turned her eyes to Jon. 

Lexi dug her nails into David’s thigh, causing him to jump.

“Ow!  What the hell was that for?”  he exclaimed, rubbing the wounded area. 

She didn’t utter a word, but her blue eyes met his. They may not have been married yet, but he read the message as clearly as if she’d shouted it at him.  “Richie still needs a personal assistant,” he threw out,   earning himself an approving smile from his fiancée. 

“No.”  The guitarist’s response was firm.

Dot thought to herself that it could serve more than one purpose if Allegra were Richie’s PA.  “Why not?” 

Jon’s wife could be an intimidating woman when she chose to be.  She’d learned from her husband, after all.  But that didn’t deter Richie.  He’d never minded going head to head with her, and he didn’t flinch as he looked at her.  “There’s no reason why, just no.”

“Leave Rich alone,” Jon told her, accustomed to refereeing the two people closest to him.  “I’ll talk to her tomorrow, and we’ll come up with something,” he promised as the servers brought out the prime rib entrees, led by Chef Lucy. 

She served Richie personally and with a flourish.  “Let me know when you’re ready for dessert,” she murmured enticingly in his ear.

“Thank you darlin’.  I’ll be sure and do that,” he assured her with a wink.

And then David couldn’t contain himself any longer.  “So Lucy, tell us what happened to dinner,” he invited.

***** 

Nothing was better than a hot bubble bath, as any woman could tell you.  It wasn’t about getting clean, it was about relaxing.  If you wanted clean, you had to go with a hot shower, but for relaxation it was bubble bath all the way.

Room service sent up an incredibly good bottle of wine, Allegra thought as she sipped the Bordeaux.  It had been ages and ages since she’d had wine, but she found that she still appreciated the rich flavor against her tongue.

What a decadent treat!  Perfect for contemplating life.  And that was a good thing, since it was time to decide what she wanted out if it. 

She’d told Jon that cooking wasn’t her strong suit, but he hadn’t listened.  Well, now he would have to.  Dinner had burst into flames – that was pretty friggin’ hard to ignore.  And it was stressing her out.  Worrying about what she was going to serve, accounting for all their various tastes and making sure everything turned out. 

Nope.  I’m done with that.  If it’s cook or go home, then I’ll go home with no hard feelings.

Allegra swirled the wine in her glass thoughtfully.  She’d rather work with people.  People and their varying opinions and personalities made her feel alive, and she very much needed that. 

Truthfully, she would love to have someone to just take care of – maybe even a child.  Not necessarily a baby, but any age.  Even a teen.  Like Tessa.  Her eyes started to mist as she thought of the girl.

Tessa had been fourteen when Allegra had met her.  She’d made her way into the foster care system shortly after her parents had died in a tragic automobile accident.  Teen angst coupled with her rage at the circumstances of life had made Tessa hard to love.  But Allegra had understood.  Tessa felt like she had to be tough on the outside to keep her soft underbelly covered.  She couldn’t risk being vulnerable, just to get hurt again.

Allegra had counseled the girl over a period of months.  Progress was slow and minimal at best, but they kept moving forward.  Tessa had just begun showing a little trust in her when things had spun out of control.

She shook her head vehemently, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks.  No!  There’s no point in reliving it all again.  It doesn’t change anything.

The bathwater had turned cool and her wineglass was empty.  Pulling the plug on the tub, she reached for one of the fluffy hotel towels, wrapped herself up in it and made her way out of the bathroom. 

It was definitely time to crawl in bed.  Rummaging around in her bag, she located a pair of panties and her favorite sleepwear – an old oversized Care Bears t-shirt. 

I shouldn’t waste the rest of that wine, she thought as she brought the shirt over her head.  It didn’t take long to grab the bottle from the desk, refill her empty glass, and put it on the nightstand.  Sliding her bare legs under the covers, she settled back against the headboard.

Nights were the hardest, Allegra realized as she sipped.  When she could sleep it was okay, but more and more often, she wasn’t able to do that.  That was probably why she had been making her sunrise journeys these last few days.  With the sunrise was the promise of a new day – a new day full of hope, where anything was possible.  It was the only time that she felt an inkling of her former faith in the world.

Her mind wandered to Montana.  A meaningless affair might be just what she needed, regardless of what Jon thought.  She bet he’d had enough sex in his lifetime for a dozen men.  That made it easy for him to be her conscience.  HE wasn’t missing out on anything.

Resting her glass on her stomach, she closed her eyes.  The need for human contact was so overwhelming sometimes.  Just the intimacy of knowing there was someone there to lean on, for a minute anyway.

The image of chocolate brown eyes and full, pouting lips teased her mind as she imagined long strong fingers stroking along her back.  She could see the muscles of his arms as she lightly raked her nails up to his bicep.  The likeness of a winged guitar fell under her touch. 

She sat up abruptly, sloshing wine over the rim of the glass and onto the comforter.

Montana didn’t have a tattoo of a winged guitar. 

Richie did. 

She groaned and filled her glass again.  It was time to stop thinking for a while. 

The clock showed that it was three in the morning when the last drop was emptied from the bottle.

 *****

It was three in the morning when Richie pushed the elevator button for his floor, feeling old and discontent.  Lucy had just dropped him back at the hotel – much sooner than she would have liked. 

She was cute.  A petite, blonde, buxom beauty.  His cock should’ve been hard just at the thought of her lips wrapped around it.  Instead he’d had to work at feigning any interest at all, eventually blaming his lack of ‘attention’ on fatigue from the show.  He’d apologized and asked her to bring him back to the hotel.

Dammit, this was what they did on tours – what they were supposed to do. 

Well, not the last tour.  Or the tours while he was married.  He may have been a lot of things, but he was always faithful to Heather. 

He supposed being married was making it hard to go back to the groupies.  Having someone who knew more than your name and profession made sex a lot more satisfying. 

Riche admittedly enjoyed the attention of the girls who sought him out.  It was still a rush to know a beautiful woman wanted you.  Unfortunately, that seemed to be where the rush ended.

He reached into his jeans pocket to pull out his room key realizing, My God, I must’ve been 34 the last time I was single and on tour.  No wonder this isn’t working.  I’m too old for this groupie shit.

“Lay your hands on me, lay your hands on meeeeee!”  A loud, drunken female voice interrupted his epiphany.

What the hell?

The voice was coming from somewhere just down the hall from his.  This floor was all Jovi, so it had to be one of the crew.  Maybe one of the wardrobe girls?

She suddenly changed songs.  “Diamond ring.  Diamond ri-iii-iing…”  

At least she can carry a tune. 

He listened carefully until he found which door housed the diva.  Should he knock and interrupt her?  Deciding it was better him than an angry crew member, he tapped gently on the door and waited.  The only reply was some mumbling and then “…my loving cup.”

Whoever it was evidently didn’t know the lyrics to a whole song.  Or at least that’s what he thought.  Then he very plainly heard:

Roulette you're goin' round in a spinnnn,
Caught up in a game you just can't win
Roule-eeee-tte, you're just a fantas-eeeee
It's everything that you want it to be
Play the numbers one by one, fire the shot and the damage is do-oone
Restless lovers pay the price, cheating hearts don't think twi-iice.”

Fuck.  It had to be HER.

He knocked louder. 

Allegra cheerily tottered her way over to answer the insistent knocking.  That was really good wine!  Wonder if it’s too late to get another bottle?  She pulled the door open and held onto the knob to keep from falling backward as it swung toward her.  She smiled widely at her visitor.  “RICH-ieeee Sam-BOR-a!”  she greeted him.

It was the first time he’d ever seen her hair down.  It cascaded around her shoulders, falling to her obviously unrestrained breasts.  He took in her glassy eyes, flushed cheeks and plump, wine stained lips.  She wasn’t the prickly woman who’d been giving him shit all week.  This woman was soft, warm and rumpled.  Talk about a cure for ‘attention’ deficit disorder.  Holy hell. 

“Darlin’, you need to keep it down a little,”  he told her quietly.  “Not everyone’s partying at this time of night.” 

“Ya gotta live a little, ya know?”  She leaned her elbow against the door frame.  The movement raised the hem on her nightshirt enough to let him know she had on pink cotton panties.  “I’d offer you a drink, but I drinked it all,” she informed him with a satisfied grin.

He chuckled silently.  “I can see that.  Don’t worry about it.  I just wanted to warn you to keep it down so that you don’t piss off the neighbors.”

Her forehead furrowed in consternation.  “Was I being loud?  I didn’t mean to be.”

“You were singing a little loud.  But at least you were in tune,”  he teased her. 

She didn’t respond and when he noted the direction of her gaze, he realized it was his mouth that she was staring so intently at.

“Can I tell you something?”  Her request was low, almost a whisper.

He wasn't sure this was a good idea considering her current state, but he nodded anyway.

“You are an amazing singer.”  She leaned forward and ran her finger up along the edge of his half-buttoned shirt.  “Your voice is sooo, so sexy.” 

Sort of like hers was right then?  Again, no ‘attention’ deficit problem now.  She was better than Ritalin.  Jesus!

He cleared his throat and took half a step back from her.  “I think you’d better go grab some sleep.  Jon’s going to be looking for you in the morning.”

She followed his retreat – or tried to.  Stumbling, she fell into him and found her face pressed against his chest.

His arms went immediately around her waist in an effort to steady her.  She didn’t fall, but her knees still felt like water and he wasn’t sure she would be able to stand on her own.

“Dammit,” he mumbled before angling her body to the side and bending to place his right arm behind her knees.  He easily lifted her, shouldering his way through the door and into her room.

As she heard him push the door closed with his foot, Allegra took a moment to absorb and appreciate the human contact she’d been dreaming of only a short time before.  Her cheek was pressed against his shoulder and she curled the rest of her body instinctively into him. 

The distance to the bed was no more than half a dozen steps and Richie covered it quickly.  He leaned over to deposit her on the sheets and tried to stand upright before he registered the fact that her arms were clasped tightly around his neck.

“Allegra, let go,” he instructed gently.

She loosened her hold but still didn’t release him.  Her eyes sought his as she whispered, “Would you hold me just for a minute?” 

Richie hesitated as he considered the pools of blue before him, so familiar.   All those years in close quarters had made him somewhat of an expert in identifying the emotions that revealed themselves in Jon’s eyes, and this was eerily similar.  He’d only seen this vulnerability a couple of times, but its rarity only intensified the effect.  

She couldn’t stand the silence any longer.  Her voice barely audible, she implored, “Please?”

Nine

Allegra bustled through the hotel’s kitchen door feeling energized.  Jon’s show had been incredible, and she was still riding the adrenaline high as she arrived to finish meal preparations.  There were only a few staff members in the kitchen, at this time of night, so the area was hers for all practical purposes.

The baked spaghetti was already in the oven and she flipped on the broiler to brown the cheese.  After gathering vegetables from the refrigerator, she began assembling garden salads, shimmying to the beat of the music still resonating in her mind. 

Jon hadn’t seemed happy with the crowd’s response to the show, but she had been enthralled from the moment Bon Jovi took the stage.  As Richie promised, they’d included some music from the early days.  She didn’t know whether he actually had anything to do with it, or if the songs had already been planned.  Either way, they had made her smile.  Those were songs that she associated with her early teen years and she had so many good memories from that time.

As she moved the salads to the refrigerator, she confirmed that dessert had arrived from the local bakery and been plated.  Her body was going through the correct motions, but her thoughts were still on the previous hours. 

She’d always known Jon could sing, and he did it well, but the vocal abilities of the other guys were surprisingly good too.  Flashing back to Jon and Richie’s performance of Diamond Ring, she shivered at the memory of how their voices flawlessly melded with the guitars. 

Obviously Richie was a good guitarist or she knew he wouldn’t be with the band.  What she hadn’t realized was how good his vocals would be.  Hating to be traitorous, she really thought that Richie’s voice might be better than Jon’s.  Or at least it appealed to her more.  He had that rough, bluesy tone that drew the soul out of a song.  It was almost as if he was seducing the microphone as well as the audience with his sultry rendition of Lay Your Hands on Me.

“Ma’am?”  A voice intruded on her thoughts.  One of the sous chefs was trying to get her attention.  “I had to alarm you, but the oven is on fire.”

“Oh shit!”  She was so engrossed in her thoughts, she’d forgotten about the broiler!  The cheese had gone way beyond brown and had flames dancing on top of it.  “Where’s the fire extinguisher?!”

The sous chef had already returned and was spraying the oven and the other members of the kitchen staff were gathered around as well.  Allegra’s face was as much on fire as the mozzarella. 

Great!  I knew me cooking was a bad idea.  What am I going to do now?

Her mind raced to come up with options for how to feed ten people in less than thirty minutes.  The kitchen crew seemed to be making preparations for the next day.  The hour was late, but surely there was something in a hotel kitchen that could feed her group?  They served food on a regular basis.  What did they have tonight?

She turned to face the sous chef who’d put out the flames.  “Where is the head chef?”

He pointed to a petite blonde woman about ten feet away – who was looking none too happy.  Well that was too bad, because she wasn’t happy either.

She approached the woman with more confidence than she felt.  “Hi, I’m Allegra.  I understand you’re the head chef?”

“Yes, I’m Chef Lucy.”  Her tone was not the least bit inviting and the frown on her face didn’t reflect any welcome.

“Chef Lucy, I am terribly sorry for this little incident.  I will clean the oven myself and make sure everything is restored to its original condition.”  Seeing the other woman soften the tiniest bit, she continued, “But at the moment I have another situation that needs dealt with, and I was hoping you may be able to help me.”

That little bit of softness fled, and the invisible walls went back up.  She remained silent.

Allegra couldn’t afford to be deterred.  “I have ten people that I’m supposed to serve a late dinner to in a very short time.  Is there any way that you could help me with that?  I have salads and dessert, but as you saw, my entrée just went up in flames.” 

Her expression on her face was enough to tell Allegra that Lucy was not the least bit inclined to help.  There wasn’t time to play up to this woman’s ego, so she resorted to the only other thing she could think of on the spur of the moment – the celebrity card.

Continuing in a conversational tone, Allegra said, “You know, I tried to tell my cousin that I couldn’t really cook, but he was just insistent.  The band wanted a personal chef for the tour and I was appointed.  There was just no talking him out of it.  Of course, if there’s one thing Jon Bon Jovi is good at, it’s being persistent.”

 The chef’s head snapped up and her full attention was now on Allegra’s words.  “So, here I am trying to fix a home cooked meal for the band, and I blew it.  He’ll never let me live this down.”  She gave a wry chuckle.

“So this meal is for the members of Bon Jovi?” 

Gotcha! 

“Yes, and their significant others.  They’ll be so disappointed.  Dinner is one of the after show highlights.”  Was she trying to push too hard?

“I see.”  You could tell the wheels were turning under the chef’s hat.  “We’ve had the privilege of serving Mr. Sambora on more than one occasion.  I’m familiar with his taste, so we can probably help you out with something.”  Lucy finally conceded.

It was Allegra’s turn to be surprised, but it only lasted a moment. 

Petite blonde with big boobs - just Richie’s type.  I BET she cooked for him.  At this point I don’t care if they have sex in the dining room floor if it gets me an entrée.

Allegra plastered a huge Bongiovi smile across her lips.  “Wonderful!  And I will certainly let the band know how instrumental you are in making this evening’s dinner a success.”  Jon wasn’t the only one who could schmooze.

“We will take care of the entrée while you clean the oven,”  the chef instructed.  “I think a nice prime rib will be suitable.  And potatoes, of course.”  She gave orders to her staff and proceeded without a second glance at Allegra.

Begrudgingly accepting that she’d just been dismissed, Allegra turned toward the offending oven, and was glad she’d worn just jeans and a t-shirt tonight.  The cleanup didn’t take long, but it was messy and her clothes were streaked with soot and fire extinguisher foam.   

By the time she was finished, the flames had died down and the spaghetti was cool enough to handle.  She chucked blackened pan and all into the nearest trash can with a rueful shake of her head. 

Wonder how I can keep them from finding out the details of this little disaster?

Satisfied that everything was complete, Allegra made her way toward the room that had been set aside for tonight’s meal.  Two smaller tables had been put together to form one large enough to seat all ten guests.  White linens and china graced the tables, along with fine crystal and silver.  The hotel had placed elegant centerpieces on the tables as well.  Jon not only appreciated, but expected, the finer things in life.

Speaking of which…

Allegra turned to go back to the kitchen and inquire about the wine Jon had requested.  He’d ordered several various bottles to accommodate everyone’s tastes, and she wanted to make sure that they’d been properly chilled.

As she approached the swinging door, she heard the group making its way through the main entrance to their dining area.  She was just turning to greet them when strong arms wrapped around her from behind, lifting her from the floor.  Emitting a squeak of surprise, she struggled to get free.  Evil, masculine laughter flooded her ears.

“Grrr!  Put me down, David!”

Among raucous laughter from the rest of the group, he did as she requested and then spun her to face him.  Disappointment clouded his features.  “Hey!  How’d you know it was me?”

She poked him in the chest and said cheekily, “You’re the only one tall AND dumb enough to do it.”

“She’s got you there David,” Lexi told him.  Taking his hand, she pulled him toward one of the tables.  “Why don’t you sit down and behave yourself?”

He dug in his heels and refused to move.  “Wait a minute!  I want to find out how Legs liked her first Jovi concert.  And why she looks like Cinderella,” he said as he noticed the streaks of soot on her clothing.  Leaning in to sniff her hair he added, “And smells like charcoal.”

The others chimed in at that point, also wondering about her appearance.  Before she could respond, the doors to the kitchen swung open and two of the kitchen staff members materialized, ready to begin service.  Close behind was Allegra’s dear new friend Chef Lucy, who promptly took charge.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please be seated, dinner is served.” 

Nine pairs of eyes looked at Allegra questioningly.  She waved her hand carelessly and directed, “Please go ahead and have a seat as Chef Lucy has asked.” 

As they were getting their chairs, she remained standing and offered her explanation,  “The chef has very graciously bailed me out here tonight.  My entrée didn’t quite turn out, and she volunteered her staff to prepare a replacement at the last minute.  I’m very grateful and I know you are too.”  She gave Jon a pointed look, which he interpreted well.

Picking up without hesitation, he said, “Of course we are.  I will admit that I’m curious to find out what happened with Allegra’s entrée, but we all appreciate your efforts Chef.  I’m sure that whatever you’ve come up with will be delicious.  And to show our appreciation, I’d be happy to set aside a couple of tickets to tomorrow night’s show.  That is, if you’re interested.”

Lucy had enough grace to look embarrassed at the attention.  “That would be amazing.  Thank you.  I hope that you’ll find the food to your liking.  We’ve had the pleasure of serving Mr. Sambora here at the hotel on previous visits, so I was comfortable that we could come up with an acceptable substitute.”

Did she just bat her eyes at Richie?  Who bats their eyes? 

Allegra knew she wasn’t mistaken, when David – who was sitting next to Richie – very obviously kicked him under the table, while masking his laughter with a ‘coughing’ fit. 

Maybe Joker and I are going to be even better friends than I first suspected, Allegra thought to herself.

Richie, of course, offered up his compliments.  “The food here is always awesome,” he assured the group.  He winked – winked?? – at Lucy and said, “I’m sure this little lady has fixed something that we’ll all love. “

The kitchen staff had finished dispatching the salads, and they moved back toward the swinging door with a beaming Chef Lucy trailing behind them.

“Rich-ie found a hook-up,”  David sing-songed after the door had swung closed.

Dot smacked David lightly in the back of the head and said, “Grow up.”

“Ow!”  He rubbed the spot and stuck his tongue out.  “ I don’t have to!”

“Allegra, sit down,” Jon invited before David got wound up again.

She shook her head.  “No thank you.  I feel yucky and my clothes are all gross.  There’s no need for me to infect the table with that.  I’ll just grab something from room service.  You all enjoy the meal – and thank Richie.”  She threw him a knowing smile.  “I am way down on the list of that woman’s favorite people, but she became very cooperative once she realized he was one of the dinner party.”

He grinned, pleased at the attention and the possibilities it presented for AFTER dinner.

“But Legs,” David whined.  “You didn’t tell us how you liked the show.  Or what happened to dinner.”

Allegra casually strolled over to where Tico and Alejandra had seated themselves.  Leaning over to give Tico a kiss on the cheek, she placed a hand on Alejandra’s shoulder.  “Oh, were you at the show too?  I was so caught up in the drummer that I must have missed you.  What do you play again?”  A teasing gleam was in her eyes as she smiled innocently at David.

Everyone laughed at his offended look.  “Hmpf!  I’m feeling very Rodney Dangerfield here.  ‘I get no respect!’  I no longer care how you liked the concert, “ he informed her loftily.  “BUT, I do wanna know what happened to dinner.”  There was an eager gleam in his eye as though he knew this would be ammunition for him to use.

“Forget it.  I’m not telling you.   You can ask Lucy if you really want to know, since I’m sure she would love to share the details of my mishap,” she informed them drily.  “You guys enjoy your dinner and I’ll see you tomorrow.”  She addressed everyone but looked directly at Richie when she said, “I’m sleeping in and encourage you all to do the same.” 

Allegra left under a hail of requests to stay and eat, but she simply waved them off with a smile.  A bubble bath and a glass of wine sounded much more appealing at the moment.

Chapter 8

Thanks for your patience, and your kind words.  Not my best work, but it is forward progress.  Hope you enjoy it!

Richie leisurely strolled toward the beach area where he’d watched the sun rise for the past two mornings.  He couldn’t sleep, so he figured he may as well get a head start on Allegra. 

Seating himself Indian-style on the sand, his mind tried to wrap itself around her.   She wasn’t what he’d thought.  Even with her aversion to him, she’d been thoughtful in arranging for Ava to come over.  It could have easily been an uncomfortable position for him in the couples’ setting.  He’d been surprised that she didn’t choose to let it be uncomfortable.  Instead, she created a positive situation for everyone involved. 

Of course, the way she looked last night, he wouldn’t have minded being HER date.  He had kept quiet while the other guys had gone on about her appearance, but he was no less stunned.  And she seemed to not realize how incredible she’d looked.  In his experience, all women knew the power of their beauty and used it for all its worth.  But Allegra had seemed a little put off at the attention - as if she didn’t believe that she deserved the compliments.

Jon was going to have to give up more info on this girl, because her contradictions were starting to screw with Richie’s head.

It had been another long night for Allegra.  After Jon left, she hadn’t been able to get her mind to settle down enough to sleep.  He’d made her start to question herself. What was she actually trying to accomplish by being here?  Was it just a way to delay the current reality of her life?  Did she subconsciously hope to get a moral pass, wanting to live out the clichéd self-indulgent rock band lifestyle?  So far she still didn’t have any answers.

Lost in her thoughts, she made her way toward the beach for what had become her morning ritual.  She was going to miss it when they left for Seattle in a couple of day.  She had a feeling the sunrise wouldn’t be nearly as spectacular there.  If she could see it at all with all the rain Seattle was famous for.

Almost to her spot on the beach, she noticed the still dark shadow of a person.  Slowing her pace, she was a little hesitant about approaching until a familiar voice said “Morning darlin’.”  It was Richie.

She slowly and quietly released the pent up breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.  Sliding off her sandals, she folded her legs under her and settled on the sand next to him.  “She kick you out early?”

“SHE is Ava, smartass, and she’s still asleep.  Casey’s with her.”

“Mm.”

Irritation pricked at him.  Damn I’m getting tired of this.  Why can’t we be civil to each other?  “So where’d you disappear to last night?”

“What difference does it make?”  she all but demanded.  Had Jon told him about the visit to her room last night?  Was she going to have to deal with this again?

“Jesus, would you relax?  I was just going to say that you left before I got a chance to thank you.”

“Oh.”  She felt silly now.  What was it about this man that set her on edge?  “I wasn’t feeling well and went to my room.”

“Better now?”

A lift of the shoulder was her only answer.

Richie bent his knees up and draped his arms around them.  “Allegra…” 

She didn’t bother to respond, scooping sand in her hand and letting it sift back through her fingers.    

He sighed and went on anyway, his voice impassive. “Listen darlin’, as long as I know you’re sitting out here in the dark by yourself every morning, I’m going to keep coming.  It would be easier if we could become friends, but if you don’t want to do that I can sit here and not say anything.  It’s your call.  I’d just like to know what to expect.” 

All of her animosity drained in that instant.  Crap!  She dumped the last grains of sand out of her palm as her mind flipped through the last few days.  From the moment they’d met, she had done nothing but antagonize Richie.  And looking back, she didn’t even really know why.  Was it because he hadn’t had the right expression on his face when they first met?  Or a possible wrong assumption that he had some type of smug attitude?  She just knew he had rubbed her the wrong way.  But, in all honesty, he’d done nothing out of the way.

Groaning, she dropped to lie flat on the sand, positioning the upper half of her body behind him.  She took in the few stars that were left in the sky, as though they would supply her with the right words.   At least I can’t see his face.  Maybe that will make this easier…

Softly she began, “I owe you an apology.”  Still struggling with the proper phrasing, it took her a moment to continue.  “My behavior and attitude toward you have been childish – not to mention rude.  I’m ashamed of myself, because I really do consider myself a people person.”  She paused.  “Dot mentioned that you’re usually pretty easygoing too?”  She glanced over to find him looking at her over his shoulder, nodding.  “So that means there’s no justifiable reason the two of us can’t get along.  Right?”  She finally turned her head to fully meet his gaze.

He momentarily considered disagreeing just for the sake of disagreeing, but he could see that she was being sincere.  “Of course.  And thanks for the apology, but I don’t think it was necessary.  I know that you’re not entirely to blame here, and willingly admit that my ego needs a check once in a while.”  A teasing grin claimed his face.  “Thanks for taking care of that for me.”  She petulantly stuck out her tongue and his gut clenched unexpectedly. 

“What do you say we just start over?”  he offered.  Turning his body toward her, he extended his hand.  “Hi, I’m Jon’s friend Richie.”

Propping herself up on one elbow, she reached out with her other hand to grasp his with an amused smile. “Hi Richie, I’m Jon’s cousin Allegra.”

When she would’ve pulled away, he drew her closer, placing a soft kiss on the back of her hand.  An unexpected jolt shot through her at the contact.  His eyes connected with hers in the semidarkness.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Allegra.”

She cleared her throat uncomfortably and took back her hand, sitting upright.  “So is Ava staying for the show tonight?”

He looked at her thoughtfully before answering.  “Nah.  A friend of hers is having a party at home and she wants to get back in time for it, so she’s leaving early this afternoon.  Seeing one of Dad’s shows doesn’t rate high on the list of things a pre-teen girl wants to do.  But thank you again for bringing her out here.”

“It was no big deal.  I’m glad you both enjoyed your time together.”

“It WAS a big deal,” he disagreed.  “ You’re still new to most of us, and I can’t imagine what kind of hoops you must’ve jumped through to get in touch with Heather.  AND I know how difficult Heather can be, so you must have been amazing to get her to agree that quickly.  It was a lot of work, and I want you to know that it meant a lot to me to have Ava there last night.”

“Well, in that case -  you’re welcome.”   She smiled at him, and received a dimpled grin in return.

“Will you be at the show tonight?”

“I’m not sure.  I have to make the dinner preparations and since the ladies are here, it’s a little bigger event.”

“Have you ever been to one of our shows?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Then come.  I’ll make sure Jon puts some of the early stuff in the set list for you.  Besides, you might actually like it,” he teased.

“You never know.  I just might.”  Allegra looked out over the horizon, surprised to see that the sun had made its grand entrance while they’d been talking.  “But for now, I’ve got to get moving.”  She propelled herself to her feet and picked up her sandals.  “If I don’t see you before, have a good show.”

He looked up at her and winked.  “Thanks darlin’.  Enjoy your day.”

That afternoon Jon looked up, surprised, as Richie entered his dressing room, arriving for the afternoon sound check almost an hour early.  His axe man was never late, but he firmly believed that showing up early was just wasted time.  “Hey man.  What are you doing here so early?”

Richie patted him on the back and shrugged carelessly, grabbing a seat next to him on the sofa.  “Ava just left, and there was nothing better going on so I just thought I’d head on over.  Besides, I wanted to ask you about the set list tonight.”

Laughing, Jon said, “That’s always something you’ve been happy to leave up to me.  Since when do you give two shits about what goes on the set list?”

“I still don’t care what’s on it,” he affirmed, fiddling with a magazine on the coffee table.  “But I was talking to Allegra this morning and told her I’d ask you to put some of the older stuff in tonight.”  He tossed the magazine aside and leaned back into the couch.  “She’s never been to one of our shows, so I told her to come.”

“I must have heard you wrong.”  Disbelief was evident in Jon’s voice.  “You actually had a conversation with Allegra?  How the hell did that happen?  And you said this morning – as in before noon.  Who are you and what have you done with Richie Sambora?”  His tone was teasing, but he was only half kidding.  The guitarist was infamous for never getting up while the letters a.m. were still needed to describe the time.

Richie’s face flushed slightly and he bristled.  “I was up late, not early and it’s your fault, asshole.  She’s been sitting on the beach by herself watching the sunrise the last few mornings.  You’re the one that asked me to watch out for her.”

They’d been friends too long for Jon to let it go at that.  “So you’ve been watching the sunrise with her every morning since we got here?”

“Technically,” Richie muttered.

“What the fuck does technically mean?  Isn’t that like being a little pregnant?  Either you have or you haven’t.”  A thought occurred to him, and his eyes narrowed.  “Unless you’ve been busy doing things that distracted you from watching the sun rise.  Are you screwing around with her?” he asked incredulously.  Throwing his hands up in the air, he spoke more to himself than the man sitting next to him.  “Jesus, who knew she was going to be sleeping with everybody on the fucking tour?”

That got Richie’s undivided attention in a hurry.  He grabbed Jon’s arm and forced him to meet his eyes.  “First of all, NO I’m not screwing around with her.  Secondly, what the hell do you mean she’s sleeping with everybody?”

Jon pulled away, obviously regretting his words.  “Forget it.  I’m an idiot.”  He looked Richie in the eyes again though.  “Look at me and tell me you’re really not screwing around with her though.  Man up and be honest.”

He lightly smacked his frontman in the back of the head, exasperated.  “Listen dumbfuck, you asked me to help you keep an eye out for her.   I know you well enough to understand that wasn’t secret code for ‘boink my cousin if you get a chance’.” 

The phrase ‘sleeping with everybody on the tour’ continued to echo through Richie’s mind.  “You still didn’t answer my question.”  For some reason he couldn’t let it go, even knowing that the other man had obviously not meant to say anything, and that it wasn’t any of his business.

Dragging his fingers through already messy hair, Jon looked at the floor.   He pondered how much to tell Rich, as he moved to rest his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands between his knees.  “It’s nothing.  I went to check on her last night and she was with a guy.  It surprised me, was all.  I overreacted.  I told you she’s like a little sister to me.”

“Who was it?” 

Richie’s tone was strange, and it prompted Jon to study him speculatively, before purposefully stalling, “It isn’t important who it was.”

“You said it was one of our people.  I’d like to know who – especially since I’m on guard dog duty.”

Jon was afraid he would regret this.   Allegra would have his head if she knew he was sharing information about her personal life.  “Montana.  But keep that to yourself.”

Much to his surprise, Richie simply nodded once and went on as though they hadn’t sidetracked into a whole different topic.  “So what’s on the set list for tonight?”

Even though he was startled at the abrupt change of subject, Jon elected to go with it for now.  “I thought we’d open with Blood, do Superman and a couple others off the new album.  Allegra likes Roulette, so we’ll put it in.  Maybe Shot Through the Heart?  Oh, and Diamond Ring as our duet.  Anything else you want in there?”

Richie had only half-listed and wasn’t looking at Jon.  “Nah.  Sounds good, Bro.”  He stood up and rubbed his palms down his thighs.  “I’m gonna go get warmed up.  See you on stage,” he said as he made toward the door.

“Yeah.”  Jon watched his friend’s retreating back, still a little bewildered at the last ten minutes.  I can’t wait to hit the stage.  At least everything there makes sense.