Twenty-Nine

I hope you all enjoy special time with family and friends today and tomorrow.  Merry Christmas! :o)

Allegra woke late the next morning, and the first thing to cross her mind was Richie, quickly followed by the memory of finding the returned room key.  Her stomach plummeted as she was flooded with the humiliation, anger and hurt, all anew.  Logically, she knew she couldn’t do this to herself over and over, and vowed not to allow it to affect her past today. 

And as for today?  Well, she wasn’t quite sure she was going to make it through today. 

Happy freakin’ birthday.

Checking her phone, she saw that she had several text messages wishing her a happy birthday.  Dave, Tico, Jon, Dot, Jesse and Stephanie had all sent well wishes at some point while she slept.  Since today was Jesse’s day as much as hers, she made a point to shoot a message back to him first, before sending thank you messages to the others. 

Now what to do?  Dinner was going to be early because of the show, but it still wasn’t for hours yet.  She’d wasted all day yesterday at the salon.  The Visa card was still in her wallet with over half the funds left on it.  Shopping?  Maybe Dorothea and Stephanie would be interested in lunch and shopping.  An outfit to make Richie regret his decision would be nice.  If she had to see him this evening, at least she could make it painful for him.

She sent Dot another text and went to shower.

♫     ♫     ♫

Just about that same time, Richie was waking up in his room down the hall, the too bright sunlight peeking around the curtains and blinding him.  He allowed his pupils to adjust while trying to remember where he was and what he was supposed to be doing today.   

It slowly came  to him.

Seattle.  First show tonight.  Dinner with Jon’s family.  Fuck.

It was going to be awkward seeing Allegra, and he hated that.  Because, with her temper, there was an excellent chance she was going to be pissed at him, and he knew she wouldn’t be interested in hearing the reasons behind what he’d done. 

After pushing past the Jon guilt, and past Tico’s godfather routine, he’d still gone to her room with every intention of using that key.  The memory of her whispered words in his ear echoed through his head over and over, like a siren’s call, luring him to board the elevator and answer that call.  He was just stepping out of the elevator when he saw her kissing Dave on the cheek. 

Not that he believed there was anything going on between them.  No, David was very much in love with Lex and Allegra wasn’t the poaching type.  But he was a staunch believer in karma and Fate, holding firm to the philosophy that everything happened for a reason.  Running into David was just the third indisputable strike against him tonight.  Someone was trying to tell him to stay away from this woman, and he felt like he had no choice but to heed the warning.

So he’d slid the key under her door, thereby removing the temptation to spit in Fate’s face and fuck her senseless. 

He’d done the right thing.  Even though he felt like shit about it now, he’d done the right thing.

Putting it out of his mind , Rich went to hit the shower wondering what kind of press duties awaited him, and when he was going to find time to pick up birthday gifts.

♫     ♫     ♫

Allegra fidgeted nervously in the back of the car that was taking her, Jon and his family to ther restaurant.  She flipped the end of her ponytail back over her shoulder and felt the movement of the silver hoops in her newly pierced ears, touching them lightly with a smile.  While in the midst of her shopping trip today, she’d decided to have it done on a whim.  She reasoned that everybody with a tattoo had piercings, and at least she opted to go the more traditional route of ears instead of her lip, nose or… other body parts.

Bouncing her leg, she looked out the window, not really seeing what was passing by, or hearing any of the conversation in the car as the kids quibbled and Jon talked on his phone.

She pulled at her dark denim jeans, making sure the hem met the silver studded strap and buckle at the tops of her black stiletto ankle boots.  The zipper on her form fitting black leather jacket was flicked back and forth under her fingernail, until she deserted it to self-consciously pull at the chains holding together the deep vee of her baby blue tank. 

I look like a hooker.

As though she could hear Allegra’s thoughts, Dot said, “You look great.  The only reason you feel self-conscious is because it’s something different.  You look like you’re going out and to a concert.”

Steph interjected her opinion with, “Yeah, you look great!  I’m so jealous of your cleavage.  I wish I had that much – or any for that matter.”

Allegra laughed as Dot shot her daughter a death glare.

Jon tapped his phone, ending the call he’d been on.  He demanded of his cousin, “What’s the hell’s the matter with you?  You’re acting as nervous as a whore in church.”

Everyone in the car swung their heads to stare at him with incredulity, mouths agape.

His face flushed when he realized the inappropriateness of what he’d said, but he played it off with,  “I didn’t call you a whore, I just – “

“Oh no, Jon,” Dot interrupted.  “Don’t even try and backpedal your way out of that tacky-ass comment.  There’s no explanation that’s going to absolve you, so just apologize and move on.”

“Fine.  I’m sorry.  But I still want to know what you’re so antsy about,” he said to Allegra.

She met Dot’s eye briefly before saying, “I still haven’t told any of them I’m leaving, and I dread it.  They’ve become my friends, and it’s hard to choose the right words.”

He nodded once, and let it go, his attention focused once again on checking emails and text messages until the car pulled up at the restaurant.

Assaggio’s was a nice, traditional Italian family place.  The woodwork was dark, the wall murals were exquisite reproductions of the classics, the staff was friendly, and the food was reputed to be outstanding. 

The Bongiovis were the first of their group to arrive, and the hostess showed them to a semi-private area of the restaurant.  Their tables were situated underneath a stunning replica of one of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel pieces.  

Dot led the way, asking to have the two large tables pushed together so that everyone could sit family style.  She also commandeered two lesser tables to assemble the small conglomeration of gifts – one for Jesse and one for Allegra.

Allegra chose a seat near the end of the long rectangular table and continued to fidget, until Dorothea sat down beside her, placing her hand on Allegra’s leg.  “Stop it,” she whispered.  “You don’t even have to speak to him, so stop worrying.  However, I would suggest that you make sure he sees you from head to toe at some point during the evening.  I didn’t want to say it in front of the kids, but you look dirty hot tonight, and every one of these guys is going to feel guilty for noticing.”

“You’re sure I don’t look like a hooker?”

“Absolutely not!  You look like a sexy, confident woman who could drop any man to his knees.”

Allegra relaxed a little and laughed.  “Looks can be deceiving.”

David, Tico, Hugh and Obie were the next group to arrive, each giving her a kiss on the cheek and wishing her a happy birthday as they deposited a couple of parcels on the gift tables.  Obie and Tico sat directly across from her and she saw that they would glance at her and then away just as quickly, making a concentrated effort to keep their eyes on her face. 

Her confidence puffed itself up, and she let loose with an inner smirk.  Dot was right.  They were trying not to notice the way the tank top hugged her breasts and the thin chains spanned her exposed cleavage. 

When Matt and Tony came in, they more than confirmed that belief.  “Jeez, Allegra!  Couldn’t you warn me that I was going to need a baseball bat to keep the guys in line?”  Matt asked.  “You look like sex on heels.”

“That’s fucked up, Matty.  You can’t say that shit about your family!”  Tony admonished him.

The quarreled back and forth, until Jon interrupted.  “Hey!  Shut the hell up, the both of you.  I do not need to think of her associated with sex in any way, thank you VERY much.”

“My point exactly,” Tony said smugly, tapping his younger brother in the back of the head.

The servers had begun to take orders for drinks and appetizers, when Jon asked, “Where’s Sambora?”

As though on cue, Richie entered the dining room, dropping a package on each gift table and taking the only open chair, on the other side of Matt.  The seating worked out well from Allegra’s perspective, since he was on the same side of the table as her, on the opposite end.  Out of sight, out of mind – in theory, anyway.

“Nice of you to fuckin’ join us,”  Jon said sarcastically, looking at his watch.  “And you wonder why I call you four hours before we have to be anywhere.”

“Hey!  I had to find the perfect gifts for the birthday kids, didn’t I?” 

Hearing Richie’s voice made her a little nauseous.  Deep breaths.

“Well, I already found the perfect gifts, so you shouldn’t have wasted your time,” David informed him.

There was laughter at that, but Allegra couldn’t remember hearing anything beyond it.  She smiled when she should and spoke when spoken to, but otherwise, she did nothing but sit and let the conversation flow around her, sipping her wine. 

Her departure weighed heavily on her mind as she looked around the table, thinking this would be the last time she’d do this with them.  There wouldn’t be another opportunity to have dinner, and hear them fight back and forth affectionately amongst themselves.  She struggled to assemble the words that could possibly let them know what they meant to her.

It all went so fast.  In no time, dinner was over and the restaurant staff emerged from the kitchen with a birthday cake ablaze with sparklers.  Jon started the traditional birthday song, but that was where the traditional part ended.  He and the guys added riffs and harmonies, bringing it to a level befitting an acapella group.   Allegra applauded and smiled, loving the way they could make music with only their voices. 

The sparklers were doused, and it was time to open the gifts.  Jesse went first, opening Allegra’s gift – a pewter necklace of a skull inside an eagle’s claw.  Steph had assured her he would love it, and his enthusiastic gratitude confirmed it.  The remainder of his presents included video games, hats and shirts which he very graciously thanked everyone for.  He was particularly excited about one of the games.   From what she could gather, it wasn’t yet available to the public, so he was getting to help beta test it for the manufacturer.

Then it was Allegra’s turn.  Her stack of gifts was much smaller, there being only three packages bearing her name.  She chose the smallest one first, and found a beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings from Jon and his family. 

Dot said, “I know you just got your ears pierced today, but you need a nice pair of earrings for when they heal.”

Allegra hugged each of them in thanks for the thoughtful gift.

The next package was a large, flat package.  Reading the accompanying card, she saw Richie’s signature and looked up to meet his eyes for the first time since her proposition the night before.  There was a smile on his face, but she wasn’t able to form her mouth into that particular shape at the moment.  She returned her gaze to the gift and slid her finger under the tape on the back of it.   Butterflies were churning in her stomach at the feel of his watchful eyes.

Peeling the paper back, she found a framed photograph – an eight by ten color photo of a tropical sunrise.  The sun barely peeked over the water, casting a million shades of orange in its wake - all serving to outline the lone figure on the beach studying the horizon.  Palm trees dotted the edges of the photo, and the leaves appeared to sway in the breeze.

“I know it’s hard to find that kind of sunrise in Seattle, or any of the other places we’re headed, so I thought you might want to remember the ones you enjoyed in Hawaii.”

Her throat was clogged with emotion – anger, gratitude, tenderness, frustration – and she didn’t know what to say.  How could a man who humiliated her the way he did last night be so damn thoughtful? 

Everyone’s eyes were trained on her, waiting for her to say something, so she went with the obvious. “Thank you, Richie,” she said in the most normal voice she could muster, without looking at him.  “It’s lovely.” 

“Steph, hand her the last gift, please.”  Dot instructed, before the moment could become awkward.

And last was the biggest package, on it a card that said simply ‘From the guys’.  Allegra shook her head to clear the thoughts of Richie’s gift.  She tore into paper and was excited and stunned to find a brand new laptop nder the wrapping.   “Oh my gosh, guys.  This is too much.  I can’t possibly accept it.”

David spoke for the group.  “Of course you can Legs.  We all wanted you to have your own computer, since you developed such an affinity for them.  I fixed it up similar to mine so you’d feel comfortable with it, and put your iTunes account on there.  It’s ready to go.”  He grinned at her, pleased with himself. 

“Well, it may be from all of you, but I have a feeling it was your idea, David.  Thank you all so very much.  I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”  The thoughtfulness of their gift added one more tier to the emotion she was trying to hold inside.  Her eyes welled with the love and friendship she held for these men, and excusing herself from the table, she hurried to the ladies’ room before she had a total meltdown in front of them.

“Is she okay?” Tico asked after she’d left the table, concern in his voice.

Dorothea nodded, looking around the table at this assortment of both family and ‘family’.  “You guys are on your best behavior and she probably doesn’t know how to handle that, but I’m sure she’s fine.  We’ll give her a minute.”

He didn’t look entirely convinced, but nodded and turned to speak quietly with Obie about some last minute details for the show.

Richie stood then, coming to stand behind Jesse’s chair, clapping him on the shoulder and saying, “Jess, happy birthday buddy.  I know I got here late, but I have to go, man.  Takumi was having trouble with one of my ladies earlier and I want to go check the situation out.”  He addressed the rest of the group with, “I’ll see you guys at the venue.”

She hadn’t planned to interfere, but Dot couldn’t let him go without saying something.  “Come here and give your sister-in-law a hug before you go.”  She stood and opened her arms, ignoring Jon’s ‘what the fuck’ expression.

Looking at her almost the same way as Jon, he did as she requested.  When his arms wrapped lightly around her, he was surprised to hear her voice low in his ear.  “In case nobody’s told you lately, you’re an ass – a complete and total ass.”

No one realized she’d said anything, because her face was composed in a natural looking smile when she reclaimed her seat, saying, “Bye, Richie.”

His face was still screwed up in curiosity, trying to figure out what had prompted the words, but evidently she expected him to know what he’d done.   There wasn’t time to figure it out now.  He shook his head and, with a wave to the group, moved out the door.

“Sambora!”  Jon called after him.  “You’d better be there on fucking time!”