Chapter 42

The last phone call had been returned, the last email had been sent, the last folder filed away, and Allegra sat back to survey her desk with a sense of accomplishment and pride.   Her desk!   Just over a week on the job – a job she’d gotten on her own merit – and she had her own desk.  Granted, it was in a cubicle, but it was still her desk.   It was pretty exciting to be a productive member of society again.

After shadowing Sister Mary for over a week, she had been assigned with reviewing the housing project applications and determining whether or not the hopefuls were viable candidates.  It was going to be a challenge that was both exhilarating and daunting for someone who’d never had any type of authority granted to them.  Of course, Sister Mary would monitor her reviews for a while, but eventually it would be Allegra’s decision alone.  That, too, was pretty exciting.

But what she was finding even more exciting was the thought of leaving for Las Vegas the next morning.  There was a touch of nerves too, at the thought of spending time with Ava, but it was mostly excitement.  She was excited to see the desert, the bright lights, the night life, the shows, the people, the concert, and – of course - Richie.

He’d been true to his word in making all the necessary arrangements before she’d gotten home from work that evening.  She was to fly out early Friday morning with Dorothea and the kids, which had them arriving in Las Vegas by late morning, local time.  That should coincide pretty closely with the arrival of the band and Ava, whom they would meet at the Bellagio, and Lexi would be flying in with David’s kids to join them right after that. Unfortunately, little Hector had a cold and wasn’t up to traveling, so Alejandra wouldn’t be able to join them.

Plans for the group included Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, shopping for the girls, and the Beatles’ show Richie had mentioned to her.   He said the guys wanted to make Jon go to the wax museum just to give him hell, because they had a wax figure of him in residence.  At first Allegra wasn’t sure how she felt about the prospect of seeing a wax version of her cousin, but the more she thought about it, the better she liked it.  At least that Jon wouldn’t talk back.

As far as the sleeping arrangements were concerned, Richie wouldn’t tell her what he’d come up with, only that it would all be fine.  Allegra wanted to believe him, but she still had reservations, seeing as their definitions of fine hadn’t meshed all that well the first time around.

She fished her handbag out of the bottom desk drawer, with it weighing heavily on her mind.  So heavily, in fact, that she was startled when Sister Mary stuck her head in the cubicle to wish her a safe trip and drop another not-so-subtle reminder about talking to Jon.

“Please tell Richie that I asked about him – Jon too.  That is, if you happen to tell him you know me from your employment with his Foundation.”

“I’ll tell him soon,” Allegra promised with a slight grimace, slipping her arms into the wool pea coat.  “After waiting this long, I’m having trouble finding a way to tell him that won’t incite his temper any more than necessary.  I’m afraid it’s going to end up in a big argument.”

“You should have thought of that before you conspired to hide it from him.  You’re solely responsible and deserving of whatever happens,” the Sister informed her in that no-nonsense tone of voice. 

“Yes, Sister Mary, I know,” she sighed.  No point in looking for sympathy there.

“I assume that Dorothea knows where you’re taking the train to every day?”

Allegra had explained her current living situation to the Sister when she’d filled out the employment paperwork, on the off chance that she would recognize Jon’s address.  She’d also mentioned Dot several times during the course of casual conversation during the day.

“She does.”

The Sister’s eyes pinned her to the wall of the cubicle more effectively than any push pin as she baldly stated, “So, not only are you keeping it from Jon, you’re asking his wife to keep secrets from him as well.  And his friend too, because I presume Richie is also aware of your position here.”

Okay, why don’t you tell me how you really feel about me?  I’m the devil in disguise.  I get it.

“Message noted loud and clear, Sister.  It will be sooner rather than later, I assure you.  I’m more than ready to shed this burden.”

“Allegra, I don’t mean to pry, but I have to admit that I’m quite curious about something.  May I ask you a question?”

“Yes, of course,” Allegra agreed somewhat reluctantly. 

“What’s the real reason it was so important to be secretive about this?”

“Sister, if you felt my actions were so abominable, then why did you help me?”

“Because I know that, if he were aware you wanted a position with this Foundation, he would’ve made it his priority to find something here that fit you, and he would do it without a moment’s hesitation.  I knew beyond a doubt that I wasn’t going against his wishes.  He is a caretaker – a protector.  He wants what’s best for those around him.”

Allegra sighed and leaned back against the edge of the desk.  “Obviously, you think I don’t know that – or that I’m unappreciative of the fact.  Well, nothing is further from the truth.  Sister Mary, I love him like a brother, and he’s been nothing but exceptional to me since I knocked on his door.  I’m grateful for him, there’s no question of that, but I needed to know I could forge my own way.  If there had been another organization of this type in the area, I would’ve gone there and avoided this whole mess.”

Sister Mary scrutinized her in that nunly way she had, trying to make Allegra squirm.  Fortunately for her, Allegra had lived with a lot of nuns for a lot of years, and had spent over a week with Sister Mary herself.  She was becoming accustomed to the ‘guilt rays’ shooting from her eyes.

“According to our calendar, Jon will be in town sometime after the twentieth.  I guarantee he will be in this office while he’s in town.  If you haven’t told him by then, I will.  That is if you don’t run into him at the coffee pot first.  Now, have a safe trip, and I’ll see you on Monday.”

With that, she was gone, leaving Allegra to absorb her words.

Just because I’m getting used to the ‘guilt rays’ doesn’t mean they’re any less effective.  Arggggh!  Why was it so important to keep this a secret?  It’s not like I was doing something questionable that I needed to hide. 

She shook her head, and grabbed her handbag to hurry out the door, mindful that she could miss her train.  There was time to psychoanalyze her actions one more time during the train ride home, and a long flight tomorrow to figure out how to confess to Jon.  Hopefully, he wouldn’t fire her once he found out.  She didn’t have any idea, but she assumed it was within his power to do that.

Her haste had been wise, and she had barely stepped onto the train before it started chugging its way down the track.  Swaying with the motion of train, she tottered through the car and chose a vacant seat next to the window.  She was just about to plug the earbuds into her phone, when its vibration alerted her to an incoming call.

Allegra smiled at the perfect timing.  David was always good for a distraction from the weightier problems in life. 

“David.  How did you know I needed to hear a friendly voice about now?”

“Aw, what’s the matter Legs?  I thought you’d be all excited because you get to see me tomorrow.  You’re not excited?”  There was a pout evident in his voice and it made her smile all the more.

“Of course I am!  It’s been forever since I’ve seen those beautiful curly locks of yours.  Well, except on You Tube.”  Since Jesse had fixed her computer, anyway.  The look on his face when he’d seen the problem had been priceless.   He looked back and forth between her and Dorothea at least three times, as though he was waiting to get blamed.  Both women played dumb and, in the end, none of them admitted they knew what could cause that kind of problem with a computer.  And lucky for him, they also didn’t question how he knew exactly what the solution was and got it back up and running so quickly.

“I’ve created a You Tube monster!” David laughed.

She tipped her head to rest against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. “Hey, how else am I supposed to get my fix?  It’s hard when the band is on the other side of the country.”

“Bring your laptop and I’ll show you how to skype.”

“What’s that?”  Yet more bizarre computer technology, she guessed and doubted that she would be interested.  She was still scarred over the last episode.   

“Video chat.  You can see someone and talk to them at the same time.”

“Are you kidding me?  I thought that only existed in the movies.”

“Technology is amazing, sweetheart.  You’ll thank me for it later, I promise.  But for now, I’ve only got a few minutes and wanted to see if you got what you needed to bring to Vegas.”

They had spoken a few times since he’d come up with his plan, and he’d provided detailed instructions on what she needed to bring.  “Yes, I’ve got it.  They’re going to die, you know that, right?  I may kiss you if this gets the reaction I think it will.  Is Jon acting any better?”

“No!  Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that.  His birthday in Sacramento was a good night.  He let loose – meaning got drunk – and relaxed a little.  Well, actually a lot.  He forgot to be bitchy for a while, and it was actually pretty pleasant in the trenches.   How has he been with you?  Have you talked to him at all since you’ve been gone?”

“No, I haven’t spoken to him once since I left, and I’m really surprised he hasn’t called to warn me away from the evil guitarist.  But maybe he’s worried about me being a groupie whore and tarnishing Richie’s reputation.”  She said the words lightly, but in her heart she had considered that possibility.  “David, why do you think he’s really so upset about this?”

“Damned if I know.  I’ve spent some time trying to figure it out myself, and the only thing I can come up with is that he’s trying to protect you?  God knows Sambora has corrupted many a woman.”

“Okay, Richie’s sexual conquests are not something I want to think about, thanks anyway.  Change of subject.  Have you got everything taken care of on your end?  Did you tell Richie?  It’s okay if you didn’t, because he’s expecting me to let him know what you’re up to once I get there.”

“Everything is under control and will be waiting when we hit the hotel.  It turned out to be just a touch more elaborate than I planned, but I just couldn’t resist a few little extra details.  I live for this kind of shit,” he told her with pride and excitement in his voice.  “I haven’t told Richie yet, but I will tonight, because it’s definitely time for him to know.  Have you mentioned any of this to Dot?”

“Nope, I haven’t breathed a word to anybody.  You’re the professional here, and I didn’t want to interfere with the intricacies of what you’re doing, so I kept my mouth shut.”

“Well, in that case, you know what to do between now and then, right?”

“Do?  I have no idea.” 

“Okay, babe, take notes…”  David began reciting instructions that grew more and more detailed, and Allegra worried that she was way out of her league on this one.