Fifty-Seven

“Sunshine, can I call you back in a few minutes?”

Unfortunately, it was a litany she was becoming accustomed to.  Every time she had the chance to talk to Richie this week, it seemed like he was completely preoccupied with something else.  Well, not just something else.  More specifically, LA Fashion Week.  

She’d spoken to him briefly after the dinner on Monday, but he hadn’t had time to talk.  Nikki was on the other line and needed his opinion on which designs to put in the show.

On Tuesday, she was anxious to share the details of the encounter with her parents, but he was looking at some proofs for Nikki.  They only had a week before everything had to be finalized and perfect.

Wednesday, he’d no more asked about her day when Nikki called with some crisis or another, and he had to go.

Thursday he was trying to make arrangements for Nikki to meet him in whatever city was next.  Something about her saying he actually needed to ‘feel’ the design to appreciate the slight changes she’d made.

And now this.  If she heard Nikki’s name one more time, she was going to scream.

“Nikki, gimme a sec,” he spoke away from the phone.

Arrrrggggghhhhh!!!

And then his words, and their meaning, sank in.

“Nikki’s there with you in your hotel room?”  Allegra looked at the clock, trying to remember what city he was in again.  Wichita?  Fargo?  That meant central time.   She’d called him when she’d gotten up at six o’clock. That meant Nikki was in his hotel room at five o’clock in the morning!

“Yeah, we’re making some last minute changes to one of the dresses before she has to head back to LA.”

“She’s there IN your hotel room?”  He clearly wasn’t connecting the dots the same way she was.   

“Yes.”  Irritation crept into his voice.  “IN my hotel room.  Where else would she be?”

In a snowdrift?  At the plastic surgeon? 

“You know, I guess she’s exactly where you want her to be,” Allegra admitted and disconnected the call with no further comment. 

Gathering up her clothing for the day, she tried to shake off her anger and headed for the shower. 

I hate being jealous of this girl…woman…whatever.  She didn’t even really know how old she was.  She looked to be about her own age, but her mannerisms pegged her to be younger.  Being a California girl made it even harder to tell.  Who knew what was real and what wasn’t?

Then there was that niggling voice in the back of her head.  Had Nikki and Richie been involved more… intimately than the clothing line?  The thought made her slightly ill.  Of course she knew he’d had other lovers, but she’d still rather not have mental images of them. 

Jon or Dot would tell her, wouldn’t they?  That’s it.  She’d just ask one of them if Richie had a history with Nikki.

With that decision made, she enjoyed the sensation of the warm water pummeling her back, easing the tension in those muscles. 

If she took a moment to be rational, she could admit that it wasn’t REALLY Nikki she was jealous of, but her time with Richie.  Allegra sorely missed their cozy late night/early morning chats, and she still hadn’t gotten to tell him about what had happened with her parents the other night.  She didn’t need the extra reinforcement, but she wanted to share it with him just the same.  Maybe he already knew about it?  Jon could’ve easily said something.  He’d called right after the show to make sure everyone was still in one piece.

But now she needed Richie.  She was nervous about going to her parent’s house tonight.   They didn’t know that she was dating anyone, and as tenuous as things were between them, she wasn’t sure how they would react to the news - especially when they found out who he was.  Couple that with the fact there would be no Bongiovi referees to help defend her?  Yes, some reassurance would be more than welcome.

With a quiet sigh of resignation, she methodically rinsed her dark tresses, ensuring that all of the shampoo and conditioner made its way down the drain, along with the majority of her anger.  Unlike the soap, no matter how much rinsing she did, her anger wasn’t going to completely wash away just yet.

It’s only a few more days, and the fashion show will be over.  I can stand it a little while longer.

♥ ♫ ♥

Don’t bend, don’t break, baby don’t back down..

The volume on her music was turned up a little too loud as she lost herself in the anthem of “It’s My Life” on the train ride to Philadelphia.  So loud, in fact, that when the music was replaced by a ringtone, she jumped, startling both herself and the passenger next to her.

“Sorry,” she apologized to the woman with a smile before answering.

“Legs!  How are ya, baby?”

She couldn’t help but be pleased to hear the familiar voice.  He always seems to know when I need to lighten up.

“I’m good Dave, how are you?”

“You’ve seen me.  I’m fan-fucking-tastic!”

She laughed lightly and curled one corner of her mouth up in a smile.  “You’re up and about early.  What’s going on?”

“Eh.  Nothing much.  I missed ya, and wanted to say hi.”

Her eyebrows furrowed together suspiciously.  It wasn’t unusual for him to call, but he always had a reason.  “Yeah, right.  Because that happens so often.”

“Hey!  It does!  I miss having somebody around who’s prettier than Jon.” 

“Mm hmm.”  Allegra knew that he liked her, and enjoyed her company.  But after all the time they’d spent together, and several conversations with Lexi, she also knew how to see through some of his theatrics.  “Give it up.  What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to see if you were okay.”  Allegra waited for the punch line, but there wasn’t one.  No teasing, no joking.  Only a sincere question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked, starting to legitimately consider the possibility that he’d developed some type of psychic connection to her.

“Rich has the room next to mine.  He woke me up throwing shit around, and I was worried that you were on the other end of his outburst.”

She swallowed to fight the bile rising in her throat.  “No.  That must’ve been after I… talked to him.  Nikki probably caught the brunt of it.”

“Nikki?  She was…?  Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” she agreed, and was quiet until she’d counted ten trees passing by the train’s window.   “David, we’re friends, right?”

“Of course we are.”

“I know we don’t have the history that you and Richie do, but you would tell me if something was going on wouldn’t you?”

There was an awkward moment as he carefully chose his words.  “Sweetheart, I love you, but that’s not how it goes in the Brotherhood.  That secrets to the grave shit isn’t just to pimp our image.  But,” he qualified, “I can promise you that if there were a problem, I would make sure it was addressed. And I’m confident I’d have the others backing me up.  We wouldn’t knowingly stand by and allow that to happen.”

“Thank you for that, at least.” She shifted in her seat, her gaze drifting back out the window to the passing scenery.  Eyes falling shut, she asked quietly, “Can you at least tell me if they were ever in a relationship?”

“Sweetie, don’t screw your mind up playing those games.”  At Allegra’s lack of response, he sighed in submission and gave in. “Honestly, I haven’t a clue.  But, if it’s any consolation, my gut instinct tells me no.  For whatever it’s worth.”

The trees were giving way to houses, which would soon give way to buildings.  It wouldn’t be long until she’d reached her station.  Before then there was something else she needed to know. 

“David, how IS he?  I haven’t gotten to really talk to him in days, and what little we have spoken he’s seemed… distracted and short tempered.”

“He looks like hell, but other than that, I guess he’s okay.  Putting in some ridiculously long hours adding the fashion gig on top of what we already do.  Sunglasses all day and night, if that tells you anything.”

Dropping her chin to her chest, she closed her eyes with a soft breath. She wanted to be angry, not feel sorry for him. 

“Hey, there’s no being sad! The big doofus is working too hard, not partying too hard.  Besides, I called to make you smile, so smile!”

“I’m sorry.  This is harder than I thought it was going to be.”  She gave a dry laugh.  “Famous last words, huh?”

“Tut, tut, tut!  There will be no speaking of last words here, Miss Thing!  Everything will be fine.  Exercise a little patience, and let him get through this.  THEN talk to him about…  Well, whatever it is you want to talk about.  When is this damn fashion show anyway?”

“Mm.  I think Wednesday.”  Her mind was spinning in a million different directions.  She wanted to run and take care of him.  She wanted to yell at him to slow down.  She wanted to smack him in the back of the head for distancing her.  She wanted to know the story with Nikki.

“David?”

“Yeah Legs?”

“Can I call you the next few days?  Probably a lot?  I’m going to give him his space, but I want to make sure he’s holding up okay.”

“Call me any time, as many times as you want,” he told her.  “I love having beautiful women call me.  Of course, I’d rather have them call out my name in the throes of passion, but I’ll take what I can get.”

With a quirk of her mouth, she asked him.  “Okay, I’m ready to smile now.  What do ya have for me?”

“Well, it almost made me cry, but I think this MIGHT do it for ya.  Did you know it was the twins’ birthday a couple days ago?”

“Aww, no!   I’m sorry I missed it.  They’re the same age as Jesse, right?  That makes them what, sixteen?”

He groaned.  “Yeah, that’s exactly what it makes them.  And, like a dumbass, Dad got them both cars for their birthday.”

“Of course you did,” she mocked him.  “Probably very expensive cars.”  It must be hard not to spoil your kids when you had the money to do it.

“Really COOL cars, too!  Camaros!   Gabby’s is a red convertible and Colton’s is a black SS.”  The kids couldn’t possibly have been more excited than he was.  “Complete with all the bells and whistles.  EXCEPT for that add-on pack of common sense.”

“Uh-oh.  This doesn’t sound good…”

“So, Colton is being the typical testosterone laden sixteen year old boy, right?  Gunning the engine for all it’s worth, while he’s leaning over the console, screwing with the stereo.  Well, I dunno what the hell happened, but he ‘slipped’ and threw the car into gear at about 1500 rpms.  Tore the whole fucking side out of the garage.”

Her gasp startled the woman seated next to her, and she mouthed another apology.  “How is he?  Was he hurt?”

He snorted in disgust.  “He’s in a hell of a lot better shape  than the garage, the car, or my insurance premiums.”

“Ohhh, David…”  She tried to be sympathetic.  She really did.  But it was just too funny not to laugh.  You’d never convince her that he hadn’t done something equally stupid with a car when he was sixteen, and she said as much.

“Well, yeah, but my car only rolled into the lake when I forgot to set the emergency break.  I didn’t broadside a garage at thirty miles an hour!” He defended himself.

Laughter bubbled out, uncontrolled.  She’d known it! 

For the first time that morning, she felt a little light shining into her day.  “I love you, you crazy man,” she told him with a little giggle.

“Right back atcha, Legs.”