Chapter 82

The California landscape was vastly different than that of New Jersey from what Allegra could see.  Instead of the leafy trees that were coming into bloom back home, there were palm trees and yucca bushes dotting the horizon.  The pervading feel of desert was enhanced by the brightly shining sun that created the illusion of heat, when it was actually quite cool outside the Los Angeles airport.

“Welcome to LA, baby,” Richie told her with a grin as they climbed into the hired car. 

“The land of fruits and nuts?”

He threw back his head and laughed.  “Jon’s poisoned your mind already, I see.  It’s different than Jersey, but it’s not bad.  I hope you’ll like it.”  The depth of solemnity in his eyes caused her to shiver.  It was  evident  that there was deeper meaning lurking behind his offhanded comment.

“I’m sure I will.”

Richie smiled silently, but it was clear he had something else on his mind.  He looked at her and would open his mouth, closing it again without speaking.  After the third such instance, she laughed and poked him in the ribs.  “What?   You obviously want to say something.”

His sheepish grin was her confirmation.  “I know we aren’t supposed to pick up Ava until tomorrow, but how would you feel about getting her today?”

“Sweetie, why would you even hesitate to ask?  I think that sounds like a great idea.”

“I wanted to give you time to settle in at the house first, but now that I’m here I can’t stop thinking about her.  Are you sure you don’t care?”

“Richie.”  She gave him a disapproving scowl.  “You haven’t seen her for almost a month, AND you had to miss her big modeling debut.  Of course I don’t care.  Can we swing by and pick her up on the way your house?”

He lit up with excitement and pulled her in for a quick kiss.  “Do you know how much I appreciate you?  I’ll call and let her know we’re coming.”

Placing the call, his voice faded to a dull murmur in her consciousness and a vague smile settled on her face.   Allegra was grateful that she finally felt healed and rested, allowing her to enjoy the time with Richie and his daughter. 

They had spent a long time talking with her parents on Sunday after everything was out in the open, surprisingly without animosity.  She understood where they were coming from, and they were trying to accept her choices – including Richie.  Her mother actually asked him a few questions, which he smiled and answered as though it was the most natural thing in the world.  Allegra couldn’t be any more pleased about the relationship between him and her parents at this point.  Her mother had even reluctantly hugged Richie before they left. 

As far as the whole adoption thing went, she was at peace with it – for the most part.  There wasn’t the emotional turmoil of being the castoff of her birth mother, and she’d gotten to stay with her biological family.  Considering how traumatized many adoptees were, her situation was a best case scenario, really.  The only loose end was the mystery of her father, but she wasn’t sure it even mattered.  It was obvious that she was her mother’s child, and he hadn’t wanted her.  She had enough on her mind without adding that to the top of the pile right now.

Jon had been brought up to speed soon after they returned, and while he was astonished at the secrecy, he accepted it easily enough.  Of course, he was feeding from Allegra’s reaction.  It was her life that had just been sliced open to reveal a secret center.  If she was okay with it, he had no reason NOT to be. 

At her request, Jon agreed not to involve the rest of the family just yet, even though he was more than a little curious at never hearing anything about another sibling.  He very badly wanted to ask his father about Frannie, but consented to hold his tongue until Allegra was ready to share.

Having missed so many recent shows, she coerced Richie to let her tag along to Washington, DC to see the guys in action last night.  Security had never left her side, and she stayed backstage, but it was surprisingly nice to take part in something normal for a change.  The performance was phenomenal and she truly enjoyed herself.

It also didn’t hurt to find out that Dot’s lessons had made a significant improvement in her trepidation with other people.  Of course, the security guy had orders to quite literally watch her back, so that was an extra source of comfort.

Tico, David and Hugh had greeted her like a long, lost family member, each bestowing a exuberant hug upon her – that is, after they’d made eye contact.  No musicians were harmed for their affection that night.

“Legs, I’ve missed ya like crazy,”  David had spoken into her ear.  “How are you?  Honestly.”

Clinging a little longer than was merited, she relinquished her hold with an embarrassed grin.  “Better,” she assured him.  It was the first time they’d been in the same place since she dropped him to his backside.  “David, I’m so sorry about freaking out on you.”

“Nope, we’re not going there,” he admonished with a firm shake of those unruly curls.  “You’re getting help now, and that’s all I care about.”  Their two pairs of blue eyes connected and he delved behind the faded denim of her irises, seeking the answer to some unspoken question. 

Allegra squirmed under his scrutiny.  Serious Dave was still something she didn’t quite know how to operate.  

Sensing her discomfort, he kicked up the corner of his Joker’s mouth in a half-hearted smile and offered, “I’m here if you need me, Allegra.  Anytime.  Day or night.”

“Sunshine?” 

She blinked her eyes several times and turned with a smile, Richie’s voice bringing her out of her reverie.  “Hmm?”

“I said that there’s been a slight change of plans.”  The hint of a frown in his features let her know that the change wasn’t one he favored.

“How so?”

“It’s a good thing that I wanted Ava today, because she just told me that she’s got a ski trip planned with her friend Kendall.  They’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry.  How long will she be gone?”  Allegra tamped down aggravation with Ava and her mother.  He had been counting on spending this week with his little girl, and she thought it was mean to deny his time.

“They’ll be back on Saturday night.”  The sag of Richie’s shoulders bordered on pitiful, and it pulled at Allegra.  She just knew this was Heather’s doing.  Ava may have wanted to go with friends, but it was her prerogative – even obligation – as a mother to say no under the circumstances.  Mentioning it to Richie wasn’t going to solve anything, so she tried to shine a positive light on the situation.

“Oh, that’s great!”  She grinned through the annoyance.  “She’ll be home for Easter dinner then.  You’ll still get your family time.”  Her hand rested on his arm with a light squeeze.  “Is your mother going to come out for Easter?”

They hadn’t discussed any specific plans for the holiday, waiting to decide the particulars until after they’d settled in at his house.

His eyes lightened as the idea took root.  “We haven’t really talked about it, but I bet she would.  How do you feel about Easter with Ma and Ava?  Would you want to invite your folks out too?”

Allegra tangled her fingers in his hair as she cupped his jaw.  “I don’t know if we’ve QUITE reached that level of happy harmony between our families yet.”  Her lips lit lightly across his.  “But you’re really sweet for the suggestion.”

His head bobbed in acknowledgement, but his eyes were trained on a spot outside the vehicle, just past her shoulder.  She turned to see what had captured his attention as the driver expertly brought the car to a halt.

Heather’s home was exactly what she’d expected.  No, that wasn’t true.  She hadn’t EXPECTED anything, because she hadn’t taken the time to wonder.  It was a large, lovely home befitting a Hollywood actress, and Allegra really didn’t care to notice anything beyond that.

The surprise was in the fact that Heather was waiting by the front door.  It was her presence that had commanded Richie’s attention.

“I see we’ve arrived,” Allegra commented, watching him interestedly.  She’d never seen or heard him interact with his ex-wife, but this puppy-eyed fascination was not the scenario she would have envisioned.  It was a little off-putting, truth be told.

“Yeah.”  The invisible tether between his eyes and Heather snapped and he quickly zeroed in on Allegra’s face.  “Sunshine, you can stay in the car if you’d like.  I won’t be a minute.”

“I can stay in the car if I’d like, or you’d like me to stay in the car?”  There was a clear and definite distinction between the two, and after what she’d just witnessed either was possible

“Whatever YOU would like.”

Her one accidental interaction with Heather hadn’t gone well, and she’d rather steer completely clear of her, but that wasn’t a reasonable expectation.   This woman was Ava’s mother.  If Allegra was going to be part of Richie’s life, she would have to learn to deal with her. 

“I’ll be right behind you, sweetie.”

He nodded, and put his foot out on the driveway.  Once he had extracted himself from the car, he waited for her to follow suit before approaching his ex-wife with a guarded smile.

“Heather.”  Richie dropped the requisite Hollywood kiss on her cheek.

“So this is her.”  Heather didn’t bother to return his greeting, instead directing her attention to his side.

Allegra extended her hand and smiled politely, channeling her inner Jon.  He managed to be personable and completely detached in the same moment, and she’d never realized what a useful skill it was until that moment.

“Hi, I’m Allegra.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

She stood firmly under the head-to-toe scrutiny she was subjected to, refusing to be intimidated.  Inspection complete, the barest ghost of a smug smile touched Heather’s lips, and her fingertips clasped Allegra’s hand briefly before turning away in dismissal.

What a bitch.

“How’s the tour, babe?”  She sidled up to Richie, snaking her arm around his waist and smirking with satisfaction when he automatically curled his arm around her shoulders.  Slow calculated movements had him escorting her into the house without a backward glance for Allegra.   

“It’s going good,” he returned eagerly, affection evident on his features and in his tone.  “You know how we always…” his voice faded as the couple crossed the threshold and Allegra was left standing alone on the driveway, her temper starting to boil.

She couldn’t decide which one of them she was angrier with.  Heather had effectively manipulated situation, making herself seem like a catty shrew in the process, but Richie… 

Allegra had been apprehensive enough about her first encounter with this woman, and then Richie completely left her hanging.  She didn’t think it was unreasonable of her to expect him to ease the meeting.  But no, Richie had gone into another world the minute he’d laid sights on the well-manicured actress – a world in which SHE had faded to the background.  

“Are you coming, Sunshine?” he called over his shoulder, his soft brown gaze never leaving the blonde pressed against his side.

She pushed back the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as the truth dawned on her.

Richie was still in love with Heather.