by Debbie Zello
“I don’t care. Check inside and out,” Gareth said, forcefully.
“We will, Gareth. This was unforeseen and it won’t happen again.”
“Do you think it was David’s doing?”
“I don’t know. It would depend on how long it was there waiting to go off. I have someone on him twenty-four-seven and he hasn’t moved from his house. He’s got lots of company there with the press outside waiting for him.”
“Cheri wants to stick to our plans and come here on Thursday. I want to catch the next flight and be there in the morning.”
“If you’re asking me what you should do, let her come to you. I think she needs to handle this alone, and then get away for a few days. If I have to sleep on the floor in front of her bed, Gareth, I will,” Joe said attempting to appease him.
“Okay. I’ll wait for her. But I’m not happy.”
“If she was mine, I wouldn’t be either.”
Joe slept in the living room on the couch. Cheri felt that was unnecessary but Joe would not listen to any of it. He was staying and that was it.
Little Grace was beginning to like all of the commotion in her world. Extra people to play with and the man could throw her up in the air and catch her. Ben felt better knowing Joe was in the house with his gun. All Ben had was a bat at his disposal. Piper didn’t know which way to go. She worried about Cheri and the fire and Grace.
In the morning, Piper, Cheri, and Joe went to the office to see what could be salvaged from the fire and what needed to be replaced. By early afternoon, Cheri was seeing clients over a card table and chairs from Piper’s basement.
Two desktop and two laptop computers were delivered from the local store. With the metal lamps that weren’t damaged by the water and one chair from Piper’s office, they had some semblance of an office set up. They had moved everything down to the empty space that was somewhat smaller than Cheri’s. This would have to do until the drywall was replaced and new carpeting installed.
By the end of the day, Cheri had a splitting headache. What she really wanted was a leisurely bath in the copper tub at Gareth’s house. What she settled for was a relatively quick one at Ben and Piper’s house, with Grace banging on the door to come in.
Cheri checked her bag one more time, to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything important. She called Gareth to go over her flight number and the details of what was going to happen to her within minutes of her arrival. Her smile told the truth of how happy she was with the itinerary.
Joe spent the night on the couch again. He had spent most of the day meeting with the fire chief, insurance company, and construction crew. Because he trusted no one, he would personally supervise the construction so that nothing else would make its way into her office.
Thursday morning dawned with bright sunshine, warm temperatures and a wide smile on Cheri’s face. Joe drove her to the office as he was also taking her to the airport later that morning.
Cheri had one appointment and some time to do some more salvaging. Her law library was, for the most part, ruined. There were a few books on one end that didn’t get wet. They smelled of smoke but she was the only one that used them so she could overlook that.
At eleven, Joe came into her office and said, “Time to go, Cinderella. Your carriage awaits, my lady, to take you to the airport.”
“I thought Cinderella went to the ball?” Cheri replied.
“The ball is in California. You have to take the plane to the ball,” he said.
Cheri finished up what she could, grabbed her bag, and headed out to Joe’s car. When she got in, she could see from the look on his face that something was troubling him. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I just got a call from the fire marshal. The device they used was very rudimentary. Something anyone could find out how to make on the internet. What that means is he’s not a professional. That’s both good and bad news. Good, because they don’t have money behind them. Bad because it means it’s personal.”
“I have no idea who would be after me personally. I’ve gone through every client I’ve ever had and I’ve come up with nothing. I’ve never been threatened with retaliation from any of them. We won almost all of our cases. The few we lost were guilty and they knew they were. It’s very difficult to get an acquittal for a guilty person.”
“Unless you’re famous, and then it happens,” Joe said smiling at her to ease her tension.
“I guess. We didn’t have any of those clients. Even the two we lost, they thanked us for doing the best that we could with the evidence against them. I don’t think it’s a client,” she said still wracking her brain for a clue.
“All right, for now let’s assume it’s not a client or David. What about someone from your mother’s dealings? Did she do drugs?” he asked knowing he was entering her soft spot.
“I don’t know, for sure. I never saw anything around. But if she was doing pills, I wouldn’t have seen that. I never went in her room without her being there,” she said sadly.
“Why is that?” Joe asked.
“Because I didn’t want her in mine without me being there. I was a teenager and wanted my privacy. I had a journal I didn’t want her snooping in. Some notes and things,” Cheri said her face turning red.
“Why, Cheri, and all this time I thought you were a good girl. Imagine my surprise! Do you still keep a journal?”
“Yes, but it’s painfully out of date. I haven’t written in it for months. Not since I met the tall, handsome stranger that rented the cottage next door to me. He kind of occupied my time,” she said smiling at her memories.
“So I’ve heard. Did you keep the old journals? The ones from just before your parents passed?”
“I have them somewhere at the cottage. I can look for them when I get back. Why do you want them?”
“Your parent’s death was a complete shock to your system. Your memories fade. You just might have written a conversation you heard, or something suspicious you saw. Anything that might lead to a reason behind this. It’s a long shot, but worth the effort if you find something,” he said patting her hand.
Joe dropped Cheri off right in front of her terminal. He waited right there even though a police officer kept waving him through. His job was to make sure she got inside and to her check in, not make the cop happy. As soon as she was in line, he waved at the cop and drove off.
Cheri got through her check in. She made it through the TSA inspection. Her flight was called a few minutes after she arrived at her gate. She got comfortable in her seat and once they were in the air she took a nap, knowing she wasn’t sleeping much tonight.
The non-stop flight was quiet and restful and she landed on time. Walking up through the gangway with a wide grin on her face, she immediately spotted the man that made her knees weak.
Cheri walked right into his arms as he said, “You look so good. God, I’ve missed you.” Gareth kissed her soundly holding her tightly.
She looked up to his eyes and said, “So when does this ‘ripping my clothes off and ravishing my body all night’ start?”
“The minute I get you home and up to my bedroom,” he said trying not to grin.
“Thank God, I was hoping you’d say that.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cheri caught Gareth up on the discussion she’d had with Joe on the way to the airport. “I like Joe. He’s always coming up with a different angle on this. I feel better knowing he has your back,” Gareth said sighing.
“I don’t want you worrying about me. I don’t take stupid chances,” Cheri said touching the side of his face.
“Too late. I love you and that includes worrying about you,” he said kissing her fingers. He pulled into his driveway and parked in the garage. Knowing the size of his beach house, Cheri wasn’t exactly surprised by his home.
“Tell me about your house?”
“I saw it five years ago. One of the producers I was working with owned it. I fell in love with the beach. The first thing I did after I b
ought it was to build the cabana. It has electricity, internet and cable.
“It has five bedrooms, seven baths, living room, dining room, and kitchen. I have an office and a screening room downstairs. Six acres of land and if the ocean isn’t to your liking, a pool.”
“And a bevy of bikini-clad beauties bathing by the pool on a regular basis?”
“There might be one tomorrow, if I let her out of my bed,” he said kissing her nose. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Gareth’s home was decorated in shades of coral, mint and beige. The floors are a natural bamboo. The kitchen is completely white. Cabinets, tile floor and granite countertop, all of the appliances are black.
The living room opens out to the beach with the pool on the left side also looking at the ocean. The house is very large but yet with a homey feel to it. Gareth is a minimalist, not filling his space with unnecessary furniture. His decorations are sparse but the few pieces of art he displays are of the priceless variety.
He leads her down a hallway to a double door that opens in. “All of the other bedrooms are upstairs. This is the master suite, otherwise known as, where you’re spending the next three days.”
“Promises, promises,” Cheri said brazenly. She walked around the room, his massive bed in the center, dominating the space. “Where do you keep your stuff? You don’t have any dressers,” she said noticing the absence.
“The closet is huge and everything is in there,” he said pointing to the bank of doors on the opposite wall. “The first door on the left is the bathroom. The middle door is the closet. The door on the right is another office.” He walked over to her and folded his arms around her. “Time to get you naked. Five weeks is a long time to not have you next to me, under me.”
Slowly, he removed her clothes, taking time to kiss her, their love heavy between them. She unwrapped him like a present, quickly throwing his clothes over her head, not caring where they landed. They stood together exposed to each other, renewing their commitment with hands, lips and tongues. Her smile intrigued him and he asked, “You always have that same smile when you look at me. What are you thinking?”
“If I tell you, you’ll get a big head,” she said with a giggle.
“I’ll risk it; I want to know.”
“Your body is so scorching and your bundle is so much bigger than his is, it just makes me smile. I feel like I’ve hit the stud lottery,” she said in all seriousness.
Gareth burst out in laughter. “The stud lottery? Really? That revelation made one of my heads big. Lucky for you it’s the one I intend to use tonight.”
Gareth woke during the night. He looked lovingly at Cheri sleeping next to him. The moonlight from the open window kissed her bare shoulder. He would do anything for her. Slay any dragon, scale any castle wall, and spare no expense to keep her safe.
Gareth found Cheri walking the beach in the early morning. She had her arms full of treasures and a huge grin on her face. “Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning. What’s all of that?”
“Just some things I found.”
“My uncluttered life is going to get cluttered, right?”
“You need some things. You don’t have any things.”
“You’re right, I need some things. You sound like Naomi. But what I really need is you,” he said taking some of her treasures.
“You’ve got me. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to walk this morning. I’m pleasantly surprised that I can!” she said smiling.
“It’s cumulative; by Monday you’ll need a wheelchair to take you to your gate!”
“One can only hope,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. They began walking back towards his house. Cheri stopped a few times to examine shells before tossing them away as unworthy of display.
Cheri washed her shells and rocks while Gareth made coffee. She frowned at his plastic cups as he placed them in the coffee machine. “I’m going to have to bring my coffee maker when I visit,” she said teasing him.
“I’ll buy one. This house is your house. I want you happy here.”
“If you’re here, I’m happy,” she replied. They sat down to have their breakfast. “Do you have plans for us today?”
“I thought you might like to go for a ride and see the sights. Tucker wants to meet you, so I thought we would swing by his place for a minute.”
“I can’t wait to meet him. What about Naomi?”
“She’ll be here tomorrow. I’m nervous about you meeting her.”
“Why’s that?”
“She knows all of my secrets,” he said warily.
“Sounds like Naomi and I need some girl talk.”
“And there goes my stress level. Come on, lets get out of here,” he said, taking her hand. Gareth wanted to give her the tour of the usual touristy places and a few of his personal favorites. But with only three days it was a daunting task.
They started out with a ride past the famed Hollywood sign on Mount Lee. They stopped to put their feet and hands in the prints in front of the Kodak Theatre, with all the other tourists. In West Hollywood, they walked down the Sunset Strip between Doheny Drive and Fairfax, stopping in at The House of Blues for a drink.
With more time, he would take her to the comedy clubs and dancing in one of the nightclubs. But this visit didn’t have the time for that.
Driving in the late afternoon to Tucker’s place, Cheri’s phone pinged with a Google Alert. Cheri opened the phone to see a photo of her and Gareth taken at the airport when she first arrived. They were together in a lip-lock that was completely swoon worthy. The caption read.
Is Hot Director off the Market?
“What is it?” Gareth asked.
“A picture of you with a woman, kissing,” she said deadpan.
“It’s either old or you. So which is it?”
“It’s me at the airport. Seems you’ve been outed. They want to know if you’re off the market.”
“Off, out, finished. I’m a married man as far as I’m concerned,” he said lifting her hand to kiss it. He pulls up to what looks like an old office building. “This is it!”
“Is this his studio?”
“It’s his everything. He lives and works here. He rents out the offices on the first floor. He has the entire second floor. He’s very introverted. Doesn’t go out much. I’m probably his only real friend.”
“That is so sad. He doesn’t date?”
“Not that I know of. He had a girlfriend in college but something happened. He never talks about it. He was hurt badly.”
“Heartache is the worst feeling. It takes a long time to heal. But it’s been years since that happened. You need to fix him up with someone,” she said pointedly.
“I need to stay out of his love-life, just like he stays out of mine!” he said. They walked in and up the stairs. Gareth punched in a few numbers on the pad next to the door and it unlocked. Gareth pushed it open yelling, “I hope you’re decent because there is a beautiful woman on deck.”
“And if I’m not you might lose her to me, ‘cause I’m much better looking!” Tucker yelled back. Gareth and Cheri walked in laughing and holding hands. Tucker came out of another room and whistled loudly. “Holy shit, man. You weren’t lying after all. Hi Cheri, I’m Tucker. I’m very happy to finally meet the woman that has Gareth on a short leash.”
“I didn’t know I had him on a leash. Nice to meet you too, Tucker. Gareth has told me a lot about you.”
“Well, you do, and it’s nice to see. I’m happy for the both of you. I hear I’m the best man at the wedding in September. I hate to fly, so this East coast thing is an inconvenience.”
“Quit your bellyaching. You know you wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Gareth said. They all sat down together. The two friends continued to tease each other for Cheri’s benefit. It was easy to see how close they were. They could complete each other’s statements and answer a question before it was completed.
After a small number of bottles of wine, a
lot of conversation, and a few hours had passed, Gareth said it was time to get going. Cheri exacted a promise from Tucker that he would indeed come for the wedding and stay for a while.
Cheri and Gareth left the same way they came in, hand-in-hand, smiling and happy.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Gareth stopped to pick up some Chinese for their dinner. They sat outside with the view of the ocean as they ate. “This is delicious,” Cheri moaned.
“This take-out is the best in town. I don’t go anywhere else.”
“I like Tucker. He’s a good friend to have.”
“That he is. We’ve been through a lot together. I met him in basic training. We went into Special Forces together and then college. Now he’s my right arm and my conscience,” Gareth reminisced, with a far off look.
“I find it hard to believe that you need a conscience. You’re very honorable.”
“He helps me to keep it real in my films. I’m thinking a scene is pivotal and he grounds me so I can see it isn’t.”
“I see what you mean.”
“I’m going to light a fire for us. It might be the last one this season. I’ll meet you inside,” he said getting up with his empty boxes. Cheri took hers inside with him to throw them away.
“I’m going to get washed up. I’ll be back in a minute,” she said heading to the bedroom. Cheri looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She washed her face and brushed out her hair, which had become all tangled in the sea breeze. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “If you’re going to hold him, you have to be more assertive. Take charge and seduce him for a change. He’s going to get sick of always having to start everything. You need to wake up, girlfriend,” she said to her reflection.
Marching out of the bathroom she went in the closet to where she had left her things all folded up nicely. She picked through some things until she came across the one item she was looking for…her lace teddy, which she had bought just for him.
