Returning Pride

by Jill Sanders

  She laughed.

  “I know everyone else in town gave you items to help replace what you lost. I wanted to do something for you as well.”

  “Iian, it’s perfect. Thank you.” She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

  “Mmmm, how about finishing that shower? I think I see a few spots we missed.” He started to pull her robe off her shoulders causing her to laugh again.

  The rest of the week passed quickly. Allison had started painting in her new studio. She enjoyed the brightness of the room and the wonderful view out the large windows. She’d changed a few things around, moving the drafting table to the other wall with Iian’s help. She thought that it made the room flow better. Iian agreed.

  She would spend a few hours up there every evening until Iian arrived home.

  When she visited her mother in Edgeview, Iian had come along for the ride.

  For some reason, over the last week, she felt like she was never left alone in the house by herself for too long. Someone was always over there for one reason or the other when Iian was at work.

  Once, Megan and the kids had come over for a visit. She always had paper and colors for the kids to draw on and keep them entertained while they chatted.

  Lacey came over and Allison forced her to sit in the living room with her feet up. They had watched an old movie, and Lacey had fallen asleep on the couch until her husband had come to take her home.

  Once, Todd even came over and said he needed to use their home gym. She had gone up to her art room and worked while he worked out. An hour later, she had wanted a snack. When she went downstairs, she found him sitting on the couch in the living room watching a ball game.

  That’s when she knew that everyone was watching out for her, and she knew it was all Iian’s doing.

  How could she be mad at him for having his family watch out for her? She loved them even more for it.

  Iian had a busy week before their weekend trip to California. He trusted his staff to take care of the place for the weekend, so that wasn’t a major concern.

  He’d been rushing around the place, getting it ready for the Elk’s club annual dinner that night, when Lori and Jenny walked in. It appeared that they were having another “girls night out”. Not wanting to be stuck in the middle of that mess, he tried to escape to the back with no luck. Why did it seem the women had tentacles instead of hands when it came to touching him?

  He couldn’t keep them from grabbing or pinching him, it really was becoming annoying. Finally, after pulling them to a more private area, he had firmly told them that he was involved with someone and was no longer on the “play” list.

  Both women had looked at him as if he had physically dealt them a blow. The end result pleased him, as they stormed out of the doors and left him to finish setting the dining room up.

  He thought of Allison, waiting at home for him, and smiled. How could he ever go back home and not expect her to be there waiting for him? He’d even started thinking of the old place as theirs, instead of his family’s. He now thought of his dad’s room as their room instead. She’d completed the place, she made it into a home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When the small plane had taken off, Iian had a quick moment of sheer terror. Then Allison had grabbed his hand and he’d focused on looking at her fingers wrapped in his. Slowly he started to relax so that by the time they had landed, he’d felt totally at ease and even a little eager to fly again.

  When they reached the hotel, they had less than an hour until they were to be at the art show. He could see the tension building in her and tried to keep her calm so she could enjoy the evening. After she walked out of the bathroom in the little red dress, all he could think about was how to keep her in the room and all to himself.

  When she had walked out of the bathroom, Iian gave her the strangest look. First she thought she’d gotten something on her dress. Then she thought he didn’t like the dress.

  He stood across the room in his dark suit. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him dress up. He was handsome in jeans and a t-shirt, but in a suit, he was a knock-out. His hair was slicked back to curl around his neck. His tie matched the silver in his eyes, eyes which were raking her up and down.

  “Are you sure we have to go to this thing tonight? We could just stay here,” he signed as he started to walk across the room to her.

  “Oh no!” She held up her hands to ward him off. Then she signed, “I didn’t get dressed up to stay in this hotel room. Plus, I’m starving.”

  He grabbed her outstretched hands and took them to his lips, placing a soft kiss on both of them. Then he looked up at her and said, “You look beautiful. Let’s make it a short night, I want to get you back here and out of that dress as soon as possible.”

  She felt the pull deep inside; she wanted that too. Shaking her head in agreement, she moistened her lips against the hunger she felt for him.

  Ric Derby stood amongst the crowd of his people and knew the second his favorite artist walked in the door. Not only did the room fall almost silent, but the little red number she wore screamed, “look at me!”

  In the two years he’d know Allison Adams, their relationship had grown to a brother-sister caliber. He’d never had this close of a relationship with any other artists before. It was probably due to the easy nature of Allison. Most artists he worked with were tortured souls. Ally was different. Wherever she went, sunshine was there. Her art truly reflected what was in her soul. Pureness.

  Smiling, he handed an empty flute of champagne to a waiter and walked over to greet her. He could feel the eyes of the whole room watch as he walked up and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

  “You look wonderful tonight, Ally. I’m so glad you could come,” he whispered in her ear.

  Pulling back, he then noticed the man standing next to her. He’d met Iian Jordan on several occasions. The brother to Todd Jordan, whom he had been doing business with for many years, a man Ric truly admired and respected. Todd was the husband to Megan, a woman Ric admired and respected even more.

  Stretching his hand out to shake Iian’s he remembered that Iian was deaf. Having learned sign language after he’d worked on a project with a deaf artist group several years back, he extended a welcome.

  “Hello Iian, it’s good to see you again. I’m sorry I’m a little rusty with sign language, I hope you’ll overlook any mistakes. Please, come in, would you like anything to drink?”

  Twenty minutes later, Ric watched as Iian and Allison wandered the room. He liked seeing Ally’s eyes light up when Iian would sign or say something to her. He noticed that Iian didn’t speak to anyone else, but would lean close to Ally and whisper something to her. He enjoyed watching the couple browse the room and felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy and loneliness sink in.

  Iian watched as Allison melted into the crowd effortlessly. He looked around and realized this was where she belonged. Here amongst the high rollers who wore diamonds as easily as he wore a chef toque and uniform.

  He looked across the room and saw Ric Derby, who was watching Allison with an eagle eye. Iian had a little moment of jealousy there, when he’d seen the man greet her at the door. The light kiss he had given her had caused some alarm, but then he remembered the New Year’s party Allison and Ric had attended together. Iian had kissed Ally that night and he knew they were just friends. Which didn’t ease the tension he tried to avoid when the man looked at her.

  He turned and watched her talking to an older couple. He stood back almost in the shadows and just watched the crowd.

  Then there was a light hand on his arm. Turning, he saw a woman with long blonde hair and the tightest dress he’d had the pleasure of experiencing. She was trying to talk to him, but he just wasn’t catching anything she was saying. She leaned forward and he could smell her soft breath on his face. He tried to take a step back, but realized he was up against the wall.

  She continued to talk to him and started to put her body against his. H
e almost panicked.

  “I’m sorry,” he started to say. Then he felt another hand on his shoulder and the woman backed up a few steps. Turning, he saw Ric standing to his side.

  Ric signed to him, “Iian, this is Countess Regina. She is from Sweden. I’ve told her that you’re deaf. She would like to know what your thoughts are of this particular piece. She is in the market to purchase it, but is unsure and would like a man’s opinion, since she will be buying it for her husband.”

  Iian turned and looked at the art in question. It was one of Allison’s pieces. The large canvas hosted a colorful scene of the waters off the shore of Pride, a white sail boat floated in the distance. Stepping closer he could see a storm brewing in the distance. Then he looked closer at the boat. “Dawn-treader” was etched on the side.

  An image flashed in his mind of his father standing at the helm. It was so strong it almost knocked him back. Taking a breath he looked closer at the image before him. He could make out two forms on the boat. One at the helm and one manning the ropes at the front.

  Closing his eyes on the pain, he steadied himself.

  Then something else took over his thoughts. It wasn’t pain, but a calmness that started to spread through him. Opening his eyes, he looked at the piece with renewed interest.

  Turning, he looked past the blonde woman and Ric.

  Allison stood there watching him. Her eyes riveted to his.

  He said, loud and clear. “It’s the most heart-warming thing I’ve seen in ten years. It brings to mind a life journey on calm and rough seas. Of loneliness, sorrow, and the joy of returning home. Any man would be honored to have such a wonderful piece of work hanging in his home.” He turned to the countess and realized that the woman was close to tears.

  She said something else that with her accent he was unable to understand. He looked to Ric to see what was said.

  “That was beautiful. You have a way of expressing the unseen. Thank you for your wonderful words. My husband thanks you for his new piece of art,” Ric translated.

  Ric smiled at Iian and then turned and took the countess and walked with her to complete the transaction.

  “Well, I hope you’re happy. I’ve just sold this piece to a countess, no less,” he signed to Allison when she walked up to him.

  “I’m happy, because you realized what it’s about. It’s not about the horrors that happened that day to you, but the joy of you coming home.” She stepped into his arms and said, “Iian, I’m so glad that you came home.” Then she kissed him right there, in front of her masterpiece.

  “I want you. Now! Tell me we can get out of here,” he said against her lips.

  She nodded her head. “Let me make my excuses. I’ll be just a moment.” She kissed him again and walked away.

  He watched her go and felt something shift inside him. Looking back at the canvas, he walked closer and took another look. There in the bottom right corner was Allison’s signature with a date scribbled underneath. She’d painted this the same year he’d lost his hearing. He looked up at it again with renewed wonder. A seventeen-year-old Allison had painted something a countess from Sweden had just paid high six digits for.

  He’d seen her other art and he liked the fairies and other creatures she’d painted. A lot of it had reminded him of his grandmother’s stuff that still hung on the walls of the Golden Oar. Making up his mind, he walked over to were Ric stood, still talking to the countess.

  When Allison walked up to him a few minutes later, he was back in front of her painting smiling like he had a secret.

  By the time they entered the lobby of the hotel, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. The dress stretched tight over her curves and he watched as her hips swayed with each step.

  When the elevator doors closed, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He ran his hands up and down her sides, then stopped and leaned back.

  “Just what do you have on underneath this thing?” He asked.

  She gave him a wicked smile and mouthed “Nothing.”

  He couldn’t remember getting into their room. He thought he fumbled with the door and at one point cursed the damn credit card key locks.

  Then they were inside and he was inside her against the back of the door. His hands fisted in her hair, and he pulled her head back to expose her neck as he ran his mouth over the long curve.

  She tasted like the sun, hot and ripe for him. He could feel her vibrate with every moan of pleasure. His dress pants had pooled at his feet, so when he tried to move he’d almost ended up on his ass.

  She laughed and held on to him as he thrust deeper and harder. He could tell the differences in her body. How could he not notice when her skin started to glow right before she was about to come? She vibrated with every moment of pleasure he gave her and when she peaked, he felt her convulse on him, and then he released himself to the pleasure as well.

  Allison was glad to be back in Pride. She’d enjoyed the short trip with Iian, they’d ended up spending most of their time in the hotel room. They did take a break and go to one of his friend’s restaurants downtown. The Italian place was fancy and the food was even fancier. Not that she was complaining, she just liked the hometown feeling the Golden Oar provided more than the upscale variety.

  Iian had spoken to his friend for a while. The man had even sat at their table and talked to them in sign language. It was nice to know that he had other friends out there. She had gotten nervous when the man had hinted that Iian should move his restaurant to San Diego, since he would make a better living in a larger city. Iian just shook his head and said that he was already making a good living in Pride.

  There was something about coming home to the big house with Iian that felt right. She spent the first half of her Monday in her new art room. She’d cried at the loss of the three paintings that had burned in the fire. They were the first pieces she’d done in almost a year that truly had more meaning to her than most of the others.

  So she sat back down and started re-creating one of her favorites that had burned up. It had taken her almost a week to finish it the first time. This time she knew exactly what she wanted and thought it would take her half the time.

  She enjoyed teaching and was thankful that she had three days during the week that she could still have to herself. Part-time was perfect for her schedule. Knowing summer was coming up, she looked forward to having more time, since she’d only agreed to teach at the boys and girls club for two days a week.

  She needed the extra time for her art and her mother. The short fifteen-minute drive to Edgeview always felt like a relaxing trip. The winding roads were wide and the scenery was always breathtaking, no matter the season. She’d found a few places she wanted to stop and paint. Knowing this summer she would have that chance, she made mental notes on them.

  She’d found out that the best time to visit her mother was after four o’clock. That way, lunch was out of the way and it was still too early for the evening Bingo session, which was after dinner at six.

  Her mother seemed to enjoy every visit and she actually looked like she was enjoying herself at the Hotel. She kept talking like it was all some elaborate vacation. She didn’t want to discourage that thinking.

  Megan had gone with her one day and taken a picture of them out on the balcony with the sun setting behind them. She’d blow up two copies and had framed them, one for herself and the other, she’d hung on her mother’s wall. It felt good to have another picture to keep as a treasure.

  Today her mother hadn’t been in such a good mood. She was complaining about the lunch they’d had. She kept saying over and over that it was Tuesday and she wanted the salmon instead of the lemon pepper chicken.

  When Allison tried to explain to her that it was indeed Monday, her mother looked her right in the eye and said, “Of course I know it’s Tuesday. You know you remind me of my daughter Allison. Have you met her? She was just here.” Then she looked around the room as if she was trying to find her. She’d left the Hotel with a he
avy heart.

  She’d done her shopping at Walmart slowly. Her mind kept racing over questions. Would there be a day soon, when her mother didn’t recognize her at all? Since moving her to the Hotel, she’d noticed that her mother had ingrained herself so deeply into the people there that she appeared so happy. Was that a good thing? Or was it causing a larger rift between mother and daughter that would would completely close in time due to Alzheimer’s.

  Driving home, Allison played that scene over and over in her head. She watched as the sun sunk lower on the horizon. The peaceful drive became a burden and she just wished she was home with Iian.

  Then bright lights came out of no-where. A large truck with its high beams on rushed up so close to her bumper she thought it was going to hit her. Her heart began to race. The lights blinded her until she reached over and flipped her rear-view mirror down to night mode, which help shield most of the brightness. Still, her side mirrors reflected the bright lights directly into her eyes. When she thought the truck was going to back off, it flipped on two search lights that were mounted on top of a roll bar. These lights were so bright, Allison swerved to stay on the road. Grasping her steering wheel, she did everything she could to stay within the lines.