Center Stage (The Keller Family Series)

by Marie, Bernadette

  “How many more secrets do you have?” She laughed as he slid the ring on her finger.

  “Only one more, but you can have it on Tuesday.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Everything felt right.

  John had caught her throughout the night looking down at her hand.

  “I think she likes it,” Simone said as she sat down beside him on the sofa.

  “You girls did a good job.”

  “You did not have to use our suggestion. You get all the credit.”

  “I wanted it to mean something. I wanted her to know how much I love her.”

  “Oh, I think she knows.” Simone touched his arm. “You are a very thoughtful man, John Forrester. I have always enjoyed that about you.”

  “Thoughtful? Couldn’t say I’d use that word.”

  “I have seen you with your employees. You are strict, but you have a good heart. You care about them.”

  He did care about his employees. Every one of them—usually. And if he couldn’t make himself care about them then they didn’t need to be working for Zach’s company.

  “I hear you’re the caring one. You’re starting an organization at the clinic to help people find jobs?”

  “I know a lot of people with big businesses. I do not see why I should not help people with what I have.” She brushed her hands over her skirt. “I may not have wealth in money anymore to help people, but I have so much more. I wish I were my father’s riches, as Avery and Curtis are mine.”

  He never thought he’d see eye to eye with Simone Pierpont, but with that statement, he sure did.

  John had never thought himself a wealthy man, not monetarily speaking, but seated next to a woman, once worth perhaps a billion dollars, he thought perhaps they were as wealthy as two people could be.

  Chapter Eighteen

  John had personally watched Arianna shine her ring at least ten times over the weekend. When they’d gone to the grocery store, he noticed how she held the charge slip so everyone could see her finger. It was as if suddenly she was a hand model, and it thrilled him.

  Regan had been right. Attaching a proposal to the ring would have been the biggest mistake. They were right where they needed to be—together, in love, and happy.

  Monday morning, Arianna had set up meetings with local business owners. She would need their support when the theater opened. She understood networking, and he loved watching her work, but construction called, and he spent his day receiving the shipment of theater seats, which were two weeks early.

  Eduardo convinced Carlos to excuse him from school so he could work on Arianna’s office. John wasn’t sure how much he agreed with that, but if an educator agreed to call in his own son, who was he to judge?

  He hadn’t seen much of Eduardo all day except at lunch time, out at the break truck, when he’d bought him a Pepsi and a hot dog. Now they were an hour from quitting time, and he figured he’d better make sure the room would be ready for Arianna’s surprise tomorrow morning.

  When John opened the door to her office, he wasn’t sure why he’d even questioned that it might not be done in time or be absolutely brilliant. Eduardo Keller was a natural.

  Eduardo was in the corner behind the desk, which would be his aunt’s. He was finishing a detail, no doubt.

  “Hey, John, what do you think?”

  John looked around the room. Every detail was exactly as Eduardo had described it less than a week earlier. The colors were vibrant. There were two desks in one half of the room as well as a large table where they could work. The other side of the room was divided by a wall, which had a window so Arianna could see the door, and had a desk and two chairs. The windows looking out into the street had blinds on them, and there was even a plant in the corner.

  “You have certainly showed me your potential. Your uncle will be very proud of you.”

  “I hope so. Maybe he’ll give me a reference into Virginia Tech.”

  John felt the unmistakable warmth of pride in his chest. “I’m sure he will. And you can expect one from me, too.”

  Eduardo’s head snapped up. He was suppressing his grin. “Really?”

  “I know what you’re capable of. You and Zach are very alike, you know.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Shows you just how old I am. I remember Zach learning the ropes.”

  “This is what I want to do.”

  “And you’ll do well. I can’t wait to see your aunt’s face when she looks at this place.”

  Eduardo’s shoulders dropped. “I wish I could see her expression.”

  John contemplated for a moment. “Call your dad and tell him I’ll bring you home. Let me get your aunt down here.”

  John walked out into the lobby, which was looking very good if he did think so himself. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Arianna. She had to come down now. Eduardo deserved to see her face.

  John had felt bad about disrupting her afternoon. Arianna had just filled a bubble bath and poured a glass of wine, she’d told him. But he promised it would be worth it, and that when they got home, he’d join her for the bubble bath and that glass of wine.

  That had worked for her, and she was on her way.

  By the time she pulled up in front of the theater, the last of the construction crew was pulling away. John smiled as he opened the front door and watched her climb out of her car. The place wasn’t so eerie anymore. It didn’t have that inhabited feel.

  He kept the smile on his face even though he was thinking about the night that someone had tried to hurt Arianna and April. It hurt to think that someone would break into the building and deface it after they had put so much work into it.

  She hadn’t said much more about the phone calls or text messages she’d received, and he knew she would no longer keep them a secret from him. She understood the severity of the situation. But that part still haunted him. Someone had taken a lot of time to mess with her and follow her. All he could hope, as she walked toward him with her hair piled on top of her head and her feet clad in UGG boots, was that her terror was over. It was time for Arianna to become part of the community again and to do what she wanted to do.

  Arianna walked up the steps. “I got a phone call from this location. A man said to meet him here, and he’d make it worth my while.”

  John laughed when he noticed she had on flannel pajamas under her coat. “I see you dressed up for the occasion.”

  “Well, only the best for you, dear.”

  She kissed him softly on the lips, and it warmed him throughout.

  He shook his head. “What if I was going to take you out to a fancy dinner?”

  She gave him a look over from head to toe. “With an inch of construction dust on your shoes, and what is this?” She reached up to his hair and pulled out a small piece of wire. “Do I have lights?”

  He nodded. “Yes, you do.”

  “So why am I here?”

  “Another birthday surprise, but the person in charge of it wanted to be here when you received it.”

  He stepped back through the door and closed it behind Arianna as soon as she crossed the threshold.

  She looked around. “It’s starting to look very nice in here, Forrester.”

  “I aim to please.”

  “And please you do.”

  “C’mon.” He took her hand.

  He led her down the hall toward the office and very calmly led her in, but she gasped and stopped at the door.

  “Oh, John! This is wonderful.”

  He smiled. “I know.”

  Eduardo moved around the wall and walked toward them. “Do you really like it?”

  “It is perfect.” She turned to John. “This is my surprise?”

  “Yes.”

  “So who wanted to see my face?”

  John pointed to Eduardo.

  She turned to look at her nephew. “You did this?”

  “Yes.”

  “You and John?”

  John shook his head. “Oh, no.
I gave this young man a project. I asked him what he’d see in here and told him he had a week to make it work. I think he did an excellent job.”

  Arianna moved through the office right to Eduardo and wrapped her arms around his neck. John laughed when he only staggered back, trapped by his aunt’s embrace.

  “I love it, Ed! You’re amazing. Just amazing.”

  “Thank you,” he said, muffled against her.

  Arianna pulled back. “Let me see. Creative colors. A window in the wall so I can see the door, but the room is still one room. Two more desks for others to work here. A table to lay my stuff out on. And, is that a closet to store stuff?”

  John chuckled, shoved his hands in his pocket, and leaned back on his heels. “Well, Eduardo, I’m very impressed. You did see exactly what she’d want.”

  She turned back to Eduardo, who had managed to move at least two feet away from her. “That’s what you’d told him?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think you’ve found your calling.” She threw her hands in the air. “We need to take him to dinner to celebrate.”

  “You’re in your pajamas,” John reminded her.

  “And you have construction crap in your hair.”

  Eduardo cleared his throat. “I skipped school today, and I have a test tomorrow. So I’d better go home and study.”

  Arianna smiled. “You are your father’s child. School first.”

  Eduardo shrugged.

  “Well, we have to celebrate.” She thought for a moment. “Ice cream on our way to take you home?”

  “Can’t turn that down.”

  Arianna drove home after they had treated Eduardo to ice cream, and she’d convinced John, one more time when they went back to the theater to pick up her car, to go in and look at her office. She couldn’t believe how well it fit her, and she couldn’t wait to move in and start working. John wasn’t going to get rid of her now.

  She turned up the radio when she heard the familiar voice of Luke Bryan, and she was in the kind of mood that a good southern twang made her heartbeat kick up a notch. But she knew it was because it reminded her of John. And even though he was only a mile ahead of her, thinking about him made her happy too.

  There had been a bit of a sting, knowing she was facing forty. John had greatly eased that. She knew the surprise party was all Regan’s doing, but the ring…oh, the ring.

  She looked down at her finger. Even in the dark of her car, the sapphire sparkled up at her. Certainly there wasn’t a happier forty-year-old in the world.

  John was parked in front of the house when she pulled up. That meant he was still looking out for her. She was very sure that the worst was behind them. The theater was nearing completion, and no matter what John said, she was sure it would be done before July.

  Every entrance and exit had been rekeyed and redesigned, so no vagrants were going to be keeping house there. The outside was scheduled to be painted the next week, and John had contacted the city to have the lights fixed on the street. But this is how it would be now—forever.

  She liked the way it felt, knowing he’d always be protective over her.

  He was at her car before she climbed out.

  “Hovering, Forrester?”

  “Never going to be too careful.”

  “Remember,” she patted her purse, “I’m protected.”

  He rubbed his cheek, and she could hear the scratch of his whiskers against his hand. “Don’t get too confident, okay? My rules still apply, for now. You don’t go to the theater unless I’m there.”

  “Right.” She chuckled and shut the car door, but he quickly caught her arm and turned her toward him.

  “I’m not kidding, Arianna. You don’t go unless I tell you to be there. I’m not messing around with this. Whoever was calling you and following you is still out there.”

  His grip had become tight, though she knew he didn’t mean to hurt her. “Okay. Okay. I promise not to come down unless you tell me to.”

  He let go of her and even took a step back. Obviously he realized how tight he’d been holding her.

  She gave a nod toward the house. “C’mon, worry wart, you owe me a bubble bath.”

  Lavender had eased her mind. Bubbles had added to the ambiance of the moment. Leaning up against John in the warm water had been the relaxation she’d been looking for hours earlier. Only now, she had the knowledge of her surprise, and in her mind, she was making a list of all the things she’d be taking to her office tomorrow.

  “Now that we are getting closer to having the theater finished, I suppose I should make sure my business licenses are in order and the sales tax license, too.”

  John moved her hair from her shoulder and drizzled water over her neck. “Sales tax? You have to have sales tax for a play ticket?”

  She laughed. “You nearly pay sales tax for anything anymore. There is even tax on the Junior Mints.”

  “And yet I had to call the city and tell them three of the street lights in front of the theater were out. Nice.”

  She leaned in against him. “And I thank you very much.”

  “You know, when the theater is all done, I have to go back to building other buildings. My time with you will be over.”

  “Just our time working. Our time will never be over.”

  He lifted her hand out of the water, and her sapphire dripped with soap. “You didn’t take this off?”

  “You don’t take off a wedding ring. So I didn’t see any reason to take it off.”

  John gave a low hum which resonated through his chest and against her back. “I guess the only part about not being married is that you’ll never have my last name.”

  Arianna considered it. That was always one of the reasons to never get married. Giving up her identity wasn’t part of her game plan. But there would be some great pride in being a Forrester.

  “You’re right.” She wiggled her toes in the water. “Arianna Forrester. It doesn’t sound bad, does it?”

  “I rather like it.” He brushed his hands down her arms and back up. “Arianna Keller-Forrester.”

  “That’s not bad either.”

  “Of course, there is nothing wrong with Arianna Keller.”

  She sighed as she turned her head to look up at him. “No, there isn’t anything wrong with that either.”

  “You’re getting sentimental in your old age.” He touched her face. “I was waiting for a fight when I made that comment about my last name.”

  Arianna rested her head against his shoulder and interlaced their fingers. “I know, it’s just…”

  “Not what you’ve ever wanted.”

  “There was never a right last name before.”

  This time John shifted to look at her. “And you’re saying that I have the right last name?”

  She chuckled. “It’s not just the name. It’s you.”

  “I tell you what. Let’s make a pact, and we can sign it in bubbles.” He grinned. “If ever you change your mind about wanting one of those pieces of paper which states that we have made a commitment to each other, and you’d rather have the name Forrester or even Keller-Forrester, I will never argue.”

  Arianna pursed her lips. “Is that a marriage proposal?”

  “It’s a proposal to accept a proposal, should you need a proposal. Or something like that.”

  She turned around and straddled him, sending water over the sides of the tub. “I’m not going to marry you.”

  “And I’m not going to ask.”

  “But I really do like that name of yours.”

  “It’s yours for the keeping.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that. And while you’re thinking about it, you’d better get some towels and clean this up. If it gets under the tile…”

  “You’ll fix it.”

  That comment had him moving swiftly and dunking her into the tub.

  She was in love. Even as she spit bubbles from her mouth, she was contemplating the name Arianna Forrester.
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  Chapter Nineteen

  Arianna hadn’t anticipated that John wouldn’t be at the theater when she arrived the next morning with a box full of personal belongings for her new office.

  He hadn’t told her to come and she was earlier than usual, and now she knew she was in trouble.

  She greeted the site workers as she passed them on her way to her office. Her arms were loaded down with a big box and her Starbucks. Finally, as she reached her office door, one of the plumbers ran to her aid.

  “You look like you’re ready to do some business,” he said with his slow Tennessee drawl. She’d missed home.

  “I am ready.” She pushed open the door, and the man followed her to her desk and set down the box.

  “My wife wanted me to mention that she’s a pianist. She’d be awfully excited to come help you out if you could use her. She plays for the church choir every Sunday.”

  “I think that sounds wonderful.” Arianna turned and pulled a pen from a cup in the box he’d sat on the desk. She fished around for her notebook, too. “Here. Will you write down her name and phone number?”

  “Sure. You gonna call her?”

  “I think I might if she’s really interested. I have a show already in the works.”

  “Neat.” The man went about writing down the information. “Thanks. I’ll let her know I talked to you.”

  “And thank you for the help.”

  “My pleasure.” He gave her a little wave and walked out of the office.

  “Are you holding meetings with the plumbers already?” John’s voice resonated through the room.

  “He helped me in.”

  “You don’t usually get here this early.” There was a crease between his brows. She knew he was trying not to sound as angry as he was.

  “I was just excited to move a few things in. I know the building isn’t done yet, but I have things in motion already. I should get to work, right?”

  He walked toward her, placed a small kiss on her lips, and stepped back. “I’m not going to keep you from being here, I suppose.”

  “John, everything is okay. You’re going to have to trust me to be down here alone at some point.”