by Paula Kay
“Wow.” The look on Blu’s face was priceless to Arianna. She could always tell when her friend was feeling overcome by emotion, and it made her happy to know that she’d been spot on about Blu needing this time away just as much as Arianna did.
Chase’s expression as he made ready to leave the room didn’t go unnoticed by Arianna. She caught him staring at Blu, and it definitely seemed to Arianna that he’d wanted to say something. But she knew that the people she hired through the domestic service were very professional. It had taken a few times of Arianna’s coming to the house alone after her parents had passed for Maria to really warm up to her and to feel okay with dropping a bit of the professional, less personable way that Arianna was used to, but didn’t appreciate that much. Especially now. Arianna was all about dropping pretenses and bridging the gap that sometimes existed between people with money and those with not as much money. She knew money had its privileges for sure, and she was very aware of what it was doing for her now.
So she quietly thanked Chase, who excused himself to go back to the meal preparation while Arianna turned her attention back to Blu; she was staring out the window after setting up her sewing machine and various items on the desk. Arianna went over next to her. “Penny for your thoughts.” It was a common expression for the two to use with one another, and one that seemed to get said often these days.
“Oh, Ari.” Blu turned and Arianna could see that there were tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much for this. It’s perfect. I feel so inspired, and after spending just a few hours here.” She turned to give Arianna a big hug.
“It’s absolutely my pleasure.” And Arianna meant it more than she’d meant a lot of things during her lifetime. Blu had been a great friend to her, and there was so much she wanted to be able to do for her and Jemma. So much that she could do. If only Blu would let her.
“And…” Arianna slid one of the wall panels across to reveal a whole media setup lining a good portion of the wall. “Here you have a stereo system and the flat screen complete with surround sound—in case that helps with your inspiration.” She knew that Blu loved to crank her rock music while she worked, so she thought she’d find the system especially appealing.
“I love it. I can’t wait to get started.” Blu grinned.
“I can’t wait to see what you create. But how about right now we see about taking some wine out onto the terrace for a bit while the rug rat is still resting? I can ask Chase and Maria to listen for her on the intercom.”
“That sounds great.”
Arianna thought that Blu looked more relaxed than she’d seen her in ages. She had thought about taking a little nap herself, because she could feel a slight headache coming on, but she didn’t want to waste this time that they had alone together; she excused herself for a minute to pop up to her room to take a couple pills, leaving Blu and Chase chatting in the kitchen as Chase prepared a snack tray of cheeses and meats for them. So, maybe I’m being just a little sneaky, Arianna thought, laughing to herself. But she deserves someone amazing, and I have a good feeling about that guy.
When Arianna came back downstairs she found Chase and Blu still chatting in the kitchen, Chase with a lovely plate of food and Blu getting ready to pour two glasses of wine. “Would you like to join us outside for a drink?” Arianna said to Chase, ignoring the quick look that Blu sent her.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. I never drink while I’m on the job, and I have yet to prepare what I hope will be a lovely dinner for you ladies.”
Arianna smiled at him, appreciating how professional he was, while at the same time hoping he’d loosen up a bit over the course of the weekend. “Maybe after dinner then.”
He nodded and then seemed to remember an additional question that he had for Blu. “About the little one—Jemma, is it?”
Blu nodded.
“I assume that she won’t appreciate the grown-up food, so I’ll make her something more kid-friendly, but how picky is she?”
“That’s nice of you to ask. She’s actually not a picky eater, and in general will try anything I put in front of her. What is the menu for tonight?”
“Salmon with grilled asparagus.”
Arianna and Blu laughed at the same time. “Well, you’re in luck because, believe it or not, that little girl loves salmon,” Arianna said. “She’s really pretty amazing. I’ve seen her eat with us at sushi, French, and Mexican restaurants with absolutely no complaints.”
“And if she’s not into something, I can just make her a grilled cheese, so please don’t worry,” Blu said.
“I’ll be anxious to hear the little lady’s review of my menu,” Chase said.
“Oh, she’ll let you know,” Blu said, and Arianna nodded her head in agreement.
Chase went back into the kitchen to finish his prep work, leaving Arianna and Blu sitting on the terrace in the shade of a big table umbrella, sipping their wine and nibbling on the nice array of gourmet cheeses and meats that Chase had served them. Arianna hadn’t felt so relaxed in ages; and by the look on Blu’s face, she guessed that she was right in thinking that Blu was also feeling pretty good. It was going to be a great weekend.
Arianna and Blu sat outside for a good thirty minutes enjoying the view, their wine, and conversation. Arianna had always found Blu easy to talk to. She seemed to get Arianna, without judgment or any of the other things that she had often felt from girls that claimed to be her good friends during her younger days. She suspected that her relationship with Blu was easy because both of them knew when to press something and when to back off, respecting boundaries, although Arianna could feel them both pressing more often lately; she suspected that it was a good thing, signifying the deepening of their friendship. Doc had said as much to her when she brought it up during a session.
Soon Maria came outside hand-in-hand with a smiling Jemma, who looked well rested and happy. “Miss Blu, I hope you don’t mind. I heard her while I was upstairs cleaning and she seemed happy to come downstairs with me.”
“Oh, not at all, Maria. Thank you,” Blu said, motioning for Jemma to come over and sit by her and Arianna.
“Did you have a good rest, bean?” Arianna asked.
“Can we go to the beach now?”
“Jemma, answer Ari.” Blu said with a stern look on her face.
Arianna laughed. “It’s okay.” She got up from her chair and stretched. “How ’bout if we all go for a short walk before dinner? Let me check with Chase to see what time he is planning to serve.”
Jemma smiled. “Okay—and yes, Ari. I had a lovely rest.” She turned to look at Blu with the silly devilish grin she put on at times, seemingly to get a reaction from her.
Arianna and Blu both burst into laugher. “You’re lucky you are so cute,” Blu said, playfully swatting at her bottom. “Let’s go up and get your shoes and a light jacket while Ari talks to Chase.”
“Can Chase come too? Please, Mommy,” Jemma said as her face lit up. “I loved his piggy-back ride. It was one of the best I ever had.”
Arianna slowed her walk towards the kitchen so that she could hear Blu’s response.
“No, sweetie. Chase has to cook us dinner, but you can see him when we come back.”
Arianna smiled as she walked back into the house, Blu and Jemma right behind her as they went upstairs to Jemma’s room.
Minutes later the three of them were making their way down the wooden steps that went down the hill from Arianna’s house to the private beach below. Just beyond that was the public beach, where one could easily walk for miles along the water’s edge. The weather was perfect, as the sun was starting to set and the sky was colored with beautiful reds and oranges.
“Can we put our feet in the water?” Jemma asked, practically kicking her sandals off as she spoke.
“Sure, let’s see how warm it is,” Blu said as she kicked her flip-flops off in the sand. “Ari, are you coming?”
“You two go. I want to sit for a few minutes.” Arianna sat down on a big piece of nearby d
riftwood and took off her own shoes so that she could dig her feet into the sand; she was responding to a text message that she’d gotten from Lia. She smiled as she realized how much she was looking forward to spending more time with her once she returned home.
Chapter 16
After a great weekend away in San Diego, Arianna was feeling better than she’d felt for a very long time. Things seemed a bit brighter than they had a few weeks ago, even if she did find herself in circumstances that threatened to burst this new bubble of contentment she was feeling. Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed. She didn’t know yet the part that Lia would play in her life, but she knew that a shift had occurred. She felt just the slightest bit less alone than she had a few months ago.
Arianna joined Gigi in the kitchen for some breakfast and to fill her in on the details of the weekend away. When she began talking about Lia, Gigi seemed optimistic and pressed her again about her trip, expressing concern that maybe this was another reason that she shouldn’t be heading so far away right now. Arianna knew that she had to make some decisions about her travel plans, and vowed to put this at the top of her to-do list for next week. After I’ve spent some more time with Lia, she thought. Maybe a small part of her did wonder if she should stay. Get to know Lia better. She brushed the thought aside for now, as it was time to get ready to head into the city for her appointment with Doc.
Driving downtown, she was reminded of how anxious she had felt that last time she’d spoken to Doc about seeing Lia. She felt so different right now than she’d thought she might. There was no stress or anxiety at all. Well, except for the fact that she really did need to start making some decisions about her plans. But in terms of how she was feeling about Lia, she felt she’d done a good job of being open and letting herself be in the moment, of letting things unfold between them.
She smiled as she thought about the quick phone conversation that she’d had with Lia earlier that morning. Lia had phoned and said that she’d wanted to hear Arianna’s voice, so she decided to call instead of texting her the address for that night’s dinner. Arianna had laughed and told her that it was nice to hear her voice too. That she was looking forward to dinner and couldn’t imagine the lovely Italian meal that Lia was preparing. She had told Lia not to go out of her way, that actually she’d also be fine taking her out to dinner somewhere. But Lia had insisted on cooking, telling Arianna that it was one of her favorite things to do in the world. She could hear the happiness in Lia’s voice when she spoke about cooking for her.
This will be fun, Arianna thought and reminded herself to bring two bottles of wine from her favorite vineyard in nearby Napa Valley. Her parents had loved wine and had an extensive wine collection in the cellar at their home, so she had grown up around fine wines and learned at an early age which ones she loved the most. It would be a nice gift and something they could enjoy together tonight over dinner.
Arianna pulled into the parking garage at Doc’s office hardly even realizing how quickly she’d gotten there. She rushed up and the receptionist sent her straight in.
“Hi, Doc, how are you?” Arianna entered the room with a huge grin on her face.
“I’m doing well, but the real question is how are you doing? From the look on your face, I’m guessing that you have some good news to tell me,” Doc said.
“In fact, I have nothing but good news. And I can’t wait to fill you in.”
Arianna proceeded to tell her all about the visit with Lia the previous week. Doc listened attentively, waiting for Arianna to finish telling her about the dinner planned for that evening.
“So, let me ask you a question,” Doc said.
Arianna sat up on the sofa, pulling the pillow in closer to her chest. “Yes?”
“Now that you’ve met Lia, and let’s assume that everything goes great tonight, where are you at with thinking about this trip you’ve been talking about? Is it possible that you might change your mind?”
Arianna took her time as she thought about her answer to the question. “You know, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Since yesterday, really. I know it’s early stages but something about meeting my mother—Lia—just feels right.”
“You just called her your mother. How does that feel?
Arianna shifted her body in slight discomfort at the question.
“It’s okay, you know, Ari,” Doc said.
“I know. I keep catching myself calling her that. I need to remind myself that she’s still a stranger to me right now. It’s odd though. I mean, you and I have talked about how fleeting time can be—and what I’ve learned about that ever since after the accident. How important it is to live in the moment, to not wait for things and people in your life. I guess I’m trying to practice that with her, you know?” Arianna looked at Doc, and she realized that she was feeling a sense of hope that she’d not felt for a long time.
“Yes, I do know, Ari. And you are doing an excellent job of it. You know that I’m not here to tell you either way what you should do. Only you can make those decisions and decide what’s important to you right now. I think you’ll know what to do. And if you decide to stay here to get to know your mother better, it won’t be a wrong decision,” Doc said.
Arianna felt so supported here in this office with Doc. God, she’d come so far from that scared girl who could hardly formulate a sentence without breaking into sobs just a few short months ago. She’d learned some hard lessons in a short time. That was for sure. But oddly, after all the bad news that she’d gotten over the past months, she felt more sure of herself than she’d ever imagined that she could. She was a lot stronger than she’d ever thought she was. It was sad that it had taken her parents’ deaths and the subsequent tragedies in her life for her to realize this. But she was here now.
Arianna left Doc’s office with an assignment to make the decision about her trip before her regular visit next week. She felt good pulling out of the parking garage into the downtown traffic of the city. On a whim, she decided to do a bit of shopping, parking at Union Square to visit a few of her favorite designer shops nearby. It had been ages since she’d done any real damage to her credit cards, and she was dying to do some shoe shopping.
She’d not been going out all that much lately, though, which was probably why she’d not gotten tired of her current wardrobe. How much clothes does one girl really need? She laughed as the foreign thought crossed her mind. Maybe she really was changing for the better, because suddenly fashion seemed like the last thing for her to be thinking about.
Well, except I do want to have a great selection of clothes for my trip. Then again, if she ended up going, she could always shop in Europe, something that she’d always wanted to do. God. There’s that big if again, she thought. Am I actually considering not going on this trip that I’ve wanted for so long? Even as she had the thought, the picture of having lunch with Lia entered her mind, and she knew that staying was a consideration now. And that it would be okay.
She finished shopping with hardly any new purchases. She did end up finding a new pair of little black boots that she adored and a lovely new pair of earrings that would go perfectly with a new dress she’d bought last month.
She retrieved her car and started making the drive back to Sausalito, realizing how tired she felt. She’d been on the go a lot the last few days, which was exactly the opposite of what she should be doing. Emotionally, she was feeling great, and that was amazing. But if she was honest with herself, physically she did feel more than a little drained; and if she was going to do any traveling or anything at all over the next few months, she needed to slow down and get some good rest.
She’d call Gigi and see if she could make her some of that lovely chicken soup that was one of her specialties, for lunch. That sounded perfect. And maybe a good movie and a nice nap before she headed over to Lia’s for dinner.
Gigi had her lunch ready for her when she arrived home, and the rest of the afternoon was relaxing. Arianna did watch a good movie, curled up in
the special cinema room that her father had had built. It was the thing to do, and all of her friends at school had had one too. She remembered having a few lame birthday parties at her house that involved private screenings of the latest movies coming out over the summer. So a lot of it seemed to be for show, but now she rarely had anyone over to share the room with her. She’d have to invite Jemma over soon to watch something as the little girl did love it, along with the old-fashioned popcorn maker and corner counter full of all kinds of typical movie-theater sweets.
Arianna could barely stay awake for the entire movie, so when it was over she quickly made her way to her room and comfy bed. She’d get a nice cup of tea and spend some time writing in her journal after her nap.
Arianna woke two hours later feeling completely refreshed and excited about the evening ahead. She buzzed Gigi downstairs over the intercom, asking for a cup of tea. She took her journal out from the bedside table and grabbed her favorite pen. It struck her suddenly as funny that she was even keeping a journal right now. But she had come to enjoy writing down her thoughts and it had helped her to sort out so much about the way she was feeling.
She soon busied herself getting ready for the evening. Again she dressed simply, with a favorite pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt. She put on the same stud earrings she had worn the other day for lunch. Understated, yet elegant. She put on just a bit of make-up, remembering that it had looked like Lia hardly wore any—which Arianna found rather remarkable, because she had looked so lovely. She smiled again, thinking that she had the same long black eyelashes and dark eyes as her mother. It was a shocking thought after having grown up with two parents whom she looked nothing like, being adopted. She dabbed on a bit of her favorite perfume and headed downstairs to say goodbye to Gigi.
“Have a lovely time,” Gigi called out as she heard Arianna making her way down the stairs.