A Broken Fate (The Beautiful Fate Series book 2)

by Mann, Cat

  I looked down at Max sleeping on top of me and then back at Aggie; she couldn’t be serious.

  “What about Max, Aggie?”

  “Oh, Ava, he’ll sleep like that for hours. I’m sure you’ll be fine holding him.”

  I bit my tongue and smiled. I didn’t want to get back on Aggie’s bad side, but Max weighed nearly thirty pounds and his body was pressed up right against my ribs.

  I carried him next door to the salon after lunch and sat in a chair to have my toes painted. I shifted him to my other side, which gave me a little relief, but still my ribs screamed out in pain, while Aggie and Julia carried on an animated conversation about their nail polish color choices.

  I asked for the girl who almost always painted my toes – we had developed a nice relationship over the past year and she worked quickly and efficiently, keeping small talk out of the process. She grabbed my standard color and started right away.

  I was done before Aggie and Julia so I got up and readjusted Max. I paid for all three of us so I could get the two of them out the door more quickly and announced that I was going to put Max in the car seat.

  By the time I got to the car, I was nearly in tears. I managed to maneuver a still-sleeping Max into his seat and buckle him in, then climbed into the car myself. I took a few careful breaths of relief and dug out my cell phone from my purse, causing half of my purses’ contents to spill out on the floor of the car. I hastily shoved my belongings back in to my bag. I called Ari’s cell, but he did not answer. I toyed with the phone for a moment then broke down and called his office, but the call went straight to his voicemail. I opted out of voicemail and got his assistant.

  “Thank you for calling baio! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, Fauna speaking. How may I assist you today?”

  “Hi Fauna, this is Ava. Is Ari busy?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Alexander. He’s tied up in a meeting with Ms. Baio. They’ll probably be a few more hours. Is there something I can assist you with?”

  Yeah, you can put Ari on the phone, I answered impolitely in my mind.

  “No,” I said. “Just tell him to call me, please.”

  “Okay, Ava, sure thing, buh-bye!”

  I put my head against the car seat and closed my eyes. Aggie and Julia got in the car a few minutes later and we finally drove home.

  Aggie pulled up in front of my house to let Julia and me out, “that was so much fun girls --thanks a bunch for such a relaxing day!” Aggie said, all smiles.

  “Sure, Aggie. See you later,” I said, trying to get out of the car.

  “Oh, Ava,” she called, stopping me, “could you watch Max tomorrow for me? I have an appointment.”

  “Sure, Aggie; I’d love to.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you come to my house and watch him so he doesn’t have to lug his new toys over to your place.”

  “Yeah, okay, Aggie, great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I climbed out of the car and softly shut the door behind me so I wouldn’t wake Max.

  Julia walked with me to the front door.

  “Do you think she was acting strange?” I asked, digging in my bag for the house keys.

  Julia shook her head.

  “No, not at all,” she said and tried door handle before I found my keys. Surprisingly, it pushed open with ease; I must have forgotten to lock the door.

  “Hmm...okay, well, I guess I’m just losing it.”

  “Yeah, Ava, go soft on Aggie. She feels really bad about how she’s been acting. She almost started to cry after you left to put Max in the car. All she could talk about was how awful she feels for treating you unkindly. She said she can’t even sleep at night because of it.”

  “She sure does have some crazy mood swings going on.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Julia said and turned towards her bedroom with her bags in hand.

  I tried to work in the study and finish up on some lose ends but my side ached too much to do anything else but rest. I took my pain meds and curled up in bed, on Ari’s side because the sheets and pillows smelled like him. I fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

  ****

  I woke up in a very dark room. My eyes were soggy with tears and Ari’s pillow was soaked. I grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand and saw that I had missed three calls from Ari and one from Margaux. I started to panic. It was ten o’clock at night and Ari should have been home hours ago. I called him back and could hear his phone ringing in both of my ears, and it was getting louder by the second.

  Our bedroom door opened and Ari walked in holding his ringing phone.

  “Oh, my God,” I said, closing my eyes as relief washed over me. I was shaky and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t remember what I was dreaming but apparently the dream had gotten the better of me.

  “Hey, are you alright?” Ari asked and took a seat next to me.

  “Where were you?” I asked.

  “I was watching a movie with Collin in the living room. I didn’t want to wake you; my mom said that Max wore you out today.”

  “Were you alone with Margaux today?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but only for a little bit,” he rubbed the stubble on his cheeks.

  “Ari, I don’t feel comfortable with you working for her right now. I just keep getting this really uneasy feeling that she could use you to get to me.”

  “Ava, don’t worry about that. She is perfectly fine. She is always professional and all she did was walk in my office for five minutes to talk.”

  “Fauna said you were in a meeting with Margaux for hours.”

  “I was in a meeting with her...and the whole rest of her staff. Ava, you know, it’s probably better that I am there, so I can keep an eye on her.”

  “She called me tonight.”

  “Yeah. She said she needed to talk to you about something.”

  “Do you know what?”

  “She wouldn’t say. Try calling her back to see what she wants.”

  I looked at him as if he had gone crazy. I didn’t think his idea was a great one.

  “Ava, it’s just a phone call.” He kissed my forehead, stood up and left the room.

  I took a few quick breaths and called Margaux.

  “Ava?” she answered.

  “Um, yes, Margaux. I saw you called.”

  “Yes, did you get your gifts?”

  “Oh, uh huh...Thank you.” I guess.

  She paused for a moment.

  “Did you get the message?”

  “What message? No, I only saw that you called. You didn’t leave a message.”

  “Ava, you don’t understand – I need to talk to you.”

  “So talk.”

  I could hear a lot of noise in the background, voices and the clinking of glasses, as though she may have been at a party or out to dinner.

  “Can you call me tomorrow at work?”

  “Bye, Margaux,” I said as I hung up; I wanted no part of her little game. Margaux had gone over the deep end and she was trying to take me down with her. I couldn’t let that happen.

  I shook my head, trying to keep back the emotions I could feel bubbling up inside me. I took a few minutes to gain some composure and then got up to find Ari.

  He was stretched out on the couch and Collin was sitting in the chair. They were watching a movie, just as he had said.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, making room for me to sit down.

  I nodded and took a seat to wait for a chance to talk with him. Eventually the movie ended, but Ari and Collin talked for almost twenty minutes about the movie and then for a few more minutes about the sequel. He finally stood up and Collin left to go out back.

  “I called Margaux.”

  Ari looked at me from the corner of his eye then slowly turned his head towards me.

  “So…what did she say?”

  “Nothing… just that she wanted to talk; she asked me to call her tomorrow.”

  “Ok…are you going to call her?”

  “No.”

 
“What do you think she is trying to do?” he asked.

  “I think she is trying to get me to come to her so she can finally finish me off.”

  Ari nodded slowly and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

  “Maybe you can come to work with me tomorrow and you can talk with her at baio. I’m sure she won’t try to do anything there.”

  “Ari, that’s a horrible idea, like walking straight into the lion’s den – and besides I have to watch Max tomorrow at your mom’s house.”

  “Just an idea,” he said rolling his eyes at me. “How come you’re watching Max tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know. Aggie has an appointment or something. She should be away for only a couple of hours.”

  “Ava, you should have told her you couldn’t do it. You have to get this stuff with No. 7 figured out.”

  “I know,” I said, getting somewhat short with him. “You know, you’re the one who made me go out with her today, so don’t make it sound like I’m pushing off my responsibilities. No one knows more than I do that I need to get No. 7 figured out. My life is on the line, Ari.”

  He softened a little bit and brushed my cheek.

  “I’m sorry, Baby; you’re right. I should have told her no for you on Christmas. I just felt really bad for her.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll watch Max tomorrow and then that’ll be it for a little while.”

  Ari kissed me softly and I softened a little bit. I pulled myself to him and kissed him back, closing my eyes. He ran his fingers through my hair then down my back and then finally rested them on my hips.

  “We will figure this out. I promise,” he said quietly in my ear.

  Chapter 26

  Tantrum

  I got up when Ari’s alarm went off the next morning and headed straight to the study. My ribs were starting to feel better and I needed to get a head start on the day. I worked first on the project I was involved in for House to Home. We were hoping to land a deal with an art gallery that Aggie sometimes worked with. Andy and I were putting together a big black tie event to sell works of art from local photographers, Aggie included. The sale would be a great big night of drinking and entertainment at the gallery, with photos available by bidding in a silent auction. All of the proceeds were going to help fund the center. I was still trying to nail down the costs from the caterer, the liquor distributor and the gallery owner.

  Next, I took out the journal. I had only the last few pages to decipher. The cover was now fully decorated with colorful post-its still needing to be unscrambled. I tucked it under my arm around ten and took the journal next door with me. I had hoped that Max would let me get some work done while he played.

  Aggie was waiting at the back door for me when I arrived.

  “You’re late,” she frowned.

  I looked over at the clock on the oven. I was not late. In fact, I was ten minutes early, but I didn’t feel like arguing with her. I put my journal down on the table and left in search of Max.

  I found him hiding in his closet on the floor under a baby blanket.

  “Max, what are you doing?” I asked pulling the blanket off him.

  “Hiding,” he whispered.

  “Oh, okay. Well, Aggie is leaving, so you will have to find another game to play.”

  I helped him up off the floor and walked with him into the kitchen.

  “I have to go to L.A. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. If you need anything, call Andy,” Aggie said.

  “I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Max and I will be just fine. Be safe on the roads, Aggie,” I said with a smile. She ignored me and she ignored Max. She just walked out the door to the garage without a word to either of us.

  Max was on his best behavior for me. He was actually really quiet. He sat at the kitchen table and colored while I attempted to decode another word.

  I made lunch and then put on a movie for Max in the living room. He cried and came searching for me every time I left him alone, so I moved my operation to the living room. Eventually Max gave in to his need for an afternoon nap and fell asleep on the couch. I moved him to his bed and really started to concentrate. Max had only been asleep ten minutes when I heard him screaming from his bedroom.

  I closed my journal and tossed it on the floor by the chair in the Alexander’s living room. I ran down the hall and threw open his bedroom door. Max was asleep but he was crying and screaming for Ari.

  I pulled him into my arms and started to smooth his hair, waking him.

  “It’s okay, Max. I’m here, don’t worry. You were just having a bad dream.”

  He asked for Ari over and over again. “Max, Ari isn’t home; he’s at work.”

  Max’s little lip started to tremble as big fat tears rolled down his cheeks. I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and called Ari’s cell. He didn’t answer. I called his work phone and it went to voicemail. I opted out of voicemail and spoke with Fauna, his assistant, for the second time in the week.

  “Thank you for calling baio! You have reached the office of Ari Alexander, Fauna speaking. How may I assist you today?”

  “Fauna, it’s Ava. I need to talk to Ari,” I said, nearly cutting her off.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ava; he’s in a meeting again. You sure do have bad timing,” she laughed.

  “I understand that he’s in a meeting but I need you to get him now.”

  “I’m sorry, but Margaux does not permit her meetings to be interrupted.”

  “Fine, let me talk to Margaux. Let her know I am on the phone and that I need to talk to her; she’ll take my call, I’m sure of it.”

  “Mrs. Alexander, I don’t think I can do that for you. Margaux has the editor from Vogue in her office. I cannot interrupt her. I am sure you understand – you know Margaux after all, and I need to keep this job.”

  “Listen to me, Fauna, if you don’t put one of them on the phone right now, I promise you, you will be fired. So which will it be it, maybe or definitely?”

  “One minute,” she said with a hint of attitude in her tone.

  “Good choice.”

  I was on hold for an eternity before Margaux picked up the phone.

  “Ava Baby, I can’t speak with you now. Can you meet me at home tonight?”

  “No, I don’t want to talk to you. I want to talk to Ari. Put him on the phone.”

  “Honey, he is in a meeting. We’re trying to get things in order for the spring line; this is just a bad time.”

  “I don’t care about your meeting and I don’t care about your spring line. I don’t want you around Ari anymore. I don’t want you in our lives. I hate you, Margaux. I know who you are and I’m not afraid of you anymore. I promise I will kill you. Now, put Ari on the phone before I come down there and take care of business right now.”

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” she said calmly.

  Max was crying uncontrollably by now and I could hardly understand what she was saying on the other line.

  “Put him on the damn phone!” I yelled.

  “I’ll go ahead and conference us in,” she said.

  I heard a few beeps then I could hear a ton of people talking and Ari’s voice booming over all of them. I was on speakerphone.

  “Ari,” Margaux said sweetly, interrupting the meeting though the phone.

  “Yes?” I could hear him say to her.

  “You are on with Ava.”

  “What? Ava?”

  Max was going nuts. I tried to pick him up and calm him, but it wasn’t working.

  “Ava, are you on the phone? Is everything ok?”

  “No, everything is not okay. Can you not hear the crying going on in here? Look, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you told me to call you if I needed anything, and I need you to come home. Like now.”

  “Ava, I can’t leave. We’re launching this line in six days.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but it didn’t work.

  “I don’t give a damn about that line, that place, Margaux,
or that meeting! I need you to come home right now!”

  Ari picked up the line, taking me off speakerphone.

  “What’s going on, Ava?”

  “I have a bad feeling. And Max won’t stop crying for you, and your mom’s gone completely nuts and she’s been gone in L.A. for hours. I don’t trust Margaux to be around you anymore and I need you to come home.”

  I gasped for breath.

  “Ok, Ava, take Max over to our house and I will be right there.”

  “Thank you,” I said, a little more severely than I meant to.

  “Sure, Baby, I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

  “I love you, too.”

  I raided Max’s closet and grabbed some pajamas and a change of clothes. I put his shoes on and took him home. He was still crying but not hysterically. He just had warm, wet tears streaming down his face. I kept telling him that Ari was fine and he was coming home.

  I walked through our back door and sat Max up on the kitchen counter. I brushed the hair off his forehead and saw a little smudge of dirt there. I grabbed a washcloth and got it wet and washed his face. Max wrapped his little fingers around mine. His hand was trembling. Whatever he had dreamed had really scared the wits out of him.

  “Max!” I said looking at his fingers. “You’re filthy! When is the last time you had a bath?” He just stared at me with his big, wet, brown eyes.

  “Ok, come on, maybe a warm tub will calm you down and then, by the time you are done, Ari will be home.”

  He nodded. I grabbed his bag and took him to Julia’s bathroom (since Ari’s and mine had no tub). I started the water running and then, from the linen closet, hauled out bubble bath, tub toys and towels – all the stuff we had picked out at the store together.

  Max was completely filthy. His hair had sand in it and the bottoms of his feet were smudged with dirt. Max gave me a tiny smile as I shampooed his hair.

  “You’re a beach bum!” I teased as I rinsed and re-washed his hair.

  The bath seemed to help take Max’s mind off Ari for a bit so I watched him play in the tub with a little plastic pirate ship and some action figures. I got him out once his fingers turned to prunes and wrapped him up in a big towel.

  “Where’s Ari?” Max asked as soon as I dried him off. I picked my phone up off the sink.