Chapter Sixty-Five

Holding up her hand she wiggled her fingers, unsure what to make of the color she had let Ava pick for her manicure and pedicure.  “I don’t know about this.  Aren’t I too old for black nail polish?”  She was 42 after all, not 15.  When she had been a teen, it was day-glo colors.  Now it was black.  Times sure had changed.

Ava shook her head, “no way.  Black is all the rage now.”  She waggled her own fingers and toes, “everyone’s wearing it.”

Stephanie looked down at her feet.  She didn’t mind it so much on her toes.  She normally wore a bold, dark color on her toes.  But on her hands?  Well, at least it wouldn’t last for more than a few days.  “Okay” she replied with a still uncertain smile, “if you say so.”

When their fingers and toes were polished to perfection, Ava and Stephanie left the salon, intent on fueling up for an afternoon of shopping.  “Where should we go?”  Stephanie had no idea.  She had never been in the Calabasas Commons before.

Ava steered her toward a café.  “Come on, the Corner Bakery has the best paninis ev-er!”

Stephanie trailed after Ava, trusting that the girl knew where she was going and what she was talking about.  She needn’t have worried.  The girl knew her cafes.  The turkey and smoked gouda panini she ordered was delicious.  Fresh bread made all the difference.

Ava slurped down her soda and set her cup on the table.  “Do we have to stay here at the Commons to shop or can we go somewhere else?”

Stephanie glanced around.  They were sitting on the patio area of the café and she could see almost the entire shopping center from where they were seated.  The area was beautiful with its fountain and pond in the center of everything and the Mediterranean feel, but there weren’t many shops and none that she thought would appeal to a fifteen year old girl.  “Where would you like to go?”

Ava shrugged in that non-committal way only a teenager can.  “I don’t know.  The Thousand Oaks Mall maybe?  They have way better stores than what’s here.”

“Is that close by?”  Stephanie had no idea where it was and was sure her GPS was going to get a good workout today.

Ava nodded and gathered her garbage.  “It’s not too far from here.”  She stood and dumped her stuff in the trash.  “Ready to go?”

~

Stephanie put the car in park and gathered her purse.  She had just looked over at Ava when she heard her phone.  From the song emanating from the depths of her purse, she knew Richie was calling her.  She fished the device from its allotted pocket.  Checking up on her and Ava, no doubt.

“Hey you.”  She glanced over at the girl with a knowing smile.  “It’s your dad” she mouthed.

Ava smiled and nodded.

“Hey yourself, sweetheart.  Just checking up on my two best girls.”   And he wanted to hear Stephanie’s voice again.

Stephanie smiled back at Ava.  “I figured as much.  We’re doing fine.”  God, he sounded so good.  This respite was doing wonders for him.

“Glad to hear it.  How’s ‘queen for a day’ going?  Is my daughter behaving herself?  You’re not letting her con you into anything are you?”  He was well versed on how persuasive his baby girl could be.  She was already hinting toward wanting a car for Christmas and he was pretty sure he was going to cave and get her what she wanted.  Those damn bambi eyes of hers.  He was such a sucker.

She looked down at her hands and further, to her toes.  “No, not really.  We’re having a good time.”

“Good” he told her.  “Can I talk to Ava?”  He wanted to make sure she remembered to keep her spending in check.  He had given her a credit card with her name on it as an approved signor on his account, but he still had to make sure to keep tabs on her and make sure she didn’t overspend.  Just because he had money didn’t mean she needed to spend it all.

Stephanie glanced out the window while Ava chatted with her father.  The mall looked like any of the ones she had shopped in back in New York.  It probably housed all the same stores too.  A mall is a mall no matter where you live I suppose.  It didn’t matter.  A nudge on her arm pulled her from her musings.  “Hmm, what?”

The phone was shoved into her hand.  “Dad wants to talk to you again.”

Stephanie put the phone up to her ear.  “Hi again.”  She motioned for Ava to get out of the car.  She opened her door and stepped out as they talked.

Richie waited through the shuffling around and slamming of the car doors.  “Sweetheart, have fun and can you do me a favor?”

“Sure” she said as she hitched her purse up on her shoulder.  “What?”

“Just make sure Ava doesn’t go overboard.  I reminded her of her limit but she likes to push the boundaries.”  He chuckled quietly.  “You know how teens can be.”

Stephanie smiled.  “Teen boys, Rich.  Not teen girls.  But I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks.  Now, you go have fun.”  He lowered his voice.  “I’ll call you later.  Maybe I’ll tell you a bedtime story.”

She shivered.  “I’ll look forward to it.”  With that voice, an erotic fairy tale might just be her undoing.  She tucked her phone back in her purse and looked up to find Ava looking at her.  “What?”

“Are you okay?  You’re face is all red.  What did dad say to you?”

Stephanie shook her head.  Nothing that I’m going to repeat to you.  “Nothing, just for us to have a good time and that he was going to call me later.”  Stephanie pulled open the entrance door.  “So, are we looking for anything in particular or are we just roaming and waiting for something to jump out at us saying ‘buy me!’”

Ava laughed at the description. She was really starting to like this new woman in her dad’s life.  “Let’s just wander and see what we can find.”

Stephanie ushered the girl into the mall ahead of her.  “Lead on, fair lady, lead on.”

~

Stephanie sank down gratefully to the bench.  She waved at Ava as the girl headed into Ambercrombie.  “I just need a minute to sit.  You go on and look around.”

They had been roaming the mall for a couple hours.  It was similar to her favorite mall back in New York, only with higher end stores than she would ever had wandered into there.  She resituated the Coach bag on the bench next to her.  She never could pass up a good deal on a great bag.  She even indulged on a great new pair of sunglasses.  She smiled to herself.  She had bought Ava a pair too.  Richie would just have to get over it.

She was scrolling through her email when Ava came back out, phone to her ear, a combined look of frustration, agitation and anger on her face.

“But I told you I didn’t want to go with you and you said I didn’t have to.”  She caught Stephanie’s eye as she slumped down on the bench next to her.  Mom she mouthed.

Stephanie nodded her understanding and waited for her to finish the call.

Ava shook her head, “no, I don’t.  You said I didn’t have to.  I’m sorry your date didn’t work out, but I still don’t want to go.”

Another pause.

“But mom...” she trailed off, her frustration bringing her to near tears.  “I’m nearly 15.  I can stay home by myself.”

Stephanie listened to the conversation for a few more minutes before holding out her hand, “let me talk to her.”

Ava gave her the phone.  “Here.  Maybe she’ll listen to you” she said dully.  She was having a good time with Stephanie.  She didn’t want to leave now and go home and get dressed up to have her mother show her off at whatever function tonight.  Her mother knew that she didn’t want to go too.  Ava shook her head.  Sometimes it sucked being a kid.

“Heather.”  Stephanie held the phone up to her ear.  The woman was still talking, not realizing that Ava wasn’t listening anymore.

“Heather!”  

“Who is this?”  That definitely wasn’t Ava’s voice.

“It’s Stephanie.  Look, from Ava’s half of the conversation, she clearly doesn’t want to go wherever it is you want to take her.  Right?”

“She’s my daughter, she’ll go with me wherever I say she has to go.  Besides, I’m going to be gone too late for her to stay alone.”

Stephanie looked over at Ava where she was sulking at the other end of the bench.

“Is it a family thing or some other thing that she absolutely has to be at?”

Heather huffed out a frustrated breath.  ”No, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want her home alone that late tonight.”

Stephanie rubbed her hand across her forehead.  “I understand that.  Look, she’s with me now, why doesn’t she just stay with me and I’ll bring her home in the morning.”  She glanced over at Ava.  She was nodding her head in agreement and smiling again.

Resigned to not getting her way, Heather put on her concerned mom voice.  “Is she okay with that?”  

Stephanie nodded.  “Yes.”

“Okay then.  Tell her I’ll see her tomorrow.”  Heather hung up before Stephanie could say anything else.

She handed Ava back her phone.  “Your mom said she will see you tomorrow.”   And how could she have not wanted to tell her that herself?

Ava sighed and took the pink, sparkly rectangle and tucked it into her purse.  “Thanks.”

Stephanie dragged the strap of her purse up to her shoulder and grabbed her bags.  “Do you want to keep shopping or did you just want to leave?”  She could see the girl’s good mood was no more after that phone call.

But as quickly as the frown had come, it left Ava’s face, replaced by her warm, sunny smile.  “Let’s keep shopping.”

Sixty-Four

Shaking back her hair, Stephanie pulled her robe around her and stepped back into her bedroom from the bathroom.  The soak in the hot tub followed by a shower had done wonders for her sore, aching muscles.  It was Friday, the roof was finally done and she didn’t have to pick up her hammer again until Monday. 

She glanced down at her hands, they were sorely in need of a little pampering.  Even with the work gloves she sometimes wore, calluses had formed and her skin was dry.  She grabbed her tube of lotion from the dresser as she made her way across the room.  Settling on the window seat she worked a dollop of lotion into her hands and glanced out at the evening sky.  It had been another warm day and tomorrow promised more of the same.  She wondered if she would ever get used to the Southern California weather.  New York in April?  You could almost count on a snowstorm at any given moment.  It never really got warm there until late May, usually.

She put the tube of lotion back in her dresser and was just re-settling on the window seat when Nickelback’s Never Gonna Be Alone starting playing from her phone.  She had made it Richie’s ringtone almost immediately after she first heard the song.  

You're never gonna be alone
From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go,
I won't let you fall...
You're never gonna be alone
I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone.

Grabbing her phone from the night table, she settled back against the pillows on the window seat.  “Hey you.”

“Hey yourself, sweetheart.”  Damn if her sweet voice didn’t have him wishing his 30 days were done already.   Two more weeks to go he reminded himself.  “How are you this fine Friday night?”

She smiled.  He sounded so much more relaxed than when he first got there.  “I’m good.  Really good now.”

Richie stretched out his long legs and propped his feet up on the balcony railing.  This had become his favorite spot to have his nightly conversations with his girl.  Though they had missed last night’s.  They just couldn’t seem to connect at any time last night.  They would make up for it tonight.  He’d make sure of it.  “So what did you do that was fun and exciting today.  Or yesterday?”

She dropped her head forward and rolled it from shoulder to shoulder thinking about her day.  “Over the last two days I helped tear off and re-shingle a roof.” 

“That sounds neither fun nor exciting sweetheart.”  At least not to him, but he knew her “job” made her happy.

She laughed.  “It was and it wasn’t.  It’s been so damn hot that being up on the roof was like working in a sauna all day.  But I survived and did a darn fine job of laying shingles too.” 

“I’m sure you did.” 

When he didn’t say anything more she pressed on.  “I also got a call from Heather and ended up leaving early the other day to pick up Ava.  We have a date tomorrow,”

“Yeah?  That’s great.”  He knew this would be hard for her and he was glad she was making an effort.  “I’m glad you two are getting to know each other.  How was Heather on the phone with you?”  The one and only time his ex-wife and his girlfriend had talked was New Year’s Eve and that hadn’t gone well.

“After she got done railing at me for not answering my phone, she was fine.”  She sighed quietly.  “We’re never going to be BFF’s, but, hopefully, we can at least be civil toward each other.”

Richie chuckled quietly on the other end of the phone.  Heather wasn’t BFF’s with anyone.  “There’s a lot to be said for civility, sweetheart.” 

He pondered the stars for a moment, wishing he was there with her, looking at her while they talked instead of a twenty-minute car ride away.  It was time to shift the conversation away from the day-to-day mundane and toward something a lot more interesting.  “Sweetheart, tell me something.”

“What’s that, Rich?”

“What are you wearing right now?”

Stephanie sucked in a breath.  He had lowered his voice and it had taken on a husky overtone.  She waited a beat, her mind whirling, trying to catch up with the subject change.  “What?” 

“Sweetheart,” he nearly whispered.  “I asked you what you were wearing right now.”

Her nipples hardened and pressed against the pink silk.  “My robe.”

He closed his eyes, trying to picture her.  “The short pink one I like?”

She nodded “yeah.”  An idea came to her and she put the phone on speaker.

Click.

She took a picture of the side of one bare foot and ankle and sent it to him. 

Click.

The next shot was the inside of her knee and a little bit of thigh with a corner of the pink robe showing.

She continued to take pictures and send them until he finally said something.

“You’re killing me here, darlin’.”

She laughed quietly, almost evilly.  He only slipped and called her “darlin’” when he was well on his way to losing himself in the moment.  “Then you might not want to look at this next one.”

His whispered “fuck me” was music to her ears.

She lifted the phone one last time and snapped the last picture.  Hitting send, she waited.

It wasn’t long before she heard the swift intake of breath and another drawn out “fuck” whispered into the phone.  She looked at the last picture she had sent him.  She had cocked her head to one side so her hair had fallen over her shoulder and her robe had opened to expose the side of her breast.  You could see a hint of her chin and long, creamy neck and one long tendril of hair had curved around the hardened tip of her breast where it pressed against the silk of her robe.  She hadn’t blatantly exposed herself, but she thought it was a pretty sexy shot.

“So” she started since he hadn’t said anything.  “Do you like what I’m wearing?”

He shifted in the chair, glad he was wearing shorts and not jeans.  “You have no idea Sweetheart.”

“Tell me.”  She wanted, needed to know.

“My dick is so hard,” he growled, “you could use it to hammer nails.”   The chair creaked as he stood.  Stepping back inside he slid the door closed and locked it before crossing the room and making sure the other door was locked as well.  With the turn this conversation had taken, he didn’t want any inadvertent interruptions.

She shifted on the bench, pressing her thighs together to try to ease the ache his bold statement caused.  “If you were here” she whispered, “I could take care of that for you.”

“I have no doubt you could darlin’” he told her as he stretched out on the bed.  “But what about you?”

“Me?”  She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to know.

He loosened the drawstring on his shorts and slipped his hand inside, stroking himself while he talked to her.  “I know your nipples are hard, I could see it in that last picture.  But what I really want to know is, are you wet for me?”

If she hadn’t already been dripping, she would be now.  His voice alone could almost get her off at this point.  “I am.”

“You know what I would do if I were there with you right now?”

She shook her head and held her breath, “what?”

He gripped himself tighter, stroked his rigid length harder.  “I’d spread you open and lick up every sweet drop.   Then, I’d start all over and make you give me more.”  Her swift intake of breath and the low groan kept him talking.

“Touch yourself darlin’.  Touch yourself like I would if I were there.”

She fumbled the phone switching it from her right hand to her left.  She could hardly think he had her so wound up.  Her hand slid down the front of herself, the thumbnail grazing a hard, tight nipple on its way.  She loosened the knot in the tie of the robe, letting it fall open.  Her fingers drifted lower, over her abdomen and down between her thighs. As she circled the taut nub of nerves, her head dropped back against the wall and she whimpered into the phone.  “Rich…”

“That’s the way darlin’.”  He could picture her spread out on the window seat, her robe open, her fingers dancing between her thighs.  He nearly came at the image he painted for himself.   Then he heard it.  That sexy purring moan she did when she was about to come.  He jacked himself harder, nearly ready to burst.  But not before she did.  “Use your fingers darlin’.  Fuck yourself for me.” 

She did what he told her.  She slipped two fingers inside herself, pumping and twisting until she couldn’t stand it anymore.  She called out to him as her release swamped her. It stole her breath and left her limp and panting. 

Listening to her get herself off for him had his balls tightening and his release rushed forward, coating his hand and his stomach almost before he realized what had happened. 

The phone line between them was quiet for long minutes, neither one able to talk, both trying to catch their breath.

“Sweetheart?”

“Rich?”

Stephanie sucked in a deep breath and blew it out.  “How many more days do you have out there?”

Richie reached for a tissue and smiled into the phone.  “Fifteen, sweetheart, fifteen.”

Chapter Sixty-Three

Bang.  Bang.

The sound of the nail gun ringing in her ears was almost enough to drown out the low, husky growl of Richie’s voice as that song continued to play in her head nearly two weeks after he sang it to her.  He’d sent it to her and she had played it nearly every day since.  She had never been an inspiration for a song before.  It was kind of cool.

Setting the gun down, she wiped her forearm across her sweaty brow and sat on the peak of the roof to take a much needed break.  Roof work was a bear on any given day, but add in an unusual heat wave in April in Southern California and, well, working in hell might be cooler.  She grabbed the now tepid bottle of water and drank down the remains.  It was wet was the best she could do.  She could feel the short tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid sticking to the back of her neck.   Pulling the bandana off her, head she mopped her face and neck.  A shower would be bliss right about now.  She was going to stand in hers for an hour at least when she got home.

Adjusting the bandana back on her head she was fantasizing about a gallon of ice water when her phone vibrated in her pocket.  Pulling it out she wasn’t surprised to see she had missed several calls.  She shrugged.  With all the construction noise and her using the nail gun, it was no wonder she hadn’t heard or felt the phone go off in her pocket.  Pulling up the call log she was surprised that all the calls had come from the same number.  A number she didn’t recognize except for the area code.  It was a Los Angeles number. 

Pressing the call button on the phone log she waited, wondering just who it was she was calling.  She didn’t have to wait long.  The call was answered before the first ring was done.

“It’s about time you answered your phone.  I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning. Where have you been?  I need help with Ava and Richie gave me your number and you never answer your phone.  I’m stuck at an appointment and Ava needs to be picked up and you’re my last resort.  I don’t know what I’m going to do if you can’t help me out.  I can’t leave here until I talk to the director and he’s tied up and I have no idea how long this is going to take and Ava needs a ride home.  Can you help me out?”

Stephanie pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the device.  Who the hell was this?  When the rant finally stopped she managed to voice her question.  “Who is this?”  She reflected on the spiel the woman had spewed through the phone and, focusing on the name Ava, she had a sinking feeling she knew who it was that was going off on her.

“It’s Heather.  Can you help me out?”

Stephanie flipped her braid off her shoulder.  “Did Richie really give you my number or did you get it from Ava?”  She had told Richie to go ahead and give it to Ava so she could call her if she needed anything.  Heather’s name hadn’t come up in that conversation and she knew Richie wouldn’t have given her the number without telling Stephanie first.

Heather huffed out an impatient breath on the other end of the phone.  She didn’t have time for this.  “I got it from Ava.  What difference does it make?  I’m in a bind and need your help.  Can you pick Ava up?”

Stephanie looked at the expanse of roof that still needed shingles and sighed in resignation. Of course she’d help.  How could she say no?  “What time does she need to be picked up and where am I going?”

Stuffing the phone back in her pocket, Stephanie picked up the nail gun again.  She had to pick Ava up at five at the Calabasas Library.  She could work for another half hour and then she’d have to pack it in for the day if she wanted to beat the traffic and pick Ava up on time.  Getting to Calabasas from West Hollywood would be no picnic once people started leaving work for the day.

~

Tossing her toolbox into the bed of the truck she stowed her hard hat behind the seat and climbed into the cab.  She was glad she had bought the pretty little red pick-up.  It was worth it not to have to worry about her camaro every day. 

Pulling into traffic, Stephanie caught her reflection in the rearview mirror and cringed.  She was a hot mess, literally, after working in the heat all day.  Stopping for a red light she pulled the bandana off her head and unwound her braid.  Finger-combing her hair as best she could, she used the hair tie and bound her hair up in a messy knot at the back of her head.  It was only a slight improvement, but it was the best she could do. 

At the next red light she pulled the pack of baby wipes from the glove box and wiped some of the day from her arms, upper chest, neck and face.  She looked in the mirror again.  It wasn’t pretty, but it would have to do.  She wouldn’t win any beauty contests, but at least one layer of grime was gone.   Hopefully she wouldn’t have to get out of the truck for any reason.

Pulling up in front of the library, Ava was nowhere to be seen.  Stephanie checked her watch.  It was a couple minutes before five.  Quickly, she shoved the baby wipes back into the glove box and unlocked the passenger door.  When she looked up to the door again, a blonde head appeared with a confused look on her face.   Clearly she was expecting her mother to be waiting for her in her pretty little Mercedes, not her father’s girlfriend in a pick-up truck.

Stephanie opened her door and stepped out on the running board so she could see over the top of the truck and called out to the girl.  “Ava!”

Ava looked again and, recognizing Stephanie, slipped out the door and down the steps.  “Hi Steph.  Where’s my mom?”

Stephanie slid back into her seat and buckled her seatbelt.  “She called me a little while ago and asked me to pick you up.  She’s stuck at some appointment or audition or something.” 

Ava nodded, not surprised in the least that her mother sent someone else to pick her up.

They drove on in an uncomfortable silence for a while before Ava spoke up again.  “You’re kind of a mess today, Steph.  What were you doing before you came to get me?”

Stephanie slowed for another red light.  “I was shingling a roof when your mother called me.”

“Oh yeah” Ava said.  “Dad told me you were volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.”  She looked Stephanie up and down.  “Do you like getting all dirty every day?”

Stephanie laughed as she proceeded through the now green light.  “I don’t mind it so much.  I wash easy enough and I’m helping to put a roof over someone’s head.”  Literally today.  She glanced down at her hands on the steering wheel. “It’s hell on my manicure though.”

Ava giggled and held out her own chipped finger tips.  “School really does a number on mine.”

Stephanie spotted a Starbucks at the next intersection.  “You thirsty?  I could use an iced coffee or something.”

Ava nodded her head, “sure.”

They snaked their way through the drive thru and back into traffic, Stephanie with her skinny iced mocha latte and Ava with her iced chai latte.  It seemed only minutes later that Ava was directing her to “turn here” and “pull in here” and she was at Heather’s house.  She put the truck in park and turned to Ava.  “Here you are.”

Ava nodded, but made no move to get out of the truck.  “Thanks for picking me up and” she shook her plastic cup, “for the drink.”

Stephanie smiled gently at the pretty girl.  “Any time, sweetie.”

Ava gathered her things and was reaching for the door handle when Stephanie spoke again.

“I know this is probably short notice and if you’re already busy, I’ll understand.  But, are you busy on Saturday?  I could really use a manicure, quite possibly a pedicure and some retail therapy.  If you’re interested, we could have lunch too.”  She was trying.  She really wanted to forge some type of relationship with Richie’s daughter.

Ava considered the offer and smiled broadly.  Her mother was busy Saturday and that would leave Ava alone for the bulk of the day.  “Actually, I don’t have any plans for a change.  Mom’s busy too, so I’m free.”

“Okay” Stephanie said.  How about if I pick you up at 11 and we can have a “queen for a day” kind of day?”

“I like the sound of that.”  Ava opened the door and hopped out, turning back before slamming the door shut.  “Thanks again, Stephanie.  See you Saturday!”

Stephanie smiled and watched her dig for her key as she walked to the door.  “See you Saturday” she murmured as she headed for home.