Center Stage (17 page)

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.

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.”

He nodded. “I still don’t like it. You have your gun?”

“Yes.”

“Loaded?”

“Always.”

He let out a deep breath. “I have some things to tend to. I assume I’ll find you here?”

She smiled. “I have pictures to set up on my new bookcases. I have files already full of notes. I even brought some old scripts and sheet music to put in my closet.”

He gave her a chuckle and finally a smile formed on his lips. “You’re happy.”

“Don’t ever remember being happier.”

With a nod he was gone, and she was alone in her very special part of the world that Eduardo designed for her.

By noon she had a list of things that needed to be added to the room. She needed a fax machine, a printer/scanner, and a coffee pot. She’d seen John’s coffee pot in the trailer out back. It looked as though it were always full because of the grime of coffee on the inside of the pot.

Over the past few months she could say she knew him well enough to assume he’d say if it were cleaned it would ruin the taste of the coffee. However, having seen how he lived, she was surprised anything he owned was that dirty. Job site mentality, she decided.

She was on the phone with the company she would acquire the rights to produce
Annie
when John walked into the office with a burrito wrapped in tinfoil.

She motioned to him to set it on the table. He did so and then wandered around the office.

Arianna turned off her phone when she was finished with the call and looked up at him. “How is it you don’t weigh four hundred pounds eating those burritos everyday?”

“I never stop moving. I burn them off.”

“Well, I need to schedule some dance classes in this place soon so I can start to work mine off. I’ve see the way you look at me when I eat. It makes me nervous that it gives you such pleasure.”

He only smiled as he peeled back the foil on his lunch.

“Looks like you’re right at home here.”

“Getting there.”

“Ed said you’d need a table to spread out on. He said that’s what you’d do.”

She tucked her lips between her teeth to keep from smiling. She’d been pegged by a fifteen-year-old.

“I need to see what I’m doing. I’m a visual person.”

“And very appealing to my visual.”

“It’s a good thing you won’t be hanging around here much longer. I don’t know how I’d get any work done.”

He bit into his burrito. “When will you be done today?”

“I don’t know. I’m just plugging away. Why?”

“I think I’ll be late. I want to get a few more of these jobs done before next week. I want everything nearly complete before we leave for San Francisco.”

He took another bite and she watched him enjoy the homemade burrito. She on the other hand didn’t have an appetite for it.

“Maybe we should move our trip. Until everything here is running smooth.”

He nodded slowly. “Don’t want to go?”

“No, I didn’t say that. There is just a lot to do here.”

“Honey, there always will be.” He finished the burrito and wadded up the tinfoil. “I’m sure that even when this place is fully operational I’ll be spending my evenings here either popping popcorn, taking tickets, or building some set. As long as I’m with you everything will be perfect.” He stood and looked down at her. “Besides, I haven’t had a vacation in four years. I think I’m due.”

Arianna let out a sigh. “You’re right. So do you think anyone has ever been caught having sex on Alcatraz?”

That put some color in his cheeks and he was belly laughing by the time he rounded the desk to kiss her. “Younger women have some kinky ideas, don’t they?”

“Only to see if they can make their old men blush.”

He gave a grunt and a nod and left her alone in her office.

Arianna worked until five o’clock. It wasn’t until then that she realized the entire front of the theater had been deserted for hours.

The sun was still out, not that spring was pushing through, but there was a chill in the old building. It wasn’t enough to put on her heavy coat, but she’d want to bring a jacket and leave it in the office. Oh, and she should buy a coat rack too. She made a mental note as she walked out into the lobby.

The concession area looked almost ready for business, but she knew that was deceiving. She looked around. No one was there, but she didn’t feel alone.

“Is anyone here?”

There was no answer.

It was her imagination getting the best of her. Someone was probably working down the hall.  She walked further toward the concession stand. The glass was dusty and the shelves had been left to be stained, but right in front of her was a business card, face down.

Arianna picked it up and turned it over.

PIERPONT OIL

PARIS, FRANCE

She looked around again. Who would have left that there? Surely John or Zach had it in their hand as they’d walked through the lobby at some point.

Arianna tucked it into her pocket and headed toward the theater to find John.

The theater was beginning to look beautiful again. The sconces had been rewired and walls had been painted a beautiful golden color. As she walked toward the stage she realized the floor had been repaired and it was obviously ready for the chairs and red carpet.

A few men were working in the cat walk, repairing the beams. Lights flickered up in the light booth. Someone was wiring the switches up there too. It wouldn’t be long and there would be performers on the stage and patrons in the seats and she’d be behind stage lapping it up. Who would ever have thought that she would own the theater and not just dream about being in one?

John was on his phone when she opened the trailer door and walked in. He’d narrowed his eyes at her as cold air blew in, but when he’d seen it was her, his face softened, but only slightly. There was something wrong and she could tell by the way he held his body and tapped his pen on the desk.

Arianna walked to the far side of the trailer where there was a table, much like her table in her office, only this one was covered with blue prints of the theater and lists of jobs that still needed to be done.

John obviously knew the time frame for completion of the theater better than she had. She thought it looked almost done, but the number of items to be done on the list were many. Obviously, she didn’t know much at all.

She tried not to listen to the conversation he was having, that wasn’t part of her business, but his voice was raising and guilt was plaguing her—she should have stayed inside until he’d come for her.

A moment later he turned off his phone and let out a grunt. She figured that was prime opportunity for her to acknowledge him.

“Something wrong?” She had to ask the obvious.

“Inspection on the other build just failed. There is nothing we’ve done different than on any other building, but this certain inspector has a stick up his ass over Tyler Benson.”

“My nephew Tyler Benson?”

John let his shoulders drop and shook his head. “Of course not. Your nephew’s grandfather.”

“Who has been gone nearly five years?”

“Yes.”

Arianna could imagine his frustration. She walked around the desk, leaned up against it, and pulled John in front of her.

“I don’t think I ever met the man, but from what I’ve heard he was a very kind and generous man.”

John brushed her hair from her face and looked down at her. “He was. That’s why people like this make me so mad. But it’s a personal vendetta. Tyler fired his brother, so now he red flags us.”

“Is that even legal?”

“Oh, he’s straight up. Most inspectors would give you some time to fix things they find. This one wants to just close you down.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’m going to have to head over there.”

“Will you be long?”

“Probably. Don’t wait up.”

She forgot words like those existed in relationships. Then again the last relationship she’d had, in which they were spoken, had been said when Eric was home with his wife.

There was hurt there and she didn’t realize it until John had muttered the same phrase. This time, however, she knew he was off to a job site and when the job had been fixed he’d be home to her.