Center Stage (18 page)

“Maybe I’ll see if my sister can get away and we can steel away the other two and go out for a girls’ night.”

This time he laughed. “You think you can steel away three mothers from their families?”

Arianna smiled. “I think I can.”

But even as she said it she began to wonder. After all she was the only one without responsibilities to anyone other than herself.

As John began to gather his paperwork she sucked in a breath. That was what she wanted, a life free of the complications of building a family. It would work out perfect in the long run.

Theater ran late into the night and sometimes early into the morning. John’s job called for him to start early and obviously the job didn’t always end at five.

They were going to be perfect for each other in this relationship. But she really wanted some time with her sisters and now that he’d brought it up, she wondered if they’d be able to drop everything just to spend time with her.

Chapter Twenty

It had taken some finagling, but Arianna was seated at Olive Garden waiting for her sisters to arrive.

Madeline had walked through the door first.

Arianna hadn’t noticed how much her hair had grown back in a year. It was still very short and lighter than it had been before. But for the first time in a very long time, Madeline didn’t wear a wig or a scarf.

She hurried over to Arianna and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin was cold, and it gave Arianna a chill.

“I’m so glad you called.” Madeline pulled her coat off and set it on the back of her chair. “I’ve been craving breadsticks.”

Arianna pushed the basket toward her, and immediately Madeline bit into one.

“Yep, that’s what I wanted.”

Arianna laughed. “Thanks for coming.”

“Are you kidding me? I have missed our impromptu dinners. Besides, Carlos is grading exams. He’s not the nicest person when he’s doing that.”

“Oh, I’ve seen the wrath.” Arianna took a breadstick too, and then noticed Simone and Regan both had walked through the door, each carrying an infant seat covered in a blanket.

Arianna stood from her seat as they headed toward her.

Regan’s eyebrows were drawn together. “What’s wrong? Why did you have to meet us?”

Arianna’s heart sunk right into the pit of her stomach. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to be with all of you.”

“I thought something had happened to you.”

“No. I missed my sisters and John had to work late…”

“So I’m being ungrateful and paranoid?”

Arianna wrapped her arms around her sister and held her tight. With all that was going on in her life, she hadn’t been too panicked about things, but obviously her sister had—with good reason.

She took her nephew’s seat from her sister and sat down, balancing the seat on her lap. Slowly she removed the blanket that had been draped over the carrier and peered down at Spencer, all bundled up and sleeping.

Could anything be more precious?

Then she looked up at Simone who had pulled a very alert Avery from her seat. She was dressed in a little pink dress with pink tights and a matching headband.

Arianna felt the sting of tears in her eyes, and she went about setting Spencer down between her and Regan and then walking around the table to reach for Avery.

Simone looked up at her as she picked up her niece. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little emotional.”

Avery’s eyes tried to focus on her and a small smile formed on her lips. That was what it was all about—the love of her sisters and their children. Oh, this sweet, little angel was going to be as spoiled as the others. Arianna felt it burning in her to give her anything she’d ever need.

She walked back around the table and sat down with Avery in her arms.

Madeline reached for another breadstick. “So, are you getting excited for your trip?”

“Trip? Oh, San Francisco? Yes, I think it will be good for us to have some alone time.”

“A honeymoon, in a way?”

Arianna hadn’t really thought about that, but she supposed it was. After all, she had the ring and the man. “Maybe. I told him we should have sex on Alcatraz.”

Simone’s eyes shot open wide, Regan shook her head, and Madeline busted out laughing and had to cover her mouth to keep the bite she’d taken from falling out.

Regan readjusted the blanket at Spencer’s feet. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Yes you can. C’mon, you’re getting soft on me.”

“Motherhood will do that to you.”

Arianna could see that. Madeline was a bit more free. Her brush with death and the fact that her children were older allowed her to not be so uptight. Regan and Simone, on the other hand, were a bit more ridged.

Avery watched Arianna as she fussed with her dress. “Simone, how are plans going for your new business?”

“It is not a business, really. More of an organization to help.” She sipped her water. “It is going well. We are still in the planning stages, but I am very proud of it. In fact…” She stopped and picked up her purse. After searching, she pulled out three business cards and handed them to everyone.

“A Better Day. That is the name of your organization?”

“Yes.”

“I like it.” Arianna ran her finger across the raised print. “You know, maybe we can mix my grand opening with your organization. We can fundraise for you and build a community for me. Who knows, by then I might even have some job openings.”

Simone’s eyes lit up, though she remained poised. “I think that would be wonderful.”

Madeline held up the card. “This card reads Simone Keller.”

Simone smiled. “Pierpont no longer holds any value for me. The connections that I have, and those I will make, will know me as a Keller, so I thought it appropriate.”

Arianna felt those tears again. Keller. It was a name of pride, and it was hers. And if someone like Simone Pierpont wanted to give up a name that meant prestige and wealth all over the world in order to take on the name Keller, Arianna knew for sure she didn’t want to ever give it up.

The evening had been just what Arianna had needed. A night with the women she loved, and Simone fit right into their group.

She thought it was wonderful to hear Madeline talk about Clara’s excitement about performing with her aunt. And when Arianna had told her about the office Eduardo had built for her, Madeline had broken down into tears.

Arianna had also been filled in on just how good Christian was at baseball. College scouts were already looking at him, and he had years of high school left.

It floored her that any of their children would be athletic. She knew Zach ran, but really, that was the extent of athleticism in the family. Christian was changing that. Madeline said his dream was to go pro, and from the sounds of it, he’d make it.

The rest of the night had been spent cuddling her niece and nephew and trying to get Simone to spill wedding plans. They’d had no luck. Simone and Curtis were planning a secret elopement with a big party after. Not one detail had been dropped.

The house was still dark when she pulled into the driveway. It was almost nine-thirty. She was sure John would have been home already.

Arianna parked the car and walked up to the door. She slipped the key into the lock and the door pushed open.

How could she have forgotten to lock the door?

She closed the door and locked it behind her and then proceeded to turn on the lamp in the living room. There was a moment when she decided her mind must be slipping. The house was freezing. Had she forgotten to turn the heat up, too?

Arianna walked through to the kitchen and turned on the light.

Her heart began racing when she noticed the back door wide open.

“John! John!” Her voice shook. She was frantic and frozen in place.

Someone had broken into the house. What if someone was still there?

She heard noise in the basement—in John’s place.

Arianna took a breath to yell for him again, but her voice had stilled in her throat. She heard footsteps on the stairs.

With the only moment of clarity she’d had, she realized her purse was still on her shoulder.

She patted the side of it and could feel the shape of the gun. Slowly she unlatched the hook and pulled the gun from her purse.

She shook as she gripped the gun. Her feet planted firmly, she took aim at the basement door as the footsteps grew closer.

As the person in the basement neared the top of the stairs, she swallowed hard and cocked the gun.

“Arianna? Are you home? The heater is…” John stopped in the doorway and looked at her standing there with the gun pointed right at his head.

Her body shook until she thought the gun might fall from her hands. John walked slowly to her, and tears began to pour down her cheeks.

“Sweetheart,” he said softly as he walked slowly toward her. “Put the gun down.”

She lowered it to her side.

John took it from her hand carefully and uncocked the gun. He set it on the counter and pulled her into his arms.

“Honey, you’re shaking like a leaf. Calm down.”

“The door. The house was…”

“Shh.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “The furnace went out. I’m trying to fix it. I had the door open so I could go out to my truck.”

“I thought…” She couldn’t even get the words out.

John let go of her long enough to shut the door. Then he guided Arianna to the living room and set her on the couch. He reached for a throw and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“Calm down.” John sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

Arianna sucked in a deep breath and let it out very slow. Then, she did it again.

John was keeping her very close. It was comforting. But the moment that the thought was clear—she could have killed John—the tears were back.

“What if I’d shot you?”

“You didn’t.”

“I was going to.” She sucked back a sob. “I could have killed you.”

“You were prepared.”

“The front door wasn’t locked. And then the back door was wide open and…”

John pushed back. “The front door wasn’t locked?” Arianna shook her head, and John stood. “I didn’t go through the front door.”

Arianna covered her mouth with her hand as John moved to the door.

He opened it and looked at the lock. “It isn’t jimmied. No one has messed with the door or the lock.”

“So maybe I just left it unlocked?”

“I think so.” He closed the door and locked it again.

How could she have been so forgetful? In all her life she’d never left the front door unlocked. Maybe she’d been too excited to have dinner with the girls. That had to be it.

“Listen. I have to get that furnace working. It is freezing in here. Go upstairs. Run yourself a hot bath and get yourself calm.”

Arianna nodded.

John kissed her gently and headed back to the basement.

With the blanket still around her shoulders, Arianna walked out to the kitchen and picked up her purse and the gun. She slid the gun back into the pocket of the purse and headed upstairs.

As she walked back through the kitchen, she looked down at the table. Simone’s business card looked back up at her.

She must have dropped the card on the table when she pulled the gun from her purse.

She walked back through the living room and up to the bathroom. Hopefully the hot water heater was still working, or a hot bath wasn’t going to soothe anything.

John had heard the bathtub running, and a moment later, he had the furnace kicking to life. He was glad. If he didn’t get the heat going soon, they were going to have to find a motel for the night. He’d been tired and irritated from his findings at the site, but nearly being killed by the woman he loved had him a little jumpy.

Why did she think it was necessary to pull her gun on him? Didn’t she say, just the other day, that she thought the worst was behind them, and no one was after her?

Well, something had her scared enough to nearly kill him.

He packed up his tools and thought he shouldn’t look at it that way. Yes, he could have been shot, but he hadn’t been. Arianna was prepared and cautious, that was all.

By the time he’d made it upstairs, Arianna had tucked herself into bed, bundled in sweat pants, socks and a flannel shirt.

“You don’t have that gun tucked up under there with you, do ya?” He smiled, but there were still tears in her eyes.

“I’m very sorry.” She wiped her eyes. “What if I’d shot you?”

“Let’s just hope you don’t have a great shot.”

“I have four first place trophies for trap shooting, of course Regan has six.”

John unbuttoned his shirt. “Great. She
and
her sister can hit moving targets.”

Arianna sat up and looked at him. “I don’t remember not locking the door. I’ve never left a house without locking the door.”

John sat down on the bed next to her. “Do you think someone was in the house?”

“I don’t know. Nothing is missing. The door isn’t broken. It had to have been me.”

He took her hands in his. “I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow we will look into a security system. Would that make you feel better?”

She leaned in to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yes, but what if he is still out there? What if he’s not in Paris.”

“He’s not going to touch you.”

“What if he gets to me or Regan? Those boys can’t lose their mother.”

The sobs were shaking her body, and he pulled her in closer. “Don’t think like that. This family is stronger than one man.”

As he held her close to him, her breath began to slow.

He’d protect her and her family with his life, if it came down to it. No one would hurt the Keller family. No one.

Chapter Twenty-One

John stayed home with Arianna the next day, and just as he’d promised, there was a crew there installing a security system.

Regan had called her four times before lunch to check on her, and Arianna could hear it in her voice. She, too, was scared and now locked in her own house.