Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot (8 page)

The steaming shower felt heavenly after the chilly walk. Mia lingered under the spray of hot water as it relaxed her muscles. She dried her long, blonde mane with the blow dryer, tilting her head upside down.
This will give my hair more volume
.

The black, wrap dress was her final choice after going through the closet three times. It would be elegant with a string of pearls and matching earrings. Mia wore her hair down and dabbed Chanel behind her ears, and on her wrists. She slid into a pair of nude thigh highs with lacy tops.
Aaron will like these
.
The black heels are going to kill my feet, but I have to pay the price to look stunning.
Mia was naturally beautiful, and the expression on Aaron’s face confirmed it when she opened the front door.

“My God, woman, you’re gorgeous,” he said, with an approving smile. “How did I get so lucky?”

“By waiting a lifetime, and being persistent,” she replied. “You’re pretty hot yourself, Mr. Daniels. Shall we go?”

Aaron helped Mia with her coat. She flipped on the porch light to illuminate the sidewalk as they left.

The restaurant was a classic supper club. Avery’s was high end, with dark wood, crisp white tablecloths, and cozy lighting. Candlelit tables and booths provided seating that was intimate and romantic. The hostess led them to a table near the crackling fireplace. It was perfect. The waiter took their order. Mia chose broiled salmon with lemon and caper vinaigrette. Aaron ordered the broiled grouper with ginger soy marinade. Side salads and crusty, warm bread was served first. The waiter placed the cloth napkins on their laps. He left for a moment and returned with the ice bucket and stand holding the bottle of Cattier Brut Blanc de Noirs champagne. He poured a glass for each of them and disappeared.

Mia stared, wide eyed at Aaron with a surprised grin on her face. “Aaron, this champagne had to cost a fortune. What in the world are you up to?”

He smiled and took her hand in his. “I love you, Mia, and always have. I want you to move in with me, as a couple. It’s time, honey. Let’s put your house up for sale. I want to sleep with you every night for the rest of my life. What do you say?”

“We’ve talked about it before, and I agree, it’s time. Yes, Aaron I’d love to move in with you.”

“I was hoping you’d say that, or the next thing I want to ask you would be kind of awkward.” Aaron pushed his chair back and stood. He reached in his sports jacket pocket and pulled out a ring box, then knelt next to Mia’s chair.

The restaurant fell into a quiet hush as everyone stopped eating, and all eyes were on them. The background music was turned off momentarily.

“Mia James, you are the love of my life. You’re the air I breathe, and the beating of my heart. There’s nothing in the world that would make me happier right now than to have you as my wife. Will you marry me?”

Her hands covered her mouth in astonishment, while the tears sprung from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. It took a few seconds before she found her voice. “Oh my God, Aaron, yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you.”

He slid the Tiffany, emerald cut, diamond ring on her finger as the restaurant patrons cheered and wiped their own eyes. Mia stood, shaking in her heels as she and Aaron exchanged a passionate kiss. He wiped her eyes gently with his fingertips. “I love you more than life itself, Mia.”

“I love you so much, Aaron. This is the happiest day of my life.”

The love making between them took on a whole new meaning that night. It wasn’t about playful sexiness, and lust. It was about true, deep love and the passion they had for each other. Mia was beside herself with joy. She finally had the life she always dreamed of, and with the most wonderful man she had ever known. The love they shared was real, stronger and deeper than anything either of them experienced before. Mia snuggled in Aaron’s arms, feeling his warmth as her head rested on his chest. His heart beat against her cheek. She was safe and content. The hall light sent sparkles bouncing off the enormous engagement ring as Mia raised her hand to gaze at it. She was amazed by its beauty.

“I love you, Aaron, and I can’t wait to be your wife. Should I tell everyone we’re engaged now, or wait until Sasha’s party? It would be more fun to wait and surprise them all at the same time. Something else crossed my mind a few weeks back.”

“What’s that, sweetheart?” he asked, as he kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.

“Before I put my house on the market, I’m going to offer it to Karen. I have no idea if she’s ever considered living in Tarrytown, but it would be wonderful if she did. Greenwich is so expensive anyway, and she’s kind of out of the loop living there. What do you think?”

“I like the idea of having all our friends nearby. Give her a call tomorrow. We can take a drive over there and talk to her.”

“Hey guys, it’s nice to have company once in a while,” Karen joked, as she welcomed Mia and Aaron into her living room. “Let me take your coats. I made lunch too. Hope you like salad and pasta.”

Claire brushed up against Aaron’s pant leg and meowed. Mia giggled, remembering the first time she was introduced to Karen’s cat. Mia found the perfect spot behind Claire’s right ear to scratch. The cat settled in and purred.

After lunch, Mia helped Karen clean up the dishes. Aaron poured coffee while Karen served three pieces of warm apple pie. They sat around the table as Mia began.

“I want to run something by you, Karen, but please don’t feel obligated to say yes. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about living in Tarrytown, but I’m going to put my house up for sale. I’m moving in with Aaron.” Mia glanced at Aaron, squeezed his hand and gave him a smile. “Before I list my house, I want to offer it to you, but only if that’s something you would be interested in. Please don’t feel pressured. We love you, and would like to have you closer to all of us.”

“Wow, I’m kind of stunned. It never crossed my mind, but it’s an exciting idea. I could be in the middle of the craziness instead of on the sidelines,” she said, laughing. “Our houses are about the same size, and you live in a nice neighborhood. I’d be a lot closer to help out in the Peekskill store, and could always ride up with Max to the Hunter store when Mario needs us. Let me talk to a Realtor about my house and find out what it’s worth. What do you want for your place?”

“I’m thinking in the neighborhood of $500,000. I don’t want to call a Realtor though. They’ll try to get me to use them, and if I’m selling to you, we don’t need their help. I can ask Josh’s opinion, I guess. If you are interested, I’d hire a real estate attorney to draw up the papers. Give it some thought. Like I said, no pressure. We’ll talk in a few days. Just know this, we’d love to have you closer.”

Sasha was becoming more and more confident in her own abilities as time went on. Dead serious about changing her name, she climbed into the Tundra and headed for White Plains. She had an appointment today to present her name change request to a judge at the Westchester County Courthouse. All the necessary paperwork needed to be filled out while she was there. She had to find out more about quitclaiming the Victorian and getting a license to run a small inn, too. After that, a stop at the social security office and driver’s license building was scheduled. She would do all of this without any help, and she felt good about it. The party at the Victorian was next weekend, and she wanted to introduce herself as Martha Destiny to her friends. Of course, they would be shocked that she actually went forward with it, especially because she did it alone.

“Why do I have to appear in front of the judge today? Can’t you take care of it for me, Jason? You are on retainer, and you charge exorbitant fees, you know,” Jack said, as he drove. He was angry. Because he missed a few of the dates for community service he was ordered to do, he now had to explain the reason to the judge in open court.

“Jack, you have to show some responsibility, or you’ll end up with a lot of fines and possible jail time. If you don’t show up today, it’s just sending a message that you don’t give a shit.”

“I don’t give a shit, and I’m missing work because of this,” he barked into the phone as he drove toward the courthouse. “I’m pulling into the parking lot. What’s the courtroom number?”

“It’s 5C. I’ll meet you there.” Jason Henry, Jack’s attorney, looked at his watch: 10:02 a.m. “We have plenty of time before your case is called. I’ll be there in five minutes. Hang tight and don’t act like a jerk when you go through security.”

“Yeah, yeah… whatever.” Jack hung up and parked his BMW.

Sasha pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse at ten-fifteen. There was a bottleneck of people ahead of her to go through security. There was no hurry, she had forty-five minutes before her case would be called. She flipped through the emails on her phone as she waited. A familiar voice jolted her back into the moment. It came from somebody in line, farther ahead. Her heart pounded wildly as she stood on her tiptoes, trying to see over, and around, the people in front of her. The front of the line was obscured, but she recognized the voice. There was no mistaking it. Jack was there, somewhere, and only thirty feet from her.
I can’t have a panic attack. The guards will think I’m guilty of something. Stay calm.
The sweat droplets trickled down the back of Sasha’s neck as she stood in the crowded line. Her stomach churned.
I have to get through this. It’s because of that asshole I’m even here.
She finally reached the front of the line. She glanced down every corridor as she waited for her purse to be searched. Jack wasn’t there. She was so close to getting everything she wanted.
Should I go ahead, or get the hell out of here as fast as I can?
The ladies room was directly to her right. Sasha ducked in and wet a paper towel. It felt good against her face. She needed to cool down and catch her breath. Images came back to haunt her. Images of Mia doing the very same thing six months earlier when she witnessed Jack and Sasha together at Grand Central Terminal. Sasha broke down.
What comes around goes around, and it’s all related to Jack. I have to do this. He isn’t going to intimidate me, or any of us, ever again.
Sasha took five minutes to compose herself, then continued on. She went over the information she scratched down on a piece of notepad paper as she nervously entered the elevator.
Okay… I’m in courtroom 5G.
She pushed the button on the elevator panel to take her to the fifth floor. The doors closed, and the elevator began ascending. It stopped at the third floor. Sasha held her breath as two women entered. She exhaled with relief. The doors opened again on the fifth floor and she reluctantly got out. The elevator was her safe spot. She could hide in there as long as the doors never opened. Now she was exposed. The plaque on the wall showed arrows going to the left for courtrooms 5A through 5G. 5H through 5M went to the right. Sasha turned left.
My courtroom must be at the end of the hall,
she thought, as she began down the long corridor. The necessary papers were compiled in a neat, manila folder Sasha carried firmly under her arm. That loud, arrogant voice filled the hallway, as the man on the bench fifty feet ahead of her, spewed angry words at his attorney. Just the sound of his voice, again, almost sent her into a panic attack. She had to walk past Jack to get to her courtroom. It seemed like slow motion as Sasha watched her folder fall to the floor and the contents slide across the corridor. She knelt down, gathering the papers as quickly as possible.
No, no, please don’t come over here!
Jack’s attorney was approaching.

“Do you need some help, Miss?”

“No thank you, I’m fine.” Sasha reached in her purse and pulled out the sunglasses, slipping them on inconspicuously as she stood up.
Thank you, Vic.
She brushed off her skirt and continued forward as Jack stared in her direction. With her head down as if she were reading the papers, she walked right past him. She heard him from a distance, as he continued his rant to the attorney.
He had no idea it was me. I got past him, and he was clueless. I pulled it off, I’m free. He’ll never recognize me, even if he is trolling the streets of Tarrytown.

Sasha was overjoyed and her confidence soared. She got through the hearing with the judge, and her name change was approved. She signed all the paperwork and had the documents notarized at the clerk’s office. With her stomach growling, she stopped for lunch. She had no idea how long it would take at the driver’s license and social security offices.

By the time she reached home, it was four-thirty, and she was exhausted. Sasha plopped down on the twin bed upstairs and stared at the new driver’s license in her hand. The person in the picture was no longer Sasha Renaud. Martha Destiny was the name on this official, laminated, identification card, and the woman in the photo had short, blonde, spiky hair. Sasha laughed out loud. “Who the hell am I, and what did I do with Sasha Renaud? This calls for a glass of wine.” She jumped off the bed, opened the mini-fridge she recently bought, and pulled out a small bottle of Merlot from the four pack. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. With a snap of her wrist, she cracked open the bottle. Sasha toasted her new town, new home, new name and new look. “Cheers, Martha Destiny. It’s nice to meet you!” She tipped the bottle back and guzzled the Merlot without a glass.

The bright yellow jackhammer pounded, and tore through the asphalt below, as Sasha watched from a rooftop balcony. She put her hands over her ears, but the noise wouldn’t stop. She rolled over and opened her eyes. The clock next to her bed showed it was seven-thirty. The room was dark, and the pounding continued.
What the hell? It’s the door knocker.
I guess the jackhammer was a dream. I must have fallen asleep.
She rubbed her eyes and got up. Sasha made her way down the staircase, holding the handrail since she was still half asleep. She flipped on the porch light and peeked through the sheers. Josh was at her front door, banging the door knocker. Luckily the porch was huge and kept him out of the torrential downpour. The lightning cracked, followed by rumbling thunder.
Maybe I heard that in my dream too.
“Josh, what in the world are you doing out in this weather?” she asked, as she ushered him into the foyer. “What’s with the basket?”