Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (25 page)

“You can come in, amore,” my husband replies.

I walk in to find him showing Chris and Calvin the sketches that Francesca and I did for Little Vegas.

“These look really great,” Calvin remarks.

“Ava did the bathrooms. They look good, no?” Enzo asks.

“Yes, really good,” Chris confirms.

“Babe,” I say to Enzo, “the girls want to see if Grayson can drive us today. They think it’s cool.” I add an apologetic tone to my voice.

“Of course, bella,” he replies. “That’s never a problem. Let me call him.”

“Okay.”

“What’s wrong?” Enzo asks.

I lower my voice. “I just don’t think we need him. I don’t like flaunting your wealth around. It’s feels uncomfortable, and honestly, I never get to drive my car.”

“Our wealth,” he points out, “and I understand how you feel. I remember how I felt when things started happening for me. But look at it as a fun thing to do for your friends. Besides, I would prefer it if Grayson drove you everywhere you went.” He kisses my cheek. “You will get plenty of time to drive your car.” He grins.

I smile. “Okay, tesoro. Thank you.”

“Prego.” Picking up his phone, Enzo makes a quick call to Grayson and then tells me, “He’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”

I lean against his desk while Chris and Calvin start talking about yesterday’s football game. “You know, I’ve always wondered, where does Grayson live, Enzo?”

“At Girasole,” he replies. “You didn’t know that?”

“No. But that explains why he’s always so readily available. Does he like living at the hotel?”

Enzo nods. “He says he does. It works well for his bachelor lifestyle – restaurants close by, clothing stores, and a cleaning service.”

“Yes, that makes sense. He’s a nice guy. Does he ever date?” I ask.

Enzo shrugs. “You think I’m a private man? Well, Grayson is even more so. I have no idea what he does in his free time.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

My husband’s eyes twinkle. “Because I’m not a girl and it’s none of my business.”

“Fair enough.”

Enzo stands and wraps his arms around my waist. “If he does meet someone, I hope he is as happy as I am with you.” He kisses my neck and I feel my cheeks blush since the guys are still in the room.

Enzo leans in close and whispers in my ear, “I can’t wait to ravish you tonight. You look delicious right now.”

Now it’s not just my cheeks that are heating up.

“Now, go and have a good day,” he tells me, smiling. “We’re going to finish up here, and then we’re going downtown to see what’s going on with the hotel.”

“When is it going to get a name?” I ask.

He strokes his chin. “I don’t know yet. I still can’t settle on a good one.”

Calvin overhears us. “You’re still stuck on a name?”

Enzo nods. “It will come to me.”

“Alright boys, we’ll see you later,” I say, kissing Enzo’s cheek lightly, but he responds by pulling me into the most sensuous kiss, leaving me breathless.

“Geez, get a room,” Calvin says, chuckling.

Enzo kisses me once more before releasing me, undeterred by his friend’s teasing. I wave and leave the room, my cheeks bright red.

Cassie notices my demeanor right away. “Dang girl, what happened to you in there?”

“Nothing,” I say, grinning. “Just got a kiss from Enzo and a lot of teasing from Calvin.”

“Yeah, he’s a teaser, in more ways than one,” Gabby chimes in before laughing loudly.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Cassie adds.

We hear the front door open. “Hello?” Grayson calls out.

“We’re in here,” I yell back.

Grayson enters the room and I’m immediately taken aback by his casual appearance, dressed as he is in jeans, a gray sweater and Converse sneakers. He has also let his hair grow out a bit, so it’s not quite as spiky. He looks relaxed, casual, and surprisingly approachable. What happened to the suit and stoic demeanor?

“Grayson, you look great. I’ve never known you to wear jeans,” I tease him as I grab my handbag and sunglasses.

His face turns crimson. “Just trying something different, ma’am, er, Ava.”

“Different is good,” I reply with a wink.

“I have the car ready, ladies,” Grayson announces, changing the subject and reverting back to work mode.

We leave the house and settle into the back of the car. “Where should we go? Fashion Square or Girasole?” I ask the girls.

“Let’s go to this magnificent mall I hear so much about,” Cassie says with exaggerated grandeur in her voice.

“Okay, Grayson,” I say, “the mall, please.”

He nods.

“So, Ava, any news about that woman at your wedding? What’s going on with that?” Cassie asks.

“We haven’t heard anything in a few weeks. The last update was that she was undergoing psychiatric treatment and still quite delusional. She seems to think she’s married to him and I took him away. Can you believe it? We pressed charges and they’re all still pending, but she’s definitely not competent. It could be a while before that is resolved.”

Gabby nods her head. “You seem to be holding up okay after all the book drama,” she says.

“It was rough at first but things are calming down,” I reply.

“So, anymore paparazzi chases?” Gabby asks me.

“No, thank God. After Emma died, they’ve backed off. The only time we see our names or pictures in the papers now are related to the hotels. They don’t seem as interested as they used to be.” I smile at my friends. “One thing I know for sure, Enzo and I can make it through anything.”

“Maybe that’s good then,” Cassie adds. “Maybe all of this needed to happen so you would know your bond is unbreakable.”

“Yes, unbreakable. I like that,” I say.

“Well, so now you’ve known Enzo for nearly six months. Any surprises yet?” Cassie asks again.

“Surprises?” I ask, confused. “Like what?”

She narrows her eyes. “You know, like weird habits or quirks you didn’t know about before?”

“Not really,” I reply, thinking. “Enzo likes order and calm in his environment. He doesn’t like television, but we always have music playing. He is almost always working, which explains how he’s been so successful so young. And he loves his family and adores me. He also likes to wear suits more than jeans and eating is a priority. Enzo has probably learned more about me.”

“Has he learned how you never hang up your clothes after you wear them?” Cassie asks, cackling.

I laugh. “Yes, and he hates it. I’ve compromised and hang up the expensive stuff, but I told him he needs to lighten up a bit.”

Gabby grabs my hand. “Is he still so romantic?”

I nod my head. “I hope he’ll always be like that.”

Cassie smiles at me. “I think that’s a sure thing.”

“Do you still remember your first date?” Gabby asks.

I roll my eyes. “How could I forget it? What a night that was. I had no idea what I was doing with him, and he was so arrogant and mysterious. And sexy. Good Lord, that man is so sexy. He had me wrapped around his finger from day one.”

Cassie laughs. “Who wrapped who? Way I remember it, he was pretty whooped from the beginning.”

“Well, he hid it better than I did,” I say, giggling.

The car pulls up in front of Neiman Marcus and Grayson turns back to us. “Just call when you’re ready and I’ll come pick you up,” he says.

Wait, is that what I think it is? Holy heck, he actually smiled at us! Whoa.

“Sure, Grayson. Thanks,” I say, wondering what’s gotten into him.

We climb out of the car and Cassie loops her arm in mine. “Who would have thought that date would turn into this?”

“Certainly not me,” I reply, honestly. “Moving here was the best decision of my life.”

“Uh, yeah, it worked out pretty well for me too,” Gabby adds with a laugh.

“And me!” Cassie raises her hand.

“Where should we eat?” I ask Gabby.

“Let’s go to Modern Steak. I love it there. Calvin and I go every Wednesday.”

“With steak in the title, I’m in,” Cassie says, cackling loudly, which causes several people to turn and stare at us. “Ooh, am I bothering the rich people?”

“You just be you, Cass.” Grinning, I lead the way to the restaurant.

“So, what are you going to get the man that has everything for Christmas?” Cassie asks when we’re inside.

“There’s only one thing I can give him that he can’t get for himself...”

The hostess greets us and shows us to a table. I’m dragging out my response, knowing it’s killing Cassie. We order our drinks and dig into the bread basket.

“And what’s that?” Cassie questions me.

I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I think it’s time to tell my girls. I smile. “I’m going to stop taking my pill.”

Cassie practically chokes on her bread and Gabby’s face splits into a grin a mile wide.

“I thought you wanted to wait a year?” Cassie asks, astonished.

“I did, but I started thinking about it. If I go off the pill in January, who knows how long it will take to get pregnant. And by the time the baby is born, we’d be married close to a year by then, maybe even longer.”

Cassie shakes her head, mumbling, “Wow.”

“That’s awesome,” Gabby says, grabbing my hand. “He’s going to be really excited. How do you plan to tell him?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that I want to be alone with him, so I was thinking I could do something on Christmas morning before the day gets started. I just don’t know what yet.”

Cassie taps her lip with her index finger. “Yeah, that’s tough.”

“I’ll figure it out,” I reply, just as the server arrives with our food.

Cutting into her steak, Cassie asks, “What are we doing after this?”

I shrug. “We can shop or we can go see Little Vegas?”

“What the heck is Little Vegas?” she asks.

“It’s the new property downtown. It doesn’t have a name yet, so that’s what I call it.”

“Cool. I haven’t been downtown yet,” Cassie says.

“Since we’re here though, you want to walk around and look at pretty things?” I ask.

“Yes!” Gabby says. “We need shoes. Northland, anyone..?”

“Mmm, I love their shoes. Love this steak too,” Cassie remarks.

“Alright then,” I decide. “We’ll finish up here and do a little shopping, and then head downtown. Cool?”

“Cool,” the girls reply in unison.

After a few hours of shopping, we join up with Grayson again.

“How was your day, ladies?” he asks, holding the car door open for us.

“Good,” I reply, cheerfully. “So, are you bringing a date to Vegas?”

“Yes,” he answers quietly.

“Ooh, are you dating someone then?”

He smiles and walks around to the driver’s side to get in. “I am.”

“What’s her name?” Gabby asks.

“Marisa.”

I probe some more. “Where did you meet her?”

“Through the security agency I hired for you. She manages the Arizona region.”

“How nice,” I say, “So how long have you been dating?”

Grayson’s face lights up. “Since you and Mr. Milano came back from your honeymoon.”

“That’s so nice and you seem happy,” I say.

“I am,” he replies as we drive away, and I realize that he’s said all he’s going to say.

I wonder if Enzo knows about Marisa. I hope that she’s nice to Grayson. I don’t want to have to hate the girl.

“Where are we going, Ava?” Grayson asks.

“Downtown to the hotel.”

He nods and heads onto the highway.

I pull out my phone to call Francesca, hoping that she is on site since she has such an enthusiastic way of describing what everything will look like.

“Ciao, Ava. Come stai?” Francesca’s voice sings through the phone line.

“Bene. Are you at the hotel?” I ask her.

“Yes, I am here. Are you coming?”

“Yes. I’m bringing Cassie and Gabby to see it.”

“Oh good,” she replies, cheerfully. “I will show you the floor tiles I have for the restaurant.”

“Great, see you in a few.”

I hang up and call Enzo. “Ciao, tesoro,” I say. “We are going to the hotel, so I can show it to the girls.”

“I’m on my way there too, so I will see you there.”

“See you soon,” I reply, blowing a kiss through the handset before I hang up.

Cassie nudges my arm. “So, you’re really getting into this designing stuff?”

“Yeah, it’s been amazing. I love it. Francesca has taught me so much. I’m learning a lot of new things. And she let me take on the bathrooms at the hotel myself.”

“Well, you did great in your house. It looks like a model home,” Cassie remarks.

“Thanks. That was the most fun I’ve ever had. Enzo was very involved too. It was a great experience for us both. It’s nice to know he respects my opinion.”