“You have plans you haven’t told me about?”

She laughed easily knowing he’d see right through her. “I’m going to rent a church basement for a few weeks to get my act together.”

“Funny.” He took her coffee from her and took a sip. He swallowed hard and wrinkled up his nose. “You really should save your money.”

“You’re too manly for my coffee.”

“Damn straight.” He gave her a nod. “So what are you putting together?”

“Clara is going to help me after school, and an old friend and I are going to put together a musical review. I want to do it for a grand opening. When you give me the date, that is.”

“Oh, I see. You’re trying to pull a number from me, and here I thought you were being sexy in your mittens and long coat.”

“So, what do you think?”

“Honey, this place is a mess. Let me talk to Zach, but I still think you’re looking at July.”

She let out a grunt. “Well, then it will be the most spectacular music review ever.”

“I have no doubt.”

She moved in closer to him. “You know what you and I haven’t done as a couple yet?”

A tight grin formed on his lips. “You mean we’ve left something out?”

“A vacation.”

His shoulders pushed back, and his smile disappeared. “I thought you wanted this place done.”

“Construction foremans don’t get vacations?”

“Fishing weekends.”

“Zach could cover.”

“He’s busy.”

“We could hold everything off a week.”

“Doesn’t work that way.”

If she let her anger, which was stirring inside her, get the better of her, she’d crush the cup in her hand. Instead, she took a breath and backed away. “I’ll settle for a fishing weekend then.”

Arianna turned back toward her car and quickly drove away while he stood there watching her.

The woman was thick-headed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. John had already sunk his savings into the dilapidated building and had arranged to meet Regan at a jeweler to pick out a ring for her. The last thing he’d wanted her to think was he’d take her away somewhere, but that was the plan. In fact, had she walked into his trailer and seen his computer screen, she’d probably see the confirmation. Two round trip tickets to San Francisco.

A few more weeks of secrets and he swore he’d never keep another.

The church’s basement was small, but it would work for the time being. Madeline dropped Clara off after school, and when she jumped up and down because there was a stage, that was all the validation Arianna needed.

“This is almost as cool as the theater,” Clara squealed as she danced around on the stage.

Arianna pulled up a folding chair and sat down. She just watched as Clara created, unbothered by the audience of one.

That had been her once. Life was Arianna’s stage, and she was the star. Oh, her mother would have fits over the tall tales she could weave, but she always knew when they were the truth and when they were her wild imagination.

Her very first role had come when she was five. She was a tomato, and a very convincing one at that.

By the time she was in high school, the drama department belonged to her. There wasn’t a production she didn’t carry.

Sitting on the side lines would be much different and require as much discipline. But it was someone else’s turn to be the star, she just felt it.

Arianna eased back in the chair as Clara messed with an amplifier on the stage and tapped on the microphone. It wasn’t a song she’d ever heard. She assumed it had been created right there on the spot. But it was beautiful.

The song, the sound, mimicked her life as it was right now—beautiful. She’d run from New York in a panic. John’s handsome face meeting her at the airport was exactly the calm she’d needed. How was it that she’d run away right to where she was supposed to be?

“What did you think, Auntie?” Clara spoke into the microphone.

“I think you have the voice of an angel.”

“I was thinking Faith Hill.”

“Perhaps even better.” Arianna stood up and walked to the stage. “Is that who you want to sound like?”

Clara shrugged. “I think that would be fun—to be a country artist.”

“Then maybe you will be someday. What do you say we go to get some ice cream and make some notes on our show?”

Clara turned off the amplifier and jumped down off the stage. “I say you’re on.”

She walked out of the church basement with her arm around the shoulders of her niece. There was a grand comfort there, but John’s questions about children zipped back through her mind. Would this comfort be enough?

Chapter Fourteen

John was rethinking his decision to buy Arianna a ring. A dog might have been easier. She’d love some mutt. But this…

He’d invited Regan to help him pick the perfect ring for her sister. She, in turn, invited Madeline and Simone.

John knew he could have dealt with Regan. He was used to that. Madeline was soft spoken, and her opinion wasn’t too grand. But why had Regan thought it necessary to invite Simone of all people?

He was used to Simone Pierpont, but that had been in dealings with her as the face of Pierpont Oil, gaining investors in builds. Picking out jewelry? He should have just bought the dog.

“John, do you know anything about her taste?” Simone scanned the cases of rings.

“Yes. She’s simple.”

Regan chuckled, but kept her eyes on the rings.

Simone shook her head. “I think we are off. We should move from the wedding bands.”

With that she walked across the store. Both Regan and Madeline exchanged glances and hurried after her. John, on the other hand, looked down at the rings he thought were perfectly nice. Sure, it wasn’t going to be a wedding ring, but it had the same value.

“John.”

He looked up to see Regan waving him over. There was a look on her face that frightened him.

He couldn’t have been more surprised when all three women pointed to one ring in the case.

“This one,” Regan said quietly.

“It’s her,” Madeline chimed in.

“It is brilliant,” was Simone’s addition.

“It’s blue,” was his own opinion, and that had all three women laughing.