Chapter Twenty-Four
Alara set down her paintbrush and stared out at the view. She'd been coming over here to the house the last few mornings. Zia had been coming with her, but today she'd gone to work with Reaves.
Alara had tried to tell him he didn't need to take her.
He and Ollie were working hard, setting up new systems to make sure everything was functioning as it should—and from the way he talked, it was clear that everything he'd told Caleb was true.
He might not be familiar with the business, but he knew how to operate efficiently.
He'd assured her, though, that Zia had important work to do with him today.
The delighted look on her daughter's face when she'd come down from her room—backpack over her shoulder, pot of glitter in one hand—had been enough to quiet Alara's misgivings. Just the fact that she wasn't hiding her glitter meant Reaves must be in on whatever she was up to.
She got to her feet and wandered around the house. She had so many plans for the place. It was going to be beautiful. Whoever got to live here would be so lucky.
She stood at the kitchen sink, staring out the window, and found herself wondering again whether it might be possible for her to rent it. But it'd be a while before it was finished, so that wasn't a question that needed answering yet.
She straightened up and grabbed her purse from the kitchen table. There was one question that did need answering, though—and it was one she wanted to ask Charles while both Reaves and Zia were out of the house.
Reaves had suggested she use his Land Cruiser today. She smiled as she picked up his keys, the sparkly, googly-eyed pom-pom key ring seeming to smile back at her.
She drove back up to the main house, and it was only as the gates closed behind her that she realized how normal it felt now—driving through a private gate like that, on her way home. The word settled in her chest and warmed her right through. Home. That was what this place had become.
Faye was in the kitchen when she got there. "I didn't expect we'd see you back until much later. Are you feeling all right?"
"I'm good, thanks, Faye. I just came back to have a word with Charles."
Faye gave her a puzzled look.
"Just something I wanted to ask him."
"Well, you'll find him in his office. You sure you're all right, though?"
"I'm great. I really am feeling a little better every day." She hesitated only a second before going to the older woman and kissing her cheek. "And you've played a huge part in it."
Faye shooed her away with a big smile. "All I've been doing is feeding you.
Henry set you on the right track, but I think the best thing for you has been staying here.
" She smiled. "Reaves might not be mine, but I can't help thinking of him that way.
And I know I've got no claim on you, either.
But I'm looking forward to the day that I can think of you as officially mine, too. "
Alara couldn't find words. She just smiled and nodded, and Faye shooed her away again.
"Go on. I've got work to do, and I'm sure you do as well. You'd better go find Charles."
When she reached the study, Alara took a deep breath before knocking.
"Come in."
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
The sight of Charles at his desk, sunlight pouring through the window, was an image she wished she could paint.
More than that, she wished she could bottle it and keep it.
She'd never sell it. But if people could experience this one moment, they'd understand everything about House of St. James.
He looked up with a smile. "Alara. I thought you were over at the house this morning."
"I am. I mean—I was. I hope I'm not interrupting. I came back because I wanted to talk to you."
His smile faded a little. "Of course. Come and sit down."
She went to sit across the desk from him and folded her hands in her lap. She'd rehearsed this moment, even while she'd dreaded it. She wasn't looking forward to it, but it was something she just had to do.
He raised his eyebrows. "Is everything all right?"
She smiled. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to worry you. Everything's wonderful. Honestly—everything's better than it's ever been in my life. I can never thank you enough."
He nodded, starting to look wary. "Please tell me there's not a but coming."
"No. Oh, goodness. No. I'm sorry—I didn't mean to come across that way. I'm hesitant because there's something I want to ask you. And I'm afraid it'll embarrass us both."
He leaned back in his chair, resting his elbows on the arms and steepling his fingers in front of his face as he waited. "I find, with things like that, it's better to just say it and get it over with."
"I know. I just don't know where to begin."
"Mind if I help out, then?"
"You can try," she said, doubting he'd ever guess what she'd come to say.
"Forgive me if I'm mistaken. " He chuckled.
"That would prove embarrassing for us both, I'm sure, but I'd guess that…
" He paused. "I'm somewhat embarrassed to say it myself.
But here goes. When you and Zia first came here, I told Reaves that he was no longer welcome to spend the night under my roof.
" He looked away, then back, to meet her gaze.
"Unless and until you wanted to invite him. "
Alara swallowed. "Yeah. That's it." She cleared her throat. "And Charles—you've been so good to me. Even with this. Even putting my needs before those of your own son. And yes. That's what I'm here to ask. Would it be all right if I invite Reaves to stay over sometimes?"
He smiled and nodded. "Of course. And you never needed to ask, Alara. My intention was only to set a boundary that I wasn't sure you'd feel able to set for yourself here."
"I know. Thank you. But… no matter how much it embarrassed us both, I had to be open with you about it."
"And that's just one of the many things I admire about you, young lady. I'm so grateful you came into our lives."
"I'm the one who's grateful, Charles."
The phone on his desk rang, and he frowned at it. She got to her feet. "I should go. I don't need to take up any more of your time."
He reached out and lifted the receiver, then set it back down again with a chuckle.
"Whoever it is can wait. It's probably Henry—in fact, I'll call him right back.
You see, we were talking about getting together for dinner one night soon.
I'll invite myself over to his place on Saturday.
" He winked. "And when I go there, I sometimes stay the night. "
She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks. "You don't need to do that, Charles."
He chuckled. "I know. But I think I’d like to." His eyes twinkled "And besides, I’ve shown Henry the photographs of your painting—he’s going to want you to paint his place for him. I can tell him that he needs to get his name down on your waiting list while I’m there."
~ ~ ~
By the time the weekend rolled around, Reaves was ready for a break.
He and Ollie had been working hard, learning the ropes of the business from the inside, and he was loving every minute of it.
It felt strange and invigorating both, to be a beginner again.
He'd been a pilot all his working life, and he and Ollie had been operating in a well-established groove for years.
Running the winery was a whole new adventure.
He, Alara, and Zia had spent the day at Ollie's pool with Ollie and Callie and the dogs.
Ollie had suggested they make it a regular Saturday thing over the summer, and Reaves loved the idea.
Now, they were back at his dad's place, and they’d spent the evening watching a movie.
His dad wasn't around, and Faye had gone off to visit friends for the weekend.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been here when neither of them were.
"Prince Daddy! Prince Daddy!" Zia came running in. "Can we go check on our grape?"
He chuckled. "I think it'll have gone to bed by now, Z."
"Oh." Her eyes grew wide. "I didn't think about that. We shouldn't wake it up, then, should we? We can go and see it tomorrow." She frowned. "I worry about it sometimes, though, you know."
"You do? Why's that? I don't think we need to worry about it. It's such a special little grape."
"I know it's special. But I think all the other grapes know it is, too. They might not be kind to it."
He held his hands out to her, and she climbed up his leg to sit on his hip. "You know what I think we should do tomorrow, then?"
"What's that?" she asked.
"I think we should go out and glitter that whole bunch of grapes it's growing with."
She grinned. "I think so too. Then they can all be special together and love each other. And that one little grape won't be lonely anymore."
He chuckled. "No. It won't."
Alara appeared in the doorway. She'd insisted on cleaning up the kitchen after the snacks they'd made earlier.
"You might be glittering grapes tomorrow, Z. But what you need to do right now is get ready for bed."
Zia tightened her arms around Reaves's neck. "Will you read my story tonight, Prince Daddy?"
He glanced at Alara, and she nodded. "Yeah. I'd love to."
He waited while Alara supervised Zia getting ready, but when it came time for the story, she kissed the top of Zia's head and said, "Prince Daddy's in charge now, okay?"
Reaves went to sit on the bed, and Zia snuggled into his side.
"I asked Mom if you could do it tonight, because I have something I want to show you."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Will you turn the light off?"
He clicked off the lamp on her nightstand, and they smiled at each other in the dark.
"What do you want to show me, Z?"
She pointed out through the window. "The man in the stars."
He looked out into the darkness. His mind jumped first to the man in the moon—but he knew Zia better than that. She wouldn't go for the generic story everyone bought into. She'd have her own version.
"What about him?" he asked.
"I never knew him. But he's very kind."
Reaves's throat tightened slowly as it dawned on him who she must be talking about.
"Has he always been in the stars?" he asked.
"Not always. He was kind to Mom when he was here. But he went to the stars before I was born. That's why I don't know him."
Reaves nodded and hugged her a little closer. "I didn't know about him, Z."
"No, I know," she said cheerfully. "But it's okay. Mom says he was very nice. But…" She paused. "I'm kind of glad he's not here."
"You are?" he asked, surprised.
She wrapped her little arm around his middle. "Yeah. Because if he was here, he'd be my daddy. And then you couldn't be."
He had to swallow a couple of times. He didn't know what the hell he could say to that.
She stared up at him. "Then I'd be his little girl."
He nodded. "I'm sorry that he's gone," he said eventually. "But I'm grateful that you're my little girl."
Her eyes and teeth shone white in the dark as she grinned at him. "Can I be?"
He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "You already are, Z."
"Are you okay in there?" Alara called.
He chuckled as Zia burrowed down under the covers and put her head on the pillow. "Yes, Mom. I'm going to sleep now," she called.
He ran his hand over her hair. "I'm sorry you never got to know him."
Zia lifted her shoulders all the way up to her ears and held them there a beat before letting them fall. "That's okay. If I'd known him, I'd miss him now."
"Yeah." He turned to look out at the stars with her.
"My mom's up there too, you know," he said.
"I know," said Zia. "Grandpa Grape told me. She's having fun riding the stars." She was quiet a moment. "I hope she knows my star man. I think they'd be friends, don't you?"
"Yeah, Z. I believe they would."