Center Stage
Page 24

As he watched her dream, he thought about his ex-wife. She was nothing like the woman wrapped in his arms, and he supposed that was why everything now was so perfect.
His ex-wife had a family now. It had been something she’d wanted, and he hadn’t been against it. It just hadn’t happened. Fate was sometimes generous—no matter how it played itself out.
He was happy for her, even if he hadn’t seen her in the nearly ten years since she’d taken everything he’d ever saved. She must have needed it more, he always told himself.
Of course, he’d never been happier than when he’d moved into the basement of Arianna’s house and given most of his furniture to Simone when she’d moved to Nashville. He never would have imagined he’d be living upstairs, wrapping his arms around the only other woman, other than his ex-wife, who had ever occupied his mind.
John had been serious about the baby, too. If she’d wanted one, he’d make sure she had one. He’d be a fantastic father. That part he was certain of. But he was just as content to not have children. He, too, adored all of her nieces and nephews. And she was right. If Zach kept Eduardo active in the company, he could see him working the deals and designing the builds just as Zach had done.
Marriage. Now that seemed to be another factor weighing in on his mind.
He was going to buy her the biggest, gaudiest diamond he could find. She deserved that more than any woman he’d ever known. And who wouldn’t want to find that wrapped up for their fortieth birthday?
The dilemma was should he attach a proposal with it?
Construction continued on the theater, and Arianna was planning a grand opening performance. She’d been making lists of different classes she could offer when they opened and what kinds of performances she’d be putting together. There were days when she’d wake when John left for work and she’d be sitting in the same place in front of her computer when he came back. There was a lot of planning that went into a new business.
She’d sent off for her business licenses and opened a bank account. The insurance agent had called her at least four times in the past few weeks to tell her he’d been to the site and was always making sure the insurance would be enough on the building.
There had been a few afternoons she’d picked Clara up from school, and they’d gone to the music store to pick up some sheet music to work on. It would never cease to amaze her how much alike they were, and yet, they weren’t, technically, even blood related.
It also hadn’t gone unnoticed that her fortieth birthday was quickly approaching. The few lines around her eyes reminded her that she wasn’t getting any younger, but she’d never been happier.
She was also sure the entire Keller/Benson clan was up to something because no one had talked to her in almost a week.
Arianna wasn’t one to ruin surprises—if there was one. She wasn’t one to complain if there wasn’t one either. Though she’d like them all to at least take her out to dinner.
As she started the coffeepot brewing, she planned out her day. Today she’d find a place to hold auditions for her grand opening event. It would be theatrical, but on a small scale.
When her phone rang, she pulled it from her pocket and answered it.
“Hello.” Her voice was song-like as she reached for a mug out of the cupboard.
“The theater looks nice.”
Arianna switched her phone to her other ear. She didn’t recognize the person, but she hadn’t looked at the ID either. “I’m sorry, who is this?”
“It won’t always look so nice.”
A chill ran down Arianna’s spine. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Don’t be stupid. You know what I want.”
She set the mug down on the counter and tucked her shaking hand in her pocket. “You need to just go away.”
“Your sister is a disgrace. You can’t protect her forever.”
“Leave us alone. Please. We don’t have anything for you.”
“She will pay for the lies. Your brother will pay for the lies. You will pay.”
The line went dead, and Arianna fell to the floor when her knees buckled beneath her.
It could have been an hour. It could have been ten minutes. Arianna wasn’t sure. She’d been paralyzed on the floor—shaking, crying, oblivious to everything else.
Her mind had only cleared when John opened the back door, called her name, and ran to her.
Now she sat at the kitchen table, and John handed her a cup of hot tea. She hated tea. Why did she even have it in the cupboard?
He watched her as she forced herself to take a sip. His face was hard. His brows narrowed, his lips were tight, and his face was a flush of red that could only mean anger.
She hadn’t had to tell him much. He knew. He’d called the police and her family, but only after he’d called Zach and put him in motion to get to Regan.
Arianna knew that she was about to face the wrath of John Forrester. She set down the mug, placed her hands in her lap, and waited.
“You can’t be weak. What if he’d been here? What if…”
“He wasn’t.”
“The last thing I’d expect from you is to find you on the floor.”
“I’m sorry. This isn’t my style. He just caught me off guard…”
“And that’s what he wanted.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “If he can frazzle you, he can get to Regan. Don’t you see that?”
She really hadn’t until he said it aloud.
“Jesus, Arianna, I can’t lose you, and if you’re going to play with fire then we’re all going to get burned.”
Now she was angry. She pushed up from her seat. “How has this become my fault? I came back to Nashville to be near my family. He’s stalking me. I didn’t ask for this.”
“Are you sure?”
That had crossed the line. She kicked back the chair and charged him. She’d smack him, punch him, and stop him from talking such nonsense. But he was quick. He caught her hands.
“Calm down.”
“Calm down? Are you kidding me?” She pulled her hands from his hold. “You’re accusing me of doing…something to provoke this.”
He touched her arm, and she jerked away. “Actually, I was seeing how you’d react so I’d know you didn’t.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not very trustworthy of you.”