Stephanie wasn't up yet, Jesse took
care of the boys and their dad was doing business this morning.
“Come on guys dad is working we have
to keep it down some.” Jesse topped off Romeo's milk.
“Daddy is always working” Romeo
pouted.
“How about we find a park and go toss
the football around, would you like that Jakey?” Jesse asked his
brother.
“Okay, Jesse can we have a picnic
too?” Jake asked.
Jake seemed more like his old self,
maybe dad talked to him yesterday when they hit the video store,
Jesse thought.
“Sounds like a plan, we can go to the
grocery store and get some sandwiches at the deli and some chips and
soda's.” Jesse ruffled his hair
“And some candy too.” Romeo piped
up.
“Yeah, not much but maybe a little
bit,” Romeo wanted his hair ruffled too so Jesse laughed an ruffled
his too, “I can ask Sally what a good park we could go too.”
Sally had started to say something last
night when they were texting but stopped short and that bugged him.
“Go get cleaned up and I'll tell dad
where we'll be.” He cleaned up the bowls, glasses and spoons and
went on search of his dad.
“I don't know what I'm going to do
Lex, I got to get us back to being a family, that's what Jake wants.”
he said to the phone, his back to the door he didn't see Jesse
standing there. “Sure I can't get you to come up?”
“Hey Dad,” He waited until Jon
turning around “I'm taking the boys on a picnic to the park toss
the ball around,”
“Okay son, keep an eye on Jake” Jon
raised his hip to get the keys out of his pocket. “Steph up yet?”
“Not that I heard .” He caught the
keys and Turned to go but stop. “We'll get our Jakey back.”
“I hope so Jess,” he watched Jesse
leave and went back to his call. “So Lex can you come up here?”
“Jon, you know the deal, the
invitation has to come from Stephanie.” Lexie stood at the
counter, her laptop was waiting to be abused, Snowball was waiting on
her walk and she had already ignored two calls from her editor just
to take Jon's call.
“I know, I know, you can't fault me
for trying. I really miss you and being here without you, just isn't
the same.” Jon's voice lowered and got really sexy
“Dirty pool Bongiovi dirty pool, make
me all hot and wet.” She laughed
“You can't fault me for trying,
baby.” Jon chuckled
“On that note and that name I am
hanging up before my editor is pounding on my door, he's been trying
to get me for the past fifteen minute .” she told him. “Francis
I'll talk to you later.” She laughed as she hung up before he could
reply,
Stephanie roll over and stretched,
house was quiet. That could mean two things either the family was
out or the boys were out and daddy was working. Checking her phone,
no text from Mark, she grabbed her wrapper and headed downstairs,
with a stop by the shared bathroom, God these boys are such slobs.
She put the towel back on the rod and wiped off the mirror and hung
the cloth to dry.
As she was going
downstairs she heard her father on the phone with what sounded like
either uncle Matty or Tony. She made her way to the kitchen and fixed
her some toast and fruit. She noticed the coffee was getting low.
As she finished her breakfast she checked her mail and her pages.
She looked up as
her dad came in with his phone tucked under his chin never breaking
the conversation. Steph smiled as a memory of sitting at the table
with her mom and the conversations they used to say her dad would
talk business in his sleep if he could. It hurt to know she wouldn't
have those mornings every again, and it was her fault as much as her
mom's that they were no longer a family.
Jon noticed that
Stephanie was up, nodding to her, he poured the last of the pot into
his cup and started to one hand make another pot.
“I got it daddy,”
She got up and moved him out of the way and got the fixings out to
fix another pot.
“Thanks Princess,
boys went to the park for a picnic so it's just you and me for the
day.” Jon said as he finished off the call and sat at the table.
“Do you have any plans today?”
Stephanie set about
making her dad a pot of coffee sludge as she and her mom used to call
what her dad drank all day.
“Nope, I guess
I'll finish my book and hang out here.” She added the water and
turned around. “I haven't heard from the girls at school, other
than that, I haven't met anyone up here yet. Girls at the club gave
me the cold shoulder, Mark said it's a townie vacationer thing.”
Mark hum, wonder if I should be
worried or not? It's so tough having been a part time dad to know
where to lower the hammer or stand back a wait to clean up the fall
out? Jon thought.
“You met this
Mark at the club?” He sipped the now cooling mud he called coffee.
“He was the
miracle worker at the Apple store that saved my phone contacts and
stuff.” She wanted to shy away from talking about Mark.
“Then if he saved
your phone that brings him up there with Bieber fever.” He tried
not to laugh.
“Oh Daddy, that
was so lame.” She gave him her fake Bon Jovi laugh.
“Oh you got that
down pat.” Jon laughed.
“I missed this
daddy, us sitting around the table and just talking.” She sat down
with him. “What happened with Jakey really hit it home.”
“I
know it did Stephie and that what scares me.” He paused and sipped
his coffee. Should I bring up Lexie or wait and see what
she's beating around the bush to bring up.
“You know the band will be going into the studio soon and you know
that means tour. I don't know what I'm going to do with you four.”
“Well, I had been
thinking about that. I know us and tour would mean tutors and taking
us out of school.” Then the enormity of what she had done hit her.
“Oh my God, what did I do.” Her face fell tears flowed down her
cheeks. “I didn't do it on purpose daddy I really didn't. I just
wanted you and mommy back together.” She jumped up and started to
run out of the room.
Jon stood up and
caught her before she could leave the room and folded her into a bear
hug.
“Stephie, “ He
rocked her in his arms and then walked her into the family room,
Sitting on the sofa with her on his lap and let her cry herself out.
They sat there until she could calm herself, he held her and rocked
her, rubbing her back til she could talk about it.
“Steph, honey
that's not ever gonna happen, your mom loves her new man in her life.
He can give her what I can't, a steady nine to five guy. One that's
there at night and gives her the support I couldn't give her.” he
spoke softly. “It wasn't a spur of the minute thing, it's been
coming for several years. We just wanted different things in life.”
“But why didn't I
see this?” She asked him.
“Honey, your mom
was seeing Graham for years before she even told me. I guess I knew
it in the back of my mind. We were like strangers sleeping in the
same bed.” He admitted to her. “When she was ready to share
that part of her affair it wasn't long before everything ended for
us.”
“Weren't you
mad,” she slipped off his lap and went and sat across from him.
“Didn't you want to fight for her?”
Jon thought a few
minutes before he spoke.
“Steph, when she
told me that she was leaving me, it was the first time I felt like a
real failure.” He told her honestly. “I fought, I wasn't gonna
roll over and give up without a fight. She told me point blank it was
over and done with and if I wanted any contact with you kids I
wouldn't fight her. I chose you kids.”
Stephanie listened,
taking it all in everything about him, his voice, he facial
expressions.
“You might have
not heard your mom and I fighting, but Jakey did. He told me
yesterday when we went to get video's, he heard us fighting and then
what ever happened at Grahams parents place, the change in custody
change and them what happened at the mall capped it all off for him.
Now I have to find a way to make him feel like we are a family
again.” Jon told her waiting to see what she was thinking.
After a few seconds
she finally started talking.
“Why did you want
to come up here, we could be a family at home in the city, or in the
river house.” she shifted and curled her legs under her, “What
makes this place so special?”
“The day your mom
and Graham got married I was in a bar trying to drink myself under
it.” He got up and headed to the kitchen and got a fresh cup of
coffee and came back to the sofa. Taking a fortified swallow he
started talking again. “Your Uncle Huge found me and helped me dig
myself out of this depression I was in. Told me about his uncle in
law's cabin, that I should take Romey and head up there to get my
head straight.”
“So Uncle Huge
set you up with Lexie.” She asked.
“Not really,
seems Kelli's uncle is a friend of Lexie's publisher and she was
having writers block and he sent her up here, to see if she could
clear her head.” He smiled as he remembered the first day he met
Lexie. “I thought she was the cook assigned to the cabin.” He
shifted on the sofa and chuckled.
“You thought she
was the cook?” Stephanie laughed. “When did you find out who
she really was?”
“She told me
right away she wasn't the cook, I knew I had seen her before, but I
couldn't remember.” he smiled.
“When did you
find out who she was?” She was filing away all this information.
Actually it was
Romey that found it out. Her book was in one of those displays with
a picture of the author. It was in the grocery store.” He sipped
his coffee and smile again.
“The same store
where Sally works?” she laughed.
“The very same
one. Small world right?” He laughed.
“Very small.”
she noticed a change in her dad. “I'm going to go get dressed,
check my mail,” She got up and walked over and kissed her dads
cheek.
“Okay Princess,
I'm going to be working on some foundation work, so if you need me
for anything I'm going to be in the den.”He pointed to the door by
the stairs.
“Okay. Hey can I
get Lexie's number so I can thank her for the books?” She asked
sweetly.
Jon took out his
cell and tossed it to Stephanie.
“When you get
done bring it to the den.” He called up as she ran up the stairs
with his phone.
She flopped down on
the bed and pulled up her dads phone contacts, going to recent calls
and hit the one that said Lex and waited while it rang. “Voice
mail, Hey Lexie, this is Stephanie, Stephanie Bongiovi, I wanted to
say I'm sorry for the way I acted.”
Lexie came in with
a damp Snowball and was drying her off when her phone rang, Letting
the machine get it she fluffed Snowballs fur until she heard the
voice on the machine. Reaching the phone on the words I'm sorry she
picked up the phone disconnecting the machine. “Stephanie, this is
Lexie.”
I hope the change in Stephanie is real and not a ploy to get Lexi up there as a distraction for her dad so she can continue to see Mark.
ReplyDeleteThe talk between Jon and Stephanie was just as I imagine a father, daughter talk between them to be like.
Great chapter. More please!
Steph seems to be coming around. I hope she can keep an open mind about Jon and Lexie's relationship. I think having Lexie come up to the cabin will lift everyone's spirit, and Snowball will work her magic on the youngest boys. And her cooking may decrease the need for the canned soup... LOL!
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