Chapter 67

Grabbing her clutch off the dresser Cilla looked at herself one last time. She still wasn’t sure her white ruffle front blouse and white linen trousers were quite right, but it was all she had brought with her.

Coming down the stairs she saw Jon waiting for her by the door. The sun had put a little light in his hair and it was bit shaggier now. In need of a trim, the ends curled over the collar of his white button down. She felt infinitely better about her outfit when she noticed the tails of his shirt hanging over his dark jeans.

Jon looked up and smiled. The white of her blouse stood out against the bit of tan she had managed to get. “You look great Sweets.”

She tucked her bangs behind her ear, coming to stand in front of him. “Thanks. Are the kids all settled?”

He pressed a light kiss to her forehead; “they’re fine. Steph and Jess are in their rooms and Jake and Romeo pretty much told me to get lost, they’re watching a movie.”

Cilla smiled and took his offered hand, “sounds like typical kids to me.”

“Yeah” he sighed as he led her out of the house and helped her into the car. “There used to be a time when they actually didn’t want me to go out. It used to be a fight to get out the door some nights.”

She was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say. She didn’t have any experience with this type of situation. Resting her hand on his thigh, she absently rubbed the denim-clad muscle with her thumb. “I’m sure they’ve just come to realize that this is a part of your life. They miss you, but they know you have to go so they don’t make a big deal out of it anymore.”

He covered her hand with his giving it a light squeeze, “thank you.” He didn’t say anymore, didn’t need to. She understood. He didn’t know how, but she did and that surprised and pleased him.

He cleared his throat, “you ready for tonight?”

She turned in her seat slightly, “I think so. I don’t really have a choice though, do I?”

He chuckled, “I could turn the car around.”

“Okay," she said a little too eagerly, "where do you want to go?”

He laced their fingers together, “relax Sweets. It won’t be that bad.”

She nearly snorted. “Easy for you to say, your life is already on display. Mine isn’t, yet.”

Jon maneuvered the car along the drive, up to the line for the valet, “at least out here the photographers aren’t as eager to eat you alive as they are in the City.”

She made a face, “oh goody.”

Turning to glance out the window Cilla was awed by the sheer enormity of the house they were coming up on. The Tuscan Villa made Jon’s house look like a shack by comparison. The creamy, was that stucco? she wouldn’t be sure until she was closer, was set off by dark trim and she counted three chimneys as they approached. The grounds were immaculate and she could only imagine what the inside must look like.

When they stopped Jon helped her from the car and they approached the entryway. There was a spot for the guests to stop for a photo op and there were only a few photographers on hand. Cilla breathed a sigh of relief after their picture was snapped and no questions were asked. She only grimaced slightly when Kenny Alphin and then Carey Elwes wanted a picture with them.

As they moved into the house Kenny slapped Jon on the shoulder, “who is this little lovely on your arm tonight and how did you convince her to be seen with your ugly mug man?”

Jon took the ribbing good naturedly, “this, my friend, is my girlfriend, cake decorator extraordinaire, Cilla Preston.”

Cilla flushed slightly at his introduction.

“And Cilla,” he took her hand, “this is Big Kenny Alphin, one half of the group…” she interrupted him, “Big and Rich.” She pulled her hand from Jon’s and took Kenny’s, “it’s nice to meet you.”

He brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it lightly, “it’s a pleasure.” He kept her hand in his and started to walk, “do you really decorate cakes Cilla?”

She nodded as they made their way through the living room. “Yes, I do, but not just cakes. I run my own bakery/pastry shop in Soho. Cilla ~ Queen of Tarts.”

Before they could step out onto the party deck, Jon snagged her hand from Kenny’s, “hey man," he gave Kenny a playful shove "get your own girl, this one’s mine.”

Once they stepped outside, Cilla’s laughter caught in her throat and she struggled not to stare.

The white tent took up a major portion of the immaculately manicured yard that was just beyond the deck and pool. She was sure a three ring circus could have fit under it, it was that big. The wooden deck could have been teak, she wasn’t sure and it surrounded a crystal clear pool that had baskets of flowers at the corners, along the sides, and a spa pool in the middle. There had to be a hundred people milling about and more people were still coming.

Keeping her hand firmly in his, Jon skirted the crowd and tugged her around the edge of the deck, down two small steps and under the massive white tent. He led her straight to the bar, sliding his arm around her shoulders as he tried to get the bartender’s attention. "What would you like?"

“Reisling” she said absently as she looked around, trying to take it all in.

Handing Cilla her glass he picked up his own and urged her away from the bar ahead of him. They found their table and Jon was almost immediately caught up in a conversation.

That's how it would go the entire evening. It seemed Jon could carry on a conversation with anyone, doctor, lawyer, layman, it didn't matter. He found some common ground with everyone. She liked that. She liked that he introduced her to everyone too. He could have left her to fumble along on her own, but he didn't. He made sure to include her. Several people even asked for her business card. Luckily she had a few with her.

After dinner they made their way back across the beautiful deck and into the house, after stopping to study the signed guitars that were up for auction in the living room. They wandered the house, checking out the multitude of rooms. Off of each bedroom upstairs was a balcony. Stepping out onto one they could look over the entire backyard. Dark had settled and the torches and lights had been lit, giving the yard a soft orangey glow. Jon tugged Cilla to the far side of the balcony, away from the group that had gathered there. "You're good at this Sweets." He tucked her hair behind her shoulder, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

She turned her head, kissing his palm, "good at what? Making small talk with people I don't know?"

Leaning an elbow on the railing he tugged her closer, trailing his fingers up and down her arm. "I watched you tonight Cil. You worked that crowd as well as I did. And don't think I didn't see you passing out those business cards too."

She moved closer to him, her shoulder nestled against his chest as she leaned against the railing. "They were only interested in me because I was with you. I'll be surprised if any of them actually call."

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, inhaling her sweet scent. She really didn't know the effect she had on people. "They'll call Cil. You'll see."

They stood and watched the crowd below for a moment longer. He was ready to be done, ready to get them out of there, to get her alone. He had enough of schmoozing and being around all these people. He pushed away from the railing, taking her hand and dragging her with him. "Come on, let's get out of here."

He led her back down the stairs and out the front door, never letting go of her hand until the valet had pulled his car up and he had her settled inside.





*The link above for the Tuscan Villa is not spam, it is pictures of the house and from the actual event that Jon attended last summer.