To: Ross Powers
What did you play tonight?
Not expecting a reply, I had rolled onto my side and pulled the covers up when my phone chimed back.
From: Ross Powers
A couple original songs.
To: Ross Powers
Sorry I missed that.
From: Ross Powers
Can’t sleep?
To: Ross Powers
Missing home.
From: Ross Powers
Then come back.
I smiled at his reply and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and teenage excitement over our conversation. The realization set in that I was missing more than home.
To: Ross Powers
Soon.
From: Ross Powers
I’ll be waiting … Goonight, Jill.
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I fell asleep holding my phone.
The next morning as Stella was in the shower slowly getting ready for our day at the spa while trying not to throw up. I decided to check my e-mail, which I had long ignored. As her Mac booted up, I munched on some fruit and toast that had come to the room at eight in the morning as a result of the order Stella had placed the previous day. After logging into my e-mail, I realized just how neglectful I had been. I spent the better part of the next hour replying to friends and family about my well-being and future plans (or lack thereof). There were also several e-mails from Harry. The first couple expressed his apologies for his actions, but the last e-mail from him had angry undertones over my sudden disappearance and inability to return his calls and text messages. I rolled my eyes and hit Reply to his last e-mail.
To: Harry Conner
From: Jill Greenfield
Harry, all is well. Stop worrying. I have been out at the beach, recovering. I am trying to pick up the pieces. You should too. Please give me some time.
—J
I could hear Stella turn on the hairdryer in the bathroom as I glanced at the clock. We still had enough time to make it to the salon on time. Feeling emotionally drained from all the correspondence, I logged out of my e-mail and started to surf the web. My mind wandered to thoughts of Ross, which trigged my curiosity about his budding music career. Feeling slightly guilty, I typed his name into the search engine. What the search revealed shocked me.
“Stella!” I shouted.
“What?” she said, emerging from the bathroom. “No shouting.” She held her head as she slowly moved in my direction.
“You don’t look good. Are you sure you are up to going today?” I asked, distracted by Stella’s pale greenish hue.
“I’ll be fine. I just need some good greasy food. None of that healthy crap,” she said pointing to the food on the cart that had been delivered.
“You ordered it,” I said defensively.
“I know but that was yesterday before I got so drunk.” She plopped down next to me. “What got you all excited?”
“Oh, right! Look at this. It’s Ross,” I said, opening up a picture of him at what appeared to be an awards ceremony.
“Ross?” she questioned.
“The guy from the beach.” I would need to slow down for Stella to process this conversation this morning.
“Oh.” We sat in silence as I clicked page after page of information.
“He’s kind of a big deal … and really cute,” Stella finally said, winking at me as she got up from the bed and headed back to the bathroom, mumbling something about being sick.
“I had no idea,” I said, looking back at the site that showed a professional-looking headshot photo of a younger Ross Powers. Underneath the photo, the bio included his song-writing accomplishments, many of which I recognized from other bands. He had played back-up and toured with several other well-known bands and had won a slew of awards and other accomplishments. The final line in the bio mentioned his mother’s passing and his near-disappearance from the music industry after having had such success at a young age. I sat back on the bed, overwhelmed by all the information. We didn’t know each other well, but still, it seemed too big a part of his life for him not to have mentioned it to me. His friends had clearly down-played his success when they mentioned it at the beach.
“Are you ready?” Stella called from the bathroom, breaking into my thoughts.
“Almost,” I said, climbing off the bed and closing the Mac as I headed into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
“Jean Marc is the best there is,” Stella said as the cab dropped us off in front of the spa and salon. Stella had arranged for a full day at one of the trendiest salons in Manhattan, Fresh Face. Of course, she knew someone who knew the owner and was able to get us both into the exclusive salon. Our agenda included massages, pedicures, manicures, facials and haircuts and styling by Jean Marc himself.
Throughout the day we were ushered from room to room as we were rubbed, massaged, scraped and polished. But whenever I had a moment to myself, I found my thoughts drifting to Ross and his career and all that he had given up. The more I dwelled on it, the angrier I got about his hiding out on Oak Island when he was obviously meant for greater things.
“Earth to Jill.”
“What?”
“I asked if you wanted to grab an early dinner and then maybe squeeze in some shopping after all this?”
“Yea, sure. That’s fine.”
“What’s going on?” she asked and then mouthed the word
Jay
at me.
“No, actually I was thinking about Ross. But now that you say that, I feel terribly guilty,” I said in a small voice. The fact that I was thinking about another man and not Jay tugged at my heart strings. It upset me that as the days came and went and the more time that passed, I thought about Jay less and less. I didn’t want to replace Jay in my memory, but I didn’t know how to make room for both the past and the future. Stella didn’t say a word. She just raised her eyebrows at me as we made our way to the check-out counter.
“The total is what?” I asked when the girl behind the counter repeated our total bill to us. I felt faint.
“Relax,” Stella said, pulling out an envelope and handing it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, puzzled.
“It’s your new black AMEX card,” she said proudly.
“Do I really need one?” I asked, clearly missing the fact that Stella was implying the card was prestigious.
“Of course. Anyone with your status does.” She rolled her eyes at me and took the card from me and handed it over to the girl at the counter, who had been listening to our conversation.
“When did I get it?” I asked Stella as she waved down a cab outside the salon.
“My firm set it up for you at the beginning of the week.” She smiled.
“I …” I started to stammer.
“You are financially sound Jill. This card can open a lot of doors for you.”
“What doors do I need opened?” I questionned the impact a shiny black card could have on my “status,” as Stella put it.
“You never know and you just need to deal with it now. Your circumstances have changed and you need to adapt, be resilient,” she snapped at me and then directed the cab driver to a diner several blocks away, called Moonlight’s. We sat in silence for the rest of the drive and through most of our meal.
“I’m sorry,” Stella finally mumbled.
“For what?” I asked, not sure if Stella had anything to be sorry for.
“I shouldn’t have assumed you would want that card.”
“It’s not the card, Stella. It’s all of it, the money, the lifestyle, financial advisors. I’m not sure who I am anymore, I didn’t ask for any of it,” I said, trying to find the right words that would explain how I felt so that Stella would understand.
“I get it. It’s a tremendous gift that Jay left for you.”
“Tremendous is an understatement,” I muttered.
“Let me finish. Jay left you this gift. He worked hard to get everything just right and you need to start accepting it. Anything else would be an insult to him.”
“I know. It’s just a lot,” I said, pouting slightly.
“No pouting … no one who finds out they just inherited $23 million ever pouts … ever. You up for shopping?” she asked, changing the subject.
“Of course,” I said after a moment. I know Stella had done a lot for me over the last couple of months and even put herself out on the line professionally, getting me set up with the financial advisors at her company. I needed to move on.
After dinner, we went shopping at several of Stella’s favorite boutique stores. At every store we entered the staff knew her by name and asked how she was doing. They then would pull out racks of the trendiest clothes for the upcoming fall season. She nodded and negotiated at each store, getting the best deals and latest gossip at the same time. When we were done shopping, we headed back to the hotel, each of us carrying several bags of new clothes, and we decided to call it an early night. The following morning, I needed to stop by Stella’s office to officially sign off on the final contracts and documentation before catching my flight back home.
CHAPTER 29
M
y flight was delayed 30 minutes in New York. When we finally landed in Raleigh, I grabbed my bag and made my way to the curbside valet. Stella had confirmed prior to my departure that my new Jeep would be waiting for me. The valet told me it would take a couple minutes for them to retrieve it and that I could wait on the bench outside. As I sat down, I checked my phone and found several text messages and a voicemail. The voicemail was from Harry, checking on how I was doing,
again
. I had a text from Stella, asking if I had seen her favorite pair of earrings from the previous night. I replied that I had not. I also saw that I had a text from Ross I needed to reply to.
From: Ross Powers
Hey, Jill, are you still arriving home today?
To: Ross Powers
Just landed in Raleigh, waiting on car.
Within seconds, I got another message.
From: Ross Powers
Cool. I will leave your house key under the mat.
To: Ross Powers
Sounds great.
I texted back, feeling a twinge of disappointment over not having a reason to see him that night. I sat on the bench, wishing I could think of something interesting or smart to say back, but I had nothing. Just then, the valet announced that my car was on its way up. I stood up, putting Ross out of my mind and focusing on the excitement over my new car. It would be the first car that I would own that would be brand new. All my previous cars were older used models that I would drive until they wouldn’t drive anymore. When I saw the Jeep pull into the valet area, I had a big smile on my face. I thanked the valet and set out to remove the hardtop cover. I got stuck and the valet offered his assistance. I made sure to give him a big tip and then I settled into my new car, taking time to adjust all the settings. Finally, I plugged my music in and hit the road.
The open air and long drive were refreshing. It gave me time to think about my trip to New York and all the events that had taken place. When I wasn’t thinking, I was singing to the music at the top of my lungs. I felt so free, free of everything that was happening around me. It was well after seven when I crossed the bridge to the island. I could feel my heart beating faster and my excitement build as I got closer to the house. I turned down the street and I could see the sun was starting to set. Reds, oranges and yellows painted the sky. I pulled into the gravel drive. I was putting the Jeep in park when I looked toward the house and couldn’t hide my surprise.
There in front of me was my house, my home. It looked as if the construction crew had finished while I was away on my trip. All the scaffolding and equipment was gone and what little yard there was had been landscaped. Inside, I could see that the lights were on, sending a welcome glow down onto the street. Halfway up the front steps, I saw a sign hanging from the bottom of the deck and my hand quickly rose to my mouth to stifle my emotion. The sign, a solid piece of oak, had been inscribed with the name
Eirene
and the outline of waves in the background. It had been painted white with slate-blue lettering to match the house. It was so simple and yet so perfect.
I knew it had to be Ross as he was the only one who knew about the name, but I had more questions than answers. I found the key to the front door and entered the house. I set my bag down by the stairs and wandered through to the kitchen, where, on the kitchen table, sat a small vase of flowers with a card. I picked up the card, and a tear slid down my cheek. I had cried so much in the last couple months, but, for once, I knew these tears were tears of joy. My heart swelled with hope and happiness as I read the note.
Welcome Home.
—R
It said all it needed to say and I believed it. I was home.
I had so much energy and excitement I didn’t know what to do next. The night was still young and filled with so many opportunities. I grabbed my phone and texted Ross.
To: Ross Powers
THANK YOU! You’re amazing.
I hit Send and waited. Normally, Ross’s replies were really quick. There was no reply this time. After giving up waiting, I took my bag upstairs and changed into something more comfortable. Feeling inspired, I looked for my journal and found it sitting on the coffee table. I sat down and started to scribble away. It was a dangerous occupation, writing. One was always bound to lose track of time. I probably would have written all night had I not been distracted by the chime of my phone, indicating I had a text message. I got up and looked at my phone.
From: Ross Powers
I know.
I found myself grinning over his response and shaking my head all at the same time.
To: Ross Powers
Where are you?
From: Ross Powers
Front door.
No way! I put the phone down and ran to the front door, flinging it open. There on the porch stood Ross. He was dressed in jeans that hung low on his hips and a weathered red polo with the collar flipped up and he had a pair of Converse sneakers on. His shaggy hair still looked damp as if he had just gotten out of the shower.