A Promised Fate (16 page)

“
Holy hell,”
I picked up my office phone and
dialed.

“Alexander and Alexander,” my aunt, the receptionist
at my family’s law firm, promptly picked up the line.

“Hey, Aunt G.”

“Hi Ari! How’s your tongue?” She teased.

“Good, G,” I laughed along with her. “Thanks for
asking. Is Roar busy this morning? He left a message for me earlier
today.”

“He’s never as busy as he should be. I’ll put you
through. I think he can use a good friend right now.”

“Yeah?”

“You know him -- he wears his heart on his
sleeve…”

The phone beeped a few times as Gianna transferred
the call to the file room where Rory had recently gained
employment.

“Alexander and Alexander, Rory speaking,” he
grumbled.

“Hey, man it’s me.”

“Oh! Hey, Ari! What’s up?”

“Uh …” apparently, we were back on speaking terms.
“Not much, I just got into the office and I have a message here
that you called.”

“Yeah, hey, when did you get a new chick to answer
your phone? What happened to the last one? Fawn? What’d Lauren
always call her? Spawn?”

“Oh, um,
Fauna
left and her replacement
started today.”

“She sounds hot as hell on the phone. Is she
bangin’?”

“Umm …”

Rory laughed through the line in his big, boisterous
cackle. If the joke wasn’t funny, Rory’s laugh was still enough to
make me crack a smile. “Your silence says is all, dude -- she must
be freakin’ smokin’.”

“What’s up, Rory?”

“Hey, so um,
Julia keeps
talking about some
baio
fashion show, she wanted tickets and
I’ve tried and I can’t get any. Apparently, they’ve been sold out
for months. Do you know how I can score a pair? I really want to
surprise her.”

“Relax, I got you two tickets already.”

Julia had mentioned wanting to go months ago.

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

“Sweet, thanks dude. How much do I owe you? I’ll pay
you back tonight.”

“Nah, don’t worry about paying me back, I’ve got this
one.”

“No seriously, you aren’t paying for Julia and me to
go out. I can buy my girl a ticket. Just tell me how much I owe you
and I’ll pay you back tonight.”

“It’s fine, I held back a row of seats for everyone.
Don’t worry about it. This one’s on me.”

“I don’t want you buying her things. I can afford to
do shit for my girl.”

“I know you can.”

“So how much?”

“Alright then, they're thirty-five hundred a
person.”

“Shut up. Thirty-five hundred bucks to watch way
too-skinny chicks walk up and down some walkway in clothes Ava’s
been wearing for two months already?”

“It’s called a runway and like I said, I’ve got this
one.”

“I said I’ll pay you back and I will. Just not today.
When is this thing anyway?”

“This Saturday night. I've already arranged a car for
the four of you. A driver will pick you, Julia, August and Collin
up at six. You guys will have lounge passes before and after the
show. Wear something nice -- it is a fashion show after all and
we’ve got front row seats.”

“Cool. Is Ava goin’?”

“She’s going but I don’t think she’s all too happy
about having to be there. This is more of a command appearance than
anything for her.”

“Thanks man. Jules will be pumped when I tell her
we're going. I am sure she thought I wasn’t listening to her or
some bull crap.”

“Sure. Are we good now?”

“Yeah, we’re good. I guess I overreacted. I know you
have your hands full with Max and all that crap with Ava. I can’t
expect you to keep track of my girl, too. She’s going through this
thing right now … I dunno what’s wrong with her but it sure as hell
isn’t your problem. I guess I was just kinda taking some of my
aggression with the situation out on you.”

“I am happy to be your punching bag whenever you need
it.”

“I know you are.”

“Are you and Julia doin’ alright?”

“We’re awesome,” he answered, but I could hear the
lie in his voice. “I gotta go man, thanks again for getting the
tickets and I
will
pay you back as soon as I am able.”

“No rush.”

The morning pressed on in a busy blur. My line of
sight bounced down to the corner of the computer screen all morning
long as I waited for Ava to call me. I ran through travel details
with Piper, finalized last-minute agreements and attempted to
balance various spending accounts.

I grew annoyed with the wait for Ava’s call and
eventually broke down and called Lauren.

“Hello?” My sister yawned loudly into the phone in a
groggy voice.

“Are you seriously still asleep right now?”

“I am on summer vacation and I don’t have a job. Yes,
I am seriously still asleep.”

“I am half way through my day already!”

“Well, la-de freakin’ da. What the heck do you want?”
She moaned and her blankets rustled in the background.

“I’m calling to see if Ava brought Max over to the
house in time.”

“
Ugh
… he's been running up and down
the darn hallway outside my bedroom for the last hour and a half
... does that count for anything?”

“Why is he doing that?”

“You know mom, she probably gave him a platter of
double fudge brownies for breakfast and now he’s turned into a
sugar-crazed three-year-old.”

“
Great
.”

“Bye.”

“Whoa, wait a minute. I haven’t finished with you
yet.”

“
Uh
! Ari!” She whined and the
blankets rustled some more.

“When is the last time you talked to Julia?”

“Yesterday, why?”

“Did she say anything to you?”

“It’s Julia -- she said a lot of things!”

“Like?”

“I dunno. Mostly we just talked about how hot Cameron
Gallo is. Did you know he’s getting a divorce?! His wife is
gorgeous, omg, I just cannot believe he would cheat on her …”

“Alright, alright, no one cares about that crap.
Julia didn’t say anything else?”

“Nope. Hey, how’s your tongue?” she snickered.

“Doin’ real good, Lauren thanks. Ava kissed it all
night long to make me feel better.”

“
Bleh
! Oh, God! Gag me! I’m sorry I
teased you! Jeeze, Ari,
so
gross! I do not want to hear about it! I am
literally dying, like, I mean --
literally
.”

“You need to look up the definition
of the word “literally”
–
you sound stupid. Did Luke head back home
yet?

Her boyfriend is from somewhere in Washington and was
only staying with my family for a couple of weeks during the
summer. I didn’t like the idea of him staying with them. I offered
to let him sleep in our home so the two could have more separation
at night, which would cut back on any possible temptation to act on
teenage urges, but Lauren threw a major fit, accused me of being a
hypocrite and ended up getting her way.

“He left early this morning. We stayed up all night
together until he had to go.”

“Are you screwing him?”

“OH. MY. GOD. Who are you, the sex police?! I can’t
believe you just asked me that! I’m your sister for crying out
loud. You make me wanna puke!”

“Well?”

“God, no! Not that it is any of
your business but I am going to do the Ava thing and wait for a big
fat ring and an over-the-top, lavish and expensive wedding before I
‘screw’ anyone.
Yeesh
!”

“Keep it that way.”

“Can I go back to bed now? I am literally praying for
a nightmare so it will wash all thoughts of my conversation with
you away.”

“No. Get up and help mom with Max. Fix him a healthy
lunch before Ava gets there and finds him acting like an
animal.”

“Aaarrriii!”

“Grow up, Lauren.”

She hung up on me.

“Everything alright in here?”

Lirik balanced on her heels in the open doorway.

“I have a sixteen-year-old sister. I deal with a lot
of unnecessary drama and sub-par vocabulary.”

“Ah, well I’m an only child.”

“Lucky you.”

“So this is where you work.” She walked in and over
to my window and inspected my view of the city.

“It is. Sorry ... I should have given you the
tour.”

“You have a great view.”

“It’s not bad.”

“Your desk is huge.” Her finger slid down the edge of
my desk and stopped near the middle, by my photos. One of Ava and
me, our faces smooshed together in matching sunglasses, sitting on
the beach at home, another of Max and then the newest picture, the
framed sonogram Ava gave me for my birthday. Lirik selected the
photo of Ava and me and smiled down at us.

“Your wife.”

“Mmm. That’s Ava.”

“She is beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“I want you to know that I prayed for her when she
was missing.”

“Me too.”

She set the photo back down and the sleeve of her
blouse inched up her arm. Just under the inner bend of her elbow
was a curve of dark of ink. She had a tattoo.

Lirik was quick to slide the blouse sleeve back in
place.

“What do you have?”

“Pardon?” She smiled at the picture of Max.

“Tattoo?”

She pulled at the sleeve again, tugging the silk
fabric down tight. Her gaze stayed pinned on Max with messy hair
and a cute, monster grin.

“Ava’s got them, a half sleeve of birds and then
another smaller collection on her wrist.”

“I’ve seen pictures,” she told me as if I should have
already known that and put Max back down on the desktop. “I came to
remind you of your meeting with Ms. Baio. It’s in five
minutes.”

“Oh. Right. Thank you.” I checked the time again,
“Ava hasn’t called yet has she?”

“No, I’m sorry, she sure hasn’t.”

“If she does call, transfer her down to Ms. Baio’s
office will you?”

“Of course I will.” Lirik smiled kindly and closed my
office door behind her.

Ava had already been with the doctor for well over a
half hour. I hit the speed dial to call her. My call was forwarded
to Ava’s voicemail before the line would even ring. “Baby, don’t
forget to call me … please.” I left a rushed message and then
waited around in my office for as long as possible.

With no return call and seconds to spare, I knocked
on the doorframe of Margaux’s open office door. Her office space is
vast and white. White walls, white furniture and white shelves. But
what the office lacks in color is more than made up for by the
photos on display. Pictures are everywhere. Some are of her with
very rich and famous people -- politicians, musicians, actors and
other designers -- but most of the pictures are of Ava, and I
always pause to look at each and every one of them.

She has photos of Ava as a baby that I adore. I stare
at this tiny little girl with her head covered in dark hair, eyes
wide and wild green, and I think of our future children together
and how loved they will be. There are images of Ava in diapers with
a toothless grin and chubby rolls for thighs. I look at Ava in
school uniforms, Ava in Halloween costumes, and Ava in frilly red
Christmas dresses with huge over-the-top scowls marring her face,
Ava in baseball hats holding foul balls. Each one makes me smile.
The pictures track every cute, fun and awkward stage of her life,
including the time from when she met me to our wedding and then our
son and now her pregnancy.

A new frame had taken front and center stage on
Margaux’s desk and it included the three of us, Ava, Max and me,
sitting close to one another on my parents' deck on the Fourth of
July. We have bare feet, suntanned cheeks and easy smiles. Each of
us has an absent-minded palm pressed against Ava's belly, where the
baby rests.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Margaux watched as I
looked at the pictures, the same ones that I had seen in her office
dozens of times before.

“The most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s the first thing anyone who
comes in here does -- they stare at my Ava. No one cares that I
dressed
The Rolling
Stones
,” Margaux pointed to a picture of
herself with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. “It’s always Ava. One
glance at her is all the inspiration I need to make an entire line
of clothing,” she mused. “Anyway, Ari how are you?”

“I’m well. How are you?” She didn’t look well at
all.

“I am just fine, thank you. Busy week, lots of
stress. We have a lot to do.”

“We do.”

I took a seat across the desk from her, next to a
photo of Ava celebrating her seventh birthday, missing her two
front teeth and wearing a purple plastic princess crown and a
Montreal Expos jersey back from when they were still a team. Her
nose crinkled the same way Max’s does when he is excited. “I have a
list ready of the buyers for the new children’s line and also, I
met with Corina Harris last week.”

“Oh, wonderful, I cannot stand that woman.”

“Hmm. She’s the worst.” I agreed.

Together, Margaux and I scanned through pages and
pages of notes for Fashion Week. Scores of last-minute issues that
were highlighted and asterisked still needed to be addressed. She
added a pile of more work onto my already too-busy schedule.

“Everything is a go for the musical acts?” Margaux
looked up at me from over her eyeglasses.

“Yes, but I'll have my assistant call the agents to
do a final follow up.”

“Good. How do you like Lirik?”

“She seems fine. We only just met.”

“You are going like her, Ari. She will take good
care of you. I have had the pleasure of working with her in the
past. She’s a very aggressive and determined young woman. We are
lucky to have her on our team. She’s brilliant, Ari. She comes from
a much different line of work, in all honesty, she’s too good for
the position as an assistant. I expect that you’ll treat her with
respect. No yelling at her like you did the other one.”