Chapter Fifteen
Opening her eyes in the morning, Aries wished she had slept longer. She had so many things to get done today.There was the laundry to do, food shopping and picking up Jewel, plus doing it all carefully and one handed. Her hand hurt badly. And she was angry at herself, that she’d been so stupid to let the blade cut both of their palms. She rolled over to wake up Lucifer, but he was gone. Slowly, she got up and walked to the kitchen in his tee shirt.
Leigh was sitting with a cup of coffee and motioned to the coffeemaker on the counter. She looked like she had a terrible night. A joint was between her fingers, and she was staring at the smoke drifting toward the ceiling.
“Why aren’t you at Sleaze’s apartment?” Aries questioned her. She rubbed at her sleepy eyes. She didn’t care for coffee, so she had the kettle on for tea.
“I’m here so you aren’t alone and there are prospects in the back and some cleaning the closed shop. Guess for our protection, after yesterday. Club meeting and Luc didn’t want you alone. It’s a typical Sunday meeting, but maybe not after yesterday, I don’t know. I called my mother this morning; she wants me to move out. Says she is done with babysitting and wants Sleaze to step up. I am so fucked, Aries, fucked! I don’t have a babysitter but her. I have almost enough money to get a place. I was going to ask Lucifer about one of the empty apartments he has in the building, but I’m not sure he’d rent any to me. Too close to Sleaze.” She toked on the joint.
Aries made her tea and sat down across from her and shook her head at the offer of the joint. She could see Leigh had been crying. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything or let her friend talk.
Leigh smiled sadly. “Sleaze and I’ve been going back and forth for years. I thought when I had Lizzy, he’d ask me to be his ol lady but he hasn’t, and I’m tired of waiting. I love the man, but I don’t know if he loves me. He sure loves Lizzy though. I didn’t put him on her birth certificate; I didn’t want him to have to pay child support. I believed in the shining knight coming to the rescue fairytale. What a fool I’ve been. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. I think my mother is trying to prove to me that he isn’t right for me and that he’s never going to be there for Lizzy. I wonder if she is correct because he’s not talking about a future together. I never was a club slut, it’s always been only Sleaze for me, ever since I set my eyes on him. I don't think he fools around on me, but he never asked us to live with him. He knows things aren’t good at home yet he’s not trying to help me. I’m just a chick he fucks.” Leigh buried her face into her hand as she began to cry her eyes out.
Aries looked at her friend crying. She had been through all of this with Gunner, but she’d learned to hate him from the time he’d come back into her life. Gunner was nothing like Sleaze. She didn’t know what to say to Leigh; she knew damn well her opinion wouldn’t matter to anyone. It wasn’t like she could get into their business. Just another reason she had wanted to avoid bikers again.
“Leigh, I know Lucifer is going to give us more nights dancing. I could hook you up with the bars where I used to dance. We can make you some new costumes. I could watch Lizzy if you were dancing. Jewel has a double bed, and I’m sure they’d love to share it. We can look for a place close for you to rent. Have you talked to Sleaze about any of this?”
“I’ve hinted at it, but I don’t think he cares. If he cared, wouldn’t he have stepped up years ago? He was doing a year in jail when Lizzy was born, and I visited and wrote him letters. It was awful; he went to jail when I was six months pregnant. I don't know what to think anymore. I’ve walked away before, but I keep coming back like a damn fool.” She got up and walked into the bathroom, sniffling.
Aries sat there and thought about her life with Lucifer. Would this be her one day telling a friend she was finished with him? She thought it was very likely when the phone rang.
Her aunt was on the line telling her that she expected them for Sunday dinner with Lucian’s parents. Aries didn’t know what to say; she didn't know when Lucifer would come in, and there was her hand that she’d have to explain to her aunt.
“Aunt Helene, Lucian isn’t here, I don’t know when he will be back. Did anyone tell him about this dinner? You didn’t say anything to me on Friday. Maybe you should cancel it and make it next Sunday.”
“Nonsense Ara, his mother called this morning and told him. Be here by four sharp, and I’d like to keep Juliette a few more days. His mother said you both got hurt in a minor accident? I understand what it is like to be young Ara, but motorcycles are dangerous. Don’t bother to bring anything, I have the dinner under control, just be here on time. Arabella, dress nicely, I bought Juliette, a pretty new dress. First impressions are everything, you know.” She hung up leaving Aries speechless.
Leigh had come out of the bathroom and was listening to the conversation. She saw Aries looking upset and shook her head.
“It’s as if Sunday turned into a bad Monday. I hope Lucifer talked to his mother. Damn, your aunt sure has a loud voice. I couldn’t help but hear her.”
Aries had a brilliant idea, “Leigh, you and Lizzy can stay in Jewel’s room while we get a few new costumes made for you and find a rental for you. I can help you with some money I’ve saved. I’ll get my sewing machine and some of the fabrics I have left over. One day maybe you’ll be helping me.”
Leigh looked at her doubtfully. “You think Lucifer is going to let me crash here in his apartment?”
“If he wants me to be happy he will and he’ll rent you an apartment if he has any brains. He likes us hanging out, so I think he’ll either talk to Sleaze or help you get one of the places here. He wants us to dance together; our daughters play well together so why wouldn’t he?” Arie looked at her and tilted her head. “It’s to his advantage to keep you close to me. I know that and so should you.”
Leigh threw her arms around her. “Aries, you’re right, I didn’t realize it until now. Lucifer does seem to be pushing us together, doesn’t he? I liked you anyway, so it wasn’t a problem. He has a small, one bedroom that is empty, they just finished painting it, and I figured Charlie was going to move into it. Maybe he’d rent that to me.” Her usual happy self was back again. “How does your hand feel today?”
“It hurts a lot, and I’m not sure what Lucifer told anyone about it. I need to find something to wear; we dress up at my aunt’s for Sunday dinner. I have a few dresses I brought with me, so I’ll wear one of them but how to eat is my question. It isn’t like I can cut my meat. The doctor told me to rest it for a few days.”
Leigh stared at her helplessly, “Maybe put your arm in a sling? I’m sure somebody has one, but I’m not sure how clean it would be.”
Aries shook her head, “I’ll wrap it in an ace bandage and make the best of it. My aunt’s timing is rotten. I know I have to impress Lucifer’s parents and remember to call him Lucian too. I wish he’d come home so we could figure this all out. No more getting high for me today. I’m planning to try and cut that out and so should you if you get a place. You don’t know if your mother will have anyone checking up on you.”
Leigh stared at her in shock. “My mother is capable of doing something like that. Well, we can get sober together and support each other. Is drinking out too?”
Aries thought long and hard before answering her friend. “I need to get my head together, and the only way for me to do that is to be sober. You don’t have to do, what I know I’ve got to do, Leigh. Things are going way too fast for Lucifer and me. I let him talk me into moving in, and I’m not sure that was the smartest thing I’ve done. He loves me, and I think I love him, but I can’t tell him that until I’m certain. He has to understand that I can’t have all this partying with Jewel living here. I’m afraid he isn't going to like it or understand it. Maybe you shouldn’t live in this building but get a bigger place we both could share in case things don’t work out with him. I don’t want to move back with my aunt again.”
Leigh frowned at her and thought about her words. “I think after your dinner tonight and meeting his parents, things may change. I’ve got to talk to Sleaze too. Maybe things will change for me, and I won’t have to rent a place alone.”
Aries looked at her and wanted to say more, but she left it alone. Leigh was dreaming in her opinion. If Sleaze hadn’t asked her to be his ol lady and they had a daughter together, she doubted things would change for her friend.
She left her sitting there and went to look at the dresses she had brought from her aunt’s house. She found a simple black dress with the bottom slightly flared and looked for black ballet flats. Her aunt would be horrified if she had her toes peeking out at one of her dinners. It seemed even her aunt wanted her to make a good impression on Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni. She wouldn’t let her aunt down after she had done so much for her.
She carefully took out the pearl necklace she had gotten from her adopted parents for her sixteenth birthday. She held it in her hand and wondered about them. A tear slid down her cheek as she thought of the happy times of her childhood. Until that damn church had changed her mother, they had been an ordinary happy family. She’d never even known she’d been adopted until she got pregnant and her mother had said she was just like her real mother. It bothered her sometimes that she couldn’t find her mother, although maybe it was better. After meeting her birth father, she wasn’t sure meeting her biological mother was a good idea. All her aunt would tell her was that her mother had been very young and that her father was a disgusting pig. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the roar of motorcycles pulling into the back parking lot. The devil was home, she thought ruefully. She listened to the men joking around and a smile formed on her face. Butterflies were fluttering in her stomach, and she wished they’d quit it. She needed to have a serious talk with Lucifer, but she’d concentrate on getting through today and this Sunday dinner.