Chapter Thirty Nine

A ripple of excitement fluttered through Jenn’s stomach as she stood in her closet wrapped only in a towel. Rapidly scanning her clothes hanging neatly from the rails, she blew out a quick breath. Until Jon had invited her over to his apartment she hadn’t realised that she was yet to set foot outside the farm without being on some kind of work assignment. She most definitely hadn’t seen the lights of New York at night up close and the thoughts of experiencing something new even if it was just Jon’s place had her feeling invigorated.

Grabbing her favourite pair of dark denim jeans, she flicked a deep purple halter neck off it’s hanger and headed back into the bedroom to finish dressing. Ten minutes later she was just applying a final smoky hint of eye shadow when the buzzer of the gate intercom sounded loudly from the hall. A quick spritz of perfume completed the transformation from grubby farm girl to a somewhat more sophisticated form of herself that she hadn’t seen in quite a while. After she had hit the gate opener, she gave herself a final once over in the hall mirror as she waited for the car. Running her hands through her hair to break up the gentle waves in it, she was pleased with her overall appearance as she grabbed her purse and coat and stepped into a pair of nude kitten heels. A smart black town car with tinted windows had pulled up outside and a smiling smartly dressed chauffeur stood waiting for her with the nearside passenger door open.

“Good evening Ms. O’Neill! I‘m Bob, Mr. Bongiovi’s personal driver.”

Jenn blushed and smiled nervously at him. “Hi Bob! Nice to meet you!” She shook Bob’s hand that he was proffering before sliding into the back seat. “Thanks for waiting!”

“My pleasure ma’am!”

Settling herself back in the seat as Bob shut her door and moved back into the driver’s seat, Jenn blew out a deep breath as she found her fingers were actually trembling. Her excitement was turning into nervousness as it hit her that for the first time she was delving into Jon’s world. Beginning to feel like a fish out of water, she was grateful for the easy conversation with Bob as he drove them smoothly across the state line and into the city. Crossing the river, he pointed out buildings of interest on the skyline in between telling her about his time spent working for Jon. Gazing out the window as the car edged between lines of honking yellow cabs and determined looking shoppers, her eyes eagerly took in the towering skyscrapers and glittering shop fronts. She really needed to make time for a shopping trip with such a fabulous city sitting on her doorstep.

In no time at all, Bob was helping her step out onto the pavement in front of Jon’s building. Wishing her a good evening after he guided her to the door, he left her in the company of the doorman, another pleasant older man who ushered her to the elevator and with a warm smile sent her on the way up to Jon’s floor. As it silently glided up the levels, Jenn nervously checked her reflection in the shining panels. With a gentle ping, the doors slid open to an airy space revealing a large door with an intercom set into the wall beside it. The click of her heels echoed loudly as she crossed over, preparing to press the button when the door swung inwards and a pair of smiling blue eyes met her own.

“Hey gorgeous!”

Jon beamed widely and pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her hair as he encircled her with a hug. His familiar comforting smell instantly quelled the anxious knot in Jenn’s stomach as she tipped her face to his to receive the most delicious kiss tinged with the husky taste of malted whiskey.

“Hey yourself.” She ran her fingers inside his shirt feeling the smooth contours of his back dip away under the belt of his jeans. Butterflies swirled in her belly and her core tingled with desire as she felt his fingers gently knead the base of her neck.

“Christ baby, you look hot!” Jon whispered hoarsely as he reluctantly pulled himself away from her to take a better look.

Blushing slightly, Jenn smiled and bit her lip, hooking a finger into the loops of his jeans to stop him getting too far from her. “Thanks……so does this mean I get to come in then?”

Laughing loudly, Jon shook his head in amusement. “Shit, sorry baby. I got kinda carried away there!” Standing aside, he gestured for her to enter the apartment ahead of him. “This way ma’am!”

Jenn wandered in front of him, guided by the feel of his hands on her hips as he walked them through to a huge open living space, leather recliners and couches formed the centrepieces but by far the most breathtaking were the floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto the city. A natural looking electric fireplace split the glass in the centre, in which a cosy fire glowed brightly. Across the room, a dark stained wood staircase wound it’s way up to another floor while doorways beyond concealed more rooms. Retro lights cast soft shadows across the floor in the fading natural light with deep pile rugs adding a luxurious feel to the wooden floor.

“Wow Jon! This place is amazing!” Jenn was wide eyed as she took in the finer details of the space they were standing in, for all the world they could have been in the grandest hotel suite in the city.

Jon’s breath was warm on the back of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing gently. “Yeah, it does it’s job I suppose!”

“You suppose?!” Twisting to give him an unbelieving look, she shook her head in amazement. “And here I thought my little house was neat - you’ve been slumming it with me!”

Jon gave her a little smirk as he moved to take her coat and purse from her. “Baby, I’d slum it anywhere with you!”

She swatted him playfully on the shoulder before she wandered further into the room, hands on her hips as she took in the family photos on the walls interspersed with some abstract art. Most of the frames were professional portraits of his kids while some were obviously family photographs capturing moments of vacations and school plays. One in particular stood apart from the others both in size and emotion. It captured the whole family nestled together on a couch, Jon and Dorothea in the centre, Steph curled beside her father with her arm around one of her brothers, her other brother slouching happily beside Dorothea and the youngest, still a baby when the picture had been taken, sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms. Jenn’s gaze lingered upon the two adults in the photo a while longer. Jon looked fresh and happy, his left arm draped around Dorothea’s shoulders while she herself smiled contentedly at the camera. The whole picture encompassed the perfect family and the perfect lifestyle.

A touch at her shoulder brought Jenn from her thoughts and she turned to accept the glass of wine Jon had poured her.“That’s a beautiful picture Jon.”, she smiled gently at him as he looked to the frame she was referring to. “You have a wonderful family.”

“Yeah.” His face clouded over briefly, his blue eyes taking on a hint of sadness. “That was a good day…”

Squeezing his hand, Jenn silently kicked herself for stirring up what were obviously good memories gone bad. “I’m sorry…”

With a rueful shake of his head, Jon turned to her. “Don’t ever be sorry baby!” Pulling her into his arms, he gently kissed her forehead. “My life has gotten a whole lot better since you came into it.”

Setting her glass down on a little table beside them, Jenn stole a kiss of her own, cupping the sides of his face with her hands. A slight rise of stubble was forming on his face that tickled her as she placed feather like kisses from his chin down to his Adam’s apple. A groan escaped Jon as he arched his head backwards allowing her access to the chords of his neck as she slowly slid her hands across his shoulders, gently kneading the taut muscles.

“God that feels good!” Moving his hands down to cup her ass, he did some kneading of his own, a wicked grin stealing across his face. “Here’s something else that feels damn good!”

Giggling, Jenn wiggled her ass under his grip, “That’s what years of spending everyday in the saddle does for your ass, you should try it sometime!”

Spanking her lightly on her backside, Jon smirked, “I think you already know there’s nothing wrong with my ass baby! In fact I’ve been told there’s been many a discussion had about my rear end!”

“Oh I don’t doubt that for a second!” Twirling away from him, she picked up her glass to take a sip and looked him up and down. In black jeans that hugged him in all the right places and a light blue shirt that showed off his broad chest he certainly wasn’t a sight for sore eyes.

“Well I don’t know about you but I sure could do with having some fun tonight - got any suggestions Mr. Rock Star?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, an impish grin lit up Jon’s face.

“Wanna go dancing?”

Chapter Thirty Eight

The heavy bottle clanked against the granite counter top as Jon grimly set it back down after pouring himself a generous two fingers of whiskey. He wasn’t normally a man for the hard stuff but then again thankfully not everyday was as shitty as this one had been. Taking a long swallow, he grimaced as the alcohol kicked his stomach hard. Glass chinked against crystal as he topped up the drink once more and then headed for the balcony. A gust of wind slammed against him as he stepped outside, making him shiver and zip up his coat to the last. The heavy clouds seemed to zip over the city’s skyline, enshrouding everything in a damp mist in their wake. Setting the whiskey down, he cupped his hands to light a cigarette. He’d been doing pretty good on cutting down lately but right now he didn’t give a damn. The nicotine seeping into his system along with the punch of the alcohol gave him a pleasant light headed feeling. Blinking to clear his mind, he took another sip from the glass and listened to the distant sirens and car horns that made up New York’s never ending melody.

Once his initial anger had simmered after finding out that Dot had told the kids about the divorce, he had actually managed to have a somewhat civil conversation with her. He didn’t blame her for being so bitter, in fact he was somewhat amazed they’d come as far as they had. She’d been there from the start, when he was a scruffy long haired nobody scrounging for a record deal all the way through the dizzying heights that the nineties had brought. Taking a long pull from his cigarette, he watched as the smoke was instantly whisked away in the wind. The next gust brought a fresh squall of rain with it, instantly quenching his smoke. Tossing the sodden filter in the ashtray, he grabbed his glass and hastily made his way back inside to the warmth of the apartment. Once the door slid shut behind him muffling the sounds of the city, the silence and emptiness of the place hit him.

“Fuck this!”

Pulling off his coat, he flicked open his phone to call Richie before remembering he wasn’t due back in town till tomorrow. “Shit!” Flinging his coat on the back of a nearby chair he strode over to where he’d left the bottle, sloshing a generous measure back in the glass. Just as he was about to throw it all down his neck, his phone came to life, ringing noisily in his pocket. He smiled gratefully as Jenn’s name flashed back at him.

“Hey baby”

“Hey yourself! How’s things?”

Cradling the phone under his chin, he scooped up his glass and headed for the recliner, landing in it with a thump as he sighed down the phone.

“Truthfully? Pretty crap right now!”

Jenn’s worried voice came back down the line softly. “Trouble at home?”

“You could say that………”, pausing to wearily rub his face, Jon could feel his temples starting to throb, “Dot told the kids about the divorce while we were away…”

Jenn was silent for a moment, debating whether to tell him what Steph had told her that afternoon. The last thing she wanted was to come between them. The decision was taken out of her hands however when Jon continued speaking.

“ ……I need to talk to Steph and the rest of the kids tomorrow, sort this out with them myself.”

“Yes, you do.” Jenn’s voice faltered slightly. “Jon…..I’m sorry for all this, it’s not easy on any of you.”

Jon smiled into the phone, crooking an eyebrow, “I know baby, you know what would make it easier?”

“What?”

“If you came over here tonight, what do you say?” Right now as he lay sprawled across the comfortable recliner he could think of nothing better than having her beside him.

“Into the city?” Jenn snorted and laughed. “I’d get lost! Might be able to find you by Christmas!”

“You just get yourself ready, I’ll have a car to pick you up in twenty…..okay?” Jon knew he was panicking her but heck he couldn’t bare to be alone a moment longer than it took to get her here.

After a moments pause, Jenn agreed and hung up. Dropping the phone on to his lap, he smiled and took another swallow from his glass. Maybe today wouldn’t end so bad after all.

Chapter Thirty Seven

Swish/Swish……….Swish/Swish……..

The hypnotising motion of the windscreen wipers had Jenn in a trance as she sat in traffic headed back for the farm. In the trailer behind her were the two horses from Belgium that she had just picked up from their stay in quarantine. Thankfully all had gone well and the team of horses for Steph to compete were finally all here. The couple she bought in Ireland had arrived while she had been at home but Paul had effortlessly taken over and ensured their safe delivery to the farm.

Edging forward in the heavy traffic, she cranked up the air conditioning to stop the truck from fogging up. Sodden leaves flicked across the truck’s bonnet in the wet wind, summer was definitely long gone. Since her return she had thrown herself into work with the horses, grateful that they were now in full training mode to keep her focused. Steph had been very sweet, offering to look after the barn on her own if Jenn needed a few more days, but the last thing she had wanted was more time off.

Jon had called or left messages for her at least a dozen times in the first two days before she had finally blown a fuse and more or less told him to get lost before she throttled him. There was only so much comforting she could take and while she would always be eternally grateful for him showing up when he did, for now she needed to deal with things on her own. He had eventually relented and limited his calls to the evening time, showing up on her door two nights ago with take out and a cheesy grin to boot.

They had eaten together in easy conversation, both of them avoiding mentioning anything related to death or divorce. After watching a late movie, they had snuggled against one another in bed, content to feel secure in each others arms. Neither of them had made a move to instigate anything other than sleep since before everything had happened. Thinking back on it, Jenn restlessly tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She was painfully aware that Jon had his own demons to deal with at the moment and she wasn’t quite sure how to help him through it.

Just over an hour later and she finally pulled up outside the barn. Steph came running excitedly to the trailer, her cheeks flushed with anticipation.

“What took so long? Thought you’d never get here! Are they okay?” her questions came tumbling out in one breath as she jumped up on the side of the trailer in an attempt to peer in the grilled windows.

“Damn traffic was a bitch, but yeah you can calm down!” Jenn grinned at her enthusiasm, “They’re just fine! Actually look better now than when I saw them in Belgium!”

Paul appeared from behind the trailer, a baseball cap slung low over his eyes. “Thought I better come welcome the new arrivals!”

Opening the side door for Steph to clamber through, Jenn laughed as she moved down the outside of the trailer to help Paul open the tailgates.

“Wait till you see these boys Paul! We’d have killed to have them in our string a few years back!”

Muttering under his breath, he looked at her through slightly narrowed eyes, a wry smile on his face. “We’d have killed for this kind of money too!”

Jenn shot him a look loaded with daggers, hoping Steph hadn’t heard him. She knew what Paul was saying but it wasn’t Steph’s fault that she was fortunate enough to have a pretty unlimited bank roll. Some people were just born lucky but at least in Steph’s case she was prepared to work for it.

Paul blew out a low whistle as he looked over the two horses standing in the barn once they had been unloaded. Both a dark bay colour, their chiselled muscles rippled under tight glossy coats, eyes bright and ears pricked as they took in their new surroundings.

“Damn Jenn! You weren’t kidding!”

Although every bit as experienced at picking out horses as Paul was, Jenn still valued his opinion and smirked as she watched him practically turn green as he ran his eye over her new charges.

“Impressed huh?”

“Yup! Hey Steph!” Paul nudged the teenager from her dream as she stood gazing in wonder at the horses. “If these guys get too much for you, I’d be happy to take them on!”

Steph giggled and grinned back at him, “No chance Paul! Hands off!! These babies are all ours!” She winked across at Jenn, “If you want to know what it feels like to sit on a real horse someday, we might let you school them sometime!” She stuck her tongue out playfully as she added, “At a price of course!”

Shaking his head in mock disgust, he threw his hands up in the air. “The youth of today! Shocking!” Grinning back at them, he turned to walk back to his own barn. “Well ladies, I gotta go do some real work, I’m not getting any help off you two kids anyway, have fun playing with your new toys!” He ducked to avoid the body brush that Jenn pegged at him and went on his way laughing.

Once the horses were settled in their new stalls, Jenn went to the office to make them both coffee while Steph pulled her phone out to make a call.

“Hey Daddy, the last two horses have arrived, you should come check them out!”

Jon’s voice sounded strained on the other end of the line.

“Sure baby……..I’m just with your Mom right now, tomorrow okay for you?……”

Steph nodded into the phone, a slight frown creasing the features of her pretty face as she tried to picture what was going on with her parents. When her Mom had told her about the divorce the other day, she had secretly been relieved but she had no idea what her father actually thought about it all.

“Tomorrow’s cool Dad, I love you ok?”

“Love you too baby.”

Snapping the phone shut, she wandered into the office and threw herself down in one of the comfy armchairs. Jenn handed her a mug of steaming coffee and took in the worried look on the young girl’s face. Settling herself into the other chair, she cradled her mug and looked in concern at Steph’s sudden change of mood.

“Hey what’s up?”

“Family shit…” Steph sipped at her coffee and stared out the little window. “Mom and Dad are getting a divorce….” Sighing heavily, she looked sadly across at Jenn. “It’s been coming for a while.”

Jenn’s heart leapt in her mouth as guilt burned across her chest, she couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for this. She chose her next words carefully. “And how do you feel about it?”

Steph was silent for a moment as she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m actually okay about it, it’s not like we’ve been playing happy families lately. I just want them both to be happy again, so maybe after this is all over they can be.”

Jenn marvelled at the young girl’s wisdom and maturity. She suddenly appeared much older than her tender age of sixteen. She thoughtfully took a gulp from her mug, the hot liquid scalding it’s way down her throat. She had no idea if Steph had any clue about her relationship with Jon but that was definitely a conversation for him alone to have with his daughter.