Among The Roses

Chapter 42: A Question

LeeAnne's sister Nicholle showed up a few days later, and she was both better and worse than LeeAnne. She was older, and calmer, and good with the baby. She was just as pretty, but wore a perpetual expression of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, and rarely smiled. She didn't seem to trust or like anyone, including her sister, and the only person who gave her any joy at all seemed to be Sienna.

But, she did want to go shopping, and she and LeeAnne promptly decamped for a week in London, taking the baby with them, which made Langton a much nicer place to be.

"I know you guys will be glad to see the back of us, even if it's only for a week," Nicholle said, swinging her blonde hair.

Gary and Ned looked at each other across the dinner table and didn't say anything.

"Well don't everybody contradict me all at once," Nicholle said, picking up her glass and taking a drink.

"No, Nicky, don't say that, we've been getting along really well, haven't we?" LeeAnne said, smiling around the table at everyone. "And everyone loves Sienna. You guys are going to miss her, aren't you?"

"Are you taking her?" Ned asked, real regret in his voice.

"Of course we're taking her, Lee's her mama," Nicholle said, shaking her head as if unable to believe he would ask such a stupid question.

They left the following morning, with LeeAnne waving gaily from the back of the car as it pulled away.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

It was February, and Chiara's work load picked up as she prepared for spring. Her inventory began arriving, and she spent time whenever the trucks arrived telling them where to stack the bags of mulch and bark behind the cottage. She also had to spend three days at a landscapers' convention in Manchester, which Drew resented terribly.

"I'll miss you so," he complained as he shut her truck door. "It seems as though if I'm letting you live here for nothing, I should get something for my trouble, yeah? You should be at my beck and call or whatever." He leaned in through the window and kissed her.

"What do you mean, like some kind of slave or such?" Chiara asked with a laugh.

"Why not?" Drew responded. "I'd be a very benevolent master, you'd be very happy, I think."

"No chains? No beatings?"

"Heaven forfend," Drew said dramatically. "Seriously, CC, please come back as soon as you can, yeah? None of this staying on an extra night because you finish too late or any bollocks like that, okay? Just come home as soon as you're finished, and if you're too knackered to drive, just text me, and I'll arrange a lovely car for you." He leaned in and kissed her again.

"Now go, before I start to cry," he pleaded.

Ned had come out on the front porch, and waved and blew her a kiss, his other hand in his pocket.

Chiara waved back as she pulled out of the driveway, honking in farewell as she drove away.

Drew went on the porch and stood with Ned, watching her go.

"You're going to miss her so much," Ned remarked, mussing Drew's hair.

"I know," Drew responded.

They went inside and began working on their music. Luke and Gary joined them a few minutes later.

Benny and Ardette Fulton were coming in less than a month  to start recording, so they wanted to have a few things ready to go when they arrived. They were red hot in the recording business at the moment, and the boys were really excited to have snagged them to record and produce for them, so things had to go smoothly while they were at Langton.