Day 4

The next afternoon around 2 Richie set to work making lunch for them. Today he was a little more grown up with his selection and opted for homemade pizza and a salad and set to work in the kitchen while she showered and changed. They had spent another day at the beach and she wanted to get the salt off of her skin. He enjoyed himself more than he thought he would, but it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise. It was starting to seem like every and anything they did together left them laughing and in high spirits.

Rather than falling into their routine of the last few days, Cynthia had talked him into going to a beach a couple miles down the coast where they could rent jet skis. He was hesitant for fear that he may be recognized if he strayed too far from home. A screaming woman begging him to sign her chest may be hard to explain. He wasn’t exactly hiding his identity from her, but how was he supposed to slip that into a conversation? “Cynthia, can you pass the bottle of wine? Thanks, oh by the way, I’m a world famous rock star in one of the most successful and long lasting rock bands in history. Can I pour you another glass?”

This wasn’t a problem that he had ever had and he was enjoying being able to just be Richie. He would have to tell her eventually, and it would be better for it to come from him than someone else.

She came down a little while later as he was throwing the last couple of ingredients into the salad. She was dressed in a pair of well-worn sweat pants and one of his tee shirts. Richie smiled, to him there was nothing sexier than seeing a beautiful woman in his clothes.

“It smells delicious down here,” she said happily.

“Well, thank you. I though I’d make something nice after yesterday’s lunch,” he said putting the salad bowl on the table.

“How thoughtful,” she teased. “What are you making?”

”It’s just pizza nothing too special. It should be just about ready,” he said checking the oven.

“Was I gone so long that you had enough time to thaw an entire pizza?”

“Oh no, this is homemade. I got some dough, added a little sauce, cheese and bingo, it’s a pizza,” he said smiling at his handiwork.

“I’m impressed, you just whipped this up in a half hour. Who knew you were such a culinary expert, there’s so much I have to learn. What’s next? Are you an artist, an athlete, a fashion designer too?”

“No, not now anyway, but you never know. This is done, why don’t you get some plates,” Richie said removing the pan from the oven and putting it on the table. He then grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses before joining her.

“This all looks so amazing,” she said loading up her plate.

“Thanks, and before you think I’m a bad Italian using store bought sauce, its homemade.”

“I wasn’t gone that long mister,” she said picking up her slice.

“I didn’t say that I made it, it’s my mom’s recipe. She’s afraid that I’ll forget what ‘good Jersey cooking’ tastes like, so she always sends me some for Christmas-“

“Umm, Richie, it’s July. Maybe we shouldn’t be eating this,” she said rethinking the piece in her hand.

“If you would’ve let me finish, she also sends me some for my birthday, which was last week, and any other time she feels necessary. I get about a dozen jars in each care package.”

Confident with his explanation she took a bite letting out a loud, “mmm” as she chewed. “This is fantastic, I bet you don’t mind one but that she sends it to you!”

“Nah, I don’t mind and it keeps her happy, which is what’s important,” he said with a little sadness in his eyes.

“I bet you make her very proud,” she said smiling as he nodded. “I just don’t know if you should tell her that I kicked your ass racing this morning.”

“I believe that’s because you cheated,” he said smiling at her.

“Moi, cheat? Never,” she said giving him an innocent look.

“Yeah, yeah, just remember that whole ‘damsel in distress’ thing only works once. I hope it was worth it,” he said and her beaming face said it all.

A little while later once the pizza was completely devoured and the salad bowl was empty, she excused herself up to his room for a nap as she had been yawning through the latter half of their meal. Richie finished cleaning up the kitchen and took the opportunity to call Jon. He settled into one of the oversized leather couches in the living room with the leftover bottle of wine and dialed the familiar number.

The phone picked up on the second ring, and Richie enjoyed the little taste of home that he heard in the distance. “No, absolutely not. If you want to go to the party that’s fine, but you need to be wearing more than a foot of material. Are you trying to give your poor father a heart attack? Go change.” He heard the unmistakable whining and complaining of a teenage girl before the attention was finally turned to him with an exasperated, “Hello?”

“Hey, Dot, sounds like you’ve got your hands full over there,” Richie said brightly.

“Hey, Richie, it’s good to hear from you. How are you doing?”

“Wonderful,” he answered with an uncharacteristic content sigh.

“For some reason I’m a little hesitant to believe that, but we’ll let Jon be the judge of that. What can I help you with,” she asked.

“I wanted to see how things are going over there,” he said.

“You know, it’s the same old mid-summer fighting breaking out with each other, and with me because I’m horribly trying to get the kids to look at their summer work and they want nothing to do with it. I swear I live in a zoo with kids all over the place and friends coming in and out all the time. God Richie, I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me, why didn’t you stop me?”

“Because your family is my family and I love hearing how the kids are doing. Just because Ava’s with her mom, doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what your little monsters are up to,” he said optimistically.

“Still, I’m sorry. You probably want to talk to Jon huh,” she asked.

“If he’s around, but if he’s busy with the kids or something I’d be more than happy to talk to you for a while or he can call me back,” Richie said.

“Absolutely not, he’d probably chew me out if I didn’t give him the phone. I swear he’s going crazy already, how long have you guys been off tour? I think he just checked on the boys let me see if I can find him for you,” she said.

“Thanks Dot, I appreciate it. Give the kids a hug for me,” he asked. He was their godfather, and being on the opposite coast left him with little time to spend time with them even though he had known them since they were born.

“Absolutely. And Richie you sound happy, its good to hear you like this again, its been too long,” she said genuinely.

“Thanks Dot, I couldn’t have done it without Jon,” he said.

“Sometimes I think you give him too much credit, his ego doesn’t need anymore stroking. Here he is hold on,” she said passing Jon the phone.

“Hey man, how are you,” Jon said with some hesitation in his voice.

“Like I told your amazing wife, I’m wonderful. I feel like a new man, and I owe it all to you,” Richie said grinning from ear to ear.

“You sound much better that a couple days ago, what happened,” Jon asked.

“I did exactly what you told me to. I met this gorgeous woman at a bar, and she actually picked me up. She came walking over to me with this confidence and she told me that I would be making a huge mistake if I went home with the table of these young chicks, in their 20’s, and she was right. So she told me that I owed her one and that she was going home with me. Who am I to argue with a woman when she’s right? So I took her home and god is she amazing in bed.”

“I didn’t need to know that, get to the part where you owe your new found happiness to me,” Jon teased.

“I’m getting there. So she’s like the best I’ve had in like a long, long time. So I wake up in the morning and she’s in the shower and I’m thinking ‘It’s not worth the aggravation just let her go.’ But then I hear your voice in the back of my head guilting me out of bed to make her breakfast. Turns out she’s between places and she’s only here for a couple days so I told her she should stay here a couple days, so I went to her hotel and helped her get her stuff. And then yesterday we were talking and she asked me why I really asked her to stay so I told her what you told me and she said that she would stay the two weeks with me,” Richie said in what seemed like one long breath.

“Wait let me get this straight. You go home with some girl from a bar, who Richie Sambora is saying is one of the greatest fucks he’s ever had and then two days later your living together? Rich I’m worried about you, do you really think this is smart. She’s just some woman you met.”

“Hey don’t talk about her like that, she’s amazing. Look I know it sounds crazy, but she’s so good for me. She reminds me of how I used to be, I don’t think she knows it but she really is helping me,” Richie said defensively.

“Look, you’re a grown man, I can’t tell you what to do but I can’t help but worry about you,” Jon answered.

“I know, but trust me ok, she’s different. She’s like a real person, and she treats me like a real person. When was the last time that that happened to me, huh,” Richie said.

“I dunno, but this is quick and it sounds crazy, you know that. You don’t even know her, she could be selling your stuff on ebay for all you know,” Jon said sticking to his suspicions.

“God nothing like that, she doesn’t even know who I am,” Richie said almost embarrassed.

“So you’re living with this woman and she doesn’t know your last name or what you do for a living? What’s her last name?”

“She knows I’m a musician but I like that she treats me like any other man, is that too much to ask for? And no I don’t know her last name, but I know that she likes her coffee black with sugar, and she wrinkles her nose a little when she laughs, and I know she’s allergic to walnuts but no other nuts. I know that she likes to cuddle after we have sex, and I know there’s this little spot behind her ear that drives her crazy. When we have sex its different its not just sex it’s like this intimacy that I’ve been missing for years, but I didn’t know it until I had it with her again. This is something special I can feel it Jon, if you met her I know you’d like her. There’s this level of comfort that I have with her, I can’t explain it. Its even different than anything I ever had with Heather all the years we were married, I can just be myself with her which I don’t know if I ever could do with Jen.”

“Ok I’ll let you go for now, but be careful please,” Jon said giving in just a bit.

“I will, be happy for me,” Richie asked.

“If she makes you happy than that’s good enough for me, you know that. I just don’t want to see you hurt again. First sign of trouble I want your ass on a plane back here to Jersey,” Jon said warily.

“I will, but I’m not gonna need it this time. Thanks man, you always know what to do. Hey are you by a computer,” Richie asked knowing the answer.

“Aren’t I usually, why,” he asked.

“Let me send you some pictures, I swear she takes pictures of everything,” Richie said grabbing his computer from the coffee table.

“I’m sure she does,” Jon said under his breath.

“Hey, it’s not like that. Remember Richie circa like 1990? He was in love with life and couldn’t get enough of it, how much video footage does he have of that time? It’s like looking in a time warped mirror,” Richie said email a bunch of pictures along to Jon. “They’re all sent lemme know when you get them.”

“I just got it, and you weren’t kidding she is gorgeous. Not your type though, I’m kinda surprised. Where are the fake boobs, and the blonde hair, and the whole ditz look,” Jon teased remembering his slew of recent choices in his personal life.

“That’s a picture of her trying to bodysurf yesterday afternoon, the one with the seaweed on her leg. And there’s a couple of us just hanging out,” Richie said ignoring him.

Jon had to admit he did look genuinely happy, maybe Richie was right. “What are these last couple from?”

“Those are from today, she talked me into going down the coast to go jet skiing. Even in that horrible life jacket she looks great. Anyway while we were out she saw these parasailers and she just had to try because she said she did it in the Atlantic and wanted to see if it was the same over here in the Pacific.”

“And was it the same?”

“How the hell should I know? But I swear I haven’t smiled as much as I do when I’m around her,” Richie said looking at all of their pictures.

“These are a great view of you by the way, all tethered in. I think I found our next album cover,” Jon teased.

“Fuck you,” Richie said just noticing the unflattering angle of the picture that was taken from the boat.

“There’s my best friend, I was afraid I lost you to all things kittens and rainbows. I bet she doesn’t mind being able to do all this stuff of the whim of things when she’s living with a guy with a bottomless bank account,” Jon said.

“Still leery are you? For the record she wouldn’t let me pay for anything, we split it all 50-50,” Richie said.

“It’s in my nature as the father of a teenager to be leery. But look like I said I’m happy if you are,” Jon said.

“Thanks, I don’t know if you really mean it yet, but you will. I should probably let you go thought. It sounded like Steph was headed out for some party and was wearing something a little risqué according to Dot,” Richie said.

“Again? I swear she’s never home, I try not to look at what she’s wearing or it’ll put me in an early grave. Take care of yourself man,” Jon said.

“I will man thanks, good luck,” Richie said.

“I may need it,” Jon said before hanging up the phone.

***

A few hours later Cynthia came downstairs a little groggy to find Richie doing some work on his laptop. He was pleased to see her come in and quickly put his business away.

“Well hello sleepyhead. Feeling better,” he asked as she sat across his lap.

“Much, I didn’t think I was that tired. You didn’t get bored did you,” she answered giving him a kiss.

“Nah, just catching up on some stuff. What are you in the mood for, for dinner,” he asked.

“Chinese,” she asked.

“Sounds perfect, eating in or going out,” Richie asked.

“I don’t really feel like changing so unless you know a restaurant that I can go to like this I think we’ll be eating in again,” she said.

“Take out it is,” Richie said reaching for the phone and placing an order.

After dinner they played a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit where he beat her, payback for that morning of course, before they turned in early for bed and their night of heat and passion left them both in a sound sleep.