rough like mine—hers from gardening, and mine from guitar strings.
We had differences and similarities. We shared chemistry, and a history, though she didn’t know it yet. I loved spending time with her. I craved her companionship and her body. She liked me and desired me too, but it was me as Journey.
Once she knew who I really was, would we be able to mesh the past and the present into a shared future?
Lotus
AFTER BREAKFAST, I went one way, and my brother and Journey went the other.
The sun was high in the bright blue sky, its rays glistening invitingly on the tops of the waves. The backdrop was pretty, but it wasn’t what moved me. It was watching my brother with a guy I cared about walking side by side. Their heads together, they were in their own world, a better world for my brother, one with hope for him. They were talking about Journey’s idea for a song.
I watched them until they disappeared around the corner of the building. Then I turned and went inside the entrance next to me.
“Morning, Miss Irving,” the security guard said.
“Morning, Fred. How’s your little girl?”
“All better and back in school. Thanks for asking.” His friendly voice echoed between the walls in the small foyer that contained only his desk and chair.
“Glad to hear that. Food poisoning can make you feel bad. Tell her hi from me.”
Going to the elevator, I pushed the button and stepped inside when the door slid open. I waved to Fred, and he waved back. Before the door closed all the way, I saw him retrieve his Car and Driver magazine. With the days of missing Hollywood heiresses in hiding now over, being the security guard in Ash’s building wasn’t as exciting for Fred anymore.
In a few short moments, I arrived on Ash’s floor and knocked on the only door in the hallway. Fanny didn’t open it this time, so I used my key.
The palatial living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that framed a killer view of the ocean was empty. Turning to the right, I went to the interior staircase and took the steps up to the rooftop deck two at a time. At the top, I threw open the door. Outside, the breeze picked up and tossed around my hair. I inhaled deeply. Salt, sea, plants, and blue sky. If Journey had a signature scent, it would contain those elements. I loved it up here.
So did someone else, and he was seated at the outdoor sectional.
“Hey, Ash,” I said, and he looked up from his laptop, casual today in board shorts and an Offshore tank. “Do you need me to come back another time, or is it okay for me to take care of the plants today?”
“Do your thing. Don’t mind me. I’m just reading through monthly expense reports. Fanny made herself scarce. She knows this isn’t my favorite thing to do.”
“Ah. I totally get that. I hate looking at my monthly statements.”
I never made any progress to put anything in savings. Trim this. Forgo that. It had been six months since I’d bought a new outfit, and longer than that since I’d had a haircut. Penny’s offer to do my hair for a batch of my pineapple margaritas would be a real treat for me.
Miming zipping my lips to Ash, I went to the outdoor closet where I stored all my equipment. I popped my earbuds in and got to work. My lips curled as I started near where Ash was sitting. I felt my father’s presence when I gardened, imagining the warmth of the sun was him smiling at me.
At a low wall behind where Ash was sitting was a container garden I’d designed. I misted the succulents that provided a textural element, pinched the fuchsias that gave the space a pop of bright pink color, and watered the heucheras that added lushness. They were all shade-loving plants that thrived in this far corner of the roof that only got the early morning sun.
After taking care of that section of the garden, I checked on Ash’s fruit plants, which were grouped together near the canopy where his drum set was. He had Improved Meyer lemons, Valencia oranges, and a Gold Nugget mandarin tree, which I’d potted in wine barrels.
I watered and fertilized them, pleased to note the increasingly dense foliage. The minor pruning I’d done had yielded great results. I also noticed that the lemon tree was doing especially well in its new position. Humming to the