Chapter 16: Checking Up

The next morning, Jon was waiting in Richie’s sitting room when he got out of the shower. Jon looked hard at his friend’s face. “You really are OK, aren’t you?”

“Yeah man, I am.” Richie smiled and leaned on the door jamb. “Last night was pretty amazing. We really seemed to connect. We talked for hours last night. I’ve told her things that only you know, and she opened up to me, too.”

Jon looked a little concerned. “Rich, I know you don’t want to hear it, but as much as you clicked last night, and as good a first impression she made on us – we all liked her by the way – she’s still virtually a stranger, man.”

Richie nodded. “I know. But, in the wee hours this morning, when I was leaving, I felt a little sad that the night had to end. You know me, Jon. Sure, I flirt with the ladies, and enjoy their company, but I don’t really connect or get close to any of them. Especially not recently. I felt like I was home, man.”

Jon stood, holding his hands out in front of him. “I can only give you mostly objective advice, man, the decisions are all up to you.”

“I know man, I know. I’m just glad she’s on the same page as I am. We’re getting to know each other, and will see where it leads us.”

Jon started for the door, to allow his friend to get dressed in private. “Bring her around. Have her hang out with us. We can be your buffer while you get to know her. Anyway,” he grinned, “we like having beautiful women around. Beautiful women tend to have beautiful friends.”

Richie laughed. “Amen to that, brother.” He gave Jon a mock punch to the shoulder. “Thanks, man. I really do appreciate you helping me work through my shit. Love ya man.”

“I know,” Jon replied. “Love ya too. Now get dressed; it’s nearly lunchtime. We’re hungry, and you’re cookin’.”

“Sure. Hey, let’s blow out of here for a couple days – we’ve gotten lots of work done. Let’s head out to N’Awlins or Atlanta or something and just chill. Somewhere we can just escape and bum around the bars.”

Jon laughed. He knew his friend too well – Rich was trying to distance himself; take a step back. Good for him. “You know that if we take a couple of days off, Teek and Dave will go home to their women. It’ll just be you and me.”

Richie smiled. “S’alright.”

The pair made plans to fly out to Louisiana the next day. As Jon had predicted, the others made arrangements to head home for a few days. The group agreed to be back Monday night, ready to work on Tuesday.

* * * * *

Julianna answered the doorbell to find her mother on the porch, with lunch in her hands. “Mama!” she said, surprised. “What are you doing here?” She took the plates from her mother, and kissed her cheek. “Come on in!” She stepped aside to let her mother enter.

Teresa smiled and crossed to one of the over-stuffed chairs in the living room and sank into it. “I came to check on you,” she said.

Julianna looked askance at her mother. “What do you mean?”

“You know very well what I mean, Julianna,” Teresa answered. “You think I don’t know when my own daughter is crazy about some man she brought to meet the family?”

“Mama! I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Julianna protested, blushing,

Teresa just smiled. “Darling girl, don’t you know yet that you can’t hide anything from your Mama? I saw you and your Riccardo Wednesday night. We all did.”

Julianna protested. “He’s not my anything.”

“The sparks between you nearly set the restaurant on fire. For heaven’s sake, child, even your father noticed. He said that your Riccardo looked at you the same way he looked at me all those years ago.”

Julianna gave up the pretense. “OK, Mama, but you have to keep this to yourself. Richie and I are getting to know one another. We talked for hours and hours last night. We talked about everything! Our families, our work, our failed marriages, all the big stuff. We made each other laugh with our stories, and, well, just clicked. We’ve both been hurt by people we loved, Mama. We’re kindred spirits that way. We agreed that there are sparks there, but we’re going to take it slowly. We spent last night talking, discovering things about each other.” She sighed. “Mama, I don’t know. I’ve been halfway in love with Richie Sambora the musician, since I was sixteen years old. I want to know the man behind the myth.”

Teresa smiled. “You’re being cautious, which is a good thing. But, please don’t let the nastiness with Mark,” Julianna cringed at the sound of her ex-husband’s name, “get in the way of potential happiness now.” She scrutinized her daughter’s face. “You usually know your heart pretty well. What is it telling you?”

Julianna sighed happily. “Oh, Mama, it’s telling me to trust in this; to follow him anywhere he wants this to go. I think I’ve lost part of my heart to him already.” She paced, frustrated with herself. “How can that be? We’re really strangers. How do I know him well enough to have him ensconced in my heart?”

Teresa rose to embrace her daughter. “My love, that’s exactly how I felt when your father begged me to have coffee with him. Don’t over think it. If it feels right, it’s right.”

Julianna hugged her mother back fiercely. “Thank you, Mama. Things will work out. We both feel the spark, and we both want to be cautious. We’re on the same page, and we’ve found that we have a lot in common. I’m happy with the way things are going.”

Teresa searched her baby girl’s eyes. “You truly are, I can see that.” She sighed and headed for the kitchen, grabbing the plates Julianna had set on the coffee table. “Come, let’s have lunch.”

While Julianna was setting the table in the kitchen and warming up the food that her mother brought, the phone rang. “Mama,” she called out, “can you get that?”

“Si, cara.” She picked up the phone. “Hello?”

A man’s voice answered. “Julianna, is that you?”

“No, it’s her mother. Julianna is busy at the moment, can I help you?”

“Signora, it’s Richie, Julianna’s friend from last night. Is everything OK?”

Teresa smiled at the genuine concern in his voice. “All is well Richie.” She emphasized this last, to get her daughter’s attention. It worked. She reached to take the phone from her mother, but Teresa shook her head. She said to Richie, “ I just stopped over to bring lunch and to make sure she was OK.”

“Mama!” Julianna hissed. Teresa waved her off.

“I can appreciate that, Signora. I hope I can assure you that I have great respect for Julianna and her family – your family. You let me into your private time openly and without hesitation, I won’t break that trust by hurting your daughter. For now, we’re just friends.”

Teresa nodded. “Si, this is what Julianna tells me. I am happy for you both. You are always welcome at our tables, Riccardo. Friends of my children are treated like family in my house.”

“Grazie, Signora. I appreciate it.” Richie paused. “Um, can I speak with Julianna?”

“Of course,” Teresa said. “Here she is.”

Julianna all but tore the phone away from her mother, shooting her a dirty look. Richie told her that he and Jon were heading out to New Orleans for a few days break from work and to unwind. Julianna told him his timing was impeccable. Sam and Lila were both coming out to the cottage at the week’s end to work on the new choreography. They’d be staying with her for several days. “When are you leaving?” she asked.

“Tomorrow morning. Tico and Dave already left for home. We’re all meeting back here on Monday.”

“Why don’t you and Jon come to dinner tonight?" Teresa nodded her approval, which Julianna studiously ignored. "My mother brought a fresh loaf of garlic bread, and I can throw some steaks on the grill. Nothing fancy – just come over to hang out before your trip.”

“I think that sounds great. We’ll bring the wine. Say, around 7?”

“Sounds good, Richie. See you then.”

“See ya, babe.” Richie was smiling as he hung up the phone.

Jon noticed the stupid grin on his friend’s face. “That Julianna?”

“Yeah, and her mom. Apparently, La Signora was worried about my intentions.” He shook his head. “Julianna’s mom is an Italian version of mine. She’s looking out for her baby chick. She did say I was welcome at their tables anytime, so I guess she’s not going to put the Evil Eye on me quite yet.” He laughed. “Anyway, Julianna invited us to dinner tonight – some steaks on the grill – and to hang out before our trip. I told her we’d bring the wine.”

Jon grinned. “Sounds good. I’ll go find something to bring. If I leave it to you, we’ll have wine-in-a-box.”

Richie laughed. “Too true. A connoisseur I am not. I go more for the simple pleasures. Have at it. I’m going up to the studio to mess around.”