The Sanctuary (11 page)

“Maybe this is more like you than you realize. When you were home, you bottled up everything. Now you’re releasing. It’s okay to let it all go. I love you, and I’m here for you.”

“Well, if I was you, I would tell me I was crazy.”

“Unfortunately, you are quite normal. I’ve already Googled you.” He eyed me slyly.

I giggled. “You have? Find anything good?”

“Not unless you want to discuss flowers, lighting, and fabrics. You throw quite a party.”

I smiled at his description of my life. “I’ll admit I Googled you too.”

“And?”

“I read one piece when we were first spotted by the paparazzi, and that’s it.”

“Speaking of paparazzi, Sebastian booked our interview with
OMG!
on Friday. We’ll need to be on-set by five.”

I pulled out my phone and entered the appointment.

“You didn’t need to add it to your schedule. Petra would have reminded me.”

Petra. I loathed hearing her name, but I didn’t want him to know how much she irritated me. “I had to sync it with my office. Go to Madrid. I’m fine.”

“I can’t. If anything happened to you, I’d be beside myself.”

“What could possibly happen? I’m going sightseeing and to the market.”

The doorbell rang. I glanced up at the monitor; it was a deliveryman.

“I’ll get it. Finish your coffee.” I headed to the door and was greeted by a string of Finnish and a package thrust at me.

“He wants you to sign for it,” Val called out.

I looked at the box. It was addressed to me. I accepted the mail and analyzed the return address. I tore the ripcord off and pulled out a rectangular black box. I was perplexed; I hadn’t authorized AMEX to send me another black card.

“In case you need anything when I’m gone.”

“This is your account?” I was shocked.

“Yes.”

“What do you expect me to buy, a house?”

“If you want to.”

“Thank you, but I would feel funny spending your money.” I was touched by his gesture.

“Why don’t you use it to buy food so you can cook when I come home?”

I tilted my head. I understood him. “Okay, I will. What time is your plane coming in on Thursday?”

“About four p.m. I left the details on the fridge.”

“I’ll have dinner ready.” I kissed him. “You better get going. Your plane is leaving soon.”

He glanced at the clock and snuffed out his cigarette. “I am not 100 percent convinced I should leave. Promise you will call if you need me.”

“I will. I promise.” I waved my hand, “You’re going to be late! Go!”

I stared at the credit card and took a deep breath. I had his keys, free access to his house for the next three days, and access to his money. Either Val was madly in love with me or madly insane. Did he really trust me so much he would give me free rein over the most important aspects of his life?

A few moments later, Val descended in rock-star fashion with a small backpack, black tee, leather jacket, and multiple scarves. His facial hair was coming in, making him look rugged. He slipped on sunglasses and kissed me.

“Why don’t you ride with me? I’ll have the driver drop you off at Jenni’s.”

“I’d rather ride with you to the airport. I want to rent a car.” I tossed my bag over my shoulder.

“The tram and bus are four blocks away.”

“And if I come home late? I’d rather pull into the driveway than walk by myself.”

“Then take a taxi. Trust me; the roads are confusing to navigate.”

I followed him outside into the bright morning light. He looked stunning and reminded me of a young Jim Morrison. “I’m going to miss you.”

He opened the door to the car. “Why don’t you come with me then?”

“Val,” I playfully whined, “I can’t.”

He instructed the driver to our destination before turning his attention to me. “I’m going to miss you too. Where are you and Jenni going?” He eyed my duffel bag.

“Yoga, lunch, shopping, and dinner. Her friends want to meet me.”

“Be mindful of your drink or what they offer you. Some of her friends like to party.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the warning.”

I stared out the window at the bluest sky I had ever seen. “Can we go to Lapland? I want to see the Northern Lights.”

“We can go for the holidays if you’d like.”

“I would love to.” I was happy he was so agreeable.

“There is this small, charming cabin I rented last year. I will take you there. We can spend a quiet Christmas together, just the two of us.”

“But what about your family?”

He shrugged. “What about them?”

“It’s not Christmas without family.”

“They’ll be okay. What am I,
not family
?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes. “That’s
not
the point.”

“What is then?”

“Christmas is about family, and it’s always been lonely for me.”

“So we’ll all go. Whatever makes you happy.” He leaned in for a kiss.

“Don’t you know all the right words to say?” I kissed him sweetly.

We pulled in front of an apartment building. “Why are we stopping?”

“It’s Jenni’s apartment. Trust me on this. Call a taxi if you’re going home late.”

I didn’t want to argue and make him late for his plane. “Call me when you have a chance.”

“I will.” He kissed me goodbye. “I love you.”

Time stood still. There were those three little words again, but I had no out. I swallowed hard. “I love you too.”

“Eve!” Jenni shrieked from outside the car, banging on the window. “We’re late for class!” She opened the door and grabbed my hand. “I’ll make sure to keep her occupied, Val.”

“I’m sure you will.” He winked at her before continuing in Finnish.

Jenni responded, “She’ll be fine.” I supposed whatever he said to her he didn’t want me to know.

Jenni slammed the door to the car and pulled me toward a Vespa. “Val wanted to make sure we weren’t going out with my friends. But we’re not. Don’t worry.”

We hopped on her Vespa and proceeded into the city. I shouted to her, “Where can I get one of these?”

“He said not to let you rent a car.”

“It’s not a car.” I didn’t care what his views were on transportation. I was tired of walking.

The day flew by. We went to her gym, which I joined. I needed someplace to work out, and it would be a good place for Jenni and me to bond. By the afternoon, she was like a best friend I had known for years. We ended our afternoon purchasing my first scooter.

“This is exciting, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong,” I whispered to Jenni as the salesman finalized the paperwork.

“What has my brother done to you? You’re a powerful, independent businesswoman, and he’s turned you into a giddy girl. You are in love, and you don’t even know it.”

* * * *

Hours later, after showering and changing at her place, we were back out on the streets of Helsinki, dressed as though we belonged on a cover of a magazine. As we arrived at the restaurant, I could tell it was trendy. There was a large crowd waiting outside. But we had no problem getting inside; it turned out Jenni was on the list.

“Who are we meeting?” I asked as we ordered drinks at the bar.

“The girls wanted to meet you.”

“Who are these girls?”

Jenni flipped her long brown hair. “The girls…you know, the wives of the band. I’m good friends with Ana, Niko’s wife.”

“Who’s Niko?”

“The guitarist. You really have no idea who Val is, do you?” Jenni looked surprised.

“No, I haven’t heard their music.”

She laughed. “We’ll have to change that. You need to be his biggest fan.”

“Jenni!”

“Ana!”

The two embraced in hugs and kisses. Ana was a tall, beautiful, voluptuous blonde with ice-blue eyes. “You must be Eve.” She showered me with hugs and kisses. “It’s so good to meet you.”

Moments later, I was surrounded by Laura, Natalia, and Tania, three of the sexiest, most beautiful women I had ever met. I observed the interaction around us; the six of us caught many looks. It was surreal to be in a foreign country with five strangers chatting with me as if I was one of them.

We sat down to dinner. The wine started pouring, and the conversation became light and jovial. Despite the differences that separated my world from theirs, we shared similar experiences, vexations about men, and senses of humor. It felt as if I already belonged.

Ana turned to me. “Tell us, does Val satisfy you?”

I dropped my fork. Thankfully, my hand was close enough to the table that it didn’t make too much noise. “Excuse me?”

“No, what I want to know is if he nags you for anal like Olli does for me,” Laura asked, clearly inebriated.

Natalia interjected, “Honey, they all haunt us for it.” She turned to me. “I swear when they tour, Eve, they are like a bunch of horny teenage boys. You better send him off with a lot of socks.”

The women laughed in unison like a cackling group of hens. As the laugher subsided, they turned to look at me. Did they really want an answer?

“Well?” Ana egged on. “How is he? Do tell. We’re all friends here.”

I eyed her. “I don’t kiss and tell. But I wouldn’t stay with a man who didn’t make me happy.”

“Ohh…” whined the hens in unison.

Ana continued, “So how do you like Finland? Would you consider moving here?”

“Maybe, but not anytime soon; I own my own business.”

“Not if you got married. You could sell and move here.” Jenni looked at me endearingly.

“I don’t think I could sell. Besides, what would I do? I can’t speak Finnish. It would be difficult to find work.”

“If you got married, you wouldn’t need to work. You’d have a fabulous life you could enjoy,” Ana said matter-of-factly.

“You don’t work?” I questioned.

“My job is making sure the house is running and the kids are cared for. Out of the past ten years, I’ve seen Niko, if you count the time off, maybe four years out of ten. To be honest, I’m glad they’re going back on tour.”

The other wives agreed with Ana’s statement. The band toured almost every other year, with sporadic breaks. Not one of them seemed to mind the life. They were taken care of and spoiled.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Laura interjected. “Most people work all of their lives. No time to smell the roses, to pursue passions. We have the luxury of not being the majority. Our husbands provide for us.”

I began to feel a bit claustrophobic. It was if everything was cosmically pushing me away from my life. These women were the devil tempting me into the fire.

“What time is it?” Ana asked the group, changing the conversation.

“It’s near midnight,” Natalia replied.

Jenni turned to me as she got up. “Can we go to your place to watch your boyfriend in action?”

The ladies laughed as we walked out of the restaurant to wait for the car. I had no idea what was so funny.

Jenni continued, “Val is a little jokester when it comes to reporters. He loves telling stories. It’s amusing to watch.”

I didn’t want to say no and insult them. “Sure, but I have work tomorrow. I can’t party all night. I didn’t know he was doing an interview tonight.”

“They were nominated for Best Rock Song and are performing at an awards show. Didn’t Val give you the itinerary?” Jenni asked as we entered the limo.

“No, just his flight and hotel info. It seems as if he wants to keep his music career quiet.”

“That’s because he’s trying to put it behind him. His music ruined his engagement.”

I needed the scoop. “What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details. But it was bad, and I mean
bad
. Sent him into a downwards spiral. I’ve never seen my brother like that. While they were on tour for their last album, she went crazy. She was in rehab, tried to commit suicide too. She did anything to get him here. She was
nuts.
None of us liked her.”

“You should tell her what really happened,” Ana interjected. “It will
shock
you.”

“That fucking crazy bitch tried to kill him,” Natalia interposed, glancing up from the text message she was reading. “The boys are going on stage in fifteen.”

“She tried to kill him? How?” I was caught up in the story.

Ana continued, “She attacked him in the middle of the night with a baseball bat. She told him he would never hear again. If he can’t hear, he can’t sing.”

Jenni nodded. “Ever since he hardly sleeps. She screwed him up bad. He’s lost hearing in his left ear from it.”

“That would explain why he’s never in bed with me in the morning.”

We arrived home and hurried inside. Tania and Natalia headed straight for the bar and began mixing drinks while Jenni grabbed Val’s laptop and connected it to the television. With a crackle and a buzz, the television flicked on in Spanish.

“Oh good, we didn’t miss them,” Jenni said.

We hurried to the couches to grab a seat.

I heard a mumble of Spanish followed by “
Eros’ Edge.
” The audience was standing and screaming. The lights dimmed, and red and purple lights flooded the smoke-filled stage. I heard the guitar and bass, followed by the drums. A tall shadow emerged from the background, and the fans went wild. The camera narrowed in on him. There he was, my rock god.

Val approached the microphone and winked at the camera before he broke out into song. His voice was deep and powerful, strong and sexy. I could understand why women loved him and why men wanted to be him. He was a magnetic figure on stage, a force to be reckoned with.

Val thanked the audience before exiting. The lights dimmed again and focused on the announcers, who rambled off the list of this year’s contenders. It was no surprise. Eros’ Edge was called to accept the award.

The room burst out into applause and screams.

“That’s our boys,” Ana said, sipping her glass of wine.

Val approached the microphone and droned off the typical list of thank yous before he paused and said, “And I want to thank someone who is very dear to me, for inspiring me to go forward.” He looked straight into the camera. “I wish you were here with me tonight.”

He walked off the stage, and I suddenly longed for him. I wished I could have been there, to share in his happiness.