That limo took us into the middle of New York City. The buildings got taller, the traffic got thicker, and the shades of green went away. I felt like a little boy as I turned one way and then another to take it all in. The air sure didn't smell like home either, but there was a charm to the hustle and bustle that I hadn't expected.
"So this is home, huh?" I asked Violet.
"Not anymore," she promised. "This is where I used to live. Nothing more."
Even more surprising, the elaborate building we stopped in front of wasn't a hotel. No, this was where Ash had his apartment! We got out, got our bags, and then had the door opened by a man who seemed to do nothing else. He greeted Ash by name, smiled at Violet, then looked at Cy, Faith, and me as if he was a little confused.
"They're with me, Tony," Ash said. "Combined, this makes up my family." Then he started pointing. "Boyfriend, boyfriend, stepdaughter, and I finally got the girl to go with it."
"Can't imagine you doing anything else, Mr. Walker," Tony assured him. "Also, Ms. Bancroft is upstairs. She has a guest with her as well."
"Which means Noah's here," Ash said, sounding thrilled at the news.
What I didn't expect was for Ash's apartment to take up most of an entire floor. When we stepped inside, Ash called out to let Leslie know we were home. Then I stepped into the least snobby place I could imagine. The walls weren't gold. There wasn't a single chandelier. Instead, if I was honest, it looked a lot like the inside of Southwind: comfortable.
And then a young woman hurried up the hall. "Ash!" But she stopped hard. "Oh my. You actually brought all of them!"
"Leslie," Ash said, "You know Violet, but this is Cy, that's Luke, and the young lady is Faith."
"Oh, you are stunning!" Leslie breathed as she hurried over to give Faith a hug. "Wow, Ash, you had best keep the talent scouts away from her."
I just chuckled. "I have a feeling that's why I'm here." And I offered her my hand.
Leslie took it, a smile claiming her entire face. "Well, he said you had a cute accent." Then she paused. "Oh, am I supposed to know about that?"
"Yes, ma'am," I assured her. "I'm a little out of my depth around here, but I'm not trying to be anything I'm not."
She turned to say something to Violet just as a larger-built young man snuck into the room like he didn't want to be noticed. He wore a t-shirt with a stain on one shoulder that was faded like it had happened a long time ago. His pants were sweats, his feet were bare, and I got the impression that he hadn't expected "company." Too bad for him, Ash saw the guy and made his way right over.
"Noah?" he asked, offering a hand.
"I... Um... Yeah," Noah said, accepting Ash's hand. "I was going to put on something a little less 'slob' before you got here."
Ash just blew that off. "Trust me, I'm about to join you. I just didn't want to have someone recognize me on the plane." Then he turned to Leslie. "Did you get it?"
"All of it," she promised. "Are you sure about the sizes?"
The look Ash gave her made it clear that was a stupid question. "Positive. Now show me what you got."
Leslie led him back down the hall, leaving the rest of us in the living room. Violet just left her bags by the door and walked over to flop down on the couch. A second later, Faith joined her, giggling as she tried to mimic Violet's half on-half off pose. Noah chuckled at the women.
"Um, Leslie had the kitchen stocked. I think there's wine, lots of coffee, and some other stuff." He headed that way. "Can I get you anything? Any of you?"
"Let's brew some coffee," Cy said. "What kind of stupidly fancy coffee pot do these fools have?"
"Hey!" Violet said, trying her best to sound offended. "I will have you know that it's a normal Keurig. Gran was the one with the expensive espresso machine. Oh, there should be some cocoa pods in there for Faith too. Sadly, the cups don't match the colors."
"Colors?" Noah asked.
"Long story," I told the guy as I headed into the kitchen with him. "It's something Gran came up with. Like a gold star for making her proud, but a color as a nickname. She built a rainbow, basically, and we all use the colors."
"That makes a lot more sense," Noah said - which confused me.
While Cy made drinks for everyone, I took the chance to actually look at the place that Ash and Violet used to call home. The living room was large and open. A section of that was set aside to be a dining room. The dining room table, however, was covered in paperwork with the Risqué company logo at the top of it. There was also a soft briefcase, and a coat thrown across a chair.
Beside that was the kitchen, where Cy was currently working the coffee maker. There were used dishes in the sink, proving that the apartment wasn't abandoned. The oak cabinets all looked incredibly expensive, but so did the granite countertops. Then there were the windows. They spread from whatever passed as the kitchen all the way out of sight on the other side. The curtains were drawn, yet I could still make out city lights on the other side.
I could almost imagine Ash and Vi living here on their own. Things were expensive, but it was the kind that came with quality, not showing off. More than that, it just looked like a home - like a quiet place where they could stop and be themselves for just a moment. Oddly, having Noah and Leslie here only added to the effect.
