Chapter 481) Showdown

Welcome to a new episode of ‘Aria-Grace just never learns’, probably part 900-something by now. Wanna bet I still learned nothing? Well, hope dies last, they say, although mine probably bled out in some ditch of my life some dozen AG-isms ago.

Chestnut Ridge

Inhaling deeply, while mumbling some encouraging mantras, I put my car into gear, pushed the accelerator, gunned it up the hill, parked and headed straight over to the horses. I had apples with me, which I fed to both of them, before snuggling the one with the golden coat.

Sorrel.

“You can get shot trespassing like you are doing!” I heard his voice behind me, making me wince.

“That was quick. Thought I had more time with Sorrel before you showed up. Should have known you are just lurking about. I needed to see her, and I think she missed me too. Guess she hasn’t had her baby yet.” I said while prying myself away from Sorrel and turning around, fully expecting to see Jack aiming some shotgun at me.

He didn’t have a gun, just stood there.

“What are you doing here? I thought I was clear last time.” he barked.

“You were. I am not staying, just visiting my four-legged bestie. As a matter of fact, I have a room at the hotel downtown.” I told him, sounding like a pouting teen.

“And what business would you have in this town, Aria? Did you bring your husband and kids?”

Ouch!

“NO! Jack, I told you, Max and I are going through a divorce. It has been slightly delayed due to personal issues, but we are getting divorced nonetheless. I can’t help that he has a hard time accepting it. And my children have things going on, such as school, so I am not going to drag them thousands of miles to parade them for a weekend with me, there is visitation for that, thank you for asking. And since you know now that my name is Aria-Grace, you might as well.”

“You told me you were Aria. So to me you are Aria.” he determined.

Argh. I see why he lives alone. He was agitating with his stubbornness and odd views. Just like Max always refused to call me AG, like EVERYONE else. Now I had a Jack with a name-problem too. ARGH! Men! They can be so aggravating and if it weren’t for good examples like dad, Nick and Rohan … well … come to think of it, maybe not even Rohan so much, considering all the heartbreak he has caused me. Well, if not for dad and Nick, I would have given up on the whole lot by now!

“So, are you ready to hear me out yet? If not, don’t worry about it, I’ll just hang with Sorrel.” I sounded as annoyed as I was.

“I own Sorrel, just as I own the ground you stand on, so no, you will not, because you are leaving.”

“No. I. AM. NOT! I am visiting with Sorrel and that’s that. Just go do whatever it is you do and ignore me!” I hissed at him.

“You think that works around here? I’ll just remove you. Stick you back in your car and roll you down that hill!”

“I would like to see you try. Put your hands on me and they will come off!” I pushed out my bottom lip and gave Jack my tough expression.

“My hands on you? Ha. Don’t flatter yourself. You are way too skinny to be interesting to me. I like my women to look like women, not teenage boys. I’d feel like a pedo if I were ever crazy enough to get close to you again!”

GASP! OUCH! WHAT THE …?! I literally stood there with my mouth and eyes wide.

“Why are you insulting me?! I am not skinny, I am slender and where I come from, that is a good thing! Well, maybe a little skinnier than normal, but I’d like to see YOU go through everything I have been going through and maintain an appetite! You are not exactly a prize yourself, you unwashed, ungroomed, impolite, stubborn, backwoods country hick Neanderthal!”

“Then get off my property!”

“Make me!”

I watched Jack literally facepalm himself. Oh yeah buddy, if it is spoiled rich girl you want, that’s what you’ll get until you are ready to find out there is more to me! You think you’re stubborn. Meet your master. Me.

He suddenly moved quickly, for a moment I was afraid he would slap me or something, instead he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder then tossed me straight into the pond!

With a loud splash my world temporarily turned greenish, smelled of algae and whatever slimy crap was growing in here, which I now had everywhere, including in my hair.

Dripping and gasping for air I sat up. The pond wasn’t deep, just … wet and nasty.

Staring at him laughing hard, I was furious, so – mature as I am at my 29 years of age – I grabbed a handful of mud and flung it at him, and what are the chances, it hit him right in his smug visage. The laughter stopped instantly. Wiping his face in sheer disbelief, it was now me giggling, until he set in motion. I scrambled out of the pond and just started running, of course he caught me, the moment I felt his arms around me from behind, him slamming my body against his, I could feel his warmth, his face on my shoulder nearing mine. My knees got weak. I KNEW he was going to kiss me again, so I closed my eyes, turned my face towards his, awaiting his lips on mine. Instead, a huff, I opened my eyes just in time to see a devilish grin sneak onto his face.

While I was still wondering what that could mean, I found out, as he began to literally rub his face against mine, right where the mud ball had hit him. Screaming and fighting him I had to endure it all in his strong hold, before he let go of me, turned and walked off. AGAIN!

“HEY! Where are you going, you brute?! And that was sexual harassment, by the way!” I yelled rubbing around on my face. GROSS!

“Then sue me. I am taking a shower. I need one now. As do you, Twiggy. You reek, very un-DSV-like, Barbie.” he mocked me without even turning around.

So, here I was, wondering what to do. I looked over to my car, remembered I was dripping wet and nasty with pond algae in my hair, ears and unmentionable crevices.

So, as humiliated as I was, Jack was the lesser evil of my limited options at hand, I dealt with Del Sol Valley teen girls in school, some cowboy brute was child’s play compared to them, so I followed him, in front of the bathroom door I took a deep breath, then entered, the air was filled with steam and I heard him lathering up in the shower, so I inhaled, exhaled, then I took off my clothes down to my underwear and started washing myself and my clothing at his sink, gleefully acknowledging his face peeking out from beneath the shower curtain, probably shocked things didn’t go down as he thought.

“You could come in here. Goes faster.” he offered much to my surprise. A-ha! So I guessed right, it was an offer and he DID want me. Ha! Not in a million years now!

So even more surprising, I refrained, instead turned to face him, and with the sweetest smile told him

“I was gonna do that, then I remembered how repulsively skinny you find me and how much of a douche you are, so no. Oh, I used a big word, repulsive means disgusting, just so there are no misunderstandings.” I mic-dropped it, then left the bathroom, which the biggest grin. Winner of this round: ME! Applause now.

My feelings of triumph lasted only seconds until I realized I was in my underwear and heels, none of which matched in the slightest, the bra was white, the panties hot pink and my shoes a sparkly teal color, cos I just wasn’t thinking I’d strip in front of an audience when I got dressed this morning. In this horribly mismatched glory I now stood here in his cabin, my clothing dripping wet hanging over the sink in his bathroom. Ummm ….

The bathroom opened and Jack appeared, only in a towel and man … YES PLEASE! Drool. I swallowed hard, as he chuckled walking past me.

“Didn’t think that one through, did we?” he taunted me, then winked and I was back from my drooly lala-land and ready to kneel this rude brute in the balls!

“Asshole!” I hissed.

He just chuckled and went into the bedroom, from where he tossed something at me, which I barely managed to catch.

“Jacket, thick and warm, should be large enough on ya to wrap around ya twice, maybe thrice.” he explained what didn’t need explaining.

“Thanks.” I said, slipping it on and was engulfed in Jack’s scent and cozy warmth. Hmmm … I closed my eyes, wrapped the way too large coat around myself, smiling, and was still smiling like a fool when I opened my eyes again to Jack standing right in front of me, smirking.

I blushed, deeply.

“Gotta give it to ya, you got some balls, Barbie. And for the record, I never said I find you repulsive. Did the big dumb prairie Neanderthal use that big word right?” he winked at me and went to the coffeemaker.

Coffee! Yes, please! The Cameron in me needed it, so I followed Jack over the two, three steps.

“Are you making coffee?” I asked, more a notice that I wanted some too than an actual question. I had eyes.

He huffed.

“No, Aria, I am feeding the coffeemaker. What a good boy, you eat up now.” he said, while taking out two cups.

“It’s Aria-GRACE, not just Aria and you know that. So Aria-Grace or AG. Not that hard! Why are you being such a dick to me?”

He turned to face me.

“Oh, I am the dick?! No, princess, for that you need to take a good hard look in the mirror. I didn’t come to your house playing the damsel in distress, lying through my teeth to you, while letting you start fall… caring for my wellbeing, while my royal wife is out looking for me, as I roam the world without my two children.” he rambled back at me.

“Okay, taken out of context and put that way would make me look like a douche, but that is not even close to reality! Can I FINALLY explain? I am NOT a princess, Max isn’t royal anymore, only nobility. I didn’t fall for the prince, cos I didn’t know who he REALLY was when he and I met and fell in love in college. He was just Max, just another student. But he and I are no longer a couple. So, as much as you like to paint me as the ungrateful, unfaithful wife, I am not. As for all the rest, I did NOT lie through my teeth to you; I omitted things that aren’t that important, and I only gave you half my name because I grew up as the child of a famous celebrity and learned early on that people never see past that part, if I reveal who I am related to too soon. And honestly, how would you have mentioned my kids if you were me? I don’t see how I could have.”

“I wouldn’t have to mention them, cos I would be home with them, being a parent!” Jack countered.

“Oh, look who’s judging me now! So, Jack, where are YOUR kids then, if you like them so much? And your wife, you know, the voluptuous type who looks like a woman should – whatever that really means – and who does nothing but selflessly dote on your children! The entire baker’s dozen of them, right?”

“You’re wrong. I’d want her to dote on me too.” he said, then turned from me, while pouring the coffee.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

“You men are all alike! You take only yourself seriously, the only thing that matters is you and what you want! So typical!” I screamed at him, then turned and ran out, to my car, jumped in and drove to the hotel. It wasn’t until I was about to get out of the car that I noticed I wasn’t properly dressed. I was rolling in just underwear, heels and Jack’s coat, my other clothing was happily dripping onto Jack’s bathroom floors or neatly folded in my daybag up in my room in the hotel. Argh shit!

I had enough humiliation for today, so I did the celebrity thing. Pushed the button to close the top of my convertible, then just drove home and had mom’s assistant arrange for my bags to be shipped from the hotel to my parents’ home.

Personally, I had enough of men. Even once my divorce would be finalized, I was gonna refrain from jumping into anything anytime soon. Maybe never again. No, seriously guys, I mean it! Stick a fork in me, I am so done!