Part 6
They spent a week in the seclusion of the house, with one man or the other leaving as needed for grocery items or clothing in John's case. By the end, Ashlyn was more comfortable than she'd thought she would be with them, but she suffered from nightmares and after several mornings of waking up screaming in her father's comforting embrace, she agreed to try the therapy route. Harold contacted the woman they'd helped a few months back and set up a meeting with her, in her private office at home, for the following week. She was more than happy to be of service after they had saved her life from her stalker of an ex-boyfriend and looked forward to being able to pay at least part of her debt.
The trio packed up early Sunday morning and drove back to their more familiar territory. Their first stop was the library where they did most of their work and where Finch lived most of the time. The teenager was ecstatic over the amount of high quality computer systems they boasted and John lost her to their allure for nearly an hour before he could coax her away.
They left Harold happily tapping away at his keyboard with the promise to return in time to pick him up for a dinner out and he just gave them a wave and secret smile. Ashlyn's injured face had healed enough she could hide the last of the bruising with makeup and John was taking her shopping for new clothes.
Once the bruising and swelling had dissipated, the two men had been nearly speechless at the stunning natural beauty of the girl and the fact that she seemed completely unaware of it. John could see much of her mother in her delicate features, though she had his ink black hair, but her ice green eyes were purely her own. She was finally beginning to fill out with some much needed weight and had spent much of her time at the initial safe house sitting outside in the garden with the men talking and soaking up the sun. Harold had even ventured to tease a bit that she was going to eat them out of house and home, such was her appetite.
Driving to a small clothing store that specialized in outfits for teenage girls and young ladies, John handed her over to the owner with instructions that Ashlyn was to purchase anything that took her fancy, providing it wasn't one of those hideous things (he actually pointed one out to her) that would make her look like a hooker or homeless person. He further told her to get everything she'd need for a complete wardrobe: shorts, pants, skirts, tops of all kinds, warm and cold weather appropriate, any necessary underwear, things to wear for bed, and three or four dresses. He would take her to another store later to pick up fancier dresses in case they were needed for some function or another as well as someplace to get some new shoes.
The store owner was over the moon in delight at having such a lovely young lady to dress from the skin out, and even happier when told that money was no object. She ordered John to make himself comfortable in a chair near the dressing rooms as she led the girl away, introducing herself as Mrs. Steiner. After spending a few minutes studying the teen and exclaiming over her unusual eyes and long black hair, she send her into one of the changing rooms to strip while she gathered a variety of clothes for her.
Sitting back in the chair and getting as comfortable as he could, John had a front row seat to his own personal fashion show as his daughter came out in different outfits and a rainbow of colors. At first, she seemed very stiff and anxious, but when he caught her eye and smirked, she settled down and began to enjoy herself. Ashlyn had never been clothing shopping; her mother was allowed to go out for brief forays to purchase what they needed, or they shopped online, so much of what she had didn't fit quite right and her father was determined to correct this.
When she had a huge selection of clothes to take home, John told her to pick something she liked and wear it out of the store. Everything else was bundled up neatly into big bags and deposited into the trunk and they were off to the shoe store where she bought a nice variety to go with her new outfits. At one point, just to see his reaction, she slipped around one aisle, grabbed a pair of black platform shoes with five inch heels and tottered back to him asking for an opinion on her choice. After catching her when she lost her balance, John roared with laughter, the first time she'd seen him truly laugh, setting his dark blue eyes dancing with pleasure at her joke.
By the time they were done with the shoe store, it was late enough in the afternoon that he decided to take her back to his loft (a gift to him from Finch some time ago) so they could unload. Surprised, they were greeted by a smiling Harold who was directing delivery men in the set up and positioning of a complete bedroom set for the girl in the room next to her father's office (his bedroom was the actual loft overhead itself). He'd even brought back bedding and pillows along with a TV/DVD player, a Wii gaming system, a nature sounds radio similar to the one from the other house (knowing how much she had enjoyed the one at the other house), and informed them that two brand new, state of the art computer systems were on their way, built to his specifications for her, so she could continue her schooling both at home and at their library/office.
The men sat down with the girl after the workmen left and told her that they had talked about her helping them with the numbers the machine gave them. The decision was that she could help, as long as she was never placed in any type of danger and followed their directions at all times. She agreed readily and promised to follow instructions given, then asked when she could get started learning about their self-appointed task.
"Tuesday will be soon enough, I believe," Finch replied. "The two of you can get settled in here tonight after dinner and tomorrow morning you have an appointment with the therapist."
She made a face but didn't protest, after all, she was the one who had agreed to see someone.
Leaning back in his chair, John inquired, "So, Harold, where are we going for dinner tonight and how fancy do we need to dress?"
"I made reservations for us at Le Palais Jardin for tonight at 5:30, so you'll need to dress somewhat above your usual style."
John glanced at the clock on the wall, "Well, if that's the case, I suppose we need to start getting ready and be thankful we picked up some nice dresses for you, Ashlyn."
The trio broke up to change into appropriate dinner attire, John to his loft bedroom, Harold (who had brought a fresh suit with him) took over the office, and Ashlyn retreated to her room and began pulling out the four dresses they had picked up that day. All would be suitable for the evening out, but she didn't know which to choose as she loved all of them. Finally, she just closed her eyes, spun in a circle, and grabbed one. When she opened her eyes, she found herself holding a pale green dress whose skirt fell just to the knee. The scooped neckline swept in delicate folds up to the shoulders and the elbow length fluttery sleeves were held closed at the top and bottom with thin strips of material so that her upper arms were mostly bare.
Quickly changing into the beautiful outfit, Ashlyn fastened the fragile-looking silver belt around her waist, loving the way the dainty loops hung from her frame and gleamed against the material. Sitting at the make up table Harold had purchased for her room, she checked to insure her faint bruises were covered and applied a bit of smoky gray shadow to her eyes. Plying the brush through her long hair, she wondered if she should try putting it up or leave it loose. She tried a couple of different styles before deciding to go simple: pulling back the sides and securing them at the back of her head with a plain silver clip while the rest hung free past her waist.
Grabbing the bags her shoes had been placed in, she set them on the bed and started digging through them for something to compliment the dress. She found what she was looking for in a pair of silver sandals with small one inch heels and straps that wrapped around her ankles. On the back of her bedroom door was a full length mirror and Ashlyn paused for a moment to study herself. She'd never had the opportunity to wear such a lovely outfit before and was surprised to find that she was a very pretty girl. The color of the dress and the blackness of her hair made her light green eyes all the more stunning and she found herself eager for the evening out if a little fearful of making mistakes.
Stepping back out into the living room, she realized she was the first one finished and moved to look out the huge windows as she waited. As John silently descended the steps behind her, he was amazed at the transformation. His daughter had been beautiful before, in his eyes, she was now breathtaking.
He'd be shooting boys right and left when she started going out into public.
The sound of the office door opening and Harold's uneven gait approaching drew the teen's attention and she turned to find her father standing at the base of the stairs watching her. Seeing the look of pride in his eyes, she blushed shyly even as she smiled over at him. Their week together had done some good in helping her with the fear of him she carried in her heart. When he was with her, John was quiet, gentle, tender, affectionate, and tried so very hard to move slowly so he didn't startle her. He was everything she'd always wanted in a father and more, handsome, well-spoken, educated, and determined to make sure she had every opportunity to continue her own education as far as she chose to take it. They had already started working on her newest language, Russian, and he'd been torn between pride at how her eidetic memory assisted her in learning so fast and aggravation at himself for not being as adept as she was.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart; I'm so glad you didn't say no to that particular dress," he complimented.
"Thank you," she responded softly as she made her way over to join the two men.
"May I add my own accolades to John's? I must say the two of you have excellent taste in your choices for this evening's dinner," Finch stated.
The tall military man was dressed in all black, from his suit to his silk shirt and tie to his black shoes while his associate was dressed in one of light brown with a white shirt underneath. John extended one arm to his daughter and she took it with minimal hesitation and allowed him to escort her out the door and down to Harold's large town car. He settled her in the backseat on his side while the computer genius climbed into the passenger's side front. Finch generally permitted his friend to take the wheel as it made things easier on his battered body and the defensively trained man was completely at ease behind the wheel of any vehicle it seemed.
Pulling up in front of the restaurant, two valets scurried over as quickly as they could, each opening a front door, but before the one on the driver's side could reach for the back, John was already opening it and offering a hand to assist his daughter out while his gaze automatically swept the area for threats. As she exited, every man in the vicinity paused to stare and she, fortunately, missed it as she was focused on her father's face. The man's features was set in harsh lines and his eyes were ice cold as he glowered around them, causing the men to quickly scurry away before incurring his wrath.
His fingers gripped hers lightly as he drew her from the depths of the car and close to his side. Lowering his head closer to her level, John murmured, "Perhaps I made a mistake in getting you that dress. I may have to start beating men away with a stick when they look at my lovely fifteen year old daughter the way these guys are. What do you think would happen if I pulled a gun on them?"
Picturing the big man yanking out a gun from his shoulder holster and aiming it at one of the men walking past them was enough to bring a peal of laughter from her lips. Which only caused more men to stop and ogle her.
John's hand actually started to disappear under his coat but it didn't get very far before Ashlyn was catching hold of it, "If you do that, we'll never get to have dinner and Harold will be very disappointed."
His hand slowly eased back out and he grumbled sarcastically, "Well, we can't have Harold disappointed now, can we?"
Giggling softly, she tugged on his hand to get him to follow her around the car to the walkway where Harold waited. When they reached him, the shorter man leaned close and hissed, "Did I actually see you about to draw a weapon, Mr. Reese?"
"No, Harold," he growled back, "you were about to see me draw several weapons."
Ashlyn nearly choked in an effort to hold back the laughter dancing in her eyes at the by-play between the two friends. Harold simply gave his associate a pointed look, which said associate returned in spades, before turning to the doors of the restaurant. They were opened immediately by a pair of young men in smart red and black uniforms who bowed elegantly to them as they entered. An older maître d' greeted them in soft French before switching to English, "Good evening, and welcome to Le Palais Jardin, The Garden Palace. My name is Charles, how may I serve you?"
"Reservations for Wren, party of three," the billionaire responded without batting an eye.
"Certainly, right this way, please." The man led the way through the spacious dining room with its hand-painted screens that offered some privacy to patrons to a quiet corner in the back near an emergency exit. The elegant booth had tall backs, padded to lean against at the bottom and beautiful wood scrollwork on top. The seat, also padded for comfort, was covered in deep blue heavy silk that matched the tablecloth set with crystal goblets and fine silverware. All around the room were beautiful flowers in full bloom and tanks of exquisite tropical fish.
With a light hand, John guided the girl into the corner so that he could sit beside her and be able to see the entire room at all times. He knew that when Finch made the reservations, he'd specifically requested this spot, knowing his partner's preference for being in a defensible position. He nodded at the other man and received a faint smile in return as Harold settled across from them.
Charles placed leather bound menus before the trio and set a wine list on the table top between the two men, "Renee will be with you momentarily, may I get you some water while you look over the menu?"
"Yes, please," Harold replied and the man slipped away to get a silver ewer of ice water and returned to pour.
As he finished, a somewhat plain middle aged woman arrived at their table with a gracious and genuine smile for all of them, "Bonjour and welcome to Le Palais Jardin, I am Renee and it will be my honor to serve you this evening."
Before Harold could respond, the dark haired man looked up with a smile, "Bonjour, Renee. I'm John, this is my brother-in-law Harold, and my daughter Ashlyn."
"A pleasure to meet all of you; are you here to celebrate anything special tonight or just looking for a wonderful dinner out you didn't have to cook?"
Harold chuckled at that, "I prefer to have those with culinary skills prepare my meals for me, thank you, and John's expertise extends to opening a can of something, slopping it into a paper plate, and exploding it in the microwave."
"It doesn't always explode, Harold."
"No, you're correct about that, John. It doesn't always explode; sometimes it catches the microwave on fire instead."
The teenager clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles as the two men sniped back and forth while Renee chuckled quietly. She turned to the lovely child in the corner and asked kindly, "Do you have any questions about the menu or do you know what you would like to order?"
Picking her menu up, the girl asked, "What is 'lime-shiso broth'?"
"Ah, I think you would like that; it's part of the mint family and when mixed with a touch of lime, the taste is outstanding and the aroma heavenly."
Ashlyn smiled, "Thank you, in that case I think I would like to the scallops with pureed corn, snowpeas and shiitake mushrooms, and the lime-shiso broth."
"Would you care for a salad with that, or a plate of fresh fruit sliced with a yogurt sauce?"
The teen's eyes lit up, "The fruit, please, and…" her gaze skipped over the menu to the drinks and she smiled, "a large glass of chocolate milk." Her father gave her warm smile of approval for her choices, happy that she was eating more and more to put on some of the weight she desperately needed to gain to be healthy.
Renee jotted down notes on her ticket before turning to the men of the table, "And are you gentlemen ready to order as well?"
The computer whiz closed his menu and set it down in front of him, "I believe I would like to try the pistachio crusted rack of lamb with the grilled spiced eggplant, a small salad of fresh greens with vinegar and oil dressing, and some hot Earl Grey tea, please."
"Excellent, and for you, sir?"
"The grilled lobster, stuffed zucchini flower with sake-miso sauce, a bowl of mushroom soup in beef broth, and a Pepsi," John concluded.
"Just so you're aware, it isn't a lobster tail, it's the entire lobster," Renee informed him.
He smiled back, "Perfect. I haven't had a complete lobster in ages."
"Very good, then. Would you like to order any appetizers before your meal?"
Both men looked to the young lady at their table with raised brows and she ducked behind the menu. Renee smiled thinking that she was a delightful child who was obviously eager to please her parent and uncle. In reality, Ashlyn had no idea what to order for an appetizer and was afraid of displeasing one or the other male seated with her.
Sitting so close to her, John could see the anxiety in her eyes and leaned over to peer at the menu with her, one long finger moved to point at something, then another. She gave a soft sigh of relief and sat back up, "The sampler platter and fried calamari, please."
Their server gathered up the menus after finalizing her notes, "I'll get this order to the chef and be right back with your drinks. If you'd like to sample one of our fine wines, I can send over the sommelier for you?"
"No, thank you," Harold stated. "I rarely imbibe in alcohol, John is driving this evening, and Ashlyn is far too young."
"As you wish," Renee vanished to the kitchens to submit their requests and the group settled in to talk softly.