by Anna Cove
His breath tickled her ear. She pulled away to see if that tone of voice had been in jest, but his look was as serious as his voice had been. What was he playing at? Was he flirting with her? It was wrong. All wrong. He was like a brother to her. They could never... No. Just no.
She had to be mistaken.
Had Dylan heard? She had eyes, obviously, and could see how he had brushed against her while transferring Aaron. But her body was still relaxed, her hands in her pockets as she studied her shoes. Maybe she'd missed it. Maybe she'd missed the whole exchange, and all the better for it.
And then she remembered how Dylan had been acting odd when Laura had come out of the bedroom, and there was a whiff of something odd in the silence now.
Laura clapped her hands. "Shall we get this over with?"
"My convincing you to come back The Beautiful Ones?" Cal waggled his eyebrows.
"Cal."
"I kid, I kid." He put his hands up and backed toward the kitchen island. "I've got the papers right here. Where can we go to talk?"
Laura gestured to the bedroom. Given what had just transpired, it was slightly odd that she pointed Cal there, but it was the only secluded spot other than the bathroom in the open-concept cabin, and she wanted to speak privately with Cal. There wasn't enough time before Laura had to feed Aaron again for them to go elsewhere. It was best if they just got this over with. Laura was looking forward to starting out on her own, and she couldn't do that if she remained in this emotional and professional limbo.
She closed the door softly behind them and gestured to the chair. She took the bed. Cal settled into the chair, the sun falling across his pressed trousers and his crisp white shirt and the papers sitting on his lap.
"So, you brought the papers?"
"Yes, they're right here." His hands clutched the edges, but he didn't make any moves to pass them over or explain what was in them. It looked like his eyes were searching for something in her face. "Are you sure you want to leave the soap world? There's still time to change your mind."
"Cal. Give them to me." Laura held out her hand.
"So it's pretty serious with Dylan, huh?"
Laura squirmed under his gaze. "Yes. She's wonderful."
"And you think you've been divorced long enough to get into a serious relationship with someone else?"
"You know Mike and I have been separated for years. And emotionally—well, yes. Absolutely. I do feel ready." Laura straightened. Why was she explaining herself to him?
"And you're just going to stay here holed up in the boons?"
"It's lovely if you give it a chance."
"It's not you, Laura. And this woman, Dylan, is she good enough for you?"
Laura raged at him in her mind. How dare you? He didn't know anything. Hadn't bothered to even come visit her until now. Had taken on another client without consulting her, and not only another client but Sydney. He didn't know about how Dylan had helped her find the beauty in life again. How she'd given Laura the confidence to make this move. About how Dylan was willing to move for her, willing to give up a perfectly lovely life here. For Laura. She was good enough. She was better than good enough. She was great. The best person Laura knew.
Laura felt the blood freezing in her veins, and a cool demeanor slide over her. She held out her hand. "Give me the papers, Cal."
"I'm sorry, Lo. I didn't mean to make you mad. Forgive me, please? I've had a long ride, and I care about you."
"Give me the papers, Cal, before I fire you and kick you out of here."
Laura knew Cal well enough to see him calculating, though it was quick and subtle. He was good at calculating on the fly, which is what made him a good negotiator. He could analyze and evaluate proposals and make a counterproposal more quickly than anyone she had ever seen. She braced herself for what was to come, but no amount of bracing was enough for what came next.
"I came here to tell you I found a studio willing to work with you on a documentary project."
"You're lying."
"I'm not. It's the honest truth."
There had to be a catch here. "And the financial backing?"
"You'll basically have free rein. They trust you."
It couldn't be. After everything that had happened, after the struggle—it seemed far too easy. Plus, Laura had called practically every studio she could think of and none would back her. She couldn't resist prodding Cal's idea. "What studio?"
"Landmire. They're a small subsidiary of—"
"Cosmic Studios. How did you manage that?" She hadn't even bothered calling them as she thought it impossible they would give her a deal. None of the big studios were even returning her calls. And this one was based in New York City.
A slow smile spread over Cal's face. "I have a friend there and he came through."
"What? How? What?"
"A friend. Came through."
"What's my budget?"
"We don't have specific numbers yet, but I think you'll be pleased with what they're offering. They believe in you, Lo. They believe you have a certain something. And I do, too. I know you don't want to do the soaps anymore, and that's fine. And I've found the perfect solution for you."
Laura blinked and shook her head. The sun went in behind a cloud, but it only took away the glare, making everything seem so much clearer. This was the chance of a lifetime. She'd be crazy not to take it. "And I can choose my topic?"
"Yes. You have full creative direction."
She couldn't say no. She'd be crazy to say no. "Are you shitting me?" she asked.
"No, of course not. I wouldn't do that to you. You deserve it."
Oh my God. This was it. This was her big chance, her big break, and she wasn't going to pass it up or mess it up this time. "Okay, I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Yes of course." Laura bounced up from the bed and flung herself into Cal's arms. Cal hugged her tightly and they laughed together just like when she'd won her part in The Beautiful Ones. All the weird feelings she had been having lately about Cal and her career fell away. She pulled back. "We're going to make something awesome."
"We'll start our planning meetings the Monday after July fourth." Cal pulled out his phone and started tapping on it.
"Oh."
That was soon. Really soon. The Summer Carnival was that weekend and Laura had been hoping to help Dylan afterward. Dylan wouldn't be ready to go down to the city so soon either. But they could make it work. Dylan had already said they would make it work, no matter what. It was just happening on a faster scale than they had thought.
It would be okay. It would be better than okay.
Finally, Laura would have the life she wanted. The woman. The baby. And the career of her dreams.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THEY COULDN'T HAVE asked for a better day for the Summer Carnival. The sky was a blue periwinkle with puffy glowing clouds to provide shelter from the glaring sun every so often. It was a comfortable eighty degrees. Compared to the 104 degrees it had been over the July fourth holiday, this was a welcome relief.
Everything, so far, was going smoothly. The kids were manning their stations and the town square was packed with both local families and tourists. Nonprofit and social organizations manned tables with pamphlets. Skylar served iced drinks and promoted the low waste lifestyle. Kell had a "talk to your mayor" table and was taking suggestions for changes in town. The crew team had their own recruiting table. Dylan manned the dunk tank and Laura ran her oversized lawn games next to her.
Dylan should have been thrilled, but she found herself just getting by. Laura was leaving for the city in two days, taking Aaron and the life they had built in their short time together, along with her. So, while she smiled and laughed with everyone, there was a sadness in the pit of her stomach.
A boy walked up to her wanting to dunk his mom. Dylan agreed, showing him where to stand and how to throw, and then her attention drifted to Laura. Aaron was in the carriage next to her, a muslin blanket draped over the seat t
o protect him from the sun. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing a cute shirt and shorts. Simple, as always, but stunning. She held an oversized Jenga block in her hands. As if she could sense Dylan staring, her gaze met Dylan's. She smiled, dropped the Jenga block, and waved, looking happier than Dylan had ever seen her.
She's about to get everything she wants. And I will, too, if I can keep it together.
Laura's gaze returned to her Jenga partner. It was a girl who was about seven. Laura examined the blocks and pointed to one the little girl might try.
Dylan had no problem picking up her life and moving to New York City for Laura. She'd done it for Katie once, and she could do it again. She and Laura had already built a strong and honest foundation. It would be hard, since Dylan had only just started putting down roots in Love Falls, but she could do it. She felt resilient enough to build a life again.
But there was one thing that bugged her, and it was Cal.
She didn't trust him. It was nothing he had said. He had been perfectly cordial with her, but she didn't like the proprietary way he'd touched Laura. Of course, once she felt the jealousy burning in her stomach, she'd chided herself. Cal and Laura had known one another a long time. It was only natural that they have a close relationship. But still, Dylan couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right with this whole miracle opportunity.
Why had Cal only mentioned it after he failed to convince Laura to stay on The Beautiful Ones?
Why hadn't he told Laura about it before?
And why had he reacted like he had when Laura told him Dylan was her girlfriend?
When Laura had confided her new plan to Dylan, Dylan had resisted asking these questions. Joy oozed from Laura—a joy that lingered over the week that followed. Dylan couldn't—no, wouldn't—destroy the moment for her with jealousy and cynicism and pettiness. Laura had worked too hard, and they'd overcome too much to succumb to that.
The boy hit his mark and his mother fell into the tank with a shriek, drawing Dylan's attention back to her station. Water cascaded over the woman's eyes as she popped out of the tank, but she was smiling. Her son laughed and became a little boy again, though he was just on the precipice of adolescence. Dylan helped the mother out and thought to herself—that is what being a good sport looks like. That's what love looks like. She would do that for Laura any day.
A few dunks later, Laura jogged over. "Colleen's watching my station and Aaron for a minute and I thought I'd come over here because you all look like you're having far too much fun."
Dylan kissed Laura on the cheek. "You look like you're having a blast over there as well. You've been busy all morning."
"Yeah, and I'm starving. Are you hungry?"
"I could eat. What are you feeling like?"
As Laura scanned the food vendors, a teenager Dylan didn't recognize came up to them. She looked like your typical cheerleader type, heavy on the makeup, hair pulled back tightly and wearing a designer purse. Her too-well-dressed-for-a-town-carnival parents stood behind her. "Are you Laura Munro from The Beautiful Ones?" the cheerleader asked.
Dylan subtly turned so her body was between them.
Laura touched her back as if to reassure her. "What can I do for you?" she said, her voice as buoyant as it had been all weekend.
"Can I dunk you in the tank?"
Laura laughed, but Dylan stiffened. "She's not one of the dunkees today."
"I'll do it if you give us a hundred dollars for three chances."
Dylan twisted to gaze at Laura. The sun lit up all the stray curls around her head, tight and plentiful with the humidity, and highlighted the freckles over the bridge of her nose. She raised her eyebrows and winked.
"Sold," the girl said.
Laura gamely pulled herself up into the tank.
Dylan followed her, blinking up into the sunshine to try to read Laura's face. "Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."
"Why not?" Laura pulled off her belt and tossed it to Dylan. "It's for a good cause."
Dylan waited a moment for Laura to change her mind before taking any money or handing out any balls.
"Let's get this rolling. I bet a hundred dollars more that you won't be able to dunk me," Laura said.
"You're on!" said the girl. "Hand me the balls."
The girl waved a one-hundred-dollar bill at Dylan, not even making eye contact. Dylan kind of hated the girl, which she shouldn't do, since she was an adult and the girl was, well, a girl. Plus, the cheerleader hadn't actually said anything cruel to Laura, she just wanted to dunk her. Laura seemed okay, so Dylan should be, too.
It was just so hard to be okay today.
Dylan traded the bill for three softballs and folded her arms to watch the action.
The girl threw one and missed.
"Is that the best you've got?" Laura called, a smug smile on her face.
The girl rocked from foot to foot. "Your minutes are numbered, Laura Munro."
"Come on, come on. Are you all talk and no game?"
The ball thumped against the backboard again. A miss.
"Ha!" Laura pointed and stuck out her tongue.
Dylan laughed.
Thump. The third ball hit quickly after the first and squarely on the button to dunk Laura. Laura's face went from smug to surprised. She squeaked just before she hit the water.
It took her a second to come up and when she did her shirt clung to her, showing off every detail underneath. Her breasts, her stomach, even her belly button. In the meantime, a small crowd had gathered around them, murmuring to one another. The town of Love Falls was finally realizing they had a celebrity in their midst, and they didn't want to pass up their chance at sightseeing.
As Laura pulled herself out of the tank, a person emerged from the crowd. It was Buck Sanders who owned the liquor store down the street. "I'd like to dunk Ms. Munro, too," he said.
"Me too," another voice said from the crowd.
Dylan handed Laura a towel and shook her head. "You don't have to do this again. You've already been such a good sport."
"But it's fun." She tossed the towel back to Dylan. "Think about it. We can raise a ton of money this way. People love dunking a celebrity. I'll do it. I'm fine with it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's all in good fun."
Laura climbed back up into the tank, and went through ten more dunks, and five failed attempts, which meant that in a short half hour, they had earned over fifteen hundred dollars at this station alone. Laura had been a good sport through it all, and Dylan got the feeling that she was having fun being the heckler rather than the heckled. She was turning the tables on everyone, making the best of the situation as she so often did.
Just as Dylan was about to call it quits on the all-in to dunk Laura, she recognized someone in the crowd. She froze in the middle of handing a ball to the next patron. The someone was Jo.
She finished the hand-off, then pushed through the crowd to reach Jo. The ball thumped on the backboard behind her.
Jo wore a subdued outfit—long jeans and a band T-shirt. Her overgrown bangs hid one of her heavily made-up eyes. But there was a glow on her cheek. Dylan gathered her to her chest and hugged her tight. "I'm so happy to see you."
Jo muttered something into Dylan's shirt and groaned.
Dylan pulled away.
"That was a little much, don't you think?" Jo said, brushing her bangs out of her face. She failed to hide her pleased smile.
"How are you?" Dylan's eyes scanned her body. She looked a little rounder in the cheeks, like she'd put on some weight, but it was a good look for her.
"Other than the cracked rib from that hug? I'm good." She glanced behind her. "I managed to escape from my parents. I don't have much time."
Dylan frowned.
"As you can imagine, my little adventure with Olivia didn't go over well. I'm grounded for the summer."
"That sucks."
She glanced behind her again. "My mom would kill me if she saw me tal
king to you. I don't know what you said to her..."
"I'm sorry." Dylan dropped her face in her hands. "I was out of control. I tried to write her a letter to apologize—"
"No, no. Whatever you said finally sunk in. She wasn't happy about how you said it, but... she finally gets it. She lets me talk to Olivia on the phone and she even asked if I would invite her over to dinner."
Dylan's jaw almost dropped to the ground. That was not what she had expected Jo to say.
"You've been an inspiration to me." Jo wrapped her arms around Dylan's middle and gave her a brief squeeze, then let go. "I needed to tell you that. But I have to go. Don't change, okay?"
Before Dylan could say anything in return, Jo disappeared into the crowd. She caught sight of her again as she emerged and crossed the middle of the green to her waiting parents. Jo's mother shot her a glance and Dylan held her gaze, nodding at her once. When Mrs. Ludlow turned, Dylan went back to her station.
She found Laura toweling dry her hair. The line for dunking stretched dozens of people deep. Laura surprised Dylan with a hug, soaking the front of her clothes. Dylan couldn't help but laugh as she pulled away.
"Did you see?" Dylan asked.
"You were talking to Jo. How is she?"
Dylan blinked, going over their interaction. "She seems great."
"That's wonderful." Laura handed Dylan the towel. "I better get back to Aaron before he starts crying. I can come back if you want."
"Thank you. I'll get Kell to sub in the meantime."
Dylan took a moment to breathe. The joy she felt with Laura, it was something she couldn't give up now that she'd found it. Leaving Love Falls and everything she'd built here would break her heart. Maybe not as much as leaving Laura, but it would still hurt. It wasn't a hard choice, but that didn't make leaving any less painful. Seeing Jo had driven the point home. Papering over the move was just another way of covering up her feelings.
She was leaving for a new life. And unknown life. And she was both the happiest she'd ever been and also a little bit heartbroken.