“Gentlemen, I don’t know what the hell is going on here but I am leaving.” And turning on her heels, she barged past through the crowd into the night air. The echo of the whispers as she left haunted her. She’d heard more than enough of the “who the hell is she?” question, to last her a lifetime.
She didn’t bother turning around as she heard his footsteps behind her, her head still high as she walked to the open limo door. Scooting across as far as she was able, she kept her eyes locked on the outside. Didn’t look at him when they stopped at what she assumed was Kirk and Claudia’s house to collect a sleeping Theo.
She was the nanny, and as it was part of her job she helped put Theo to bed, leaving Nick to say goodnight to his son in private. Marching to her room, she closed, the door, leaning heavily against it. Hearing Theo’s door close, she felt the panic rise up in her throat as she heard him walk past her door and stop. She slowly expelled the breath she had been holding as she heard him walk away. Stripping out of the dress and accessories, she gave herself a long hard look in the mirror. She would get through tomorrow, the rest of the week and the week after that if only for Theo. Then she’d be gone. Back to the farm leaving all the other swans on their idyllic lake. Thoughts of swans and geese swimming through her mind as she slept fitfully.
• • •
What the hell had he been thinking? Reaching for the decanter he poured himself the strongest whiskey he could find in the cabinet, knocking it back as the liquid burned a fiery trail down his throat. He’d never remembered feeling that angry before. One minute he knew the dance had ended and he was looking for Rania. The next, all he remembered seeing was red as he saw her sitting next to Ricardo Suarez. He’d seen him on the circuit, though never worked with him personally. But he’d heard the rumors. The man had so many notches on his bedpost, they were practically whittled down to toothpicks.
Running a hand over his face, he grimaced. He hadn’t been in a fight since school, what the hell had possessed him to want to get in one now. No, he knew why; he just didn’t want to admit it to himself. Didn’t want to admit that she’d gotten under his skin from the very first time he saw her. How great she was with Theo. And how, right now she hated his guts. Pouring himself another drink, he wondered how, if he were in a film, he’d direct the protagonist out of this situation.
He was grateful that the call time was early tomorrow. That way, at least for Theo’s sake they wouldn’t have to pretend to be civil to each other in the morning. He knew he had to apologize. He’d do it tomorrow. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes, letting the effects of the fiery liquid take hold.
Tomorrow … he’d think about tomorrow when he got there.
Chapter 7
The last few days had been a blur. A horrendous, painful blur. As her luck would have it, his call times were early that week and after he’d arrived home, she’d deposited Theo in his care for some quality father/ son time and vamoosed to her room. If Theo had noticed anything amiss, he didn’t say, just grateful for the time he had with his dad. She’d turn down the trips to the restaurants and the movies if they were going, insisting they have time alone together.
He’d booked today and tomorrow off this week and she had Googled every tourist attraction in Hollywood under the sun so she could fill in the time. Anything to avoid thinking about a certain attractive blond man and his charming blond son.
Shoving guidebook, water bottle, and sun cream in her bag, she made her way out the door, hastily back tracking as she saw Nick at the bottom of the stairs. Debating how cowardly and obvious it would look if she ran back into her room, she lifted her chin and strode down the stairs.
He looked up, eyeing her bag and the guidebook peeping through. Clearing his throat, she was glad to see he looked very uncomfortable. Good.
Maneuvering past him, she stopped as his hand shot out, holding lightly onto her wrist. Electric sparks flew up her arm at the touch and she was grateful for the wall as she leaned against it, positive that if it hadn’t been there she would have melted into a puddle at his feet.
“Rania, we need to talk.” His low urgent tone made her pulse race faster.
“There is nothing to talk about, Mr. Trenton,” she replied, throwing in a disdainful sniff for good measure.
She knew him well enough to know what that frustrated sigh meant. It meant she had annoyed him by using his surname.
“Okay, look, whatever. I need to talk to you in private,” he whispered, head nodding in the direction of the living room where Theo sat.
“Fine. But you’ve got five minutes. I’ve a bus to catch” she bit out, marching toward the kitchen and sitting down on a chair.
Sitting opposite her, he ran a hand through his hair. She knew that gesture, too. Knew it was when he had something to say but he couldn’t figure out how to say it. Well, if he was asking her to leave, then she would, ignoring the sharp pain to her heart at the thought of walking out on both of them and never seeing them again. Bracing herself for the inevitable she sat back, determined to receive the news with ladylike dignity.
“Rania, I’ve been wanting to say this for some time but it was hard to do since we weren’t actually talking to each other.” She bit back the sarcastic reminder that they still weren’t. “But I just wanted to say sorry.”
She leaned forward, frowning. Surely she couldn’t have heard him properly. “Do you mind repeating that?”
“I said, I am sorry,” he repeated, enunciating every word.
Her heart jumped up in her throat and she quelled it instantly. From her babysitting days, she knew that children used to say they were sorry and not really understand what they were apologizing for. And that stag-like behavior was very child-like.
Leaning back, she narrowed her eyes. “For what?”
He squirmed under her gaze. She didn’t even think grown men could squirm.
“For upsetting you the night of the party.”
His confession went some way toward pacifying the frayed feelings. Honestly she didn’t even know if she had been upset. Confused? Definitely. But upset? It was the first time two men had fought over her, so she really thought she should have been flattered. Not that she was going to tell Nick that. Let him squirm some more.
“Thank you for the apology. I’ve got a bus to catch so I guess I’ll see you and Theo later,” she said, pleased at her calm dignified exterior. Maybe she was cut out for acting after all. Standing up she turned and headed toward the arched door.
The walk to it seemed like an eternity as she was determined to get there in a calm ladylike fashion, as opposed to running hell for leather out of his view. Turning the corner, she found he’d followed her. Why couldn’t she just catch a break … ?
“We were just going to hang by the pool today, play some games. General guy stuff. Gus is free if you need to use him to get into town.” Gritting her teeth against the inevitable flip-flop twitch in her stomach to his gentlemanly behavior, she nodded.
“That would be nice, thank you,” managing to keep her voice as cool and distant as possible. Telling herself as she walked toward the limo that if Gus wasn’t doing anything today, then why not ask him to drive her to town. It wasn’t as if she was selling out by accepting his offer; silencing her inner critic that was berating her otherwise.
Sliding across the seats as Gus shut the door, she clenched her hands into fists as she stared down at her bag. She wouldn’t look back. She wouldn’t. Rummaging in her bag she took out her cosmetic mirror. She’d just check her make-up; that was all.
Her stomach dipped as she saw, in the corner of the silver circle, Nick standing in the doorway, watching the car drive out.
• • •
Her first port of call was the Chinese Theatre. According to Gus, taxis would take you anywhere you wanted to go on her tourist outing, and he’d pick her up at the end. She loo
ked down at his card, tucking it safely in her bag.
The place was packed. She guessed it might be due to the holidays but this was ridiculous. Families from all over the globe were here. Locals, too, and from the look of some, not very pleasant ones, either. Clutching her bag tighter, she walked through the mass, head down, looking at the stars impressions in the concrete, bringing her phone out to snap a few for her photo albums. Conversations floated around her, between men and women, adults and children. She knew the sharp pang in her chest had nothing to do with a heart condition — she was as fit as a fiddle — but being surrounded by all these families and couples, she knew it was because she missed her boys. That sounded weird. Her boys. Like they were really a family. She couldn’t shake the feeling that despite all she’d seen growing up and knowing what happened when you were foolish enough to give your heart away, a part of her felt like it was missing already. A large part.
Taking Gus’s number out of the bag, she chewed her lip, hesitant about calling so soon after he’d dropped her off. No, she’d hang out here for a bit longer then go back. She could plead heat exhaustion or something.
Stopping to pick up some postcards and a Hollywood sign for Tanya, she spotted the Hard Rock Cafe. Her stomach grumbled as she remembered she hadn’t had any breakfast and thanks to her determination to hide out for so long in her room, it was close to lunch.
Smoothing her hair back as she approached so she wouldn’t walk in a frazzled mess, she pulled up the top of the rainbow maxi dress. The air conditioning felt dreamy and going in alone, she was seated quickly. Her eyebrows rose at the prices on the menu. The food better be covered in gold for these prices. Feeling someone stand beside her, she scanned the menu quickly. “I’ll have an iced tea and a Caesar salad, please.”
“And how about some company to go with that?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, she tilted her head back, groaning inwardly as the sole reason for her and Nick’s fight stood before her, looking every inch the bad boy player in a tight black T-shirt and low slung faded jeans.
She really didn’t need this right now. “Don’t tell me. You’re a waiter here?”
Laughing, he slid into the chair opposite her, “No need. My acting pays my bills for me.”
Closing the menu, she tried to catch the eye of a passing waiter, not that surprised when a pretty waitress practically sprinted across the café to take their order.
“I’ll just have a black coffee.” Even ordering food, he practically purred. Leaning back, she crossed her arms giving him her best “what-do-you-want-now” stare.
He leaned forward, arm muscles bulging as he did so. If she guessed right, she’d say they were a product of a gym, which was probably necessary since he was in front of the camera. Still, she couldn’t help but compare it to Nick’s natural muscles.
“I thought I’d come over and say hello. There’s no crime against that, is there?” Well she couldn’t argue with that; except, because of him, she’d endured a few days of hell.
“Especially as we were so rudely interrupted the last time. Where is your body guard anyway?”
“Nick is not my body guard. He is my friend,” she said, bristling at his condescending tone. “And furthermore … ”
“Y’all right, gal?”
Oh, someone please save me, she groaned inwardly as she heard the unmistakable booming voice of Kirk Falcone and, looking across saw him and his wife with a small dark haired boy in tow coming over.
Glancing at her uninvited guest under her lashes, she saw he had settled back against his seat, looking for all to see as if they were on a lunch date.
Standing up, she pasted a smile on her face in greeting, grateful when Kirk grabbed her for a hug. Reaching past him, she found herself enveloped in a smaller, more delicate hug from his wife. She smiled down at the brunette child by her side, his big green eyes reminding her instantly of Kirk. “So you must be Will. Hi. I’m Rania. Theo talks about you all the time,” she said, and was rewarded by a big toothy grin.
“Won’t you please join me?” she asked, moving her head between Claudia and Kirk, trying as hard as she could to emphasize the “me,” not “us.”
She’d noticed out of the corner of her eye Ricardo stood up and moved closer to her left. She sidled around quickly, positioned herself on the opposite side creating more room for the family.
“No, we’re just on our way home. Have you ordered yet?” Claudia’s soft voice and big blue eyes now held hers, an unspoken woman-to-woman understanding passing between them. In that moment, Rania knew that if her time in LA wasn’t so brief, she and Claudia would have been great friends. The actress and the daughter of the wannabe actress. Oh the irony.
“Literally, just now,” she said, flagging down a passing waiter who suddenly seemed to be very obliging now she was standing with Hollywood royalty and hurriedly cancelled her order.
Grabbing her bag, she flung a smile over her shoulder at Ricardo. Far from looking upset or even annoyed, he smiled back, and turned to indulge in a little flirtation with the waitress.
The thought of going home to Theo and Nick made the butterflies flitter like crazy in her stomach and Rania practically danced alongside the couple as they left by the back door and jumped into the waiting limo. She heard the shouts of recognition from people as the limo drove on but they managed to lose them as they sped away.
“You can drop me off anywhere if you want; Gus can pick me up,” she said to no one in particular as she stared at the happy family.
“Nonsense. We need to drop past Nick’s anyway because Theo left his PlayStation behind. Also, we’d planned a trip to Universal tomorrow and since it’s so rare for both boys to be on school holidays in the same country, we thought we’d see if Theo wanted to go, too,” Claudia replied.
The traffic away from the town was light and she’d never felt so happy to see the white mansion as she did then. Hopping out, she opened the door, calling out as Theo slid through the doorway on damp feet, throwing himself into her arms. Hugging him tightly back, she glanced up to see Nick appear, navy swimming shorts and hair damp from where they’d been swimming, towel draped artfully around his shoulders.
She moved aside as he walked past her to greet his friends. The noise level rising suddenly as both boys scampered off, the two men making their way toward the kitchen as Nick insisted they stay for at least one drink.
Watching as they cracked open some beers, she poured juice for Claudia and the boys. “Kirk’s very protective of him,” Claudia whispered next to her. “He wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. Especially after Lila,” she added.
Biting back the burning desire to ask about his dead wife, she stared her straight in the eye, “I would never hurt him. Either of them.”
The small, satisfied smile that bloomed on the other woman’s lips made her feel like she’d passed some unknown test. They chatted for a few minutes, and then she watched as Claudia put her drink down and round up her family.
“And why not let Theo come with us now? We’re off to Universal tomorrow, so you boys could have another sleepover,” she sang out.
Rania couldn’t help but admire her style. Within minutes, Theo was packed and ready to go. She really wanted to catch Kirk and explain about the restaurant before they left. For once, she did care what someone thought.
Making her way to the door, she whispered up to him, “Kirk, what you saw in the restaurant wasn’t what it looked like.”
His eyes were full of understanding as they looked down at her. “I know, gal. I didn’t think you and Ric … ”
“Ric? As in Ricardo Suarez? What about him?” Rania heard Nick snap, coming up behind them and she had to hold back from stamping her foot in frustration. Why did he have to overhear that part of the conversation?
Glancing between the two of them, Kirk cleared his throat. “
I’ll leave you two alone, shall I. C’mon, wife,” he said, guiding his wife quickly out with one hand and the boys out with the other.
• • •
The loud ticking of the clock emphasized how alone they were. Nick was still frowning at her and her joy of being back soon dissolved into annoyance.
Yes, she worked for him, but she wasn’t his property. She could talk about Ricardo Suarez if she wanted. She didn’t particularly want to, of course, but what the heck had happened to freedom of speech.
“How come you came back so early?” he asked.
Oh, why can’t you just go and put some clothes on, her mind shouted at him. Her throat felt parched from looking at him in this semi-dressed state. Really, this was unprofessional. Since when did bosses and employees have meetings half-naked!
“I … erm … heatstroke!” She’d be damned if she admitted she came back for him.
He nodded, seeming to consider this. “So, why did you come back with Kirk and not Gus, then? Didn’t Gus say he’d come and pick you up?”
Damn, damn, damn. He would have told Gus to do that, wouldn’t he? She could lie and pretend she’d never had that conversation with Gus earlier, but she didn’t want to get him in trouble. “Oh, the tangled webs we weave,” Belle’s favorite phrase floated through her mind. Might as well be honest.
“I went for a bite to eat and met them in the restaurant.” Correction, she had intended to have a bite to eat and ended up with zip. She could feel the small grumblings already.
He didn’t say anything, his glacial eyes holding hers, almost as if they could read her inner thoughts.
“I’m parched. I need a drink,” she said, turning toward the kitchen, not caring whether he was following or not. Pouring herself a large glass of OJ, she stared out at the pool where empty glasses and floatables were the only remnants of the father and son day spent together.
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