Garrett gave the driver the address. He was about to call Jade when his phone rang.
“Wyatt. Your timing, as usual, is impeccable.”
“Good flight?”
“Smooth,” he said. “What’s up?”
“I wanted you to know I finalized the Vancouver deal. You’re all set.”
“That was fast.” Even for Wyatt, this was record time.
“They were amenable to our terms. There was no reason to delay.” Garrett heard Wyatt shuffling papers. “I know you must be dead tired, but Mom is having the family over for dinner tonight. I told her I’d mention it.”
“The entire family?”
There was a pause. “Colt is in Europe promoting Freelance. Nate should be there.”
“And Stephanie?”
There was another, longer pause. Wyatt’s wife was a no-show more often than not these days. A wise man wouldn’t ask. Garrett’s concern for his brother superseded wisdom.
“Unlikely.”
“Wyatt —”
“What should I tell Mom?”
“I can’t make it. I’ll call Mom and explain.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
Garrett felt a wave of concern. He didn’t like the defeated tone of Wyatt’s voice. A rocky marriage combined with an alcoholic wife was beginning to take their toll. Something had to give. Soon.
After the cab had dropped Hamish off, Garrett decided to stop by to see his mother. He used the ride to get in touch with Jade. The twinge of guilt he should feel for using his connections to acquire her phone number didn’t come. All’s fair, after all.
The call went straight to voicemail. Damn. He was hoping to talk in case she hesitated over having dinner. It was hard to charm a lady in a text. Though not impossible. He left a message and a text. Tonight at seven? Tomorrow anytime? He put the ball in her court. He would wait a few days in case he had to jump the net to retrieve it.
Garrett paid the cab driver. Normally he wouldn’t take the time to peruse the outside of his childhood home. He spent eighteen years here; he knew what it looked like. Today, he noticed something different. The color. In the span of one short week, the color had changed from robin’s egg blue to yellow. He imagined his mother had a fancy name for the bright, cheery color. He imagined his father rolling his eyes. Something about the huge mansion was always being updated, added on, or decorated. Dad didn’t really mind. He loved the woman too much. If it made her happy, it made him happy.
“Garrett.”
Garrett grinned at his mother’s enthusiastic greeting. One week or one hour, she welcomed her family with the same vigor. He caught her in his arm, swinging her around. Closing his eyes, his inhaled. Vanilla. She was a screen goddess to the rest of the world. To him, she was Mom.
“How is the most beautiful woman in the world?”
“Thrilled to have one of her traveling brood back in the nest.” Taking his hand, she led him into the house. “This is a lovely bonus. I wasn’t expecting you until later.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t make it for dinner.”
Garrett followed her through the large foyer. Sunlight everywhere. It was what sold her on the house. They continued, passing through the library and out to the patio. The pool sparkled, the flowers bloomed in an array of bright colors, and the lawn was a deep, healthy green. Perfect. His mother wouldn’t have settled for less.
“A date?” Callie asked. She poured him a glass of lemonade. “You know that’s the only thing I consider an acceptable excuse.”
“Of course. I know the house rules.”
Garrett took a cookie from the plate. He couldn’t remember a time when drinks and cookies weren’t out in case company stopped by.
“Is she wonderful? The potential love of your life?”
“Mom.” Garrett shook his head. “Only you can get away with questions like that.”
“Why?” Callie asked the question tongue in cheek. She already knew the answer.
“Because I love you.”
“Hearing that never gets old.” Callie gently kissed Garrett’s forehead before joining him at the table. “Spill, young man. Who is she?”
“It’s early days, Mom. I’m interested, not in love.” He took a sip of the tart, sweet liquid. “If things progress, I’ll let you know.”
“Hmm.” Callie’s gray eyes met his own. “Fair enough. I expect updates. Understood?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Ha,” she scoffed. “None of my sons was a boy scout. Boy terrors, yes.”
“They were healthy, inquisitive, energetic boys. In other words, perfectly normal,” his father said as he walked onto the patio.
Caleb Landis pulled his son up, giving him a hug. Garrett knew this game. Squeeze hard, harder than the other guy. Even pushing sixty, his father held his own. As usual, the contest ended in a draw.
“We gave you and Mom a run for your money,” Garrett said. He kissed his father’s cheek before retaking his seat.
“You’ve kept me young. You can’t afford to get old with four sons nipping at your heels.” Caleb thanked his wife when she handed him a glass of iced tea. “Tell me about Vancouver.”
The family business occupied the next hour. Movies. If someone wasn’t filming a movie, he, or she, was in pre- or post-production. Now, between them, they had six projects in various stages. Caleb and Callie were about to start their seventh movie together.
“Enough business,” Garrett finally declared. “What’s new on the home front? Besides the color of the house.”
“Isn’t it lovely?” Callie exclaimed. “Daffodil Delight. It makes me smile.”
“What does it make you do?” he asked his father.
“If it makes Callie happy, it makes me happy.”
Garrett grinned. Exactly the answer he expected.
“There was a surprise in the neighborhood.”
“Another skunk infestation?”
“Bite your tongue.” Callie shuddered. “No, something much more pleasant. A wedding.”
“That isn’t news,” Garrett said, reaching for another cookie. Chocolate chip was his favorite. “Tell me someone in Beverly Hills didn’t get married last week. That would be a surprise.”
“Well, this had the gossips on high alert. Jade Marlow eloped.”
Garrett couldn’t have heard right. Jade? Married? How could it happen so fast?
“Who?” he asked, hoping for a different name.
“Jade Marlow,” his mother confirmed. “I don’t suppose you or your brothers know her very well. She’s a lovely young woman. Some people call her icy. I think she’s shy.”
“When did this happen?”
“Day before yesterday. Her father is a big name, so of course it’s news. The reports say the couple ran off to Hawaii.” Callie sighed. “It’s very romantic. According to the neighborhood know-it-alls, no one knew Jade had a serious boyfriend. Stephen something or other. I hear he works for her father.”
Garrett only half-listened, catching bits and pieces of secondhand information. All the while, he had one thought. She didn’t wait for me. It was stupid. Why would she wait? One extended conversation and a hot kiss. She didn’t know him. They connected. That was true. It was not love at first sight, by either of them. He wanted her. That night, if she had said the word. Now, she was off limits.
“Garrett.”
“Yes?”
“Where were you, baby?” Callie asked with a frown. “You drifted a million miles away.”
No. Not a million miles. Only a few blocks down the street. He felt a twinge of regret. Okay. Maybe more than a twinge. He’d spent a week anticipating Jade in his arms. He couldn’t miss what he never had. Or something like that. He hoped Jade found what she was looking for. Garrett sincerely wished her happiness in her new home — with her new husband.
“I was thinking. I can go out on a date anytime. I’d rather have dinner with my family.” He winked at his mother. “If
the invitation is still open.”
“Don’t be silly.” Callie frowned. “What about the young woman? Won’t she be offended if you cancel at the last minute?”
“She won’t give it a second thought.”
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENT DAY
JADE STEPPED FROM the shower. She liked it hot. The steam filled the room, obscuring the mirror over the sink. The only one she owned. She always kept her back to it until she was fully dressed. The steam was a safety net — a buffer just in case she slipped up and caught a glimpse of something she refused to look at.
She went through her usual routine. Drying her body. Lotion, top to bottom. With her hair still wrapped in a towel, she covered herself with an outfit that suited that day’s well-planned activities. Then, and only then, she moved to the mirror.
Jade methodically dried her hair, pulling it back into a simple style. Her makeup was minimal. A bit of concealer to hide the dark circles under her eyes. A touch of mascara. Blush was essential. Not too much. She didn’t want to look like a sad clown. Then a light coat of lip-gloss.
Jade Marlow was ready to face the world.
“Good morning, Miss Marlow.”
“Good morning, Angie.”
Jade held her head up high, her back ramrod straight. Through everything. The pain, the humiliation. Jade never let the world see her cower. She had done enough of that in private.
“Mr. Marlow would like a word with you in his office.”
Seven in the morning. Her father knew she left her room every day at the same time. If he wanted something, he informed one of the servants to tell Jade. The only time this varied was during her two-year marriage. Then the servant waited until she came down from the west wing. It wouldn’t be seemly to interrupt a married couple in their rooms. God forbid anyone saw her after a night of Stephen’s attention.
If possible, Jade’s back became straighter with every step. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the solid oak door.
“Come in.”
“You wished to see me, Father?”
Always Father. Never Dad. Certainly not Daddy. The difference spoke volumes to anyone who cared to listen. Anson Marlow’s money had a way of making people deaf.
“Sit down.” The gruff command came without a glance up from the papers on his desk.”
“Very well.”
Jade waited patiently, ankles crossed, hands folded neatly in her lap. This was nothing new. Her father always kept her waiting. She was never certain if it was one more way of showing her who was in charge, or if he didn’t think of her at all. If she dallied, not answering his summons immediately, the rafters would ring with his displeasure.
There was a time she would sit — her mind racing. Had she done something wrong? Was he displeased? What could it be? She never guessed. The possibilities were endless. Now, she didn’t care. Her mind was as calm as her expression. She counted the books on the shelves instead of the myriad of faults her father found in her.
“Why was there a delivery van parked in front of the house at six o’clock?”
“Flowers.”
“Obviously, Jade.” Anson sighed. You idiot was implied. Loudly. “It had Maxine’s Florist emblazoned in bright pink on the side. Why do we need more flowers? At six A.M.?”
“I’m hosting the Ladies Who Lunch this afternoon. The floral arrangements needed to be in place before the table settings.”
Jade didn’t mention that the get-together was her father’s idea. He knew it. The look she gave him was placid. Unblinking. Was that a crack she saw in his disapproving frown? Again, she didn’t care.
“What is wrong with you lately?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Jade was a statue. She didn’t flinch when her father growled. She didn’t sweat or fidget. That’s what was different. If he couldn’t tell, it was his problem. She did not intend to share her newfound ability to ignore his insults. Instead of nervous heat, her body felt wonderfully cool. What was it? Oh, yes. Jade was in her Zen state.
“You’re smiling.” His tone was accusatory.
“Am I?” That didn’t happen very often. Especially around her father. “I’m anticipating this afternoon’s luncheon. You know how much I enjoy the company of the Beverly Hills elite.”
Lies. All lies. One after the other. Another layer to the new Jade. She used to be a lousy liar. She found the more she prevaricated, the easier it became. Nothing major. White lies. It was practice for when she was ready to tell the biggest lie of her life. Jade felt her pulse jump. Soon.
“Was there anything else, Father? I need to check with Cook about some last minute menu changes. It seems Mrs. Granger is now gluten-free. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Good God. No wonder Stephen cheated. You have the personality of a limp rag.”
Is that why he beat me? Jade wanted to ask. Oh, no. He beat her because she was annoying and talked too much. Or maybe she didn’t talk enough. The reasons were endless. Every slap justified. Every punch her fault.
Jade breathed in and out. Find your center. Stephen’s fists can’t hurt you anymore. Neither can your father’s words.
“Will you be in for lunch?”
Anson gave Jade another long, speculative look before he finally answered.
“And take the chance of running into those biddies? Their husbands’ money is what I care about. I’m counting on some heavy investments in the next few months. Don’t screw this up, Jade.”
“Of course not, Father.”
Jade rose to her feet, nodded in her father’s general direction, and then left the room. Once outside the closed door, she held out her hand. Not exactly steady as a rock, but damn close. A tiny tremor, which she quickly controlled. She hoped that Jittery Jade was no more.
Jade looked at her watch. Eight o’clock. Instead of heading straight for the kitchen, she took a detour into the art gallery. No one came in here except to dust or to show off. Her father’s vanity room, filled with paintings and sculptures Anson Marlow neither appreciated nor understood. He presented the items to guests as though he’d created them. Jade stood by in case anyone asked a question he couldn’t answer. She made it short and sweet before blending back into the woodwork. This was his place to shine, not hers.
The room was the perfect place to make a phone call she didn’t want anyone to hear. Or to text her secret lover. The thought made Jade shiver. Not with fear or dread. Sexual anticipation was something new. She felt it briefly three years ago in the car of a stranger. Now, she only needed to think Garrett’s name and her body came alive.
She knew he was back in Los Angeles. Garrett Landis was a high-profile director from a high-profile family. Where he went, cameras invariably followed. It made him easy to keep track of. It also made having a clandestine affair tricky. To say the least. Add her name to the mix — the notorious Jade Marlow — and they were playing with fire.
The smart thing would be to end it before their cover was blown. Jade toyed with her phone. Garrett wasn’t happy with their arrangement. How difficult would it be to convince him? She felt a twinge in her gut. Not difficult at all. She was more trouble than she was worth.
Shaking off what she recognized as the beginning of a pity party, Jade quickly typed out the message, sending it before she could change her mind.
Meet me. Ten p.m.?
Jade slipped her phone into her pocket. There was no need to name a meeting place. Garrett knew. She would be on pins and needles until she received an answer.
Schooling her features, Jade walked from the room, heading for the kitchen. She didn’t glance around. If one of the staff observed her exit, it didn’t matter. She knew they reported everything to her father. The trick was never looking guilty. Cool, calm, and collected.
She was viewed one of two ways. An ice queen or a pathetic victim. One person recognized the passion she kept in check.
What would the Ladies Who Lunch say if she stood up and announced Garrett Landis is my lover
? Jade imagined they would be too shocked to say anything. Shocked, disbelieving. Envious. They would go home to their boring, pudgy husbands knowing Jade Marlow had a man they could only fantasize about.
Tempting. But not worth the fallout. No. Garrett must remain her secret. For both their sakes.
THE DAILIES WERE good. Better than that. They were fantastic. For all her pain in the ass antics, Lynne Cornish could act. The camera loved her big blue eyes. Her chemistry with Paul McNally was off the charts. They steamed up every scene.
Once the camera stopped rolling, she reverted to a five-year-old who pouted if denied her slightest whims. For his sanity, Garrett avoided her whenever humanly possible.
“She’s something else, isn’t she?”
Garrett started to share with Hamish exactly what he thought of Lynne Cornish when he saw the look on his friend’s face.
“You have got to be shitting me,” Garrett groaned.
“What?”
Hamish appeared clueless.
“When did you start screwing our star?”
Garrett wondered if Hamish would deny it. He could see the indecision on the other man’s face. Fortunately, he never held out long when Garrett stared him down.
“I’m not.”
“Hamish…”
“Screwing connotes two animals giving in to their baser instincts,” Hamish said. “What Lynne and I feel is far deeper, Garrett.”
Garrett waited, holding his breath. If Hamish declared he and that harpy were soulmates, he might lose his lunch.
“We’re soulmates.”
Garrett’s lunch stayed put. His temper, on the other hand, rose to just short of boiling.
“Fuck that.” He signaled Hamish to follow him. He knew his top was about to blow — he didn’t want to do it in front of witnesses.
The walk to his office did nothing to cool him down. Each step sent his blood pressure surging. He waited until they were safely behind closed doors before letting loose.
Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends #1) Page 5