“What do you have to say, Shelby?”
“Are you and Linc separated?”
“What do you think of Allegra?”
“Are you and Linc getting a divorce?”
She made it into the hospital with the help of Norm and the two burly cops. “You okay, ma’am?” one of them asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she managed, although she wasn’t okay at all. She felt numb and sick to her stomach.
“He’s in intensive care,” Norm said, hustling her into an elevator. “Connie is waiting in a private room.”
Connie was sitting on a couch with her girlfriend, Suki. The two of them jumped up when Shelby entered.
Connie rushed over to her. “I’m sorry, Shelby,” she muttered, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen. “I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved him.”
“What . . . happened?” she asked, her throat dry with fear.
“It was peaceful. It really was.”
“What was peaceful?” she heard herself scream.
“Linc passed away ten minutes ago.”
Shelby felt her world spinning out of control.
And that’s the last thing she remembered as she slumped to the floor in a deep faint.
CHAPTER
* * *
47
There were two funerals taking place in Hollywood on the same day—both big events, causing people to wonder which one they should attend.
Some people decided they should go to both, making it to the service of the first one and the reception of the second.
One funeral was a very serious affair.
The second was a celebration of a flamboyant life, and therefore, after the Catholic church ceremony, there was a huge party—a request plucked from the deceased’s will.
Lola had buried her husband the day before. Matt Seel. Son of Pat and Martin Seel. Husband of Lola Sanchez. Murderer of Lola’s lover.
She’d attended the discreet service reluctantly, because everyone had said that if she didn’t show up it would reflect negatively on her.
Like she cared. Matt had murdered the love of her life, and she was empty inside. There would never be another man like Tony Alvarez. Never.
Her mother and sister had flanked her, making sure the photographers could not get too close. And there were many photographers jostling for position.
Matt’s parents ignored her. They hated her. The feeling was mutual; she knew they’d never approved of her. Once Matt had confided that they’d told him he’d married the maid. Matt had thought it hysterically funny. She’d been mortified. Maybe it was then that she’d started to cool toward him.
After the service there was a reception at the Seels’ house. Lola chose not to go. Instead she had Big Jay drive her home, locked herself in her bedroom, and sobbed for the man she’d loved, so brutally shot in the heart.
The last few days were surreal. First the news about Tony. Then Matt collapsing in her driveway with several deadly bullet wounds—he’d died on the way to the hospital. And finally Linc Blackwood passing away of a drug overdose in New York.
Christ! She’d known all three men, in the biblical sense. Had she bestowed some kind of horrible curse on them?
Her family rallied. Claudine even moved into her house to be with her for a while.
“It’s not necessary, Mama,” she’d said. But Claudine had insisted.
Now, as she attended Tony’s funeral, her entire family accompanied her—including Selma, out of the hospital and making brilliant progress.
Tony had a lot of friends in the Latin community. Some of them nodded in her direction, others ignored her.
The press had been brutal—making it seem as if everything was her fault, including Linc’s unfortunate demise, SHE DROVE HER CO-STAR TO DRUGS, screamed one tabloid, FEMME FATALE, screamed another, HUSBAND AND LOVER SHOT TO DEATH IN JEALOUS FEUD OVER SEXY LOLA, screamed a third.
She couldn’t win. She’d lost the love of her life, and the newspapers were blaming her. How unfair was that?
Tony’s widowed mother flew in from Cuba, where she’d settled with a new husband. The woman ignored Lola completely.
What is it with me and mothers? Lola thought. I haven’t done anything to them. All I did for Tony was to love him more than anyone.
Maria was front and center. A heartbroken fiancée, a sweet little innocent caught in a horrible Hollywood scandal.
Lola considered it so unfair that in death Tony did not belong to her; he belonged to this young girl he’d barely known. A girl Lola was sure he’d not loved.
Two funerals in two days, and Faye was urging her to go to the third. “If you don’t go to Linc Blackwood’s funeral,” Faye assured her, “the tabloids will pull you to pieces.”
“They already have,” Lola said quietly. “It’s enough, Faye. I’m going home.”
• • •
After their boat trip on Lake Mead and an outrageous wedding celebration party for Amy and Jonas pulled together by Nick, they got in his Maserati and set off for L.A.
“This is the best time I’ve ever had with a girl,” Nick said as he raced his car down the highway on their way back to L.A.
“Oh,” Cat said jokingly. “So you’ve had better times with the boys, huh?”
He threw her a quizzical look. “Y’know, Cat, you’re very defensive. That’s usually my deal.”
“Didn’t mean to be,” she said. “I gotta admit I had a great time, too.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Here,” she said, fishing in her purse. “I bought the new Norah Jones CD for our drive home.”
“That’s girls’ music.”
“No, it’s not, it’s sexy music. She’s fantastic.”
“I’ll listen to Norah Jones if you’ll listen to Fifty Cent.”
“I can see I’m going to have to educate your music tastes,” she said. “Aren’t you into old music?”
“Like what?”
“Like classic soul, stuff like that.”
“Who has time?”
“I suppose you don’t watch old movies either?”
“Like I said, who has time?”
“Did you ever see The Godfather one and two? Pulp Fiction? Scarface?”
“Godfather one.”
“Man! We have serious work to do.”
“How old are you?” he asked, shooting her a look.
“You know how old I am. Nineteen. Why are you asking?”
“ ’Cause every once in a while you sound like you’re forty.”
“I’m wise way beyond my years,” she said, her face quite serious. “Besides, after I dropped out of school, movies and music became my passion.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“Next month.”
“Does that mean you’ll be legal?”
“Legal for what?”
“I dunno. You’re so young.”
“I bet you’ve had younger,” she remarked, popping the Norah Jones CD into the player.
“Ah,” he said with an evil laugh. “Already she knows me so well.”
“So,” she said casually, “when we get back to L.A., you can drop me at my apartment, and I’ll see you when I see you.”
“It’s like that, huh?”
“C’mon, Nick, we both know what this weekend was—casual fucking, right?”
“Wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Dunno about you, but I was thinkin’ I’d like to make it more.”
“Please!” she joked. “I’m a married woman.”
“You’re about to be a divorced woman,” he reminded her. “And when you finish editing our movie, you’re joining me on location.”
“So I can watch you casually fucking your way through the entire female cast and crew?” she said lightly.
“Hey—I’m gonna behave myself. Whaddaya think of that?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Yes, you do,” he said briskly. “You’re a smart girl.”
“Le
t me make sure I’m understanding you. Are you saying you want us to be exclusive?”
“You got it. Hey—if I can do it, you can too.”
“But I thought—”
“I don’t give a crap what you thought,” he said, reaching over to take her hand. “We’ve got something special going, so let’s not screw it up, huh?”
“Well . . . ,” she said unsurely.
He glanced over at her. “Well?” he said, swerving the car over to the side of the road.
“Well . . . uh . . . okay.”
They exchanged smiles. Things were looking very promising.
EPILOGUE
* * *
ONE YEAR LATER
“Y’know, I’ve been thinking,” Nick said, sitting around in the kitchen of Cat’s apartment in L.A.
“Oh, here we go again,” she said. “Back five minutes from location, and already he’s thinking.”
“No, seriously, blondie, I’ve been thinking I should buy a house.”
“Why?”
“ ’Cause we’ve been together a year and it’s time we moved in together.”
“We’re practically living together as it is,” she pointed out. “You always stay here when you’re in L.A.”
“I know, but it’s your apartment.”
“Okay, so I’ll buy a house.”
“No,” he said. I will.”
“No,” she corrected. “I will.”
“Hey listen, just ’cause Caught is a big hit, there’s no need to get carried away.”
“I’ll tell you what,” she said agreeably. “We’ll split the cost and buy a house together. Then if anyone gets bored, we can buy the other one out. How about that?”
“My girlfriend—such a practical little soul.”
“Anyway, I’ve got a surprise.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“Pul-eeze! You’ll have to wait ten years for that piece of news. Women shouldn’t have kids until they’re thirty!”
“I didn’t need a fuckin’ speech. What’s your surprise?”
“I finished my new script, and Merrill is desperate to finance it. He’s mumbling about casting Colin Farrell, only I told him it’s you or nobody.”
“Gee, I dunno if I can fit it into my busy schedule.”
“You want to read it?”
“Of course I wanna read it. I gave you the inspiration, didn’t I? The character’s me.”
“Maybe . . . ,” she said, grinning.
“Maybe my ass.”
“You’re impossible, Nick. You think everything’s about you.”
“So do you,” he countered.
Cat had to admit that being with Nick made her extraordinarily happy. There was something about him that turned her on in every way. He was never predictable, never mean to her either, and he was always supportive.
“We’d better get ready,” she said. “We’ve got a wedding to go to.”
“Who am I gonna know?”
“You’ll know everybody, Mr. Movie Star.”
“I was thinking,” he said.
“Not again,” she groaned.
“This time I was thinking we should take a vacation before you get all caught up in your next project.”
“Where did you have in mind?”
“Somewhere exotic—Bali, Tahiti.” A long beat. “And oh yeah—maybe we should get married first.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” she said nervously. “I’ve done it once, that was enough.”
“I’ve never done it, so perhaps I want to.”
“Give it another year and we’ll see.”
“Man! You are the most difficult woman I’ve ever met.”
“That’s why you like me, Nick.”
“That’s why, is it?” he said, giving her one of his quizzical looks.
“Yes.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Okay, blondie, whatever you say.”
“Why are you agreeing with me?” she asked suspiciously.
“ ’Cause I’m gonna drug you, and marry you while you’re sleepin’.”
“Cool. It’ll make a great future plot.”
“C’mere,” he said affectionately. “It’s time you discovered who’s really the boss.”
She fell into his arms and happily stayed there.
Nick was the perfect man for her.
How lucky was that?
• • •
The reviews of New York State of Mind were bad. Not as bad as Lola had expected, but still, they were pretty grim. And so they should be; it was not a very good movie.
After a period of mourning she’d flown to New York for the press junket, but her heart wasn’t in it.
On the plane to New York, she’d sat next to film director Russell Savage. Although he wasn’t her usual type, she’d found him to be an extremely interesting man. They got to talking, and she’d asked him how he’d gotten such an amazing performance out of Shelby Cheney in Rapture, a performance so excellent that Shelby had been nominated for an Oscar. She hadn’t won, but getting nominated was reward enough.
“Shelby needed a director she could trust,” Russell had explained.
“That’s exactly what I need,” Lola had said. “I’ve got it in me, you know. I can do other things than be the girl with the great body and the sexy smile.”
“You’re probably underrated,” Russell had commented. “Most beautiful actresses are.”
“Maybe we should work together,” she’d suggested.
“I’ll keep you in mind,” he’d said.
A week later she’d called him. She’d felt bold doing so, because she had not been out with anyone since the demise of Tony. Russell seemed different. He was mature, established, not the type of man she’d ever imagined being with. However, she’d had a strong feeling that if she spent enough time with him, he would surely see her potential.
He saw more than her potential—he saw a strong, spirited woman with plenty of ambition and quite a bit of talent. Russell Savage fell in love.
Soon they were an item, and when Lola introduced Russell to her family, they were impressed—especially Claudine, who sat her daughter down and told her that she should not let this one go.
Lola realized Mama was right. Russell Savage was a keeper, and not just because he could advance her career. He was a kind and caring and interesting man who adored her. That was enough. For now.
Today they were attending a wedding.
For the first time since Tony’s death, Lola did not wear black.
• • •
Four-month-old Linc Blackwood Jr. was sitting on his grandma’s lap. A gorgeous baby, he resembled his late father, except that he had his mother’s brown eyes and full lips. It was a lethal combination.
“There’s a good boy,” Martha Cheney crooned, bouncing him on her knee as they sat in the front row of a line of chairs arranged for guests at the outdoor wedding that was about to take place.
Inside the house, Shelby, clad in a white satin Vera Wang wedding gown, nervously hugged her father.
“Are you sure I’m doing the right thing?” she asked for the tenth time.
“It’s not me who should answer that,” George Cheney said. “It’s you.”
“I am doing the right thing,” she said. “I know I am. Pete loves me, and he loves the baby. And y’know, Dad, somewhere up there Linc is watching us. He’s probably livid that I’m marrying Pete, but life goes on, doesn’t it? And he’ll always have a place in my heart.”
“Yes, sweetheart, life goes on.”
“You called me sweetheart, Daddy. Linc was the only man who used to call me that. He is watching us today. He’s sending me a message via you. So now I feel that I have his blessing.”
“You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, taking a deep breath. “It’s almost time. I see the wedding planner approaching us with that look on her face.”
“I’m ready,” George said.
&nb
sp; “Did I tell you that you look very handsome?”
“Not as handsome as your bridegroom.”
“Oh, you’ve seen him?”
“I’m allowed to, you’re not.”
“Dad!”
The ceremony was taking place at her new house, overlooking the ocean in Pacific Palisades. After Linc’s death she’d sold their Beverly Hills home and moved. There were too many memories to deal with; she’d needed to move on.
This dreamy white house was a new beginning. A new beginning for her and Pete.
Pete had been very discreet. He’d left her alone for several months, told her he was there if she needed him, until eventually they’d gotten together, and from the moment they went out to dinner, three months after Linc’s death, they’d never been apart.
He was there when she had the baby. He was there when she brought the baby home. They had not actually moved in together, but when he asked her to marry him, she knew without a doubt that it was the right thing to do.
• • •
As Shelby made her way down the flower-strewn aisle, there was a gasp of admiration from the guests. She looked a vision. So beautiful and so serene.
Pete could not believe how lucky he was to have her. They’d gone through a lot, but it was worth it.
They were married at sunset, with helicopters hovering overhead and paparazzi climbing trees outside.
“I love you, Pete,” she whispered.
“You too, baby,” he answered.
“And we’ll never be apart,” she promised.
“Never. This is it, Shelby. You’re mine for keeps.”
“And that’s exactly the way I want it to be,” she said softly. “You and me, forever together.”
It was a Hollywood wedding, but Shelby knew for sure it was never going to be a Hollywood divorce.
SIMON & SCHUSTER PROUDLY PRESENTS
DEADLY EMBRACE
* * *
JACKIE COLLINS
Turn the page for a preview of Deadly Embrace. . . .
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
Los Angeles
The American Airlines plane from New York was three hours late arriving in L.A., and Madison Castelli was not pleased. She’d planned on going straight to her best friend, Natalie De Barge’s, house. However, Natalie had informed her they were meeting Natalie’s brother, Cole, in a restaurant at eight, and since the plane was so late, Madison decided she’d better go directly to Mario’s—a small Italian restaurant on Beverly Boulevard.
Hollywood Divorces Page 44