by Lynn Patrick
“Used you?”
Price leaned toward her, his eyes piercing. “You’ve established your career and you think you don’t need me anymore. You’ve been stringing me along with this love-and-marriage business, haven’t you?”
Taken aback, she bit her lip. “No.” Though the emotion had seared her heart, she’d always loved Price.
He didn’t believe her. “No wonder you keep saying you want to wait. But how long would that be? Two movies? Two years? Never? You’re as ambitious as the rest of the starlets in Hollywood.”
Now Anita was hurt as well as angry. Price had never before gotten ugly with her. She pushed him and he stumbled backward. “If anyone’s used anybody, it’s you. You wouldn’t be a star if it weren’t for our dancing.” Tears burned her eyes, but she wasn’t about to let them fall. “And…and you forced your style on me…ruined my individuality!”
Her accusations seemed to incense Price even more. “You never had any intention of marrying me and you’ve been lying through your teeth about being in love with me.”
Unable to stand it any longer, Anita backed away, her thoughts jumbled, her emotions painful. “If that’s what you really believe, why don’t you go and find someone else to marry, Price? Some starlet with half a brain…to make up for the missing half of yours!”
She turned and sprinted down the beach, finally pausing to take off her heels when she almost stumbled and fell. As she neared the mansion, a tipsy couple playing in the waves in full evening dress glanced at her, but Anita was crying too hard to pay any attention. When she approached a cabana at the edge of the sand, she went inside to try to pull herself together.
Sometime later, she emerged, having dried her tears and blown her nose. It was all over between Price and her. Thank goodness he hadn’t insisted on driving tonight. She would find her chauffeur and go home on her own. On the way to the gate of the estate, she noticed a large knot of people gathered around the wooden platform near the carousel. Music blasted from the orchestra and the crowd was clapping.
Curious in spite of her terrible mood, Anita came closer to peek. A couple danced across the boards, the man’s movements smooth and practiced and graceful—Price! And he was twirling Betty Masters into his arms, then waltzing her in circles as they put on a private show, a first for Price Garfield.
The crowd applauded again. Anita felt an icy chill creep up her spine, then settle somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Betty Masters, a peroxide platinum blond starlet, had been one of Price’s annoying publicity dates. He’d told Anita that Betty was forward and capricious and a bit short on culture. Had he changed his mind about her?
Surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough to marry a girl like that.
Would he?
Telling herself she couldn’t care less, Anita turned her back on the public display. She and Price had wrapped up their most recent movie, Maxine, a week ago, and their partnership was over.
She told herself she would be far better off without him. She also told herself she wasn’t being torn apart.
She cried all the way home, anyway.
She and Price Garfield were through.
Beverly Hills, Present Day
GABBY HAD ONLY BEEN awake for an hour or so and was drinking a cup of coffee as she dressed when she heard Lucille and the other members of the household arrive downstairs. Curious about where they’d been, Gabby quickly pulled on a short-sleeved sweater and jeans, then went out on the landing to call to the group. As she looked down, however, her mother came huffing up the stairs.
“Are you okay?”
Anita seemed breathless. Her nose was pink from the sun and her hair was wind-blown. “I’m exhausted from running up and down the beach…and I’m also disgusted,” she told her daughter.
Gabby had heard that tone in her mother’s voice often enough to know what it meant. “Oh, great. Must be Price again.”
“I’m afraid so.” Anita headed for the suite and collapsed on the couch. “But don’t bother telling me he’s bad for me or anything like that. I went into the situation with my eyes open. It’s my own fault.”
Gabby kept her mouth shut, despite her annoyance with Price. Now she felt too uncomfortable to share her good news about Kit’s agreeing to look at the script, and she certainly couldn’t intimate the depth of their blossoming relationship. Her mother might think her disloyal.
“Price Garfield is impossible,” Anita stated. “He hasn’t changed at all.”
“It’s too late for anyone or anything to change, isn’t it?” Gabby ventured.
“Probably. I must be crazy to have dreamed there might be a chance for us.”
“What kind of a chance were you considering? Friendship?” Gabby tried to keep the disapproval from her voice when she added, “Dating?”
“Last night I actually thought about marriage.”
Not having expected that answer in a million years, Gabby was momentarily speechless. “You…you…thought about marrying that old goat?” she finally managed.
“Only in passing.”
Now Gabby was really worried. She paced in front of her mother as she said, “Price wasn’t able to make five other marriages work. We have to get you back to New York before he convinces you to do something foolish.”
And Gabby herself would have to accompany her mother, she realized with a sinking heart. A movie in California was out of the question if Anita was this embroiled and upset. And she had no business even considering a relationship with Kit….
Suddenly depressed, Gabby noticed Anita staring at her assessingly.
“We?” her mother echoed. “Don’t worry about coming back to New York right away, dear, even if I decide to leave a few days early. Just concentrate on yourself and that movie. Has Kit agreed to read the script yet?”
Now Gabby had to discuss the matter whether she wanted to or not. “He’s reading it, but he probably won’t agree to do the project.”
“Don’t be so negative. And congratulations on bringing him this far this fast. You must have used some brilliant diplomacy.”
Gabby shrugged. “I merely tried to reason with him. He’s a nice man when he’s relaxed.”
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Anita’s tone put Gabby on guard. Was there a hidden meaning in her mother’s question? Did she know more than she let on? She and Kit hadn’t been very discreet, spending so much time together. Still, her mother didn’t know anything for certain.
“I like Kit most of the time,” Gabby said truthfully. And also loved and occasionally hated him.
“You two make a dynamic pair.”
Gabby agreed. “We play off each other well on the dance floor.” But that was all she was willing to say.
“You and Kit seem to get along off the dance floor, as well,” Anita observed.
Gabby tried to remain evasive. “Pretty much.”
“Hmm.” Obviously realizing her daughter wasn’t going to say more about her partner, Anita finally changed the subject. “Well, I don’t want this problem between Price and me ruining your career opportunity. If you can talk Kit into making Tango, stay in California and do it. Remember what I said from the beginning—a Garfield owes a Brooks a career.”
“But you and I…we’d be living thousands of miles apart,” Gabby pointed out. Her mother was in her seventies and needed someone to keep an eye on her. Her older sisters and brother didn’t seem to understand that.
“You’d only be in California for a while.”
Maybe, thought Gabby, wondering what would happen if she did stay. Would she be able to leave Kit afterward?
Anita sighed. “I really have made you too dependent on me. Working at something that excites you is very important.”
The dependence issue again. Gabby frowned. “But loving someone special is also important,” she said, meaning her love for her mother. “If you have to choose, what’s it to be, work or love?”
Anita didn’t reply for a moment, merely looked thought
ful. And when she finally spoke, her words surprised Gabby.
“I’m not sure. I guess you’d have to weigh a decision as important as that—”
“Gabby!”
The yell from the stairwell startled both women.
Lucille shouted again. “Kit is here to pick you up!”
Gabby rose quickly and ran out into the hallway, peering over the railing. “Tell him I’ll be down in a minute!” When she came back to the suite, she explained to her mother, “We’re supposed to go to Malibu to do some last-minute rehearsing.” She didn’t add that it was also to enjoy each other’s company.
“I see.”
Gabby had gotten so involved with the conversation with Anita that she’d forgotten Kit was on his way. She sat down on the couch and took her mother’s hand. “I can stay here with you instead if you want. I know you’re still upset.”
Anita sat up straighter. “I’m not upset. Please go.”
“Are you sure?”
Gabby herself had mixed feelings about spending any more time than necessary with Kit now. One way or another her heart would be broken, but surely it would be easier if she didn’t let their relationship develop further.
“I’m absolutely certain.” Anita squeezed her daughter’s hand and rose. “I’m going to take a nice long bath and lie down for a while.”
Reluctantly deciding to go, Gabby entered her bedroom. She grabbed the dress she planned to wear after the show. Taking that and the small carryall in which she usually packed her shoes and other essentials, she hurried downstairs, expecting Kit to be waiting impatiently. She was surprised to see that his attention was riveted on an unexpected visitor.
Lucille and everyone else were gathered around Harvey and the thin, grubby, elderly stranger in the hallway.
“Dave needs some decent food and a place to sleep,” Harvey was explaining. “I found him wandering around near Watts this morning. I’ve been searching the streets for him night and day since I left the club Friday.”
“I didn’t want you to see me in this condition, Harv,” Dave muttered in a deep, gruff voice.
Harvey patted him on the back. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. We’ve all been down and out.”
Neil gave the stranger a thorough once-over. “I hate to say this,” the fastidious man said, “but you could also stand a flea bath, Dave.”
The man gazed at the floor as if he wanted to sink through the tile. “It’s those damn flop-houses…and the boxes I sleep in when I can’t afford anything better.”
“Forget about the bath right now,” Lucille told Dave. “You look like you could use some grub. Elsie will fill that stomach in no time.”
Gabby met Kit’s gaze as she approached. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “That’s Harvey’s ex-partner.”
The years hadn’t been kind to the man. From his appearance, he was not only in need of cleaning up, but he was also probably suffering from malnutrition.
“Come on, Davey-boy.” Harvey motioned for Dave to follow him. “Let’s go eat.”
Kit and Gabby headed in the other direction.
As soon as they were outside the house, Gabby remarked, “The poor man.”
“Another candidate for Lucille’s unofficial retirement home.”
“Can she take in another?” Dave obviously had very little money and might be a burden at the moment.
“She will take him in—you can bet on it.”
As Kit helped her into the car, Gabby thought about her worries concerning her mother. At least Anita wasn’t impoverished and living on the street. Not that Gabby wouldn’t do her best to take care of her, no matter what she had to sacrifice.
“DON’T YOU WANT a cleanup rehearsal?” Gabby asked Kit, moving from the open door of the beach house out onto the deck. “I thought that’s what we were supposed to be doing.”
“Rehearsing’s not at the top of my list today.” Kit frowned, annoyed that she kept flitting about instead of settling down, preferably in his arms. “And I didn’t think it would be of paramount importance to you, either. Are you nervous about something?”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
Perhaps because she was considering the ramifications of the feelings they’d declared for each other. Kit himself had lain awake for hours trying to decide what to do. He’d finally come to some conclusions, however.
He made himself comfortable on one of the deck’s built-in benches and patted the space beside him. “Come on over here next to me. I want to talk to you.”
“I’m fine where I am.” Though her shoulders seemed tense, she smiled. “Please, Gabby.”
Finally she gave way. He took her hand and pulled her onto the bench, then slid an arm around her.
“Now tell me what’s the matter,” he demanded softly, cradling her chin so that she would look at him. “You’re as tight as a bowstring. You haven’t changed your mind about being in love with me, have you?”
“No.”
“Well, neither have I. Now we have to decide what we’re going to do about it.”
When he released her face, she glanced away, gazing out at the sea. He had the distinct feeling the subject was making her even more uneasy. But their situation had to be resolved sometime. She didn’t say anything, so he figured it was up to him to start.
“First off, you want to stay in California,” Kit began. “Right?”
Gabby didn’t reply for a second. “Have you read the script of Tango?”
“I haven’t had time.”
“But that has something to do with my remaining in California.” A tiny line formed between her eyes. “You couldn’t even read the beginning. I stayed up last night until I got through the whole thing. It’s really good.”
But the script wasn’t uppermost in Kit’s mind. “You don’t need the movie as an excuse to stay in California. We could get married.”
Gabby parted her lips and stared at him in amazement—not the reaction Kit had hoped for. Then she swallowed hard and whispered, “M-married? You’re proposing?”
“We love each other and have something special going for us. So why not get married?”
“How romantic,” she murmured, sounding more put off than pleased.
“Gabby, I’ve just about turned myself inside out dealing with the idea of marriage. I didn’t exactly have a role model in that department. It’s a scary proposition,” he admitted. “And it’s a bit bizarre, my hooking up with Anita Brooks’s daughter.”
She glared at him. “Yes, and we’ve known each other for such a short time,” she added, sounding thoroughly insulted.
Kit tried soothing her. “But I decided to listen to my gut-level feelings, Gabby. I really love you. Marriage seems right.”
“But it’s so serious,” she said, frowning. “I don’t want a Hollywood marriage that lasts a few years—”
“Neither do I,” he put in swiftly. “I’ve seen them up close. If you really feel uncomfortable just going out and doing it, though, we could be engaged for a while.”
“That’s still a very serious step to take.” Gabby rose and paced toward the railing of the deck, where she turned to face him. “And I need to work. If we don’t do the movie… I’ll have to go back to New York and run the school.”
“Why? You can start another school of your own out here—or work for the Garfield Dance Studios.”
She shook her head. “I told you teaching wasn’t my favorite activity.”
“Wait a minute.” Kit wasn’t sure he liked what he was hearing. “I’m getting confused. First you say you have to run your mother’s dance school, but when I suggest you do the same for me, you say you don’t like teaching. Maybe you’re not sure what you want to do.” He realized she was trying to hide a stricken expression. Maybe she was just confused. “You can take your time as far as I’m concerned,” he assured her. “I won’t let you starve.”
“I’m not worried I’ll starve.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Ev
erything’s so complicated, now,” she whispered more to herself than to him. She was clutching the railing so tightly that her knuckles were white. “Dancing is part of my heart and soul, Kit. I’d like to have the chance to make it in my profession, but you don’t seem to be able to understand that.”
“I do understand—”
“Then why are you depriving me of the opportunity of a lifetime? You proved you can take time off from the corporation if you want. Let others shoulder the responsibility for a while. You’ll always have the option of going back to the business. It’s not as if you’ll have to star in movies forever. How can you ask me to make a personal commitment when you refuse to make a professional commitment that would mean so much to me?”
Suddenly Kit saw the light. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me I have to make this stupid movie or you won’t consider my proposal?” Angry, he stood up to face her. “That’s some kind of love you claim to feel for me.”
“What about you? Why won’t you help me out? And how can I marry you when you won’t admit performing is important to you, too? You’re not honest with yourself, so how can you be honest with me?”
“Come off it, Gabby. You’re trying to blackmail me into doing what you want.” Kit had never been so hurt or disappointed in his life. “Well, forget it.”
“Blackmail?” Her eyes widened. “Perhaps I should leave.”
“Go ahead. You seem to be good at running away. Your mother probably set the example for you, taking off for New York the way she did. Not that it did her any good.”
Gabby’s face turned white. “Don’t you dare bring up my mother! Price ruined her career! A Garfield owes us something for that. I wouldn’t have come to Hollywood at all if I’d thought otherwise.”
Now Kit was getting the big picture, and it wasn’t pretty. In pain, he wanted to lash out.
“I don’t owe you anything,” he snapped. “Your mother used my father to climb as far as she got.” Despite Price’s claims to the contrary. The old man was probably so besotted now, he’d forgotten what happened. “Looks like your mother taught you how to do some fancy using, too.”