Heartbreak Warfare

by Jessica Marin

  23

  It has been two days since Layla’s revelation and today I am feeling somewhat better, that maybe everything is going to be okay. The first person I called was my lawyer, who put me in touch with one of the best child custody lawyers in the state. After that phone call, I called my parents.

  “Cal Harrington, the actor?” my mother asks while my dad stays quiet on the line, trying to digest everything I just told them.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “YOU had sex with THE Cal Harrington?” Skepticism lacing her voice.

  “Yes, Mother!” I close my eyes and take a deep breath as my patience deteriorates with every word that comes out of her mouth.

  “Jenna, darling, you know you don’t have to lie to us if it was some stranger that you had drunk sex with and forgot their name.”

  I immediately hang up on her, questioning once again how we could possibly be related. While my relationship with my mother has been so much better since the birth of Avery, she still has her moments where I want to be anywhere else but in her presence. My father calls back from his cell phone and we discuss what to be prepared for and how to keep my mother away from talking to the gossip columns. My father always knows how to make me feel better and he reassures me everything will be okay. It still didn’t help me get a good night’s sleep though.

  The following day, I was ready to see Layla and asked Robert to bring her over. We cried, hugged and strategized on the what ifs scenarios.

  “Do you really think this is going to be that big of a story?” I ask, as we watch Robert finalize setting up the Google alert on Cal.

  “He’s a huge movie star now, Jenna. If the reporters report the story correctly, it isn’t going to look good in his favor that he didn’t want his own child. He’ll contact you to save his career,” Layla says confidently. I look at Robert, who nods his head in agreement. The thought of having to see him makes my stomach hurt.

  “Ugh, I just don’t even want to deal with him,” I groan and cover my face with my hands.

  “Yes, but you do realize that at some point you are going to have to face him?” Robert looks at me with a sad smile on his face. He’s right and I understood that one day he was going to be back in my life. I was just hoping it was when Avery was requesting to find out who her father was, preferably when she was a teenager or an adult, and could see him without me. But life has once again thrown me a curve ball and at the end of the day, all that matters is that my daughter is safe, happy and is with me.

  I am walking back to my apartment from checking in on Robert, who is the site manager for tonight’s event that we are planning. Originally I was supposed to be, but Robert agreed to take my place at the last minute so I can go to Jax’s hockey game. Jax, who is still left in the dark about who Avery’s father is. It has been five days since that day in Layla’s apartment and so far, things are radio silent. The anticipation is absolutely killing me and a part of me wishes the story was out already so we can go on with our lives while the other half wishes it was going to remain a secret. I need to tell Jax and I had the opportunity on the phone last night, but I just couldn’t dampen his excitement at being told he was going to play the last remaining month of the season here. Quite honestly, I don’t even know what to say. All I ever told him was that Avery’s father was not in the picture and never would be. Now, not only is there a chance her father might come into her life, but he is a world famous actor. My stomach starts to hurt again from the thought of his reaction as I know it won’t be good. I decide to call him, hoping his voice will make me feel better.

  “Hey, babe.” He answers on the third ring, sounding very groggy.

  “Were you sleeping? I’m sorry, why did you pick up?”

  “I’ll always pick up when I see that it’s you,” he sweetly says. “Are you walking?”

  “Yes!” I shout while a horn blares loudly. “I am just walking home and I wanted to see how your day was going, but we can just talk later after the game.”

  “No, let’s talk now as I don’t want to stop hearing that sexy voice of yours. In fact, why don’t we have phone sex so that way I am so charged up to see you tonight, that I will score four goals to get my sexual frustration out until I’m inside you.”

  I laugh, knowing that he is completely serious. “I think I need to torture you just a little bit longer and wait since you MIGHT get the real thing tonight.”

  “Might? I better get that sweet thing tonight as well as a blow job.”

  “If you score four goals tonight, you will definitely be getting a blow job,” I confirm, giving him more incentive to play well.

  “I am so hard and wide awake. I think you need to make a detour to my hotel right now. It’ll be good for the team and the outcome of tonight’s game.” I laugh and I glance at my watch to see what time it was, entertaining the thought of going to see him now as he would be a welcome distraction. I look back up before answering and stop dead in my tracks. My breath catches in my throat as I see a wide-angle lens pointed directly at me. The photographer looks up from behind the lens, goes back down to shoot some more photos of me, then proceeds to put the camera back in his bag. He slowly starts to walk toward me. He has two bags, one on each shoulder. He pulls the flap over the top opening to discreetly hide the camera he was using. If I hadn’t caught him earlier and just saw him in his current state, he would look like any other young professional walking outside. He is wearing a tight charcoal colored long sleeve V-neck shirt with black skinny jeans and black converses. His clothing does nothing to hide his well-toned body. His caramel color hair is long and styled just past his ears. As he makes his way closer, I am in shock to see how good looking he is.

  “Jenna? Hello? Are you still there?” I faintly hear Jax talking to me.

  “I...um, sorry Jax, but I have to go. I’ll see you tonight.” I end the call and look around at my surroundings. Unfortunately, there’s no one else on the street to help me if I need it. I ponder whether I should backtrack my steps, not wanting this man to follow me home. Maybe he’ll walk right past me? I open up my purse and rummage through to try to find my sunglasses to shield my eyes, only to come up short as I left them at home. I grab the small bottle of mace for protection instead. Before I have time to decide what my next move is, he stops right in front of me.

  “I see I’ve been caught!” He flashes me what would be to other females a devastatingly handsome smile. “Hello, Jenna Pruitt, I am Chase.” He puts his hand out for me to shake.

  I just stare at him, not believing that he knows my name or that he thinks I would ever shake his hand. His green eyes sparkle in amusement as he realizes I will not be reciprocating his handshake.

  “I’m not offended that you won’t shake my hand. Smart girl. In fact, you should start trusting no one who comes your way.”

  “Sound advice coming from the likes of you,” I say in disgust as I start to walk, not knowing if I want to continue in the direction I was going or detour somewhere else to get away from him. “Where are you from, Chase?” I ask, trying to distract him with small talk so he won’t pay attention to the road we just turned on as all I want to do is get into the security of my building.

  He thinks about this before answering. “I’m from Victoria, British Columbia.”

  “You’re quite tan for a Canadian.” I look him up and down with confusion on my face as I was not expecting that answer.

  “Why, thank you!”

  “That wasn’t meant to be a compliment,” I scoff, annoyed that he is smiling at me. I stop walking and turn to him. “Listen, Chase, I think Canada is a fantastic place and it’s probably time you go back home to the motherland before I press charges against you for stalking.”

  He throws his head back and laughs as if I’ve said the funniest thing in the world. “Now, Jenna, we just met and you and I both know that you have no proof that I am stalking or harassing you as we are just two people taking a stroll, chit chatting on this beautiful day.”

  I
grit my teeth, trying to hold back my temper that’s ready to explode. “I would really appreciate it if you would respect my privacy and leave me alone.”

  “I wish I could, Jenna, but unfortunately, your story is circulating and photos of you are about to bring in a lot of money. I just can’t pass up that opportunity.” He pulls his sunglasses off of his head and brings them down over his eyes, looking like a model off the runway. “I just wanted to quickly introduce myself to you as you’re going to be seeing quite a lot of me. I’m being completely honest with you when I say that I mean you no harm and you have zero reasons to be afraid of me.”

  I laugh bitterly at his lies and start to walk, making a quick left onto a different street, hoping he will keep going straight.

  “There are a lot of bad people about to come to town to take your picture. And when I say bad, I don’t mean their quality of work. They’re bad men, not caring that you’re a human being. They just want their money and they will do whatever it takes to get it.”

  I pretend not to hear him so that he doesn’t see the panic his words are starting to cause me. I turn down another street, this one less crowded and more residential and pick up my pace to try to out walk him. Instead he picks up his pace too, gets in front of me and turns around to walk backwards so he can make sure I am looking at him.

  “Jenna, I need you to listen very carefully to me and take my advice. Let these guys have their shot. Don’t block your face, don’t flip them off, and don’t wear a disguise. Those tactics will anger them and they’ll come after you even harder. They’ll say horrible things to get a rise out of you. They want you to mace them,” he nods towards the mace I am holding. “Better yet, they love it when people get physical with them. Don’t do any of it. Just stay quiet and let them get their photo. The more quality photos of you they can sell, the more money they make, and the more they will leave you alone. They’ll eventually leave when the next big scandal comes around. Just whatever you do, don’t engage with them. Particularly a man named Danny Salari. He’ll go after you and your daughter.”

  I stop short at the mention of my daughter and ball my hands into fists. “Don’t you fucking go near her!” I scream into his face. He raises his eyebrows at my reaction and holds his hands up to try to stop me from coming closer.

  “I NEVER photograph children, nor will I ever. I am just warning you about Danny as he is a scumbag.” He lowers his hands once I back away from him.

  “And you aren’t?” I taunt, wishing he would just leave me alone.

  “Despite what your current opinion is of me, I am considered to be one of the more reputable photographers. I keep my distance and will never get in your face. Most of the time you’ll not even notice that I am around.”

  “That’s just creepy,” I say, suddenly feeling exhausted from the emotions that are coursing through me. We get to the next intersection and stop to wait for the light to turn green to walk.

  “Why are you telling me all of this? What do you even care?” I ask, feeling defeated by the inevitable that I have tried to avoid for the last four years.

  “It’s obvious that you’re not after Harrington for his money, otherwise you would have gone public about having his baby years ago. You’re an innocent and unfortunately, you have no idea what is about to come your way.” He runs his hand through his hair and seems frustrated. “Every trusting relationship you have is about to be tested. It doesn’t matter if it is with a family member, your assistant, friends or even your boyfriend. Money and power bring out the devil in people. Trust NO ONE, Jenna! Most of all Cal Harrington himself.” Without another word, he nods and walks away, leaving me to ponder his words.

  24

  Twenty-four hours later and the rest of the paparazzi descend upon Chicago. Like a pack of wolves, they sit outside my building, hoping to get a photo of Avery and me. They got one shot of us this morning as we were about to walk to school. One of the doormen tried to help shield us, but the flashes were blinding despite the protectiveness of the glass wall. Avery and I got right back on the elevator to go into the safety of our apartment. Her questions were then endless - Why are we staying home, Mommy? Who are all of those people? Why are they taking our picture? So overwhelmed was I that I ignore her questions, and tell her with fake enthusiasm that we are going to have a mommy/daughter day at home.

  Not only have the paparazzi invaded my life, but everyone else that matters to me. They knew who Robert was, and hounded him with questions when he arrived here this morning. Fortunately, he has spare clothes in Avery’s closet as he plans on sleeping on the couch for a couple of days until things die down. Layla is in Los Angeles for work but her own doorman called her, saying there were some men outside asking questions. She calls or texts every couple of hours, keeping us up to date about how the story is all over the news since we won’t turn on the TV with the exception of a movie for Avery.

  I told Jax everything last night after his game. Needless to say, his reaction was exactly what I thought it was going to be - he was shocked, angry and then hurt. He stormed out of the restaurant we were eating at and won’t return my calls, which has been frustrating and disappointing. When I texted him to ask if he still wants me to accompany him to the team’s annual charity event tomorrow night, his only response was yes and to be ready by 7 pm. I wouldn’t be surprised if he officially breaks up with me after the event is over with. The only person enjoying this newfound attention is my mother, but that’s not surprising. She makes sure she is dressed to the nines and welcomes the idea of her picture being in magazines and newspapers around the world.

  I stare out at Lake Michigan, hoping the peacefulness of the lake will help inspire me to think of ways on how to deal with the chaos outside. We can’t stay in here forever, especially not with a child who will grow bored. We’ve watched two movies, eaten lunch and it is only 2 p.m. Our days of walking everywhere may be limited, but I can still drive us out of here since we have our own parking garage in the building. I toy with the idea of maybe staying at my parents’ house, but I don’t want to draw the paparazzi out to their suburbia neighborhood.

  “Hey, should we go swimming today?” I ask Avery with excitement as I remember we have an indoor pool in the building.

  Her eyes get big with excitement. “Yes, Mommy!” she screams loudly and starts to laugh. I smile at her happiness and get up to find her bathing suit and cover up. She runs into the living room and I hear her say, “Uncle Robert, we’re going swimming!”, and she races right back into the room so I can get her dressed. After she’s finished, I head to my room to get myself ready when I see Robert talking on my cell phone, his face pale.

  “Yes, that’s fine,” he says into the phone and hangs up.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, my heart starting to pound in my chest at the severity of the look on his face.

  “Cal is here.”

  I stare at him, not wanting to believe what he just said. “What? NO! How can that be? How would he even know where I live?” I start to pace, panic seizing me.

  “Anybody can find out where you live. All they need is your name and city.”

  “But, he didn’t even call to ask if he can come over!” I whine, my vision being clouded by tears.

  “Jenna, he doesn’t know your phone number,” he reminds me, his voice soft and soothing. He walks over to me and grabs my hands to stop my pacing. “Look at me, Jenna.”

  As I look at him, a lone tear falls down my cheek, the dam that holds back my emotions about to burst. “I’m not ready for this, Robert. This wasn’t how I envisioned our first meeting to be. I don’t have my lawyer here and I certainly didn’t want him to see Avery yet,” I say, frantically. “Why did you let him up?”

  “I let him up because it is better to face him sooner rather than later and in a safe environment. You need to try to keep this amicable, Jenna.”

  “He can’t have her, Robert! I won’t let him take her away from me,” I whisper, not believing this is finally happening
.

  Robert grips my hands tight and squeezes. “He won’t. We won’t let him, Jenna! Courts usually favor the mother and you have his email proving he didn’t want to be part of her life. You have so many people who will testify on your behalf if it even comes to that.”

  We hear the knock on my door and my eyes widen. I grip Robert’s hands tighter and start to shake my head.

  “Pull yourself together, Jenna! You are a warrior. You’ve been doing this without him and are more than just fine. Don’t let him intimidate you! You can do this! Everything is going to be okay.” He pulls me in for a tight hug and kisses my forehead.

  “Okay, okay, okay,” I mutter and wipe the tears from my eyes. “Please go be with Avery and try not to let her out.” He nods and goes to her room and closes the door.

  I slowly start walking to the door, combing my hair out with my fingers. I look down at my workout clothes, wishing I was wearing something more confident and smart looking. I arrive at the door and take a deep breath. You can do this, Jenna! I swiftly open the door without looking through the peephole. Standing in front of me is a beautiful older woman and the first thing I notice about her are her eyes. They are that familiar blue that I see when my daughter looks at me. I then look into the other set of eyes behind her – the ones that have been haunting my dreams.

  “Hello, Jenna,” Cal says with his throaty sexy voice, that voice that brings back intimate memories. The years have been kind to Cal, if anything, making him even more handsome. His curly hair is cut short and styled with gel. His clean-shaven face has matured, his jawline even more chiseled than I remember. Faint small lines appear around his eyes, which only seem to highlight their beauty. He is wearing a fitted gray peacock coat, a cobalt blue sweater underneath it and denim jeans. I can’t contain my eyes from traveling the length of his body, nor can I believe that after all this time and everything that has transpired, I still find him so damn hot.