Girl in the Spotlight

by Virginia McCullough

  “Yeah, those light-years are tricky,” Miles quipped.

  “Exactly. But getting back down to earth, is Brooke excited about the Internationals?”

  “It’s all so new to her, and get this,” Miles said with a snorting laugh. “Mamie is teaching her the finer points of ski jumping. I hope she doesn’t decide to try that sport on for size.”

  “Here they come,” Lark said. “Now why didn’t I buy a TV that spans the whole wall?”

  They were quiet while the US athletes filed in, looking sharp in their white uniforms. The oldest athlete, a thirty-nine-year-old silver-medal-winning skier, wasn’t ready to pack away the skis and was back to compete again and enjoy the honor of carrying the flag.

  “No sign of Perrie Lynn yet.” Miles spoke as the camera zoomed in and scanned the last of the cluster of Americans waving at the cameras.

  Miles was about to speculate why they couldn’t see her when Charlie, the network announcer, said, “We know all the athletes are wishing the best for their missing teammate, Perrie Lynn Olson. It remains to be seen if she will be here in time to compete.”

  As he heard Lark’s gasp, Miles sat up straight and planted his feet on the floor.

  “In case some of our viewers haven’t heard the sad news,” Charlie continued, “a few days ago, US silver medalist Perrie Lynn Olson quietly delayed her travels to Norway when her mother’s health took a sudden turn for the worse. Unfortunately, after a long battle with cancer, Maxine Olson died early this morning.”

  “Oh, no, Miles. This is terrible... I don’t know what to say.”

  Her voice was hoarse, and he was hit with a longing to gather her in his arms. It was just as well that the commentators continued talking about the situation, because he, too, had no words.

  “It’s still unclear if she’ll arrive in time for the competition,” Allen, one of the two skating commentators, remarked. His on-camera partner, Katie, pointed out the problem of being ready to compete with little time to prepare.

  “It sounds like she might miss out altogether,” Lark said. “And that’s not the half of it. What a devastating loss for her. I can’t imagine.”

  Miles was still figuring out how to respond when Charlie began to speak again. “Her arrival date and time remains uncertain, but Declan Rivers, Perrie Lynn’s coach and now the spokesperson for the family, issued a statement, confirming that the young skater and her father will arrive soon. Rivers reiterated that she will compete—as her mother would have wanted.”

  “Sadly, we’ve seen this kind of tragedy happen before in the International family,” Katie added in a subdued voice, “but the athletes usually call on every ounce of courage and determination they can muster and perform through their grief.”

  “It’s a point of pride,” Allen added.

  Charlie closed the segment by saying they’d provide updates over the following days.

  “I guess we have to just wait and see,” Lark said. “Several days ago I noticed a Facebook message more or less saying that the page would be quiet until after the Internationals. I assumed Maxine had posted it for Perrie Lynn. It was a bit vague, now that I think about it.”

  “It’s difficult to believe this happened, but it’s almost eerie how significant your encounter with Maxine turned out to be,” Miles said. “I can only imagine what Eric and Perrie Lynn are going through.”

  “I know.” Lark’s voice wavered. “I’m going to have to get myself together here, though. Evan will soon be coming through the door.”

  “I understand.”

  “One more thing before we go. I think it’s time I went to Lyle and filled him in.”

  “Now?” Miles asked, surprised.

  “Well, yes. He’s not going to be nice about it, so I figure he needs time to get used to the news. I know for certain, he’ll be shocked.”

  She fell silent, but Miles sensed she was trying to find her way to an explanation.

  “I was a safe choice for Lyle,” Lark said. “A hometown girl and all that. Looking back, he saw me as respectable and smart enough to fit into his business crowd.”

  “It’s hard for me to hear you describe yourself in those terms, as if marrying you was a calculation of some kind.” As if he had any insight into the reasons anyone married the wrong person. “I know it’s complicated, though.”

  Once they ended the call, Miles couldn’t get himself to turn off the TV, even when he went online and saw the news about the Olson family added to the network’s website. Without Lark on the phone with him, he was restless, even anxious. He surfed through the channels, finally settling on a late-night rerun of an old crime show. The specter of Lark going to talk to her ex-husband loomed and stole his attention. He was so preoccupied with the thought that the simple show challenged his ability to concentrate, not even the grisly thriller he’d brought with him seemed an adequate distraction.

  He smiled to himself. Another day dominated by thoughts of Lark.

  * * *

  “LYLE IS EXPECTING YOU.” Jen’s tone was typically friendly. “He’s on the phone, so it will just be a few minutes.”

  Despite the satisfaction of knowing she still got along well with her husband’s longtime assistant, Lark began to regret arranging this meeting with Lyle at his office and giving him home-field advantage. But since she had no idea how he’d react to what she had to say, she hadn’t wanted to meet in the house they’d once shared, or in a public place like a coffee shop.

  “No problem,” Lark said, taking one of the empty chairs in the reception area of the office. “I’ll check my phone while I wait.”

  She pretended to focus on a couple of messages, but the butterflies beating their wings in her stomach were too distracting. To bolster her confidence she’d called Miles from the car before venturing inside. Despite all his encouraging words, his pep talk was clearly forced. Her ex-husband was nothing like his ex-wife, who’d already known about Perrie Lynn, anyway. Face it, she thought, Andi is a far nicer person than Lyle.

  A few minutes later, Lyle appeared in the doorway, his mouth a grim slash. He remained silent but waved her inside.

  “Are you sure this is a good time?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “It’s as good a time as any. You’re the one who sounded serious on the phone. You had to see me.” Smirking, he added, “What? Do you need money or something?”

  Stunned, the muscles in her neck and shoulders tightened. “I most certainly do not. When have I ever asked you for money?”

  He flicked his hand dismissively, then pointed to the chair across from his desk in a half-hearted invitation for her to sit. He sat in his own chair. “Okay, okay. Just checking. You’re looking well, by the way. Evan keeps me posted about your latest articles. Are you worried about him?”

  “No. This isn’t about Evan, although it will affect him.” Admittedly, an understatement.

  For the first time, Lyle knit his forehead in curiosity. Taking advantage of the opening, she jumped into the conversation. “I need to tell you about something that happened to me long before I met you.” She stared past him out the window to focus on the darkening sky. More snow was on the way. She’d hurry through this and go home, where she’d be safe before the roads became blanketed in snow. With her gaze on the thickening bank of pewter-tinged clouds, she said, “When I was nineteen, I had a child, a little girl.”

  Lyle’s eyes widened at first, and then his mouth fell open as she spilled all the important details about that pivotal year, right up to fleeing to Dublin. “I never told my family about the baby—they still don’t know. It was my secret and I’ve kept it all this time.”

  “And why are you telling me now?” he asked, his blue-gray eyes as icy as his tone. “Did she contact you?”

  “No. I ended up finding her, completely by accident.” She wiped away t
he dampness forming on the back her neck. “As it happens, she’s a figure skater, a silver medalist at the North American Figure Skating Competition in Boston. Now, she’s supposed to compete in the Internationals, but that’s a bit up in the air.”

  Lyle tilted his head back as he said, “Oh, I get it. That’s why you went to Boston. To see the girl?”

  “Well, yes, but I haven’t met her.” She was puzzled. “Of all the things you could have asked me, you started with my trip to Boston?”

  “Oh, I’ve got questions, all right.” Lyle used his tightly folded arms as a shield over his broad chest. “Not that they matter all that much anymore. But I wanted to clarify that you lied about the reason you went to Boston. Have it on the record, I mean.”

  His voice couldn’t have been any flatter, but Lark knew that was Lyle’s way of controlling smoldering anger. “If you want to call it a lie, then by all means do so, but I have article assignments based on some research I did in Boston about young athletes.” She couldn’t resist, and asked, “Besides, what difference does it make to you?”

  “Your sarcasm is charming. Of course you lied.” His accusations brought back painful memories for Lark. It was obvious Lyle still enjoyed any chance to criticize her. “Turns out you’ve been lying for years.”

  Lark nodded. “I realize I should have told you a long time ago. But I was afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  Lark extended an open palm toward him. “You. You aren’t tolerant of weakness or mistakes. I assumed you’d find ways to throw this in my face. But long ago I stopped caring what you think of me.” How freeing. His good opinion of her mattered not a whit. Good thing, too, because at the moment, she couldn’t remember what she’d ever found appealing about him. He was classically handsome, and he’d worked hard to make his food-distribution business successful. She’d admired that. Still did.

  “Hmm...as I see it, our son will be badly hurt by your mistakes. How do you think he’s going to feel when he finds out his mother was a careless teenager, who got herself pregnant and then gave away the kid? His secret half sister. And when were you planning to break the news?”

  Lark forced herself to look directly at him. “I don’t know yet. It depends on many issues, and I plan to wait until it’s closer to the time I can meet her.” She told Lyle about Perrie Lynn’s training and Maxine’s illness and recent death. “Perrie Lynn and her dad are in charge of what happens and when. Miles and I are happy to go along with their decisions.”

  “Miles? That’s the guy? Did he go to Boston, too?”

  Lark’s voice shook when she answered. “Well, yes, he arranged it. He’s the one who first made the connection between the young skater and—and us.”

  “Oh, really? So, you flew off to Boston with the guy who got you pregnant. Nice image. Evan will be impressed.”

  “For heaven’s sake, Lyle, this all happened half a lifetime ago.” Did she really need to spell it out? “We both went on with our lives. He has a daughter of his own now. Miles and I both grew up, and so did our child. She’s a lovely and accomplished young woman.”

  He jabbed his index finger at her. “You don’t have any wiggle room here, so don’t go using that exasperated tone with me.” Lowering his hand, but not his voice, he kept going. “And what does any of this have to do with me? Nothing. Other than protecting Evan as much as possible from your secret past.” Lyle sneered as only Lyle could. “And you can bet I’ll do what’s necessary to make sure he’s not hurt.”

  “I’m expecting you to help him understand,” she said, raising her voice to match his. “I hope I can trust you to support me when I explain the situation, and I assume you’ll keep your nasty judgment to yourself. Evan will likely meet his half sister one day.”

  “Ha! You really expect all that of me?” He stood up behind his desk.

  Flinching at his booming voice, Lark sat alert on the edge of the chair and watched his every move. He turned his back to her and stared out the window.

  “I should make this easier for you, huh? You’re a liar. Talk about false pretenses.” He whirled around to face her. “You had a huge secret and married me, anyway. You gave away a kid, Lark. It’s a big deal.”

  Realizing the only important part of the conversation was over, she stood. “I don’t expect you to make any of this easy on me. I don’t care what you think of me, but to save you some trouble, I’ve been hard enough on myself that nothing you can say or do can touch me.” She picked up her bag and headed to the door. “I expect you to cut me some slack because you want what’s best for Evan. Your contempt for me won’t help him.”

  “You can’t dictate how I feel, Lark.”

  “You and I aren’t kids,” she said, her hand on the doorknob. “We share custody of a boy on the brink of becoming a teenager. We’ve managed to stay civil through our divorce, because we both wanted what’s best for him. I trust you want to keep it that way.”

  Lyle stepped toward her. For the first time since she’d arrived, his features were relaxed, his expression more curious than disgusted. “How do you know this girl wants to meet you? After all, you abandoned her.”

  She winced at his words. “After this conversation, it’s become even clearer to me why I didn’t confide in you. I’ve been second-guessing myself for years, but no more.”

  “What? You expect me to feel sorry for you?”

  She let out a cynical laugh. “Not at all. Maybe I hoped you’d try to understand what it was like to be a scared young woman, maybe try walking in my shoes. But I can see now that you haven’t mellowed over the years.” She paused and sighed heavily, disappointed that the sliver of hope she’d had for this conversation had vanished. “I’m not asking anything of you. I just thought you should know the story.”

  Lyle narrowed his eyes. “Evan will need someone to talk to when he finally learns this distasteful story about his mother. You bet I’ll be there for him. And don’t be shocked if he’s not overjoyed when he hears your news.”

  Enough. She could go a few more rounds with him, but what good would that do?

  She opened the door. “Thanks for seeing me.”

  After managing a smile for Jen on her way out, she hurried back to her car. At least it was over. That’s the best she could say about her meeting with the man she’d once shared her life with. Impossible as that seemed.

  Filled with the same old pain for past mistakes and bad judgment, Lark turned the key in the ignition and started the drive home under heavy cloud cover.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SITTING NEXT TO Miles on her couch, Lark was hyperalert in the most positive way possible. With every sense awake and alive, she reveled in nearly perfect contentment. She and Miles had tried to relax as they watched a couple of groups of skaters perform their short programs, and now they were waiting for Perrie Lynn’s turn. Only the pain she felt for Perrie Lynn and Eric over Maxine’s death drew her attention away from the moment.

  Earlier, the network had shown footage of Perrie Lynn arriving, her father on one side and Ophelia Bensen, her choreographer, on the other. The reporter had explained that Ophelia, better known as Leffie, was a legendary skater in the 1970s. For two years, Leffie had worked closely with Perrie Lynn to create complex but artistically sophisticated programs, which had been one element of Perrie Lynn’s great leap forward. Leffie would be by her side and, along with Eric and Declan, see her through the competitions.

  “It seems Perrie Lynn is all Charlie and the commentators can talk about,” Miles remarked.

  “But think of it. It was her first time at the NorAms and now the Internationals. Even without the tragedy of losing Maxine, they’d be talking about her as the surprising newcomer on the scene.” She paused. “But it wouldn’t be anything like the frenzy of coverage over these last couple of days.”

  Lark was aware of the way
she referred to “losing Maxine,” rather than simply saying that Perrie Lynn’s mother died. Still, deep in her heart she knew the teenager had lost the most important person in her world—and a woman who had loved her with her whole heart. Someday, maybe, she’d tell Perrie Lynn what Maxine had said to her: I will never, ever, know how to thank you for giving me the gift of Perrie Lynn.

  Even with her maturity, Perrie Lynn was still young and likely had no idea of the depth of Maxine’s love for her.

  Miles nudged her. “Hey, you went quiet on me. Were you thinking about Maxine?”

  “Uh-huh. She’s on my mind a lot.”

  “I find myself thinking about Eric. He’s also had a tough time these last couple of years. Now he has to hold it together for Perrie Lynn. Seems like so much pressure.”

  “Odd how concerned we are about people we don’t know, including Perrie Lynn.” She pointed toward the TV. “And she has no idea we’re here, heartbroken for her. Showing up is a victory in itself for her.”

  “Funny how familiar all this feels now,” Miles said, amused. “Even that the final group will include our old friends Molly and Julia.”

  “Brooke must be excited. Is she with Mamie?”

  “Not officially.” Miles grinned. “But Andi invited Mamie to come over to the house to watch with them. Mamie has a waitress job and college classes, but she juggled things around and accepted. Brooke is thrilled.”

  “Your Brooke sounds like such a terrific little girl,” Lark said. “We’re lucky, you and I, to have such great kids. I just hope...” She stopped herself from going on because she’d drift into Lyle territory and the road ahead when the time came to tell their kids about their half siblings. Lyle’s words still haunted her.

  “You hope Lyle doesn’t try to turn Evan against you,” Miles said. “That’s what you were about to say, isn’t it?”

  She nodded, but then rubbed her palms together with enthusiasm. “But that’s a worry for another day. Right now, I want to revel in this moment.”