A Woman Like You: Book Two (The Woman I Love Series 2)

by G S Binkley

  Shoulders slumped with a deep sigh before Lacy responded. “David’s David and he’d only fight it if it would serve him in the long run.”

  “That’s what I mean. Can we take that chance?”

  “Sweetheart, do you really think that either you or I would ever let anyone take…..” Again, she fondly looked at her innocent son. “Them away from us?”

  Cupping her hand behind Lacy’s neck, Gage pulled her lover in for a deep kiss. Breaking away slightly, lips still touching, her partner vowed. “No. Never.” Gage winked at Lacy. “Now, get on out and go make some money. Somebody’s got to keep us in the lap of luxury to which we’ve become accustomed.”

  Somehow living in a two bedroom guesthouse with no housekeeper to speak of and driving an eight-year old SUV did seem like the very lavish lap of luxury to which Lacy had never experienced before. Even the mansion she shared with David, though, opulent and it reeked of high society was nothing compared to the lap she now sat in. Blonde, beautiful and bold. God, I love that woman, Lacy thought as she watched her son disappear into the distance in the secure and safe care of her partner.

  “Lacy?”

  The dark haired star twisted around. “Oh! Hi Phillip.” She walked past him.

  “Lacy! Why haven’t you returned my calls? David said….” Phillip Winnigear ran to keep up the tall woman’s long strides. “He said you’d cooperate.”

  “He doesn’t run me.”

  Mumbling through hurried breaths. “When did that change?”

  Turning on a dime, Lacy came to an abrupt halt. “Since I realized what a snake your nephew really is.” Phillip was clearly shocked by her words. “David is a cad… plain and simple. However, he is the father of my children so…..what did he tell you?” Lacy resumed her journey to her trailer.

  “I had several events set up for you to attend. You’ve missed two of them already.” Her publicist stated adamantly.

  “Phillip, I’m not going to be herded around town ever again.” Pooling a quiet calm against the irritating man before her, Lacy continued. “Give me a list of what you have scheduled for me…..but, no more.” Arching a menacing eyebrow at the much shorter man. “You got that.”

  Phillip shoved the prepared agenda at her then departed swiftly commanding his feet on a direct course to his nephew.

  Lacy scanned the paper quickly before opening her trailer door. Good only two events.

  *************************

  “Okay, Derek. Can you say ‘rain’?” Dr. Charles assessed the extremely shy boy who refused to leave the blonde’s lap.

  Derek buried his head deeper into Gage’s chest. “He’s a little shy.”

  “Little?” Dr. Charles exhaled a thoughtful breath. The doctor perused the chart. “He’s three?”

  “He’ll be four in November.” Gage supplied.

  The thirty-five year old doctor glanced inquisitively at the blonde. “Has he always been like this?”

  “Since I’ve known him, yes.” The doctor’s arched brow demanded further explanation. “Nine weeks.”

  “You’re not his mother?”

  “Oh, no. She had to work. I’m……” Gage thought furiously then said proudly. “His hero.”

  “Jage…Genty.” Derek nodded his head against the blonde’s chest.

  A satisfied smile waged war with the doctor’s deep scowl. “I see.” The doctor finally relented. “In order for me to treat him, I need to get him to talk so we can pinpoint the problem areas.”

  “We can do that. What words do you want him to say? He’ll repeat them to me if we make a game of it.” Gage straightened up in her chair. You may have a Ph.D. but I can get him to talk. With that the doctor offered Gage a list of words that she enunciated and Derek repeated albeit unevenly.

  **************************

  Lacy and Koda sailed through the early morning scenes with ease, progressing smoothly. Even the ever-handsie Adonis kept them in check. He was on his best behavior. Then after the lunch break, it was obvious Koda’s mind had left the building. When he failed to pick up his line, Ryan yelled. “Cut. Everybody… take five. Michael?” The director walked over to the distant actor. “Koda, what’s the problem?”

  “You wanted me?” Michael Jessop asked.

  Jerking his head to a far corner of the set, Ryan asked. “What’s he doing here?”

  Seeing Tony Kussler leaning up against a wall jamming a donut in his mouth, Michael answered. “Said Griff let him in.” Both of Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “I know…. find Griff and…. get rid of him.”

  It’s not that the director wanted to make enemies of anyone in the entertainment press, it was just that the likes of Tony Kussler was by virtue of Tony being Tony a piranha without a cause. He didn’t need a motive to devour a celebrity, but God help the one that gave him a reason. And, Ryan White accurately deduced that Lacy Levine had done just that at one point.

  Glad of the reprieve, Koda slipped off the set silently. When the director returned his attention, the actor was nowhere in sight. “Hell! Lacy?”

  She shrugged.

  “This is just great…..just….. great.”

  “You wanted me, boss?” The redhead squared herself directly opposite the dark haired star putting Ryan in between them.

  “Kussler?”

  It was the one word she didn’t want to hear then replied. “David.”

  That was the one word Ryan didn’t want to hear, but it didn’t surprise Lacy. “All right. We’ve got another…. love scene tomorrow morning. And, it’s a closed set.” Griff was about to protest. “Your father knows and it’s my call. I do not want him on the set tomorrow. Got that?” His stern eyes pinned the redhead then moved to his assistant, Michael, as he walked up.

  Like rapid fire both heads nodded up and down.

  Then Michael cleared his throat cautiously. “Uh, Mr. White? Koda’s left the studio.”

  With that Lacy hugged him. “Ryan, looks like I get out early.” She didn’t mean to tease her old friend. As a matter of fact, he looked like a lost puppy dog with his sad brown eyes, but it did mean she’d be able to call Gage, be in time to pick up Dani and maybe, just maybe, they would do something special. “Call me later.”

  After she’d left heading to her trailer for a quick change, Michael said softly. “Hayston Rawlings is in the hospital.”

  ***********************

  Ryan White was a man on a mission. He barely caught up with Lacy informing her of the news before she left, re-routing her tentative plans. Several phones calls later to Ron Griffen, the hospital and numerous attempts to reach David, the director called an impromptu meeting for the rest of the cast and crew. Now, he was undergoing necessary rescheduling for Ryan knew a secret that was festering to be uncovered.

  ************************

  Deep from her drug induced state Hayston Rawlings heard a small knock at the door. “What is it?” The weak response emitted softly barely penetrating the wooden door.

  Lacy pushed the door open slowly, peeked in then stood fully erect. It’s time. “Hayston?” Lacy approached her old co-star. “How are you doing?”

  The younger woman lethargically swung her head around meeting concerned blue eyes. “Surprise, surprise. You’re the last person I expected to see here. Come to gloat?”

  The older woman scooted a chair up next to the bed. “No.”

  “Then what did you come for? David?”

  “Because I care.” Lacy simply stated.

  The startled expression on Hayston’s face mixed a pinch of doubt with the shade of understanding in the truth of Lacy’s words. “Well, well….. you’re a better person than I am.” She declared with a tinge of biting sarcasm. The fact that Hayston was doped up from her recent ordeal broke down her usual staunch wall of protectiveness. Studying her old friend carefully, she continued. “You’re sure you aren’t here to rub it in?”

  “No.” Lacy lightly rubbed the hospitalized woman’s arm. “I’m sorry…. about the baby.”


  Hayston shrugged. “David didn’t want it anyway.”

  This was all too familiar territory for Lacy remembering when she offered the happy news to her husband that they were expecting a baby only to receive a very dour, glum look of disapproval.

  “He hasn’t even came by yet.” Hayston stared out the blind-covered window then mumbled. “Can’t believe Koda did.”

  Barely able to pick up the young woman’s last words, Lacy asked. “What?”

  Dismissing Lacy, the sun-streaked blonde rerouted the conversation. “You want to know why?” Relieved in a way for this long-awaited confrontation with her co-star over David, Hayston broached the subject she’d so carefully hidden for more than a year.

  Lacy thought she’d heard Hayston mention Koda Kannon’s name but wasn’t for sure. Why would he visit her? Recognizing the change in subject, Lacy prepared herself. “Only if you want to talk about it. Hayston, I can’t say I wasn’t angry….. at a complete lost, actually, when David showed up at the cabin with the divorce papers, but….. the signs were all there.”

  “And, you were too naïve to recognize them.” Trying to be sarcastic but failing miserably. She never could wage a battle against her ever-optimistic and loyal friend. “You’re too damn nice Lacy. I hate that in you.”

  “I think what you hate is that no matter what you do…. you’re a nice person….. deep down.” Lacy realized during the five years of filming the cop show with her co-star that no matter how hard Hayston tried to put on this front of being a real bitch, the blonde would eventually allow a very small crack to open revealing her true vulnerable feelings to surface.

  “You really believe that crap? After all I’ve… done.”

  “Hayston, you try too hard to give off this impression of being….. mean.”

  “A bitch, you mean.” Hayston corrected her.

  “Okay, I’ll go so far as say… nasty.” Lacy smiled causing both women to share a rare laugh together.

  “I could never stay mad at you, Lacy.” Hayston admitted then decided to come clean. “And, believe me, I tried. You know, I hated you because you had this perfect life….husband, kids, career.”

  Lacy’s sad eyes cast a reflective thought. “It wasn’t that perfect.”

  “To me, it was. You had everything I wanted. I was barely eighteen when I first met you and I thought… now this is the kinda of life I want. You had it all.” Hayston scooted up in bed, straining against the pain. “It all seemed so easy for you. You know, I asked…. no, demanded that David kill your character off. When you said you were quitting, I knew David wanted to do a spin-off of CRACKDOWN so I insisted that Samantha Gordon die just in case you ever decided to come back on the new show and…. take over.”

  “That was never my plan. You have to believe me.”

  “Oh, I know that now. But, I couldn’t take the chance. David and I were together…..” Hayston spared the dark haired woman a glance.

  Touching Hayson’s arm, Lacy said. “It’s okay. Everything worked out for best.” Smiling at the thought of a certain green-eyed blonde with whom she was absolutely, totally, deeply in love with. I never felt that for David… not even Jason.

  “I refused to sign for the spin off until he divorced you. Did you know that?” Studying her ex-co-star carefully.

  “Leverage, huh?”

  “In a nutshell. Of course, my real leverage was the baby. David can be a real bastard. If you know what I mean.”

  Nodding, Lacy reminded her. “Yes, but he’s your bastard now.”

  “Thanks. Just what I wanted.” Hayston said casually about her self-fulfilling dream of capturing the very good-looking and successful ad executive.

  “Is he? Is he really what you want, Hayston? Because if he is then you’re going to have to stay in there and fight for him. David gets easily pre-occupied with his career and what others think of him.” Lacy offered a succinct and accurate profile of her husband.

  “I may be a lot of things, Lacy, but one thing for sure is that I’m a realist. David wouldn’t have budged from his marriage with you unless I hadn’t demanded…. threatened him with…..” She let the rest of the words die on her lips.

  “Maybe.” Lacy said thoughtfully. “You have to decide what you want now. You’re a very good actor… you don’t have to try every trick in the book to get ahead.”

  “In this town? Do it on acting ability alone? Come on, Lacy, you are not that naïve.” Glancing at her naïve friend. “Then again maybe you are?”

  “Not anymore. But, getting ahead in this town is not worth it if you have to sell your soul.” Knowing that would never could never happen to her now since her soul belonged to someone else.

  “Would you think poorly of me if I said I never really wanted to have this baby?”

  “No. It’s a shame though. They’re the best things in my world except…” Instead of presenting her feelings, Lacy simply smiled causing Hayston to thoughtfully reflect on the other actor’s unsaid words.

  “I wish I loved someone that much.”

  The warm loving smile that illuminated the star’s face remained unchanged. “Can we put this little… feud to bed now?”

  “Why not?” Hayston let out a wicked laugh. “That’s where it started.”

  *************************

  When Lacy left Hayston’s hospital room, she ran into David who was slowly meandering down the hallway. “David? You’re going in to see her finally?”

  David pretended to be shocked. “I just heard about it.”

  Not believing him, she continued. “She needs you. And, if you really do care….. be gentle, but most of all be sincere.” Lacy patted his chest. “You both need it.” Lacy left her soon-to-be-ex-husband standing in the hallway outside Hayston’s door in a state of quandary.

  **************************

  Wrapped in her lover’s arms as they sat on the couch, Lacy recounted her conversation with Hayston and David while Dani was glued to the television set and Derek hovered at Gage’s feet.

  “Everything’s settled then?” Gage asked.

  “Ever thing settle ‘hen.” Derek mimicked.

  Lacy glanced at her son first then answered Gage. “We’re on speaking terms. No hard feelings.”

  “Good.” Gage said.

  “Good.” Derek repeated.

  “I hope things work out for them.” Lacy said to her partner, but watched her young son.

  “Me too.” The blonde agreed.

  “Me too.” Derek imitated.

  “Honey, why do you keep repeating everything Gage says?” Lacy asked.

  Derek gave a lop-sided grin to his mother.

  “Ever since the doctor’s visit, he’s been doing that.” Rushed words spilled out of Gage’s mouth then she quickly stared at Derek defying him to repeat it.

  The bright soon-to-be four year old recognized the game they’d been playing all afternoon so he hurriedly covered his face with his tiny hands and mumbled. “Ductor visit been doing ‘hat.” And giggled.

  “Okay. That’s enough.” Gage announced. “Dani?”

  “Okay… enough. Dani.” He repeated.

  “Come get……” Gage started.

  “Come get….” Derek copied.

  Then Lacy took over; seeing it was going to be a stalemate between the oldest and the youngest. “Dani, come get your brother? Derek…” Lacy helped him up from the floor and nudged him toward his sibling. “Go on… watch TV with your sister.”

  Finally, he did, leaving the two alone on the couch. “How’d it go?”

  Referring to Derek’s visit with Dr. Charles, Gage explained. “He’d only repeat the list of words the doctor had in order to assess the problem if I said it first….. and, that’s when it started.”

  “I wish I could have been there.” Lacy laughed.

  “Hey! Mom, you’re on TV.” Dani pointed to the screen.

  From her seat on the couch, Lacy watched the TV as she saw herself enter the hospital entrance then disappear whi
le Tony Kussler provided the commentary. “Lacy Levine visited her one-time co-star Hayston Rawlings who was hospitalized today. The young star….” A picture of Hayston popped up on the screen. “….lost her baby fathered by Lacy’s husband, David Levine. One has to wonder the motivation behind the visit. It’s been rumored that David Levine has had a long-standing affair with Miss Rawlings and this was only recently revealed to his wife. While the divorce between Mr. and Mrs. Levine is still pending it seems to be amicable on the surface since they both attended a party at the home of Ron Griffen, President of Griffen Studios, who is incidentally producing Lacy’s latest film co-starring, Koda Kannon.” A short film clip of Lacy and Koda in bed together during their love scene appeared on screen. “I guess Lacy Levine is not one to take things lying down….. at least not alone.” Kussler smirked to his female co-star on the show.

  Temporarily shell-shocked, Gage finally switched the set off. Gage stared at Lacy then she looked intently at the kids. When Dani finally twisted around, she asked. “Mom, what was that man doing in bed with you?” Her innocent blue eyes searched for an answer from her mother, but soon turned to the woman sitting next to Lacy.

  Lacy laid her hand on Gage’s chest. “Sweetheart, would you mind giving me a moment alone to talk with Dani about this?”

  The blonde allowed a small sigh escape before taking Lacy’s hand in hers, kissing it softly then said. “Lacy…..” Gage leaned in closer, whispering. “Is this a ‘girl’ thing between you and Dani I’m not supposed to know about or…is it a family thing?”

  Astutely understanding the subtle distinction her partner was making, Lacy titled her head, kissing Gage. “Family….definitely a family thing.” Then turned to Dani. “Come here.” It didn’t take long for Lacy to explain to her daughter that the clip was from the movie she was making and was similar to scenes she had done for her TV show. However, Lacy was livid that the scene was released to Tony Kussler for airing and planned to talk with Ryan White and Ron Griffen about this incident.