Crazy For You

by Sandra Edwards

  Candy guided her Porsche into the driveway, looking at the strange car parked in front of the house. She kept her eye on the unfamiliar vehicle as she made her way up to the house and went inside the house.

  Finding Jason Fischer upstairs pacing the hallway startled Candy. “Damn it, Jason.” Her hand flew to her chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “I’m sorry, Candy.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  He stood there with this puzzled look on his face, as if he didn’t know what to say. His expression melted into one of immense relief when Jerry came out of Roxanne’s room. Jason turned all his attention to Roxanne’s shrink. “Jerry...how is she?”

  “How is she?” Candy threw a worried look at Jerry. “What’s wrong with Roxanne?”

  “Candy...” Jerry paused, and the silence lingered far longer than she’d like. “Roxanne’s had a temporary relapse.”

  “Temporary relapse?” Candy didn’t like the sound of that. “What the hell do you mean temporary relapse?”

  “There’s no reason to think it’s anything other than temporary,” Jerry said as if he believed it. “She came out of it before. She’ll come out of it again.”

  “How is she doing?” Jason repeated his question.

  “She’s confused. And worried about something.” Jerry looked at Candy. “Has anything traumatic happened lately?”

  “Well, if you want to call seeing Frank Garrett traumatic…then, yes, I suppose so.”

  “What happened?” The mention of Frank Garrett’s name made Jerry nervous. After all, the guy was the root of Roxanne’s problem. And Jerry had a deep condemnation for the man even though he’d never met him.

  “He told Frankie he was his father,” she said, making a long story short.

  “How did Frankie take that news?” Jason asked.

  “Oh Frankie took it just fine.” Candy almost laughed at the irony. “His father turns out to be his favorite rock star. Who wouldn’t love that?” She shrugged, then thoughts of impending doom chased away any amusement she might have been feeling. “The thing is…Roxanne didn’t take it all that well.”

  “I’ve given her a sedative,” Jerry said. “She’ll rest fine, for now.”

  The decision to relocate to Florida wasn’t a hard one for Jerry. Roxanne needed him, and most of his patients spent a lot of time in the southern state, so it wouldn’t be hard for him to transfer his practice for the time being.

  The next day, Candy practically waited at the front door for Frankie’s return. Her mission was to keep Frank away from Roxanne. She was surprised at how easily he’d bought her story that Roxanne was feeling under the weather. Of course, that wasn’t exactly a lie.

  The days passed, and with Jerry’s constant assistance and an array of medications, Roxanne seemingly came to terms with reality. Yet once again, she was totally dependent on the pills. She hadn’t been on medication in years.

  Frank was too caught up in himself and what he wanted and never noticed a difference in Roxanne’s demeanor. At present, he’d wrapped himself in the business of Garrett-Hollander’s next scheduled appearance at the Bayfront Center across the bay in St. Petersburg.

  He’d persuaded Roxanne to go so Frankie could see his show. Roxanne hadn’t been keen on the idea, but what was she supposed to do? She’d come out the bad guy if she refused. She didn’t have to like it, but she had to go. She also had the option of insisting that Candy join them.

  Frank arrived at Roxanne’s house with a limo to transport them across the bay. He and Frankie sat on one side of the car while Roxanne and Candy sat across from them. During the drive, Frank never said a word. Instead, he concentrated on the upcoming concert and his increasing adrenaline rush.

  How he loved to play. Even more-so now. He loved the screaming crowds. The more they shouted, the more he enjoyed giving them what they wanted.

  Except Roxanne. He refused to play that song anymore. He’d only written it out of anger right after Roxanne left, as a means to disgrace her.

  I trusted her

  But she let me down

  Cause while I was away

  Roxanne was out selling herself

  All over town

  All the other songs he could play. But not that one. He’d learned a little too late that writing the song had been a mistake. Every time he sang it he was reminded of her betrayal and the destruction of their relationship. He didn’t want to think about that. Especially now. He couldn’t let anything get in the way of his plans, not when he was so close to pay dirt. So close now, he could feel it deep down in his soul. Still, he hadn’t figured out how to get his revenge. But with a little time, he would.

  They walked silently through the back corridors of the Bayfront Center. Frank carried little Frankie on his shoulders, and Roxanne purposefully pushed Candy between herself and Frank.

  In the shadows ahead of them, Roxanne could see the silhouette of someone coming their way. In an instant, she knew who it was.

  Rich’s eyes settled on them and his face lit with a genuine smile. “Roxie,” he said, hugging her. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Rich.” She returned his embrace briefly, then they parted.

  His attention didn’t linger too long on Roxanne. It was pulled like a magnet toward Candy. They fell into each other’s arms and he held on a little longer than intended.

  “This is a nice surprise,” he whispered against her ear.

  Still in his embrace, Candy tilted her head back to look at him. “To be honest…I didn’t know how you’d feel about me being here.”

  Rich slid his hands down her arms and tangled his fingers with hers. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, barely audible.

  “Get a room,” Frank chided them.

  Rich turned to Frank and his gaze dropped to the child standing behind him. He knelt, getting down eye-to-eye with Frankie. “Hey, pal.” He offered his hand to the boy. “I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you.” They shook hands. “My name is Rich Hollander.”

  “My name is Frankie,” he said with a smile. “G-H is my favorite band.”

  “Well, thank you.” Rich gave him a wink and pushed himself back up and looked at Frank. “I want to talk to Roxie for a second.”

  Frank glanced at Roxanne. “How about Candy and I take Frankie in and introduce him to the band? You two can join us momentarily.”

  Roxanne and Candy agreed with nods, but it was only Roxanne who spoke, saying, “Okay.”

  Rich watched the three of them walk away, his thoughts lingering longer than they should’ve on Candy. Finally, he pushed himself to look at Roxanne. “It really is good to see you again.”

  “It’s great to see you,” she said with a measure of politeness, but Rich caught the hint of apprehension in her tone. And that, Rich figured, probably had something to do with Frank and Frankie.

  “No matter what happens...” Rich cleared his throat. “I’ve always considered you to be my friend. And I’d like to keep it that way.”

  Roxanne couldn’t be sure if Rich was talking about her and Frank or him and Candy when it came to no matter what happens. Nevertheless, she needed all the friends she could get. “That’s a done deal.”

  “I’ve got to tell you…I saw that show you were on.” Hearing those words from Rich set Roxanne on edge. “And when Lauren Weber asked you about the band, implying that you knew us when we were nobody…well, I got a little nervous.”

  “Nervous?”

  “Oh believe me, Roxie…there were a lot of things you could have said.” He gave a weary shrug. “But you didn’t. Do you remember what you did say?”

  “I said...” She smiled. “That I’ve never thought of Frank or you as nobody.”

  “It was at that moment I realized how fortunate I was to know you,” he said. “And I wanted to tell you thank you for speaking so highly of me…and for not letting her trash what we all shared back then.”

  “Geez, Rich
.” Tears stung Roxanne’s eyes. “You’re gonna make me cry.”

  “Come on.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the dressing room. They walked in silence for several seconds, then Rich said, “So…can I get your autograph?”

  During the show, the girls, little Frankie, and Glenna looked on from the edge of the stage. A song faded and the band quieted as Frank interacted with the audience.

  Roxanne stepped toward Glenna. “I wanted to tell you…I’m really sorry about lying to you.” She offered what she figured to be a long overdue apology.

  A puzzled look crossed Glenna’s face. “You lied to me?”

  “A long time ago,” Roxanne said. “When I told you I’d discussed it with Frank.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about that,” Glenna said, letting bygones be bygones. “You did what you thought you had to do.”

  “Well you’re a lot more forgiving than I probably would be.”

  “You’ve paid a much higher price than I ever did.”

  “How so?”

  “Have you ever listened to Frank’s music?” Glenna asked.

  Rich strummed a few chords on his guitar, and Roxanne looked back toward the stage. Listening to Frank’s music was much better than talking about it.

  Everybody’s got their own opinions

  And they all know what I can’t seem to see.

  They tell me to shake it off and carry on

  But forgetting about her is just so hard for me.

  It’s so easy to tell others what to do

  It always seems so easy

  When the one that’s hurting isn’t you

  And I can’t go on without her

  Although I’ve tried,

  And I can’t forget about her

  Or the way she lied,

  I can’t get past all this indecision

  And the way she hurt my pride,

  I go out and discover new places

  But this isn’t the way it was supposed to be,

  And I try to replace her with new faces

  But it’s her face that keeps coming back to me.

  I can drink away my sorrows

  But my loss will be with me

  For the rest of my tomorrows

  And I can’t go on without her

  Although I’ve tried,

  And I can’t forget about her

  Or the way she lied,

  I can’t get past all this indecision

  And the way she hurt my pride

  The song came to a close and the crowd roared, yelling and screaming for more. Roxanne was mesmerized. And she began to realize the audience was chanting something. At first she couldn’t make it out, but as the mantra grew louder she found she understood them better than she wanted to.

  Roxanne. The crowd was begging the band to play the one song she hated. Her heart pounded against her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was stand there and listen to Frank sing that song.

  Little did she know, but she didn’t stand a chance in hell of hearing Roxanne tonight.

  Everywhere Garrett-Hollander played, the audiences tried to coax them into playing that song. But no matter how hard they chanted, Frank never gave in. Still, the audiences tried.

  Frank ignored the spectators now, just as he’d done hundreds of times before. Yet, if he’d had the slightest notion how much anguish the song would cause Roxanne...well, he might have played it. Just to get under her skin.

  Luckily for Roxanne, he had no idea how the song would affect her. And once again, another crowd failed to coax Garrett-Hollander into playing Roxanne.

  The moment Roxanne returned home she ran for the safety and comfort of her friendly and protective little pills. Without them she’d be lost forever.

  ***

  Chapter 17

  Candy waited patiently while the elevator carried her up to Rich’s penthouse. She felt pretty optimistic since he’d agreed to see her. As long as he would see her there was always hope.

  The doors opened and Rich stood there looking at her, showing no expression at all.

  She couldn’t decide if he was glad to see her or not. “Hi,” was all she could come up with to say. Amazing. She’d gone over it a thousand times, but now that she was standing face-to-face with him, she couldn’t think of a damned thing to say.

  “Hello, Candy. Would you like to come in?” His demeanor didn’t match the friendly words coming from his mouth.

  “Sure.” Nervously, she moved past him. “There’s something I need to get straight with you.” She took a seat on the couch and waited for him to join her.

  “I thought everything was straight between us?” He sat, but not on the couch. He’d taken the chair across from her, out of her reach.

  “In your book maybe…but not mine.”

  “All right,” he said with bitter indifference. “So let’s set the record straight and then we can carry on.”

  He wasn’t going to make it easy for Candy. Who would have thought the way he’d chased her all those years ago that she’d have to make such an effort to get to him now.

  But Rich didn’t want to be gotten. Not anymore. No, those days were long gone and far away. He’d already spent way too many nights brooding over Candy Simon. Wondering what had happened to her. If she was all right. He refused to let that happen anymore. He’d finally managed to tuck her away, safely into the deepest corners of his heart. That’s where he intended to keep her. He made himself a promise a long time ago—Candy Simon would never be his problem again.

  “I was wrong,” she said.

  “It’s too late, Candy.” His words came with a solemn finality about them. “It’s time for you to accept it and get on with your life.”

  “Damn it, Rich.” She nearly choked on the tears crowding her throat. “I’ve tried, but it’s just not working.”

  “You’ve got to make it work. For your own sake.” He hesitated, then irritation seemed to cast a shadow over his already dark eyes. “I don’t love you anymore.”

  “How is it…that it’s so easy for you to say that?” Her voice cracked.

  “I loved you once, but I learned over the years how to live without you. And truthfully…now I prefer it that way.” At least he felt safer. If he didn’t let her back in, she couldn’t hurt him.

  “Living without me is better than living with me.”

  “I’ve lived without you for so long that living with you just doesn’t seem that important anymore.”

  His harsh words pierced her heart. Overwhelmed with a deep need to cry, she grabbed her purse and bolted for the door.

  “Candy...” He didn’t want to hurt her. He only wanted her to understand. “Candy wait…” He ran after her.

  The elevator doors closed between them. The image of Candy standing in the elevator with tears spilling down her cheeks stuck in his mind.

  He went to the service elevator. Maybe he could catch her in the lobby or the garage. He didn’t want it to end this way. He wasn’t sure how it should end, just not this way.

  By the time Rich made it into the garage, Candy’s Porsche was squealing out of the exit. “Candy...” he called to her, fully aware that she wouldn’t hear him. “Please wait.”

  At first thought, he wanted to get in his car and go after her. But maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Maybe it was better this way. Just to let her go. Sure, she’d cry for a while. But then she’d see just how ridiculous this whole thing between them had been in the first place.

  Yes, it was much better this way. Sure, it had ended a little rough. But it was done, and for good this time. And that had been his main objective all along.

  So why do I feel like such an asshole? He just couldn’t shake the image of Candy standing in the elevator. Crying.

  Cruising onto the freeway, Candy had finally managed to subdue the tears. Traveling recklessly from lane-to-lane, she kept her foot pressed firmly against the gas pedal. Tears brimmed her eyes again.

  She wanted to go fast. Faster.

 
The faster she drove, the faster her troubles would disappear. The speedometer hit ninety and she paid no mind to the silent tears trickling from her eyes. The tears slid down her cheeks as the speed hit one hundred.

  She wanted to go faster. Faster.

  Topping one-twenty, she reached up to swipe away the tears. He’d rejected her again.

  Go faster.

  But this time his rejection was final. She could tell. And her tears fell harder. One thirty-five and Candy finally cracked. Her silent tears turned audible and poured so hard it was like she was looking through a misty haze. Her body jerked as she cried.

  Then the car hit something.

  A quick jolt riveted through Candy and the side of her head hit the window. Pain. Enormous pain. And then a falling sensation. Down…down...down…for what seemed an eternity. When she landed, the steering wheel slammed into her chest and the windshield came crashing down around her.