by Anthology
I reached for his arm and he stopped at my touch. “Wait. Are you okay?”
“Fine. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
“You’re upset.”
He paused, seemingly deciding whether or not to share with me what was bothering him. “My mother’s fallen off the wagon again. Ended up in a holding cell for drunk and disorderly and property damage. I have to fly to Texas to bail her out and deal with her shit. Again.”
I don’t know what possessed me to say it. Maybe it was the look in his eyes that I recognized so well—the disappointment in the one person you’re supposed to be able to rely on, or his little speech about me prior to the phone ringing, but I blurted it out before thinking.
“Do you want some company?”
The surprised look on his face told me that was the last thing he expected to hear. “You’d come?”
“If you think it’d help.”
Twenty minutes later I’d changed, left a note for my mom that I’d be back sometime tomorrow, and was boarding a private plane to Texas. What the hell had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER TWELVE
I couldn’t believe she’d done it again. I don’t know why I was surprised. My entire life my mom had been delivering one disappointment after another. It shouldn’t even faze me anymore.
My brother and sister didn’t deserve any of this. After all the opportunities I’d given to my mom….FUCK! She’d had access to the best rehabs, the best sober companions, the best counsellors. I’d moved her to a ranch the middle of nowhere in Texas. It had everything she could ever want and yet she still managed to attract every douche bag within a fifty mile radius to drag her down. She was a heat-seeking missile when it came to finding the dregs of society.
The private charter plane I’d hired had landed a half hour ago in Austin. The driver who’d met us on the runway was heading to the police station in Hays County. I’d get the details of what had happened from the lawyer I’d hired when I got there.
I knew how this was going to play out. I should. I’d done it enough times. I’d either be greeted with the apologetic mom who couldn’t tell me enough times how sorry she was, how she’d never do it again…or the angry, beat-down version who lashed out at everything and everybody. I wasn’t sure which was worse. Listening to the empty promises spill from her mouth, or dealing with the insults she hurled my way after all I’d tried to do for her.
“What’re you thinking about?” Ellie asked from the seat beside me.
“Just how sick of my mom’s shit I am.”
“This isn’t the first time this has happened I take it?” she sounded regretful. I wanted something from this girl. I hadn’t figured out what, but it definitely wasn’t her pity.
“Far from it. It was a pretty regular occurrence growing up. Back then I didn’t have money to bail her ass out of jail though. Sometimes I waited days for her to show up at home. If I was lucky one of our neighbors would notice she wasn’t around and take care of me while she was locked up or off on a bender.”
Ellie’s hand was over her mouth and unshed tears glistened in the corner of her eyes. She looked stricken by the image I’d painted of my childhood.
Not much I could do. It was all true.
“That’s awful,” she said quietly. She looked down to her lap.
I grabbed one of her hands and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks for coming.”
“You looked like you could use the support. Now I understand why.”
Damn. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d had someone to lean on. Growing up there was no one. That hadn’t changed any when I’d become famous.
I gave her hand another squeeze. “How much longer?” I called up to the driver.
“Only a few minutes, sir.”
We pulled up to the police station and I exited the car before it had stopped. The driver flashed me an irritated look but I wanted to get this over with and get back on the plane. The more miles between my mom and me the better. He let Ellie out of her side and she walked around the car to stand beside me.
“Ready?” she asked, her eyes full of sympathy.
I nodded and led the way into the police station. We walked through the double doors; it looked like we’d stepped into a time warp. It was clear not a dime had been spent on the place since the seventies. A balding overweight man in a brown oversized suit approached me holding a briefcase. This must’ve been the attorney I’d hired to handle my mom’s bail.
“Mr. Nash, I’m Gary Smyth,” he said with a slight Southern accent. He held out his hand. “We spoke on the phone.”
“Mr. Smyth, this is Ellie.” I said shaking his hand.
He took Ellie’s hand. “Ellie, pleasure. Your mom is all set. We’ve had the bail hearing. All that’s left to do is for you post bail and she’s free to go.”
“What happened?” I asked with a hard edge to my voice.
“Apparently she and a male friend were at the local watering hole. When the bartender refused to serve them any more drinks they took to throwing some bar stools and other items around.”
“So what happens now?” I rubbed my hand over my face, already weary from the troubles my mom had caused.
“A trial date will be set. We’ll see if we can get her off on community service or rehab.”
“She’s been down that road plenty of times already. It hasn’t worked.” There was steel in my voice as I spoke.
“I don’t want you to worry about your mother, Mr. Nash. I’m sure we can work something out to keep her from serving any time.”
“I’m not worried about my mother. I’m concerned about my siblings. She may be a fuck-up but she’s still their mom and they’d be crushed if she went to prison. You’ll get a phone call from my lawyer in L.A. He’ll work with you to make sure this thing goes away.” Ellie’s hand came to rest on my lower back. I instantly felt some of the tension leave my body.
“Yes, sir.”
“Can I see her?” I asked.
“Of course. Let’s post the bail and then we’ll get you a room where you can speak to her in private.”
After I paid the bond Ellie and I made our way through the rows of desks where several officers milled about. The lone conference room was in the back of the police station. We sat in the hall in a pair of uncomfortable-looking chairs that’d been duct-taped several times to keep the stuffing from spilling out.
Ellie turned to me, seeming concerned. She opened her mouth to say something when her attention was drawn to something behind me.
I turned to see a middle-aged officer with a beard that looked like it belonged on the Unabomber standing behind me. He must have been a detective because he wasn’t in uniform.
“I hate to bother y’all…” I knew what was coming after the first words were out of his mouth, it was always the same. “…but my daughter is a huge fan. Would you be able to sign something for me?”
“Of course.” I tried to give him a smile that said I didn’t mind signing shit for fans while I was waiting for my mom to get released from jail. Really, there was nothing I’d rather do.
He shoved a notebook and pen in front of me.
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Mary-Beth.”
I wrote a quick note on the sheet thanking Mary-Beth for being such a great fan and returned it to the officer.
“Much obliged. She’s gonna be so excited.”
After he’d left I turned back to Ellie. Before I could ask what she’d wanted to say Gary the lawyer came walking down the hall with my mother in tow.
She looked like hell. Which I suppose was appropriate after spending the night in a cell and waking up hung-over as hell. Her long dark hair was stringy and unbrushed, her clothes crumpled and dirty. I knew by looking at her she wasn’t strung out. At least she’d only hit the hooch last night and not the hard stuff. Small thing to be thankful for in this whole messed up situation, but thankful I was.
Seemed I’d be getting the repentant versi
on today. Her head hung low as she walked down the hall. She didn’t glance up once to look at me before Gary brought her into the conference room.
Ellie grabbed my arm. I turned to look at her. The concern was still in her eyes.
“I’ll wait out here. Take as long as you need.”
How was it possible this girl I’d known for such a short time knew exactly what to say? I was glad for her company but I didn’t want her to witness what was undoubtedly going to be an ugly scene between my mom and me.
My hand went to the back of her head and I pulled her in and kissed her forehead. “Thanks. This won’t take too long. I’ll be doing all the talking.”
I walked into the room. There was one small table in the middle with four chairs around it. My mom sat across the table beside the lawyer. She looked up. The dark circles under her eyes were evidence she hadn’t gotten any decent sleep in at least a few days.
“Mason—”
I held my hand up while I tried stemming the rage threatening to overflow. “Stop. Before you even start spewing your bullshit. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Honey, I made a mistake…”
“I said STOP!” I shouted.
What color was left in her face drained and her eyes widened.
“Who has the kids?” I asked, my voice low and filled with venom.
“The nanny was there when I went out last night.”
“I’m only going to say this once, so listen good. The only reason I’m doing this is them. It has nothing to do with helping you out of another mess you’ve created for yourself. I’ll make sure you get off without serving any time, which you might have had to do considering the fact this isn’t your first run-in with the police.”
She opened her mouth to say something but I shot her a glare that must’ve spoke volumes because she quickly shut it.
“From now on Jorge will be living with you rather than visiting every day. I need someone to keep an eye on you and make sure you’re in line. You’ll do outpatient rehab. I’ll pay to have the counselor come to you if there isn’t anything around here.”
She looked devastated. “For Christ sakes, I don’t need rehab. It was a one-time slipup.”
“Well, I’m going to make sure that’s all it is. Don’t bother arguing, it’s non-negotiable.” She let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. “Unless you’d rather be cut off.”
She was quiet for a moment. “You’d never do that to your brother and sister.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. But if I cut you off, they wouldn’t be living with you anymore.”
“You can’t take my babies away from me!” she yelled.
“Really? Would you have any money to fight me in court if that’s what I wanted to do? Who do you think a judge would side with—an addict who can’t get her shit together, or a celebrity who’d be able to provide nothing but the best for them?”
I could see I’d defeated her and she’d given up the fight. I felt like a bastard having to do it, but I needed her in a spot where she knew there was no option but to sober up. If I could take those kids out on the road with me I’d do it, but it was no place for them. She didn’t need to know that.
If it wasn’t for Olivia and Justin I’d leave her to rot in a jail cell and not feel a lick of guilt about it. But, for better or worse, she was their mother and they loved her. I’d managed to cover for her all these years. They weren’t aware of her addictions. It’d been easy to hide when they were younger but they were getting older now.
I turned to the lawyer. “Gary, can you take her to a hotel or something to shower and clean up? I don’t want her walking in the house looking like that. The kids will know something is wrong.”
“Of course. No problem.”
“Thanks. Just add it to my bill. I’m going to stop by the house to see Justin and Olivia before I go.”
I turned to walk out of the door without sparing a glance at the woman who gave birth to me. She said my name when my hand turned the door knob to leave.
“Mason, I really am sorry.”
She was so quiet I could barely hear her. There was so much I could say back to her, instead I left without looking back.
Ellie was still sitting in the tiny hallway, probably having gotten an earful. She turned her worried eyes to me.
“Everything okay?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “As good as it can be considering. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
She stood up from the chair. “Isn’t your mom coming with us?”
“No.” I placed a hand on her back and led her through the desks to the front of the station. I felt the need to touch her. Her heat underneath my hand calmed me. As stupid and as fucking cheesy as that sounds.
We walked out the doors of the police station and were blinded by flashbulbs. There weren’t many of them, maybe three at most but I knew the pictures would still go to the highest bidder; it didn’t matter if there were three or thirty.
“Motherfuckers,” I hissed under my breath.
Ellie had stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. “How’d they find us?”
“Just get to the car,” I said, sounding more annoyed with her than I intended. I knew the deal. The longer we stood here the more shots we were giving them to sell.
We rushed into the back of the hired car. I gave the address to the driver and he sped off as fast as he could with the photographer’s lenses pressed up against the windows.
“Mason, how did they know we were here?”
“Fuck if I know. Someone must have called them.”
“But who would do that?”
I chuckled because she sounded genuinely confused. Her naivety was endearing. “Anyone who wanted to earn a few bucks. One of the cops, our driver. Could’ve been anyone.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. “That’s horrible. With all that you’re dealing with, your mom…that’s cruel.”
I shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
She scooted closer to me, our hips touching and she grabbed my hand with a squeeze. “You shouldn’t need to be.” She leaned her head on my shoulder.
I turned to kiss the top of her head.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I want to stop by and see my brother and sister for an hour before we leave. Is that okay with you?”
“Of course. I can wait in the car.”
I shifted away and her head came up off my shoulder. I could see she was serious, which only pissed me off more.
“You’re not waiting in the car, Ellie. You’re coming in the house.”
“Oh…okay. I wasn’t sure if you’d want me meeting your family, that’s all.”
Did she think she was my dirty little secret or something? I tucked her back under my arm. “Of course I do.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We pulled up to a set of wrought iron gates and Mason hopped out of the car briefly to enter the security code. He told the driver to continue along the road until he reached the main house. We passed a smaller dirt road that forked off to the right.
“What’s down that way?” I asked.
“That road leads to the stables.”
Of course. The stables. How stupid of me.
After a meandering drive down the road past rolling hills of green we pulled into a circular driveway. We got out of the car and I stood staring up at an enormous ranch house that looked like it could span the length of a football field.
“This is your house?”
“Technically, but I bought it for my family. I’ve never lived here.” He placed a hand at the base of my neck. I was starting to really like that habit of his. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”
We walked through a large set of wooden double doors into an expansive entryway. The home looked to be a nice mix of wood cabin meets contemporary with large exposed logs leading up to the cathedral ceiling but modern-looking slate flooring. A wide hallway ran between twin staircases at either side of the foyer.
; The sound of bare feet slapping against tile came from the back of the house, getting closer and closer. A young boy and girl ran into view. The little boy resembled Mason a bit with the same dark hair and jawline, but his eyes were dark brown. I guessed him to be about ten. The little girl looked maybe six or seven and had green eyes more reminiscent of Mason’s but dark blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“Mason!” they shouted in unison. They plowed into him, hands extended, and almost knocked him over with their exuberance. Mason’s face lit up. He hugged them fiercely back, then turned to face me.
“Olivia and Justin, this is my friend Ellie. Ellie, this is my brother and sister.”
“Hi, Ellie.” Olivia said, jumping up and down on the spot.
Justin smiled at me then turned to Mason again. “We thought you were Mom coming home. She didn’t come home last night.” He looked worried.
“I know, buddy. Mom wasn’t feeling well so she went to the hospital to get looked at. She’s feeling better now so she should be home soon.” Mason ruffled Justin’s dark hair and Justin leaned in to give Mason another hug.
“Let’s go in the living room. I want to show Mason the new dolls Mom got for me,” Olivia said. Justin didn’t seem to like that idea because he rolled his eyes at his little sister. Olivia grabbed Mason’s hand, tugging him in the direction they’d come from.
The group of us made our way through the large foyer past an open dining room. The table looked like it could seat twenty. We entered a large living room decorated in neutral tones. A massive stone fireplace was the focal point of the room and was set between two massive panes of glass overlooking the green landscapes and sloping hillsides.
An older woman with grey hair and a round body was standing in the room and greeted Mason with a worried look.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, clearly aware of what had happened.
“It will be,” was all Mason said in response. “Greta, this is my friend, Ellie.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Ellie.” She gave me a reserved smile.
“Same,” I said.
Mason turned to me. “Greta looks after Olivia and Justin when my mom isn’t around. Greta, why don’t you go relax for an hour? I can’t stay long but I know you probably haven’t had a break since yesterday. I’ll be here for a bit.”