“No, I didn’t,” I say. “But just because I left you geographically, didn’t mean I had to leave you emotionally.” But I couldn’t bear for you to see me like that. “Do you remember the other promise? The one we made at your aunt’s wedding?”
She laughs. “I had forgotten about that one,” she says, bashfully.
Mallory was fourteen and I was fifteen when we went to her Aunt Marie’s wedding reception. There were a lot of single middle-aged people there getting drunk and hitting on each other. We thought it was pathetic and we promised we’d never let it happen to us. We made a pact to get married if both of us were still single when she turned thirty. I pretend to check my watch. “If I’m correct, I have about six more years to fulfill that promise.”
“You can’t say things like that, Chad,” she says, getting up and walking back to the railing. “I’m not even sure we qualify as friends anymore.” She waves her hand around at our surroundings. “This is all just a favor.”
“Do you want to know why I wouldn’t tell the Santa Monica Pier story in there?”
She stares blankly at me and then shrugs a shoulder.
“I wouldn’t tell the story because I couldn’t tell it. I don’t remember it. I was cranked out of my mind. All I know is what Kyle has told me. And it involves something about a Ferris wheel and me sneaking in after closing to scale it. So if you don’t mind, I’d like not to ruin what has been a pretty great night by telling you other stories about how badly I fucked up back then and the other people I hurt.”
She looks down at the ground. “Fair enough,” she says. “Maybe we’ve shared enough for one night.”
“You look like you’re freezing.” I stand up and offer her my hand. “Let’s get you inside.”
Mallory looks appalled when we join the others. “I’m a terrible guest,” she says to Charlie, eyeing the cleaned up table. “I’m sorry for not helping you clear the dishes.”
“Don’t be,” Charlie says. “The guys took care of it.” She pours Mallory another glass of wine. “So you teach fourth grade. That sounds very rewarding.”
Mallory’s eyes light up. “Oh, yes. It is. I love teaching. But my most rewarding job is the one I don’t get paid for. I volunteer at a place called Hope For Life.”
I ignore my brothers as I listen intently to the conversation the girls are having. Mallory tells her all about her charity work. Not that I’m surprised. Mal was always helping people when we were kids. She would run a lemonade stand and give all the profits—all twenty dollars of it—to some cause benefitting underprivileged kids.
“Would you mind if I tag along with you one night?” Charlie asks her. “I’d love to see what kind of work you do there.”
“Really?” Mallory asks, surprised. “I mean, yes, of course they’d love to have you.” She pulls a piece of paper out of her purse and scribbles something on it. “I volunteer every Tuesday night. Call me if you want to go sometime.”
I look at the clock on the wall, disappointed because I know the night must come to an end. Mallory has to get up early for her job. “I’d better get the teacher home,” I tell the group. “It is a school night, you know.”
I pull out my phone to text Cole. Mallory questions me with her eyes. “I’m asking Cole to bring the car around.”
“Does he go everywhere with you?” she asks. “Will he accompany you to Vancouver?”
I’m amused she knows where I’m headed after New York City. Maybe she follows my career after all. Or maybe she just heard Kendra talking about it. “No, he doesn’t go everywhere with me, but Kendra thought I’d need him here in the city. She wants me to hire him permanently.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” she says.
“Why?”
“I like knowing you’re safe.”
I can’t help the smile that overtakes my face. She knows where I’m going next. She wants me safe. I feel like I’ve won the fucking lottery and Mallory is the grand prize.
We say our goodbyes and then Kendra joins us in the elevator for the ride down to brief me on tomorrow’s schedule, reminding me of my meeting with my manager first thing in the morning. The elevator doors open and we walk out, only to find said manager standing in the building lobby. “It looks like someone can’t wait that long,” I say to Kendra. “What brings you here this late, Paul?”
He looks at Mallory as if she’s an annoyance. “What brings me here?” He pulls out his iPad and shows me a picture. Shit. It’s a picture of me leaving Mallory’s school today. The school name is clearly visible in the background. “Care to explain this?”
Kendra takes the iPad and examines the picture, reading the article underneath that says something about me making a surprise visit. “You visited a school today?”
“Does she have anything to do with this?” Paul asks, finally acknowledging Mallory.
“She has a name, Paul.” I turn to Mallory. “Mallory Schaffer, this is my manager, Paul Quinn.”
“Nice to meet you, Paul,” she says.
“Mmmm,” he gruffs, dismissing her. “We need to talk, Thad.”
“We have a meeting tomorrow,” I remind him. “Can’t this wait until then?”
“No. This can’t wait. When one of my clients goes rogue, we have to do damage control immediately.”
“Damage?” I ask, skeptically. “What fallout could there possibly be from me visiting a local elementary school?”
Cole walks in, asking me if we’re ready to go. Paul answers him. “Why don’t you take Valarie home. I need Thad here.”
“It’s Mallory,” I say, irritation pinching between my brows. “And I’ll be escorting her home.”
“No, it’s okay,” Mallory says. “I’ll be fine. Have your meeting.”
I grab her arm and pull her to the side, away from the others. “Mal, I brought you here, I’m taking you home.”
“Chad, this is your job. Your manager needs to talk with you. It’s okay. I don’t mind Cole driving me home. I had a lovely evening. Thank you for having me.” She starts walking over to Cole.
“Wait . . . uh, I want to see you again,” I say, pissed that I’m having to say goodbye to her in front of an audience.
She turns back around. “I thought you were leaving town tomorrow.”
“I’ve decided to stay in New York until I have to go to Vancouver late next week.”
“But you told Carly you were leaving. When did you change your mind?”
I shrug innocently. “As soon as I saw you walk down your stairs tonight.”
I watch as a blush works its way up her face. She looks over at Kendra and Cole who are both smiling. She looks at Paul, who’s scoffing. She looks back at me. “I’ll think about it,” she says.
“I know a bunch of nine-year-olds who think you should.”
She laughs. “We’ll see. Bye, Chad. Thanks again for tonight.”
She walks away with Cole and I’m left brooding because my bodyguard gets to take my girl home. The girl I wanted to walk up her front steps and kiss. It’s the kiss I’ve been dreaming about since I was fifteen. The kiss I’ve fantasized over but never thought was possible after all the shit I’ve pulled. Maybe my luck is changing.
~ ~ ~
Back up in Ethan’s office, I sit behind his desk, Kendra and Paul occupying the chairs on the other side. “What’s this all about, Paul?”
“What the hell do you think, Thad?” he asks, motioning to his iPad. “You can’t just make public appearances without clearing it with me first.”
I ignore his question and ask, “Kendra, is Mallory’s name on any of this?”
She shakes her head, still going through tabloid sites. “I don’t think so. There isn’t any mention of the teacher you went to visit.”
“Good. Then what’s the problem?” I ask Paul.
He scowls furiously. “The problem is you can’t do that shit without my approval.”
“Do what exactly? Go see a personal friend of mine at her place of employment?”<
br />
“This article says you talked to a group of kids about being an actor. I’d say that falls exactly under the umbrella of making it my fucking business,” he scolds me.
I shoot an apologetic look to Kendra. I feel guilty I didn’t warn her about this. “Listen, I didn’t even know I was going there until I was there. I just wanted to talk to Mallory and it ended up turning into some career day gig. Then I made a small donation to some charity fundraiser they were doing.”
“Oh, this is good,” Kendra says. “I can totally work with this. Thad Stone talks to local kids about acting then makes a charitable donation. Great human interest piece. I’ll release it right away to thwart off any rumors about why you were there.”
“See,” I say to Paul, motioning to Kendra. “No harm done. It’s really no big deal.”
He puts down his iPad and looks me square in the eye. “Who is this Valerie anyway?”
“Cut the crap, Paul. She’s an old friend of mine. One who I hope will be in my life for a very long time. So you’d better get used to it and learn her goddamn name.”
He blows out a frustrated breath. “Kendra tells me you plan to stay in New York until the Vancouver junket, is this true?”
“It’s only a week. We didn’t have anything planned for the break between cities anyway.”
“What about Blind Shot looping?” he asks, referring to voice-overs for the movie I filmed last fall.
“Done. Finished last week and I got an email two days ago that confirmed the studio got what they needed. You should know this, Paul.”
“Don’t you need to prepare for Vancouver?” he asks.
“I can do that from here. What’s your problem?” I stare him down. I can see him searching his brain for arguments when it dawns on me. “Oh, I get it. Mallory is not Courtney Benson.” I shake my head in disgust. “I really don’t give a shit if it’s not good for box office sales for me to be seen with her.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?” he asks. “You think you can act for nine weeks, collect a huge paycheck and sit on your ass until the next one? You have a lot to learn, kiddo. Acting is more about promoting. More about making the public fall in love with you off camera as much as on.”
“Funny, you don’t seem to care when the press brings up all the shit from my past. You don’t care if they pair me with ten actresses, as long as one of them is my leading lady.”
“It’s all about image, Thad. Where’s the Hollywood bad boy in dating a boring old school teacher? Hollywood bad boy sells tickets. Hollywood bad boy pays for your lunch.”
“Uh, Paul,” Kendra interrupts. “Although I agree with some of what you are saying, I’m not so sure Thad dating a school teacher is as deplorable as you might think. His female fans might appreciate the fact that he would date someone who’s not an actress. The girl next door so to speak. Someone who could be them. Who knows, it could have quite the opposite effect.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Paul says. “Nobody wants to see you with a school teacher.”
I stand up, almost knocking my chair over in anger. “This meeting is over. As my manager, I realize you have a say in my professional life. But I draw the fucking line at you thinking you can tell me who I can and can’t date. Remember that when your contract comes up for renewal, Paul. Remember that you are replaceable.”
He laughs a cocky laugh. “If I were you, I’d remember who got you to where you are today, Thad. You’ve been on top for exactly ten minutes. Replacing you with the next up-and-coming wouldn’t be hard. You’d be forgotten by next Christmas. Trust me.”
“Okay, you guys. Nobody is getting replaced,” Kendra says, trying to smooth things over. “Let’s adjourn this meeting and regroup tomorrow at nine at the hotel. Paul, I think you’re making too much out of this. Thad was just taking a friend to his brother’s house for dinner. Thad, you’ll be leaving in a week and you may not want to start something you can’t finish. Please, let’s all sleep on this.”
“Fine.” Paul flashes me a mutinous stare before he gets up in a huff and lets himself out.
“Thad,” Kendra says, pulling me aside before leaving herself. “Mallory is absolutely lovely. I see the way you look at her. I know you have a lot of history together. But you’d better be sure this is what you want. You can’t take a girl like that down this path unless you truly mean it.”
“I’m sure, Kendra,” I say without so much as a hint of doubt. “I’ve been sure since I was seven years old.”
Chapter Ten
Mallory
Teaching is hard today. I can’t keep my mind focused and away from last night. The way he looked at me. The way he touched me. It was almost like fifteen-year-old Mallory hanging out with sixteen-year-old Chad, but with serious sexual tension. Then there are the texts he’s sent today. He hasn’t asked to see me again; they’ve just been funny and casual. Letting me know he had a good time last night; he and his one testicle. Telling me he hopes I’m having a good day.
I find myself disappointed come the end of the school day that he hasn’t asked me out, and I wonder what that means. Do I want him to ask me out because I want to be with him? Or just because I want to feel like I’m worthy of the superstar he has become?
I lost a lot of sleep last night wondering if I can even blame him for everything he did when he was under the influence of drugs. I mean, yes, I blame him for getting involved with drugs, but once someone is physically addicted, do they have control over their actions? And is what he did to me really that bad in the overall scheme of things? It’s not unusual for friends to move away and lose touch.
Maybe I’m just making excuses so it’s easier for me to justify seeing him again.
Then a sick feeling washes over me. The person who killed my mom was drunk. He ran her off the road and right into a telephone pole, killing her instantly on the way home from her overnight nursing shift. He was held responsible for his actions. He was an alcoholic who went to jail for three years—not nearly long enough to make up for the time we’ll never have with her. Damn right he should be held responsible. Nobody forced the guy to drink. Just like nobody forced Chad to use cocaine.
I decide to visit my mom’s grave in the cemetery on the way home. Ask her what she thinks about all this. She loved Chad like a son. She loved all the Stone boys, but she had a sweet spot for Chad. Everybody did.
When I arrive home, there’s another strange car in the driveway and my heartbeat quickens. I want it to be him. I want it to be him more than I’ve ever wanted anything. But in some strange way, at the same time, I don’t. But there’s no Cole standing next to the car. I peek in the car windows before closing the garage, just to see if I can get a clue as to who is visiting. But when I go in the house, I can hear exactly who it is.
I walk into the living room. “Hi, Kendra. Nice to see you again.”
“You too, Mallory. I was just telling your dad that you have a lovely home.”
“Thank you. Did you come to see where Chad grew up?” I motion to the front door. “I’m sure the neighbors won’t mind if you want to see his old house.”
“I came to see you, Mallory.”
“Me?”
She nods. “Is it okay if we sit for a while?”
“Uh, yeah.” I look at my dad and he shrugs, giving me no indication of why she’s here. “Can I get you a drink first? Water, coffee?”
“Thanks, your dad already offered. I don’t want to take up much of your time.” She nods to the couch. “Is here okay?”
I walk over and sit down.
“Nice to meet you, Kendra,” my dad says. “I’m going to start dinner, Mallory. Take your time.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Richard.” She sits next to me. “Your dad seems great. And he’s a doctor. Impressive.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty great,” I agree.
She points to a family picture on the mantle. “And your mom, what does she do?”
“My mom died seven years ago,” I tell her. “It
’s just us now.”
Kendra’s face falls into a frown. “I’m so sorry. I lost my mom at a young age as well. I know how hard it must be for you.”
“Thanks. Sorry you lost yours,” I say.
“We have a lot in common,” she says, followed by a deep sigh. “I have a feeling one of those things is loving Thad . . . uh, Chad.”
Two things happen at once. My jaw drops. And my heart breaks. She loves him? Of course she does. She’s here to shoo me away. But it doesn’t make any sense, given what she said to me last night.
Kendra starts laughing at my reaction. She scoots closer and puts her hand on my arm. “Oh, gosh, that obviously came out the wrong way. No, no, I love him, but I don’t love him. I’m married.” She shows me her ring and then studies me for a second. “But if your face is any indication, I believe I’ve hit the nail on the head.”
“Huh?” I ask, still fazed.
“You care for him, don’t you?” she says with a motherly smile.
“We grew up together. We went through a lot back then. So, yeah, I guess I do. But I don’t know him anymore. Things are different.”
“I don’t disagree that people change, Mallory. And I won’t try to defend his past actions. I’ve only known him for three months myself, and of course, I didn’t know him back when you did. But I can tell you this—if I had a daughter, there isn’t anyone I’d rather see her with than that man.” She shakes her head laughing. “Let me clarify. Not that I’d necessarily want my daughter dating a star, but the man he is inside—the huge heart he has—that’s the kind of guy I would wish for her.”
“Back when we were kids, he was like that,” I tell her. “He was always protecting me. Helping me. Helping our friend Julian or his brothers. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Well, unless you were hurting someone he loved. Then, all bets were off.”
“Sounds like the same guy I’ve come to know and love,” she says. “I get that you see him as the star he is today. The bad-boy persona that is plastered all over the news. Maybe that was him for a few years when he lost his way, but not anymore. It’s the press who keep trying to make him fit that same mold, twisting everything you see and read to make it look like that is still who he is. But I’m here to tell you it’s not. Don’t believe everything you hear. That’s rule number one of Hollywood, listen with deaf ears.”
Stone Promises (A Stone Brothers Novel) Page 9