“Juliet, listen—”
“I’m sorry but if I can’t trust you anymore, I can’t have you working for me. I specifically asked that you tell no one, Nora. No one.”
“But Kyle—”
“I know how charming Kyle can be, but that's no excuse for disobeying my orders. What did he offer you for the information?”
“Juliet—”
“I’m sure he flashed you his guaranteed-to-make-any-woman-swoon smile. He probably—”
“Shut up, Juliet,” Nora roared. “Let me get a word in edgewise.”
Jade jerked the phone from her ear and stared at it in shock. Nora had never raised her voice to her. Never. Look up conciliatory in the dictionary and Nora’s picture would appear in Technicolor. She had to be really upset.
Jade carefully eased the phone back to her ear. “Okay, Nora, I’m listening.”
“It’s Kyle…”
Jade blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes, I know. He told me all about the scandal. Then he—”
“He’s dead!” Nora screamed. “Kyle Ashton is dead!”
Chapter Twenty
Jade stepped off the plane and the all the peace she found the last few weeks in Indiana evaporated like a drop of water in the hot California sun.
Nora rushed forward to meet her, her ever-present palm pilot in hand. Jade wondered if maybe the thing was surgically attached.
“Juliet!”
“Jade,” she muttered fruitlessly under her breath. Nora grabbed her and hugged her. The palm pilot dug into Jade’s shoulder blade.
“I just can’t believe Kyle’s dead,” Nora wailed. Jade shook with the force of Nora’s sobs until her assistant finally stepped back and pulled a package of tissues from her fanny pack. Dabbing at her wet eyes, she offered a Kleenex to Jade. She shook her head. She'd yet to cry over Kyle’s death. Granted, she just found out about it a few hours ago, but she still didn’t feel like shedding that first tear. Maybe she was in denial or maybe she just didn’t have any feelings left for Kyle.
Nora honked into her tissue. “I’ve got a car waiting for us,” she managed between blows. “Sid wants you to help with memorial service arrangements. He wants a big affair.”
“Shauna can orchestrate the service.”
Nora tugged her along. “Sid wants you to do it.”
Jade followed her soon-to-be-ex-assistant to meet her soon-to-be-ex agent to talk about her recently deceased ex-husband. She really needed to gather the courage to fire one or both of them. Now probably wasn’t the best time after Kyle’s death. Maybe she'd wait until the end of summer, after her vacation.
“I need to go home and shower first.”
Nora’s brows puckered and she consulted her palm pilot. “Hum.” She tapped a few keys. “Yes, there's time for you to shower.”
“I don’t recall asking your permission,” dangled on the tip of her tongue, but she fought from releasing the snide remark. Instead, “Have the car drop me off at my house and I’ll meet you at Sid’s office,” came out.
Nora looked as if she wanted to argue but she pursed her lips and nodded agreement. “Let me call Sid and let him know of the slight adjustment to the schedule.” She pulled a small silver phone from her bag and rapidly punched in a series of numbers. She plugged a finger in her ear and turned her back.
“Morning Ms. LaRue,” the driver greeted her. He tipped his hat and held the door open. Jade smiled politely. “Sorry to hear about your husband.”
“Ex,” Jade corrected as she slid in the limo. He bent down to peer inside. “Still, it must be hard.”
No, it wasn’t hard but all these people telling her it should be made her feel like a robot. Had she become so jaded by Hollywood that she couldn’t feel normal emotions anymore?
An image of Logan Bradley flashed through her head. The thought of something happening to him or Isabella made her stomach clench painfully. She'd only known them a few weeks and already she felt more for Logan than she had for Kyle in a very long time.
She didn’t get a chance to talk to Logan before her flight to California. She rang his doorbell but he'd already left for work. She didn’t want to leave a message because she needed to explain about Kyle, not just inform him of his death. Now it would be a few more days of him thinking she was married. Her stomach pitched. She would try to call him later and explain.
“I never cared much for his acting,” the chauffeur continued, jarring her from her thoughts.
“What?”
“His acting,” the man repeated. “Your husband came across as shallow and one-dimensional. Now you,” he continued, “you come across as wholesome and friendly.”
A frisson of unease slid down Jade’s spine. She strained to peer at the man’s face but the bright sunlight backlit his features, making it hard to see him clearly. Could he be the one sending the disturbing notes?
Thankfully Nora scooted inside and the man closed them inside. Jade slammed her hand down on the button to raise the privacy glass.
“Oh, wait,” Nora said. “I forgot to give him instructions to take you home.” She slid the panel down and spoke to the driver. Sitting behind him, Jade still couldn’t get a clear glimpse of his face.
Once Nora relayed the info, she lifted the privacy shield and sighed as she slumped against the seat. “I can’t believe Kyle’s dead,” she repeated for the hundredth time with a sniffle.
Jade closed her eyes and pretended to nap.
The driver finally pulled up to her house after a torment-filled ride where Nora babbled and bawled about Kyle. Obviously her sleeping rouse didn’t fly.
Jade didn’t wait for the driver to open her door. She couldn’t get out of the confined space fast enough. The handle was jerked out of her grip and her housekeeper, Maria, stood on the other side jabbering, alternating between English and Spanish. Her tears set off Nora and before Jade knew what happened, both women were engulfing her in a sobbing sandwich. She endured their hugs and words of sympathy before Maria shuffled her to the house. Jade turned to get a look at the chauffeur but he was already disappearing through the gates.
Her gardener, Maria’s husband Rafael, hobbled behind them, lumbering under the weight of her suitcase. Jade put a restraining hand on Maria’s arm. “Excúseme, Maria.” She turned to the gardener and removed the heavy bag from his gnarled fingers. She didn’t want to damage his pride, so she said, “Rafael, could you reset the gate security code immediately, por favor.”
“Si, si, Señora LaRue,” he said, looking grateful to be relieved of the burden. “I will do so enseguida.” He shuffled off to reset the alarm.
#
Sid almost swallowed his tongue when he saw Jade. And not in a good way.
“What in tarnation happened to your hair?” he barked, an unlit cigar clamped between his lips. “Jeez, what’d ya do, light your damn head on fire or something?”
He plucked the cigar from his mouth and used it to point at her. “You get that mahogany mop of yours blonde right now, missy.” He stuck the fat brown stick back in his mouth and waved his hand with distaste. “No one is supposed to see you like that.” He squinted. “And where are the contacts?”
Jade sighed. “Sid, I just flew in from—”
“Martha, get that salon in West Beverly on the line. I need an emergency appointment for Juliet.” He ignored her as he slammed down the receiver while his secretary went about making appointments.
“Sid, my vacation is not over. I went through an extensive process to strip the color from my hair,” she rationalized, “and too many harsh chemicals this soon might just make my hair fall out. I’m not going through it again.”
Sid muttered to himself and banged around in his desk drawer. He whipped out a manila folder and yanked out a contract. He flashed it in front of her face. “This says you will. Every A-List celebrity in Hollywood will be at this funeral and you, my dear Juliet, will be the beautiful starlet I have carefully crafted.”
Wow, he made her sound like his pers
onal Frankenstein. Her red-headed temper flared and Jade bit her tongue to keep from firing Sid on the spot. He'd been a decent manager, but his loyalties were with Kyle, even in death. He was the one who told her she couldn’t carry the lead in a movie and he wouldn’t submit her name for parts even if she begged.
“Fine, I will dye it blonde and put in the contacts but I will not cut it. The contract doesn’t stipulate length, just color.”
“Listen here, Juliet,” Sid raged, “this is for Kyle. You will be the grieving widow even if you have to act the part.”
“You are my agent. I employ you, Sid, not the other way around.”
Sid’s face turned a spotty red. Jade had never seen him so angry, and that included the time she told him she was divorcing his beloved Kyle. “Sid, shouldn’t you pop a nitroglycerin or something?” His face really was a disturbing shade of magenta.
Sid ignored her, balling his hands into fists and pounding them on the table. He slowly rose, his lips curling to show his capped teeth. “I made you who you are, Juliet LaRue. Without me, you would be nothing but a hack two-bit B-list actress, waiting tables and probably stripping on the side. Lord knows I can’t get you to flash your assets, but I bet you'd be singing a different tune when it came to putting food on the table.”
Now it was Jade’s turn to seethe. She stood and stuck her face in Sid’s, nose to nose. “My assets, as you call them, are none of your concern and I believe I had something to do with my success.”
“You sure about that?” he sneered. “You were a life-long commercial actress until I stepped in and took over your career.”
“I basically still am,” she yelled, throwing her arms in the air. “You won’t let me audition for a starring role. I always have to play second fiddle to some other well-known actor.” She slammed a fist on his desk. “I want the lead in MegaPics upcoming movie and you say I’m not ready for it yet. When do you think I will be ready, Sid? When I’m fifty?”
“I’m the expert here,” he boasted. “I know what Hollywood wants, what the studio heads want, what the fans want. You're in demand and you certainly aren't hurting for roles. You could be acting right now if you'd get off your lazy ass and come back to LA.”
Lazy? This coming from a man who bought a Rascal just so he wouldn’t have to walk from his office to his car, all five-hundred feet. Jade straightened and crossed her arms to keep from swinging at Sid’s fat head. “I appreciate all you've done for me, Sid. I really do. But I don’t answer to anyone but myself.”
“Wrong again, Juliet. You answer to me.”
“Not anymore. You’re fired.” Jade spun on her heel and stalked out of the office.
“Get back here! You can’t fire me.”
Settling her sunglasses on her nose, she pushed out the door. She would get her hair colored, she would wear the contacts while she was in LA, and she would publicly mourn for Kyle in front of the cameras, but the only person in charge of Jade’s life was Jade.
“Juliet, wait.”
Jade paused while Nora caught up with her and then dropped her hands to her knees and sucked in air.
“Where are you going, Juliet?” she asked between puffs.
“To get my hair dyed and then to my house.” Funny, she didn’t consider her Hollywood Hills house home anymore. She didn’t have a home. While the rental in Bloomington was nice, it wasn’t hers. Maybe she would check real estate ads when she returned. A place to get away to whenever she needed anonymity sounded great, and Bloomington had so much to offer—including a hunk named Logan and his adorable daughter.
“What about Sid?”
Jade flung a dismissive hand in the air. “What about him?”
“He wants you to help with the arrangements for Kyle’s remembrance celebration.”
“No, he wanted me to cry in front of the cameras, spouting lies about the wonderful Kyle Ashton.”
“But…Kyle was wonderful.” Nora sounded truly perplexed.
“Nora, I’m not going to argue with you, too. You have your memories of Kyle and I have mine. I will attend the funeral and I will pay my respects but that’s where it ends.”
“But Sid said—”
Jade stopped suddenly and a man had to swerve to avoid a collision. She murmured apologies and then faced her assistant. “I fired Sid, Nora.”
“What?” Nora tossed her head from side to side. “No, you couldn’t have. He made you a star.”
Well, so much for support. Apparently her talent had nothing to do with her success at all. “I’ve got an appointment,” she announced in clipped tones. “I’ll talk to you later.” She spun on her heel and marched to her car.
“But…”
Jade ignored Nora’s pleas and kept walking. Her steps slowed as she approached her Lexus. There was something smeared on her window. She punched the button to unlock the door and carefully approached the driver’s side, her eyes scanning the area for any suspicious activity. A large hand print covered the glass, definitely from a man.
Jumping in the car, she locked the doors and drove to the nearest car wash to remove the disgusting mark.
It was probably just some bum wandering aimlessly down the street. Or maybe it was someone trying to get a better look inside. She wanted to believe either story, but deep down she knew it was from the weirdo sending her the disconcerting notes.
Chapter Twenty-One
The transformation of Jade LaRossa back to Juliet LaRue completed, Jade emerged into the California sun and slipped on her shades. Her freshly tinted hair almost blinded her when she caught her reflection in a store front window. She sighed. She'd been so happy the last few weeks with her natural shade of chestnut. Thankfully, she had been able to talk the hairdresser into a temporary dye that would wash out in a few days.
Along with her conversion back to Hollywood starlet came the same feelings of anxiety, pressure, and unease. She felt worn down, burdened, out of control of her own life. And with those feelings came reminders of the disturbed fan sending equally disturbing letters.
Jade picked up her pace. Nora texted while she was waiting for the bleach to do its job and asked Jade to meet her at Spago. Although she just wanted to go back to the house and rest, she agreed. Her assistant seemed frazzled and on the verge of a breakdown.
She entered the trendy restaurant and spotted Nora immediately. Jade kept the glasses on, hoping not to be recognized. The public had never seen Juliet LaRue with anything but short hair so she hoped to fly under the paparazzi radar.
After exchanging small talk, Jade ordered a lobster Cobb salad and Nora ordered the Thai chicken salad. The waiter filled their water glasses and excused himself. Nora updated Jade on all that had happened since she'd been gone. Two directors wanted to talk to her about upcoming projects, her latest movie, “Enemy Lover” was set for release on DVD, Cosmo wanted her for a photo shoot and Letterman invited her to his show to update the fans on her well-being.
“Oh, and I forwarded mail to you. Some package came for you this morning but I didn’t think you'd have time to deal with it here, planning Kyle’s funeral and all. I just slapped a label on it and forwarded it to the address in Indiana.”
Nora started to say something else but stopped.
Jade waited and when her assistant remained silent, her brows scrunched in a frown, she prompted, “What?”
Nora leaned forward, as if passing on a juicy secret. “You can’t fire Sid, Juliet. He made you into the star you are, you know.”
Jade slammed her hand on the table and Nora jerked back with a startled squawk.
“Is that why you asked me here, Nora? Because if it is, I’m leaving.” Jade started to stand but Nora grabbed her hand.
“Now that Kyle is d-dead,” Nora swallowed, “you are all Sid has left, Juliet.”
“Spare me the theatrics, Nora. Sid has other clients.”
“But none like you two. He devoted all his time to making you and Kyle into stars.”
“He devoted his time to Kyle, No
ra. I was just a prop in the whole mix.”
Nora sucked in a breath. “How can you say that?”
“Sid is the one who insisted I marry Kyle, insisted I fire my old agent, insisted I do projects I either didn’t want to do or ones he knew would fail. Sid is the one who wouldn’t let me take on a starring role. And he's the one who made me go on Frank Talcott’s show, knowing darn well Frank's plans all along.”
“He thought you'd defend Kyle and the whole mess would blow over. He did it for you.”
“No, he did it for Kyle. And it would have been nice to have a little warning before…wait a minute. You knew?” Realization dawned and Jade’s throat tightened. She'd been played like a fiddle. “You lied to me, Nora. You knew what would happen when I stepped on that stage and you let me walk right out there like a sacrificial lamb to be attacked by a wolf.”
Nora looked panicked. “Sid said it…”
“Stop. I don’t care what Sid said.”
The waiter made a timely appearance with their salads but before he could place Jade’s she asked for it to be boxed. He scurried away with her credit card and salad to do her bidding. She faced Nora. Her assistant’s eyes were wide behind her tortoise shell frames.
“Why did you disregard my orders not to tell anyone where I was staying this summer, Nora?”
Nora shook her head, her chest heaving rapidly. “What? No, Juliet. I wouldn’t…I didn’t—”
Jade cut her off. “You told Kyle.”
Nora looked truly confused. “But it was Kyle.”
“Exactly,” Jade confirmed. “The one person I specifically ordered you not to tell.”
“But he just wanted to see you and—”
Again, Jade interrupted. “I guess I should thank you.”
Nora sat up straighter and smiled. She adjusted her glasses. “Oh, you’re welcome.”
“Because you helped open my eyes, made me see what I didn’t want to face. I'm taking charge of my own life, Nora. I call the shots from now on and I will only be associated with people who understand that, people who respect me, people I can trust.”
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