Something Better

by Gail R Delaney

  "Thank you," David said with a smile and nod at the young girl.

  Andi took a deep breath as soon as the door shut again. David hooked his finger beneath her chin, urging her to look at him. "You get nervous, just look at me. Don't look out at the audience. Don't look at the cameras. Look at Brooke or look at me. Talk to me. Okay?"

  Andi nodded and stepped away to straighten her sweater. David took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. With another deep breath, she nodded and smiled and they headed for the door.

  *****

  "So, what's it like to be dating someone with such a loyal fan base?"

  Brooke looked between them, her attention settling on David. Andi looked at him, her mouth turning up in a slow, secret grin that made him smile right back. It was infectious.

  "It's been... interesting to say the least. Took a bit to get used to."

  Brooke patted her hand, drawing her attention back to the host. "That's so precious, Andi. But, I was actually talking to David." David chuckled and Brooke motioned her hand toward him. "What's it like to date a cultural phenomenon, David?"

  "Aaaah... intimidating," he answered, shifting to rest his right ankle on his left knee. He laid his arm across the back of the couch so he could stroke the exposed skin along the side of her throat with his thumb. Her skin was warm, either from the barrage of questions Brooke tossed at them with practiced ease or from the bright stage lights. A dusty pink color stained her cheeks. She was a breathtaking kind of beautiful.

  "You've got to understand, Brooke, that I was a fan of Andrea Parker just like the rest of the world before I ever met Andi." He cut his hand in the air to make his point. "After being offered the role of Jason in Rise of Dawn, I went and got the book." He looked to Andi, a rush of... something... he couldn't quite define rushing through him at the way she smiled and listened. He knew she didn't see herself the way the rest of the world saw her. Whether she ever would, or not, he didn't know. But he doubted it. "I went back to the bookstore that night. I devoured the entire series in six days. This woman is amazing."

  Andi's cheeks flushed even deeper and she looked away. David leaned over and kissed her cheek just in front of her ear.

  "You two are just adorable," Brooke gushed. "So, sounds to me like you were the star struck fan when the two of you met?"

  "Oh, absolutely." David nodded emphatically and grinned, looking from Brooke to Andi. "I kept trying to find excuses to talk to her..."

  Andi gaped, then snapped her mouth shut with a clack of her teeth. David chuckled softly. "I was like a kid in junior high. I tried to sit beside her at lunch. I resorted to just about everything but giving Benton a note to slip her in study hall. Once..." He brought his arm from behind her and shifted forward, grinning. "I got her favorite kind of cookies from catering and acted like I didn't want them, just so I could give them to her."

  "I remember that..." Andi said softly, and his eyes shifted to her.

  "I take it this is the first you've heard about this?"

  Andi licked her lips and nodded, finally turning her attention from David to look at Brooke. "He knows how to impress a girl."

  Brooke huffed a chuckle. "I should think so. We'll be right back from commercial to talk a little bit more with David and Andi. We might even talk about Rise of Dawn, the next movie in the series The Forgotten, and maybe Andi will share a little bit about her next project."

  A red 'Applaud' sign lit up, giving the audience the okay to clap just before the massive, red neon 'On Air' sign on the back wall clicked off and a low murmur of conversation immediately stirred through the audience. Brooke stood and headed off stage, talking to one of the headset-wearing, clipboard carrying assistants. David leaned into Andi and turned his face into the side of her throat, kissing her neck before whispering in her ear. "You are amazing. You're doing great."

  "And you don't play fair."

  "Who? Me?" David slouched a little so he could rest his head on the back of the couch and look up at her. She tapped his chest with her hand, but kept it there, her fingers toying with one of his vest buttons.

  "Did you make that stuff up about the cookies?"

  "No." He arched his eyebrows and shook his head, laying his hand over hers so her palm rested over his heart. "I swear. And it wasn't easy, because I love oatmeal chocolate chip cookies." David released a slow breath, knowing he hadn't stopped smiling since they walked on stage, but he didn't really care. "I guess I love you more."

  *****

  As soon as the interview lights clicked off, Andi slumped in the director's chair. She didn't even wait for their most recent -- and last -- interviewer to clear the room. "I don't think I've ever been this exhausted after four hours of talking in my entire life."

  David laughed beside her. "This is nothing. Try doing the morning show gauntlet, followed by these 'to be aired' entertainment interviews, then hop a plane for New York to do the night time variety shows."

  Andi groaned and let her head fall backward, sliding down further in the seat. "Please, no."

  "Speaking of trips, I've been thinking about something...

  Andi laughed and rolled her head, looking at him from her strange slouched angle. "Oh, boy. The last time you started a conversation with I've been thinking I ended up somehow agreeing to today. I don't know if I want to hear the follow-up."

  David laughed and held out his hand, palm up. Andi took it, lacing her fingers through his. "I was thinking about your book signing tour."

  Andi groaned and closed her eyes again, not even wanting to think about the three-week tour she was supposed to begin a week after New Years. It was a few weeks away, but she already worried about it. She hadn't figured out yet what to do with Jake. Did she take him out of school and take him with her? Did she ask one of his friend's parents if he could stay with them? It was too late to ask her parents to come, but she'd just forgotten to call in the chaos of the last few weeks. They might still come, but it would be tough. If things didn't change, Lawrence would still be in Los Angeles, but she'd be damned if he even picked Jake up from school, let alone kept him for three weeks.

  None of that even touched on the fact that she wouldn't see David for three weeks. Filming began on The Forgotten right after Thanksgiving, and he wouldn't be able to get away.

  "I want to take Jake while you're gone." His simply stated words snapped her attention back to him, and Andi stared in the dim studio lighting. He smiled, his thumb stroking the side of her hand. "Actually, I figured I'd stay at the house. I'm there most night anyway." He winked and she smiled. "On the days I have late call, I'll take him to school. And on the days I have early call, maybe I can drop him at a friend's house so they can ride in together. But, we'll have dinner at the house every night and he won't have to have his life disrupted any more than it will be just by you being gone."

  Andi smiled, tilting her head. "You've been thinking about this for awhile."

  He shrugged. "Long enough to have some great weekend plans figured out for us while you women are gone."

  Andi popped up her eyebrows. "Us women?"

  "Hey, I grew up with two sisters." He shrugged and laughed at her look of disdain, no matter how fake it was. "It's not often I have an opportunity like this. You know, guy time."

  "So, I'm guessing your plans involve copious amounts of sports on television--"

  "Or action movies. I'm thinking a Lethal Weapon marathon. Maybe even a Swayze marathon."

  "Swayze?" she asked, sitting up. "As in Patrick? Dirty Dancing Swayze?"

  "No." He attempted to look put out, but failed miserably. "Red Dawn, Next of Kin, Roadhouse..."

  "Don't you think those movies might be a bit racy for an eleven year old?"

  "I've got the edited versions. All the cool guy action without the naughty bits."

  Andi smirked, shaking her head. "Followed by take out--"

  "If we can't have your cooking, all that's left for us is pizza and Chinese," he explained with another shrug, as
if that both dismissed and explained his reasoning.

  "And copious amounts of video games?"

  "Only when homework is done, of course."

  "Of course."

  "Come here and kiss me."

  He grinned wide and hopped down from the chair, coming around to stand in front of her. The height of the director's chair gave her a slight advantage. Andi sat up and wrapped her legs around his waist, his hands sliding up her thighs until he curled his fingers into the material of her slacks at her hips. "So, is that a yes?" he asked.

  "Why do you think I'm going to kiss you," she said, making her voice as breathy and seductive as she could manage. She kept her eyes open to watch his expression as she brushed her lips against his.

  Before she could complete the kiss, her phone vibrated against her thigh. The buzz turned into her generic ringtone before she could free it from her pocket, but she glanced at the screen before answering.

  "It's Theresa," she told David, her gut clenching involuntarily. A call from Theresa could go either way these days, and Andi never knew what to expect. David moved back and offered his hand as she stepped off the chair and glanced around to make sure the camera crew for the last interview was gone and they were alone in the studio sound room. "Hi, Theresa."

  "Hey, Andrea. Did I catch you at a good time?"

  Andi nodded, looking up at David. He stood at her side, watching her, waiting just like her for whatever Theresa had to say. "Now is fine. We just finished some interviews."

  Theresa paused, and Andi thought she heard a slight sigh. The rhythmic tap-tap of Theresa's pen against her desk or laptop carried through the phone. "Andi, I got word of the hearing today."

  Andi swallowed. "When is it?"

  "Three days. I also found out the judge who will be hearing the case. Judge Ron McKay. Or, as some call him, One Day McKay."

  "What does that mean?"

  "It means he's notorious for wrapping up these kinds of situations the same day he hears both sides. He doesn't believe in messing around, believes everyone should be allowed to move on -- whatever his decision ends up being."

  "So, you're saying this will be over in three days."

  "I'm saying most likely it will be over."

  David's hand curled along the back of her neck and he drew against his chest, kissing her hair. But, she wasn't ready to breathe just yet. She tipped her head back, and the momentary relief she saw in his eyes slipped away, a deep line digging into the spot between his eyes. She obviously failed at any meager attempt she made at hiding the cold dread in her gut.

  "He's brought on a lawyer to assist with the case," Theresa finally said. Andi imagined the proverbial shoe hovering in the air, waiting to drop to the floor at any moment. Along with it, the lead ball waiting to hit her gut. "Bruce Kane. Remember when I said your ex was a little minnow in a tank of sharks? He's brought on a shark."

  "What does all that mean?"

  "It means he's got someone who knows how to play LA hardball." Theresa huffed again. "They've submitted an addendum to the petition for change of custody orders."

  Andi turned to the chair she'd just left, bracing her hand on one of the wooden arms while holding the phone to her ear with the other. "Please, Theresa, just... spit it out. I don't have the nerves for this."

  "Along with the accusations that you're not fit to care for Jacob, if rewarded custody, they want the exchange to be immediate. Which means Jake has to be present at the hearing--"

  "No!" Andi snapped.

  "And if custody is awarded to Bonherre, Jake must be prepared to leave with his father from the courthouse," Theresa continued, ignoring her protest. "You must have prepared a packed suitcase of his basic necessities. Arrangements would be made later to pick up the rest of his things."

  The rest of Theresa's words buzzed in her head -- barely coherent -- but enough to grip her lungs in a steel fist and make her vision darken. "Oh, God, no."

  "Listen to me, Andrea. I told you at the beginning, and I believe it now, he's not going to win. Do you hear me? He's making threats and accusations to shake you up. He's still hoping you back down and meet his demands. He's even made sure Bruce passed that on to me, under the guise of arbitration, of course. If you concede and do what he demands, he'll back off. Don't you get it? He's scared witless that you'll win. You called his bluff--"

  "Oh, God," she just kept saying, unable to find any other words.

  Theresa kept talking, but Andi didn't hear any of it. She held the phone out blindly, and David took it from her. She turned back to the high chair, bracing herself against the arms so she didn't collapse or fall over. Andi couldn't draw in a deep breath, couldn't swallow, couldn't think. How could he do this? How could he rip Jake from her like this? Was he truly this cruel? This heartless? Did he honestly hate her so much that he would sacrifice Jake for the chance at vengeance?

  On the edge of her consciousness, she heard David talking -- and then cursing -- before he slapped closed the phone.

  He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her hair. "Andi..."

  "Son of a bitch," she hissed. "How am I going to explain this to Jake? How am I--" She choked, unable to finish. "I can't-I don't even know--"

  "We'll do it together."

  She managed to lift her head, looking at him through blurred eyes. Damn Lawrence for ripping her heart out once again.

  "If you want," David added, smoothing his hand over her hair as he curled it behind her ear. "I'll help you tell him."

  "He wants to take Jake in three days," she whispered, even though she knew Theresa had told him the same thing.

  "I know." David turned her to face him, taking her face in his hands. He crouched enough to look her straight in the eyes. "Sweetheart, listen to me. He's not going to take Jake. There is no judge in the state that would grant him sole custody. I swear to you, I believe that with every..." He shook his head, huffing. "With every cell of my body, I believe it."

  She nodded, unable to do anything else. David wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself sink into his chest. She pressed her ear to his shirt, closing her eyes to focus on the rapid beat of his heart. "Take me home, David."

  The flashes of at least two-dozen cameras blinded them as they stepped out of the building into the parking lot. David cursed and pulled her against his side, holding his arm up in a vain attempt at blocking their shots. Bodies closed in around them, shoving and pushing, jockeying for a better shot or a better angle. The smell of stale cigarette smoke, Mexican food and body odor assaulted Andi's senses, greasing her stomach. Shouts of their names joined the cacophony of clicks and shouts.

  "Are your husband's accusations against you true, Andi?"

  "Did you leave your husband for a woman?"

  "David, are you in a polyamorous relationship with Andrea Parker and Maggie Connelly?"

  "Will you fight the custody claims or will you give up your son?"

  "Andi, has your son witnessed you having sexual relations with men?"

  Andi covered her hand with her mouth, feeling like a coward for turning into David's chest, but their questions made her sick. David pulled her with him, leading with his shoulder to divide the horde so they could pass.

  "Back off!"

  One photographer stumbled back, dropping his camera when David shoved him aside. It shattered at David's feet and he kicked it away. The mass followed them across the parking lot to David's car, but at least she could breathe. David opened her door, shielding her from their eyes and cameras with his body as she more dropped than sat in the car. He slammed the door and went around the front of the car, shouldering another photographer aside to open his door. They surrounded the car, their camera lenses pressed to the glass, the flashes blinding her.

  The performance engine roared to life and David twisted to see out the back window, backing the car up without hesitation, forcing the paparazzi to scramble to get out of the way or be run over. He threw the car into drive and gunned it, leaving a loud tra
il of rubber in the parking lot.

  Two miles away, he pulled into the parking lot of a grocery story. The car jerked when he stopped it in a vacant parking space near the exit. Only then did the sob tear its way out of her chest and she folded in on herself.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  "We won't call Jacob to the courtroom unless it's absolutely necessary, I promise you."

  Andi stood beside Theresa, her stomach in her throat as Maggie and Jake walked away from her to wait in an empty conference room. Jake looked over his shoulder, his lips turned down in a frown that broke her heart. She touched her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss, forcing a smile.

  "What kind of a man would drag his son into a hearing like this? What kind of father puts his own selfish need for retribution over his child?"

  "The kind of man who makes a fool of himself in front of a judge and loses."

  The heavy conviction of her attorney's voice made Andi turn back, but only when Maggie and Jake were longer within sight. "I am putting my entire life at risk based on the strength of your conviction."

  Theresa laughed softly, but the sound lacked any humor. "I love Hollywood. Everything is life or death--"

  "If I lose," Andi cut her off, failing miserably at keeping the edge from her voice. Not that she tried. "My life ends today. My son will be gone, and he is my life."

  She'd fought for three days to keep her emotions in check, to keep from weeping where her son might hear or see, to put on a face that might convince the world that she believed this nightmare would end. She'd cried all her tears in an Albertson's parking lot, making damn sure they were done before she looked into her son's eyes. People would just have to deal with some cut to her words.

  Theresa's smile slid away, her expression finally reflecting the serious edge in her eyes. Finally reflecting the heaviness of the air and the truth of the day. "I told you, Andrea, that there would be no promises coming into this. The only promise I could make was that if you did nothing -- or worse, did what he demanded -- you would live under the thumb of Lawrence Bonherre until Jacob reached adulthood. Of that I am absolutely sure."