by Wendy Wax
By the time she got back to Bella Flora the painters were working and a fleet of vans and trucks were parked at the curb. A custom cabinet company truck had been backed into the driveway, its rear doors open. Two men were making trips in and out of the kitchen under Deirdre’s supervision while Chase and Robby stood in the foyer discussing the powder room, which was too small to hold both of them at the same time.
Maddie walked through Bella Flora, delighted with all she saw, but found no sign of Kyra. In the master bedroom, Avery and the room’s designer were mounting the room’s original wrought-iron window valances, which were now repainted black with fabulous gold tips and bronzed bull’s eyes.
When the designer was satisfied, Avery joined Maddie on the landing where Malcolm Dyer’s effigy had once hung. “Have you seen Kyra?” Maddie asked as they stared down at the activity below.
“Sure have,” Avery said. “A big white limo came to pick her up about twenty minutes ago. She said she’d been invited out for brunch and would be back later.” Avery smiled, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “I took a peek when the chauffeur opened the door for her.” Avery’s smile broadened. “I’m pretty sure the person waiting in the back seat was Daniel Deranian.”
Maddie had pretty much decimated what was left of her fingernails by the time the limo pulled up in front of Bella Flora two hours later. The shiny white vehicle looked incongruous in the midst of the pickup trucks and design company vans. Everyone stopped working to watch it glide to a stop on the brick drive. The silence was complete as the driver jumped out and walked around to open the back door.
Kyra emerged first, beaming with happiness and looking quickly over her shoulder to watch Daniel Deranian emerge from the vehicle with the ease of long experience. Kyra looked like a happy, albeit pregnant, child in her white baggy capris and oversized white blouse. Daniel Deranian looked like what he was—a Hollywood megastar—tall and lithe with dark intentionally unruly hair over wide-set dark eyes. His skin was a golden brown—a testament both to California living and his Armenian ancestry—and rakishly unshaven. His white T-shirt was almost as bright as his smile and clung to a well-defined chest and abs and skimmed over low-slung jeans. He was forty, almost twenty years Kyra’s senior, barely a decade younger than Maddie, but he could and did play midthirties. Everything about him shouted “look at me!” Everybody did.
Drawing a calming breath, Maddie speed walked down the stairs and pulled open the front door. Daniel followed Kyra inside and when Maddie extended her hand, he took it in his. Kyra practically levitated with happiness. She smiled a delighted “I told you so.”
“Mom,” she gushed. “This is Daniel Deranian. Daniel, my mom, Madeline.”
He flashed perfect white teeth. The realization that his hand was softer and better manicured than hers registered briefly, but there was a personal magnetism that made this seem unimportant. It was slightly surreal to see the face that she’d seen splashed across a wide screen and in Technicolor this up close and personal. They just stood there shaking hands until she realized what she was doing and disconnected. He smiled in amusement, but not surprise. This was a man who was used to disconcerting people, especially females. His gaze lifted to the landing where Avery still stood in her Daisy Duke shorts and bodice-hugging T. The flare of sexual interest in the actor’s eyes was immediate and unmistakable. Maddie had to look away from it; Kyra was too busy smiling to notice.
“It’s a beautiful house,” he said to Maddie. “I’ve been watching Kyra’s postings on YouTube but even her video didn’t do it justice.”
So he’d been watching and obviously waiting. But for what? “Thank you. We’ve all fallen in love with Bella Flora. We’re hoping that someone who can appreciate her will want to own her.” Good grief, she sounded like a sales brochure.
He continued to smile at her. Maddie smiled back.
“Mom,” Kyra said, still levitating with happiness. “Daniel and I would like to talk to you about something. Can we go outside where we can have some privacy?”
“Oh. Sure.”
She turned and led them down the central hallway, keeping to the protective runners. Behind her Kyra described the house’s “before” to Daniel and stopped to show him the Casbah Lounge. They passed the arch that opened to the kitchen and Maddie caught a glimpse of Deirdre on a stepladder holding up two different knobs in front of a cabinet, and she wondered whether the woman would be reporting this visit to her contacts in Hollywood. If Deranian was worried about being spotted, he didn’t show it. Neither did he pant after Kyra in any noticeable way.
At the pool they sat in one of the wrought-iron groupings with a view out over the pass. Maddie tensed briefly when a wave runner zoomed parallel to the seawall but relaxed when it kept on going. If the paparazzi were aware of Daniel’s arrival in the Tampa Bay area, they hadn’t yet tracked him this far.
“Daniel wants to take me back to California with him,” Kyra said. “His private plane is at the Clearwater Airport.” She reached a hand out to squeeze Daniel’s. Maddie hadn’t seen her happier since the Christmas morning when she got her very first video camera.
Maddie wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Will he be divorcing his wife and marrying you first?” seemed a bit aggressive. “That’s great, and what will happen to you and your child when he moves on?” seemed a tad negative. She settled for “Oh” while wishing that Steve—the old Steve—were here to help her navigate the potential minefields. Then again, Deranian had shown up just as Kyra had insisted he would. Maybe what Maddie said or didn’t say wasn’t all that critical; maybe Kyra was going to get her happily-ever-after after all.
“Look, I know you have to be worried about Kyra,” the actor said. His delivery was smooth and perfectly sincere. If this had been a movie, she would have bought it completely. But this wasn’t a movie; this was her daughter’s life. “Anyway, I want you to know that I’m going to make sure that she and the baby have their own place. And a car. Well, you know Kyra will have the car, not the baby.” He smiled ruefully, but earnestly, with good intention. “I’ll take care of anything they need.”
Maddie nodded. Kyra beamed.
“That way I can see both of them whenever my, um, schedule allows.”
Kyra stopped beaming. Maddie wasn’t sure whether to nod or not.
Kyra turned to Daniel. “But where will you live?” she asked, surprised.
“Why, in my house,” he said as if this were obvious. “In Laurel Canyon.”
“Well, why wouldn’t we just live there with you?” Kyra asked. “I don’t get it.”
Maddie didn’t want to “get it” but was afraid she did. Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his seat and for a moment he seemed at a loss, as if he’d arrived with the script memorized and now some of the lines had been changed. He turned to Maddie for help, and she felt her heart twist painfully in her chest as she watched the confusion wash over her daughter’s face. Would Kyra really want her here when comprehension finally dawned?
“I’m going to let you two discuss this further on your own,” Maddie said, rising. “I’ll just be inside.” She shot Kyra a bracing look. She had no idea what kind of look to send Daniel Deranian.
“Come on, Kyra,” he said. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Maddie watched them head toward the path to the beach. Kyra’s face was turned up to Daniel’s in question, but the admiration was still there. Maddie went into the house, afraid to think about what kind of look Kyra would be wearing when they returned.
Inside she paced the central hallway dodging frantic designers, stopping for just a few minutes in the kitchen where Deirdre was supervising the cabinet and counter installation before moving into the salon where a young slimhipped designer hung deep fuchsia curtains while his partner unfurled a brightly patterned area rug. At any other time Maddie would have savored the outstanding culmination of all their hard work—the house was practically preening under all the attention—but she couldn’t seem to focus and instead move
d from window to window, watching anxiously for Kyra’s return.
“Are you okay?” Avery asked when she found Maddie back in the master bedroom pacing its length.
“No.” Maddie pressed her forehead to the far front window and twisted in an effort to get a glimpse of the limo, which was now idling at the bottom of the driveway with the driver posted outside it. Because of the darkened windows, she couldn’t tell if Kyra and Deranian were in it or still out walking on the beach. “I’m so afraid she’s out there having her heart trampled all over, I can hardly breathe.”
“But he came,” Avery pointed out. “None of us really believed he’d show up, but he did.” She smiled at Maddie. “Maybe it’ll all work out.”
“Maybe,” Maddie said, turning away from the window to face her friend. “But I feel like there’s a rock in the pit of my stomach. Daniel Deranian may play romantic heroes in his movies, but I don’t think that applies to his real life.”
Below, the driver moved to the rear door and swung it open. Kyra got out slowly. She took a step away from the car and stood for a moment, her shoulders set. It was only after the car had backed the rest of the way down the drive and headed toward the bay that she turned to watch it go.
Maddie watched her daughter watch the car. When it was no longer visible, Kyra turned and walked resolutely into the front garden. Maddie raced down the stairs and out the front door. She caught up with Kyra at the newly repaired fountain.
“So?” Maddie asked quietly as Kyra lifted her tear-stained face.
“So.” Kyra squeezed her eyes shut, then scrubbed at the tears on her cheeks with the back of one hand. “He made me a really good offer,” she said. “Considering he’s not getting a divorce or ever planning to marry me.”
“Aw, honey.” Maddie stepped closer, wanting to wrap her arms around her daughter.
“I can go live in L.A. and see him when he feels like it. Tonja’s moving back into their house. She told him it was okay.” Kyra’s mouth twisted in a bitter smile. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “That’s the open kind of relationship they have.” She sniffed. “You were right, Mom. You were right the whole time.”
“No, honey, I just . . .” Maddie’s voice trailed off. “It’s just . . . mothers never want to see their children hurt or even disappointed.” She reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Kyra’s ear. “I love you and I want the best for you. I hope you know that whatever you choose, I’ll . . . we’ll . . . always love you and stand by you.”
Maddie felt her own eyes well with tears.
“He actually thought I’d jump in that stupid car and go with him,” Kyra said. She looked at Maddie, her eyes too old now for her face. “What’s really scary is that if I hadn’t been watching you all summer, I might have.”
“What do you mean?” Maddie asked.
“I’ve watched you deal with all the shit that’s been happening. You took charge when you had to and you didn’t give up on Dad; you just kept going, doing what had to be done. I didn’t realize how strong you are.”
The words settled over her. She hadn’t thought in those terms, she’d just been plowing ahead trying to hang on. But Kyra’s recognition was like a balm to her soul; one she hadn’t realized she needed.
“Me, neither,” Maddie said. “You don’t really know what you’re made of until things fall apart.”
“Well, I want to be strong like you,” Kyra said. “And I don’t think you would have settled for being somebody’s piece of ass on the side.” Her gaze dropped before she looked back into Maddie’s eyes. “I think I deserve better than that. And so does my baby.”
She pulled out a business card from her pocket and handed it to Maddie. “He gave me his attorney’s card and told me there’d be some kind of settlement for the baby. Only I have to sign something that says I’ll never name him as the baby’s father or give interviews or anything.”
“Well, at lest he didn’t try to shirk his financial responsibilities,” Maddie said.
“No. Apparently this isn’t the first time this has happened.” Kyra’s laugh was hollow. “Kind of ironic isn’t it, that Tonja’s trying to adopt all these third-world babies, while Daniel’s just sort of running around creating his own?”
“Yeah.” Maddie put her arm around Kyra and drew her into a hug. “Let’s go get your video camera and get some shots of Bella Flora. I can’t believe how fabulous she’s looking; I know Avery’s not going to want to admit it, but Deirdre’s kitchen is going to be completely to die for.”
Thirty-seven
On the day Tropical Storm Bernard’s little sister Charlene began to form, Bella Flora’s scaffolding was dismantled and hauled away, leaving her luscious pink walls glowing and unobstructed in the late afternoon sun. The next morning shortly after sunrise Avery rolled off the chaise in the master bedroom where she’d been sleeping, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and went into the bathroom to wash up as the first carloads of garden ladies began to arrive.
After taking a few minutes to tuck her pajamas and toiletries into the back of a closet and eradicate all signs of her occupancy, she hurried outside.
Madeline, Kyra, Deirdre, and John Franklin sat at the wrought-iron table that now anchored the loggia. Deirdre, who had kept her distance from Maddie since the recent tongue-lashing, gave Avery a raised eyebrow, which she ignored. Maddie scooted her chair over to make room and passed Avery a still-steaming cup of coffee.
Avery sipped the coffee gratefully and helped herself to a hunk of coffee cake as they watched Renée Franklin organize and deploy her troops.
John nodded at Kyra’s video camera, which sat on the table within easy reach. “You know those videos of yours have caused quite a stir in real estate circles. Posting pictures and video online isn’t new, but the way you’ve added the human element to the renovation has really built interest. I had to add on office staff just to handle the calls and emails. It would make a great television show.”
Kyra looked pleased at the compliment, and Avery saw Maddie reach over to squeeze her daughter’s hand. Although Daniel Deranian had apparently proven he was not the hoped-for Prince Charming, Maddie and Kyra seemed on much smoother ground.
Kyra got up to shoot video as Renée and an assistant began to fill the first of six huge containers with bright tropical blooms. “I must say you all have far exceeded my expectations.”
“Why, thank you, John,” Deirdre said. “It’s been incredibly gratifying to see Bella Flora blossom back to life.”
Avery looked at Deirdre, who’d already done her hair and makeup and gussied up in a white linen pantsuit. It was barely seven A.M. “I hope you’re going to remember to thank all the ‘little people’ who helped make your achievement possible,” Avery said.
“But of course,” Deirdre said smoothly as Avery winced at how petulant she’d sounded. “No one could have done this alone. Though there are those who would have tried.” She gave Avery a second eyebrow then stood regally like the Queen of freakin’ England. “I’m going to go double check today’s delivery schedule and then see if the mural in the living room is dry.” She left, leaving a scent of gardenia in her wake and Avery feeling unvindicated.
“You know, I keep wondering where Nikki is and whether she’s okay,” Maddie said in an obvious effort to change the subject. “I mean maybe she was telling the truth about being a victim.”
“Even if she was, she could have at least told us about the connection to Dyer,” Avery said. She did not plan to admit that it just wasn’t the same at Bella Flora without Nikki. “But then maybe dishonesty runs in her family.”
“Like stubbornness runs in yours?” Chase had come up behind Franklin. He popped a piece of coffee cake into his mouth.
Avery snorted and sneaked a peek at Chase through her bangs. He’d never brought up the night she’d told him off, but ever since he’d been less combative. Sometimes he even listened to what she said. Once he’d actually agreed to do something her way. Which had left her feeling like
she was having some sort of out-of-body experience.
Now she caught herself thinking about how his lips had felt and how much she’d liked his arms wrapped around her. She shook her head to clear it. “Do you think they’ll ever catch Malcolm Dyer?” she asked. “Or figure out where he stashed all that money?”
“I sure hope so,” Maddie said. “I mean it would take a while to sort everything out and return even a portion of the money, but it would be such a relief to have that to look forward to.”
“I think we’re going to sell Bella Flora before any of that happens,” Chase said. “Don’t you, John?”
The Realtor launched into an explanation of the interest they’d received to date and his plans for marketing the property. By the pool Renée Franklin was already on the second planter. She patted the bird-of-paradise into its center and then began to tuck in several poppy red geraniums and sprays of purple and yellow lantana to trail over the edge. Her straw hat bobbed up and down as she answered questions and dealt with problems presented by her minions. By working on all sides of the house at once, they hoped to be finished before the temperatures grew too hot. Tomorrow sod would be laid along the edge of the driveway and on the western side of the house.
The sound of vans and trucks arriving out front reached them and Chase popped one last bite of coffee cake in his mouth, chewing it with relish. “I’m going to do a final walk-through today and put together a punch list. Dad and I are going to take the boys camping up in the north Georgia mountains later in the week. We’ll be back in time for the opening cocktail party Labor Day weekend.” He smiled, pleased, and Avery’s lips stretched into a smile, too.
“You’ve done a really great job,” she said, surprising them both. “And your subs have all been first-rate.”