by Elle Spencer
“Oh, great! So, I have you to thank for that heavy file box I’ve carried around for weeks?”
“Yep. But as you can see, Selena is getting more efficient with what she carries into the courtroom.”
Lacey scowled as they walked off the set. “You’re buying lunch.”
***
Lacey liked having a personal assistant. She sat cross-legged on the sofa in Quinn’s trailer, hungrily chowing down the lo mein Amy had just delivered. “I have a theory.”
“It’s not polite to talk with your mouth full?” Quinn guessed.
“That’s not my theory, but okay.” Lacey finished chewing and then took a sip of her soda. “Don’t you find the script changes interesting?”
Quinn took off her reading glasses, giving Lacey her full attention. “You think they’re onto us?”
“What’s with the last-minute scene? Selena thinks Jordan was with a woman? Seriously?”
“I know. I wondered about that too. I mean, the fact they made Selena gay in the first place. No one pitched that.”
Lacey set her food down, looking rather worried. “What if they’re too far ahead of us. What if they want Jordan in a gay relationship, just not with Selena? Selena’s only a first-year associate and I’m just a soap actress.”
Quinn closed her laptop. “First of all, you may be a soap actress, but you’re a brilliant soap actress. As for Selena, she’s smart and she challenges Jordan. She’s also very easy on the eyes. I can’t imagine them bringing in some big-name…”
Lacey put up a finger. “Wait, what was that last thing you said?”
“I can’t imagine…”
“No. Right before that.”
Quinn bit her lip to keep from smiling. “I’m not sure what I said before that.”
Lacey grinned. “Come on. Say it again. I’m feeling vulnerable here. They could replace me at any moment with some super actress.”
“That’s not a thing,” Quinn quipped. “But super model is a thing. Maybe someone like…”
“Shut up.” Lacey threw herself back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. “I can’t compete with that. I’m just a first-year associate you found on the second floor huddled in her little cubicle writing writs of habeas…whatever.”
Quinn giggled. “A first-year associate who is very easy on the eyes. And Jordan can be shallow, so don’t worry about it.”
Lacey smiled. She knew Quinn found her attractive. She’d noticed the lingering looks every now and then, but it was still nice to hear her say it. “I just don’t want to get dumped before I get a chance to show them what I can do.”
“We won’t let them.”
Lacey rolled onto her side, facing Quinn. “What do you mean?”
Quinn lowered her voice. No one else was in the trailer with them, but she wanted to make sure she wasn’t overheard by a passerby. “If they really are seeing something already, that means we’re doing our job with the slow and subtle build up. Now, maybe we should turn up the heat. Show them what fabulous chemistry we have. They’d be insane to give Jordan another love interest after they see that.”
Lacey’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Starting today.” She pointed at Lacey’s lo mein. “Now, stop talking and eat your lunch.”
“Are you this bossy in bed?”
“No, but I bet you are.”
Lacey purposely took a big bite of food and mumbled, “I plead the fifth.” Her phone started vibrating on the table. Quinn looked at the screen.
“It’s your father.”
Lacey put up a finger and tried to quickly chew her food. Quinn picked up the phone and in her most friendly voice said, “Hello, Professor Matthews, this is Quinn Kincaid. Lacey is just trying to swallow a big bite of food.” She winked at Lacey. “Yes, it’s so nice to talk to you too. Oh, you saw the season premiere? Yes, it’s going great. We’re just finishing up episode 4. Well, thank you, Professor Matthews, that’s nice of you to say. Okay, Ben it is. It looks like Lacey’s ready for you now. Hope to meet you sometime soon, Ben.” Quinn looked up in surprise. “This weekend?”
Lacey grabbed the phone and put it on speaker. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“Quinn sounds nice. I can’t wait to meet her. Hey, I know it’s late notice, but I want to fly out there this weekend.”
Lacey looked at Quinn and scowled. “Um…Dad, the shooting schedule is grueling right now. I wouldn’t be a good host. I couldn’t show you L.A. I couldn’t…”
Ben chuckled. “I don’t expect you to show me L.A., honey. I just need to see my only daughter in person. Make sure she’s okay. Your mother would be so disappointed if she knew we’d gone this long without contact. Her last words were…”
Lacey quickly grabbed the phone off the table and turned off the speaker. She turned away from Quinn as she put the phone to her ear. “I know what her last words were,” she whispered. “Stay in the same city, same neighborhood…” Lacey and her father said the last part together. “…same house if you can.” She turned back toward Quinn. “Yes, Dad. It is a long time.”
All of the air left Lacey’s body and was replaced with a heavy dose of guilt. It was the longest she’d ever been away from her father. Normally, they made time for each other at least once a week, sharing a coffee or lunch on the weekends. Now, was simply not a good time. They used the weekends to catch up on sleep and errands and anything else that got neglected during the week. This definitely wasn’t like shooting a daytime soap where you made it home for dinner every night. This was a heavy grind, especially for Quinn, being the star of the show and in practically every scene.
But Lacey couldn’t just outright tell him no. “I’ll have to check with Quinn.”
Quinn stood up. “No, you don’t. Tell him it’s fine. Tell him I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
Lacey gave Quinn a grateful smile. “Okay, Dad. Email your flight info. And Quinn says she’s looking forward to meeting you.” She ended the call and threw her hands up in despair.
“It’s fine,” Quinn said, her eyes lighting up. “Maybe I’ll cook,”
“Oh god, no.”
“Hey! You haven’t even…” Quinn thought about it for a second. “Oh, yeah. The French toast,” she said, referring to the one time she’d tried to cook for Lacey.
“It’s called The French Toast Incident and who the hell ruins French toast?” Lacey didn’t wait for a reply. “Never mind. We’ll grill something.”
***
Ben wrapped his arm around his daughter as they slowly made their way to the fire pit. Lacey leaned in and rested her hand on his chest. “It’s good to have you here, Dad.”
A tall man, with thinning hair and glasses, Ben Matthews looked like your typical history professor. Lacey got her long legs from him, along with her affectionate nature. Ben was never stingy with hugs and kisses when it came to his little girl. “It’s good to be here, honey. And as always, you cooked way too much delicious food for your dear old dad.”
“I’d send you home with the leftovers if I could.”
Ben stopped and turned toward the view, keeping his arm firmly wrapped around Lacey. “My gosh, what a view.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing.”
“Quinn is pretty amazing too. Any chance there could be something between you two?”
Lacey wasn’t sure how to answer that. Her father didn’t know about Quinn’s plans to come out of the closet. He also didn’t know anything about their contract. Her first inclination was to be truthful and scoff at the idea. Tell him just how incompatible they seemed to be. But she quickly squelched those feelings in favor of the lie they would soon tell the whole world. “Maybe,” she said with a shrug.
Ben chuckled.
Lacey pulled away from him. “What? Why are you laughing?”
“Because my daughter is glowing.”
Lacey folded her arms and scowled at him. “I am not. And even if I was, it’s just because I live in this mansion with a view of that.” She
waved her hand at the beautiful sunset. “And because I’m on one of the best shows on TV. Not because…” She glanced back at the house. “…of her.”
Ben tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet, a huge grin plastered across his face. “Okay.”
“Okay? What does that mean, okay?” She grabbed the two bottles of beer they’d brought out and headed for the fire pit. She opened a bottle for herself and took a big swig. Then, opened one for him and handed it to him when he walked up.
“This looks cozy.” Ben took a sip of his beer and sat in a lounge chair. Lacey sat on a loveseat on the other side of the fire.
“Very different from New York where we all live on top of each other in little boxes.” Lacey set her beer on the arm of the chair and picked at the label. Her brow was furrowed like she was deep in thought.
“It suits you,” Ben said, smiling at his daughter.
Lacey shook her head. “Daddy…”
“I won’t say anything in front of her, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He leaned forward in his chair. “You’re not a parent yet, so you might not be able to understand the joy I feel right now.” He put his hand on his chest. “My heart is full, because I can see that you’re happy out here. You’re thriving. And you can tell me all day long that it has absolutely nothing to do with that magnificent woman…” Ben stopped and stood up when he saw Quinn walking toward them with something tucked under her good arm. He reached out to help her. “Here, let me take that.”
“It’s cooling down pretty fast out here, so I brought us a couple of blankets.”
Ben set one on his chair and waited for Quinn to sit next to Lacey before he laid one over their laps. “There you go.” He winked at Lacey and went back to his chair and sat down. “We were just talking about this amazing view you have.” He gestured with his beer at the ocean view that was quickly fading as the sun disappeared on the horizon.
Quinn tucked her legs to the side and leaned in toward Lacey. “Honestly, Ben, I never fully appreciated it until Lacey moved in. She loves it out here, don’t you, Lace?”
Lacey shrugged. “It’s okay.” She looked at her dad and giggled.
Ben shook his head and laughed with her. “You probably don’t know this, Quinn, but when Lacey was a little girl, she was a handful. She had so much energy and so many opinions, her mother and I were exhausted most of the time, just trying to keep up with her.”
Quinn nudged Lacey’s shoulder. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”
“Anyway, we’d saved up all year for her Christmas present; a trip to Disneyworld. We had a great time. Took a ton of pictures. Ate junk food the whole time. Any kid’s dream, right?”
Quinn started to giggle. “Oh god, where is this going?”
Ben shook his finger at Lacey. “We get back home and we ask her, so what did you think of your Christmas present? And she said, ‘It was okay,’ with the biggest shrug that a ten-year-old could manage.”
Quinn covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, god.”
“Yeah,” Ben said in agreement. “And, as you can imagine, that didn’t sit well with Daria, so she turned it around on Lacey.”
“My mom started shrugging a lot,” Lacey said. “I got straight A’s and I got a shrug. She opened a Mother’s Day present and I got a shrug and an 'It’s okay,' even when it was something I’d worked really hard on, like TWO crocheted hot pads.” Lacey held up two fingers to emphasize her point.
“Aww…” Quinn rubbed Lacey’s leg. “Did you learn to appreciate what your parents did for you after that?”
“It went on for a few months,” Ben said. “And one day, Lacey couldn’t take it anymore. She broke down crying, begging for forgiveness, which Daria quickly gave her, and after that, it became a running joke in our family. The last time I said it to Lacey, she’d just given me a re-touched, beautifully framed photo of Daria’s and my engagement picture. I cried and shrugged my shoulders.”
Quinn still had her hand on Lacey’s leg. She gave her a sympathetic smile, then turned back to their guest. “It’s been so nice having you here, Ben. I hope you know you’re always welcome.”
“Thank you. And I’ll be happy to take you up on that when you girls are on hiatus. As it is, I’m flying back out in the morning.”
Lacey sat up. “What? You just got here.”
Ben put up his hand. “No arguments. I know how busy you both are, and I appreciate you taking time for me today. I just needed to see that you’re safe and happy so I could stop worrying.” He stood up and looked at his watch. “It’s midnight my time. Do you mind if I call it a night?”
Lacey and Quinn both stood up. “Sorry, Dad. I forgot how late it is for you.”
Ben offered his hand. “I’d give you a hug, Quinn, but I don’t want to crush your arm.” He quickly took his hand back and chuckled. “Well, you can’t exactly shake my hand, either.”
“I’ll take a hug.” Quinn stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
Ben hugged her as gently as he could and then took Quinn’s left hand in his. “Take care of my girl. She’s feisty, but she has a heart of gold.”
Quinn laughed. “Yes, she is. And don’t worry. She’s safe here.”
***
Lacey got her father settled in the guesthouse and then knocked on Quinn’s bedroom door. “You still up?” she asked, poking her head in.
Quinn took off her reading glasses and tossed them on the bed next to her. “A car will be here at nine to pick up your dad.”
“Thank you for taking care of that.” Lacey sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs. “You were fidgety at dinner.”
“Nothing gets by you.” Quinn leaned back, resting on the headboard. “My skin is itchy under the cast, and I didn’t want to pull out the knitting needle to scratch it at the dinner table.”
“Oh, no. That would’ve been terrible,” Lacey mocked.
“My mother would tell you so.” Quinn smiled. “Your dad seems like a lovely man.”
“Yeah,” Lacey returned the smile. “He’s one of the good guys.”
“Unlike my father.” Quinn looked away. She’d never told Lacey the story, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to now, but Lacey sat there, patiently waiting for more. “He waited until I’d gone off to college to tell my mom that he’d been having an affair with his much younger assistant. He thought if he waited until I wasn’t there to witness it all, it would save our relationship. Well, he was wrong.”
“Is that why you go by your mother’s maiden name? Kincaid?”
“How did you know that?”
“Everybody knows that, Quinn. It’s on your wiki page.”
“Oh, right.” Quinn kept her eyes on her hands. “As their only child, I was expected to live up to these impossible standards. Meanwhile, he’d been doing whatever the hell he wanted. He probably fucked her and then came home and reprimanded me at the dinner table for getting a B in…whatever.” She took a deep breath. “When I found out about it, I decided to start living my life for me. I moved out here, and no, I did not want to go by his name.”
“They didn’t want you to go into acting?”
Quinn scoffed. “My mother is reluctantly proud of me. And my father…he’s dead to me.”
Lacey shook her head. “Don’t say that.”
Quinn looked her in the eye. “It’s true.”
Lacey pursed her lips together and sighed. She paused for a moment before she said, “I was a bratty teenager when my mom got sick. You’ve never seen someone sober up so quickly, but I still have regrets. I still think about all the times I could’ve said more, done more for her. And she wasn’t perfect. She had a temper. She didn’t always think before she spoke. But she was my mom, you know? And I’d give anything to have just one more day with her.” She looked at Quinn, waiting for a reply. All she got was a nod. “Anyway, the cast might come off next week.” She reached for the knitting needle sitting on the bedside table and held it up. “In the
meantime…”
Quinn took the needle and Lacey stood up. She leaned over Quinn and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well.”
Quinn grabbed Lacey’s hand. She held onto it for a few seconds, looking like she had something important to say. All that came out was, “You too,” as she let go.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Okay, Quinn. Everything looks good, so let’s get that cast off.”
“Yay!” Lacey clapped her hands. “No more being your lady’s maid.”
The doctor laughed. He’d met Lacey once before during a check-up, and enjoyed her humor. “She’ll still have to take it easy, except in therapy. In therapy, I expect you to kick her butt.”
“Will do, Doc. No worries there. I’ve always wanted to play a female drill sergeant who’s both hated and loved by her new recruits.”
“I think it’s mostly just hate those poor kids feel,” Quinn said.
“Whatever. We’ll hit the Army surplus on the way home and get me a drill sergeant’s hat. Maybe the whole outfit.”
Quinn groaned. “Good god, Doc. You’ve created a monster.”
A few minutes later, a nurse stepped into the room with a cast saw. “This won’t take but a minute and you’ll be free again.”
Quinn put her hand on the nurse’s arm, stopping her. “Will you save the autograph? I think it might be valuable someday.” Quinn’s eyes met Lacey’s. They shared a smile. Quinn looked away first, her cheeks reddening. “Do you watch soaps?” she asked the nurse.
“Yes! I have to record them and then catch up on my days off. Who signed your cast?”
“Lacey Matthews.” She pointed across the room. “Over there in the corner.”
The nurse immediately stopped what she was doing and turned around. “Sarah Covington!”
Lacey gave her a little wave. “Hi.”
Quinn grinned from ear to ear, happy to give the spotlight to the woman who had cared for her so well. The woman who would soon be thrown into a very big spotlight.
***
“Lift those beans, Quinn Kincaid!” Lacey was pushing Quinn to finish a set of exercises with nothing but a small bean bag in her hand. “Are you telling me you can’t lift beans?”