New Hope for the Little Cornish Farmhouse

by Nancy Barone

  Because, if truth be told, the money was already mentally spent, no joke. I’d already mended the roof, paid the tuition fees for both Ben and Chloe up until their final years and even paid off the mortgage. If you’re going to dream, dream big, correct?

  Besides, whatever sum I’d get out of it once Alice had her cut – and her advance back – was always way better than what I had now. Nada. Zilcho. So seriously, whatever the studio’s advance on the script would be, it would finally go on the kids. Chloe would soon need braces, and she had been pestering me to send her on that school trip to France, while I knew Ben could do with a new bed.

  He was growing at the speed of light, which made me fear all the more for his leg. Would he continue to grow while his leg didn’t? I’d heard so many different opinions from a gazillion different doctors, and no one seemed to agree. Some said he’d grow out of it, others said if he grew any taller he’d end up with a crooked spine on top of everything else and others predicted all sorts of horrifying ends.

  I couldn’t let anything bad happen to my baby. He was so cheery and fun-loving, and it made me want to bawl even harder. Please, I prayed, if only to cure him, let this whole deal go well.

  ‘This is not going to be easy, is it?’ Luke said.

  I looked up, half-terrified I’d missed something vital. ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘Your face…’ He laughed his famous laugh as we were waiting for our steaks.

  ‘Yes, I know, you find me funny.’

  He leaned in, fixing his cool blue eyes on me. ‘And beautiful.’

  Well, he sure knew how to work it. They didn’t pay him actors’ wages for nothing. I leaned away from the table, reaching for my San Pellegrino water.

  ‘Are you going to try to charm me into seeing things your way?’ I asked. ‘Because I’m not susceptible to male charm.’

  He shrugged. ‘Lots of lesbians love me, too.’

  ‘I beg your pardon? Do you think—?’

  ‘I don’t think anything. Besides the fact that you are a tough nut to crack.’

  ‘And why’s that?’

  He took a sip of his beer and swallowed. ‘Because you’re not the type to be dazzled by city lights. You believe what you believe in.’

  I was surprised he’d got that about me already. Or was it a ruse?

  He put down his glass, his eyes never leaving my face. He was studying me. Choosing his next words. So would I, I guess, if I had thousands of dollars riding on the cooperation of a writer/housewife.

  ‘Can I ask you a question?’ I blurted as I set my glass down, happy to see I’d kept it steady and not spilled it over my LBD. I still couldn’t believe I’d got so dressed up in the morning, even if it was the most important meeting in my life.

  Luke tilted his head, glancing up as he had many a time from the silver screen, only it had always been for the benefit of his heroine, the woman who would be charmed within an average timeframe of ninety-six minutes. He slapped his cheek lightly and sighed. ‘Oh, man, this is gonna hurt big time, I can feel it already!’

  I shrugged noncommittally. If anyone here was gonna hurt, it was me, and the kids.

  ‘Why – not that I’m complaining because believe you me, this offer has arrived in the nick of time – but why on earth would you want to produce a female-led romcom? I mean, wouldn’t someone like, I don’t know, Nancy Meyers better fit the bill?’

  He shrugged. ‘I got to it first.’

  ‘Yes, but why? You admitted yourself it’s not your cup of tea.’

  ‘No, I only said it should be told from both points of view.’

  ‘Then why don’t you talk about your own experience? You have the money, you have the connections, obviously.’

  He grinned. ‘That may be true. But I don’t have your talent.’

  My mouth opened. ‘You mean you don’t write?’

  He shook his head, looking very much like the Cheshire cat. ‘Nope.’

  ‘Not at all?’

  ‘Not even shopping lists.’

  ‘So let me get this straight. You want me to write your point of view? Even if mine is diametrically opposite to yours?’

  He nodded. ‘I’ve read all your books.’

  ‘I’ve only published three.’

  ‘I know. They were great. They are great. You write like a dream.’

  ‘Thank you. But you must understand that I can’t write what I don’t believe in.’

  ‘So you’re not gonna give this poor ex-husband, along with all the ex-husbands in the world, a chance to have his say?’

  ‘Why don’t you get someone else’s—’ I shut up immediately, not wanting to sound like I didn’t want the contract. I wanted it, and how. But I had no idea how we were going to rub along, if at all.

  And then he put his hand over mine. It was warm. ‘Was it that bad, Nina? The break-up?’

  I stared at his long fingers as they gently gripped mine. On what planet had I ever imagined having lunch in Hollywood with Luke O’Hara in the flesh, holding my flesh—I mean, my hand? Certainly this was all one misogynistic bastard of a dream that would leave me shattered the moment I woke up? I didn’t have time for ogling famous men on the internet, but now I’d have to find it because I needed to know exactly who I was dealing with. The man behind the face.

  I shrugged. ‘Yes. It was bad. But I’m over it.’

  ‘Then what is it? Do you not trust me? I promise not to be a total control creep.’

  I smiled. ‘No, it’s not that. I was just thinking of the benefits for my children. I’m pretty much broke and this would mean changing their life around completely.’

  He nodded, squeezing my shoulder. ‘I understand.’

  Yeah, sure, I thought.

  His eyebrows rose. ‘Don’t give me that look, Nina. I really do understand. My family was so poor we couldn’t afford anything. And they worked so hard, you know? But there was just no way they could dig us out of it.’

  ‘Really? I didn’t know that. Not that I know much about you. I confess to not being a—’

  ‘A fan?’ He grinned. ‘I had an inkling of that!’

  I snickered and took another sip of my San Pellegrino. Gosh, even the water tasted better here.

  He took a draught from his beer, still grinning at me. He had an addictive laugh and I found myself saying funny things just to hear it.

  ‘So do you agree, then?’ he said and I sobered up instantly, remembering why we were actually there.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Fantastic! I’ll have the papers drawn up. You’ll be happy you stuck with me and not Ben. He’s much too traditional and conventional. Congratulations to us!’ He clinked his glass to mine, that charming look on his face just as the waitress arrived. ‘Ah, our food, just in time! Thank you… Danielle,’ he greeted her, reading her name tag with a dazzling smile and she smiled back, apparently used to seeing Hollywood stars, but still star-struck by him. And it hit me again, where I was, and why.

  ‘So, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll come to England,’ he said, out of the blue.

  ‘Oh? Excellent.’ That way I wouldn’t disrupt the kids’ lives.

  ‘I’d bring Jessica, of course,’ he said as he took another swig of his beer. ‘My girl and I are inseparable.’

  I couldn’t resist asking. ‘Jessica?’

  He swallowed and nodded, cracking his fingers. ‘My daughter. She’s thirteen and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’

  ‘I didn’t know you had a daughter.’ As a matter of fact, I didn’t know a rat’s arse about him.

  ‘She was born blind. Lauren and I were two kids out of drama school. When we found out that Jessica was blind, it was too much for her. So she left. I haven’t seen her since.’

  I stopped eating. ‘What, not even phone calls or emails?’

  He shook his head. ‘Nothing. Better that way. At least Jessica wasn’t… you know…’

  Hopeful was the word I’d had in mind, but kept quiet.

  He searched for
the right expression, and then, having found it, rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Led on. Jessica knew from the start it was just me and her.’ He looked up with a grin. ‘But actually, it wasn’t that bad at all. Jessica’s a great kid, the way she lives with her disability.’

  ‘She sounds like a strong girl.’

  ‘She is. And you? What are your children like?’ he asked, and I smiled.

  ‘Chloe is thirteen, too. She’s much smarter than she thinks, and is a real rebel. Determined. Clever. Free-spirited. Ben is eight, and he loves words and cars. Anything motor-driven, really. And he has a disability as well.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

  I shrugged. ‘He wears a leg brace because one leg is shorter than the other. Some doctors say it’s a bone issue, others say it’s just a ligament or a muscle. Some say to wait, while others—’ I stopped. ‘I’m sorry, this is not—’

  ‘No, it’s fine. I wish I had had someone to talk to who wasn’t a shrink,’ he said, then made a face at his own admission. ‘That sounds real sad-ass, doesn’t it?’

  ‘All parents are sad-ass,’ I agreed.

  ‘Was it hard, with Ben?’

  I looked up, surprised. ‘Ben? No, not at all. He’s a dream. Chloe’s my bigger worry, to be honest.’

  ‘Chloe? But she sounds so lovely!’

  ‘Trust me, she was a real nightmare to raise. Especially after the break-up. Everything was my fault. Ben has always been mine, while she was Daddy’s girl, you see.’

  He harrumphed. ‘So is Jessica, but not by choice. I was all she had.’

  ‘How did you manage… everything?’

  He smiled. ‘One day at a time.’

  ‘But Jessica, may I ask, is there no…?’

  ‘Operation? No. We’ve been to the best doctors, all over the world. Jessica is missing a nerve that cannot be re-created in a lab. At least not yet.’ The muscles in his jaw tensed and I recognised my own pain for Ben. ‘But when that day comes, she’ll be first in line…’

  For a while we exchanged parenting nightmares, which made me relax a little more, and I realised I had a very decent human being before me.

  ‘I’d like to meet them,’ he said.

  I rolled my eyes. ‘Careful what you wish for.’

  He chuckled and looked up. ‘You know what? I think I’m going to love Cornwall. You make it sound so… epic in your novels.’

  ‘I must confess, I never thought you’d come to Cornwall.’

  ‘Did you think we were going to email each other the dialogue beats then?’

  I laughed. ‘No, of course not. I thought—I really didn’t think of the practicalities. I never thought we’d agree on anything at all, really. But you in Cornwall?’

  ‘What’s wrong with that?’

  Come to think of it now, the very thought of Luke O’Hara in Cornwall made me want to giggle. And hurl at the same time. Would he be hunted by the villagers? Stalked by Vanessa? Loved to death by Deirdre? Shocked by Old Nellie’s potty mouth?

  I shrugged. ‘I don’t know. You live in LA where the cars are fast and people are obsessed with the way they look and what they eat. I can’t see you sitting in the village pub and bingeing on pasties. You’ll die of boredom.’

  He threw back his head and laughed. ‘Ah-ha, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m an Iowa boy and I’d like nothing more than to feel the Atlantic winds in my hair.’

  Iowa? Google would have known that, but somehow I felt that checking it out would be betraying his confidence. Silly, I know because all over the globe were Luke O’Hara experts who knew his shoe size and had never even met him, while I’d be working with the guy and felt guilty about the slightest curiosity. That’s the way it was with meeting famous people, I guess. You didn’t want to seem to be invading their privacy.

  He grinned. ‘Your face…’

  I sat up. ‘What?’ Did I have salad dressing on my chin or something?

  ‘You really don’t know jack about me, do you?’

  I shrugged. ‘I haven’t got much time for Hollywood gossip.’

  ‘Me neither. I hate it when people think they can impose on your privacy just because you’re an entertainer.’

  I studied him, trying not to at the same time.

  ‘You’re doing it again.’ He laughed.

  ‘Doing what?’

  ‘Asking yourself questions about me when all you have to do is ask me.’

  ‘Sorry I gave you that impression. I’m not the curious type,’ I lied.

  ‘Well, that’s a relief.’

  ‘Are you always so biased towards us commoners?’

  ‘You are anything but common. What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean that when you meet someone, are you always thinking that they can’t see you as a normal bloke?’

  He considered it. ‘You’re right. I’ve become jaded. Hey, would you and your kids like to come and meet Jessica, maybe break the ice before we come to England?’

  Would you have needed to think about it? ‘We’d love to, thank you.’

  ‘Then why don’t I swing by and pick you all up tomorrow?’ he said as he helped me out of my chair and walked me to the lift. ‘I can whip up something for lunch. Have the kids bring their swimsuits. We’ll all go for a swim and maybe roast some marshmallows around the fire in the evening, after dinner. Would you like that?’

  A whole day at the O’Hara mansion? What did one say to something like that?

  ‘Cool.’

  At the lift, he turned. ‘Nina, thank you. I know this is gonna be a great movie! You are the best!’

  I blushed despite myself. ‘I bet you say that to every writer.’

  He chuckled. ‘I wish. No, just you.’

  I raised a hand to say goodbye as the doors closed, but he lurched forward and blocked them. ‘I almost forgot – what’s it called?’

  ‘What’s what called?’ I asked.

  ‘The pub where I’ll be eating pasties. Just so I can picture it.’

  ‘There are several in Penworth Ford. Our local is The Bobbin’ Buoy.’

  ‘Then I’m looking forward to it becoming my local, too.’

  11

  California Dreaming

  ‘A swimsuit? For the ocean or for a pool? Lucky I packed both, although I’ll bet they have a pool! Everybody in LA has a pool,’ Chloe cried. ‘I can’t wait to tell Chanel and send her some pictures!’

  ‘Ah, that’s the thing, darling. No pictures. Luke values his privacy, and I only think it’s fair to respect that.’

  ‘But, Mum!’ she protested. ‘Everyone posts pics!’

  ‘Not Jessica, I don’t think.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘Well, darling, because Jessica is blind.’

  Chloe sat back, eyes wide. ‘Blind?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But how does she, I don’t know, put her make-up on?’

  ‘I don’t know that she wears any. After all, she’s only thirteen, Chloe.’ Meaning, You, my dear, are way too much in a hurry to grow up.

  She rolled her eyes. ‘God, and I’m going to have to lug her around Cornwall?’

  ‘She’s not a trolley, Chloe. She’s a lovely girl who has had a difficult life and who has suffered greatly and with tremendous dignity.’

  Chloe snorted. ‘Yeah, I’d like to suffer like that in a California mansion.’

  God, the headaches she always gave me. It was no wonder I was getting wrinkles.

  ‘I hardly think she’d put make-up on secretly and try to scrub it off before she gets home like you do.’

  ‘Mum!’

  ‘Exactly. Mum. Not Stupid. Now go brush your teeth and get into bed. You, too, Ben.’

  I could see it on his face. Monster Trucks was on and he wanted to watch it to the end. He never asked for anything, and even now he was reaching for the remote to obey me.

  ‘Oh, go on, then. Maybe just a little longer,’ I offered, tucking him in.

  He beamed at me and lifted his arms to circle my neck
and I smelled Bold laundry detergent and toothpaste. And home. I held him fast to me and gave him a raspberry, which made him giggle. He may have been academically bright and mature for his years, but he was still my eight-year-old who needed to be reminded of one thing.

  ‘I love you a million gazillion,’ I said, then turned to bend over Chloe. ‘And I love you a gazillion million.’ But she put her hand up to stop me and yawned.

  Crikey, not even LA had mellowed her.

  ‘Mum!’ she ground out. ‘Alice is knocking on the door!’

  ‘Oh. Goodnight, then, don’t stay up too late. You want to be fresh tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ she mumbled and turned to face the wall.

  I moved into the living area and pulled open the door to see Alice in her nightgown and robe.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re really going to his house!’ Alice cackled in delight when I told her our plans for tomorrow in front of a bowl of crisps and a beer on the settee. Sorry, couch. ‘I’m so frickin’ jealous!’

  ‘I guess he wants the kids to bond before they get lumbered together. I’m worried about Chloe’s attitude towards his daughter Jessica, who is blind, so…’

  ‘Listen to you, talking about Hollywood’s heart throb as if he was your bosom buddy!’

  ‘Ha ha, very funny. I just can’t believe we will be working shoulder to shoulder.’

  She beamed at me. ‘You sooo deserve this, Nina!’

  ‘I know, I do, right? Sorry for doubting you,’ was all I could say. It was difficult for me to accept that I was finally getting what I had worked so hard for – and more. I just hoped I didn’t soar too high. Because the higher I climbed, the harder I’d fall back down splat on the pavement.

  After we’d had a quick drink and Alice went back to her own room, I tried to follow my own advice and get a good night’s sleep, but it was proving rather difficult, so I pulled out my laptop and went onto YouTube to watch some of his interviews.