by Conn, Claudy
Staring at the wrought iron gates that surrounded the premises, he took a deep breath before driving through the open gates. He hoped his parents and sister would be happy to see him, but there'd be questions, no doubt. Marianne did a number on his reputation, for sure. The sad thing was, he felt a little bad for her in the beginning. Not anymore. Not after her true colors showed.
If there was a way to say what he really needed to without losing his integrity, he would. It wasn't a good idea to let her spew her lies, but if the world knew the truth, would it be any better? Kevin wasn't a Scrooge. In fact, it was because of a selfless act that he found himself in this position.
He didn't even get a chance to park the car and step out before the front door opened and his sister flew out of the house. Marly Jean sure didn't dress for winter. Kevin's gaze lowered to her feet- bare feet! Though she didn't venture from the porch. Marly Jean stood on the edge, waving her hands wildly, the biggest grin plastered across her pretty face. “Kevin! You made it! OhMyGod, YAY! I'm so glad. We have tons of wedding activities!”
He left his stuff in the car for the moment and darted up the porch to wrap his sister in a hug. Not only was she barefoot, Marly Jean wore a knee length dress- red with white polka dots. At least the sleeves went down to her elbows, but geez. “Did you not get the memo that Old Man Winter is in full force?” he teased, setting her down.
She immediately socked him on the shoulder. Hard. Kevin flinched, but hid his discomfort as much as possible. A memory flashed in his mind. He swallowed hard and rubbed his shoulder. Damn, his sister still packed a punch. Never underestimate the power of a sweet Southern girl. “Don't be such an ass. Get in the house!”
“Yes ma'am!” He saluted. Time for a needed change of subject. Kevin hoped Marly Jean didn't pick up on his moment there. “Hey, I'm trying to put a name to a face, and I'm hoping you can help me out. I ran into someone in the mall parking lot earlier. She must know me and isn't too keen on seeing me back in town.” As Kevin described the feisty woman, Marly Jean's eyes went wide.
“You don't recognize her? Not surprised. She's really grown up, lost weight, and cleaned up her appearance. That's Sasha Moretti. She works at the mall.”
His heart did a disco dance. No. Freaking. Way. Sasha Moretti? Now he wanted to kick himself in the ass for not recognizing her.
Back in high school, Sasha had been the quiet girl. Bookish, shy, and a loner. She worked in the library after school, and on the days Kevin needed a break from his family and life's expectations, he'd go hide in the back of the room pretending to look at books. After he first discovered Sasha, he went more often just to get a peek of her. She'd never talk to him, barely looked his way even, but Kevin had been intrigued. He'd always wondered what it would be like to be her. Sasha seemed to not have so many things expected of her. Or maybe she did, and that's why she'd hid in the library as well. Something about her always pulled on his heart.
He'd never told anyone, either. Not that he was ashamed of semi-crushing on a curvy shy girl, but because he didn't want any of his crude friends to start picking on her as they had with other girls he dated or liked. Nope, he'd spare her of the bullshit, though he watched her from afar. Why he hung out with some of those people sometimes, he'd never know.
That was then. This is now.
Damn, what an impression she left on him today, especially knowing who she was. Had she always been that feisty? Something had been bothering her, and his sarcastic remarks probably didn't help much. If he'd known, he would have done better to make a good impression.
While in town, he made a vow to make it right with her. Not that Sasha would ever know how he'd felt about her back then, but it would make him feel better. She obviously disliked him for some reason, and he couldn't figure out why.
“Hello? Kevin! You're so not listening to me!” His sister's red lips formed a pout, and she stomped her foot.
“Yeah, I am. Totally listening,” he lied, knowing she'd probably see right through him.
“Keeee-viiiiiin! You were not listening! I know that look in your eyes!” Marly Jean wailed.
“Maybe you should have gone into acting. You've got the dramatic flair down pat,” he chuckled, ducking as her fist came flying at his arm again. “Ow! Not the shoulder, sis. I've got a new gig coming up that will be showing them off. I can't have a bruise.” Hopefully that covered up his flinch. Would she see right through him there, too?
She drew her brows together, and he expected more dramatics. His sister let out a giggle instead. “You're so dumb! I can't believe I was going to tell you how much I missed you.”
Kevin flashed his famous dimpled grin her way. “Come on...tell me. I need to know.” He winked. “Besides, don't you want your wedding gift?”
“Oooh! Hollywood has made your head even bigger!” She threatened to smack him, but didn't this time. “You know I missed you, big brother.”
“Well, look who we have here. The big star is home.” Dad ambled down the stairs with a half smile. “Nice to see you remember your roots, son. Your face has been plastered all over the news lately.”
“Don't remind me. I'm supposed to be on vacation, and I don't want this whole thing to keep blowing up in my face.” Kevin sighed, shaking hands with his father. A handshake had always been their way of affection, if one wanted to call it that. At sixty years old, his father still had the look of intimidation. His jet black hair didn't have even a strand of gray, and his deep brown eyes could stare someone down to the ground without blinking for a while. As CEO of a computer software company, his father had done well for himself. He'd always wanted to hand over the company to Kevin's capable hands, but he was neither interested or capable, which put them at odds. “You look good, Dad.”
“You aren't looking so bad yourself. Welcome home. You should come by the office sometime while you're here, see our newest developments and projects.” He nodded stiffly, then backed away without another word.
His father wasn't subtle at all. It was a hint to try and talk him into leaving acting.
Not gonna happen. Well, unless his career was shot thanks to the Scrooge rumors, but he most definitely wouldn't work for his father, for multiple reasons.
“Wait til you meet Rocky. He is the most amazing guy!” Marly Jean squealed. “He also wants to get into acting. Maybe you can give him pointers.” She fluttered her eyelashes, the same way she always did when she wanted something.
Her comment sent alarm signals. Hopefully his sister's soon to be husband was marrying her for love, not for the connections he felt he could get.
*****
Waiting sucked.
Sasha considered herself a fairly patient person. She could wait for things without getting too antsy. But when waiting for results on a pregnancy test, she ended up walking around the apartment, nitpicking at the nonexistent clutter while the stupid little stick which held the fate of her future sat on the bathroom counter. Peeking would do no good. It would only drive her nuts.
This became the longest five minutes of her life. Hell, the last time she'd had sex it didn't even last five minutes. It was part of the reason she and Jace knew they didn't mesh. Zero chemistry in that department.
What the hell was she going to do if she was pregnant with his kid? Could she only be friends with her child's father? And if she wasn't pregnant, why the hell was she so late? How would she be able to manage a baby and still care for her father at home?
Her timer went off, signaling that it had now been six minutes since she'd peed on the stick. She'd given it one extra minute just to make sure the results were clear.
If it was negative, she could toss this stupid thing, get ready for the party with Jace, and get on with her life. A few weeks of agonizing over.
If it was positive...
No. Don't go there yet. Just read the stupid results.
Sasha neared the stick, sucked in a deep breath, and looked. Her heart raced.
Not pregnant.
“Merry Ch
ristmas to me! Wow, why did I wait so long just to get this answer?” Sasha did a little happy dance and tossed the pregnancy test toward the trash can. It missed, bounced off the side of the can, and hit the floor. Not caring, she washed her hands, then took off for the bedroom to prepare for the night. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She skipped to her bedroom, threw open her closet doors, and searched for an outfit to wear. Sasha had odds and ends assortments in her wardrobe that she loved to put together in unique ensembles. Even though she hadn't been able to go to college and get out of this town, at twenty-five, her dream was still to get into a good fashion school.
One day. She could still reach for the stars and show the world she was made of something great, instead of hiding out like she'd always done. But for now, it was a pipe dream until she could actually afford to go.
Pulling together a knee length red velvet skirt with a white knit turtleneck sweater with sleeves that went down to the elbow, she found a red scarf and let the ends dangle down the front.
It dawned on her as she fixed her hair and makeup that she'd be seeing Kevin tonight. Could she really avoid him, even though Marly Jean's guest list included half the town and then some? She doubted it. Maybe if she hung on Jace's arm and tried to act like they were together without him questioning things...
Yeah, right. Either way, she couldn't avoid Kevin for long. What was the big deal, anyway? He'd be in town a month or so for the wedding festivities, then be on his merry way to fill the tabloids pages again. He wouldn't look back or remember his encounter with her at the mall. Sasha could go on ignoring him and not caring that he'd never paid a bit of attention to her back in high school. Why the hell did it matter? Kevin was town royalty, and she was a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who'd finally righted her life enough to not be ashamed. Except she was still paying for her father's actions from years ago. Sure, Sasha had agreed to help Dad out and make sure he got the care he needed instead of going to prison- after she'd lived in her car for a year during high school. Sasha refused to let anyone know just how bad things had been. She'd been a scared seventeen year old, and everyone knew her father wasn't of sound mind. At first, it was the tumor that he'd never let anyone know he had. That's where the problem started- he needed the money to get the surgery. His mood swings and actions had all been because of that. But because he hadn't told Sasha, she'd thought something else. The Alzheimer's diagnoses two years later only added to the problems.
She wanted out, but couldn't go. Dad was her only living family member, and Sasha would do her best to take care of him and enjoy whatever time they had. He barely remembered her any more, which hurt like hell, but it wasn't his fault.
“You getting ready to leave?” Arlene Meredith, friend and part time caretaker for her father, stood in the doorway of her bedroom.
“Yeah. Jace should be here any minute. Where's Dad?”
“Sleeping. Go for a few hours. We'll be fine,” Arlene assured her.
Sasha surprised the woman with a hug. “If I haven't said it lately, thank you for everything you do.”
She wasn't looking forward to the party with people she didn't fit in with, but a break was a break.
She desperately needed one.
Chapter Three
Kevin couldn't recall the last party he'd been at that wasn't full of actors, actresses, producers, screen writers, and more. Things usually got interesting. Dramatic. Stuff that screen writers and even journalists or reporters wanted the inside scoop to- script writers for inspiration, and the rest went without saying. He'd met Marianne at one of those shindigs. A sweet young thing looking for her big break, carrying plenty of baggage. He'd fallen right into her clutches.
Suffice to say, it was nice being in the house he grew up in for a party leading up to Marly Jean's wedding. She'd shown him the itinerary, and all he could do was shake his head and laugh. Only Marly Jean. She wanted everything to happen in a big way. Boy, was her husband going to be in for a lifetime of expectations.
Speaking of, Kevin hadn't been introduced to Rocky yet. Where was the man of the hour, anyway? Marly Jean didn't even seem fazed by her missing fiancé. She strode around the large room with a smile, soaking up the attention. A quartet played string instruments in the corner. They were all dressed in red, their bows flying across the strings in perfect sync.
“You look lost.” Kevin faced his mother when she spoke. Mom seemed much happier about his arrival than his father had.
“I'm just people watching,” Kevin replied, giving her an air kiss.
She replied with a curt nod. “I'm not sure about this Rocky guy, but your sister is determined. Don't be surprised if he starts easing his way over to you. I sense his actions aren't truthful. I hope I'm wrong...” Her gaze swept the room.
“Is he good to her?” Kevin asked, mentally preparing himself for the time he finally got to meet the man in question.
“I don't think he can handle your sister's upscale life. Not saying he doesn't have money, but you know the way she does everything to the extreme. I see this lasting five years, tops,” Mom replied honestly, setting her lips in a thin line. “Don't you dare repeat this, either.”
“You have my word,” Kevin promised, taking in the information. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, also searching the crowd for familiar, friendly faces. Conversations always turned awkward pretty quickly with his parents, and especially after the latest in the news on his public life. Mom hadn't said much about it yet. It was only a matter of time.
His gaze landed on the front door when it opened, and the woman from earlier waltzed in on the arm of a man. Sasha Moretti. He studied her up and down, from the outfit that stood out because of its uniqueness, to her hair and face. Especially her face. She'd changed so much from the quiet girl she used to be. Sasha took more time to do her hair and makeup, whereas she couldn't be bothered with it in high school. But that was something which had drawn him to her. Sasha didn't care about fitting in. She didn't give in to teen peer pressure to put on gobs of makeup to hide a natural beauty no one seemed comfortable with. While she still didn't fit in, especially at this party, Sasha's makeup was modest, but still noticeable.
Who the hell was the man? Her boyfriend? Well, guess he wouldn't be running over there to find out why she didn't seem so happy to see him earlier. Not that everyone needed to be happy to see him, but Sasha had some pretty obvious feelings toward him. Kevin wanted to know why. Had he done something to her all those years ago that would cause her to have that sort of attitude earlier?
Somehow, he'd have to catch her off guard tonight and talk to her, with or without that guy on her arm.
Considering his history with women, he wasn't sure why he felt the need to be near Sasha.
*****
Sasha knew right away she would always be the oddball in this town. Why oh why had she agreed to accompany Jace tonight? He was good friends with Rocky, the groom. Jace didn't really need someone to be his arm candy tonight, so why did he invite her? The questions would remain in her mind only. Unless she got a few drinks in her, then who knows what might come out.
Now that she knew she wasn't pregnant, she could drink tonight. From the looks of this fancy 'little get-together', she may end up with more than a few. Sasha would never get used to these kind of parties. She'd only been to a few, as her socially awkward status pretty much left her off the guest lists. That was fine and dandy with her.
It didn't hurt to live a little. Pretend like she had a life and didn't have dreams of running far away to never look back again.
“Jace! Hi!” Marly Jean squealed. “I'm so glad you could make it!” She threw herself in his arms, causing Sasha to take a step back. Golly, this woman's presence was overwhelming! As if just noticing Sasha by his side, Marly Jean mustered up a semi-friendly hello. Her inquisitive gaze landed back on Jace. Yep, everyone knew they weren't dating anymore, so why did Sasha even come? She imagined this would be the first of many awkward moments.
“Marly Jean, you know my good friend Sasha. She's my plus one tonight.” He put a heavy emphasis on good friend. Fine with her.
“Great to have you.” Marly Jean flashed a row of perfect, straight white teeth.
Sasha felt two inches tall and anticipated the stomp like she was a bug. Regretting this decision, she forced a smile. “Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.” Did she sound convincing enough? Hopefully the next few hours would pass quickly so she could end this already miserable night.
She didn't fit in with this crowd. No amount of pretending would change things.
“You doing all right?” Jace asked quietly, looping his arm through hers.
Hell no, she wasn't. Sasha had no plans to let him know how uncomfortable this whole thing was. “Sure,” she replied, hoping she sounded convincing enough.
“We've been friends long enough that you can tell me the truth, you know.” He steered her toward a quiet corner of the room. Concerned eyes stared her down.
“Why did you want me here tonight? Is it so wrong for you to come alone, especially considering we're exes and you have a new girlfriend?” she blurted. Well, she didn't even need a drink in her to get that out. Huh. Rare for her, and interesting. Most definitely interesting.
“Because I worry about you,” he admitted. “You're so busy trying to save your dad and make everyone forget what he did that you aren't living for you. I thought if I could get you away from your problems for a night, it would be beneficial. I see maybe I'm wrong. I thought we'd made it to the point of being okay going places together as friends.” He grasped her hands. “Sasha, no matter what, you're my friend, and I want the best for you.”
Damn him. Damn him for being so sweet, so wonderful, but so not for her! Just her luck. Tears formed in her eyes. “Really?” She couldn't muster much else out.