Starcrossed Hearts

by Star Crossed Hearts (lit)

  His story made her giggle with delight. After awhile, Mac sighed and his expression became serious.

  "You would know I was lying if I told you I wasn’t worried about what’s happening. I am. But I don’t think we’re dealing with a real terrorist. I think it’s some amateur trying to scare us for some reason. And I have a thought, but I don’t think you’re going to like it."

  "What?"

  "I want you and the kids to go up to Nick’s for awhile."

  "Without you?"

  "Without me."

  She looked as if she would work up a protestation, but paused, lifting her head to check on Devon, now sleeping in his car seat nearby.

  "Hear me out before you kick up a fuss. I’ll fly you up there myself and deposit you with your sister. I’ll come back and see if anything else happens. If it doesn’t, I’ll come and get you. If it does, well, I’ll deal with it. But I can’t function worrying about you, babe."

  "What are you planning to do? Just sit and wait for someone to break in and get you?"

  Mac smiled at her question. "No, I’m not painting a target on my butt. I’m going back to work. If something’s going to happen, it’ll happen."

  "Work? You found something you want to do?"

  "Well, it sort of found me."

  Jessica again raised her head and he turned to face her, pulling her close against him.

  "God it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to hold you like this."

  "I’m still fat."

  "I still want you."

  Playfully he kissed her neck and ear until she was giggling and breathless.

  "Tell me about the job."

  "Would you hate it if I cut my hair?"

  Jessica frowned in mock concern. "How short?"

  "I’m playing a politician."

  "What a coincidence. Dane’s doing a film about a senator."

  "No, he isn’t."

  Jessica’s eyes widened as she absorbed the news. "You’re doing Dane’s picture?"

  "He offered it to me. What do you think?"

  Jessica seemed almost more taken by this news than by the prospect of going to Utah. "It’s…not up to me. Gee, I think it’s a great opportunity. That’s a pretty different role for you…is it a Pierce production?"

  "Of course. And Dane’s directing."

  "You’ll be playing opposite Jackie, then."

  "Uh, no. Jackie’s out. He’s casting someone else. Hasn’t found anyone yet."

  "Good, because the answer would be a resounding ‘no’ otherwise." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Do you think you could work with him? After everything?"

  "My only fear of working with Dane is that I’ll be standing too close the next time someone tries to kill him."

  "I’m serious, Mac. He can be difficult…he has a hellacious temper on the set."

  "It’s no worse than mine. And it’s worth a cool million. My hair will grow back."

  "So when do we leave for Utah?"

  "You aren’t going to fight me?"

  "What good would it do? If it will give you the peace of mind you need to get going on this project, then I’ll go. If…"

  "Yes?"

  "You call me every night and visit me every weekend until I come home. Deal?"

  "I wouldn’t have it any other way…" Mac embraced her firmly. "Now," he continued. "There’s a few other things we have to settle."

  They discussed Megan’s desire to live with them, both agreeing that it would be wonderful, as long as Linda was amenable. And if and when Jessie went back to work, they’d hire a nanny to care for both the children.

  "She’s already part of our family, Mac. And I’d hate her to stay with Linda if she’s uncomfortable with Linda’s new husband."

  "Okay. That’s settled." There was one more item on his agenda, but he hesitated, reflecting on just how to tell Jessica about his sister. Before he could begin, Devon began to fuss and Jessica tore away from him.

  "He’s hungry."

  "How do you know?"

  "Because I’m his mother." Tenderly she cradled the tiny infant, opening the snapped panel of her blouse to nurse him. Mac sat up and moved to sit close to her, watching with intrigue as the tiny mouth moved against her breast.

  The moment was almost solemn.

  It struck Mac that he had been cheated out of his son’s first few days of life; the madness of the night of Devon’s birth had melted into his mother’s death with almost no break; the funeral, the vandalism, the long night out with his friends had all taken their toll on his fatigued mind. Now he stared down in wonder.

  "Linda didn’t nurse Megan," he said, caressing Devon’s cheek with the back of one finger. "She was too nervous."

  Jessica didn’t answer. She seemed spellbound by the moment, waiting for Mac to continue.

  "I really do love him, Jess. I’m sorry I haven’t been with it the last few days. But things will straighten out and get back to normal. You’ll see."

  "Whatever that is," she murmured softly. "We don’t really have a ‘normal,’ Mac."

  "Maybe I shouldn’t do the film."

  "Maybe you just need to think about it awhile. But I’m in, for what it’s worth. It would give you another opportunity to broaden your experience." She paused, not looking at him as she continued. "But it’s all between you and Dane. I don’t want to be involved, and I don’t want to get put in the middle of anything. Okay?"

  Mac didn’t answer, only smiled bemusedly.

  "What’s so funny?"

  "I can’t wait to make love to you again."

  Discussing Charlene would have to wait.

  ~ * ~

  The second week of January brought twelve feet of snow to Brighton, Utah. The lodge closed as they struggled to dig themselves out, and Jessica paced across the lobby before the fire.

  "You’re going to wear out that rug, Jess." Christine was busy cleaning out a cabinet in the recreation area off the lobby, and watched her sister thoughtfully.

  "Sorry. I’m a nervous wreck."

  "Miss him that much?"

  "That much and more."

  "He was just here four days ago."

  "I know, but now he probably can’t fly in this weekend. I wouldn’t want him flying in this weather anyway. But--"

  Chris approached her sister and touched her shoulder affectionately. "You two have something really special, don’t you?"

  Jessica nodded, tears stinging her eyes.

  "It’s like I can’t be without him now. After everything we’ve been through, first with what happened in Amande, then the thing with Wesley, and all that time he was in New Zealand and we weren’t talking…Chris, Mac is my whole life. I need him. I think about him all the time, I’m not hungry, can’t sleep…"

  Just then Megan skipped into the room and rushed Jessica with a hug. Lifting the girl into her arms, Jessica embraced her tightly.

  "Look at this, Aunt Chris! Look at this beautiful young lady I have here! Isn’t she gorgeous? She has the loveliest brown eyes you’ve ever seen." Megan giggled then squirmed her way down.

  "Auntie Chris? Can I have some punch?"

  "In the fridge, dear. Be careful not to spill."

  Megan trotted off and Chris gave Jessica a warm smile. "Cup of coffee? It doesn’t seem to be getting any warmer in here."

  ~ * ~

  Pierce Productions had been ready to begin filming back in December. All that had been missing was the talent, and now that Dane had cast them, "Action" was called.

  In his dressing room at Paramount, Mac ran his fingers over the back of his head with trepidation, feeling the short cropped haircut with disdain. Sighing, he leaned closer to the mirror to inspect his reflection. Definitely conservative. Jessie will hate it.

  The charcoal pinstripe suit wasn’t bad, though, and it had been ages since he’d worn a tie; a red tie, at that. Picking up the gold wire-rimmed glasses, he gingerly threaded on the earpieces and leaned back. They had styled his bangs to fall onto his forehead. M
ac turned his head from side to side in surprise. No Doctor Jim here.

  Today’s set was a courtroom. Mac looked around expectantly for Dane, finally spying him hard at work adjusting the lighting angles with a technician on a catwalk above. Seeing Mac below, he quickly maneuvered down a rickety scaffolding and jumped to the floor.

  "Jesus, MacKendall, you almost look too good for this. Maybe we should cast you as the president instead. You ready?"

  "As ready as I’ll get. Is she here yet?"

  "Who?"

  "I’ve forgotten her name; the actress playing the district attorney."

  "Oh, Vicki? Probably. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?"

  "Gorgeous. Right."

  ~ * ~

  The filming had gone okay, except that the loss of one camera had slowed them down somewhat. Mac drove home, tired but satisfied with the day and the feeling of working again. He couldn’t wait to get Jessica on the phone, to tell her once more that nothing new had happened. He was thinking about flying her home in a few days; when the snow melted.

  He had had the Volvo taken away. After the Lotus. After the BMW. Maybe we should try public transportation, he thought grimly.

  The weekend after Jessica had gone to Utah, Mac had painfully sifted through Reva’s belongings, had packed away some and passed the rest on to charity. He had nearly forgotten that his mother owned a car; the small, four-door Honda had barely two thousand miles on it and would do nicely while he decided what to do about getting another vehicle for Jessica.

  The following week he’d had a security system installed, including a series of lights around the outside of the property. The phone number had been changed and an intercom installed throughout the house. Tomorrow, workman would build a fence, separating the pool from the grassy side of the yard, with a locking gate in between.

  ~ * ~

  "Tell me everything," she ordered with a giggle.

  "It was exciting. Dane’s pretty impressive, off-camera. He’s awfully demanding."

  "Was he on your back?"

  "Not mine, but he wouldn’t leave Vicki alone. I think she nearly walked off the set. And then we lost a camera, and Dane blew up, and--"

  "How did you lose a camera?"

  "Oh, one of those big lights, you know, up in the rafters? Came crashing down on it. Smashed it to pieces. Dane was in pieces, too. You know how much those things cost? It’s outrageous."

  "Mac, where were you standing when the light fell?"

  "Too close for comfort, actually," he replied, then became quiet as he considered her implication. "It wasn’t aimed at me, babe. It was just a fluke. Really."

  "Okay." Jessica bit her lip, then took a deep breath. "So go on, what else happened?"

  "Nothing, really. How are my babies?"

  "Megan is eating up attention like there’s no tomorrow. And Devon’s sucking away."

  "That’s my boy. And you?"

  "The truth?"

  "Of course."

  "I’m miserable. I need my man."

  Again Mac was quiet; he suddenly knew he didn’t want her home yet. "It won’t be much longer. I promise. And I’ll be there this weekend, if I have to fly commercial."

  Mac hung up, deep in thought. He had been standing just beside the camera when the light had fallen.

  ~ * ~

  Jessica’s tears fell upon Devon’s bare tummy as she changed his diaper. She hadn’t been able to stop crying since she’d hung up her end of the phone and had retreated to her room with the baby. Christine, thankfully, was tucking Megan into bed, so in tune with Jessica’s misery that she’d led the little girl away without a word.

  "We’ll be home soon, little one. Daddy will take us home." Quieting her sobs, she called the kitchen and asked Dennis to bring her a glass of red wine.

  "Make it a half liter," she amended. She couldn’t deal with the tension any longer.

  ~ * ~

  Mac lay awake long after midnight. Jessica’s absence was torment, especially in light of the reasons behind it. Was he doing the right thing? Was this terrorism aimed at her, or at him? Now he was unsure. The phone call had certainly been directed at Jess; the caller had known Mac was not home, and had called her by name. The tampering with the Lotus may not have been discovered had Dane not insisted on having the car checked out; Mac would have thought the wet pavement had been the cause of his failure to stop. He would have also thought that the destruction of the Volvo was an act of New Year’s Eve vandalism, had it been an isolated incident. But the falling spotlight troubled him. The camera had been tracking him; he’d just moved from the spot.

  Filming progressed without further incident as the week wore on. Dane, however, was not himself; Mac found himself surprised, more than once, at Dane’s subdued and distracted behavior.

  "Hey, Mr. Director…how about lunch?" Mac called on Friday afternoon as the crew broke midday.

  "I’m not eating," Dane commented flatly, "but I’ll join you if you want some company." With a crooked, sarcastic smile he added, "for what it’s worth."

  They left the set and dined in an expensive, quiet restaurant in nearby Santa Monica.

  "So, what gives?"

  "Hmmm?" Dane responded nonchalantly.

  "Something’s on your mind. You’ve been somewhere else."

  Dane didn’t answer, methodically dumping two packets of sugar into his coffee and stirring it.

  "You and Jackie still on?"

  Now Dane looked up, keen eyes boring into Mac’s inquisitive ones briefly before looking back at the coffee.

  "Yeah. Still on." His words were short and stiff, and made it clear he did not intend to discuss the matter further. Mac nodded slowly, carefully pushing aside the green onions in his salad with a fork.

  "How’s Jess?" Dane now asked, bringing the steaming cup to his lips.

  "She’s fine. Getting a little wigged out, I think. She wants to come home."

  "So bring her home."

  "I’m afraid to."

  "Then hire a damned bodyguard."

  "For now, I think she’s safer up there. I gotta tell you, Dane, I’m freaked out about that light."

  "I know, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again."

  "I’m not blaming you. It’s just too coincidental. No one saw anything unusual, nobody was on the catwalk that shouldn’t be, and yet--"

  "I was up there myself. I went over every goddam angle with Ron. Everything was secure. No one else is even allowed up there."

  "Who is this Ron? Have you worked with him before?"

  "No. He’s new, but his credentials are good. He worked in Vegas for several years, doing casino shows and films. Seems to know what he’s doing." Dane looked weary of the conversation; he had obviously had the accident on his mind for some time. "So, heard anymore from your sister?"

  "No, thankfully."

  "Got a vengeance for you, doesn’t she? Why is that?"

  Mac was quiet for a moment, reflecting on Dane’s question. How could he put twenty years of sibling rivalry into one sentence?

  "My dad and I were real close when I was a kid. Charlene always wanted to tag along, she wanted to be one of the guys. She wanted his love, in the worst way; it didn’t happen. He had no use for little girls. She always resented my relationship with him. When she got older, he tried, but it was too late. She was gone. It hurt him, and Mom…well, she and Charlene never got along."

  "And now she’s after your money?"

  "She thinks my dad left some money, and that it’s stashed away somewhere. She doesn’t know he gambled it all away before he died."

  "Why didn’t you tell her?"

  "For one thing, it hurts me to voice the truth to her about Dad. And she wouldn’t believe me anyway." Mac dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "It would be better if she just went away, back to her street life in St. Paul. I don’t want her around my family. She runs with a pretty tough gang back there."

  "What a waste," Dane murmured thoughtful
ly. "She’s a pretty gal."

  Mac nodded.

  The fact that Dane was worried too didn’t help.

  At home, the answering machine blinked with eight messages, all of them blank; a dead possum was floating in the pool; and Charlene MacKendall was sitting in the living room.

  "How did you get in?" Mac demanded, his eyes narrowed in disgust.

  "Old trick I learned back home. Forgot to set your alarm, big brother." Charlene lazed back on the couch. "So? The little lady coming home soon? Tell me, does she wear pearls and high heels around the kitchen to bake cookies? Or does she just wear them to bed?"

  "I thought I made it clear that I don’t want to see you. Why don’t you just let yourself out."

  "Jesus, Cory, you’d think you’d spend a little time with me, after ten years. So what happened to that cold bitch you were married to last time I saw you? Be kinda hard to get off with her, I’d think. But you must have done her once, you have a daughter, right?"

  "Okay, Charlene, what do you want? What do I have to do to get rid of you?"

  "Just tell me what happened to Pop’s money. That’s all I want, then I’ll be on my way. He wrote me just before he died. He’d won some big jackpot in Reno, and had put away some of it for me. I want it. I tried to get it out of ‘Mother’ before she packed it in, but she was either delirious or she didn’t know about it. Acted like I was a real fruitcake."

  "Look. He died in debt. I paid their bills, I took care of Mom. There was no jackpot, no savings. You can have the Honda if you want it. I’ll pay your way home."

  Charlene stared at Mac, a hateful gleam in her overly made-up eyes. "I don’t want her stinking, cheap car. Pop wouldn’t lie to me about the money. Now where is it?"

  "You’re amazing. After all those years we lived with it, lived through his lying, gambling, squandering…you still believed he won the big one? All the times Mom struggled to support us, while he stubbornly insisted we’d be rich someday? You’re in for a big shock, Charlene. He didn’t leave a red cent. If anyone knew how to ‘piss it away,’ as you put it, he did." Mac turned his back on her, sauntering toward the back patio. "He never got over it, you know, you going to St. Paul. He really loved you. It wasn’t until after that, when we moved to California, that he quit his job and started playing craps full time. He really mourned you."