Best Beach Ever

by Wendy Wax

  Maddie paused on the front porch remembering the first time she’d seen the studio padlocked and abandoned, remembering Will’s rage when he’d found her pressure washing the building he’d forbidden them to touch, and was unable to set foot in.

  How would he feel if she left after only four and a half days?

  There were lights on inside, but the red light that signaled a recording in session wasn’t lit. Before she could change her mind or lose her nerve, she knocked. When there was no answer, she knocked louder then kept knocking until the door whipped open.

  “What is it?” Will’s hair was askew, his clothes were rumpled, and his eyes were unfocused. If she hadn’t seen him in the middle of building a song before, she might have thought he’d slipped back into drugs. This was Will high on music. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not exactly,” she hedged. “You didn’t hear me knocking?”

  He massaged his forehead as if trying to loosen something inside. “Sorry. I’ve been trying to get that second verse right but I can’t seem to find the way.” He was looking right at her but his mind was still inside the song.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, I just . . .” Nervous now, she motioned to the two rockers on the porch. “Can you sit for a minute?”

  He nodded and she could see him reeling himself in. Slowly he lowered himself into a chair. She did the same. He looked at her, clearly waiting for her to begin.

  “Right.” She glanced out over the ocean, but there was no explanation there. “So, I just spoke with Kyra. They’re shooting Dustin’s first scene this morning. And I’m worried about them. I’d like to, I mean, I feel like I need to go to Winter Haven. To be there for them.”

  His eyes were totally focused on her now, dark and probing.

  “‘Be there’ as in . . . ?”

  “Be there to offer moral support, to make sure they’re okay with the huge thing they’re in the middle of. You know . . .”

  “I do. I believe that’s what you’ve been doing for me.”

  “Well, yeah. It’s just that they’re all by themselves in what sounds like hostile territory.”

  He remained silent.

  “Then I thought I’d go by the Sunshine and visit for a few days. But I’d be back in plenty of time to fly to Dallas with you. Or I could even meet you there.” Even to her ears it sounded like a treat being offered to a child.

  “Wow.” He sat back in the chair, scrubbed a large hand over his face. “I know I’ve been kind of wrapped up in the new song and tour prep. And I know that I’ve left you on your own a lot, but I thought that was part of the plan.” There was hurt and disappointment in his voice and eyes. With the whole record company machine revolving around him and his rocket return to celebrity, even she sometimes forgot Will’s vulnerability and the dragons he had to slay on a daily basis.

  “Well, I don’t seem to be particularly good at hanging out, but it’s not that.” At least she hoped it wasn’t. “I won’t go if it’s a problem for you, Will. I love you. I love being with you. And I’m looking forward to going on tour with you. It’s just that I’m really worried about Kyra and Dustin.”

  “So she asked you to come.”

  “Well, not exactly.” In fact, there was every chance Kyra would be angry that she had ignored her insistence that she could handle things on her own. “But this is my daughter and grandson we’re talking about.” She forced herself to look him in the eye. “Will you hate it if I leave?”

  He was silent again, and it wasn’t the comfortable kind of silence they often shared.

  “Of course I’ll hate it,” he finally said. “But I’m a big boy. I expect I’ll get over it.” His jaw set. “Only I can’t help wondering when, or if, you’ll ever be ready to put our relationship first. I’m getting kind of tired of always coming in second.”

  “Oh, but I . . .”

  He stood, cutting her off. “You go do what you have to do, Maddie. If you intend to come with me on tour, you’ll need to be back by Thursday night. We fly out early Friday morning.”

  “I will. And I hope you understand that this is not about you. Not at all. It’s . . .”

  Will put out a hand. “You need to stop right there. Don’t even think about adding the ‘it’s me’ part of that sentence.” A grim but rueful smile lifted his lips. “Hell, ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ always used to be my line.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Kyra was not a skilled liar. She didn’t think she’d done a particularly good job of fooling her mother on the phone and could only hope she did a better job of hiding her nerves over breakfast in the food tent.

  All week she’d watched Dustin for signs of stress and unease, but while she’d felt both stressed and uneasy and sensed the tension building in Daniel, Dustin had remained even-keeled. He enjoyed the outing at Legoland and looked forward to the time he spent each day with his father and Tonja, time that was carefully blocked out and choreographed for his enjoyment and that she tried not to be jealous of.

  The week had been filled with new experiences and ever-increasing expectations, but so far Dustin’s smile remained sunny, his eagerness to please undiminished. Today, of course, could change all that. Today Dustin was scheduled to shoot his first scene, the one in which he and his parents checked into the hotel at the theme park from which he would ultimately be abducted.

  As they moved through the breakfast line, Kyra’s dread was a lead weight in her stomach. Dustin’s biggest concern seemed to be whether there would be chocolate milk to go with his egg sandwich. He chattered happily to his stand-in, Jonathan, a twentysomething little person who resembled Dustin in everything except for the size of his Adam’s apple and the telltale razor burn.

  “Dustin’s a credit to you.” Christian Sommersby’s voice behind her startled her. “Even if he did get my trailer.”

  Kyra colored slightly. “I told them he didn’t need anything like that. I mean, he’s just a child.” She’d also been careful to make sure that they took meals with the rest of the cast and crew rather than having them delivered to the trailer and that Dustin always said please and thank you. She remembered all too well how a movie crew reacted to those singled out for what they saw as unearned special treatment. Nor did she want all the attention going to his head.

  “That was meant to be a joke,” the actor said. “I don’t actually buy into the whole numerical hierarchy thing. We’ll all ultimately be judged on our performances.”

  “Yes.” Her leaden stomach grew heavier as she placed Dustin’s coveted chocolate milk on their tray and thought about all the things that could go wrong during filming. What if Dustin got stage fright? What if he flat out froze when the time came to act on cue, or forgot his lines?

  When they reached the end of the buffet, she looked out toward the dining tables with a trepidation that did nothing to lighten her discomfort. While everyone had been very careful with Dustin, she had not missed the conversations that ended abruptly when she entered a room or the speculative glances that followed her as she walked by. Two tables over, Brandon Holloway—the First Assistant Director who served as the Director’s right hand and was responsible for scheduling, safety, and the smooth running of the shoot—waved them over and then made sure there was room for all four of them to sit. While the female crew members fluttered around Christian, Brandon focused on Dustin. “You ready for your first scene?” he asked with a friendly smile.

  “Absolutely!” Dustin said, repeating Brandon’s most often heard response.

  “Give me five then.” Brandon grinned, raising his hand high then moving it down low for a second slap. Dustin turned and repeated the high five/low five with Jonathan.

  Dustin happily ate his egg sandwich and slurped his chocolate milk through a neon-colored straw while the others at the table talked around her. Kyra pushed her food around her plate unable to summon any appe
tite at all.

  “He’ll be fine,” Christian said to her. “He’s what, four years old? No one’s expecting him to get his first scene down in one take. Hell, I’d be happy to do that myself.”

  Brandon nodded. “Chris is right. The last thing anyone wants to do is apply too much pressure on day one. There’ll be plenty of time ahead for that.”

  * * *

  • • •

  Now, just an hour later, Kyra stood where she’d been placed, just out of camera range but within eye contact of Dustin as he rehearsed his scene with Tonja. After that Daniel stepped in so that the three of them could rehearse for the camera.

  “He’ll be fine.” Once again Sommersby materialized beside her. “He looks pretty comfortable to me.”

  And then Daniel nodded to the First AD, who stepped into position next to the monitor.

  Kyra drew a shaky breath as Dustin, Daniel, and Tonja moved into position one, just outside the glass double doors. The expression on Dustin’s face was one she’d seen while he played corn hole—focused yet relaxed. As if he were enjoying himself.

  “Quiet on the set!”

  “Rolling.”

  “Scene one, take one.” The slate clacked in front of the camera lens.

  Brandon yelled, “Action!”

  Five seconds later the trio entered the lobby, maintaining a predetermined distance from the camera, which was being pulled backward on a dolly ahead of them. They ignored the camera, talking as they walked. An assistant pulled the lens so that as the camera moved, the shot widened. Kyra held her breath through the entire forty-five-second move, listening to the dialogue as the three of them approached the front desk discussing which rides “Tyler” wanted to go on and how fast he could get ready. She was shocked by how completely and stunningly believable Dustin was. How easily he played a child on vacation with his parents. As if there was no camera. No crew. No pressure. If she hadn’t been present and in a world of pain during his birth, she might have believed that Tonja Kay was actually Dustin’s mother.

  “Cut!”

  There was a moment of stunned silence while everyone present registered the perfection of the first take. Then Daniel whooped, lifted Dustin in his arms, and twirled him around in a flash of identical smiles. Tonja threw her arms around both of them. The studio erupted in spontaneous applause.

  The lead weight in Kyra’s stomach lightened. Laughter and relief bubbled upward as she moved through the press of bodies toward her gleeful son. She was almost to him when the first digital flashes went off. She turned to see Nigel Bracken and a handful of paparazzi pressing forward.

  “Well done, Dustin!” Nigel Bracken shouted.

  “The kid’s a natural!” another shouted.

  Daniel and Tonja smiled triumphantly, holding Dustin aloft like a child-size trophy. The laughter had already died in Kyra’s throat at the sight of the three of them wrapped so tightly together, when Brandon placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you mind giving them just a few minutes for the photo op?” It was gently put but it wasn’t a question.

  The crew members were busy slapping each other on the back. A couple of people even shot her a congratulatory smile or a quick thumbs-up.

  Dustin was soaking up the congratulations and attention and had not yet begun to look for her. Tonja and Daniel were euphoric. This was the cinematic version of the Red Sox finally overcoming the Curse of the Bambino. The Titanic sidestepping the iceberg.

  Kyra didn’t have to ask who had invited the paparazzi. Who had spirited them on set to get shots of scene one, take one of The Exchange.

  She had no control and could not demand that anyone tell her what they would have done with the paparazzi if Dustin hadn’t done so well. If he’d dissolved in tears because he couldn’t remember his lines or missed his mark, would they have confiscated cameras? Paid people off? Or would they have allowed Dustin to look bad on Entertainment Tonight and on the cover of People, just to feed the publicity machine?

  When the flashes slowed and the paparazzi were no longer shouting questions, Brandon gave her a nod and a smile then cleared a path for her through the crush of bodies to where Tonja was still looking at Dustin as if he were the dearest gift she’d ever been given. Daniel was smiling like a man who’d just won the lottery.

  “Clear the set. We’re back to position one in five. The director wants a couple of safeties before we move to the next setup.” Brandon set about getting his crew back to work.

  “Mommy!” Dustin wiggled out of his father’s arms and raced to her, his arms outstretched. “Did you see me? I was acting just like Dandiel told me!”

  Daniel shot her a private wink and gave her a thumbs-up. An acknowledgment of his pride in their son. She winked back. For once she cared nothing at all for Nigel and his gang as she lifted Dustin up. “You were absolutely fabulous,” she said, hugging him tight against her. “But just remember, every take doesn’t have to be perfect. And you know what else? I got a text from Grandma. She’s on her way to visit so that the three of us can celebrate.”

  Fourteen

  “Geema!” Dustin greeted her at the door and pretty much leapt into Maddie’s arms. “I had my first scene today. And I nailed it!”

  “He did. He handled it like a total professional. The crew was still talking about it when we left.” Kyra didn’t exactly leap into her arms but her hug was a long, crushing thing that made Maddie’s decision to flee—make that leave—Mermaid Point feel like a solid parental decision and not the semi-desperate act it had been.

  Max’s happy tail wagged in high gear, thwacking into everything and everyone in its path as he nosed his way close. If her daughter had had a tail, it would be wagging, too. Or possibly drooping with relief. After almost five days of Maddie feeling like an afterthought in other people’s lives, Kyra’s, Dustin’s, and even Max’s excitement at her mere presence was a balm to her soul.

  “Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Kyra closed the front door, pulled Max’s nose away from Maddie’s crotch, and led the way into the living room. Which was strewn with an assortment of unrelated, shredded things.

  “No, my GPS seems to know its stuff. I . . . what happened here?”

  “Max. Max happened here.” The puppy lifted his head expectantly at the sound of his name. The tail picked up speed.

  “That was not a compliment,” Kyra said to the dog as she began to pick up what turned out to be a shredded sock, a partially chewed sneaker, and . . . toilet paper in pieces the size of confetti. She sent Dustin into the kitchen to do the same. “We’ve been trying to crate train Max—apparently all the other Deranian-Kay dogs responded to the method. But this baby appears to be part Great Dane and part Houdini.”

  “Cute place,” Maddie observed as Kyra and Dustin finished picking up the items Max had liberated, tasted, and redistributed; then Kyra led the way outside and out to the dock that overlooked the lake.

  “I’m so glad you could get away. Did Will mind? When do you need to get back?” Kyra threw out the questions so rapid-fire that Maddie didn’t have to answer. Which was just as well because she still felt slightly queasy at the speed of her departure.

  At the end of the dock Kyra pointed across the glassy basin of water to the big house on the opposite shore. “We’ve apparently taken over the whole compound. That’s Daniel and Tonja’s place.”

  “Dandiel’s other childrens live there. They’re my brothers and sitsers,” Dustin piped in. “Pretty soon it’s gonna be my mommy’s turn to live with him.”

  Maddie’s eyes went to Kyra’s face, which had turned a bright red.

  “I wasn’t ready for the question.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “And I didn’t do as good a job explaining things on a four-year level as I would have liked.”

  “All we can do is the best we can do.” Maddie was having far too hard a time figuring out her own life to criticize her
daughter’s, yet she couldn’t help wondering how Kyra would explain things when Dustin realized his father was not planning a duly-scheduled wife swap.

  Dustin followed Max off the dock to explore the edge of the lake. Kyra’s gaze fixed on the distant house. “So. How’s everything going? Does it feel better or worse than you expected?”

  “I hardly know.” Kyra folded her arms tight across her chest. “I spent most of the week worrying about how Dustin would do today. Not so much for Daniel or the film, you know. But for how he’d feel about himself.” She shrugged, but her arms remained crossed, her gaze fixed. “Of course, most of my focus was on the possible worst-case scenarios, of which there were many. I did realize he might do well, but I never expected that perfect first take or all the really good ones that came after it.” Kyra shook her head. “It was crazy, Mom. All that pressure and tension didn’t even seem to faze him. There’s so much riding on this film and on Daniel’s shoulders. And they’ve put Dustin right in the middle of it. Today was unbelievable. But what are the chances that he’s going to breeze through this whole thing without it taking its toll? I mean, he’s only four.” The eyes that met Maddie’s were clouded with worry.

  Maddie slid her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. Together they walked back to the yard. “In my experience there’s no point borrowing trouble. You need to count today’s performance as a very good thing and try to relax. Maybe everything will go better than expected, and in the meantime all you can really do is protect him to the best of your ability and help him remain the truly wonderful child he is.”

  Inside, Kyra poured them both iced teas and they settled on the screened-in porch to watch Dustin and Max romp. “God, I can’t tell you how glad I am to have the weekend off,” Kyra finally said. “And even gladder to have you here. Is there anything special you’d like to do?”

  Maddie sipped the tea and looked out over the smooth surface of the lake. It was so much smaller and calmer than the Atlantic that surrounded Mermaid Point and the Gulf of Mexico that edged up to Bella Flora and the Sunshine. “My main goal in coming was to spend time with you and Dustin. And to make sure you were okay.”