The Last Chance Matinee

by Mariah Stewart

  One hand over her stomach and the other over her gagging mouth, Allie beat a quick path to the powder room.

  “It’s really peaceful here.” Cara sat on a large rock next to Des, her feet dangling over the edge, a plastic travel mug in her hand. She’d drunk most of the coffee, so all that remained was a cool puddle in the bottom of the mug.

  “Agreed,” Des said. “The falls are like white noise, you know? I like it. It’s soothing.”

  “It is. There’s something sort of, I don’t know, mystical or unearthly about the place. I could totally see this as somewhere forbidden lovers met, or where something tragic had occurred.”

  “You should write a novel,” Des told her. “One of those Gothics. You’ve got a dramatic flair, you know?”

  “I’d expect you or Allie to have more of a sense of drama, since your mother was an actress. My mother? Not a dramatic bone in her body. As far as she was concerned, the less drama in her life, the better.”

  “My family was just the opposite. We were all drama queens. Especially Allie, but don’t tell her I said so.”

  “Cross my heart. But at least you had an outlet for it. Your TV show, I mean.”

  “I’d have been happier finding a different outlet. Allie was so much more suited to that whole scene than I was. She loves attention and she has a real flair for the dramatic in everything she does.”

  “So why you and not her?” Cara had been wanting to ask.

  “Allie has the desire and the will, but the truth is, she didn’t have the talent gene. Not one iota. I’d never say it to her face, but my mother never missed an opportunity to remind her. If I’d known then what I know now . . .” Des blew out a long breath. “I wish the show had never happened. It totally ruined my relationship with Allie.”

  “Because she was jealous . . .”

  “She still is. She just can’t let it go. Honestly, if I’d had any idea what it would have cost me, I’d have fought a lot harder against it than I did.”

  “Were you ever close?” Cara asked.

  Des nodded. “Until I was signed for that show, we were best friends. We were homeschooled some years because Mom shuttled us around with her a lot, so we were together almost all the time. I’ve tried so hard over the years to find a way to get her to move past it, but it’s like she’s stuck at twelve years old and she can’t forget that I had something she wanted.”

  “Maybe being here together and working toward a common goal will help you get close again,” Cara said.

  “That’s what I’m hoping.” Des appeared close to tears, so Cara rubbed her back to comfort her. “That’s why I’m here.”

  “How’d you end up on TV in the first place?”

  “When we were little, my mom would take us onto sets with her. She thought it made her look like a devoted mother. Then sometimes the script would call for a child, and one or both of us would be in the film. When I was nine, a TV producer friend of hers saw me in some film and thought I’d be good in a kid’s show he wanted to do. I was the right age and had the look he was going for. I was small, perky, and cute. Allie was tall and skinny and, at twelve, was just going into an awkward stage.”

  “So you got the part.”

  Des nodded. “At first it was fun. It wasn’t the acting I disliked. I kind of liked being someone else for a while. Our home life was totally screwed up. My mother drank and my father was never home.”

  “I guess we now know why.” Cara couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt knowing that the reason their father was absent in Des and Allie’s life was because he was so involved with hers.

  “For whatever reason.” Des paused. “You don’t think I hold that against you, do you? Because I don’t. None of us had anything to do with what happened back then. Those were choices our father made.”

  “I understand that, but still . . .”

  “There’s no ‘still.’ My mother was impossible to live with by that time, and Dad fell in love with someone else. Period.” Des sighed. “Anyway, the show was a huge hit and it got bigger every year. Allie hated me so much back then. She’d wanted her own show so badly, which only made our home life even suckier than it had been. The older I got, the more I disliked it. You know how when you’re a teenager, you go through stages of insecurity and self-doubt, not to mention your body is changing and there are times when you don’t want anyone to look at you?”

  “Do I ever,” Cara said.

  “Well, imagine going through that with the whole world watching. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, and my only friends were the other kids on the show. Which wasn’t too bad until I found out that one of them was sleeping with our TV dad and two of the others were doing cocaine between takes.”

  “Yow.”

  “Yeah. The show finally ended when TV Dad was arrested for having sex with a minor. I was so relieved when we were canceled.”

  “Why’d you do it if you hated it so much?”

  “My mother’s career was starting to go down the tubes. She drew a nice salary for ‘managing’ my career.”

  “Dad let her do that?”

  “She had those contracts signed before he even knew about it. Even when he realized how unhappy I was, he couldn’t do much about it.” A small smile spread across Des’s lips. “Though I always wondered if he was the anonymous source that blew the whistle on TV Dad and his underage honey.”

  “I guess if he couldn’t get it done one way, he’d find another.”

  “True. But enough about me. What time is your meeting with Joe today?” Des asked.

  “I told him I’d stop by the theater around one. The exterminator will be there. Thank God. I want whatever is living in there to leave and find another home.”

  “Do you want to go out with him?”

  “I do.” Cara pulled some leaves off a nearby bush and tore them into strips, sending the pieces over the side of the rock to the pond below. “And then I don’t.”

  “Why would you not want to go out with him? He’s nice, he’s smart and capable, he has his own business, and, oh yes, did I mention he’s adorable? In a very hot way?”

  “Why don’t you go out with him?”

  “He’s not the least bit interested in me. It’s you he’s had his eye on since day one.” Des thought for a moment. “Seriously, Cara—why would you not want to go out with him?”

  “I’ve only been divorced two months. Yes, Joe is all those things, I agree. But when I first met Drew, he was all those things, too. For almost the entire time we were married, he was all those things.”

  “That didn’t work out in the end. I get it. But it doesn’t mean that every nice, smart, adorably hot guy is going to be a jerk.”

  “It doesn’t mean that he won’t be, either.” Cara straightened her legs out in front of her. “How can you tell the guys who at some point will turn into assholes from the ones who won’t?”

  “You’re asking the wrong person. I’ve never gotten that far with anyone. I’ve had ‘relationships’ but never anything I felt was deep enough to last a lifetime.” Des’s voice softened. “And I want that, something deep enough to last a lifetime. My parents’ marriage was terrible. I’d never admit it to Allie, but I don’t blame Dad one bit for falling in love with your mother. Our mother was an alcoholic who verbally abused all of us. We were never able to depend on her, the way you should be able to depend on your mom.” She turned to look at Cara. “The way I bet you could depend on your mom.”

  “Yes. Susa was always there for me. She was always there for everyone she cared about.”

  “And she and our dad probably had a pretty good relationship, right?”

  “They sure seemed to. Except for, you know, that one little omission on Dad’s part.”

  “My parents argued all the time. About everything.”

  “Mine never did. At least, I never heard them or saw a sign that they were less than happy just to be in each other’s company.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. That
’s what I want. I’ve never felt that kind of . . . comfort, security, with anyone I’ve ever dated. A couple of times I came close to seeing if that would happen, but in my heart I knew it wouldn’t, so I walked away. I mean, it always felt like more trouble than it was worth.” She grinned. “ ‘Why bother?’ should probably be written on my tombstone.”

  “I thought I had all that with Drew. The closeness, the comfort, the trust—everything I ever wanted. I believed it. I totally committed myself to him, to our marriage.” Cara shook her head. “And I was wrong.”

  “So you wouldn’t go out with Joe because Drew turned out to be an asshole?”

  “Why would I want to make that mistake again?”

  “Because next time might not be a mistake.”

  “I still feel raw. I still can’t think about Drew with Amber without wanting to cry.”

  “Do you still love him? Drew?”

  “I hardly feel anything for him.”

  “Then why do you still feel burned?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe because I can’t trust myself anymore to know when something is real and when it isn’t. I feel stupid for trusting him even when I started to see signs that maybe I shouldn’t.”

  “Like what?”

  “Just arguing over stupid things. It seemed like he was looking for ways to start an argument so he could storm out. I thought it was because I was spending so much more time at the studio, but in retrospect, I think it was just an excuse for him to see Amber and play the wronged husband.”

  “That burning you feel? I think it’s your bruised ego. I think you feel raw because from what you’ve said, it seems it was all very public and everyone in your little town knew about it and on top of that, the woman he left you for is—was—a friend.”

  “All that’s true.” Cara shrugged. “Maybe it’s just that having been publicly humiliated still hurts when I think about it. God knows I don’t want him back. But it doesn’t mean I can tell the difference between a guy who is sincere and a guy who seems sincere.”

  “I don’t know a whole lot about men, but I do know that none of them come with guarantees.”

  “Well, they should. They should come with grades or little caution cards. ‘Lies without conscience.’ ‘Will cheat every chance he gets.’ ‘Really does think that dress makes your ass look fat.’ ‘Only pretends to like puppies.’ ” Cara stood and brushed off her shorts.

  “Yeah. Then we’ll all be fighting over the ones that say, ‘Will never look at someone else when he’s out with you.’ ‘Totally trustworthy.’ ‘A forever kind of guy.’ ”

  “ ‘Great kisser.’ ‘Sweet and cuddly after sex.’ ”

  Des laughed. “Maybe someone will come up with an app for that.”

  “I’d definitely download it. Right now, I need to get moving. I want to call my friend Darla and have some time to chat before I leave to meet Joe.” Cara picked up her coffee mug and the thermos. “Are you going to stay up here for a while?”

  “No, I think I should get going, too. I’m determined to find that box of old theater photos in the attic. They might come in handy if we run out of money and have to apply for grants.”

  Des followed Cara down the trail, running behind her and matching her stride for stride until they reached the edge of the woods.

  “Okay, I’m done.” Des appeared to be trying to laugh, but she was too winded. “I don’t know what made me think I could keep up with you.”

  Cara stopped so Des could catch up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you were trying to. I would have slowed my pace.”

  Des bent at the waist and sucked in air. “I will start running. Tomorrow.”

  “Just pace yourself, start out on a slow and short run, then build up the distance. Don’t torture yourself by going too far too soon.”

  They followed the path toward the house. Off to the left stood the outbuildings—the garage, the carriage house that connected to the main house via a stone porte cochere, and another building that could have been a stable at one time.

  “Can you imagine what this place was like back in the day? I’ll bet it was the coolest place in Hidden Falls,” Des said.

  “No doubt it was,” Cara agreed. “I can just see a carriage coming up that long drive.” She paused and glanced at the carriage house. “I wonder if they’re still in there.”

  “What, the carriages? It wouldn’t surprise me, since we’re apparently descended from a long line of hoarders. Let’s check it out.”

  They crossed the driveway and walked under the porte cochere. The carriage house had tall double doors set with high windows in the front, well over the heads of Cara and Des, and the doors were solidly locked.

  “I saw a door on the other side,” Cara said. “Maybe it’s unlocked. I’d love to see what’s in there.”

  But the side door was locked as securely as the front. However, the windows, though dirty, were low enough to peer through.

  Des tried wiping away the dirt from the glass panes with her hand.

  “Let me try.” Cara pulled up the bottom of her old sweatshirt and rubbed the glass. “That’s a little better.”

  She held her hands around the sides of her face to block out the glare from the sun. “Oh, it’s empty.”

  She stepped back for Des to look.

  “I’m disappointed,” Des admitted. “With everything they held on to over the years, they apparently got rid of the carriages. Bummer. I’d have loved to see them.”

  “I’ll bet there are photos somewhere. Maybe when you’re looking for pictures of the theater, you’ll come across some of the carriage. I’m betting that whoever put the photos in the attic didn’t bother to organize them.”

  “Just think what fun you’ll have when you finally find the stash.”

  “If I find it. You saw the amount of stuff in the attic. Finding anything is going to be like, well, needle, haystack.” Des stepped away from the window and, drawn to the area, Cara took one last look.

  The carriage house was dark inside, but even in the dim light, Cara could see what looked like concrete floors and a high ceiling. A row of windows across the back would have let in tons of light had they not been filthy and had the trees behind the building not grown smack against the wall.

  It could be a glorious space, Cara thought. There were so many things it could be used for. A guesthouse, maybe. Or a yoga studio. Not that she was planning on sticking around after the challenge had been met—and she was certain they would complete the challenge—but there was no denying the space spoke to her. Maybe sometime she’d ask Barney for the key so she could go inside and take a look around. But it wouldn’t be today. She had just enough time to clean up and get over to the theater. Ridding the old place of its unwanted inhabitants was the priority, and it couldn’t happen soon enough.

  Living alone these past years hadn’t prepared Des to live with three other women, and she was savoring the peace and quiet of the attic. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed spending some time with Cara—she had. It was an interesting experience, meeting and getting to know your own sibling for the first time as an adult. She liked Cara. She was straightforward and open and thoughtful. In some ways, she felt closer to this woman she’d just met than to the sister she’d grown up with.

  It was too bad Cara and Allie had married such jerks. They both deserved better. Every woman did.

  She thought back to her last few relationships and acknowledged that none of them had lasted because they shouldn’t have. Kent was destined to join that long list of guys who couldn’t cut it with Des, she knew. It hadn’t even occurred to her to give him a call since she got here. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d met a guy who gave her that little jolt that you get when you’re with someone who does it for you.

  Okay, there was that guy at the bar last night, but he was so totally not her type, interesting though he had been. Tall, bald, sculpted arms covered with tattoos, he’d come up behind her at the bar and said hello. She wasn’t even
sure he’d been talking to her until she realized he was staring at her. Finally, she smiled and looked away, busying herself trying to catch the attention of the bartender.

  “You’re one of the Hudson sisters,” she’d heard him say.

  Des had turned and looked up at him. Deep brown eyes had gazed down on her from a rugged face that, while not handsome, was arresting.

  “That’s right.” Curious, she asked, “How would you know that?”

  “You look like a Hudson. What are you drinking?”

  “Yuengling.”

  “Two Yuenglings,” he’d called to the bartender, who acknowledged with a nod.

  “So which of the sisters are you?” He’d turned his attention back to Des.

  “I’m Des,” she told him.

  “I meant, one of Nora’s or one of the second wife’s?”

  “I’m Nora’s younger. My father’s second wife only had one daughter.” She’d nodded at the table where her sisters sat. “Cara, in the black sweater.”

  “Sitting with Joe?”

  “You know him?”

  “Went to kindergarten all the way through college with him.”

  “You went to college?”

  He’d laughed out loud good-naturedly. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to make conversation or if you’re trying to insult me so that I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Conversation.” Des had felt color rising from her chest to her cheeks. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

  “Uh-huh.” He was still smiling when the bartender set their beers up on the counter and Des handed the man a ten-dollar bill.

  “On the house.” The bartender turned to the bald man and said, “See you at the meeting this week, Seth?”

  “I’ll be there.” The bald man had glanced down at Des. “I’m Seth, by the way. I’m a friend of your aunt’s.”

  “It seems like everyone in Hidden Falls is a good friend of Barney’s.”

  “Everyone is.” He took a long drink from the bottle, then set it on the bar. “How are you liking Hidden Falls so far?”