Love Reconnected (Hollywood Series Book 1)

by Michaels, Avery

  “Katie, wow. I knew he got in some trouble. Mom told me the news, but I didn’t know how it all went down. What did you do after he left?”

  “I packed a bag to stay with Mom for a few days because I was devastated and my neighbors were prying. Mom had a bad migraine the whole time I was there, but since it runs in our family, I didn’t think much of it. After a week or so, I became concerned because her balance was off, so I convinced her to go to the hospital, and the rest is history. The aneurysm burst, and that was it.”

  “Within a week you lost your husband and your mom.”

  “But two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant with Ty. I was elated. I mean, it felt like I had been run through the wringer, and suddenly there was this blessing growing in my belly. The first thing I did was pick up the phone to call Momma, but of course, that was also stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid,” he interjected, but I ignored him because I was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to finish the story.

  “Within the next week, all of our assets were frozen and eventually confiscated. Mom left the house to me, so I moved in here. I’m so grateful it’s paid for. Otherwise, I would have had nowhere to go.”

  “So you were pregnant and alone for the first time in your life?”

  “Yep. None of my friends really believed that I didn’t know what George was doing, or where he was hiding, so I shut them out. I guess I can see now where they were coming from. I mean, it did look very suspicious. But I couldn’t see that then. I was shocked by what George had done, and having them question me was more than I could take. I’d trusted them; I thought they were my friends, and to have them look at me the way they did, all accusing, just made me feel the need to pull away from them.

  “I threw myself into work. It was the only constant I had at the time. Even though my co-workers looked at me differently, I knew I had to be there or I would lose my mind. I was pregnant. I couldn’t afford to have a nervous breakdown.”

  Jake just sat there absorbing. I knew it was a lot to take in, so I stayed silent until he decided to speak.

  “So you worked at the hospital up until you had the baby?” I nodded. “What happened after you had the baby?”

  “Then I changed jobs because of the way everyone looked at me, plus working long hours with a baby was very difficult. I quit school as soon as the tuition that I had already paid ran out. After I had Ty, I quit my job. That was how I ended up working at Joe’s.”

  “Through all of this, you never once thought to call me?”

  “I thought about it every day.” I looked at him. “I just couldn’t, and don’t ask why. I don’t know. At the time, you were just one more name on the list of people who had abandoned me.”

  His eyes were both sympathetic and hurt. “You know, I never understood why you couldn’t forgive me, but I see now. It makes sense to me now. I get it. Everyone you were close to left you one way or another, and then I didn’t show up when you needed me. I’m so sorry, Katie.” He pulled me into him, whispering, “I’ll never leave you again.”

  I smiled up at him, tears moistening my eyes. “Yeah, you will. You leave next week.”

  He frowned but didn’t deny it. We didn’t say anything for a few minutes. We just sat there staring at the wall, neither of us knowing what to say. What could be said after a story like that?

  After he held me for a bit, he broke the silence. “Okay, go get dressed. I’m taking you out.”

  “What about the spaghetti?”

  “Forget the spaghetti! We are hitting the town.”

  “What about the reporters?” I reminded him.

  “I don’t care about them. My girl needs a night out, and I’m giving it to her.”

  “Your girl, huh?”

  “You’ve always been my girl, Katie.”

  Chapter 9

  I pulled on my little black dress with a pair of heels I had picked up at a yard sale over the summer. It was strapless and fitted, hugging my curves where it should, all the way to the knee. I loved it because it made me feel sexy yet conservative. The heels were black and white peep toe that strapped up around my ankles. I paired them with a black scarf around my shoulders and a black and white clutch from my pre-poverty days.

  I found Jake in my living room, looking debonair in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down. The shirt was left unbuttoned at the top, and the sleeves were rolled up to his forearms. He pulled off a casual-sexy look very well. He was too handsome for his own good, or for mine, at least.

  “Where are we going, mister?”

  “Well, we are talking about Birmingham.” He laughed. “It’s not like there are nice restaurants around every corner even in the city.”

  “We can go to the 7-Eleven for all I care,” I told him, excited to get out of the house. I had to admit I was long overdue.

  “And waste that dress? I don’t think so.” I blushed, which was silly since he’d seen me, all of me. “So The Steak House then?” he suggested.

  “Yeah, sounds good.”

  “Let’s take your new car for a spin.”

  “Um, about that…”

  “It’s done. You can argue all you want, but it’s paid for and in your name.”

  “How do you do that? How do you just make things like that happen?”

  “It’s easy to make things happen when you have money. Convincing you to accept gifts is the hard part.”

  He held out the keys with an encouraging look. I relented. “What kind of car is it?”

  “Let’s go check it out.” He opened the front door, and I couldn’t help the smile that lit up my face.

  It was too dark out to see the car until we got to it, but the gesture made me happy. It didn’t really matter what he’d bought—unless it was something obnoxious like a Lamborghini—but he wouldn’t do that. He knew me better.

  As we got closer, I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Jake! You shouldn’t have.”

  “Stop! I wanted to. It’s stylish and safe. Do you like it?”

  “Like it? Like it?” I gave him a playful shove. “I love it! I don’t even know what to say…”

  “Just say thank you.”

  “Thank you!” I hugged him.

  I slid behind the wheel of the black BMW 6 Series. No cracks in this leather! I wiggled the shifter. It had been a while since I had driven a manual. I loved it.

  “Can you still drive a stick?”

  “Bitch, please.” I eyed him as I turned the key. “What’s this button do?” I said, pushing it. Suddenly the hard top broke apart and folded into the trunk. “Are you serious?” I looked at Jake, and he was smiling so wide I couldn’t help but to kiss him. “Play me something, Mr. DJ,” I told him, pointing at the radio after closing the top. It was December and a little too chilly for that.

  He plugged his phone into the adapter. “What do you want to hear?”

  “DJ’s choice,” I said. He got some 69 Boyz going and just let the album play. We threw down all the way to the restaurant. We’d always enjoyed a good rap jam session. Nothing had changed there!

  When I parked, he said, “You know, after we get out of this car, the media will be on us.”

  “I don’t see any one.”

  “Someone will call and tip them off as soon as we are spotted together.”

  “Who? And more importantly, why?”

  “Anyone, and because that’s how it works. Everyone knows the paparazzi are looking for us. It’s been all over the entertainment channels. We aren’t in town anymore; we’re in the city. Someone will call.”

  “I think you’re overreacting. None of these people care what we’re doing. They aren’t journalists.”

  He laughed. “I love how naïve you are! It’s so cute!”

  “Shut up! I’m not naïve. I’m just saying that this isn’t Hollywood.”

  “Exactly. Celebrity scandals aren’t the norm around here. Just trust me. The photographers will come.”

  “Okay. What does that mean? We
shouldn’t go in?”

  “No, of course we should. I just want to be honest. I want you to know what you’re getting into.”

  “All right,” I said timidly. Jake reached for the door handle. “Wait,” I said. “Can I shield my son from this?”

  “I will do my best to protect him. You have my word.”

  I believed him. I threw caution to the wind…again. After all, Jake would be leaving next week and taking all of this media attention with him.

  “Let’s go,” I told him with a reassuring smile.

  People gawked at us as we walked through the revolving door into the lobby. “Everyone is staring at you,” I said.

  “No, Katie, everyone is staring at you. You’re so beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” A shy smile crept its way onto my face. “We don’t have reservations.”

  “It’s Tuesday. I think they’ll have something.”

  The lady at the hostess stand greeted us, trying to mask the fact that she was star-struck. “Are we celebrating anything this evening?” she asked as we walked across the restaurant, which was situated inside the large lobby of one of Birmingham’s nicest hotels.

  “Yes, we are,” Jake told her. “We’re celebrating our renewed friendship.”

  “How nice. Have we met? You look really familiar,” she whispered to him as we made our way past the small indoor waterfall.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you sure?” It occurred to me then that she was flirting with him!

  “You know, I just have one of those faces,” he said, and I snorted out a little laugh. He used my line. We were so much alike it was scary.

  “Hmm,” she mumbled, glaring at me. “Do you have any special requests this evening?”

  “As a matter of fact, we do. We would like a male server, please. Thank you.” She flipped her dark ponytail with a snap but sent over a nice older man to take our drink order.

  “Everything looks so good!” I said, looking at the menu.

  “I hate it when people do that. It’s so fake.”

  “Do what?

  “Pretend like they don’t know who I am.”

  “Maybe she really doesn’t know.”

  “She knows,” he said, closing his menu. He waved the waiter over, “We’ll have everything.”

  “Jake!”

  “It all looks good. You said it yourself,” I gave him a look indicating that it was unacceptable. He turned back to the waiter with an eye roll. “I’m sorry, let me clarify. We’ll have all of the warm appetizers, two of the calamari”—he held up his hand, pretending to whisper—“she won’t let me get a bite otherwise, two filets, mine rare, hers medium well, a lobster tail, and all of the sides on your menu. Oh, and a Caesar salad for my girl and a cup of gumbo for me.” He closed the menu and handed it to the man.

  “There’s no way we can eat all of that!”

  “I know, but we can taste it.”

  “That’s so pretentious and wasteful.”

  He rolled his eyes at me again and called the waiter back over with a hand signal. “Cancel everything but the meat and calamari, please.”

  “And the salad, asparagus, and fries,” I added.

  “And a big bowl of honey mustard,” we both said at the same time. “Jinx!” We both laughed.

  “Most girls would’ve liked that.”

  “I’m not most girls.”

  “No, you certainly aren’t.”

  We spent the meal laughing about anything and everything. I asked him more detailed questions about his career, and he told me a little about the biz, but mostly what I gathered was that he was over the moon about being nominated for an Oscar. He was really excited, but too humble to admit that he thought he had a chance at winning, even though he really, really wanted it. The ceremony wasn’t until the end of January and the suspense was getting to him. I could see how truly passionate he was about his work, which only made me more proud of him.

  When we’d eaten just about all we could in one sitting, he ordered crème brûlée. I looked at him like he was crazy, but he knew that it was my favorite and I would have to at least have a bite.

  When it came out, I cracked the sweet glaze carefully on the side, pulling a bit of custard onto my spoon for the perfect bite.

  “So,” Jake said, “I would really like to see you finish school.” The topic almost shattered my mood. He noticed. “Katie, you’re just so good at it, and you possess a level of compassion that is far beyond anyone I’ve ever met. If anyone should be a doctor, it’s you. I know you want to help people.”

  “I can’t go back to school, Jake.”

  “If it’s about the money…”

  “It’s not.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because my priorities have changed. I’ve devoted myself to my son’s education.”

  “I think they still allow doctors’ kids in school.” He laughed at his own joke. Real knee slapper. “You don’t have to choose.”

  “You don’t understand. Ty needs me to be available, and I can’t do that if I’m taking calls all the time.”

  “So you’ll get a sitter. I really don’t see the issue. I know you’re probably one of those helicopter parents, and with all that you’ve been through, that’s understandable”— Understatement of the century, I thought to myself—“but you can make it work. You’re really strong.”

  “Jake, Ty has autism.” I laid my cards on the table, no more holding back. I wasn’t ashamed. “I don’t date because Ty either gets really attached to people or shuns them, and frankly, sometimes, it’s all I can do to handle him. How could I possibly expect someone else to? Besides, adding another person to our life would mean changing our routine. I can’t go back to school or become a doctor right now because I have to fight for every minute of therapy he gets. I don’t work at the hospital anymore because it took up too much of my time. I love my son, and no matter what the doctors say, I believe in my heart that he can have a normal life someday, if I put in the time and energy to make sure he gets a proper education and therapy. That’s the real reason why I work at Joe’s, because he lets me work around Ty’s therapy schedule.”

  Jake just sat there, staring at the table. The silence was so deafening it felt like rejection. I couldn’t say I was surprised.

  I tossed my napkin on the table. “Thank you for a lovely evening. I know it’s an overwhelming amount of information. I’m going to head out. I trust you can find your way home.”

  “Katie, wait,” he took my wrist. “Sit back down, please. I’m just processing.” I plopped back into the booth. “So when you say therapy?”

  “He has the speech and cognitive skills of a two- year- old. He hasn’t progressed beyond the age of two so far.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have a thorough understanding of autism other than the general idea that they don’t like to be touched or express love.”

  “That’s actually inaccurate. My son loves me. He expresses his love for me every day. He kisses and hugs, and he loves to be held. He just has a learning delay, along with some other quirks.”

  “What do you mean quirks?”

  “He obsesses. His schedule must be followed to a T, his toys have to be arranged by color, stuff like that.”

  “Or…?”

  “Or he has a meltdown. Without being able to properly communicate his needs verbally, he becomes frustrated easily.”

  “You’re doing this on your own?”

  “No, I have Julie and don’t say it like that. I’m no different than the millions of other single parents out there. Ty and I don’t appreciate being pitied. We get by.”

  “I’m not…I wasn’t pitying you,” he said, but his eyes said different. “I just meant it’s a lot.”

  “Well, I’ve got it covered.”

  “I have no doubt that you do. It’s the ‘we get by’ part that bothers me. You can do more than just get by. You’re sacrificing a lot. I mean, you haven’t dated in five years because you think no
man would want you because you have a special needs child? That’s quite a statement.”

  “You couldn’t possibly understand, and I don’t expect you to. You aren’t a parent.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Fair enough,” he said, looking me in the eye. “I would really like to meet him, if that’s okay.”

  I blinked a few times wondering if he’d missed the entire conversation we’d just had. “You shouldn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re leaving.”

  “I’m not suggesting that I try to bond with him. I would love to, but I know that wouldn’t be fair since I don’t live close enough to be a constant in his life. However, I would like to meet him.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s your son, Katie.”

  “Well, like I said, Julie has him all week. They’re in Huntsville on a therapy retreat.”

  “Why didn’t you go?”

  “Work,” I said, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. It made me sound like a bad parent. “I plan on going up Thursday to see him.”

  “Can I come?”

  “Jake…” Before I could think of an excuse, I saw a flash from across the room then another and another.

  “They’re here,” he said flatly.

  “What should we do? Should we make a run for it? Do you want me to go out first so we aren’t seen together? I don’t know what to do but tell me fast.” He leaned in and kissed me. So many flashes went off that the other patrons began to stir. I pulled back. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?” He leaned in again, but I leaned away. All I could think about was Joan telling him to “spin” this into a whimsical love story. “Are you trying to spin this…us?”