“Uncle Bo?” Toby’s voice, laced with curiosity, pulled them back from the past.
“Yes, sobrino?”
The little boy moved closer, wiggling around until he stood between Bo and Sadie. “Why did you call your friend a honeybee?”
CHAPTER 21
THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK in the upstairs hall was chiming nine as Sadie waved to Bo from the window of her nana’s front parlor. He waved back, then hopped into the pickup truck he’d borrowed from his family to bring Sadie home and headed down the driveway. She stayed at the window, gaze trained on the glowing taillights until they disappeared around the bend.
Bo was headed back to the city in the morning, but Sadie thought she might stay out here a little longer. Between the excellent weather, Sadie and Ryan’s ease on horseback, and Bo’s expert handling of the stunt choreography, they’d wrapped up filming at the stable ahead of schedule. Sadie wasn’t due on set again until the end of the week.
Yom Kippur was in another day. She could stay here until after that. Her family had never been strongly invested in the traditions of their faith, and rarely, if ever attended services. Ana liked to say Sadie’s family was “Jew-ish.” But there were a few holidays and rituals Sadie managed to grow up with, each holding a sense of comfort in their own way. It would be good to spend some time in reflection. She and Nana could fast together. Light a candle for Poppa. And Sadie could begin to atone for all the years she’d neglected to make her grandmother a priority in her life.
The lilting croon of a fiddle playing an Irish melody drifted from the back of the house. Sadie poked her head in Nana’s den. The room was dark, lit only by the flickering glow of the television screen. Casablanca had given way to The Quiet Man, which could mean only one thing … Nana was thinking of Poppa.
“Nana?” Sadie whispered, making her way across the den’s thick rug. Her grandmother was curled in one corner of the sofa, nestled under a pile of crocheted blankets. “Are you awake?”
“Mmm,” Nana hummed. “I told you I’d wait up for you.”
“You did.” Sadie grinned at the kick of spunk in her grandmother’s voice. “Do you need anything? Can I make you some tea?”
“Not now, doll.” Nana lifted one corner of the blanket. “Come snuggle under here with your nana.”
Happy to oblige, Sadie crawled onto the sofa, careful not to steal too much of the blanket. Nana reached up and pulled Sadie’s head down to rest on her shoulder. Her wrinkled fingers were warm as they stroked Sadie’s short locks. Sadie realized her grandmother hadn’t said a word about her haircut. That was Nana, though. Appearances didn’t matter much.
It was strange to think this woman had raised Sadie’s mother. Mom and Nana were polar opposites. Appearances were everything to her mother. Aside from money, Sadie’s mom was obsessed with three things. The three W’s as Sadie started calling it in her teens: weight, wardrobe, and wrinkles.
Sadie still heard her mother’s voice in her head sometimes. Snide little comments about the size of her waist or the choice of her dress. For Sadie’s twenty-fifth birthday, her mom had given her a certificate for Botox treatments. Sadie had regifted it to her pain-in-the ass former soap opera costar.
“Nana,” Sadie murmured, watching the screen. “Did you name my mom after this movie?”
A chuckle rumbled beneath the blanket. “You’re only realizing this now?”
Sadie chuckled too. “I never really thought about it before,” she admitted.
“Yes,” Nana sighed. “I named your mother after Maureen O’Hara. Shame she didn’t turn out more like her.”
“Nana!”
“Oh, pish, I’m not saying anything new.” Nana kept stroking Sadie’s hair. “I love my daughter, of course. But I don’t have to like her.”
Sadie couldn’t help snickering.
“Though she did give me you for a granddaughter. And for that, I can forgive pretty much anything.” Nana patted Sadie’s cheek. “Now, you would have been worthy of the name Maureen. Mercedes. Bah. Don’t know what she was thinking. Your poppa was the first one to call you Sadie, did you know that?”
Sadie did know, but she liked hearing Nana talk about her grandfather, so she stayed silent and still.
“You were his wee Sadie-kins. Oh, the joy on that man’s face when he put you on a horse for the first time.”
“You miss him, don’t you?” Sadie asked quietly.
“Of course, doll.” Nana’s voice dropped to a bittersweet whisper. “All the time.”
Heart aching for her grandmother, Sadie reached for Nana’s hand. Nana and Poppa had been through so much to be together. Childhood sweethearts. Like she and Bo had been. And talk about “different worlds.” Sadie didn’t know all the details, but she’d heard enough stories over the years to know it hadn’t been easy for an Irish immigrant and a Jewish girl living on opposite ends of Maxwell street to be together in 1940s Chicago. Somehow, though, they made it work.
On the television screen, Mary Kate and Sean were sharing a tender kiss in a stormy graveyard. It wasn’t as memorable as the movie’s iconic, passionate windswept embrace, but still, it was a great kiss. Sadie thought of her nana and poppa, watching this movie together year after year. She squeezed Nana’s hand. Their story had been as romantic as any movie. “Let’s light a candle for him tomorrow. I think I’ll stay here a few more days. Spend Yom Kippur with you.”
“That would make me very happy, doll.” Her grandmother squeezed her hand in return. “Now tell me, how was dinner?”
“Ugh,” Sadie groaned. A dull throbbing warned her a headache was coming on. For a few minutes, she’d been able to forget tonight’s fiasco.
“Oh, dear. It didn’t go well?”
“I fought with Bo’s sister.” Sadie let go of her nana’s hand and sat up, rubbing her temples.
“Luna?” Nana tsked. “She’s such a nice young woman, so pleasant. You should see the flowers she grows. The mums in the dining room are some of hers, you know. Angie picked them up for me at the farmers’ market. Oh, and she has the best produce in the entire county, the bread we had the other day was made with some of Luna’s zucchini.”
“Anyway,” Sadie broke in testily, fearing if she let her, Nana would spend the rest of the night listing all the wonderful plants and vegetables in nice, pleasant Luna’s garden. “She’s always had it in for me, and we finally had it out. In her parent’s kitchen.”
Sadie leaned back against the couch, watching as the Duke brawled his way through an Irish village. It was one of the most ridiculous fight scenes in cinematic history, but also one of the most memorable. Fortunately, her fight with Luna hadn’t escalated into a boxing match, despite Sadie feeling like she’d been punched in the gut.
“Well?” Nana prodded. “Did the two of you work it out?”
“Not really.” Sadie shrugged. “I mean, I’m glad I finally confronted her, after all these years but…” She rubbed her middle. “Luna admitted that she hates me.”
“Who could ever hate you?” Nana wondered.
Lots of people. God, she still needed to track down that stupid internet article.
“Nana, do you think I’m spoiled?” Sadie held up her palm. “Wait. Never mind. You’re my grandmother, you can’t answer that objectively.”
Nana chuckled. “It’s my job to spoil you, but no, doll face, I wouldn’t say you’re spoiled. Pampered, yes.” Nana lifted her hand from the blanket and waggled a wrinkled finger. “Your mother, on the other hand. Oy. Now, there’s a woman who is spoiled.” Heaving a sigh, she continued, “I blame myself. Your grandfather and I, we started out with nothing. I wanted better for your mother. We gave her everything.” Nana shook her head. “And that’s why she’s never happy with anything.”
Upstairs, the clock chimed ten.
“It’s getting late. How about we get you up to bed?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Nana waved her hand. “I’ll call for Angie.”
“I’m already here.” Sadie re
ached for her grandmother’s arm. “Let me help you.” She clicked off the TV, and together, they made their way toward the door where light spilled in from the hallway.
As they shuffled up the stairs together, Sadie was struck by another wave of guilt. Poppa had been gone for years. Aside from the staff, of which Angie was the only in-residence member, Nana was alone in this big old house.
“This is all very sweet of you,” Nana said as Sadie helped her into her nightgown.
“It’s nothing.” Sadie smoothed down her grandmother’s puffs of snowy-white hair. “I should be doing this more often.”
“You should be living your life, not taking care of an old woman,” Nana barked, showing that spunk again.
“I can do both.” Sadie pulled on the covers, tucking her grandmother in. How many nights had Nana done the same for her? Helped her get ready for bed. Tucked her in. Sadie glanced up at the familiar pale blue canopy draped above her grandmother’s bed, eyes stinging with unshed tears. She’d accused Luna of taking her family for granted, but Sadie had done the same. “I’m sorry I haven’t been a good granddaughter. Can you forgive me?”
“I don’t think there’s anything to forgive, but if that’s what your heart craves, then yes, of course I forgive you.” Nana reached out and patted Sadie’s hand. “You’re a good girl, Sadie-kins. Your poppa would have been proud.”
“He would have wanted me to take care of you. Like you did for me.” Sadie placed her hand over Nana’s, cradling the paper-thin skin between her palms. “I promise I’ll do better. From now on, I’m going to spend more time with you. Not just this week, but every week.”
“I’d like that,” Nana murmured, the words slow and drowsy. Her hand slipped from Sadie’s, eyes drifting closed.
Sadie sat on the edge of the bed, a tender smile flitting about her lips as she listened to her grandmother’s gentle snores. She’d always found the sound soothing. Her wolfhound Flynn had snored too. Louder, of course, long, snuffling snores. Sadie used to rest her head on him while he slept, cheek nestled against his shaggy fur, rising and falling to the steady rhythm of his breaths. There was something so peaceful about listening to another creature enjoy sleep with such abandon. It made Sadie relax too, as if rest could come through osmosis.
She missed Flynn. She missed Poppa. But they were long gone, memories of them a bittersweet comfort. Nana, however, was right here. Had always been here. But she wouldn’t always be. Sadie couldn’t make up for all the time they’d lost. But she could make the most of the time they still had.
* * *
The following weeks passed quickly, a blur of days spent shooting on location around the city, and nights spent with Bo. Challenging as it was, they’d stuck to their pact and had not technically slept together. Bo had warned her, he could imagine quite a bit, and holy hell could he ever. He’d found ways to get creative in his bed, on his couch, bent over the kitchen counter—and once, pressed up against the big picture window of his loft—cold glass pressed against her breasts while his fingers pressed inside her heat.
Then there were the quiet times. Mornings when they’d snuggle under the covers, his soft beard tickling her cheek and Clark biting their ears. Jogs along the lakefront together and donut runs after. Nights they’d come home from a long day of filming to veg out on the couch and watch movies.
Faster than Sadie could have predicted, she and Bo had settled into a comfortable routine. While filming, they were strictly professional. Cordial and polite. But the time they spent together away from the set felt like how their summers used to be. Their own little island of happy away from the rest of the world. A small part of Sadie, the dark graveyard where she kept her boxes buried, held back, wary of the joy, knowing that eventually, the reality boat would barge in. But for the most part, she was able to embrace the moment and enjoy the calm seas and smooth sailing while it lasted.
True to her word, she also visited with her grandmother on the weekends, driving out any time she had a Saturday off and spending the night. It had been lovely, and Sadie tried her best to relish the present, rather than regret the past. Both with Bo, and her grandmother.
It was the last week of October, with about two weeks left on the film schedule, when Sylvia called Sadie and Ryan in for a meeting.
Ryan caught up to Sadie on the way to the conference room, and they headed in together. “I’m looking forward to your party.”
“What party?” She blinked, mind still occupied with her lines for today.
Ryan’s face fell. “Shit. Did I just ruin a surprise?”
“Oh, my party!” Now Sadie’s face fell. “Shit. I completely forgot.”
“Dude, don’t let Ana know that; she’s been getting stuff ready for weeks.”
“I am the worst friend in the world,” Sadie groaned.
“Knock it off, Gold. She knows you’re busy.” Ryan grinned. “Besides, she’s got me to keep her company.” He glanced over at her. “Did you pick your costume out yet?”
“No.” Sadie shook her head, mentally scrambling for ideas. “I haven’t even invited Bo yet.”
“Oh, Bo knows.”
“Bo knows about the party?”
“Yeah, Ana invited him.” Ryan’s face fell again. “Uh-oh. Did I screw up that time?”
“You’re fine.” Sadie followed her costar through the conference room door, wondering what, if anything, went on inside that adorable but empty head of his. “But if I do ever decide to throw a surprise party, remind me not to ask you for help.”
“MG and RG! Perfect,” Sylvia called from the head of the table. She waved them over. “Come, sit.”
Sadie glanced around at the handful of people assembled. Aside from Sylvia, there was Tanya, of course, pouring coffee for two people Sadie assumed were executive producers. Next to Sylvia was a pretty young woman who looked vaguely familiar, but Sadie couldn’t place her. An actress, maybe? She wasn’t sure. Rounding out the group was a spry woman in a bow tie and glasses. The woman sprung up and headed toward her.
“Sadie Gold?”
“Yes.”
“Meg Fay.” She handed Sadie a business card.
Sadie took the card and shook the woman’s hand. Confident, firm grip. Energetic presence. Great style. Sadie liked her already. “Nice to meet you, Meg.”
Meg repeated her introduction to Ryan.
“Cool tie,” Ryan observed.
“Thanks.” Meg led Ryan and Sadie over to the table. “You both have my card. Don’t lose it. Think of that number as the bat signal. Your protection against the bad guys.”
Bad guys? Sadie glanced toward the head of the table. Did Sylvia hire a security detail?
When everyone was seated, Sylvia said, “I’ve decided to hire someone local to handle PR here, and Meg is one the best publicists in Chicago.”
Ah, those bad guys. Great. Sadie perked up. Maybe Meg could help her figure out a way to bury all the bullshit getting shoveled on the internet.
“You two came in together.” She glanced between Ryan and Sadie. “Anything personal I need to be aware of?”
“Like, are we dating?” Sadie asked.
“Hell, no,” Ryan said. “No offense, Gold.”
“None taken,” Sadie promised him.
“I don’t date costars,” Ryan explained.
“Smart man.” Meg nodded in approval.
Sadie bit back a secret smile.
Meg gestured to the packet of papers Tanya was passing around the conference table. “Although the film doesn’t premiere until May, there’s been a lot of on-location shoots around the city this month, so public interest is already hot. I’d like to take advantage of that,” Meg explained. “And since the tabloids have started taking an interest too, we’ll need to stay ahead of them.” Meg cut Sadie a look. “You’ll make the rounds on all the networks later, but I want to get you in for a few interviews soon to build some momentum and maintain a positive outlook on the film and its stars. Sound good?”
“Sound
s great,” Sadie agreed, a little annoyed Meg had signaled her out, but mostly relieved. It would be nice to have someone in her corner fighting the bad guys and their bullshit. “Where do we start?”
“I was thinking some local talk shows, that sort of thing.”
“Like ChiChat?”
“Definitely.” Meg nodded.
“My friend Cassie works for them.”
“Cassie Crow?” the pretty brunette next to Sylvia asked.
“Yep.” Sadie smiled, again trying to place where she’d seen the young woman. She knew her face, that was for sure. “You know her?”
“The girl shook her head. “No. I’m just a fan. I adore her ‘Coming out of the Book Closet’ interview series.”
“Valerie, I’m so sorry I didn’t introduce you,” Meg apologized to the brunette. She turned to Sadie and Ryan. “Please meet Valerie Rose the—”
“The author of Fair is Fair!” Sadie exclaimed. “Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe I didn’t put it together sooner.” Sadie hopped out of her chair. “It is so nice to meet you.” She hurried around the table and gave the girl a hug. “I’ve been trying to figure out why you looked so familiar. Your face has been staring at me from the back of your book for like a year now!”
Valerie laughed. “When you put it like that, it sounds kind of creepy.”
“Thank you for writing the character of Jamie,” Sadie gushed.
“Thank you for playing her,” Valerie gushed right back.
“Love the energy between you two—and since I’m also Val’s publicist, I’m happy to capitalize on this—but let’s press pause on the mutual love fest,” Meg said, straightening her bow tie. “It’s time to get down to business.”
* * *
Later that afternoon, Sadie was in her dressing room, forcing down a protein bar while reviewing the interview schedule Meg had put together when her phone chimed with Ana’s ringtone. “Hey, you.”
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