Kevin nodded. “All right.” Cassidy stood beside him watching Brenna move quickly off the floor to the alcove containing the powder rooms. “Mr. Palassis, would you mind if I took your lovely lady for a spin around the floor?”
Cameron inhaled sharply, and Cassidy almost laughed at the triumph she felt. “I’d love to,” she answered, taking her hand from Cameron and putting it in Kevin’s. She followed the older man easily, feeling a burst of joy. Cameron could not possibly continue clinging to the idea that she and Brenna were involved if Kevin were this congenial. Certainly a man would know when his wife was unfaithful. Right? She looked at Kevin, suddenly uneasy.
He smiled at her. “I have to admit I didn’t ask you to dance just to pass the time,” Kevin said in the lengthening silence. “I have a question to ask.”
Cassidy steeled her jaw to keep her mouth from gaping. Carefully she nodded, then cleared her throat. “What is it?”
“I need to know what’s bothering Bren. She won’t tell me. Maybe I’m just not able to understand, or so she thinks. Do you think you could if you know what it is tell me?”
“Are you bothered that she’s not going to Michigan?” He nodded. “She is right about the shooting demands. She’s heavily featured in the next episode. There are a lot of lines and a lot of scenes. It would mess up shooting if she got stuck because of a storm. I used to have to avoid going home this time of year, too.”
The forthright answer seemed to pacify Kevin. “I guess you’re right. It’s just…” His voice trailed off as he kept the changing thoughts to himself. “Never mind.”
Cassidy found herself in the unenviable position of dancing with the spouse of her lover, expected to sympathize with the estrangement that he could feel but for which he could not see an apparent cause. “She’s uncertain about a lot more than just being here when shooting resumes,” she allowed.
“You’re her friend. Has she told you what?”
Cassidy hesitated, uncertain whether she would be breaking a confidence. “She’s been offered a job in England. She has to make a decision soon, I think.”
“England?” Kevin sighed. “We’ll have to talk.”
“Apparently they want her badly enough to wait until she’s finished with the series in May.”
“Oh.” Kevin’s frown deepened. The song to which they were dancing came to an end. “Well, I’d better return you to your date,”
“All right.” Cassidy squeezed his shoulder. “Have a good holiday.”
“You, too.”
They returned to the side of the ballroom. Cassidy did not dare leave Cameron and Kevin alone. Though derailed abruptly and thoroughly, Cameron was no doubt planning another way to use his knowledge to his benefit. She immediately pushed him out to dance, leaving Kevin on the side of the floor waiting for Brenna’s return.
Brenna found the restroom a quiet haven. The loud music was muted there, and the strain of conversing with Kevin was also gone. Seeing Cassidy in Cameron’s arms had startled her, but it was when Kevin took Cassidy off to dance that she understood exactly what she was feeling. She was not jealous that Cassidy was dancŹing with Kevin because Kevin was her husband; she was jealous that she could not be dancing with Cassidy herself.
You’re going to tell him tonight. Brenna knew what she had said to Cassidy the night before, and yet, she had continued to wrestle with how to tell Kevin it was over. She was in love with someone else. Remaining married to Kevin would be wrong. She would just have to come out and say it.
She emerged back into the ballroom and scanned the crowd. Cassidy and CamŹeron were dancing. Kevin was coming toward her, as were Will and Terry. It would be better in private, she reasoned. She turned and greeted her co-stars first. “Hi. Having a good evening?” She looked up over her shoulder as Kevin stopped behind her. “Kevin, you remember Terry Brown and Will Chapman.”
“Terry. Will.” He shook their hands in turn and then rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. She shivered. “Why don’t we get something at the buffet?”
“All right.” She eased away from Kevin’s hand on her lower back guiding her lightly through the milling crowd. Cameron and Cassidy were also at the buffet.
“Hello again.”
Brenna caught Cassidy’s startled look and noted that Cameron had his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist and the knuckles were white. It made her look at Cameron more closely. He did not release Cassidy’s wrist. Instead he pulled her against him.
“Nice spread,” he said, looking directly at her as his hands roamed Cassidy’s butt. Cassidy’s face was growing steadily redder.
Whatever was going on, Brenna knew she had to stop it. Obviously Cassidy was not with him by choice. The realization that there was manipulation going on also clued Brenna into something else. Cameron knew, or thought he knew, there was something to tweak in her relationship with Cassidy. A year ago she would have said he was doing it to see her get mad because Cassidy was stepping into her limelight. Now though, she wondered if he actually did know something.
“Excuse me,” she said, easing forward to collect a plate. “Looks delicious. What do you think we should try, Cassidy?”
“The capers?”
“All right.” Brenna smiled and edged along the table, guiding Cassidy along in front of her, Cameron preceding them, unwilling to relinquish Cassidy. She felt her husband step into line behind her. Brenna took in the layout of the table, taking parŹticular notice of the punchbowl at the end, its red juice and floating balls of ice cream beckoning. She speared the capers and nudged a few onto Cassidy’s plate. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Caught between Cameron and Kevin, Brenna and Cassidy exchanged grimaces. / will get you out of this, Brenna vowed, moving along the table. Walking backwards as he kept his eyes on them, Cameron did not notice he was next to the punchbowl until his hip bumped the table and he stumbled. The punchbowl rocked unsteadily and splashed. Brenna grabbed Cassidy’s hand out of his and stepped back, unerringly kicking her own shoe forward and under Cam’s foot.
Chapman and Brown were behind Kevin when Cameron toppled. They stepped out and around, offering Cameron a hand up.
The reporters and nearby guests all caught the commotion and turned. Several flashes went off as Cameron stood, his suit dripping with punch. “Cameron, let’s get you cleaned up,” Will offered.
Cameron hesitated and looked around. Straightening, he walked out. Terry and Will moved to flank him as he left.
Terry discreetly kicked Brenna’s shoe back to her and she slipped her foot inside, exchanging a quick nod with the dark man, who then followed Will and CamŹeron out to the restrooms.
The distraction was over almost before it had completely built up. Brenna menŹtally patted herself on the back.
Cassidy nodded and squeezed her hand, excusing herself. “I’ll say good night, now. Kevin, good to see you again.” With a brief smile at Brenna, she turned and made a graceful solo exit.
Brenna ached as Cassidy left, wanting to follow the other woman out, to assure herself that she was all right, that Cameron had done nothing more untoward than coercion. She started forward. She saw Terry come out of the corridor with the restrooms and cross to follow Cassidy out. Should I follow? Then she felt Kevin’s hand on her elbow and the flashes of light receding and knew she had to stay to deflect everyone’s attention from Cassidy’s early departure. The notion was rein-forced by Victor Branch leading his wife to their side a moment later.
“Get out there,” he hissed.
Kevin looked to her. She knew he would do whatever she asked, even if he did not know immediately why. She was grateful for it even as she recognized she was using it to advantage. “Just a dance or two.”
She smiled disingenuously and followed Kevin’s dance steps out to the center of the floor, circling several times before other couples joined them and they could slip to the fringe once again. They stopped for the cameras, and she answered the pertiŹnent questions fr
om reporters about the series, sounding excited for all that she was far from it.
Kevin’s expression grew more confused as the evening’s performance wore on. He said little. He drew them to a stop as Will Chapman approached. “You had probŹably better perform a little more,” Kevin said, handing her off to Chapman. “I’m going to get a drink.”
Brenna realized Kevin sensed she was off kilter, though he seemed to think it was caused by her responsibility to ‘perform’ for the press tonight. “Just one dance,” she assured Kevin before she took Will’s hand, wanting to talk with him about CamŹeron and aware that the wagging tongues might be quieted even more if she spread her attentions around.
Stepping out with her, Will smiled, and Brenna saw in his eyes a brotherly affection. “Thank you,” she said earnestly. “And Terry, too, for the save.”
Will nodded. They circled in the dance, pausing near a flower-bedecked colŹumn for photographers. In a low voice, he acknowledged her words. “Terry saw she got to a limo fine and told the reporters who followed them out that she had been caught in the punch spill also.”
Brenna exhaled, most of her questions answered by Will’s quick explanation. “How did she seem?” she asked anxiously.
Will’s reply took a few moments, as they were stalled by Victor and his wife. Though they exchanged greetings, Brenna declined Victor’s request to swap partŹners, asking him to catch her for the next dance, pouring on the charm as he frowned. “I’d rather have an entire dance with you.”
Will offered his assessment of Cassidy’s departure low, for Brenna’s ear alone, as they danced away. “She seemed anxious to be away; otherwise Terry would have pulled her back onto the dance floor, too.”
“I know.” Always with the appearances, she thought with a frown, though she quickly replaced it with a winsome smile up at Will. The deliberate posing was caught forever on film as a camera flashed.
She danced next, as promised, with Victor, Will taking Victor’s wife Melanie out for a spin to the quick, jazzy number. Brenna was grateful that the tempo limited the conversation.
“Word about is that your husband is running for office, and you’ve got a job offer from England.”
“He actually has already been elected. And yes, I’ve been shown a movie project.”
His brow furrowed. “Have you been happy with Time Trails overall, Bren?”
Genuinely surprised by his question, she nevertheless answered honestly, “It’s been a learning experience.”
“I read your interview with Sci-Fi Magazine. You didn’t sound like everything was peachy.”
“Working was tough, Victor.”
“Was? You do seem to be enjoying rehearsal a little more. Well, except for thai fiasco with Palassis.”
“He’s got quite a hot temper,” she concurred, and added, “I’m glad he was moved off.”
“Is that what tonight was about?” Victor asked, clearly having talked her around to the topic he most wanted to discuss.
“Tonight?”
“That mess at the buffet.”
Brenna shook her head. “An accident.”
“Nothing you do is accidental, Bren.” She could say nothing to that, realizing she had just been told that he viewed her as calculating.
In the strained moments that followed, Victor’s dance steps led them back to where Kevin stood sipping from a small glass with ice. He put it down on the tray of a passing waiter as they approached. “Mr. Shea, thank you for the privilege.”
Bren found her hand placed into Kevin’s. She looked up between the two men and wondered what her producer would say further.
“You may go,” Victor said coolly. He turned away without changing expression and took his wife back out onto the dance floor for the song just starting.
Kevin studied her quizzically. She lifted a shoulder in a shrug though she was far from feeling at ease. But, she had been granted her reprieve. For now. “Ready to go?”
It was nearly midnight when they returned to the house. Brenna remained quiet as the limo driver wound through the neighborhood streets and pulled into their driveway. Relaxing at her side, Kevin loosened his bowtie. “Bit of an odd evening.”
“Mmm hmm.”
He took the keys from her hand and opened the front door. “Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”
“Pinnacle’s annual meet ‘n’ greet,” she said.
“No, that bit of sabotage you did.”
“That was an accident.”
“You aren’t that clumsy.”
She pulled the wrap off her shoulders and put a hand on his left arm. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Whenever you saw him tonight, you bristled. Has something hapŹpened on the set that I should know about?”
“No. He’s been reassigned, actually,” she said, perhaps with too much of a smile. “He’s working exclusively on a new series.” She led the way to the deck in the backŹyard, and Kevin sat on the swing.
“So you don’t see him a lot?”
“Nope. One thing about this set I will not miss is the politics that play off-camŹera.”
“Are you finally thinking about afterward? Ms. Hyland said you have an offer from England.”
“I do.” She smiled. “And I’m thinking of taking it.”
“I thought we were going to settle down, take a break from things.”
Brenna shook her head. “You’ve got your life to live, and I’ve got mine.”
“That’s rather harsh,” he said. “Just come home for the holiday, see Ellie and Marie. We’ll visit with your brothers.”
“I’m not going to Michigan with you. Not now…or in the future.”
“What are you saying?”
Brenna exhaled, girding herself for a fight. “Kevin, you said you felt we are drifting apart.” She nodded. “I agree. It’s not fair to you to be distracted like this.”
“You mean how you’re distracted by set politics?”
She shook her head. “You deserve someone who can focus on you, who will focus on you. I…I tried to, I wanted to, but…there’s…” No, not good to tell him about Cassidy. She started again. “I can’t go back to Michigan with you.”
“You’re still working, I know.” He lifted a hand and laid it gently over hers on her lap. “There’ll be other jobs. I…I’d like you to take a little time off for a while, just be…a mom.” He paused. “My wife.” He nodded. “Get the anxiety about all this out of your system. We can just be for a while.”
Brenna shook her head. “Kevin, I shouldn’t be with you at all.” She looked at her hands small, nearly hidden by his one big one. Gingerly she pulled free of his light touch. The wedding band on her left hand, put there for tonight’s publicity event, glinted in the deck lighting. She pulled it off.
She lifted his hand and pressed the ring into his palm. “I was wrong to take this from you,” she said, afraid as her voice cracked. She wanted to do this; it was the right thing to do. So why am I about to cry? She looked up from his hand into the stunned expression her words had put on his face. “I want a divorce.”
“Bren… I… We…we’re married. You’re my wife. I love you”
“But I don’t love you,” she interrupted, forcing her voice to remain even.
“This is just a rough patch we’re going through. You’re lonely.” He cast about for words. “I’ll move out here. We’ll work it out.” He tried to press the ring back into her hand. She pushed back. “I’ll support”
“No, Kevin.” She stood abruptly, causing the bench to rock erratically. “You are…a wonderful man, but…I can’t. I can’t lie any more…to myself or to you.”
“Lies?” His shock was palpable.
Brenna nodded. “I married you because I was too afraid to face things on my own. That was wrong. I… You’re a strong, steady rock. You…were everything I thought I should need.” She blinked away tears. “But I was lying to myself about some very important things I needed to face.”
“I�
��ll help you face them. What’s brought this on tonight the weird encounter with that writer?”
She shook her head. “No. I just realized tonight what I want and what you are for me…I was using you to be able to avoid…someone.”
Kevin shook his head. “I don’t understand, Bren. You’re avoiding someone? Who?” He started to his feet. “If it’s someone at Pinnacle, I’ll make it right. That’s what I’m here for for you, for whatever you need me to do.”
Brenna exhaled. She was going to have to say it. “Kevin, I have been trying to avoid this, but…please, listen to me. I don’t deserve you; I have been unfaithful to you.”
“We’ve barely been married a year!”
Yes, I know. I spent our first anniversary waiting for you to come home from a political rally.”
“Were you with him that night? Were you upset I was gone?”
She shook her head. “You know I wasn’t. And I wasn’t angry with you,” she hasŹtened to add. “I used to wonder why. I should have been, if I loved you as much as I professed.” She sat down on the swing. “I’ve been unhappy so long, I didn’t even know I was faking my happiness.”
She looked into his face, “The bottom line, Kevin, Is I don’t love you. I admire you a great deal. You’re a great family man, the kind of person my mother was right to point out to me, and I should love you. I think you’re smart, and I’ve been treating you very, very stupidly.” She shook her head at herself.
“You’re at least admitting the affair. It’s over. We can recover from this.”
“It’s not over, Kevin. It’s only just beginning.”
“You swore you needed fidelity, not the least because Tom never gave you his.”
“That’s why I have to let go, Kevin. You’re right I want fidelity. I asked it of you, and I can’t let you believe you have it from me, when you don’t.”
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