Previously…
Kenny informed James the lender had given him a three-month extension on his loan. Meanwhile, the mysterious woman in New York City spoke to an unseen caller and revealed that she was the backing on James’s loan, and that she planned on getting Sunset Studios for herself. Miranda fired Kelly from the hotel for sleeping with her brother. James cut Alex’s role in Angel Assassin 2 and upped Kelly’s part, infuriating Alex. Alex gave Kelly fair warning and insisted she leave Stormy alone. Heather expressed concern over Violet’s mental capacity when the infant hadn’t cried since the delivery. Miranda had it out with Brooke over David, insisting she wasn’t affected by their breakup. Brooke maintained that she and David were just friends. Roz gave David a cryptic warning to leave Brooke alone. Jordan got a mysterious note that claimed he had killed Suzanne. Later, he beat Frank Dunning up in the parking garage at Sunset Studios. Roz made another attempt at getting James to try to win Brooke back. Renee overheard and wondered what Roz’s intentions were, then revealed that she was certain she’d met Roz before. David told Brooke that she reminded him of Babydoll, a girl that he met in Big Bear some twenty years earlier. Roz found photos of Brooke as a young girl taken in Big Bear with the name Babydoll scribbled on the back.
The doorbell rang as Brooke bounded down the stairs of her townhome in Glendale. She made her way to the front door, cutting her mother off as she approached from the kitchen.
“I’ve got it,” Brooke said and pulled the door open. Roz shrugged indifferently and returned to the kitchen where Michael was snacking on crackers and juice.
“Is Michael ready?” Ethan asked from the porch. He dug his hands in his pockets, his eyes hidden behind dark aviator sunglasses.
“Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you fist. Can we go outside for a minute?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, fine.”
Brooke glanced back at her mother before leading Ethan outside and closing the door behind. The minute she heard the latch close, Roz darted to the door and leaned against it, straining to hear the details of their conversation.
“What’s this all about?” Ethan asked. “Is Michael okay?”
Brooke folded her arms. “Michael is fine. It’s us I’m worried about.”
“Us?” Ethan asked with a frown. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about this,” she began and motioned to the dead space between them. “This thing that’s been going on between us lately.”
“Brooke, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What thing?“
“You show up here every Friday, stand out here on the porch while you wait for me to get Michael ready, you barely say two words to me before you leave, and then it’s the same thing when you bring him back on Sunday. I thought we were past all the animosity. It’s been months since we broke up. Why are you still angry with me?”
He chuckled to himself and looked off in the distance before removing his sunglasses and gazing disapprovingly at her. “You want to know why I’m angry with you?” he asked.
“Yes, I do. I think I have a right to know. If this is about me ending things then—”
“It’s not about you ending things, Brooke. If you don’t want to be with me then I’m fine with that. What I’m not fine with is you lying to me about why you did it.”
“I haven’t lied about anything.”
“What about David?” Ethan asked. “You told me that you weren’t interested in him, and that he wasn’t the reason we aren’t together, but then lo and behold, you’re showing up all over town on his arm.”
“I’m not showing up all over town with him,” she insisted. “I went to one hotel opening with him, and it just so happened that the media was there covering it and caught us on camera together. I told you before that I’m not interested in David Jennings. Not romantically, anyway.”
“Then why does he pop up every time I turn around? Why was he the one you turned to last year when James was in the hospital? Why am I still the one who you can’t open up to?”
Sighing, Brooke ran her fingers through her tangle of blond hair and glanced uncomfortably back at the door. “I can’t do this again,” she said, her eyes finally settling back on him. “I can’t keep going over this same thing with you, Ethan. Don’t you understand? I need to be my own person. I can’t keep running to you or James whenever something goes wrong in my life.”
“We support each other. What’s wrong with that?”
“But every time we’re together it’s for the wrong reasons. I’ve used you and I’ve hurt you. I’ve got to stop doing that. I’ve got to learn to be independent. Please try and understand.”
Silently, he pushed back on his sunglasses and dug his hands in his pockets. “I need to get going,” he said. “Would you mind getting Michael ready?”
Dropping her hands to her sides, Brooke reluctantly turned back and opened the door. As she entered the house, Roz approached with Michael and handed him over to Ethan.
“See you Sunday,” Brooke said and kissed her son on the forehead. She lingered for a moment, her eyes meeting with Ethan’s. “Look, I’m sorry. I just—”
Before she could continue, Ethan hastily snatched the overnight bag from the floor, turned, and raced back outside the house.
Roz parted her lips to interject a comment but Brooke held up a hand in protest as she fled back up the stairs.
Miranda Blackthorne walked across the lobby of Hotel Terranova, her heels clicking on the terracotta floor as a team of banquet managers flocked about her. She scribbled her signature on a few pieces of paper and answered a few questions with brief, concise responses, all the while keeping up her manic pace toward her office.
Glancing up, she spotted David Jennings approaching from the lounge. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile and she quickly waived off the hotel employees. Smoothing down her skirt and primping her hair, she flashed a brilliant smile. By the time he neared, she realized he hadn’t been walking toward her at all, but straight out the front doors without so much as a glance in her direction.
Refusing to allow herself to be hurt and disappointed again, she took a deep breath and made her way to the outdoor terrace for a breath of fresh air. How many times did she have to get her hopes up and have them dashed again by David Jennings before she realized there was no hope? She’d never let a man get to her this way. Why was she letting it happen now? There had to be something, someone that could help her get back to her old self again.
Just as the words floated through her mind, her eyes landed on her brother a hundred yards up playing a rousing game of tennis with Eddie Distefano. Immediately all thoughts of David Jennings vanished and she instead became embroiled in the memories of her night with Eddie several weeks earlier. She found herself staring at his lean muscular body, his shirtless torso soaked in sweat as he swung the racket back and forth on the court.
Flushed faced, she grabbed a chair to steady herself. Of all the guys in Hollywood to lust over, why did it have to be an aimless dork like Eddie? Sure, he had a legendary father and an adorable younger brother, but what else did he have going for him besides a decent body? Not that that was even too rare in Los Angeles. Eddie had been nothing but an annoying pain in her butt since they were kids. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
Before she could turn and walk back inside, she heard him calling her name. Although she thought better of stopping and acknowledging him, she found herself turning back just as he approached.
“Miranda, it’s good to see you,” Eddie said, a sheepish grin on his face and his hands resting on his hips. “Care to play the winner?”
“Huh?” she asked, distracted because she was too busy pretending to be unaffected.
“No offense to your brother, but he isn’t exactly a pro. Maybe I could take you on.”
“No thanks,” she said with a frown. She wasn’t quite sure if he was trying to be provocative or if he was just being his usual dorky self.
“Hey,” he said, stopping her from walking away. “What are you doing tonight? Maybe we can catch a movie or have dinner someplace. I think they’re playing an Indiana Jones double feature at the Galaxy.”
It was then that Miranda decided no amount of amazing sex could change the fact that Eddie was a nerd, plain and simple. Other girls might be blinded by his appealing façade, but she wasn’t. “I think I’ll pass,” she said with as much indifference as she could muster. With that, she turned and flitted back inside the hotel.
Just as she’d disappeared, Stormy came running up and handed Eddie a bottle of water. “What’s up?” he asked. “What were you and Miranda talking about?”
Eddie shook his head, convincing himself it didn’t matter. “Nothing,” he said. “Come on, I’ll let you try to regain your standing. Two out of three.”
Stormy chuckled and followed him back to the court.
Inside the crowded dining room, Renee and Sierra caught up over breakfast, although barely a second went by where the conversation stalled long enough for any eating to get done.
“And the professors,” Sierra was saying, waving her hands and gesturing with excitement. “They’re so talented. Some of them have been in the business for fifty years. And my vocal coach? Wow, he is just amazing. I’ve learned so much in just one semester and there’s still so much more to learn.”
Renee beamed with approval. “I’m so happy school is going well, Sierra,” she said. “And that you’re happy. That means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“I am happy,” she said. “I really feel like I fit in in New York City. There’s so much energy and excitement. I mean, I’ve been to a lot of places. Paris, Stockholm, Cambridge, L.A. But nothing compares to New York City.”
“It’s an amazing place,” Renee agreed. “Your grandfather would take me along when he went there on business trips. Summer in Central Park and Christmas on Madison Avenue were some of my favorite memories growing up.”
“I’ve met so many wonderful people,” Sierra went on without missing a beat. “The girls in my dorm are so edgy. They’re nothing like the refined snobs I went to school with in Europe. I think I could really learn a lot from them.”
“You mean you could learn to be edgy?” Renee asked with a sly grin. The prospect made her smile from ear to ear. She reached her hand across the table and touched it gently to Sierra’s. “Oh baby, I’ve missed you so much. I’m thrilled that you are enjoying your life but I’m so glad to have you back for the summer.”
Sierra grew quiet, glancing around awkwardly before resting her eyes back on her mother. “Well, the thing is I’m not exactly planning on staying for the whole summer,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Renee asked with a start. “This is your home, darling. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but—”
“It’s not that, mom. I mean, I love being able to see you. But I think I’d like to go back to New York for a while and spend some time there this summer. I’ll still come back and visit before school starts again.”
“What will you do in New York?” Renee asked, unable to hide her disappointment in her daughter’s decision. “No one will be on campus until fall. Where will you live?”
“In an apartment,” Sierra explained. “I found one in the West Village. It’s a sublet. It’s so adorable. I can live there until school starts again and then move back into the dorms.”
Renee was speechless. So many questions that a mother instinctively would ask ran through her mind but she knew she had to tread carefully. Sierra had been on her own much of her life and was not accustomed to having someone treat her like a child. It took every ounce of her will power to refrain.
“What is it?” Sierra asked. “You don’t approve?”
“It’s not that I don’t approve. I mean, I want you to have experiences, to live life to the fullest. I just—” A pause while she rearranged her thoughts. “New York is such a big place. I’m afraid you’ll wind up lonely and lost.”
“I won’t,” Sierra said with a knowing smile.
Renee regarded her carefully. She knew the look on her face all to well. “It sounds like there may be someone else in the picture.”
Sierra couldn’t help but smile. “Well, sort of,” she began. “There’s this guy I met. His name is Malcolm. He’s a record producer. Up and coming. We’ve been laying down some tracks and he thinks I have a real solid sound. We’re going to work on some music this summer and see what happens. Don’t worry, I’m not getting my hopes up,” she was quick to add. “I still want to finish school and be trained formally. I just want to try this. Can you understand?”
Renee sighed heavily. The truth was she could understand perfectly. She saw so much of herself in her daughter. “So this Malcolm. Tell me about him.”
“He’s so amazing and talented. He comes from a very respectable family. His father is some big name in the business. We’re really in synch, you know. And he doesn’t care who my family is. He sees potential in me.”
“Is Malcolm a friend, or more than that?”
Sierra shrugged awkwardly. “He’s a…friend,” she said, then broke into a smile.
Renee sipped her coffee. “Well, I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t at least caution you to be careful. I once had a relationship with a man in the music industry.”
“You never told me that,” Sierra said in amazement. “When?”
“In my twenties,” Renee said. “Before I married Kenny and before I had you. He was something special. Or so I thought. Wealthy, debonaire, incredibly handsome with wavy black hair and tons of charisma. I met him through your grandmother. We had a very brief romance but I really thought I was in love. My father, on the other hand, couldn’t stand him.”
“What happened?”
Renee grew into a thoughtful daze before continuing. “His work was very demanding on his time. Anyway, I found myself alone much of the time and eventually we just realized it wasn’t going anywhere so we called it off.”
“Mom, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to fall head over heels with Malcolm. We like hanging out and that’s enough for now. I promise I won’t go jumping into anything.”
Renee smiled and grabbed hold of her hand again. “How did you get so smart?” she asked with a laugh and stood up from the table. “Come on. If I only have a few days with you then I want to spend as much time together as we can.”
Sierra stood up and hugged her warmly before they continued through the dining room to the elevators.
“I swear to god I will sue.”
“You will not,” James replied with irritation. “Stop being so dramatic, Alex.”
“I am not being dramatic!” she insisted, puffing away at a cigarette as she stormed around James’s office at Sunset Studios. “I signed on for a starring role in Angel Assassin 2 and you’ve diminished my part to a pathetic supporting character who dies a third of a way through the film and then appears in flashbacks and as an apparition filmed on a closed set in front of a green screen! This was supposed to be my big return to the business!”
“Alex, calm down for a minute,” Jordan said from his perch by the window. “I already told you that I will mortgage my house to pay the rest of the fines to the government. You don’t have to put up with this at all. Just walk off the set and leave James twisting in the wind. That should teach him to renege on a contract.”
“What are you even doing here, Jordan?” James asked with irritation. “As a direct competitor, and considering the fact that my new film is being shot just a few hundred yards away, I could easily have you escorted off the property and banned from being allowed back.”
Jordan shot him a who gives a crap look and turned back to the window.
“The money isn’t even the issue,” Alex insisted, stopping inches from James and pointing a threatening finger in his face. “You tossed me aside—the mother of your children—and brought that tramp on as my cheap knockoff replacement. How could you do that to me, James? I thought we were close. I thought we’d moved past all the animosity.”
“This has nothing to do with our relationship,” he explained for the hundredth time. “Kelly can work for a fraction of the salary you were making. Considering the fact that we’re so far behind schedule and over budget, I’d do it all again if I had to. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear but it’s a mathematical fact.”
“Great. So what am I supposed to do?” Alex asked.
“You’ll get other offers,” James insisted. “Now start acting like a professional. This is the nature of the business.”
“A professional?” Alex asked in awe. “You want me to act like a professional?”
James rolled his eyes and followed as she huffed out of the office and down the hall to the exit. She raced out to the set where the cast and crew had gathered. Kelly was standing on the sidelines getting a touchup on her hair and makeup when Alex approached and glared angrily at her.
“It looks like you got exactly what you wanted, didn’t you?” she demanded.
“I beg your pardon?” Kelly asked, feigning ignorance.
“You wormed your way into my family, my son’s bed, and now you’ve stolen my part in this film.”
“Miss Reynolds, I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”
“Don’t even bother,” Alex cut her off just as James and Jordan approached from behind. “I’ve known too many women like you and you’re all the same. Well let me tell you one thing, honey, you’re going to find out very soon that this business can be more cruel than you’d ever imagined. This town will eat you alive. And when it spits you out, don’t expect anyone to come to your rescue.”
With that, she turned and stormed through the crowd toward her car.
After the volatile confrontation, Kelly ran off to her trailer and slammed the door behind. Stormy arrived just at that moment and looked around, unsure of what had transpired but certain it was his mother doing the instigating.
“Are you okay?” he asked once inside the trailer. “What happened?”
“Stormy, I don’t think I can do this,” Kelly replied, bursting into tears and throwing her arms around him. “Your mother hates me. She’s convinced I’m out to steal the limelight from her. I never even asked for any of this. All I wanted was one small walk-on role. Now she hates me and she’ll never approve of us together.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said, smoothing his hand down the back of her head in an effort to calm her. He knew his mother was capable of being hateful, but the fact that she brought the woman he loved to tears was going too far. Movie or no movie, he was not going to let her get away with it.
“Am I that horrible of a person?” she asked, secretly smiling at the prospect of pushing the queen off her throne. There was a certain satisfaction in the ease with which it had been done. She was convinced that it was only a matter of time before she was the biggest name in Hollywood.
“No, of course not,” Stormy said. “You’ve stepped in and done me and my father a favor. Without you this movie would have tanked, and the studio would have gone under. Don’t worry. I’ll handle my mother.”
In Marina Del Rey, Heather opened the door of her and Brett’s condo and smiled as Miranda entered, a giant Chanel purse pulled tightly over her shoulder.
“Where is she?” Miranda asked with a smile as she made a B-line to the bassinette positioned across the room.
“I’ve been trying to get her to take a nap, but she’s been kind of fussy,” Heather said, the strain of caring for a newborn evident on her weary face. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a comfortable sweatsuit stained with formula.
“Oh, well she was probably waiting for her aunt Miranda to come over and see her first,” Miranda said with a smile, picking Violet up into her arms and holding her close against her bosom. “She’s so quiet. How can you tell she’s fussy?”
Heather shrugged and watched eagerly. “She just won’t close her eyes. She stares at her mobile for hours and doesn’t even move.”
Miranda knew what Heather was thinking and she tried her best to assure her otherwise. “Babies tend to get fixated on objects,” she said. “And she’ll sleep when she needs to. I wouldn’t worry.”
“How do you know so much about babies?” Heather asked and sat down with exhaustion on the sofa, tucking her legs up beneath her.
“Before I miscarried with Biff I did a lot of reading,” she replied, bouncing the baby gently in her arms as she turned to face Heather. Her eyes grazed over the coffee table where a stack of books two feet high rested. “But obviously not as much as you.” She used her free hand to pick one of them up and read the title aloud. “Helping Him Learn: A Handbook for Parents of Handicapped Children”. She offered a look of concern. “What’s all this about?”
“Just trying to learn as much as I can,” Heather replied.
Miranda looked into Violet’s brilliant green eyes before setting her back down in the bassinette. “Heather, no amount of reading is going to get you the answers you want any faster. All you’re going to do is drive yourself crazy.”
“You sound like Brett,” she replied, getting up and walking to the baby.
“Well for once maybe he’s right,” Miranda exclaimed. “Give it time and enjoy this part of her life. I don’t want you to look back and regret anything. This is too important, Heather.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” she asked, taking her hair out of the ponytail, pulling it tight again and then retying it. “But isn’t it better than I know what I might be facing? It’s not easy raising a mentally challenged child, Miranda.”
“You know what?” Miranda began. “There’s no reason to be worried. Violet could grow up to be a normal, happy, healthy little girl. She’s got two parents who love her and would do anything in the world for her. That’s what’s important right now. Let all those other concerns stay buried for now. Don’t focus on the bad.”
Heather rubbed her tired eyes and began pacing the room. “God, I can’t help it,” she said. “All I do hour after hour, day after day is analyze every tiny detail, every sound or move she makes, or even every sound or move that she doesn’t make.” She paused and turned back to her step-sister. “I know that the doctors are going to take one look at her and tell me that there’s something wrong with her. And I just don’t want to be taken by surprise and not know how to deal with it.”
Miranda’s heart went out to her. She stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace. “You’ve got to stop doing this,” she said. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy.”
In an attempt at lightening the mood, Heather replied, “you mean crazier than I already am?” she asked with a laugh.
“Seriously though, have you talked about any of this to Dr. Anderson?”
Heather shook her head. “I haven’t seen him since before the delivery.”
“You might want to,” Miranda suggested. “He could help you deal with all of this.”
“I know. I’ve actually called his office a few times to make an appointment but he’s never there and he doesn’t have a service. I just keep hoping he’ll get my messages and return my call.”
“Well, in the meantime you can call me anytime you need someone to talk to,” Miranda said and walked back to the bassinette where she gazed down at Violet. “Or if you and Brett need to get out for an evening, call me and I’ll be happy to babysit. It isn’t as if I have anything else going on in my life.”
The notion brought to her attention the fact that she had an ulterior motive for coming over for a visit. Not only did she want to see Violet, but she had wanted to talk to Heather—her only real female friend—about the strange feelings she’d been having about Eddie and their awkward one-night stand. But after seeing how distracted she was, she realized it wasn’t the time. Heather needed her now. Her own problems paled in comparison to hers.
It was later that night when Roz received a phone call from a family physician in Phoenix. The news came fast and without warning. She stood in the kitchen, the receiver still clutched in her white-knuckled hand. The dial tone sounded through the earpiece, ominously signifying the end of the phone call. When Brooke came down the stairs, she immediately sensed that something wasn’t right.
“Mother?” she asked, walking slowly toward her. “What’s wrong? Who was on the phone?”
Eyes wide, Roz stared at her daughter in a trance-like state. “It was Dr. Mendelson.”
“From Phoenix?” Brooke asked with a frown. “Why was he calling so late?”
Roz slowly hung up the phone, her eyes unmoving from the handset. “Your father was admitted to the emergency room an hour ago. He had a heart attack.”
The color immediately drained from Brooke’s face. “A heart attack? Oh my god, Mom, how is he? What did Dr. Mendelson say?”
Finally, Roz’s eyes met with hers. “He didn’t make it,” she said.
Instinctively, Brooke’s hands went to her mouth. “What?’ she asked, her knees growing weak and the room spinning. “He’s…”
“Brooke, he’s gone,” Roz said, tears rolling down her eyes. “Your father is gone.”
A jumble of thoughts rumbled around in Brooke’s head and she tried desperately to grasp a single one to focus on. The task proved impossible. Nothing made sense to her at that moment.
“I don’t understand,” she finally said, only succeeding in voicing her confusion. She knew there should be more; a tear, a fit of hysterics, something to show that she heard her mother correctly. “Dad was strong, healthy….”
“Yes, he was,” Roz said. “He—”
“Then explain to me how he could have a heart attack,” Brooke snapped.
Roz knew her daughter was in denial, which only made her own grief that much worse. “I don’t know,” she cried, tears coming harder now.
Turning away, Brooke tried to let the news sink in. She thought about her father’s face, the way he spoiled her as a girl, his protective nature, his caring smile. Then she thought of that fact that her mother had all but abandoned him for the better part of three months, claiming their marriage was solid but never doing anything to prove it.
“He was alone,” she finally said when she turned back to Roz. “He died alone because you left him.”
“I didn’t leave him. He was busy with work. I wanted to be here with you.”
“You left him!” Brooke screamed, eyes still dry. “You came here under the pretense that you wanted to help me through a rocky time when my marriage ended, but you stayed and you swore up and down that everything with you and Dad was fine!”
Roz turned her back, unable to look her daughter in the eyes. “You wouldn’t understand what your father and I were going through,” she said, then turned back to her so that she could see her sincerity. “But I loved him, Brooke. You can’t hold me responsible for how he died.”
How he died.
The words stung deep and finally succeeded in breaking Brooke’s spirit. Immediately, the feelings of denial vanished and she was left with no alternative but to accept the truth. Her father was gone. No amount of blame would change that.
Tears flooded Brooke’s eyes and she wrapped her arms around herself in despair, sinking to the edge of the sofa and sobbing hysterically. Roz raced toward her, enveloping her in her arms and stroking her hand down the back of her head.
“I know,” Roz soothed. “I know, baby.”
Angrily, Brooke pushed her away, still unable to forgive her for leaving her father to die alone. She shook her head in devastation and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
“Brooke!” Roz called after her. “Brooke!”
“You forbid me?” Alex asked with a guffaw. “I don’t think you’re in any position to forbid me to do anything.”
Stormy held his ground, positioning his hands on his hips as he leveled a look of warning on his mother. “When it comes to the woman I love, I do,” he maintained. “Mom, you can’t keep treating Kelly this way. She hasn’t set out to steal anything from you.”
“Except my part in the film,” Alex insisted, pouring herself a brandy and lighting a cigarette. She strode across the room in her nightgown, pausing to look outside at the moonlight hovering above her and Jordan’s estate in Beverly Hills.
“James made the decision to broaden Kelly’s role,” Stormy insisted. “It was business, plain and simple. You can’t hold that against her.”
“She’s manipulated herself into this position, Stormy,” Alex said. “I wish you could understand what a conniving witch she is. I don’t want to see you get hurt by someone like her.”
“I’m not going to get hurt.”
“You don’t know what people are capable of when it comes to fame and fortune,” Alex said, rushing forward and looking at him with pleading eyes. “I should know. I was the same way when I was her age. I didn’t care who I had to step over to make something of myself in this town. Stormy, I see so much of myself in Kelly and it frightens me.”
He folded his arms and shook his head in aggravation. “Just because you screwed over so many people doesn’t mean Kelly is going to. I volunteered to give her that role in the first place. I did it because I love her, not because she coerced me into it.”
“She’s manipulating you,” Alex said. “You’ve got to know that.”
“Leave her alone, Mother,” he said, his tone full of warning. “Or I swear to you I’ll never forgive you.”
When the doorbell rang, Brooke raced down the stairs. She’d heard her mother leave earlier, probably to go off and lick her wounds after their blowout. Then after some time alone, she called the only person who could make her feel better. The only man who would listen to her and make her feel safe and secure. She knew she was going against everything she’d been preaching since her move toward independence, but these were special circumstances.
“I got here as fast as I could,” he said when she opened the door.
“Thank you,” Brooke replied breathlessly and slipped into his arms. “David, you have no idea how much I need you right now.”
Yes, these were special circumstances. Independence would have to wait.
After the devastating blowup with Brooke, Roz had to get out of the house for a while. She drove around aimlessly for thirty minutes, submerged in the guilt over Mick’s death. It was true, she had abandoned him and left him alone to die. If only she’d returned to Phoenix weeks ago and made an attempt at mending their broken marriage, at least she would have been with him in the end. At least her daughter wouldn’t have looked at her with such disappointment.
Her drive took her to Hotel Terranova. She decided a glass of white wine would calm her nerves. She’d never been one to sulk alone over terrible news. While she was devastated and heartbroken over Mick’s death, the truth was they hadn’t been close in quite some time, even long before she left him last year. She gathered that was the only reason she was able to function at all following the horrific news.
Sitting at a secluded table, she sipped her drink and thought about what a mess she’d made of things. So many lies, so many secrets. Her husband and her daughter didn’t deserve any of it.
Across the room, Renee entered the lounge in search of a nightcap. With Sierra already asleep, she decided to take a few moments to unwind after a day of reconnecting with her daughter. She started to the bar when she spotted Roz seated alone at a corner booth. Deciding her drink could wait, she made her way across the room and hovered above the despondent woman.
“Excuse me,” Renee said. “Roz Taylor, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Roz said. “Can I help you?”
Renee shook her head. “I’m not sure, but I hope so. I’m Renee DeWitt. Can you tell me, have we ever met before?”
Roz studied her and shook her head dismissively. “I don’t think so.”
“I saw you talking to James Blackthorne a few days ago,” Renee explained. “I told him that I recognized you from somewhere. It’s been driving me crazy ever since.”
Roz shrugged. “Well I’m from Phoenix. Other than Los Angeles, I’ve really never been anywhere else. Maybe we ran into each other recently? Or maybe in Phoenix?”
Renee hesitated and shook her head. “No, can’t say that I’ve ever been to Phoenix. Are you sure we’ve never met?”
Unnerved by the woman’s persistence, Roz looked away and took a sip of her chardonnay. “I’m positive.”
Renee raised an eyebrow, somewhat certain that Roz wasn’t telling the truth about never leaving Phoenix. She admired her designer clothes and jewels and again deducted that she didn’t dress as the wife of a traveling salesman does. It only made her more certain that they’d ran into each other in other parts of the world.
“Well, my mistake. I’ll leave you to your evening.”
Roz smiled faintly, barely paying mind to the odd conversation. Her thoughts quickly went back to Mick and the life that they had once shared.
The following morning, the Los Angeles Polo Club was packed with spectators, crowding the sidelines around the arena while jockeys galloped about on purebreds in preparation for the match to begin. Sierra fanned herself and pushed her hair off her moist neck under a blistering 92 degree sun. The intense heat aside, she was thrilled to be there, even by herself. The plan was to meet back up with her mother for lunch, but in the meantime, she didn’t want to pass up a polo match. In her short time in New York, she’d grown into an aficionado of the sport, and horses in general.
A stifled breeze blew through the crowd, and her wide-brimmed hat along with it. She reached up in a futile effort at catching it, but missed by mere inches. Groaning with exasperation, she set off through the crowd to retrieve it. The hat landed in a clearing amidst the trees directly next to a spectator’s feet. He bent down and lifted it, flashing a thin-lipped grin as Sierra approached.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile and a brief chuckle, her hand outstretched.
“No problem,” Benji Rydell replied and handed the hat over to her.
Glancing back to her original spot in the crowd, Sierra realized there would be no way of getting back amidst the growing number of spectators so she decided that the clearing by the trees was just as good a spot as any. At least then she’d be able to make quick exit and avoid the ensuing traffic jam later.
“Are you here alone?” Benji asked, sporting a white polo and navy blazer with khakis.
“Yes,” she replied. “You?”
“Yep.”
A few moments of silence followed as they both turned back to the match. Benji found himself looking back at her and continuing their brief conversation. “You don’t look like a polo fan.”
“Well, I guess you could say I’m new at the sport,” she replied with a genuine smile. She adjusted the strap on her yellow sun dress and gesturing to the arena. “I go to school in New York and some of my classmates have really gotten me hooked. I go to as many matches as I can. Races, too. I wanted to go to the Preakness but I had finals so I missed it.”
“No way. I wanted to go to the Preakness.”
“Yeah? Why didn’t you?”
He shrugged and looked back at the field. “I was grounded.”
A laugh escaped her throat.
“What’s so funny?” Benji asked.
She shrugged and offered a wry smile. “Nothing. You just look too old to be grounded.”
“My dad’s just a little protective.” He let it go at that rather than address the full gamut of his recent activities, including getting tossed out of boarding school, accidentally shooting his best friend, and getting in a car wreck with his pregnant sister.
“How old are you?” Sierra asked.
“Eighteen. You?”
“I just turned twenty.” She looked back at the field, pretending not to find him cute in an off-beat kind of way. “So when did you start liking horses?”
“I was on the polo team at Beau Soleil.”
“You went to Beau Soleil?” Sierra asked and extended her hand to him. “I spent some time in Switzerland. It’s nice to meet a fellow boarding school brat.”
Benji looked at her, amazed by the fresh-faced young woman. She was so pure and innocent looking. Her hair cascaded over her bare shoulders and she smelled of exotic coconut. “God you’re beautiful,” he said while shaking her hand.
The remark caught her off guard and she quickly but smoothly pulled her hand away and nervously toyed with her hair. She thought it was better to ignore the comment than acknowledge it. She wasn’t good at accepting compliments anyway.
“Where do you go to school in New York?” he asked.
“Sarah Lawrence,” she replied. “I’m studying vocal arrangement.”
“You’re a singer?” he asked. “Wow. Beauty and talent.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “And what do you do? While you’re not grounded, that is.”
The answer interestingly enough came all too easy being that it was a lie. “I work with my father. He’s a movie producer.”
“Wow,” she said. “That’s impressive. Who’s your father?”
“Jordan Rydell.”
Sierra was flabbergasted. “You’re Jordan Rydell’s son?” she asked in amazement.
“Yeah, why?” he asked, digging his hands in the pockets of his chinos.
“It’s just a small world, that’s all. I know your father very well. He and my mother dated for a while.” She stopped and shook her head dismissively. “Ugh, that sounds so high school. They spent time together for a while before he re-married Alex Reynolds. I got to know him pretty well. He’s a great guy.”
“Yeah,” Benji said under his breath and rolled his eyes.
“You must be Benji,” Sierra said. “I’ve heard about you. Don’t worry, nothing bad.”
He smiled, unable to take his eyes off of her. “Well that’s a relief.”
“I’m Sierra Merteuil,” she said, shaking his hand again. “My mother is Renee DeWitt.”
Suddenly the connection hit him. “Oh, ok. Now I see how you got so beautiful.”
Sierra blushed. “We were very close to being step-siblings, you know. If things had gone differently, we’d be like family.”
“That would have been interesting,” Benji said, moving closer to her. “So tell me, Sierra, what are your plans now that you’re back in Los Angeles?”
“Actually I’m only here for a week. I’m going back to New York for the summer.”
“What’s in New York? School’s over for the semester, right? Why not hang out here? We could have lots of fun.”
Something about him struck her as very aggressive, but then again she always was a terrible judge of character so maybe it was just a matter of first impressions being wrong. “I have plans,” she said in a dreamy state. “Big plans.”
“I see,” Benji said and briefly looked away. “Well, then it looks like we’ve got a week to pack a summer’s worth of fun in.”
Laughing, Sierra shook her head. “You’re sweet. Unfortunately, my mother has lots of plans for me and I doubt I’ll have a minute to spare.”
“Then I’ll just have to make it happen,” Benji said slyly, taking her delicate hand and kissing it gently. “Because you, Sierra Merteuil, are one young woman that I would love to spend time with. Come to lunch with me.”
Sierra allowed him to kiss her hand, then politely took it away, suspecting he was hesitant to let it go. “Today? I can’t. Actually, I really should get going,” she said and looked at her watch. “My mother is waiting for me.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Benji said with a wink. “One o’clock at The Ivy.”
She threw caution to the wind. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”
Benji raised an eyebrow and watched as she made her way up the hill to the parking lot. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met a girl as beautiful as Sierra. He decided maybe coming back to Los Angeles hadn’t been a total waste of time after all.
Kelly was in her trailer on the Sunset Studios lot awaiting her next scene when the door opened and Alex entered.
“What are you doing here?” Kelly asked, barely looking up at her as she read through her lines for the scene. “I thought Stormy was going to have a talk with you. I don’t like you upsetting me and he doesn’t like it either.”
“A talk about what?” Alex asked in a thoroughly calculating manner. She realized Kelly must have put her son up to his little visit to her house last night. Deciding it was an easy wedge to drive between them, she used it to its full advantage. “I haven’t talked to Stormy.”
Angrily, Kelly slammed her script onto the table and stood up in a huff. “Well he’s not happy with the way you’ve been treating me. He’s going to have words with you, Alex, and it’s not going to be pretty.”
“That’s Miss Reynolds to you, dear,” she said. “Now, I have a proposition for you.”
“What kind of proposition?”
Alex reached into her purse and removed her checkbook. “How much is James paying you?”
“Enough. Why do you ask?”
“Because I’m prepared to double whatever he’s paying you in exchange for you leaving the mansion and Los Angeles and never returning.” She leaned down and began scribbling her signature on the check.
“What?” Kelly demanded. “You can’t just buy me off, lady. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?”
“The woman who desperately wants you out of her son’s life, that’s who,” Alex replied. “Now, name your price. Whatever it takes to get you away from here.”
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“I don’t care. Go back to Hawaii. Go to Vegas. Go anywhere. Just leave my son alone.”
“You don’t want me gone because of Stormy,” Kelly insisted. “You want me gone because I’m a threat to your career. You’re finally realizing that you’re not the young, hot commodity that you once were. My being here makes that all the harder to accept, doesn’t it?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” she demanded, stepping forward angrily. “James gave me your part because he knows you can’t bring in the crowds anymore. You’re a has-been, and the thought of me having everything that was once yours is driving you crazy.”
Alex retaliated by slapping her hard across the face.
Kelly brought her hand up to her cheek and rubbed it instinctively. “You bitch,” she said, glaring at the woman.
The confrontation was interrupted when Stormy entered the trailer. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the hostility in the room.
“What’s going on here?” he demanded.
“Your mother just tried to buy me off, that’s what’s going on,” Kelly said, grabbing the checkbook and thrusting it in his face. “Some stand-up guy you are. All your promises of defending me to her were nothing but talk. It turns out you’re nothing but a mama’s boy.”
“Kelly, wait—” Stormy called after her, but it was too late. She took off outside and across the lot to the parking area.
Inside her trailer, Stormy glared at his mother with contempt. He didn’t have time to get into it with her now. He threw up his hands in resignation, turned, and raced after Kelly.
The plane ride to Phoenix was quiet and seemed endless. Brooke wondered if she should have taken David up on his offer to use his private jet. At least then she could use the time to talk to her mother and hash some things out. Blaming Roz for her father being alone when he died was just her acting out over the devastating news. Whatever problems they were having in their marriage didn’t change the fact that they loved each other dearly.
“Your aunt Margot is meeting us at the airport,” Roz said. “I have to go right to the funeral home with her to make arrangements, but if you want we can drop you off at the house first.”
“No, I’ll go with you,” Brooke maintained.
Roz realized she was making an attempt so she relaxed a little. “I’m sorry I left last night. I know you needed me. Lord knows I needed you. I just felt like we both needed time to come to terms with everything.”
“It’s fine,” Brooke said. “David came over and spent time with me.”
Roz looked at her quickly. “He did?” she asked. Moments later, she glanced out the window. “Well, I would have thought you’d call James or Ethan.”
Brooke sighed heavily. “Why would you think that, Mother? Because that’s what you would have wanted me to do?”
“No, I just—” She stopped, finding the argument to be futile. She looked back at her and replied with one simple, yet intensely personal question. “Can I ask you something, Brooke?”
“Could I stop you?”
“Have you and David slept together?” Roz asked.
The shock of how direct the question was resonated for a few lingering moments before Brooke finally found the words to reply. “Why on earth would you ask me that? What business is it of yours, mother? And why do you care?”
“I just want to know if your friendship has grown into anything else, that’s all. I care about you and I want to see you happy. I’m sorry, Brooke, but you have a habbit of making poor choices when it comes to men.”
“No, we haven’t slept together,” she replied hastily, then flashed her a bitter expression. “And please don’t pry into my personal life like that again. I’m very uncomfortable with it.”
Roz nodded, looking back out of the window and trying to piece together what the future was going to hold for them. In her eyes it was bleak.
Kelly raced her car down PCH, still furious with Stormy over his refusal to stand up to his mother. She begged him to do something about Alex, and he promised that he would. Then today she shows up in her trailer and tries to buy her off. Was she in a losing battle? Was it stupid to think that Stormy could choose her over his mother?
Deciding to stop someplace for a drink, she veered off the highway toward the marina. Maybe a relaxing martini at the Yacht Club was in order after the day she’d already had. Not only had she been bought off, but she also got slapped…again. She wondered if coming to Los Angeles was the right decision at all.
Speeding along the winding roads at the marina, she found herself losing control of the car. She corrected the wheel and went barreling along toward an oncoming utility van. A scream escaped her throat and she slammed on the brakes, the car spinning out of control and doing a half circle before coming to a complete stop.
The van honked and yelled obscenities before continuing on its way. Kelly sat perfectly still behind the wheel, holding her face in her hands and resisting the temptation to cry. Before she knew it, someone was looming over the car and pulling the door open.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Kelly looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun, and smiling at the handsome stranger who had come to her rescue.
“I think so,” she said.
Brett Armstrong knelt down, panting from his daily jog around the marina. “Are you sure?” he asked, his bare arms and chest soaked with sweat. “You’re trembling.”
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said, climbing to her feet.
Brett took her hand and gently helped her out of the car. Her knees grew weak from the excitement of the near-collission and she started to fall. Brett expertly caught her in his arms, lifting her with ease onto the hood of the car.
“You should take it easy for a few minutes,” he said.
“Thank you, I will,” she replied, resting a hand on his shoulder.
A hundred yards up the road, Stormy had stopped and pulled over when he saw the commotion. Positioned next to his car, he watched uneasily at the way Kelly and Brett exchanged introductions.
Renee ordered lunch in and she and Sierra sat together on the sofa of her suite at Hotel Terranova poring over old photo albums and family scrapbooks. They laughed and reminisced over trips Renee had taken to Europe while Sierra was growing up. It did Renee a world of good in the reassurance that the lies she’d told her daughter for her entire life hadn’t permanently damaged their relationship. After Nathan’s return to Paris, it seemed they had slowly strengthened their bond. All the pain and misery from last year was forgiven, but certainly not forgotten.
“Is that you and Jordan Rydell?” Sierra asked and pointed to a photo taken in 1982 on the lawn of the Blackthorne mansion. “Wow, nice threads.”
Renee laughed and nudged her playfully. “Hey, we were styling back then.”
“Yeah I can see that,” Sierra said and pointed to Renee’s hair style in the picture. “But I hate to tell you, Mom, that hairdo is a big disaster.”
“You don’t like it?” Renee asked in a joking fashion.
“It looks like a helmet,” Sierra returned with a stifled laugh. “Oh, by the way, I met Jordan’s son today at the polo game.”
“Ah, Benji,” Renee said with a shake of her head. “I hope you didn’t get too close. That boy creates disasters everywhere he goes.”
“Really?” Sierra asked. “He seemed nice enough. A little intense, maybe, but nice.”
“Trust me,” Renee cautioned her. “People who get too involved with Benji Rydell have a tendency to wind up regretting it.”
Sierra wondered what her mother meant, but at the same time didn’t know that she wanted to find out. He seemed harmless to her, and although young, he was quite witty and charismatic.
As Renee flipped through the pages, Sierra pointed to another photo and squealed with excitement. “Look, you and grandfather in New York City. You were right. He did take you there before.”
Renee smiled and traced her finger over the photo of her and her father, Charles Merteuil, posing in front of the Statue of Liberty. She guessed she was probably eighteen at the time, not much younger than Sierra was now.
“It must have been so nice to have a father to take you places,” Sierra said, her voice full of forlornment.
“It was,” Renee said with a smile. “My mother was quite jealous of us. We were like sweethearts. We’d go to New York, Europe, the Caribbean. I saw so many places by the time I was twenty years old. But we didn’t even have to go away and I would be perfectly happy. I just loved spending time with him. He was the best father in the world. I’m sorry that you didn’t have someone like that in your life, baby.”
“That’s okay,” Sierra said softly. “I understand, Mom.”
Suddenly, Renee began to remember other trips with her father. One in particular stuck out in her mind and caused her to close the album quickly.
“It finally hit me,” Renee said half an hour later as she paced around the study at the Blackthorne mansion. “I was looking through some old photos with Sierra and remembered where I’ve seen Roz Taylor before.”
“Where?” James asked from behind his desk.
“Big Bear,” Renee replied. “My parents used to have a house there.”
“Big Bear?” James asked. “I wonder what Roz was doing in Big Bear.”
Renee shook her head. “I don’t know, but I do know who she was with.”
“Who?”
“Royce Jennings,” said Renee. “He and my father were friends and used to do business together. We ran into him there once and he was with a woman. I remember my father saying how odd it was because Royce was still married to Jacqueline Lamont. They argued about it later. I saw her in Los Angeles several times after that, but when I asked Roz where’d I’d seen her before, she said she’d never been out of Phoenix until last year when she came here to stay with Brooke.”
“Royce Jennings was with Roz Taylor in Big Bear?” James asked in bewilderment.
Renee nodded. “And she was with a little girl. A cute, blond, three year old girl.”
James shrugged. “Probably Brooke. But how the devil did she knew Royce Jennings?”
“And why would she lie about it?”
James wasn’t sure what it all meant, but he did have to hand it to Renee. There was something very odd about Roz Taylor.
Next time….
Surprises await Brooke upon her return to Phoenix. Roz begs for forgiveness. Stormy gives Brett fair warning. Miranda attempts to enlist help for Heather. Benji tries to win over Sierra despite Renee’s interference.
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