California Dream (18 page)

“Eddie,” she said, striving to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

He stood only a few feet away, and appeared to be staring at the exposed bits of thigh her bunched-up skirt had revealed. Lee almost rolled her eyes at his predictability, but at the same time it gave her a rush of familiar warmth. Eddie was a staple in the life she had left behind.

“That’s what I’ve always liked about you, Lee,” he drawled on a smile. “You’re so good for my ego. I bet you give your landlord a more enthusiastic greeting when your rent is late.”

She smiled at that, before her brows drew together. “What are you doing here, Eddie? Where’s Roddy?”

Eddie looked at his boots while he answered. “He’s in California.” When Lee’s face immediately fell, he added, “Killing himself.”

“What?” Lee asked rather breathlessly. It hadn’t occurred to her that Roddy might be in some kind of trouble.

“That’s what happens when a guy works eighteen hours a day and parties for the other six because he can’t stand to go home anymore,” Eddie explained.

She shrugged and tried to ignore the little thrill she felt. “I’ve seen the pictures, Eddie. He seems to be having a rather good time.”

Eddie smiled smugly and reached into his back pocket to pull out a small stack of photos. “I took these when he wasn’t having such a good time,” he said as he handed them over.

Lee gasped at the images. Roddy’s eyes were red-rimmed and he looked like he was so tired he might drop. He appeared grim and lifeless.

She couldn’t look Eddie in the eyes when she handed them back. “I had to leave, Eddie,” she said unsteadily.

He shrugged. “Maybe you did. But now you have to come back. Roddy needs you.”

Tired of looking up at him, Lee struggled to her feet. “Did he send you here to bring me back? Did he change his mind about the way things are?”

“No.” Eddie’s quick, loud denial had several heads turning to stare. “Nothing has changed, Lee. Roddy loved you, and he still loves you now.”

Her laugh was derisive. “Ha! Roddy threw money at me, which didn’t take much out of him, but that’s all you have to do if you’re a rock star, right?”

“Because Roddy needs you,” was his simple answer. “He’s falling apart, and you and I both know it’s because he doesn’t care about himself or anything else without you.”

“If he wants me back, why are
you
here?”

“Because he thinks you don’t love him anymore.”

“Maybe I don’t.”

Eddie sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t even know how you changed him. You don’t know how he was before he met you.”

“And how was that?”

Eddie smiled. “Actually, he was kind of a dickhead. He pissed people off, said whatever he felt like, and told everybody if they didn’t like it they could take a hike.” At the look on her face, he chuckled. “I know he wasn’t like that with you. And when you were around, he wasn’t like that with anyone. I know he hurt you with some stupid stuff he said, but I also know he didn’t mean it.”

“You weren’t there.”

“No, but I was with him all day, and I know what kind of mood he was in. He had a seriously bad day, and I know that doesn’t excuse the way he acted, but it’s a reason. You were right to slug him, and maybe even right to take off. But you shouldn’t have left town. If you had gone to his mom’s or Helene’s, Roddy would have been there the next morning, apologizing on his knees. But you were already gone, so he didn’t get a chance.”

Lee felt like burying herself in a stack of books. What Eddie said was true. She should have stuck around and tried to get to the bottom of things and work them out. Instead, she gathered all her insecurities around her like a cloak and fled.

Where did that leave her now? Part of her wanted to follow Eddie back to California and return to her life with Roddy. Maybe what Eddie said was true and he did love her and wanted her back. If it was true, she would hate herself forever if she didn’t return. On the other hand, she knew she couldn’t go back to the same life she had been living in Beverly Hills. She wanted Roddy back, but the circumstances could not be the same this time.

Lee met Eddie’s eyes. “You’re right, I didn’t give him a chance to apologize and make it right,” she said quietly. “But, Eddie, he made a point of not promising me a future. Maybe I shouldn’t have run, but it seemed like the right thing to do since my days were already numbered.”

“Maybe you should have demanded more from him,” Eddie mused. “Maybe you should demand it now.”

Lee just stared at him for a long moment, and then she gave him a small smile. “Why don’t you give me a minute to talk to my boss, and then I want to take you to meet somebody.”

She returned a few minutes later, after speaking with a rather resigned Mr. Eggers, and followed Eddie out to his car. It wasn’t his Mercedes, but was a rather unassuming rental that brought a smile to her lips.

Eddie didn’t ask where they were going, but followed her directions to the northeast side of town. They pulled up in front of her father’s small house in its quiet neighborhood, and Lee led the way to the front door, where she knocked briskly.

Her father answered the door wearing a puzzled expression. Lee was expected to be at work for several more hours, and Eddie’s presence confused him.



Thomas Miller stared at the long-haired young man in his living room while the guy in question casually perused the contents of his house. After a moment, Thomas offered his guest a seat.

Once settled, he turned and asked, “Would you mind telling me what’s going on?”

Eddie shrugged and smiled. “At this point, I’m not really sure. I flew in today to talk to Lee. I asked her to come back to California.”

“She just came back here because of that friend of yours,” Thomas reminded him.

“I know that, but it was a mistake. She needs to come back home. Her life is in California now. She and Roddy had a fight, and he said some stuff, but he needs her.”

“Maybe you should fill me in on a few details,” Thomas suggested. The story was bound to be even more interesting told from this young man’s perspective.

Eddie smiled and warmed to his tale. “Roddy lost the fight the first night he saw her. Something happened the second they met. I saw it with my own eyes. We had to go back on the road the next day, but he came back to visit her after the tour. Afterwards, he still couldn’t forget her, so then he invited her out for a vacation.”

“I already know all that.”

“Well, you see, Mr. Miller,” Eddie continued carefully, “Roddy isn’t your average boy next door. I mean, a normal guy would have told her he loved her to distraction and couldn’t live without her, right?” Thomas nodded, and he went on. “Words like that don’t come easy to Roddy. Hell,
feelings
like that are new territory for him. So he fell back on what he knew and threw money at Lee. It was supposed to be enough.”

“And it wasn’t.”

“No. Lee doesn’t care about money. She was there because she loved him. So when Roddy picked a fight with her and accused her of being like other women, she high-tailed it out of there.”

Despite himself, Thomas smiled. How well he remembered his own youth and its attendant dramas. He felt he had a pretty clear picture of Lee’s life in California by now, and though he hadn’t met this Roddy O’Neill character, it was obvious his daughter was in love with him. The guy had a friend who was good enough to intervene when the lovers were too stubborn to solve their own problems, too, which spoke well of his character. He supposed he could step up and lend a hand, as well.

“I can’t speak for Roddy,” Eddie hedged, “but he’s a pretty smart guy. And I think at this point he’s willing to do whatever she wants as long as she comes back.”

“I do. And I’m glad you came to me. I haven’t always been a good father, and I’m glad you’re giving me a chance to make it up to you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Her eyes were shiny.

Silence hung in the air for several seconds before Thomas spoke again. “You need to go back,” he told her. “You’re in love with him and it’s where you want to be. I didn’t get a second chance with your mother, and I don’t want you to throw yours away.”

Thomas had never brought up Lee’s mother before, so she looked at him in surprise.

“If I’d been different, she might not have left me,” he continued. “But that’s all water under the bridge. It’s not too late for you and your rock star.”

Lee got out of her chair and came around the table to hug her father. As he held her, he thought of all the time they had wasted and all the things they should have said over the years. Lee had been through enough in her young life, and it was time she got to experience some happiness. It wasn’t over for him, either, and he was going to get some, too.

“I love you, Dad,” Lee cried into his shoulder.

“I love you, too,” he murmured as he stroked her hair. Then he straightened and gave her a little push. “Now, go get some bags packed and get yourself back to California with that greasy punk you brought into my house.”

Lee smiled in pure happiness. “I think you should pack a bag, too, Dad,” she suggested. “I want you to come with me. You need a vacation.”

Now he was uncertain. “I don’t know, Lee. I’m not all that fond of California.”

“I want you to meet Roddy, Dad.”

Thomas’s heart melted instantly. After she left town for several months without a word to him, now his daughter finally wanted him to be a real part of her life. How could he not agree?

Chapter nineteen

Lee walked out to the patio with her heart in her throat. She was nervous about seeing Roddy, afraid he didn’t really want her back after all the weeks that had passed. Still, she took her courage in hand and went to see him anyhow.

She was glad she had come alone when she got her first glimpse of Roddy. She would not have wanted anyone else to see him sleeping in a deck chair with a foot carelessly thrown over each side. His hair was a mess, with no bandanna in sight. He was shirtless, and his shorts were filthy. His cheeks and chin also sported several days’ growth of beard that Lee instantly decided did not suit him. There was a mess of empty cans and a cooler with its top tipped half off lying nearby. Lee almost couldn’t believe the sorry state of affairs.

Lee felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Roddy had not rejected her. Instead, the very first thing he did was give her the reassurance she had needed for so long. Being in his arms was the only place she wanted to be, and at the moment she wasn’t sure how she had been able to leave.

After a moment, Lee drew back to look into his eyes. “I love you, Roddy,” she said, done keeping her feelings to herself. “I’m sorry I left.”

“I’m just glad you came back,” he told her as he pulled her onto his lap. “And I should have told you a long time ago that I love you, too.”

Lee felt a surge of absolute happiness and her arms tightened around him enough to cut off his circulation. She had hoped they could patch things up, but had not dreamed Roddy would proclaim his love for her the minute she got there. In fact, she hadn’t thought she would ever hear the words at all.

“You do?” she heard herself ask in some disbelief.

He seemed startled she would doubt him. “Of course I do. I was an idiot for not saying it before. I was just an idiot before, Lee, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Oh, yeah.” Roddy chuckled. “You were never impressed by me, and I’m not used to that. I liked it, but I didn’t quite know how to handle it.”

“Well, when I went home, I felt so horrible, I decided I might as well pay him a visit. Roddy, he missed me while I was gone. We started talking when I got back, and now we have things pretty much straight between us, and we have a relationship.”

Now Roddy looked scared. He apparently wasn’t used to dealing with father figures. It wasn’t likely the women who visited his dressing room introduced him to their parents, and this was new territory.

“I hope you warned him I’m not the boy next door,” Roddy groaned.

“Roddy, my father lives in Minneapolis, not a cave,” Lee said on a laugh. “He’ll love you and I know you’ll feel the same about him.”

Roddy burst out laughing. “No, I had no idea. That son of a bitch; meddling in my life. Probably figured he owed me one after I got rid of Claire for him. I can’t believe it.”

“He shocked me half to death when he came to the library. For a second, I thought it was you. I almost died of disappointment when I realized it wasn’t.”

Roddy nuzzled her neck. “I’m forever in his debt,” he murmured. “I’m so glad you came home. And I’m sorry I said what I did. It’s not true, and I didn’t mean any of it. You just freaked me out when I found you playing the guitar. It was kind of a shock, but I think it’s really cool. And if you want to get into the music business, I’ll help you any way you want.”

“Seriously?”

Roddy nodded. “I had such a bad day that day. Everything went wrong, and then they brought out this dancer who looked just like you, only sleazier. All I could think about was getting the hell out of there and getting home to you. And then I got here and saw you playing the guitar, and I thought, aw hell, she wants to be in the business, too. I could see you dressed like that dancer, acting like all the other fake backstabbers I know, and I just lost it. I’m sorry I did. Even if you get into the business, you’re still going to be you, and that will never change. I sure didn’t mean to keep you trapped up here with nothing going on in your life.”

Lee kissed him soundly. “I thought I knew you better than that, and it’s a relief to know I was right. For the record, though, I do not want to be in the music business. I just learned the guitar so I could jam with you sometimes. I thought it would be fun, and I needed more to do. It never occurred to me to start a career with it, and your reaction really shocked me.”

“I didn’t mean it, Lee. I never wanted you to put your life on hold, and I did realize you were bored. In fact, I had just bought you a present I was hoping would help before you left.”

In answer, Roddy pulled her tee-shirt over her head and simply drank in the sight of her exposed flesh. His hands passed over her skin with the same care as an archaeologist with a priceless artifact. His hot lips followed, leaving a trail of fire wherever they went.

They tore the rest of each other’s clothes off, feasting first their eyes, and then their hungry mouths, on each other. As if there had been no long weeks of separation, each remembered the things that most pleased the other. They got lost in the whirlwind of passion that left them breathless some time later.

He rubbed his jaw against hers, and when she squealed, he scraped his stubble against her neck and over a few other choice parts of her body. Lee leapt off the chaise, and he chased her up the stairs to their bedroom, which looked the same as it always had. Lee watched Roddy shave in the bathroom mirror, and then allowed him to back her into the shower, so it was quite some time before either of them remembered his surprise.

Roddy laced himself into a pair of tight white leather pants and threw an unbuttoned shirt on with them, then carefully tied a bandanna over his hair. As she watched him dress, Lee realized how much she had missed him while she was gone.

As she stood in the doorway to their closet, it struck her how much she had missed her clothes. The person she was in Minneapolis didn’t get to wear colored leather and miniskirts, and she understood just then how much of herself she had left behind.

Roddy’s arms came around her and he broke into her reverie. “This is the first time I’ve really been in here since you left,” he told her. “I visited once, but I never came back in after that. I’ve been sleeping down the hall.”

“Oh, Roddy.” Lee leaned against him and simply enjoyed the feel of his arms around her.

He let her go a moment later and told her to hurry up and get dressed in something sexy. Even though they weren’t going out on the town, Lee happily delved into her collection and emerged with a snakeskin mini-dress and matching ankle boots that she knew Roddy loved. He always called it her special librarian outfit, which made them both laugh.

Lee pestered him for hints to the surprise, but Roddy wouldn’t give in. Instead, he bundled her into his Maserati and raced off into the gathering darkness. The car finally squealed to a stop in front of a garishly-lit, rundown bookstore on Sunset Boulevard.

Lee was incredulous, and her mouth worked for several seconds before she finally said, “You bought me a
bookstore?
Only you, Roddy.”

He shrugged. “You were bored, and I know you like books. I couldn’t buy you a library, but I figured this was the next best thing. I know the place needs work, but I did that on purpose so you could fix it up however you like.”

“When did you do this?”

“I bought it a few days before you left. I was just going to give it to you with no strings attached, but I changed my mind about that now.”

Roddy hastily took her hands in his and decided to do things the right way. “I love you, Lee, and I don’t want to lose you ever again. I thought about a lot of things when you were gone. I know I want you in my life forever, and that means marriage. So…will you marry me?”

Lee was overcome with joy, and she flung herself across the car and into his arms, screaming, “Hell yes!”

If she wasn’t mistaken, she saw tears in Roddy’s eyes as he pulled her close and kissed her.



Thomas Miller was just as nervous as Roddy about their upcoming meeting. He had dressed in a pair of pressed trousers and a carefully ironed shirt without a tie for the occasion. He wasn’t a businessman and would not have been comfortable in a suit, but for some reason, he wanted to look respectable and somewhat authoritative when he met his daughter’s lover.

Lee clung to Roddy’s arm when they opened the door. She had a look of such rapt happiness on her face, Thomas vowed to like Roddy O’Neill no matter what.

A father could hope to have a more respectable-looking son-in-law, he supposed. Roddy’s dirty-blond hair was as long as Lee’s and he kept it under a wide bandanna. Thomas had never seen tighter pants on a man, though he supposed they cost more than a custom-made suit. The young man wore a tee-shirt that exposed what Thomas had been half afraid he would see: his daughter’s lover had a collection of tattoos. Roddy didn’t appear to be the knight in shining armor he had always pictured for his little girl, but Thomas knew the man was very successful, and he lived in a beautiful Spanish-style mansion that was obviously worth millions.

Thomas had seen Roddy O’Neill on TV before, though the reality of him was a bit more jarring than what he expected. Still, the shock of Roddy was nothing compared to seeing what the man had done to his daughter.

Other than the happily glowing look on Lee’s face, Thomas hardly recognized her. She was stuffed into a pair of skin-tight velvet jeans in an unnatural green with a mostly-unbuttoned silk shirt in a rather iridescent shade of teal. She wore stiletto boots on her feet. The outfit was obviously expensive, but Lee’s grandparents would turn over in their graves if they could see her in it.

“Hi, Dad!” she greeted him with enthusiasm. Thomas noted Roddy hung back with a look of trepidation on his face.

Lee stepped up and planted a big kiss on Thomas’s cheek, smiling from ear to ear. He decided to be his most polite, just for her. There was such a contrast between the way she had been when she showed up on his doorstep a few weeks ago and the way she looked now, he vowed to do anything he could to keep her happy.

“This is Roddy,” she introduced her boyfriend, who finally took a step forward and extended a hearty hand. “Roddy, this is my dad.”

From her demeanor, Thomas guessed Lee was up to something, and was probably enjoying making use of her dad. He decided he enjoyed stepping up for her. It bothered him that she had thought he didn’t care about her for so much of her life, and he was determined to take the steps to right that wrong.