Feather Light (Knead Me) (33 page)

She smiled and bobbed her head, grateful for the distraction. “I’d love to.”

Nerissa looked relieved. “I’ll meet you by the car in thirty minutes,” she said before turning in the direction of her own trailer.

Thirty minutes later, Kelly found herself seated next to Nerissa in a Suburban packed full of other production people. They were cramped, but it didn’t matter. Everyone was in high spirits and talking about the film.

Once they were all seated in an antiquated restaurant in the small town of Mbandaka, Kelly began to relax. Despite the oppressive heat, she enjoyed the easy banter. It felt good to be seen as “one of the guys,” a regular person who fit in with everyone else.

The food was delicious, and the beer flowed like water. After the meal was over, her phone started buzzing. Kelly was surprised to be getting a call at this time of the evening. Most of the US would be in a dead slumber by now. She checked the caller ID and was even more surprised.

“Dave?”
 

“Kelly! Boy, am I glad you picked up.”
 

“What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
 

“I was, but then I got the call from the Academy. You’ve been nominated for
Hearts Afire
. Jesus, Kelly! Can you believe it?” he exclaimed through the phone line.

Kelly heard him but was too stunned to say anything. She gripped the phone and noticed the group had quieted down and was staring at her.

“Kelly, are you still there?”

“Y-yes.”
 

“I’m sure you have something better to say than
that
.”

“Dave . . . oh my God, this is great news. I’m . . . I don’t know what to say.” She blinked, feeling overwhelmed.

“Well you have to prepare a surprise speech. They’re sending a crew for you to get your comment about the nomination.”

“Really?”
 

“Really. So I expect to see that Kelly Storm spunk again. Congratulations, and I’ll be in touch.”
 

After they disconnected, Kelly stared back at the sea of faces around her, still in shock. She took a deep breath, and despite the big lump in her throat, she made the announcement.
 

“I’ve been nominated for best actress for
Hearts Afire
.”
 

The room erupted in joyous hurrahs and good wishes. More beer was ordered. They toasted, drank, and toasted again. When the boisterous congratulations were over, Nerissa took her hand and squeezed.
 

“Darling, I never doubted your ability. Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and, at the same time, proud to have the chance to be working with you.”

Kelly squeezed back. “Thank you.”
 

Good news and momentous events were always sweeter when shared with the ones she loved. A bittersweet feeling swept over her while she dialed her sister’s number. After a rapid-fire conversation filled with questions and tears, they said their good-byes with a promise to see each other soon.

Kelly was in bed in her tiny hotel room when a flashback hit her. Her mind rewound back to when she’d realized she wasn’t pregnant, the day before she’d left for Africa. She had just finished the press conference that evening when she’d started her period. She’d known it was too much to hope for, and then it had slipped away.
 

It was stupid to feel so sad about it. Had she been pregnant, she’d be in an even worse situation now. But at the oddest moments during the past month, she’d smiled at the idea of having Parker’s baby. Kelly sighed and tried to think logically. She was better off without a child. What kind of life could she give a baby, anyway? She would have ended up hating herself for binding Parker in a relationship just because she was having his baby—not the kind of life she wanted for anyone involved.

That evening, despite the exciting news of her nomination, a big gaping hole still sat in the center of her chest where Parker had once been. Kelly buried her face in her pillow and cried herself to sleep . . . again.

Parker had just gotten home from his hour-long run at the track when his cell started ringing. He released Sasha’s harness and heard the clack of her paws while she headed to her water bowl. Sasha was a Labrador retriever and his new companion. He’d accepted that he needed help and that a guide dog would make him less dependent on others. Cork had put him on the list almost a year ago, and Parker had spent several weeks at a training facility to familiarize himself with his new friend.
 
Last week, Sasha had been sent home with him, and the pairing had been wonderful. Although they were still in the “getting to know you” stage, they were warming up to one another.
 

He pressed the voice-over, and it announced a call from an unfamiliar number. Parker hesitated for a moment on whether to answer but decided to pick up the call.

“Hello?”

“It’s Jessica.”

“Hey, how have you been? How is Kelly?” Just saying her name brought on the longing he’d been trying to stifle over the past weeks.
 

“I’m good, and she’s fine—”

He didn’t even let her finish. “Is she back yet?”

“She’s still in Africa.”
 

Africa. So far away.

He heard Jessica sigh. “I don’t want to pry, but I can’t help it. I love my best friend, and I’m sure she’s miserable. What went wrong, Parker?”

Parker had to tell her the truth. That was the only way he could live with himself and be able to keep moving forward.
 

“I treated her unfairly. I didn’t even give her a chance to explain. I know about her baby girl . . . oh, god. I hate that she’s so far away and dealing with everything alone.”
 

“It’s not too late. I think if you had a chance to tell her how you feel, she might listen. I don’t know. I can’t promise.”

He felt a small flicker of hope. “Jessica, I will do whatever I have to do to get a chance to talk to her.”

“As I said, no promises. But I would love to get the chance to play cupid.” Her soft laughter was somehow reassuring. Parker would follow any glimmer of hope he could find, no matter how faint—anything to win Kelly back.

Monday morning was his first day back to work after more than a month on hiatus, and it was also Sasha’s first day on the job. Parker was anxious to introduce her to everyone. As soon as they emerged from the car together, he knew he had company. He held onto Sasha’s harness tighter than he intended, and she yelped in protest.

“Sorry, girl,” he murmured, loosening his grip just a fraction. “I’m still getting the hang of this.”

“Parker, the vultures are waiting for you,” Cork whispered on his left, sliding a protective arm around Parker’s shoulder.

Parker laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I was expecting this to happen. It’s something I have to deal with,” he said, trying to reassure his brother.

“If you say so.” Cork didn’t sound convinced but stepped back nonetheless.
 

Parker was on his own now. He took a deep breath and continued walking.
 

“Mr. Davis, you’ve been gone for some time. Does that have anything to do with Ms. Storm?” one reporter asked.

He stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. “Yes and no,” he replied.

The man persisted. “C’mon! There are reports that you had broken up with her. She admitted in an interview that it was her fault. Can you confirm this?”
 

“I made a big mistake when I let a very special woman go. I was stubborn and . . . well, blind.” That got everyone laughing. It was time that he acknowledged the elephant in the room. Parker continued. “I took some time off to think and repackage myself, so to speak. I’m back now and eager to start the groveling.”

“Aren’t you worried she’ll grow tired of you . . . well . . . because of your condition?” a female voice asked.

He shook his head and smiled at the absurdity of the question. “If there’s anyone who’ll get tired of me, it’s me. Kelly was just protecting me all along. She kept our relationship a secret, not because she was ashamed of me, but to keep
me
away from the prying eyes of the . . . well . . . you guys, actually.”

That brought on another round of laughter. He nudged Sasha to move forward. They were now just a few feet away from Knead Me’s entrance.

“From
us
? What did she think we’d do to you?” another reporter asked.

Parker continued to inch forward. “Exactly what you’re doing right now. But there was no need to protect me. I’m a big boy, and I have nothing to hide. You can ask me whatever you want, and I’ll answer you to the best of my ability.” He smirked and waved them off.

He was about to close the door behind him when another woman asked, “Are you in love with Kelly Storm, Parker?”

Parker nodded and turned away.
Without a doubt.

While he made his way toward the reception area, he caught sight of Webster’s hazy but familiar figure standing in his path.

“Make way for the boss!”

He heard sounds of people moving his way, followed by ear-splitting hoots, clapping, and other assorted well-wishes. It took him several minutes to make it to his office. Sasha felt tense but stayed close to his side.

“Good girl.” Parker patted her head and released the harness. She sniffed around her immediate environment before settling down next to his chair.

“Here’s your steaming coffee. It’s at two o’clock, and there are papers that need your signature at six. Some New York lawyer sent you a huge brown envelope. Do you want me to read it to you, or would you rather have your reader do it?”

Webster was back to her old self and as efficient as ever. He heard her sit down in the chair across from him.
 

“Read it for me, please. I’m sick of that robot voice.” Parker laughed, hoping the tension between them had eased.

“Sure thing.” She opened the envelope. “Okay, there’s some legal mumbo-jumbo crap I don’t understand.” Webster continued mumbling while she read. “Ah, well . . . the Manhattan penthouse has been willed to you. There’s a note attached. It looks like it’s her handwriting.”

“Go on and read it, please.”

There was the sound of papers shuffling and Webbie getting comfortable in her chair.

“This letter is dated the day before she died.”

Parker closed his eyes and nodded.

“ ‘Dear Parker, if you’re reading this, I’ve most likely croaked already. I’m leaving you my house here in New York because I don’t want you running around in this big city alone and without any place to stay. I have one request. Please retain Albert’s services. He is our butler and a very loyal employee. He would make an excellent companion to you. Enjoy and love the house as Edison and I loved it. You’re the son I never had, and this is such a little thing to give in return for the hours you spent listening to an old lady ramble on and on. Take care of yourself and don’t let that beautiful actress get away. I sense she’s everything you’re looking for. Good luck, my son. Thank you for the wonderful memories.’ ”

Webster sniffed. “You’re one lucky son of a bitch,” she muttered while she refolded the papers.

Parker closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes, I am. She was quite a woman, wasn’t she?”

“I’ll say.”

He sipped his coffee and worked on signing the papers. “Who’s my ten o’clock?”

Webster snickered. “It’s Madame Butterfly.”
 

Parker’s head shot up. “What the hell? Are you joshing me again?”

“Nope. That’s the name the lady gave me.” She turned to leave. “Room 101, boss.”

Madame Butterfly? What the hell is going on here?

He gave the customary knock before he entered the room. The first thing he did was inhale the air, praying he’d get a whiff of the familiar fragrance he loved. “Madame Butterfly?”
 

“Hi, Parker.”
 

His face dropped. The voice was all wrong.
 

“Jessica, what are you doing here?”

“Sorry. I know you were expecting someone else.” She laughed. “I don’t want a Monday Delight, but I’m here to share some things with you.”