Here Comes the Bride (21 page)

By the time he merged onto the freeway, Sam thought she might be sick. The stop-and-go traffic added to the tension. The quiet quickly worked its way into every crevice of the car, choking her. “Kate must have stolen my journal,” she said, breaking the silence, her voice cracking.

“The
LA Beat
can’t use aliases or make up names without permission. Who is Liliana Parker?”

Sam tried to breathe, tried to find a way to explain what must have happened.

Dominic glanced her way before returning his attention to the car in front of him. “You’re not Liliana Parker, are you?”

“I don’t know anyone by that name. Mitzy talked about using a pen name to write the articles about the two of us.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“It was months ago,” Sam said. “The morning after we returned home from our honeymoon, I went into work—”

“The same night you returned to the house with Ken.”

“That’s right,” Sam said. “My boss asked me to write a weekly article about our marriage using a pen name. I was confused at the time. My work was my life. I had a one-track mind and nothing could sway me off course. But in the end, I honored my promise to you, and I told her I wouldn’t do it. I never wrote a story. I never gave her anything.”

“But you did agree to write about me behind my back?”

“I told Mitzy I would write about our marriage at the end of our three months together, staying within the boundaries of the documents Ben and Tom had me sign. I never would have turned in anything without your knowledge.”

“I opened up to you, Sam. I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me and this is how you repay me.”

“You’re not being fair. How could I know that Kate would steal my journal?”

“You could have told me what happened. A little warning might have been helpful.”

Sam exhaled.

“What about that picture of my mother?” he asked next. “Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know.”

“So you’re saying you never saw that picture of my mother before.”

“I saw it when I visited your mom at her apartment. She showed me three pictures like the one Barbara revealed. Your mother told me that your father very nearly beat her to death. She went to a friend’s house to recuperate and by the time she returned, your father had warned the neighbors and the staff at your school that she might try to kidnap you. He did everything he could to keep her away.”

“And yet you didn’t think I should know this?”

“I invited your mother to dinner in hopes that you would listen to her, but you refused to meet her halfway.”

“What are you, a goddamn therapist?”

Sam stiffened. “I only meant to help.”

Dominic’s jaw hardened.

“You don’t believe me, do you? You think I gave Mitzy the pictures of your mother?”

He said nothing.

Sam had never seen Dominic look so upset.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together these past few months,” he said.

Sam nodded.

“I’ve shared more with you than anyone else I know. Why didn’t you think to tell me about this Mitzy and Liliana Parker business? You had so many chances.”

“There was no need to tell you about the Liliana Parker business because I had turned my boss down.”

For the next thirty minutes, they drove in silence. The gate at the bottom of the driveway opened and Dominic pulled his BMW to the front of the house and parked next to the fountain. After he shut off the engine, he looked at Sam. “I think you should pack up your things and move out.”

“Dominic, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. You know me well enough to know I would never have set you up like that. I understand why you’re upset. I never should have trusted Mitzy. But I love you and you love me.”

Dominic sat there unmoving.

“I did nothing wrong. If you could just let go of those invisible steel walls of yours, you would see that everything I did, including inviting your mother to dinner, was for you. Don’t let Mitzy and Kate’s dishonesty destroy us.”

“This isn’t about either of them,” he said, his tone flat. “This is about me and you, nobody else. I can’t do this any longer.” He exhaled. “I’m going to arrange for a press conference.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Your fans deserve the truth.”

He looked at her for a long moment.

“Should I come to the press conference?” she asked.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

He climbed out of the car and walked toward the house. Her skin felt clammy, her breathing shallow. She didn’t know what to say, or do, or think. It was over. Just like that, in the snap of two fingers, they were finished.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sam dipped her sponge into the soapy water, squeezed out the excess, and then returned to scrubbing the kitchen cabinets while keeping one eye on the television screen as Dominic looked into the lens and told his fans the whole sordid story about how his accountant betrayed him, and he in turn, betrayed his fans. He went on to say how deeply sorry he was and that he had nobody to blame but himself.

The next clip showcased a man standing in front of World Studios. Surrounded by media, the CEO, a tall gentleman dressed in a suit and tie, stated that World Studios was dismayed by the news. They would be seeking retribution, but they would need more time before any important decisions were made with regard to Dominic DeMarco’s film career.

The sponge dropped from her hand. She gasped when the next clip showed Dominic’s house being stripped of furniture, paintings, vases, and dishes. According to the anchorman, his cars were taken, too.

Nobody knew where Dominic had been living, but their best guess was that he had moved into the Old Dog House with his sister. The next video showed the media circling like sharks at the end of Linda’s driveway while dogs barked in the distance.

It had been exactly one week since she’d moved out of Dominic’s Malibu mansion. She didn’t have much to pack so it hadn’t taken long. With a suitcase in one hand, Shakespeare’s carrier in the other, and a return trip to the house for Hamlet the fish, she’d taken a taxicab back to her apartment within hours of the Barbara Fells interview.

For the first twenty-four hours, Sam cried like a baby. The next morning, she’d caught a glimpse of her red puffy eyes in the mirror and saw someone she no longer recognized. The woman looking into the mirror was taller and stronger, she reminded herself. She was beautiful inside and out and she had never, not once, set out to purposely hurt Dominic DeMarco. If he truly loved her, he never would have let her go.

His loss.

Straightening her spine, Sam felt confident that everything she did, including visiting Beverly DeMarco, had been done out of love. She had tried many times to talk to Dominic but he refused to listen.

When Beverly had finally returned Sam’s phone call, Sam had thought if she could get mother and son together again, Dominic could begin to heal. She’d never expected Beverly to be so forthcoming. She’d been so excited at the prospect of Dominic hearing his mother out, hoping they could both start fresh. But for whatever reasons, Dominic had once again refused to hear what his mother had to say. He was a stubborn man. Mistrustful. If he couldn’t learn to forgive and forget, he would surely grow old alone.

Dominic had stood up to Sam’s entire family, and in doing so, Sam’s mother and father might have a chance at happiness. Sam had wished the same for Dominic. That’s all she wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. If Dominic couldn’t see that, then he wasn’t the man she thought he was.

A knock prompted Sam to pick up the sponge and toss it into the bucket. She slid off her rubber gloves. She opened the door. Nothing could have surprised her more than seeing Kate Garrison standing on the other side.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Kate asked if she could come inside.

Sam blocked her way.

“Just for a moment,” Kate said.

Sam headed back inside to finish cleaning the kitchen.

Closing the door behind her, Kate set a thick envelope on the tile counter. “I wanted to return your journal.”

Having nothing to say about that, Sam slid on her rubber gloves and began scrubbing.

“I’m sorry,” Kate said. “You were right. After taking your journal and writing the articles for Mitzy, she didn’t promote me. She even threatened to fire me if I told you the truth.”

Sam scrubbed a little harder, putting her muscle into the job.

“I’m truly sorry about your marriage.” Kate’s soft voice shook with emotion. “I know you loved him. Not only did you say that over and over in your journal, I could see it in your eyes and all over your face when you introduced me to Dominic. After everything you went through with Ken, you finally had a chance at happiness and I ruined it for you.”

Sam’s wrist was getting sore.

“I know there’s nothing I can say to you that will make it better, but I had to let you know that I will never forgive myself.”

Kate started to walk off before Sam turned and cleared her throat, stopping her. “Walking down the aisle with Dominic was a mistake on so many levels, but I would do it again if given the chance. I love him. But as someone pointed out to me, our not being together has nothing to do with you.”

“Are you saying you’re not angry with me?”

“Of course I’m angry with you. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever be able to forgive you for what you did.”

There was a long pause before Kate said, “I quit the
LA Beat
.”

Sam nodded. “Mitzy’s not going to know what to do without you.”

“You might be right. I called a few competitors and I have two interviews next week.”

Sam was beyond feeling. If Kate thought her world would be put to right by her apologizing, she was wrong. Life without Dominic was cold and lonely. Her heart ached.

“I’m going to go now. If you decide you need someone to talk to, you have my number.”

Kate opened the door. “Looks like you have another visitor.”

Sam peeled off her gloves again. By the time she made it to the door, Kate was climbing into her car across the street and a man was headed her way. Seeing Dominic’s friend brought a rush of emotion. “Tom, what are you doing here?”

“It’s nice to see you, too.”

Smiling, she gestured for him to come inside, which he did. He stopped to give Shakespeare a good scratch on the back. “Nice place you’ve got here,” he said when he was standing tall again.

“Thanks.” She turned off the television. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No, I won’t be long. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were holding up.”

“I’m fine. How’s Dominic doing? Have you seen him?”

“He’s okay. He misses you.”

“If he missed me, he would call me.”

“He loves you, Sam. You know all about his crazy childhood. He’s been betrayed one too many times.” Tom waggled his finger at her. “Everything that happened between you and Dominic…it was the perfect storm. He doesn’t like surprises and he got a lot of them all in a row: Barbara Fells reading off a long list of private moments, including the fact that he has a half-sister; discovering his mom was abused; the list goes on. That’s a lot for one man to take in. Dominic panicked.”

Tom walked around her apartment, looking at framed pictures, readjusting the pillows on her couch, obviously waiting for Sam to say something, but she had nothing to say. She leaned her hip against the counter and watched him.

“Dominic bought a house on ten acres,” he told her. “A real dump, but he’s keeping busy fixing the place up.”

“That’s nice.”

“Maybe we should drive by there right now and see how he’s doing?”

Sam pointed a finger at him. “If I didn’t know better, I would guess you were trying to play matchmaker.”

“Gretchen thinks the two of you are made for each other.”

Sam didn’t say a word.

“Okay…” Tom released a long, ponderous sigh. “The truth is, he’s driving us all crazy. He hasn’t been the same since you left. He’s falling apart. He’s got dark ugly bags under his eyes and he never combs his hair anymore. He looks like something a cat dragged into the house when no one was looking.”

Sam laughed. “Something tells me you’re exaggerating.”

“Well, maybe about the combing the hair part, but the rest is all true. Listen, I’ve been getting calls every day from producers who are interested in having him do a read-through, but he keeps turning them down.”

“If the right part comes along, Dominic will take it. You know that better than anyone.”

Tom stopped talking for a moment. His eyes narrowed. “You don’t look so good yourself. Are you sleeping okay?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not falling for it, Tom. You are not allowed to go back to Dominic and retell the same sad story. It’s not going to work. If Dominic really loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, he would be the one standing here talking to me, not you.”

Sam smiled at him as she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I appreciate you coming here to talk to me, I really do. You made me laugh and I don’t know of anyone in the world who doesn’t need a good laugh every once in a while.”

“You are a stubborn one,” Tom said. Then he pulled a standard-sized envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her.

“What’s this?”

“If you want to know, you’ll have to open it yourself.”

She opened a drawer, grabbed a butter knife and used it to open the letter. There was a check inside written out to Samantha Johnston in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars. She looked at Tom.

“After all Dominic’s possessions were sold, he had enough left to buy the property he’s living on and he wanted you to have the rest. He thought it was only fair you got something for all of your troubles since he was the one who pulled out of the deal.”

She stuffed the check into the envelope and handed it back to him. “I don’t want Dominic’s money.”

“You should take it. What are you going to do?” he asked as he gave her apartment another long look.

“I have enough in savings to last me for a while. I’m going to spend the next few months sending out résumés, and then while I wait by the phone, I’m going to write a novel.”