Keeping Faith (17 page)

"I can't tell him, and Faith wouldn't dare."

"How do you know? I think Faith should be the one to tell him. After all, she's the one doing it."

Mrs. Ashford nodded. "I think you're right."

Quinn Ashford sat back in the chair and smoked his cigar. He loved it when his wife visited the girls. It gave him a chance to sit around in his underwear, and smoke his cigars. Marsha made such a fuss over the smell. He grinned and sighed. It was quiet. He liked it, so he made a face when the phone rang. He let the machine answer it and listened to the message.

"Quinn dear, there's something happening that you're not going to like. I suggest you put out that horrible cigar and call your daughter. Oh, and wash the dishes."

Mr. Ashford frowned. What could be going on? It wasn't Reece, that he was certain of. Sure, the club owner was gruff on the outside, but he was convinced she was completely in love with his daughter, and protected her. Boy did she protect her. He knew it ate her up as much as it ate him up to see a tabloid declaring some lie or another. He knew the tall woman felt as if she failed to protect Faith from the enemy. It took Quinn a while to accept that Reece took over where he left off in taking care of his little girl.

Maybe the girls are fighting? He thought. Then again, Marsha would have gotten involved in that and didn't need to tell him. Curious, he stared at the phone.

Faith watched sideways while her mother and Reece seemed to become best friends. They chatted as they unpacked the groceries, discussing which way to make the squash. She was very leery as to what happened on their trip. Reece was extremely reluctant to go and now they acted like they were best buddies. Oddly jealous, she started to unpack with them.

"Faith, did your father call?"

"No, ma, was he supposed to?"

"Hm." Mrs. Ashford began washing vegetables. "He could."

Faith eyed her mother suspiciously. "Mother, did you tell him about the movie?"

Marsha blinked a few times. "Me? Oh, no, you're going to tell him about your little sexcapade you call a movie."

"Mother!" Faith looked to Reece for help and her wife raised her eyebrows and looked away. "Oh, I get it. I get it now. You guys ganged up together. Fast friends with a common agenda. Well, fine!"

Reece shrugged. Mrs. Ashford pursed her lips.

"This isn't fair. Reece, you were supportive of me!"

"I still am. But I don't have to like it."

Faith scowled. "Be that way, the both of you."

Reece smirked. Faith was cute when she pouted. "C'mere."

Faith turned her back. "No. You two be friends. I'll go to Cori's."

Reece panicked. "No, don't go." She went to Faith's side and wrapped an arm around her. "We're just playing. Don't go to Cori's. Okay?"

"Okay, but you better be playing."

"I am. I swear."

Mrs. Ashford narrowed her eyes at Reece. "Traitor."

"I have to share a bed with her Mrs. A." The tall woman wrapped both arms around her wife and Faith brought her hands up to hold Reece's biceps. "See? She loves my muscles."

"They're so hot." Faith said quietly, but her mother heard her anyway.

"Children, your mother is here."

"Yes, ma." Faith said, still gripping Reece's arms.

"Besides, I never found all that bulk to be attractive."

"I can tell. Look at Daddy." Faith joked. "He's like a sausage squeezed into polyester."

"Faith Beula Ashford! That's your father. He does not look like a sausage.!"

Reece's body was spasming with silent laughter. Faith dug her nails into Reece's flesh. "You remember what happened the last time you made fun of my name?"

Reece winced and tried to control herself. "Yes, I do. Beula is such a lovely name." She shnorfled and laughed, backing away from her wife.

"Theresa, I hardly find it funny. As I recall, you were named after a nun."

Now Faith laughed. "If she could see you now!"

Reece, properly put in her place, stopped laughing just as the phone rang.

"Faith'll get it."

Quinn Ashford had to look all over the house until he found the mess that Marsha called a phone book. Papers shoved inside willy-nilly, nothing under the right letter. Finally finding Faith's number, under T, for Theresa, he began to dial. Feeling apprehensive, he almost hung up. Marsha made him nervous.

"Hello?"

"Faith, honey?"

"Oh, hi, daddy." Faith cut her eyes at the two women in the kitchen, both standing shoulder to shoulder, watching her intently.

"I got the strangest phone call. Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah, why do you ask?" The actress outright glared at her mother and her wife, who turned to the sink, looking busy. You could practically see their ears flapping.

"Your mother mentioned something about trouble?"

"Trouble? There's no trouble, where would she get that idea?" Faith walked into the kitchen and pinched her mother.

"OW! Faith! Is that how you treat your mother?"

"What just happened? Why is she yelling?" Quinn asked, alarmed.

"Nothing, daddy. Really."

"Faith are you lying to your father? There's something going on, and if I have to come there I will."

"No! Dad, don't come here." Faith eyed her mother who scowled, rubbing her pinch. Reece shook her head and tsk'd. "Well, actually, there is something I need to tell you. Are you sitting down?"

Quinn was worried. "Faith honey, what is it?"

"You see, Dad, I was offered a big part in a movie. The starring role, in fact."

"That's wonderful! What kind of movie is it? Is it a sob story, because you know I can't stomach those movies."

"No daddy," Faith swallowed hard and looked to Reece.

Reece nodded, "You have to tell him before he finds out on his own."

Faith continued, her mouth suddenly dry. "You see, it's a cop movie, and I play one of the cops, and, uhm, it's got some love scenes in it."

"Love scenes? It sounds like a women's movie. Your mother should love that."

"Actually, mom isn't all that keen with it." Faith sat down and picked at a placemat. Her mother poked her in the arm. "Those love scenes, are kind of? explicit." Faith waited with her eyes closed. There was no response. "Daddy?"

Quinn cleared his throat. "Well, you're not in them right?"

Faith cringed. "Uh, I am."

Watching her in distress, Reece suddenly began to feel terrible for Faith and stood behind her chair, rubbing her shoulders.

"Oh, I see." Mr. Ashford said quietly.

"Daddy, please, you can start yelling now if you want." Faith felt a soft kiss on her head and closed her eyes again, picturing her father's disapproving face. "Dad?"

"Faith, I don't really know what you expect me to say."

The actress grimaced, and Reece squeezed her shoulder. "You can say you hate it."

"I can say that."

Quinn's voice was controlled and Faith knew all about that tone. "Okay, you're not going to say anything. You're just going to keep quiet and make my life miserable by ignoring me, and everything."

"I will not ignore you. I just need time to think. "

There was silence and it made Faith very upset. "Okay. So? do you want to talk to me when you're ready?"

"Just tell me this, is this ? explicit sex ? with another woman?"

Faith eyed Reece nervously, "Yes, it is with another woman."

"I see. And Reece thinks this is fine?"

"No, she doesn't. Nobody does." The actress became angry. "Everyone hates this but me. I may as well not do this movie if everyone hates it."

"That's your choice. I have to go, Faith."

Faith stared at the table, angry and frustrated. "That went well."

Reece knelt down in front of her wife. "You wanna hit me?"

Faith grinned slightly, "No, baby. I may cry though."

Mrs. Ashford sighed. "You don't have to do the movie, Faith, no one is twisting your arm."

Faith growled and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Mrs. A, the more we tell her not to, the more she will. She's a stubborn as they come."

Marsha sighed heavily. "You know, Theresa, if she's only doing it because we tell her not to, maybe we should encourage her."

Reece pursed her lips in thought. "I dunno. I don't think that will work either. Look, let her do this for whatever reason she needs to."

"But sex, Theresa! I don't know how I can take this!"

"Faith rewrote the scenes, I haven't even seen what she wrote. I have to trust her judgment. She knows this is killing us, she has a reason to want to do it."

"You're more supportive than her own parents."

Reece nodded. "I guess I have to be. I don't like it any more than you do, and as sick as it makes me feel, there's also this other feeling inside, and it tells me I have to let it happen."

Mrs. Ashford's eyes welled up and she sniffed back the tears. "What would she do without you?"

Reece bowed her head in embarrassment.

"No, really. Her father and I can never accept this decision, and you of all people can."

The club owner sighed. "Don't ask me how."

Faith came back into the kitchen. "Ignore me, I'm just here to get a drink."

"Honey," Mrs. Ashford stood up and opened her arms. "I'm so sorry."

Faith walked into her mother's embrace. "Thank you." She breathed in relief.

Marsha held her daughter at arms length. "I'm so proud of you and I haven't been showing it at all. I've been acting like such a fool."

"You have no idea what this means to me mom."

"I may not be in love with the idea, but honey, this is your movie. I trust you have a good reason to do it. I support you."

Reece smiled as the two women held each other. Now to deal with her father.

D
INNER WAS QUIET as everyone had things on their mind. Mrs. A insisted she do dishes and sent the girls out to walk Smudge. It had been quite some time since the two women took a walk together. Every time they went out in public, paparazzi drove them crazy.

Faith attempted to take the leash, but Reece wasn't having it. The actress smiled and watched Reece snap on the leash and scoop the tiny dog up.

"He can walk down the stairs, baby."

Reece bounded down the few steps. "They're too high for his legs."

Faith snickered. "You'd think you gave birth to him."