Past Heaven (19 page)

“Listen to me. There are children here. Outside. Now!” I grabbed Kylie’s boney arm and ushered her out the front door and onto the sidewalk. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I motioned for Liz to follow. Kylie wrangled out of my grip and whipped around to face me. I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes. “How did you find me here?” Not even the paparazzi had tracked me down.

She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t hard. I just got Paul drunk and told him I needed to talk to you.”

Paul
. I was going to kick my manager’s ass.

Kylie looked around the neighborhood and wrinkled her nose at the pots of mums and pumpkins on Liz’s front porch. “He was worried about you being out here in Bumfuck, too.”

“Watch yourself.” My voice dropped dangerously and was laced with anger. “I don’t owe you any explanations for why I’m here. You can get the fuck out. Now.” I took a step backward, and she took a step toward me. She reached her hand to my cheek and stroked it.

I inhaled and closed my eyes when she touched me. Not because I missed her touch, but because I needed to stay calm and collected. I wanted to throw her onto the street, but I didn’t want to scare Liz.

“Rey Rey, I need to talk to you. Can you give us a minute?” She sneered at Liz, and I balled my fists at the blatant disrespect she was showing her.

“No way, Kylie…”

Liz cut me off. “Reynolds, it’s fine. I understand. I’ll give you some time.”

I reached for Liz’s elbow to keep her from leaving, but she was too quick. Kylie grabbed the front of my shirt at the same time, and I faced her, shaking with anger and irritation.

“What the hell do you want?”

Her face paled at my words. Kylie wasn’t used to anything other than admiration and attention.

“You’ve had your break, Rey Rey. I’ve given you space. I miss you, and I love you. You need me. We’re the best couple in Hollywood. I fucked up. I know that. It’s never as hot as it is with you, baby. You make me feel so good.” Kylie purred the last words, stroking her hands down the front of my chest, hoping to turn me on like she used to. She had no idea that her words did just the opposite.

“Too little, too late, Kylie.” I shook my head, my mouth twisted downward. “I don’t do sloppy seconds, and you showed me that all we ever had was a mistake. I don’t love you anymore, if it ever even was love. You need to leave. Now.”

“Sloppy seconds?! What the hell do you think that little trollop is?” Kylie gave a disgusted snort, flinging her hands toward the front door. “What the fuck? You can do better than that! She’s bad for my reputation, honey.” She laughed. “You need to find a hot rebound before you come back to me.”

A growl escaped me, and I had to remember she was a female. And I treated all females with respect. Even the bitchy ones.

“You have no idea who that woman is.” I took a step closer to Kylie, my voice raw, and her eyes widened. “She’s a thousand times more desirable than you. It’s fucking hilarious to me that you don’t get that.” I pointed toward her and she stepped backwards. “You’re nothing like her. You don’t deserve to be near her. Now get your motherfucking ass out of my sight before I lose it.” Thankfully Liz wasn’t nearby to hear me. I didn’t want her to know the truth. She was not at all ready to hear me say I thought of her that way. She’d run for the damn hills. I moved back to the front door and gripped the handle until my fingers hurt.

Kylie walked backwards in the grass, wobbling as her stilettos got stuck in the soft surface. “Fine. You need more time. I get it.” My head cocked to the side, eyebrows raised. “You know where I’ll be, and you know what only I can do for you. You’ll come to your senses and come back to me. You don’t belong here.”

I returned to the house, slammed the door shut, and then leaned my head against it. Five minutes ago, I was wrestling with the boys, feeling more carefree and happy than I could remember. But that wasn’t the real me. Kylie was right. She had come here, to my safe place, and reminded me of what I already knew was the truth.

My life wasn’t here in suburbia, watching football games, eating family dinners, and riding horses.

My life was in L.A.

MY HAND NEVER left my neck, and I felt my pulse racing. I probably shouldn’t have stayed in the hallway where I could hear them outside, but this was
my
home. I had needed to protect my family, and I had needed to make sure Reynolds was who he said he was. What if he had been using me or trying to trick me into thinking he was a good guy? What I had never thought I’d hear was him defend me and call me desirable.

Why had Kylie Ford just yelled at me? For being friends with Reynolds? Kylie was a stunning beauty. Why would the thought cross her mind that Reynolds and I could be hooking up together? That’s insane.

He said I was desirable.
He said I was desirable? What?
I couldn’t wrap my head around that one. What did that even mean? We were partners. We worked together. We were friends. Maybe he was lying to her so she would leave. Or maybe he was trying to make Kylie feel even worse? I felt overheated. There was just no way someone like Reynolds Carter thought that I, plain Liz Atwater, was desirable. No way.

The door shut, and I slipped into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. I looked over my shoulder and saw Reynolds was still by the front door, watching me. Turning off the faucet, I went back into the foyer and away from the boys before we spoke.

Reynolds placed his hands on my shoulders and met my timid gaze. “Liz, I’m sorry she came here—to your home. Please don’t take anything she said to heart. She was trying to get to me. She’s wrong in so many ways.”

I laughed and shrugged out of his grasp. “Almost everything she said was true. I am old, and I am a single mom, but I’m not a trollop. That was a lie.” I gave him a weak smile and looked at the floor.

Oh
shit
. Now he knew I heard
everything.
Reynolds closed his eyes, no doubt replaying what he had said and how he could retract it.

“She obviously has the wrong idea. We are
friends
. Why would she think otherwise?”

Reynolds sighed deeply and when he re-opened his eyes, his expression was wary and uncertain. “She’s a jealous and insecure person. She assumed I would come crawling back to her, but I didn’t. She has no idea what I am up to, so she assumes I’m having a fling with you. There’s also the fact that I don’t have any female friends back in L.A.”

“You don’t have any girl friends?” I asked. This surprised me. Not only was Reynolds sensitive and kind, but he was a rich, famous, actor. Weren’t people knocking down his door, trying to be his friend?

“I don’t have friends, period. My work has kept me too busy, and the people I’ve met haven’t been the most trustworthy. I have a few people I would consider friends, but no one I would call to talk about what had happened with Kylie. I’ve only talked to you and to my parents about that.” Reynolds looked embarrassed as he stared into the kitchen.

“You’ve been so open and honest with me. I never had that, not even with Kylie.” Reynolds stared into my eyes, and my breath quickened. His face showed both strength and vulnerability, and it was a sexy as hell combination. It was pure hotness and raw emotion. My gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips, and I wondered if he kissed with that kind of intensity. I inched closer to him, my eyes mesmerized by his mouth.

Stop this right now.

I rubbed my neck and looked away. Reynolds made a soft grunt and put his finger under my chin, forcing me to look at his blazing eyes. What was that look? Affection over our project and friendship? Or, maybe, something else?

Reynolds leaned closer to me, and his breath brushed against my face. His scent overwhelmed my senses and the heat emanating from his body warmed my skin. I closed my eyes and took everything in. For a split second, I thought about leaning forward and pressing my lips against his. My thumb rubbed against my wedding rings and I snapped my eyes back open.
What the hell is wrong with me?

This. Could. Not. Happen.

“Mom, the game started. Are you guys coming? We want nachos!” Grayson called from the family room.

I stepped back. “Be right there!” Then, I turned back to face Reynolds, straightening my shoulders. “I think you should go. This is a lot for me for one day, and I think we should pick up writing tomorrow.” Changing plans on him felt wrong, but I didn’t think I could sit in the family room, watching him eat nachos with my boys right now. Something had shifted, and I needed to bring us back to reality.

“Okay, Elizabeth. I’ll go.” His voice was low and husky. “But I meant every word I said before. I didn’t think you could hear me, but I’m glad you did. I was being honest. Kylie doesn’t deserve to be near you. She doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air.” He let out a deep sigh and pulled at his messy hair. Then he turned and left. I leaned back against the door as it closed and shut my eyes.

Holy
effing
shit.

“Pass the popcorn, piggy.”

Cindy shook her head, grabbed another huge handful of popcorn, snorted, and then shoved it into her mouth.

I, ever the classy friend, chugged my glass of wine instead. Once the boys were in bed, I had caught her up on my weekend.

“Desirable, huh?” Cindy waggled her eyebrows. “
Nice.
”

“Cindy, he was trying to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. Nothing more.”

“Ha! Keep telling yourself that.” Cindy put down the bowl of popcorn and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “The man chose to visit my own personal form of hell, Hydes Field, on a Saturday morning, and then come back the next day for brunch with your parents and games with your boys? Dudes like Reynolds Carter don’t eat brunch with the elderly, no offense to Pat and Jim, to make someone back in California jealous.

I took another drink of wine.

“He’s spent time listening to your story, he’s eaten your food, gotten to know your family, and called you desirable. He’s making you feel like a woman again.”

“I feel drunk around him. Wrecked. Intoxicated by his presence. I can’t think straight and everything is happening so fast. I need to clear my head.”

“You can’t sober up around a man like Reynolds. And why would you want to? Enjoy this.”

“Enjoy what? Flirting with a man who will be leaving here as soon as our work is finished? Nothing is happening and nothing will happen.” I sat back and closed my eyes. “Okay, maybe there’s been a little innocent flirting, but that ends right now. I need to get it the fuck together.”

We were rushing to finish a section of the screenplay before Reynolds left for L.A. Two weeks had passed since Kylie’s visit, and we had focused on nothing but work. Now Reynolds had to make a short trip home for a few meetings.

“What if we end this scene with Elwood opening the door to his new apartment?” Reynolds was typing, holding a pencil in his mouth, and talking at the same time.

“Oh! I like it. That would be a powerful way to wrap up that section. His new beginning was starting, but there were so many others left without any hope.”

Reynolds nodded and kept typing, and then flailed his arms outward, knocking over his coffee. “SHIT. Aww
damn
. I’m so sorry.” He scrambled to lift his notes, phone, and laptop up off the table as I sprinted to the counter to grab paper towels.