Tate (26 page)

“Is it?”

“I’m not sure, but we’ve had a couple of hits on who he is.”

“And?” I asked nervously.

“And we’re digging into background. I’ll let you know as soon as we have something conclusive.”

“Oh my. Tate? Does Tate know?” I replied in disbelief.

“Not yet. It wasn’t brought to my attention until just before I left to head out here.” He paused, giving me a moment to collect my thoughts. “We’ll figure this out, Maisie.”

There was silence as we drove. He was giving me time to process, and my mind and heart were racing ninety miles an hour.
Do I even want to know?
I wondered.

Finally, Daniel broke the silence. “Are you ready for the interview?” he asked.

“I guess.” He looked my way and smiled.

As we entered the building, my phone indicated a text.

Break a leg. XXXX

“I’ll be waiting right here,” Daniel said, as I entered the suite of offices.

“Maisie Morrow?” the young lady at the reception desk asked.

I paused, thinking. “Yes,” I laughed. “That name is still new to me.”

“Meg Carlisle is waiting for you.” She rose from the desk and showed me into the office.

“Maisie, it’s a pleasure,” Meg said as I entered the room. She sounded genuine. She watched me, and then added, “It’ll be fine. I’m not going to push you to talk about anything you aren’t ready to discuss. I promise I’m not going to pounce on you. Have a seat.”

I moved toward the sofa she motioned to.

“What most of the people we work with tell me is that the thing they dread the most is the photo session.” She smiled, and I laughed nervously.

We talked for over an hour. Meg had a notebook that I was sure she had jotted down things she wanted to talk about, and she returned to the notebook often to make notes. Her inquiries didn’t feel invasive in any way; they felt like curious conversation, I felt relieved.

Finally, she guided me to a table that had photographs of Tate and I laid out for viewing. Some of them were the wedding photos that Tate offered as part of the People deal. But there were pictures that I didn’t recognize, and I wondered where they’d come from. I decided not to ask.

“I think we should do the photos of you for the magazine when you get back to Tennessee. I’ll work it all out. We have several ideas and we’ll have wardrobe with us. Stop by the reception desk and let them know sizes and your schedule and we’ll be ready for you. Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

I didn’t, so she called the receptionist to let Daniel know I was ready.

“I know you’re uneasy – gun-shy - about all of this because of everything that’s happened in the last few months. I’m stepping away from our norm on this. I will send you the article just before we publish. I just want to give you a chance to read it and know what will be coming.”

“Thank you for making it comfortable,” I said.

“You made it easy,” she smiled.

Chapter Twelve

Maisie

I received a new text message as Daniel drove.

I’m at the hotel

I looked at him, remembering the sketch and conversation earlier. “He’s there.”

“I’ll come up with you. I need to talk to him about the song that Ami recorded.” I sent Tate a text letting him know.

When we entered the room, Tate was anxious. “Well? How’d it go?” he asked as soon as we were in the door.

“It was fine,” I laughed. “I was nervous, but the gal I spoke with made it really comfortable. They’re setting up a photo shoot for when we get home. Normally they don’t, but she’s also going to send the article to me just before they publish so we know what’s coming.”

“I’m happy that you have that behind you.” He turned to Daniel. “You said there was something you wanted to talk about.”

“Maisie?” He turned to me.

I took the picture Daniel had given to me from my bag. I unfolded it and handed it to Tate.

“What’s this?” He hadn’t seen the sketch before.

“It’s the man who I noticed following me.”

He looked closely. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization. “Those are your eyes, Maisie.”

“I think so, too,” I replied.

“It’s your father, isn’t it?” Tate asked, looking to Daniel for confirmation.

“We’re exploring that. I didn’t see the resemblance until someone helping with the investigation pointed it out,” Daniel answered.

“But he wouldn’t have had access to the wedding pictures,” I pointed out.

“I kind of suspect that it’s separate circumstances. My gut says that the guy realized, after the first article about Kitty released, that he might be your father.”

“Wow,” Tate muttered, rubbing his chin with his hand.

“Someone inside Ami’s circle confirms
Cinderella
is about you. We’re working out how to confront her, but we have to step lightly.”

“Whatever it takes,” Tate replied.

“I’ll see you later,” Daniel said as he left the suite.

Tate and I sat on the sofa and I snuggled into his arms. “I’m glad for this time alone,” he said.

“The interview really wasn’t awful,” I said, huffing out a breath.

Tate was quiet for a few minutes. I sat back and waited, giving him time to come to terms with whatever was on his mind. Finally, I leaned back and looked at him. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Are you prepared to meet your father?” he asked.

“I guess I have to be, because I’m pretty sure Daniel will find him. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes.” He pulled me close and pressed a tender kiss on top of my head. “We’ve sure been through a lot this last year.”

“It has been almost a year, hasn’t it?”

“In about six weeks,” Tate said.

“I think I love that you know that,” I said with a sigh. “But wait, that’s just when I met you.”

“That’s your story. I fell in love with you that moment.”

***

Tate

Thinking about it being almost a year since Maisie came into my life made me happy. We’d sure been through the wringer, and many had thought she wasn’t strong enough to handle it; someone had banked on that. But they couldn’t have been more mistaken. I thought about the time when she ran, but that was just a hiccup. She proved the world, and whoever was working against her, wrong. She was working on the Maisie Morrow that the world needed to know. As she grew stronger, she became the confident, poised, and incredible woman I knew she was.             

After the two shows in L.A., we had stops in San Francisco, Portland, and finally Seattle. As we got closer to heading home, I noticed that Maisie seemed anxious, in the nervous sense. We had two more nights and then we’d be on our way.

“What is it?” I asked as she lay in my arms.

“Home,” she said and paused. “Where will that be now? I can’t go back to the house. I figured in the beginning that would be home, at least to start out.”

“Daniel had everything fixed and a security system installed.” I started to say more, but she interrupted me.

“I don’t want to start our life there now. It’s been contaminated with hurt and sadness. I can’t live there.”

“Then we will live at the townhouse until we decide what to do.” I watched her. She was fidgety and I knew there was something else. “What else?”

“Well, I figure Daniel’s had enough time to explore the man in the sketch. And even though I told you I was ready, I dread the thought of what’s to come.”

“Do you dread it, or are you afraid?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“There are two different emotions that I think you’re experiencing. I can imagine that the dread is anxiety, apprehension, and some distress about meeting him, yes?” She nodded. “But I also believe that you’re feeling overwhelmed because of the emotions it will bring.”

She started to cry. “I know he probably knew nothing about my existence. Kitty wouldn’t have sought him out if he was only a bus driver.” She paused, as if to gather her thoughts. “If I meet him, he’ll want to know about my past. He knows about Kitty’s. Hell, the whole world knows about Kitty’s past.”

“Maisie, I can tell you that I can relate to some of what you are experiencing. My dad walked away from us and never looked back. I wonder every day if he will return now and try to become part of my life because of who I am. The difference is, your father didn’t have a choice.”

“What a rollercoaster,” she sighed, and clung to me tighter.

***

We arrived back in Nashville and settled in for our two weeks at home. On Wednesday, Maisie had plans to go to the shop. I was at her house with two lists - the items she wanted moved to my place, and what she wanted to move into storage until we decided what we would do. She’d been at the shop about three hours when I got a call from Dion.

“You need to get here, quick!” he yelled frantically when I answered.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked. I could hear ear-splitting yelling in the background.

“Hurry, Tate, the cops are on the way! Ami smacked the shit out of Maisie!”

“What?”

“Quick!” Dion yelled, and hung up.

I was there in fifteen minutes. There was a crowd gathering on the street. I opened the door and a police officer was waiting just inside. “Who are you?” he asked as he stopped me from going any further.

“The husband of Maisie Bolden. I mean Morrow.”

“You little bitch!” Ami was screaming as Dion held her back. April was restraining Maisie. The look on her face left no question how pissed she was.

There were two police officers, the one at the door, and another one standing in between Maisie and Ami. “Whoa!” he shouted, as Ami tried to reach around him. “Stop! I said STOP!” he yelled once more when Ami continued screaming. “Someone tell me what’s going on!”

“That bitch is smearing my reputation!” Ami screamed.

“She barged in here and slapped me!” Maisie yelled back.

I wanted to go to Maisie, but the cop made me think better of it. As I looked at her, I noticed that she looked like she could hold her own. I waited to see what unfolded.

“This is my business. I own this property and she came tearing in the door and came right to my desk and slapped me.” I looked and saw her cheek was red, with a noticeable knot on her cheekbone. “She says someone accused her of writing a song about me. It wasn’t me.”

The two officers - Whidden and Faust, I noticed on their badges - each directed Maisie and Ami to different places to sit down. Officer Whidden turned his back to Ami to ask me a question. Suddenly, she was up and charging at me.

“You!” she screamed. “
You’re
the reason for all of this!” And then, she hauled off and slapped
me.
Hard. “If you’d have just played along with Audra and gotten to know me, we’d be off happily building
our
life! But no! You had to meet this little piece of nothing and run off and get married!”  

I was holding her away from me with both arms as she was flailing hers to get loose. The two police officers stood watching, neither moving to assist me. I looked past them and saw Maisie. Suddenly, my blood was boiling.

“So the song
is
about Maisie. I suspected as much. It’s my security people investigating you over all the shit that’s come out about Maisie’s past. You just confirmed it, you little piece of shit! Maisie is ten times the woman you are. Officer,” I commanded, “Get her out of here.”

As I walked away, rubbing my cheek from the sting of the slap, Maisie flashed past me like a streak. I heard the crack of her hand across Ami’s cheek. “I didn’t get a shot in. April was holding me back. You stay away from me
and
my husband!” she declared.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Officer Faust was still talking to Dion and April. Whidden was holding Ami in place. Finally, Officer Faust came to talk to us. “Do you want to press charges?”

“What exactly does that mean?” Maisie asked. Ami watched, wide-eyed.

“That we arrest Ms. Woodson. I can come up with several charges. Assault, to start with.”

Maisie stood there a moment, thinking. “And if I say yes, does it mean you’ll take her out in handcuffs and haul her away in the back of the police car?” she asked.

“Maisie!” Ami yelled.

Officer Faust and I both stifled a grin. “Yes,” he replied.

“And after you get her to the station, what if I change my mind?” I saw where this was going and could barely keep from laughing.

“The charges would be dropped. I have enough information here to do whatever you decide.”

Maisie stood quietly, thinking, as Ami watched her intently. “Take her away,” Maisie said at last.

“Maisie! You can’t do this!” Ami wailed.

“Watch me. It’s about time someone put you in your place. I mean it. Take her away.”

After they were gone, the crowd of gawkers outside dissipated. Maisie gathered her things. “I’m ready to go. Dion, April, you’ve got this. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Maisie,” Dion said with a smug smile. She turned to see what he would say. I watched and waited. “That bitch pissed me off.”

“Me, too,” she replied. I saw Dion’s smile grow bigger.

“I called NCN and Channel 4 to give them a tip to check the precinct for a new guest admission. I think I let it slip that it’d be Ami. Ooopsie.” Everyone laughed.

“Dion, I love you,” Maisie said.

“She should be hauled in about fifteen minutes from now,” Dion said, looking at his watch.

“I’ll wait just a little while longer and call to drop the charges.” She grinned and reached for my hand. “Let’s go, Tate.”

“Personally, I think you should let her ass sit in a cell overnight,” Dion said.

“Someone would bail her out. I know her well enough to know that a few hours of humiliation will suffice.”

In the truck, I took her face in my hand, turning her toward me. “Looks like her ring band got you right here,” I said running my finger across her cheekbone. “That’s gonna leave an ugly bruise.”

“It’s worth it to have her sit in a cell for a little while.” She was quiet a moment, and then turned in the seat to look at me. “She came flying through the door like a maniac, yelling, and before I knew what was happening she hit me. It was hard and I just sat there in shock – I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly I was up and headed toward her but Dion told April to keep me back. Ami started yelling - I guess that’s when Dion called you.”

“Well, she all but admitted to the song, but I kinda don’t think she had anything to do with the rest. We’ll let Daniel figure that out.” As I drove, I thought about Fan Weekend, and Maisie telling me that she could kick some hussy’s ass. I felt a smile come across my face. She noticed.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“That those damn boots gave you some kind of super power. I think I just saw some ‘crazy ass redneck girl’ back there.” As I said the words, Maisie roared with laughter.

The next morning, Nashville Celebrity News sported a new headline about Maisie. This time it made her happy.
Tate Morrow’s Maisie Sends Ami Woodson Off In Style
. There were two pictures. The first caption read:
Ami Woodson leaving designer Maisie Bolden’s shop.
It showed Ami in the cop car, looking none too happy. The second picture’s caption was a single word -
Karma
– and showed her leaving Central Booking after Maisie dropped the charges. I got on the Internet and saw the picture could be found just about anywhere you wanted to search.

Audra called shortly after we saw the article.