Unforgettable (12 page)

"Would you just talk to
your dad?"

"Mom!" Frank plopped down
on the kitchen chair, just like he'd done since he was two. "I know
he's trying to help. I know you are. But...I just don't want to go
into business with Dad. I don't want to flip houses or start a car
shop or sell fruity juices..."

She was still an incredibly
beautiful woman, but he knew the beauty didn't equal weakness or
any form of submission to any man... When her hand was resting on
her hip he knew...he was in trouble.

"Then what do you want?
They kicked you out of their little club. You can't play spy
anymore. Because of whatever happened over there."

"Mom, I can't tell you
about it."

She glared.

"Something bad
happened."

He took the beer she handed
him.

"Mom...it was bad. It was
badder than bad and I pray that you and Dad never find out.
Now...do me a favor. Get him off my back."

He slammed out the back
door, just like he did when he was thirteen.

She picked up the
phone.

"It's your
brother...no...amazingly its Frank. ...yes, the Afghanistan
thing...no, he still won't talk...I don't think he'll go to Los
Angeles...your clubs are doing well? That's good. Maybe just come
home for a couple of days. All he does is lay on the couch and
watch Bewitched and the Andy Griffith re-runs.. I'm going to start
calling him Opie. The mood he's in he'd probably shoot
me."

Two hours passed. I read. Fritz watched
the stocks on his laptop and played online poker.

“
I have a problem,” I told
him.

“
Whatever it is I’ll fix
it.”

“
I’m running out of clothes,
didn’t have that many to begin with, and what I do have are over in
the apartment. I need to go to some of my thrift shops but… when do
I get paid?”

Fritz smiled and took out his
wallet.

“
I have a magic card in my
wallet and a magic shopping portal on my lap.”

“
I can’t let you buy me
clothes. But, I could pay you back I guess.”

“
Oh, no. It’s not my card.
It’s Jack’s. So… let’s shop.”

“
I couldn’t.”

“
Of course you can. You have
no idea how wealthy this man is. He could buy the bloomin’ store if
he wanted. Now, where shall we go first?”

He helped me choose what seemed like
dozens of outfits. I kept going to Penneys, he would close them
down and hit the designers. I couldn’t believe the prices. It was a
never ending Christmas morning. With a dash of guilt thrown
in.

“
Oh, here comes his
majesty,” Fritz said.

He was in a long, shimmering golden
cape, with long hair and a graying beard.

“
I thought this was a
western—I guess I assumed because of the horse.”

“
No, it’s a futuristic
piece. He’s not on the planet Earth and the creature the movie
goers will see won’t be a horse.”

Three large crew members helped Jack
climb up but when Jack swung his left leg over he
screamed.

Instinctively I was on my feet and
holding his leg.

“
I’m sorry, John, I can’t
put my damn leg over the side,” he muttered to the
director.

John, talking to someone on an
earpiece, was next to him just as quickly as I was.

“
Side saddle,” I said and
Jack shifted and turned and wiggled until he could manage to
sit.

Jack was breathing hard and sweat
dripped from his brow.

“
You must be burning up in
there, Mr. Nolan.”

“
Okay, I get it, you’re
still pissed, Miss Rose. And, yes, I’m burning up.”

He looked at me and smiled.

I didn’t want him to smile.

I went back to my seat and watched Jack
become the character, larger than life, screaming into a huge fan
with fake snow blowing in his face. He held a saber, pointing it
around as he growled his lines.

Four cameras were rolling, one on a
long crane that dipped all around his face. After his speech two
men pulled the horse back and forth in front of a blue screen. The
wind machine blew the entire time and Jack hunkered over the fake
creature as if struggling through a blizzard.

The same three burly men who put him on
the horse now lifted him down and he stood next to the horse
reciting short lines.

By two Jack was obviously exhausted and
John sent him to lunch. Everyone applauded as he rolled away in the
wheelchair.

While we were eating in the tiny
dressing room Fritz’ phone rang.

“
Yes, she’s right here.” He
handed me the phone.

“
Detective Silverman,
Princess. Just wanted to tell you that we had to release Eddie
Welsh this morning. He made bail. It looked like Oscar hired the
bail bondsman. We were hoping that Robert would show up but he’s
obviously too clever for that. But, actually, this may be a good
thing. He may lead us right to Robert. But, I wanted to let you
know. He’s out.”

I stared at the floor.

“
Sam? Still
there?”

“
Yes. Is there anything you
want me to do?”

“
Not now. I’ll keep in
touch, though. And stay with that brigade Nolan’s hired for you.
How was the night with Mr. Abernathy?”

“
How’d you know about David?
Never mind…”

“
You’re supposed to stay in
the Nolan property. Try to remember that. If you see anything out
of the ordinary please let me know.”

I looked around at the bizarre
surroundings and almost laughed.

“
What did he say?” Jack
asked.

I told them.

Fritz called Roger and then Jack took
the phone.

My soup tasted like mud. I put it
down.

Jack looked at me.

“
Sam, it’s okay. Nothing’s
going to happen to you.”

“
You know what, Jack,” I
went into a flash of unexpected rage. “When you’re a little kid and
you hear something at night and it scares you, your parents say
‘there’s nothing there…no monsters…go back to sleep. You’re
safe.’

“
But, that’s a lie. Because
you’re never safe. I’m never safe. The noise…the coat rubbing on
the wall to your bedroom, the cord crinkling in his hands…they’re
real. Our parents lied. The Universe lied. God lied.

“
That was the worst thing
that Welsh did,” I whispered. “He took away my blind faith that
everything was okay. That somehow I would be okay.”

They were both silent and then Fritz
spoke.

“
Now that you say that,
that’s exactly what happened to me when Clarice—my wife-- died. I
believed that she would make it. That somehow the doctors would get
her through. That the drugs and radiation would work. But…they
didn’t. And I lost all faith.”

“
I didn’t know your wife
died. ‘Didn’t know you had a wife.”

An awkward silence had snuck in and we
all avoided each other’s eyes.

“
Long time ago. Anyone want
ice cream?”

“
Lord, yes,” Jack said. “It
was so damn hot in that robe I thought I’d just melt.”

I plastered Jack’s knee with ice
bags.

“
Your foot looks terrible.”
I was regretting my outburst, wishing somehow I could take it
back.

“
Hurts like hell.” He took
some ibuprofen and leaned back, closing his eyes. He held out his
hand to me. I didn’t take it.

“
Sorry I blew up like that,”
I said.

“
Don’t be. I’m sorry about
last night.”

“
Nothing to be sorry about.
You should be able to do what you want. And, you are my boss. You
were correct.”

“
Sam. I was mad. You are not
just staff. You know that.”

I sat back and looked at
him.

“
You can’t play me like a
puppet. I have to have some freedom. I have to see
David.”

“
Do you love
him?”

“
Of course.”

He sighed.

“
But, he’s not the only one.
You know Natasha, the psychic, told me that my mother has put a
spell on me. And that this spell…”

Gabrielle stepped into the
room shaking her finger at Sam.

“
Shhh. Don’t tell him. He’s
not supposed to know. You’re not supposed to know.”

“…
makes people love me and
want to protect me. She also said it works both ways, making me
love people.”

“
He’s going to think you’re
crazy. Your father is going to be so mad… “ Gabrielle turned and
flew back to heaven.

“
I’m not sure I believe her
but…you and Fritz and now David…extraordinary things happening.
I’ve never had anything like this happen to me. To be honest I’m
overwhelmed. My feelings are…deep, conflicted.”

Jack smiled, his eyebrow raised. He put
a cigar in his mouth, looked at me and put it down.

“
I’ve never been one to
argue with mothers. Especially dead ones. I figure out one mystery
with you and I’ll be damned if you don’t come up with more. You’re
not going to tell me about David and why you had been crying, are
you?”
“No. I hear the love scene's coming up...”

“
Did you two fight?” he
interrupted.

“
No.”

“
Did he hurt
you?”

“
Never,” I
promised.

I repositioned the ice, rolling the
whole thing over in my mind.

“
You’re like trying to take
a nap with a Tasmanian Devil. I never know when I’m going to get
kicked in the gut.” I confessed.

“
Must feel something to ask
about this scene.”

“
You’re my boss, Jack. You
just bought me a whole bunch of clothes.”

“
I did?”

“
Yes. And I’ll be getting a
paycheck from you. Not a good combination…boss and
romance.”

“
Boss and
lover,
” he whispered,
leaning forward.

He nibbled on my knuckles, his teeth
sharp against my bones. “We could change the
circumstances.”

“
Yes, I could go back to St
Louis and…”

“
No.” He turned my hands
over and kissed the palms. Heat traveled like wildfire up to my
throat and lips.

“
We could get
engaged.”

I stood up, pulled my hand away, just
as Fritz arrived with the ice cream.

I took mine and walked out.

I was nervous the rest of the afternoon
watching as Jack and the woman, Shandi Bartell,
rehearsed.

I decided to walk. I hiked around the
entire circumference of the lot. When I made it back to Studio 7
Jack, in his normal clothes, was standing by the doors
waiting.

“
Nice walk?”

“
Nice fuck?”

I walked past him.

John saw me and waved me over, thanking
me for my help.

“
Friday we have a party.
Crew and actors. Everybody. And there is a select after party. I
would love it if you came. You can begin to know me. Find that you
can trust me. I would like to enjoy...your company very
much."

He stared, holding my gaze, and I
couldn't look away.

"That's very nice of you."

"It would be a beginning. Of choices.
There will be things...you will undoubtedly enjoy as you
allow."

I didn't think he was talking about the
appetizers.

“
I kind of don’t get out on
my own much.”

He didn't break his gaze.

“
I see Jack has all the
security out. I heard about Roger getting stabbed. What if I have
my people pick you up, or, if I ask Roger to arrange it? I have
people well trained. Very well trained.”

“
Does Jack usually
attend?”

“
Sometimes. But, I wasn’t
interested in Jack being there… just you.” He leaned closer. I felt
small next to him.

“
I’ll talk to Roger,” I
said.

He wrote his phone number on my
palm.

“
When you are ready, call
me, little one.”

There was something wonderfully,
disgustingly, erotic about him. He was ...I couldn't put my finger
on it.

That night a package arrived for me.
One of the security opened it and then handed it to me. I went into
the dining room and opened it. It was from David.

It was a gorgeous silver cuff
bracelet.

I felt something on the
inside.

It was engraved.

My reality is better than
my dreams because of Sam.

A couple of tears made it out. I could
still feel him around me, touching me.

I called him.