The Road Ahead
Morgan
Malibu, California
One Month Later
The sun was just about to put itself to rest for the night as I watched it settle beyond the pacific ocean. It was one of the many moments of reflection as my visit home drew closer. My love for acting had been fading for much longer than I realized. It felt like time was slipping away faster than the sun was fading beyond the sea. I should have felt at home as I listened to the waves crash just on the other side of my infinity pool. That was supposed to be my home, but how could a place so quiet and lonely ever feel like home? My beach house stayed unoccupied most of the time and I had been living my life from one hotel suite to another around the world.
The only place that ever felt like home was thousands of miles away. It was a modest farmhouse surrounded by cornfields that was warm and filled with laughter and unconditional love. Right about now, the best family on the planet were likely tucked comfortably into their beds for a restful night sleep. My dad probably had my mom wrapped safely in his arms as they slept. My sister just graduated college and was likely curled up in her childhood bed. My brother, on the other hand, was likely the reason of yet another woman’s walk of shame home from his apartment above the bar. The little creep had really earned himself a reputation in our small town.
Cold Springs was a very rural area. It consisted of a Catholic church, a bar, a VFW Hall, and a general store. It also had the lake until some rich guy bought it and made it part of a gated and very private community. He bought a massive amount of land that consisted of several farms. The lake itself was over five hundred acres, but that didn’t include the actual land. Mom said it was a company that built motorcycles, and they were some sort of club of sorts. They were the focus of quite a few speculations and conspiracy theories. Everyone that lived in that community rode motorcycles and rode around like they were part of some sort of gang. I had to admit, it was suspicious as hell. They never caused any kind of trouble, and surprisingly enough, they were rumored to be very kind and respectful. For a small town like ours, I was sure it was the biggest thing to ever hit the county.
When I said the town was small, I meant it. Their only news source came from the church in the form of a weekly newsletter that spread everyone’s business. Everyone had their fifteen minutes of fame in that newsletter, especially me. From what I understood, I was added to the weekly prayer list because of the nude scenes in my movies. Everything else was to announce who had dinner at someone else’s home or updates on people who moved out of town. The next town was thirty minutes north of Cold Springs. It was called Clarity, and that was where we went to school, shopped for groceries, and visited restaurants. There was a small hospital, a few dive bars, the county courthouse, the feed mill, and about anything else people might have needed.
I missed the people, and among those people lived Callie and my goddaughter Addie. That gut feeling you get when something is wrong kept nagging at me. Callie hadn’t returned my calls in weeks. I called her mother who said she saw Addie that morning and everything seemed normal. It wasn’t, and I knew it wasn’t because Callie always called me back. We spoke at least three times a week ever since we were kids. I told my best friends mom that I’d call the Sheriff of Sinclair County, who happened to be my uncle, for a well check on Callie if she didn’t call me back within twenty four hours. She then explained it was normal for Callie to go days and days without calling. No, not with me and I knew something was wrong. Callie didn’t have the best childhood. Her dad left them when she was two and her mom was an alcoholic that always brought unsavory types home from the bar she worked at as a bartender.
Shane Doyle, Callie’s husband, was always a creep and he controlled everything Callie did, like what to eat to when she could leave the house or call her mom. He was damn good at alienating Callie from the people that loved her dearly. Not as much with me though, he liked taunting me and taking the phone from Callie to propose some seriously sick sexual opportunities for all three of us. I’d tell him to fuck off then he would laugh and hand Callie the phone back. The only reason my best friend was allowed to keep her friendship with me was because her husband had sexual fantasies that included me, and he always asked for money that I knew wouldn’t benefit anyone but him. Sick bastard.
All I could think about was Callie and Addie, my family, and the loneliness I had been suffering for many years. My career stopped mattering as much to me the more I worked. I burned out and was more than ready for a new phase in my life. I had been considering retirement for quite a few years in hopes of finding something more fulfilling and meaningful. I wasn’t sure what that was yet, but hoped the hiatus would help me figure that out.
After finishing my glass of wine, I walked into my quiet home and made my way upstairs. What should have been a peaceful night sleep turned out to be anything but peaceful. I had a terrible nightmare about Addie. In it she was screaming and crying for my help. It wasn’t bad enough that I was screaming and crying in my sleep, oh no, the night had something else planned for me. Yet again, it was my alarms that woke me from the nightmare. My bodyguard and the police responded quickly and took a crazed fan into custody. He claimed he was my current boyfriend and accidently locked himself out at the gate. It was far from the first time that happened. I lost count how many times I was woken up in the middle of the night and forced to run to my panic room. It was just another reason why Indiana was calling my name. No matter how many times something like that happened, I never brushed it off. It was scary and I knew if a crazed fan ever made his way inside, I’d probably be raped and quite possibly killed.
I had a body guard that lived above my garage and I was thankful for his quick actions, but was still unable to sleep for the rest of the night. It made for a long trip home the next day. Jason, my bodyguard, loaded my bags as I walked out of the beach house wearing my large dark sunglasses, a blazer dress, and kept it comfortable in a pair of white sneakers. My black hair was styled down in loose waves, and I wore minimal makeup. I knew what was in store for me at the airport and knew I’d be in the tabloids by morning. Every time I traveled the paparazzi were always waiting to catch the best shot so my fashion choices would be scrutinized. Don’t get me wrong, I loved fashion, but I was looking forward to wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt every day when I got back home. It was the one place where I could be the real Morgan Rossi.
The moment I sat in my first class seat on the commercial airliner, Jake called and told me to see the latest news from Hollywood. I opened the app for TMC and there I was, plastered on the front of it. The picture was from two evenings prior when Jake and I had dinner with Ashton, my costar on Death’s Door.
Is Morgan Rossi the center of a new love triangle? Is a scandalous pregnancy driving her into an early retirement?
The black haired beauty known for her shocking blue eyes and her role as Darcy McLeary was spotted leaving Breton Brasserie, a well known French restaurant. She was spotted on the arms of both Ashton York and Jake Meadows last evening. Could there be love blooming in Hollywood once again?
Rumor has it, the Death’s Door actress is considering retirement from the industry at just twenty nine years old. She has turned down several roles and has refused to reprise her role in the sequel to Death’s Door. Is this because she has finally decided to go public with her relationship with Hollywood heartthrob Jake Meadows, or is there now a spark with her Death’s Door costar Ashton York?
Some fans have noticed what could be a baby bump under her gorgeous cocktail dress.
I ignored the rest of the article and looked at the photo of my supposed baby bump and it was obviously photo shopped. I then scrolled down to the comments. I knew I pissed off a few people in Hollywood when I talked Ashton out of reprising his role in Death’s Door. I was seeing the article as my punishment. Sometimes a few Hollywood types would tip off the paparazzi when someone pissed them off. I wouldn’t have doubted who it was, none other than Nicole Powers, Jonathan’s witch of a wife.
Rockhard69: She’s banging both of them, it’s obvious.
Poppy769240: TMC is so stupid. Have they ever considered they’re just friends? It’s perfectly legal for women to have men as friends these days. It’s not the 1950’s so grow up! That photo has been altered, it's so obvious.
Lonesome453: Damn she’s fucking gorgeous!
Tabby222: Good for her! Get em girl!
I shook my head and put my phone away when the flight attendant approached and asked for my drink order. I ordered a Bloody Mary, then got comfortable for my relatively short flight. Compared to most of my flights which were normally international, the trip from LA to Louisville was just under six hours. After that, I’d rent a car and drive across the river then east for an hour to my childhood home in Indiana.
It was right after I was handed my Bloody Mary when a strange feeling came over me. I looked up and saw the most gorgeous color of green I had ever seen. My eyes were of course hidden behind my sunglasses, but his were mesmerizing. They were a shiny turquoise color, and I had no idea eyes like that existed. He walked toward me with a large black duffle bag and two large tattooed men behind him. My eyes then trailed down a body that was ripped as hell and I noticed several tattoos on his huge arms. My eyes darted back up to his face and his eyes were about all I could see. He had too much facial hair and I wasn’t quick enough to take in the rest of him before he made his way behind me to a first class seat two rows back. That one moment jerked me out of my exhausted state and suddenly my heart was racing. Not because the men gave me an uneasy feeling, but I wasn’t sure what it was about that man’s eyes that woke up every single cell in my body. All three of those men were hot, in fact one looked familiar, but that first one caught my attention. I was never the bad boy kind of girl, but that first guy had hot sex written all over him. His masculine scent lingered from where he just walked by me, and I shut my eyes to let my sinister side take over. Maybe that was what I needed. A very hot night of sex with a tattooed bad boy with no regrets the next day. Holy shit that man was every bit of six foot four and his shirt barely contained the muscles of his arms. It wasn’t like he was showing them off, it was a conservative shirt, but there would be no way of hiding those muscles. My day was somehow made a little brighter just from those few seconds of soaking in the image of the most beautiful man’s body I had ever seen. His entire fashion choice was a contradiction to his look. He wore a pair of black slacks and a short sleeved button up that fit him perfectly. The conservative clothes did not match those tattoos or that beard. Maybe I suddenly liked contradictions. The other two men reminded me of soldiers. God knew I met plenty of them during my USO tours, but none were quite as gorgeous as the three men sitting a few rows behind me.
I didn’t sleep the entire flight. Instead, I allowed my dark side to take over and constantly thought about sex, or my lack of sex to be exact. It had been too long since I felt the touch of a man and it was really getting to me. Great, I was no longer returning home as just a worried best friend that was homesick, but also horny as hell. My mood just might darken by the end of the day.
When the flight landed, I was unboarded by security before the subject of my newest sexual fantasy, and I did not get to lay my eyes on him again. I was escorted by security to the car rental desk where my bags were being loaded for me. As the rental agent printed my receipt, I looked around me and saw normal people. They were dragging their own bags behind them and all looked exhausted while I was pampered and taken care of by airport security. Even though I earned everything I had, it still felt awkward to be so spoiled in front of others. They could very well have worked just as hard as me and deserved just as much respect. My travel was easy, and I never worried about lost reservations, lost luggage or canceled flights. For me a canceled flight just meant chartering a jet, but for them it could mean days of trying to get home on whatever flights they were reassigned.
“This way, Miss Rossi.” The security guard guided me to my rented jet black suburban that was loaded with every luxury imaginable. Normally I traveled with a body guard and had a driver, but not for this trip. Jason was given a vacation while I decided on my future and I knew how to drive myself just fine. There was always a fear of crazed fans, but I knew once I crossed that river I was safe. I’d be in the country where I was safe and could travel the quiet roads as I pleased. To say my team wasn’t pleased about it was an understatement. My manager and attorney both offered to come with me, but I just wanted to be home and leave Hollywood behind.
The closer I came to Cold Springs, the more my heart raced. My first order of business was bribing my brother, Patrick, into going over to Callie’s place with me. I didn’t trust Shane as far as I could throw him. I knew that bastard would be home, probably either drunk already or working on an old piece of shit car. He never worked, Callie kept them afloat by waitressing and bartending. I wouldn’t doubt it if Shane was involved with drugs. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised by anything Shane did anymore. What Shane and Callie didn’t know, was that I bought their trailer park under an LLC and made their rent as low as it was, because Callie always refused my money. Not that I wanted to do anything to benefit Shane, but it was for Callie and Addie’s benefit. I put every dime they ever paid in rent into a trust for Addie. Callie was aware of the trust, but she wasn’t aware that when I give it to her I could say the money came from her mom, not me. I just wished Callie would have allowed me to move her into a better home. Their trailer was nice I guess, if you were comparing it to other trailers, but the environment wasn’t good for Addie. It was Callie's stupid pride that kept me from helping more. God knows Shane would soak up every dime I ever offered. He had no pride in asking for money. I never gave it to him because I knew it wouldn’t benefit his wife and child. He thought I was a stingy rich bitch that liked to flaunt my wealth in front of his face. He was an entitled asshole and if he ever knew how many times I offered Callie money, he would probably kill her for turning me down.
The moment I pulled up to my parents home, my mother came running out to greet me. Her long blond hair and youthful face never failed to amaze me. She always had the most beautiful hair, and she was still so young. Too young for an almost thirty year old daughter.
“I missed you!” She was on the attack before I could even step out of the Suburban.
“I can’t breathe.” I tried to squirm away just to catch a breath.
“You’re smothering her, Jenny.” An amused deep voice made me look up to see my handsome father. At six foot three with jet black hair and my same blue eyes, Tanner Rossi was the most handsome dad on the planet. I was the spitting image of my father and even favored him in height at 5’10”. I only inherited my fair skin and dimples from my mother. Mom let go of me and dad swallowed me up in his strong arms. “Welcome home, princess.” He kissed the top of my head.
“It feels so good to be home.” I shut my eyes and let the safe feeling of being in my dad’s arms soak me up. He pushed back to look me over.
“You’re as beautiful as always. I had Patrick come on over to help me with your bags. Let’s get you settled.” He walked to the back of the Suburban and I hit the button on my key ring to open it. Suddenly his head popped from the back and gave me a blank stare, then looked in the back again then to me once more. “I may need to call a few buddies.”
I gave him my best innocent look. “Sorry dad.”
Mom was amused. “Don’t worry about that, we cleared out the guest room for your things. Let’s go inside and get you something to eat. You’ve had a long trip.” Mom guided me inside as dad started pulling my things from the back of the car. I thought I heard a few curse words coming from that direction.
I saw a pair of blue eyes very similar to my own that belonged to my brother as soon as I walked in the door. “Hey look, it’s Mom and dad’s teen crisis.”
I looked at my mom. “Did you hear something?”
She shook her head as she walked away.
“Savannah, I’m home!” I yelled up the steps.
“Hey, over here you dipshit.” Patrick said and I ignored him. Savannah came running down the stairs and nearly knocked me down when she jumped down off the steps.
“Welcome home, sis!”
I laughed as we ignored Patrick.
“Hey, what am I, chopped liver over here?” Patrick tried to get our attention as we played on his middle child syndrome. Savannah caught on quick to my game. We always acted like he was invisible when he was being a shithead.
“Thank God Mom and dad only had girls. We are going to have so much fun!” Savannah squealed then we walked right by him and toward the kitchen.
“Hey, grab some bags out there and take them up.” I heard dad.
“Oh, so now I exist?” Patrick questioned.
“Sure, and I’ll tip you a hot twenty if you take them to the spare room before you leave. My daughter is home from Hollywood.” Dad played our game.
Patrick gasped. “Your son is home and all you care about is that one time you forgot the condom?”
Dad laughed. “Oh shit, I thought you were with her. I forgot about the whole middle kid thing for a minute. Come on, give your old man a hand.”
“This family has no appreciation for my insanely good looks and charming personality.” Patrick stomped out of the house.
A few hours later, I had the guest room completely converted into a small closet. My old bedroom was right next door, so I’d be close to my things. Patrick leaned in the doorway as I stocked my vanity with a few of my favorite things. “You know, it really sucks having you as a sister. Last week, dad had to tear down one of your posters from the bunk room. The teasing is endless and then you come home and completely ignore me.”
I acted like I heard something but didn’t know where it was coming from.
He stepped into my childhood bedroom. “Dammit Morgan!”
I laughed then jumped up to hug him. “Don’t call me a crisis and I’ll forget the whole middle kid thing.”
He squeezed me tightly. “You are a crisis for me and dad, Sis. Imagine going to work and the guys are playing one of your sex scenes on the television. They don’t pull that shit on dad but love to pull it on me.” He finally let go.
“I can’t help having a nice set of boobs, Patrick. Did you tell your friends they’re real?”
He scrunched his nose before he gagged. “Cut that shit out, dammit.”
I laughed. “I’m sure there’s plenty other firemen that do the same thing.” I added to his pain.
“Do you think it’s easy on dad? He has to go to work every damn day and hear that shit. We can’t even watch your movies because you’re always flaunting those damn things. It’s worse now than when we were kids. You need to cut that shit out. Its fucking disgusting.”
I gave him my best smile. “I might just do that, you never know.” I sat on my vanity chair and picked up my brush.
“What does that mean?” He sat on my bed and I could see him through my mirror. My little brother wasn’t so little anymore. He looked so much like my dad, except dad didn’t have as many tattoos as Patrick. My brother and I looked more like dad, whereas my sister looked like my mom. She had her green eyes and blond hair.
“I’m considering some changes.” I left it at that for the moment.
He got a relieved look on his face. “Thank God, you’re signing a contract with Disney?” His eyes perked up.
I shook my head. “No, I’m considering retirement.”
He tilted his head and gave me a confused look through the mirror. “Retirement?”
I set my brush down and turned to face him. “I have no life outside of my work. I’m twenty nine and I’m not getting any younger. The Hollywood lifestyle was never really me, and I’m burned out. I’ve made enough money to settle down here at home, but don’t say anything to mom or dad. I just need to think about what I really want in life.”