Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
Serena
It’s warmer today, in the high fifties, and I’m almost as excited as Joey is to be outside.
With West gone on a road trip and Jayne busy at the library, it’s been a little lonely.
Getting outside today is a nice distraction because I wasn’t prepared to miss West as much as I do.
He’s only been gone a few days but for some reason it feels like forever.
He’s on the west coast, so between travel and the time difference, it’s been hard to catch up.
I’ve gotten used to being with him every day, living at the house and driving his SUV. Still. It almost feels like he’s letting both of those things happen organically and maybe I am too. I want so much to be able to handle my own life but with my finances the way they are, it’s just not feasible.
I’m going to need help getting a new car, and the truth is, it doesn’t feel as weird as I thought it would because I want to be with West. Full time. I hate having to go back and forth to my apartment, constantly looking for specific clothes or toys or something from my kitchen.
Life would be so much better if I could just officially move in with him.
Maybe I should stop fighting it and let myself fall in love and be happy.
My phone rings, startling me, and I see a number I haven’t seen in a long time.
My old agent.
I stare, confused, because I can’t imagine why he’s calling, but I answer anyway. “Hello?”
“Serena, it’s Norm Fischer.”
“Hi. It’s been a long time.”
“It has. I’m glad you didn’t change your number. Listen, I know you haven’t been involved in the acting world since you had your baby, but something has come up and it could revitalize your career.”
“I’m not really looking to revitalize my career,” I say, although there’s an undeniable spark of excitement bubbling in my chest just hearing his voice. “But I’m certainly listening.”
“They’re bringing back Dusty Peaks—a reboot. They did some test audiences and the overwhelming response was that people want Marissa back. With the original actress. You.”
My traitorous heart skips a beat.
“I…are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. What do you think?”
I don’t know what to say. I never dreamed I’d have a chance to act again but if an opportunity falls into my lap, I can’t walk away without at least listening to the proposal.
“That’s exciting,” I admit. “But it could be complicated for me.”
“Well, the plan right now is to film in L.A. so you’d have to move out there at least temporarily.”
My heart sinks.
There it is—the dealbreaker.
There’s no way I can do that.
I want to talk to West before I make any final decisions and see what he thinks. The opportunity is exciting, but it simply may not be feasible.
“I have to think about it,” I say in a neutral voice. “Can you send me the details?”
“Same email?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll send you the info, and a sample contract—it’s not final—but you’ll get an idea of both the benefits and the money involved.”
“Thank you, Norm. I really appreciate this, even if it doesn’t work out.”
“Think hard, Serena. There’s a lot of buzz about this.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and I’ve just disconnected when Holly’s name flashes on the screen.
Keeping an eye on Joey, I click over and answer. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She sounds like she’s been crying.
“You all right?”
“No. I ended the engagement and moved out.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”
“Serena…I have nowhere to go.”
Now I’m startled. Holly comes from a fairly affluent family, though they live in Savannah, and she’s always been well-off.
“Do you need to stay at my place for a few days?” I ask automatically.
“Could I?” She sounds so relieved I feel guilty for asking my next question.
“Of course, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable at a hotel?”
“It’s a long story,” she whispers, “but he took it all, Serena. Everything.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll explain when I see you.”
“I’m staying at West’s right now, but I can meet you at the apartment, let you in, and give you my spare key. We can talk then?”
“You’re a life saver. Truly. Thank you.”
She disconnects, and I stare at the phone for a minute.
Two very unexpected phone calls.
And now an unwanted meeting.
Tony called yesterday and begged me to let him see Joey.
I wanted to say no but I guess it’s better to do it this way than to wait for him to get a court order or something.
So, I agreed to let him stop by the park where we’ll be for an hour or so.
I don’t know why he’s in Atlanta again, or how long he’s staying, but good or bad, I need to know what his intentions are.
I feel a little guilty for not mentioning this to West, but it just happened last night and we didn’t talk since his game lasted until one in the morning east coast time.
He said he probably wouldn’t be back at the hotel until midnight, which would be three in the morning for me so there just wasn’t an opportunity to have a conversation.
When I see Tony walking toward me, I instantly notice the bag from a local toy store and for some reason, that annoys me. Like he’s going to try to buy Joey’s love or something.
“Hi.” He sits on the bench next to me.
“Hi.” I surreptitiously inch away so our bodies aren’t touching.
“I brought some presents.”
“You didn’t have to,” I say. “He has tons of toys.”
“Well, I wanted him to have some new stuff. I asked what’s appropriate for three-year-olds and got some things they recommended. A couple of toy trucks but also some educational stuff.”
I nod politely. “Thank you. I’m sure he’ll enjoy them.”
“Can you call him over?”
“Sure.” I call Joey’s name as he’s coming down the slide, and he races over to me.
“Joey, I want you to meet Tony. Do you remember, we met him in St. Louis?”
“I’m your—” Tony starts to say, but I cut him off.
“Friend,” I interject, giving him a pointed look.
“Hi.” Joey goes shy again, leaning against my knees.
“I brought you some toys.” Tony says, pulling a huge dump truck out of the bag. “What do you think? Do you like trucks?”
Joey shrugs. “I like cars.”
Tony looks disappointed but then nods. “I’ll remember for next time.”
“Can I go back on the slide, Mommy?”
“Sure.”
Tony looks like he wants to protest, but I hold up a hand, cutting him off until Joey’s out of earshot.
“He doesn’t know you, and he’s only three. If you start talking about being his father he’s going to be confused. Start off as a friend, then if things go well, you can move on to Daddy.” The idea makes me a little sick, but Tony seems to be considering it.
“The thing is, I don’t have a lot of time.”
“And that’s not going to change,” I gently point out. “So, if he’s important to you, you have to make time for him.”
“What if I want to make time for you?” He slides closer on the bench.
I try not to flinch. “That’s not happening.”
“Look, if you move to Minneapolis, I can take care of both of you. I’ll set you up in a nice little house, in a good school district. You can do your thing, whatever you want, and I can see him when I’m not traveling.”
“I’m not going to upset my whole life and support system to move to Minneapolis,” I say. “That’s not reasonable.”
“He’s my son.” His tone shows the first glimmer of annoyance. “You can’t keep him from me.”
“I never kept him from you. That was your choice.”
He sighs. “You need to get over that, Serena. I made a mistake. I admit it. But now I’m trying to make up for it. Can you meet me halfway?”
“You need to slow down. This is a lot for him.”
“Well, I’m trying to change that!”
“Mommy, look!” Joey goes down the slide headfirst and gets to the bottom laughing.
“Good job!” I call. “Do it again.”
So he does.
And Tony and I just watch. Sliding. Running. Playing. Climbing the monkey bars.
“So, uh, is this it?” he asks after about fifteen minutes. “You just watch him run around?”
“Sometimes. Other times I play with him. Or we just walk along the trails.”
“Does he play sports?”
“He’s three. He can’t even join T-ball until he’s four.”
“Does he skate?”
“West has started teaching him.”
“I don’t want that guy teaching my son anything.” There’s that tone again.
“That’s not your call.”
“Dammit, Serena! He’s my kid and I get to have a say!”
“Not after being absent for three years, you don’t.”
He sighs dramatically. “You want money, right?”
“I told you that’s not my priority.”
“Then what is? We could be good together. With me in your life, you wouldn’t have to teach. Hell, you could go back to acting! Wouldn’t that be better than what you’re doing?”
It would.
I can’t deny that.
“Serena?”
“I’m not sure what you want me to say. I have a good life. And I don’t want to be with a guy who turns tail and runs the minute things get complicated.” Especially a guy like you.
“I told you, that won’t happen again. Just tell me what you want.”
I almost roll my eyes but merely shake my head instead. “I want what’s best for Joey, and I don’t think that’s you.”
He sighs heavily.
Like I’m the problem.
He’s still a pain in the ass. He’s just a rich, powerful pain in the ass who could potentially cause a lot of trouble for us. That’s the only reason I agreed to this in the first place.
“Mommy!” Joey comes running over holding a muddy, dirty, leftover chunk of ice. “A snowball!”
“That’s too hard. Don’t throw—” I grimace as he throws the makeshift snowball in our direction and dirt and ice explode all over Tony’s pristine khakis.
“What the—” He starts to bellow as he jumps up but then catches himself. I watch as he pulls in a deep breath. Then he sits down again.
“Joey, that wasn’t nice,” I say quickly. “Tell Tony you’re sorry.”
Joey’s eyes immediately fill with tears. “I sowwy.”
“Yeah, uh, it’s okay, kid.” Tony starts brushing the pieces of ice and dirt off his pants with a huff.
“He’s still learning impulse control,” I say gently.
“I see that.” He nods. “Look, we have to come to some sort of understanding.”
“Why? It’s obvious you don’t know the first thing about kids and don’t really have the patience for them either. Why not leave it alone? I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding a pretty girl to make more babies with.”
He stares off in the distance. “I could make you happy, Serena. We had fun together.”
“It was a two-day fuck fest. You have no idea how to make me happy.”
“You’re a small-town teacher living in a dump.”
He didn’t even bother to get the details of my life right so I’m not going to correct him. “It’s not a dump. It’s clean, safe, and affordable.”
“You’d have so much more with me in your life. But we can do this the hard way if you prefer.”
“So, we’re back to threats? That shows me exactly who you are and how much of a damn you give about Joey.”
“Don’t twist my words.”
“I don’t have to. You do that all on your own.”
“I’m going to have my accountant send you a check,” he says finally, slowly getting to his feet and peering down at me. “It’ll be a lot. You’ll cash it. And once you come to your senses, we’ll talk. Bye, Joey!”
He waves and then strides back to his rental car before I have time to react.
Shit.