by Carlyn Cade
“You know what, if we were Audra and Mark, we were in love then, and look what’s happening now.”
“What?” he asked.
“Hopefully, we’re building a relationship with each other.”
“Right now, it seems to me like it’s a one-sided relationship. I love you, but you evidently don’t feel the same way about me. You’ve never said you did, so how am I supposed to know?”
She jerked away from him and sat up in bed. “Plus, I won’t sleep with you, right? That’s one-sided too. I mean, because you will, and I won’t.”
“Where did that come from? Do you think I’m in this for sex? Do you think so little of me that you put me in that category of men? If that’s how you feel, I understand why you can’t say those three little words.”
“Come on, Clay. If I felt any of those things you just said were true, I wouldn’t be here in this room with you alone. We wouldn’t be together at all. You are my hero. You already proved that at SwissDen. I trust you implicitly under any conditions. And you know what else? I do love you, and everything –”
He interrupted her mid-way in her declaration of love. She didn’t get to finish because she found herself cradled in his arms, and he was kissing her. When they came up for air, he said, “Tell me you love me again.”
“I love you, and I’ve never been in love before. You are it. You get all the firsts out of me, except the first kiss. I did have a little practice with that.”
“God, Stacia, I love you, and it’s much better and stronger now when I know you love me too.” He drew her closer to him.
“And if we were Audra and Mark, in this lifetime we have a head start on whatever future we might have together. We’ve had more practice than other couples, right?”
“Our future together? Stacia, are you saying you’ll marry me today?”
“No, not until the time is right. That hasn’t changed.”
Clay grabbed his pillow from under him and stuffed it over his face.
Stacia laughed. “What I do know is we can’t let everything happening to us take control of our lives. We have to take control, like this.” She reached over and turned on the light. “I wanted to see the fashion show I missed when I fell asleep.” Her eyes traveled down his lean, muscular body, taking in his white T-shirt and dark blue and green plaid pajama bottoms. She began to laugh harder. “Nice outfit. I don’t think it’s any more glamorous than mine, however.”
“You mean I’m not sexy?” he asked as he put his pillow back under his head.
“I didn’t say that.” She thought he had more sex in his little finger than most men had in their whole bodies. She wondered how any guy could be so handsome and unaffected about the total package that made him be the fantastic man he was.
“You know, there’s a good side to having this nightmare,” he said.
“And what’s that?”
“It got you in bed with me, and I’ve wanted that for a long time.”
“Oops,” she said, “I guess it’s time to leave.” She started to sit up.
He pulled her back down next to him. “You can’t. I might have another nightmare and need you to comfort me.”
“You mean you’d be happy just sleeping next to me all night?”
“You love me, right, and I trust you and know you won’t take advantage of me like you did –”
Stacia grabbed her pillow out from under her head and playfully hit him with it.
“When you do that, there’s only one thing left for me to do.”
“A pillow fight?”
“No, this.” He gathered her in his arms and kissed her.
“You’re exceeding your allotments here,” she said when the kiss ended.
“I don’t have any allotments anymore. You love me, and that canceled them out. Stacia, my love, why don’t you turn off the light now and come back into my arms?” he suggested.
Stacia shut the light off and snuggled next to him.
“There’s one thing missing,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“A kiss goodnight.”
“Only one?” she asked.
“Only one...I promise.”
♥♥
When they got home, Clay and Stacia stored their bags in their respective bedrooms, and she retrieved a message on her answering machine from Hal.
“Hi, Stace,” his voice said. “I got a call from Nathan. He wants us to come to the studio to see the progress they’ve made with London Affair. Call me.”
She picked up her phone and made arrangements to meet him at the studio that afternoon. She asked if Clay could come along, and Hal assured her that would be fine.
By one in the afternoon, Hal, Clay and Stacia were settled in chairs in the projection room at Starlit Studios. Nathan and Arthur completed their small group.
“First of all,” Nathan began, “you need to understand this isn’t the finished product. In the beginning, thanks to the magic of our new software, we were able to electronically insert everything filmed to date into the old footage. Arthur had to match all the movements Stacia did with Audra’s. What was left over, we had to paint out frame by frame. We also had to match the background lighting and shadowing from the remake to the old one. In other words...” He took a deep breath before continuing. “We had to make the impossible possible.”
“And here’s what we came up with,” Arthur said. He called the projectionist to start the film.
As the screen lit up, the haunting melody from London Affair filled the room. The words, “Starring Stacia Saunders and Mark Bennett in...” flashed across it.
Scene by scene of the film played just as the original had appeared. Nathan’s and Arthur’s dream to replace Audra with Stacia had become a reality. Seeing Mark acting alongside her made her feel as if she’d time traveled back to 1949 when the movie was first filmed, and it seemed like he’d been alive, standing face to face next to her as she played out her role as Victoria. Stacia didn’t know how the critics and the audience would like the final effect, but to her, Nathan and Arthur were geniuses in upholding and surpassing the technological discoveries of the twenty-first century.
Any lasting doubts she wasn’t Audra in a past life melted away as she watched the movie. She knew now why it was so easy for her to memorize her lines and Audra’s movements. She had done it all before. Bittersweet feelings of love for Mark, the horror of what he’d had to live with after her death, and sorrow at the way he’d chosen to die rushed through her. She studied Clay, thinking how glad she was destiny had given them another lifetime together. She reached for his hand and held it tightly. He was her soulmate, and all she wanted was to keep loving him forever.
The movie ended with a memorial to Farrell, as Nathan had promised. When the credits flashed on the screen, some identical scenes containing Audra and Stacia were shown on both sides of the scrolling names. The haunting music that had also played at the beginning of the movie filled the room.
Clay leaned over and put his arm around Stacia. He guided her face toward his and kissed her. “I love you, and I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
With her hands on the sides of his face and his placed over hers, they clung to one last passionate, yet sweet, kiss. The room was dark as a starless night, accented only by the white letters of the credits. When the screen turned black, they reluctantly pulled away from each other, and as the lights came back on, the small audience applauded loud and long.
“I’m thinking from that response you’re pleased with what you saw,” Nathan said.
“It’s awesome,” Stacia exclaimed. She glanced at Clay, hoping he got the message she meant the same word for their kiss.
“I think everyone connected to this movie will go home with an Oscar.” Clay stared straight into her eyes, and from the expression written there, she knew her parallel message had been received.
She wondered if he was trying to tell her that he
r part of the kiss deserved an Oscar too, because she sure thought his did.
“I wish you both were writing the movie reviews,” Arthur commented.
“It can’t help but be a success,” Hal announced. “Stacia’s acting complements everything you two did.”
“You’re right there,” Nathan said. “I agree with Clay. She will be nominated for an Oscar.”
“And you and Arthur will be right next to her receiving yours,” Clay added.
“I almost forgot,” Nathan said. “We’ve sent a copy of London Affair to our anonymous financial backer, Sam Prescott.”
“Sam?” Stacia was stunned. Why would he want to back this movie?
“He gave us instructions to tell the two of you today that he was the backer. He said since he was Hal’s new stepfather, his son had a right to know, and he feels very close to you also, Stacia,” Nathan said.
Stacia looked at Clay. “Did you know this?”
“From the beginning,” he said.
“But why? Why would Sam want to finance this particular movie?”
“Maybe he believed in us and our dream,” Nathan suggested.
“I’m sure he did,” Stacia said. But there had to be another reason.
“Whatever the reason,” Hal stated, “I’m predicting he’s going to make a lot of money from this production.”
Stacia looked at Nathan and smiled. “Maybe Sam will finance Gone with the Wind for you and Arthur. Then you’ll have your entire dream.”
“While I love all this positive talk,” Nathan remarked, “there’s the possibility London Affair might flop.”
“With your genius and Stacia’s acting, I don’t think so,” Clay said. “You’ve got a winner.”
“We’re giving a few scenes to ET next week,” Arthur said. “We should get some feedback then because they’re asking for input on their website.”
“While we hate to rush out of here, Arthur and I have to go because we’ve been working night and day on the final touches.” Nathan stood up to leave. “We need sleep.”
“I’m glad you all liked the movie,” Arthur said as he joined Nathan at the door.
“Clay, do you know why Sam backed this movie?” Stacia asked as soon as the two men had closed the door.
He nodded. “Audra was Sam’s older sister.”
Stacia was instantly astonished with this revelation. “They were brother and sister? You can’t be serious.” She shook her head, wrinkled her brow, and squinted her eyes to try to make sense out of the words Clay had just said, but it didn’t help. She wanted to hear the rest of his story. “Please go on.”
“When Audra died, it almost killed Sam and their parents. Shortly after her death, his parents received a check for a million dollars. Audra’s contract read that the studio had to insure her for that amount. Within a year of her death, both of Sam’s parents died also. He believes it was from having their hearts broken. At any rate, because of all this grief, Sam took the inheritance and devoted himself – maybe a better way of saying this is – he drove himself night and day to make more and more money. He didn’t stop until he’d become one of the richest men in the world.”
“And so this movie is a memorial to her memory?” Stacia asked.
“Mostly. When he heard about Nathan’s and Arthur’s plan for remaking London Affair, he figured why not invest in it? Then he happened to see you, Stacia, in a movie and your resemblance to Audra was amazing. He decided then that no matter what it cost, he would back it, providing you agreed to play the starring role. He started his campaign to woo you, so to speak, by sending you the tickets for Caviar-On-Ice.”
“And Helen. How does she figure in this?”
“When she was in the movie, as you know, she was nine. Sam visited his sister on the set during the shooting. He was about sixteen at the time. Helen developed a huge crush on him that summer and followed him everywhere. He was too old for her, of course, but he was always nice and polite to her. Years later, they met again. Helen was married at the time. Sam wasn’t. He fell in love with her then but nothing happened. He never told her. Then he married his wife, and although he loved her very much, a part of him still cherished Helen in his heart.”
“That’s a beautiful love story, isn’t it Hal?” Stacia asked. “I’m glad we got them together. They deserve all the happiness in the world.”
“And they’re having the time of their lives, according to their phone calls home,” Hal commented as he checked his watch. “I hate to leave, but I have an appointment shortly. Thanks, Clay, for telling me about my mother and Sam.” He waved goodbye and left.
“I was thinking of something else, Clay,” Stacia said. “If Sam was Audra’s younger brother, and because I am Audra reincarnated, then that makes me Sam’s sister.”
“You’re right, it does.”
“Do you think we should tell him about us being regressed and what we figured out?”
“I don’t know, Stacia. In one way, it should make him feel good to know his sister’s been reincarnated and sharing this lifetime with him. Yet, I’m not sure if he could handle that...or if he’d believe it. He already feels some bond with you because of your resemblance to Audra. I believe he’ll have a very special relationship with you whether he knows you’re his sister or not. Let’s wait and see what happens. And now that everyone’s gone, I have some questions for you. Did I hear you correctly? You still love me? You didn’t just say that last night out of sympathy to pacify me because I had a rough nightmare?”
Stacia shook her head.
Clay took her hand and pulled her up. His arms encircled her, and his kiss surpassed any feeling she had ever had in her life. Was it possible to take a rocket ship to the moon and play among the stars? The way that kiss felt, it definitely was.
“Are you sure you weren’t carried away by all the emotion in London Affair?
She shook her head once more, and another spectacular kiss replaced the first one.
“Tell me again,” he said when the kiss ended.
“I love you, Clay.”
“And I love you, but I have one more question for you. Where do we go from here?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Stacia and Clay left Starlit Studios in her sports car and were headed for her condo, when Clay’s cell phone interrupted their conversation.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” Clay asked the second he answered it. “I’m having a hard time understanding you. You’re crying too hard. Try to calm down and tell me what happened.”
Stacia thought Clay’s deafening silence as he listened to his mother was as ear-shattering as if a sonic boom had exploded in the car. She kept driving, unable to concentrate on anything but the most basic steering motions. Her heart pounded erratically as she kept glancing at Clay’s face, while her instincts repeated the message, be prepared for bad news.
“No, he can’t be,” Clay said. “I’ll leave immediately. Hang on the best you can until I get there.” He shoved the phone into his pocket.
“What’s wrong?” Stacia asked as she glanced at him. His suntanned face, which only moments ago had been smiling and happy, had now turned ashen and somber.
“My father...” Clay began, his face grimacing as if the words were too painful to speak. “He’s dead,” he finally concluded, staring into space out the front window.
No...maybe there’s been a mistake, her mind denied. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and she fought the urge to pull over to the side of the freeway. She checked ahead to see if there was any place to stop. Seeing no road signs and nowhere to stop safely, she willed herself to continue driving in the heavy traffic.
“His main objective,” Clay said slowly and quietly, “since his country was overrun was to gain it back. I knew he’d planned to use guerilla force. I just didn’t know when. I can’t believe he left when I wasn’t home and without telling me.”
“Maybe that’s why he did it now when you weren’t there and couldn’t stop him. Then, if anyt
hing happened to him, your mother would still have you.”
“I couldn’t have stopped him, but I would have gone with him…if I’d have known.” He shook his head. “No. I’m sure everything fell into place, and he just went.”
“How...” Stacia started to ask, but stopped herself.
“Was he killed?” Clay finished for her. “He was shot, along with a mafia friend of his, Sonny Marcellini, and about fifteen of Sonny’s men. They were ambushed and executed as they left the plane to meet their supporters.”
“I’m so sorry.” She reached out to him and covered his hand with hers. “Clay, if you’d gone, you would be dead too,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Chills rushed through her as she blinked back the tears forming in her eyes.
“Probably. But maybe I would have made a difference. Perhaps somehow I could have saved his life. Now, I’ll never know.” He closed his eyes and put his hand over his face, as if he were blocking out his unbearable grief.
“Maybe you could have, but if he was with a mafia boss and his men, how could he have had better protection? They know ‘street smarts’ and how to survive and how to kill. They’ve done it all their lives. Yet, you say they were killed...all of them. Don’t try to second-guess destiny, Clay. No matter what else you believe, you must know it wasn’t your time to die.”
“Aren’t you second-guessing destiny when you say you can’t marry? How do you know what will happen if you do? Or if you don’t?” His words came out in a mixture of grief and sarcasm.
“You’re right. I can’t know. I’m letting my feelings guide my future and doing what I think is best for us. You’re trying to step back into the past and want to change it, but whatever’s happened before this moment in time is irrevocable. There’s a vast difference between what each of us is doing.”
“Right now, Stacia, it doesn’t make any difference to me.” Sarcasm gone, he seemed almost resigned to what had happened. “I guess I’ve been preparing myself for this day for years now. We’ve had a lot of arguments about it, but he wouldn’t give up his goal or even consider the fact that I could be right. I kept trying to change his mind, but now it’s too late. My father’s...” He looked out the side window of the car. “The psychic was right, I did get slapped hard. Now I remember whose face I saw in my nightmare – my father’s.”
