“If we all close our eyes and concentrate, maybe we can will Mr. Lam to open his eyes,” Gracie said, her voice a bare whisper. They all looked at her, then did as she suggested.
When Ricky’s eyes remained closed, Roxy sighed. “I want him to know we’re here.”
“I’m sure he knows, dear,” Lorraine said. “Armand always knew.”
“Look how still, how white he is. What happened to his sun tan?” Max asked. He looks…”
“Say it out loud, and I’ll deck you right here,” Tyler hissed.
Gracie moved to the side when the charge nurse walked over to the door. “You get one minute each,” she said, opening the door. The little group looked at one another as both young men deferred to Roxy. She shook her head. “He’s your father, you two go first.” They needed no second urging as they rushed into the room.
Max walked to the side of the bed, his eyes glued to the still form in the high hospital bed. “Hey, Dad, it’s me, Max. The doctor said you’re gonna be okay. You know, really okay.” He looked across to the other side of the bed at his brother, his eyes defiant.
“Dad, it’s me, Tyler. Listen, we only have a minute, and Roxy wants to come in. I…I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. I don’t understand why you didn’t boot my ass all the way home. I guess dads don’t do things like that. We’ll be back. It’s Roxy’s turn now.”
Ricky tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy. He wanted to signal to his sons that he’d heard them. Or was he dreaming? Did he just hear the magical word he’d dreamed of for so long?
He felt her hand in his, felt her warm tears as they dropped on his hand. He did his best to squeeze her hand. And then he slipped back into a deep, natural sleep knowing his family was looking after him.
His family.
21
It was an unseasonably cold December on Camellia Island. Perfect weather for the grand opening of the Crown Jewel on Christmas Eve. Roxy was jittery, Ricky even more jittery. If he inspected the staff once, he inspected them a dozen times. Everyone, including Roxy, told him he was worse than an expectant father as he picked up pieces of lint no one else could see.
His family, and it was a rather large one these days, scurried to and fro, making sure everything was in readiness for the four o’clock arrival of the first guests.
The thirty-foot Christmas tree, decked out with fresh camellias by Roxy, twinkled to life when Max threw the switch. The base of the tree was surrounded by a red velvet skirt that held magnificently wrapped gifts. The sight and scent of the tree were so heady, Roxy felt faint. Garlands and wreaths, all done with camellias, hung everywhere. Bayberry candles in the shape of Christmas trees were on all the tables and on the registration desk. The gifts under the tree, wrapped by Gracie and Donna, were for the staff, compliments of Ricky and Roxy. Their bonus checks had been given out earlier, the gifts “a little something personal” for all their hard work and devotion.
Holiday music could be heard throughout the hotel, even in the elevators, where decorative balsam wreaths carried out the holiday decorating scheme.
An elegant buffet with a sculpture of Santa and his eight reindeer graced the middle of the table. Every food known to man would be served, along with the finest wine money could buy. The elegant Lenox china had a colorful poinsettia in the center of each plate. The napkins matched perfectly. The silver was sterling, and it sparkled on the red velvet cloth.
Everywhere the eye could see there were touches of Christmas, giant red velvet bows, beautiful holly, one-of-a-kind glass-blown ornaments, and pinecones crackling in all the fireplaces. Whole cherrywood logs burned brightly.
“Okay, boss, you can come outside now,” Ted Lymen said. “I’m getting ready to turn on all the outside lights. You better tell me you love it because it took me five whole days to string the lights. How many poinsettias did it take to make up that wire concoction for that forty-foot tree? You told me, but I forgot.”
Ricky grinned. “Two thousand. It was Roxy’s idea to fashion all that wire into a tree with circles to hold the pots of poinsettias. They just placed the last one about twenty minutes ago. Talk about taking it down to the wire. It’s magnificent, there’s no doubt about it. I’m ready. Throw the switch, Ted!”
Lorraine Farquar clutched at her heart. Lee Ann Oliver gasped, as did her children. Roxy’s jaw dropped. Ricky grinned from ear to ear as he pounded his friend on the back. “It’s a wonderland! How many lights?”
“I want you to be surprised when you get the light bill.” Ted guffawed. “You did say go all out. This is all out,” he said, waving his arms about.
“Is the sleigh with the wheels at the dock?” Roxy queried.
“Yep, with eight prancing reindeer just waiting to bring your guests to your doorstep. Listen, I gotta run. My new wife is waiting for me, and so is my new tux. I’ll see you at six. If you need anything else, call.”
“I think we pulled it off, Roxy,” Ricky whispered in her ear. “I think we should get dressed, too. We have to be in the lobby when the first guests arrive. Please tell me no one canceled.”
“Are you kidding! People have been confirming for days now. Some wanted to bring extra guests, some wanted to extend their stays, but no one canceled. The reservation list is three times longer than it was last week.”
“Oh, oh, let’s get out of here. The first load of press is arriving, and we aren’t dressed. Max and Tyler can handle it. I’m sorry Reba couldn’t make it, Roxy.”
“Me too. Another time.”
Roxy ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes miserable as she stared at Ricky. She crooked her finger. “Walk with me, Ricky, I have something I have to tell you. I wish now I had told you before but…I wanted to…but the mother in me wouldn’t allow it. It’s been eating at me for months now.”
Ricky placed his hands on Roxy’s shoulders as he looked down into her eyes. “Whatever came before is not important. I don’t want you to feel you have to tell me everything about your life. All I want, Roxy, is for both of us to be happy. When this is all over, after the movie, after the kids are settled, I want us to come here to live and be together for the rest of our days. That’s all I want, Roxy.”
“It’s what I want, too, Ricky. I don’t want secrets between us. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime. Just let me say what I have to say, okay?”
Ricky shrugged. “Okay, Roxy.”
“It concerns Reba. Sometimes that girl can be loving and kind, and sometimes she can be hateful. I regret that we were never close. I don’t even know if it’s possible at this stage of our lives. Reba marches to a different drummer. She…liked Philly. She wanted him to act like a father, but that wasn’t Philly’s style. He was always polite and formal with her. She hated that. She cherished the memory of Philly’s hugging her when she told him she was going into reconstructive plastic surgery. One hug, Ricky. One stinking, lousy hug. It was what she craved.
“When Philly died, she was livid that he hadn’t left her anything. Not because she wanted his money it turns out, but because she thought it meant that she wasn’t important to him. She was convinced that if he hadn’t died, she could have persuaded him to love her, to be a real father to her.” Roxy shook her head. “She’s the one who went to the studio, to that tabloid reporter, and told them everything she knew. To hurt you, Ricky. She did it to hurt you. I think her emotions twisted her thinking and she blames you for Philip’s death because he was killed on your movie set. There are no words to tell you how sorry I am. I had to tell you because…I love you and don’t want to have to choose my words, look over my shoulder, or lie to you about why Reba does or doesn’t call.
“Reba will not be working with us at the surgery clinic. I’ve made it clear to her that she has to straighten herself out, put her vindictive streak behind her and apologize to you before she’s welcome here. I will not allow her to destroy what you and I have.
“The sad thing is, at first I blamed Philly for the way she was. That w
as so unfair of me. I kept telling myself she was just another one of Philly’s casualties. All I know is, I did the best I could. That’s it.”
Ricky smiled. “And you think that all matters to me. It doesn’t matter to me, Roxy, not one little bit. What bothers me is you seem to think you lost your daughter. Time will take care of everything. Look at me, I’m the living proof. Took me twenty years. Oh, Roxy, you have all the time in the world. Together, maybe we can make something happen, but only when the time is right. You okay with that?”
“Very okay. God, Ricky, what did I ever do to deserve you and all this happiness?”
“It was meant to be, I guess.” He kissed her lightly and gave her his famous Ricky Lam smile, the smile that thrilled women the world over. This time it was strictly for Roxy, the love of his life.
“And to think I almost lost you,” she said, her smile fading.
“Don’t think about that now. It’s all in the past.” Once again he dazzled her with a smile.
Roxy returned it, her eyes bright with tears. “What’d you buy me for Christmas, big guy?”
“I’m not telling. What’d you buy me?” Ricky nudged as he pulled her toward the elevator. The moment the door closed, he kissed her long and hard. “Merry Christmas, Roxy.”
In the lobby, Gracie looked up at Max. “By this time tomorrow, they’ll be man and wife. Are you happy about your dad’s getting married?”
“I love Roxy. She’s the best thing that ever happened to my dad. He knows it, too. Unless someone uses the chapel tonight, they’ll be the first ones to use it tomorrow.”
“Would you look at your brother, Max! That’s disgusting!” Gracie chirped.
“He’s kissing Donna under the mistletoe. That’s why we hung it up. What’s disgusting about it?”
“Sometimes you are thick, Max. When I say I don’t like something, you take up the opposite view. I thought if I said that, you’d want to kiss me, too.”
“Oh.”
“That’s it, oh.”
“No, that’s not it. If you wanted me to kiss you, why didn’t you say so? You sure aren’t bashful, Gracie.”
“Girls shouldn’t have to ask guys to kiss them. You’re supposed to want to do that. What good is it if I have to ask? No good, that’s what.”
“Gracie, shut that mouth of yours and pucker up. The reason I didn’t kiss you was there’s a guy over there with a camera. You want to see yourself on the front page in the morning?”
“Make sure they spell my name right!” She sashayed away. “Your loss,” she flung over her shoulder. “You aren’t any fun either!”
Max caught up with her at the waiting elevator. He shoved her inside. The minute the door closed, he pressed the HOLD button. “You want to be kissed, huh? Okay, girl, I’m gonna suck your tonsils right out of your throat. What do you think of that!”
Gracie backed herself into the corner. “You can’t do that! There’s no way you can do that!”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He advanced on her, one step at a time. “We’ll just see about that! What are you looking so smug about?”
“You know why you can’t do it, Max? You can’t do it because I don’t have any tonsils.”
Max stared at her for a full minute before he doubled over laughing. “Are you ever going to let me win?”
“Nope. You said something about kissing me. I’m waiting,” she singsonged.
“Do you love me, Gracie?”
“Yes, I do. Very much. Do you love me?” This was serious stuff. She hoped she didn’t burst out laughing.
“Yeah. More than I ever thought I could. I bought this for you yesterday,” Max said, fishing in his pocket. “The box is upstairs. He reached for her hand and slipped the diamond on her finger. I picked it out myself. If you don’t like it or if you want a bigger one, we can exchange it.”
“Oh, Max, it’s beautiful.” Tears welled in Gracie’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “No, I don’t want to exchange it. It’s perfect. I got you…us, four days in Vail, Colorado, the day after New Year’s. It kind of pales in comparison.”
“No, it doesn’t. Just the fact that you remembered I love to ski and particularly love Vail is enough. Merry Christmas, Gracie.”
“I lied, Max. I still have my tonsils!”
“Awk.”
At three-thirty in the afternoon on Christmas Day, the minister looked at the beaming couple standing in front of him, and said, “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
The assembled guests clapped and whistled as Ricky kissed his new bride. “I love you,” he whispered.
“Not as much as I love you,” Roxy whispered in return.
“Is this our first fight?”
“It will never happen.
“Merry Christmas, everyone! I’m going to throw my bouquet! Get ready!”
Every female in the lobby gathered around. Roxy took two steps forward and tossed her bouquet high in the air. The guests watched as the bouquet fell apart in two sections. Half of it fell into Gracie’s outstretched hands; the other half fell into Donna’s hands.
“Did you do that on purpose?” Ricky whispered. “Or do we have a dud for a florist?”
Roxy smiled.
Epilogue
Twenty-seven Months Later
Roxy watched her husband out of the corner of her eye. What she was seeing was the happiest man in the world. And that happiness had nothing to do with his nomination for an Academy Award. It had everything to do with his two sons, their wives, and the two toddlers crawling around on the floor. Five dogs circled them protectively as they gurgled and cooed.
Everywhere you looked there was baby gear, dog toys, suitcases. Baby food and baby bottles lined the kitchen counter. Diaper bags hung over the backs of chairs, with cuddly blankets and stuffed toys.
Grandpa’s house.
“Six more hours till we tread down that red carpet,” Roxy said, coming up behind him. “Are you nervous, honey?”
“Not one little bit. I told you the minute I heard about the nomination that I didn’t care if we won or not. Just the fact that The Brothers was considered good enough to win a nomination told me all I needed to know. I don’t miss this place at all. I don’t mean the house, I mean Hollywood and the film industry.”
“I knew what you meant, Ricky. The Brothers is the odds-on favorite. It’s almost a given that you’re going to win Best Actor. I bet Philip’s wings are fluttering at ninety miles an hour.”
Ricky laughed as he visualized a scene with Philip sitting on a cloud, his feathered wings rustling with impatience. “I have something I have to do, Roxy. I won’t be long.”
“John Deere is waiting for you. I wiped him off a while ago. Go on. I want to check with Gracie and Donna. They are so excited about going to the Academy Awards. I think Gracie is going to explode. We’re doing each other’s hair, so take all the time you want.”
Roxy sighed with happiness. In the whole of her life she’d never expected to be this happy, this contented. She stepped over baby toys and dog chews, stopping only long enough to clean up a pee puddle. She laughed. This family business was something else.
In the garage, perched on the John Deere, Ricky leaned back, his thoughts ricocheting all over the place. Through the open garage door he could see a fluffy white cloud moving across the sky. He stared, blinked, then burst out laughing. The formation of the cloud looked just like a human form with wings. Wings that were fluttering wildly. The cloud moved. He blinked again. The formation looked like it was bowing. Bowing.
Ricky hopped off the John Deere and ran to the house. Before he opened the door, he looked upward, but the cloud had disintegrated. He waved. He didn’t feel silly at all.
They were a family as they exited the stretch limousine. The minute they stepped on the apple-red carpet, hordes of reporters descended on them. Always gracious, Ricky held up his hand. “I’ll talk to all of you, but one at a time. First, though, thi
s is my family.” He introduced each member, one at a time.
“Do I expect to win? I have no idea. What I do know is I’m in some sterling company with the other nominees. No, I don’t think I have the edge because the vice president resigned. That was a long time ago. I’m so proud of the movie I’m bursting with pride. You’ll have to ask these lovely ladies what they’re wearing. Other than to say they look beautiful, I know nothing. Roxy?”
“Escada,” Roxy said.
“Valentino,” Donna and Gracie said in unison.
“We’re all wearing Chanel,” Lorraine Farquar, said pointing to her family.
“Look, Max, there’s that weasel Dicky Tee,” Gracie whispered. She inched closer to her husband when she saw the venom in the tabloid reporter’s face.
“Don’t you dare give him the finger, Gracie! There are cameramen everywhere. We both know you could take the little slimeball with one hand, but wait until the awards ceremony is over, and I’ll help you.”
Gracie looked up at her husband. “For you, honey, anything.” Max groaned.
And then they were all inside and seated front row center.
Ricky leaned back and shifted mental gears to neutral. He clapped, half listened, laughed when everyone else laughed. He just wanted the whole thing to be over. If they paid him his weight in gold, he wouldn’t come back to Hollywood.
He heard his name from some far-off place before he felt the pain in his shoulder. “Ricky, you won! You won for Best Actor!”
He was back in the present, a stunned look on his face. He stood up, looked around at his family, and grinned. He was halfway up to the stage when his sons made Academy Award history by standing on their chairs, their fists raised in the air. “Hey, Hollywood, that’s our DAD!” The stunned silence was followed by loud applause and laughter.
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