by DeSalvo, Kim
“You understand, I know you do. When you lose someone, they’ll always be there, because they’re a part of you. But it doesn’t mean that someone else can’t still be everything to you; that you can’t love someone else just as much, but in a different way. Dylan is that everything for you, and in just a few short days, you’re already becoming that to us. I really can’t tell you how glad we all are to have you as part of our family, Tia,” he said with a bow of his head, “and I couldn’t let you leave without telling you. So, thank you.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Tia said, completely at a loss for words. “That is honestly one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.” She pulled in a deep breath of the crisp air and let it out on a sigh. “Thank you for opening your hearts to me. I hope we’ll be able to see you again very soon.”
“I’m quite certain we will,” Steve said with a knowing smile that was masked by the darkness.
“Aren’t you chilly out there?” Kelley called from the deck. “How about some tea?”
“Brilliant,” Steve and Tia said at exactly the same time. They giggled, linked arms once again, and headed for the warmth—literally and figuratively—of the house.
Chapter 13
Lexi didn’t even consider not taking the call that popped up as “unknown caller” on her display. Both Tia’s and Dylan’s phones showed up that way, and as the crazy time difference and family obligations had prevented them from talking on Christmas Day, she smiled as she tapped the screen.
“Merry Christmas, girlfriend!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’m guessing you were a good girl, and got everything you wanted?”
“Well, I always get everything I want,” a man’s voice teased. “But to be honest, I probably deserved coal in my stocking.”
Lexi sat upright and tried to place the voice. It definitely wasn’t Dylan’s, but it sounded familiar. For a second, Bo’s name flashed in her mind—he had a similar sense of humor, but she pushed that aside quickly. She’d know his voice anywhere, and this wasn’t it. “Who is this?” she asked curiously, a smile in her voice, “and why do you deserve coal?”
A hearty laugh filled her ear. “I’m guessing that I’m speaking to Lexi Summers,” he said. “Tia told me you had a quick wit.” He paused for just a moment. “This is Tony Granger…host of After Dark?” He said the last few words as if they were a question, but there was just enough arrogance behind them to let her know that he expected anyone would know who he was—and be honored by the call.
Lexi’s heart quickened. The time she’d spent with InHap had pretty much cured her of her star struck affliction, but still, it wasn’t every day that the host of the most popular talk show on television called you directly to chat. “Ah, Tony Granger,” she replied cooly. “Tia mentioned you might be calling, and she also told me that you were more than deserving of coal; you were likely the original recipient,” she said with a grin.
“And I doubt you’d find many who would argue that conclusion, Miss Summers,” She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “May I call you Lexi?”
“You may,” she said, “if I can call you Tony.”
“Of course,” he said, the smirk easily travelling through the phone lines.
“So, what can I do for you, Tony? I can only imagine that you’re calling to beg me to give you the exclusive story about Tia and Dylan’s love affair in the early days, when I was the only one who knew about it. I’ll tell you, however, that it is my Christmas vacation, and I’m not just going to drop everything and run out to LA to appear on your show,” she said with just as much smirk in her tone.
“Oh,” Tony replied, as if he were seriously contemplating her words. “You mean it’s not enough that the world wants to hear your story, and that you’ll be the topic of discussion over every water cooler for days?”
“Tia’s already shown me what that does for you—and no thank you very much.”
Tony took the bait willingly. Tia had already told him that Lexi was willing to do it, and that it wouldn’t take much to persuade her.
“Hmmm. Tia told me you might be willing to…”
“Not the day after freaking Christmas I’m not, Tony,” she said rather convincingly. “Unless you make me an offer I can’t refuse?”
Tony chuckled. “Yeah, Tia told me you’d play hardball, too. But she also said that one word might tip you over the edge. I was hoping not to have to show my hand so early in the conversation, but…”
“OK, you’ve got me interested. What’re you offering?”
“Have you ever been to the after Christmas sales on Rodeo Drive? They’re different than they are anywhere else in the world…and did I mention it’s a lovely 80 degrees in LA right now?”
“Damn it,” Lexi smirked. “You pretty much had me at ‘shopping,’ but if you throw in some palm trees, a car to use while I’m there, and a decent room, I might just give in.”
“Wow,” Tony teased back. “You’re easy. I guess you’ll take care of your own transportation to get here, then?”
“Yeah, sure,” Lexi said sarcastically. “And I’ll see you sometime in February, then. Do you want to leave me a number where I can reach you when I get there?”
“Touche,” Tony said. “Now I guess you’ve got me.”
Lexi giggled. “Just give me the details, Tony. I already told Tia and Dylan I’d do it, as you well know. I will tell you, though, that this really isn’t the ideal timing, but that I do have a bit of a weakness for shopping. I will need to be home before New Year’s Eve, though.”
“The timing can be whatever you want it to be,” Tony offered. “I can send my jet to the closest airport whenever you want it—we’ll record the show on Monday afternoon. You can leave any time after we’re done, although that’s going to make for a long night with the time difference and all, or stay until Tuesday morning. I can offer you a room at the Four Seasons and a car with a driver for as long as you stay. Your choice, as long as you promise not to give your story to anyone else before you appear on my show.”
Lexi didn’t have to roll it around in her mind for long. She told Dylan that she’d give Tony first dibs, and had put off a couple of local news shows that had already called to request interviews. A little sun would give her at least a bit of a golden glow for the New Year’s Eve party she and Ryan were attending, and she’d be sure to find something fabulous to wear in LA. “You’ve got a deal, Tony,” she said, already pulling her suitcase out from under the bed. “I’ll leave tomorrow morning, and come back Monday night.” That would give her a long weekend to shop and see some of the sights, and she’d still be back in plenty of time for the party on Tuesday.
“Excellent,” Tony replied. “I’ll arrange your transportation immediately and have my assistant call you back in a few hours with the details. I look forward to meeting you, Lexi.”
“You too,” Lexi said. She cut off the call and began humming to herself as she happily pulled summer clothes from the back of her closet and arranged them on the bed.
“What do you mean, you’re going to LA for a couple days?” Ryan demanded.
“I’m going to be a guest on After Dark. To talk about Tia and Dylan’s early days.”
Ryan’s face crinkled up in distaste. “As if there aren’t enough people talking about Tia and Dylan,” he said sarcastically. “They were just on every single freaking TV show in the world last week.”
“I know that,” Lexi answered with just as much sarcasm. “It’s obviously really big news right now, and they’re in Australia. The public wants more, and Tony called to see if I’d…”
“Oh, so now you’re on a first-name basis with Tony Granger?” he interrupted. “You’re not the celebrity, Lexi. Neither is Tia. She just happens to be banging a rock star. So why the hell would the public give two shits about what you have to say?”
His words stung, but Lexi just shook her head. “Obviously Tony thinks they will, or he wouldn’t have called,” she said evenly.
Ryan rolled his eyes and exhaled in exasperation. “You’re just loving every minute of this, aren’t you?”
“Geez Ryan, chill out,” she groaned. “I’m doing a favor for friends; that’s all. I’m going to fly out tomorrow, spend the weekend shopping, do the show on Monday, and be home late Monday night. You’re just jealous that I’m getting out of this Chicago weather for a few days.”
Ryan’s head snapped up. “Did you just say you’re leaving tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan.”
“My parents’ annual holiday dinner is on Sunday,” he countered. “They’re expecting us both to be there.”
Lexi cringed. The Stallworth ‘Annual Holiday Dinner’ was marginally more fun than having a root canal…maybe. It was a hundred people crammed into the banquet hall at the country club; mostly retired lawyers and business types who loved to listen to themselves talk. Only a dozen or so of the guests were Lexi and Ryan’s age, and they usually spent most of the evening trying to hang together in an attempt to avoid being subjected to listening to the old-timers giving them advice on everything from how to advance their legal careers to where to vacation on their honeymoons. Although she maintained a stoic face, she was turning cartwheels on the inside that she’d be able to skip out on a year of that torture. “I’m one person in a hundred, Ry. I think the dinner will go on just fine without me for one year.”
“That’s not the point,” he argued. “You’re their future daughter-in-law. How’s it going to look if you blow off their biggest social event of the year?”
Lexi pretended to ponder the question before answering. “Umm…like I’m in LA soaking up some rays, getting in a shopping spree, and appearing on a late night talk show?”
Ryan grunted and turned away, but Lexi grabbed his arm before he could storm out of the room. “Come on, Ryan, really?” she said. “They’ll all wish they were me! You’ll get all kinds of bonus points with the living dead because your ‘society lady’ is taking advantage of a free trip to LA. They’ll be positively green with envy. It’ll give them something to talk about besides what a nice place Martha’s freaking Vineyard is this time of year.” He groaned, but the corners of his lips just barely tipped up in a suppressed smile. Ryan was fully aware of her dislike for this annual tradition—he complained about it every year too, but seemed to forget how painful it was until he had to go through it again. “Think about it.” she added. “You get to tell them that I got a personal call from Tony Granger asking me to appear on his show. You’ll actually get to talk for a change! And they’ll listen!”
“OK, you have a point, but it’ll suck being there without you,” he conceded. “It’ll be even more boring than usual.” He stuck his lips out in a pout, and she stretched up to kiss them.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” she assured him. “Barring a Monday-only sale at Jimmy Choo, I’ll be back late that night.”
“No way I’d let you go if you were missing New Year’s Eve,” he said grudgingly.
“No way I’d go if it meant missing New Year’s Eve,” she smiled.
Chapter 14
It was just another talk show; just another morning news program on which to make an appearance. But it came in the middle of her holiday, and damn it; after what she’d gone through the past couple weeks, she deserved a break. Still, it was the only appearance they were making in Melbourne—many of the shows were in rerun over the holiday season—and it was Dylan’s hometown. She didn’t really have a choice.
Tia had been watching the news program over the past couple days, just so she’d have an idea about the personalities that would be interviewing them. Dylan had also agreed to be their ‘musical guest,’ meaning he’d play a song or two in front of a live audience outside the studio after the interview was over.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect; a lovely 74 degrees with thin, puffy clouds floating lazily in the sky. Tia donned a bright yellow sundress splashed with purple and orange flowers, a fabulous pair of orange heels, and pulled her hair up into a casual knot; Dylan tossed on a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt.
There was already a crowd gathered as the car approached the studio, and Tia giggled when she saw the velvet ropes that hung from brass poles to create an unobstructed pathway from the street to the door. A large platform was set up in the plaza alongside the studio, and a crowd was already beginning to stake claim to the areas closest to the stage.
As she did before each appearance, Tia gave herself a mental pep talk. Dylan, as he did before each appearance, massaged her shoulders to help her relax and then planted a loud smacking kiss on the back of her hand for moral support. She had really unwound over the past few days in the privacy of his parents’ house, and the thought of being thrust into the spotlight once again rubbed like sandpaper over the ends of her nerves. Get over it, she told herself. Get through it, smile, be charming, and be done. God she was looking forward to the next week when they’d have some time alone.
The car came to a stop and Dylan pulled her in. “You’ll be brilliant, as always,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I’ll be the same as always, anyway,” she smiled. “I don’t know why I’m extra nervous…I guess because it’s your hometown and I…”
“It’s just another interview, love,” he said. “The same as all the others.”
The driver opened the door and the excitement of the crowd instantly filled her ears. Dylan stepped out and gave a quick wave before offering Tia his hand and helping her out of the car. He was right, she knew. Just because they were in another country didn’t make it any different than all the rest. She put on what she called her “celebrity smile” and stepped out onto the curb.
The crowd whistled and cheered and Tia waved enthusiastically, shaking hands and signing the notebooks and bits of paper being shoved toward her from both sides of the ropes. She and Dylan zigzagged across the walkway, giving equal attention to both sides. “I love you Tia!” “You’re so lucky!” “Hey Dylan, I’m your biggest fan!” Many of the shouts and comments blended into each other, but a few stood out and made Tia feel almost giddy. Dylan took her hand and twirled her, putting on a little show for the crowd and Tia laughed—she couldn’t help but feel good when she got such a welcoming reception.
They almost reached the door to the studio—had it ever taken so long to walk just a few yards?—when she heard the comment from her left side. “You don’t deserve him, you loser! You should’ve let Penelope have him! Scarlet letter for you!” Tia turned her head, her smile fading, and saw the projectile coming. She put up her hands to block the impact, but it was too late. Something hard smacked her face just under her left eye, and she was showered with some sort of red liquid that got into her eyes, blinding her. Instinctively she opened her mouth to cry out, and the unmistakable coppery taste of blood was on her tongue.
Dylan was at her side in an instant and security an second later, shielding her with their bodies and ushering her toward the door. Another bomb came flying in and exploded at her feet, and she slipped to the ground, landing hard on her knee and scraping her elbow when she hit the pavement. She was pulled up immediately, and another group of guards grabbed the still screaming woman from the crowd, stopping her from hurling yet another of the blood bombs. But the damage was done. A very shaky Tia was hustled into a private room where the door was closed on the cameras that had filmed their arrival and subsequent attack.
“What the fuck?” Dylan yelled as he used his own shirt to mop the offensive slime from her face. “Baby, are you OK?” He turned to one of the security guards who’d escorted them in. “Get me some water and some towels!”
There was a small crowd in an instant, with bottles of water and a large bowl pilfered from a staff lounge. Dylan poured water on her face as she held her head over the bowl and attempted to rinse her eyes. Tia grabbed one of the bottles and tipped it to her mouth, washing out the offensive taste and spitting into the bowl.
“Oh my God, I’
m so sorry,” Lana, one of the reporters, said. “Are you OK?” Apologies were being tossed around from all directions, and towels were being thrust into Tia’s hands. “Are you bleeding?”
“Not my blood,” Tia managed, coughing and wiping at her face.
When she finally cleared her eyes and could see, she looked up at the crowd that was gawking at her and wanted nothing more than to close them again.
“Tia, look at me,” Dylan commanded, and as soon as she did, she burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he said, taking her into his arms. She sobbed into his shoulder and uttered just one word. “Why?”
The door burst open and another security guard rushed in. “Sheep’s blood, according to the offender,” he said, “in a balloon weighted with a rock. There’s an ambulance on the way. Are you alright, miss?” He tossed a first aid kit onto the table and knelt before Tia. “Where are you hurt?”
Tia sucked up some courage from a deep well she didn’t even know she had. She realized that although she was personally attacked, the attack wasn’t personal. The woman who did this didn’t know anything at all about Tia Hastings; she was just a fan of Penelope’s. What she did was rude and immature and hateful and a thousand other ugly adjectives, but it was directed at Tia the quasi-celebrity, not Tia the person. She had to understand that; had to believe it, or she wasn’t going to be able to do this. It was just one step further than those who threw hurtful words, and she couldn’t dwell on every negative comment or action that had nothing to do with the person she was on the inside. The show must go on, she thought with a sarcastic snicker. She sat up, wiped the tears from her face, and turned toward the officer. “I’m fine. Just a few scratches from when I fell and a bump on my cheek. I don’t need an ambulance.”
“You’ll get checked out,” Dylan insisted. “You took a nasty spill.”
