InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance)
Page 17
“It’s OK, baby,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ve got you.”
She sucked in a breath, and heard the resonance of a clap which was followed by another and another. By the time they reached the doorway, the diners were on their feet, nodding their heads and applauding her courage.
“Thank you,” she managed, bowing her head as she swallowed hard. Dylan gave a little wave and they slipped into the other room and into a booth that would shield them from prying eyes.
“Good job, sweetie,” Kelley smiled. “You did great.”
“Brilliant,” Dylan agreed, brushing his lips over her hair.
“I don’t feel brilliant,” she admitted. “I thought I was going to pass out for minute there.”
“I know,” he said, pulling her close, “but I’ll always be here to catch you if you fall.”
Chapter 15
“OK, so you guys ready for the semi-weekly update?”
Dylan had Jessa on speaker phone as they sat under the shade of a Tasmanian Blue Gum sipping fresh lemonade. “Fire when ready,” Dylan said. “We’re both here.”
“Oh, good. How’s the eye doing, Tia?”
She touched the knot that was still swollen and turning horrendous new shades of purple and yellow. “Nothing a little make-up won’t fix,” she said, adding, “it’s sore, but it’ll be fine in a few days. Hey…before I forget, I want to thank you again for getting through to my parents before it hit the American airwaves. You saved them a lot of worry. Thanks for listening to me vent, too.”
“No problem. And I’m glad you’re on the mend. Thankfully you don’t have any appearances scheduled for a while.”
“Nope,” Dylan said. “Just a lot of well-earned R & R.”
“You both deserve it. Have a great time. I’ll email you if there’s anything important, but otherwise, I’ll try to leave you guys alone. I’m totally jealous, you know.”
“Everything’s all set in for our trip, right?”
“Of course. As usual, I was able to make good on all your crazy requests.”
Dylan smiled. “That’s why you’re the best. What have you got for us today?”
“First order of business; the Esther Caglio video.” Some savvy blogger had figured out Penelope’s real name and snagged an exclusive interview with her mother and sister, who were more than happy to tell anyone who would listen what a horrible person Penelope really was. They were especially vocal about how she’d slept with her sister’s husband and dropped the bomb at Thanksgiving dinner, and even provided some photos of Esther in her less-than-glamorous years. “It’s gone viral, of course, and she’s managed to lose a lot of her support. Did you watch it?”
Dylan turned to Tia, who shook her head. “Not interested,” Dylan said, “neither one of us. I assume you did.”
“It was a hell of a strain on the eyes, but it does fall into my job description, so I choked it down. It was exactly what you’d expect—a bunch of self-serving bullshit meant to drum up some sympathy from her adoring fans.” Jessa’s voice got shrill and dramatic. “She claims, of course, that you two were building a relationship, but she forgives you for leaving her in jail to rot. Oh, and she really wants to talk to you so she can explain. There was a really lame apology in there somewhere, but she didn’t admit to anything.”
“That’s what I figured. No comment, right? I don’t even want you to say, “no comment.” Not one word to her.”
“I figured as much. I’ve gotten a few calls already, as you can imagine. I just hung up.”
“Good.”
“Well, most of the sympathy she may have gotten pretty much went out the window after the family interview, anyway. It showed up something like three hours after her latest rant, so her elation was short lived.”
“That’s all I need to hear about that, then. Any good news?”
“It’s all good for you. InHap songs are getting heavier than usual airplay and album sales are up—always good right before a new one and a tour. I got a few more sound bites from Bo and Ty; I’ll send them over this afternoon. I’ve also got no fewer than three major magazines who want to pay Tia extraordinary amounts of money for a cover and an exclusive, and a book publisher who wants to know if she’s interested in writing a book about her ‘rise to fame,’ as they put it. What do you think about that, Tia?”
“I think I’ll need to do something to earn my keep, but I’m not ready to commit to anything right now. I could maybe handle the magazines, but writing a book? I don’t know that I have that in me.”
“You wouldn’t need to. They have all kinds of ghost writers who would do most of it for you, pretty much. Something to think about, anyway. I told them you’d be out of commission for a little while, but I got the agent’s number if you want it. I bet they’d give you a pretty good advance.”
“It’s crazy, isn’t it? Two weeks ago I was worried that the public wouldn’t find me worthy of Dylan, and now someone thinks that people would buy a book I wrote?”
Dylan laughed. “If anything, it’s me who’s not worthy.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.
“Well, you know they’d expect it to be full of lots of juicy details about your love life, right? I know I don’t have to tell you that the ladies aren’t going stop lusting after Dylan just because he’s spoken for.”
“Oh, believe me, I know that all too well,” Tia said, “which is the main reason I don’t think I’d do it. Those juicy details belong to me, and I don’t want to share them with anyone. God knows they’ve gotten deep enough into my personal life.”
“Then I guess you’re not interested in doing a reality show either, huh?—I’ve gotten a couple offers for that too.”
“Oh God no.”
“I didn’t think so. I pretty much told them that, but said I’d run it by you anyway. Oh—you do know that Tony called Lexi, right? She’s going to do his show on Monday night.”
“Yeah, she texted me. I think she’s pretty excited about it; she said something about going early to do some shopping and soak up some vitamin D.”
“I’m sure she’ll be great.” Jessa paused. “There’s just one more thing I think you need to know. It looks like they’re close to striking an extradition deal. New Zealand is going to settle for a fine and get her the hell out of their country. Speculation on this end is that there’ll be more fines and possibly some jail time. Rumor has it that her attorney is going to push for a psych facility, alleging that her crimes were…” her voice changed to the bravado of an obnoxious news reporter… “‘crimes of passion’ and that her obsession drove her to the ‘brink of madness.’”
“Oh, she passed over the brink. She bloody well threw herself over the cliff.”
“Couldn’t agree more. Oh, and they’re wondering whether you’ll both want to sue for personal damages, too. Your attorney called yesterday, once the extradition info leaked out. I told him I’d pass on the message, but that you wouldn’t be back in country for a bit yet and you’d get back with him.”
Tia wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. As much as she hated what Penelope did, suing her wouldn’t do anything but bring more pain to everyone involved. She positively dreaded the thought of spending hours with lawyers hashing out the case, and the last thing she wanted was to see Penelope face-to-face in court. As far as she was concerned, losing her career, Dylan, and the respect of the public was more than enough punishment—God knew that Dylan didn’t need the money, and she’d just as soon put the whole thing behind them and move forward. She wasn’t sure how Dyl was feeling about the whole thing, but she hoped that he’d want to do the same. “I haven’t even had a chance to think about that yet with everything else that’s going on,” she answered cautiously.
“You’ve got a bit of time yet before you have to decide. Well, I guess that’s all I know. No final date set yet, but if it happens while you’re gone, do you want to know?”
“Not interested in the slightest,” Dylan said immediately.
“Love you too Jessa, and thanks again. I really can’t believe all that you do. You absolutely are the best.”
“Of course she is,” Dylan agreed, sending his love before breaking the connection. He turned to Tia and smiled. “So, now that the business is all taken care of, what do you say about taking a little road trip?”
“Ready when you are,” she smiled back. “I’m already packed.”
***
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed my stay here,” Tia told Steve and Kelley as they loaded their bags into the little Audi convertible early Friday morning. “Thanks so much for an amazing Christmas and for making me feel so welcome.”
Kelley pulled her into a warm embrace and gently kissed the purple bruise beneath her left eye. “It’s been an absolute pleasure welcoming you to the family,” she replied. “I’m so happy that you and Dylan found each other, and that we’ve gotten a chance to know you.” She lowered her voice to a whisper loud enough to be heard by the men. “You are exactly what he’s been missing in his life—he better know how lucky he is to have you!”
Dylan wrapped his arms affectionately around Kelley. “I do know, Mum, and I’m going to do everything I can to be worthy of her; don’t worry.” He planted kisses on both her cheeks and hugged his dad. “I’m damn lucky to have the two of you, as well, and promise we’ll stay longer on our next visit.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Kelley smiled as Dylan opened the door for Tia. “Let us know when you have all the tour dates locked in—we’ll try and sneak over by you for a few weeks in the summer. Now you guys drive safely and have a wonderful trip—I’m so glad you’ll get to see some of the country, Tia.”
Dylan couldn’t think of a time in his life when he’d describe what he was feeling as ‘warm and tingly,’ but as he leapt deftly over the door into the driver’s seat; the woman he loved tying a silk scarf around her hair in preparation for the windy ride and his parents waving their final goodbyes; the words popped into his mind and made him smile. He tied his own hair back with an elastic band and tucked it into the new baseball cap he’d picked up at the Cricket game on Boxing Day before giving his mum one final kiss and firing the engine.
He was filled with excitement for the next leg of their journey. First and foremost, it would be the first chunk of time that he and Tia would have truly alone, without the commitments of appearances; public or personal. In Europe, they’d had to work around the tour, of course, and in the past two weeks, interviews and family gatherings. He was really looking forward to the down time so they could catch their breath and have a bit of normalcy back in their lives; if such a thing were even possible.
They could’ve flown into Sydney, but he wanted to show Tia the natural side of Australia that he knew she’d love—the rocky shores, pristine beaches, and lush forests that sprawled along the Southern Coast. Four days wasn’t nearly enough time to do it justice, but at least he could show her the highlights, and share some of the places that were so much a part of his early years. Then, in just a few short days, he’d ask her to be his wife. Warm and tingly indeed, he thought as he reached over and took her hand.
“I just love them, Dyl,” Tia smiled as they headed out on the highway. “They’re really amazing people.”
“I told you you had nothing to worry about,” he smirked. “They love you too; that much is obvious. I know they’ve been waiting a long time for me to find you, but it’s more than that, I think,” he said thoughtfully. “Seeing the way my Mum was with you brought back a lot of memories…”
“I know what you mean,” Tia said, recalling for Dylan the conversation she’d had with his dad the night before.
“Sometimes I forget just how big a role she played in the family, even for the short time she was here. I should have known he’d see it too, even though Aussie men are notorious for having tough skins and swallowing back their feelings. And having another woman in the house just lit Mum up, you know? Like she had a daughter again. It was great seeing her so happy. You made one hell of an impression, Tia. I knew you would.”
Tia raised their joined hands to her lips and pressed them against the back of Dylan’s hand. “Thank you,” she said. “I really do feel like we bonded. I know they would’ve liked you to stay longer, but I’m really looking forward to some time alone.”
Dylan turned to her and waggled his eyebrows. “And I’ve got a lot of plans for you over the next few days—another reason I thought a little road trip would be a welcome break. God knows we’ve spent enough time on airplanes over the past couple weeks.”
“Enough for a lifetime, I think. I’m already dreading the flight home.”
They drove for a while in silence, Tia glancing in the rear view mirror to watch the city landscape fade behind them and catching a glimpse of the non-descript sedan that followed behind them. As alone as we’re going to get anyway, she thought. Two security people, one male and one female, would be escorting them on their trip—they’d keep their distance unless they were needed, Dylan had told her, but they’d be there nonetheless. After the attack in Melbourne, he insisted he wouldn’t compromise when it came to her safety; and as much as she hated the thought of having strangers watching them every time they stepped out of a hotel room, she loved that he was so protective of her. After her little panic attack at the restaurant the night of the incident, she did feel a bit safer knowing that there was someone watching her back.
She took a deep breath of the fresh air and pushed out the memory. Instead, she let her mind wander over other events of the past couple weeks, still amazed at just how much had happened. In one sense it felt like a lifetime; the constant activity and sheer amount they’d accomplished seemed incomprehensible as she looked back on it, and yet being so busy had made the time fly by. It felt absolutely wonderful to have no agenda except for spending time with Dylan and she was excited to be at the start of their journey, with eight glorious days in front of her before she had to face reality again.
“How about that view?” Dylan’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked out to see the incredible blue of the ocean just peeping over the horizon.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she answered, bringing her attention back to the present and the incredible man at her side.
“I couldn’t agree more. The ocean’s kind of pretty too,” he smiled at her and she knew that as far as the Penelope situation was concerned, she’d already won the greatest victory of all.
“I think maybe I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Tia said, stretching her arms over her head. “I can’t even believe we actually have four days in a row with nothing to do except explore the Australian countryside. This is the best part of the trip, you know, with all the anticipation ahead of us. Oh! Oh, wait! Pull over!” Tia squealed.
Dylan jammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road. “What’s wrong?”
“Kangaroos!”
Dylan laughed. “You about gave me a bloody heart attack! For some kangaroos?”
“I’ve never seen them in the wild before…oh wow, aren’t they just beautiful?”
Dylan watched pure delight brighten Tia’s face as she followed the troop with wide eyes until they melted into the brush. “They are when I see them through your eyes,” he said, leaning over to brush his lips across hers. “I love how you love the simple things in life, Tia; it’s really refreshing.”
“The simple things make life more beautiful, because they’re beautiful in their simplicity.”
“Well said. That was the inspiration for House Without a Home, you know. You really care. Not just about people, not just about things, but about everything. I admire that about you.”
“It’s my new favorite song. I just love it.”
Dylan found pure joy in showing Tia the natural beauty of the places that held
so many fond memories for him. He was constantly amazed by her adventurous spirit and her love for the simplest things; his heart warmed when she squealed in delight upon seeing her first emus strolling across a grassy field and when she stood speechless, eyes wide, when he stopped at a scenic overlook for a breathtaking view of the waves crashing over rocky cliffs far below them.
He felt like a kid again, carefree and far from the chaos they’d experienced in much of their relationship so far. They laughed constantly and fell into an easy rhythm of casual conversation and comfortable silences.
Tia squirmed excitedly in her seat as he drove up to the airport at Phillip Island and approached the waiting helicopter. “Is that for us?”
“It is. Since we only have a short time on this trip, I thought we could at least get a pretty good overview from the air.”
“I like the way you think,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.
He probably spent more time watching her reactions to the sites than he did looking out the window as they soared over the scenic vistas. After a thorough tour of the surrounding area, they touched down at Bass Valley Winery and were met by the owner for a tour of the vineyards and a scrumptious lunch before continuing their aerial tour of the rest of the island. That night, as they waited anxiously in their skybox for the start of the daily Penguin Parade, Dylan couldn’t take his eyes off her. She quivered in anticipation as the sun dipped into the blue water, awaiting the arrival of the Little Penguins; tiny native birds returning from the sea to waddle up the beach to the safety of their sand dune burrows. He was transported back to the night in Northampton, about halfway through their summer together, and he recalled the lightness he felt when he realized he was in love with her—remembered thinking, I love this girl! to himself as they were twirling on the dance floor. Now, the words that came to his mind were, I’m going to marry this girl! and he couldn’t have been happier.