by Brenda Novak
Like now, Harley told himself. The legal process would be slow, could take a year or longer. Quentin would put up one hell of a fight, which meant the battle would become incredibly time-intensive and expensive. And Harley still had a business to run. But the doubt that had undermined him from the start was finally gone. He might not be the perfect dad for Brandon, but he was his dad. And it was his prerogative to do whatever he could to ensure that his son knew he loved him.
Which was all well and good—for later. For now he was stuck in Tank’s apartment, trying to run his business by remote control, in between telephone calls to various family law attorneys. It was going to be a long year or two….
Propping his feet on the couch, Harley leaned back and closed his eyes. After last night he should probably try to grab a nap, but he was still too wound up from catching Lauren and her friend creeping around the apartments, peeking in his windows. What had they been looking for, anyway?
Suddenly remembering that his mother had called while he was on the phone with the dealership, he sat up and punched her number into his cell. Beverly Nelson-Hallifax-West, who was single again after the failure of her third marriage, probably needed money. Harley paid all her bills and gave her a small allowance every month. She had enough to get by, but ever since she’d taken up bingo, she was always after him for more. And it was pretty hard to refuse an old woman the pleasure of a night at the bingo parlor. Except that Harley feared she’d meet someone there and get involved in yet another doomed relationship. At least now that her financial needs were met, she was slowing down on the boyfriends. She hadn’t let a man move in with her for the past three years, which saved Harley the trouble of moving him out when things fell apart.
“Mom?”
“There you are,” she said in her deep, smoker’s voice. “I thought you were going to call me back.”
“I am calling you back. What’s up? You need money again?”
“Why do you always think I’m calling about money?”
Because most of the time you are. “Bingo’s tonight, isn’t it?”
“It is, but I’ve already got the money. I won $250 last time. I called ’cause I want to know what’s happening with Brandon. You’ve been gone four days and haven’t checked in with me once.”
He rubbed his temples and didn’t mention that he hadn’t even considered contacting her. Their relationship was changing now that she was growing older. She was much more mindful of him and eager for his attention, but old habits were hard to break. “Sorry. I would’ve called, but I haven’t even seen him yet.”
“Why not? What’ve you been doing?”
Not much, unless you include getting arrested for an old speeding ticket and buying a suit. “Lauren Worthington hasn’t been very happy to see me.”
“So? Who is she?”
“Audra’s sister.”
“Where’s Quentin?”
“In Europe.”
“Brandon’s with his aunt, and you’re letting her stop you?”
Harley couldn’t help chuckling. “What do you want me to do, break into their house?”
“You don’t have to break into anything. Brandon goes to school, doesn’t he? A school is public property.”
“Not the kind Brandon would attend,” Harley said, but his mother had started him thinking. Why was he sitting in Tank’s apartment waiting for some judge to award him his son several months, maybe years, down the road? He needed to go the legal route, of course, and certainly planned to do so, but the only thing stopping him from seeing Brandon now, today, was Lauren’s refusal. And after what had happened a few hours ago, he didn’t think that anything she said or did should matter to him.
“If I showed up at school, Brandon would tell Lauren. And she’d probably get the entire faculty and staff up in arms. She might even serve me with a restraining order.”
“Let her. Wouldn’t it be worth ruffling a few feathers to meet your son?”
Definitely, Harley thought, smiling at the role reversal between them. It was a sad day when his mother had to tell him to take a risk. He used to be a hellraiser. What was happening to him?
“Maybe I’ll stop by there tomorrow,” he said.
“And then you’ll call me? Tell me about Brandon? He’s my only grandchild, you know. And it doesn’t look like you’re in any hurry to give me more.”
Harley rolled his eyes. Interesting that she’d be so concerned about her grandson when she didn’t spare her own son a second thought unless there wasn’t another man in her life. “I’ll let you know how it goes,” he said, then he hit the end button and got up to shave, picturing Lauren and her friend Kim running through the parking lot with a pair of binoculars. Maybe it was time he did some sneaking around of his own. After all, the battle lines had been drawn, and all was fair in love and war.
“IS BRANDON HOME from school?” Kimberly asked, her voice tinny as it came through Lauren’s speakerphone and into the Worthingtons’ vaulted kitchen.
Lauren glanced across the room at her nephew, who was sitting at the table doing his homework while she stood at the island making cookies. “Yeah. He’s right here.”
“You guys want to come over and go swimming? May’s usually too cold, but with the weather we’ve been having…”
“Yeah!” Brandon said, but Lauren spoke at the same time, saying, “Not today. I’ve got too much to do.”
“Like what?” Kimberly asked. “I thought your father’s new vice-president was handling most things at the office these days.”
“He is, but I have a lot of calls to make for that fund-raiser.”
“The women’s shelter event?”
“That’s the one.”
“Then Brandon and I will go swimming later. You’re still coming over tonight, aren’t you, Brandon?”
Lauren looked at her nephew, hoping for a positive response instead of the reluctance she’d encountered yesterday, and was relieved when he didn’t argue with her. “Yeah, I’m coming,” he said, but he didn’t sound particularly excited about it and quickly bent over his homework again.
“You sure your parents won’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll bring him after dinner then,” Lauren said.
“What are you doing right now?” Kimberly asked.
“Baking cookies.” Lauren’s hands were busy dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet, but her mind was still on Audra’s journals. She’d only had a few minutes to read before it was time to retrieve Brandon from school. What she’d seen so far was promising, though, and she was dying to get back to it. Just before she left, she’d found a volume that began at the start of Audra’s junior year, judging by the date. She hoped her sister’s senior year—the year she got to know Harley—would follow. But anxious as Lauren was to find out, she couldn’t pore through the journals in front of Brandon. She wasn’t sure they were something he should see.
“You’re acting funny,” Kimberly said. “Are you still mad at me about today?”
“A little,” she admitted.
“Come on, Lauren. I said I was sorry.”
“I know. It’s okay, I guess. I’m just a little…preoccupied.”
Brandon frowned up at her. “You were mad at Kim? What for?”
“Nothing,” she told him, and grabbed the handset off its cradle despite her flour-covered hands before Kim could say anything that might generate more questions.
“Want me to bring you some cookies?” she asked so they wouldn’t have to talk about the fiasco at the Springfield Apartments. Lauren had been completely humiliated, and she didn’t feel much better thinking back on it.
“That’d be great,” Kim said. “Has You-Know-Who called?”
You-Know-Who? For some reason, calling Harley that made Lauren think of Harry Potter’s “He Who Must Not Be Named.” She hoped the two had nothing in common. “No. And you’re off speakerphone.”
“I can tell. I’m just being careful.”
“I
appreciate that.”
“So you haven’t heard anything?”
“Nothing.”
“What about your father? Have you talked to him?”
There was a message on the answering machine from her parents. Theirs was probably the call she’d heard in the attic. Or maybe it was Damien’s. He’d left a message, too, saying he’d talked to Tank and didn’t think Harley would take a bribe. A bit late on that piece of information. “No. It’s after midnight in London. I’ll get in touch with my dad in the morning.”
“Okay. So you’ll be coming over soon?”
“Yeah. See you in a little while.”
“Why were you mad at Kim?” Brandon asked when Lauren had hung up.
“I wasn’t mad at her, not really,” she said. “Are you sure you’re okay with staying over there again tonight?”
He rested his chin in one hand and studied the tip of his pencil. “Yeah, I guess, if you need me to. I mean, Kimberly’s pretty cool. She lets me eat all the ice cream I want. But she doesn’t like to play Hearts.” He made a face. “She wants me to watch television while she talks on the phone forever. And too much television’s not good for kids.”
Lauren smiled. That sounded like his schoolteacher talking. “You don’t watch too much television. I make sure of that. And Kim doesn’t enjoy Hearts because she always gets stuck with the queen of spades. No one likes to stack up thirteen points almost every hand when the object of the game is to get as few points as possible.”
“She’s not a very good player?”
“Let’s just say I’ve seen better.”
“Great,” he said happily. “If I can talk her into playing with me, maybe I’ll have a chance to shoot the moon and actually make it work this time.”
Lauren laughed as she took the first batch of freshly baked cookies out of the oven. “I don’t know anyone more dedicated to mastering everything they learn than you are,” she said, putting two good-sized cookies on a plate and carrying them to the table, along with a glass of milk.
He eagerly pushed his homework out of the way and smiled up at her. “Shooting the moon isn’t easy,” he said. “But I think it’s going to be worth it.”
CHAPTER TEN
PRIVACY AND TIME. AT LAST. Forgetting all the calls she needed to make on the fund-raiser, Lauren dashed to her room as soon as she returned from taking Brandon to Kim’s and scooped Audra’s journals out from under the bed. Piling them on her nightstand, she arranged her pillows, then settled back to read the one that started with her sister’s junior year.
October 14, 1989
Johnny Dakota asked me to the Homecoming Dance today. I don’t really want to go with him, but hey, it’s better than saying yes to some geek. Kevin already asked Melissa. (Boo hoo!) And Gary’s taking LeAnn. I guess I shouldn’t have broken up with him until after Homecoming. I’ll be lucky if Johnny doesn’t get stoned at the game and forget to pick me up, which just can’t happen because I have the most incredible dress…
Lauren recognized the names and remembered the faces. Johnny, eyes red-rimmed and glazed almost all the time. Kevin, handsome, rich and completely stuck-up. And Gary, sweet, friendly Gary, who’d followed Audra around like a puppy. The journal went on to tell all about Homecoming Night and how Audra had started out with Johnny but ended up leaving the dance with Kevin. They went to a party, got drunk and slept together—even though, according to the journal, Audra wasn’t really interested in Kevin anymore. By then, she’d figured out he was too conceited. However, she seemed to like the idea that Quentin would be shocked by her actions. Lauren frowned when she read a whole paragraph dedicated to how much their father would hate what Audra was doing.
Other than that, the journal was almost completely filled with what the boys at school said or did and which one Audra liked at the moment. It wasn’t difficult to find Harley’s name. He figured in earlier than Lauren had expected, appearing for the first time right after Homecoming.
November 2, 1989
Harley Nelson is so gorgeous! What a babe! And he smiled at me today, right in front of Marie and all my friends. They nearly turned green with envy. Hillary’s been trying to get his attention for months, but he didn’t even look at her, which was the best part of all because she’s stabbed me in the back way too many times. Rhonda said she’s been calling Gary and telling him he’s better off without me. Like she’d be perfect for him? Give me a break…
The entry veered off on a tangent, about Hillary stealing a blouse out of Audra’s locker, which was part of the reason Audra didn’t like her. Then it detailed an argument Audra had had with their father over whether or not she was grounded for the weekend. There weren’t any entries for the next few weeks and no mention of Harley again until the Christmas holiday, when Audra went to a party and actually danced with him.
Shaking her head after reading the details of another sexual encounter with a cousin of the Robinson boys who’d lived down the street, Lauren skipped forward. She and her sister had been so different, even way back then. Audra had been consumed with garnering male attention, being the most popular girl in school and getting high. Lauren had been too busy getting good grades, establishing a relationship with her teachers, excelling at debate and working in her father’s video stores. She’d admired a couple of boys, of course. One who wore glasses as thick as hers but consistently challenged her in debate and would probably go on to become a United States senator or something. And Harley, a poor boy with grease under his nails who drove a motorcycle and got her sister pregnant. He was hardly the type an achievement-oriented girl would aspire to marry and yet Lauren couldn’t deny that there’d always been a mysterious allure about him that appealed to something very basic in her.
Maybe she wasn’t so unlike Audra, after all. What would she have done if Harley had given her even a crumb of his attention?
Lauren smiled wistfully as she remembered a barbecue she’d attended in the spring of her sophomore year. It was Elaine Scofield’s end-of-year party and over a hundred kids, as well as several neighborhood families, had been invited for hot dogs and hamburgers and swimming. Harley had been there. For an hour or so, he’d played pool and Lauren had watched him from the dimmest corner of the game room, where she and Kimberly had been talking when he and his crowd came in. He hadn’t done particularly well at croquet earlier—according to Kevin, who was taunting him about it when they poured into the room—but then croquet probably wasn’t a game Harley played much at home. Pool was another story. He could shoot like a hustler, and he proved it by beating all takers and winning all bets. His skill, coordinated movements and rugged good looks riveted Lauren and Kimberly until he went out to swim and started flirting with Audra. Then Quentin, already angry because Audra had defied him by wearing a shockingly revealing bikini, dragged the entire family home, and they were treated to yet another of Audra’s and Quentin’s many arguments.
So much for the end-of-year party, Lauren thought. But then she chanced upon an entry recording some of the events of that very day and had to pause long enough to read it. Audra wrote that her father had gotten upset over nothing, that he’d tried to ruin her fun just because she wore a swimsuit he didn’t like and flirted with a boy he considered beneath them.
Forget the fact that she’d been making a fool of herself in front of everyone they knew….
With a sigh, Lauren thumbed toward the back of the book. This wasn’t getting her anywhere. The details Audra felt were important enough to record were merely highlighting the vast differences between them and making Lauren feel more distant from Audra than ever. Why couldn’t Audra understand how cheap wearing that suit had made her look? Especially combined with the way she’d been brushing up against Harley in the pool?
Lauren was ready to give up and tote the journals back to the attic so Brandon wouldn’t find them when she caught sight of Harley’s name again. Almost six months had passed without mention of him, but then he appeared at the beginning of Audra’s senior ye
ar. She hadn’t written for most of the summer so it was a long entry, mostly concerned with the boys she’d met at Nana’s in Colorado, where she’d spent the summer. At the bottom of the page she said she’d seen Harley after second period and thought he was totally and completely hot and that she was determined to make him her new conquest.
From there, Lauren was riveted because almost every entry was centered on Harley. Audra had started calling him the first week of school and begun arranging meetings with him at the houses of different friends. Soon he was calling her, too. Or rather, he’d let the phone ring once and hang up so Quentin couldn’t answer. Then Audra would slip away and phone him back, and they’d set up their next rendezvous. It was a classic example of forbidden love, except that Lauren got the impression Audra was more interested in spiting her father than in loving anyone.
November 9, 1991
I slipped out of the house after dinner last night and went to Harley’s. Dad thought I was studying, but I couldn’t read a word, not with him in the house. He makes me sick. What a hypocrite! He’s always handing me all these brochures on the dangers of drinking and smoking, as if he lived a monk’s life when he was in school! Just because my little sister’s the perfect nerd, straight As, long skirts and not a horny bone in her body, he wants me to be the same. Well, they can have each other. I’m not like Lauren. I can get any man I want and make him grateful to have me….
