“My real dad,” Nora said softly.
“Exactly. He gave you a wonderful childhood, and so did your mom,” I said. “Well, a ‘boring, regular’ childhood as you put it a while ago, which believe me, is wonderful. I would’ve killed to have a regular childhood when I was young.”
“I get it,” she said. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I’ve been so selfish. It never even occurred to me that you went through something so similar. I just…I was so upset I could only see my own problems.”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s allowed to be a bit selfish from time to time. But I think you should go back and talk to your parents now,” I replied. “You need to stop running and hiding. Face the issue head on, like I said earlier.”
She sighed and hugged her knees to her chest, looking out at the moonlit water of the creek. “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll go back. I’ll talk to them.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nora
Jacob was right about everything.
I’d simply been too blinded with emotion to look at anything from a viewpoint other than my own, but he’d opened my eyes and shown me the light. I knew what I had to do now. I had to talk to my parents and actually listen this time, instead of shrilly arguing with them and making unfounded accusations about them being horrible people for never letting me know my real father. From what they’d said, my biological father wasn’t worth knowing, and maybe that was okay. Maybe families didn’t have to be dictated entirely by genes and biology. It could be about the people who chose to accept you and love you whether or not you ‘belonged’ to them in a genetic sense.
I trudged back toward my childhood home with Jacob, Oscar padding behind us. My parents were waiting out on the side porch—Jacob had texted them to let them know to stop looking for me. Their faces were drawn and etched with guilt as we approached, and I gave them a weak smile. “Can we go back inside?”
We all sat back down in the living room a moment later, except for Jacob, who took Oscar out into another room to give my family some privacy. Mom sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She was starting to get a couple of greys, but as she looked over at me, she looked young, vulnerable.
Her hazel eyes fixed on me. “I’m so sorry, Nora. Please believe me. We only wanted the best for you,” she said, her voice weary.
“I know.”
“It wasn’t easy keeping something this big from you all these years. Perhaps it’s a good thing that it’s finally all come out now,” she murmured. She looked down, then back up and across the room, not at the row of photos above the mantel, but into the past.
Dad put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it for a second, and then he moved over next to me. “I’m sorry too, Nora. But no matter how long you stay mad at me for, I’m still your dad. And you’re my daughter, whether you like it or not,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“I do like it,” I said, my own voice cracking. “I know you’re my dad, and I wouldn’t want anyone else.”
I cried then, for longer than I cared to admit, and when I was done and my eyes were dry, we talked. I heard in great detail about everything my parents hid from me over the years, how hard it was, how many times they’d thought of telling me. How many times they’d been terrified that I’d inadvertently find out their secret from a simple doctor’s visit, just like I had today. They’d been waiting for things to come crashing down for a long time now, but neither of them had really been ready for it to happen. And how could anyone ever be ready for such a momentous thing?
We talked for what felt like a hundred hours, although it was only two, and I realized I hadn’t done something like this in years. I spoke to Mom on the phone regularly to hear all her neighborhood gossip, and I went back and visited both parents every few months, of course, but it was always for casual catching up and general conversation over lunch and whatever game was on TV. We never really talked, not like this.
When all the serious stuff was out of the way, and it felt like we were all tapped out, I gave my parents a watery smile. “In the name of being honest about everything tonight, I should probably admit something to you. I kept something from you last time I was here. Well, outright lied, actually.”
“What is it?” Mom asked, her forehead lined with concern.
“Erm…well, Mom, you weren’t wrong about my boyfriend being an accountant whose name started with J. That was James. But we broke up, because he was a total asshole. An asshole who’s still harassing me, in fact. I was too embarrassed to admit it to you that morning when you called me, so I lied and said I had a boyfriend, and then…then I roped Jacob into pretending to be my boyfriend for the afternoon so I wouldn’t have to come clean. I’m sorry. I know it was wrong.”
Mom looked at me for a long moment, and then she looked at Dad. For a second I thought they were going to frown and chastise me for lying, but they burst out laughing instead. “We’ve still got it, Anne,” Dad said, holding out his palm toward her for a high five. “Still sharp.”
“Wait…what?” I said. “What’s happening here?”
Dad grinned. “We had a feeling you were trying to trick us. Your mother was certain that you’d told us your boyfriend was an accountant, and I was certain his name was James. So when you showed up with Jacob Archer, of all people, we were more than a little shocked. But we played along.”
“You sneaky rats! Why did you ask us to stay the night if you knew?”
They looked embarrassed. “We were waiting for one of you to crack, to be honest,” Mom said. “But then neither of you did.”
“And I really liked Jacob, anyway,” Dad added. “The way he looked at you, and the way you two got along…I had a feeling it wouldn’t be too long till he was really yours. And well, look what’s happened. You two are together now, aren’t you?”
“I…”
“Yes, we are,” Jacob said from the doorway before I could finish my sentence. He’d just walked in with the dog, and my heart leapt at his words. “And I’m sorry I helped Nora out with her scheming last time I was here. I felt bad for lying, really.”
“Get us tickets to the premiere event for your movie when it comes out, and all will be forgiven,” Dad said.
“Done.”
“Speaking of that movie, we have to work on it tomorrow,” I said. “And it’s getting late. We should really head off. And don’t worry, it’s not raining, so we’re safe to drive. No need to trick us into staying over again.”
My mom and dad both wrapped their arms around me for a long time before we left. “Thank you for trying to understand everything,” Mom murmured. “We’re so lucky you’re our daughter.”
I gave her a tight smile. “Well, it’s still going to take a while to let it all sink in, but we’re okay, Mom. I forgive you. And Dad. You know that.”
“And you know that I’ll be down in the city in a flash if this ex of yours keeps harassing you,” Dad replied.
I smiled. “I know. But it’s okay. The police are on the case, and I’m staying at Jacob’s till it all blows over. I’m safe.”
After saying our goodbyes, we got into the car with Oscar, and I leaned over and kissed Jacob on the cheek. “Thanks for being here with me tonight,” I said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Of course. Now let’s get you and this golden boy home,” he replied, gesturing to Oscar, who was curled up on the backseat, already snoring.
“Yes,” I said, before sitting up straighter. “Wait, you don’t mean my house, do you?”
“Course not. I meant my place,” he replied. “Used to just feel like a house to me, y’know. But as long as you’re there, it’s feeling more and more like home.”
My cheeks glowed with warmth. “Really?”
“This is awkward. I was actually talking to the dog.”
I giggled and poked him in the arm. “Oh, shut up,” I said. Then my face turned serious. “Did you really mean that, though?” I added shyly. “About it feeling like home with me there?�
�
He looked over at me and winked. “Hell yeah.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Nora
Bzzt. Bzzt.
I groggily opened my eyes and rolled over to see my cell phone ringing. Sunlight was peeking through the blinds, and I knew it must be late in the morning, but I’d been planning on sleeping in until the phone rudely awakened me.
Another week and a half had passed by, and my work on Fourth Down was finally done—all the main sports-related scenes had been filmed. There were still a lot of other scenes that needed to be filmed over the next few months, but I didn’t need to be around for them, as per my contract, so I no longer needed to be at Meridian Studios every day. I didn’t have any other contracts with Delos at the moment, either, so I was taking the time off to relax and sleep in late for a while until I got another one assigned to me.
Too bad I hadn’t switched my cell phone to silent last night, though. My phone was nearly vibrating right off the nightstand. “Hello?” I said, trying hard not to sound too annoyed as I answered my phone.
“Nora, it’s Detective Sinclair. I’m calling with an update on your case.”
I sat up straight, immediately wide awake and alert. “Oh? You found something?”
“Yes. Our forensic computing guy was able to trace one of the messages sent to you online. Does the name Robert Quinto mean anything to you?”
I frowned. “No. Why?”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“All right. That’s the name registered with the internet service provider. For the address where the message was sent from, that is.”
“So someone named Robert Quinto is the one who’s been harassing me?” I asked, furrowing my brows with confusion.
“Not necessarily. Someone—likely James—could simply be using his internet somehow. It’s possible to hijack other people’s Wi-Fi, or he could’ve simply gone to his house and used his computer. But obviously we needed to check with you first and see if you knew anyone by the name Robert Quinto, just to rule him out.”
“Oh, of course. Well, I definitely don’t know anyone by that name. Have you spoken to Mr. Quinto?”
“We’ve attempted to get in contact with him, but apparently he’s just gone out of the country on business. We’ll keep trying, though. This is good news, Nora. It’s a solid lead. It’s not often that harassment cases like this go anywhere, to be perfectly honest.”
“I can imagine. Thanks for the call, detective.”
When our call was over, I yawned and stretched before padding into the bathroom and showering. Now that I was awake, I figured I may as well get started on my day, which included finally clearing out my house in Ellesmere Circle. In our spare time over the last few weeks, Jacob had been helping me clear up the mess that had been left when James—or whoever—broke in and trashed the place, and last time we were there together, he’d stopped, looked around and then asked me when the lease was due to expire. It was coming up soon, and I told him as such, upon which he’d asked me to move in with him permanently. I was always at his house anyway, given the current situation, and it just made perfect sense for us to take this big next step in our relationship.
So I said yes, of course.
Now that I had so much free time between contracts, I was taking the time to clear out all the things I was keeping and take the rest to a secondhand furniture donation store. It was a bittersweet feeling, letting go of some of the things I’d held onto for so long, but at the same time, I felt like I was also letting go of the past and starting a new chapter in my life. A chapter which included me living with Hollywood’s hottest actor.
Not bad, Nora.
I headed down to Brentwood, taking Oscar with me, and after several hours, my place was almost empty. All my remaining items were packed into bags marked as ‘keep’, ‘throw out’ or ‘donate’, and I sighed and sat on the back lawn, giving Oscar a belly rub as I looked out at the view across the hills.
“We had a good time here, didn’t we, boy?” I said.
Oscar panted, tongue lolling out of his mouth, and then he let out a short, sharp bark. I nodded. “Good idea. We need a pizza.”
I called Angie to come over and have some goodbye pizza with us, and she arrived before the food did.
“I still can’t believe you’re letting this place go,” she said, looking around longingly at the house. “The rent was so cheap, considering the neighborhood and all.”
“I know. But there’s no point holding onto a place I never stay at anymore. It’s just a waste of money.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure you want to do this, though? I mean, I know Jacob is great and all, but don’t you worry things have moved a little too fast? It’s only been two months since you started dating. Slightly less, actually.”
“You know that saying? ‘When you know, you know’,” I replied.
Angie nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, I know. Jacob is the one for me, Angie. He’s done so much for me, and even though we’ve only been together for a little while, I feel like I’ve known him forever. He’s helped me through so much, especially with what I found out about my parents the other week. Honestly, I can’t wait to officially live with him.”
She hesitated, and I knew what she was thinking. “I know you’re concerned and you think I’m being naïve, but I’m fine,” I said. “Even if it doesn’t end up working out, it’s not like I’m trapped there. I can just leave.”
“Fair enough. You know I’m only looking out for you,” she said, ruffling my hair. “Hold on, I think the pizza’s here.”
She went and retrieved our pepperoni and cheese pies, and when she returned, she laid out the two boxes in front of us. “You packed all the plates, I assume, so we have to eat with our hands.”
“I’m fine with that,” I said with a laugh.
There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as we ate, and then Angie wiped her mouth and turned to me. “This is the worst possible time to bring this up, seeing as you’re literally just about to move in with Jacob, but I have some news for you.”
I wrinkled my forehead. “What is it?”
“I had lunch with Bonnie the other day. She loved the work you put in on Fourth Down. Said all the scenes you consulted on are top-notch. Perfect. And she thinks you really helped Jacob in his performance so far. She wasn’t the one who decided to cast him as Simmons, so she was always a bit wary of him. Worried he might be better suited to acting on TV dramas. But she said he’s capturing Simmons perfectly.”
“Oh, great. Glad to hear it. But what’s that got to do with me moving in with Jacob?”
“I’m not done,” she went on. “Bonnie actually recommended you to another film studio. Hartwell. They want to meet with you.”
I smiled. Hartwell was a huge production company. They’d produced six of the ten biggest blockbuster films in the last five years. “That’s great! I don’t have any contracts at the moment, so I’m definitely in the market for new work,” I said. “It’s all based here, right?”
She hesitated. “Um. That’s the problem. They have offices and studios here, but for this project they’re mostly based in New York. The film they’re interested in hiring you for will be shooting there.”
“That’s okay. If they just need a quick consulting job like I did with Fourth Down, I can go and stay over there for a few weeks. It’s no problem.”
“It’s a six month job,” Angie said. “They want a full-on consultant for the whole film, not just for one aspect of it.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. And you’re just moving in with Jacob, so it might be weird for you to take off for six months. You guys have only been dating for two, so suddenly switching to long distance for such a long time…I don’t know. Do you think you guys would be able to make that work?”
I chewed on my lip as I considered it. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t speak for Jacob. I knew he’d be supportiv
e of me and my career—he knew how much it meant to me, and he was just wonderful like that—but I wasn’t sure how things would turn out if I had to move several thousand miles away for half a year. Of course I wanted us to work out, but I’d seen a lot of strong relationships crumble and dissolve under the strain of a long distance setup. Were we unbreakable, or could we crumble too?
“I hope so,” I ended up saying.
“I hope so too,” Angie said. “This could be huge for you, Nora. I know you’ve been wanting to branch out from Delos for a while and start your own consultancy business. Working for Hartwell on this could seriously help with that.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, it could.”
“I know it’s a hard decision to make, with Jacob and all.”
“How much time do I have to decide?” I asked.
Angie sighed. “Not long. They already had a guy, but he dropped out at the last possible minute. So they’re looking to meet with you and any other possible consultants as soon as possible.”
“How soon, exactly?”
“Tomorrow. And if it goes well, you’d need to fly out in a week.”
I almost choked on my slice of pizza. “A week?”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
What was I supposed to do? Say no, and ensure that my relationship with Jacob kept sailing on smoothly? Or did I take a chance and say yes to the project and leave in a week, possibly putting us in jeopardy?
The first thing I needed to do was obvious—I needed to speak to Jacob about it. But how would he take the news?
I guess all I could do was wait and see.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jacob
“Jacob Archer, you’ve been served.”
Ina handed a file to me over the table, and I grinned. We were having an early dinner at an Italian-Vietnamese fusion restaurant called L’Amio while Nora was finishing off the job of clearing out her old place with her best friend Angie. I couldn’t wait for Nora to officially live with me, and now that Ina was moving out soon, we would have the whole place to ourselves. Everything was falling into place perfectly.
Wrong (Hollywood Bad Boys) Page 15
