She was quiet until she finally found her voice. “Thank you. Thank you for saying that.”
“You noticed Zenith, huh?”
She felt a laugh bubbling in her throat. “You’d have to be dead not to notice Zenith. I about had a coronary when I first heard your voice over the radio. God, it’s...”
“Crazy, huh?”
She closed her eyes to keep herself from saying what she really thought. “No. It’s well deserved, Rob. You deserve what’s happened to you. I almost called you the first time I heard Zenith on the radio.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“What was the point? You didn’t need my approval.”
“You’re sure about that?” he said so softly, she paused. She glanced off towards the dance class, and noticed Kayla watching her, studying her with eyes Rebecca couldn’t totally read.
“So Erica’s down here right now.”
Rebecca tuned back to Rob’s voice. “Isn’t she all the time?”
“No. Not enough for Spencer. He’s fucking miserable when she’s not here. It’s almost pathetic. We’re playing the Tonight Show and all Spencer worries about is when he can call her next.”
“So... everything is okay for you guys? With all the attention? The fame? The…”
“Partying? Yeah, it’s fine. Sober as Kayla.”
Rebecca bit her lip. Maybe he didn’t want her to talk about that.
“How about you, Rebecca? How are you?”
“Ah, fine. I’ve been fine.” What did Erica tell him? Why was he asking now? After all this time? Was it coincidence? Or did Erica tell him everything pathetic about her?
“You sure?”
“Did Erica say something to you? Is that why you’re calling?”
He was quiet. “No. Should she have said something to me?”
“No,” Rebecca said quickly. “No, I’m fine. I had some trouble a few months ago. I was a little tired and under the weather. Erica wrote a prescription, and advised me to talk to someone. I’m fine now.”
Silence. He didn’t answer and she wondered why. “Rob?”
“Yeah, I’m still here. You were depressed, weren’t you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe mildly.”
“You could have called me.”
“And said what? Besides, you were making it then. You didn’t need to deal with my problems.”
“You mean you? I didn’t need to deal with you?”
“I’m fine now. Erica was right.”
“And the girls?”
Ah, the girls. Her girls. “They are good. Kathy’s in fourth grade now, and Karlee’s in kindergarten. She’s starting to read already.”
“Karlee probably wouldn’t remember me.”
“Of course, she does! She sees you on TV and goes nuts.”
“You guys watch me on TV? Is that on purpose?”
“Sometimes,” she said vaguely. Every time. “It’s really weird seeing you there.”
“It’s really weird being there. Being here.”
Ask it. What about Doug? How are Doug and she? Ask it so she could tell him Doug no longer lived with them. She was in the process of getting divorced. Rebecca ached to tell him. It was on her tongue. Then she thought, but why? Why tell him? It would do no good. And change nothing. He still couldn’t come back and pick up where they left off, as if the last year hadn’t happened. Like he wasn’t Zenith or Rob Williams now. Or dating Vivi Tayler now.
“It was good to hear your voice, Rob,” she finally said. “I’m glad you called.”
It sounded so weak. So lame. So stupid. So half of what she really wanted to say. Come back. Come home. Come live with me. I love you. I want to be with you. But instead, she said, it was nice to hear his voice.
“It was good to hear your voice too, Rebecca. Why haven’t you written another book?”
“What?” The question startled her.
“You. Why aren’t you writing?”
“How do you know…”
“I was there; I witnessed your persistent habit of not putting yourself first. Figured since there was no mention of your series on Sober Intentions, that you hadn’t written it. Go write it. Strike now, while the iron’s hot. You got a chance here, and you don’t get many, so take it. Don’t you dare waste it.”
“I don’t know who to write about,” she said feebly. Not wanting to tell him she was busy again as a single mother, and working full time at the school district. Or that she lost her heart while doing it.
“What about your sister?”
“Trina? How’d you know?” Trina entered rehab much to the shock and chagrin of her family. Everyone, but Nick, who Rob had apparently warned.
“Yeah, maybe,” she said.
“Do it, Rebecca. For me. I’m about to go into practice, so I’ve got to go. I just wanted to say congratulations.”
“Thank you, Rob,” she said her heart twisting as she clicked her phone off and disconnected him. How come he called? How come he achieved success on a huge, grand, magnificent scale and she was too afraid to even send him an e-mail? But right off, he was there for her and proud of her. She felt her heart falling. She was his past, his once upon a time. The funny little housewife he used to know once upon a time. It broke her heart.
****
Rob felt Erica’s gaze on him. “Why didn’t you say more?”
Rob smiled. “I accomplished what I wanted.”
“Which was what?”
“Feeling her out. Figuring out where she is. Putting me back in her head.”
“And you did that?”
“Oh yeah,” Rob said, smiling with the confidence that used to be a part of him, but disappeared for several years. Until recently.
“Why didn’t you ask about Doug?”
“Why didn’t she tell me herself?”
“She’s scared.”
“So am I.”
“What are you going to do then?”
“Figure out how to do this, and get her back.”
****
“Nick?” Rob said into his phone when he recognized the caller ID.
“Hey there, Rob, how are you?”
“You’re kidding me, right? This is Nick Lassiter? My ex-wife’s husband?”
“Water under the bridge, man. How the hell are you? Been awhile, huh?”
“Yeah. What, ah, what can I do for you?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Of me? What could I possibly do for you?”
“Seems my niece stuck her foot in her mouth.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kayla, I’m talking about my niece, Kayla, who asked me to call you.”
Rob’s heart stopped at the mention of Rebecca’s daughter. “Why?”
“Seems she’s on the planning committee for her middle school’s dance. She sort of promised the dance committee she could get you, as in Zenith, to perform for their dance.”
“What?”
“Yeah. She now realizes she shouldn’t have done that. But surely you remember being that age.”
“You want us to come perform at a middle school dance?”
“Yep. Next weekend. At my sister’s daughter’s school. You remember my sister, right?”
Rob was silent for a long moment. “What’s going on here, Nick? You want me to come back? To your sister? Your nieces?”
Nick’s voice changed, and went serious. “She kicked Doug out a few months back.”
“I just spoke to her. Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I don’t know… because you’re suddenly famous, and she thinks you guys can’t go back to before. Or being together. Now she thinks you can’t settle with her. She thinks she will hold you back.”
Rob absorbed that. “Doug’s really gone? How far?”
“Down the road about ten minutes. He hasn’t left the girls or anything. Rebecca just finally realized she doesn’t have to be with Doug, and doesn’t owe it to the girls in order for Doug to remain in their lives.”
>
“And Kayla?”
“Kayla saw Rebecca talking to you at her dance class. She came to me and asked me to get a hold of you. She wants you to come back to her mother.”
Rob quit breathing. Did someone punch him? “And you agreed to call?”
“Yeah. So… are you going to be there?”
Rob shook his head. “What? The middle school dance? Without warning Rebecca?”
“Rebecca will be there too, chaperoning. You going to be there?”
Rob ran through his schedule. The one that his manager, publicist, and his people put together for him. It would require him going home a few months earlier than he planned. It could cause some problems. Spencer was next to him, listening as he talked and obviously following the thread of the conversation.
Spencer nodded and Rob smiled. “Yeah. Tell Kayla we’ll play her dance.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rebecca wasn’t sure what was wrong with her daughter. Kayla was acting weird. She was so nice! She asked Rebecca to chaperone her dance at school that Kayla was helping to plan. Why would she want her mother there? Rebecca happily agreed without question; who would say no to such a simple request? Kayla was so excited about the dance planning, she talked about it every day. Most of the time, Rebecca couldn’t get her to even grunt hello, let alone, report to her mother about her day.
Watching the news that night, Rebecca saw Rob’s face flash on the news story. She quickly raised the volume and saw it was from an earlier interview.
“Any comments on the new book out? Is any of it true?”
“Of course, it’s true. Every word.”
“So, you are an alcoholic.”
“Yes, a recovering alcoholic.”
“And this author, Rebecca Randall, why her? Why did you tell your story to her?”
Rob looked into the camera. “Because she asked me. And also because she’s an excellent writer. Read the book, and you’ll see.”
Rebecca blushed, starting in the cheeks before blooming through her face and down to her neck. Holy shit, she was on the national news! Her name and her book were now the latest threads of gossip and society. She couldn’t believe it. She sat there, utterly stunned. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined this.
“Is it true you had an affair with the author? This woman, Rebecca Randall? A woman who is reportedly married?”
Rob stiffened. How the hell could anyone know that? “No. I saw her for a time, after she separated from her husband. However, it has no bearing on the book.”
“So you became involved afterwards?”
“Yeah. But let me remind you, that’s not anyone’s business but mine.”
“How did she choose you to write about even before Zenith made it so big?”
Rob smirked. “She had this crazy idea, which turned out to be brilliant. She thought if I could succeed at singing, it would automatically sell her book. At the time, I thought it was nonsense and I didn’t believe her. Good thing she didn’t listen to me or anyone else. As it turns out, she was right.”
Rob sounded like he was in awe of her. And respected her. Rebecca’s eyes were riveted on the TV, and she felt as if he were talking directly to her, instead of across some alternate, pre-recorded universe. The unexpected rush of how much she missed him almost floored her. She glanced up when she heard someone shuffling behind her.
“Mom? Was that your name on the TV?” Kathy asked, her eyes as big as saucers.
“Yes! Yes, it was,” Rebecca said, smiling with unconcealed delight. She was on TV. Her name was being talked about. She was even being accused of a scandal on national television. She, Rebecca Randall, mother of three, and Doug’s wife. She started laughing at the surprise and sheer absurdity of it. Not to mention, the freak circumstances surrounding it.
Her affair with Rob Williams of Zenith would only become harder to believe the longer Rob was famous, and continued dating starlets and models. One song finally made it to number three on the charts. As a cataclysmic sequence of events, her association with Zenith, and with Rob, would launch her book, which could only take off from there.
The phone rang.
“Are you watching channel five?”
Trina. It was Trina. “Yeah, I am.”
“How did you manage to be so smart? So intuitive? And see all that in Rob when he didn’t?”
“I guess he was always that to me.”
Trina was quiet. “You should be so proud of yourself! You’ve done it! You did something really incredible and fantastic.”
“Thank you, Trina,” she said quietly.
“Look, Rebecca, I was thinking…”
“Yes?”
“Maybe you could write about me. You know, the pills. I was an addict, just like Rob said and I didn’t even know it then. I hated him for seeing it before I did.”
“Maybe you hated everyone else more for not seeing it,” Rebecca replied.
“Maybe. Hey look, I’m sorry. I mean, for how awful I’ve been during the last few years.”
“I’d like to write about you if you are really willing. But you’d have to take me seriously.”
“I do. I finally do take you seriously, Rebecca.”
Rebecca smiled. “Thank you, sis. It’s so nice to hear.”
The phone rang off the hook after that: her sisters, her mother, and even Nick called. There were also friends, of course, and even the parents of other kids, who were all shocked, and impressed to learn she was already a famous author. Doug even called and congratulated her on her unprecedented success.
The only one that mattered to Rebecca, however, never called. Rob purposely announced on national television that she was a good writer, thereby making her famous. He didn’t do it by accident, but rather, specifically to help her. He remembered her plan, and did that for her. She was now successful simply because of him. Yet, he didn’t call her.
****
Kayla came into her bedroom. “You’re wearing that?”
Rebecca bristled at her daughter’s tone. As if she were standing there in some hideous, dorky outfit. She had on nice, tan slacks and a pretty blouse. She looked attractive and nice.
“What would you suggest I wear? My mini-skirt and knee-high disco boots?”
“Well, at least you wouldn’t look like… like a mom. You can’t wear that.”
“Do I have to remind you, young lady, that I am a mom. I know seventh-graders are the latest commentators on all that is stylish and fashionable, but I’m not about to dress according to your suggestions.”
“Just wear this. Please, Mom?” Kayla dug through her closet and came out holding up a black shirt. It had a scoop-neck and a large, white butterfly on the shoulder. “Come on; you own this, and you could wear these jeans and your black boots. The ones that have heels. Please, Mom?”
Rebecca stared at her daughter curiously. She dealt with a lot of things as Kayla was growing up, often involving new moods, as well as new trends. Kayla changed often, sometimes even daily. Apparently, her newest passion concerned how her mother dressed.
“Fine, I’ll wear the black outfit with jeans. I certainly don’t want to embarrass you. Need I remind you that it was your idea for me to go tonight?”
“I know. I know. Thanks, Mom,” Kayla said as she kissed Rebecca’s cheek. “Tonight will be awesome. Just make sure you wear your hair down, you know, and styled around your face; it looks best that way.”
“Right. Because I look hideous otherwise,” Rebecca mumbled as she started changing.
“And makeup. Wear lots of it.”
“Who? You or me?” Rebecca asked as Kayla trotted happily out of the room.
Rebecca rolled her eyes. What the hell was going on with Kayla tonight?
When Rebecca heard the knock at the door, she ran down and found Doug there. He was picking up Kathy and Karlee. He smiled at her. They talked briefly about a few scheduling conflicts with the girls. It was strange, how much better they were when separated. Doug took the girl
s every other weekend and every Wednesday night. He also had them whenever she had other things to do. Or appointments. He became reliable, kind and polite. He took the girls out everywhere, and talked to them about many topics. He became everything Rebecca could’ve asked for or wanted as the father of her children. But not as her husband. Their relationship improved also, now that he no longer lived with them. He even started dating a lady in town, the mother of a fourth-grader.
“Kayla asked me to pick her up at school so she could spend the night with the other girls tonight,” Doug said.
“Sure. That’s fine. Be warned though! She’s on the warpath tonight. Her hormones are surging like a tsunami, and she’s acting really weird.”
“She’s an adventure, all right.”
“Thanks again for taking them tonight.”
“Hey, you’re welcome,” Doug said, running his eyes over her. “You look very nice this evening.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your daughter dressed me! Has she mentioned anything that’s going on? She’s been acting so strange.”
“No. But I’ll ask her after the dance.”
“Thanks, Doug,” Rebecca paused. “Thanks for everything.”
“Right back at you. I mean it. For letting me back into their lives. I know I can never make up for what I missed, but if you hadn’t let me come back, and encouraged them to forgive me, they wouldn’t have.”
“I’m glad that you like being back. They need us both.”
He nodded. The girls came barreling out the door, their overnight bags in hand, while chattering away. Rebecca shut the door on them, and felt her heart lighten. Things were finally becoming okay. Not perfect. Or ideal. But they were working. The girls had their father back. They were not as scared, and the ensuing divorce, while difficult and sad, was not devastating or abnormal to any of them.
Kayla came through the living room. “Ready, Mom? We can leave now and I don’t think we’ll be too early.”
Kayla was insistent on not arriving too early because they wouldn’t look cool.
Rebecca smiled. Yeah, she was ready. Kayla was quite pretty in a jean skirt and peasant-style top with tights and black dress shoes. Nothing too risque, but definitely not the outfit of a little girl. Rebecca realized her oldest was quickly growing up, and although it made Rebecca happy to see, she sadly acknowledged it was really happening.
Zenith Fulfilled (Zenith Trilogy, #3) Page 33
