‘Doesn’t it bother you that he’s getting all the publicity on Tomorrows, sweetie? Especially since you’re the reason he’s America’s primo soap heart-throb.’
‘That’s not so. Cade turned out to be a good actor.’
‘Come on, Shannon. You made him look good, especially at the beginning when he was all nerves.’
‘He’s not like that anymore. He’s been getting terrific reviews...’
‘Tell me about it,’ Claire said sarcastically. 'Which reminds me—Tomorrows’ ratings went through the roof again this week, did you hear?’
‘Yes, so Jerry said. That’s good news for all of us, isn’t it?’
‘Especially Morgan. He’s the one who’s reaping all the publicity. Seems to me he’d be willing to share a little of it with you.’
Shannon wrapped her hands around her mugful of tea, letting the warmth seep through her. ‘I’m getting publicity. TV Guide interviewed me, didn’t they?’
‘They’ll give you a paragraph, if you’re lucky.’ Claire pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘Now, if Morgan introduced you to people, you know, if he showed them that the chemistry on-screen carries over off-screen..,’
Dark patches of crimson rose to Shannon’s cheeks. ‘Forget it.’
‘Well, that’s why Crawford matched you two up in the first place, remember? God, they’d eat it up! They’d...’
‘Stop it, Claire.’
‘Come on, Shannon, you can’t fool me. I’ve seen the way you look at him. Maybe you can pull the wool over everybody else’s eyes, but this is good old Claire, remember? You don’t have to pretend with me.’
‘I know you mean well,’ Shannon said slowly, putting the mug down on the counter. ‘But...’
‘I’m trying to get some mileage out of all this for you.. But I can’t boost your career unless you help.’
‘I’m not going to use my private life that way.’
‘Hey, I’m not asking you to invite anybody into your bedroom. I’m simply suggesting you make the most of an opportunity. I’m just suggesting what Morgan should have...’
‘Did you want to see me for anything else?’ Shannon asked coldly. ‘If not, I’ve got things to do.’
The agent sighed. ‘Okay, take it easy. What I really want to settle is what comes next. This stint on Tomorrows won’t last forever.’
‘It’s only December. You said this would go for months.’
‘Well, sure, I hope it will. But you’ve got to make plans for later—you know, trade on what little name recognition you’ve gotten. I told you I’ve had feelers from Rob Michaels about that revival he’s doing in LA in May. And then there’s Shakespeare in the Park this summer. I can’t put these guys off forever, kid. You’ve got to make some decisions while they still know who you are.’
‘I know, I know. I told you, I will.’
‘Yeah, but when? You know what this business is like. Today you’re hot, tomorrow you’re not. Once you and Tomorrows part company, we’ll be back to “Shannon Who?” That’s why you’re nuts to be so stubborn about this Cade Morgan thing. Let them know who you are.’
‘Goodbye, Claire,’ Shannon said firmly, shoving her agent’s still damp coat at her and leading her to the door. ‘I’d appreciate it if you’d call before you drop by in the future.’
‘Go on, get as huffy as you like. I’m still gonna tell you what’s on my mind. What’s good for you is good for me, but, I mean, if you don’t take my advice... Just think about it. You’ve got an opportunity, use it. Morgan sure is. The word around town is that his agent’s been out there shaking hands and slapping backs and doing everything but hiring a skywriter.’
‘Goodbye, Claire,’ Shannon repeated. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’
‘At least decide what you want me to tell Michaels. I have to tell him something.’
The slam of the door cut off Claire’s complaints. Shannon let out her breath and leaned against the wall, waiting until she heard the sharp sound of her agent’s heels tapping down the hall.
Lord, the woman was persistent! And she meant well—but not all the good intentions in the world would make her trade on what she and Cade felt for each other. It was intense, it was wonderful—and it was private.
Perhaps it had something to do with the way they’d met or with the millions who watched their on-screen love scenes, but from the beginning, they had kept their love affair quiet.
And becoming lovers had changed the way they approached their scenes together. Alana Dunbar and Johnny Wolff met before the cameras now, not Shannon and Cade. The love scenes still ‘sizzled’— they were both good actors. Besides, the sparks they struck would always be there, no matter how professional they were.
But the real Shannon and Cade embraced only when they were alone—and they were alone as often as possible.
Shannon kicked off her shoes and padded across the room. Her apartment felt like a refrigerator. She touched the living-room radiator and sighed. Still cold. The one in the bedroom was the same, although it gave a strangled gurgle when she banged it with her hand. The thing to do was get out of her damp clothing and into something warm, and then go back and finish her tea.
She hit the playback button on her answering machine, then pulled her dress over her head. The machine whirred into life and Claire’s voice filled the bedroom.
‘Hi, there, sweetie. Do me a favor and call me when you get in, yes?’
Shannon tossed the dress aside and pressed the button again.
‘Uh, this is Jose. The superintendent? Uh, I need to get into your apartment tomorrow. To work on the heat and I can’t ‘cause you got your own lock on the door. So maybe you could drop off your keys...’
I’ll be dead from the cold by tomorrow, she thought, hitting the button again. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of baggy grey sweatpants, a navy sweatshirt, and a Ragg sweater, listening while the machine clicked, whirred and returned to record. Her feet felt like lumps of ice and she put on white wool socks and then added her Mickey Mouse slippers.
The glamorous Shannon Padgett, relaxing at home, she thought, grinning at her reflection in the mirror.
She glanced at the clock as she went into the kitchen. Cade would probably be calling soon. He’d said he’d get in touch first chance he had. Picking up her teacup, she sipped at the liquid, made a face and tossed the tepid stuff into the sink. What was the point of making tea and drinking it cold? She sighed as she refilled the kettle and set it on the range. That Claire! She was impossible. Why couldn’t she simply be glad that All Our Tomorrows was doing as well as it was?
Be fair, Shannon told herself as she took a box of tea-bags from the shelf. Claire had been a pest lately, but she was only trying to do her job. Even without the kind of media attention she wanted, Shannon’s career was on the move. There were doors opening to her now that had been closed before, and all her agent was trying to tell her was what she already knew.
Either you stepped through those doors quickly or they swung shut. Nothing in the theater was deader than yesterday’s hit.
The kettle shrilled and she shut off the burner. No, you couldn’t blame Claire for wanting to make the most of what was happening. It was just that nothing—not even the New York offer or the Los Angeles offer—was as important as Cade.
She stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea, watching as the amber liquid swirled and eddied.
Still, she had to deal with those offers and she had to do it soon. You could only put off people so long.
How strange life was, she thought, sipping the hot tea. If the offers had come just a couple of weeks ago, she’d have been on the phone with Claire ten times a day, luxuriating in the pleasure of deciding which of them to accept.
Not that it wasn’t still exciting. It was just that she didn’t want to tie herself to three months in Los Angeles next summer or two months here in New York or anywhere else, not now. She wanted to be with Cade, and he wanted to be with her, and that was all that matt
ered.
‘There’s a little bistro in Marseilles that you’d love,’ he’d said as they had dined in a restaurant overlooking the East River. ‘It’s a madhouse during the summer, but it’s peaceful and quiet in the spring.’ And the other afternoon, reading lines together, he’d suddenly looked up and smiled at her. ‘Jack and Phil are going to open a place in Seattle next fall, did I tell you?’ And she’d said no, he hadn’t, and he’d smiled again. ‘Seattle’s a terrific city,’ he’d said. ‘You’d like it.’ And then, just last night, as they returned to her apartment after dinner, a couple of stoned kids had brushed by, muttering something vaguely obscene, and Cade had tensed. ‘We’ve got to get you out of this neighbourhood,’ he’d said. ‘It’s too damned dangerous.’
The sudden cry of the telephone startled her. She was half-way out of her chair before she remembered that the answering machine was still on. Perhaps that was just as well; Claire might have decided to try another approach.
It wasn’t until she was rinsing out her teacup that it suddenly occurred to her that it might be Cade calling. Stupid, she thought, wiping her hands on her sweatpants and hurrying out of the kitchen. Stupid...
Damn! Of course, it was Cade. The machine whirred and clicked and then his husky voice reached out to her through the silent rooms.
‘Hello, love. I called the studio but they said you’d gone for the day. I'm going to be stuck here for a while. Do you want to meet me at Nico’s at eight or shall I come by your apartment for you? Call me at 555-4180 and let me know...’
‘Yes,’ she gasped, snatching up the telephone.
Cade laughed softly. ‘A machine that responds, hmm? That’s wonderful. But it has to learn to make choices.’
‘Yes, I’ll meet you at Nico’s and yes, I’ll wait here for you,’ she said breathlessly, sinking down on a chair. ‘Whichever you prefer.’
‘You’re a nice, obliging sort, Padgett. Has anybody ever told you that before?’
‘Not lately,’ she said, thinking of Claire and the argument they’d just had. ‘How was your day?’
Cade sighed. ‘Long and dull. And yours?’
‘Short and dull,’ she laughed. ‘The weather put Jerry into a panic—I think he’s driving to Connecticut for the weekend—so he called things to a close a couple of hours ahead of time, which was just as well, because it took me forever to get home. I didn’t really do much after you left the studio this morning, anyway. Jerry spent a lot of time doing camera angles on Rima. She was purring like a cat with a dish of cream.’
‘Good old Rima. Well, at least you had an easy day.’
Shannon settled back against the pillows and smiled. ‘Am I supposed to gather from your tone that posing for People was difficult?’
Cade chuckled softly. ‘It was hell, Padgett. I’ll expect you to treat this old man very kindly tonight.’
‘Oh, I will, Mr. Morgan, sir. Milk toast, and tea.’
‘That’s not quite what I had in mind. I was thinking more of something soothing to the body and spirit. Dinner, then back to your apartment for some much needed rest.’
‘That’s what I’m doing right now,’ Shannon said primly. ‘Resting after a hard day’s work.’
Cade’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. ‘What are you wearing, Padgett? That blue teddy with the lace straps?’
Shannon looked down at her sweater-topped sweatsuit and her Mickey Mouse feet and grinned.
‘Nope. Try again.’
‘A black satin negligée?’
‘Uh-uh. Something even sexier.’
‘Don’t tell me—you’ve got your mouse feet on.’
‘Ah yes, Mr. Morgan. The feet that drive men wild.’
‘I can’t take much more of this,’ he growled. ‘I’ll be right over.’
‘Better bring your thermals,’ she said. ‘This place is as cold as Alana Dunbar’s heart. The heating system’s dead.’
Cade’s chuckle was soft and wicked. ‘I can be there in twenty minutes with a sure cure for chilblains.’
‘I thought you had to work late.’
‘There’s no sacrifice too great. Your health is my first concern.’
‘How noble,’ she laughed. ‘Well, how did it feel to be photographed by People? Even Rima was impressed.’
‘I don’t want to sound immodest, babe, but you forget, I was a People cover before. I won three Grammys two years ago.’
Shannon sighed. ‘That’s disgusting! Two covers in two years? For shame, Cade Morgan. How can you live with yourself?’
‘It’s not easy,’ he chuckled. ‘Listen, I’m going to have to go in a couple of minutes. Tell you what—meet me at Nico’s at eight. We’ll have an early dinner and then take in that Japanese movie in the Village.’
Shannon curled the telephone cord around her wrist. ‘I thought you wanted to do that tomorrow night.’
There was a brief pause and then Cade cleared his throat. ‘Bad news, sweetheart. I was going to tell you during dinner... I won’t be here tomorrow night.’
‘Won’t be here?’ she asked, swinging her feet to the floor. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m flying to Los Angeles early in the morning. Shannon. I’ll be gone all weekend.’
‘All weekend?’ she repeated. ‘But you didn’t say anything...’
‘I didn’t know about it until this afternoon. My manager went out to California to make arrangements for a farewell concert for the Marauders at the Hollywood Bowl next year...’
‘And he needs you there,’ she said slowly, thinking of the long, lonely hours stretching ahead.
‘Yeah. Well, no, not for that. He called me. Seems he went to a party last night and met the guy who just took over Scorpio Studios. The bottom line is that Scorpio’s going to do a film in LA in May and they may have a part for me.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ she said happily. Los Angeles in May? She had an offer from Rob Michaels for Los Angeles in May.
‘Hank—my manager—wants me to meet this guy before Scorpio makes any casting decisions. I think it’s a long shot, but...’
‘Oh, you should meet him, Cade,’ she said, thinking that she’d save the news about the L.A. offer until Cade had actually been offered the part in the film. Not that she had any doubts about it. He’d work for Scorpio and she’d work for Rob Michaels and they’d be together. ‘It sounds like a great opportunity.’
‘Well, that’s what Hank says.’ He laughed softly. ‘You sound as if you’ll be glad to get rid of me for the weekend. Won’t you miss me at all?’
She smiled into the telephone. ‘Maybe,’ she teased. ‘Then again, maybe not.’
‘You’d damn well better miss me, woman! And you’d better be prepared to show how much when I get back.’
‘I’ll try and think of something,’ she said. ‘When will you be back?’
‘Monday night, the latest.’
‘You mean, you won’t be at the studio Monday?’ Shannon chuckled. ‘Jerry’s going to love that. He moaned all afternoon about having to shoot around you today.’
‘Well, he’s just going to have to live through it. Nobody’s indispensable.’
‘Cade Morgan is. ‘After all, more people are buying Glimmer toothpaste and Speedo detergent. And Tomorrows’ ratings are up.’
‘That still doesn’t make me indispensable. All Our Tomorrows was there long before I joined it. It’ll be there long after I’m gone.’
She sighed dramatically. ‘Ah, what an innocent you are! When you leave, Tomorrows will slip into oblivion.’
‘Do me a favor, Shannon,’ Cade said sharply. ‘Don’t use that line, okay?.’
‘Hey,’ she said softly, ‘don’t get so upset, Morgan. I was just teasing you.’
Cade let out his breath. ‘I’m sorry, love. I guess I’m more tired than I realized. It’s just that Crawford’s always trying to make me feel... Look, nothing is forever. Things change, you know? You can’t freeze time.’
He sounded tired, she thought. You c
ould joke about magazine covers all you liked, but a picture session wasn’t easy. She could still remember the modeling she’d done when she first came to New York and how tiring it was.
‘The only thing freezing right now is me,’ she said lightly. ‘I’ll meet you at Nico’s, okay?’
‘Okay. And then we’ll skip that movie.’ His voice turned rough. ‘I’ll take you home, and you can give me something to remember you by. How does that sound?’
Shannon smiled. ‘It sounds perfect.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LOVESCENES Page 15
