by Rowe, Julie
No. She wasn’t…in love. The last time she thought she was in love, her fiancé, a man she completely trusted, betrayed her and stole all the money she’d saved. She was not a good judge of character when it came to matters of the heart.
Yet, one stray thought kept finding its way into her head. Alex didn’t lie and he hadn’t claimed to love her.
She shoved the thought into a box in the back of her mind and slammed the lid shut on it. “So what should I prepare myself for?” she asked him as he parked his car outside of his grandmother’s house.
“Anything.”
“Oh, that’s helpful.”
He chuckled. “What I mean is, she’s very creative and she likes you, so she’s not going to host anything…small.”
Calla stopped walking. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I think this is a case of fighting fire with fire, or more specifically, a celebrity with a celebrity.” He put his hands on her shoulders and bent down to meet her gaze. “Trust me.”
“I do.” She tried to smile, but didn’t feel like she succeeded.
He knocked and they went right in.
“Grandmother, are you home?”
“In the family room, dear boy.”
“Where’s that?” Calla whispered. “Don’t remember.”
“Just off the kitchen.” He kept hold of her hand as they walked through the house. “I’ll meet you there in a second. I have to make a quick call.”
“Okay.” Calla continued on and found the old woman was sitting at a small bistro-style table with a cup of hot coffee in front of her as well as a bowl of fruit and yogurt. She had a tablet on the table and was reading from it.
“You two are all over the internet. Some kind of love triangle with Jeff MacKay?”
Famous, eccentric, and tech savvy. Maddy Clarke really was a constant surprise.
“Not our fault,” Calla said. “We’re just trying to keep up with the rumors.”
“What rumors?” Alex asked, joining the two women at the table.
“You’re all anyone’s talking about today,” Maddy said to her grandson.
“We know,” Alex said, batting puppy-dog eyes at his grandmother. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Oh?” she asked, glancing from Alex to Calla and back again.
“Let me explain,” Alex suggested. “Grab a seat, dear. I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
It took Alex a half an hour to explain the situation to his grandmother’s satisfaction. Even then she had a lot of questions.
“So, you want to throw an engagement party even though you’re not engaged?” Maddy sounded as incredulous as Calla sometimes felt about the whole situation.
“As far as the world is concerned, we are engaged,” Alex said as matter-of-factly as one would state their eye color.
“Interesting.” His grandmother wore an expression that seemed uncomfortable on her face. Confusion.
Dread coiled round and round in the pit of Calla’s belly. “Maybe we should consider something else,” she said to Alex. “I’m not sure this is the right thing to do.”
“Why, because I’m old?” Maddy asked with a sharp edge to her voice. “Because I’m his grandmother?”
“Because I got him into this mess,” Calla said, twisting her fingers into a knot. “And I don’t want to drag anyone else in, too.”
“Jeff MacKay is a bully and a spoiled brat, which means two things in this city,” Maddy said, putting one hand over Calla’s. “He doesn’t hear the word ‘no’ very often, and he won’t accept no for an answer if he does hear it. Unless you’re prepared to drop everything and go back to Chicago, the only way to win against him is to put on a better, more believable show than he does.”
“Alex said the same thing yesterday, so we attempted to put on a show. It doesn’t seem to have worked.”
Maddy winced. “That’s because it was pathetic as far as performances went.”
Calla laughed at her disgusted expression. She couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry, this isn’t funny. Really, it isn’t.”
“Of course it’s funny,” Alex said. “It’s a comedy of errors.”
“Indeed.” Maddy said. “So, let’s do a better job in act two. We’ll have a party and we’re going to invite Jeff MacKay.”
“Um, what?” Calla asked as diffidently as she could.
“I’m going to host your engagement party and invite Jeff MacKay to show the world that bygones are bygones amongst the three of you. He’ll have to be on his best behavior because the world will be watching him like a bug under a microscope.”
“What if he doesn’t come?”
“Oh, he’ll come.” Maddy’s smile was the picture of innocence. “His invitation will be very public. He’ll look like a poor loser if he doesn’t show up.”
“The press will be watching us, too,” Calla said.
“Yes, so you’ll have to be as convincing about your relationship as you were during Sunday dinner. You completely fooled everyone.” She gave Calla a look that shouted liar, liar. “Me included.”
Calla glanced away. This was much harder than she thought it would be. Pretending feelings for a man she actually had feelings for. That’s why it had been convincing. She really liked Alex. Really, really liked him.
“So, what do you suggest?” Alex asked.
“I think we should have an elegant dinner party. Chef Roger owes me a favor, as does that singer who everyone is comparing to Frank Sinatra, what’s his name? Oh yes, Joseph Masters. We’ll invite fifty or so people. Let me know who you want on the guest list, Alex. We’ll dangle Calla in front of MacKay all evening without giving him the opportunity to talk to her without you glued to her side.”
“That’s diabolical,” Alex said in a revered tone.
Calla agreed. “It’s going to drive him crazy.”
“He won’t be able to do a damn thing about it, either. If he starts a scene in my house, he’ll look like the rude little attention seeker he is.”
“What if he doesn’t play fair? He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who follows the polite rules when they don’t suit him.”
“We shall have to keep a close eye on him.”
Something niggled at the back of Calla’s mind. “Wait, what about the restraining order?”
“Oh Alex, you didn’t?” his grandmother chided.
“He approached her at a restaurant. He made threats.”
“What an idiot. Can I still invite him?”
“Yes. If Calla initiates contact and invites him, then the order won’t be violated.”
“Then invite him for Friday night. I’d hold it on Saturday, except that some of our relatives might think they can crash the party and say they’re coming over on Sunday a few hours early.”
“Really?” Calla asked.
“They did it a couple of years ago when grandmother hosted a pre-Oscar party for a friend who was up for best actor,” Alex said with a raise of his eyebrows.
“A complete disaster,” Maddy laughed. “Your father was going through his third divorce I think. All three women, his two ex-wives and one soon-to-be ex-wife, had a screaming match on the front lawn in full view of the press.” She shook her head. “Still, we’ll have to be careful. Is there anyone you want me to invite who will make a good buffer between Calla and MacKay?”
“Celebrity?”
“Yes.”
“How about Gerry Shumaker? He’s playing a surgeon on that new TV show about the medical team that goes all over the world responding to earthquakes, tsunamis, and fires.” Alex snapped his fingers. “What’s it called?”
“Disaster MD,” Calla answered.
When Alex and his grandmother stared at her, she ducked her head and said, “It’s a good show. They don’t get all the details exactly right, but it’s close.”
“See,” Alex’s grandmother said, pointing at her. “That’s exactly the conversation you can have with Gerry. He’s a character actor and loves to talk to the real thing.”
>
Calla glanced from one to the other. “So, we’re going to do this?”
“Yes,” Maddy said, looking imperious. “It’s going to be a party to remember.”
“For the right reasons, I hope.”
“Trust us, dear,” Maddy said, patting Calla’s hand. “Things will run smoothly.”
So why did she want to find a hole and jump in?
“Can I leave the planning in your capable hands, Grandmother?” Alex asked. “Calla and I need to check in at Seacliffe and prepare for an interview with the AMA tomorrow.”
“Of course you can. Can I have your cell phone number, Calla? I’m going to call a designer friend of mine to see if we can borrow a dress for the occasion.”
“You can borrow dresses?”
“Half the dresses women wear to those award shows are borrowed or loaned. Same with the jewelry.” She leaned close to whisper. “Sometimes even the hair.”
Calla choked down a laugh. “I had no idea.”
“Oh yes. There’s nothing more fake than a Hollywood party. All those beautiful people talking nicely to each other, but as soon as their backs are turned, they plunge the proverbial knife in.” Maddy took her hand in a surprisingly tight grip. “Never let your guard down.”
“Especially with a handsome actor who wants something from you?”
“Especially with him.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Good advice.” Advice Calla should have had at her first engagement party. “How do you know who to trust?”
Maddy pulled her into a hug and said into her ear, “Trust your heart. Listen to what it tells you.”
“It’s led me astray in the past,” she said as quietly.
“Has it? Or did you only hear what you thought you should hear?” Maddy pulled away and smiled. “You think about that.” She addressed Alex. “Why don’t the two of you join me for dinner tonight? About seven?”
“That sounds great. You can catch us up on the party plans then.”
“Excellent.” Maddy’s smile was wide and bright.
“Calla?” Alex held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He took a step, but she didn’t follow.
“Are you sure?” she asked Maddy.
“About your heart?”
Calla nodded.
“Yes, dear. I learned that lesson too late. Don’t let fear hold you back.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long, sordid story.”
Calla blinked at her choice of words. “Sordid?”
“Oh yes,” Maddy said with a sigh. “It was quite the scandal at the time.”
She tugged on Alex to come closer so she could sit down. “I’ve never heard of this.”
“I promise to tell you the entire story sometime soon.” Maddy’s eyes and mouth drooped. “Alex knows some of it. He can give you the quick version.”
“The beginning of the Clarke curse?” Alex asked, watching his grandmother’s face closely. “My favorite thing to discuss with my soon-to-be fiancé.”
Calla watched Maddy physically rally herself to say to Alex, “She should know. She’ll likely get asked uncomfortable questions about it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he responded as if she were his commanding officer.
“Good.” She nodded like it was settled.
“Calla, we need to go.” Alex told her as he kissed his grandmother on the cheek and extended his hand to her.
She took his hand and he led her out of the house. “So there’s more to the Clarke curse than what you told me?”
He unlocked the car and motioned for her to get in. “I’ll explain, but it’s a crazy story that seems to have a life of its own.”
“Right now, I could use a story that’s crazier than mine.”
“This definitely qualifies.” He drove out through the gate at the end of the driveway. “Okay. So, you know my dad has four ex-wives?”
“I heard that.”
“Well, he’s not the only one.”
Calla waited for him to finish or add more, but he didn’t. “Only one what?”
“The only one in the family who’s been married and divorced multiple times. In fact, I alone am the only member of my family descended from Maddy Clarke who hasn’t been affected by the Clarke curse,” he said as if he’d achieved something extraordinary.
“So you’re telling me that everyone thinks your family is cursed to marry and divorce over and over?” Calla asked, trying not to show how surprised she was.
“Sort of. It’s more like we’re cursed to never find our true love. The one person who we stay married to for more than a couple of years.”
“That’s silly.”
“I agree. Unfortunately, the press love it.”
Calla narrowed her eyes. “The press started this, didn’t they?”
“Sort of. See, Grandmother fell in love with a young man, John Sommers, when she was sixteen. He wanted to marry her, but he was the son of a farmer and didn’t have anything to his name. So he left to make his fortune in China. He sent letters for months. Then the letters stopped.” Alex cleared his throat.
“In the meantime, Grandmother was discovered singing in a restaurant and ended up a star in Hollywood. She waited two years for John to come back or surface, but she heard nothing. So she married the man who discovered her—Eddie Hardy. She was pregnant with Eddie’s son, my dad, when John showed up out of the blue.”
How awful. “Oh no.”
“Oh yes. John had ended up in South Africa and had come back with pockets full of diamonds. When he saw Maddy in her condition, he was devastated. She tried to talk to him, but Eddie wasn’t having any of that. He convinced John that he and Maddy would never be together.” Alex hesitated, then said, “John killed himself.”
“Holy shit.”
“Grandmother was hysterical. She blamed Eddie for John’s death and began divorce proceedings. Two months after the divorce was final, she received a package from John’s lawyer. It was the diamonds he’d brought back from South Africa. He’d left them to her in his will, providing she was divorced from Eddie.”
“I’ll bet those diamonds weren’t what she really wanted.”
“No, she wanted John back, but that wasn’t happening. She ended up marrying four more times, but none of those marriages lasted longer than a couple of years.”
“Hence the curse of searching for love and never finding it?” Calla asked.
“Yes. She was smart, though.” Alex grinned. “She had every single one of those men sign a pre-nup, so they weren’t able to grab any of her considerable wealth.”
“When did this tragedy extend to the rest of your family?”
“When my father and his half siblings started to marry and divorce. Then the next generation started doing the same.”
Calla stared at his profile. To anyone else, he would have looked calm, his face relaxed, but there was a slight tilt to the side of his mouth she recognized as something he only did when he was beating himself up. “Except for you.”
“Except me.”
“So, basically, everyone is saying our relationship is doomed from the start?”
“Yeah.”
“Rosy outlook,” Calla drawled.
Alex laughed. “It is, isn’t it?”
“One that’s destined to come true since we’re not really engaged.”
“Also true.” Was it her imagination, or had his smile become brittle?
She watched him, searching for any evidence of the discomfort or anxiety raising her blood pressure. “That doesn’t bother you?”
He shrugged. “So, I’m a late bloomer.” His voice was sharp enough to cut muscle, tendon, and bone.
It hurt to hear it.
Even the toughest of men had a weakness. It shouldn’t surprise her to find out his family was his. “Alex, I’m not sure I want to do this.”
“Do what? Shut Jeff MacKay up? Don’t back out on me now, partner.”
Of course, being a
tough guy meant he was going to be stubborn about it. “Why should I participate in a circus that will leave your reputation permanently damaged?”
He laughed, but it didn’t sound happy at all. “You make it sound like my life will be ruined.”
“Alex, you’re nothing like the rest of your family.” She poked him in the shoulder. “You don’t participate in their ridiculous one-upmanship crap. You’re a serious lawyer with a large practice. Wouldn’t this kind of publicity damage your professional reputation?”
“I don’t know.”
She shook her head. “This is a bad idea.” A lawyer’s reputation was important. Just like a doctor’s. Ruining their credibility would accomplish nothing and she wasn’t going to give Jeff MacKay that kind of power. “Nope. I’m not doing this. Turn the car around. We’ll tell your grandmother to stop the party.”
“It’s too late.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, we only left her ten minutes ago.”
“Exactly. She’s already had ten minutes to call the chef, the singer, and Jeff MacKay. We can’t back out now.”
“Really? She’s that fast on the phone?”
“Are you kidding? She could have our wedding arranged by Friday if that’s what we wanted.”
“Your grandmother is intimidating and very…cool.”
“She’d like being described that way.”
There was no way to get out of a formal dinner party with thirty high-profile strangers, including a man she considered to be a rude, selfish bully. A bully who’d threatened to harm her and Alex.
Her stomach rolled. Was there a her and Alex?
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
“If you’re planning to write yourself a sick note, I don’t think my grandmother will accept it as an excuse.”
“No, I mean I’m going to vomit all over the lovely interior of your car.”
He gave her a sharp glance. “Food poisoning?”
“Nerves. I don’t think I can sit down and eat at the same table as that man.”
He relaxed a little. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him get anywhere near you.”
How could he possibly guarantee that? MacKay seemed to have an answer or rebuttal for everything they’d tried. Everything. She clutched at the sides of the leather seat. “Promise?”
