Acting Up

by Kristin Wallace

  Ethan started to say something else, to explain why he’d lashed out, but he hardly knew why himself. Instead, he shook his head. “I still want you—”

  They both froze.

  He swallowed. “To direct the play, I mean.”

  They climbed into the car, and the silence was deafening. Addison kept her face angled away for him. Ethan couldn’t help wondering when he’d become such a colossal jerk. Addison might have her own reasons for directing the play, but so far she’d done everything possible to help the kids. She’d made a surprising — and gutsy — casting choice. She seemed to be turning into a champion of Michelle Cerillo, a girl who lived on the fringes of high school society. Even though he’d had his own misgivings, he had to admit Addison might be right regarding Michelle. Being in the play could do wonders for the girl’s confidence.

  He needed to apologize.

  When they came to a stop in the school parking lot, Addison turned to him. “My husband wasn’t just satisfied with tearing our marriage apart,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “He took the thing I loved most away from me, too. He shattered my career and my identity. Now, I want my life back. Can you blame me?”

  There she was. A glimpse of Alice Jones underneath all the polish. The unvarnished version of the girl she’d once been. Only she’d lost a lot more than a marriage and career over the years.

  “No, I can’t blame you,” he said. “Believe me, I’ve wished the same thing a million times in the last two years. My life was torn apart, and it’ll never be what it was. Yours won’t either, and the sooner you accept it, the better off you’ll be.”

  She searched his face. “Have you truly accepted your life?”

  When he wasn’t contemplating taking a long drive off a short pier? Ethan let out a dry chuckle. “Some days.”

  “So, you don’t live what you preach?”

  “I try to put my life in God’s hand and trust He has a plan. I don’t know why my wife died, but I do know I’m not the One in control.”

  “Well, I’m not sure I have that same faith.”

  Addison opened the door, and he reached over before she could run away. “I’m sorry about what I said.”

  She shrugged him off. “Trust me, far worse things have been said about me lately.”

  Ethan didn’t like being linked to the vultures who’d tormented her. “And I joined their ranks? I’m such a jerk.”

  “You’re not a jerk. You’re concerned about the kids.” She stepped down to the ground. “See you around, I guess.”

  “Addison—”

  She paused before shutting the door. “What?”

  “If I ever come across your husband, I’d be tempted to do more than break his nose.”

  The look she sent him was almost comical. As if she might be wondering if he had multiple personalities. Not a stupid thing to wonder right now.

  Then she swiped a hand through her hair as a bubble of laughter emerged. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Being all heroic and adorable and I’ll slay the dragon for ye, me lady.” She slammed the door and headed for the school.

  Ethan was so stunned he couldn’t move for a moment. What was she saying? Did she see him as some sort of knight-in-shining-armor? A heroic and adorable knight? Which meant she did feel the same pull of attraction he’d been fighting since they’d first met.

  He scrambled out of the truck after her. “Wait. I’m heroic and adorable?”

  Addison didn’t turn around but kept marching toward the building.

  “How adorable?” he called after her. “Am I just a little adorable or completely adorable?”

  By now they’d reached the front door. She glanced over her shoulder. “You’re an administrator. Go administrate something.”

  She did. Addison Covington wanted him, too. He suddenly felt like he could go out and kill the dragon for the fair maiden. He grinned down at her.

  She rolled her eyes and walked away.

  “Hey, Addison.”

  “What?”

  “You’re pretty heroic and adorable, too.”

  Chapter Ten

  A week later Addison arrived home from rehearsal to find a note from Caroline Thomas taped to the door. Puzzling over what her neighbor could want, Addison walked next door. One of the twins answered her knock.

  She smoothed his hair back to reveal an unblemished forehead. “Hello, Jason.”

  He favored her with a one-missing-tooth grin and grabbed her hand. “Come see what we got.”

  Addison allowed the child to drag her through the house. “Did you get a new toy?”

  “Nope.”

  They found Caroline pulling a pan of cookies out of the oven.

  A heavenly smell almost knocked Addison to her knees. “Are those chocolate chip?”

  “The last batch.”

  Caroline transferred the hot cookies onto a piece of foil on the counter. Jason reached for one, but she pushed his hand away.

  “Guests first.” Caroline set two cookies on a napkin and handed it to Addison. “Have a taste.”

  Melted chocolate exploded in her mouth. “Wow. I don’t think I’ve had one of these in fifteen years.”

  “No cookies?” Jason asked in abject horror. “Were you bad? Daddy doesn’t let us eat sweet stuff when we’re bad.”

  “No, I wasn’t bad. I have to stay thin.”

  Caroline shook her head. “Hollywood sure is a strange place.”

  Addison chuckled. “So, what was the note about?”

  The older woman’s smile faded. “You had a visitor today.”

  “He’s in the den,” Jason said.

  Addison couldn’t imagine who’d come to see her.

  Caroline put the plate of cookies on a tray, along with a jug of milk and three glasses. “Come see for yourself.”

  Addison followed them to the back of the house where a death-defying battle was taking place on the TV screen. Carson was splayed out on the floor, while a dark-haired teenager lounged on the couch.

  “Cookies,” Caroline called out.

  The boys turned, and Addison’s mouth dropped open as she got a look at the older boy. “Aaron?”

  He stood up. “Hi, Addison.”

  She blinked, but he didn’t disappear. Addison knew there must be a logical reason why her ex-husband’s teenage son was sitting in her neighbor’s den, but she couldn’t come up with one.

  “I found him sitting on your front porch a couple hours ago,” Caroline explained. “I didn’t know how late you’d be, so I invited him in.”

  Addison studied him in amazement. Despite the shock of his sudden appearance, she couldn’t help but notice how much he’d changed. Aaron lived in New York with his mother, and she hadn’t seen him since he’d visited during summer break last year. He’d shot up since then. He was taller than her now, only his limbs hadn’t caught up with the growth spurt yet. He was all sharp angles and lean lines.

  Dark chocolate eyes so like Merrick’s regarded her without expression from underneath longish bangs, which flopped down onto his forehead. He was dressed in baggy jeans and a T-shirt, but despite the casual look, Addison knew the clothes hadn’t come from the local discount outlet.

  “Jason, Carson, come into the kitchen and help me with dinner,” Caroline said.

  The twins groaned. “Aw, but we wanna—”

  “Now,” she said in a firm tone. “Addison and her stepson need some privacy.”

  “Aaron, what are you doing here?” Addison asked, as soon as they were alone.

  He sank onto to the couch with a casual shrug. “Nowhere else to go.”

  “What do you mean nowhere else to go? Aren’t you supposed to be with your mother?”

  “She has a new boyfriend, and they’re going to the South of France for three months. So, she sent me to Dad’s.”

  “I’m pretty sure your dad still lives in L.A.,” Addison said, crossing her arms.

  “Yeah, with
Angela.” He spat the word out and Addison bit back a smile. It was gratifying to know the I Hate Angela Club had gained new members.

  “You don’t get along with her?” Addison asked, trying not to show any reaction.

  Aaron’s lip curled in a sneer. “She’s as fake as her rack,” he said, cupping both hands out at chest level.

  She grabbed his hands. “Stop it. You shouldn’t talk about your dad’s fiancée like that.”

  “Whatever. Anyway, I heard them arguing the day I got there. She was flipping out over me showing up, and he said not to worry. I’d only be in the house a few days until he could arrange for me to go to some stick-up-their—”

  Addison quirked a brow.

  He hesitated. “—butt fancy boarding school in Connecticut or somewhere.”

  If Merrick had been standing in front of her right now, she’d have decked him. “I’m sorry you had to hear them fighting.”

  Eye roll this time. “Whatever. It’s not like I wanted to be there either.”

  “I still don’t understand how you wound up on my doorstep.”

  Aaron eyed the plate of warm cookies. “Can I have one of those while you interrogate me? I haven’t eaten anything all day.”

  “Yes, but you’re still going to answer my question. How did you get here?”

  “On a plane,” he said, stuffing a morsel in his mouth.

  “I figured out the flying part, Sherlock. I was hoping to learn how you ended up on a plane to Georgia. Did your dad let you come? And how did you even know where to find me?”

  “I talked to your housekeeper. She told me where you’d gone. Then I booked a flight on the Internet with his credit card.”

  He’d booked it with a— “Wait a minute. Does your dad even know you’re here? Does anyone know where you are?”

  The third shrug in as many minutes. Addison clapped a hand to her forehead. Great! Her ex-stepson had run away from home. Correction – run away to her.

  “How did you get to Covington Falls?” Addison asked, dread growing by the minute. “There’s no airport near here.”

  “Bus.”

  “You rode a bus all the way here by yourself?” she asked, appalled at the idea of him at the mercy of some sleezeball. “That could have been dangerous. What if something had happened to you?”

  “The people were all right.” He wrinkled his nose. “The inside smelled like my gym locker though.”

  “What was your plan once you got here? Or had you even thought that far ahead?”

  He downed the glass of milk in one gulp. “I hoped you’d let me stay.”

  The shocks kept coming. “You want to live with me?”

  A flash of searing pain swept across his face before he disguised it. A brief show of vulnerability that broke her heart.

  Addison snatched the last cookie as she sank onto the couch. “I have to call your dad, you know. I’m sure he’s worried by now.”

  “I doubt he even knows I’m gone,” Aaron said with a snort of derision. “Too busy with Angela. They’re always fooling around.”

  Addison tried not to react to this information. She did not want to know about Merrick’s love life.

  “I walked in on ‘em once, over Christmas,” Aaron said. “They were doing it on the dining room table.”

  She groaned. “Thanks for the mental picture.”

  His eyes gleamed with a cynical amusement she found disturbing in someone so young. “That’s why she hates me.”

  “Angela?”

  “Because I saw her… you know,” he said, holding out his hands again.

  She batted them down. Again. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you shouldn’t be exposed to your parents’ love life. You’re a kid.”

  His bird chest puffed up. “I’m not a kid. I’m fifteen.”

  “Right, I forgot,” Addison said, hiding a grin. “However, the law says you’re a minor, which means you can’t just hop on a plane and go live wherever you please.”

  “I’m telling you, he won’t care.”

  His neutral tone didn’t fool her. “I still have to call him. I could get in trouble if I allow you to stay here without permission. I’m not your legal guardian. I’m not even married to your dad anymore. The police could claim I’d kidnapped you or something.”

  His eyes gleamed, and Addison shook a finger at him. “Uh-uh, buster. I’m in enough trouble with the press right now. Go into the kitchen with Mrs. Thomas and help her with dinner while I call your father.”

  “You’ll let me stay though? If he says yes?”

  She searched his eyes — eyes that seemed much too old for their years — and answered the only way she could. “If he agrees.”

  He jumped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen.

  “Aaron?”

  He turned around. “Yeah?”

  “Why do you want to live with me anyway?”

  His shoe scuffed the floor. “Don’t know. You were always pretty cool, I guess. And I figured you wouldn’t flip out.”

  “You came all this way because I’m pretty cool?” Addison didn’t believe the explanation for a moment. “Come on. Why me?”

  His head came up. “When you asked me a question, you looked at me, like you cared about the answer. You listened.”

  “That’s it? I listened?”

  He shrugged, a standard move Addison knew meant yes, no, whatever, and who cares.

  “No one else ever listens to me.”

  “All right, go help Mrs. Thomas. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  After he left, she pulled out her phone. Sydney had begged Addison to erase Merrick’s numbers. Now she was glad she hadn’t. She dialed his cell, knowing Merrick always answered.

  He picked up on the fourth ring. “Addison, this is a surprise.”

  His rich baritone voice caused tiny pings to go off in her heart. She massaged her chest, trying to make the ache go away.

  “Hello, Merrick,” she said, trying to keep an even tone. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine.” He sounded surprised, yet wary, and she couldn’t blame him. Most of their conversations over the last year had been strained and angry.

  “I have a situation here,” Addison said.

  His sigh hissed across the line. “Your alimony checks will commence right on schedule,” he said in a dry tone. “Don’t worry, my love, you’ll receive your pound of flesh.”

  Addison lost the play-nice tone. “If you were here right now, I’d pound you and your stupid girlfriend.”

  “Fiancée.”

  Addison jumped up and started pacing. “I don’t care what you call her. I’m not calling about a check. I need to talk to you about your son.”

  “Aaron?”

  “You don’t have any other children, do you?” She was going to develop lock jaw from clenching her teeth so hard. “Do you know where he is?”

  “At home, I presume.”

  “You presume wrong. He’s here, Merrick. He showed up on my doorstep today.”

  He let out a bark of frustrated laughter. “That’s what the drama is about? Don’t worry. I’ll send my driver around to pick him up. He’ll be out of your hair in an hour.”

  “I’m not in L.A. I’m not even in California.”

  There was a brief silence. “Where are you?”

  “I’m visiting a relative in Georgia.”

  “What?”

  “He took a plane and then a bus. Merrick, how could you not notice he was gone? What if he’d been robbed? Attacked by some pervert? Or worse?”

  “He’s there now? In Georgia?”

  “Yes. He got here a couple hours ago. My neighbor brought him into her house and gave him milk and cookies.”

  “Milk and cookies? What kind of city are you in?”

  “It’s not a city. It’s a small town.”

  “Wait. Are you in that place you lived in when you were a kid? With the aunt?”

  She paused by th
e sliding doors. “Yes, but that’s beside the point. Merrick, he heard you talking to Angela. He knows you were going to send him to boarding school.”

  “I’m sorry he overheard.”

  “You should be sorry you said it. First his mom doesn’t want him, and now you. What’s the matter with you two? He’s a kid and he’s upset. So upset he came to me.”

  “You’re right. If he’d come to me I wouldn’t have made him go. He and Angela don’t get along very well, and I thought he’d be happier—”

  “Please don’t pretend you were doing this for his sake.” How had she never seen how self-centered Merrick was? Addison wanted to throw the phone across the room. “We both know better.”

  Merrick cleared his throat. “I’m sorry Aaron involved you in a family matter. Listen, if you would arrange for him to get home, I’d be grateful. I’ll reimburse you.”