“I wish. The police are going through the records to see who visited my mom and gave her the drugs.”
“Let me know how she’s doing.” Andie couldn’t meet his gaze. “I have to find my mother. She still has Bret.”
“I know. I saw her.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry about what I said last night. Forgive me?”
“Go see your mother.” Andie’s stomach churned. No matter how sweet and tender he acted in front of her, his real feelings about her abilities had been exposed last night. Of course, he saw her for what she was, a wanna-be who would never win any beauty pageants. Someone only good enough to be a nanny for his baby. “I’ll talk with you later.”
He held her hand, lingering. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Go, your mother’s waiting.” Andie stepped back and slipped from his grasp. She wasn’t going to pity him, since he’d hate it if she did, and right now, she wasn’t sure what to feel about him. Every cell in her body screamed to press herself against him and love him forever, but at the same time, he wasn’t supportive of her dreams and he didn’t respect her enough to believe she could make the right choices.
Cade said nothing more. He shoved his hands in his pockets and exited the chapel.
* * *
Andie gawked at Sylvia, blinking in disbelief. Her friend was wearing an ordinary gray suit skirt. Moving boxes were piled up behind her, and all the pictures on her wall had been taken down. Behind her, Ronaldo Silver’s office door was closed with no sign of light underneath it.
“Did I miss something? What happened?” She waved her hand at the packing tape and labels.
“We all have to find jobs,” Sylvia said, twisting her lip downward.
Andie’s heart skidded to the floor. “Why? I don’t get it. Last night, we were the hit of Hollywood.”
“That’s how Hollywood is. Here today and gone tomorrow.” Sylvia curled a finger around her hair. “You probably heard all about Cade’s father being revealed as Dick Davis. His wife found out he’d been cheating on her since before Cade was born, and her pre-nup automatically freezes him from all his funds and any obligations or contracts.”
Crap. So it was true. The only reason they had this project was due to Dick Davis. Andie closed her eyes and rubbed her temple. “Does that mean our show is canceled?”
“Yep. You should have seen Dinah Silver storm Ronaldo’s office. She’s his aunt. It turns out Ronaldo had been blackmailing Dick into funding his pet projects. He knew about Bret, but he claims he didn’t know about Cade being Dick’s son. Dinah grabbed Ronaldo by the ear, and he was screaming, saying she ripped his cartilage, and she let him have it—called him an ungrateful wretch and a family traitor.”
“So, we’re all out of a job?”
“Pretty much.” Sylvia hooked an arm around Andie. “I ran home and changed as soon as I heard. This is my mourning outfit.”
“Oh, Sylvia, that looks just like the suit I wore my first day.” Andie couldn’t help the gallows chuckle. “And look at me. I’m wearing rainbow colored jeans and a paisley top with a daisy headband and flowery sneakers.”
“You go, girl!” Sylvia grabbed her by the arm. “Let’s go talk to Leroy.”
“Yeah, Leroy. I guess it’s goodbye then.” Andie walked arm in arm with Sylvia down toward the cubicles.
Leroy also was wearing regular clothes, well, if regular meant a pair of crisp jeans and a navy blue polo shirt. He wrapped Andie in a bear hug. “You were right.”
“Right? About what?” Andie patted his chest. “You’re looking almost normal today.”
Leroy grabbed Andie’s copy of Michal’s Window and handed it to her. “Right about David being Michal’s true love. That ending and that song she composed blew me away.”
Andie flipped to the chapter near the end and smiled.
“Read that song to me,” Leroy said. “And that part about their souls knit together.”
Andie read:
“You were meant to have my love for always, not only in this world but the next. Our souls knit together forever, is that not better than our bloodlines?” He spoke the truth, although I still would have wanted both.
“I love you,” he said. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. And I never want it to end.”
A flame of joy anointed my chest and I sang:
Our love tried by fire, and purged of the dross,
Melted together as pure as fine gold.
God tried our hearts, and revealed His plan.
In darkness of spirit, He comforts us still.
And we shall rejoice in the LORD and sing Him a song.
And follow His Word, in His steps we will trust.
When it is time, to lay down to rest, we will appear as Him.
David smiled broadly. “That was beautiful. Seems I’m not the only psalmist in Israel.”
We walked to the scroll room. David pointed to a tiny scroll on the top shelf. He brought it down and blew off the dust. “My wife, you shall dwell with me in the House of our LORD forever.”
Our marriage covenant. He unrolled it and smoothed it on the table. We read the words together. “David, son of Jesse of Bethlehem is hereby joined in marriage to Michal, daughter of Saul of Gibeah, in front of the LORD God. Presided over by Elihu, the Priest of the LORD. Witnessed by Saul, son of Kish and Jonathan, son of Saul.”
“That is awesome,” Sylvia said, sighing and pretending to swoon. “And a fitting ending to our project.”
“Yes, I agree,” Leroy said. “I hope our paths will cross again. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
“Oh, Leroy, I feel the same way.” Andie sniffled and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “But I prefer to think of every ending as a new beginning. Did you read the Epilogue?”
“I did. I’ve never, ever read an ending like that. I was looking forward to you decorating the set, although I wasn’t quite sure how we’d pull off the plants growing out of the jeweled walls.”
“I would have loved the bed of pearl and the drumbeats in my sleep.” Andie turned the page and gasped. “You signed it here.”
“Me? Oh, no, that says David in Hebrew. It wasn’t me, I swear.” Leroy raised his hand palm out. “Methinks the King himself came down from Heaven and autographed your book.”
“You two are too much.” Sylvia put her arm around both of them, one on each side. “Let’s go to Nouveau Richer and expense some two-hundred dollar burgers before Ronaldo closes the account.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cade sat at his mother’s bedside, holding her hand. She was still heavily sedated, despite the Narcan drip, and he didn’t want to press her too hard with questions.
The important thing was to figure out how she had gotten the drugs. Security had done a thorough search of her room and had confiscated her kit as well as several packets of dope.
“The list of visitors is confidential,” the director had said. “Except if we get a warrant from the police.”
Cade had called the police and they agreed to launch an investigation—more likely based on him being a football player than that they actually believed his story—that and being in on a hot piece of Hollywood gossip was more than likely the impetus.
Unfortunately, it meant he couldn’t get the list of visitors unless they shared it with him.
“Mom? Can you hear me?” Cade rubbed her hand. “I told you, I wasn’t leaving you alone.”
“Everything’s my fault,” she mumbled, not opening her eyes.
“No, he must have forced you to stay quiet. Did he visit you yesterday?”
His mother didn’t respond. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but she seemed just as determined to shut him out—like she always did.
“Did you love him?” He could have swallowed his tongue. This was definitely not the first priority, especially with a murderer running around.
She stirred and turned her head toward him, her eyes barely open. “Yes. We were high schoo
l sweethearts. But he was always too handsome for me—blond, blue-eyed, football star. He really stood out in our neighborhood—more than fifty percent Mexican with blacks, Samoans, and Filipinos making up the rest. He was a golden boy, but kind of an ass. He had a personalized license plate, El Blanco, on his Camaro, and he dated all ethnic girls. Guess I was the Navajo, at least I played it up because it made me different, even though I’m more Irish than Native, but I got the tribal papers to prove it. Opposites attract, they say. Your father was so pale he’d get sunburn out on the playing field and third degree burns at the beach.” She seemed to drift off.
This was way more information than he’d ever gotten. He’d never known that Dick Davis originated in a working class neighborhood. He’d hidden his background well. For a kid from the ’hood, he’d acted like he’d grown up in Beverly Hills.
Tears seeped from his mother’s eyes, trailing down the wrinkles on her leathery face. She had been a real beauty back in the day. He’d gone through her Banning High School yearbook, but now, knowing Dick had been there, way back, he’d have to study the pictures more carefully. There was a platinum blond kid on the top row of the football picture. Could that have been Dick?
Cade squeezed his mother’s hand. “He can’t get to you here. The police are investigating anyone who visited you and who might have snuck drugs into your room.”
“Oh, Cade, no one snuck any drugs. I bought them.”
“What?” He dropped her hand and shook her shoulder. “From who?”
“Someone who owes me, and it wasn’t Dick. You see? You got it all wrong. You really think I’m an old idiot, don’t you? Hoodwinked and blinded, an easy mark, stupid.”
“No, I don’t,” Cade sputtered. “But you OD’d twice. They gave you stronger drugs. More potent, so you’d have an accidental overdose.”
“Maybe it wasn’t accidental.” She turned her face toward the wall. “Maybe it’s time for me to go.”
“Why? Don’t you want to live for me, for Joanie and Donnie and Bret?”
“No, Cade. That’s your mistake, thinking people live for other people. I have to want to live for myself and all I manage to do is to keep hurting the people I care about. Joanie’s in jail, Donnie’s gone overseas, and you.”
“Yeah, me. Nothing bad’s happened to me because of you.”
“Not after you find out what I’ve really done.” She pushed his hand away. “Can you please leave now? Leave while you still care, and I can pretend you still love me.”
“Really done? What the hell? Mom, I told you I’m not leaving you.” Cade leaned over her and spoke into her ear. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Then, I’m leaving you. Give Bret a kiss from me. Tell Andie she’s a wonderful woman and she shouldn’t undervalue herself. Give my thanks to her mother.” She pressed a buzzer at her bedside, and a voice responded.
“Everything okay, Ms. Prescott?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. Please escort my son from my room. I no longer want him to visit me again.”
“Mom, you can’t do this.” Cade grabbed her shoulders. “Whatever happened, we can get through this. So you didn’t tell me about Dick. I can forgive that. And you have tons of money running in and out of your account. You’re probably involved in organized crime and maybe who knows, you snuffed someone. But what have you done to me except leave me with a foster mother who fixed my face and a foster father who kept me on the right track? And another one who coached football, and another one who baked cookies and put me in the Christmas play, and read me fantasy books, and all those families who blessed me, took me camping and hiking, and the foster brothers who fought with me, and the sisters who gave me presents and cooked for me. I now know why you couldn’t take care of me, but I’m over it.”
Two guards stood behind him, clearing their throats.
“We’re sorry,” one of them said. “Ms. Prescott has requested you to leave.”
“Yeah, sorry.” The other one put a hand on Cade. “It sucks, man, but she has her rights.”
He’d respect her wishes, even though it sunk his heart as if it had struck an iceberg. It’s her guilt talking. It’s not you.
Cade grabbed ahold of his mother and kissed her. “I’ll always love you. Don’t ever forget.”
Then he turned and walked out.
* * *
“I am so stuffed.” Andie wobbled out of the car after parking it in Cade’s garage. She’d picked up her mother before the restaurant, and all of them, including Bret, had joined Sylvia and her remaining coworkers at Nouveau Richer for their farewell bash.
“So am I,” her mother said. “I can’t believe they put crab and caviar into the burgers. Only in Hollywood.”
“Well, the dream is over.” She opened the door to the backseat and unstrapped little Bret. “Even Declan seemed deflated for once.”
“Yeah, he had to sit there and watch us eat. But at least he signed the divorce papers. Guess he’s onto another project.” Mother yanked her shopping bags from the trunk. “I bought your dad all these funky t-shirts.”
“I wish he could have come out and done the touristy stuff. How’d you like that cheesy wax museum?”
“Horrors! Bret was fussing the entire time. It’s too early for him to be teething.”
“Is it? You little sweetgums?” Andie nuzzled her nose in the baby’s tummy. “You are so adorable. I’m going to miss you so much.”
“Did you decide to go home with me?” Mother unlocked the door leading from the garage to the laundry room where the mail slot was located. “Oh, look, the mailman’s been here.”
“Any suspicious packages?”
“Nope, just letters.” She sorted through them and tucked an envelope under her arm. “Let’s get Bret changed and fed. Then I have to look up flights. Are you coming home with me?”
Pushy, wasn’t she? Andie shrugged as she carried the baby into the house. True, she had no more job, and she’d be living off Cade, but who would take care of Bret? Who would she trust? An unknown nanny sent by an agency?
“Can you wait until I speak to Cade? He has a lot going on, and I want to see him and Bret settled first.”
“Fair enough. You seem to really care about him. I guess your dad can wait a few more days.”
“Mom! Please. Can you stop the guilt trip?” Andie put Bret on the changing table and flipped the lid for the wipes. Empty. “Can you bring the diaper bag in? Looks like we’re out of wipes.”
“Sure, I know you care about Cade, and I can see he loves you, but now that Declan signed the divorce papers, you have to wait six months before it’s final. California law. Which, mind you, you’re lucky because in New York, it’s a long process of fault finding.” She clomped her way to the garage.
Why did parents always insist on waiting? Waiting for what? To know your heart, to know how you really feel. To know if it’s real. Her dad’s voice. Always the voice of reason.
She stroked Bret’s silky baby hair, tiny sandy colored wisps, and gazed in his clear blue eyes. “I’m going to miss you, buddy. I’ll always love you.”
Of course Roxanne couldn’t produce adoption papers that fast. And she could always change her mind before or after it was signed. And maybe a baby was always better off with his own parents, no matter how dysfunctional they were. After all, Cade still held a torch for his mother, and he must be reeling right now about Dick Davis being his father.
“Cade’s going to take care of you, his half-brother,” Andie said. “You have nothing to worry about. Cade’s a good man—a great father.”
She gave the baby another kiss, feeling the rip tearing her heart apart. Cade and Bret belonged together, as brothers. Leaving Cade would mean leaving Bret, too. How had she fallen in love with both of them so deeply in such a short time?
Her mother set the diaper bag on the table. “After you’re done, I have something to show you.”
Andie shook her head and rolled her eyes. Mom was always so dramatic and seriou
s. It was probably the jacket she won from Pinball Alley, hailing her the Pinball Queen of Los Angeles, or maybe she’d already bought their airline tickets.
“Sure, see you in a bit.” Andie dug through the diaper bag. A tiny waxed packet dropped from one of the diapers. It was stamped with a red heart with the initials H. E. A. She opened it and a pinch of white powder dropped out. What the hell?
“Mom! Mom! Come here. We have to call the police. There’s heroin in Bret’s diaper bag.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The first thing Cade spied on his street were the police cruisers. God, no! Had something happened to Andie or Bret? He double parked, since his driveway was blocked and ran toward his house.
Two officers exited right when he got to the door.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Where’s the baby? Did anyone get hurt?”
“We’re okay.” Andie held Bret and stood behind the door. “I found drugs in the diaper bag.”
“Drugs in the diaper bag?” Cade’s jaw slacked to the ground.
“Yes, apparently, packets of heroin were slipped into the diapers,” one of the police officers said. “Would you care to answer some questions?”
“Uh, sure.” Cade opened the door. “Come in, have a seat.”
The officers returned to the great room and sat on the couch. “Who, besides Miss Wales and Mrs. Wales, had access to the diaper bag?”
“Anyone who’d been in the house. Me, my mother before she OD’d, Roxanne, the baby’s mother.” Cade spread his hands. “Someone is trying to kill my mother. Did you guys find out who was visiting her at the rehab clinic?”
The two officers glanced at each other. One said, “You’re the only one who visited her.”
“Yeah, and the rehab facility says she kicked you out of her room,” the other said.
“Uh, true.” Cade rubbed his palm over his hair. “But what does that have to do with the killer?”
“Your credit card was used to mail the packages with the dope.” The first officer glared at Cade.
Intercepted by Love: Part Four: A Football Romance (Playing the Field Book 4) Page 15
