Holiday Spice & Everything Nice

by Conn, Claudy

  “That was before I knew what was wrong.” Maybe if she'd actually paid more attention and realized he was sick instead of something else, this could have been avoided. Sasha doubted it. Dad wasn't the same after Mom died, and it progressed worse each year. She'd just been too young and naive to recognize the signs. She'd loved her father, and he'd doted on her. Little did she know he'd been stealing and lying to survive. It wasn't right, but he'd been desperate.

  Kind of like she'd been. Oh God. Sasha had to tell Kevin, or she'd end up just like her father.

  The bell jingled again, signaling another customer.

  “If you need anything, you know my number. I'm here for you, Sasha.” Jace said goodbye and left the building.

  An hour later, she clocked out, ready to head over to the facility suggested to her by the doctors. She'd try there first, see how it was and what kind of funding or program she could get.

  Kevin waited for her in the apartment, sitting next to Arlene. “Hi,” he said.

  “What are you doing here?” Sasha blurted, completely caught off guard.

  “I heard you have a visit today.” He cocked his head in the direction of her father's room.

  “I do.”

  “I thought I could take you, and we could talk along the way.”

  Now he wanted to talk? Okay, fine. She understood his hesitance, because Sasha didn't talk about certain things either and ended up pushing people away. Actually, Kevin's gesture was a welcome one.

  “Sure. I'd like that. I'm going to shower and change real quick, and I'll be ready.”

  True to her word, she showered and dressed in record time. When she headed back out to the living room, Kevin and Arlene stopped talking. They both stared at her. “What? Do I have something stuck between my teeth? Is my shirt inside out?” Sasha checked herself over.

  “No, you look good,” Kevin responded, jumping to his feet. Arlene's expression gave her away. They'd been talking about her. But why?

  “Do you have your list of questions?” Arlene asked.

  Sasha patted her purse. “Yes.” Her list was about a mile long. “Where is Dad?”

  “Resting.”

  “Did he have a bad day? Why is he always tired?” Worry crept into her gut.

  “I'm not sure why he's so tired. No, he didn't have a bad day.” Arlene looked her in the eye, which told Sasha she was being truthful.

  “Okay...Well, I guess here goes.”

  *****

  Kevin apologized while on the road. “I'm not good at letting people in, especially when I'm being messed with. I hope you haven't seen some of what the bottom feeders are saying.”

  She hadn't. There was more to worry about than her name being trashed by idiots who didn't know her. “No. I probably don't want to, either.”

  “You don't, but I'm seeing them, and it's pissing me off. I think Marianne found out about you because of photos of us at the at-risk center a few weeks ago. You caught her interest.”

  Sasha tensed, her hands gripping the wheel tighter. So, while their intentions were good, they backfired in the worst way. Did Jack know? Damn it!

  “Sasha?”

  “I'm sorry, Kevin. I don't know what to say.” Oh, she had plenty to say, and should do it right now. Here went nothing. Blowing out a long, exasperated sigh, she began to explain. “Actually, I do. This is all my fault.”

  *****

  How was this her fault? Kevin narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? How can this be all your fault?”

  “Umm.” She covered her mouth with one hand, flicking her gaze from the road to him, then back to the road. “Right after the attempted robbery, Jack called me.”

  “Jack. My publicist Jack?” What the hell did the man do, why did he involve Sasha, and why did neither of them tell him?

  “Yes.” Her voice came out in a squeak.

  “Go on,” Kevin directed, fearing what would come out of her mouth.

  “He offered me...”

  “Offered you what?” he prodded when Sasha hesitated.

  “Jack would pay for my dad to go to a facility if I got a few pictures of you doing good deeds. Things that would prove you aren't Scrooge!” she cried.

  Oh hell no. Kevin blinked. “You... so all of this, us- It's not real?”

  “It's very real, Kevin! I sent him one set of pictures, that's it! I've been debating the best way to come clean and get out of this!”

  Like hurricane tossed waves, Kevin had a hundred different feelings slam against him at once. After pouring his heart out to Sasha the other day- about the way he grew up, the things he longed for, and especially about the abuse from Marianne, he thought he had something real with Sasha. He wanted to believe her, that it was nothing more than a simple gesture between her and Jack, but he couldn't be sure. He'd started out with Marianne the same way- pulling her away from something and becoming friends. That friendship had turned into something more, and eventually she'd become a different person all together.

  Just when I thought I couldn't be fooled again, it hits me right in the face!

  “I'm not after anything from you. I never was. My feelings for you changed, but it's not because of who you are or your connections. I was desperate and stupid, but my thoughts were on my dad. I saw a way out. As I spent more time with you, I tried to find ways around it.”

  “I trusted you. I'm falling for you, and you're doing what Marianne did.” Kevin gripped the door handle until his muscles spasmed. Marianne had taken photos of them together several times, but her reasons were to further along her career. At the time, he'd felt they were harmless.

  “No! That's not true!” Sasha nearly lost control of the car.

  “Either pull off the road, or focus!” he shouted, startling them both. He'd say for her to pull over, but they were forty five minutes out of town. He'd call for a ride once they were at the facility. Blind rage consumed him. Damn it! Weren't there any honest people in the world these days?

  “Kevin, please.” She kept her hands steady on the wheel.

  “I think it's best we don't talk right now. I need to process this.” Pain exploded in his head as his heart ached. He'd pictured a great future with Sasha. A real, honest, loving relationship. How had he pegged this all wrong?

  And Jack...well, they would have words later for sure. How dare he!

  Sasha opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Two horrible things were going to happen when Sasha parked the car. She'd have to deal with the fallout of deceiving Kevin, and she'd have to go in that building- most likely alone- and start the process of finding a facility for her father.

  Merry Christmas to me.

  He wouldn't look at her. He wouldn't talk to her. What was he thinking right now?

  With her heart racing a mile a minute, Sasha parked the car. She reached for Kevin's hand, but he jerked away.

  “Maybe she would have left me alone. Why did Jack feel the need to go to you? He knew exactly how to get to you, too. What else did he offer?” Kevin's eyes blazed with more anger than she'd ever seen in him.

  She hesitated.

  “What else, Sasha?”

  “A good school for me to attend in fashion design,” she uttered weakly, bile rising in her throat.

  “All for some photos of me doing good deeds,” he stated, “so that the world doesn't think I'm a Scrooge for booting out poor Marianne.” His voice dripped with disgust.

  “Yes.”

  He forced a bitter laugh. “It's sad that everyone has to stage good deeds for me to have an image. I went into acting because I enjoyed it. I didn't and still don't care about the fame. But I always have to be the perfect person in the limelight. It's crap. All of it is crap!” He slapped the side of the door.

  “I'm sorry.” Boy, was she. Sasha felt like the worst person in the world. “I never staged anything. The center is a place I used to go to and help out at. There was no lying there.”

  “If that of
fer from Jack never came up, would you have spent as much time with me?” Kevin fired back.

  She hesitated, only for a split second, but it was a second too long.

  “I guess I got my answer.”

  “How do you expect me to respond, Kevin? The truth is, I don't know! Things just happened. They weren't planned. I never used you! If I could take back the photos, I would!”

  “Well you can't, so I guess it doesn't matter.” He shook his head. “So how much of what I've told you is going to end up on the pages of a magazine, huh? If you could be swayed to get pictures of me for money, what else will you do?”

  She gasped, totally caught off guard by the hurtful outburst. “That's not fair! I made one big mistake, but I would never do that! Never!”

  “I didn't think you'd go for a plan with Jack behind my back, either. I don't put my trust in people easily, and I did with you. I also did with Marianne, and look where that led me.”

  “I'm nothing like her!” She trembled.

  He shoved the car door open. “You should probably go.” Kevin already stepped out.

  “What about you?” Sasha flew out of the car and tried to reach for him, only to be shut down. Again.

  “I have calls to make,” he said bitterly.

  “Kevin...”

  “Go, Sasha. I need some time to figure this out. I get why you did this, but it still hurts. A lot.”

  She kept looking back at him pacing the parking lot, speaking into his phone. His strides were full of anger. Kevin never looked back her way.

  Heart aching, she marched inside, put on her big girl panties, and tried to make herself go through this visit without wanting to break down on the floor in a fit of tears.

  “Hi, Ms. Moretti. Welcome! I'll be your tour guide. If you have any questions at any time, please don't hesitate to ask them.” The woman seemed friendly. Sasha pegged her to be in her early fifties, with pepper colored short hair and warm green eyes. Her name tag said 'Annie'.

  “Thank you. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions.” She cleared her throat.

  “I'm sure. This isn't an easy process for any family. You're looking into this for your father, correct?”

  An image of Dad flashed in her mind as she answered. “Yes.”

  *****

  “Why would you do that?” Kevin yelled at Jack once he arrived home. None of his family had been around, go figure, so he'd called a cab. All the way home, the cabbie talked about how he looked so much like Kevin Wright. Instead of having the guy drop him off directly at the house, Kevin changed the location. He didn't feel like letting on his real identity, especially after the guy ripped him apart over the whole scandal with Marianne.

  “Can you believe what a Scrooge he is? Too bad, because he had so much promise. All the good ones are assholes. That poor woman. She loved him so much and he ditched her at the worst moments in her life.”

  Kevin's blood boiled, but he remained calm on the outside.

  “It was harmless,” Jack insisted.

  “Harmless? Marianne now has the upper hand against me some more! I don't know what's real or not with Sasha. Fuck, Jack. This was messed up!”

  “I was trying to-”

  “Protect my image, yeah, yeah. Well, it didn't work out as good as you hoped, huh? What am I supposed to do? Out her and make this worse? If I say nothing, I look like the asshole. If I say something, who knows what'll happen? They won't believe me.”

  “I'm really sorry, man. I thought you would be okay, especially when Sasha's feelings changed. She was guilty about it the whole time.”

  Something in his heart softened. Only for a second. “But she went through with it.”

  “Yeah, she did. Look at her situation, though. I was trying to help you and give her something, too.”

  “You hired her to make me look good when I'm not the one in the wrong!” His gaze landed on the tree he and Sasha decorated. The day played back in his mind. “My name is being ruined because Marianne's not happy.”

  “Then the only thing you can do is tell the truth. Want me to get more info on her before you make a statement?” Jack asked.

  “Hell no. I want you to stay out of this for the moment. I thought we were friends.”

  “We are, Kevin.”

  “Friends wouldn't hire some girl to make his image look good.”

  Silence.

  “No, but a publicist would try to protect his client's image.”

  “At a huge expense.”

  “No one knew this would happen,” Jack said quietly.

  Maybe. Still, this whole thing sucked!

  “Give me a few days to figure this out. I feel like I've been betrayed by everyone I care about.”

  “I know, and I'm sorry. I was put in a shitty position, and I made a wrong choice. What more do you want me to do?”

  “I don't even know what I'm going to do, so I can't give you that answer.” Kevin flopped on the couch. Hell, he should get out of this cottage, because every inch of this place reminded him of Sasha.

  How could he be so angry at her, but want her with him in the same instance?

  *****

  An hour later, Kevin's mother walked in the cottage, completely surprised to see him there. “Hi.”

  “Hi, Mom.” He sat up from his slouching position to face her.

  “We haven't had much of a chance to talk since you've been home.” She moved slowly to sit beside him. Mom walked with a slight limp, and Kevin realized he had no idea why. There was so much about her he didn't know.

  “I didn't think you wanted to. I know I'm only home for show,” he snapped.

  “Maybe for your father and Marly Jean. I know you won't believe me because of my lack of showing it, but I missed you, Kevin. I'm very proud you've made your own life choices instead of what everyone wanted you to be.”

  He gaped at her. “Really?” He pinched his wrist, wondering if he was dreaming this. The red mark and immediate pain told him otherwise.

  “Maybe it's high time we had a talk. There's a lot I have to say that would surprise you.” Mom patted his leg. “I make a good cup of tea, if you want some.”

  “I'll take it.” Kevin made a fire, eager to know what his mother had to say. They'd rarely had talks, let alone about anything deep. She'd always been quiet and never said much of anything. Dad had always been the talker, the rule maker, the leader.

  Now sitting with a steaming cup of tea, Kevin listened to what she had to say.

  “Your father and I never married for love, and to this day, I don't love him the way a wife should. I've tried, believe me, but he's never once made me feel wanted. I've always been the trophy wife.” Mom raised the cup to her lips, staring at Kevin with more feeling than she'd ever done before. “He's provided for me in terms of anything I've ever needed, but he doesn't give me love. I've dealt with it for far too long. No one in this town sees me for who I am, just the woman married to a powerful, rich man. After the New Year and Marly Jean's wedding, I've decided to take a stand. I'm scared to start over, but I'm leaving your father.”

  Stunned, Kevin set his mug down, soaking in her words. He had no idea how to respond to this.

  “You and I are a lot alike. We don't care to soak in the wealth and make others feel crappy. Couldn't tell that by my silence for so long, but it's true.”

  “Were you ever happy?” he finally asked.

  “When you and Marly Jean were babies,” Mom admitted. “I've been on all sorts of medication for depression, but I think the only cure is getting out of this loveless marriage. Your father will probably try to keep me from getting a penny, but I don't care. I can't do this any more.”

  “I'll help you,” Kevin swore. “Whatever you need. You can come live with me, even though I'm not home a lot.”

  “You'd do that for me?” Her eyes misted over.

  “Of course! You're my mom. Just because we've never really been close doesn't mean I won't do anything for you. I'd do the same for Dad and Marly Jean, even th
ough I'd hesitate a little more.”

  “It means the world to me. I thought maybe you'd understand, which is why I came out here to talk to you, especially after what I've been hearing.”

  “What's that?” He probably didn't want to know.

  “The scandals about you and that bitch woman,” she seethed.

  “Mother!” Kevin had never heard things like this from her.

  “She's done things you don't want to share with the world, because it's not often we hear about them. The same things done to me for years.” Her tone was quiet.

  He flicked his gaze away from her, settling on the tree instead.

  “By your silence and looking away, I can see I'm right.”

  “You know the period of time where my movies didn't do as well?” Kevin asked, still looking away.

  “I've followed every aspect of your career.”

  “I thought maybe I was losing my touch. But when I think about it, I was filming those while I was with Marianne. I wish I could say we were two people who couldn't get along, but it's more than that. She's got some deep down issues, and I wish I'd seen them from the start. I chalked it up to her grieving over the loss of her baby- who I don't think was mine, and she went off the edge. She was always verbally aggressive, even before her changes.”

  “Women are just as likely to be the aggressive one in the relationship,” Mom pointed out.

  “I've heard that. I looked around on forums, but I've stayed quiet. I learned I'm not the only man a victim of domestic abuse, but I'm not ready to open myself up like that.”

  “I get it. It's worse for you, because you're a male and a public figure. Did it ever get physical?”

  He sucked in a breath. “Oh yeah. She dropped something on my toe once and broke it. I told everyone I was clumsy. No one knew any different.” He'd never told anyone this, not even Jack. Kevin knew he suspected, but he'd never outright said anything. “Our last fight was very public. I never meant to get so engaged in it, but Marianne had me right where she wanted me. Now I'm the bad guy, because I've sent a broken hearted woman down on her luck packing. She plays her life's sob story, and now I'm the Scrooge.”