He followed her to the stairs. “No, it doesn’t. It doesn’t mean nothing. Where are you going?”
“I have to check on the kids.”
Wei was in June’s room reading her a story and pointing out the characters as she did, though it looked as if June was already asleep. Joey had kicked off the covers and lay sprawled on his back, across the middle of the mattress. The huge bandages made his knees look worse than they were, but the wounds had only been superficial. She shifted him and spread the blanket over him again. It would be on the floor again by the time she went to bed.
Tyler stood in the hall, watching. “How did you end up with two Chinese kids?”
“I wanted kids and they needed a mom.” Candy looked back at Joey. “I only planned on the one, but when I got there to pick him up I found June in the orphanage. The other kids all ran over and mobbed me, but she hung back. She was sitting at a little table playing with pebbles she’d picked up on the playground and kept in her pocket. They were the only toys she had. These pebbles. I couldn’t leave her behind so I spent an extra two months in China getting the paperwork through and then I had to come home and buy a new house because I’d planned for one baby and one nanny, not a toddler, a baby, and a nanny.”
“You and your strays.” He draped his arm around her shoulders.
“Well, I do find them, don’t I?” Candy let him lead her down the stairs. “What did you do to get my kids to like you so much?”
“They like me?”
“June does. She’s usually very shy, but she isn’t with you.”
“I don’t know. I played with them. They’re nice kids.”
“You never struck me as the kids type.” She’d missed being with him. The weight of his arm anchoring her. Everybody thought he was flighty and goofy, but they didn’t know him. He was a lot stronger than anyone knew. When there hadn’t been anyone else, she’d been able to lean on him.
He stopped her in the middle of the living room and turned her toward him. “And you think you know me.”
“I bet I know you better than most.”
“I bet you do.” He leaned down.
Candy shied away, taking a step backward. “Let’s not go there again, okay?”
“Go where?”
“Look, I get it. We have history and we spent the day at a wedding. All your friends are married and you’re feeling left out. That’s not the best position to be making a decision from.”
Tyler’s jaw tensed. “What if I told you I made this decision a long time ago?”
“I’d say, where’s the proof? Did it occur to you that one of my reasons for taking this sabbatical was so I wouldn’t have to handle the press over your lifestyle?”
“My lifestyle?”
“A party every night.” She reached behind her so she wouldn’t stumble into the couch. “You really did change sexual partners more often than you changed your socks. Tell me, did you abandon your date at the reception with Jerry or did you at least make an attempt to make sure she could get home?”
“That’s not fair.”
“What? That you brought a social climber to a wedding and she climbed over you or that you should have to be responsible for her after she did it?”
“Jerry was taking her home.”
“I’m sure.”
“Candy, I’m not here to talk about my tragically poor taste in women.”
Candy folded her arms. “Tragically poor taste.”
“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“No doubt. Must have been a Freudian slip.” Tears burned behind her eyes. His drink was still sitting on her table. “I don’t know why you came here tonight, but I think it’s time for you to go.”
“Will you give me a minute?”
“No.”
Tyler reached for her so she took another step back and bumped into the arm of the couch. She caught herself before she fell over. He grabbed for her, but she jerked away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Candy, you’re overreacting.”
“Am I? I didn’t think it was possible to overreact to the way you’ve tomcatted around for years.”
“You can’t hold that against me. We broke up. You didn’t want me.”
Candy slid around the arm of the couch so she could stand up. She needed to feel both her feet steady under her. “We weren’t broken up when you started cheating on me.”
“And it was what, twenty years ago?”
“Sixteen.” Candy bit her lip wishing she could take that back. He didn’t need to know she could remember to the exact date and time how long it had been.
“It was one time.”
“As far as I’m concerned the number doesn’t matter. And you were the one who wanted to get back together and have an open relationship.”
“Never mind. This was stupid. I never should have come here.” He marched to the door and started to slam it behind him, but caught it before it made a sound.
Candy sunk onto the couch. Sixteen years, three months, and ten days. Then a year later when she’d met them on the road and let him lure her back into his bed. And six years ago when she’d done it again. At least tonight she hadn’t ended up sleeping with him. That was progress, wasn’t it?
Because it felt more like a landslide.
* * * *
Tyler thought he was going to vomit. They were all sitting around comparing pictures of their kids and their wives and their honeymoons and their beautiful fucking lives, in Jason’s beautifully decorated house. “Why are we even here?”
They all stared at him. Jason still had his mouth open.
“What’s the matter with you?” Marc asked.
“We’re not doing anything.” Tyler stood up to pace. “We’re not supposed to go into the studio for a fucking year. Suzi’s got to have her goddamn baby first.”
“Hey!” Brian yelped.
Tyler stopped in front of the window. The jibe was low. He shouldn’t have said it, but for some reason he couldn’t force himself to apologize.
“It’s not our fault you got left behind,” Jason said.
“Fuck off.”
“We all grew up and you didn’t.”
Jason had been low too, but so very accurate. If fifteen years ago he’d told Candy he’d be completely faithful to her, her could have had her. No, wait, that was the second time, on the first tour. The first time was when he slipped with that girl while she was getting them their contract.
“Why don’t you just talk to her?” Bear asked.
“Talk to who?” Jason asked.
“I tried. She’s holding everything against me.” Tyler leaned his forehead against the window.
“Everything from how far back?” Bear asked.
“Hello, who are we talking about?” Jason asked.
Tyler turned around. Jason was looking around the room as if he was lost. Brian and Marc didn’t seem to have any more of a clue. “All the way.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of apologizing.” Bear folded his hands. “You need kneepads. I bet Marc has some you can borrow.”
“Pads? Sure, I have some catcher’s pads.” Marc started to stand and then dropped back into his seat frowning. “What do you need them for?”
“This would be a lot easier if he hadn’t fucked her.” Tyler jabbed his finger at Brian. Through Brian has sworn the next morning that nothing had happened and Candy—Candy wouldn’t. He never needed to hear it from her because he knew better. So why was he picking this fight? “You know she always had a thing for you.”
Brian reared back. “Who?”
“Candy.”
“I never slept with Candy.” Brian stood up. “Honest. I wouldn’t do that to you. I know how it feels.” He shot a look at Marc.
“Can we not bring up all the old garbage?” Marc said.
Tyler glared across the couches at Brian. For years he’d been imagining it. Even the bits that didn’t make sense. Especially
the bits that didn’t make sense. It had been his explanation for why Brian and Jason were best friends, why Marc and Bear were best friends, and yet he was alone in the crowd. His personal mythology. “On the first tour, she came to my room and we got into a fight and she spent the rest of the night in your room.”
“Jesus, the first tour? That night she threatened to quit? She spent the night in my room crying. All night long.” Brian held out his hands. “I swear to you. I never had sex with Candy. Shit, that night I didn’t even sleep. I was afraid if I took my eyes off her she’d either hang herself with the bed sheet or sneak back to your room and strangle you with it. And she never had a thing for me. I was friend-zoned by her before being friend-zoned was a thing.”
“Wait a minute.” Jason stood up. “You mean to tell me you’re still hung up on Candy?”
Tyler clenched his teeth and stared at the carpet. It stemmed the tide of angry, irrational bullshit pouring out of his mouth too late.
“Am I the only one who didn’t know?” Jason asked.
Marc and Brian grumbled that neither of them knew either.
“How could you miss it?” Bear asked. “He used to wear the same clothes for days on tour until Candy was coming. Then it was shower, shave, fresh clothes, the works. Every time somebody had a party, the first question out of his mouth was ‘is Candy coming?’ Every time we talk about something he wants to know what Candy would say.”
“I thought it was because she was our publicist.” Marc looked around the circle of faces. “I figured it was business.”
“You would.” Bear leaned back on the couch. “Man, you gotta talk to her.”
“I’ve tried. She won’t listen. I’ve been trying for the past couple of years. I even went to her house after your wedding reception last September.” Tyler rubbed his fingers together. He’d always assumed fessing up to this would be the most horrible, painful experience possible, but so far it felt more like putting down a heavy load.
“Man, really? A couple of years?” Marc shook his head. “Alex is right. I don’t pay attention.”
Jason sucked his teeth. “You know what we could do.”
“No.” Brian scowled at Jason.
“We could—”
“No,” Brian repeated. “Just forget it now.”
“What do you mean, forget it? You don’t even know what I’m going to say.” Jason sat back down on the couch.
“And it doesn’t matter. Every time you get a bright idea like that it blows up in somebody’s face.” Brian clapped his hands together. “Last time it was mine.”
“But—”
“No.”
“Fine.” Jason flopped backward.
Tyler leaned on the windowsill. The quiet room wasn’t at all uncomfortable. Ever since that morning after Brian slept with Candy—correction, Candy cried all night and Brian didn’t sleep—he’d felt like he was cut off from them. For sixteen years, he’d been a member of this band and not really part of it. “I figured you were all pissed off at me that morning.”
“What morning?” Jason asked.
“Keep up,” Brian snapped. “The morning on the first tour when they got into that fight in the hall and she quit. Remember, Candy was half naked and crying in the hall of the hotel.” He looked at Tyler. “Right?”
“Yeah. She was the one who got us really going. She packaged us and found the buyer and I kinda fucked up with her.” Tyler glanced across the room at his beer. He didn’t want it and didn’t feel like crossing the room to get it, but he really wished he had something in his hands.
“I seem to remember telling you the next morning that nobody was mad at you.” Brian leaned back against the couch.
“How could you not be? I was mad at myself.”
“She was being unreasonable. She wanted you to give up all other women in the world for her.” Bear frowned. “That made sense in my head.”
“There were a lot of women at the time,” Marc drained his beer. “Sixteen years ago. That first tour. Jesus. We were lining them up and picking out different favorites every night. Leaving the leftovers for those guys in Ground Force. Man, they hated us. We were jerks. But there were so many women.”
“There still are.” Brian laughed.
“I don’t know what your excuses are, but my wife has a shotgun.” Jason grinned as if he was proud of that fact.
“Groupies are like McDonald’s,” Tyler muttered. “There’s always another one.”
“That’s my line!” Bear scowled.
“No, your line is ‘why have hamburgers when you’ve got filet at home?’” Marc told him.
“Well, it’s the same idea.”
“Nobody was mad at you.” Brian crossed the room and clapped Tyler on the shoulder. “You got stuck in a shitty position and she didn’t quit in the end anyway. Seriously, when isn’t somebody threatening to quit?”
“Okay.” Marc rocked to his feet. “If we’re all done with the caring and sharing, I need another beer. Anybody else?”
“Beer me,” Bear said.
Jason raised his hand.
If nothing else, at least he had friends.
* * * *
Candy pushed the cart along the aisle. “Hurry up, June. You’re falling behind.”
“Sorry, Mama.”
Candy glanced over her shoulder at her daughter. June was walking with her head down, shuffling her feet. It hadn’t been a good day at school. She’d gotten in trouble for not paying attention and June hated to be in trouble. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“I have a headache.”
Joey grabbed a box of Cocoa Puffs off the shelf. “Mama, can I have this?”
“No, you have a full box at home.” At least she thought there was a full box at home. Didn’t matter. Joey would have forgotten all about it by the time they turned the corner. She should have stopped at the store before she picked up the kids at school, but she couldn’t get away soon enough. Actors were such drama queens. Nothing was a little problem, it was all a major crisis that needed to be solved now! Well, she had her own crisis right now. The bake sale was tomorrow and she had nothing to contribute. “Where does it hurt, June?”
“What?”
“Your head.” Boy, she really wasn’t paying attention.
“All over. Can we go home?”
“Soon.” Candy picked up two boxes of Rice Krispies, reconsidered, and added a third. Rice Crispy treats were always very popular. They’d go fast. Now to get the marshmallow. Where did they keep it in this store? Employees always seemed to disappear the moment she needed them. Her phone rang. If this was another fictional crisis—.
June’s teacher’s number was on the screen. Candy stopped the cart. She’d just talked to June’s teacher half an hour ago about the bake sale, why would she call?
“Hello?”
“Hello Ms. Perry? This is Miss Marconi, June’s teacher. I’m calling to let you know that Mark Kim was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.”
“Mark Kim?” Candy asked. She couldn’t place the kid’s face and couldn’t figure out why she was trying.
“He’s in our class and he went home sick at lunch. His mother called to tell us it’s meningitis. You may want to get June checked.”
Candy stared at June who was still looking at the floor. “What are the symptoms?”
“Headache, stiff neck, spiking fever, sensitivity to light, vomiting.”
Headache. June had just complained about a headache. On the way here she’d said it was too bright out even though she was wearing her sunglasses. A song off Touchstone’s first album came on the grocery store’s overhead play. Candy touched June’s forehead. Hot. Too hot.
Candy dropped her phone into her purse and hoisted Joey out of the cart. “Come on, we have to go.” She grabbed June’s hand.
“What about the shopping?” June trotted behind her.
“It can wait.” Candy pushed through the grocery store doors. Wher
e was the car? Where was the nearest hospital?
“But I need it for school tomorrow.”
“You aren’t going to school tomorrow.”
“I don’t feel good, Mama.” June pulled her hand away and stopped.
“We’re going to the doctor right now.”
June leaned over and threw up careful not to get any on her clothes.
Candy set Joey down. Miss Marconi said vomiting. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been fine this morning. Miss Marconi had said she was a little out of it today in school. The kid in her class who brought the disease in had gone home at lunch. How could this happen so fast? “It’s going to be okay, sweetie.” She wiped June’ mouth with a tissue.
“Mama!” Joey clutched her arm.
“Joey, move back.” God, what if he was infected? What if both of them had it? People died of meningitis.
“Is everything okay?” Someone asked behind her.
Candy looked around. She didn’t recognize the face and thought she should. Hell, it was Malibu. Who lived here that wasn’t famous? The sun behind him wasn’t helping. “My daughter is sick and I need to take her to the doctor. Can you help me get my kids into the car?”
“No problem. Where are you parked?” He started to scoop June up.
“No!” Candy sucked in a breath. Would he help her if he knew? What if he had kids of his own at home? He could take it home to them. She couldn’t get two kids, one sick, in the car by herself though. Wei was visiting family in China now. “It might be meningitis.”
“All right. Why don’t you carry her and I’ll bring your boy? Come on, sport.” The man held out his hand.
Joey studied him, clinging to Candy’s pant leg as she picked up June.
“It’s okay, babe. I’m right here,” Candy told her son.
At the car she had to put June down to find her car keys. Her rescuer buckled Joey into his seat as she strapped in June. June looked miserable and her little body radiated fever. “Mama, I don’t feel good.”
Candy pulled a plastic bag out of the seat pocket and handed it to June. “We’re going right to the doctor. You’ll be all better soon.”
“Are you Luke Skywalker?” Joey asked the savior.
He laughed and closed the door. Over the roof, he looked at Candy. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right to drive?”
Keep Coming Back to Love Page 17
