Love Tango

by J. M. Jeffries

  “And they aren’t taking it well,” Roxanne said.

  “It doesn’t look good when your own children desert a sinking ship.” Portia opened the cookie tin to see what was inside. She pulled out cookies and set them on a plate. Tristan grabbed one and took a big bite.

  “You aren’t deserting a sinking ship,” Roxanne said, “You just decided to go in a different direction.”

  “But you encouraged her,” Tristan said. “Mom and Dad see that as a betrayal of all they did for you.”

  “I just want Portia and you to be happy.” Roxanne’s tone was fierce and annoyed.

  “Mom and Dad say you’re exerting undue influence on her and me which is harming their business,” Tristan replied.

  “And they can sue me for this?” Roxanne asked.

  “Anybody can sue anybody for pretty much anything they want.”

  Roxanne piled chicken and cheese on the bread. “Just because they are planning this lawsuit doesn’t mean they’re going to go through with it.”

  “They really want to sign you for this movie.”

  “No. Not gonna happen.” Roxanne handed a sandwich to Nick. He studied her and seeing the concern in his eyes made her want to crawl into his arms and make everything go away.

  “They feel you owe them,” Portia said.

  Roxanne frowned. “In what way?”

  “When you didn’t do the movie they signed you for when you were sixteen, they had to give back the signing bonus. Mom feels that that was the start of all their problems with the IRS and somehow you’re at fault because once you were emancipated you were no longer theirs to command. That put them in a very difficult position.”

  Roxanne sat down. That movie had been a cursed movie from the start. Even though the producers were able to get another actress, the movie was panned by critics and pretty much bombed at the box office. Her parents’ contention had been that if she’d been the star the movie would have been perfect. Roxanne knew that wasn’t the case—she’d read the script—but her parents were like a dog with a bone.

  “Dad and Mom are in trouble with the IRS because they didn’t report income.” Even now, years later, Roxanne had no idea what her dad had done with the money and he’d never volunteered the information. “This is all on them and not my problem.”

  “They’re making it your problem.”

  Roxanne felt a headache start at the back of her head. She knew they had no case but being embroiled in a legal battle was going to be a pain in the ass—and very public. And it would do exactly what she and the producers of Celebrity Dance didn’t want: Roxanne overshadowing the other contestants in an unprecedented way.

  Nick had finished his sandwich and water. “First off,” he said quietly, “I know Trudy Mendoza is your lawyer and before you do anything else you need to speak to her.”

  “Good idea,” Donna said. “We can’t all get our panties in a knot when we don’t have all the facts.”

  “I agree,” Roxanne said. “Everybody have a cookie and then go home. I’m tired and I don’t want to think about this until tomorrow.”

  Portia grabbed her and kissed her. She took two cookies and handed one to Tristan. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  Tristan watched Roxanne. He looked so lost, but she couldn’t help. She hugged and kissed him. “Everything will turn out all right.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said suddenly and kissed her back. “I’ve done more than you know to keep this fight going. I...” He took a deep breath. “I’ve always been jealous of you. Everything comes so easy to you and Mom and Dad.”

  Roxanne put her finger over his mouth. “Hush. I’ve struggled with my own feelings. Mom and Dad always seemed to like you better than me. Hurt exists on both sides, but we’re not going to rehash this. Not now. Not ever. You’re my brother and I love you even if I don’t always like your lifestyle or your decisions.”

  Portia hooked her arm through her brother’s and pulled him toward the front door. She gave a last wave as she opened the door and left.

  Roxanne handed a cookie to Nick. “Thank you for bringing me home.”

  “But you need me to go, too,” he said, with a teasing smile.

  “I do tonight.” She walked him to the front door and gave him a long kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow at rehearsal.”

  Roxanne returned to the kitchen. Donna was cleaning up. She put plates in the dishwasher and washed the table.

  “Don’t worry,” Donna said quietly. “This is nothing more than a five-year-old throwing a tantrum.”

  “Do you really think they can win something like this?”

  “No. I’m wondering why they think they can intimidate you. Intimidation has never worked before.”

  “But they always had Tristan and Portia in the wings,” Roxanne said.

  “You’re not going to give in.”

  Roxanne shook her head. “If my parents want a fight, I’m going to give them one.”

  * * *

  The next day’s rehearsal was a disaster. All the clumsy moves she thought she’d conquered came back and she finally sat on the ground trying not to cry.

  Nick sat on the floor next to her and held her hand.

  “I can’t concentrate,” she moaned.

  “You’re upset.”

  “This is crazy. I don’t know why I’m obsessing over a nonsense suit that hasn’t even been filed yet.”

  “Stop thinking about them. This is about this.” Nick leaned over and kissed her deeply and thoroughly.

  “It’s working,” she said, rubbing her forehead, trying to banish the headache throbbing behind her eyes. “I tossed and turned all night trying to think what I can do, but nothing came to me.” What she wanted to do was move to Alaska.

  “You can’t do anything, except stop letting this situation bother you. Or at least don’t let anyone who matters see how they bother you. You can talk to me.”

  She leaned against him. “The worry is throwing me off my game.”

  “Me, too.” He ran a hand up and down her back and then turned her slightly as he began to knead at the knot of muscles down her spine.

  She let him work on her back. His fingers poked and prodded, loosening the tension little by little.

  “You have to hold your head high and not let people see how you’re being affected by this. I don’t know how the public is going to react, or how your parents are going to react, but you have to show you aren’t being defeated by their actions.” He kissed her. “Now, get up. Get your head together and learn the rumba.”

  “You’re bossy today.”

  He kissed her. “You don’t let me get away with that too often, so I’m owning my moment.”

  Roxanne laughed, pushed herself to her feet and held out her hands. “Let’s get started.”

  * * *

  Roxane’s doorbell chimed. Nick looked up from the chart he’d been studying. Roxanne jumped off her chair and walked down the hall to answer the door. She already knew who was there since the guard at the gate had called her and she’d told him to let her parents’ lawyer in.

  “Ben Hardy,” she said, “I figured you’d be showing up soon.”

  “Hello, Roxanne,” he said. “May I come in?”

  She stood aside to allow him to enter.

  Benjamin Hardy had been her parents’ lawyer for years. He was a short, round man with a receding hairline and somber brown eyes. He’d grown a beard since she’d last seen him and she had to admit it looked good on him.

  He walked into the kitchen and set a briefcase down on the counter. “We have to talk.”

  “I figured. What do my parents want? Besides my soul.”

  He opened his briefcase after a brief glance at Nick. Nick smiled at him and made no move to leave.

 
“Stop being so dramatic, Roxanne.”

  “Me, dramatic!” She took a deep breath. “My parents have the market cornered for drama.”

  “Yes, but for them it’s expected. From you, not so much.” Ben pulled a manila file folder out of his briefcase.

  “My parents aren’t going to sue me.” She spoke more confidently than she felt. “They don’t have the money for a drawn-out court case that will air out all the dirty laundry and I know you don’t work for free.”

  Ben frowned. “Be smart, Roxanne.” He handed the folder to her. “If this goes to court, just getting the wrong judge can make a huge difference.”

  Roxanne didn’t open the folder. She didn’t want to know what was inside. “You came to see me. So what do you want to tell me?”

  “Your parents are willing to drop the suit if you agree to encourage Portia and Tristan to renew their contracts and agree to star in the movie they are asking you to do.”

  Roxanne studied Ben. “Thank you for letting me know the terms of this offer. I need to think. You’ve had your say. I think it’s time for you to leave.”

  Ben kept his cool. He smiled politely at Roxanne and Nick.

  “Here,” Roxanne said, “take one of Grandma’s croissants. I know you love them.” She packed one into a napkin and then led him back through the house and out the front door.

  “Roxanne,” Ben said, “you’re playing with fire.”

  “Maybe. How do you think it’s going to look when the public finds out that my parents aren’t loving and kind. What kind of parent sues their child? If you want to get nasty, I’ll put my teary-eyed grandmother in front of the camera. She can sway the hardest of hearts.”

  Ben shook his head. “Roxanne...”

  “I refuse to be blackmailed by my parents.” She opened the front door and gestured for him to leave.

  Ben descended the porch steps and walked down the sidewalk to his Mercedes parked at the curb. He turned one last time to look at Roxanne. She shook her head. He got in and drove away. She watched as he turned the corner before she returned to the kitchen.

  Nick gave her a lingering kiss that sent her blood racing, despite her unease with the encounter with Ben.

  “You have no idea how resentful I am right now,” Roxanne said. “My parents have never been parents. From the second I did my very first commercial when I was four, they looked at me like I was an ATM. How do you deal with that?”

  “I can tell you my parents tried to discourage me and my siblings from entering the business and with the exception of Nina and Matteus, who’s a cop, we all ended up in it anyway.”

  “But you made the decision for yourself.”

  “I think if we would have quit at any time, my parents would have been happy. Show business is fickle.”

  She leaned into him. He slid his arms around her and held her tight. Just listening to him calmed her. “Not only that, show business is hard. I have the sore feet to show for it.”

  “For every Ann Miller who danced until the day she died, most of us are done by the time we’re forty.”

  “Sometimes I feel like I never did enough for Portia and Tristan.”

  His arm tightened. “Whoa. In order to save others, you have to save yourself first. You put your oxygen mask on first before you put the mask on your child. You got out. You saved yourself first.”

  But the guilt just wouldn’t go away. “Grandma saved me. She pointed out to me that if I emancipated myself, I wouldn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do. She backed me up.” She realized her grandmother had saved herself first, then Roxanne. Now Roxanne had to pay it forward. Donna had tried to help Portia and Tristan, but they hadn’t been as close to their grandmother as Roxanne had been. And somehow, her parents had managed to keep Donna away.

  He opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Shadows darkened the street as twilight approached. The heat was just as sizzling now as it had been earlier in the day.

  He kissed her, his lips soft against hers. She almost wished he’d spend the night, but she and her grandmother needed some alone time.

  “I’ll see you in the morning at rehearsal,” Nick promised.

  She nodded and watched him walk to his car, get in and drive away just as Portia pulled into the driveway, got out of her car and slammed the door.

  Portia followed Roxanne into the house, the air-conditioning humming in the background.

  “I think we’re in for a really hot summer,” Donna said as she stirred a fresh-made pitcher of lemonade. Portia nibbled at a croissant, looking troubled.

  “Then I’m moving to Alaska,” Roxanne said. “That would put me out of most everyone’s reach, because no one in this family would go.”

  Portia laughed. “I don’t know about that. Mom and Dad are angry enough to hunt you down even if you moved to another galaxy.”

  “If they really want to get into producing, they could develop a whole series with parents feeling sorry for themselves because their children left them,” Roxanne said.

  “I’ll suggest it to them.” Portia rubbed her temples. “They could get a whole group of Hollywood parents in the same boat. They could do competitions, scavenger hunts or group therapy sessions. I ought to pitch it to them. Maybe then, they’d leave me alone for the rest of my life.”

  “Let’s put everything on the back burner,” Roxanne said. “Get a good night’s sleep and we’ll deal with this in the morning.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be learning to rumba?” Portia said.

  “I am. I already ache from the twisting and turning and the constant reminders to smile and keep my chin up.” Not to mention the fact she’d stepped on Nick’s toes so many times in the past two days, even he complained.

  “Let’s take a long soak in the hot tub and then get some sleep.” Portia gathered up her things. “I have to be at the zoo early tomorrow.”

  “And I’m working on a little something,” Donna said, a mysterious look in her eyes.

  “What?” Roxanne asked curiously.

  Donna shrugged. “Still cooking. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

  Roxanne didn’t press her grandmother. Donna wasn’t going to give up whatever she was working on until she was ready. Instead she sat down in the living room to look over the contents of the folder Ben had given her. Inside she found a contract for the movie and a copy of the lawsuit. Her parents seemed serious, but Roxanne wasn’t playing their game.

  * * *

  Roxanne was able to secure an appointment with her lawyer for later in the day. She arrived at the rehearsal hall after a quick session with Fay to try on her costume for the next episode.

  She found Nick already waiting for her, doing stretching exercises. He had a grim look on his face.

  “Did you find out the information you wanted to find out?” Roxanne joined him in stretching, sitting on the floor and copying his moves.

  “Your parents don’t have a leg to stand on. They can’t force you to tell them anything.”

  “That doesn’t stop them from being nasty. I’ve been afraid to look at their social media pages. I’m sure they’re ranting and raving over the injustice of a daughter who has no sense of appreciation for all their dedication, love and support. Blah. Blah. Blah. But I’m here to rumba, so let’s dance.” She pushed herself to her feet with her arms held out to him and smiled.

  “Let’s dance.”

  Chapter 11

  Roxanne’s lawyer had her office off Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. The two-story brick-and-stucco building was set back from the street. They entered a courtyard with a circular fountain and headed toward the sliding glass door leading into the building. A discreet brass plaque on the side of a carved walnut door announced Mendoza and Mendoza, Attorneys at Law.

  Trudy Men
doza was as beautiful now as she had been thirty years ago on the New York catwalk. Tall and still slim, her skin was a soft cinnamon and her eyes a light amber. Her black hair was threaded with gray and her face was aging gracefully without the benefit of plastic surgery.

  “Welcome,” Trudy said, her voice a deep contralto. “Nick Torres. I haven’t seen you in a long time. How’s your mother?”

  “She’s good. Getting ready for her first grandchild and driving Nina nuts with all her plans for the nursery.”

  Trudy laughed.

  “You two know each other,” Roxanne said.

  Trudy nodded. “I helped Grace and Manny, Nick’s parents, out of a jam a number of years ago.”

  “I forget how small a world the Hollywood scene is,” Roxanne said.

  Trudy simply smiled. She sat down next to Roxanne. “So what’s going on?”

  Roxanne explained about her parents’ threatening lawsuit. She showed her the lawsuit and the contract for the movie. Nick added a few details.

  “They’re attempting to do what?” Disbelief warred with astonishment on Trudy’s face.

  “Intimidate me and bring me back into the loving arms of my family,” Roxanne replied, her tone sarcastic.

  “Your parents are going to have a hard time proving you’ve interfered with their business or that you’ve influenced your siblings to leave their agency. And the burden of proof is on them. But I don’t think you can ignore this. The scuttlebutt on the street says they’ve being losing clients.”

  “There’s something else,” Roxanne said quietly. “I’ve been thinking about this for a couple days. I want to make another offer to my parents. It might help them loosen their strings on Portia and Tristan, sweeten the deal and give me some leverage. I’m willing to pay my dad’s IRS tax bill off in full.”

  She’d thought about it long and hard and as much as she hated to do it, she knew it would go a long way toward keeping the peace in her family—or at least for Portia and Tristan. They were stuck in the middle of her feud with her parents and the only way they could be free was if Roxanne took away the black cloud hanging over her parents.