by Wendy Wax
“Bless you both,” Avery said.
“I’d have a brain freeze right now if I actually had anything left to freeze,” Bitsy said as the cold stabbed at her.
Kyra drank silently and with determination.
Maddie returned, pushing Nikki in the beach wheelchair Jeff had vacated. Sherlock padded behind them.
“Goodness,” Ray said with a droll smile. “There’s been a jailbreak. And Maddie is an accessory.” Without asking, he placed a margarita in Maddie’s hand.
“She told me that if I didn’t bring her, she was going for a power walk until she went into labor and didn’t care if she gave birth behind a sand dune,” Maddie said.
“And I’m still considering it. Oh, God, just smell that fresh air.” Nikki inhaled deeply and dramatically. “I’m never going back inside. Never.” She leaned as close as she could get to Maddie’s margarita and inhaled that, too. “The only thing that would make this moment better would be if I was allowed to drink one or two of those. Or stand up. Or if Joe was here and I’d already given birth.”
“Boy, you have a lot of conditions for making things better,” Avery said between sips. “Where is Joe? Wasn’t he supposed to be here this morning?”
“He’s in Denver. Snowed in. He’s been attempting to get here for something like thirty hours now.”
“Neither rain, nor sleet, nor . . . Oh, wait, I think that’s the US Mail, not the FBI,” Ray teased.
“They apparently got a foot and a half or some ungodly amount. He told me he was looking for a pair of cross-country skis even if he had to steal them. I’m not entirely sure he was kidding.”
“But you seem . . . okay?” Bitsy asked. Nikki had been an emotional basket case for weeks, but something had definitely changed.
“I’m all cried out. Honestly. I don’t think it’s possible to maintain that level of anxiety indefinitely. I’m not even afraid anymore. Well, not very. All I want is for this to be over. Any ideas other than power walking? I’m not sure I could actually get far enough to make anything happen.”
“Well, I did see a few episodes of Call the Midwife,” Avery said. “But it was kind of gory and I had to cover my eyes. I only caught glimpses between my fingers.”
“Never mind that,” Maddie said. “The babies are viable. They’ll come in their own good time. Or Dr. Payne will deliver them Monday morning as scheduled.”
“Dr. Payne?” Ray shuddered theatrically. “Every time I hear her name, I think someone really should talk to her about changing it.” He stood. “I’m going to leave you to it, ladies. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the head Deirdre offered to put on a fund-raiser performance at the In & Out Club. They have several numbers featuring the Dancing Deirdres.”
“Ugh. No. I know we all appreciate their participation today. But it kills me every time I have to see them dressed up like my mother. Not to mention the huge sand version lying out there right now. I don’t want to watch a batch of men dressed up like her sing and dance. Not even when it’s because they love her.”
Randy appeared with a small tray, which he set down next to Nikki. “Wasn’t sure whether you’d prefer a strawberry milkshake or an ice cream sandwich, so I brought both.”
“Bless you,” Nikki said gratefully. “You are a gentleman and a scholar.” She took a long sip of the milkshake then eagerly unwrapped the ice cream. “Oh, God,” she said after her first lick. “If we were doing ‘one good thing’ right now, this ice cream sandwich would be it.”
“Mine would be the sand cottage not collapsing. I hated having to scale back but it didn’t really seem to matter,” Avery said.
“From the way Maddie’s smiling, I’m guessing hers would be Will Hightower.” Nikki stopped licking long enough to add, “If we were doing ‘one good thing.’”
“Being with Will again was pretty good. In fact, we might have to upgrade our tradition to ‘one great thing.’” Maddie grinned. “He invited me to come on tour again.”
Nikki stopped chewing. And smiling. “You’re not going, are you?” She made a face. “Sorry. That was completely selfish. Let me rephrase that. Are you going?” she asked in a faux cheerful voice.
“No. At least not right away. I told him I wanted to be here for the twins’ birth and for as long as you need me afterward, but that I’d come meet him after that.”
“You mean like in seventeen or eighteen years after they leave for college?” Nikki asked. “Assuming he’s still touring?”
Maddie smiled. “I’m sure it won’t be quite that long.”
“And he’s okay with that?” Bitsy asked, impressed with Maddie for standing her ground and trying to facilitate a compromise. Had she been too rigid in her relationship with Bertie? Had Bertie needed more of her in ways she hadn’t seen or understood? There was no excuse for what he’d done, but was she completely blameless in the failure of their relationship?
“Well, I know it’s not exactly what he wants,” Maddie admitted. “But he does have Lori Blair going along to hold his hand. And I feel pretty confident that’s all she’s going to be holding. He seems determined to deal with the temptations on the road, and I think he’s strong enough to pull it off. Besides, who really ever gets exactly what they want?”
“Rock icons and movie stars,” Kyra said glumly. It was the first time she’d spoken. She hadn’t touched her video camera, either. Most of her attention seemed focused on her margarita, which she finished quickly.
“What’s going on, Kyra?” Nikki asked. “I’ve been out of the loop.”
Kyra took another drink.
“Daniel was here today,” Bitsy said. “Which was great in that he brought a whole pack of paparazzi with him and really perked up the crowd and the local media.”
“But it was a bad thing because?” Nikki had finished the ice cream sandwich and was now licking her fingers as she aimed this question at Kyra.
“Daniel wants Dustin to costar in his new movie,” Maddie said when Kyra once again chose to drink rather than speak.
“With him and Tonja?” Nikki asked.
“That’s the one,” Kyra finally said. “The Exchange!” She managed to pack the word with an odd mixture of venom and despair. “Ha!”
“Would that really be so bad?” Bitsy asked, wondering about the bond of parenting. Would her life have been different, their marriage stronger, if she and Bertie had had a child to focus on instead of only their own desires?
“Not monetarily,” Kyra said. “In fact, he’s throwing a lot of money at me to make me say yes.” She looked down into her empty glass then back at them. “And we need money. Our share from today will allow me to pay off some of the interest on the money I borrowed. But we have to come up with a lot more than that.”
“Daniel’s charging you interest?” Shock vibrated in Maddie’s voice. “He gave you a mansion, but he’s charging you interest on a loan?”
“Not exactly.” Kyra shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Bitsy’s eyes went to Kyra’s face. Something was going on here. Bitsy opened her mouth, instinctively prepared to offer money. She closed it, remembering with a nasty shock that she no longer possessed unlimited funds with which to fix things.
“But you are saying that he loaned you the money for the reno and now he’s trying to force you to put Dustin in the movie because you can’t pay him back?” Nikki asked.
“Not exactly.” Kyra looked away quickly but not before Bitsy saw the panic in her eyes. It was mixed with something that Bitsy didn’t know her well enough to identify, but there was no doubt she was hiding something.
“I’m going to have to have a serious talk with Daniel.” Maddie, sweet, careful, and always determined to consider all sides of a matter Maddie, was as close to rage as Bitsy had ever seen her. “And so should your father. I don’t like the sound of any of this. How dare he try to force you to let Dustin be in
his movie just because he loaned you money?” In full lioness-protecting-her-cubs mode, she jumped up as if she was going to see to it right that minute. “He has no right! No right at all!”
Kyra’s shoulders slumped as if under the weight of the world, but she met her mother’s gaze. “He does have rights, Mom. As he reminded me yet again, he is Daniel’s father and therefore is entitled to parental rights.” Her face reflected abject misery. “And . . .” She straightened and swallowed hard. “And the loan didn’t come from Daniel. I . . . I took out a hard money loan against Bella Flora.”
Maddie, Avery, and Nikki gasped. Even Bitsy felt slightly breathless as the words poured out of Kyra’s mouth. “And if we don’t find a way to make the payments, we’re going to lose her.”
• • •
Avery wasn’t sure exactly how many margaritas she drank after Kyra dropped her bombshell and fled. Maddie had switched to water early on, but for Avery, the frothy concoctions became less celebratory and more necessary. They’d sat around the pool in stunned disbelief long after Randy locked up the main building. Chase had called to see if she’d seen or heard anything from Jason, and hearing the slight slur to her words, he’d made her promise she’d spend the night at Bella Flora. Bella Flora. Which Kyra had put at risk in an effort to reclaim Do Over and fight the network. Bella Flora. The home that they’d brought back from the brink of ruin twice and that had done the same for them.
“I will,” she agreed, unable to tell Chase what had happened when he was already so upset about Jason. Her head swam in a murky soup of alcohol and Kyra’s news. “Tex-it me if he shows up, ho-kay?”
“Ho-kay,” Chase replied grimly. “Right after I finish strangling him for scaring the shit out of all of us.”
Avery followed Maddie and Bitsy back to the cottages and waited with Bitsy while Maddie wheeled Nikki inside and tucked her back into bed. Bitsy stood under the streetlamp waiting for Sherlock to saturate his favorite palm tree. Avery’s head spun, jumbling her thoughts further. She’d passed exhaustion long ago and couldn’t even begin to process Kyra’s news or the challenges that lay ahead. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could remain upright.
Sherlock was still snuffling around tree trunks when Maddie returned looking every bit as miserable as Avery felt. “Okay,” she said to Bitsy. “I’m just confirming that you’re spending the night at Nikki’s.”
“Aye, aye.” Bitsy attempted a salute but her hand didn’t quite make contact with her forehead.
Maddie frowned. “If you’ve had too much to drink, maybe I should stay.”
“Spoken like a true lightweight,” Bitsy replied. “I’m not drunk, just tired.”
Avery felt as if she might crumble at Maddie’s feet. “All of us are exhausted, Maddie.” Her yawn was large and unintended. “Including you.”
“Too true,” Bitsy agreed with a yawn of her own.
“All she has to do is go in Nikki and Joe’s cottage and find the couch.” Avery swayed slightly.
“Right,” Bitsy said with another yawn. “Piece of cake.” She lifted Sherlock into her arms and turned to go.
“C’mon, Maddie. Les go.” The mixture of sand and grass beneath Avery’s feet seemed to be crooking a finger at her. The need to be horizontal was no longer optional.
“All right,” Maddie called after Bitsy. “But let me know if anything happens.”
“Absolutely,” Bitsy called back.
They watched Bitsy set Sherlock inside Joe and Nikki’s cottage then disappear into her own.
“I hope I’m not going to regret this,” Maddie said as she took Avery’s keys and climbed into the driver’s seat of the Mini Cooper.
“No regrets,” Avery murmured as her head came to rest against the passenger window. Her head filled with disjointed images of her confrontation with Jason at the marina. Her failure to follow up on her threat. The chances she’d had to tell Chase that his son had skipped school and taken the boat without permission. That he’d been with a girl with whom he’d clearly been intimate. Her eyes closed. “And I’m pretty sure love means never having to say you’re sorry . . .”
Twenty-seven
At Bella Flora, Avery took one look at the stairs and turned toward the central hallway instead.
“Aren’t you coming up to bed?” Maddie had been silent on the ride back. Her tone now was hushed, her face wretched.
“I don’t think I can make it,” Avery said. “If I don’t lie down, I’m going to fall down.” She focused as best she could on Maddie’s face, which was pale and troubled. “Unless you wanna, needa talk?”
“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Maddie sighed. “God, I wish Kyra had said something before she . . .” Her voice trailed off as she turned to the stairs. “See you in the morning.”
“G’night.” Avery shuffled into the salon and fell onto Nikki’s bed, which was the first horizontal and cushioned option she came to. Pulling the pillow beneath her head, she had the idle thought that it was a good thing pregnancy wasn’t contagious. Then she wondered how long the sand sculptures would last and whether she should have stopped in the bathroom on her way to bed. The stray thoughts grew even more random and troubling as she hovered on the brink of sleep. Jason in some den of iniquity or out in the Hard Case intoxicated, dangerous to himself and others. All of them treading water, unable to stay afloat after losing both Do Over and Bella Flora.
The closer to sleep she came, the quicker the thoughts and images moved. Memories of Bella Flora zoomed by like a video on fast forward. Their first sight of Bella Flora neglected and moldy. Encased in scaffolding, her insides laid bare as they worked so frantically to save her. She saw Deirdre the day she’d arrived, claimed the master bedroom, and refused to leave. She and Chase locked in argument after argument during the renovation. The shock of their first kiss. Cheez Doodles and sunset toasts around the pool. The struggle to come up with the one good thing Maddie insisted on each night.
Her last semi-coherent image was of Bella Flora pulsing in and out, beating like some cartoon heart. Finally, mercifully, the images disappeared and there was only nothingness, blissful and dark.
• • •
Maddie walked slowly up the stairs, her hand on the banister they’d spent so many painful hours restoring. She looked in on Dustin, who slept peacefully in his big boy bed, flat on his back, his arms flung wide in abandon. Outside Kyra’s closed bedroom door, she debated whether or not to knock and had finally decided to leave it for the morning when she heard the muffled sound of her daughter crying. Pushing open the door, she stepped inside.
Kyra looked up at her through tear-filled eyes. “Oh, Mom. I can’t believe I’ve made such a total mess of everything.”
Maddie moved to the bed and sat on its edge. She didn’t contradict Kyra. It was a mess. A dreadful and frightening one. Bella Flora was their home, the only one they had. It had become their sanctuary, the one place where the chaos and uncertainty that plagued them was not supposed to be able to reach them. As always, her urge was to fix things, to find some way to “make it all better.” But this was not a cut that needed a Band-Aid. Or a boo-boo that would feel better if only she kissed it.
“I know you meant well, but oh, Kyra, how could you? And how could your father ever have let you?”
“It wasn’t his fault, Mom,” Kyra said through her tears. “He explained it all to me. He tried to talk me out of it. So did John Franklin. He’s the guarantor.” She held a sodden tissue to her eyes in a futile effort to staunch the flow. “I was just so sure that we’d sell enough units and that we could convince the network to let us go to do our version of Do Over. At the very least I thought we’d be able to sell the documentary on the Sunshine Hotel.” Fresh tears gushed from her eyes and spilled down her face. “Daniel offered a ridiculous amount of money for Dustin to be in his movie. It’s enough to pay off most of the loan. But I just don’t see h
ow I can do it. He’s way too young. And I’d have to go with him.” Her lip quivered like it had as a child. “And that would mean dealing with Tonja, and being forced to watch Daniel with his real family.” She expelled a heavy breath. “If we weren’t so in need of money, I’d never even consider it.” There were more tears. “And if I let Dustin do the movie because of the mess I made, then I’m no different from Daniel using our son to get what he wants.” She swiped at her nose with the tissue. “I’ve been so incredibly stupid.”
Maddie watched her daughter cry and felt her own heart ache. But there was no silver bullet, no perfect solution. “You’re not stupid, Kyra. You’re human. And you’ve made the mistake of letting wishful thinking get in the way of reality. I’ve been guilty of the exact same thing myself.” She held the nearby trash can up and waited for Kyra to release the now useless Kleenex. “But this is something that should have been thought out thoroughly and then discussed. Technically Bella Flora belongs to you and Dustin. But this decision impacts all of us.”
“I thought you of all people would understand,” Kyra said through a fresh cascade of tears. “You’re the one who talked about how important it is to never give up and to go down fighting.”
“I meant what I said, honey. But you have to seriously consider what’s at stake before the fight begins.”
Kyra shuddered as she struggled to regain control. “Oh, God, Mom. What in the world am I going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said as Kyra sniffed and dabbed at her eyes until the tears finally stopped. Standing, she lifted the comforter so that Kyra could slip underneath it. “In the morning we’ll sit down and talk this through and see if we can come up with some kind of plan.” She watched Kyra pull the covers up to her chin just as she had as a child. “In the meantime, we all need to try to get some sleep.”
She pulled the door closed behind her and felt the fury that had been building course through her. Sleep? She couldn’t imagine it. The idea that Steve might be sleeping peacefully right now infuriated her. She took the back stairs and walked quietly past the salon, where Avery was currently snoring, and out the back door. Moments later she was throwing open the pool house door, flipping on the light, and watching her ex-husband sputter awake. When the sputtering stopped, she sat down and commanded him to explain how in the hell he could have let their daughter put Bella Flora at risk. Then she demanded to know exactly what he planned to do about it.
