“Daniel…when you saw her…”
“Please don’t ask what happened, Samantha. It’s over, finished.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“Samantha…”
“Did you?” Because he hadn’t made love to her. Not once since she’d come back into his life. And she should have seen that as a warning shot.
Daniel nodded, avoiding her eyes.
“Before or after she told you she wasn’t coming back?”
“Please, Samantha…”
“Before or after, Daniel? Just tell me. What does it matter now anyway?”
He sighed, still unable to look at her. “After.”
“Oh, Jesus…”
“I’m so sorry, Samantha. Sorry that I’ve had to do this to you again. You don’t deserve any of this.”
“No. I don’t. But neither of us deserve to be in a relationship that isn’t making us happy, Daniel.”
He looked at her, looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of him, a strong and supportive woman, a woman he’d once loved, but those feelings had gone. And that hurt because she was good for him, she was everything he needed. But, like he’d said before, she was nothing he wanted. Not anymore. And he couldn’t live in a relationship that was only half there.
“I’ll make arrangements to have my things delivered back to Berkshire,” Samantha said, guessing that this conversation had run it’s course. What else was there to say? It was over. End of story. Stevie Stone had won. And it had been a battle she hadn’t even known she’d been fighting.
“Samantha…I really am sorry.”
She smiled, again just to stop the tears that were now threatening. “Goodbye, Daniel.”
But this goodbye didn’t make him cry. As Samantha closed the door behind her, this time all Daniel felt was relief.
***
“Mrs. Cassidy…it has a ring to it.”
“It doesn’t have any fucking ring to it, Mark, because I’m not taking your name. And I don’t ever want to be called Mrs. Anything. You got that?”
He smiled, his arm falling around her shoulders as they walked.
“Yeah. I got it.”
They were in the process of looking at homes all over L.A., ready for that new start they were about to embark on, and this afternoon saw them in Beverly Hills looking at the home of a legendary rock star. It was a large, gated, Spanish-style house set in it’s own grounds with bedrooms Stevie had lost count of, a kitchen the likes of which she’d never seen before and a stunning garden and pool area. Not to mention its own recording studio set in a separate building behind the main house, which seemed to be swinging it for Mark. It really was a dream home. She’d come across homes like this throughout the years she’d been working with rock bands, although, to be fair, only one or two of the people she’d ever worked with had been able to afford places like this.
“It can be ours, baby. If you want it,” Mark said, watching her as she let go of him and walked around the huge black and white, ultra-modern kitchen, running her fingertips along the dark-grey granite work surfaces.
“Since when have you been able to afford a place like this, Mark?”
His home in Brentwood may still have screamed rock star but it was a hell of a lot smaller than this place, a much more modest home. Even his London house was nothing like this.
“We’re up there now, honey. We finally made it, and somewhere like this, Jesus, it’s my dream, Stevie. To live somewhere like this.” He came over to her, pulling her into his arms. “But only if you want it too, baby. The house we buy is gonna be our home here so, I want you to love it too.”
“I’m just a bit overwhelmed, Mark. Everything’s happening so fast.”
“Hey, we could get married right here couldn’t we? If we bought this place? We could get married out in the garden.”
“Hey, do you want to slow it down a bit, Cassidy? There’s no rush, is there?”
He pulled her closer, letting his fingers stroke the small of her back, sliding them up under her t-shirt so they touched her warm skin. “No, but there’s no reason why we should hang around either. Now I’ve finally got you, I don’t feel much like letting you go again.”
She smiled, running her hands up and down his upper arms. “Not like you to get all needy, Mr. Rock Star.”
“I need you, Stevie. And I’m not ashamed to admit to that now.”
She smiled, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently, and another piece of the jigsaw slowly fell into place. She’d faced Daniel, she’d said goodbye to that part of her life and that had allowed her to move forward that little bit more, so would marrying Mark so soon really be such a bad thing? And after that, exactly what was she going to do with the rest of her life? She had to talk to her agent, decide how to move forward on the offers that had been put her way but all she really wanted to do was spend time with Mark and the band. Whatever she did next, she would always be with Mark and the band.
“So, what do you think then, baby? Do we go for this house and have our rock star wedding out there by the pool?”
She laughed, jumping up into his arms, wrapping her legs round his waist as they kissed again and she knew then, at that very second, that they were standing in the place they were soon going to call home. This place had a good vibe, it felt right. Just like it felt being with Mark. Right.
“Do I take that as a yes then?” he smiled, sitting her down on the breakfast bar that stretched along two sides of the room.
“It’s an absolute yes, Cassidy.”
She rested her forehead against his, wrapping her legs back around him as he kissed her again, long and slow and if she could have married him there and then she would have done it. Mark Cassidy was the drug she’d never really been able to leave alone and now she didn’t have to. Every time she needed a fix he was going to be there, and that felt good, it felt safe. It felt right.
Her ‘phone ringing made her pull away slightly as she reached into her pocket to retrieve it, looking at the caller display.
“Luke,” she smiled, unwrapping her legs from Mark’s waist and sliding down from the breakfast bar. “I’m gonna take this, baby, so why don’t you go have a word with the realtor and see what kind of deal we can do on this place, ok?”
He smiled too, kissing her quickly. “You got it, beautiful.”
She went outside, walking down to the pool area, sitting down on one of the loungers as she answered the call from her soon-to-be-eighteen year old son.
“Hey, Stevie!”
He didn’t call her mum, not yet. Maybe it was too soon, maybe he never would, it didn’t really matter to Stevie. All that mattered was that he was in her life and she knew how lucky she was to have that, after everything she’d done.
“Hey, kiddo! How you doing? You looking forward to your birthday?”
“Yeah. Dad’s throwing a party for me down at the football club. Should be good. Are you sure you can’t get back for it?”
“Baby, I’d love to but we’re really busy over here. I’ve sent something over for you though. A present I think you’re gonna love. Mark and Johnny helped me pick it out, and guess what? I think I may have something else for you that’ll make up for me not being at your party.”
They’d bought him an American Vintage ’57 Stratocaster electric guitar for his birthday. He had his first tattoo, and now he wanted to learn to play, and they’d wanted him to have a great guitar to get started on.
“What is it?” Luke asked, not able to keep the excitement out of his voice. If Stevie had a surprise for him it was bound to be a great one. She didn’t really seem to do things by halves.
“Well, Johnny’s over in the U.K. at the minute so, how would you like him to turn up at your birthday party with your present? Would that be ok?”
“You serious?”
“Yeah, of course I am. Johnny said he’d love to come, and he said he might even play a bit while he’s there, if you’d like that.”
“Jesus, Stevie, a
re you kidding me? My mates are gonna freak when they hear this! You’re the best mum in the whole fucking world!”
“Hey, watch your dad doesn’t hear you using language like that.”
Luke smiled. He knew Stevie was cool about stuff like that. She was cool full stop. Johnny Jackson coming to his birthday party? How many of his mates could say they had a real-life rock star coming to their eighteenth?
“What you up to over there?” he asked, trying to put off what he really wanted to ask her for just a little while longer.
“Well, I think me and Mark may have just bought our new home here in L.A. That’s where we are now, sorting everything out. It’s incredible, Luke! It’s got a pool and a gym and even a small private cinema! And when you come to stay you won’t believe the room I’ve got lined up for you.”
“Where is it?” Luke really hoped it was close to Hollywood. His mum was marrying a rock star, and if they’d found a place near where all the action was it would be perfect! Movies and music were Luke’s world.
“Beverly Hills. Not exactly rock ‘n’ roll but the house is currently owned by a really big rock star, and believe me, Luke, you are gonna love it!”
Luke paused for a second. It was now or never, and she could only say no.
“Stevie?”
“Yeah?”
She looked around as she waited for Luke to speak. The view of the perfect gardens that stretched out beyond an ice-blue oval-shaped pool was incredible, and it could soon be hers. And the thought of that was still somewhat crazy.
“You know you said I was a natural? When I was over there, and I helped you backstage and everything…?” He was tripping over his words, his nerves getting the better of him.
“You are a natural, Luke. Come on, what’s up? You sound as if you’ve got something you want to tell me.”
“I want to be a roadie, Stevie. Just like you.”
She didn’t know what to say. She knew he was at college studying Performing Arts but she’d had no idea he’d harboured any ideas of following her career path, and maybe he hadn’t. Until he’d met her. She wondered how Connor felt about all this.
“Have you spoken to your dad?”
“Yeah. He’s ok about it. Really, he is. I want to do this, Stevie. I want to be around rock stars and gigs and…”
“Luke, baby, slow down will you? Please.” She looked back towards the house. Mark was outside smoking a cigarette while the realtor talked to him, occasionally pointing things out in the surrounding area. Mark even looked vaguely interested, which Stevie found quite amusing. At thirty-six was Mark Cassidy finally starting to grow up? “So, you want to be a roadie? You want to live in this crazy world of mine? Are you sure about that? Really sure? Because it’s not always as much fun as it may look, and it certainly isn’t glamorous. Not behind the scenes. It can be bloody hard work. Late nights, early mornings, sometimes no real sleep for days on end. It’s a tough job, Luke.”
“I’m really sure. I’ve never been more sure about anything. I’ve thought about it a lot, Stevie, I really have.”
She sighed, leaning back on the lounger. He was a sensible boy; she knew he meant it when he said he’d thought about it. So she believed him.
“Ok. Well, you’re not a kid anymore and if you’re anything like me, when you set your mind on something you won’t stop until you get it anyway, regardless of what anyone else says so, listen. If you really want to do this, if you really want to get started in this business then I’m gonna help you. You got that?”
Luke couldn’t help smiling. This was all going perfectly. She was going to help him and he was going to learn from the best. One more thing his mates were going to be jealous of. “I’ve got it.”
“So listen to me, ok? I’m gonna have a word with Colin – you remember Colin don’t you? He works with me and the band and he’s over there in London at the minute working with another band for a few weeks. I’m gonna arrange for you to go down to London and stay with him for a while, as long as your dad agrees. He can show you the ropes, give you a little bit of background training, introduce you to a few people who’ll also be able to help you. How does that sound?”
Luke thought it sounded amazing! Colin was almost as cool as Stevie, but his ultimate goal was to be with her, over there in L.A. His ultimate goal was to work with Black Rock Diamond alongside rock’s most beautiful roadie. His mum.
“That sounds brilliant…”
“But? Come on, Luke. What else is on your mind?”
Luke took a deep breath, turning his iPod over and over in his hand. “I want to work with you, Stevie. I want to learn from you. I want to work with the band…I want to be with you, I want to…I want to be with my mum.”
Stevie felt tears prick the back of her eyes as he said those words. Words she didn’t deserve to hear from him, she really didn’t, but just hearing him say something so simple - she couldn’t believe how happy she felt. She had an amazing boyfriend, they’d just found their dream home, and now her son wanted to be with her. Was she finally hurtling towards that last and most important piece of the jigsaw? A happy ending she could never have predicted?
“Stevie? Are you ok? Are you crying?”
“No…yes. Jesus, Luke, finding you must have woken my hormones up. I’m fine, really. It’s just…ok, listen. You want to work with me, right?”
“Right. Are you sure you’re ok? Have I upset you?”
“No, baby, of course you haven’t upset me. Completely the opposite, in fact. So, if you want to work with me and learn from me then you’re gonna have to live near me so…look, I’m gonna have to talk to your dad about this remember, and he might not agree to it, you have to realise that, but, if he’s ok with it – and that’s a big ‘if’ Luke – but if he’s ok with it, how do you feel about moving to L.A.?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“Angus…glad you could find the time to see me. I know you’re very busy.”
Angus closed the door of Daniel’s office behind him, putting his briefcase down on the sideboard by the door.
“I was on my way to a meeting. Is it urgent?”
“You could say that.” Daniel leant forward, staying seated behind his desk, clasping his hands together in front of him. “Did you talk to Stevie? While we were together I mean? Did you…I don’t know if threatened is the right word but, did you warn her off, shall we say?”
“Did she tell you that?”
“I just want to know what you said to her, Angus. I want to know if you deliberately set out to ruin what we had, because we could have protected her, you know that. We could have kept her past a secret…”
“It would have come out eventually, Daniel.”
“No, Angus. We could have protected her.”
“I did it as your friend, Daniel. I care about you, you’d just become Prime Minister…she wasn’t right for you…”
“And what gave you – what gave anybody the right to make that decision for me?” Daniel stood up, walking around the front of his desk, leaning back against it and folding his arms as he looked at his Deputy. “I loved her, Angus. Like you will never understand, I loved that woman. But you took it upon yourself to take control of my life and I’m not sure I can ever forgive you for that.”
“I did it for all the right reasons, Daniel. Samantha was the one who should have been with you; she was the one who could have helped you…”
“Helped me? With my career? Is that what you mean? Because, you see, I don’t really want any help in that department. I actually believe I’m more than capable of handling all of that by myself. No, what I really wanted was someone I could come home to after a day of God knows what, after trips to heaven knows where. I wanted someone who could take my mind off it all, not someone to discuss the events of the day with, not someone who’s going to make me go over everything all over again. That’s what I wanted. Not someone who could help me with it all. Stevie, she…she took my mind off everything, Angus. She gave me that release, that
escape, and I really needed that. I really needed her. But you made sure that could never happen.”
“She wasn’t fitting in. She admitted that herself, didn’t she? It would have ended without my help.”
“But you never gave us the chance to find out otherwise, did you? Maybe we could have worked through it if that was all we had standing in our way, but everything else…that became a problem. That put the seal on it all, and that was because of you. Nobody else. So I’d like you to go please, Angus.”
Angus looked at him, narrowing his eyes. “Go?”
Daniel’s expression was stoic, emotionless. “I’d like you to leave my cabinet. Call it by mutual consent.”
“You don’t mean that, you’re still…”
“Fucking angry, Angus, that’s what I am. The official statement I’m going to release will say you left to concentrate on back bench politics. You want to spend more time with your family. A nice little cliché but it always goes down well. And I’d like this to happen with immediate effect. After today you will be neither a part of my cabinet, or my team.”
“This is ridiculous, Daniel. You’re not thinking straight.”
“Do you know something Angus? For the first time in months things have never been clearer.” Daniel stared at Angus, one last look just to let him know who was really in control here. “Now, I trust you can find your own way out.”
And with that, Daniel turned away, dismissing Angus without another word being spoken. And there wasn’t a thing Angus could do about it.
***
The sun beat down on the Beverly Hills home of Mark Cassidy and Stevie Stone on the day of their rock star wedding. Bikers mixed with rock stars outside in the grounds as loud music thumped out of huge speakers situated all around the gardens. A large and imposing stage had been set up for gigs that were going to be played later on in the evening, several bars were housed in various marquees, motorbikes were strewn all over the place and barbeques were being fired up everywhere you looked.
See You at the Show Page 32
