Turning Point

by Lara Zielinsky

  “No.”

  She judged the response to be too quick. “Your mom doesn’t like you to?” Silence again as he, again, wouldn’t look directly at her. “So,” she poked carefully, “what do you think of her portrayal of Susan Jakes?”

  His gaze snapped to hers. Defensively he said, “I told you, I don’t watch.”

  “Maybe you should,” Cassidy prodded. “She’s very good, you know. I’ve always thought so.”

  “What do you know? You’re just a…” He cut himself off and turned away from her. “Dinner’s getting cold.”

  Careful to avoid any expression that she was startled by the unfinished comŹment, she stepped back. “I may be anything. That’s what acting is all about. I happen to be your mother’s friend. That,” she assured him, “is not an act.” Stepping out of the doorway, she returned down the hall. She found Brenna at the end of it, gaze upturned to meet hers.

  “I was beginning to wonder what happened to you.”

  “Just turning off the stuff.” James edged his way around them.

  “Oh.” Brenna watched him stride out of sight. She turned back to find Cassidy studying the spot at the end of the corridor where her son had last stood. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s go eat before the food’s cold.” Cassidy rested her hand companionably on Brenna’s shoulder, then gradually dropped it away as they entered the dining room.

  Until she started a conversation with “Ryan loves baseball”, Brenna was sure the group would have been content to remain silent. Even the normally sociable Thomas had alternated between watching Cassidy and watching his plate. Brenna knew Cassidy was uncomfortable; she had stopped meeting Brenna’s gaze across the table.

  Responding to the cue, Thomas began regaling Cassidy’s son with the stats from his latest season of baseball. Ryan ooohed and aaahhhed and asked many knowledgeable questions.

  Thomas asked, “How’d he learn all those stats?”

  “TV,” Cassidy explained. “I’ve started letting him get the cards, but mostly he just listens to the commentators.”

  “That’s very cool,” Thomas praised. “Have you ever seen a live game?”

  “Mom took me to one this year.”

  “Who was playing?”

  “Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles,” Ryan reported proudly. “A’s lost.”

  “That was a great game,” Thomas said. “What position would you play?”

  Ryan grinned. “First base.”

  “There’s an active Little League in L.A. Besides playing for the high school team, Thomas helps coach one of them. Perhaps you could let Ryan join up.” Brenna prompted an expansion of the conversation with a look at Cassidy. “The new season starts up just after our filming finishes,” she added.

  “Please, Mommy?”

  Cassidy nodded. “I guess you could.”

  “It’s T-ball until age eight, but I think he’d have a lot of fun,” Thomas said.

  Cassidy chuckled. “Between climbing together and Ryan’s games, you may see too much of me.”

  “Don’t forget, we’ll all have to go watch Thomas play,” Brenna responded with a smile. Her smile faded as James stood. “James?” He looked toward her. “Done already?”

  “Yeah. I’ve got stuff to do.”

  “We’ve got cobbler for dessert,” she said.

  “Call me.” Then he was gone.

  “All right,” Brenna said to his back. Disconcerted, she slowly picked up her fork.

  Disheartened and confused, James listened as his mother, Ms. Hyland and ThoŹmas started up the conversation again as he left. He bristled at the woman’s inquisi-tiveness. He really wished she would just go away. Now his mom was talking about seeing the Hylands more often, inviting them to Thomas’ baseball games, even getŹting her son involved in the Little League.

  Flopping down on the couch in the game room, James sighed. She had seldom

  brought any of the Time Trulls cast to the house, except for hosting the occasional holiday party when she had briefly dated one of the other actors. That had all stopped when she married Mr. Shea.

  Cassidy Hyland was the last person James had ever expected to see sitting at their dining room table. In the beginning, when she was alone in her room when she thought no one could hear, his mother had cursed the blonde. Socializing with her should be the last thing on her mind. Now, that seemed to have all changed. He just did not get it.

  Thomas was right; it was his mothers life. However, she was changing rapidly, right before his eyes. She barely spoke to her husband any more; weekly calls had dwindled to less than once a month. James hadn’t seen her writing a letter in weeks. It made no sense. Thomas said he had seen them kissing out on the deck before they disappeared into her room at Thanksgiving.

  He immediately terminated that line of thought. Thinking about his mother having sex was just icky. He had only just gotten into petting with his girlfriend, Marcie. He knew what he wanted to do with her, but thinking about his mother and Mr. Shea doing the same thing was just…He groaned and closed his eyes, shoving the heels of his hands against them to rub out the images. Ew.

  She was more enthused about physical stuff lately, too. She worked out and swam a lot when she first got the job on the series. That had tapered off as the series itself provided her with more than enough exercise. Now she was actually racing Thomas when they climbed. Thomas seemed unsurprised, saying her competitive spirit was reawakening.

  Why was it happening now, just when he thought she was ready to leave this role behind? Why hadn’t this happened when she married Mr. Shea?

  Damn it, he cussed. Why the hell do I think Cassidy Hyland has everything to do with it?

  Pulling the remote control from the table, he lost himself in television.

  “Thomas, would you please take him out of here?” Brenna held Ryan’s hands to prevent him from sticking them in the sink where his mother was washing dishes. Brenna had turned around to say something to Cassidy and nearly tripped over him for the fourth time.

  She herself was finding containers to store the leftovers. Since James had left the table early, more food than usual remained. He had always been her most robust consumer.

  Thomas, who was bringing the dishes in from the table, put down the glasses he carried and held out a hand to Ryan. “1 could show you my baseball cards. Come on. Let’s leave the moms to do the tough stuff.” He grinned cheekily at his mother as Ryan trotted over and took his hand. “Right, Mom?”

  She blew him a kiss. “Thank you.” He laughed, and in a moment the two boys were gone.

  Cassidy stepped back from the soapy water. “I have never seen Ryan worship anyone so fast.”

  Brenna reached over and flipped on the radio, grabbing a towel to dry the pans filling the dish rack. The quiet music was a pleasant backdrop as they continued to work. “Thomas has always been great with kids.”

  “Has he thought about being a camp counselor?”

  “He has. Until he has a car of his own, it’s just not feasible.”

  Finished, Cassidy dried her hands and loaned against the counter, crossing her feet at the ankles and easing herself back on both hands. “You could get him a car.”

  “I don’t work that way,” Brenna said. “He’ll get a job in the summer and earn his own.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’d rather Thomas earn something himself, than for me to get him something he won’t appreciate.”

  “You didn’t raise him to be shallow.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  They fell silent. Brenna reached into the refrigerator and drew out two wine coolers. “Drink?”

  “All right.” Cassidy took one, glancing at the label. “Raspberry. Nice.” She opened it and sipped, then paused as she listened to the tune on the radio. “Wow, that brings back memories.”

  “What?”

  “This song.”

  Brenna listened to the tune. “I don’t recognize it.”
/>   “It’s an oldie, but that was all the Armed Forces heard overseas.”

  “Armed Forces?”

  “My dad was…is retired military. Marines. I was born in France.”

  Thomas had come back in with Ryan and asked, “We were wondering. Wasn’t there supposed to be dessert?”

  “Oh, right,” Brenna answered distractedly, caught up in the image of Cassidy as a small girl, probably in pigtails, running around a military base. “Go on,” she encouraged. “Sit down and I’ll get things together.”

  Thomas, Ryan and Cassidy settled at the table. Brenna grabbed the vanilla ice cream and set it on the counter. “We should probably tell James,” she said, recognizŹing that her younger son was still absent. She looked to Thomas, who got up quickly and went on a search. Then she turned back to Cassidy. “You said you moved around a lot.”

  “I did, but from birth to six, I lived just outside Paris. Since I started school there, it’s still the best foreign accent I do.” She chuckled. Easily changing her accent to reflect a French influence, she said to her son, “Don’t you think so?” He giggled.

  “So you traveled a lot as a child.” Brenna emerged with the tray of plates. The smell of warm peach cobbler filled the air, and steam rose from beneath the cool splashes of vanilla ice cream that she added on top.

  “There were two bases in France. We lived in Texas, Tennessee, then Missouri — where he retired. There were also stops in San Francisco, London, and Bremen. Though I didn’t go, since he was posted there only two months, he was stationed in Thailand for a training assignment when I was fifteen.”

  Thomas returned at that moment with James, and they both sat down. Brenna passed James a plate. “Cassidy was just telling us about growing up on Army bases.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Cassidy decided it probably would be best to go while things with James were just strained instead of completely out of hand. He clearly had issues specifically with her, but she was getting nowhere with resolving them. “I learned a cool lanŹguage out of it, I guess.” She sat up. “Maybe it’s time I took Ryan home.”

  “It’s only eight o’clock,” Brenna protested.

  “Can’t we stay?” Ryan looked at her pleadingly, cobbler dribbling from his spoon as he lifted it to his mouth. “I’m not finished.”

  “Let him finish his dessert, Cass. You, too.” She tupped the edge of Cassidy’s untouched plate with her spoon.

  Relenting, Cassidy fell silent, trying to enjoy the cobbler. James finished quickly and left the table even as he was putting the last bite into his mouth.

  Watching Ryan take his last bite, Cassidy wanted to end the evening on an up note, to try and make Brenna feel less like she was being driven off by James’ indifŹference. She stood, grinned at Thomas, and nodded at Brenna. “Merci. Vous semblez delicieux. J’ai eu I’amusement dans la douche.”

  “What’d you say?” Thomas asked curiously. “That sounded really nice.”

  She chuckled. “I said, ‘Thank you. The food was delicious. I had fun…at the gym.’ Impress your friends, confound your enemies — learn a second language.”

  “Of course, you’re right.” Brenna stood. “I guess I’ll see you Monday, then. Would you like some of the leftovers?”

  “No thank you. Why are you going in Monday? There’s no shooting.”

  “It’s just for a little while. I have interviews and a meeting with my agent.”

  To spend a moment alone with Cassidy, Brenna waited until she had said her goodbyes to both boys. Thomas flushed a bit at Cassidy’s hug, taking a quick step back after she let him go. Brenna bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a chuckle from escaping.

  She walked Cassidy and Ryan out to their car and leaned on the open driver’s door. Ryan secured his own belt over the booster seat in the back. Cassidy started into the driver seat. A soft hand over hers on the top of the door made her pause. Brenna’s eyes were slightly obscured by windblown hair. Cassidy’s hand reached up and brushed her face free. “Yes?” She appreciated the heat that rose in Brenna’s cheeks and the way her lips parted, her breath caught, and the tip of her tongue came out to wet her lips.

  “What did you say? Really.”

  Cassidy glanced at the front door, then leaned closer to Brenna and whispered, “I said, ‘Thank you. You look delicious. I had fun in the shower.”’ She leaned back, meeting Brenna’s gaze again. The smile widened, and the intention was overtly lasŹcivious.

  “That can’t possibly be something you learned when you were six,” Brenna said breathlessly.

  Cassidy could see that her words had piqued Brenna’s desires. “I took a refresher course in college.”

  “What else did you learn that I should know about?” Brenna asked coyly.

  She leaned close again, surprised by how much she wanted to kiss Brenna, right there in the open, in front of God, Creation, and the kids. Instead she issued her words across Brenna’s lips in faint puffs of breath. “One weekend in particular comes to mind. I’ll reenact that with you some other time. Privately.” Clearly her words had an effect. Brenna’s pupils widened with desire.

  “Would you like to get together again sometime? Soon?” Brenna’s invitation was hopeful.

  “There’s the ‘office’ Christmas party on the seventeenth,” Cassidy reminded her.

  Pursing her lips, Brenna nodded. “I forgot.”

  “Aren’t you going?”

  “I have to, but I haven’t…Kevin escorted me last year.”

  Gambling, Cassidy suggested, “You could go with me.”

  “A date, you mean?”

  “I’m willing,” Cnssldy said. “But we could just tell the reporters we’re friends. I’m going stag. No Cameron this year.”

  Brenna’s brow knitted in sudden anxiety. “I…I need some time.”

  “Are you unsure of the press, us, Kevin, or the kids?”

  Nibbling her bottom lip, Brenna was the very definition of adorable. “It’s…I have to talk to Kevin first.” She lifted her gaze to Cassidy’s. “Can there be another time during the hiatus?”

  “I’m not sure yet whether Ryan and I will be headed out to St. Louis to visit my parents for Christmas.”

  Brenna nodded. Cassidy’s hand brushed hers lightly in parting before Brenna had to step back and watch the other woman get into her seat, fire up the engine, and back out of the driveway. She watched until the taillights disappeared into the evening.

  Chapter 34

  When Brenna returned inside, James and Thomas were in the kitchen polishing off the remains of the cobbler. “That was pretty cool,” Thomas remarked when she walked in to check things. “You think we’ll be able to do it again?”

  James shook his head. “It seems to me from what Mr. Shea said that we should be cutting ties, not making more of them.”

  Brenna put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re not leaving L.A. tomorrow; there’s all spring. A lot could change.”

  “Are you planning to stay here after Time Trails, Mom?” James asked.

  “There are a lot of options,” Brenna replied noncommittally. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t get anxious about it. I thought you said that you wanted to finish school here,” she said.

  “Yeah, I do. Come on, Thomas, get with me here. I don’t want to start over totally someplace else.”

  Thomas shook his head. “Mom, I…is Kevin going to escort you to the Pinnacle Christmas party? Maybe we could all talk then.”

  Brenna frowned. “I haven’t talked to him about it.”

  “I’ll escort you if you want.”

  “Sorry, that’s not possible.” She hesitated. She would rather go alone, making it possible to meet up with Cassidy, but she knew that the press could have a field day with that. If Kevin came out to L.A. for the party, they could talk, and she could end it then. She was afraid. If she went to Mount Clemens to give him her decision, surŹrounded by their families, she wasn’t entirely certain she could hang on to her nascent resolve. Looking at
her sons awaiting her decision, Brenna knew guilt. She was looking for them to supply arguments for her to avoid telling Kevin the real reaŹson she wanted a divorce.

  Well, that is going to stop. She wanted and needed Cassidy, needed to make her own way. Out on the driveway, she had been a breath away from Cassidy’s lips, wantŹing to kiss her, only stopped by the sight of the lights in a neighbor’s house across the way. She decided convention would no longer hold her back.

  “I’ll call him right now and see if he can come,” she said sharply, reaching for the phone. Her eye caught the clock, and she unconsciously converted the time ahead. “It’s almost midnight there.” She put her hand down, only to be startled when the phone rang. She snapped it up and hit the button. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Bren.”

  “Kevin?” She blinked, looking from Thomas to James. “It’s late.”

  “I hoped I’d find you in,” he said. “I know it’s late for me, but this time differenŹtial…” He seemed to shake himself. “Anyway, I called to… We didn’t get a chance to finish talking about everything.”

  She felt her stomach get queasy. “I know. We’ve got a weekend coming up.”

  “You want to come here? I can make up the boys’ room.”

  “No, Pinnacle’s got a party, like last year’s, our final one — press and everyŹthing. The execs are throwing it for the cast and crew.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s the seventeenth.” Thomas and James sat on the couch, watching her. She turned slightly aside, expecting anger at the lateness of the notice.

  Instead Kevin was unnaturally calm. “That’s this Saturday.”

  She winced. “Yes. 1 know.”

  After a long pause, he answered, “I’ll fly in Saturday morning.”

  “I could go alone.”

  “I will fly in.”

  She felt a frisson of anxiety as she heard the deliberation in his tone. “All right.”

  “We can talk more when I get there.”

  “I know.” Brenna pulled back the receiver and swallowed back her nerves. Come on, Brenna, seize the brass ring. Returning to Kevin, she said simply, “Bye.”