Acting Up (42 page)

By now Addison wanted to weep… or club him in the head. Instead, she held up her hands. “Okay, okay.”

“Good,” he said, head jerking up and down once. “Now, sit there and let me come around.”

Could this night get any worse? Why not skin her alive and roast her on the spit? “Fine,” Addison said, crossing her arms. “Go ahead, Sir Galahad.”

A muttered oath ripped through the now-silent car as Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. He shut his door — it was more like a controlled slam — and walked around to her side.

Addison followed directions and waited. The door opened, and he held out his hand. Like the most genteel Southern belle, Addison placed her palm in his.

The second her foot touched the ground he backed her up against the side of the SUV. Ethan's eyes glittered down at her, dark and intense.

“It's all I can do not to beg you to stay right now,” he said in a sandpaper-on-gravel voice. “I'd like to throw you back in the car and drive off.”

Emotion, raw and unguarded, vibrated off him and enveloped Addison's entire body, making her nerve endings sing. “You don't want me to go?”

“No.” He groaned. “Addison, don't you get it? I love you.”

Her heart started pounding. Slow, heavy pulses accompanied by a roar in her ears. She couldn't be sure if it was joy… or outright panic.

Ethan cradled her cheek and she leaned into his hand.

“After losing Jenny, I didn't think I could ever feel this way again,” he said. “I fought it for a long time, but I can't anymore.”

“Well… I…”

“Shh, it's going to be okay,” he whispered. His thumb brushed Addison's cheek, and it came away glistening with moisture. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying.

“This doesn't feel okay,” Addison said. “It seems more like a tragedy. Why aren't you sweeping me off my feet again?”

“A week ago I would have,” Ethan said. “But I know you have to take this step. Face your old life in L.A. and see if you still fit there. If I guilt you into turning down this opportunity now, you'd always wonder what would have happened. Maybe even end up blaming me for making you give up something you love.”

“What do we do now?” Addison strived to keep an even tone, but her voice trembled.

His head lowered until their foreheads touched. “We go in and have a nice meal. Take every day as it comes. I know you'll make the right choice for you. For everyone.”

“You have a lot of faith in me.”

Ethan sent her a sweet, knowing smile. “Yes, I do.”

Glancing up, Addison saw his eyes were misty. She pulled his head down. Kissed his eyelids and worked her way down to his lips. His hands slipped into her hair, angling her neck for a deeper kiss. Ethan's hands rubbed soothing patterns along her back, though the touch enflamed more than calmed.

“I wish I could be a proper homemaker wife,” Addison whispered against his cheek when they broke apart. “One of those women who makes cookies for church bake sales and knits sweaters and plants rosebushes in the garden. Why couldn't I be one of those women?”

“Because then you wouldn't be Addison,” he said. “And I wouldn't love you.”

Hand in hand, they walked toward the restaurant… and into an uncertain future.

****

“Aunt Ruth said to tell you dinner is ready.”

Addison placed the last blouse in her suitcase and flipped the top closed. “I'll be right down.”

Aaron eyed the baggage as if it were smelly diaper. “This sucks.”

“Aaron!”

“Well, it does,” he said, flopping onto the bed. “You leaving. Me staying.”

With a weary, heartsick sigh, Addison sat down next to him. “I thought you wanted to remain in Covington Falls so you can stay in school and be with Lori.”

“But you'll be gone.” His tone was both accusing and sad.

Guilt threatened to smother her, but Addison beat the ugly monster down. “I can't pass up this role. It's my ticket back.”

“I know, I know.” Aaron stared at his shoes. “It'll be weird without you here, though.”

“I'll call you every day.”

“It's not the same.”

“No.”

She studied his profile, and her heart lifted even through sorrow. Aaron had changed so much since he'd first arrived. The teenager's perpetual scowl was gone, the derisive
whatever
smirk replaced by a genuine smile of pleasure. In many ways he'd grown up, yet at the same time he'd regained a bit of his lost childhood. Addison wanted to wrap her arms around this precious boy who'd somehow climbed into her heart. Ironically, she had Merrick to thank for the gift. If he hadn't left, she and Aaron never would have discovered their bond.

Reaching out, Addison tugged on a fistful of his wiry dark hair. “I'll miss you, too.”

“Whatever,” he said, his neck almost disappearing inside his shirt like a turtle ducking into its shell.

The tears shimmering in Aaron's eyes said much more. Funny how those clipped ‘
whatevers
' spoke volumes to her now.

“Aaron, you're the best thing Merrick ever gave me. I hope you know that.”

The little boy inside the almost-man fought to the surface in an expression of pure hope. “Really?”

“Really. I love you.”

Tears tripped down his cheek. “Yeah. Me too.”

She wrapped her arms around him.

“This still sucks.”

No wonder she adored him. “I know,” Addison said on a watery chuckle.

They walked downstairs together. Aaron had set the table, which was a miracle all by itself.

As soon as everyone was seated, Aunt Ruth reached out both hands. “Let's pray.” She bowed her head. “Lord, we ask that You bless this meal. I'd also ask for Your guiding hand to be on Addison as she leaves tomorrow. She's become so precious to this family, and we will miss her, but we're excited and thrilled that she's been given this wonderful opportunity. Please show her the way she is to go, and above all, let her know Your love. Amen.”

Serving herself became an ordeal as Addison could barely see through the veil of unshed tears. No one spoke much through dinner. Aaron shoved food around his plate, and Addison's stomach twisted in knots.

“Aunt Ruth, how do you know if you're following God's will?” Addison asked. “I mean, do you guess? It's not like He uses burning bushes or angelic visits anymore.”

Aaron's head came up, as if he wanted to know, too.

She took her time answering. “It's not always easy to know. Often our own desires get in the way of God's plan. I usually feel at peace when I'm walking the right path, even if it's difficult.”

“But how do you find the right path?”

“I pray. God doesn't come in bursts of flames because He wants us to trust him.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Then I am a good faker,” she said with dry chuckle. “Of course I question Him. I get impatient and want answers right away, but God works in His own time. I do know He loves me, and His plans always go beyond anything I could ever dream.”

“How do you know?” Addison asked.

“You have to be brave enough to trust in something beyond yourself and believe He only wants what's best for you.”

“Why would God love me? I've never done anything to deserve it.”

“That's the beauty, my dear,” Aunt Ruth said with a soft smile. “You don't have to do anything. None of us are worthy.”

“Lori says God is like the parent who still loves His kids even when they screw up,” Aaron said.

Surprise shook her as Addison regarded her stepson.

“She's always talking about stuff like that,” he said. “It's cool. I thought the whole God thing was lame at first, but now I think I understand.”

Looking around the table, Addison thought maybe she understood, too. All three of them were finding their own paths toward God, and for the first time Addison accepted He was big enough to handle their messes and turn them into triumphs.

After all, Addison had lost everything and gained more than she could have ever imagined. A de facto mother, a son, a man who loved her, and a whole town full of true friends. She'd been blessed beyond measure.

And for the first time, Addison thanked God for letting her get fired and for loving a mean, touchy, imperfect fake.

Waves crashed against the shore, breaking into Addison's consciousness.

Waves? There were no waves in Covington Falls.

She opened her eyes. Muted sunlight flooded in from the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. Last night, Addison had arrived at her Malibu mansion and collapsed into her king-size bed.

A glance at the bedside clock revealed it was a little after six in the morning. Of course, Addison's personal time clock was several hours ahead. Three hundred-thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets caressed her skin as she stretched. The custom-made, Swedish mattress conformed to her curves in gentle support. She lay in the most comfortable bed man could devise, yet Addison knew there would be no more sleeping this morning. Slipping from underneath the covers, she padded across the floor to the French doors and stepped outside.

Salt air filled her lungs. Cool, dry air. The rising sun glittered off the ocean as white-capped waves slammed against the shore. A beautiful, awe-inspiring view greeted her.

Beautiful, but somehow wrong. The sun seemed harsher and the air too dry.

Once, Addison had taken such comfort in this vista. Merrick had bought the place as a second residence and refuge from the city five years ago. The house was the one thing she'd fought to keep in the divorce. With a deep sigh, Addison turned and went back inside.

She still loved her bathroom. Travertine marble countertops imported from Italy. A spa tub and separate glass-enclosed shower, with multiple shower heads. Opening the door, Addison flipped on the water. Her Chinese silk robe hit the floor, and like a heat-seeking missile, her gaze drifted to the full-length mirror. At some point, Addison had begun avoiding them in Covington Falls. Now she studied her reflection, wondering what the lack of two-hours-a-day workouts with her trainer, Jackie, coupled with fair bake-offs, had wrought on her decidedly
not
twenty-three-year-old body.

A check of her backside brought forth a wince. Oh, Jackie would not be happy. Not happy at all.

Lifting a hand, Addison touched a strand of her now golden-blonde hair. The color made her look younger and softer. The last vestige of Covington Falls would have to be left behind, too. Softness had no place in Hollywood. And it didn't fit the new role Addison planned to take on.

“God, maybe you could help me out here,” she whispered.

A few hours later, Addison's stylist reached for the same strand of hair. Jean-Lüc wasn't the least bit sentimental about her new look, though.

“What did you do?” he asked, face frozen in an expression of horror like a machete-wielding killer about to attack. “This is not
Addison Gold.
”

“I had my hair done,” Addison said, feeling like a naughty child who'd broken her mother's favorite vase.

Jean-Lüc closed his eyes and swooned. Yes, swooned. There was no other way to describe it. “Do not tell me you let a
local
touch your head.”

“It was either a local or color-in-a-box from Food Mart.”

“Stop. I beg of you.” He moaned and held a hand to his heart. “Do you want to kill me?”

“Actually, I kind of like the new color.”

A string of French-laden curse words filled the salon.

“I'm sorry I messed with your work, but I need you now,” Addison said, trying to reign him in. “I'm meeting with the producers of my new show for the first time on Friday and—”

This news brought forth another explosion. Jean-Lüc's attention shifted to Addison's face. He clucked over the state of her skin after months of neglect and whimpered as he examined her hands.

“Clara!” Jean-Lüc called out to his assistant. “We need the works here!”

Addison was beginning to feel like one of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters. “I thought I looked pretty good.”

Decent even with the extra inches on her thighs courtesy of Caroline's cookies.

“Pretty good? Pretty good?” Jean-Lüc echoed, voice rising in volume and pitch. “
You
are Addison Covington, one of the most beautiful women in the world.
You
do not look
pretty good
. You look fabulous. Ravishing. Scintillating.”

“Sorry.”

Jean-Lüc spun around. “Clara. Move it, girl. We have serious work to do.” He paused and pointed at Addison. “You. Sit.”

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

****

“Well, don't you look fabulous?” Sydney said, giving Addison a hug.

Addison held on longer than necessary, but other than a brief glance, her best friend didn't comment on the clinginess. Sydney led the way out to a multi-tiered terrace, where a table was set for lunch next to the pool. Water cascaded over giant granite stones into the reservoir below. The sound instantly soothed Addison's frazzled nerves.