No Matter What (75 page)

“You sure?”

She looked at him, fresh tears starting to fall down her face and he took her in his arms, holding her tight.

“Hey, come on.
 
It’s been one hell of a day but this’ll sort itself out, babe.
 
I promise you.”

“I thought I’d put it all behind me, Kenny, but I couldn’t stop it all coming back.”
 
She stayed holding onto him, her arms tight around his waist as she leaned against him.
 
She felt safe with him.
 
“I wasn’t fair to Charley, I know I wasn’t.
 
What I said up there …”

He kissed the top of her head.
 
“She understands.
 
They both do.”

India
looked at him, silent tears still falling down her cheeks.
 
And she couldn’t stop it, what happened next.
  
Even though she knew it was wrong, they both knew it was wrong.
 
She loved Michael, she loved him with every ounce of her being, she really did.
 
So why was she kissing Kenny Ross?

CHAPTER 38

India
had arrived back in
L.A.
late the previous evening.
 
Michael had picked her up from the airport and taken her back to their home in the Hollywood Hills where they’d gone straight to bed, made love, and fell asleep in each others arms.
 

It felt good to be away from Vegas for a while.
 
She felt as if she could breathe for a few days, get her head round everything.

“You look miles away,” Michael smiled, joining her at their large kitchen dining table for breakfast.
 

India
looked up at her husband.
 
He looked tired.
 
“I’m fine.”

He came over and kissed her quickly, grabbing himself a coffee before joining her, dumping a pile of papers and letters on the table as he sat down.

“You sure?”

She nodded.
 
“Is this movie hard work, Michael?”

He looked up at her again, putting his reading glasses on as he started opening the letters.
 
“Why do you ask that?”

“Because you look tired.”

He smiled again.
 
“No.
 
Everything’s fine.”

India
wasn’t convinced but she didn’t push it.
 
She looked at him as he continued to open the post, reading everything through before putting them back down on the table.
 
She’d forgotten he could be like this when he was directing; a bit withdrawn and introverted.

He’d been lovely last night though, and she smiled to herself as she remembered seeing him as she ran down the stairs of Reece’s private ‘plane, right into his arms, hugging him tight.
 
She’d missed him so much.
 
She’d only been away from him for a couple of weeks but she’d missed him.
 
Maybe it was the guilt of what had happened with Kenny, she didn’t know, but she’d really needed to be with Michael last night.

Remembering what had happened with Kenny made her look away from Michael for a second, fresh guilt washing over her.
 
It had just been a kiss, just one stupid kiss.
 
But was there such a thing as
just
a kiss where Kenny was concerned?

“You’ve drifted off again,
India
.”

She looked at him.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, putting down the letter he was reading.
 
“Come over here, come on.”

She got up and walked over to him, sitting astride him, slipping her arms around his neck.

“Why don’t you come with me this morning?
 
Spend a bit of time watching your rather talented husband at work?
 
You can drive to
Malibu
this afternoon, can’t you?”

She couldn’t help smiling.
 
“Yeah.
 
Ok.”

He stroked the small of her back, his fingers slipping up under her t-shirt as he kissed her slowly.
 
“Good.
 
I’d like you to come on set.
 
We haven’t got a lot of time before you’re back in Vegas, and I’m sure Reece is dying to see you.”

She rested her forehead against his.
 
“I wish we could go to the beach together. Now.”

He squeezed her waist.
 
“Yeah.
 
Me too, baby.
 
But I’ll be there tonight.
 
I’ll come straight there as soon as I’m done.”

She closed her eyes as he kissed her again, long and slow, and she could have stayed there for hours just kissing him.

“Come on then, beautiful,” Michael said.
 
“Let’s get going.”

India
reluctantly climbed off him, pulling her t-shirt back down and running her fingers through her hair.

“I’ll just call Bobby; tell him to meet me there.
 
I’ll be out in a second.”

He picked up his things from the table and kissed her quickly.
 
“Don’t be long.
 
The car’s outside.”

“Ok,” she smiled, waiting until he was out of the kitchen before checking her ‘phone that had signalled the arrival of a text message.
 
From Kenny.
 
He’d just arrived in
L.A.
and was on his way to
Malibu
.

***

“Oooh, will you look at her!” Bobby said, as he and
India
sat on the sidelines watching filming going on.
 
She’d been playing about with her ‘phone so she hadn’t been looking up.

“Sorry, Bobby, look at who?”

“Layla Boyd.
 
Shameless she is!
 
Did you see the way she just flirted with Mr Walsh there?”

India
sat upright and looked over to where the pretty blonde actress was talking to Michael, twirling her hair round her finger and batting her eyelashes at him. He wasn’t paying her any attention though.

“That won’t work with him,”
India
said.
 
“He doesn’t go for all that girlie crap.”

Bobby looked at her.
 
“Speaks little Miss Tomboy here.”

She smiled.
 
“If he went for all that girlie crap he wouldn’t be with
me,
would he?”

But despite that,
India
couldn’t help feeling a little nervous, watching the way Layla stood so close to him, the way she touched his shoulder as she spoke to him, even though Michael wasn’t reciprocating any of the attention she was giving him.

Bobby squeezed
India
’s hand and looked at her, sensing the slight wariness she was giving off.

“She’s too obvious, angel.
 
I’d describe her as brassy whereas you ... you’re simply gorgeous.”

“She’s younger than me.”

“That means nothing.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“No!
 
You put girls half your age to shame and stop fishing for compliments.”
 
Bobby looked at Layla again as she left Michael’s side and walked back onto set, fluffing out her hair as she got ready to film the next scene.
 
“And that’s never her natural colour.”

India
giggled quietly.
 
“You are such a bitch, Bobby Castle.”

“It’s a talent, angel.
 
Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see my dad.
 
I’ll be back in five.
 
Go get me a coffee, will you.”

Bobby looked at his watch.
 
“Oh, you’ll drink coffee
now
will you?”

She kissed his cheek as she got up, smiling.
 
“It’s past 10am, so yes.
 
Back in a bit.”

She found Reece in his trailer looking through his script.

“Oh, hi there, sweetheart,” he said, smiling broadly as he saw his daughter come in, getting up and hugging her.
 
“How are you, my darling?”

“I’m fine, dad.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why’s everybody asking me that today?”

“Because we’re worried about you … seeing Charley again...”

“It’s ok.
 
Really,”
India
sighed.
 
She sat down on one of the sofas, crossing her legs up underneath her.
 
Reece leant back against the wall, his arms folded.
 
“I think I over-reacted, y’know.
 
To the whole situation.”

“What makes you say that?” Reece asked, genuinely concerned for his daughter.
 
It had taken a long time to put the memories of that night behind her and he didn’t really think anyone needed to have them dredged up again.
 
Least of all her.

She looked at him, playing with her wedding ring, something which had turned into a nervous habit for her.
 
“I had a go at Vince.
 
I blamed Charley for Terry’s death ... for me losing the baby … that wasn’t fair.”

“Maybe not, but it was understandable.”

She looked down at her hands, still fiddling with her wedding ring.
 
“I don’t feel good about it.
 
Now I’ve had time to think about it I know I shouldn’t have said those things but, at the time that’s how I felt.
 
Maybe part of me still does feel that way; I mean, if it hadn’t been for her Terry would never have done what he did ... maybe I would have been a mum ...”
 
 
She felt tears start to threaten again and she took a deep breath, pushing her hands through her hair.
 
“No.
 
It’s pointless going there again; it’s not doing anyone any good.”

Reece sat beside her, taking her hand in his.
 
“You just weren’t prepared,
India
. That’s all.”

She looked at her father, knowing he was right.
 
“I
will
talk to Charley.
 
When I get back to Vegas.
 
But I have no idea what to say to her, and the fact she’s with Vince ... why didn’t he just tell me she was there?
 
All of this could have been avoided.”

Reece pulled her in for a hug.
 
“I’m sure there are a lot of lessons being learnt here, sweetheart.
 
But Vince wouldn’t have done anything to hurt you on purpose.
 
You know that.”

She snuggled into the warmth of her fathers arms, realising how much she missed him when she was away from him, loving how he made her feel like a little girl when he hugged her like this.
 
Sometimes a hug from her dad could make everything feel better and today was one of those times.
 
She could deal with the whole Charley situation, she could deal with her and Vince being together, she could deal with it all in reality.
 
If there was one thing she’d learnt after everything that had happened was that looking back was never a good idea.
 
Moving forward was the only way to go.
 
Oh, she’d never forget her brother, the pain of losing him would never go away, not really, but time had made it that little bit easier to cope with.
 

She pulled away from Reece and sat back up.
 
“Do you know much about Layla Boyd?”

Reece got up, going over to the cooler to get a glass of water.
 
“Why do you ask?”
 
The last thing he wanted was for
India
to have to worry about the stupid games Layla was playing.
 
So far he had no evidence that Michael was anywhere close to falling for whatever it was she had planned anyway.

“Me and Bobby, we just noticed her flirting with Michael.”

Reece turned round to look at her, smiling.
 
“I wouldn’t let it worry you, darling.
 
She’s trying it on with anybody who she thinks can progress her career.
 
Michael’s shown her no attention, infact, if anything he’s being rather cold with her.”

“Yeah.
 
That’s what it looked like out there.”
 
She fiddled with her wedding ring again and even Reece had started to notice the nervous habit she’d suddenly developed.

“Have you got something else on your mind?” he asked, noticing how she’d drifted off into her own thoughts.

“Sorry?”

“You seem a bit distant.
 
Is everything alright?”