Part 4 (2/2)
”Don't forget.”
”Forget what?”
”You're not Jack and Genny,” he said as he stood to leave.
”Yeah.”
Addison sat back at her desk as Jeff closed the door. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and exhaled a long breath. She opened up her laptop, stared at the blank screen for a few minutes, took another deep breath, and placed her hands on the keyboard.
”Okay, Jack... Where are you now?”
”What did Addy do that I deserve lunch by the pool?” Tamara asked Emma as Vicki played at her feet.
”What makes you think that Addy did anything?
”Yeah, right,” Tamara drawled. ”Nice try, Mrs. Blake,” she said. Emma's smile intrigued Tamara. ”Why are you so deliriously happy?”
”I don't know about the delirious part, but I am happy,” Emma replied as she took a seat across from Tamara.
”Uh-huh.”
”How do you feel about becoming an aunt again?” Emma asked.
”No way! Are you seriously preggers again?”
”Seriously preggers again.”
”I knew Addy did something.”
Emma burst into laughter. ”So to speak, I suppose.”
”Okay? So, what gives? You were all cryptic on the phone this morning.”
Emma nodded. ”I'm worried about Addy.”
”Why? h.e.l.l, Emma, Addy would probably write you into some lesbian version of The Waltons if she could.”
”Did they have a dog?” Emma asked somewhat seriously. Tamara looked at her as if Emma had hit her head-hard. Emma chuckled. ”Never mind.”
”Why are you worried about Addy?”
”Jeff wants her to reboot Off Screen. At least, he wants her to try.”
”Uh... Won't that be a little tough now? I mean, unless Genevieve is going to be knocked up by some other wayward actor.”
”I told her that I was out.”
”Uh-huh.”
”I think she should write something for Sandra.”
”Okay? I know, I am a little slow on the Addy and Emma uptake sometimes, but uh... You lost me completely this time, Emma.”
”There's this part of her, Tam that still worries about losing me. It seems like no matter how far we go, some part of her thinks I'll leave.”
Tamara sighed. ”She does. I don't know, Emma. Addy wasn't always like that; you know?”
”You mean before her mom died.”
”Yeah. I think she feels like she failed somehow; you know? I mean, with her dad. It's like her mom was gone and her dad disappeared-even though he was still right there.”
Emma nodded. ”I know all of that. I just wish I knew how to make her feel secure, I guess.”
”What does this have to do with a new project?” Tamara asked.
”Well, I can't say that I am totally sure. That project was something we created together in a way. She wrote it. She wrote it about us. She wrote it for me. I pitched it. We rode that wave together until it crested and broke. Know what I mean?”
”I think so. Look, Emma, Addy just worries about letting you down somehow. That's what it is, I think.”
”She's never let me down.”
”I know. That's Addy. You're a lot like her mom. I think she sees that even more now with Sprout here.” Vicki looked up at Tamara and grinned.
Emma was surprised by Tamara's revelation. It was the second time in a few days that someone had made that comparison. ”How so?”
Tamara shrugged. ”Don't know how to explain it exactly. You're also really different,” Tamara said. ”But, Addy's mom was... Well, she was genuine; you know? Like, she was this crazy beautiful woman who had no idea how beautiful she was. And, she loved Addy. They were like best friends in a way. In a different way than Addy and me, but they were. I don't think there was anything Addison didn't tell her.”
Emma had seen many pictures of Vicki Blake. Addison's mother could easily have been a model. Then again, so could Addison. And, she understood the idea of a mom being a best friend. Emma felt that way about her mother, and hated to admit that she sometimes took that relations.h.i.+p for granted. She looked over at Vicki and shook her head. ”I hope she feels that way about us,” she commented softly.
Tamara smiled. ”You think Addy is afraid to do a show without you?”
”A little.”
”Yeah, she probably is,” Tamara agreed. ”She likes having you close,” Tamara laughed. ”I don't mean she needs you close all the time; I just mean that I think she is used to that. You know?”
Emma tilted her head in confusion.
”Well, you know it's like what happened when her mom got sick. From what I know, they had been inseparable before Addison came to college. Addison had friends, but you know, where she grew up is like Daniel Booneville,” Tamara said. Emma snickered. It was a bit like the wilderness. ”Anyway, Addy felt different. That much I do know. I don't just mean being gay. I mean that she never wanted to stay there. She always had this idea of becoming a famous writer-since she was a kid. Like, Sprout age,” Tamara said.
Emma smiled. Vicki already had a million stories to tell. She was positive that Addison's influence was the culprit. It wasn't difficult to imagine that Addison had been an imaginative child. And, as much as Addison loved home, Emma understood that Addison had a desire to explore. Writing allowed Addison to travel to distant places without ever having to leave the security of home. But, Addison did have a yearning to explore the real world in a tangible way. Emma sighed.
”What?” Tamara asked.
”Just realizing something,” Emma replied.
”Care to share?”
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