Part 17 (1/2)
”Yes. Since the night you came home after your blowout with Sterling.”
”But that's like seven days? They've never been in the same place together for that long. I thought he was staying in a hotel.”
”Nope, he's here. They're here. And, really, to be honest, parents who have been separated but are now having a renaissance affair really shouldn't have their adult children in the house.”
”What hypocrites!” I said in disgust. ”I mean, Papa has the affair and Mama forgives him and yet they want to judge and banish Sterling before he's even done anything wrong.”
”We all live in a world of our own creation. You know that. We lived in ours away from Los Angeles for a very long time.”
I closed my eyes. ”What if I'd never left?” What if I'd decided to stay after Joanne died and been here this whole time? Would Sterling and I have found a way to remain together? Or would we have broken apart-the inevitable conclusion to our family history?
”Don't do that,” Maeve said. ”You cannot rewrite the past. We both know that.”
My sister had suffered her own pain in love and yes, she did understand how the past could not be rewritten no matter how much you might long to do so.
”I say we need a little sister time, and then we should find Amanda. You know the three of us haven't done much together since I got here. We used to be inseparable, well, until that summer when Sterling discovered you had b.o.o.bs.”
I pressed my lips together and shot her a dour look.
”Too soon? Right? For jokes?” She pulled the corners of her lips upward into a smile. ”Come on, I know your heart is broken and there is absolutely nothing that will fix that except time. Believe me, I know.”
”Amanda probably isn't speaking to me either,” I said.
”I know for a fact that Amanda does not harbor the same sort of anger as Sterling. But she loves you in a way similar to the way I love you. Not in that icky lovey-dovey 'oh my G.o.d you could break my heart again' way like Sterling.” Maeve's gaze settled on me. ”So no, she wants to see you and is worried about you and I've fought her off for seven days. Sis. She wanted to come over the first day she heard about you and Sterling.”
My body flinched. A horrible pain cascaded through my chest at hearing Maeve say ”you and Sterling.” There was no me and Sterling anymore. He'd put an end to that. He'd been clear in the finality of his statements. I'd finally given him my heart and he'd said no. His love wasn't infinite. Love could not conquer all. Love was a finite and I was certain the chance of it ever finding my heart again were remote at best.
Sterling ”You're kidding. This is the place that Dad's son is playing?” The dive bar was lined with choppers outside the front door. The crowd that milled inside the roadhouse was thick with black leather and tattoos and beards. Not my scene.
”If you mean by 'Dad's son' our brother, then, yes, this is the place. I called and confirmed.”
”Seriously, Amanda, I don't think this is safe. I mean, look at this place.”
”Sterling, are you scared?”
I shook my head. ”No, Amanda, I'm not scared as much as I don't care to know this person. I don't want to meet a half-brother that is the result of our father's infidelity. I'm good with not ever meeting him or his sisters. The only reason I'm here is that I was not about to let you come on your own. Apart from everything else, Ryan would kill me.”
”Why do you feel that way? We've lost Mom. Dad is a complete narcissist. How can you not want to meet him? To see him? Like it or not, he is part of our family.” Seeing that she would not get a response from me, she let it go.
While neither Amanda nor I were actors, we'd spent the majority of our years promoting the Legend brand, with the result that thousands of pictures of us at premieres and parties and events had been circulated over the years. We weren't interested in being recognized so we skirted the crowd, both of us keeping our heads down.
”Billie is meeting us,” Amanda said.
”Seriously? We don't even know if he's any good.”
”Excuse me, but did you hear the same song I did? He's good. Billie thinks so, too. I sent her the song. She wanted to see him live. She knows what's up.”
”You told her?”
”Look, I'm not keeping Daddy's secrets anymore. This was his mistake; Rhett and his sisters are the result. They weren't the cause. They did nothing wrong. Why would I harbor some sort of misdirected grudge against them when they've done nothing but stay in the shadows just as Daddy wanted? No way. I will not live by Daddy's rules anymore. He can hide his past all he wants, but I'm not hiding it for him.”
”Seriously, Amanda, engagement has changed you.”
She glared me.
”In a good way, I mean. You never would have said any of that before meeting Ryan.”
”It's not because of Ryan. It's because I have my own business and I am beginning to understand who I am. Daddy's stardom impacted who I became, but it doesn't have to dictate the rest of my life. I mean, for G.o.d's sake, Sterling, the Legend facade was something we had to maintain growing up, but not now. Now I can be and say and do whatever the h.e.l.l I want and not answer to anyone but myself. And Ryan.”
She stopped at the edge of the bar and scanned the dark room. Across the room a tall leggy blonde waved to us. ”There she is! Of course she has the best seat in the place.”
We wove through the crowd toward the horseshoe-shaped booth at the edge of the stage. Billie jumped up and clasped Amanda in a tight squeeze. ”Oh, my G.o.d, let me see that ring!” She squealed. ”I can't wait for this wedding!” She looked at Amanda's eyes. ”It's GORG! But, of course it would be. And to h.e.l.l with the wedding. I can't wait for the bachelorette!”
Billie gave Amanda a final squeeze and then turned to me. ”Sterling, it's so good to see you!” She reached up and gave me a careful hug. Once upon a time and long ago we'd gone on a couple of dates. Dates that, while fun, proved to both of us we were much better as friends.
We all scooted into the booth. ”I hear you've got a movie going into production,” Billie said.
”Maybe. We still have to confirm the cast.”
”That's some big risk you're taking with Kiley Kepner. I'm surprised you're willing to go down that road.”
I froze. My eyelids closed. I did not want to look at Amanda, but I had no choice. Her whole body had tensed. I met her gaze and she stared at me with hard angry eyes while her face still held a smile.
”Kiley? You are casting Kiley in the role that was written for Mom?”
”It's the only way to keep the script. If we're not in production then we lose the option and, like I told you, Tom said he would burn the script if that happens. He'll never let anyone option it again.”
”Right,” Amanda said. ”I know that part. But there are hundreds of brilliant actresses in the world and any one of them could play that part and you've decided that Kiley Kepner is the right fit for the role.”
”Amanda,” I said, my gaze flitting from Billie to her, ”can we talk about this later?”
”Nope, I want to talk about it now.”
Billie s.h.i.+fted in her seat. ”Wow, I really stepped in it. Sorry guys,” she said. ”I'm going to the bar to grab us some beers.” She scooted out of the booth.
Amanda leaned toward me over the table. ”What are you thinking? Have you lost your mind?”
”I'm thinking how to get this movie made.”
”I have a hundred actresses on speed dial who would kill to play that role,” Amanda said. ”They are personal friends. Let me make a few calls.”
”Seriously? You think I haven't made those calls? Talk to Dad. He's put the kibosh on this film so thick that every actress in town is suddenly booked for something, or is scared to say yes. The only actress who will consider doing it is the actress who hates dad the most.”
”I'd think that'd be a longer list,” Amanda said. She pulled out her phone and scrolled. ”What about Olivia or Emma?”
”Tried them. So did Cami Montgomery. I am telling you, Amanda, there is no other way to keep the project alive but to go with Kiley.”