If You Want Me (6 page)

“Yeah,” another parent complained. “We’re paying for these classes.”

“The prices have gone up, yet what are we getting for the money?” Scott asked.

Tanisha held up her hands as the grumbling grew louder. “Please, everyone. If you’ll just give me a chance to explain.”

“I want my money back,” a woman said from among the crowd.

“Please,” Tanisha repeated, more firmly this time. “I apologize for the inconvenience. I’ve made every effort to resolve the situation with Mr. Thompson, but unfortunately, he won’t be returning.”

“What?”
Angry murmurs erupted.

“But,” Tanisha quickly interjected before the crowd got too loud. “I have a replacement teacher. Some of you already know him. Marcus Quinn.”

Marcus narrowed his eyes as he shot an angry look at Tanisha, but she ignored him.

“Marcus?” Carmen asked. “How can he be the new teacher? He’s got a full-time job.”

“I enrolled my kid in this class because of the summer play,” Stacy whined. “She deserves a qualified teacher.”

“Uh…Well, actually, Marcus came today to help out. As you know, he’s helped out with the classes before, so he’s certainly qualified.” More grumbling. “But I’ve also asked Desirée LaCroix if she’ll be their new teacher. Since she’s taking a break from Hollywood for the next several months.”

Marcus turned to look at Alice in shock, as did everyone else. She seemed as surprised as he did at the announcement.

He took a few steps through the crowd until he was standing just feet from Alice and her niece. Was the diva really going to be here for the next several months?

“That would be great,” Carmen said, relief flowing from her voice. “Someone with actual acting experience.”

“A
lot
of experience,” Melody agreed.

“Did she say yes?” another parent asked.

Tanisha moved through the crowd to stand at Alice’s side. “I’ve asked Desirée to think about it, and she promised she’ll give me an answer this week.”

Alice’s eyes widened as she threw a sideways glance at Tanisha. It was as he figured. Tanisha was lying to save her butt. He had to hand it to his ex-wife; the woman could lie with the best of them.

“I hope you’ll do it,” Melody said to Alice. “I’ve seen all your films. You do decent, wholesome roles. You’re a good role model for children, and I think you’d be a great teacher.”

“Yes, please,” another woman urged her.

The room soon erupted with pleas like “Will you?” “Please do it,” and “Come on” from the parents and children alike. Soon, the children were chanting “Desirée, Desirée,” and giggling.

Alice met Marcus’s eyes, as though seeking his approval. The gesture reminded him of their high school days when she had often asked his advice before making a decision. He wondered why she’d seek his advice now. Strangely, after all this time, he
felt a surge of warmth that she would turn to him. But he didn’t know what to advise and shrugged in response to her silent question.

“See, Aunt Alice,” Mia said amidst the noise. “Everyone wants you to be our new teacher.”

Tanisha placed an arm around Alice’s shoulder and smiled brightly. Marcus was close enough to see Alice stiffen. He wondered if anyone else had noticed. Probably not.

He knew there was no love lost between Tanisha and Alice. In high school, Alice had told him on more than one occasion that Tanisha didn’t like her, but he’d been so blindly in love with Tanisha that he’d always told Alice she was mistaken. After all, before they married, Tanisha had never said a bad word about his best friend. It was only after they’d been married for a while that Marcus had noticed Tanisha’s animosity toward Alice. When he’d mention her name, wondering aloud why she hadn’t been in touch with him, Tanisha always said something snarky like, “I don’t know why you’re friends with that loser anyway.”

He gave Alice credit now. She smiled for the children and parents as though she and Tanisha had been the best of friends.

“As I said, Desirée is going to give me an answer in a few days.” Tanisha turned to look at Alice. “But maybe she can help out today?”

There were more enthusiastic pleas and Alice finally spoke. “All right. Since I’m here, I don’t mind helping out. Today.”

As the room got loud with excited chatter from the children, Marcus wondered if anyone had heard her say “today.” And he wondered if she would ac
tually consider being the new teacher. Maybe the Alice he had known years ago would, but the star she had become? He couldn’t see it. Why would she work for a theater that had been struggling to stay afloat for a few years now, when Hollywood could call at any time with a six- or seven-figure offer?

He’d have to see it to believe it.

Marcus watched her run a hand over Mia’s hair in an intimate gesture. And suddenly he wondered what it would be like to have her hands on his body, caressing his face, his chest, his back.

Whoa, where had that thought come from?

As if Alice sensed he was staring at her, she looked up from Mia and met his eyes. The laugh she’d been sharing with Mia died on her lips. She gave him a startled look, almost as if she knew where his thoughts had ventured.

Uncomfortable, Marcus looked away, then clapped his hands together loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “We’ve got a class to teach,” he said. “Let’s get started.”

Two hours later, Alice said good-bye to the last parent and child, then watched as they slowly made their way up the aisle to the back of the theater and to the exit. Her shoulders sagged and she exhaled a slow, relaxing breath.

She couldn’t believe how exhausting the afternoon had been! The children had been bundles of energy, and trying to control their excessive giggling and over-the-top acting as she’d led her group in an improvisation lesson had proved harder than she would have imagined.

The parents had also been a concern. She was used to working in front of a director and film crew, but teaching these children while their parents watched had been extremely unnerving. She’d worried that they might expect some type of spectacular acting instructions, simply because she was Desirée LaCroix.

She needn’t have worried. Every single parent not only thanked her for her time, but praised her techniques. It made her feel what she never had in high school: accepted.

“You’re quite the star.” Marcus spoke behind her at the same time that he placed his hands on her shoulders. Alice’s head snapped up. Marcus had disappeared with Tanisha while she’d chatted with the last few parents and she hadn’t heard him return.

“Oh.” The feel of his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging, made her mind go blank. “Well, thanks.”

Marcus worked his thumbs up the back of her neck while his fingers worked her shoulder blades. Just as she began to relax at his touch, he took his hands away from her shoulders. Alice heard him slap them against his thighs.

She grasped the back of her neck, still feeling the warmth of his hands there as she turned to face him.

His eyes roamed the length of her body, slowly, lingering a moment too long on the gentle swell of her breasts before returning to her face. A current of heat passed through her. Was she mistaken, or had Marcus just looked at her like…well, like he wanted her?

That was crazy.

He glanced toward the back of the theater, and Alice followed his gaze. Mia was returning from
outside. “Get some rest,” he said gruffly. “That’s the best medicine for tension.”

She didn’t like this. One minute, he seemed like the old Marcus she had known in high school, wanting to talk to her or be near her. The next, he pulled away and shut down.

“There’s something I want to ask you,” he said after a moment. “I know that you came back here because your mother is sick, but is there something else going on?”

Alice frowned. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Tanisha mentioned you’d be here for several months. I just wondered why.”

“Oh. No, I didn’t tell Tanisha that. I told her I’d be here till the summer.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he stared at her as if she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out.

“Hey, guys. I’m locking up now.” At the sound of Tanisha’s voice, they both looked to her. She stood across from them at the beginning of the other aisle, dangling keys in one hand.

“Yes, of course.” Alice was glad to escape Marcus’s overwhelming presence. “Mia, you ready?”

Mia grabbed her backpack from a front-row seat and slipped it onto a shoulder. “Uh-huh.”

Alice grabbed her purse, then placed an arm over Mia’s shoulder as they walked to the exit. Marcus walked a few steps behind them, and she couldn’t help wondering what was bothering him.

Forget it,
she thought. She couldn’t very well pretend she knew him anymore, and trying to read his mind would only make her crazy.

Tanisha held the back door open. She smiled at Mia, but didn’t even acknowledge Alice.

“Thanks for coming today, Marcus,” Tanisha said when Alice and Mia stepped outside. A surge of anger shot through Alice’s veins at the realization that Tanisha hadn’t even given her a token thank-you. Funny how she wasn’t acting chummy-chummy with her when the audience was gone. But then she reminded herself that Tanisha had never liked her. Her actions now shouldn’t be a surprise.

“Tanisha,” Marcus said harshly.

“What?” Tanisha turned to lock the door.

Alice and Mia were down the theater steps when Marcus replied, “What’s happening with Willie?”

Tanisha’s back stiffened. “I fired him.”

Marcus gave a brief nod. “I think it was great of Alice to stay and help out today. Don’t you?”

Alice turned in time to see Tanisha roll her eyes. Realizing Alice saw her, she tried to mask her reaction with a fake smile. It didn’t work.

“Yes,” Tanisha replied reluctantly as she stared at Marcus. Her gaze went to Alice. “Desirée, I appreciate you helping out today.”

“No problem,” Alice said, casually placing a hand across Mia’s shoulder. “As I said, I did this for my niece. You mentioned that you want me to consider teaching the class on a permanent basis?”

“Oh, well.” Tanisha waved a hand in the air, dismissing the idea as she made her way down the steps. “I’m going to talk to Willie, see if he’ll agree to some changes and come back.”

Alice was slightly disappointed. Not so much because she wanted to be the new teacher, but because Tanisha was dismissing her the way she had done so many times in the past. After all this time,
she didn’t think anything Tanisha did could bother her anymore, but apparently she was wrong.

“Wait a minute,” Marcus said, placing his hands on his hips. “You told all the parents today that Alice would be taking over the class.”

“
Possibly
taking over the class,” Tanisha clarified.

Marcus glanced at his watch. “What happened in the last two hours and ten minutes?”

Tanisha shot an anxious glance at Mia. “I just figured I should try and convince Willie first before I offer his job to someone else.”

Marcus frowned, then walked down the front steps. He bent before Mia. “Hey, sweetheart. Do you mind waiting at the car while we adults talk a few things out?”

“Sure,” Mia said.

Alice watched her stroll toward the BMW, then turned to face Marcus and Tanisha. Before she could speak, Marcus did.

“Just what kind of game are you playing, Tanisha?”

“It’s all right, Marcus,” Alice said. She was a big girl; she didn’t need him fighting her battles.

“No, it’s not okay. This is classic Tanisha. Lie when it benefits you—”

Tanisha looked wounded.

“Marcus, it really doesn’t matter.” Though the fact that he was standing up for her with
Tanisha
was almost worth the trip back to Chicago. At least he’d figured out her true colors.

“If you must know,” Tanisha answered, “I have some concerns. About her
reputation.
It could hurt the theater.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Marcus asked angrily.

Alice shot him an exasperated look. If Tanisha didn’t want her help, that was fine with her. She certainly wasn’t going to beg the woman.

“
She
knows what I’m talking about,” Tanisha said with a flip of her head in Alice’s direction.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Alice replied dryly.

“For goodness’ sake, it’s all over the papers.”

“What papers?” Alice asked her, getting more confused by the second.

Tanisha finally looked at her. “
The Intellect
, Desirée. You’re featured on the front cover.”

“Oh, my God.” Alice groaned as she scanned the picture of herself on the front cover of one of the nation’s biggest tabloid papers and the blurb beneath it. The picture was actually flattering; it had been taken at this year’s Golden Globe Awards right after she’d received her award for best supporting actress in a dramatic series, and she looked stunning in a shimmering gold gown. But no one would remember that wonderful moment in her career, not when the caption below screamed:
Sex-Starved Desirée! Find out why this hot actress was fired from her latest film. More on page three.

“This was the only one?” Alice asked.

Marcus nodded. “There was no mention of you in any of the other tabloids.”

After leaving the theater, Marcus had insisted on following Alice to her house in his car to drop Mia off, then the two of them had gotten into his Mus
tang and driven to the nearest variety store. Marcus had gone inside and purchased the paper, then returned to her, a frown marring his handsome features as he dropped the paper onto her lap.

“For now,” Alice said glumly. “If
The Intellect
has printed this story, it can’t be long before the rest of the nation’s tabloids report their version of it.”

She seemed genuinely shocked and mortified by the story, but Marcus couldn’t help wondering if the story was true. After all, she was an actress. She could easily be acting surprised now.

“You want to talk about it?” he asked. No matter the situation, he felt the old need to be there for her.

Alice rolled up the paper into a tube shape, effectively hiding the front cover. “Not really.”

“Who’s the guy in the picture with you?”

“Oh, him,” Alice replied, wishing Marcus hadn’t reminded her of that sour chapter in her life. “That’s Noel Sanders.”

“You were engaged to him, weren’t you?”

As a celebrity, her private life had been public knowledge, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that Marcus knew about her brief engagement, yet she was. She wondered if that meant he had followed her career. “
Was
is the key word. Talk about a lapse in judgment.”

Marcus started the car and drove along the tree-lined street in silence, heading in a different direction than they’d come. Alice wondered where he was taking her and was about to ask until she saw the familiar old building in the distance.

She chuckled, a hint of fondness in the sound. “Maxi’s is still there?”

“Yep.”

He pulled up in front of the old building, which sat on the corner of the street. The yellow awning was still there, though the
x
in
Maxi’s
was fading, making the sign look like it read Mavi’s.

“There are a few more choices here,” Marcus told her as his eyes met hers across the front seat. “No longer just doughnuts and coffee. They’ve got soup, salads, sandwiches. Frozen yogurt.”

“Wow. This place
has
changed.” It had been a junk-food junkie’s haven years ago.

“It’s Saturday, so it’ll be quiet. The kids still hang out here during the week.”

Marcus opened his door and got out of the car, and Alice did the same. They met at the front of the Mustang and he gently rested his hand on her back as he led her inside.

Alice couldn’t shake the odd sensation at his touch.

Maybe it was simply the memories she couldn’t shake. The fact that she and Marcus had once been close but she’d let time and distance come between them. Still, at this moment, it was like nothing had changed between them. He was bringing her to their old hangout to talk, just as he had so many years before.

“You want coffee, juice?”

“Frozen yogurt sounds nice,” Alice told him. “Strawberry, if they have it.”

Three elderly women sat at a table several feet away, so Alice seated herself at a table near the front door. She didn’t want anyone getting a good look at her. Just in case.

Folding her hands in her lap, she looked out the window. Sitting here was like taking a step back in
time. She could almost see the smoke as it lingered in the air, almost hear the chatter of a roomful of students. She glanced around the store and her gaze caught the
NO SMOKING
sign. So much for the vision of students puffing away on cigarettes. Indeed, times had changed at Maxi’s.

It was right here at Maxi’s that Alice had fallen in love with Marcus. They’d first started talking after her father had died. Every day for a full week after his death, Marcus had brought her here to talk about how she felt. He had held her hand as she talked and cried, had let her rest her head on his shoulder. He’d comforted her and assured her that he understood what she was going through because he’d lost his mother.

Unlike the kids who picked on her because of her weight, Marcus was never ashamed to be seen with her. He didn’t mind when everyone saw her rest her head on his shoulder, knowing full well his jock friends could tease him for being such close friends with someone who wasn’t part of the “in” crowd. And when she was with Marcus, other kids didn’t bother her. It was like being with Marcus gave her a certain level of respect. When she was with him, everything about her life seemed perfect.

But it wasn’t only the sad time after her father’s death and how Marcus had been there for her then that she remembered now. She and Marcus had shared many laughs at Maxi’s over a hot chocolate or a soda. He’d share with her all the crazy things his friends did for various girls’ attention, or something funny that had happened in one of his classes. She’d shared with him her passion for acting. Not only had he understood her dream like her father
had, he’d encouraged her to pursue it. Spending time at Maxi’s after school had come to be the highlight of Alice’s days.

Her old high school was a couple of blocks away, a place she had never cared to see again. Today she had seen a handful of her former classmates, people she’d never thought she would see again. People she didn’t
want
to see again. But it hadn’t been as bad as she would have expected. To her, she was the same old Alice, but to them, she was different—successful Desirée LaCroix—and for the first time, they had treated her like a person who had feelings.

“It’s strawberry,” Marcus told her as he appeared at the table and placed the clear plastic cup holding the pink frozen yogurt before her. He sat down with his own chocolate doughnut and cup of coffee.

“Great.” Alice took in his firm stomach and broad shoulders. “I guess it’s true what they say about cops and doughnuts.”

“That’s one stereotype I’m not going to deny.” He smiled.

Nostalgia washed over Alice at the sight of that smile. How many times had she and Marcus sat in this place, maybe in these very same seats, talking about what was going on in their lives? How many times had one of his smiles made her feel so light she felt she could fly?

“It’s been a long time, huh?” he said, reading her thoughts.

Alice swallowed a spoonful of the strawberry yogurt before answering. “Yes, it has.”

“I thought I would have heard from you in the past two weeks.”

“I know. I’ve been…preoccupied. With everything.”

“Guess you don’t have much time for your old friends, hmm?” He softened the comment with a playful grin, but Alice realized for the first time that he probably thought she felt she was too good for her old friends. Not that she’d had many here, but she certainly didn’t feel that way about him or anyone else. Until now, she’d figured he was simply upset with her because she’d let time and distance come between them. “I meant to call, Marcus. Honestly. It’s just that it’s been weird adjusting to being back here.”

He took another bite of his doughnut and sip of coffee without saying anything. Alice wondered if he believed her.

“What’s with this story in
The Intellect
, Alice?”

Alice gave him a grim look. “You don’t believe that story, do you?”

As much as Marcus wished he could tell her what she wanted to hear, he couldn’t be entirely sure. She had changed over the years, and who knew what she’d done while in Hollywood? Back in high school, he never would have thought she’d disappear from his life, but that’s exactly what she had done. He said, “The Alice I knew thirteen years ago wouldn’t have done something like that.”

“You think I’ve changed.”

“You
have
changed.” His eyes roamed over her face and body. “I’m not saying I believe the story. I guess what I’m saying is that if there’s anything you want to tell me, I’m here to listen.”

“You’re not going to get a confession out of me, if that’s what you think,” Alice said defensively.

“I’m not expecting one.” But he was prepared to deal with the reality that she might tell him something he didn’t want to hear. Hell, maybe he
was
hoping for a confession about how the Hollywood scene had corrupted her—anything that would explain how she could so easily forget about him.

“I was beginning to wonder,” she said.

“It’s quite the story, Alice.”

“Sebastian Charles is a liar and he’ll be lucky if I don’t slap him with a lawsuit,” Alice snapped angrily.

“Were you working on a film with him?”

“Yes, but I didn’t leave because I propositioned him for sex. Hell, I wasn’t
fired.
I know that some people want to believe the worst about people in show business, but not everyone in Hollywood does drugs, or drinks too much, or sleeps their way to the top. I certainly didn’t need to sleep with Sebastian to secure my job on that set. And God knows I wasn’t obsessed with him.” She met his eyes with a steady gaze.

The look she gave him said she desperately wanted him to believe her. “Is that what your mother thinks?”

Her gaze fell to the table. “I don’t know what she thinks.”

“It’s been tough, hasn’t it?”

“We’re barely talking. I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“So what happened on the set?”

“I was working on a feature in L.A. Oh, it was such a wonderful role. The kind of role people wait all their lives for. I was cast to play a doctor who discovers a breakthrough in medicine, a medicine that will save some lives, but most likely not my daugh
ter’s. Not in time, anyway. It’s deep, it’s meaty. It’s every serious actor’s dream.” She paused. “When Marie called to tell me that my mother had had a heart attack, I knew I had to come home. I…I kept thinking about my father, how he was here one second, then gone the next. If I was going to have to say good-bye…I didn’t want to miss my chance again.”

As though it were yesterday, Marcus remembered Alice walking into their sophomore English class in early October, quietly crying. She’d sniffled throughout the entire class, and he’d found himself watching her from several rows away. She hadn’t noticed. At the end of class, their teacher, Mrs. Gallagher, had asked someone to share their notes with Alice, yet all the students had walked out, ignoring her. Alice had folded her arms across her desk and buried her face.

Seeing her in pain had struck a chord with Marcus. Though they hadn’t been friends up until that point, he couldn’t help feeling angry that everyone had snubbed her. So he had approached her and offered to lend her his notes. She’d given him one of the warmest smiles anyone had ever given him, despite her tears, and he’d felt a stab of guilt that he hadn’t made a point of befriending her before, other than the brief nod and smile or verbal hello he usually gave her.

He walked with her out of the class, and after a few moments of trying to compose herself, he’d asked her what was wrong. Alice had immediately told him about her father. That he had died suddenly of a heart attack the week before. How guilty she felt because he’d been driving to pick her up at
the time, and had ended up in a car accident. When he’d told her not to blame herself, she’d confided in him that she
hadn’t
blamed herself, not until her mother had told her that if it wasn’t for her, her father would still be here. Her mother believed that if her father hadn’t been driving while he’d had his heart attack, he would have had a chance of surviving.

Marcus had suggested that they go to the school cafeteria, where they’d spent the remainder of the afternoon talking. Their rapport had been instant and easy, and Marcus had felt comfortable telling her that he, too, had suffered tragedy in recent years—his mother had died of cancer the week before he’d started his freshman year. Her quick deterioration and death was something that still haunted him.

“You still miss your father, don’t you?”

“Terribly.”

Pain flickered in her eyes, and Marcus found himself wishing he could take away that pain, just as he had wished years before.

“Anyway,” Alice continued. “After my sister called me, I asked the director, Sebastian Charles, for some time off. He made a big deal out of how there was so much money invested in the film, like it would be impossible to rework the shooting schedule. It happens all the time on film sets, and considering the circumstances, it wasn’t an unreasonable request. Besides, I only wanted a few days. Max. When he finally agreed to give me the time off, he told me I first had to do something for him.”

Marcus’s heart pounded wildly from a sudden surge of anger. He could only imagine what the di
rector had asked her to do—and it was just the kind of horror story Hollywood was famous for, if his instincts were right. “Tell me it’s not what I think.”

“It’s worse.” Alice sighed. “It got ugly, Marcus. Ugly enough for me to know I couldn’t continue working on the film.”

“Did he hurt you?” The extent of his anger surprised him. But if the man had hurt her, he didn’t care if he was a Hollywood director, he’d go out to Los Angeles and pound the crap out of him.

Alice shook her head. “No. I didn’t let him.”

He settled back in his chair, realizing just how crazy his thought had been. That Alice had held her own didn’t surprise him. While he’d often come to her aid when other students were picking on her, she had always put on a brave face for the world. But he knew how vulnerable she had truly been. Between fighting for her mother’s love and trying to live in her sister’s shadow, not to mention the jerks at school who always picked on her, her life had been a living hell.