Relatively Famous (18 page)

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Olivia was genuinely enthusiastic. “I loved sleepovers when I was a kid. So you won’t be whisked off for a posh vacation in the mountains then?” she asked sarcastically, gesturing grandly to the luxurious living room.

“Yeah, right. No, I’ll be at home. This house is fantastic and all, but I totally thought we were going camping. With actual tents and sleeping bags.”

“Can you picture your father in a tent?” Olivia laughed. “I wonder if Brunello Cucinelli makes camping equipment? Oh, I shouldn’t make fun of Mark. He’s just forgotten how normal people live.”

“Olivia,
you
told my father that I go camping with Mom and Alan, didn’t you? That’s where he got the idea?”

Olivia nodded. “Yes, I did. He wanted to do something that you would enjoy.”

“Of course I enjoy it. It’s just different
from
what I’m used to. Alan always makes a huge bonfire and cooks a pot of chili in a cast
-
iron pot. Mom and I make s’mores
,
and he plays the guitar. Not very well, but he plays anyhow. And Alan always does this stupid thing where he pretends to be a bear. Mom and I get into our sleeping bags
,
and Alan stomps around outside, growling and roaring that he’s hungry. One time he even cut out a bear shape from paper, glued it onto a Popsicle stick, and used it as a shadow puppet on the tent.”

Olivia reached out and rubbed Dani’s arm. “You miss them, huh? Your mother and Alan?”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“You should call them more often. And your friend Sam.”

“I know. It’s just that I haven’t spoken to Alan since I left Michigan. We sort of had a huge fight right before I got on the plane.”

“From what you’ve told me about Alan, he doesn’t sound like someone who would hold a grudge. Are you?”

“Maybe I am,” Dani admitted.

Chapter 35

Mark put all his weight onto the metal stake and pushed it into the ground. He was going to put up this miserable tent if it killed him. He’d heard Dani and Olivia’s entire conversation. He’d made one phone call to Christopher, and within a few hours an SUV had pulled up at the house to deliver an obscene assortment of camping equipment. The delivery person had offered to set up the tent for Mark, but he’d refused. He grabbed another stake and pushed it through a metal loop before driving it into place.

Thank God that Olivia was here, otherwise he wouldn’t have known Dani hated this trip. Okay, maybe she didn’t
hate
it, but obviously he had disappointed her. And he really
did
want to do something nice for her. If she wanted to sleep in a tent and smell like bug spray, then he was going to pitch a tent. Albeit a rather lopsided tent.

Mark stared at the directions again. He’d done something horribly wrong. Christopher had ordered the largest tent available, which made it even harder to pitch.

He marched into a wooded area in search of rocks to make a fire pit—even thought there were four fireplaces in the house. He slapped his arm, killing a mosquito. He didn’t like bugs. He found a few rocks and started back to the house. Mark stopped and stared. The oversized tent looked ridiculous pitched next to the big house. Mark sighed and continued gathering rocks and setting them in a circle. Now he just needed wood. He was going to make the biggest, baddest fire Dani had ever seen.

He had to give Olivia credit because she hadn’t asked to sleep in the tent with them. He couldn’t believe he’d continued to see Olivia. She wasn’t his type at all. But he was starting to like rock climbing, and Mark had to admit that she looked good in her spandex shorts.

Not that it mattered, he told himself. Mark was creating a low-key, regular
-
guy image. And it was working. Pictures of the couple were still making their rounds in the media. Olivia turned away every time a photographer approached them, but she was learning to put up with it, and the media seemed pleased with them. In fact, most of the blurbs by the photos were comments wondering if the notorious bachelor was looking to settle down. Hah! Like that would ever happen. Olivia hadn’t even spent the night with him. Again, not that it mattered. It wasn’t as though he was lusting after
her
constantly. Sure, she was a pretty good kisser
,
and the truth was, he wanted to kiss her and hold her more than he liked to admit.

Mark tossed a bundle of kindling into the fire pit. Now he just had to blow up the air mattresses and find sticks for roasting the marshmallows. He hadn’t done that since he was a kid.

Forty-five minutes later, Mark was ready. “Dani! Dani! Come on out here!” He couldn’t believe how excited he was. It wasn’t like he was giving her a Porsche or anything. It was just a stupid tent and fire.

“I’m here. What’s going on?” Dani emerged from the house onto the spacious deck with sweeping views of the Colorado Mountains. “I was wondering what you were doing out…” She caught sight of the crooked tent.

“I just thought you might want to rough it for a night,” he said dismissively.

“It’s wonderful.” She walked slowly to the tent and popped her head in. “Are forty of us going to be sleeping in here?” she called, her voice muffled behind the nylon.

“Sorry. Is it too big?” he asked. Had he screwed this up already?

His daughter whipped her head out and rushed over to him. “Are you kidding me? This is beyond awesome! And we’re cooking out, too?”

“Hot dogs. I know it’s not chili, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to eat anything I made.”

Dani threw her hands on her hips and asked him playfully, “You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”

“I couldn’t help it,” he said, chagrined. “You want to help me fix the tent? I’m sure you’re much better at this than I am.”

“I think it’s amazing just the way it is.”

“Yeah, it has character, right? Not everyone can enjoy the pleasures of a Mark Ocean original.”

She laughed warmly. “Exactly.”

“How about we go for a walk
,
and then we’ll start the fire?” Mark rubbed his hands together.

“Sure. We probably have time before it gets dark. You’re not going to get us lost, are you?” she teased.

“Very funny. Actually, if I remember correctly, there’s a trail that leads to a beautiful view.” Mark pointed off to a narrow clearing through the dense trees. “If we hurry, we might be able to catch the sunset. I’ve got flashlights, so we’ll be okay getting back.” He picked up a small backpack that held the flashlights, plus bottled water and a blanket.

As they made their way silently into the woods, Mark realized that he hadn’t walked this trail since his first visit here after he bought the house. Most other visits had been indoors with a date. He held a branch off the trail so that Dani could get by.

Dani wasn’t chattering like she sometimes did to fill the silence with Mark. In fact, she seemed perfectly comfortable with the lack of conversation and hummed to herself as they walked.

The odd thing, Mark thought, was that as much as he enjoyed the quiet, he found that he
wanted
to talk to her. He thought about what he had heard Olivia say. He was the parent
,
and it was his responsibility to reach out to his daughter. Maybe he
had
forgotten how normal people live.

They soon reached a clearing and it was even more spectacular than Mark remembered from his walk here years ago. The sun was just beginning to set, casting a glow across the mountains.

Dani stood next to him. “Wow,” she breathed in a whisper.

“Look, they’re still here. I can’t believe it.” Mark pointed to two red Adirondack chairs sat next to each other.

Dani plopped herself down in one of them. “Well, grab a seat.”

Mark sat down and turned to Dani. The light from the setting sun illuminated her face. Tonight she had on jeans and an old sweatshirt
,
and she looked happier than he had ever seen her.

And he was happy, Mark realized with a start. He was actually happy right now. And peaceful. It was in this moment, with the light so remarkable and Dani so…so
there
, that he understood that his life wasn’t about pleasing his agent, or the suits from the studio, or even Evan Dodd.

Something, or rather
somebody
, came before everything else.

It was suddenly clear that he had a connection with this kid—young woman, really—that made him happy.

And she needed him.

“Pretty cool view, huh, Dad?”

That was the second time she’d called him Dad.

“Pretty cool,” he agreed. “Pretty cool, indeed.”

Dani placed her hand in his
,
and he held it tightly.

“I’m sorry, Dani.”

“Sorry for what? Everything is great.”

“Nah, it’s not great. But it will be.”

They sat together until the last of the sun was barely visible.

“I guess we should head back?” Mark asked, terrified to break the moment and let go of her

“Yeah, I’m getting hungry. You, too?” Dani stood up. “Good thing you brought the flashlights, huh?”

“Yeah, good thing,” Mark said. He fumbled through the backpack. “Here you go. Don’t trip, it’s getting dark.” He started back down the trail, but Dani fell into him.

“Oops, too late. Sorry,” Dani said.

Mark took her hand again to lead them home. “We’ll just take our time. There’s no rush.”

As they made their way through the dark, Mark and Dani talked easily. She described her house in Michigan, raved about walking through fresh fallen snow on the way to school with her friend Sam, and complained about the pre-calculus class she was starting in the fall. She loved Indian food and bird watching, and hated jazz music and documentaries.

After they’d lit the fire and roasted hot dogs, Mark darted into the house to retrieve his guitar. “It’s a campfire tradition, right? Singing horrible songs? I bet I could do ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ or some Cat Stevens.” He sat down on the blanket and began to play.

Dani covered her ears, giggling. “Who is Cat Stevens?” She pulled a blanket up over her shoulders and scooted closer to her father. “I didn’t know you played the guitar.”

“Not very well. I forgot I had this here
,
and it needs a little tuning.”

“What else do you know how to play?” Dani pulled her knees up against her chest and rested her head down on them.

“How about some jazz?” he joked.

“Maybe not,” she joked back

They were quiet for a moment..

“Dani? I think you should call Alan,” Mark said. Dani stayed quiet, thinking, and Mark fiddled with the guitar strings. “Hey, what was that song you were humming earlier?”

“Was it totally annoying?”

“No, not at all. It sounded familiar. Do it again.”

Dani hummed
,
and Mark wracked his brain. “Ah, I know!” he cried triumphantly. “That’s an old Blues Traveler song.
‘Precarious.’
”

It took a few tries, but Mark eventually got the chords right
,
and Dani lifted her head up. “Yeah, that’s it. Mom always hums that
,
but I never knew what it was. I don’t even know the words.”

“It goes like this
.
”
Mark began singing gently and then paused.

“Why did you stop? What’s wrong?” Dani asked.

“Nothing is w
rong. Everything is right,” h
e said before finishing the song.

Chapter 36

“Hi
,
Alan.” Dani gripped the phone. She lay back on her bed with her arm over her eyes, hoping it might somehow make this call easier. They had returned from Colorado a few days ago
,
and she had finally
summoned
the courage to call Alan. “How are you?”

“Hi, sweetheart!” Alan practically sang into the phone. “It’s so good to hear your voice.” He paused. “Oh, you probably called for your mother. Let me go see if I can find her. She’s in the garden, lost among the tomato plants, I think. Hold on.”

“No, wait.” Dani curled her toes tightly. “I didn’t call for her. I called for you.”

“You did? I’m glad. I’ve missed you, kiddo. Tell me about California. How’s it going with Mark?”

“Everything is good,” Dani answered. “Mark took me to Colorado for a few days. Camping. Alan…I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me. I thought you, sort of, hated me.”

“Aw, Dani. People have fights
,
and that’s
okay
. I always want to talk to you, but I thought you might need a little space. I’m sure you have a lot going on in your life right now. There is nothing you could do or say that would make me hate you. Ever.” Alan’s voice was gentle and reassuring.