Rumor Has It (44 page)

    Come on, weigh it up. One night, maybe a couple of nights, maybe even a whole week with Jack. Versus months and years of gut-churning misery and regret. Because that was how it would feel and it was exactly what would happen.

    'I want you to go.'

    There was that look again, the fractionally raised eyebrow that signaled he knew better. 'Really?'

    'Yes, really.' Tilly put a hand against his chest and moved back. She forced herself to stay calm.

    'Why?'

    'Because it's what I want.'

    Jack surveyed her steadily. 'OK, I don't get this. You hated it when you thought I'd slept with a million girls. And now you know I haven't. I thought you'd have been happy about that.' He shook his head in disbelief. 'God, I thought you'd be delighted.'

    She swallowed; understandably, it hadn't taken long for
that
irre sistible snippet of gossip to become common knowledge and make its way back to him. 'But it's not just that side of things, is it?' Obviously it had been nicer in one way to discover that he hadn't shagged his way completely indiscriminately around Roxborough, but it wasn't the chief factor. Tilly said, 'There's trust and commitment. I know I could never trust you, and
you
know you have a problem with com mitment. Well, we both know that. And after what happened to Rose, I don't blame you. But at the same time, I don't want to get involved with someone when I know it's never going to work out.'

    'Who says it won't? It might.' He smiled persuasively, evidently intent on not taking no for an answer. 'I really think it would. The way I feel about you… well, it's different. Look, I'm not very good at saying this stuff, but I really think there's something special going on here. And I think you know it too.'

    Which was
exactly
the kind of thing you'd expect a man who didn't take no for an answer to say.

    'I think you want me to believe you mean that. And it's still not going to happen.'

    Exasperated, Jack spread his hands. 'What can I do to make you change your mind?'

    It was actually really sad. Tilly shook her head. 'Nothing.'

    'One night. One date. Just say yes and I'll prove to you I'm not lying. Pick a day,' said Jack. 'Any day.'

    'A date? Well, I
could
say tomorrow evening…'

    'Fine. Right.' He nodded, his still-wet hair falling into his eyes. 'Tomorrow.'

    'But I
won't
say it,' Tilly continued, 'because there wouldn't be any point in getting ready or actually expecting it to happen, because you probably wouldn't turn up.'

    Jack exhaled audibly. 'That happened
once
. I didn't know Rose's parents were going to knock on my door, did I?'

    OK, that had been well below the belt. She was being unfair now. But that had been the night she'd realized she couldn't cope with the agony of being rejected by him. It would break her in half.

    'Right, let's just say I'm not interested in becoming another name to add to your list of conquests. Whether you've slept with them or not,' Tilly added, because the sex was actually irrelevant. Either way, they were still conquests.

    'You wouldn't be.'

    'You say that now. But look at your track record.'

    'So I can't win.' His eyes glittering, Jack said evenly, 'You're the one I want, but you don't trust me because you're convinced I'm incapable of maintaining a normal, happy, committed relation ship. So the only way I could possibly change your mind about me would be by having a normal, happy, committed relationship with someone else.'

    Yes, she
knew
it was deeply ironic. In a weird way though, it was also true.

    'That would do the trick, would it?' Jack persisted. 'That'd make you happy?'

    Tilly's mouth was dry. The thought of it made her feel sick, but what could she say?

    'Fine. I'll do that then.' Having called her bluff, Jack moved over to the door. He stood there, an unreadable expression in his dark eyes, waiting for her to change her mind.

    Don't give in,
don't give in
. Whatever you do, don't speak.

    But she had to.

    'Jack…' Her voice broke.

    'Yes?'

    Tilly cleared her aching throat. 'Thank you for finding Betty.'

    Jack looked at her. Then he turned the handle, let himself out and—
click
—closed the door behind him.

UNABLE TO GET TO sleep, Kaye lay in Parker's arms and gazed up at the bedroom ceiling. In four days he would be flying home to New York and she couldn't bear the thought of being parted from him. In just this short space of time he had become… God, practically part of her. For three years she'd been single and lonely. Now she'd found someone who made her feel whole again and everything would be perfect if only he hadn't been inconsiderate enough to live an entire continent away.

    Why couldn't life be simple? When she'd lived and worked in LA, why couldn't she have fallen for a fellow actor? Or since moving back here, why couldn't someone local have caught her eye, a strap ping Cotswolds farmer, say, or a nice hunky plumber?

    But no, that would have been far too easy. And besides, neither of them would have been Parker. Smiling and turning her head, Kaye watched him sleeping peacefully beside her, not snoring at all, thank goodness, just breathing easily and—

    'Shit, what's
that
?' Jerking awake and sitting bolt upright, Parker clutched his chest as an unearthly wailing noise filled the bedroom.

    Oh great, just as she met the love of her life, she managed to finish him off with a heart attack.

    'It's OK, sorry, sorry, that's my phone.' Snatching it up from the bedside table, Kaye marveled at her own stupidity in having allowed her daughter to choose a new ringtone. She'd asked for something gentle and Lou had selected some thrash-metal rocker screaming AAAANNSWER MEEEEEE! at the top of his lungs.

'Kaye?'

'Who's this?' Kaye frowned, unable to place the voice.

'Kaye, honey, it's Macy!'

    Macy Ventura, one of her co-stars on
Over the Rainbow
. Kaye let out a groan and fell back against the pillows. Five times married Macy, not even bothering to think of the time difference, calling to regale her with all the latest twists and turns in her rollercoaster, never-knowingly-uneventful love life.

    'Macy, it's one o'clock in the morning. Everyone's asleep here.' She rubbed Parker's arm by way of mute apology.

    Macy, who had no such scruples, shouted, 'Never mind about that! Guess what I have right here in my hand?'

    This seriously didn't bear thinking about. 'Macy, just tell me.'

    'Oh baby, brace yourself.' Now Kaye
really
hoped Macy was ad dressing her. 'I am holding something that's gonna rock your world. You are gonna
love
this. In fact, I'd say—'

    'Just say it before I hang up,' Kaye ordered.

    'OK, here we go. I have a little tape in my hand, containing CCTV footage of you running over Babylamb. Or rather
accidentally
running over him.'

    
'What?'

    'It's all there on the tape, clear as day. You're heading slowly down the drive, the dog shoots out from nowhere, you brake as hard as you can but it's too late, there's no way you could avoid him.'

    'I know that.' Kaye sat up, her heart racing. 'I meant how did you get a tape of it? There
was
no CCTV footage, that camera wasn't switched on when it happened.'

    'Ah, that's where you're wrong.' Triumphantly, Macy said, 'The camera was working just fine. Charlene saw the accident happen from her bedroom window. First thing she did was tell Antonio, one of the security guys, to take out the tape and destroy it.'

    Kaye closed her eyes. 'Why would he do that?'

    'Hey, this is Charlene we're talking about! She was schtupping him, wasn't she! Plus, she threatened to sack him if he didn't. So he took the tape and told her it was sorted.'

    'Charlene was sleeping with this security guy? But she was furious with me because she thought I was flirting with Denzil!' Kaye was outraged; honestly, talk about hypocritical.

    'Yeah, well, she was feeling neglected because Denzil had stopped sleeping with her. She was also convinced this meant he was getting it somewhere else. Which it turns out he was,' Macy continued. 'And now he's divorcing Charlene so he can marry his one and only true love. So Charlene's moved out, the security guy no longer has to worry about losing his job, and what with him being a good Catholic and all, his conscience has been kind of troubling him. So he confesses everything to the new love of Denzil's life, and she knows at once exactly what she has to do about it. She has to get right on the phone to Kaye McKenna and let her know she's about to be completely exonerated.'

    'Well, she hasn't called yet.' Kaye was indignant. 'When did all this happen? Does she know how to reach me? Can you make sure she has my number?'

    'Oh, baby, you really don't have your brain in gear, do you? She has your number,' Macy said cheerily, 'and she has called you. In fact, she's doing it right now.'

    'You
what
?'

    'Oh, well done, you've caught on at last. Isn't it just the most fabulous news? The new love of Denzil's life is me!'

    '…so no wonder Charlene was twitchy and paranoid! The whole time she thought Denzil was seeing me, he was with Macy.'

    'So he's a cheating bastard who let you take the rap.' Max was singularly unimpressed. 'If I saw him, I'd break his nose.'

    'Yes, but he believed Charlene when she said I'd run Babylamb over on purpose. He feels incredibly guilty now he knows the truth. I spoke to him this morning and he's so sorry. And he's already got his publicist on to it. They're releasing the CCTV tape to the news stations. I'm innocent and everyone's going to know about it.' Kaye hugged Lou, sitting next to her. 'They're all going to be so sorry they were mean to me!'

    'You can sue them,' Lou chimed in, 'for millions.'

    'Tell them what else Denzil said,' Parker prompted.

    'He wants me back on the show.' Kaye beamed and helped herself to Max's toast. 'The writers are already working on it. I'm not going to drown after all. Everyone's going to think I died in the water, but it's going to turn out that I was rescued at the last minute by my long-lost half-brother who's a priest! And Denzil's quadrupling my salary. It's all going to be fantastic publicity for the new series. Can you believe it? They're desperate to have me back!'

    Tilly switched off the iron and folded Lou's PE uniform, glanc ing at Parker as she did so. He was doing his best to look pleased but she could sense his concern that he might be on the verge of losing Kaye back to her old Hollywood life.

    'Well, I think they've got a damn cheek and you should tell them to get stuffed.' Unlike Parker, Max didn't bother to hide his feelings. 'They hung you out to dry! I don't know why you aren't furious with the lot of them.'

    Kaye smiled and shook her head. 'I know, but it's over now. And how can I blame Macy and Denzil? God, I still can't believe they're together. She's already been married and divorced five times.'

    'It's not just them, though, is it?' Max shrugged. 'It's the

whole Hollywood machine. They turned on you like a pack of wolves. If you go back, it's like you're forgiving them. I'd tell them to fuck off.'

    'Dad. Language.'

    'Lou.' Max tapped his watch. 'School.'

    'OK, two things,' said Kaye. 'First, I'm an actress. Hollywood is where I work and telling Hollywood to fuck off would be cutting off my nose to spite my face.'

    'Mum! Honestly, we're going to have to set up a swear box.'

    'And second.' As she spoke, Kaye reached for Parker's hand. 'If the rest of America hadn't hated me, this wonderful man wouldn't have sent me flowers and chocolates to cheer me up. Even if I never actually got to see them. And if I hadn't been back here, I wouldn't have been a prize in an auction, would I?' Eyes shining, she went on, 'Basically, if none of the awful stuff had happened, I believe Parker and I would never have met. So how can I be angry? This is the happiest I've been in years.'

    'Oh, Mum. That's really sweet.' Lou hugged her then jumped up, went over to Parker, and hugged him too. 'And I never thought you were a mad stalker, I promise.'

    Visibly touched, Parker said, 'Well, thanks.'

    'I did.' Max refilled Parker's coffee cup. 'But I'm prepared to admit I was wrong.'

    'So what's going to happen?' Lou's eyes were bright. 'What'll happen with you and Parker if you go back to Hollywood? Will he move over there too?'

    Eek. Out of the mouths of thirteen-year-olds. From the look of things, Lou was voicing the question neither Kaye nor Parker had yet dared to ask. Reaching for the car keys, Tilly said, 'Come on, get your bag, you don't want to be late for school.'

    Lou wrinkled her nose. 'Actually I do. And this is kind of a special occasion, isn't it? America is about to stop hating my mother. I'm sure I'm allowed to be a little bit late. So what'll you do?' Fixing her gaze on Parker, she said, 'Give up your business in New York and move in with Mum?'