The Heartbreak Cafe (39 page)

‘
So what’s on the table?’ she asked, having banished Chloe
outside to the waiting area.

Erik’s
eyes shone beadily. ‘I won’t kid you sweetheart – it’s big, real
big.’

‘
How big?’ Ruth’s heart pounded. ‘And do I have the part or
what? You said something about a screen-test?’

‘
Personally, I think it’s just a play by the studio guys. I
know for sure Jackson wants you, and a guy like him always gets
exactly what he wants.’

She
wanted to hug herself. ‘When’s filming? And what about Glamazons?
Won’t this interfere with scheduling?’

‘
I already spoke to them, and they can work around it. One of
their stars in a movie this big is only going to help the show’s
profile.’

It was
really all happening! Ruth couldn’t believe that the movers and
shakers of Hollywood were rescheduling around her. She wished
Charlie were here so he could see what she meant. This was a big
deal, and by the numbers Erik was throwing out, in more ways than
one.

Erik was
staring at her stomach. ‘So sweets, what’s the deal with this kid?
Jackson wants you in December, so I guess it’ll need to come out
soon, so you’ll have enough time to bounce back.’

Ruth
looked at him. ‘Sorry …what?’

‘
You know, get it … born or whatever, I don’t know.’

‘
Erik the baby isn’t due until January,’ she chuckled. ‘This
isn’t like TV; you can’t do these things on cue.’

Erik was
dismissive. ‘Of course you can.’ He made a slicing motion across
his own stomach. ‘The hospitals do it all the time.’

Ruth
stared at him. Was he seriously expecting her to intentionally
deliver a premature baby by C-section? ‘Are you crazy? That’s way
too early; there could be all sorts of problems…’

‘
Nothing compared to the problems we have if the shoot’s
delayed.’

‘
Erik, please tell me you are not serious. Surely Peter Jackson
wouldn’t expect me to – ’

‘
The studio sets the terms sweetheart. As far as I know Jackson
doesn’t know jack-shit about you being knocked up. And I don’t
think he cares either. Hell – who does? The important thing is we
get it born and then we get you down on set – to some outback
Australian hell-hole, I heard.’

‘
Hold on – and I’m supposed to bring my premature baby down
there too?’

Erik
looked at her. ‘Are you crazy? They have people for that sort of
thing. Nah, you just do the Vanity Fair shoot with Troy and then
get your ass down –’

‘
What? What Vanity Fair shoot?’

Erik
grinned. ‘The one I nailed just yesterday – one million dollars for
first world pictures. Honey you have no idea how hot this kid is –
the whole world wants to see Troy Valentine’s …’

Ruth
stood up, red-faced. ‘You arranged a photo shoot for pictures of my
child, a child that you expect me to put in danger by delivering
prematurely to meet a … goddamn scheduling commitment? And if that
wasn’t bad enough, then you want me to leave it in the care of
complete strangers?’

Erik
looked at her as if she was crazy. ‘Of course.’

Ruth’s
brain pounded. She just couldn’t believe this, and instead of
wishing that Charlie could hear this, she was delighted he was
thousands of miles away. This was disgusting, depraved,
immoral…

And
suddenly Ruth realised that to get what she wanted – what she’d
always dreamed of – this was the deal she needed to do with the
devil.

Well to
hell with that…

These
people… Erik, the studio, Troy, Chloe … the whole lot of them were
corrupt and nasty – this life was corrupt and nasty. And while
she’d always known that life at the top was supposed to be tough,
there was always just enough gloss, just enough glamour to hide the
truth and keep idiots like her striving to get there. These people
weren’t her friends and they didn’t care about her.

Ruth felt
sick. And clearly they didn’t care about her baby.

Despite
her realisation of the sickening truth, suddenly Ruth felt a surge
of relief.

These
last few months she’d been lucky enough to discover what was real,
and who did care about her and her baby. Her parents, whom she’d
shut out of her life for far too long, her friends like Nina and
Trish and her trustworthy GP Jim Kelly back in Lakeview.

And
Charlie. Always Charlie. There really had never been anyone to take
his place, and why it took her so long to realise that she didn’t
know.

But what
she did know was that she couldn’t spend another minute away from
him. She didn’t want to separate her child from the man that would
love the two of them for the rest of their lives.

Ruth
smiled. If Peter Jackson wanted her that badly, then he and his
crew would just have to talk to her from Lakeview.

Without
another word to Erik she stood up and headed for the
door.

‘
Hey, where are you going? Now’s not the time to go powdering
your nose – the suits will be here soon and –’

‘
I don’t care.’

He looked
at her, incredulous. ‘What do you mean you don’t care?’

‘
I’m leaving,’ she said, going outside and coming face to face
with Chloe.

‘
Um, you just got here?’ her assistant said, smacking her gum.
‘You have a meeting, like … right now.’

‘
No I don’t. Tell them I had to cancel.’

Her
assistant eyeballed her, as if she was some kind of crazy woman.
‘Like …why?’

‘
Because I’m getting the hell out of here, getting a flight
back to Dublin.’

‘
The hell you’re not….’

Her gaze
shifted to Erik who had followed her out to the hallway. ‘Actually
Erik, I am.’

Chloe and
the agent locked eyes and an understanding seemed to pass between
them.

‘
OK then, I’ll get the car brought round,’ Chloe said sweetly,
as if addressing a small child, and she nodded at Erik before the
elevator doors closed.

Inside,
Ruth took a deep breath. ‘Thanks Chloe, I owe you one.’

‘
No problem,’ she replied, distractedly keying something into
her BlackBerry.

Outside
the car was waiting, and Ruth quickly got inside, relieved to be
out of there.

Then she
saw none other than Troy sitting opposite her. He was drinking
bourbon from the limo’s bar.

‘
Not you again,’ she groaned. ‘Well, get out – you’ll need to
hitch a ride from someone else.’

‘
Why?’ There was a smile in his voice.

Ruth
purposely ignored him. ‘Driver, take me back to LAX please. Troy,
out of the car – now.’

‘
I’m not going anywhere sweetheart and neither are you. That’s
my child and you’re staying here.’

Chloe
spoke firmly. ‘Driver, do not drive to LAX. Ms Seymour is
confused.’

She
glanced sharply at her assistant who averted her gaze. ‘I don’t
believe this! Are you two trying to trap me? You treacherous
little…’ In the rear-view mirror, Ruth met the driver’s hesitant
gaze. ‘Please sir, if you can help get me out of this hell-hole,
you’ll be doing me the biggest favour of my life.’

‘
Like I said, you’re not going anywhere,’ Troy repeated, before
the car started up and quickly pulled off.

‘
What the …?’ Chloe cried, trying to twist around her twig-like
neck. “Where the hell are you going?’

‘
LAX like the lady asked.’

‘
You goddamn idiot – you stop this car right now or you’re
fired, you hear me!’

‘
I’ll give you a thousand dollars …’ Ruth pleaded and the
driver gave her a small nod.

‘
This is kidnapping!’ Troy piped up. ‘If you think you can take
away my child…’

Ruth had
a sudden thought. If this … ass thought he could get away with
playing the loving daddy with her baby he had another think coming.
‘It’s not your child,’ she said blithely, waiting for his
reaction.

Troy
leered at her. ‘Come on, you’re peeing up a rope if you think I’m
going to believe that. You called me, after you took the test and
told me it was mine, remember?’

‘
I was wrong.’

‘
Yeah? So whose is it then?’

Ruth
smiled, ‘Just some Irish nobody’s,’ she said recalling Erik’s words
and Troy frowned, thinking hard. ‘After all babe,’ she continued,
‘when I called you didn’t you yourself accuse me of being a whore?
Oh, and I also remember you saying something else – like how you
wanted nothing to do with it?’ She eyed him steadily. ‘Back then
while you were urging me to get rid of it, it didn’t seem like you
had any interest in being a father, so why the sudden change of
heart?’

He
shrugged. ‘So what? It’s your word against mine, and if you try and
pretend the kid’s someone else’s, I’ll just demand a paternity
test.’

Ruth
flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her dress. ‘Well I guess you
could go down that route, but then somehow the press might get
their hands on the transcript of our conversation that day,
mightn’t they?’

‘
What transcript?’ Then his face changed. ‘Oh man. You recorded
us?’

‘
Of course.’ Ruth tried to keep a straight face, knowing she
had played an ace. That would be the last thing Troy wanted; it
would be bad for his doting daddy act if there were proof of him
implying she was a whore and saying he didn’t want anything to do
with it. Of course, there was no such recording, but Troy didn’t
have to know that.

Anyway
the lie was all too easy to believe; they all knew the way this
town worked, and this was just the sort of thing a lesser person
would do.

He glared
at her, but remained silent. ‘I thought so,’ Ruth smirked. ‘Like I
said, we’re going to the airport.’

It didn’t
take long for them to get back to LAX, but for Ruth it felt like
the longest journey of her life.

‘
Please, don’t do this,’ Chloe pleaded, and Ruth knew that such
pleas weren’t out of love for her; but more about her pay cheque
and the removal of her Hollywood meal-ticket. Being assistant to a
potentially Oscar-nominated actress was about as good as it got in
PA-world. Still, Ruth recalled how, whatever her intentions, Chloe
had often been there for her when she needed her over the
years.

‘
I’m sorry Chloe, but I’ve made up my mind. It’s over; I’m done
with all of this.’

‘
You are making such a huge mistake,’ Troy hissed, looking at
her with pure venom when the car pulled up outside the departures
area.

The
driver got out and came round to open her door. ‘Actually, for once
in my life, I know without a doubt that I am not making a mistake.’
Getting out of the car, Ruth smiled and shook her head. Then,
taking huge satisfaction from slamming the door in Troy Valentine’s
face, she looked at the driver who was wearing a half
smile.

She
opened her bag and reached inside, privately hoping that he
wouldn’t mind taking a cheque, but the man stopped her.

‘
Please, there’s no need.’

‘
But you might be fired – ’

He
grinned. ‘Ma’am if I had a dollar for every time somebody in this
town threatened to fire me, I wouldn’t need a job at all. I’m not
worried.’

‘
Well as long as you’re sure – ’

‘
I’m sure.’ He handed Ruth her bags. ‘Now you take care of
yourself – and good luck to you and that little kid of
yours.’

‘
Thank you. Good luck to you too,’ she replied, meaning
it.

Entering
the airport building, she marched straight to the ticket counter, a
spring her step. ‘Could I get a ticket for the next flight to JFK
please?’

The
wide-eyed clerk put a hand to her mouth. ‘Oh my gosh, Ruth Seymour!
I just love you in Glamazons, you’re the whole reason I watch that
show!’

Ruth
smiled. ‘Thanks honey, but I guess you’ll just have to watch me in
syndication.’ When the girl frowned, she explained further, a smile
in her voice. ‘From now on, I’m going off the air.’

After a
cosy lunch in Blackrock, during which time Jess heard all about
Nina’s ‘errand’ that morning, she dropped her friend into the
centre of the city.

She felt
a great camaraderie with Nina – much more than she’d felt with her
own friends recently, and was especially glad that she’d decided to
take her into her confidence. She got the sense that with her
mother abroad, Nina didn’t have all that many people to talk to
about this – and from what she’d heard about her father, he seemed
the kind of old-fashioned country type that wouldn’t give her much
support. No wonder the poor thing was considering
adoption.

Well
hopefully Jess had given her something to think about.

As Nina
had pointed out, her and Brian’s circumstances were completely
different; they had security, a (mostly) solid marriage and were
mature enough to deal with whatever parenthood might throw at them,
whereas she was faced with being a single mother of a child who
would most likely never even know its father.