Untangling The Stars (24 page)

Scott sat back in his chair and grinned. “So you break up with your boyfriend and turn into the crazy cat lady?”

Andie narrowed her eyes and twisted her mouth at him in a look that very clearly said, “be careful.”

“Whoa! Hey, I was joking. I think he’s great—”

“No,” Andie interrupted, “not that. How did you know that Guy and I broke up?”

“Ummm… are you boycotting technology? Phone, iPad, computer, television…or what?” Scott asked.

“Not really. I just didn’t look at anything this morning. Yet. Why?”

Scott sighed and pulled out his iPhone. He hit a couple of buttons and passed the phone to Andie. It was some news app, Andie guessed, and the loud headline “Guy Wilder Single Again—and Wilder.” Underneath was a picture of what appeared to be a very drunken Guy, arm laced around his scantily clad co-star—
damn that Ginifer
—and being helped out to a car by at least two of his bodyguards. Scanning the article, Andie read that Guy Wilder, best known as Silas Dove, was seen partying all night with co-star Ginifer fueling rumors that the brief fling he had with the professor was over and the on-stage romance was in fact in full bloom, much to the fans delight.

Andie stopped reading and sat back in the chair. She stared sadly at the picture of a wrecked version of the Guy she cared so much for. Shirt halfway pulled out, hair messed up, eyes red and sunken. It looked like he was trying to sloppily kiss his co-star as he leaned heavily on her, and she laughed his advances away at the cameras. Whether it was staged or not was anyone’s guess, and Andie was not in the mood for riddles. Andie shook her head and handed the phone back to Scott. She had seen enough.

“Yes, we broke up. Kind of, sort of…. I don’t know,” Andie muttered. “I told him I needed some time and that I thought he did too. That just ended up in a big fight.”

“I thought you guys were in the little lovebird stage,” Scott said, putting his phone back in his pocket.

“We were. But it’s different because of who he is. He’s not Guy Wilder, he’s Silas Dove, so that makes everything he does everyone else’s business for some reason. It got crazy fast. My dean was talking to me about the university having to give press releases. He started threatening to break his contract and quit…”

“Jesus,” Scott said, mercifully cutting her off. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry, girl.”

“The whole thing was just spinning too fast. I live in the real world, Scott. All the time. I’m not walking away from or ruining my career because of paparazzi. And I know that Guy shouldn’t either. He needs to figure out who he is, and I need to learn how to deal with what he decides. I just needed some space, and he freaked out. Said I didn’t believe in happy endings and the bad guy never wins.”

“He’s young and confused,” Scott said. Guy was the same age as they both were, but Scott’s life experiences had added years on him, making him wise beyond his age. “He’s been in the spotlight for so long, craved for it, sacrificed for it, and now he’s not sure if it really makes him happy. You should understand. You’ve made a living out of researching and writing about television personalities.”

“I know, and I do. Now I’m starting to question whether I’ve been wrong all this time. Can celebrities live in the fantasy world and leave it behind to live in normal reality? Can they have both?”

“I think so,” Scott seemed to ponder his answer, “but it would take maturity, effort and some acceptance of living in the gray.”

Andie thought about what Scott said. She loved talking to him and this was why. He just said the right things and knew when to listen. They were a pair of old souls.

“So…the elephant?” Scott grinned down at the sleeping cat in the pet carrier.

Andie laughed. “That is ‘Templeton’. He is my no-drama, loving sidekick, and actually we should be heading home.” Andie stood up and reached down and hugged her friend.

“Wait, wasn’t Templeton the name of the rat in
Charlotte’s Web
?”

“It was.”

Scott caught Andie’s unique sense of ironic humor and grinned. “You’re going to be a-okay, kid.”

“I am. I’ll see you tomorrow. Oz, say good bye to Templeton.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Andie gently set the pet carrier down in the living room, unlatched the door, and sat back on the couch and waited. And waited. After a good five minutes, she slipped down to the floor and peered in. Templeton’s round hazel eyes stared blankly back at her.

“Come on, Templeton. Good kitty. Welcome to your new home. Come on and check it out.” She reached in and scratched the top of his big furry head. He stretched upward underneath her hand, closed his eyes, and that little five horsepower motor he seemed to have immediately started purring. Andie smiled. He was so sweet. She wondered if he remembered and missed his previous owner—is that something cats did? In the distance of the kitchen, her phone blipped and she got up and went to the counter where she had left it, along with the several bags of supplies she’s brought home for Templeton.

Hey, girl. Checking in.
Andie blinked back her surprise. It was from Tandy. Well, that was unexpected. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Tandy would have talked to Scott and been compelled to check in on her, but after their last two encounters—or rather confrontations—Andie would have expected a text like that from Mad Man before she would have from Tandy. Maybe it was sent to the wrong person. She glanced over at the crate. Whiskers were now emerging from the front. Good. That had to be a good sign.
Aren’t cats supposed to be curious?
Andie wondered. Templeton seemed completely uninterested. Or maybe he still felt betrayed and cautious.
I’m right with you there, buddy
. Andie looked back at the phone. She honestly was at a loss as to how she should respond. It really wasn’t in her nature to be mean or hold grudges, but she couldn’t deny that she was hurt and it took a while for the scab to crawl over the wound the fight with Tandy had left. The words Tandy had spewed at her clung to her mind like flies in Vaseline, especially the “lying, weasel bitch” part. Andie put the phone down and decided to unpack her bags instead of responding.

She took out two ceramic bowls and washed them. She filled the first one with water and placed it on the placemat she had arranged on the floor at the end of the kitchen counter. Opening the bag of all natural, premium, ocean whitefish guaranteed to keep your cat “happy and healthy,” she filled up Templeton’s other dish.

“Here Kitty, Kitty,” she called. “Templeton.”

An orange head finally emerged from the crate. Taking that as a positive sign, Andie called again and Templeton gingerly stepped out, stretched, arched his back, sat down, and yawned. Andie laughed; his level of apathy was just too much. She went over, picked him up, and placed him in front of his food and water.

“Here you go. Just so you know where it is.” She petted him some more and then left him cautiously sniffing the two bowls. Another blip came across her phone.

Are you happy?
Andie sucked in a deep breath. This time it was from Guy. Okay, so the next text probably
would
be from Madeline because today was the day of total unpredictability. She didn’t know what to say to that text either, she wasn’t even sure if the question was rhetorical or accusatory. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, and she felt her palms get sweaty. Was it too early to drink? A glass of wine sounded wonderful for her nerves. She’d been getting really familiar with the bottle opener lately. Maybe if she had a glass—or three—she could think of what to say back to two people she genuinely cared about, who just mere days before had been quite clear that they didn’t really want to have much to do with her. Had she fallen asleep and reawakened in the
Twilight Zone
?

A sudden meow jolted Andie back to the present. She looked down and Templeton was leaning against her legs, his purr sending little ripples up her skin. This was such a good idea, getting a companion pet. Why had she not done it sooner? Andie bent down and lovingly stroked her purring cat. With her mind back on getting him set up, she pulled the litter box out of one of pet store tote bags and carried it and the box of litter into the laundry room. This time, Templeton followed her in, so she picked him up and set him on his litter box, and then left to give him a little privacy in case he needed it.

Because I’m having a blast
her phone blipped again as she walked back into the kitchen. Guy, again. She read the new text and put the phone down, not really knowing what to think. That was the problem with texts; you couldn’t hear tone. Her heart stirred. He could be being mean—his messages seemed loaded with condescension and invitation to argue. Or, he could be being sarcastic. Or, maybe he was just rubbing his ability to bounce back in her face. It had only been two weeks, so how well could she really know him? And she had seen the paparazzi picture of him last night that Scott showed her. But, what she read and what she felt were different. She could almost hear Guy’s voice in his messages, and yes, there was sarcasm, but there was also sadness. She and Guy had connected. There was something there beyond lustful attraction, she was sure of it. Sighing, she picked up the phone and went to the couch. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and thought. Andie needed to respond to him—she wanted to. But what could she say? Honesty was always best, right? Just be honest.
I am happy…and I’m not.
She stared at her reply for a few seconds and the hit send.

As she waited for Guy’s inevitable response, she noticed the last bag on the counter and busied herself unpacking the toys she had bought for Templeton. There were balls, a fishing pole with a catnip mouse on the end of it, and a scratching post that had a bird with a bell hanging from a spring. There was also a laser that the guy at the store had sworn would entertain her cat for hours. Out of the two aisles of toys and treats to pick from, Andie had no idea what Templeton might like, but he had plenty to choose from and she knew he was already spoiled. But that’s what he’s for, she thought. She smiled as she saw him settle in front of his food bowl and start munching. Too bad she wasn’t a cat herself. That seemed like the life.

What does that mean?
The reply had not taken long and only served up more questions.
Screw it
, Andy thought. It was Saturday, a little after noon, and she wasn’t going anywhere. A glass of wine and a Netflix binge sounded wonderful. So did turning off the phone. She walked past Templeton into the kitchen, made a sandwich, and poured a glass of wine.
Is the college professor lost for words?
Reading that last, Andie knew now that Guy was being snide, maybe not mean, but not nice either. In all fairness, he probably had a terrible hangover and felt like crap. Not that it was her problem, thank you.

It means what it said. In some ways, I’m happy and others I’m not.
Frustrated, she set the phone down and began eating her sandwich. Templeton had begun to explore his new home, and Andie watched him, not really thinking about anything. She really did despise drama, and she was not going to spend her Saturday or weekend being consumed by it. Tandy. Crap, she had forgotten.

Taking the last bite of her sandwich, she picked her phone back up and scrolled to the earlier message.
Hey. Watching Netflix. Just chilling, talk to you later.
Andie didn’t want to invite more arguments, but she wasn’t going to deal with Tandy today either. Space, time, peace, and quiet were what she wanted—and needed. Sliding the power bar off on her phone, she lay back on the couch and selected the first TV series that popped up on her queue. Perfect. Ridiculous, mindless entertainment was exactly how she wanted to spend the next few hours. Templeton jumped up on the couch, creeped up on to her belly and settled, curling his front paws under his chest. She watched him for a second, stroked him absently, and then turned back to the television to watch the over-dramatized preview of the show getting ready to start. At least it wasn’t about vampires.

***

Andie was dreaming and there was some bell or alarm that just kept interrupting the conversation she was trying to have with the Queen of England. It was very annoying and the queen didn’t even seem to care, waving off the noise with a flip-flap of her white-gloved hand. Andie jolted, suddenly awake and Templeton let out a screech and, half-clawed, leaped off her stomach. “Ouch, geeze Templeton,” Andie whined and rubbed her stomach where his nails had bit the skin. Her doorbell was chiming repeatedly and still groggy, Andie padded to the door in her socks.
The Queen of England? Really?
she thought as she approached the door, realizing that she was in her flannel jammie pants and baggy “I heart big books and cannot lie” t-shirt.
Oh well.

Peering through the peephole, she saw a determined Tandy knocking and ringing her doorbell, head sideways holding the cell phone. She had her pink lips pursed in determination. Still, even Tandy was better than that platinum-haired demon that had been at her door armed with two cameramen a few days before.