Playing in Secret(16)

"Stop. Please stop arguing," Jeanne says.

"I'm sorry, baby," I tell her.

"I'm going to go set up in the master bedroom. This place has one of those, right?"

"Yes, Misha. It even has a walk-in closet for you."

"And a nice, big bed for us?"

"I'm sleeping in a guest room. The one with the lock on the door."

"You act like I'm so desperate that I'd sneak into your room and try to molest you or something."

"You tried to pick the lock on my door back home."

She glares at me and then stomps up the stairs. I smile at Jeanne, and  try to pretend like everything's great. "What do you think of the place.  I know it's not big, but we don't really need all that space."

"I like it," she says and then looks down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"All of this. Her."

"She's not easy, but she loves you."

"Not as much as she loves herself."

I can argue with that, so I don't try. "If it's any consolation, I don't  think she ever loved me. I was just a trophy for her to parade around."

"Do you miss Audrey?"

"More than you could possibly imagine." It's been two weeks, and every  morning I wake up feeling like someone's stabbing me in the heart.

"I miss her, too. Do you think I could go see her?"

"Yes. I think she'd like that."

"Even after everything I did?"

"She's not going to hold it against you."

"I made you break up with her."

"Is that what you think? That I broke up with her?" I ask, and she nods.  "I didn't. I already told you that. Trying to work things out with your  mom was her idea. I asked her to wait for me, because I knew then, just  as I know now, this won't work. I'd do anything for you-and her-so I've  been trying. I honestly tried to see if there was anything still  between us besides you."

"There isn't."

"No, baby. I'm sorry, but there's not."

"Did she really try to break into your bedroom?"

I chuckle a little, "Yeah."

"This house isn't as secure. Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?"

"You'd protect your old man?"

"Of course."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now we just need to come up with a plan to get Mom to leave, and convince Audrey to stay with us."

"Your mom won't leave before the charity ball."

"Of course not."

"In the meantime, I wanted to head over to the high school and check things out. Wanna come along?"

"Aren't my tutors coming over soon?"

"I think one day off isn't going to hurt my little genius."

"I'm not little."

"You have to keep reminding me, don't you?"

"Yeah. It's my job as your kid."

"Smart-ass."

"I learned from the best," she says as we walk outside.

"Get in the car, brat."

"Where are you going?" Misha asks, walking briskly out the front door. Running would be too "common" for her.

"I want to check things out at the high school."

"What am I supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Whatever you want, I guess."

"I want a real house. With a pool, and a housekeeper."

"There's a pool out back, and someone will be coming in once a week to clean."

"That's not a pool, it's a giant bathtub. And who's going to clean the rest of the week? And cook?"

"Us."

"Oh, okay. You and Jeanne. Good."

"No, Mish. We're all chipping in-you included."

"Good luck making that happen."

I let go of the car door, and stalk over to her, forcing her to move  back a few steps. "Can you at least try to be a decent human being for  five minutes? Or better yet, a decent mother?"         

     



 

"Don't talk to me like that. You asked me to come back."

"For our daughter. Not for me. Never for me."

"She's that good? The Mexican bitch?"

"She's better than you could ever dream of being, and I don't just mean  in bed. But say something else about her, and see how fast I drive you  out to the desert and leave you there."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yeah, I would."

I throw open the car door, and get in. "I wish I'd never told you I wanted her to be with us."

"Me too. But what's done is done, and now we just have to get past this  ball, and put her on a plane to wherever she's going next."

"There's something else you should know about her."

"Not right now, Jeanne. I honestly can't take another thing right now."

"Okay."

We make the drive in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts about  what's been happening for the last two weeks. There has not been one  single day-or even hour-where Misha showed an interest in Jeanne. She  loved the new clothes Stella picked out, and wanted to tell the world  that the famous stylist had outfitted our daughter, but that's it.  Jeanne begged her not to use her like that, and I finally threatened to  expose some old secrets, so she left it alone, but I think that was when  Jeanne realized that her mother wasn't there for her. The first hour of  her first day with us, and it hasn't gotten any better.

If anything, she gets worse every day. She's not getting her way on  anything, and she's taking it out on us, and my staff. Wanda even took  vacation because she said it was either that or quit. I didn't want to  lose her, so I sent her and her husband to Tahiti. I've had to pay the  day workers double to keep them coming, and the pool guy threatened us  with a sexual harassment lawsuit last week. I knew this was a bad idea, I  just didn't think it would be quite so rough. That charity ball can't  get here soon enough.



Audrey

Tonight's the night. The charity ball where I'll see Blake in person for  the first time in over two weeks. I'll admit to watching all of the  news coverage, and reading all of the interviews he's done here in town,  but I haven't seen or talked to him. I may have driven by the high  school a few times looking for a glimpse of him, but that didn't happen,  either. So it's all down to tonight.

"Stop fidgeting, Aud," Stella tells me, as she zips my dress up.

It's coal grey, with a high neck and a mermaid bottom. The fabric is  shiny, and there are some interesting pleats and seams. It accentuates  my curves, and is totally sexy while still being classy. The only  jewelry I'm wearing is a pair of earrings that have large black opals  leading to a shower of diamonds. They have their own bodyguard, as if I  couldn't take down anyone who tried to take them off of me. I couldn't  tell him that, so I just smiled and told him I'd do my best to stay in  his sights all night.

Tegan and Reina take a good amount of time on my hair, finally deciding  that it should go up. It's in braids, and swirls, all of it crossing  over each other. They thought about leaving a few strands loose, but  didn't want to cover my earrings, so they worked those in as well. I  don't even know how I'll get it down later, but I don't have to worry  about that now. It looks amazing, and I feel great, too.

"All conversation is going to stop when you walk into that ballroom tonight," Darcy says.

"That'll be for Joel, not me."

Zack set me up with his friend, Joel Cruz, the bad boy of baseball. He's  going to be in town for at least six months while he recovers from an  injury, and plays with the local minor league team. There's no doubt  he'll be called back up once he's ready, but until then, he's been  keeping the tabloids busy.

"He's really a nice guy, he just likes to keep up the bad boy image a  little too much," Ainsley tells me. "You might actually like him."

"He's way too young for me. I appreciate him helping me out, but I'm  sending him off to his groupies as soon as we leave the party."

"There's nothing wrong with a younger man," Stella says.

"Then why doesn't Kace have a trophy?" Ellie asks her with a smirk.

"Or at least a medal?" Isa adds.

"Some of us don't need to buy those things for out men. Our screams are  enough reward," Tegan says. "And you can be sure I'm screaming every  night."

"Besides, they all want something now. The two of you ruined it for all of us and I, for one, am not caving," Faith tells us.         

     



 

"Complain all you want, but you all know you've been getting extra Os  since Isa and I gave our prizes out. You want to thank us, but your  pride won't let you."

"You're welcome," Isa says, and I laugh out loud.

"Our little Isa has definitely come out of her shell."

"Tease all you want, but when Blake hears about the awards, he's going to want one, too."

"You say that like it's a foregone conclusion that I'll have him again, Isa."

"Because you will. I was there with you for those few days, and I saw the way he was with you. He loves you."

"Reina said that, too."

"If Tegan lets me borrow one of her hats, I'll throw it in the ring, too," Ainsley says.