California Dream (14 page)

Chapter thirteen

Beginning with lunch with Margaret O’Neill, Lee’s life developed a sort of pattern. She and Margaret hit it off, and started dining together often. Sometimes it was at Roddy’s house, and at others in various restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Other days, Lee went out shopping, or to exercise classes with the various girlfriends of Eddie and the other members of the band. When she was alone, which was often, she liked to lie by the pool with music blaring, or if she was bored, she took her new car out for drives.

Lee had settled on something reasonable, a Miata convertible in bright yellow with black trim. She liked her car and made heads turn as she zoomed down the freeway with her hair in the wind.

Since the day of the movie premiere when Roddy hadn’t found Lee at home, he had also provided her with a cell phone. Though she voiced the usual objections, he could tell she liked the slim little device. He liked the fact that he could talk to her any time he wanted now that she had it, and he called her several times a day. It hadn’t taken long for her to start calling him, too, since he was always thrilled to hear her voice.

Roddy’s life had never been better. His days at the studio were going extremely well, and everything for the new disk seemed to be coming together with ease. The guys even seemed to be better musicians, if that was possible, and Roddy’s voice was in rare form. The executives at his record company were already rubbing their hands together in anticipation of another platinum hit.

Roddy was encouraged to get as much exposure as possible. After Lee’s Hollywood debut, they even decided she was good for his image, and were attempting to arrange a photo session for the two of them. So far, Roddy had refused to cooperate and hadn’t bothered to tell Lee about it. The whole world knew he and Lee were a couple, but the thought of them posing together in his house seemed too intrusive.

Rather than agree to photo sessions with Lee, Roddy took her out in public a lot. She had already filled her half of their closet with an array of leather, velvet, silk, and denim, complete with shoes in every shape and style to match. It amused Roddy that photographers loved her and she always got into snapshots with him. Their pictures were published by the dozen in pulpy fan magazines filled with gossip about musicians and their lifestyles. Roddy often did interviews for such magazines, but he refused all requests to have Lee present for them, and refused to answer any questions about her.

One night, Roddy’s band got together with a few other bands who were going to appear together on a television special. Everyone brought their wives and girlfriends, and Lee was surprised to find out for the first time that Mike was actually married. She always saw him at parties with different young women, and she told Roddy it had never occurred to her he might have a wife hidden away somewhere. She was even more stunned when she saw how beautiful Mike’s wife was, and found out they had children.

Roddy could tell she was disgusted by the state of affairs. He already knew she didn’t really approve of Eddie and the way he ended his relationship with Claire. Roddy’s explanation that Claire didn’t expect fidelity and she only cared about his money didn’t excuse Eddie, in Lee’s opinion. Lee was even more disgusted with Mike because it was obvious his wife was very much in love with him, and seemed clueless about his rather constant affairs. She expressed amazement that Mike managed to keep it secret.

After conveying her opinions about the morals of his band members, Lee got quiet on the way home, and Roddy found himself perturbed.

“You haven’t said much,” he said as they sat by the pool once they got home. “Is something wrong?”

“I was just wondering how a man can have a wonderful wife at home and still want to run around with other women,” Lee said softly.

Roddy knew he should tread carefully, or not at all, but he heard himself ask, “What do you mean?”

“Like Mike,” she said, turning to look at him. “His wife couldn’t be more beautiful, and they’ve got three kids, but I see him all the time with other girls.”

Roddy shrugged and relaxed just a bit. “I guess that’s just the kind of guy Mike is.”

“I wonder why guys like that bother to get married at all,” Lee went on. “He can’t keep his affairs secret forever, and when she finds out, all hell is going to break loose.”

“Maybe Mike had good intentions at first,” Roddy mused. “Maybe he thought he was ready to settle down, but it didn’t last. It can happen with all the willing women out there.”

“Maybe that will happen with you.”

Roddy hoped she didn’t hear his sharply indrawn breath. “I’m not married.”

“No,” she agreed slowly, her voice dropping in pitch, “but you do have a commitment of sorts with me. I wonder sometimes when you’ll change your mind about it.”

Roddy immediately went on the defensive. “Where did this come from?” he heard himself snarl, shooting to his feet and pacing a few steps before turning to glare at a startled Lee. “Have I done anything to make you not trust me? Don’t I take you out? Why are you suddenly doubting me because of someone else’s actions?”

“Roddy! I—”

He cut her off. “Whatever, Lee. I knew you’d start in on me one of these days, and right now I just don’t want to hear it!”

He turned on his heel and stomped back into the house. He grabbed his keys on his way through and went right out the front, then squealed away in his Maserati a few seconds later.



Lee sat stunned on a lounger by the pool. She had not expected Roddy’s rather intense reaction to her mildly-voiced statement.

Her first impulse was to go after him and apologize for insinuating their relationship lacked permanence. Honestly, Roddy had given her no reason to doubt him, and she had no basis for making accusations. When she thought about it, though, Lee knew she had not made any outrageous accusations, and Roddy had overreacted.

Though she carefully did not dwell on them, Lee knew there were reasons behind Roddy’s erratic behavior that night. She had touched a sore spot when she questioned his level of commitment to her. Though nobody mentioned it, the whole world knew she was there with him on borrowed time. One day, Roddy would tire of her, and they would be through. The only promise he had made was that there would be no other women while they were together. The future had not been discussed.

It was out there, though, and Lee knew that at some point she would have to give it some consideration. The moment Roddy’s eyes began to roam, she would be gone. She would not wait around for him to ask her to leave, and she certainly didn’t want a payoff when the time came. That such a time would come was an absolute certainty; Lee simply did not know when it would be.

Despite all of that, making the decision to stay with Roddy had been easy. She exchanged the life of a working single girl to become the pampered girlfriend of a rock star. The transition was not a difficult one to make, and the first few weeks had been a whirlwind of exciting new things. Now that she had become accustomed to her new existence, Lee found she liked it quite a bit. The only thing not to like was the impermanence.

Though she was afraid to tell him, Lee wanted it all. She was more in love with Roddy than a woman had a right to be. Every time the phone rang during the day, she leapt for it, anticipating his call. She looked forward to him returning home every afternoon, and reveled in the time they spent together. Everything was perfect when it was just the two of them, and she had honestly never had more fun than when Roddy took her out in public. Naturally, she didn’t want it to end. She wanted to take it a step further, and really build a life together. Lee didn’t know how Roddy would feel if she said any of those things, though, so she kept them to herself.

He cared for her and enjoyed having her in his house. It wasn’t enough, but for now it would just have to do.



Somehow, Roddy managed to avoid getting a ticket that night. He drove out to the coast road and recklessly raced along its curves until he got his emotions under control. Even as he slammed out of the house, he knew he wasn’t really angry with Lee. She had simply brought up a sore subject. Since she moved into his house, it seemed the entire world was demanding he commit himself to her. She was actually the only one who didn’t push.

Lee’s comments hadn’t just come out of left field, he knew. Roddy was aware that a snazzy car and a credit card to shop with were hardly the signs of a lasting commitment. She had plenty of reasons to question his intentions. When she moved in, she gave up her source of income, as well as her own home. Lee’s future was unclear, even to Roddy, but despite the guilt that assailed him, he wasn’t ready to offer her more. The very thought of making a real commitment made him break out in a cold sweat.

If he wanted to be honest with himself, Roddy knew he had a number of things to feel guilty about. He felt bad that he couldn’t spend more time with Lee, and that she was uncertain about her future. At the moment, though, he mostly just felt like a jerk for flipping out on her and stomping out of the house just because she had the nerve to question him.

His feelings of remorse were rather foreign territory. Roddy usually didn’t care enough about other people’s feelings to take them into consideration. He just didn’t give a damn if it didn’t directly affect him, and if someone got mad, that was their problem. He was Roddy O’Neill, and he lived life by his own rules. So why was this fight with Lee eating him up?

Unable to answer the question, Roddy simply turned his car around and raced for home.

The house was dark when he got there, and he tiptoed upstairs to look for Lee. Fear assailed him when he found his bed empty and untouched. It hadn’t occurred to him while he was out driving around that Lee might have up and left. Now, however, he was faced with an empty bedroom, and not so much as a lipsticked note on the bathroom mirror.

Roddy quickly searched the entire house, and then, with his heart in his throat, he let himself out to the back patio. If he hadn’t been searching, he might not have found Lee, who was curled up asleep on a deck chair. Warmth suffused his entire body when he spotted her, just before he was overtaken by feelings of guilt. It struck him that she was still on the patio because she might have been unwilling to sleep in their bed. He didn’t like the way that made him feel at all.

He just stared at her for several minutes. She looked like a fallen angel who had broken a wing. Her soft lips were gently parted in sleep, and her hands were curled over her chest. She was still dressed in a now-rumpled skirt and blouse which helped her blend into the shadows.

Going with instinct, Roddy dropped down on his haunches to kiss her lips. As he did, her eyes opened to stare into his. What he saw there sent little arrows to pierce his heart. Of their own accord, his arms reached out to enfold her against him, and before he realized it had happened, their bodies were entwined on the chaise.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison against each other’s lips.

“It’s not your fault Mike is the way he is,” Lee said quietly. “I shouldn’t compare you to him.”

Roddy sighed long and slow. “It’s my fault, Lee. You have a right to wonder about the future. I haven’t exactly promised you a lot because I can’t. I’m not going to lie to you or make promises I can’t keep. But I keep the promises I make.”

She nodded. “I know.”

He stroked her hair and indicated the house and grounds with a sweeping arm gesture. “Don’t ever think I don’t want you here,” he went on. “This is your home.”

She gave him a slight smile and said, “Okay.”

With relief that the crisis had passed, Roddy decided to get back on comfortable ground, and he pressed his hips suggestively against hers. “Why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll show you why I don’t want any other woman?”

If Lee wanted to argue, he gave her no chance. He shot to his feet and pulled her into his arms. For the second time, Roddy played Rhett Butler and carried her up the curving staircase to his bedroom. Once there, he cast all courtly pretenses aside and tore her clothes off her body and carelessly flung them over his shoulder. The only thing that mattered at that moment was feeling his skin on hers, and he lost himself in the flurry of their passion.



Lee gazed though half-lidded eyes at Roddy as he slept in the darkness. Things were back to normal between them, and everything was okay now. Or was it? Everything was normal again, at least. Though she didn’t know how long it would last, she still had a place in Roddy’s life. The future was out there, but it was unwise to think about it too much. It was better to think only about the glorious present and enjoy life moment by moment.

She stared at their tangled limbs with a smile. It looked as if elves had come in the night and tied the sheets in knots while she and Roddy slept. She tugged her foot and found herself jammed. Apparently, they would need a scissors, or at least a Boy Scout handbook, in order to get out of bed.

She felt Roddy’s leg twitch. “I can’t move,” he said, startling her out of her thoughts. He kicked at the sheets again and grunted when he was still stuck fast.

Roddy laughed along with her. “I’m afraid of what our rescuers would have to say.” He tugged at the sheets again. “Now that I’m stuck, I’m getting hungry.”

Lee ran a hand down his chest. “You know,” she murmured against his skin, “maybe we should try getting out of this the same way we got in.”



The next morning found Roddy and Lee miraculously free from the sheets, and Roddy was able to get up and go to work as usual. That day, the band was beginning work on a new video, which was sure to keep Roddy very busy. He would be working longer hours than usual for the next few weeks, and Lee would have to find a way to fill them.