Connections (4 page)

Shayla just had to wait now; well she also had to dump Carter. That would be easy though, she would just dump him after Prom. Her excuse would work, they’d be going to different colleges, and they were young. No need to stay together when they knew it wouldn’t work now anyways.

Shayla snapped herself out of the memory. She’d already let Brad in once today, she didn’t have time or control enough to let him take over. She hadn’t thought about him in years, but now being back here—of course it all started again.

She had to forget.

She needed to move on.

“
Shayla? You here?”

Never before had she been so happy to hear her brother’s voice. “I’m here Paul!”

She met him on the staircase.

“
Where’s Mom?” He continued up the stairs to his bedroom, his book bag hanging on one shoulder just as it had back in high school.

“
No idea. Where’s your wife?”

“
At work.” He tossed his bag on the floor of his room, which had thankfully taken a much more mature look since he and his wife shared it.

“
Don’t you think it’s time you and Nora moved out, get your own place?”

“
We don’t all make enough money to live in New York.” He reminded her as he pulled his beanie off and messed with his blond curls. “Besides, Nora and I’ve got other expenses.”

“
Pot?”

“
Nice to see you’re still a bitch. Must be hard to play sweet, innocent Addison and hold this all in.”

Shayla just rolled her eyes, “Okay, seriously, what other expenses.”

Paul pulled out a sonogram picture and handed it to his sister, “I hope you’re ready to be Aunt Shayla.”

Shayla looked at the grainy image, “For real? Wow. Congrats little bro!”

“
Thanks, we’re going to start converting the basement into an apartment so we have some more space.”

“
Don’t you ever get sick of Mom?”

“
She and I get along fine; she and Nora get along great. You and her, just clash. It’s kind of creepy.”

“
Try living it.” She sighed, “I gotta get ready. I’m meeting an old friend for drinks.”

“
Don’t worry I’ll tell Mom and Dad you did arrive.” He called out before slamming his door.

Shayla shook her head, something’s never changed.

She wasn’t sure what she expected when she walked into the bar and saw that Zach was already seated at the bar with a Coors Light in front of him. She felt oddly nervous, she’d gone up to so many men before that she was surprised at how nervous she felt right now. “You know, you could’ve told me it was you Zach.”

He stood and pulled her seat out for her quickly. “You were having so much fun; I didn’t want to burst that bubble.”

She smiled, “So are you back for the reunion?”

“
Technically no, since I didn’t graduate from Summit, the timing just worked out for some business meetings I’ve got this week in the city.” He waved the waitress over.

“
Cosmo please.” Shayla leaned back in her seat, a smile on her face as she studied Zach. His long sleeve thermal shirt stretched across his obviously hard body. He wore jeans that appeared to be tight in the right places and fashionable.

“
Good choice.” He smiled as he took a quick sip, “So, what are you up to these days?”

She tossed her hair, “Well, I’m an actress on the last New York City soap opera. I’m part of a dying breed. I’ll be lucky to have a job in a year.”

“
That sounds poetic and terrible.” He smiled, “You’re also a favorite in the clubhouse.”

“
Clubhouse, you’re an athlete aren’t you?”

“
Short stop, I’ve been playing in Denver for a while now.”

She leaned forward, “That explains the beer.”

“
Oh it does?”

“
Coors field, Coors light.”

He smiled, “You think you have me all figured out, don’t you?”

“
Actually, I don’t. However, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to figure out with the death stares I’m getting from the bar.”

Zach didn’t need to turn around, “Just ignore her, she’s just jealous. She thinks more happened between you and Carter then really did.”

“
She always thought more happened then it did.” Shayla reached out, placing her hand over his.

Zach had to control the part of him that was still 17 years old and freaking out right now that Shayla was touching him. “So, let’s stop beating around the bush. How about you tell me what you were really looking for this afternoon.”

“
Oh well, I’m not sure I could say that here.” Her fingers stroked his as she felt sparks that she couldn’t ever recall feeling in the past.

Every rose has its thorn…Every rose has its thorn…

Zach looked towards Shayla’s purse as it sang the familiar lyrics.

“
Just one second.” She pulled it out, ready to silence it until she saw who it was. “Shayla Daniels, what’s up?”

Zach watched her, intrigued by her more now that he had been as a teenager. She had matured; perhaps it had been her years in New York. Something was different about her, but then again he had to hope so. He wasn’t the same person he was at seventeen either. If he was, he wouldn’t be sitting here with her, no he’d been in his room jacking off to a magazine.

“
Is everything okay?” He asked when she slipped her phone back into her purse.

She picked up her Cosmo the waitress had just dropped off, “Oh, just a blogger looking to confirm a rumor. It was only a matter of time before they recast my characters mother. The original actress hasn’t been heard from in years. Long before I started on the show.”

“
Oh, so word got out and they want an insider to confirm it?”

“
Something like that.” She picked up the orange slice on the rim of her glass, “We’re not here to talk about soap operas if I remember correctly.”

“
You’re right, we’re not. We’re here to discuss what you were looking for on the train this afternoon.” He leaned forward, “I’m curious Shayla, don’t make me so curious that it kills me.”

She giggled, “If I did that then this would’ve all been a waste of perfectly good time when we could be finding some place to fuck.”

Zach felt his stomach twist with excitement, “My, my, my suspicions were right after all.”

“
Oh were they?” She leaned back again, letting her hand rest on his leg. She could feel Eva watching them.

“
Yeah, they were.” He watched her finish her drink, “You want to get out of here and away from the drilling death stare that I can feel you getting.”

“
That would be paradise. Let’s go.” She hopped off the seat and started to pull out her wallet only to see that Zach had paid for the drinks before she could.

“
A gentleman always pays.” He told her as he helped her on with her jacket before putting his on. “Now, let’s get out of here.”

Shayla grabbed his hand, looking towards the bar just once to see Eva turn towards Carter.

“
Can you believe that whore?” Eva chewed on the slim red straw from her rum and coke.

Carter rolled his eyes, “Remind me to get you a dictionary and thesaurus for Christmas.”

“
With gifts like those, you’ll sweep me off your feet for sure.”

“
Fuck you.”

“
Yes, please.” Eva bit her lower lip, arching her breasts towards him.

“
Not happening Eva. We’re not a couple and we never will be.” Carter slammed his beer down on the bar, causing a few other patrons to glance over for a moment before going back to their own conversations.

“
What do you mean?” Eva was surprised; Carter never spoke to her this way.

“
I mean what I said. We’re not a couple.” He took his wallet out and tossed some cash on the bar. “I’m out, see ya.”

“
You can’t walk out on me!” She called out while watching him storm out.

Carter didn’t stop, he just kept walking. He was done putting up with her. He’d spent his entire life being her friend, and she always wanted more. Why couldn’t she understand it wasn’t going to happen?

CHAPTER FOUR

Alice Daniels sat in her kitchen after cleaning up the takeout containers from the small family dinner she’d brought home after her meeting. She’d been surprised when she’d gotten the call and asked to come into New York. It had been years since she worked, so why bring her back on now?

The building had been a different one then when she last worked twenty some odd years before. Most of the people she’d known were long gone, a few faces were familiar but really they were just there to make people feel like things didn’t really change.

“
Mrs. Daniels, thank you so much for coming into the city. I know this is a surprise.” Tyler York sat in his desk studying her, judging her, the way she’d aged. He was younger then she’d expected, late thirties, maybe early forties.

“
Is everything alright with my daughter Shayla?” She twisted her fingers together as she watched him. He couldn’t have asked her here for anything else, could he?

Tyler let the amusement cross his face, “Alice, please let’s cut the bullshit and get to the point. You and I both know that you were the original Maeve Evermore. I bet you also know that we want to bring her back. It’s time for Addison to know her mother.”

Alice leaned back in her chair, “And of course why not bring back the original and only actress who is also Shayla’s mother in real life.”

“
When we cast Shayla, we didn’t know she was your daughter. It was a pleasant surprise though.” Tyler stood up, “Come on Alice, if you had no desire to be back you wouldn’t have taken this meeting.”

Alice sighed, “You’re right. I want to be back. I would love to return as Maeve.”

“
Great! We’ll have you back just in time for the next sweeps.”

“
One thing, I still need to be billed as Abigail Jackson, I can’t be billed as Alice Daniels.”

“
That’s fine; it’s easier to tell the audience that Abigail Jackson is returning then trying to explain who Alice Daniels is.”

“
Wonderful.” Alice stood up, “I’m guessing the details will be negotiable in the contract.”

Tyler pulled out a stack of papers, “We’ve sent a copy over to your manager.”

“
Wonderful. I can’t wait to be back.”

“
I can’t wait to see you on set with Shayla. She doesn’t know you were on the show, does she?”

Alice moved towards the door, “Shayla has no idea. It will probably be a bigger shock for her, then for Addison.”

“
That should be, just about perfect. We’ll be in touch.”

It would be weird, Alice knew that to return to a life she hadn’t been part of for almost twenty years.

“
You don’t have to do this.” Her husband Ryan stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

Alice shook her head, “Oh how I wish, I could just go and tell her. Shayla is not going to take it very well when she finds out that her Mother will be playing well, her Mother!”

Ryan rolled his eyes, “Just tell her. Get it out in the open. Be honest with her for once in our lives.”

“
She’s not going to like it. Why not let her have some time to not know.” Alice chewed on her pinky nail. “Besides, I don’t want her to jeopardize her own career by freaking out.”