Crazy For You (17 page)

“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said like he
really believed it. “You’re his mother. That’s not going to
change.”

Truth be known, Frank wouldn’t want to change that,
although he didn’t have a problem with making her a very lonely
mother, just like she’d made him a lonely father.

The gentle knock at the door broke into their
unfriendly conversation. “It’s Frankie,” Roxanne said in a tone of
never-ending duress.

Frank moved a couple of steps toward the door and
opened it.

“Are you ready to come play with me?” Frankie
asked.

“I sure am,” Frank knelt beside the boy and propped
his sunglasses on top of his head. “Would you like to go to the zoo
tomorrow?”

Frankie nodded and then looked at Roxanne. “Can we
go, Mom? Please, can we go?”

“Well, I think he means you and him,” she said.

He turned back to Frank. “But I want Mommy to go
with us.”

“Well of course she’s coming with us,” Frank
said.

Frankie grinned and threw his arms around Frank’s
neck. “I love you, Daddy!”

Later that afternoon, Candy went to look for Roxanne
and found her in her study. She went inside and closed the door
behind her. “You busy?” she asked, strolling across the room toward
Roxanne’s desk.

“Never too busy for you,” Roxanne said. “What’s
up?”

Candy sat down on the corner of the desk and
hesitated briefly before speaking. “Everything’s blowing up in our
faces, isn’t it?”

“No shit.” Roxanne pushed her hair back from her
face. “I can’t believe it…within twenty-four hours my whole world
has fallen apart.”

“For what it’s worth, I think Frank means well.”

“Candy…Frank never means well,” Roxanne said. “Why
have you always been so blinded by him?” Why was it so hard for
Candy to see what was so damned obvious to Roxanne?

“I’m not blinded by him,” Candy said. “I had my own
little talk with Frank this morning. I told him exactly how I’d
feel about Frankie getting hurt by this mess.” Candy gave her a
perfunctory glance. “But I truly believe that Frank means
well.”

“I hope he knows how fortunate he is to have you on
his side.” Roxanne caved, knowing she wouldn’t be able to sway
Candy’s opinion this time around.

“I made a really big mistake all those years
ago.”

“How so?”

“Rich,” she said simply. “I should’ve accepted his
love when I had the chance.”

“I guess we both made our share of mistakes, huh? I
can’t correct mine…but maybe there is something we can do to fix
yours.”

“No...” Candy shook her head. “He’s made it very
clear that he’s over me.”

“Why do you suppose that it was so easy for them to
get over us…but we aren’t capable of getting over them?”

The zoo proved to be a tiring experience for
Roxanne, both mentally and physically. Between trying to keep up
with Frankie and trying not to feel too threatened by Frank’s
presence, the day had taken its toll.

Approaching a park bench, she decided to take a
break.

Quickly, Frankie ran to her side. “You tired, Mom?”
he asked attentively.

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “Mom’s tired.”

He sat down beside her. “Me too.”

“You guys want something to eat or drink?” Frank
asked, splitting his gaze between them and the concession stand a
few feet away.

“Something to drink would be wonderful.” Roxanne
nodded.

“Yeah. Can I have a coke?” Frankie asked, looking to
Roxanne for approval.

“Sure.” She gave him a wink.

Frank strolled off toward the concession stand and
Frankie turned to Roxanne. “Are you having fun, Mom?”

“Uh huh. How about you?” she asked. “Are you having
fun?”

“Yes.” Frankie looked toward the concession stand
and then back to Roxanne. “I like my Dad,” he said. “Do you like
him?”

“Yes,” she said with a little smile. “I do like
him.”

Frank returned with the cold drinks and sat down
beside Frankie. “I got you a 7-UP,” he said to Roxanne, handing it
to her. “You still drink it, don’t you?”

She nodded.

Frankie took a drink and saw the swings a few yards
away. “Can I go swing?” he asked Roxanne.

“Be careful.” She barely got the words out before he
darted off.

“You’re a good mother, Roxanne.” Frank complimented
her but it was beside the point. He could have been a good father,
too. If he’d been given the chance.

“He means everything to me.”

“I want to take him for the weekend.”

She glared at him, horror darkening her eyes.
“I…ah…I don’t know.”

“Jesus, Roxanne. You act like I’m trying to take him
away forever.” Frank let his frustration pour out. “I just want him
for one stinking lousy night. You on the other hand have had him
all to yourself for four years…and what have I had?”

“I have no problem with you and Frankie spending
time together,” she said. “It’s just that he’s never been away from
me overnight. I don’t know how he’ll react to that.”

“Well...why don’t we ask him what he thinks?” Frank
felt confident that Frankie would jump at the chance to spend the
night with him.

And he was right.

Saturday morning, Frankie had been up since the
break of day, waiting eagerly for Frank’s arrival.

Once he showed up, Frankie kissed Roxanne goodbye,
then ran to his father’s side. Hand-in-hand, they walked out the
front door and headed toward Frank’s car. Frankie glanced over his
shoulder and waved at Roxanne. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom.”

She stood in the doorway watching them drive away.
Even after they were long gone she continued to stand there,
staring out into space. She harbored a twinge of resentment and
jealousy toward Frank, thinking he’d managed to edge his way into
Frankie’s heart while pushing her out at the same time.

Roxanne wandered around the house until she couldn’t
remember what she’d been doing from one moment to the next. When
she finally realized it, she got scared. Mechanically, she went to
the telephone and dialed a New York number that’d been permanently
etched into her brain a long time ago.

“Hello,” a familiar voice answered the call.

But Roxanne couldn’t remember who she was calling.
“Hello…” she muttered.
What am I doing
?
Think
! She
issued silent warnings but it did no good. Who was she calling? And
why? “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I can’t remember who I was
calling.”

“Roxanne?” The anxious voice reached across the
wire. “Is that you, Rox?”

“Yes.” She thought it might be Jerry, but she wasn’t
sure. “Jerry? Is that you?”

“Roxanne, what’s wrong?” he asked, as if he’d picked
up on the confusion floating around inside her head.

“I don’t know,” she said vaguely. “What’s happening
to me? Everything’s all jumbled up.…” her voice trailed off.

The line went dead.

***

Chapter 16

W
ithin two hours Jerry and
Jason boarded a plane headed for Tampa. Both had ample reason to be
concern about Roxanne Simon’s well being, even though they had very
different yet equally important motives.

For Jason, Roxanne turned out to be one of his most
notable authors and he hadn’t forgotten that her name alone had
attracted other successful writers his way.

Jerry on the other hand, felt a sense of
protectiveness over Roxanne, much like a parent does for a child.
Jerry had treated Roxanne from the beginning of her career and it
had taken him a long time to bring her back from her mental
breakdown. Although he’d never admit it, he’d never known what
brought it on.

Oh he knew what her problem was. Quite simply put,
Frank Garrett was Roxanne’s problem. Jerry just didn’t know why.
Still, he’d managed to bring her back to reality safely, and he’d
patted himself on the back more than once for that achievement.

But now, a chance existed that Roxanne had fallen
over the edge again, and that bothered Jerry. What if he couldn’t
bring her back this time?

C
andy guided her Porsche
into the driveway, looking at the strange car parked in front of
the house. She kept her eye on the unfamiliar vehicle as she made
her way up to the house and went inside the house.

Finding Jason Fischer upstairs pacing the hallway
startled Candy. “Damn it, Jason.” Her hand flew to her chest. “You
scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry, Candy.”

“What are you doing here?”

He stood there with this puzzled look on his face,
as if he didn’t know what to say. His expression melted into one of
immense relief when Jerry came out of Roxanne’s room. Jason turned
all his attention to Roxanne’s shrink. “Jerry...how is she?”

“How is she?” Candy threw a worried look at Jerry.
“What’s wrong with Roxanne?”

“Candy...” Jerry paused, and the silence lingered
far longer than she’d like. “Roxanne’s had a temporary
relapse.”

“Temporary relapse?” Candy didn’t like the sound of
that. “What the hell do you mean temporary relapse?”

“There’s no reason to think it’s anything other than
temporary,” Jerry said as if he believed it. “She came out of it
before. She’ll come out of it again.”

“How is she doing?” Jason repeated his question.

“She’s confused. And worried about something.” Jerry
looked at Candy. “Has anything traumatic happened lately?”

“Well, if you want to call seeing Frank Garrett
traumatic…then, yes, I suppose so.”

“What happened?” The mention of Frank Garrett’s name
made Jerry nervous. After all, the guy was the root of Roxanne’s
problem. And Jerry had a deep condemnation for the man even though
he’d never met him.

“He told Frankie he was his father,” she said,
making a long story short.

“How did Frankie take that news?” Jason asked.

“Oh Frankie took it just fine.” Candy almost laughed
at the irony. “His father turns out to be his favorite rock star.
Who wouldn’t love that?” She shrugged, then thoughts of impending
doom chased away any amusement she might have been feeling. “The
thing is…Roxanne didn’t take it all that well.”

“I’ve given her a sedative,” Jerry said. “She’ll
rest fine, for now.”

The decision to relocate to Florida wasn’t a hard
one for Jerry. Roxanne needed him, and most of his patients spent a
lot of time in the southern state, so it wouldn’t be hard for him
to transfer his practice for the time being.

T
he next day, Candy
practically waited at the front door for Frankie’s return. Her
mission was to keep Frank away from Roxanne. She was surprised at
how easily he’d bought her story that Roxanne was feeling under the
weather. Of course, that wasn’t exactly a lie.

T
he days passed, and with
Jerry’s constant assistance and an array of medications, Roxanne
seemingly came to terms with reality. Yet once again, she was
totally dependent on the pills. She hadn’t been on medication in
years.

Frank was too caught up in himself and what he
wanted and never noticed a difference in Roxanne’s demeanor. At
present, he’d wrapped himself in the business of
Garrett-Hollander’s next scheduled appearance at the Bayfront
Center across the bay in St. Petersburg.

He’d persuaded Roxanne to go so Frankie could see
his show. Roxanne hadn’t been keen on the idea, but what was she
supposed to do? She’d come out the bad guy if she refused. She
didn’t have to like it, but she had to go. She also had the option
of insisting that Candy join them.

Frank arrived at Roxanne’s house with a limo to
transport them across the bay. He and Frankie sat on one side of
the car while Roxanne and Candy sat across from them. During the
drive, Frank never said a word. Instead, he concentrated on the
upcoming concert and his increasing adrenaline rush.

How he loved to play. Even more-so now. He loved the
screaming crowds. The more they shouted, the more he enjoyed giving
them what they wanted.

Except
Roxanne
. He refused to play that song
anymore. He’d only written it out of anger right after Roxanne
left, as a means to disgrace her.

I trusted her

But she let me down

Cause while I was away

Roxanne was out selling herself

All over town

All the other songs he could play. But not that one.
He’d learned a little too late that writing the song had been a
mistake. Every time he sang it he was reminded of her betrayal and
the destruction of their relationship. He didn’t want to think
about that. Especially now. He couldn’t let anything get in the way
of his plans, not when he was so close to pay dirt. So close now,
he could feel it deep down in his soul. Still, he hadn’t figured
out how to get his revenge. But with a little time, he would.

They walked silently through the back corridors of
the Bayfront Center. Frank carried little Frankie on his shoulders,
and Roxanne purposefully pushed Candy between herself and
Frank.

In the shadows ahead of them, Roxanne could see the
silhouette of someone coming their way. In an instant, she knew who
it was.

Rich’s eyes settled on them and his face lit with a
genuine smile. “Roxie,” he said, hugging her. “It’s good to see you
again.”

“It’s good to see you too, Rich.” She returned his
embrace briefly, then they parted.

His attention didn’t linger too long on Roxanne. It
was pulled like a magnet toward Candy. They fell into each other’s
arms and he held on a little longer than intended.

“This is a nice surprise,” he whispered against her
ear.

Still in his embrace, Candy tilted her head back to
look at him. “To be honest…I didn’t know how you’d feel about me
being here.”

Rich slid his hands down her arms and tangled his
fingers with hers. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, barely
audible.

“Get a room,” Frank chided them.

Rich turned to Frank and his gaze dropped to the
child standing behind him. He knelt, getting down eye-to-eye with
Frankie. “Hey, pal.” He offered his hand to the boy. “I’ve really
been looking forward to meeting you.” They shook hands. “My name is
Rich Hollander.”