Crazy For You (24 page)

“Why did you let the whole world believe Kirk
Bronson was his father?” He was coming across as a bit resentful.
Understandable, since Kirk was the one who’d made that claim to
Max, all those years ago.

“Why, Max...” She paused, purely for effect. “I was
simply leading you on a wild goose chase.”

“Well, Max—” Frank relished in the opportunity to
laugh at the reporter who’d broadcast the lie about Kirk Bronson
being Frankie’s father in the first place. “Looks like the joke’s
on you.”

I was fooling myself

But was I fooling you

In the rain

I can see you standing there

In the rain

I can still believe that you care

Don’t break my heart

Don’t throw our love away

Frank had let the press serve their purpose. Now
they could spread the news to the world that Roxanne belonged to
him. So long as Kirk and David got that message, that’s all Frank
cared about. But now he had no more use for the press so he cut
their little get-together off abruptly. He simply grabbed the
blanket, took Roxanne’s hand and walked away. A few of the
reporters attempted to follow them, but Frank ignored them as he
continued to lead Roxanne back inside the hotel.

The elevator doors closed with them inside
compartment. Frank turned to Roxanne. “You’re not mad, are
you?”

“Mad?”

“That I kissed you in front of them? And told them
I’m Frankie’s father.”

Roxanne smiled and glanced away shyly. “Everyone
should know you’re Frankie’s father. I intended to set the record
straight in my new book…but you told them tonight and that’s fine
with me.”

“Speaking of your new book.” He paused long enough
to capture her hand in his. “If you don’t get busy working on it,
and I don’t hurry up and get into the studio...” He raised her left
hand into the air. “We may have to hock your rings.”

Roxanne laughed softly and fell comfortably into
Frank’s arms. It had been a long time since he’d actually tried to
make her laugh.

***

Chapter 22

R
oxanne was happy being
Mrs. Frank Garrett—for about a week. Right up until she signed the
legal documents proclaiming Frank as their child’s legal and
biological father.

Once that happened Frank didn’t give a damn what
came to pass because in his heart he knew he was the best thing for
their son. When all those legal papers were filed, Frank figured
his work was over. He’d completed his job after all. He’d gotten
what he’d come for, so why should he continue to work at it? Now,
Frank directed all his efforts toward his music, instead of
Roxanne.

These days, he ignored her. He’d sit at the piano,
hour after hour, picking out a basic tune and putting the words in
line. And yet, he always made time for Frankie.

Sometimes, Roxanne sat and listened to him while he
worked. Although, it never seemed like he knew she was there. If he
did, he never let on. He openly declared his love for her through
his music, yet he refused to acknowledge her existence. She
listened to him write songs of love about her while she was in the
same room, but he never, not once, looked up at her.

One day, she tried to make him concede that she was
there. “What are you working on?”

“Umm…I think it’s going to be called
In The
Rain
.” He was talking to her, but his eyes never left the
piano’s ivory keys.

Roxanne didn’t say anything more. She simply
listened to him sing the song. After all, that was more pleasant
than trying to carry on a one-sided conversation.

But now that you’ve come back to me

It’s so plain to see

Even here in the rain

Things still remain the same

I was fooling myself

But was I fooling you

In the rain

I can see you standing there

In the rain

I can still believe that you care

Don’t break my heart

Don’t throw our love away

I
f Roxanne thought she had
a complaint coming, it was because Frank hadn’t gone into the
studio yet. Initially, she’d thought being ignored by him was bad,
but then he started leaving for the studio every day. Being ignored
was bad enough, but Frank not being around to ignore her was taking
it just a little too far.

Then there came a time when Frank left for the
studio every morning while Roxanne was still sleeping. And he
wouldn’t come home until the wee hours of the next morning. Then
he’d get up and do it all over again. Shades of the past. A few
days out of the week he’d take Frankie with him. On these days he’d
bring the boy home in time for dinner, but once Frankie was safely
tucked in bed Frank would take off again.

Roxanne was lucky if she saw her husband a few hours
a week for dinner. Other than that, a few hours a night in bed was
all they shared. Sleeping.

She quickly began to realize their marriage was a
disaster. She foolishly thought she could do something about it.
When she suggested to him that they spend more time together...he
coldly replied that he had work to do and so did she.

His reasoning seemed logical enough, but it was
deliberately hurtful.

Roxanne preoccupied herself as best she could with
writing her book while Frank and Rich put together another song for
the new album.

When you went away

You broke my heart

But now that you’re back is it possible

For us to make a new start

If I let you in

Are you going to turn and run away again

W
ith December came the
promise of Christmas, and the world rejoiced with thanks. Everyone
but Roxanne. What did she have to be thankful for? Her husband
didn’t even know she was alive. And worse yet, he had all her son’s
attention. Life was not very pleasant for Roxanne Simon Garrett,
and it was getting worse every day.

The holidays were the last thing she needed right
now. They only served as a painful reminder that her marriage was a
complete failure. Hell, she and Frank should be out shopping,
buying presents for their son and all their friends. But that
wasn’t going to happen.

That damned album consumed all of Frank’s time. He
didn’t care about anything but his music and little Frankie—at
least he hadn’t given their son the cold shoulder. But there was no
room for Roxanne.

Frank knew Roxanne had started to think their
marriage was a joke, which was exactly what he wanted her to think.
He didn’t give a damn about
them
, one way or another. And he
had no intention of leaving her either. If Roxanne thought she was
going anywhere—well, the nearest nuthouse was the only place he
planned to let her go.

Frank’s happiness abounded, while Roxanne was all
but ready to fall off the edge. But he didn’t care. All he intended
to do was write and sing his songs.

You think it’s a joke

But I know it’s a lie

You can’t fool me

With the tears you cry

T
he thought of spending
Christmas Eve alone was more than Roxanne could bear, even though
she’d been spending most of her time alone anyway. Candy had been
hanging out next door with Rich, which was all for the better as
far as Roxanne could see. She didn’t want Candy to get the idea
that anything was wrong. Jameson and Rose were on holiday. And
Frank and little Frankie were off somewhere together, doing God
knows what.

No one needed her. And Frank didn’t care.

Roxanne went upstairs and took a bottle of pills
from the medicine cabinet. She paid no mind to which ones she’d
chosen because it didn’t matter. Any of them should serve the
purpose. She poured a few pills into her hand, and how she intended
to swallow them was anybody’s guess. At this point it wasn’t a
vital concern.

She was about the throw the pills into her mouth
when a powerful force bolted against her hand, knocking the meds
across the room.

“What the hell are you doing?” Frank’s boisterous
voice poured around her. “Are you crazy?”

She looked up at him, contempt clouding her
thoughts. “What are you doing here?” she asked, vague and barely
audible.

“I live here,” he reminded her. “And it looks like I
got here just in time to keep you from killing yourself.”

Roxanne shoved past Frank and went out into the
bedroom. “Don’t do me any favors, okay?”

“I’m calling Jerry.” Hell, this should be as good a
reason as any to put her in the nut-house, which is where Frank
figured she belonged. He felt confident that once Jerry heard about
her little stunt, he would have no choice but to institutionalize
her as soon as possible, just to get her away from Frank.

When Jerry arrived, Roxanne gave her performance her
all. “Jerry...who are you going to believe? Him or me? You know
he’s been against me taking my meds from the very beginning.”

“So Frank is lying to me then? For what reason?”

“He didn’t see what he thought he saw.”

“Then what exactly did he see?” Jerry didn’t sound
convinced.

“He’s never seen me take my medication. And let’s
face it…I do take a lot of pills.” She eyed him curiously, pouring
it on thick. “Jerry, I can’t believe you’d actually think I’d try
to kill myself.”

“I don’t want to believe you’d try something like
that.”

“Jerry, I swear...I was just trying to take my
bedtime dosages.”

Jerry thought about it. She could be telling the
truth. She did take a lot of pills at bedtime. Maybe Frank did get
the wrong idea. But he seemed so sure about what he thought he’d
seen. And Roxanne was so sure he hadn’t.

Jerry knew he’d have to play it safe. Instead of
locking Roxanne up, he opted to take away her meds. For now, he’d
personally bring them around to her daily. He couldn’t trust Frank
with them. If this whole thing turned out to be a result of Frank’s
paranoia then he was probably still against her taking the
medication. Jerry refused to put that power into Frank’s hands when
he couldn’t be certain of his motives.

Jerry had no choice but to confide in Frank though,
telling him to watch her closely. For the time being, he wanted
Frank to humor her. If he saw her struggling with bouts of
depression, he should reassure her of his love and insist that
everything was going to be all right.

But comfort was the last thing Frank intended to
offer Roxanne. His plan didn’t include helping Roxanne in any way,
shape, form, or fashion. He didn’t want her to get better. He
wanted her put away. Away from him and away from his son. The
faster the better, because Frank wasn’t sure how much longer he
could continue in his current direction.

The New Year came and went. And Frank masked his
inner battle between love and hate with a song. This one he wrote
purposefully in front of Roxanne.

You think that I don’t love you

And I never cared at all

And you may be right

But I’m not going to take your fall

It’s time to wake up

From the dream you’re caught up in

It’s time to shape up

And let the real world back in again

For all Frank’s incessant animosity toward her,
Roxanne decided the best thing for her was not to be.
Literally.

She began to plot her demise in intricate detail. As
far as she could see, the least complicated way to die was simply
to go to sleep and never wake up again. There was only one way she
knew of to do that. Pills. But Jerry wasn’t going to let that
happen easily. All Roxanne had to do was outsmart him. She had the
advantage because he, and everybody else, thought she was crazy.
And maybe they were right. But she wasn’t stupid. Stupid and crazy
were two entirely different things. And she wasn’t so stupid that
she couldn’t pull off a simple little plan. No, she intended to
outsmart Jerry. No matter how long it took, she would find a way.
It might take her a while because it had to be the perfect plan.
But who better than Roxanne to come up with the perfect ending?

Not even the release of the Oscar nominations
deterred Roxanne from her intentions. The knowledge that Bad
Company had been nominated for eleven awards held no meaning. The
fact that both she and Candy had been nominated for the same
award—Best Actress—was of no great consequence. She didn’t care
about any of it.

The only thing Roxanne cared about now was escaping
the grips of Frank Garrett’s wrath. She knew it wouldn’t do any
good to run away. She’d tried that before. It hadn’t worked then
and it wouldn’t work now. Roxanne didn’t intend to make the same
mistake twice. There was only one way out. Now that she’d accepted
it, she was determined to get on with it.

The first thing Roxanne had to do was get her hands
on a generous supply of her meds from Jerry. That wouldn’t be easy.
She spent a lot of time in her study, staring out the window,
trying to figure out just how to do it. Then one day the perfect
solution came to her. A honeymoon.

Yes, that’s it
. A honeymoon was logical.
First, she’d charter a boat. A big one. No one would believe she’d
willingly step foot on any boat that was considered to be anything
less than oversized. A private yacht. One staffed with only a few
crew members. Yes, that was the way to go. Everybody would buy it
because Roxanne valued her privacy. Nobody but Roxanne, Frank, and
a small crew. She shouldn’t have any problems passing that one
off.

Roxanne began the necessary steps to plan a
thirty-day honeymoon cruise as if she really intended to go. All
along, she never lost sight of the fact that the cruise would never
happen.

Once she had her plans laid out, she went to Frank.
This part wouldn’t be easy. She’d have to talk him into going
before she could set her plans in motion. With no easy way to do
that, she had her work cut out for her. But where there was a will
there was a way, and Roxanne had the will so there had to be a
way.