Dreaming With A Broken Heart (Hollywood Legends Book 1) (18 page)

“Am I your favorite?”

Callie’s musical laugh carried through the speaker, warming
Garrett’s heart. It was one of his all-time favorite sounds.

“When was the last time you asked me that? When you
were four? Maybe five?”

“I outgrew that stage,” Garrett admitted.

“All you boys asked at one time or another.”

“What was your standard answer?” Garrett asked. He
knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it.

“I love you,” Callie said.

“Then you would scoop us up and give a hundred and one
kisses. We were laughing so hard when you were finished, we forgot to worry
about favorites.”

“You were too young to understand the pitfalls every
parent tackles when faced with that question,” Callie sighed. “I
would give my life for you and your brothers. No hesitation. No question about
it. There is no degree to my love. I hope you know that.”

“I always have.”

“Stay safe, sweetheart.” Callie sent a kiss his
way. “I’ll see you soon.”

Putting his phone away, Garrett thought about how lucky he
was. Two parents who loved unconditionally. Not uncommon. However, when your
mother deserted you and your father wasn’t capable of a shred of affection,
growing up had to be difficult. Could he blame Jade for pulling back? Her
experience with men ranged from condescendingly indifferent to brutal. There
didn’t seem to be any middle ground. Believing in him would not be easy for
her.

It was frustrating. For the first time in his life, he had
found a woman he wanted to spend more than a few weeks with. Garrett wanted to
see if they could build something lasting. He knew what forever looked like.
His parents were a shining example of how it could be. That’s what he wanted.
Was Jade the one? He would never find out unless he could convince her to give
him a chance.

Garrett stepped outside of his trailer into the mid-summer
air. It wasn’t the blazing heat they got in Los Angeles. This was Vancouver.
One of the reasons he loved shooting here was the milder weather. Rain wasn’t
that much of problem this time of year. If he could settle everything on this
trip, he would be back in a month to shoot the final exterior scenes.
Exile
would wrap in early October. Fingers crossed it would be ready for distribution
late next year.

“Garrett. The car is waiting.”

“Be right there, Hamish.”

Garrett climbed into the back of the Cadillac Escalade with
a calmer mind. Jade in his loft. He smiled at the thought. He doubted his
mother would tell her who owned the place. When she found out, he wondered if
she would be angry. God, he hoped so. He was in the mood for a fight. Whatever
her reasons for turning away from him, it still pissed him off. They needed to
clear the air. Then they needed to make love. On his bed. With all the lights
on.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but keep it
up,” Hamish said as they pulled into traffic. “That’s the happiest
I’ve seen you in days.”

“I see the light at the end of the tunnel, my
friend.” Garrett patted Hamish on the back. “A few more bumps and
then clear sailing all the way.”

“I DON’T KNOW, Callie. How can this place be in my
budget?”

“Trust me,” Callie said. She tugged Jade through
the door. “Think of it like house sitting more than renting. My friend
needs somebody trustworthy to look after the place while he’s out of town. I
recommended you.”

Jade tried not to gape. She was hardly a hick from the
sticks, in the city for the first time. Up until now, her life had been a first
class ride. The best hotels, the finest restaurants. She had seen bigger lofts.
Though none in downtown Los Angeles. And none with a panoramic view of the
city. It was tempting.

“I wanted something less…” Jade searched for the
right word. “Something
less
. How can people live like this when
they haven’t earned it?”

“You think you should suffer first?” Callie hid
her smile. “That rat-infested crack house? Really? No one deserves to live
like that.”

“It wasn’t a crack house,” Jade scoffed. “Was
it?”

“I have no idea.” Callie guided Jade to a stop in
front of the floor to ceiling windows. “Look at this. Why would you pick
urine-soaked hallways when you could wake up to this every morning?”

When Callie put it like that, Jade had no comeback.

When she walked out of her father’s house, Jade had a plan.
She would find a place to live that suited her budget. Then she would find a
job. Without any set agenda, she went to a place she was familiar with. The
motel where she and Garrett used to meet.

Garrett.
The tightening in her chest became a
familiar feeling. Loss. Sorrow. Guilt. He called her at least a dozen times in
the past few days. So much for reducing temptation. She read each text.
Listened to every voice mail. He was worried. Why wasn’t she returning his
calls?

After debating with herself, Jade finally gave in. One text.
Brief. To the point. It wasn’t fair to keep him completely in the dark. He
needed to know that she was fine — safe and sound. Otherwise, he might contact
the police. Or worse, he might continue calling until she did what her heart
drove her to do. Tell him everything then beg him to stay.

Jade looked out over the city. It amazed her that out there
and beyond were people who cared what she did — who she did it with. All because
she had a recognizable name and a knife-wielding husband. The second she
arrived at the hospital with life-threatening wounds, she became news. Worse.
She became fodder for gossip. Tabloid papers, online bloggers. Whispers from
friends and acquaintances.

Time and other scandals quieted the worst of it. However, it
wouldn’t take much to fan the still smoldering coals. One hint that Jade Marlow
was involved with Garrett Landis and once more she would be the center of
attention. She didn’t care about that. Let them say what they wanted about her.
She cared about Garrett. She refused to drag him down into muck and mire. With
a stench attached to her name that she would never completely lose, he needed a
woman whose past didn’t have such a huge, ugly stain on it.

Late last night Jade sent her last text to Garrett. Short.
To the point.

I’m fine. I’m sorry. I need to move on. A fresh start is
the only way. Goodbye, Garrett. Thank you for a wonderful six months. Please,
don’t contact me again.

It wasn’t the smoothest break-up. Texting was cowardly. What
else could she do? If she tried to do it in person, Jade was afraid she
wouldn’t have the strength to go through with it. For her, this was the only
way.

Ever since she hit send, Jade waited for Garrett to respond.
All last night, then this morning, her phone remained silent. Apparently, he
was honoring her wishes. Was it perverse of her that a little part of her was
disappointed? She didn’t expect him to suddenly appear, pounding the door down,
begging for her to reconsider — but part of her secretly wished for just that.
It was the part of her that still believed in white knights and happily ever
afters. Impractical. Unrealistic. Little girl dreams that
this
woman
couldn’t afford to indulge in.

If Jade had learned one thing, it was this. She was stronger
than she thought. A survivor. Now it was time to move forward — one step at a
time. She was prepared to do it alone. Luckily, she didn’t have to. She had
Callie. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She wouldn’t allow herself to lean on
Garrett. However, his mother stood not five feet away, her greatest advocate.

Avoiding Garrett would be impossible if Jade maintained her
friendship with Callie. Was she strong enough to ask for his friendship and
nothing more? Would he accept such an offer?

Fists clenched, Jade wanted to scream.
Enough
! If she
let her thoughts keep running in circles, her head would explode. She needed a
friend. Callie was that person. The rest she would deal with when she had to.
Right now, she had more pressing matters.

“How long is your friend going to be out of town?”

“Indefinitely.”

“Callie?”

“Yes?”

Jade looked at the other woman.
Garrett’s eyes. Maybe she
was a glutton for punishment.

“Do you own this place?”

Callie’s expressive eyes widened; the silvery gray deepened
to the color of brushed steel.

“Why would you think that?”

“You are a wonderful actress,” Jade said.
“But a lousy liar.”

With a chuckle, Callie slid an arm around Jade’s waist.

“You have me there,” the other woman admitted.
“It was a talent I never mastered. However.” She squeezed Jade
affectionately. “I promise you I am not lying. I don’t own this
place.”

“And the owner?”

“A very close friend.”
Which was true
,
Callie thought. She was fortunate to call all her sons friend. “He
is
out of town. I admit to fudging a bit on the rest.”

“In what way?” Jade asked warily.

“The loft was on the market. All of the interested
buyers have given lowball offers. Since my friend isn’t in a hurry to sell, he agreed
to let you stay here at a rent you could afford.”

“You gave him a sob story on my behalf.” God, Jade
hated being pitied.

“No,” Callie corrected. “I gave him a bare
outline of your situation. Straightforward. No sobs involved. Being a generous
man, he agreed to help.”

“Callie—”

“Listen, Jade,” Callie interrupted. “There is
nothing wrong with taking a hand up. Notice I said
up
, not
out
.
You have a friend who has a friend. So what if this place is a little nicer
than your average apartment?”

“
A little
?” Jade looked around the room
again. “You are the master of understatement.”

“Do you plan on digging in? Are you going to stay here
forever?”

“Of course not. Still…”

“A few months, Jade.” Callie’s eyes turned
serious. “The building is completely secure. Camera. Alarms. A burly
doorman. I know we haven’t spoken very much about your husband.”

“Soon to be ex.”

“The sooner, the better,” Callie said. “He’s
still out there, Jade. I don’t say that to upset you. I want you to be safe.
Realistically, all you can afford is a smelly walk-up and a few dead bolts.
When your ex is in custody, we’ll talk about you moving out.”

“Wishing won’t make that happen, Callie.”

Jade knew that. She prayed every day for Stephen’s capture.
Six months on the run without as much as a sighting. It could be years before
he was apprehended. Hell, it might never happen.

“I will stay here,” Jade finally declared.
“It would be foolish and ungracious for me not to.”

“Wonderful,” Callie exclaimed. “The first thing
we need to do is give the place the once-over. Obviously the owner has someone
come in to clean every so often.”

Jade watched as Callie ran a finger over the kitchen
counter.

“No dust,” Callie said with satisfaction. She
opened the refrigerator. “Sparkling clean. Groceries first. Then if there
isn’t any, linen. Sheets, towels. Soap. Essentials.”

Since Callie was right, Jade didn’t argue. She had never
purchased these things for herself. Having someone with her who knew the ins
and outs would be nice. Jade wanted to be independent. That didn’t mean turning
down help when she needed it. Besides, she loved being around Callie. She made
shopping for groceries sound fun instead of mundane.

“I know the cutest little shops.” Callie was
already making a mental list of the places she would take Jade. “Are you
free tomorrow?”

“I have to start looking for a job. I’m going to see
what’s listed in the morning paper.”

“That’s a good place to start.” Callie gave Jade
her sweetest smile. “Or, you could let me help. What kind of job did you
have in mind?”

“I’m not qualified to do anything. I have a degree in
graphic design. Not that it did me any good,” Jade sighed. “As my
father pointed out, it is a useless thing to major in.”

“What did he want you to study?”

“Languages. He thought it would help to have someone
around who could speak Chinese.” Jade shook her head. “I tried. One
class and I knew I didn’t have the aptitude. Or the interest.”

“Honestly,” Callie scoffed. “The man has more
money than he knows what to do with. If he wanted an interpreter, he should
have hired one.”

“As he loved to remind me, my father didn’t get rich by
throwing away money.”

“In other words, he wanted unpaid labor.”

“He paid for my education.” Jade had no desire to
defend her father. What she said was the truth.

“How did you end up with a degree in graphic
design?”

“Sometimes having a father who wasn’t interested in you
could be a good thing,” Jade explained. “When I changed majors, I
never told him.”

“Easy as that?” Callie thought it sounded
too
easy.

“He paid the tuition. During my four years of college,
it worked fine. I went to class, came home, as expected. It wasn’t until I
graduated that the shit hit the fan.”

“No Chinese.”

“Not a lick.”

They had moved to the large, chocolate-colored sofa. Callie
patted Jade’s hand. “What did your father say?”

“What he always said,” she shrugged. “Or some
variation on the theme. It was typical, he said in that controlled tone of his.
He should have expected a worthless daughter to get a worthless degree.”

Jade closed her eyes. She had to keep reminding herself that
her father wasn’t downstairs behind his office doors, ready to summon her for
another round of
why Jade is a disappointment.

“No!” Callie cried out. “How could he say such
a thing? You poor, sweet girl.”

“I didn’t tell you this because I wanted more of your
sympathy.”

Jade wished she had kept her mouth shut. With every story
she shared with Callie, she became more and more pathetic.