Only for You (34 page)

“Really?”
Seth asked, unable to hide his exasperation.

“Really,” Joy said, grabbing Everett’s hand and sitting. Seth lowered to a chair. He really didn’t want to discuss Gia with Joy right now, but he recognized that determined look on her typically serene face.

“You’ve fallen for an actress.”

“Don’t beat around the bush, Joy,” Seth seethed.

“So it’s true?” Joy asked, leaning forward slightly. “Katie said she thought she saw the signs. She said you had the look of a man caught in a trap of his own making.”

Joy couldn’t seem to repress her smile, despite Seth’s glare.

“I’m sorry. But you have to admit, it is kind of ironic, Uncle Seth. Out of all the people in the world, you fall for Hollywood’s ‘It’ Girl?
You
—who had all those glamorous actresses throwing themselves at you on movie sets for years, but you always abstained with an almost religious fervor?”

“I didn’t laugh at you when you fell for Superstar here,” Seth waved at Everett.

“No. But you did try to warn her—and me—off,” Everett reasoned.

Seth shook his head wearily.

“I know why Katie blabbed about it,” he mumbled. “She thinks it’s karma, for judging you,” he nodded at Everett. “I can still see her, putting me in my place for doubting you could make Joy happy.”

And he
could
envision Katie perfectly in his memory, her stare scoring him:

“Shame on you,” Katie had chastised. “You’re one of the people responsible for making the fantasy. Surely you know there are real people behind the screen of illusion.”

“So caring about Gia Harris hasn’t been easy,” Joy said quietly. “It would likely continue to be challenging in the future. Good things in life can be hard, Seth. You know that. They have to be fought for.”

“I know that’s been
your
story,” he grated out, referring to their relationship. Everett and Joy had struggled to be together, despite Joy’s history of cancer and her constant fear of it returning. No one could guarantee an outcome like that, but Everett had proved to her he wanted to be there, no matter what hurdles life presented. In addition, the couple had to maneuver making their personal life work when Everett was one of the most recognized faces on the planet, a superstar who eclipsed even Gia’s meteoric rise. “It’s different for me. It’s different for Gia,” Seth said.

“How?” Joy asked.

“Gia’s very ambitious. She should be,” Seth said fairly. “She’s incredibly talented. She’s got the energy to establish herself now, while she’s young. She works nonstop.”

“And still finds time to testify at that slimeball McClarin’s trial,” Everett added.

“She would never consider not testifying,” Seth said flatly. “She’s a workaholic, but she’s got ethics that don’t crumble when things get tough. And I’m not saying her ambition is a bad thing,” Seth defended when Joy opened her mouth. He and Joy had been through a lot together, including her father’s abandonment and her mother’s lingering, painful death from cancer. They read each other extremely well. “I’m only pointing out that Gia’s situation is different than Everett’s. He can pick and choose his roles according to what both of you want, he can pace himself and preserve a private life with you.”

“So that’s it? You wouldn’t want Gia to be so busy?” Everett asked bluntly.

“It’s her life. I would never want anyone telling me how to run mine, and I wouldn’t do that to her.”

“Is that really your biggest concern though?” Joy asked. She looked a little confused as she studied him. “You wouldn’t want a long-term relationship with someone who was so frequently away and working?”

“No,” Seth replied sincerely.

“I didn’t think so,” Joy admitted. “You’re so independent.”

Seth just shrugged. He was glad to see Joy, but he felt restless having this conversation. Was there really anything to be gained by it? It was like Gia said. They were at an impasse.

“Can I get you guys something to drink?” he asked, hoping that if he fractured their focus on him, the topic would lose momentum.

“Because I’ve always been a little curious about your refusal to get involved with actresses,” Joy said, ignoring his distraction attempt. “You’ve been so . . .
militant
about it. Some of those women have not only been very persistent, but extremely beautiful. And we all know you love women.”

He gave her an impatient glance.

“I just meant, it seems odd that you never slipped up once or twice,” Joy said. Seth looked away. “Or . . .
have
you?”

He cursed silently to himself, avoiding Joy’s stare.

But the truth was, talking about Zoe Lindsay seemed nowhere near as taboo a topic as it had been in the past. The forbidden quality of that youthful indiscretion had faded, he realized, once he’d opened up to Gia about it.

“All right, if it’s some kind of dramatic confession you want, here goes, detective,” Seth growled. “I slipped up once, and it had nothing to do with Gia. Gia wasn’t a
slipup
,” he added darkly. He launched into a bare-bones explanation about Zoe Lindsay. By the time he was done, both Everett and Joy were staring at him in openmouthed disbelief.

“Why didn’t you ever
tell
me?” Joy asked.

“I told you, the marriage lasted nine months. It wasn’t worth mentioning,” Seth said, grimacing.

“It was the basis for your distrust of actresses—and actors,” Everett said. “I would think it’s very relevant, especially when the topic is Gia Harris.”

“Well, I mentioned it, didn’t I?” Seth challenged.

“Don’t be upset, Seth,” Joy soothed, looking regretful about his agitation. “We’re just trying to help. Really.”

“I know it. But it’s not as if Gia and I haven’t discussed all this. We’ve been through it, and as you can see, we’re apart.”

“You told Gia about Zoe Lindsay?” Joy asked, amazed. “When you never even told me?”

He exhaled. “And it didn’t make any difference, in the end. Zoe isn’t the reason I don’t think Gia and I would work out in Hollywood together. Gia is no Zoe Lindsay.”

He blinked, hearing the bald truth of his spoken words more clearly than his private thoughts.

“I just don’t think Hollywood romances work out. For
me
. I’m not talking about for you,” he assured, glancing from Everett to Joy. “Everyone is different. You guys have obviously made things work, and I’m happy for you. You know that, right?”

They both nodded.

“This is about me, and I’m trying to take ownership of that. I don’t want to have my privacy invaded. I don’t want to share Gia with the world when I want to have a private moment with her,” he suddenly said emphatically. “There. I’ve said it. I’m a selfish asshole.”

For a moment, Joy just studied him. He felt prickly under her stare.

“You know,” Joy began slowly. “I didn’t think a relationship was right for me after what I went through with Mom’s cancer and Dad leaving, and then being diagnosed myself. It was a personal belief I felt very strongly about. I
still
believe it, in many ways.”

Not only Seth but Everett, too, gave Joy nonplussed looks at her admission.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she told her husband apologetically, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. “I just mean that a belief like that—or a fear—doesn’t just vanish over night. You take one day at a time, and make a vow to have faith with every new day. It still scares me to death,” she told Everett quietly, “the idea of the cancer coming back and you having to endure all that with me, like Seth and I did with my mom . . . like Seth did for me. I’ve learned I can control the worry, and my love for you is thousands of times stronger than the fear,” she assured him, her eyes glistening as she locked gazes with Everett. “But even so . . . there’s only one thing that could have made me take the risk and enter a relationship, given my misgivings.”

“What?” Everett asked intently, staring down into her eyes. Suddenly, Seth felt like a third wheel sitting there.

“You,” Seth said, standing abruptly.

Both of them blinked and looked up at him.

“It wasn’t just falling in love that changed your mind,” Seth said to Joy. “It was falling in love with
Everett
. Because of who
he
is, you took the chance.”

Joy nodded, her eyes shining with compassion.

“Yeah,” Seth muttered to himself, thinking. He started to walk out of the room. “There’s stuff to eat and drink in the fridge. Help yourself. I’m going to take a walk.”

“See you in a bit,” Joy called.

He walked out the front door and breathed in a lungful of fresh, bracing air.

Seth got what Joy was trying to tell him now. Every rule was meant to be broken.

Once,
maybe
 . . . for a very good reason.

And only for the right person.

*   *   *

By the time he entered the house again after a long ramble in the woods, he felt better. Clearer and more resolved as to what he was going to do, at any rate. It was time for him to return to Los Angeles. Gia had left him with the impression that things were over between them, so there was no guarantee of success in trying to see her again. But Seth knew one thing. A big part of the reason she’d agreed that things wouldn’t work is because he’d been leading her to believe he wasn’t willing to try.

His opinion on that had changed. He wasn’t exactly sure
how
they could make it work, but there had to be
something
they could manage. He had the time it took for the return road trip across the country to come up with something to say to convince her that they should take the risk.

The television was on. He came to a halt on the threshold of the living room. Everett and Joy were both still in there, their backs to him. Everett was kneeling before the stone fireplace, rolling up newspapers in preparation to lay a fire. Joy stood next to him, her arm partially extended with the remote control in her hand. Seth’s attention was caught by what appeared to be a glitzy celebrity entertainment show when he heard the female host say Gia’s name.

“. . . just hours ago, the mystery of Gia Harris’s location for these past few weeks was solved. But now,
Hot Topics
has the shocking exclusive story revealing how Gia’s choice of companion for her getaway may mean trouble for Madeline Harrington, the Los Angeles County district attorney, and her case against megabillionaire religious leader Sterling McClarin. As KBHT News revealed earlier today, Gia has been snuggled up in a wooded retreat with her secret lover . . .”

A tingling sensation of alarm started down Seth’s spine when he saw his own image on the screen—a shot from a documentary he’d been asked to do years back. He tensed into high-alert status.

“. . . Seth Hightower, Oscar-winning special effects–makeup artist for blockbuster films such as
Maritime
.” The clip altered to him in a tuxedo accepting one of his Oscars along with several members of his team. “Why would the discovery of the identity of Gia’s handsome boyfriend be worrisome to Harrington and her team of attorneys?” The video behind the host changed to separate clips of both Seth and Gia. “
Hot Topics
has been working overtime to bring that stunning answer to our watchers,” the host said with a seriousness Seth would have found comical in any other situation. “Previously, Seth Hightower was also involved with this woman Dharma Jana—”

“
Fuck
me,” Seth muttered viciously when he saw the photo of the young actress he’d told Gia about, the one who had made him extra wary of pseudoreligious organizations that took advantage of the vulnerable. Joy spun around at his cursing. Everett had stood as the salacious news story unfolded, and now he turned to Seth as well.

“Seth! I didn’t realize you were back. This is awful,” Joy said in a choked voice, but Seth waved her into silence as he stepped into the room, his attention on the television.

“Jana was found dead of exposure in a local park in 2011. Although police saw no evidence whatsoever of foul play, Hightower insisted it was nothing less than murder by the God’s Chosen Few Church, a religious organization founded by Vladimir Tomoriv. Hightower reputedly harassed Tomoriv ruthlessly in the months following Dharma Jana’s death. According to the minister, Hightower was, quote, ‘intimidating and physically threatening.’ Only when Tomoriv threatened to go to the police to get a restraining order did Hightower finally stop his relentless harassment.”

“
Harrassment
my ass,” Seth said scathingly, his incredulity mounting to unforeseen levels as Tomoriv’s handsome face appeared on the screen.
Could this fiction possibly grow any more ludicrous?
he wondered in shocked outrage.
He’d known the Hollywood entertainment shows thrived on lurid gossip that usually was only loosely based on fact. But
this
was downright lie-mongering.

And all to a purpose, he realized, a chill going through him.

“I didn’t put two and two together until I saw the clips earlier today about Gia Harris and Seth Hightower being involved,” Tomoriv was telling the camera in his Russian-accented voice, the liquid dark eyes that had mesmerized thousands now holding the attention of millions of viewers. “I’m familiar with Hightower because he was involved with one of the members of my church, God’s Chosen Few. When Sister Dharma Jana died under tragic, but accidental circumstances, Hightower irrationally blamed the church that had nurtured and cared for Dharma as one of its own children. He harassed me repeatedly. Seth Hightower has an ax to grind against nontraditional religious organizations. I hadn’t really been thinking much about the Sterling McClarin trial—my involvement with my flock and daily solitary meditations in nature keep me away from the clamor and taint of the everyday world—but once I heard Seth Hightower is involved with Gia Harris, I had to consider my obligation to speak out the truth. People like Seth Hightower are enemies against our right to worship as we choose. If he’s been involved with Gia Harris, sharing his ideas with her, then . . . who’s to say?” Tomoriv arched one sleek black brow. “Maybe there’s more to Gia Harris’s grudge against the leader of another nontraditional religious group—Sterling McClarin—than any of us had considered before?”