The Wedding (15 page)

You probably know most of them, and quite a few of them are pretty open about who their lawyers are. I can tell you those. Bram Morrison, and Malachi O'Donovan is a client now. Carmen Connors, Alan Carr off and on. To name a few. She was proud of them, like a mother hen, and as Jeff watched her, he understood something about her, and about how loyal and protective she was, and he admired that part too.

Are you saying that they are represented by your firm, or those are personally some of your clients? The names seemed too important for someone as young as she was. She looked about twenty-five. But she laughed at his question, and he realized that he loved it when she laughed.

No, those are my clients, specifically, she explained. There are others too, of course, but I'm not free to disclose those names. I think Bram would tell anyone who his doctor was, and Mai is pretty free about it as well. And Carmen tells the newspapers who represents her all the time. She looked very matter-of-fact as she mentioned their names. They were the people who filled her life.

My God, that's quite a group, Allegra. You should be very proud of yourself, he said admiringly. How long have you been with the firm? Maybe she was a lot older than she looked, he mused, but she laughed, reading his mind.

Four years. I'm twenty-nine. Thirty pretty soon, much too soon for me, she complained, and he smiled at her.

I'm thirty-four, and you make me feel like I've been asleep for the last ten years. That's quite a load you're juggling, and they can't be easy people to represent.

Some of them are, she said, always anxious to be fair. And don't be ridiculous, you've written two books and you're about to start a third, and you're writing a screenplay, and coproducing a movie. What have I done? Nothing but represent a bunch of talented people, people like you. I write their contracts, I negotiate for them, I do their trusts and wills. I protect them whenever I get the chance. I suppose that's creative in a way, but let's be honest here, nothing like what you do. So don't feel sorry for yourself, she chided him. The truth was they were both accomplished people and they both loved what they did.

Maybe I need your services, he said thoughtfully, thinking of his last conversation with Andreas Weissman only that morning. If I'm going to sell another book to Hollywood, I should have an entertainment lawyer look at the contracts, at least.

What did you do last time? she inquired, curious about what Weissman did for him.

Andreas handled it all from here. It was pretty straightforward, and I can't say I got screwed. The deal was for me to get a fixed amount to write the screenplay, and I'll get a percentage of the gross, if the movie makes it. Since I'm producing it with a friend, I didn't want to get too aggressive. I did it more for the experience than the money. I seem to make that mistake a lot, he grinned, but he didn't look as though he was starving. The suit he was wearing was expensive. If I do this again, he went on, I want to get more out of it economically, and give up a lot less of my life to do it.

I'd be happy to look at the contracts for you anytime. She smiled, and he looked as though he liked that idea. A lot, actually.

I'd like that very much. Jeff smiled at her, wondering why Andreas had never mentioned her, or offered to introduce them. In fact, it had never occurred to Andreas that his prot+!g+!, his young star writer, would take a shine to the beautiful blond attorney from L.A.

They sat at a back table at Elaine's and talked for hours, about Harvard and Yale, and his two years at Oxford. He had hated it at first, and eventually came to love it. His father had died while he was there, and he had started writing seriously after that. He talked about his mother's disappointment in him for not becoming an attorney like his father, or better yet, a doctor like her own.

He described her as very strong, and very much a Puritan and a Yankee. She had definite ideas about work ethics and responsibility. And she still felt that writing wasn't a serious job for a man.

My mother's a writer, Allegra explained, talking about her parents again, surprised at how much she suddenly wanted to share with Jeff. There was so much to talk about, so much she wanted to tell him. It was as though she had waited all her life for him to be her friend. He was so totally in tune with what she felt and what she thought. He was so understanding. Neither of them could believe it was one o'clock in the morning the next time they looked up. I love the way the law works, she'd been saying to him, the sheer logic of it, and the satisfaction of solving problems. It drives me to distraction sometimes she smiled across the table at him, unaware that they were holding hands but it's really what I love most. There was fire in her eyes as she said it, and he loved looking at her. He couldn't remember feeling that way about anyone on the first date in his entire lifetime.

What else do you love, Allegra? he asked gently. Dogs? Kids? The usual?

All of that, I guess. My family. They mean everything to me. He was an only child and he envied the stories she told about Sam and Scott and her parents. He envied her in many ways. His own family life had dissipated after his father died, and his mother was not a warm person. But it was easy to see that Simon Steinberg was a warm, loving man. You'll have to come and meet them sometime, Allegra said kindly. And Alan, he's my oldest friend. Alan Carr. She wanted to introduce him to everyone, like a little kid with a new best friend.

Oh, no. Like everyone, he reacted immediately to the name. It was impossible not to. He's your oldest friend? I don't believe you, he teased.

He was my high school sweetheart, sophomore year. We've been best friends ever since. It was odd how easily Jeff seemed to fit into all of it he liked hearing about her work, her family, her friends. It was all so unlike her exchanges with Brandon, and yet she knew that comparing Brandon to a stranger wasn't fair. She knew nothing of Jeff's quirks, his foibles and failures. And yet she was so comfortable with him. It was very odd. And he loved her directness and total lack of pretension. She was the kind of woman he had always admired, and he hadn't met anyone like her in a long time. But as he looked at her, as the evening drew to a close, Jeff knew there was an important question he hadn't asked her. At first, he had told himself he didn't want to know, but he realized now that he should ask her.

Is there a man in your life, Allegra? A serious one, I mean. Other than Alan Carr. He smiled, trembling slightly in anticipation of her answer.

She hesitated for a long time, not completely sure what to say. He had a right to know. Or did he? They had spent a lot of hours talking to each other. They were obviously powerfully attracted, but there was no denying that Brandon was an important factor in her life, and she knew she ought to tell Jeff about him.

There is, she said sadly, looking into Jeff's eyes.

I was afraid of that. I'm not really surprised, only regretful. He didn't look as though he were about to run out the door into the night. Are you happy with him? That was an important question. If she was, he was out. He was willing to fight for what he wanted, but he wasn't stupid or crazy, or anxious to get hurt.

Sometimes I am, she said fairly.

And when you're not happy with him, why is that? he asked her very gently, anxious to know if there was still a chance for him. If not, it hadn't been time wasted. He would always be glad they had met. He had thoroughly enjoyed her.

He's had a difficult time, Allegra explained, always anxious to make excuses for him, and surprised at how often she had to. He's going through some rough times. He's getting divorced. Or actually, she went on, as Jeff watched her. And there was something about the way she looked and what she said that didn't match up for him. Actually, he's separated. He hasn't filed yet. She didn't know why she told Jeff that, but it was part of the story, and at the way she said it, he looked up at her with a question.

How long has it been? It was as though he knew this was the key to the story; she had thrown it to him, and he had picked it up and now he was examining it carefully.

It's been two years, she said quietly.

Does that bother you?

Sometimes. Though not as much as it seems to bother everyone else. They've been arguing over property for two years. Actually, what bothers me is that there are still some things in the relationship that need to be worked out.

Like what?

He still needs to keep his distance, she said honestly. He's afraid to make a commitment, which is probably why he hasn't filed for divorce. If you get too close to him, in small, subtle ways, he backs off. He says he was traumatized by being forced into marriage the first time, and I understand that, but somehow I don't understand why, after all this time, I should still pay for it. It's not my fault.

I lived with a woman like that once, Jeff said quietly, remembering a writer in Vermont who had made him desperately unhappy. I've never been so lonely in my life.

I know, Allegra said softly, not wanting to betray Brandon to Jeff. She loved him. She wanted to marry him. And it didn't seem fair to talk about him to someone else. And yet, she knew she had to. She needed to tell Jeff what her relationship with Brandon was all about. She felt as though she owed it to him, even though she had only met him that night.

Does he have kids?

Two. Two girls. He's very close to them, and they're adorable. Nine and eleven. He spends a lot of time with them in San Francisco.

And you go too?

When I can. I work a lot of weekends, depending on what's happening with my clients, who's having death threats, doing a film, making a new deal, going on tour. They kept her busy, but he was sure that Brandon's frequent absences contributed to her loneliness too.

You don't mind him going alone?

I can't help it if I can't go. He has a right to see his children. She sounded defensive, but he was more intrigued by what he was hearing. He suspected she wasn't happy with this man, but she wouldn't even admit it to herself yet.

You're not worried about his hanging on to his wife for that long? he asked her openly, and she frowned.

You sound just like my sister.

What does your family think?

They're not crazy about him, she answered with a sigh, and he was beginning to like what he was hearing. She may have been in love with him at one point, but it was by no means a done deal. Not with a girl like this one. She deserved so much more than this, and her family's approval counted for a lot with her. It was easy for anyone to see that. I don't think they understand, Allegra complained. After everything he went through, Brandon has a problem with commitment. That doesn't mean he doesn't care. It just means he can't give what everyone else expects him to.

What about you? What do you expect? he asked her gently.

What my parents have, she said, without thinking. That kind of warmth and love for each other and their kids.

Do you think he'll give you that? Jeff asked, taking her hand in his again, and she didn't take it away. He reminded her of a number of people she loved, her father, Scott, even Alan. But not Brandon. Brandon was cool, and removed, and afraid to be forced to give. Jeff seemed willing to give openly. He didn't seem to hold back. He wasn't afraid of her, or of what she might feel, or even of what he might feel if he got to know her. He seemed so willing to stand next to her, to be intimate, she could hear the words ring in her head as she thought of Dr. Green, and she smiled at Jeff for no reason. But he repeated his question. Do you think Brandon will give you what you want, Allegra? That was important for him to know.

I don't know, she said honestly. I think he'll try. Or would he? How hard had he really tried so far?

How long are you willing to give it? he asked, and she was startled by his question. Dr. Green had asked her that as well, and she'd never been able to answer.

But she wanted Jeff to know how she felt. She didn't want to mislead him. I love him, Jeff. It may not be perfect, but I accept him the way he is. I've waited for two years, and I can wait longer if I have to.

You may have to wait a long time, he said thoughtfully as they left the restaurant. It was easy to see that the relationship was troubled, but equally so to see that Allegra wasn't ready to let go yet. But Jeff was a patient man and he wondered if their paths had crossed for a reason. And as they waited for a cab in the snow, he put an arm around her and held her close.

What about you? she asked, as they waited in the cold, side by side, stamping their feet in the snow. Who is there in your life?

My cleaning lady, Guadaloupe, my dentist in Santa Monica, and my typist, Rosie, he said, and she smiled.

They sound like a good group. She looked up at him, amused at the descriptions. And that's it? No gorgeous young starlet, hanging from your every word, watching you type by candlelight, and waiting for you to finish work?

Not lately. He smiled again. There had been serious women in his life, and two he'd lived with. But no one in a long time. The only hurdle they had to overcome was Brandon, and Jeff wasn't quite sure how to do that.

A cab came by finally and they got in, relieved that it was cozy and warm. He gave the driver the address of the Regency, and as they took off, he pulled her closer, and neither of them spoke as they rode along and watched the snow swirl around them.

The ride to the hotel was too brief, and they were both sorry when they reached it. But it was so late by then that even the bar was closed. It was just after two o'clock, and she didn't want to invite him to her room, and give him the wrong impression, so they said good-bye downstairs in the lobby.