When everyone else left, Abby pulled Olivia and I to the side. Olivia hadn’t met my eye since I told everyone what she did when we were in high school. Why I didn’t tell them it was her I was talking about, I didn’t know. I guess there was some loyalty left, even if it was entirely misguided.
“Tara and I were wondering if you could pull some strings to get her onto one of the tv shows booking spots. I don’t know if that’s something you could do, but we wanted to ask.”
Olivia glanced at me then quickly looked away. “I, um, I don’t know.”
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Abby explained. “She wants a chance to confront him. We were thinking someone might jump on a segment about how hard it is to break into movies from the perspective of both someone who has a great career and someone who left the business. Both ends of the spectrum in a way.”
It rankled to have Abby sum up my career so succinctly, but I couldn’t argue with it. She was right. I left. It was hard. And I am as far on the other end of the spectrum from Patrick as I could get.
“Would that really be what you’d talk about?”
The gleam in Abby’s eyes gave it away, but Olivia knew what we were thinking anyway. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have asked.
“Tara is thinking some well placed comments about how Patrick really feels about Hollywood and his coworkers might be good.”
“Are you sure about this?” Olivia asked hesitantly.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure about anything, to be honest. But I can’t just roll over and take it. Even you told me you thought I should get back at him.”
“Yeah,” Abby jumped in. “You heard what happened to her in high school. Patrick leaking these pictures is the same thing. Someone close embarrasses you? It’s not right. She trusted him. She wasn’t even living in Hollywood anymore. He shouldn’t be able to get away with what he did.”
Olivia sucked in a harsh breath. I spared a glance at her, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was staring over Abby’s shoulder.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Abby squealed. “Thank you!”
“I can’t promise anything. I have no idea if I’ll be able to find anyone who might be interested.”
“Make sure you tell them I’m the one in the pictures he leaked. That’ll get a lot more of the vultures interested.”
Olivia nodded, finally looking at me. Her eyes were sad, hurt. I tried not to care, but I’d be lying if I said I was indifferent. She’d been my best friend for years. Even though she was responsible for the most embarrassing moment of my life, I still wanted to see her happy.
Dammit.
Noah texted Friday afternoon to confirm our date. He talked me into letting him pick me up, which meant he would meet my parents.
I prepped them ahead of time, but I knew my dad would still try to embarrass me. He said I didn’t give him enough chances in high school to show boys I liked pictures of me when I was little so he had to do it when I was older.
Just great.
When Noah rang the bell, I was not ready. He was early. I just hoped he actually stuck around long enough to go on our date.
I tied my hair back into a ponytail, slid my feet into my boots, and grabbed my bag. It had only been about five minutes since the doorbell rang. With any luck, Noah and my dad were okay. And not ready to kill each other.
Laughter met my ears as I walked down the stairs. Male laughter.
What the hell?
“Um, how’s everything going?” I asked cautiously when I reached the living room. Noah and my dad were standing in front of the bookshelf next to the tv. The one full of family pictures.
“Your dad was just telling me about when you played softball. And how you knocked out the catcher your first time up to bat?”
I could tell he was trying not to laugh at me with me standing in front of him. Even I could admit it was funny, but really? My dad had to start with that one?”
“Gee, thanks Dad.”
He walked over and pulled me in for a hug. “It was a great story. I knew right then my girl was a fighter, even if you weren’t an athlete.”
“Ha ha. Sports weren’t for me.”
“No, they definitely weren’t. But the stage was. You always shined when you were on stage.”
My cheeks heated at the pride in his voice. I knew my dad liked to brag about me, but I’d never been there to hear it.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I didn’t know you performed,” Noah said softly, drawing my attention back to him. “I thought you were a floral designer.”
I shook my head as my dad laughed. “Oh, no. She wanted as little to do with flowers as possible. I was kind of shocked she left Hollywood to come back here and help out.” He turned to Noah. “I had a minor stroke early last year. My wife got nervous and wanted to be home more. I wasn’t happy when I found out she guilted Tara into coming home to help out, but it’s been nice to have her here.”
“It’s nice to be home, Dad.”
“My parents moved to Florida a few years ago,” Noah said. “Even though I haven’t lived with them in years, I’d love to have them close. I know they’re happier in Florida though.”
“We’ve talked about moving to Florida, but Daisy isn’t ready to retire yet. I keep telling her she needs to hire someone to help out. We both know Tara won’t take over the business, so eventually Daisy will have to figure out something to do with it.”
A twinge of guilt pinched my gut, but it was gone as quickly as it came. I knew my parents didn’t blame me or want me to feel bad that flowers weren’t my passion the way they’d always been my mom’s. They’d always encouraged me to find my own happiness and to stop at nothing to make it mine.
I’d lost sight of that in California.
“Should we go?” I asked Noah before Dad could dig even deeper into his world.
Noah nodded. “Yeah.” He turned to my dad and extended his hand. “It was nice to meet you. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“You as well, Noah. Don’t be a stranger around here.”
“I won’t. Thank you.”
“Are you two already leaving?” my mom asked as she joined us. She was carrying two cups, most likely coffee. She handed one to my dad as Noah and I nodded.
“They have a date to get to,” my dad said, as if my mom didn’t know.
“I know. I was making coffee though. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Noah.”
“Dad embarrassed me enough for one night,” I said with a grin. “You’ll get your chance next time.”
Mom grinned and slapped Dad’s arm. “Well, then, next time, Noah. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”
“I hope so, Daisy.”
Noah helped me into my jacket and guided me out the door with a warm hand on my lower back. “Next time?” he asked as he opened my door.
I shrugged. “You made it past one date. I figure a second date shouldn’t be a big challenge for a guy like you.” I was teasing, but something crossed his eyes that concerned me. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Sorry. I had a tough week at work. I’ve just been thinking I’m not the guy I hoped to be, but that’s a lot for a second date.”
I tilted my head and rested my hand on his cheek. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
He nodded. “Thanks. Let’s go. Doors open soon.”
“Open for what?” I asked, remembering he’d refused to tell me where we were going. Again.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he teased, brushing a quick kiss to my lips before waving me into the car. I watched as he jogged around the front, enjoying the feel of his leather seats. The vehicle was definitely Noah. It smelled like him but it was soft on the inside and rugged on the outside. It reminded me there was a lot I didn’t know about him.
And a lot I never shared about myself.
“So, you were an actress?” he asked once he’d backed out of the driveway.
I shook my head. “I wondered how long you’d hold on to that one.”
He laughed. “That’s pretty cool. I don’t think I’ve seen you in anything though.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
“Why?” he asked with a glance toward me. “Were you a porn star?”
“What? No!”
He laughed loudly, his whole body shaking. “If you were, I’d definitely watch those movies.”
“You’re horrible,” I said with a laugh.
“Seriously,” he said, his laugh slowing to a rumble, “what kind of movies were you in?”
I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about my failed movie career. “Nothing that was ever in theaters. I had a few tv movies and some straight to video stuff. No porn though, smart ass.”
He laughed again and shook his head. “I needed that laugh today. I really didn’t mean to offend you though.”
“Trust me,” I said dryly, and a little hurt, “you’re not the first to assume the only movies I could ever be in were porn.”
He shook his head, the smile falling from his lips. “I never said the only movies you could be in were porn. You’re beautiful, Tara. Anyone who didn’t want you for their movie or tv show or anything was a fool. They missed out if they couldn’t see your light and how your presence would change anyone around you.”
I smiled. “I was too big for most directors. One told me I was too round. All over.”
Noah shook his head. “In my world, tiny is a sign of poor health. Round is not a bad word.” He pulled into a parking space and turned off the car. When he leaned in close so I could feel his breath on my neck, he whispered, “You’re ravishing. Sensational. Sexy as all hell. And your round breasts, and round ass, and adorable round cheeks all make me want you even more than I already do.”
He kissed me softly, lingering a little longer than just a kiss. His fingers brushed my throat, and I sighed. His tongue slid between my lips, briefly. Just long enough for me to want more, but he pulled back.
“We’re here. Thanks for coming with me tonight. I’m not sure I could have done this without you tonight.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant since he’d never told me where we were going. I looked out the window and saw a plain building with no sign indicating what it was. Near the front door there was a small sign and a line of people waiting to get in.
“What is this?”
Noah smiled at the door then turned back to me. “A lot of the kids who come through infusion don’t ever get the chance to live their dreams. One parent owned an art gallery in Winterville years ago. She started showing the artwork all the kids did and donating all the money to the hospital to help pay for treatments for kids who couldn’t afford it.”
“Wow. That’s awesome. I can’t imagine how expensive treatment is. Even with insurance.”
Noah nodded. “It can be pretty crippling for some families. They’ve set up a whole non-profit organization to manage it all at this point, but it’s still local. This is one of the big fundraisers for the year. The entry fees tonight will help pay for a lot of cancer treatments.”
“You know, I knew you were an amazing person, but you really do go above and beyond. Not a lot of people would come here to do something like this.”
Noah laughed. “You should see the rest of my place. Besides the bedroom. I’ve bought a bunch of the artwork in my house from here.”
I shook my head. “That’s so cool. I think that’s the best story of someone taking their work home I’ve ever heard.”
He smiled, but his eyes darkened fractionally and I knew I’d said something wrong.
“It’s not always that easy.”
“You said you had a rough week. Do you want to tell me about it?”
In the quiet of his car, still warm, but cooling with the outside air seeping through, it felt like we were in our own little cocoon. Like I could say anything to him and he could say anything to me.
He finally turned to me. “I have a patient. He’s nine, like Kenny was. Nothing is working right now. I see a lot of the same issues Kenny had with chemo. I’ve been working to get Freddie into a trial and found out today he was accepted.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Noah shrugged. “In a way, but when we get to this point, it usually means we’re grasping at straws to find something that will work.”
“I’m sorry, Noah. You obviously care a lot about him.”
He nodded. “I care about all of them, but I see a lot of Kenny in Freddie. It’s hard sometimes, especially when I see him failing the same way.”
“I don’t know how you do it. How you stand by and watch kids die. I don’t think I’m that strong.”
Noah gave me a sad smile. “I do it so these kids have someone fighting with them who has a voice with the doctors, but also for the kids who do make it. For the smiles on the faces of the ones who finish chemo and go home. And who cry because it’s over. And who come back and see me years later.”
“You have a huge impact on these kids. They’re lucky to know you.”
“Thanks,” he said, looking shy. “Should we go in?”
I nodded. “Definitely.”