Betrayal (32 page)

Tallie and Megan were making good progress on it, and Megan was helpful and respectful, as Tallie slowly got used to her. She was very different from Brigitte, which seemed like a good thing. She had none of her predecessor’s glamour and style, she had no interest in being in the limelight. She just wanted to do her job and help wherever she could, and she was resourceful and willing to work long hours.

Tallie heard from Jim occasionally, although she hadn’t seen him since before his trip to Alaska with his boys. He called to check in but didn’t have anything new to report about the cases. All the trial dates were still so far out that nothing had moved into high
gear
yet, and wouldn’t for some time. Evidence was still being gathered on the criminal side, and Brigitte was in jail, awaiting trial. Jim had heard from someone in the probation department that she had no remorse whatsoever over what she’d done, not even about killing Hunt. She felt he had betrayed her so she’d been justified in what she did, and she seemed to feel entitled to what Tallie had, and had commented that she made better use of it than she did. And Jim told Tallie none of it surprised him. He said it was typical of the breed.

Tallie had always thought that she would hear from her at some point, apologizing for what she’d done, stealing from her and sleeping with Hunt, but she heard nothing, not a line, not a card, not a word. It was as though they had never known each other and Tallie was a stranger to her. Jim said she fit the classic portrait of a sociopath, with no remorse, no empathy, and no conscience. It was still hard for Tallie to believe or understand. But at least the shock of the multiple betrayals she’d experienced was beginning to fade, and Tallie felt more at peace. And she was enjoying working with Megan, who was a hard worker but had a nice sense of humor too. And sometimes after long hours of work, they had a good laugh, which did Tallie good. Things were lightening up a bit for her at last.

In November, Tallie found a script that she liked, it was an unusual piece by a young screenwriter, and she was excited about it. She wanted to produce and direct it alone, and she began pulling together the project, and contacting investors. The ones she called had been excited to hear from her, and it was exhilarating to reach out in her industry again. She stayed busy making notes and calls
until
Max came home for Thanksgiving, and then she stopped working for a few days to focus on Max while she was there. And as always they had a good time together.

“So what’s happening with you and Jim?” Max asked her the first night she was home, and Tallie laughed.

“Nothing, why? He calls in to report about the case from time to time, but there’s nothing much going on with that right now.”

“Josh called me a couple of times from Michigan. He says his dad likes you,” Max said shyly.

“I like him too, but we’ve got bigger stuff to do right now. That’s nice that Josh called.” Tallie smiled at her.

“Yeah. He’s going to try and come to New York after football season to check out NYU law school.” He had invited her to a game too, but she hadn’t had time to go, and he had promised to call her over the Thanksgiving weekend. Max really liked him, but for the moment they were just friends. They had agreed that long-distance relationships were too hard to manage. And Jim called Tallie the next day to check in and wish them a happy Thanksgiving. They were going to relatives of his wife’s. She had a sister in Pasadena, with kids the same age as his, so they often spent holidays with them.

“What are you and Max doing?” he inquired.

“It’ll be a little quiet for us this year. We usually spend Thanksgiving with my dad, and this year will be very different without him.” And for the past four years, Hunt had cooked the meal. This year she and Max were going to fend for themselves and spend it with each other. And Max wanted to see friends while she was home.

“I know how hard that can be,” Jim said sympathetically. “Maybe we can get the kids together for a meal before they go back to school, although Josh usually stays pretty busy with his pals when he’s home.”

“So does Max,” Tallie said as her daughter walked into the room and inquired who it was. Tallie mouthed that it was Jim, and Max looked instantly enthusiastic and started coaching her that they should see them. Tallie grinned as she got the message. “What about this weekend?” she suggested. “Lunch or dinner on Saturday?”

“Let me ask the kids and get back to you. Sounds good to me.” He sounded pleased and called her back half an hour later. Both boys had liked the idea, and had suggested they go bowling together and have pizza there. Tallie ran it by Max, and she loved the idea. Tallie sensed a romance brewing, or a mutual interest at any rate, between Max and Jim’s oldest son. Tallie thought it was cute, and so did he. He wished Tallie a happy Thanksgiving again then, and they agreed to meet at the bowling alley on Saturday at seven. Max seemed pleased when Tallie told her. And Jim had said Bobby was bringing a friend too, a boy from his school. It sounded like a fun evening.

Thanksgiving turned out to be predictably hard for Max and Tallie. It was inevitable, it was bound to be a tough holiday for them without Sam and Hunt. They made the best of it, and Tallie and Max went to a movie together after dinner, and to bed early that night.

On Friday, Max went out with some of her girlfriends who were home for the holiday, and to a party with them that night, and on Saturday, Max and Tallie went shopping for some things Max
needed,
and at seven they met the Kingstons at the bowling alley, as planned. Tallie could see immediately that Josh’s interest in Max was more than just causal. He was even taller than she was, they shared many of the same interests, and they were adorable with each other. And Bobby and his friend were sweet. They all had a great time and stayed at the bowling alley until ten-thirty, and Josh and Max looked reluctant to leave. Bobby teased his brother about it, and Jim and Tallie acted like they didn’t notice, and chatted casually as they finally left and stood talking in the parking lot for a few minutes. The two families had had a great time together.

“Thanks, Jim,” Tallie said easily. He had noticed all evening that she looked happier and more relaxed than the last time he’d seen her three months before. But that had been shortly after her father’s passing, and everything else she’d been through. She looked like she had recovered some of her poise and good humor in the meantime, and he was glad to see it.

“We’ll have to go skating when the kids come home for Christmas,” Jim suggested, and his boys were quick to second the invitation. “They set up a nice ice rink near where we live, for the holidays. I’m a little rusty, but we always enjoy it.”

“I haven’t skated in years,” Tallie confessed with a grin.

“Are you working on a new movie at the moment?” he asked her with interest.

“I’m starting to. I’m just doing the groundwork now. I finally found a script I like. And
The Sand Man
is coming out in a few weeks.”

“I’ll have to go see it,” he said easily, and she nodded. Max was
coming
home just in time for the premiere, which was going to be a big deal, since it was the last film Hunter Lloyd had produced. Insiders were predicting a number of Oscar nominations. It was going to be a major film, and hopefully another box-office hit. As always, Tallie was modest about it and changed the subject. The six of them said goodbye to each other, and a few minutes later they drove home.

“He’s cute, isn’t he, Mom?” Max said with a look of mischief in her eye, and Tallie grinned. She could see how taken with Josh her daughter was, even without the comment.

“Josh? Yes he is, he’s a very nice, handsome boy.”

Max started laughing as soon as Tallie said it. “I meant his dad.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Tallie said, and rolled her eyes. “Yes, he’s cute too. He makes a very nice friend.” Max said nothing, and smiled as she looked out the window as Tallie drove them home.

Chapter 19

THE SAND MAN
opened to rave reviews, for the acting, direction, score, and cinematography. People were going nuts for it, and moviegoers of all ages were stampeding the theaters where it was showing. It was a colossal hit, and Tallie was thrilled. It gave her an enormous boost after a painful year. Max came home the night before the premiere and attended it with her mother, and the next day the house was filled with flowers, champagne, gifts, and messages of praise. And Tallie couldn’t help wishing her father could have seen it. He had loved it every time one of her movies was a big hit. And he would have loved this one. It had all the action, complicated plot, and fine acting that he loved.

Jim Kingston called to congratulate her too. He said he was going to see it that weekend with Bobby. And Josh was due home in a few days for Christmas vacation.

“It must be a fantastic movie, from what the critics say,” Jim said pleasantly, and then asked her if she was ready for Christmas. In truth, she was dreading it. It was going to be another important
holiday
without her father. The pain of his loss was still acute, for her and her daughter.

“As ready as we’re going to be.” She had already been to Max-field’s to buy everything she thought Max wanted. Brigitte had always helped her with her Christmas shopping, but Tallie didn’t ask Megan to do it for her. She had made a point of being less dependent on her than she had been on Brigitte, and doing more for herself. She wanted their working relationship to be better balanced and even a little distant. She was keeping things more professional, and getting less personally involved. It seemed wiser after all that had happened, and Megan understood. She had already become a major asset in Tallie’s life.

“What about you?” Tallie asked Jim about Christmas.

“Christmas shopping has never been my forte. These holidays are never quite the same after what we’ve been through and you have. And I know you must miss your dad.”

“I do,” she confessed. “But at least he was eighty-six, so even if I miss him, there’s a kind of natural order to it,” which hadn’t been the case with Jim’s wife.

“We have to set up that skating date,” Jim reminded her. “I’ll call you as soon as Josh gets home,” he promised. So she wasn’t surprised when he called her four days later. She’d been sitting at her desk, thinking about Brigitte, wondering what her Christmas in jail was going to be like. Tallie couldn’t even imagine it and didn’t want to. She picked up the phone, knowing it was Jim, and he sounded elated when she answered. Before anything else, he congratulated her on her latest film. As promised, he and Bobby had seen it over the weekend and loved it. “It’s amazing!” Now that he
knew
her, he had been even more impressed by her skill as a director. The performances had been incredible, and Bobby had loved the film as much as he did. Tallie was pleased to hear it.

“Thank you,” she said warmly. It was breaking box-office records, and so far was the smash hit of the season. “It’s doing really well.”

“I have a Christmas gift for you,” he said, changing the subject. She didn’t have one for him, and was suddenly embarrassed. “Brigitte’s lawyer contacted us today, and the district attorney. She wants to plead guilty in both cases and get it over with and get the time running. And that means you’ll be home free on the civil lawsuit too, because once she pleads, all you have to do is make a stipulated settlement with her lawyer for the amount she’s willing to make restitution for, and you’re done. You won’t have to go to court or testify. There’s no jury, no trial … it’s almost over, Tallie,” he said gently. It was a gift he was thrilled to be able to give her. Soon she could put it all behind her, and he knew how important that was for her. The upcoming trials had been weighing heavily on her, and Jim knew they would be traumatic. And until they were behind her, she couldn’t really heal.

“Why do you think she did that?” Tallie asked him, surprised and pleased. It was major news.

“Probably because her lawyer’s not stupid. She can’t win any of these cases. She’ll get a much better deal from the U.S. attorney and the district attorney if she pleads. Damage control. They’ll agree to how long she spends in prison, instead of pushing it to the limit with a jury trial in both cases. She would have had to be suicidal to do that. She’s doing the right thing, and it’ll make the civil matter a lot easier for you if she’s reasonable, which remains to be
seen.
But I hope she will be. This was really her only choice.” He was delighted, and as she began to understand it better, Tallie was too. “Merry Christmas, Tallie,” he said warmly.

“Thank you, Jim, for everything.” She really meant it. They both did.

“Let’s set up that skating evening to celebrate after the holidays,” he said in a friendly tone.

“I’d love it,” she said with genuine pleasure in her voice, since they’d had fun with them before, when they went bowling. And then she went to tell Max what Brigitte had done. She wished she could have told her father. The nightmare was almost over. Maybe it was Brigitte’s Christmas gift to her after all, or maybe not. Maybe she had done it for herself. Damage control, as Jim called it. It was hard to tell. But it was a good thing. And very good news for her.

Tallie and Max were having breakfast in the kitchen on a Tuesday morning between Christmas and New Year. Tallie was glancing at some e-mails on her computer while Max read the paper, and suddenly Max gave a scream, and Tallie nearly jumped off her seat.

“Oh my God, what is it? What happened now?” She felt constantly wary of bad news, which was the fallout of everything that had happened. Jim had told her it would pass, but it hadn’t yet. “What’s wrong?”