InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (20 page)

            “A very wise
answer,” Steve smiled, and they both watched as a shooting star streaked across
the night sky.

            “Then there
are stars like that one,” Tia said. “A bright flash that burns out much too
quickly and never gets a chance to truly shine.” She knew that Steve would
understand her meaning, as she had understood his.

            He smiled
warmly at her and put his arm across her shoulders, pulling her into a knowing
embrace. “There are those,” he agreed, “and we know it all too well, don’t we?
You know, one group of Aborigines believe that when their people, the Yolngu,
die, they travel to the spirit land in the sky on a mystical canoe.  Once
they’ve arrived at the spirit land, their canoe is sent back to the Earth in
the form of a shooting star—it’s meant to let the grieving family know that the
one who has left them arrived safely at their final destination. They say that
the lights along the edge of the Milky Way are the burning campfires of those
who have passed on.

            “I know that
Kelley has already thanked you for what you’ve done for our son, but I also
want to thank you for what you’ve done for my wife. The night we buried Shelby
we dragged a blanket into our backyard and laid for hours, under the stars,
just holding hands and watching for that sign from her that she was OK—that
she’d made it to heaven. We had no idea that there was going to be a meteor
shower that night, and when they started filling the sky, they were more
beautiful than any fireworks display.” Tia heard the change in his voice, the
shake as he recalled the memory, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “We
cried together that night, after so many months of holding the tears at bay,
and mourned the loss of our daughter.”         

            “I’m so
sorry,” Tia whispered.

            “Between you
and me, Tia, Kelley has been hoping for a long time that Dylan would meet
someone; so she could have a daughter again. She’s worried out loud though,
over the years, about him getting caught up in the celebrity scene and making
the wrong choice—more than a few times she cringed openly when she caught wind
of Dylan dating some actress who she knew didn’t have his best interests at
heart. But as the years went by, she started worrying that he’d never find the
right partner to share his life, and that bothered her even more.  I knew that
my son had a good head on his shoulders, and that he’d know when he found the
right one. I’m really glad it’s you.”

            “Me too. You
know, I was so nervous about meeting you—I worried that I wouldn’t measure up
to other girls he’s brought home—that I didn’t have much to offer. You’ve
really made me feel like part of the family, and I appreciate that so much. I
can see where Dylan gets so many of his best qualities.”

            “Dylan’s never
brought anyone home before,” Steve said, and Tia’s eyes widened in surprise.
They hadn’t discussed it, but she assumed he had. A little spot in her heart
tingled at the revelation. “He’s very protective of his mum,” he continued,
“and he knows how much she’s missed having a girl around—someone to share in
all those things the way only women can. That’s how we knew that you were the
real deal, Tia. He’d never bring a woman here if he wasn’t sure she had staying
power, and that she’d be able to bond seamlessly with our family—especially
when it comes to Kelley.”

            “Thank you for
sharing that with me, Steve,” she said gratefully. “You have no idea how much
it means.”

            “Which brings
me back to the reason I want to thank you. We’ve celebrated a lot of holidays
since Shelby’s been gone, but there’s been a hole in every one; a shadow that
everyone can see but no one wants to acknowledge.” He looked at Tia. “She
would’ve been about your age, you know,” he continued, “and there’s always that
wonder about what sort of woman she would have turned out to be if she’d had
the chance. Having you here, seeing the relationship that you and Dylan have
built despite a lot of complications, has been like a breath of fresh air. You
brought a particular kind of joy to our house that hasn’t been here in a long
time; your sparkle kept the shadows at bay. It’s been so nice watching you and
Kelley bond; seeing how much she’s enjoyed getting to know you.

            “You
understand, I know you do. When you lose someone, they’ll always be there,
because they’re a part of you. But it doesn’t mean that someone else can’t
still be everything to you; that you can’t love someone else just as much, but
in a different way. Dylan is that everything for you, and in just a few short
days, you’re already becoming that to us. I really can’t tell you how glad we
all are to have you as part of our family, Tia,” he said with a bow of his
head, “and I couldn’t let you leave without telling you. So, thank you.”  

            “I don’t even
know what to say to that,” Tia said, completely at a loss for words. “That is
honestly one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.” She pulled in a
deep breath of the crisp air and let it out on a sigh. “Thank
you
for
opening your hearts to me. I hope we’ll be able to see you again very soon.”

            “I’m quite
certain we will,” Steve said with a knowing smile that was masked by the
darkness.

            “Aren’t you
chilly out there?” Kelley called from the deck. “How about some tea?”

            “Brilliant,”
Steve and Tia said at exactly the same time. They giggled, linked arms once
again, and headed for the warmth—literally and figuratively—of the house.

            Lexi didn’t
even consider not taking the call that popped up as “unknown caller” on her display.
Both Tia’s and Dylan’s phones showed up that way, and as the crazy time
difference and family obligations had prevented them from talking on Christmas
Day, she smiled as she tapped the screen.

            “Merry
Christmas, girlfriend!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’m guessing you were
a good girl, and got everything you wanted?”

            “Well, I
always get everything I want,” a man’s voice teased. “But to be honest, I
probably deserved coal in my stocking.”

             Lexi sat
upright and tried to place the voice. It definitely wasn’t Dylan’s, but it
sounded familiar. For a second, Bo’s name flashed in her mind—he had a similar
sense of humor, but she pushed that aside quickly. She’d know his voice
anywhere, and this wasn’t it. “Who is this?” she asked curiously, a smile in
her voice, “and why do you deserve coal?”

            A hearty laugh
filled her ear. “I’m guessing that I’m speaking to Lexi Summers,” he said. “Tia
told me you had a quick wit.” He paused for just a moment. “This is Tony
Granger…host of
After Dark?”
He said the last few words as if they were
a question, but there was just enough arrogance behind them to let her know
that he expected anyone would know who he was—and be honored by the call.

            Lexi’s heart
quickened. The time she’d spent with InHap had pretty much cured her of her
star struck affliction, but still, it wasn’t every day that the host of the
most popular talk show on television called you directly to chat. “Ah, Tony
Granger,” she replied cooly. “Tia mentioned you might be calling, and she also
told me that you were more than
deserving
of coal; you were likely the
original recipient,” she said with a grin.

            “And I doubt
you’d find many who would argue that conclusion, Miss Summers,” She could
almost hear the smile in his voice. “May I call you Lexi?”

            “You may,” she
said, “if I can call you Tony.”

            “Of course,”
he said, the smirk easily travelling through the phone lines.

            “So, what can
I do for you, Tony? I can only imagine that you’re calling to beg me to give
you the exclusive story about Tia and Dylan’s love affair in the early days,
when I was the only one who knew about it. I’ll tell you, however, that it is
my Christmas vacation, and I’m not just going to drop everything and run out to
LA to appear on your show,” she said with just as much smirk in her tone.

            “Oh,” Tony
replied, as if he were seriously contemplating her words. “You mean it’s not
enough that the world wants to hear your story, and that you’ll be the topic of
discussion over every water cooler for days?”

            “Tia’s already
shown me what
that
does for you—and no thank you very much.”

            Tony took the
bait willingly. Tia had already told him that Lexi was willing to do it, and
that it wouldn’t take much to persuade her.

            “Hmmm. Tia
told me you might be willing to…”

            “Not the day
after freaking Christmas I’m not, Tony,” she said rather convincingly. “Unless
you make me an offer I can’t refuse?”

            Tony chuckled.
“Yeah, Tia told me you’d play hardball, too. But she also said that one word
might tip you over the edge. I was hoping not to have to show my hand so early
in the conversation, but…”

            “OK, you’ve
got me interested. What’re you offering?”

            “Have you ever
been to the after Christmas sales on Rodeo Drive? They’re different than they
are anywhere else in the world…and did I mention it’s a lovely 80 degrees in LA
right now?”

            “Damn it,”
Lexi smirked. “You pretty much had me at ‘shopping,’ but if you throw in some
palm trees, a car to use while I’m there, and a decent room, I might just give
in.”

            “Wow,” Tony
teased back. “You’re easy. I guess you’ll take care of your own transportation
to get here, then?”

            “Yeah, sure,”
Lexi said sarcastically. “And I’ll see you sometime in February, then. Do you
want to leave me a number where I can reach you when I get there?”

            “Touche,” Tony
said. “Now I guess you’ve got me.”

            Lexi giggled.
“Just give me the details, Tony. I already told Tia and Dylan I’d do it, as you
well know. I will tell you, though, that this really isn’t the ideal timing,
but that I do have a bit of a weakness for shopping. I will need to be home
before New Year’s Eve, though.”  

            “The timing
can be whatever you want it to be,” Tony offered. “I can send my jet to the
closest airport whenever you want it—we’ll record the show on Monday
afternoon.  You can leave any time after we’re done, although that’s going to
make for a long night with the time difference and all, or stay until Tuesday
morning.  I can offer you a room at the Four Seasons and a car with a driver
for as long as you stay. Your choice, as long as you promise not to give your
story to anyone else before you appear on my show.”

            Lexi didn’t
have to roll it around in her mind for long. She told Dylan that she’d give
Tony first dibs, and had put off a couple of local news shows that had already
called to request interviews. A little sun would give her at least a bit of a
golden glow for the New Year’s Eve party she and Ryan were attending, and she’d
be sure to find something fabulous to wear in LA. “You’ve got a deal, Tony,”
she said, already pulling her suitcase out from under the bed. “I’ll leave
tomorrow morning, and come back Monday night.” That would give her a long
weekend to shop and see some of the sights, and she’d still be back in plenty
of time for the party on Tuesday. 

            “Excellent,”
Tony replied. “I’ll arrange your transportation immediately and have my
assistant call you back in a few hours with the details. I look forward to
meeting you, Lexi.”

            “You too,”
Lexi said. She cut off the call and began humming to herself as she happily
pulled summer clothes from the back of her closet and arranged them on the bed.

            “What do you
mean, you’re going to LA for a couple days?” Ryan demanded.

            “I’m going to
be a guest on
After Dark
. To talk about Tia and Dylan’s early days.”

            Ryan’s face
crinkled up in distaste. “As if there aren’t enough people talking about Tia
and Dylan,” he said sarcastically. “They were just on every single freaking TV
show in the world last week.”

            “I know that,”
Lexi answered with just as much sarcasm. “It’s obviously really big news right
now, and they’re in Australia. The public wants more, and Tony called to see if
I’d…”

            “Oh, so now
you’re on a first-name basis with Tony Granger?” he interrupted. “You’re not
the celebrity, Lexi. Neither is Tia. She just happens to be banging a rock star.
So why the hell would the public give two shits about what you have to say?”

            His words
stung, but Lexi just shook her head. “Obviously Tony thinks they will, or he
wouldn’t have called,” she said evenly.

            Ryan rolled
his eyes and exhaled in exasperation. “You’re just loving every minute of this,
aren’t you?”

            “Geez Ryan,
chill out,” she groaned. “I’m doing a favor for friends; that’s all. I’m going
to fly out tomorrow, spend the weekend shopping, do the show on Monday, and be
home late Monday night. You’re just jealous that I’m getting out of this
Chicago weather for a few days.”