When You Were Mine (Adams Sisters) (10 page)

Chapter 11

              Ten hours into their sixteen-hour flight, most of the passengers in first-class had reclined the seats and rested their heads on small, borrowed pillows.  There were a few light snorers and a couple of full-throttled bulldozers who sounded like they were slicing the plane in half.

              Only Ryan and Joey’s overhead light remained on while they huddled together and exchanged stories.

              “So it was love at first sight with you and
Larry?”
Ryan inquired, not bothering to veil his sarcasm.

              “Not exactly,” Joey plunged ahead, either ignoring or not picking up on his tone.  “The stars were just lined up correctly.  I’m the right age, he meets all my qualifications—”

              “What?”

              Joey blinked.  “What, what?”

              “What ever happened to flowery prose or poetry?  Things like ‘I knew we were meant for each other the moment his hand touched mine’ or ‘the first time we kissed a bolt of lightning shattered my world and I knew I could never live without him?’  Isn’t that the kind of crap women eat up?”

              “Sure.  In books and movies, which I love.  But in real life, you need a little more science and a check list.”

              His frustration mounted as he struggled to keep up with the conversation.  “What’s so scientific about the stars being lined?”

              “I don’t know.  My psychic can explain things a little better than I can.”

             
Oh, yeah.  She fits into Hollyweird quite nicely.

              “I know what you’re thinking.”  Joey smiled.  “I’m not crazy.  Well, maybe crazy in love.” She giggled.

              Ryan rolled his eyes.

              Look, love is worth fighting for and that’s all I’m doing.”

              He could end this conversation, but his amusement grew with every word she uttered.  She thought that she was a soldier for love.  He believed she was crazy--in a cute amusing sort of way.

              “So what’s your plan?” he asked, injecting a fake nonchalance into his voice.  Again her big, beautiful brown eyes blinked at him.

              “Plan?”

Ryan braided his fingers in his lap and then twirled his thumbs.  It was hard not to be enchanted by her innocent, slash naïve, slash ditzy personality.  “You do have a plan to win to win Dr. Benson back.”  He smiled.  “Your last one didn’t work out so well.”

              Joey’s shoulders dipped as her confidence evaporated from her face.  “Granted I wasn’t prepared for the fiancée bombshell and--wait.  Did I tell you he was a doctor?”

              “No...but it turns out I’m pretty good friend’s with his brother.”

              “Ah, Cool Freddie.”  She nods.  “I met him once.  Don’t think he cared for me.”

              “I find that hard to believe,” he said without thought.

              She frowned.  “Why?”

              “Well...” Ryan took the question as permission for his gaze to openly caress her face and figure.  “You’re a very attractive woman.  Any man would be proud to take you home.”

              Her brows furrowed.  “That’s pouring it on a little thick.”

              Was she for real or was she fishing for another compliment?  He needed to shift the conversation back to the subject at hand.  “I’m still waiting to hear what your plan is?”

              Again Joey drew a deep breath.  “I’m going to talk to him,” she announced.

              Ryan waited for her to elaborate, but she turned her attention to the window.  He couldn’t help but ask, “Is that it?  You’re just going to talk to him?”

              “Yes,” she said calmly and braided her fingers together.  “He told me yesterday morning that he loved me.”

              Ryan’s brows shot up as he crossed his arms.  “Did he now?”

              “Yes.  Well...at least he said so on his answering machine.”

              “Uh-huh.  And you believed him?”

              Joey gasped as she shifted toward him.  “Of course I believed him.  Why wouldn’t I?”

              “There is the issue of him running off to a foreign country with another woman.  And not just any woman--an actress.”

              “Carlina Leoni can’t act her way out of a paper bag.”  Joey slapped a hand across her mouth. 

              “Finally, we agree on something.”

              “Didn’t you just do...seems I remember reading--”

              “Yes, Ms. Leoni and I have a working relationship.  I still full-heartedly agree with your assessment.”

              She smiled.  “Like I was saying.  After I listened to Laurence’s voicemail--”

              “You mean Larry?”

              “Laurence.  He doesn’t like being called Larry.”

              “Sort of how you don’t like being called Jo-Jo?”

              “I don’t mind...too much.”  She shrugged through the obvious lie.  “We’re getting off the subject.”  Joey cleared her throat.  “After I listened to Laurence’s voicemail and he said that he loved me, I knew his breaking up with me, the sudden engagement and the impulsive vacation to Italy all equals one thing,” she concluded smiling.

              “Midlife crisis,” he guessed.

              Joey’s eyes widened.  “You think so, too?”  Hope returned to shimmer in her eyes.

              “So, let me get this straight.” Ryan chuckled, edging closer to her.  “You’re just going to show up in Italy like this--” He quickly gestured to her plain attire  “--with your arms open wide and say ‘I love you, Larry.  Please choose me over Hollywood’s hottest actress.’”

              She swallowed.  “Hottest actress?”

              “
Candyland
opened number one at the box office this weekend.”  He lowered his voice to add.  “Trust me.  It wasn’t because it was a good film.”

              Joey shifted in her chair, while doubt carved lines across her forehead.  Then just as suddenly her confidence charged back into her features while her shoulders lifted.  “He’ll choose me.  I’m loyal, dependable and have more class than Carlina Leoni, who can’t seem to keep her business from being broadcast across the Internet.”

              “Well, good luck to you.”  He finally returned to his script.  “You’re going to need it.”

              “Luck will have nothing to do with it.”  Her chin lifted to a ridiculous level.

              Ryan stared at her without being obvious.  He hadn’t lied when he said that he liked this toned-down version of her.  She looked softer, adorable and obtainable.  He thought about Larry and wondered how he could choose a narcissist like Carlina Leoni over Joey. 
Has to be going through a midlife crisis.

                “Are you a workaholic?” Joey asked, glancing at the paperwork still strewed across his lap.

              His lips sloped unevenly as he slid on his glasses.  “Something like that.”

              “You probably get tired of people coming up to you and pitching their ideas to you, huh?”

              He glanced over and saw the hopes shining in her eyes.  “There’s a lot legal reasons behind it,” he said, letting her down easy.  “If I end up making a script similar to yours, lawsuits fly...”

              “Yeah, yeah.”  She nodded through her disappointment.  “I figured as much.”

              “But you still have my card.  You can have your agent send me something and I’ll make sure I take a peek at it.”

              “Yeah, sure.”

              Ryan shrugged and pretended that her sudden indifference didn’t bother him.  He shuffled his paperwork again, kept pretending he wasn’t watching her and longed for another conversation starter.  However, Joey seemed just as determined to ignore him.

#

              Minutes after returning home from her morning spa trip, Frankie zonked out on the sofa before Rosa, her maid, brought her a cup of her favorite chamomile tea.  This was starting to become a habit after spending an hour with Miguel and his wonderful massaging hands.  Just thinking about them had her moaning in her sleep.

              The phone rang, wrenching Frankie out of her fantasy and spoiling her mood.  “Hello.”

              “Hello.  May I speak with a Franklin Lee Adams?”

              Frankie sat up.  It had been years since anyone had called her by her maiden name.  “This is Ms. Adams.  What can I do for you?”

              “Mrs. Crane, I’m calling from American Express.  We’re showing usual activity on your credit card.”

              “My credit card?”

              “She ma’am.  We’re showing a transaction for $2644 for an airline ticket from—”

              “What?”

              “Are you saying that you’re not aware of this purchase?”

              “I most certainly am!”

              “Would you like for us to post a fraud alert and freeze all activity on this card?”

              “You damn right I do!”

#

              Joey’s eyes bolted open when her plane hit “a little turbulence.”  How long had she been asleep?  If they were going to crash, maybe it was best that she went back to sleep.  What about her family?  No one knew where she was.

              “Excuse me?” Ryan cleared his throat.

              She glanced over and groaned.

              “Do you think you could let go of my hand?  Your nails have hit bone.”

              Her gaze lowered.  “No, I don’t think so,” she said unable to loosen her grip.

              The plane hit another air pocket, and Joey finally released him long enough for her arms to wrench around his neck and for her to actually meld her body against his.

              “Somewhere, over the rainbow…”

              “Ms. Adams, what are you doing?”  He pretended that his body wasn’t going haywire from her touch.

              “Way up high…”

              “We’re
not
crashing, Joey!”  He hissed under his breath, and then waited.

              “We’re not?”

              “No.”  He sighed in relief when he felt her arms relax and air was finally allowed to flow back into his body.

              “Are you sure?”

              Ryan reached up and pried her arms off of him.  “You know you don’t have to try so hard to get my attention.  You have a standing invitation to my hotel room.”

              Joey leaped away from him.  “You’re disgusting.”

              “What happened to just being an asshole?”

              “You’ve surpassed that threshold.”  She huffed and folded her arms.  “You’ve made it quite clear that you’re only interested in sleeping with me.  I get it.  You can stop hinting.  My answer is still no.”

              “A lot of women would be flattered.”

              “I’m not a lot of women.”  She straightened and composed herself.  “I have a little more dignity and self-respect.”

              He frowned.  “Did you forget how we met?”

              “Fine.  Fine.  I did one stupid thing.”

              “Are we not counting this surprise trip to Italy on your ex-boyfriend who is currently engaged to a hot actress?”

              “No we’re not,” she hissed.

              “You mean ‘not yet.’”

              Joey’s eyes lowered to thin slits.  “Can you do me a favor and not talk to me for the rest this trip.”

              “Only if you promise not to leap back into my lap.  Next time you might get a little surprise.”  He winked.

              “I take it
little
in the key word there.”

              “Oh, the kitten has claws.”  He laughed, enjoying their repartee.  He didn’t know why but he enjoyed baiting and getting under her skin.

              “Do we have a deal?” she asked.

              “Deal.”

              For the rest of flight, Joey and Ryan zipped up their lips and pretended to ignore each other.

              Inwardly, however, Joey ranted about the famed director’s incredible ego.  The casting couch was probably the only way he could get a date.  And she had kissed him.

              Landing was the hardest part for Joey.  She clutched her chair, slammed her eyes shut and hummed her rainbow song.  When they were safely on the ground, she relaxed and said a quick prayer of thanks.

              “I guess this is goodbye,” Ryan said, standing.

              Her eyes flashed at him.

              “What?  I kept my promise.  The trip is over.”

              Joey kept her mouth clammed tight.

              “Well, for what it’s worth,” he went on to say as he grabbed his overhead bag.  “I wish you the best of luck with Dr. Benson.”

              She remained suspicious.

              “I’m actually starting to believe you two are meant for each other.”

              “Thank you.”  She lifted her chin.  “And good luck to you and your new movie.  Judging by your recent track record, you’re going to need it.”

              Ryan laughed and exited the plane.

              Joey also grabbed her bag and made her way off the aircraft.  She rushed through the maze of Linate Airport and hailed a taxi.

              “Hotel Principe Di Savoli Milano, per favore.”

              “Sì, signora.”

              Joey smiled and turned her head back toward the airport.  Was she expecting to see Ryan Donovan again?  She shook her head as her cab pulled off.  With any luck, she had seen the last of Mr. Donovan.

Chapter 12

“I don’t understand.  Ronald is a cool guy.  Why won’t your brother go out with him?” Lincoln asked, cramming the fifth suitcase into the trunk of his car.

Peyton smiled.  “You really do care for my brother’s happiness, don’t you?”

“Of course, I care.  Why wouldn’t I?”  He slammed the trunk shut and then draped an arm around his wife.  “He’s family.”

She glided her arms around his trim waist and then leaned up on her toes for a kiss.  “Don’t take it personally, honey.  I’m sure Ronald is a wonderful guy and all, but don’t forget Flex lives in Atlanta.  The last thing he would want is to get involved in a long-distance relationship.”  She gave him another kiss.