Untangling The Stars (28 page)

“That would be hard because of you are.” Andie tested the waters carefully with a bit of logic. “All of a sudden, every college girl on campus would want to be a drama student.”

“Yeah, that’s what Madeline said. But is that a reason not to try? That’s why I was there. I just wanted to talk to someone and see if somehow it could work. Maybe it would help me find normal.”

“If you like, I can talk to my dean. I can at least get an idea for you; see if it’s a possibility. You are certainly entitled to your education, and the fact that you would be willing to mentor is really very generous. It’s a logistical problem because of who you are, but I don’t see why arrangements to manage it could not be handled.”

He was quiet. “I’m sure a donation wouldn’t hurt either.”

“Now stop. That’s not fair. You need to stop expecting that someone wants something from you. There are people who just care about you for you.”

Guy looked at her. She couldn’t help thinking that the man who had been so strong and confident, now looked smaller and vulnerable. “And when you find those people, Guy, don’t push them away expecting the worst.”

“Did I push you away?”

“No, you didn’t.” Andie shook her head. “Worse. I pushed you away because I got scared and frustrated.” She looked deeply into his eyes and placed her hand on the side of his face. “But I never meant that I didn’t want to see you again. I didn’t.”

He took her hand in his and kissed it, and then pulled her, guiding her slowly from the chair and onto the bed beside him. She let him and lay beside him, trying to make her body as light and unobtrusive as possible so as not to disturb the chords and tubes attached to his body. She placed her head on his shoulder and her arm across his tight, sculpted stomach. “I missed you,” she said quietly.

“I missed you more,” he whispered back and pulled her closer to kiss the top her head. They lay quietly holding on to each other. A warmth passed between them. The feeling of being together, touching, holding, just felt right. Andie wished she never had to move and she could stay in his arms forever, just feeling his breath on the top of her head, feeling him softly stroke her long hair.

“I think I…maybe I…well, I might love you,” she said, breaking quiet between them.

“Alessandra?” he replied.

“Yes?”

“Don’t give up teaching and write for Hallmark.”

She laughed and playfully poked him in the side, carefully in case he had any broken ribs or anything like that. He laced his free arm around her pulled her tight against him as best he could in the small hospital bed. She raised her head and they looked at each other, then shared a tender kiss. When it ended, Guy stroked the side of her face, “I think, maybe, I might, possibly love you too.”

The nurse came in with breakfast and interrupted them. Andie got up and moved back to her chair.

“Good morning, Mr. Wilder,” she said pleasantly, eyeballing Andie. “How are you feeling this morning?’

“Not too bad. Getting better by the minute.” He winked at Andie.

“What about your pain level?”

“It’s tolerable, really. I deserve a good headache.”

“All right then, let me know if immediately if anything changes or your pain worsens.”

“I will. Thank you.”

She checked his vitals, set his tray of food on the other side of the bed from Andie, and left without another word. He lifted the lid off the food and frowned. He set it back down, but grabbed his apple juice.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Me? No, I’m good thanks.” Hospital food, even in New York, wasn’t exactly a delicacy.

He nodded and drank some juice.

Andie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Guy, there is something we need to talk about.”

“Those pictures of me with Ginifer.”

“Actually no, I don’t care about those.”

He looked at her quizzically, obviously surprised. “You don’t?”

“No, I’m a big girl, Guy. I’m not in middle school. We need to talk about why you are here in the hospital.”

“It’s nothing. A misunderstanding.” He waved it off nonchalantly.

“No, Guy, it’s not. And you have to know that.”

“I have to know what?”

“You have to know that you are not untouchable. You can lose everything you have and dreamed about becoming.”

“Are you my manager now, Andie? Because unless I really do have some memory loss, I already have one.”

Andie shook her head. “This is what I’m talking about. Your quick temper and refusal to listen is going to ruin everything for you. In some ways, you are that normal person, Guy. You do have a job with expectations of performance. You do have a boss who can demand things of you, and one of them quite frankly is showing up to work sober and ready to work.”

His eyes grew fierce and she knew that he was fighting back words that would probably be both hurtful and regretful. She gave him a minute to calm down.

“Do I still have my job?” he finally asked quietly, not looking at her.

Breathing a sigh of relief that she had anticipated this, Andie said, “Yes, you do. You have another chance, and you need to take it.”

“Maybe I don’t want it,” he said sullenly.

Andie took his hand. He tried to resist this time, but she held on firmly. “Guy, look at me.” She waited until their eyes met. “You do want it. You just need to find balance. That’s why you came to Boulder. You found me, but you weren’t looking for me. I can’t replace what you came looking for. I can help you and can stand with you, but I can’t fix what’s missing for you. But,” She bit her lip, hoping that he wouldn’t react like she feared. “I do have an opportunity to do a little part of what you want. Make things a little better and help you turn over a new leaf that’s more true to yourself.”

He looked at her, waiting.

“You could be our keynote speaker at the literacy gala.”

Guy ripped his hand away from hers immediately and laughed sharply. “Sure, why not? I get it now. I bet Silas Dove at your gala would be just the right feather in your cap.”

Andie snapped up, eyes blazing. “Why do you insist upon doing that, Guy Wilder? You go from zero to a hundred in milliseconds, and you always assume the worst in people. The fact is that, yes, you can do some good with your celebrity status and help raise money for those trying to learn to read. Why is that a bad thing? It’ll certainly help erase the crap they’re saying about you in the tabloids. Or, maybe you prefer it that way, and you can use your celebrity status to be a total jerk and cost people their jobs, break equipment, and get in fights. You said you wanted to help mentor people to get where you are?” He snorted derisively at her, and she let the words rage out of her, her voice rising another note. “Take a real good look at where you are right now, Guy Wilder. Look around! Bruised, bandaged, and in a hospital bed because you can’t control yourself and have to act out like a four-year-old when you don’t get your way. You want to lead the way like this?”

“I think you need to leave now, Andie,” Guy said. He had turned his face from her, and she couldn’t read him. She turned and grabbed her bag. She reached inside and grabbed an envelope holding a letter she’d written on the plane—just in case—and placed it on the table beside his tray. Reaching down, she kissed the top of his head and stroked his face. She wanted to touch him just one more time.

As Andie turned to leave, she heard Guy call out behind her. “You’re right about a lot of things, Dr. Alessandra Foxglove—but not this one.”

***

“What do you mean he’s not coming?” Tandy screeched.

“I mean he’s not coming. Plain and simple,” Andie replied and sipped her wine. Melody, Denise and Elizabeth sat back heavily in their chairs. It was a blow to all of them.

“Does he want money, more money? Is he already engaged that night? What? I thought you said he would do it?” Tandy insisted, sounding flustered but at least supportive.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I thought he would—
knew
he would, but I guess I was wrong. I just really believed he was ready to give back a little.” Andie sighed.

“Well this is great. We’ve already sent out all the additional invitations with his name on it. He’s been featured in the paper as our keynote. He…”

“Tandy, I know. Look I will handle it.”

“How?” Elizabeth asked. “The gala is tomorrow night.”

“I guess we could cancel it,” Melody suggested.

“Absolutely not,” Andie said. “Do you realize how much money we’ve already spent on this for the space, caterers, band…everything!”

“But it seems almost like false advertising to say Guy Wilder is going to be there, and we know he is not,” Denise said. “Honestly, I’d be pretty disappointed. And pissed.”

“Well, I’m sure people will be, but we’ll just have to remind them about what the cause is for. It’s not about Guy Wilder or Silas Dove, it’s about literacy and giving others the chance to read. We are asking them to give money to that, not stuff dollar bills down Guy Wilder’s tuxedo belt.”

“Could we have done that?” Tandy asked with a wicked smirk. She suddenly had a sense of humor.

Andie rolled her eyes.

“So back to the main issue. Who will give the keynote?” Elizabeth asked.

“Why don’t we all do it?” Andie suggested. “I mean look at us. We’re all different, have different jobs, but we are united for this cause. Why can’t we make it personal and talk about that and each share why it matters to us? We don’t need someone to do it for us.”

Tandy looked thoughtfully at Andie. “You know, I think I like that. I think that could work.”

“Umm, I don’t talk in public,” Melody said. “I’m a one-on-one kind of person.”

“It’s okay,” Andie reassured her. “Write it down, and I’ll stand up there with you. You can tell me why you wanted to help organize and be a part of the gala.”

Melody looked doubtful.

“And drink a bottle of wine before you get up there. You’ll be fine,” Denise said.

Everyone finally agreed and Andie was relieved. She knew she had let them down, but they had to understand that Guy Wilder was his own man. He could or could not do what he wanted. She had texted him the day after she left the hospital, asking him how he was feeling. A few hours later, he had replied that he was good, working on his lines, and that had been it. It had been a hard two weeks on Andie since. She had hoped he’d come around, be the Guy Wilder that she believed in, but apparently not.

So she taught her classes during the day, pictured him now and then sitting in the back row. Sometimes her imagination played tricks on her and she thought he actually was sitting back there in the shadows. At nighttime, she graded papers with Templeton curled up beside her. The apartment was less solitary with him there. He added an element of life to her that she hadn’t expected and now couldn’t imagine not having him around. But inevitably bedtime would come and she would lie in bed and miss Guy. He too had added to her life something that was missing and that she didn’t realize had been until it was gone. And now she realized something else. She had been wrong. She didn’t think it, she knew it—she loved him, and she’d already lost him.

***

Andie mingled among the guests with her champagne cocktail. For better or worse, the turnout had far exceeded her expectations. She dreaded thinking about the reason why and the inevitable bombshell that was quickly descending as the time approached for the keynote. It was going to be one hell of a disappointed mob when the crowd found out there was no Guy Wilder coming to dazzle them all. She kept overhearing whispers of “Have you seen him yet?” or “Is he meeting people after?” and it made her stomach turn. She honestly just hoped the groan of displeasure wouldn’t be too loud when she got up to announce that Guy Wilder had been unable to make it. And, luckily, no one had recognized her from the tabloid photo shoots either, which was some kind of small miracle. Scott, instead, who had had the balls to face his own fears, had shown up in a sleek black tuxedo with a bright pink mum in his lapel, was dazzling everyone in the audience with Oz and his camera. Hopefully he’d wrap up his photo shoot before the Big News—then at least all the pictures would be smiles.

“I think it’s going well, don’t you?” Tandy asked, sidling up beside Andie with Melody but not taking her eyes off Scott. Melody looked like she was about to throw up over anyone in her path. “Yes, I do. Better than expected, really. Everyone seems to be having a good time…umm except…,” Andie tilted her head toward Melody.

“Good lord, Melody,” Denise said walking up. “You look like you need some Dramamine.”

“Will it help?” Melody asked meekly.

Andie laughed. She put her arm around her friend and was just about to tell her everything would be okay when the loudspeaker interrupted her.

“Will everyone please clear the floor at this time and take their seats. Thank you.”

The girls stared at one another in shock. It sounded like Scott, but Scott had made it clear he wouldn’t be speaking into any microphone. “Who was that?” Tandy asked.

“I have no idea, but I’m about to go find out,” Andie said. Before she could make her way back to the AV booth, the lights dimmed.

“What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked. Her voice sounded amplified in the silent room.

“We have to do something,” Andie said.

Music filtered through the loud speakers, changing the atmosphere of the room almost immediately. It was The Weepies’
Crooked Smile.

It would never work between you and I…

 
“Oh…my…god,” Andie gasped. This was either a sign of destiny or a really, really sick joke.

And I know it’s true…

“What? What? Why is that playing?” Tandy shrilled, thumbing through the pile of papers on her clipboard in disbelief. “I didn’t approve
that. S
omebody’s head is going to spin when I—”

I still love you…

Andie was still staring in disbelief as Tandy stopped babbling and froze, her mouth hanging open in a little circle of shock. The lights brightened a little and Andie spun around, watching in disbelief as Guy Wilder wove through the crowd, passing out hellos and handshakes but with his eyes locked firmly on Andie. He was a vision, wrapped in sleek midnight black suit with matching black silk shirt and tie, polished black Oxfords and looking even more handsome than he had that night in his hotel room. The only colors coming from him were the bright, striking blue of his flashing eyes and a small pink flower bud pinned over his heart. He walked toward her in that distinctive confident swagger, taking the hearts of every woman in the room but with eyes only for her. Little squeals started to break out as he smiled, waved, and sauntered past the tables, graciously nodding at the people he passed as he maneuvered smoothly and quickly to the podium at the front of the room, where Andie stood in the ballet pink silk ball gown Tandy and Scott had begged her into wearing. The flash of the cell phones were blinding and little white dots blurred Andie’s vision behind Guy, making it look like he was walking toward her through a room filled with starlight. He made his way over to Andie and her group.