Page 48 of Something New

“Of course. I’ll help her hide the body if she needs it. I scouted a couple of places down by the wildlife sanctuary where I never saw anyone. Perfect spot.”

Caroline burst out laughing. “I don’t think that will be necessary, but that can be plan B, okay? Now, get ready, and let’s get through this spa day.” She headed for the door.

“She’ll be here, Caroline,” Anna said softly. “Brigid will be back.”

“I hope so.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

The spa had not been as much fun as the last time the girls had gone. The young socialite that Ethan’s father and stepmother had brought was a little too cute, a little too sweet, a little too darling to be believed. Hell, Anna thought she would get a toothache from being around her for too long. Unfortunately, the girl was actually nice, not playing an act. Delaney put up with it as long as she could but fled the nail salon with Anna as soon as their gel color was dry, hitching a ride with the hotel shuttle to avoid the nasty stepmother and the happy young thing that would never keep Ethan happy.

Anna headed for the beach and a solitary walk to work through things in her head. The opportunity on Broadway could not have come at a better time, just when she needed the change in her life, in her career. But just when she was reconnecting with Wyatt, now she was going to leave again. But he’d understand. He always knew she was headed back to California. However, instead of California, it would be New York, and only for six or seven months, rehearsal time and the time of her contract, which would be six months.

“I thought I’d find you here. Starting without me, Anna?” Wyatt spoke from the sand dune behind her, his low voice sending a frisson of excitement and fear down her spine.

She slowly turned and tried to smile, but failed. His grin slowly faded, and he strode to her.

He gripped her upper arms and peered into her eyes. “Anna, what happened? Is everything okay?”

She took a deep breath. “Apparently, some of my time here on Whitby made it onto social media. The carousel, the ferry ride, my time at the Playhouse. My agent called. It’s even trending, not high, but trending enough to be noticed.”

His eyes darkened and his jaw tensed. “I’ll call Karen and see if we can get her to tell the kids to take their stuff down. We can work around this, but we are not sure what to do about the other people. I’m so sorry. You tried to tell me that you didn’t want to be seen, that it could hurt your image. I’m so sorry, baby.” He enfolded her in a big hug, holding her close and murmuring words of comfort.

She pulled back, angling her head to see him. “No, Wyatt, you don’t understand. All of that media was actually positive. In fact, the producers of the show are reconsidering my contract, and that Broadway play wants me to come to New York for the final audition. I’m back, Wyatt. My career is not over. In fact, my agent loves the publicity and wants more!”

His arms dropped to his sides, and he stepped back, a stunned expression on his face. “I don’t understand. This was all just another publicity stunt to look good for the cameras?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t know this was even happening until my agent called. In fact, I was pretty freaked out until she told me it was all positive news. Positive, Wyatt. I have been known more for my diva rampages than my good deeds. Even the restaurant owner and waitress came forward, although I still think Yvonne had something to do with that. Bottom line, I’m not a pariah anymore. Well, I’m not exactly back on top, but producers will consider me now. I have options.”

He plunged his hands into his pockets, eerily quiet, not sharing in her enthusiasm. His facial expression was closed, blank even. “So, New York.”

Her excitement ebbed a little as his lack of support bled through. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “Yes, maybe. I have to do the final audition, but I know I was in the lead for the part. I’d have to be there for a few weeks for rehearsal, and then it’s a standard contract, six months for the show.”

He nodded slowly, lips pursed. “So, you’d be gone something like seven months or more? Did you think about us at all?”

She paused. “Of course, I did. But, honestly, Wyatt, you have the rest of the football season, another three months, where you’d be stuck here in Texas while I’m in California. Then I start filming back up in January. It’s not like we were going to be setting up house and having dinner together every night.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if calming his temper. “Really? Because I thought you might spend the next couple of months while you weren’t filming here in Texas, with some trips to California as needed. And then I could spend some time with you, in between recruiting trips and training camps. But you had a completely different plan, one that didn’t even have me on the radar. You still have us living separate lives coming together for an occasional night, to scratch an itch, maybe?”

His voice rose as he spoke, anger and something else spiking through the words until he was yelling. She clenched her fists by her sides and took a step forward until she was in his face, raised up on tip-toes and poked her finger in his chest. “Listen to me, Wyatt. I didn’t know how this was going to work or what we were going to do. We hadn’t exactly talked about that, did we? We’ve been back together for a couple of days. It’s not like we had deep discussions about our future. Hell, I didn’t even know I had a future until right now. And, goddammit, now that I do, I’m not tossing it over just to play stay-at-home wife in Texas.”

“I’m not asking you to give up everything to cook and clean for me. This isn’t the nineteen-fifties, but I am asking to be part of the decision-making process. Instead, you went off and accepted the offers and made plans without even thinking about me.”

“Really? That’s rich coming from the guy who tried to find me teaching jobs back here in Texas, as if convinced my acting career was completely dead, as if he didn’t believe in me anymore.”

“You were the one who said it was over! I was trying to be helpful.” He roared back.

“No, you were trying to control me. Get me back here. So much for being supportive.” She heard the bitterness in her voice and couldn’t stop it.

“You liked it when you had nothing else to turn to. But now that you have something, you’ll drop me and everyone else like you did before and move on to your new life.”

Stung, she took an involuntary step back, his words stabbing her deep inside. “How can you say that? I’m taking a job, not walking away.”

“Aren’t you? Let’s review, shall we?” He advanced on her, holding up his hand and ticking off points with his hand. “You leave for an audition. You get a role. Your friends need you, but you stay in Hollywood, citing work. Your sister has a baby, but you can’t be there. Film schedule. Your boyfriend, whom you profess to love, is injured and his career is destroyed, and you can’t be bothered to do more than make a fucking phone call, and you don’t even speak to him! Yeah, you’re not walking away, Anna. You’re running.”

He turned and faced the water, shaking his head, fists now planted on his hips, tension radiating off his whole body. Anna took a tentative step forward, her own anger drained from her, replaced by an overwhelming sadness. She laid a hand on his back, and he flinched, jerking out from under her hand, stepping away so they no longer touched. She let her hand drop, and her shoulders slumped, her heart breaking all over again.

“So, it was all a sham, all smoke and mirrors, that you supported my career, my living and working in California? We only really worked if we both lived here in Texas?” She hated that her voice was small and quiet, hated how insecure she sounded.

---