Carolyn shifted in her seat again, affected by the pressurized air. Her temples throbbed, pulsated in painful waves, and not even the nasal spray seemed to work. She had not been able to go swimming anywhere in D.C., but perhaps she could swing by Jared's, pick up her gym bag, and head for Annelie's house.
The thought of Jared, of being under her friend's knowing gaze, made her recoil and suck in her lower lip, biting down on it hard. He always seemed to see right through her. Jared was her friend and he knew her well, too well, and sometimes he took it upon himself to point out her weaknesses.
Carolyn sighed. She had a feeling he thought much about her needed fixing. Jared's clear-sightedness could be unnerving as well. A small voice inside insisted that a true friend accepts you, and likes you, for who you are. But how could he know who I am? Maybe I'm the one to blame. I never let him in completely.
When they met five years earlier, she had been relieved when all Jared seemed to want from her was friendship. Only then did she begin to relax around him, feeling for the first time in years the budding signs of camaraderie.
Jared had not been too impressed that her college boyfriend, and later her first and only husband, had "chickened out," as he called it, because of her circumstances. "Beth and John were only kids," he'd said. "Where were they supposed to go, if they couldn't be with you?"
Carolyn smirked at the memory. She had long forgiven Derek, her first serious boyfriend, for not wanting to be a father figure at age twenty-two. Still, the very young, grief-stricken woman she was at the time felt desperately abandoned and rejected.
Her marriage to Frank Thorpe three years later lasted just that, three years. After a stormy engagement while filming together during her first feature-film role, they got married. I sure landed on my ass pretty fast after the honeymoon was over. He could never make up his mind. Either I was not at all what he wanted, or I was too much. Turning her head toward the dark sky outside the window, Carolyn felt her tears reach her eyelashes, but she refused to let them fall any farther. I spent three years being lonely. Eventually his ultimatum that she had to choose between him and her siblings terminated the marriage. He knew how I'd choose.
After that her relationships were short, burned white-hot, but ended before any of the flames reduced her life to ashes again, leaving her feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied. Carolyn had rebounded from one of these—two heated months with a Broadway producer—into a platonic friendship with Jared, and over the years they'd found a comfortable tone between them, which worked as long as he didn't try to change her too much. Right now she felt his Argus eyes on her, judging her motives and challenging them. It bothered her more than usual, probably since she was at a loss herself over some of her most recent actions.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're now approaching Miami International Airport and will be landing in ten minutes…"
The plane bounced twice before rushing down the runway. Nausea rose within her, making Carolyn swallow hard repeatedly. What she wouldn't give to be in the tranquil neighborhood where Annelie lived, stretching out on a deck chair after a long swim.
***
Annelie floorboarded it and smiled as the Mustang gave a muted roar. Driving down the busy street toward the on-ramp, she settled against the backrest after switching on a Debussy piano prelude. The soft, romantic music filled the car and toned down the engine. Having spent four hours at the office, she was on her way home to meet her friend Charlotta. They went back many years, at least twenty, Annelie calculated. Growing up in the same neighborhood in Chicago, they had attended the same school before Charlotta had moved to a different district north of the city.
Annelie frowned while thinking of the hard time her childhood friend had gone through. Charlotta had become ill two years ago and lost her job while recuperating. Then her ex-husband had gained custody of their three children, claiming she was an unfit mother and couldn't support them. Charlotta had been too weak to fight, too ill to stand her ground, and Annelie blamed herself for not staying in touch.
She had learned of Charlotta's situation only four months ago and had convinced her to move to Florida temporarily to regain her health. She had helped her by paying for a rehab clinic and later cosigning a lease for a small, but nice, apartment on the city's outskirts. Having reached rock bottom, the other woman was beyond false pride. She had gratefully accepted Annelie's help, desperate to regain custody of her children.
Annelie knew Charlotta loved her new place and had already begun preparing two small rooms for the children. She was coming over to pick up the last of her things from Annelie's home that morning, having stayed there several weeks earlier. She would be thrilled with the contract Annelie had in her briefcase formalizing Charlotta's new position as an assistant at the Nebula Circle. The job would at least end her financial problems.
Adjusting to the quicker pace on the highway, Annelie thought about the recent meeting with Gregory and Jem at Key Line. Gregory had updated them on all the signed contracts for the upcoming convention and also reported on how well prepared the merchandising was. Apart from the usual photos of the stars, audiobooks, and more third-edition copies of all the Maddox books, he'd also ordered mugs, posters, key rings, and terry-cloth towels, all displaying Key Line's logo and the Maddox book titles. Then Annelie had disclosed the final evening's big surprise—three first-edition copies signed by Delia Carlton, first prize in a raffle for Nebula Circle.
"We'll take a chartered Lear jet to Orlando International," Gregory had continued, "and I've arranged for shuttles. We all have suites on the eleventh floor, as Annelie requested. Most of them consist of adjoining suites, so we'll be a close-knit group. I made an additional reservation for Ms. McNeil and Ms. Jordan, so they can join us there, as well as Charlotta Hazelwood."
"Did you find out how many guests have booked rooms?" Annelie asked.
"There are no vacancies. They decided to bring in the adjoining hotel located on the other side of the large mall. The two hotels have booked six floors and are still receiving inquiries."
"How many tickets have we sold?"
Gregory pulled up the numbers on his handheld computer. "All of the all-events passes went as soon as they were released. About 75 percent of the day-only passes have gone. We have a thousand unclassified tickets allowing the visitor to attend certain events, and about half of those are gone."
Annelie did some mental calculations. "So, we've sold about two thousand tickets?"
"Exactly." Gregory beamed. "We're well past breaking even."
"Amazing," Annelie said. "Well, it'll be interesting to see what the photos, books, audiobooks, and other merchandise bring in."
After the meeting, alone with Jem, Annelie had given a soft sigh and leaned back into her chair, reaching for a glass of mineral water.
"Some days I feel the responsibility weighing on me," she admitted when she saw Jem raise her eyebrows. "I haven't undertaken this much work in quite a while."
"And now the pace is full speed ahead," Jem offered.
"Yes. Also, I'm nervous about not making the right decision about the movies. I promised Delia and she trusts me. If I choose the wrong person to play Diana Maddox, the whole project could be ruined." Annelie made a face at her self-doubt. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound so gloomy."
"It's okay, kiddo. It's good to vent, don't you know that? I wouldn't want to be the one making that decision. Who would want to make an enemy of Carolyn Black for life?" She laughed at her own joke.
Annelie didn't find it so funny.
"Did she come over during the weekend?" Jem reached for a bag of lime-flavored chips.