A Captivating Conundrum (29 page)

"Well? Was it at least good until Broomhilda got here?"

I thought back to last night and my request; I still believed that Beth was just about to rise from her chair and grant me my wish. "Yes, actually. It was going very well. It was about a second away from turning into excellent."

"Shit," Bobby whispered. "Figures."

"She loved the play."

He laughed. "I'm sure she did. Beth doesn't make mistakes where her writing is concerned, and she picked you out of the line-up faster than Nicole walks in those heels of hers."

A jolt of pride raced through my veins. "I know she traded that Jason guy for me."

"
Traded
?" Bobby chuckled. "Believe me, she would've broken his legs—
and
Nicole's—if they'd stood in her way. Nicole thought 'Lily Stone' should have the superstar of young Hollywood right now, but Beth wanted none of it. She couldn't stand the guy."

"She fought for me?"

Bobby took another swallow. "Yes, sir, she did. I'm glad." He glanced over his shoulder at Chris. 

"I see that." I grinned. "This must be a really nice area to live in."

"Why do you say that?"

I put my arm behind my neck. "When we all went to that bar…I mean, those kinds of places are where you would usually find a lot of people who don't agree, let alone accept, a gay man being in their vicinity."

Bobby laughed. "This is definitely not pitchforks and damnation here."

"They have a lot of churches."

He waved his hand in front of his face. "Of course they do, and each one built grows larger than the one before. I think they're trying to compete for all the New York and Hollywood money that's here now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've got people like Streep, Bacon, Fox—lots of your Hollywood pals live in this neck of the woods because nobody bothers them here."

"I can see that. Not into autographs and paparazzi?"

Bobby nodded. "People like to keep to themselves, and the privacy around here is spectacular because the locals never much cared for the stars. This little town just keeps going and going, even when all the rich ones head back to their flats when the visit to their country estates are over. And as far as gays and lesbians, or fighting over what you are or what you believe, they don't care."

"The locals seem like good people." I thought about how many battles were fought all across the country. From the government to gay and lesbian rights—everything came up in California. It seemed like there was a protest almost every day. 

"They are. Take Jerry, for instance."

 I smiled at the thought of the man with all the stories. "I liked him."

Bobby nodded. "But you would think, being from his generation, that he wouldn't accept someone like me, or Chris—but Jerry couldn't care less. He told me once that as long as I treated myself and the person I eventually fell in love with, with total respect, than that made me a good man. He always said that after falling in love with Missy in like seconds, he completely understood that a person has no control over their soul; when it was
your
mate it was
your
mate, and it didn't matter if their name was Edie or Edward." Bobby's voice turned quiet. "I actually like what Beth says."

My ears pricked up. "What?"

"She doesn't like any label. In fact, she gets mad about them."

"What do you mean?"

"She says I'm not her gay friend, Bobby, I'm her best friend, Bobby. Period."

I smiled to myself.

"She always said that I wouldn't call her my straight friend Beth, that she was just, Beth. And you wouldn't say, my Chinese friend, or my German friend." He laughed. "She did say I could introduce her as my bitchy friend, but I told her Nicole had already claimed that spot."

I could see this lady living just fine in California by my side. All my friends would love her, and my family would beam. I cleared my throat. "I wish Beth would learn one lesson from Jerry."

Bobby looked over with a confused expression. "What's that?"

"That there are no rules. That you CAN fall in love in seconds. She told me that her own parents fell in love in like a month and got married."

Bobby nodded. "True, and no one in her family ever got a divorce. In fact, when I first met them I was amazed. It was like I'd walked into this incredible family that just…understood love. I'd never seen such a solid family unit."

I sat up and faced him. "So what happened with her?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Beth's the same as they are. But I think she got a little spoiled being in her family. I mean, they all had
true
love, and I think she figured if she didn't have that then there was no point in even trying." He tilted his head to the side. "I think she was waiting to see if her soulmate would just appear like the rest of her family's did."

I took a sip of the beer before me. "So I should assume that she's already made her decision about me? Seeing as that she's kept me on the friendship level since the word, 'go.'"

Bobby studied the ceiling for a time. I wanted to walk over to him and pull his hair, just so I could try and figure out what was going on inside his head. Instead, I cleared my throat as loudly as possible.

His attention returned. Sitting up, he stared back at me. "Here's the part that bothers me, Matt. This is the very first time, with the exception of when she's creating a book inside her mind that I haven't been able to figure out what's going on in Beth's head."

My heart sunk.

He held up his hand. "There's something going on in there, mind you, but I think since this all began—with you helping out Amber—that she feels that's exactly what this should be about. Her heart's with that little girl and getting her a life and a family. I think that the responsible part," he said, muttering, "and, boy, is that part a real pain in the butt most times, wants to make sure she doesn't take advantage of the situation when it
should
be about Amber."

I shook my head. I really didn't get it.

Bobby sat back against the cushions. "Say she admits it to herself—that you're the guy who came out of nowhere and is the one. What if that takes her focus off Amber and the show?"

"I wouldn't quit the show."

"I know that." he sighed. "But Beth has this goal—this extreme focus on Amber—probably like what you have with your own career. No offense, but I have a feeling when you're in 'career mode' you probably wouldn't be all that great of a boyfriend to some chick who wanted your full attention. Am I right?"

"I actually quit women once to focus on my career. But I do take relationships very seriously."

"And Beth's the same way. Her focus is unbreakable, and right now it's on Amber. She's probably battling with herself to make sure she doesn't cross a line. If she does like you, then she'd really be struggling right now, wanting Amber to get a home AND wanting you to get your moment in the sun on that stage so the world can see you for the powerful actor you are."

"Are you telling me this is a woman who NEVER thinks about herself? Come on."

Bobby laughed. "Of course she does. That's why she writes so hard and so much. That's why her head is so full of ideas and characters. Someday Beth wants to write the perfect tale. For Beth, no matter how many bestsellers she gets, there always seems to be something missing."

I sighed. "And after all this time you don't know what it is?"

Bobby looked me square in the eye, not moving a muscle. "I know she's searching for something for herself, but right now she's too busy fixing me up with your friend and making
me
happy to ever bring the subject back to her." 

I nodded.

"She's a puzzle," Bobby said.

A captivating conundrum
, I thought to myself. Looking around at all the open windows and doors, I noticed for the first time that every single room was filled with exits. I chuckled.

"What?"

"To get your friend to talk I have to first find a place with no escape routes."

Bobby laughed. "That's true. They say actors are good at exits but, believe me, Beth can disappear from sight faster than Road Runner screwing with Wile E." He lifted his mug in the air. "But you're a dancer.
You
should certainly be able to outrun a writer."

~***~

When Beth came back down she cooked a meal that was so wonderful, I wondered if she'd overheard the tail end of Bobby's conversation and was making sure to fatten me up so my 'moves' wouldn't be quick enough to stop her from reaching a door.

Adjourning to the garage, the pool game commenced and it was beyond fun. The laughter, the friendship, and the banter—it was like being at home with Chance, Darren and the gang having a ball.

When night fell and lights came up the gravel driveway, Nicole's scream hit my eardrum like an air horn, and I suddenly knew what a 'baby in a blender' sounded like. 

I watched her run through gravel and rocks on stilts, and turned to stare at Bobby and Beth in the corner.

Chris was standing beside me. "I'll place a bet we're seeing Ken."

Bobby sighed. "Her screams remind me of
Schindler's List
."

"Maybe Ken finds her voice soothing," Beth giggled.

"Impossible," Bobby replied.

She grinned. "Everything's possible. In fact, every day I receive at least a thousand emails saying how I can enlarge my manhood."

Chris raised his glass to her. "God bless technology."

"Amen!" Beth agreed.

As we looked on, a man who almost blocked out the moon stepped down from the big truck and took tiny Nicole in his arms, making it look from a distance like a giant was hugging a rag doll.

Beth's beautiful eyes grew wide, and I could see the long fingers grip the pool cue—which she'd used like an expert, by the way.

Nicole raced back to the garage, barely coming up to the center of the muscular man's chest.

He tipped his Stetson to the rest of us, and made his way quickly toward Beth.

Around the other corner I matched the man step for step. I know it was silly, considering he probably could lift me up with one hand and hurl me all the way down to the lake, but I just…had to.

Glancing my way he immediately stopped. Thrusting out his hand to me across the table, he said, "Sorry about that, son. I always say hello to the ladies first—just something my Momma taught me."

I shook the huge hand and looked into eyes that seemed to search for Nicole wherever she went inside the garage, and immediately relaxed. Yup. This guy had the same look I did. He was in love and, thankfully, it wasn't with Beth.

Beth must've seen my shoulders relax, because she immediately put down the cue and walked toward us. "Mr. Spalding, it's a pleasure. Nicole has told us so much about you." 

"Please, it's Ken. And you are the lovely Miss Beth, I would assume."

She laughed. "That's me. I love the accent, by the way."

"A fan of the South? I was a little upset to see that Nikki has lost hers." He glanced over his shoulder at Nicole and sent her a wink. "Thankfully she still has all the southern charm still intact."

"Is
that
what that is?" Bobby teased, introducing himself.