Impossibly Tongue-Tied (24 page)
Read Impossibly Tongue-Tied Online
Authors: Josie Brown
“You're proud of that, aren't you?” Nina retorted. “Gee,
you don't have much confidence in yourself. I mean, do you really think that Sam would have put you up for Hugo's movie if he didn't feel you had the chops for the role in the first place? Frankly, the way I see it, this proves that Sam wasn't trying to break us up.
He was trying to keep us together.
”
“Bullshit! He tried to talk her out of it because heâhe's always had a thing for her.”
His words fell on her like hard blows. She could tell that he drew some satisfaction hurting her, in pointing out to her that she was not so desirable.
Either to him, or to Sam.
Not like Kat, who was desired by everyone.
Apparently even Sam.
“She told me that they were once hot and heavy. But she wanted to cool it with him because he was way too possessive of herâ”
“In her dreams! Trust me, Nathan, you don't know what you're talking about. She's just playing you with that lie.”
“And he's playing
you
!”
She had to admit it: In Nathan's scenario, things would have worked out somewhat conveniently for Sam.
Throwing Nathan within Kat's suffocating grasp would accomplish two things: First, it would allow Sam to be in the right place at the right time to comfort Nina after Nathan's defection.
Most certainly, it would pique Kat's jealousy and interest in Sam once again.
And all this would occur at whose expense? Why, hers and Nathan's, of course.
Interesting
.
Watching the emotions play out in her face, he knew he had her. Triumphantly, he slammed his hand against the wall. “So I'm right, huh? Now do you get that this was all a setup?”
“No! Of course not! I meanâwell, I don't exactly know what I mean!” Suddenly she was confused.
How much of what had happened was fate, and how much of it was some grand scheme by one of Hollywood's savviest players?
Things were moving too fast for her to think. Still, if she told Nathan that she, too, suspected Sam, he'd feel justified in thinking that he'd been set up for a fall.
For that matter, maybe he was. Then again, he certainly seemed to have enjoyed the arms into which he'd fallen.
“Let me ask you a question, Nathan. Was it Sam who forced you to have sex with Kat?”
He had no excuse for his cruel desertion, this they both knew.
His shoulders sagged under both her logic and his guilt. Without thinking, he leaned into her, seeking both the physical and the emotional support he so desperately needed. Her first inclination was to shake him off, to throw him out with all her mightâ¦
But she didn't.
She didn't move at all.
It was all so familiar, her lying there on his chest, their hearts beating in unison. He brushed her forehead with his lips. Then lovingly, with one hand, he raised her face to his and slowly, gently, lowered his lips to her own.
She didn't stop him.
Of course she ached to kiss him; to have him again, inside her, mind, body, and soul. To know that he wanted her, too, just as beforeâ¦
â¦and not just because someone else now wanted her.
But that's the only reason he's here
, she thought sadly.
She pushed him away. Then, with her head held high, she walked to the back door and opened it. “I think you need to go back to Kat now.”
Reluctantly, he nodded. As he reached the door, he turned back. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. And I'd hate to think that will happen to you again, Nina.
With Sam.
”
Then he was gone.
Would Sam hurt her?
She could hear Jake's asthmatic wheeze from his bedroom. She hesitated for a moment to give herself time to place a serene smile on her face before going in to comfort him.
When she got there, he was already sitting up and he had his inhaler on his mouth. Rubbing the sleep and tears from his eyes, he muttered groggily, “Mommy, I had a dream that Daddy came home⦔
She held him in her arms until he fell back asleep.
The Doubts
Lavinia Hannigan was avoiding Sam's call.
He knew this, because he'd already put in three to her within a twenty-four-hour period. Each time she had conveniently been “in meetings.”
In fact, everyone he'd called since the news broke that he was “pursuing other opportunities outside ICA” had been “in meetings.” Or at least they'd instructed their assistants to use that excuse if Sam called. Or they just let their cell phones roll over to voice mail after noting his number on their caller IDs.
He knew the game. Hell, he'd played it enough.
It had been quite some time, however, since it had been played on
him
.
Which was why, the fourth time he called, he did so from Hugo's offices, and had Hugo's receptionist call and say that it was Hugo who was on the line.
That certainly got Lavinia to the phone, and fast. “Hugo, darling! What can I do for you?”
“Oh, hi, Lavinia. It's Sam. Remember me?”
“How could I forget you, Sam?” Ice gripped every syllable. “You're plastered all over the tabloid news. Along with your
girlfriend
, Nina, the soon-to-be-former Mrs. Nathan Harte.”
“Well, Lavinia, you said you'd prefer to represent the biggest celebrity in the case. I'd say that we've delivered as promised, right? Now, are you in, or are you out?”
“You also said you'd deliver a slam dunk. I think that Nina's little side gig is going to make that harder to do now, don't you?” She paused and then added more gently, “Look, Sam, personally I like Nina. Hell, she was the best thing Tommaso's had going for it. But let's get real. Howard Cross is going to crucify her! In the public's mind, she's already positioned as an unfit mother. Nathan and Kat will win custody of the child hands down.”
“So you won't even give it a shot? You owe her that much, Lavinia.”
By her silence, Sam could tell he'd gotten his point across.
“I don't do pro bono, Sam, and she can't afford me without a settlement. You know that. And I'm assuming you can't exactly be her knight in shining armor, since, from what I read in this morning's
Hollywood Reporter
, you'll be doing some belt-tightening, too.”
“Don't worry about me, Lavinia. It's Nina and her son, Jake, who are at stake here. Look, whatever it takes, I'll cover it. And if you do your job the way we all know you can, Nina can pay me back with some of the proceeds from the movie rights.”
Lavinia laughed. “You certainly know how to cover all the angles, don't you Sam?”
“It's what I get paid to do, Lavinia. I'll have her in your office first thing in the morning.”
Â
The Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles wasn't exactly as friendly as Disneyland by any means. However, as the sweet, pert receptionist assured Nina as she and Lavinia filed her Petition for Custody and Support of Minor Children, it was certainly the court's aim to make the tearing asunder of any union first blessed with good intentions but then inevitably cursed by irreconcilable differences (not to mention an affair or two) as painless as possible.
With that in mind, the receptionist handed Nina the court's version of a VIP swag bag and strongly encouraged her to peruse it at her leisure. In it was:
- A pamphlet explaining all the court's definitions, terms, and procedures as they pertained to legal separation, the nullity of marriage, filing a Summary Dissolution of Marriage, custody and visitation rights, how to petition for child support as well as spousal support, how to attain a restraining order, and what to do about civil harassment. (To Nina's disappointment, it had nothing in it pertaining to harassment by the press.)
- A phone listing of the area's mental health counselors. (As of that moment, Nina wasn't contemplating suicide or murder, but with the way the media was chasing her down, she wasn't ruling it out either.)
- The Manual of Procedure for Processing Default and Uncontested Judgments Submitted by Declaration Pursuant to Family
Code Section 2336
, certainly light reading by any neurotic divorcee's standards. - A directory of “child custody evaluators” or, as the directory so diplomatically put it, “professionals trained to assess the concerns that either parent may have about the care of the children in the home of the other parent⦔
Nina suddenly realized, right then and there, that Jake could be taken away from her.
Forever
.
Her stomach did a flip-flop at the thought of losing her sweet little guy to Nathan and Kat. Choking down the bile that crept into her throat, she turned to Lavinia and whispered frantically, “No way, no how, am I going to let someone âevaluate' me! Not with all the bad press they're sure to have heard!”
“Sorry, Nina, you have no choice in the matter. It's part and parcel of how custody will be decided.” Lavinia put her hand on Nina's shoulder. “Look, I have no doubt that once the evaluator actually meets you and sees how much Jake loves and needs you, she'll realize that you're not the monster the press has made you out to be.”
“What about Kat? If she gets a hold of that woman, she'll suck up to her and at the same time shoot me full of poison darts!”
Lavinia smiled wryly. “Tell you what: I'll make sure that we're the last ones to see the evaluator. That way, whatever harm Kat and Nathan do, we'll have a better chance of countering it.”
Nina nodded, but she knew it would be an uphill battle.
Last but in no way least, the receptionist added enthusiastically, if Nina
really
wanted to see the process from a lawyer's perspective, then she was certainly welcome to attend the court's annual “Family Law Walk-Through Program,” a two-and-a-half-hour informational (if less than fun-filled) tour of the court and all its proceedings, which was due to start in half an hour.
In the politest way possible, Nina passed on this eye-opening opportunity. Instead, she headed back to Casey's cabana houseâher new hideout from the paparazziâwhere she could drink appletinis and cry on her best friend's shoulder while their sons doused each other with the arsenal of Super Soakers kept poolside.
Â
Marjean Higginbotham was perfectly suited for the job of child custody evaluator. A good girl who had been raised to respect her elders, never question authority, and (most importantly) pass judgment on others in anticipation that they, too, were passing judgment on her, Marjean prided herself on her ability to tell, within the first five minutes of observing a child with his parent, whether he was happily and properly situated.
Or so she thought.
More to the point, Marjean was perfectly suited to evaluate Howard Cross's celebrity clientele. This the lawyer knew from having observed firsthand the timidity and awe that overcame the mousy, star-struck Marjean while in the presence of his luminous clients. These interviews invariably ended with the court-appointed evaluator shyly requesting their autograph over a most flattering picture culled from her very impressive collection of
People
back issues.
Needless to say, no one dared not oblige.
So the minute Howard heard from one of his courthouse spiesâfamily court's very friendly receptionist, in this caseâthat Nina Harte had taken the necessary steps to file for custody, he put in a call to Kat and suggested that she call the family court
immediately
to request Marjean as the Hartes' evaluator.
Kat was only too happy to make the request. Hell, she'd do anything to break Nina's heart, and sucking up to some star-struck fan would be a piece of cake. In a voice sugar-sweet and dripping with kindness, she asked Marjean if she would be her guest, that very afternoon, for petit fours and lotus blossom tea.
For someone who devoured celebrity magazines by the carton-full each week, this was a dream come true for Marjean! She canceled the three appointments she already had scheduled, then dove through her stash of magazines for the perfect picture of Kat 'n' Nat (their Oscar red carpet promenade in
People
, of course) in the hopes that she could impose on Katerina and Nathan to autograph it for her.
Not that anyone
ever
turned her downâ¦
From the Diary of Mary Frances McLaughlin
April 17th, 2â
Dear Diary
,
Today, I wrote up the most difficult child custody evaluation I've ever done in twenty-two years!
It concerns the case of the sweetest, cutest little boy: Jake Harte, whose father, the actor Nathan Harte, is divorcing a
woman who is a phone sex operator. Pretty disgusting, huh? Of course, I consider myself a crack professional who is rarely swayed by surface evidence, and I'm proud to say that this case was no exception
.
As requested, my first stop was the father's home. I thought I'd broach the topic of joint custody. Nathan Harte was totally open to the concept. In fact, he had nothing but kind things to say about the mother of his child
â¦
But then THANK GOD I'd also met with Nathan's fiancée, that GORGEOUS and KIND Katerina McPherson. (Lucky man! What an ADORABLE couple they make!) As much as she wanted to support Nathan's wishes, on the slyâhe'd gone off to play catch with little Jakeyâshe filled me in as to what that Nina Harte person is REALLY like! How, after a hard day on the set, Nathan would come home to find the woman either drunk out of her gourd, or worse yet, “entertaining” men in her bedroomâwhile little Jakey slept in the next room! Nathan was always worried that Jake would wake up and find his motherâ¦well, you can just imagine the rest!
Poor Katerina begged me not to put any of this in the formal report. She said that Nathan would never forgive her for telling me the truth about Nina, but that, if she had kept her mouth shut, she would not have been able to live with herself, particularly if that woman had gotten custodyâeven partial custodyâof little Jakey. Besides, if it was written up, it could become public knowledge, and that would mean more bad publicity for Nathan and poor little Jakeyâ¦although, I agree with her, that there can be no such thing as bad publicity for the likes of a Nina Harte!
Not that I'd ever tell a soulâ¦not even Serenity Lancaster,
whom Kat talks very highly of. She asked me if I knew Serenity. (Ha! If only!) When I said no, she readily added that Serenity was such a nice person! In fact, she even intimated that I reminded her of Serenity, and perhaps we should all have tea together sometimeâ¦Now, wouldn't that be unbelievable!!!
Kat encouraged me to make a surprise visit to Jake's mother as soon as possible. I promised her that I would go right after I left her houseâunannounced, of course.
Not that Nina Harte actually has a home. (Strike one!) For the time being, she is living in the cabana house of the star Jarred Cattrall. (It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her if he was one of herâahemâ“johns,” but then I thought better of that; I don't want to come off as predisposed, as it were).
Although Katerina had warned me, I was still shocked to find Nina drinking appletinis with a girlfriend in the middle of the day, while their little boys were playing in the pool! Nina Harte was so surprised to see me that, unbelievably, she asked me if I'd like a drink, too! Of course, I declined. I couldn't get close enough to detect any alcohol on her breath, although I could only imagine it was there. By the look on the other woman's face, I guess my disapproval was pretty obviousâ¦at least, to someone who was sober!
Still, I was determined to keep an open mind throughout the evaluation. Granted, this Nina person was very polite, and certainly very sweet throughout the interview, and I must admit, that little boy seemed so happy there with her, hugging and kissing her, and patting her hand constantlyâ¦
But then again, as Kat so eloquently put it, “Things aren't always as they seem⦔
In any event, the meeting has reinforced my decision to keep
my promise to Kat. I won't recommend unsupervised custody for Nina Harte. I'm justified in this decision because the facts bear this out: She is, after all, homeless. A second strike against her is her obvious drinking habit. And of course, strike three is her “occupation.” All of this certainly takes Nina Harte out of the parenting game!
On a good note: That sweet Kat and Nat gave me their autographs! If only she'd won that Oscar! Wouldn't that have been something?!? Well, there's always next yearâ¦
“If I didn't know better, I'd think you're avoiding me.”
Sam's mumbled accusation was something that Nina couldn't deny. But she didn't have the heartâor perhaps the gutsâto tell him why:
She didn't know if she could trust him.
They were sitting together in the conference room of Lavinia Hannigan's law firm, where the attorney had been grilling Nina with the kind of questions she knew Howard Cross would be throwing Nina's way. While Nina and Sam had talked on the phone two or three times a day since that night in his beach house, they'd both agreed that it was best not to see each other publicly until the custody hearing was over.
Well, the custody hearing was tomorrow. After that, Nina knew she'd have to level with him about her distrust. She also planned on asking him to level with her about his role in the breakup of her marriage.
To buy some time until then, Nina put her finger to her lips to indicate that she was too caught up with the task at hand to answer him. He raised an eyebrow in consternation. Still, he
took the cueâfor now. But she knew he'd expect an answer as soon as the mock deposition was over.
Nina sighed. She hoped she'd be able to dodge his pointed questions as adeptly as she had been evading Lavinia's. Then again, the accusations Lavinia was tossing her way were ones she could answer in her sleep: