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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
What to do next?The dilemma circled Roberta’s mind until she was dizzy. Now that her dogs’ health had been assessed and affirmed with a trip to the local vet, she debated what action she should take.Should I drive over to the police station, notify them of the ransom incident, and inform them of the money exchanged and the warehouse where I found the dogs? Or should I not?
A huge part of her wanted the dognapper to be apprehended and punished for endangering the animals, knocking her out, and locking her up. And if they hadn’t spent it, she might get her savings back. Contacting the police would lead to questions, though. Like trying to explain her and Taylor’s relationship, for starters.Which was, what?Roberta grimaced as her mind continued the scenario. She would have to tell them the ransom call came from Taylor’s cell phone.
Was Taylor involved? The call did come from his cell phone.
No, she could not believe Taylor had anything to do with it. He was with her in Branfield when the call came from Sara. It couldn’t have been for the money. Ten thousand dollars was a paltry sum compared to the millions he received for each movie. Plus, he had his contract clause about negative press, and this would indeed be reported on the news circuits. Taylor’s name would be dragged into the fray. It was unimaginable what the paparazzi would do with this tidbit of information.
Roberta let out a deep sigh and loosened her death grip on the steering wheel. And causing havoc for Taylor would not be a good thing. The only way to keep him out of it was not to report it. He trusted her to keep their relationship quiet. So quiet, even Laurel Lynn wasn’t aware they continued to see each other. Despite the fact he stole several manuscripts, she needed to uphold that trust and any admiration he felt for her. It was a matter of honor.
Again, Roberta refocused her mind on her driving, but her mind skittered away, contemplating her next problem. She had to buy a new phone since her own was stolen by the dognapper. But she didn’t want to leave the dogs alone at the house. They would have to come into the store while she picked out a new cell phone.
Approaching the roadblock area, Roberta eased up on the gas pedal as she passed through the throngs of fans and rolled down the window. The sound of wailing suspended her breath.
The fans were crying. Not with joy or exuberance, but it appeared, with sorrow.Did something terrible happen to Taylor? Had he been in an accident during a chase sequence on set?Gripping the steering wheel hard to stop her hands from trembling, Roberta pulled the car up to the police line and stopped though Officer Keary waved her through.
The now-familiar police officer strode over to her window. “Yes, Miss Kove, what can I do for you?” Despite his words, his focus never left the mob of tweens and teens standing around, many crying on one another’s shoulders.
Roberta hung her head out the window and gestured around them. “What’s happened? Did something happen to Taylor?” As the words left her mouth, the butterflies turned into a wave of nausea, and a cold sweat settled over her body.
A lopsided smile broke out on the officer’s face. “Ah, they’re all heartbroken. They heard on Twitter he’s engaged to be married to his girlfriend.” He shook his head and started to turn away. At the last second, he turned back. “Oh, hey, I see you found your dogs! That’s great,” he said before returning to his former position at the sawhorses and waving her forward.
Roberta sat frozen in her seat, unable to speak as her brain tried to process the news. She couldn’t have heard right. After all he had told her about his ex-girlfriend, why would he get engaged to Melissa? There had to be a mistake.
Roberta’s head slumped forward to rest on the steering wheel. Unless Taylor had been playing her while he was still seeing Melissa in secret. The more this idea grew, the more fixated she became on the possibility Taylor may have met with the gorgeous blonde at any time while on location. He said he had a beautifully appointed trailer to relax and entertain in between shootings. It would make for a comfortable love nest. He could easily have been setting her up in a hotel room instead of sending her home. Those late nights or night shoots might have been hotel room visits instead.
As the possibilities raced through her mind, Roberta’s breath came in short gasps. How she would like to give him a chunk of her mind. Her hands twisted their strangulation hold on the steering wheel.
But then a vision of his beautiful teal eyes crossed her mind dousing her anger in an ice-cold bath of memory. She had been so easy. No better than the teeny boppers around her. Thrown herself at him. Of course, he’d taken up the offer of a mature woman ... a non-jailbait female who had some experience in the sack.
A knock on the hood of her car jolted her back to the present. “You all right?” Officer Keary asked her, a frown and deep wrinkles prominent on his weathered face.
Roberta sat up. “Ah, yeah.” She rolled the window up and pulled her car through the roadblock. She hit the gas and headed for home.
After getting the dogs settled, she raced upstairs to her office and sat in front of her computer to search for the story. It didn’t take long. TMZ mentioned the engagement as breaking news. Actual film coverage showed the “happy couple” displaying a dazzling engagement ring hours before. Blinking back a flood of tears, Roberta slumped over, dropping her head into her hands. A choking cluster of sobs broke from her lips as her lungs heaved. She couldn’t believe Taylor and Melissa were engaged. But the pictures of the smiling couple and that boulder of an engagement ring proved it was true.
Unbridled sobs continued until she was hoarse, and her eyes were swollen and raw from crying. She couldn’t deny it. She loved him. When it had happened or how or why, she didn’t know. Somewhere, somehow, during the summer, he had become the single most important person in her life. And now he was gone.
Her mind whirled, making her dizzy. How could she be so stupid as to think a guy of Taylor Reyd’s caliber would ever really be interested in someone like herself? What was she thinking to even get involved with him physically, not to mention how emotionally strung up she was on him? Fire raced through her body up to her hair roots, enflaming her. How he must have been laughing at her the entire time!
The tears coursed faster down her cheeks as she gripped her hair, entangling her hands in the strands. Goober and Tucker came over to her, each resting their chins on her thighs to comfort her. Roberta stroked their soft heads, fingering the velvety ears as she worked to stifle her sobs. Tucker licked her chin. Overcome with love for her babies, she nestled them close, burying her face in Tucker’s neck, too weary and numb to cry anew.
Roberta told herself she had gotten her way with him. She had used him as much as he had used her. She could write an exposé about her little affair with him. But the idea set off alarm bells in her heart. Truthfully, he had been a sweet guy up until the engagement. Well, except for stealing her manuscript and faxing screenplays to friends. It occurred to her she never got them back. And she never heard any more about them.So much for helping.
And yet, he had watched out for her from the beginning, tried to protect her from the paparazzi, the fans, and the madness his fame brought to anyone in his inner circle. Her wish to hurt him as much as she hurt diminished. It would do no good, and he didn’t deserve it. If what he said once about Melissa was true, he’d get what he deserved in the long run.
Shaking her head to clear it, Roberta got up and paced to the kitchen. What to do? Could she hold out for the five-thousand-dollar contract completion bonus? Could she continue to live next door to Taylor for the remaining twelve days of her work contract? Roberta knew he still had more shooting to do on location. His house rental lasted for another month beyond her own rental arrangements.
“How can I see him come and go with her?” she said to the dogs and Bling, who had followed her into the kitchen. “What if he wants to play with you guys?” The dogs looked at her with expectation in their eyes. Goober licked his chops. Bling meowed. With a sigh, Roberta reached into the cabinet for two dog biscuits and a cat treat and handed them out. They chowed down before settling under the kitchen table.
Leaning back against the cabinets, Roberta watched them, her mind still spinning. “What should I do, guys? I really wanted that bonus so we could stay home longer before I had to take another temp assignment. We'll have to continue working this winter anyway after using my entire savings to pay that ransom. That bonus wouldn’t have kept us all winter.” Perhaps sensing her distress, the dogs stopped and stared back at her. Her mind seesawed over staying for the bonus and continuing to live beside Taylor and Melissa or forgoing the money and leaving early.
Closing her eyes to think, an image of Taylor and Melissa formed in her mind. “Damn the money. I can’t watch this happen.”
Pacing the kitchen, a plan began to form in her mind. Her work contract had a clause allowing her to leave in the case of an emergency. Could she claim an emergency? Would they accept her early termination of the contract if it meant they got to keep their bonus? “It’s worth a try.”
Picking up the house phone, she dialed the laboratory director’s office. Describing a fake emergency at home, she pleaded to be released from the contract immediately, only to be told he would see what he could do.
