Betrayal

Chapter 18

BEFORE JIM LEFT for Alaska, he brought both his boys to the house to meet Tallie and Max. He wanted Tallie to meet them, and she was impressed by how mature and polite they were. It was easy to see how devoted the three of them were to each other, and how close. They were a lovely family, and both were handsome boys. And Josh seemed older than his nineteen years. Max had finished summer school, and Tallie was amused to see that she looked bowled over by Josh’s good looks. He was a great-looking kid.

The two young people talked about law school. Josh admitted that he was torn between playing pro football and studying law. And it was clear from the comments he made which choice his father would have preferred. Jim was hoping Josh would choose law. It would bring him more in the end. A career in football was enticing but would be arduous and short-lived. And Jim liked hearing what Max had to say about it. For her, the choice was clear. Her grandfather had convinced her years before, and she was enjoying pre-law at NYU.

Tallie made them all lunch, and they sat in her garden, before Jim and the boys left to do errands. They were leaving for Alaska the next day. And by the time they left Tallie’s house, a budding friendship had been formed between the three kids. Josh told Max he’d call her before he went back to Michigan and she left for NYU. He had even invited her to come to one of his games in the fall. And both parents looked pleased when they said goodbye.

“Have fun in Alaska,” Tallie said to Jim as they left, and Max walked out to the car with the boys. “You’ve got great kids,” Tallie said in an undervoice, and Jim smiled. He liked hearing it, and he thought so too.

“So do you. She’s a lovely girl. And she’s a knockout on top of it. She looks just like you.” She was even taller than her mother, but there was a striking resemblance between the two. The meeting had been a success, and both families were impressed by each other. They were healthy, normal kids, in each case with a single parent who was entirely dedicated to them, and it had paid off.

After they left, Max commented on them to her mother, and she was obviously enthused. “They’re cool, Mom. And Josh is really cute. I like Jim too. And Bobby is really sweet.” She liked the way they obviously got along with each other, and had a relationship of mutual love and respect. “Can we really go to one of his games?” She liked the idea. “I could fly in with friends from school,” she suggested, and Tallie smiled. Josh and Max had definitely hit it off.

“Maybe. Let’s see what’s happening in the fall.” Tallie wanted to start reading scripts after the summer. She was looking for a new project since she had bowed out of the next picture when her relationship with Hunt fell apart, so she was open to new projects and ideas. She knew that the best way to recover from the trauma of the past months would be through her work, and she was anxious to get involved in something again. She had no idea how long it would take her to find the right script, and it might take a long time. She would be ready to start reading scripts soon. Despite everything that had happened, she already missed working since finishing the last film. And she knew there was also something else she had to do. She had to start looking for a new assistant, which was going to be a major adjustment after working with the same person for seventeen years. She didn’t even know where to start, or how she would trust someone again, but she needed the help.

Jim called her twice from Alaska, just to check in, and she was happy to hear from him. She didn’t say anything to Max because she didn’t want to give too much importance to the calls. He was just being friendly, and he was concerned about her, but she didn’t want to read too much into it. But she liked the idea of getting their two families together again. It had gone well when they met, and their children were so important to both of them that it was a major plus. She could easily imagine them becoming friends. She and Jim had a lot in common bringing up their children on their own.

By the time Jim and the boys got back from Alaska, Tallie had called two headhunters and begun the search for a new assistant. She had met several possibilities and didn’t like any of them. They were too forceful, too brash, too meek, or too wrapped up in the Hollywood scene. And she and Max had both been unnerved when one of the women who came for an interview looked strikingly like Brigitte, and even had some of her mannerisms and a similar voice. Max had commented that they must have had the same plastic surgeon, which made Tallie laugh. But she didn’t want another glamour-girl assistant. This time she wanted someone quiet and unassuming, who was down to earth. She didn’t want a debutante, a trust fund baby, an ex-actress, or anyone too showy, or too impressed by Tallie’s success. She wanted an unpretentious workhorse like herself. No bling.

The first interesting candidate showed up the day before Max went back to NYU, and she liked her too. She had studied English literature, and had put herself through school at night at UCLA while working as a nurse’s aide. She was bright, in her early thirties, and more recently had worked as an assistant to a well-known screenwriter for five years. The job had ended when the woman she worked for got married and moved to Europe.

She looked neat and clean, and she came to the interview in a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and high-top Converse sneakers. She was divorced and had no kids, and she was pleasant to Max when they spoke for a few minutes. She had a motherly, nurturing quality to her, which was helpful in that kind of job. At the end of an hour, Tallie suggested she try out in the job the following week. She explained that her situation with her previous assistant had come to a traumatic end, but didn’t go into detail. She suspected that the headhunter had probably filled her in. And Tallie realized that it was not going to be an easy task for someone new to step into Brigitte’s shoes. She had done a great job, and Tallie was used to her. Working with someone new was going to be a big adjustment.

“I like her, Mom,” Max commented after the woman left. They had both noticed that she drove a pickup truck, which Tallie liked too. No Aston Martin or glamorous cars. She was exactly what Tallie had requested, someone smart, capable, and down to earth. Her name was Megan McCarthy, and she had freckles and red hair that she wore in a braid down her back. And she knew a lot about the film industry from her previous job.

“I like her too,” Tallie said quietly. “We’ll see how it goes.” She didn’t want to get too enthused about her yet. And this time Tallie’s bookkeeping was not part of the job. Victor was handling all that for her, and was sending one of his bookkeepers to the house once a week to gather information and pay bills.

And for the rest of the day, after the interview with Megan, Tallie helped Max pack the mountain of things she was taking back to New York. And they went out for dinner at the Ivy that night. It reminded them both of Sam, and Tallie fought back tears as they sat down at the table they’d sat at for lunch with him the last time they’d been there. She missed him terribly, and so did Max. His absence was sorely felt. And Tallie still had to go through his things and empty his house and put it on the market, but she couldn’t face it yet. Amelia was still coming in every day and keeping things clean, although Tallie had suggested she look for a part-time job. She really didn’t need her now more than a few times a week, if that.

When Max went back to NYU, as a sophomore this year, Tallie started reading scripts in earnest, looking for her next project. She finally felt ready to think about it and go back to work. There were several she liked, though none she wanted to develop, but she was enjoying the process of sifting through them. Just doing that, she felt better than she had in months. It was distracting and fulfilling, and part of a healing process for her. Work always was, and had been, her salvation for many years, particularly at tough times.

The week after Max left, Megan came in and started organizing things for Tallie. She was unassuming and bright, and Tallie liked her. The two women were very much alike in some ways, and Tallie had far more in common with her than she had with Brigitte, who had been the exact opposite of Tallie. And after a week’s try-out, they had accomplished so much, and Tallie was so comfortable with her, that she offered Megan the job. They were both pleased, and when she told Max about it on the phone, during one of their lengthy conversations, she approved.

Life was slowly returning to normal, despite the enormous changes that had occurred. Three important people had disappeared from her life, Sam, Hunt, and Brigitte, but new faces were finally appearing, and Megan seemed like a good addition. And Tallie’s conversations with Max had become even more fun than previously. Max had taught her to iChat before she left, and they could see each other on their computer screens while they talked. It was fun for both of them and made Tallie feel that Max was right there since she could see her. Max teased her mother that she was becoming high tech.

When Tallie wasn’t reading scripts, she and Megan began sorting through Sam’s house together, and Megan proved to be a hard worker as they packed up his belongings, which was emotional for Tallie. Megan was gentle and sensitive about it, and knew when to leave her alone, and do other things, when Tallie came across items that upset or touched her, some of them things that related to her mother.

Tallie’s goal was to get Sam’s house emptied by the end of the year, and have it painted before she put it on the market. She didn’t want to rush and just tear the place apart, and it was sad putting away all the objects, papers, books, and mementos that had meant a great deal to her father, or reminded her of him. He had left everything he had in trust to Max, including the house. He didn’t have a lot, but it would be a nice nest egg for her one day, particularly once they sold the house. The money would be useful for her once she finished law school, which was several years down the line. And Sam had taken advantage of a generation-skipping tax by leaving it all to Max, and he knew Tallie didn’t need the money.

Tallie and Megan were making good progress on it, and Megan was helpful and respectful, as Tallie slowly got used to her. She was very different from Brigitte, which seemed like a good thing. She had none of her predecessor’s glamour and style, she had no interest in being in the limelight. She just wanted to do her job and help wherever she could, and she was resourceful and willing to work long hours.

Tallie heard from Jim occasionally, although she hadn’t seen him since before his trip to Alaska with his boys. He called to check in but didn’t have anything new to report about the cases. All the trial dates were still so far out that nothing had moved into high gear yet, and wouldn’t for some time. Evidence was still being gathered on the criminal side, and Brigitte was in jail, awaiting trial. Jim had heard from someone in the probation department that she had no remorse whatsoever over what she’d done, not even about killing Hunt. She felt he had betrayed her so she’d been justified in what she did, and she seemed to feel entitled to what Tallie had, and had commented that she made better use of it than she did. And Jim told Tallie none of it surprised him. He said it was typical of the breed.

Tallie had always thought that she would hear from her at some point, apologizing for what she’d done, stealing from her and sleeping with Hunt, but she heard nothing, not a line, not a card, not a word. It was as though they had never known each other and Tallie was a stranger to her. Jim said she fit the classic portrait of a sociopath, with no remorse, no empathy, and no conscience. It was still hard for Tallie to believe or understand. But at least the shock of the multiple betrayals she’d experienced was beginning to fade, and Tallie felt more at peace. And she was enjoying working with Megan, who was a hard worker but had a nice sense of humor too. And sometimes after long hours of work, they had a good laugh, which did Tallie good. Things were lightening up a bit for her at last.

In November, Tallie found a script that she liked, it was an unusual piece by a young screenwriter, and she was excited about it. She wanted to produce and direct it alone, and she began pulling together the project, and contacting investors. The ones she called had been excited to hear from her, and it was exhilarating to reach out in her industry again. She stayed busy making notes and calls until Max came home for Thanksgiving, and then she stopped working for a few days to focus on Max while she was there. And as always they had a good time together.

“So what’s happening with you and Jim?” Max asked her the first night she was home, and Tallie laughed.

“Nothing, why? He calls in to report about the case from time to time, but there’s nothing much going on with that right now.”

“Josh called me a couple of times from Michigan. He says his dad likes you,” Max said shyly.

“I like him too, but we’ve got bigger stuff to do right now. That’s nice that Josh called.” Tallie smiled at her.

“Yeah. He’s going to try and come to New York after football season to check out NYU law school.” He had invited her to a game too, but she hadn’t had time to go, and he had promised to call her over the Thanksgiving weekend. Max really liked him, but for the moment they were just friends. They had agreed that long-distance relationships were too hard to manage. And Jim called Tallie the next day to check in and wish them a happy Thanksgiving. They were going to relatives of his wife’s. She had a sister in Pasadena, with kids the same age as his, so they often spent holidays with them.

“What are you and Max doing?” he inquired.

“It’ll be a little quiet for us this year. We usually spend Thanksgiving with my dad, and this year will be very different without him.” And for the past four years, Hunt had cooked the meal. This year she and Max were going to fend for themselves and spend it with each other. And Max wanted to see friends while she was home.

“I know how hard that can be,” Jim said sympathetically. “Maybe we can get the kids together for a meal before they go back to school, although Josh usually stays pretty busy with his pals when he’s home.”

“So does Max,” Tallie said as her daughter walked into the room and inquired who it was. Tallie mouthed that it was Jim, and Max looked instantly enthusiastic and started coaching her that they should see them. Tallie grinned as she got the message. “What about this weekend?” she suggested. “Lunch or dinner on Saturday?”

“Let me ask the kids and get back to you. Sounds good to me.” He sounded pleased and called her back half an hour later. Both boys had liked the idea, and had suggested they go bowling together and have pizza there. Tallie ran it by Max, and she loved the idea. Tallie sensed a romance brewing, or a mutual interest at any rate, between Max and Jim’s oldest son. Tallie thought it was cute, and so did he. He wished Tallie a happy Thanksgiving again then, and they agreed to meet at the bowling alley on Saturday at seven. Max seemed pleased when Tallie told her. And Jim had said Bobby was bringing a friend too, a boy from his school. It sounded like a fun evening.

Thanksgiving turned out to be predictably hard for Max and Tallie. It was inevitable, it was bound to be a tough holiday for them without Sam and Hunt. They made the best of it, and Tallie and Max went to a movie together after dinner, and to bed early that night.

On Friday, Max went out with some of her girlfriends who were home for the holiday, and to a party with them that night, and on Saturday, Max and Tallie went shopping for some things Max needed, and at seven they met the Kingstons at the bowling alley, as planned. Tallie could see immediately that Josh’s interest in Max was more than just causal. He was even taller than she was, they shared many of the same interests, and they were adorable with each other. And Bobby and his friend were sweet. They all had a great time and stayed at the bowling alley until ten-thirty, and Josh and Max looked reluctant to leave. Bobby teased his brother about it, and Jim and Tallie acted like they didn’t notice, and chatted casually as they finally left and stood talking in the parking lot for a few minutes. The two families had had a great time together.

“Thanks, Jim,” Tallie said easily. He had noticed all evening that she looked happier and more relaxed than the last time he’d seen her three months before. But that had been shortly after her father’s passing, and everything else she’d been through. She looked like she had recovered some of her poise and good humor in the meantime, and he was glad to see it.

“We’ll have to go skating when the kids come home for Christmas,” Jim suggested, and his boys were quick to second the invitation. “They set up a nice ice rink near where we live, for the holidays. I’m a little rusty, but we always enjoy it.”

“I haven’t skated in years,” Tallie confessed with a grin.

“Are you working on a new movie at the moment?” he asked her with interest.

“I’m starting to. I’m just doing the groundwork now. I finally found a script I like. And The Sand Man is coming out in a few weeks.”

“I’ll have to go see it,” he said easily, and she nodded. Max was coming home just in time for the premiere, which was going to be a big deal, since it was the last film Hunter Lloyd had produced. Insiders were predicting a number of Oscar nominations. It was going to be a major film, and hopefully another box-office hit. As always, Tallie was modest about it and changed the subject. The six of them said goodbye to each other, and a few minutes later they drove home.

“He’s cute, isn’t he, Mom?” Max said with a look of mischief in her eye, and Tallie grinned. She could see how taken with Josh her daughter was, even without the comment.

“Josh? Yes he is, he’s a very nice, handsome boy.”

Max started laughing as soon as Tallie said it. “I meant his dad.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Tallie said, and rolled her eyes. “Yes, he’s cute too. He makes a very nice friend.” Max said nothing, and smiled as she looked out the window as Tallie drove them home.