Page 61 of Just Beachy

“I won’t be long,” Grand says to Luke and me. “When I get home, I’ll warm up some chicken noodle soup for Sydney and prepare us a light dinner.”

• • •

Back at Grand’s,Luke gives me Tylenol for my pounding headache and aching body, helps me take a bath, cleans my cuts, and dresses my wounds. Then he zips me into my fuzziest robe, settles me on the couch, and tucks an afghan around me.

I doze for a while, opening my eyes only when Grand gets back. Minutes later, Luke helps me to the table, whereI sip soup and they eat salad and a casserole that Grand whips together.

As the meal comes to an end, Grand looks at both of us and says, “I am beyond relieved and grateful that Sydney’s okay and I agree completely that this evening Sydney should have peace and quiet. I know you were as upset as I was, Luke. But I don’t think you needed to be quite so rude to Brian.”

There’s a brief silence before Luke speaks. “So you don’t see anything odd in the fact that a break-in occurred when you were spending the night at Brian’s place and your home was vandalized while he was unavailable taking care of family business? Or that today when he showed up, someone tried to kidnap Sydney?”

“Certainly you can’t be suggesting that Brian’s behind what’s been happening,” Grand replies.

“I can and I am. There’s something about him that just doesn’t add up.”

Twenty-Nine

It takes Grand and mea few days to calm down after the kidnap attempt. Once we’re no longer jumping at every sound or stranger who walks by, my anger at Martin for not telling me he’d already negotiated a contract with Lift that would require me to not only bare my breasts but have them altered, before I showed up for what I thought was an audition, comes roaring back. Unfortunately, despite that anger, it still takes a lot of self-talk to actually pick up the phone and make the call.

I’m kind of hoping Elise won’t pick up so that I can put off the task of firing the agent I was so relieved to land, for another day. Like tomorrow. Or the day after that or…

“Hello?” Elise’s voice is professional but more than a touch impatient. I may only have seconds before she ends the call.

“Oh.” I clear my throat. Swallow. And command myself not to mumble or ramble.

“Sydney?”

I can almost hear her deciding to disconnect. “Yes. Hi. Sorry.” I swallow again and square my shoulders. “I need to speak to Martin.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. He just stepped—”

“No,” I say hurriedly before she can end the call. “You arenotgoing to blow me off. Or promise me a return call that will never come. I need to talk to him right this minute. Wherever he is…whatever he’s doing…I—”

There’s a click and then, “Sydney, baby.” Martin sounds exactly like himself. Calm, collected, and not the least bit worried about anything. There’s not the smallest hint of guilt in his voice.

“Don’t you dare call me ‘baby.’ ”

“I’ve always called you ‘Sydney, baby,’ ” he says as if this is just any conversation.

“And I’ve always hated it.” I also hate that I sound like a petulant child. But I amnothis baby or anyone else’s.

“Sydney, bab—” He stops himself just in time. “We’ve been together for a long time. I’ve helped make you who you…are.”

There’s a silence as he remembers that the current state of my career is not something to brag about. His tone becomes conciliatory. It reeks with understanding. “I realize that things have been a bit tough for you lately.”

This, of course, is the understatement of all time.

“Tough? Try impossible. And you didn’t do a damnthing to stop them from replacing me with that…that…” I simply don’t have the words and I refuse to callhernames. “This is on you and there’s no point denying it. And breast augmentation?Requiredbreast augmentation? Good God, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking you needed work.”

“Bullshit. You sold me out without a thought. Sure, why shouldn’t Sydney bare her breasts, be required to have a boob job, and then have to bare those, too?”

“Darling, I’ve never known you to be squeamish about—”

“Squeamish? What about humiliated that you even thought that was the best role I could land. If you can even call that a ‘role.’ ”

“But, Sydney, ba—”

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