Page 58 of Release
“So when are you heading back to work?” Maxwell asked.
“Next week. I won’t be going back to firefighting, but I’ll still be with the same fire department.”
“How come?” he asked, concerned.
“The knee’s better, but it won’t stand up to the rigors of fighting fires anymore. At least not right now. The doctor won’t clear me, and my boss won’t take the risk. I guess I don’t blame either of them. In any case, I’ll be in a desk job with some field work involved, and it’s a promotion too, so I’m not complaining. I was worried they wouldn’t have me back at all.”
“Well that’s good news, Sebastian. I’m happy it all worked out. I’m sure rushing into my place to help me and Alexandra out of the house when that fire broke out didn’t help, did it?”
Sebastian shrugged his shoulder. “There’s no way to tell, and I’d do it all over again if it came down to it, so don’t feel bad.”
“We appreciate it, that’s for sure.” Maxwell took a bite of his omelet and turned back to his newspaper for a moment. “Do you read this crap?” He gruffly rattled the paper again for effect before rolling it up and setting it aside, seeming annoyed.
“The newspaper?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Well, yes, occasionally. What were you reading about?”
“I’m addicted to the news—the news channel, newspapers, news radio, online news, the whole lot of it. It’s a terrible vice, but I suppose someone has to contribute to the ratings. I should draw the line at the entertainment section, though. I haven’t learned my lesson there yet. I just read a piece on my daughter. Damned unsettling to have a celebrity as your offspring.”
“I can only imagine.”
“It takes everything in me to bite my tongue sometimes at the crap they print. Back when I was sick, it was the bull about her vacationing out of country and neglecting me. Did you see any of that?” He continued on without giving Bash a chance to respond. “Now this.” He tapped his finger heavily on the paper. “Take the article I just read, for instance. Everyone’s buzzing with excitement over her getting back together with that country singing bozo, Wilfred what’s-his-name. I happen to know she has her heart set on someone else.”
If Maxwell didn’t have Bash’s attention before, he had it now. Full on. “Is that so?”
“Absolutely.” Maxwell looked over at him and grinned. “You.” Bash faced forward and took a gulp of coffee as the older man continued. “Don’t look so detached, son. I know they keep going on about Wilkes, but she has her eye on you. She’s a clever little thing, but sometimes she’s terrible at leaving things behind. Like that flashy country boy. I’m just glad she canned his sorry ass after he pulled this last stunt.” He turned in the swivel barstool and stared at Bash, studying him. “You can’t tell me you didn’t know about the lengths that boy would go to make it in the music world? Wait.” He raised the rolled up newspaper in his arm. “You believe this stuff?”
“Ummm…we haven’t talked about what she may or may not have done at her front door with Wilkes.” Bash nodded at the waitress who brought over his omelet. He was not prepared to have this conversation with Alexandra’s father. How much could he know about the situation?
“You do believe it.” Maxwell shook his head.
Shrugging, Bash replied. “I just want her to be happy. If they’re together, I wish them the best.” He was lying. He didn’t want her to be happy with Wilkes.
“Listen to me. They are not together. This business about her being back in a relationship doesn’t read like my child at all. She just fired him. It has to be a publicity stunt created in Wilkes’ camp. He stands to gain the most, because trust me, Alexandra does not need him.”
Bash took another bite of the omelet. It smelled and tasted amazing, but only this conversation registered fully with him.
A publicity stunt. Suddenly several things occurred to him. He had heard what sounded like a very emotional Alexandra over the phone last night when Kennedy accidentally dialed her number. She sounded as though she had been crying, although Bash had no way of telling what about. Now her own father had just made it clear the stories were false, or a publicity stunt.
“Excuse me,” Maxwell murmured apologies as he shifted in his chair to reach into his pocket. “This darned phone. Um, if you’ll forgive me, I should take this.”
Bash nodded and looked down at his plate, suddenly aware that he should have at least let her explain, and he should not have cancelled his weekend trip to Los Angeles to see her.
Maybe there’s still time to reschedule it.
He looked over at Maxwell and saw the color drain from the old man’s face. “What?” Maxwell shouted into the phone and jumped out of his barstool. “Which hospital?” This sounded serious. “I’ll be right there.” Maxwell reached into his wallet and dug out some bills. “Sorry to cut this short, but we have to go now, Sebastian.”
Sebastian stood up and found his wallet to pay. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Alexandra. She and Eva were in a car accident this morning.”
“What? Where?”
“Just about forty-five minutes outside of town.”
“But I just spoke to her last night. She didn’t say anything about being out here.”
“We can get the details at the hospital.”
Maxwell hurried out of the diner, followed by Sebastian, who told him, “I’ll drive.”
