Part 24 (1/2)
Angie grinned up at her. ”Yeah. Charlotte's been helping me tighten up my plot.”
”But why is she helping you now? You must have entered this thing months ago, right?”
”Yes, but the judges for the final rounds are editors and agents. In the rare event that I should actually win my category, they may request the full ma.n.u.script. It's not completed yet, but I want to have it as close as possible, just in case.”
Susan put her hand over her heart, almost to prove to herself it was still beating. ”I'm at a complete loss here. I had no idea.”
”Are you mad?” Angie's head was ducked, but she looked at Susan through the top of her eyelashes.
”Well, I'm shocked. And stunned. Floored? Probably. But mad? No, honey, I'm thrilled. Truly, truly thrilled. I just had no idea you were even interested in writing. Why have you never said anything to me about it?”
”You always get mad at me for wasting time when you find me reading a novel not a.s.signed for homework. I a.s.sumed that writing one would be considered even more of a waste of time.”
In that moment, the hammer fell. The reality of things Susan had never acknowledged or even understood before. She had lost all clue of who her daughter was. Her vision blurred, but she blinked hard and fast. She was not going to cry right here, in front of everyone. ”Honey, I am so sorry. I had no idea. I've been so wrapped up in my own plans for your life that I've completely forgotten to listen to you, haven't I?”
Whitney made a dismissive gesture with her hand. ”Don't worry about it, Aunt Susan. We're teenagers. No one ever listens to us.” She tilted her head to the side. ”I think it's a denial thing, because it's embarra.s.sing to grown-ups that we're so much smarter than they are.”
The entire table burst into laughter except for Whitney. She looked around and said, ”What? What did I say?”
After dinner, Gary leaned toward Susan and whispered, ”Can we talk privately for a second?”
”Sure.” They walked to the back part of the room, where no one was sitting at the tables. She turned to him. ”What is it?”
”Well, here's the thing. The *entertainment' ”-he put air quotes around the word-”I had planned for this evening . . .” He looked back toward the table. ”Well, it was to go see this Christian rock band that is performing in town tonight.”
”That sounds great. It's probably the one kind of rock music I can stand, and the kids will love it.”
”Well, when I made these plans I didn't understand the full extent of what has been going on with your family. You see . . . the lead singer is Chris. I don't want to do anything that would seem like I'm taking sides against you.”
”Chris? As in production-a.s.sistant Chris?”
”The very one.”
”He's in a Christian rock band?”
”An up-and-coming Christian rock band. In fact, that's his new job. Rumor is they've just landed a recording contract.”
Susan looked back at Angie. ”She never told me any of this.”
”I'm sure she doesn't know about the contract. He's a very humble person and probably would consider it bragging. And . . . well, she wouldn't have told you anyway. Seems like *rock star' probably isn't an approved career in your mind. Plus, she's a teenager. They don't tell you everything, especially when boys are involved. Trust me, I've been there.”
”How old are your kids?”
”Twenty-seven and twenty-four.”
”Both out of college?”
”Yep. My oldest daughter went to the University of Tennessee; my youngest just got her master's from Vanderbilt.”
”Oh, that's wonderful,” Susan said. ”I hope I can keep it together long enough to get Angie to that point. You must be really proud.”
”Oh, I am. I think she is amazing. You know her, too.”
”I do?”
”Charlotte. The kids' tutor.”
Susan froze. Instantly, she thought of every moment she'd made disparaging comments about Char in front of him over the last few weeks. And how could a small-town Tennessee farmer afford to pay Vanderbilt tuition? He must have sacrificed so much.
She sighed. She had lived too long in the world only as she wanted to see it. ”As of this very moment, I vow to no longer operate on preconceived notions of people. And I think the best place to start is tonight, by going to see Chris's band.”
”Good for you.” He nodded, then started back toward the group.
Susan c.o.c.ked her head. ”How did Angie convince you to set this up?”
”She didn't.” He stopped. ”She doesn't know a thing about it.”
Chapter 38.
Early the next morning, Susan put wood in the stove, wondering if this would be her last time. Good riddance to that. But everything else? So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours that she wasn't sure how she'd feel once the final decision was made. She walked over to the dish drain and picked up the coffeepot, but as she did, the lid slipped off and went clattering across the kitchen floor.
”Knock, knock.”
Susan jumped at the voice. She looked up at Kendra. ”I didn't hear you come in.”
”I'm not surprised, given the racket you were making with the coffeepot.” There was nothing in Kendra's expression that hinted at what kind of news she brought.
Susan had no intention of playing games, so she put the lid on the counter and simply said, ”Well?”
”Why don't you get dressed and come over to the shack. We're going to film our conversation.”
”No.” Susan let the one-word answer find its mark.
Kendra simply looked at her for a long time, as if determined not to speak first. ”You mind telling me why not?”
”Why are you filming the conversation? So you can give it to your lawyers?” She gestured at the walls and ceilings. ”We are being filmed right now, so what's the point of going over there? So you can make one last episode out of it? Like I said, I am no longer a part of this show if you are intent on showing that footage of my conversation with my daughter. I need you to tell me now whether or not we should pack our bags.”
Kendra put her hands on the edge of the counter behind her and leaned back. ”Listen, I want you to save all this pa.s.sion for the on-screen interview, so I don't want to tell you everything now. But I believe that you will be more than happy with our conversation once we get over there. There will be no lawyers involved; I can promise you that. Now, can you get dressed and come over as quickly as possible, please? We want to air this footage as soon as possible. Like three hours ago.”
Had Kendra actually used the word *please'? Susan didn't think she'd ever heard that word from her before. It could be a trick, but what did she have to lose at this point? ”All right. I'll be there as soon as I can.”
”Good.” Kendra turned and walked out.
Susan couldn't help but smile as she hurried up the stairs. Still, she didn't want to get too overly confident, because she still didn't know what the terms might be, and Kendra had proven to be less than reliable. But there was hope, and that was something she was more than grateful for. Even if it meant cooking on a wood stove for the rest of the time.
When she sat down in the chair, the stylist took extra care making certain her hair was just right and her makeup perfect. Instead of taking her usual spot behind the camera, Kendra came to sit on an arm chair that had been newly installed adjacent to the couch. She nodded toward the camera, then turned toward Susan. ”So . . . we've had a bit of a conflict this week, haven't we?”