Take Two Part 18

He hesitated in disbelief. "I have more meetings, Kel. What do you want me to do, race home and then turn around and come back here?"

"Whatever." She didn't sound like she had the strength to fight him. "We'll be here until Sunday morning."

"I'll come straight there as soon as I'm in town."

"Okay." She didn't sound intentionally mean, just indifferent.

He settled into the white wrought iron chair. "Kelly, what's with you?"

"What's with you? Your daughter's had a terrible accident and you can't take my call? Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. It's just ... we were almost finished working out the details of an actual theatrical release with The Last Letter, and I didn't want to miss anything."

She took a long breath. "Look, I don't want to fight. We'll talk when you get here tomorrow."

She left him no room for further conversation. He felt his shoulders sink a few inches and he slumped over his knees, trying to focus. "If you talk to her before the surgery, will you tell her I'm praying for her?"

"Of course." She was terse and businesslike, as if she couldn't wait to get off the phone and tend to more important matters.

"I love you." He covered his free ear with his hand so he could hear the nuances of her voice, her mood. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay. We're used to it." She paused, maybe regretting her sarcasm. "See you tomorrow."

The phone went dead before Chase could question her again about her mood. Only then did he realize that she hadn't asked about the theatrical deal. It was what they'd been praying for with The Last Letter, and now they had it. But Kelly hadn't even noted it. He clicked his phone off and slid it back in the pocket of his jacket. Then hung his head for a full minute trying to figure out his wife. When he'd been home lately, he'd tried not to look too deeply at the way Kelly was treating him. She probably wasn't happy with him. At least that's what he had come to believe. But at least she made an effort when he was home.

But now ... now there was no question she was angry. It had come through loud and clear over the phone lines. Angry at what? That's what he wanted to know. Angry because he and Keith were following the dream G.o.d had placed in their hearts? Upset because he was gone so often? He clenched his teeth and pulled himself into a straight position again. Didn't she know this was the hardest part? One day soon they could move to LA and this phase would be something from the past. But they couldn't blame each other along the way.

He remembered the time during the filming last fall when she'd come to the set and spent a couple nights with him. She believed in him back then, but since Thanksgiving things had changed with her. Was it depression? Had she allowed herself to get so out of control that she couldn't feel anything but misery?

He was about to pray for her, to beg G.o.d to mend things between them so that tomorrow he could hold her hands and help her know how he felt about her, that he would do anything to help her. But the sound of the cafe door stopped him before he had the chance. "Chase?" It was Kendall.

He sighed and put on the familiar mask, the one that he wore around their new partner so she wouldn't think for a minute that Chase's home life was anything but ideal. He flashed her a concerned smile. "Hey, sorry. It took forever to reach her."

"How's Molly?" Kendall had come outside by herself. Keith was still inside the restaurant.

"She needs surgery for sure. I guess Macy jumped in front of her. Molly didn't want to hit her with the bicycle, so she took the fall instead."

"Ahh, sweet girl." Kendall took the seat next to Chase. "Anything we can do?"

"Pray." It was what he and Kelly should've done. "I guess the operation's pretty straightforward. They've called in a specialist, but still ... It's scary stuff."

"Definitely. Plus she doesn't have the best daddy in the world there to help her through it."

Chase tried not to register the compliment. He and Kendall had only been working closely together for three months or so, and already a pattern was starting to develop. With Kelly, he could do nothing right, and with Kendall ... With Kendall he could do no wrong. He stared at the ground near his feet. "If I were that great, I guess I'd be there."

"Hey." Her voice was soft, a caress whether she intended it to be or not. "Don't beat yourself up. The reason you're here is because you care about your family's future. Not just your financial future and the welfare of your wife and girls." She waited until he looked up. "You care about the next generation of kids. That's why you want to make these movies, remember? So in the big picture, you're the best dad of all."

He looked away because he didn't want to linger on Kendall Adams' eyes. She was good and right and true, and her intentions were entirely pure - same as his. But even so, looking into her eyes was like looking into her soul. Too much of that and he'd be on dangerous ground in no time. He knew at least that much.

His mind found its way back to the studio meeting. "What's the consensus?"

"About the meeting?" She grinned and a giddy laugh sounded in her throat. "It was perfect, great that we had Luke Baxter tapped in from Indiana. His input was incredible. I mean, the studio execs offer you a theatrical deal and even agree to split the P&A budget? In this market, that's like hitting the lottery."

"I sort of figured." Chase smiled and wished he could've told Kelly the good news. Maybe it would've helped her mood a little. He gazed up at the Los Angeles sky, already hazy at the end of April. "What about Brandon?"

"Keith thinks today's meeting was good for that too. If NTM steps out of line, Brandon won't sign another deal with them. Worst-case scenario, Brandon finishes his contract with NTM - does the final film, something the studio comes up with. Then we move on and take Unlocked to the executives we met today. They'd pay Brandon more, and they'd understand the faith element. The studio's leading the way in that area right now, and no one's close."

Chase sort of liked the idea. "Maybe we should aim for that, since NTM's dragging its feet."

"We could." Kendall nodded thoughtfully. "My dad would be supportive no matter where Unlocked winds up."

Keith joined them then, carrying a bag of to-go salads. "We can eat back at the hotel room. I have to talk to Andi, and it could take a while." He didn't sit down. "Everything okay with Molly?"

"We'll know more later tonight. Her surgery's in about an hour."

"Ugh." Keith groaned and hung his head for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, man. That's terrible."

"It could've been worse." Kendall stood and reached her hand out to Chase.

Without thinking, he took it and allowed her to help him to his feet. The exchange didn't seem to draw any strange looks from Keith, and Chase told himself it was nothing out of the ordinary. A friend helping another friend up at a time when weariness ruled the moment.

They walked to Kendall's car, and Chase took the front pa.s.senger seat. The three of them talked about The Last Letter all the way back to the Georgian Hotel. "You know," Kendall said as she pulled up. "You guys could stay with my dad. He lives down the street from me, and he has half a dozen guestrooms. You'd be closer to the studios."

Chase had wondered that for some time, how they might approach such an idea without seeming presumptuous. Never mind the good rate they were getting, they were still spending a fortune on hotel bills.

From the back, Keith patted Kendall on her shoulder. "Tell your dad yes. We'd love that." He thanked her and stepped out of the car. When he saw that Chase wasn't making the same hurried move, he waved. "See you inside."

Chase nodded. He wasn't sure why he wasn't jumping out of the car too. It was a valet area, and in a minute or so one of the uniformed parking attendants would hurry Kendall on her way. But Chase wanted to thank her first. "About earlier, what you said. How I'm a good dad for trying to get these films done." He opened the car door and set one foot on the ground. For the slightest moment he allowed his eyes to look into hers. "Thanks for that. I needed to hear it."

"I know." She put her hand on his knee, but only briefly. "It can't be easy, being gone so much. I'm sure your wife misses you like crazy."

"She does." His answer was quick, the only answer he could give. "Anyway..." He couldn't look away. "Just wanted to thank you."

She smiled. "It's the truth. Oh, and I'll be praying for Molly this afternoon. Let me know how it goes."

"I will." He hesitated one last time before stepping out of her car. "You'll meet us here for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Of course. We have the meeting with Brandon's agent, and then lunch with Brandon. Lots to talk about now that we have a theatrical deal. Everyone in Brandon's camp should feel a lot better about you and Keith producing Unlocked."

"Good." His smile was the easiest thing that had happened that day. "I'll see you then."

The moment seemed to call for a hug - especially since she had lifted his spirits when he was at such a low point earlier that day. But with the two of them in the car, a hug would be awkward. Besides, hugging hadn't really been part of their working relations.h.i.+p. Instead he waved once more and thanked her for the ride, then stepped out and headed up the front steps of the Georgian and into the open-air lobby. He needed to find a quiet place where he could pray about Molly. Not just Molly, but Kelly and whatever struggles she faced. But for now, he was glad that at least one part of his life was going right.

And that G.o.d had been kind enough to pair them up with a young woman as wonderful as Kendall Adams.

KENDALL DROVE DOWN OCEAN AVENUE WITH one thought on her mind: the safety and complete healing of little Molly Ryan. She opened her car windows and breathed in the ocean breeze. The farther north she went, the less traffic, and the more easily she could concentrate on her prayer.

She begged G.o.d for wisdom on the part of the surgeon, and for complete healing for the child's arm. Beyond that she prayed for Chase's home life. Not because he'd mentioned that anything was wrong, but because she sensed trouble. Maybe he was just tense about not being home when he was needed. Whatever it was, she prayed, and when she was finished she thanked G.o.d for the answers that were certainly coming.

Before she reached the turnoff for her home, she added one last plea to G.o.d. She'd loved and lost once a long time ago, and since then no one had come along. No one with faith in Christ or the integrity she needed in a relations.h.i.+p centered in Hollywood. That was okay, she had told herself a thousand times. She could be single and alone and still serve G.o.d by helping make movies with a message.

But spending time with Chase had increased her longing for a guy, for a man she might marry and share her life with. Before connecting with Chase and Keith, she'd wondered if there were any men left who would meet her high standards. If not, then she would stick by her determination. She'd rather be single. But since meeting the young producers - especially Chase - she knew differently. There were good guys out there, and she finished her prayer asking G.o.d to send one her way. One who was handsome and kind, humble and loyal, a guy who loved his family more than life and who would be guided each day by his faith in G.o.d. "Please, Lord ... send me a guy like that."

She rested her head against the seat back and smiled at the late-afternoon suns.h.i.+ne. Somewhere out there her guy existed, a guy who wasn't already married. She concentrated on the road ahead and felt no shame in the way she'd prayed. G.o.d understood what she meant. She wasn't attracted to Chase, though she still wanted to be careful around him. His wedding ring almost always stopped her from feeling an attraction toward him. But it didn't stop her from praying that the guy she married wouldn't be some Hollywood phony, some high-ranking executive with money and power and prestige. She wasn't looking for that in a man, not anymore.

She was looking for a guy like Chase Ryan.

Twenty-One.

BAILEY WALKED INTO THE CRU MEETING and wondered if she'd see Cody. Tim wasn't with her tonight. They'd been home from New York less than a week, and since they'd missed a day of cla.s.ses, Tim didn't want to fall behind on homework. Andi hadn't come either. She was hanging out with Taz again.

Bailey was about to head down the aisle to her place near the front when she spotted Cody sitting by himself in a seat near the back row. He smiled at her with his usual enthusiasm and motioned for her. Bailey felt her heart leap. His text while she was in New York had said they should hang out some time. Now at least maybe they could talk about it.

She walked down the empty row of seats and took the one beside him. "Hey."

"Hey." He stood and hesitated. Then, as if he didn't want things to be awkward between them, he gave her a quick hug. "Where's Tim?"

"Studying."

They sat down next to each other, and the sound of his voice felt wonderful beside her. "What about you?"

"I'm caught up. I didn't do the spring play, so I guess I had more time."

They had five minutes before Cru began. Cody s.h.i.+fted so he could see her better. In the process, his knee brushed against hers. Bailey didn't s.h.i.+ft away from him.

"I stopped by your parents' house a few times."

Once a week, Bailey wanted to say, because her family shared with her each time Cody came by. But she stopped herself. Her brothers loved seeing Cody, and her dad said he'd been talking to him about coaching. She felt her smile light her eyes, the way it so easily did when she was with him. "They love when you come over. You're part of the family."

"I feel that way."

Cody seemed uncomfortable with silence between them, so he told her about his mom, how she was doing better and staying sober. "I take her to church every weekend, and each time she's getting a little closer to G.o.d. It's amazing." He chuckled. "For the first time in my life I have a mom, only now it's more like the tables are turned and I'm the one taking care of her."

Bailey could picture that. Cody had walked away from alcohol and escaped a prisoner-of-war situation in Iraq. Back in the U.S., he'd learned how to walk on a prosthetic leg without any limp whatsoever. He even competed in local triathlons. Of course he could take care of his mother. He could take care of anyone.

"So you wanna coach? That's what my dad said." She looked at him, let herself get lost in his eyes. Not because she wanted to have feelings for him again, but because she missed the connection between them. Missed it more than she realized.

"Yeah, I think I'm made for it. I want to help kids and teach them football. It's an important time in a kid's life. Without your dad, I would've drunk myself to death by now. So that's my new goal. Be a guy like your dad for some kid like me. For a hundred kids like me."

The picture warmed Bailey's heart. "You'll be wonderful at it."

"I hope so. It means an extra year of schooling to get my teaching credential, but I don't mind. I'm taking a few summer cla.s.ses, so I might finish early, anyway."

She nodded, and without meaning to she thought about Tim. The trip had changed something in Bailey. She still wanted to perform on Broadway, but the city had lost some of its glamour. Even if she won a starring role, she couldn't picture herself living in Manhattan for long. But Tim ... Tim could hardly wait to pack his bags and find an apartment.

Her mother's voice came to mind, something she'd said the afternoon of Bailey's eighth-grade graduation. All the other girls had boys who liked them, but Bailey had only friends. She had wondered if maybe something was wrong with her, since none of the boys had wanted to go out with her.

"You're too mature for them," her mom had told her. "They think you're pretty, but they don't dare say so. Because they know none of them is what you'll be looking for someday."

"What'll I be looking for when I'm ready?"

Her mother had smiled, a knowing look warming her eyes. "For someone like your daddy."

Bailey had never forgotten that conversation, and along the way she could look back and realize why guys she'd had crushes on in high school had never worked out, and why a guy like Bryan Smythe from CKT would never have been a match for her. Those guys were nothing like her dad. But then, more often lately, neither was Tim.

"What're you thinking about?" Cody nudged his knee against hers.

"Nothing." She didn't dare say. Especially not in the wake of their discussion about Cody's coaching dreams.

The Cru leader, Daniel, took his spot at the front of the cla.s.sroom. He started by reading from Psalm 139 about how G.o.d had known them since before they were born, and how He'd knit them together inside their mothers' bodies, and how His plans for them had been destined since before the beginning of time.

When he finished taking questions about the Scripture pa.s.sage, he moved onto the year-end events. First, they were planning a retreat on the far side of Lake Monroe. A church camp had been there for decades. A cl.u.s.ter of cabins and a mess hall, located in a place secluded from the rest of the lake. Perfect for time away, time to reflect.

The weekend sounded perfect to Bailey. She listened intently as Daniel continued.

"We'll be there the third weekend in May. There are no cla.s.ses that Friday, so we'll have three days." He held up an orange flyer. "The details are here."

Finally he told them about a mission trip to Costa Rica set for August. Cody leaned close to her. "I think I'm going. What about you?"

Bailey wanted to go in the worst way, but she needed to talk to Tim. The two of them were planning a weekend trip to New York in June so they could audition for the opening ensemble roles. If they won parts, then the mission trip would have to wait. "I don't know," she whispered. "Maybe."

"What about the lake retreat?"

"Definitely."

After signing up for the May weekend and after Bailey connected with the girls in her Bible study, she and Cody walked out into the night. The week had been the warmest since winter, and now, after nine o'clock, the air still felt fairly warm.

They walked slowly, side by side, until they came to the place where a couple of main paths intersected. "Can I walk you back to the dorm?"

As much as Bailey worried about her heart, she was glad for his offer. She didn't want to walk alone, but even more she didn't want to say good night yet. Cody kept his pace slow and easy, and Bailey fell into his rhythm.

"Okay ..." Cody's voice rang with subtle teasing. "Is this my lucky day?"

"Your what?" She smiled at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because here we are hanging out, and I keep thinking if get lucky - I mean, really lucky - maybe you'll tell me why you pulled so far away. I mean, I apologized for my stupidity in staying away from you last fall, right?"

She stifled a giggle. "Okay. Right."

He made a funny face. "So maybe you think I have bubonic plague? Or maybe you're so blinded with love for Tim you forgot I'm alive." His eyes lit up and he pointed at her. "Or you fell and hit your head and now you have amnesia and you can't remember where you know me from." He shrugged. "Or if you know me."

She laughed again. "Cody ..." They were walking more slowly now, and once in awhile Bailey felt his arm brush against hers. She had missed this so much, this camaraderie with Cody. "You're crazy." She grinned at him. "I don't think you have the plague."