Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“We were thinking of you and just happened to be in the neighborhood,” Pierce replied awkwardly.
“Together?” Mr. Gowan’s brows met his hairline.
“Yeah.” Pierce opened his hands. “Together.”
Okay, super awkward. I shot a sideways WTF look his way.
“All right. I’m happy to—”
“He wants to know who David is,” I blurted, rubbing my clammy palms on my knees.
Pierce glared, and Mr. G did that thing with his eyebrows again. “Oh.”
I spared Pierce an apologetic look and barreled on. “I’m sorry. If this isn’t a good time, we can—”
“This is perfectly fine.” Mr. G waved dismissively but didn’t continue.
Pierce leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I might be jumping to conclusions, but I get the impression David is my mom’s cousin.”
Mr. G smiled. “That’s true. Which means, we’re related…by marriage.”
Pierce went still, then leaned in. “Marriage? Whose marriage?”
“Mine.”
It was hard to say who was more shocked—Pierce or me. I’d known Mr. Gowan for years.
“I didn’t know you were married,” I said feebly. I wanted to ask why I hadn’t seen photos, but I probably had. He had old pictures of friends I wouldn’t know everywhere in his home.
“Yes. David Richelieu was my husband and your mother’s first cousin, Pierce. I would have told you, but…I was given twenty minutes and the opportunity to take a photo with a star. I happily took the photo, but…David deserves more than twenty minutes. And he deserves an audience who cares. Not a drive-by promotion. I gave you what you wanted—a photo op and a proxy relative. There wasn’t more to say.”
“How long has he been…gone?” Pierce asked.
“Twelve years.”
“And you were together for…”
“Fifty years.”
“Fifty? Holy shit.” Pierce swiped his hand over his stubbled jaw. “My mom knew?”
“I probably mentioned it. She said she was working on the Richelieu family tree and remembered an older cousin. My David. He changed his last name to Roberts when he was eighteen, so it took a bit of detective work on her part. If your team had been as thorough, you’d have known sooner too,” he replied with a sly wink. “Bless Enid. The world works in mysterious ways. My bad lungs led to a nurse who was so crazy about your films that she incessantly chattered through them. But I must have been on some magic elixir when I told Enid you were family. I didn’t think she’d believe me, let alone write to you. I was annoyed at first, but now…I think this is David’s doing. I think he wanted us to meet.”
Pierce shot to his feet and paced to the window. “Why didn’t Mom tell me? Why the secret?”
Mr. Gowan’s voice trembled slightly. “I can’t speak for her. I didn’t know her at all, but…sometimes it’s hard to talk about what we’ve lost. I know I rarely do.”
“I don’t know what any of this means. They’re both gone and…now what?” Pierce huffed in exasperation and threw his hands in the air.
“Oh, dah-ling, don’t try to make sense of the senseless. As you say, they’re gone. We’re the ones who are left, and we have to make the most of each day. That’s life. But I apologize for misleading you. I meant no harm. I wanted to give Enid an opportunity to meet you and satisfy my own curiosity. And I wasn’t about to sell David’s memory to a tabloid. But since you’re genuinely interested, you have a right to know the truth.”
“Ah, right. The truth,” he snarked.
“Yes, and the truth is, you and I are connected by the people who meant the most to us. It was a pleasure to meet your mother. She seemed like a lovely woman, and she was very proud of you.”
Pierce’s jaw worked overtime, and his lips were drawn in a tight line. “That’s it? That’s all you can tell me? She was nice, she was lovely?”
“I’m sorry I don’t have more to say. It was a short conversation. She came to see David. Not me.”
“Right. Well, thanks. I, um…I should go.”
Okay, this was ending badly. Lord knew my family was aggravating, but Pierce’s was a hot mess of avarice, miscommunication, and pointless secrets. I wanted to be angry on his behalf, however, Mr. Gowan’s allegiance was to his husband, not Hollywood. And like it or not, Pierce was synonymous with a machine that manufactured glittery dreams for consumption.
I doubted I was the right choice to play mediator, but I could see both sides and I didn’t like the idea of either man walking away and potentially leaving a trail of regret.
I grabbed Pierce’s elbow as he moved by me. “Wait. If it’s fate, you shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to get to know each other.”
“No offense—I don’t need any more make-believe stories about my mom.”
“I said…get to know each other,” I replied. “I’m happy to moderate if necessary. And if conversation is a bust, we can always play Scrabble.”