"Whoever would think that?"
Robyn leant forward across the desk and stared into Damien"s eyes. "I don"t understand what"s going on here, Damien, but if that movie did exist and if it found its way on to the internet, I"d know who to blame, wouldn"t I? And I"d have to tell Dakota about it as well, wouldn"t I?"
She prayed that Damien had no idea that her relationship with Dakota was over. He nodded hard, a sheen of sweat gathering on his bald head. "Not going to happen, babe, not in my lifetime anyway."
Robyn stood up. "Then I wish you well."
"I wish you in h.e.l.l, b.i.t.c.h."
"Have a nice day."
She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked out. Surely birds should be singing and people cheering over her amazing victory? Robyn stopped outside the office. Except this wasn"t a movie, it was real life and thugs like Damien Pardini didn"t give up so easily, did they? Had Dakota"s threats really bothered him that much? It seemed unlikely. What power did Dakota have in Hollywood? None unless he"d signed on with a major studio and was due to become the next Brad Pitt.
Robyn checked her reconnected cell phone and picked up a message from Betty. Could she meet Betty at her apartment and drop off her spare set of keys right away? She had news. Robyn frowned as she headed for the parking lot. Maybe this was her lucky day and Betty would"ve have found her a buyer as well.
When Robyn drew up outside her apartment building, not only did she find a parking spot right outside, but the sun was shining. She got out and squeezed past Betty"s red VW bug, which was backed haphazardly in the narrow driveway. At the top of the stairs, the door to her apartment stood open, so she went right on up.
"Hey, Betty, what"s up?"
Robyn peered into the hallway and spotted Betty on the phone in the kitchen. Betty beckoned her in, finished her call and grinned.
"I"ve found you a buyer, babe."
Robyn"s purse slid through her fingers and fell to the floor with a thump. "You"re kidding me, right?"
Betty was smiling and practically dancing, her pink designer suit a bright splash of color in the narrow pine kitchen. Her blond hair was perfectly cut and she bore a striking resemblance to the late Princess Diana. Years ago, when she"d been an actor, she"d played Princess Di in a cameo on Robyn"s show. Somehow they"d managed to remain friends despite Betty"s career change.
"Yeah! I only provisionally listed the apartment this morning and I got a call just before lunch offering the full asking price!"
Robyn held out her arm. "Betty? Could you pinch me real hard? I think I"m dreaming."
Betty simply hugged her. "The person who wants to buy it is coming round this evening to take a look. That"s why I need the keys immediately."
Robyn"s smile faded. "Who buys a property unseen?"
"Someone with loads of dough? This is LA, baby, and this place has appreciated in value since you bought it." Betty paused. "Aren"t you pleased?"
"I"m delighted, I"m just a bit surprised, that"s all." Robyn hugged Betty back. "What"s the name of this loaded buyer?"
"L. Redstone, I think. Is the name familiar?"
"Not at all."
"Did you mention you were going to sell your apartment to anyone who might have pa.s.sed on the information?"
"No, it was a snap decision." Robyn held up a finger. "Wait, I think I might have mentioned it to the locksmith this morning but that was about it."
Betty laughed. "Now you"ve got me second-guessing myself. Don"t worry; I"ll make sure I check out this potential buyer before I commit you to anything, OK?"
Robyn let out her breath. "I know you will, Betty. I trust you. It"s just me. That"s two things that have gone well today. I"m just not used to stuffworking out for me, that"s all."
"Well, maybe things are going to turn around for the better, sweetie." Betty picked up the spare keys and put them in her purse. "I"ll call you this evening and let you know how things went, OK?"
"If this person turns up, of course."
Betty laughed. "You are such a pessimist. I"ll buy you lunch next week and we can chat, OK?"
Robyn followed her through to the front door. "If I"m here and I haven"t been whisked off to fairyland by a handsome prince."
Betty patted her hand. "No one is that lucky, babe, but I"ll keep my fingers crossed just the same."
Robyn watched her leave and then walked back to the couch and flung herself down. What was up with the universe? Damien had let her leave without a whimper and her apartment might already be sold. Most people would simply thank the fates and move on but she was way more suspicious than that.
Was this because she"d done a good thing for the first time in her life? Walked away from the man she loved to stop him getting hurt? Were all the fairy tales true after all? Robyn sat up. f.u.c.k that. She was sad and miserable and all the good luck in the world wouldn"t stop her missing Dakota like h.e.l.l.
A light flashed on her phone indicating she had a message. Her stomach did a slow revolution. If her luck held, would that be Dakota asking her to come back to him again? And if it was, what would she say now the threat of Damien had been removed?
With a hand that shook, she pressed the message b.u.t.ton and settled down to listen.
Chapter Twenty-Two.
"So has she called him yet?"
Dakota walked into Grayson"s suite, only pausing to snag a donut off the plate on the table before confronting his brother. Grayson looked as if he"d only just got dressed, his black hair was still damp and his shirt half unb.u.t.toned.
"h.e.l.l, Dakota, it"s only ten in the morning. Give her a chance."
Dakota munched half his donut, realized he was starving and grabbed two more. "But this guy will call you if she does, right?"
"Yeah, I told you this yesterday. A friend of Lauren"s mom"s put me on to Don who"s apparently one of the best agents around. The interesting part is that Don was already thinking of calling Robyn himself. Why are you asking me again?"
Dakota shrugged. "I"m just making sure I have it right. I forgot that if this new super-agent guy makes a deal with her, won"t that cause problems with Damien?"
Grayson smiled slowly. "Don"t worry about Damien."
Dakota put down his half-eaten donut. "Gray, what have done?"
"Nothing much, just forced him to release Robyn from her contract and found out what he was holding over her." Grayson winked. "Don"t stress about it. My lawyers have got him in a stranglehold for life. He"ll never bother Robyn again."
"I didn"t ask you to do that."
Grayson looked pained. "I know. Your new agent idea was a good one, but how did you expect Robyn to move forward if she was still trapped in a blackmailing situation with Damien?"
"Because I was going to sort him out myself."
"How? You"ve already got one misdemeanor charge against you; do you seriously think the cops are going to be OK with you threatening that d.i.c.khead again?"
Dakota marched over to the window and stared out over the smoggy yellow-tinged LA skyline. "If Robyn finds out I had anything to do with all this, she"ll never want to get back with me."
"She"s not going to find out, is she? Damien"s not going to say a word and neither is the new agent guy. I can guarantee that."
The door to the suite slammed shut and Lauren appeared, her expression animated, her hand clutched around a large takeout coffee.
"Hey, guys! Dakota, guess what I did?"
Dakota groaned. "Let me think. Did you shower Robyn with thousand-buck notes as she walked along the street? Buy her a new car, the rights to her own movie project?"
Lauren glanced at Grayson. "Uh-oh, what"s up with him?"
"He thinks Robyn will get suspicious if too many good things happen to her all at once."
Lauren grimaced. "He might have a point. She didn"t strike me as a particularly optimistic person."
"You figure?" Dakota sighed. "What did you do, Lauren?"
She moved closer to Grayson and handed him the coffee. "When I was checking her address for you this morning, I found out her property had just gone on the market."
"You bought it, didn"t you?"
"How did you know?"
Lauren edged even nearer to Grayson who put his arm around her shoulders and took a drink of coffee. Dakota lowered his head to his hands and started to rock back and forth.
Grayson touched his back. "Lauren has been looking for an apartment in LA for a while. This isn"t just for your benefit."
"Yeah, right."
"Dakota . . . have I done something wrong? I like Robyn. I was just trying to help."
He managed to look up and smile into Lauren"s concerned face. "No, sweetie, it"s fine. I"m sure Robyn won"t work it out."
Lauren"s expression cleared. "Well, I"m going to view the property tonight. I didn"t use my married name, so that"s good, right?"
Dakota nodded. What else could he say? His family"s well-meaning efforts to help him might mean he"d just lost Robyn for ever. He already knew how hard she"d fought for her independence, how much she hated the idea of being beholden to anyone. h.e.l.l, she"d left most of her clothes and almost a thousand bucks tucked in his underwear drawer rather than owe him a penny.
The most predictable thing about her was that she was unpredictable. Perhaps she"d be so happy with all her good fortune that she wouldn"t think to question it. Dakota fought a groan. Yeah, and the moon was made of cheese.
"Hi, I"m Robyn Sparrow, You left me a message today?"
"Hi, Robyn! It"s good to hear from you."
Robyn curled her feet up underneath her and settled into the corner of the old couch. She couldn"t quite believe that Don Wesley, one of the most respected agents in Hollywood, had called her up. Perhaps it was a hoax but the guy on the other end of the line sure sounded like the guy she"d heard speak on TV.
"Was there something in particular you wanted to discuss?"
He laughed, the sound warm and rea.s.suring. "I saw you on the news last night and it got me thinking."
"Really? Oh wow." Suddenly, she sounded all breathy and Marilyn Monroe-ish. Silently, Robyn groaned.
"I know you"ve had a rough few years, but you seem to have come out of it OK. My wife was asking me if you"ve ever sat down and talked about your life or written about it. So this morning I did a bit of research and found nothing."
"I"ve never written about my life or talked about it much." Robyn tried to laugh. "To be honest, I"ve always felt like something of a failure."
"A failure? You"re alive and kicking, aren"t you? By Hollywood standards that makes you a survivor with a story to tell."
"I suppose that"s true."
Silence hummed between them as she anxiously waited for him to speak again.
"If you did decide to write your memoirs and you were prepared to get out there and talk honestly about your life experiences both good and bad, I"d be interested in representing you."
Robyn clutched on to the phone. OK, she was dreaming, this day was so not happening. Soon she"d wake up back in bed with Dakota"s arms around her. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away.
"I"d . . . like to do that. If only to persuade other kids that what I did was a total waste of my opportunities."
"That"s great!" Don said, enthusiasm ringing in his voice. "Would you like to come into my office tomorrow and see if we can make a deal?"
"Yeah, I"d love to." She didn"t need to ask for his address. Everyone knew where his offices were. "What time would you like to see me?"
"Make it about eleven and then I can take you out for lunch afterward. How does that sound?"
"Sounds perfect. I look forward to meeting you."
Robyn grabbed her bag and let herself out of her apartment. The drive to her mother"s house seemed to take no time at all. She skipped into the ornate Spanish-style dining room, waved at Kevin, who glowered back at her, and kissed her mom on the cheek.
"Good news, Mom. You won"t have to put up with me for too long."
Her mother put down her gla.s.s and used her napkin to wipe her cheek. "Why"s that, dear?"
At her mother"s obvious disinterest, some of the joy trickled right out of Robyn. She had to let go of the idea that her mom would ever be proud of her. The woman had made her choices, and they didn"t include loving her daughters in any way that mattered.
Robyn managed a smile. "Because today has been one of the most amazing days of my life."
"You"ve found an apartment?"
"Not yet, but I"ve sold mine and I"ve got a new agent."
For the first time, her mom actually looked interested. The prospect of money always had that effect on her. She smiled the curve of her lips predatory. "Maybe your guardian angel has been busy."
Robyn forced a laugh, deliberately kissed her mother again, and began to skip up the stairs. Wow, she was so lucky, she couldn"t believe it. Her steps slowed as the implications of all her good fortune coalesced into a deep dark cloud of suspicion. Her guardian angel . . .