T Novan: Exposure Season 4

She is thrown off by my reply, not expecting me to react that way. "You bitch. You whoring bitch."

Click.

Much better.

Back to work.

I look through the various pitches that have been made in the last couple of production meetings. Most are horrible. I separate them into two piles — the truly atrocious and the potentially workable. It’s a fast process. There are three pitches that have promise. One I especially like.

The phone rings again. "Whoring bitch," I answer.

"I thought Kels had redeemed you," Robie laughs.

I chuckle, relieved that it is Robie. I’ve put up with hate crap all my life, but it does get to be old. "Robie, how are you?"

"Apparently better than you."

"That wouldn’t be hard, Robs. Between the shit hole I’ve found in place of my office, and my wife and children being at home while I’m here, and a ton of cranky phone calls, it’s been a day."

"I can make it a little better. We’ve filed charges against the judge with the judicial ethics committee."

"Prick."

"Now, I’m insulted," he teases, knowing my comment was directed at the judge and not him. "We’ve made a motion, obviously, to have the visitation case dismissed, seeing how the bitch is standing trial on kidnapping charges. How are the kids, by the way?"

I smile for the first time today. "Perfect. Collin laughed. A real, honest-to-goodness, deep, whole-hearted laugh. He had cooed happily before, but my boy laughed at me yesterday."

"It won’t be the last time."

"Bite me. And Brennan has discovered her hands and feet. When she’s not chewing on her toes like a Yoga master, she is shaking her rattle to wake the dead. We may have to rethink that particular toy." It was driving Kels crazy last night since our girl wouldn’t stop shaking it.

"I hid all noisemakers when Clark was eleven months old. It was that or be committed to a mental institution."

"How’s baby Kelly?"

"Lifting her head and smiling all day long. She’s completely doted upon by her older brother, Christian. And, before you ask, Rene is wonderful."

He knows me well. "Good. Thanks for your help, older brother." I wait for the automatic response.

"Big brother."

"Uh huh. Bye."

We hang up, and I feel one weight come off of my shoulders. I want that judge to pay for what he did to us.

There’s a knock on the doorframe of my office, and I glance up to find Langston there. He looks shorter than normal. His shirt sleeves are rolled up to the elbows, and his tie is askew. He rubs the face of his watch and then looks over at me. "Kels needs to come back this week. I can’t afford to not have my anchor back. Especially with all this in the news, we need her face on screen. The longer she’s off, the more likely the network is going to want to keep her off."

I understand his reasoning, but I don’t know if my wife will. "I’ll talk to her about it tonight. Needless to say, it’s been a difficult time for our family."

Langston rubs his jaw. I can tell he’s trying to carefully choose his next words. "I need to know quickly where I stand, Kingsley. Kelsey is top notch. I want her back, but if she’s not coming back, I need to make some decisions."

"Understood."

He comes in and sits down in my visitor’s chair, surprising me. I thought with that said we would be finished. "No matter what she decides, Harper, I need you here."

I still my movements, understanding now the true meaning behind this visit. He’s here to negotiate. Too bad I’m not ready yet. "I can’t make any deals until after Kels and I talk."

He frowns, suspecting what Kels reply might be. "You have a great career, Harper; don’t toss it away."

"I don’t plan on doing that. I have a family to take care of, as well as a real passion for what I do. Having said that, there’s nothing I won’t do for my family." That is bone deep true. I would walk away from everything for them. Nothing else would make sense without them. To have a career, but not the three I love best, would be a hellish existence. We have money, we have family, and we have no debts. I could — and would — walk away from everything to keep them next to me.

Langston senses that the conversation is over. "I’ll look forward to our conversation later."

You probably won’t.

I glance at the speakerphone and wait for her to say something.

"Beth? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you. I don’t quite believe it, but I heard you. Are you sure you want me to do that?"

"I want you to be prepared for that possibility." I lean back in my chair and sip my tea, watching as the computer slowly filters through my financial files. "How much will it cost me?"

"Does that really matter?"

"No. I only want to make sure I can get out if I want out."

"Oh, you can. Don’t sweat that. It’ll take some fancy footwork, but that’s what Foster and I get paid the big bucks to do. You give us the word, Kels, and you’ll be unemployed in a matter of seconds."

"Now, that’s a comforting thought. Thanks. And I don’t intend to be unemployed. Simply on to different things."

I can hear Beth sigh. "Kels, can I give you my personal opinion?"

"Can I tell you to go to hell if I don’t like it?"

"Haven’t you always?

"Then feel free."

"You’re making a huge mistake giving up your career now so you can stay home with the kids. Come on, Kels, that is so not you."

"Go to hell." I lean on my desk and click the mouse to open an email from my dad. "Don’t tell me what’s me and what’s not, Beth."

"Kelsey, I’ve known you for a long time, and the change is…"

"Is the best damn thing that ever happened to me. If you, and the rest of the world, don’t like it, then you can all just…"

"Okay, okay." She sighs again and begins tapping her pen. "Don’t you think that maybe you should give it a little more time? I know you’ve been through a lot and that your emotions are pretty raw right now."

"Beth, are you my attorney or my fucking therapist?"

"I’m merely saying…"

"You’re trying to control my life like everyone else from my mother to the damned network. Well, guess what? I’m taking back control. In the last year of my life I’ve nearly been killed, seen my wife nearly blinded for life, given birth to the two most important people in my life, and had them kidnapped by that insane bitch who claims to be my mother. Excuse me if I’m a bit on edge!"

I clear my throat, forcing myself to relax. I know all this isn’t Beth’s fault, and I shouldn’t be taking it out on her. I really have no one to blame but myself. You live in a closet for too long, and you have to expect the air to get stale. Time to blow the damn door off the hinges.

"I’m sorry, Beth. Please get everything ready, will you?"

"Absolutely."

I hang up from the call with Beth and lean back in my chair, closing my eyes for a minute before I hear a very familiar sound. It’s my son giving someone what for. That he gets from me.

I glance over and find Brian standing in the doorway with Collin. "He wants his Mommy."

"I can hear that." I get up and go get my son. "What’s got ya’ so grumpy, Fuzzy?" I run my hand over his head and watch as he brings his hand up to chew on it. "Do you miss Mama? Yeah, it stinks, doesn’t it, that she has to go off to work and we get to stay home?"

With the mere mention of Mama, he grins, drools and bounces. This boy knows his Mama. Then his eyes go wide, and he grabs my shirt, seeming to try and pull us closer together.

"Oh, no! You’re not biting my nose. I know that look." I glance at my watch. Why not? "Brian?"

"Yeah?"

"Go get the babies ready, will you, and give our ‘escort’ a call. Tell them we want to go to the studio."