Danielle Steel - the Wedding (2000)

Some. It was fun. There was lots of snow. And skating. And kissing.

Snow's not much fun in New York. He couldn't understand why she sounded so cheerful about it.

Actually, I went skating.

You did? Uh-oh, there must be something going on. Did you have an affair with that old author you said you were going to see? What's his name? Dickens? Tolstoy?

Jason Haverton. He was terrific. And no, I did not have an affair with him, you irreverent idiot, though I liked him a lot, and he probably would have been willing.

Old guys will do anything for sex, Al. You should know that by now.

Are you doing research firsthand these days? Is that it?

Nasty, nasty. It's not nice to be rude to your high school sweetheart.

You're no one's sweetheart anymore, you know, except maybe Carmen's. Not to mention several million women around the world. But they were such old friends, it was easy for her to ignore it. Are you ever going to let me talk to her, or do I have to put up with this bullshit all afternoon? She was laughing at him; he was impossible, but she loved him.

I'll ask her if she wants to speak to you. And by the way, when are we going to see you? He made it sound as though they were married, and Allegra thought it was sweet as she listened.

Maybe this weekend, if I don't have anything else to do, which she now knew she didn't.

I said see you,’ that was singular, not plural, as in including the dead one.

Don't be rude about Brandon, she said, more out of habit than feeling. She would have liked to be very rude about him, but she wasn't ready to tell Alan.

I'm never rude about the dead. Try to get rid of him before we go out to dinner. Or maybe we'll stay here. I'll let you talk to the boss about it, he said, handing Carmen the phone as he kissed her. And at Allegra's end, there was a long silence as she waited.

Hi, Carmen said finally, sounding bouncy and happy. She had had a great nine days in total seclusion with Alan. Several people in the colony had recognized her as she walked down the beach, but no one had bothered her. There were people there who were even more famous than she was. They were used to seeing celebrities on the beach then. They saw Nicholson and Streisand and Nick Nolte almost every day, and Cher, and Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Carmen Connors was among her own kind in Malibu with Alan, and the security was terrific. I missed you, Carmen said, but she'd been busy.

I missed you too. New York was crazy, but I loved it. Guess what I've got for you though? Allegra was so excited she felt like a kid as she dangled it in front of Carmen.

I don't know. The perfume? Did you talk to them in New York?

I did. It sounds awful. You'd hate it, and you'd have to spend months in department stores selling it. Forget it. Noooo ‘ she said tantalizingly. How about a big, new, juicy movie, with a part that will win you the Academy Award or I'll eat my briefcase.

Wow! Who's in it?

You are. And she named five other stars, who took Carmen's breath away. And how about three million dollars for starring in it, for the winner of this year's Golden Globe Award? How does that sound?

I'm dying! Carmen screamed, and ran to tell Alan, and then she came back again to talk to Allegra. I can't believe it.

You deserve it, Allegra reassured her, wondering why it was that she thought everyone in her life deserved something wonderful, from relationships to movies, and she never seemed to feel that she deserved as much herself. It was an interesting question. I'd like you to come in and talk to the producers about it, Allegra told her gently.

Sure. When?

You tell me what's good for you, and I'll set it up. She glanced at her calendar. How about Thursday?

Wow! Can Alan come?

If he'd like to.

At Carmen's end, Alan was nodding. He said he would ‘ and Allie, she hesitated, but it was important to her now, maybe next time, Alan and I could do a picture together. Oh, God, thought Allegra. It was going to be one of those deals. They weren't always easy. And America's females, not to mention females the world over, weren't going to love having it rubbed in their faces that their favorite sex symbol was as good as married, and to a girl who looked like Carmen.

We'll talk about it. Those things aren't quite so simple, but it can be done. Eventually. If you're both serious about it. What she didn't want was to set something up for a cool seven or eight million dollars for both of them, or maybe ten total since it was Alan, and then have them break up, and either refuse to make the picture, or worse, kill it. Those headaches she didn't need. Let's wait awhile.

I know. You think we'll break up, Carmen said wisely. We won't. I'm sure of that. He's the most incredible man I've ever known, she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially to Allie. I can't live without him.

How are the threats these days? Quiet again?

Completely. But she also hadn't gone anywhere, and after she won the Golden Globe, surprisingly, even the tabloids had left her alone. I feel so safe here, Carmen explained to her, and Allegra smiled. Who wouldn't, with Alan? Her sister Sam was right, he was a hunk, and such a nice one.

I'm happy for you two, Allegra said sincerely.

Thanks, Allie. It's all thanks to you. Will you come to dinner and celebrate with us this weekend?

I'd love to.

Come on Saturday. On Sunday, Alan likes to go bowling.

Why don't I come on Sunday then? I'd love to beat him.

Then we'll go bowling on Saturday if you want. But come to dinner then.

Who's cooking? she teased, and Carmen giggled.

We both are. He's teaching me. And Allie ‘ She laughed excitedly again. Her life was just beginning. Thanks for the movie.

Thank the producers, don't thank me. They called me. I really think you'll like it.

I love it.

See you Saturday. Unless we meet with the producers first. Call me if you need anything in the meantime. But Alan seemed to be taking care of everything these days. She had only called once all week, and even then left a very ordinary message. Things were settling down, which was just as well. Allegra needed a little time to herself, to lick her wounds and figure out what had really happened.

And by the end of the week, all she had done was work, and see her clients. Carmen and Alan had come in on Thursday, and the deal for her new movie was as good as signed. And that afternoon, she went to Dr. Green, and braced herself for a beating. But she was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Green was proud of the way she had handled things, and her only reproach was that Allegra hadn't called her.

Why didn't you call and talk to me over the weekend? It must have been very difficult for you, after you went to San Francisco, and before you saw Brandon on Sunday.

It was, but there was nothing much to say. Mostly, I just felt terrible that he had probably been doing it all along and I was too stupid to figure it out. I kept thinking he needed time and space and love, and the truth was, he didn't give a damn about me.

He probably did care about you, Dr. Green corrected her. She had gone too far the other way now, in her anger at having been betrayed, and having found him with another woman. He cared about you, to the best of his limited abilities. That's not saying much, Allegra, but it's something.

But why was I so stupid? How could I have been such a fool for two years?

Because you wanted to be. You needed companionship and protection. The only unfortunate thing is that he was a very unwilling companion to you, and you were the one protecting him. It was a very unsatisfactory arrangement. But what about now? How do you feel about all this?

Angry, stupid, resentful, furious, independent, whole, free, sorry, not sorry at all, scared that the next one won't be any different. Maybe they're all the same, or at least the ones I find are. I think that's what scares me the most, the idea that it could happen again, and again, and again ‘ that I'm just going to keep finding lemons forever.