Gun Brooke - Course of Action

"Yes, love. Yours."

***

Carolyn pulled the covers over Annelie's naked shoulders, protecting her from the air conditioner's breeze. Annelie had fallen asleep twice on the couch and stumbled to bed only after Carolyn made her.

"I'll be right there," Carolyn promised, as she tucked in her already-sleeping lover.

Walking into the bathroom, Carolyn shed her clothes with relief. The back of her neck ached from tension. She rolled her neck and her shoulders and tried to work it out. Running the water as hot as she could stand it, she slipped into the shower stall and closed her eyes as the massaging water hit her sore muscles.

The readings this afternoon went okay. Made sure nobody noticed I wasn't on top of everything. The medicine and seeing Annelie helped that bitch of a headache. But that bastard who's harassing her! Ow . Feels like a jackhammer in my head. Carolyn quickly opened her mouth and wiggled her jaw to alleviate the pressure.

Got to pull off my appearance with Leno when we get to L.A. And then make it through the Maddox convention Saturday. That's it. No more commitments for me during the filming.

Carolyn had just walked into the bedroom when the phone rang. Snatching it, she moved toward the living room.

"Hello?"

"Annelie? Is that you, babe?"

"Carolyn Black speaking. Annelie can't come to the phone right now. Who's this, please?" Carolyn's voice was somber.

"Carolyn? It's Kitty McNeil. This is a surprise. How are you?"

Carolyn could detect a guarded tone in the woman's voice.

"I'm fine, thanks. Annelie has had a rough day. She's asleep and—"

"Oh, don't wake her up. I can talk to her tomorrow. I'm just calling to see how she's handling this thing with her father."

Realizing how close Kitty and Annelie were, Carolyn uncharacteristically decided to confide in her.

"There's been a surprising development, Kitty." As Carolyn continued to disclose Margo's earlier information, she appreciated Kitty's colorful language about the imposter. "My thoughts exactly."

"So what's going to happen?"

"Margo's holding another press conference tomorrow, while we're flying to L.A. It'll be great to have her straighten everybody out before the new Maddox convention starts."

"I guess she's really been upset. Is she okay?"

Carolyn was too tired to be anything but blunt. "She's had a rough time. I'm staying here with her. In fact, she asked me to move in permanently, and since I don't want to be away from her, the choice was easy."

"Sounds great. Will you tell her I called? I e-mailed her but have been worried about her and wanted to check."

"Of course. Thanks for calling. She'll probably give you a call in the morning before we leave. Or are you asleep then?"

"I'll be awake. I'm keeping very strange hours working on my new novel."

"Excellent." Carolyn smiled. "Any chance of a preview? Remember, I'm an avid fan."

Kitty laughed. "A preview? Well, don't tell Jem…but of course. Just for you."

Carolyn relaxed, finally feeling the connection she'd made with the author when she first met her and during their Disney World adventure. "I won't tell on you, I promise. I look forward to it."

"Cool! Now I know it's bedtime at your end, so sleep well. Give Annelie a hug for me."

"Will do. Take care."

Finally tired and ready for bed, Carolyn padded back to the bedroom. Annelie was still fast asleep, hugging a pillow close to her chest, a faint frown on her forehead. Carolyn dropped her towel and climbed into bed and was immediately wrapped in a close embrace.

"You're here…" Annelie whispered.

"Yes. Go back to sleep, love." Carolyn placed her arms around the warm sleeping form next to her. "Shh, there you go."

Closing her eyes, Carolyn listened to her lover's even breathing and finally slept.

***

In the jet, Annelie looked at Carolyn next to her on a comfortable couch. She had her eyes closed, and Annelie knew she was focusing on her two upcoming performances. Farther to her left, Helen and the Davidsons were engaged in a muted conversation. Gregory sat toward the back of the plane with a laptop.

Though the Tonight Show producers had asked Annelie to appear with Carolyn, she had declined. She did, however, plan to accompany Carolyn to the studio.

Annelie checked her watch and took a deep breath, thinking about the press conference Margo was holding that very minute.

"You okay?" Carolyn asked, placing a hand on her lover's arm. "Thinking about the press conference?"

"Yes. I wonder how it's going. I feel bad for leaving Margo to handle it all."

"Forget it. Didn't you see the look on her face this morning? She was looking forward to socking it to the press for their shoddy research and to this creep for trying a scam in the first place."

Annelie knew Carolyn was right. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a copy of the document Margo had given them early that morning.

Name: Trevor Albert White.

Age: Born in Chicago, January 12, 1945.

Parents: Deceased.

One sister: Geraldine White, location

unknown.

Trevor White had lived in the same trailer park as Stuart Clint for many years. The man was on disability, mainly because of his drug addictions. As she turned the next couple of pages, Annelie noted that White had left Chicago for California in 1978, just like her father. Apparently, her father and White had been drinking buddies for years, sometimes working on different construction sites together.

Reading further, she discovered their mutual drug addictions had caused them to lose several jobs. White hadn't done time like her father but had been suspected for several misdemeanors.

Leaning back and letting the pile of papers rest on her lap, Annelie wondered if this was how White knew about her. Had her father shared his past in Chicago with him, or had White been part of their lives even before Stuart Clint abandoned his family?

"Annelie?"

The gentle voice made her jump, and she looked up at Harvey standing next to her. "Yes? Sorry. I was daydreaming."

"I just wanted to let you know that Francine and I are completely behind you. It's appalling how a man can treat his child this way."

Annelie motioned for him to sit down. "There's something you don't know, Harvey."

Harvey's eyes narrowed as he listened to Annelie. "First of all, I'm sorry your father's dead. Still, it infuriates me someone would try such a thing. I'm not surprised, though. There are a lot of predatory people out there, ready to do just about anything if they benefit from it." He wavered for a minute, stroking his mustache several times. "How are you feeling?"

Annelie tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. Harvey's question seemed nothing but kind. Surprising herself, she shook her head. "I'm…a little stumped," she confessed. "Angry, of course, and upset. I'm big on privacy." She gave a wry smile. "Very big."

Harvey patted the back of her hand. "I've gathered that. Remember, you're not alone. Now the press will have another field day—conveniently forgetting they were wrong in the first place—but they'll focus on him. You'll get all the sympathy votes."

Annelie made a face. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I understand what you mean. I just don't want the public to contribute less to my charities."

Harvey smiled. "Don't worry. When people learn about this guy's scheme—"

"They'll pull out their wallets, donate money to the charities, and show everyone, including that moron, who they really sympathize with." Carolyn's husky voice surprised them both.

Harvey laughed. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Carolyn."

Annelie glanced at the contented smirk on her lover's lips. She thought back to the precious fifteen minutes she'd spent simply lying in Carolyn's arms early that morning. Carolyn's soft caresses along her back and her whispered terms of endearment had soothed Annelie when she finally realized she would never be able to reconcile with her father—no explanations, no happy ending. Annelie didn't even know she'd harbored such hopes. Perhaps they were remnants from her childhood, when she dreamed her father would return.