families together again. It had gone well when they met, and their children were so important to both of them that it was a major plus. She could easily imagine them becoming friends. She and Jim had a lot in common bringing up their children on their own.
By the time Jim and the boys got back from Alaska, Tallie had called two headhunters and begun the search for a new assistant. She had met several possibilities and didn’t like any of them. They were too forceful, too brash, too meek, or too wrapped up in the Hollywood scene. And she and Max had both been unnerved when one of the women who came for an interview looked strikingly like Brigitte, and even had some of her mannerisms and a similar voice. Max had commented that they must have had the same plastic surgeon, which made Tallie laugh. But she didn’t want another glamour-girl assistant. This time she wanted someone quiet and unassuming, who was down to earth. She didn’t want a debutante, a trust fund baby, an ex-actress, or anyone too showy, or too impressed by Tallie’s success. She wanted an unpretentious workhorse like herself. No bling.
The first interesting candidate showed up the day before Max went back to NYU, and she liked her too. She had studied English literature, and had put herself through school at night at UCLA while working as a nurse’s aide. She was bright, in her early thirties, and more recently had worked as an assistant to a well-known screenwriter for five years. The job had ended when the woman she worked for got married and moved to Europe.
She looked neat and clean, and she came to the interview in a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and high-top Converse sneakers. She was divorced and had no kids, and she was pleasant to Max when they spoke for a few minutes. She had a motherly, nurturing quality to her, which was helpful in that kind of job. At the end of an hour, Tallie suggested she try out in the job the following week. She explained that her situation with her previous assistant had come to a traumatic end, but didn’t go into detail. She suspected that the headhunter had probably filled her in. And Tallie realized that it was not going to be an easy task for someone new to step into Brigitte’s shoes. She had done a great job, and Tallie was used to her. Working with someone new was going to be a big adjustment.
“I like her, Mom,” Max commented after the woman left. They had both noticed that she drove a pickup truck, which Tallie liked too. No Aston Martin or glamorous cars. She was exactly what Tallie had requested, someone smart, capable, and down to earth. Her name was Megan McCarthy, and she had freckles and red hair that she wore in a braid down her back. And she knew a lot about the film industry from her previous job.
“I like her too,” Tallie said quietly. “We’ll see how it goes.” She didn’t want to get too enthused about her yet. And this time Tallie’s bookkeeping was not part of the job. Victor was handling all that for her, and was sending one of his bookkeepers to the house once a week to gather information and pay bills.
And for the rest of the day, after the interview with Megan, Tallie helped Max pack the mountain of things she was taking back to New York. And they went out for dinner at the Ivy that night. It reminded them both of Sam, and Tallie fought back tears as they sat down at the table they’d sat at for lunch with him the last time they’d been there. She missed him terribly, and so did Max. His absence was sorely felt. And Tallie still had to go through his things and empty his house and put it on the market, but she couldn’t face it yet. Amelia was still coming in every day and keeping things clean, although Tallie had suggested she look for a part-time job. She really didn’t need her now more than a few times a week, if that.
When Max went back to NYU, as a sophomore this year, Tallie started reading scripts in earnest, looking for her next project. She finally felt ready to think about it and go back to work. There were several she liked, though none she wanted to develop, but she was enjoying the process of sifting through them. Just doing that, she felt better than she had in months. It was distracting and fulfilling, and part of a healing process for her. Work always was, and had been, her salvation for many years, particularly at tough times.
The week after Max left, Megan came in and started organizing things for Tallie. She was unassuming and bright, and Tallie liked her. The two women were very much alike in some ways, and Tallie had far more in common with her than she had with Brigitte, who had been the exact opposite of Tallie. And after a week’s try-out, they had accomplished so much, and Tallie was so comfortable with her, that she offered Megan the job. They were both pleased, and when she told Max about it on the phone, during one of their lengthy conversations, she approved.
Life was slowly returning to normal, despite the enormous changes that had occurred. Three important people had disappeared from her life, Sam, Hunt, and Brigitte, but new faces were finally appearing, and Megan seemed like a good addition. And Tallie’s conversations with Max had become even more fun than previously. Max had taught her to iChat before she left, and they could see each other on their computer screens while they talked. It was fun for both of them and made Tallie feel that Max was right there since she could see her. Max teased her mother that she was becoming high tech.
When Tallie wasn’t reading scripts, she and Megan began sorting through Sam’s house together, and Megan proved to be a hard worker as they packed up his belongings, which was emotional for Tallie. Megan was gentle and sensitive about it, and knew when to leave her alone, and do other things, when Tallie came across items that upset or touched her, some of them things that related to her mother.
Tallie’s goal was to get Sam’s house emptied by the end of the year, and have it painted before she put it on the market. She didn’t want to rush and just tear the place apart, and it was sad putting away all the objects, papers, books, and mementos that had meant a great deal to her father, or reminded her of him. He had left everything he had in trust to Max, including the house. He didn’t have a lot, but it would be a nice nest egg for her one day, particularly once they sold the house. The money would be useful for her once she finished law school, which was several years down the line. And Sam had taken advantage of a generation-skipping tax by leaving it all to Max, and he knew Tallie didn’t need the money.
Tallie and Megan were making good progress on it, and Megan was helpful and respectful, as Tallie slowly got used to her. She was very different from Brigitte, which seemed like a good thing. She had none of her predecessor’s glamour and style, she had no interest in being in the limelight. She just wanted to do her job and help wherever she could, and she was resourceful and willing to work long hours.
Tallie heard from Jim occasionally, although she hadn’t seen him since before his trip to Alaska with his boys. He called to check in but didn’t have anything new to report about the cases. All the trial dates were still so far out that nothing had moved into high gear yet, and wouldn’t for some time. Evidence was still being gathered on the criminal side, and Brigitte was in jail, awaiting trial. Jim had heard from someone in the probation department that she had no remorse whatsoever over what she’d done, not even about killing Hunt. She felt he had betrayed her so she’d been justified in what she did, and she seemed to feel entitled to what Tallie had, and had commented that she made better use of it than she did. And Jim told Tallie none of it surprised him. He said it was typical of the breed.
Tallie had always thought that she would hear from her at some point, apologizing for what she’d done, stealing from her and sleeping with Hunt, but she heard nothing, not a line, not a card, not a word. It was as though they had never known each other and Tallie was a stranger to her. Jim said she fit the classic portrait of a sociopath, with no remorse, no empathy, and no conscience. It was still hard for Tallie to believe or understand. But at least the shock of the multiple betrayals she’d experienced was beginning to fade, and Tallie felt more at peace. And she was enjoying working with Megan, who was a hard worker but had a nice sense of humor too. And sometimes after long hours of work, they had a good laugh, which did Tallie good. Things were lightening up a bit for her at last.
In November, Tallie found a script that she liked, it was an unusual piece by a young screenwriter, and she was excited about it. She wanted to produce and direct it alone, and she began pulling together the project, and contacting investors. The ones she called had been excited to hear from her, and it was exhilarating to reach out in her industry again. She stayed busy making notes and calls until Max came home for Thanksgiving, and then she stopped working for a few days to focus on Max while she was there. And as always they had a good time together.
“So what’s happening with you and Jim?” Max asked her the first night she was home, and Tallie laughed.
“Nothing, why? He calls in to report about the case from time to time, but there’s nothing much going on with that right now.”
“Josh called me a couple of times from Michigan. He says his dad likes you,” Max said shyly.
“I like him too, but we’ve got bigger stuff to do right now. That’s nice that Josh called.” Tallie smiled at her.
“Yeah. He’s going to try and come to New York after football season to check out NYU law school.” He had invited her to a game too, but she hadn’t had time to go, and he had promised to call her over the Thanksgiving weekend. Max really liked him, but for the moment they were just friends. They had agreed that long-distance
