She looked long at the photo, at the people they used to be.
“Hi.” His voice sounded different, defeated and kinder at the same time. “You really called.”
“You gave me no choice.” Kelly faced the city. The people down below were too small to see clearly, but there were lots. She wondered if any of them were trying to navigate a messy divorce. “How are the kids?”
“They’re great. We went to the park today. Kinley learned how to roller-skate.” This was something new for Cal, the time he was spending with the kids. Usually they were with Kelly or the nanny; Cal was simply too busy. But between her contract with
She breathed in deep. “Cal, look. I don’t want to drag this out. Rudy called. He gave me your message.” She paused, frustrated. “What do you want me to do, take a personal day and fly there? Have it out face-to-face?”
“None of that. I want—”
“Stop. You’re playing games, Cal. We both want this divorce.” She found a calmer voice. “I have Michael now.”
“That’s your choice. Mine is simple.” His voice held no trace of anger. “I want to stay married to you.”
One of the assistants opened the door and leaned out. “Two minutes.”
“I’m on set. This shouldn’t be so hard.” Kelly motioned to the assistant that she was nearly finished with the call. “You want to stay married? Really, Cal? What’s that mean, exactly? We don’t have a marriage. We have a legal document.”
“We have two kids. And we have a past.” He hesitated. When he spoke again there was no denying the pain in his voice. “Yes, the world knows you’re having an affair. And yes, that hurts. But you’re my wife and I won’t let go of us. Even like this. Don’t forget that.”
She felt her heart start to respond, but her common sense was louder. Who was he kidding? This wasn’t going anywhere. “My lawyer will be in touch.” She kept her tone kind. “Cal . . . if this gets ugly we both lose.”
He started to say something and stopped himself. “I’m sorry for everything. When you’re ready to talk, I’m here.”
The last thing she’d expected was an apology. It caught her off guard and took the edge off her anger. “I need to go. Good-bye, Cal.”
“Good-bye.”
If he was going to say something else, she didn’t give him a chance. The phone call had gotten her nowhere. She looked at Cal’s contact and with a few swipes of her finger she deleted the photo. She had it in a frame in some box back home. Something their kids would want one day. For now she didn’t need reminders of a past better forgotten.
A sad thought hit her as she headed back inside. She could delete the photo and have her lawyer contact his. She could make plans with Michael Manning for the coming weeks and believe that life would be wonderful once Cal signed the divorce papers. She could box up yesterday and dream of new tomorrows. She could publicly disclaim the faith she was raised with and cut her father out of her life. She could walk further away from everything she had once been.
But there was one thing she couldn’t stop.
The way Zack Dylan’s eyes made her remember.
chapter
9
Chandra was at the airport the next morning when she spotted Zack. He was with a couple of the guys who had made it through, the three of them buying water bottles at a Hudson News stand. Kelly and Cullen had taken the private flight on the
She hadn’t stopped thinking of Zack since his audition. He had it all, Zack Dylan. The voice, the look, the rare and intangible charisma that set stars apart from everyone else. Chandra had hoped for the chance to talk to him. She was partway out of her seat before she stopped herself.
There was no rush. They would be holed up in the same Lower West Side chateau in the Village. Besides, she couldn’t talk to him here, with so many other contestants gathered near the gate. For now it was enough to watch him, to imagine what the world would do with him once he was discovered.
Chandra stared straight ahead. Last night’s meeting with Samuel Meier and the rest of the judges and production staff had been jarring. It was the first of its kind. Until now they’d been focused on the cities and finding the right kinds of contestants. That alone had been strange. Samuel Meier kept a list. There needed to be a racial mix, a gender mix, and a diversity of stories. Especially that.
But yesterday’s meeting had taken another slant altogether. The team sat in chairs gathered in a circle on the set with Meier standing in the middle. “We have a few new policies. Strategies, I guess.” He glanced at Cullen. “They’ve always been a part of the show, but now they’re going to be in writing. Legal wants it that way.” He wandered to a nearby open chair and sat down. His looked at the faces in the circle. “First, we are not a show that endorses any one religion.” He moved on quickly. “We’ve been fairly lenient with our contestants. But from here out we have to be more careful.” He held up a piece of paper. “Legal has crafted a release that every contestant will have to sign. Basically saying they won’t talk about their faith on the show once we’re at the New York rounds.”
Chandra had felt ice in her veins. She wasn’t a spokesperson for her parents’ faith. But no one should be silenced about something that defined them. Whatever it was. She raised her hand.
“Yes.” Samuel’s expression told her to be careful; better to go along than to push back. “Chandra. You have a comment?”
“I do.” She slid to the edge of her seat, staring at the expressions around her. “Does that seem a little weird to anyone else?” Her eyes turned back to Samuel. “What if they like knitting or ballet or watercolors? Will they have to be careful how much they talk about those things?”
“Chandra.” The warning note was there again. “Religion is different. You were a contestant. You should know that.”
“Okay.” Chandra crossed her arms. “I have another question.” She didn’t wait for his approval. “Why are contestants allowed to talk about God at all? They have to put it on their application, right? Religious preference? Are you outspoken about your faith? That sort of thing. So why not tell them upfront that they can’t talk about it?”
“Because.” Cullen chuckled. “Christians bring in viewers.” He winked at Samuel. “Right, bloke?”
“True.” Samuel smiled. “Nothing wrong with that. At first the show belongs to the contestants. But once we get to New York, contestants belong to the show.”
Chandra blinked and the memory of the meeting dissolved. But his words still troubled her soul. She looked over her shoulder at Zack again. He was sitting between two contestants—the black gospel singer and the blond cheerleader, Zoey. No question the blonde had it bad for Zack. Chandra studied the guy, the innocence in his eyes. When would he be presented with the release? Told that he couldn’t talk about the God he believed in?
She remembered something else. She’d heard Kip say that Zack and Zoey were an item.
“I like it. The alliteration. Their good looks.” Samuel nodded and signed something on Kip’s clipboard. “Let’s run with it.”
Chandra had wanted to scream. Run with what? The insinuation of a relationship that wasn’t there? She shifted in her seat so she could see them better. America would love Zack and Zoey. But what if he didn’t want to be paired up with her? Chandra pictured the handsome face of her own former fiance, the one she’d lost during
