Free Immediate Family by Eileen Goudge

racks were the norm. The only tense moment was when she revealed what she did for a living. Which, it turned out, came as no surprise.
    Grant said with a laugh, “I may be an old coot, but I do watch TV. It just took me a little while to figure out where I’d seen you before.”
    Luckily for her, he was cool with it. Like a lot of celebrities, Grant could afford to be laid back because he paid others to play the heavy. Like the scary-looking bodyguard-slash-houseman who’d eyed her menacingly when they were properly introduced, then barely spoke a word to her as he was driving her home later on.
     
    By the time he dropped her off at her condo, she was a bundle of mixed emotions. In some respects her curiosity had been satisfied, but she still had more questions than answers. What had Grant been doing with himself all those years he’d been holed up? And was there any truth to the stories told by ex-girlfriends, specifically that he turned into Mr. Hyde when he drank? More importantly, where did she fit in?
    Before she’d even changed out of her sweaty clothes she found herself picking up the phone and punching in Ryan’s number. He’d been through it all with her, the endless speculating about her father and occasional bouts of weepiness after one too many glasses of wine. How could she not share something as important as this with him?
    “Red Gate Productions,” answered a female voice at the other end.
    “Jan? It’s me, Stevie. Is he in?” Her words came in a breathless rush.
    She’d left so many messages over the past weeks, it was almost a shock when a moment or two later Ryan’s voice came on the line. “Listen, can this wait?” he said, sounding harried. “We had to do some recutting, and it’s a little crazy right now. The deadline for submission is tomorrow.” The life of a documentary filmmaker was always racing to meet a deadline, usually involving some film festival or other. She knew better than to take it personally, but she was nonetheless taken aback. It had been more than a month since they’d last spoken. Didn’t he miss her even a little bit?
    She swallowed against the knot forming in her throat. “I just thought you’d want to know, I met him—my dad.” Ryan was the only person aside from Franny, Emerson, and Jay in whom she’d confided about Grant.
    There was a little pause, then he said, “Wow. That is big news. How’d it go?”
    “It’s kind of a long story. Are you going to be free later on? I was hoping we could meet for coffee.”
    He hesitated, and in the background she could hear muffled voices calling out to one another. Red Gate’s edit bay, in full-tilt mode, easily rivaled KNLA’s. “I could probably break away for twenty minutes or so,” he said after a bit, “but it won’t be until later in the day. I’ll give you a call when I come up for air.”
    Not exactly a declaration of undying love, but it would have to do for now. She consoled herself with the thought that it couldn’t be entirely hopeless, or he wouldn’t have agreed to meet her.
    Stevie showered and changed into her sexiest jeans and a top that showed off every set of crunches she’d sweated at the gym. It wouldn’t hurt to remind him of what he was missing. At the same time, a voice whispered in her head: Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Even if she managed to lure him back, what then? She still wasn’t ready to give him what he wanted, and maybe wouldn’t be for some time. All she could do was pray that this cooling-off period had made Ryan realize she was worth the wait.
    It was late in the afternoon by the time he called back. They arranged to meet at a café near his studio, just off Pico Boulevard. On the way there, cruising along in her Firebird with the top down, Stevie found herself reflecting on happier times. On their first date, Ryan had taken her to a little Mom-and-Pop Italian restaurant that was the perfect antidote to the “in” spots frequented by celebrities,