Breaking the Rules

‘Do you mean permanently, or simply for a visit?’ she asked.

‘Permanently. You know I want to be an actor, not a male model, and I think the only way I’m going to make it is by moving to LA, taking a chance out there.’

M’s dark eyes narrowed, and she said, very slowly, ‘But Dax, you’d just be changing one city for another. You’ll take your problems along with you.’

‘Not all of them. If I do move, I will be leaving Geo behind, and that will certainly solve one problem.’

‘It will? Which one?’

‘My muddled-up love life.’

‘Is it muddled? Really and truly?’ She sat back, took a sip of tea, and looked at Dax over the rim of the mug, waiting for a response.

‘I think it is. Look, my relationship with Geo has stalled. Actually, if you want the truth, it’s stagnant. I do care about her, and I thought I’d connected with the love of my life when we first got involved. But it’s just not going smoothly, and I think she’s lost interest in me … and I’ve got to confess my passion for her has been diluted.’ He sat back in the chair and took a long swallow of the tea, relieved to unburden himself.

‘Perhaps that’s because you think she’s lost interest in you, and I’m certain she hasn’t … she’s always happy when you call her, I can attest to that. I live here, remember.’

‘There’s another problem, actually,’ Dax volunteered and, leaning closer across the table, he whispered, ‘I’ve fallen for someone else … Geo’s been away a lot lately, and I’ve been on my own, and well, look, I met someone who really turns me on, and who’s crazy about me.’

‘Oh.’ Taken aback, M stared at him, suddenly at a loss for words.

Dax said, ‘He’s just great, really special.’

‘Oh, I see,’ M muttered, and put down the mug of tea.

‘Don’t look so startled, so upset.’ Dax drew closer once more as he added, ‘I’m a member of both churches, if you know what I mean. And I’m quite happy in her church. And also in his.’ He smiled suddenly, his face lighting up. ‘But I don’t want to get too deeply involved with him, and so I think I should go to LA. Follow my life-long dream, so to speak, try and make it as an actor, and put my love life/sex life on hold, if you get my drift.’

‘Yes, I do, and I’ll say it again. You will still take your problems with you wherever you go to live.’

‘No, I won’t. I’ll be leaving Geo and Jason behind. Two problems dealt with! I’ll only have my career to worry about.’ He suddenly started to cough, jumped up, excused himself and hurried out of the kitchen.

M stared after him, frowning. Although she had been surprised when he had confided he was bisexual, she was neither troubled by it nor judgemental. But she was worried about his health. He looked genuinely ill to her. A moment later he was back, blowing his nose on a tissue.

‘Sorry about that,’ he said, sitting down at the table.

‘You’ve got a really nasty cold, you know.’ She stood up, went to one of the cabinets, took out a bottle of Tylenol, gave it to him. ‘Take some of these, and drink your tea.’

‘Yes, Mom,’ he said, grinning at her, and took three of the pills. ‘Well, thank God it’s stopped raining at last,’ he murmured, staring out of the window. ‘So, tell me, M, should I go to LA or not?’

‘I don’t know how to answer that, not really,’ M responded quietly. ‘I suppose it might be easier out there – to get an acting job, I mean. On the other hand, I keep hearing that actors are two a penny in Hollywood, and that all of them are gorgeous and talented, male and female alike.’ She gave him a probing stare and finished, ‘Maybe you’re just running away from Geo and Jason? Do you think that might be it?’

‘Not at all. I’m only thinking about my future … in films. And you know I’ve been to so many auditions, looking for parts, trying to get an acting job. I’ve been doing that since long before we first met.’

‘Then think about this move just a little longer. Don’t do anything hasty, or rash. Give it a few weeks, try to find something here in New York, an acting job in television or maybe in the theatre. And as for Geo, tell her it’s over, if it really is. She’s a big girl, she’ll understand; and, anyway, you said she’d sort of lost interest in you. As for Jason, you have only two choices. You can stay with him. Or tell him goodbye as well. So that you can concentrate on your career.’

Dax gaped at her for a long moment, and then began to laugh hilariously, ending up coughing into his tissue. When he had settled down, he said, with a knowing grin, ‘If nothing else, you’re certainly outspoken, tell a guy what you really think.’

‘Do I? And what do I think?’

‘That I’m full of b.s.’

‘No, you’re wrong, I don’t think badly of you, Dax, honestly. But my sister always says I have a way of getting to the heart of the matter. And that’s what I’ve done with you …’ She broke off as the phone rang, and leaning over she picked it up. ‘Hello?’ After a moment listening, she went on, ‘That’s fine, and you’ll be staying there all weekend?’ Another pause as M listened again, and she silently mouthed, ‘It’s Geo. Do you want to speak to her?’

He shook his head vehemently.

M said, ‘Okay, Geo, I’ll do that, and I’ll be here all weekend. I’ll see you on Monday. Bye.’ Placing the phone in the cradle, she explained, ‘Geo’s at her sister’s in New Jersey. For the weekend, as you’ve no doubt guessed.’

‘I’m right, you know, she is cooling it with me.’

‘And you’ve done the same. You’ve even moved on a step or two, wouldn’t you say?’

He nodded, knowing she had called it correctly.

‘I’m thinking of making a big soup, a healthy French soup,’ M now announced. ‘Do you want to stay for supper?’

‘What’s a big French soup?’

‘You know, with vegetables and pieces of chicken … one of those soups that’s always on the hob in French kitchens.’ She smiled at him cheekily. ‘I’m a good cook, you know.’

‘I’m sure. And I’d love to stay for supper. And perhaps we can talk some more.’

M groaned. ‘Just as long as we don’t talk about your problems.’

‘Absolutely not. Anyway, it looks as if you’ve just solved them for me, M. There’s nothing like a bit of straight-talking.’

TWO (#ulink_a6b75891-87be-5ba9-9884-d7190e7cd231)

He had known her for only a few weeks but he trusted her, and his trust was implicit. Dax had never experienced this feeling with anyone else before, and he had quickly come to understand M was rather unusual. She was a very special person, one who had strolled into his life unexpectedly and had had a tremendous impact on him.

It was neither romantic nor sexual. Although she was beautiful, she was just not his type … too tall and dark of colouring, and also just a little too exotic to suit him. He had always had a predilection for blue-eyed blondes who were petite, and he did not mind at all if they weren’t very bright. He preferred them to be a bit dumb, actually.

M, on the other hand, was extremely intelligent, practical and straightforward. She fairly took his breath away with her blunt-ness, her incredible honesty. It seemed to him that M thought more like a man than a woman, got straight to the point in a flash. There were no holds barred: she just spat out what she had to say without any frills. Well, she had said that herself, in fact; that her elder sister believed she got right to the heart of the matter.

Dax knew where he stood with her, and he liked that. She didn’t seem to have any special agenda, except for wanting to be a model, and there was no deviousness in her. Too many people he knew played both ends against the middle, and were shifty, even double-dealing, and some even ended up being treacherous.

Now, as he watched her moving swiftly around the kitchen, preparing the soup for them, he couldn’t help thinking that she moved fluidly and rhythmically, with the lightness and grace of a dancer. Before he could stop himself he blurted out, ‘You must be a dancer, M, the way you move.’

M swung to face him, a smile lighting up her dark eyes. ‘I am a dancer, Dax, but not a professional one. I took a few lessons when I was little, and then got more interested in sports. But I do think I have the spirit and soul of a dancer … I just love it. I prefer dancing to exercising, and running ruins the hips, so I dance all the time. When I’m alone.’

She turned back to the counter top, began pouring cartons of College Inn chicken broth into a large pot, adding chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions and parsnips that she had prepared, then reached for the jar of herbs of Provence and threw a handful into the soup along with some bay leaves. ‘There, that should do it,’ she murmured, turning on the gas. ‘All I have to do now is chop a few sticks of celery,’ and she reached for this, cutting off the leaves as well as the hard nut at the other end.

‘There seems to be no limit to your talents,’ Dax said, still watching her. ‘It strikes me that you’re a good cook; certainly you look as if you know what you’re doing.’

Her cheeky grin flashed. ‘I know how to cook a few dishes but I don’t have a huge repertoire. I can almost prepare this chicken-in-the-pot with my eyes closed, and I’m even better at it since I came to New York. I always make it on Friday evening, and it lasts me all weekend.’

‘You are practical, aren’t you?’

‘I suppose so,’ she agreed, and threw the celery into the pot. ‘Do you cook?’