Her Determined Husband

All her money, even the generous divorce settlement Cal had insisted on making to her, had disappeared into the black hole that had been her time with Robin Chandler. She had sought legal advice, but in the end she had been in so much debt that she had decided to cut her losses and wait until the time limit on her contract with Chandler expired. Her career as a recording artist on hold, she had desperately needed to find other work, so she had switched agents and followed Gerry’s advice into the world of acting.

She was still surprised by her success in this field. Even though her talent as a musician had led her to stage school as a child, she had never envisaged herself becoming an actress.

Up until now she had only had supporting roles but each had added to her reputation as a fine actress. And now she had been offered the chance to move into the movies, and her first leading part, which promised more lucrative rewards and an opportunity to finally turn the corner from financial ruin towards more secure times.

‘How are your parents?’ Cal interrupted her thoughts.

She returned her attention to him, meeting his gaze steadily across the table, and the hope of more tranquil times ahead seemed uncertain again. Her mum and dad had loved Cal; he had charmed them almost as easily as he had charmed her. ‘They’re fine,’ she said tightly, and then found herself relenting slightly. ‘Well, actually Dad hasn’t been very well.’

‘What’s the matter with him?’

Kirsten stared across the table at him; he was a good actor, she thought, because he honestly looked as if he gave a damn. She shrugged, not about to go into details with him. ‘I don’t know; they’re running tests.’ Thinking about her dad put things in perspective for a moment. He was going into hospital for the day on Wednesday and she kept telling herself not to worry, that whatever was wrong would be fixed, but every now and then she couldn’t help her mind running anxiously over worst-case scenarios.

Cal heard the apprehension in her tone, saw the shadows in her green eyes, and for a moment he was strongly tempted to reach across the table and take her hand. But that would be a very big mistake, he told himself grimly.

‘Are they still living out near San Francisco?’ he asked instead.

‘Yes…and Dad’s still got his fishing boat.’ For the briefest second a smile lit her face, transforming it into radiant loveliness. He was reminded vividly of the first weekend she had taken him to meet her folks, how they’d taken the boat out on a clear summer afternoon.

Then as she met his gaze again it was as if the clouds settled over the green of the sea and her smile vanished.

‘Give them both my best wishes next time you’re speaking to them,’ Cal said.

She shrugged. She didn’t like to mention Cal’s name to her mum and dad, but she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of telling him that, of letting him know how much he’d hurt them as well.

The waiter put a small bottle of water down next to her. In the space of silence she forced herself to turn her attention to the present.

‘So what are we going to do about this film?’ she asked briskly.

‘We’re going to act in it, I presume.’

‘Don’t be facetious, Cal, it doesn’t help,’ she snapped. ‘And anyway,’ she added in a cooler, quieter voice, ‘I was hoping that I was going to act in the film and you were going to do the decent, gentlemanly thing and bow out.’

‘Why would I do that?’ He looked genuinely perplexed. ‘I wouldn’t dream of backing out. I’ve given my word—’

‘For all that’s worth,’ she couldn’t resist grating sarcastically and then immediately regretted the slip. She wasn’t going to get anywhere making remarks like that. ‘Anyway,’ she continued hurriedly, thinking maybe it would just be best to be straight with him, ‘as you probably gathered from my telephone call just now, I don’t want to work alongside you, Cal, it’s as simple as that.’

‘Then maybe you should be the one to back out,’ he said. ‘Because I’m not going anywhere. I’ve signed to do this film and I’m looking forward to it.’

He’d already signed the contract! Her heart lurched with fear. ‘Are you doing this to annoy me?’ she hissed, her control breaking, her eyes narrowing. ‘This film is my first big break in ages and you’re deliberately trying to sabotage it.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. You should be thanking me, not asking me to leave. My name will make all the difference to the sales of the film. I’ve probably rescued it from life as a B-movie.’

‘You’re as modest as ever,’ she cut across him scathingly.

He smiled at her. ‘But you know what I’m saying is true. Look on the bright side—you might be nominated for an award, working alongside me.’

‘A purple heart for bravery, you mean? And you could probably get a gold medal in annoying me,’ she reflected pensively.

His lips twisted in a rueful grin. ‘Nothing personal,’ he told her with a glint of devilment in his blue gaze, and for the briefest second she saw him through the American public’s eyes.

It was no wonder they queued up for hours at the cinema to see him; he had a magnetic quality about him, an air of dangerous excitement as well as those undeniably fabulous looks. She had often wondered if he was so successful because he was a complete enigma, you couldn’t really pigeon-hole him anywhere. Although he was American through and through, he had been educated in Oxford, England, and he had worked for an English newspaper before returning home and getting a job as a sports correspondent. Writing fiction in his spare time, he had fallen into a lead role in Hollywood because of a script that he had written for them.

She had fallen for the whole dangerous package before he had made it into the big time. So in a way she had stolen a march on those fans; she knew exactly how they felt when they sat watching him in awe in the darkened cinema. She had been taken in as well.

In fact, the moment Kirsten had met Cal McCormick a kind of madness had descended upon her. Within a whirlwind period of four months they were married and then eleven months later filing for divorce.

Kirsten likened it to an illness, and afterwards referred to that period of her life as the time when she had ‘Calinitus’. He’d clouded her judgement, crept insidiously into her heart and had taken her over completely.

When he smiled with that teasing grin, as he did now, and a woman felt the full power of his looks, he could get away with anything. But not with her, she reminded herself; she had his measure. And if telling her that the movie would only do well because he was in it wasn’t a personal attack on her acting skills, she didn’t know what was, she thought furiously.

She picked up the menu, playing for time, to gather her thoughts sensibly. She wasn’t going to get anywhere losing her temper with him; she knew that from past experience.

‘How come you’re not concentrating on your singing career these days?’ Cal asked her suddenly. ‘You haven’t made a record for ages.’

Kirsten was surprised by the change of subject and wary of answering because she didn’t want to tell him what a dreadful mistake she had made with her last agent. ‘I just decided I needed a change, that’s all,’ she murmured evasively.

‘I never thought you would go into acting.’

‘Neither did I.’ She smiled for a moment. ‘But I changed my manager and Gerry suggested I audition for a role on Broadway. It was just a small cameo part, but I did well to get it. It was a tremendous challenge.’

At the time she hadn’t been at all sure about the move. She remembered flying to New York for the audition, wondering if she was wasting money that she could ill afford on plane tickets and hotels, but out of hundreds of hopefuls she had been selected.

That role had launched her new career in style. The show had been a major success and the critics had loved her. Although it had only been scheduled to run for four months, they had extended it to six. And, on her return to LA, it had opened doors for her into the acting world.

‘So the only reason you went into acting was because you wanted a challenge?’

Why was he continuing to question her? Kirsten wondered angrily. It was none of his business why she had turned away from her career as a recording artist. ‘Yes, something like that,’ she murmured. She was damned if she was going to tell him that because of her dodgy agent she’d had no choice but to go into acting.

The waiter interrupted them. He put an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne next to the table and placed two long-stemmed glasses between them.

‘What’s the champagne for?’ Kirsten eyed it apprehensively, as if it were a bomb waiting to go off.

‘I’ve no idea.’ Cal shrugged. ‘Rest assured I didn’t order it.’

‘With the compliments of Mr Gerry Woods,’ the waiter informed them both with a polite smile. ‘Would you like me to pour it now, sir?’ he asked into the silence.

‘No, thanks, I’ll pour it,’ Cal said.

As the waiter hovered, waiting for them to order their food, Kirsten hurriedly glanced down at the menu and ordered the first thing she saw.

Why was her agent sending them champagne? she wondered as they were left alone again. This was getting out of hand.

‘Look, Cal, I’m asking you nicely. Please tell the studio you won’t be available for this movie after all.’ She hoped there was no hint in her tone of the desperation she was suddenly feeling. She needed this part. It would be the first really decent money she had earned in ages, and she had worked very hard to get here. Stood in long queues and auditioned several times. By contrast Cal could walk into a part anywhere.

‘I’m sorry, Kirsten, but I can’t do that,’ he replied calmly. ‘I’ve told you, I’ve already signed the contract.’

She watched as he poured sparkling champagne into the flutes and felt helpless. She hated the feeling of not being in control; it made her angry. It brought back memories of her relationship with Cal.