great.’
He didn’t know what it was about Melanie-Shanna – it wasn’t her fault, she just aggravated the hell out of him. Maybe it was because she was his wife and Whitney wasn’t. They had met when he went to Houston to make a movie. While he was there, recovering from Whitney’s walk-out and her subsequent affair with Chuck Nielson, he had judged a beauty contest. Melanie-Shanna, with her mane of auburn hair, her clean, long-limbed body, and her sweet smile, was the natural winner. He had taken her out to dinner a few times. Then he had taken her in to dinner. One thing led to another and he made love to her on the floor of his sumptuous suite. She was only twenty years old when they married a week later. Whitney was nearly thirty. Let her eat her heart out.
Basically Mannon married Melanie-Shanna to make Whitney jealous. It didn’t work. And it left him in the crapper with a young wife and no pre-nuptial agreement. To make matters even worse, Melanie-Shanna adored him.
‘Can I fix you a drink, honey?’ she asked.
‘Why do you always have to tag honey onto the end of every sentence?’ he said aggressively.
‘Sorry, hon – er, dear. I’m not aware that I do.’
‘Well, be aware,’ he warned. ‘It makes you sound like a cheap dance hostess.’
She turned away so that he couldn’t see her large eyes fill with tears. What was she doing wrong? For months he had hardly had a good word to say to her. When they first met he had been so loving and kind, truly the man of her dreams. He hadn’t known that for years she’d had his picture tacked on her wall after seeing him in Sweet Revenge . Mannon Cable had always been her favourite movie star.
Now she was Mrs Mannon Cable, and it wasn’t making either of them happy.
Quietly she poured scotch into a glass, added ice cubes and handed it to him.
He swallowed the drink in two gulps. ‘I suppose we’d better go,’ he said dourly, walking to the door. ‘And I’m warning you, I don’t want to stay late.’
‘Neither do I,’ she said, following him out. Tonight she wanted to come home early. Because tonight she was going to tell him they were expecting a baby.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Wanna go party?’ Heaven asked Eddie on the phone.
He laughed, low-down and dirty. ‘I thought we had our own party this afternoon.’
‘Some party,’ she giggled.
‘A blast, right?’
‘A big blast.’
‘You wanna repeat it?’
She paused. ‘I have another sort of party in mind.’
‘Aw…’ Eddie said. ‘I hate those open parties. They’re always full of kids, an’ I hate not gettin’ in the house, an’ being treated like garbage, an’—’
‘This is a proper party,’ she interrupted. ‘Like a Beverly Hills party, with movie stars and fancy food and probably some dumb band.’
‘Food?’ Eddie questioned. ‘Real food?’
‘I guess.’
‘Who invited us?’ he asked suspiciously.
‘Nobody invited you ,’ she responded tartly. ‘Only I can take you,’ she taunted. ‘That’s if I want to, an’ if your car’ll get us over the hill.’
‘Whose party is it?’
‘My mother finally remembered I’m alive.’
‘Silver Anderson?’
‘I’m not related to Linda Evans, you geek.’
There was a short silence while Eddie digested this information. Finally he said, ‘What’ud I have to wear?’
‘Anything you like,’ she replied blithely. She herself planned to cause a sensation in her red leather micro-dress, and the longshoreman’s overcoat which she had just bought at Flip on Melrose with money from her singing gigs.
‘Do y’ wanna go?’ Eddie inquired, remembering how she felt about her famous mother.
‘I dunno,’ she replied, unsure for a moment. ‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I am her daughter.’
‘Uh… let’s do it then,’ he said.
‘Oh… I don’t know.’ She changed her mind quickly.
‘Aw, c’mon, H. Get on the track ’n’ stick to it.’
‘Maybe I will. I’ll call you back.’
She hung up
He didn’t know what it was about Melanie-Shanna – it wasn’t her fault, she just aggravated the hell out of him. Maybe it was because she was his wife and Whitney wasn’t. They had met when he went to Houston to make a movie. While he was there, recovering from Whitney’s walk-out and her subsequent affair with Chuck Nielson, he had judged a beauty contest. Melanie-Shanna, with her mane of auburn hair, her clean, long-limbed body, and her sweet smile, was the natural winner. He had taken her out to dinner a few times. Then he had taken her in to dinner. One thing led to another and he made love to her on the floor of his sumptuous suite. She was only twenty years old when they married a week later. Whitney was nearly thirty. Let her eat her heart out.
Basically Mannon married Melanie-Shanna to make Whitney jealous. It didn’t work. And it left him in the crapper with a young wife and no pre-nuptial agreement. To make matters even worse, Melanie-Shanna adored him.
‘Can I fix you a drink, honey?’ she asked.
‘Why do you always have to tag honey onto the end of every sentence?’ he said aggressively.
‘Sorry, hon – er, dear. I’m not aware that I do.’
‘Well, be aware,’ he warned. ‘It makes you sound like a cheap dance hostess.’
She turned away so that he couldn’t see her large eyes fill with tears. What was she doing wrong? For months he had hardly had a good word to say to her. When they first met he had been so loving and kind, truly the man of her dreams. He hadn’t known that for years she’d had his picture tacked on her wall after seeing him in Sweet Revenge . Mannon Cable had always been her favourite movie star.
Now she was Mrs Mannon Cable, and it wasn’t making either of them happy.
Quietly she poured scotch into a glass, added ice cubes and handed it to him.
He swallowed the drink in two gulps. ‘I suppose we’d better go,’ he said dourly, walking to the door. ‘And I’m warning you, I don’t want to stay late.’
‘Neither do I,’ she said, following him out. Tonight she wanted to come home early. Because tonight she was going to tell him they were expecting a baby.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Wanna go party?’ Heaven asked Eddie on the phone.
He laughed, low-down and dirty. ‘I thought we had our own party this afternoon.’
‘Some party,’ she giggled.
‘A blast, right?’
‘A big blast.’
‘You wanna repeat it?’
She paused. ‘I have another sort of party in mind.’
‘Aw…’ Eddie said. ‘I hate those open parties. They’re always full of kids, an’ I hate not gettin’ in the house, an’ being treated like garbage, an’—’
‘This is a proper party,’ she interrupted. ‘Like a Beverly Hills party, with movie stars and fancy food and probably some dumb band.’
‘Food?’ Eddie questioned. ‘Real food?’
‘I guess.’
‘Who invited us?’ he asked suspiciously.
‘Nobody invited you ,’ she responded tartly. ‘Only I can take you,’ she taunted. ‘That’s if I want to, an’ if your car’ll get us over the hill.’
‘Whose party is it?’
‘My mother finally remembered I’m alive.’
‘Silver Anderson?’
‘I’m not related to Linda Evans, you geek.’
There was a short silence while Eddie digested this information. Finally he said, ‘What’ud I have to wear?’
‘Anything you like,’ she replied blithely. She herself planned to cause a sensation in her red leather micro-dress, and the longshoreman’s overcoat which she had just bought at Flip on Melrose with money from her singing gigs.
‘Do y’ wanna go?’ Eddie inquired, remembering how she felt about her famous mother.
‘I dunno,’ she replied, unsure for a moment. ‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I am her daughter.’
‘Uh… let’s do it then,’ he said.
‘Oh… I don’t know.’ She changed her mind quickly.
‘Aw, c’mon, H. Get on the track ’n’ stick to it.’
‘Maybe I will. I’ll call you back.’
She hung up
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