His heart squeezes. “Fair enough.” Running a hand through his hair, Zane groans, then after a few seconds, he chuckles. “I can’t believe they’re using that name. It was an insult.”
“I remember.” He gives him a half-grin. “Kind of adds a special touch of irony to it, don’t you think?”
“Umm-hmm, very clever.” Zane has a long pull on the beer, then sets the can down on the coffee table and sinks into the sofa, wishing he hadn’t come. Logically, he knew he’d find out about the new band eventually, but did it have to be today? He glances at Dean. “Say, I suppose there’s also no chance that you’d manage me if I go solo?”
“I’m pretty busy managing Claud.”
“Translation: You’ve had enough of my shit to last a lifetime.”
“Yup.”
Zane’s stomach clenches and his chest hurts. He was being rejected by his own manager now. By Dean. His go-to guy. The one who fixes everything for him. “Yeah, Claudia’s killing it these days,” he says. “Good for her. She deserves it.”
“Yes, she does. She’s very talented and her success is long overdue.”
“No question about that.”
“Okay, well, thanks for stopping by,” Dean says, standing up. “But I have to run. I’ve got a thing in a bit.”
Zane gets up too. “Right, sure. Okay, well, merry Christmas, and uh … let’s … keep in touch.”
“Absolutely.”
He opens his arms to hug his friend, but Dean only offers his right hand instead, which leads to an awkward shaking of hands coupled with a shoulder bump. He looks into Dean’s eyes, hoping for some sign that he was warming to him, but sees nothing. Shaking his head, Zane says, “They say it’s lonely at the top, but that’s nothing compared to when you fall from grace.”
Dean pats him on the upper arm like a distant-but-kindly father. “That’s a decent lyric right there. Maybe write that down when you get home.”
Zane gives him a half-hearted grin. “Yeah, I should do that.”
He walks out into the chilly winter afternoon and shuffles his feet on the sidewalk, feeling lost and lonely and all the things a person feels when they used to have it all and now they have much, much less.
CLAUDIA
Across town, Claudia is in love. She and her trainer, Tyrone, are building a life together, which at that moment means building tuna sandwiches on whole grain bread with a side salad. He is everything she needs—steady, reliable, thoughtful, and romantic. Best of all, he’s wonderful with Elliott and believes in lots of fresh air and exercise for everyone, children included. He plays with him in the yard or at the playground by the hour. Tyrone is interested in Claudia’s thoughts on every topic under the sun, and he is certain she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Most talented too.
The month before, he sold his condo and moved into her bungalow, having decided together that a regular house in a regular neighborhood was best for a growing child. If they add to their family, they’ll buy a bigger house, but not some isolated mansion that will warp their views of reality. They speak about getting married one day, and Claudia doesn’t know it, but Tyrone has already bought a ring and has it tucked in his sock drawer for Christmas Eve. He will give it to her after they put out the milk and cookies andtuck Elliott into his crib. She will say yes without hesitation.
Her career would have been irreparably damaged by the world finding out about her and Zane, if not for the fact that ‘Already Gone’ was an overnight hit. It held the number one spot on the Billboard 100 for seven weeks straight (only to be knocked off by three teenage boys with the last name Hanson).
Money and talent make up for almost any sin in the music industry, just like they do in Hollywood, the world of sports, and in top jobs the world over. Full Moon arranged for an interview with Barbara Walters, who presented her as one part villain, one part victim, and two parts determined underdog who came from nothing (because the world loves a determined underdog who comes from nothing). And so, Claudia, who had so little, now has everything she could ever want.
SIENNA
In a recent interview withEntertainment Tonight, Sienna was asked if she had forgiven Claudia.Definitely. I understand what it’s like in that world, and how Claudia’s life was turned upside down when she lost Mike. Besides, it wasn’t her job to keep my husband’s vows.
The interview was to help launch her new segment on NBC’sToday Show, called ‘Beautiful Things,’ where she’ll show busy women how to quickly create beautiful homes and meals on a budget. It hasn’t aired yet, but the network executives are already so excited about it that there is talk of giving her a full hour in the afternoons to replaceAnotherWorld. All that is hush-hush of course, since no one on the set of the long-running soap opera has been told they’re about to be canceled.
Sienna is the happiest she’s ever been, even though she drops into bed exhausted every night. Instead of a new man, she got a second dog so Billie could have a best friend—a black lab named Joel. Poppy and Parker are surviving school and dealing with all the gossip as best they can. Parker is learning that real men keep their tempers in check and that actions have consequences. Poppy learned not to invade a person’s privacy, even if that person is just her big sister. Ivy, who had settled in nicely at college, will be home for Christmas in four days, a thought that has Sienna buzzing with excitement. Ivy will bring with her a nice young man named Christopher, who is there on scholarship. Christopher writes poetry about Ivy’s eyes (but just for her, not for profit, because Christopher finds it grotesque to make money off of art). He’s also happy to take things as slow as she wants. Lucky for him, Ivy doesn’t want to take things very slow at all. Not that Sienna knows anything about that side of her daughter’s life. She only knows her daughter is in love, and all she can do is hope Ivy will keep her head on straight and continue doing her best at school.
And after everything that happened, Sienna has learned how to do what once seemed impossible—to let go of a man who will never be what she needs. The moment she realized she could trust herself and draw on her own strength, she knew it was over. She will always love Zane, as the father of her children and as a good friend, but Kylie was right all along. She deserves better. And she will go out and find it herself.
SEPTEMBER 7, 1998
ENCINO, CALIFORNIA
ZANE
Zane sits alone on the cognac leather sofa in the media room of his new house. He found a place ten blocks from the home he shared with Sienna and the children, and he knows they’ll be snuggled up on the couch with popcorn, tuning into the same thing he was. He spends an exasperating three full minutes trying to figure out the remote control for his satellite system, finally managing to find the show on the menu of a thousand channels:VH1 — Behind the Music: The Vows(Season 2: Episode 1).
