Carolyn’s gray eyes cut away. “I don’t know.”
A rumbling started low in Rubi’s gut. Akin to a volcano heating up and churning, her protective side was ready to explode. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Why don’t you know?”
“He—” Carolyn’s sucked in as if oxygen were suddenly on a limited supply.
Rubi sat down and put her arm around her sister, waiting.
“He said hedidn’t want no woman who couldn’t have a baby.” She said the last part with Trent’s thick accent, her lip curling.
Rubi pulled her closer, a rage unlike anything she’d ever known igniting her limbs and sparking through her fingertips; a live fuse headed towards dynamite. “That boy’s mama should have known better than to raise a dimwit, bless her heart. There’s no accounting for Trent’s level of stupid in this world.”
Carolyn snickered. “Don’t let Mama hear you talk like that.”
Rubi bit her tongue. She had a whole lot of words for Trent that her mama wouldn’t want to hear come out of her mouth. “Speaking of Mama ” Now that Rubi had let her Southern roots stretch, she wasn’t feeling too inclined to bury them in the sand as she did in California. Especially if they put a smile on Carolyn’s face.
“I haven’t called her.” Carolyn’s head dropped. “I just couldn’t.”
They never spoke of it, but there was a kind of understanding in the family that Rubi was their mother’s favored daughter for having become the actress Bonnie Walsh wished she’d been. However, Carolyn’s pregnancy put joy on Bonnie’s face that had never been directed at either of her girls.
Rubi’s place as the favorite was overshadowed by Jelly Bean, and Rubi couldn’t have been happier to have her family come closer through the anticipation. She never wanted her sister to feel like she was anything less than wonderful. In those quiet moments of reflection, which seemed to happen a lot lately, she wondered if a sense of being in second place was why Carolyn had married Trent. If she could see herself as Rubi saw her, competent, beautiful, fun, smart, and energetic, then she never would have settled for that no-good piece of trash who should be right here holding his wife’s hand.
Before she could get too fired up, Rubi slipped off the bed. “I’ll call her.” She pressed a kiss to Carolyn’s hair. It smelled like the pillowcase, clean and sterile. “Try to get some sleep.”
Carolyn nodded and tucked into herself once more. She drifted off almost immediately, her breathing evening out and her limbs relaxing.
Rubi found her purse and dug out her phone. She made her way to a bench in the hallway and dialed her agent.
“Hey Bobby,” she said when he answered, huffing and puffing. She checked the clock on the wall. She should have paid attention to the time difference, because she’d caught him during his morning workout. “I’m in Georgia,” she said, explaining away the interruption. “Listen, something’s come up and I’m going to relocate for a while.”
“Did you say Georgia?” Bobby coughed.
“Yes sir.”
“You won’t believe this ”
Rubi worked in Hollywood. She’d believe just about anything. “Try me.”
“I just did a hot yoga class with a casting agent who said he’s working with Knight Studios out of Atlanta.”
“Knight Studios?” Rubi leaned her head back against the wall. Back whenSchool dayswas finishing up their last season, Knight Studios came out with a series featuring Robert Knight’s stepdaughters. The show never gained the popularity ofSchool days,but it hung in there—longer than it probably should have—thanks to the Knight name. Since Robert Knight’s death, the company nosedived. Last she heard, they were getting ready to parcel off their projects to other production houses. “Did I hear you right?”
“You heard right. They’re under new management—Cindy Knight’s taken over and she’s got a movie script that’s to die for. Beau Mckay has already signed on. They’re filming in Georgia.”
She closed her eyes. “This may be the lack of sleep talkin’, but go ahead and send the script.”
“I’ll do one better: I’ll send it today and fly out tomorrow. I have a feeling you’re going to want to be in on this. The wordblockbusteris being thrown about.” Bobby had an eye for these things. That’s why she paid him the big bucks.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. You can stay with me if you’d like.” Three more phone calls landed on her to-do list.
“Sounds great. I’ll meet you at your place.”
They said goodbye and Rubi shook her head. The sense that the world was going on outside of her family tragedy grated against her sensibilities; at the same time, thinking beyond the mauve walls was a strange comfort.
Knight Studios was making a comeback. If anyone could make it happen, it would be Cindy Knight. Before her father died, Cindy was the up-and-coming screenwriter of their generation. She dropped out of certain circles when her dad’s passing started rumors that she just didn’t have what it takes. Rubi never put much stock in rumors—having been pregnant and engaged three times in the last year according to the gossip rags. Cindy was the real deal and working with Knight Studios close to home would be ideal, considering Carolyn’s situation. A part in the movie would also be a good cover-up story for why she was in Georgia and allow her to keep this heartbreak within the family.
She dialed her assistant. “Hey, Melanie, I need you to find out how to get a quick divorce in Georgia.”
Melanie, who managed Rubi’s media image, gasped. “What did you do?!”
