Daddy's Girls (24)

    “Maybe for a few weeks. If I find a decent studio, I can come back. It really feels like rewinding the film, though, to some of the worst days of my life, when all I wanted to do was get out of there.”

“It’s temporary, Gem, it’s not forever. Just until you find work, and get a few jobs under your belt, or a part on another show.”

“I hope so. If I wind up back in the Valley for good, I think I’ll shoot myself.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be working again by the fall.”

“Tell my agent that. He acts like I’m a hundred years old. Maybe I should get my eyes done again while I have the time. And a boob job. I swear, they’re an inch lower than they were last year. Maybe he’s right.”

“You don’t need your eyes done, or a boob job. I know twenty-year-olds who would kill to have a body like yours.”

“Well, for five thousand a month to my trainer, six thousand to my gym, two thousand to my Pilates class, and another three to my fancy yoga coach, they can have this body. Surgery would be cheaper,” she said, and her sister laughed. “My trainer and my yoga coach have their own TV shows.”

“Jesus, that’s a lot of money to look as good as you do. I’m glad I live up here. So what do you think? Do you want to come up for a while?”

“Not really. I’d rather cut my liver out with an ice pick. But I don’t have much choice, for the moment. Maybe I’ll stay at the ranch for a month.”

“You can stay for as long as you want,” Kate said warmly. “It would be nice to have you here, even for a while. I’m hoping Caroline will come down for a few days before they go to Aspen. I think the kids get out of school this week.” Kate was busy with the upcoming auction, but she liked the idea of her sisters staying at the ranch. Juliette was leaving soon too. Now that her father was gone, Kate would have no one to talk to at night. Thad had a new flame, so it was going to be a lonely summer, although Thad’s romances never lasted long. He said this one was different, but they always were. She was twenty-two, a waitress at a local bar. He always managed to find someone new.

    “I’ll let you know,” Gemma said, sounding distracted, and they hung up a few minutes later. Kate called Caroline after that, to see if she wanted to come down. She didn’t sound enthused either, and told Peter about it when she hung up.

“Maybe you should,” he said gently. “Your sister works like a dog on that ranch. And with your father gone, it all rests on her. You’re a part owner there now too. It might be nice for her to have some support and company. It’s a lonely life for her.” It was the first time Peter had been that sympathetic to Kate, and she was touched. He made Caroline feel guilty for not seeing her more often, but she had just been there with the kids, and for her father’s funeral only weeks before.

“She loves that life. I don’t think she’s lonely. But I do think she works too hard. If she was lonely, she’d try to meet a guy, and she doesn’t. All she does is work.”

“You’re a good distraction for her with the kids. And they seem to love it down there,” Peter reminded her, and leaned over and kissed her. She really didn’t want to leave him.

“You don’t mind my going?” She didn’t like deserting him, especially to go to the ranch, which she didn’t enjoy anyway. But she’d had a nice weekend there with her sisters, and Morgan and Billy had loved it. She was looking forward to the weeks they were going to spend in Aspen at the house they rented, although Peter had said he was going to have trouble getting away. He was planning to spend a week or two with them, and to come out for as many weekends as he could, if his big deal went well. She’d heard the house they’d rented was fabulous. A friend of theirs had rented it for his family last year. Peter always provided wonderful vacations for them. She just hoped he’d be able to enjoy it with them. He was working late every night on his deal.

    Caroline still felt guilty leaving him alone in Marin, just to go see her sisters. She hadn’t seen them this much in years, although it had been nice spending time with them and reconnecting. It was different at the ranch now without her father there. He wasn’t an overbearing presence, showing off, and telling everyone what to do. She could never understand how Kate had stood working for him for all these years, but now at least she could run it the way she wanted, after twenty years of doing his bidding, and having to do everything his way, although Kate had never complained. In Caroline’s opinion, she was a saint and had more than paid her dues.



* * *



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With a heavy heart, Gemma packed some summer clothes to take to the Valley, put several racks and suitcases in storage, emptied some closets and locked others, had the carpet cleaners in, and was ready for her tenant on the appointed day. She hated to leave her house, and leave L.A. even for a month. But she would have been on hiatus and away anyway. Her agent had no work for her, and no auditions, and at least at the ranch, she wouldn’t be spending any money. It was a way to save for a month, with her funds running out at a rapid rate. Caroline had called her and was going to the ranch for a week with her kids, so they would all be there together. A month seemed like an eternity to Gemma, and Kate was trying to get her to stay longer. But all she could think about for now was one month, and she’d see how she felt at the end of it. If she was crawling out of her skin, or morbidly depressed, she was going back to L.A., whether she had work or not. A studio apartment somewhere in L.A. might be less depressing than the ranch, which was always a painful déjà vu for her.