Somewhere in California Read online

  Somewhere In California

  Michaels Family Romance Book 3

  Toby Neal

  Copyright Notice

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  COPYRIGHT © 2016 Toby Neal

  http://tobyneal.net

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

  Cover Design: Selestiele Designs

  E-book ISBN: 978-0-9973089-1-4

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  More Titles from Toby Neal!

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  Chapter 1

  Jade

  Standing in front of the TV judges of Dance, Dance, Dance, my meager file of credits open in front of them, I wish I’d done something jazzier with my hair than a bun. I’m dressed in the traditional pale pink of ballet workout clothing: tights, a leotard, ballet slippers, a filmy wrap skirt, and my own signature touch, a wide black velvet ribbon tied around my waist.

  The ribbon provides a focal point for the eye when I do my audition—and I need to stand out. But a ribbon isn’t much of a statement for a dancer now that it’s 1992, and Madonna is our style icon. I’m definitely in over my head with this tryout.

  “Thank you for joining us, Miss Michaels,” one of the judges says. She has the slender build and upright posture of a retired professional.

  “Jade, please.”

  “According to this, Jade, you began dancing at fourteen. Are you aware that’s late for a professional career?”

  “Yes. I grew up on Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands. There was nowhere to dance where I lived. My family moved to California when I was fourteen, and that’s when I started dancing.”

  “Ah. So tell us what you’re going to be performing.”

  “Just a short piece from The Nutcracker. With adaptations.”

  “You’re aware this audition is for a competitive television show that includes a variety of styles—not just classical ballet?” The male judge is a harshly handsome middle-aged man crowned with a green Mohawk, wearing an armful of jingling copper bracelets. I can feel the eye of the TV camera boring into my back right between my shoulder blades. I ignore the blinking red light of the camera in front of me.

  “Yes, sir. I said ‘with adaptations,’ didn’t I?” I smile as big and charming as I can.

  People have told me I ought to smile more, that I’m almost as pretty as my sister Pearl Michaels, the supermodel, when I smile. That’s a stretch, but it seems to help, because the grumpy male judge inclines his head and flicks a finger for the music. My favorite song, Total Eclipse of the Heart, comes on.

  I drop to the ground, folding in tight on myself.

  The song’s a little old, but it speaks to me. Speaks to what I long for—a love so big it sweeps me away. In the secret of the studio where I’ve been dancing and giving lessons for the last five years, I’ve choreographed my own routine to it.

  As the music builds, I slide my legs out from beneath my upper body into full splits, then, pointing my toes, using only leg strength, I draw my legs together so that my arched upper torso lifts from the ground by main force. I hear a gasp from one of the female judges at this maneuver, but the music’s changing, and I fling my arms wide and spin, doing ten rotations, then exit into a moonwalk. From there I segue into the breakdance sequence, doing upper body pop and lock, shuffling with rubber legs, and an Egyptian maneuver with my rib cage as my ‘heart’ beating in exaggerated twitches beneath my hand. That brings another surprised exclamation from someone.

  But I can’t hope, or think, because next comes the laid-back leap extension across the stage, and the pirouette, and the mime-in-the-box followed by the sassy hip shake of my best cha-cha.

  I’m waiting for the buzzer to end my audition. I’ve watched this show every season, and hopeful contestants never seem to make it through a full minute of dancing, so I didn’t choreograph more than two minutes.

  But the buzzer doesn’t sound, so I dance on: flinging myself into whatever feels right in the moment, a collage of moves I’ve perfected…and finally Bonnie Tyler cries her total eclipse of the heart, and I sink into a deep curtsy, heaving for breath and dripping with sweat.

  When I rise, the judges are standing. Applauding.

  The eye of the TV camera zooms in on my face, capturing my mouth falling open and tears welling, because my heart has just been totally eclipsed by the dance.

  “Congratulations,” the male judge says, grinning so wide I don’t recognize him. “You’ve got a golden ticket. You’re going to LA!”

  My legs won’t hold me up anymore. I sink to the floor in a weepy puddle.

  Someone comes to help, lifting me up from beneath my limp arm, looping it over his shoulder and helping me out of the audition area. He settles me onto a hard plastic chair backstage.

  “Here,” he says. “Jade Star Michaels.” He hands me a piece of soft fabric, and I mop my streaming face and blow my nose on it. “That was amazing.”

  “Thanks,” I say, muffled in the material. “What is this?” Real cloth feels silky and expensive under my hands.

  “Handkerchief. You can give it back another day.”

  I look up into the face that belongs to such a kind voice. He’s handsome: short dark blond hair, light hazel eyes, a mouth made of angles and curves.

  “How did you know my name?”

  The man holds up a clipboard. “I’m the main producer. Brandon Forbes.” He looks at me intently. “And I knew your sister.”

  “Which one?” I ask, honking my nose again. I spot his initials stitched onto the corner of the handkerchief. “I have two.” Neither of my sisters, nor my mom, knows that I’m here in San Francisco at this audition.

  “Pearl and I dated at one time. Did she ever mention me?”

  “No, I’m sorry. We’re not close.”

  Forbes’s mouth tightens with a twist that looks like old pain. “Well. It was a long time ago.”

  “Yeah. She’s married now.” I don’t want to talk about his relationship with my supermodel sister. I stand up. “Thanks for the help. That was… overwhelming. I didn’t expect to have to dance the whole song.”

  “It’s never happened before,” Forbes says, eyes bright. He seems to be really seeing me fo
r the first time. “You were really something out there. How old are you?”

  “Twenty. And thanks for this.” I want to hand the kerchief back to him, but it’s gross. I’m going to have to wash it before I return it. I can feel the urge to get the germs off my hands plucking at my nerves. “What happens now?”

  “Here’s your golden ticket.” Forbes hands me a small packet. It’s topped by a gold foil ticket that reads, “You’re invited to the next level of competition in Los Angeles!” Clipped onto the back are vouchers for United Airlines, a couple of taxi rides, and a Holiday Inn. “Stick around. Watch the rest of the competition. And be at Universal Studios in Los Angeles next Tuesday.”

  “I’ll be there. With bells on,” I shake one of my ankles, where I’ve tied a little silver bell.

  “Nice.” Forbes pats my head like I’m three. “See you around.”

  “You will.” Pearl Moon Michaels isn’t going to be the only famous name in our family.

  Brandon

  Meeting Jade Michaels at the auditions was a punch to the gut.

  The girl is an amazing dancer. Looking down at where I’ve jotted my own homemade ratings on our roster of competitors, she’s one of our strongest contestants so far.

  Slender and small-boned, she’s built with the long legs and short torso that are ideal for ballet. Long auburn hair and green eyes make her distinctive. The only feature she shares with her heartbreaker sister Pearl is a mouth made for kissing.

  Pearl. Five foot nine inches of blue-eyed, blonde perfection. I helped make Pearl the supermodel she is. I held her in my arms, saved her from a mugger—and hoped for more. But it wasn’t to be. She met and married someone whose shadows blended with hers—someone more suited to her streak of darkness. I get that now.

  I shake my head to clear it, and click on my handheld radio. “How many more contestants are we running today?”

  Throwing myself back into work helps me move on from the disorienting encounter. I’ve found my niche in my mother’s media empire by starting the dance show. We’re in our third season and only getting more popular. Our outreaches to cities outside of LA were yielding a great crop of talent, and The Melissa Agency was doing a brisk business signing some of the best performers in the country. The rest of the day into afternoon passes in a blur of phone calls to the rest of my staff, solving ongoing issues with the camera feeds, and prepping for our return to LA next week and the next phase of the competition.

  But I can’t stop thinking about Pearl, and Jade, and the emptiness Pearl left behind—an emptiness that I try to fill with work and women. None of it lasts long.

  I return to my room at the Fairmont Hotel, but can’t relax. I need to work out. I head down to the hotel’s gym and push weights. Even with my Walkman blasting, it isn’t enough. I slide my room key into my pocket and leave the hotel for a run.

  The stately landmark hotel is near the center of the city on one of its highest points, so I head downhill, angling across streets, Nikes thumping on the sidewalk as I pass coffee shops, clothing boutiques, and multi-ethnic crowds going about their business. I make my way to Ocean Beach like a salmon going to the sea.

  On that great, fog-wreathed stretch of sand I breathe easier, running on the hard-packed edge near the water.

  I’m over Pearl.

  At least I’d thought so. But seeing her sister has made me wonder.

  It’s not like I’ve been a monk since Pearl dumped me after one of her fashion shows four years ago. I’m surrounded by beautiful women, many of them trying to get some advantage in a tough industry by cozying up to me—or my mother.

  I learned to spot that gleam in the eye of a pretty girl long ago: the furtive passing of a phone number followed by the pressure to put a word in with Melissa: “Can you just show her this photo?”

  I’m no angel. I’ve taken a few up on what was offered. But Pearl was the first model I’d ever “discovered” myself. That time, the shoe was on the other foot—I wanted Pearl to see me as her knight in shining armor, not only chasing off a mugger that I interrupted robbing her, but giving her a break she’d never have had without me.

  I was the one who ended up falling in love. I should never have let myself get sucked in that way. I never even slept with her, damn it, and still somehow fell for her like the proverbial ton of bricks—more fool me.

  I run harder in my frustration. Finally, returning to the hotel, I shower and call Melissa for the weekly check-in she’s requested as part of our partnership.

  “Hello, son.” Her voice is cool. I hear the tinkling of ice cubes in her evening cocktail.

  I’ve poured myself a drink too, and put my feet up on the hotel’s striped ottoman, looking out at the lighted Golden Gate through a triptych of long windows. “Hello, Mother. This is your weekly update call.”

  “I assumed as much. What’s new in the dance show business?”

  “We’ve had a great series of tryouts here in San Francisco. Glad this part is over. A new city every week is more exhausting than glamorous.”

  “You don’t have to tell me. Any new talent worth mentioning?”

  “Yeah. Jade Star Michaels.” The name pops out of my mouth without my intention.

  A long pause. I envision my mother’s golden-green eyes tighten the way they do when she hears something she doesn’t particularly like. “As in...sister of Pearl Michaels?”

  “That’s right. Phenomenal dancer.” My mind’s eye fills with the memory of Jade’s mish-mash of styles set to Total Eclipse of the Heart. “Huge emotion, passion, and technical ability. Her tryout was the first one to ever last the length of a song. Of course, she’s continuing on to compete in LA.”

  Another pause. “Any runway talent there?” Melissa’s way of asking me if famous Pearl’s sister has any potential as a model.

  “Don’t think so. Too short.” I swirl the cubes in my drink in agitation. I don’t want Melissa getting her hooks into Jade. Poor kid—naïve and innocent, not like Pearl at all.

  “What about print work? Pearl’s got so much charisma. If Jade has even a fourth of that, she’ll be great for magazine ads.”

  “Don’t know,” I growl. “Move on, Mother.” She never lets me call her anything but Melissa. I wait for the rebuke, but it never comes. Maybe she’s mellowing. “Our stock is up. If we get the numbers we’re going for this quarter, I think it will be time to finally go public.”

  We’ve been negotiating to buy an entire TV network that we could then produce content for, including preferential spots for commercials involving The Melissa Agency’s client base.

  “Keep me posted,” she says, and we wrap up the conversation. “I’m worried about you, son.”

  I’m startled. Melissa doesn’t go there with me, that whole touchy-feely bit isn’t part of our dynamic. “What are you worried about?”

  “That you will get—I don’t know. Burned out. You used to want to be an engineer, remember?”

  How could I forget? I’d been a student at MIT when I discovered Pearl. Melissa used that situation to lure me back into the business with financial incentives too sweet to ignore. “I need you,” she’d finally said. “I’m not getting any younger, and to take this business to the next level, I need someone at my side that I can trust.”

  I changed my major to business administration, and developed the TV arm of the business, my own project. I found it surprisingly fulfilling. “Water under the bridge. I’m happy doing what I’m doing.”

  “Well, don’t forget to have a little fun. Go out. I want you to meet someone special.”

  “You got it, Boss.”

  I hang up the hotel’s gilt-edged phone. I’m still restless. I want to see the film from today’s tryouts. I pick the phone up and call Alan Bowes, the show’s director, a short fireplug of a bald man who wears nothing but black leather and a lot of energy.

  “How are the clips from today?”

  “Excellent. That new kid Jade really stole today’s show. I sent one of the interns to
find her and do a little background interview.”

  My pulse speeds up. I want to do that interview. But what the hell am I thinking—I never do those. I squelch the impulse. “Sounds good. Keep me posted.”

  I hang up. I’ll go down to the hotel bar and see if there’s any action. Female company is never in short supply.

  Chapter 2

  Jade

  I’m not sure what to feel when I get on the bus outside the theater in downtown San Francisco after having thrown away Forbes’s handkerchief—I can’t stand to not be able to wash it, and there’s no way to do that where I’m going. Flashbulbs from the reporters trying to get a shot or a sound bite from those of us who’ve moved on to the next level of the contest are still burning my eyes as I find a seat. I know I’m exhausted, but don’t feel that yet, still high on the thrill of earning the Golden Ticket.

  I’ve run away from home to do this audition.

  Well, if it’s even running away when you’re twenty. But for me, the kid who never goes anywhere, super-responsible, always home when she isn’t at the dance studio—this adventure is huge. My disappearance must be causing some freak-out at home.

  I’ve never been so far from Mom before. We Michaels girls grew up in a tiny dot of a town on St. Thomas, in a happy family whose center was the church my parents gave their lives to for twenty years—until my dad died of a stroke when I was fourteen.