All the Way (Romancing Manhattan 1)

“It’s not. You have to move on with your life, Carter. Darcy would want that.”

He just frowns, and then stands. “I’m going home too. Gabby should be home anytime. I’ll help her with her homework.”

“Have a good day.”

He walks out and I open the laptop again. This place in Hollywood looks amazing. I reach for my phone and make a call.

“How are you, baby?” I grin and maneuver my way through traffic, happy to finally hear London’s voice today.

“I’m good,” she says. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to call earlier. It’s been a busy day.”

“It’s okay, I understand. How did everything go? Tell me about it.”

“The contract signing took forever because I had my agent and an entertainment attorney there. I haven’t done that before, but there is more involved here, so we went through page by page.”

“How many pages is the contract?”

“Seventy-eight.”

“That’s a long day,” I reply with a laugh. “I’m glad you brought the attorney in.”

“My agent suggested it, and I thought it was a good idea. We had a few changes, and I countered for more money, but I know they expected that.”

“Of course.” I nod and switch lanes. She’s so damn intelligent. “Have I told you today how proud I am of you, London?”

“I don’t think so.” I can hear the smile in her voice, and I want nothing more than to be there with her right now, celebrating properly.

“Well, I am so proud of you. This is a big deal, and that’s not lost on me.”

“I know, and I appreciate that,” she replies. “So, although it was a long day of reading a bunch of legalese that I didn’t entirely understand and then having it explained to me, and my brain is about as full as it can be for one day, I can honestly say that it went very well.”

“That’s good news. What’s on deck for tomorrow?”

“I’m meeting with the choreographer and Jeffrey to run some lines together. It’s starting to happen quickly now.”

“When do you have to be back in L.A. to start production?”

“In three weeks.”

“It’ll be here before you know it,” I reply. “This is exciting, and I’m looking forward to you being home soon.”

“Me too. I’m homesick for sure.”

“Oh, I have news for you.” I pull into my mother’s driveway and put the car in park. “I called to check on the trust like you asked, and Kyle did apply for funding for rehab. It sounds like he was honest about that.”

“That’s really good news.”

“I still don’t trust him,” I add. “Just because he’s applied for the funding doesn’t mean that he’ll actually go.”

“I know,” she says quietly. “Trust me, no one knows that better than me. I’ve been through this many times with him. But, he’s my brother, Finn. I’ll always hope that he’s being honest, even when I know he probably isn’t.”

“As long as you stay on your toes with him, and don’t blindly trust him.”

“You’ve known me awhile now. You know that’s not how it is with Kyle and me.”

“You’re right.” I nod, even though she can’t see me, and drag my hand over my face. “I’m a little protective in this situation.”

“And I appreciate it, but I’ve got this one. Cautious optimism is the name of the game here.”

“Okay, babe.”

“What are you up to?”

“I just pulled into Mom’s driveway. I thought I’d come check on her, spend a little time with her.”

“There you go, being a nice guy again,” she replies.

“If you call me a mama’s boy, I’ll never speak to you again.”

She laughs. “No, that you’re not. Tell her I said hello, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night, sweetheart.”

“You too.”

I love you.

But rather than say it, I end the call. I walk into Mom’s house.

“Hello?” I call out.

“Finn?” she calls from the kitchen. “Is that you?”

“The one and only,” I reply as I join her. She’s building a turkey sandwich. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m grateful that it’s you and not your ridiculous brother.”

“What has Quinn done now?”

“He calls me no less than five times a day, just to make sure I’m okay. I’m surprised it’s not him showing up, because he does that most evenings as well.”

“He loves you.”

“He’s smothering me,” she says, and cuts the sandwich in half, then offers me one.

“Thanks.” I take it and bite into it, instantly thrown back thirty years in time. “You always made the best turkey sandwiches.”

“The trick is to not put too much mustard on them,” she says, leading me to the living room, where we both sit down and enjoy our food. “Why aren’t you with London tonight?”

“She’s in L.A. until Wednesday,” I reply. “She had to sign contracts for her next project, and has some other meetings. But I just talked to her, and she said to tell you hi for her.”