Three weeks later, Debbie was packing when she heard a knock on the door. She brushed the dust off of her t-shirt and looked through the peephole. "Oh, god. You found me."
"May I come in?"
Debbie opened the door. "Knock yourself out." Linus looked different. His hair was longer. His year-round tan had faded. "What brings you to New York?"
Linus laid a garment bag over the back of the sofa and looked around. "Hello to you, too, Lace." He zeroed in on one of the family photos on the wall. "You're as beautiful as your mother."
Debbie continued packing books into a box. "Sucking up, Lin? What the hell do you need from me now?"
"Not at all." His voice was gentler than normal. "I'm just not sure what to say to you, standing here in your brother's apartment." He pointed at the box. "Can I help with that?"
Debbie's shoulders relaxed. Linus wasn't the enemy. In fact, he could be a good listener when he wanted to be. She set the books down and gave him her full attention. "I'm sorry. How are you, Lin?"
"I'm okay." Linus shoved his hands into his pockets. "Worried about you and Lou. Hoping I didn't ruin everyone's lives."
Debbie's already sad expression turned into one of pain as she frowned. "I think the verdict is still out." She couldn't look at him. She turned back to her box of books.
Linus stood next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "What can I do?"
Debbie gripped the book in her hand, trying to keep her emotions at bay. She didn't want to cry in front of Linus, but she'd never felt so alone in her whole life. Her brother was gone. Lou was...gone. She'd been all alone in that apartment, trying to decide what of her brother's things to keep and what to give away. Everything held a memory. Even Danny's ties were special - mostly because she'd picked them out for him. But what good would it do to pack everything up and store it away for years on end? No, it would be best to give most of it away, if she could just muster up the courage.
It surprised them both when Debbie buried her face in Linus's chest. She let go of the book and gripped onto the lapel of his jacket. Linus ran his hand over her long hair. "Shh...it's okay. It's going to be okay."
***
Linus took a swallow of the beer Debbie had found in the fridge for him. "It's a surprisingly nice view out here."
Debbie leaned on the metal balcony. "It gets the afternoon sun, and if you lean out and tilt your head just right, you can see the river."
Linus eyed Debbie closely for a moment. She had calmed down some. Even joked about how claustrophobic New York apartments felt to her now. She also apologized for the big, wet stain on his jacket, and followed that up with how ugly the jacket was anyway. Typical Debbie. Which is what he'd hoped to see. He took another sip of beer and said, "Lou's in town." He tried to look casual as he waited for a response.
Debbie stiffened. "Why?"
"She's going on The Not So Late Show tonight."
She turned away from him, looking out at the view. "Oh."
"She'll be promoting the season finale."
"Yeah. Of course. Makes sense."
"I'd like you to show up and surprise her. Johnny Falcon's always up for a good surprise. They wanted both of you anyway, and this makes it more fun."
Debbie squeezed the metal railing with both hands. "You haven't asked about Tammy."
"I assume you've done all you can, short of marrying her, of course." Linus grinned showing off his very white smile. Debbie reached over and whacked his shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?"
"Because it's not funny, Lin."
"Hey." Linus reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Whatever happens with her, we'll deal with the fallout. No one blames you anymore."
"There won't be any fallout. I'm doing what has to be done. I was going to contact you anyway so I could get the name of the lawyer who wrote up the original contract."
The worry lines in Linus's forehead deepened. "Oh, god. Is she blackmailing you?"
"No." Debbie shook her head. "I'm going to use the money Lou gave me to pay off Tammy's student loans. In exchange, she'll sign whatever kind of gag order I need her to sign."
"So, she is blackmailing you." Linus wasn't so sure about this little plan.
"It was my idea, not hers. She just wanted me, and that's not going to happen."
"And she agreed? Just like that?"
Debbie's gaze fell. She found a spot of peeling paint on the railing and picked at it. "Just like that." She took a breath and looked at Linus. "She has a lot of growing up to do, but I have no doubt she'll make a difference in this world one day. I'm fine with it."
Words. Those were just words. Linus could see in Debbie's eyes how hurt she was. He considered it for a moment and then said, "Let me handle the contract. I'd rather you didn't ever see her again. In fact, I'll put that in the deal as well. No contact. Period."
Debbie gave him a nod. "Thank you, Linus. I'll tell her to expect your call." She turned and leaned against the balcony with her arms folded. "So, you want me to show up and surprise Lou on Falcon? What does that get us?"
"Lots of airtime. Especially, if you kiss her. And ratings for the show, which are great by the way."
Debbie lowered her gaze and furrowed her brow, looking worried. "I haven't answered Lou's texts."
"She's aware."
"I don't have anything to wear. All those nice clothes Rose picked out for me are in California."
Linus opened the door. "Let's go inside." He set his empty beer bottle down and unzipped the garment bag. "I went to see Rose before I left." He pulled a beautiful, and rather short, maroon dress out of the bag. He held it up with a pair of black strappy heels. "You'll knock everyone off their chair wearing this."
Debbie put a hand on her hair, smoothing it down. I'll need help with..."
"Just say the word and I'll have hair and makeup here in half an hour." He checked his watch. They didn't have a lot of time.
Debbie ran her fingers over the dress. "It'll be good for the show."
Linus grinned and then cleared his throat. "Yes. Right. Good for the show."
"And you swear this isn't a setup? Lou knows nothing about this?"
He put up his hands. "I swear. It'll be a total surprise. And Debbie, I'm still your publicist."
Debbie smirked. "Gee, I thought you dumped me."
"Let's just say Lou and I were both a bit hasty."
Debbie rolled her eyes. "Hasty? God, Linus. You both threw me out on my ass. I still have the bruises."
They didn't have time to re-hash the past. He'd apologize profusely later. He tapped his watch. "We're on the clock, here."
Debbie threw her hands up. "Okay. Let's do it."
He pulled out his phone, tapped a button and put it to his ear. "It's a go."
***
Linus opened the door, letting Amita into the green room. She screamed and jumped up and down when she saw Debbie . "Shhh." Linus said, giggling.
"I'm sorry. I just...can I hug you?"
"Of course!" Debbie opened her arms.
"I don't want to ruin your dress. It's so pretty."
"You won't. How are you, Amita?" Debbie had missed Amita's sweet, joyful demeanor.
Amita pulled back from the hug and looked Debbie up and down. "My god, that dress. She's gonna die! For so many reasons, she just gonna DIE!"
"Only if I make it out there without breaking my neck. Look at these heels!" Debbie kicked up a heel behind her.
"They're hot! And you look gorgeous. I love what they did with your hair."
Debbie touched the soft curls that framed her face. She didn't usually wear it this curly, but it seemed to suit the dress. "Yeah, I kinda like it too."
Amita bubbled up with excitement, clapping her hands. "I can't believe this is happening. Lou is so sad without you." Everyone in the room stilled, including another guest and her assistants. "I mean, because you've been in New York," Amita quickly clarified.
Linus opened the door. "It's time."
Amita wished Debbie good luck and gave her a thumbs up, then she turned to the TV monitor. "And we're back with Lou Miller."
Linus led Debbie to the edge of the stage and stood there in the dark with her. "You doing okay?" he whispered.
Debbie grabbed his hand. She was nervous as hell. What if she froze up when she saw Lou and things got awkward? What if the hug was weird? What if she couldn't find anything nice to say to Johnny? She took a deep breath and tried to imagine what this moment would be like if the whole thing with Tammy hadn't happened. If they were still madly in love and nothing had come between them. If she had actually moved into Lou'd bedroom. What would that be like?
Debbie looked at the small monitor hanging on the wall next to them. She focused on Lou. God, she looked stunning in that blue dress. What is that, turquoise? Debbie smiled, remembering the first day she met Lou. Shades of blue - that's what Lou was to her. Including the saddest shade of blue, but she couldn't think about that right now. She needed to focus on the positive, like how cute Lou's hair looked parted down the middle and tucked behind her ears. It was simple and beautiful and shorter than it had been before, barely grazing her shoulders.
"You're gonna do great," Linus whispered.
Debbie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. Make or break. They'd either come off looking crazy in love, or completely awkward and barely able to look at each other. Debbie took a step back. Maybe this was just another one of Linus's stupid ideas. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head like she was praying. Is was too late to run. Focus, Debz. Focus on the good stuff. Focus on Napa. Her lips. Her laugh. Her scent. The way she - Debbie opened her eyes and looked at the monitor again. The way she makes love. Debbie smiled. That was a memory she could hang onto.
Johnny Falcon thrummed the desk with both hands, then leaned in toward Lou. "Okay! The studio sent over a clip of the season finale of Jordan's Appeal, so why don't you set it up for us?"
Lou crossed her legs and clasped her hands over her knees. "Sure. So, Jordan is defending a murderer..."
"A murderer! Wow. That doesn't sound like the clip I saw."
"It doesn't?" Lou looked at the audience and then at Johnny.
"Let's show the clip!"
Debbie's panty covered ass showed up on the big screen and the audience roared. They played about ten seconds of their love scene, most of it Lou watched through her fingers. Once it was over she looked at Johnny and said, "That wasn't the season finale."
"It wasn't?" Johnny tapped his cheek. "I wonder what happened."
"That was last week's episode," Lou said, giggling.
"And it was HOT, HOT, HOT!" Johnny stood up and gave her a standing ovation, the audience joining in.
Lou covered her face with her hands as she turned bright red. Debbie looked at Linus and they both giggled.
Johnny sat back down. "Seriously, though. Where's Debbie tonight?"
Shit. This was it. Debbie smoothed down her dress and straightened her shoulders. "We're still in love," she whispered to herself. "Everything's fine."
Lou hesitated slightly before answering the question, but she quickly recovered. "She's here in New York. We shot the last episode and then she came back here to take care of some family business."
"Have you seen her yet?" Johnny asked.
"No. I flew in right before the show."
"Do you miss her?"
Lou didn't hesitate at all before answering that question. "Terribly."
The whole audience gave her a collective
Awww.
"Thank you!" Lou said. "Thank you for sharing my pain."
"They're good people." Johnny looked at the audience. "Should we help her out, folks?"
Linus put his hand on Debbie's back. "You're on."
Debbie walked out onto the stage and the audience went crazy. She stopped and waved to them. Lou turned around and gasped. She stood up and covered her mouth with her hands.
Debbie focused on the step she had to take up onto the stage, making sure she didn't trip and fall. Then, her eyes met Lou's and time stood still for a second. The words she was going to say were long gone. Her mind was blank. Those blue eyes had taken her in and she was lost.
Lou reached out for her, taking her hands. "Debz."
Hearing her name brought everything back into focus. And words she never planned on saying, came pouring from her mouth. "Hey, beautiful. I missed you, too." She reached up and cupped Lou's cheek. "Can I kiss you?"
The audience went crazy again, having heard the question.
Debbie didn't wait for an answer, she leaned in and gave Lou a sweet, gentle kiss, then pulled away. It wasn't enough for Lou. She grabbed Lacey's face and laid one on her.
The audience went insane.
Lou took Debbie's hand and led her over to Johnny. He kissed Debbie's cheek and went back behind the desk. Debbie sat next to Lou on the sofa.
Johnny giggled, pointing at Lou. "Look at you, you're so happy."
Lou put her hand on Debbie's crossed knee, grinning from ear to ear. "Wouldn't you be?"
The audience went wild again.
Debbie covered Lou's hand with her own. "I'm the lucky one, Johnny."
"So, do we get to hear how all of this came about?"
Debbie looked at Lou. "Can I tell the story?"
Lou gave her a nod, even though there was a flicker of fear in her eyes. "Sure."
"We met in a Starbucks. Lou is a huge fan of Light of Day."
Lou pursed her lips together as she silently giggled.
"That's the daytime soap you were on," Johnny clarified for the audience.
"Yes. So anyway, Lou recognized me and introduced herself. We quickly became friends and when she had her mountain biking accident and broke her arm, I happened to be staying in her guesthouse."
"So, you were there when that happened," Johnny said.
"Debbie was a godsend," Lou said, breaking into the conversation. "It was a bad break and I was a mess for weeks."
Before Lou could say anything else, Debbie continued with her version of the story. "Yeah, and they were scheduled to start shooting the next season of Jordan's Appeal in less than two weeks, so we came up with a storyline that would include her broken arm. The writer's ran with it, and that's how I ended up on Jordan's Appeal."
Johnny gestured with his finger at both of them. "Doing love scenes with Lou Miller. Was that part of the storyline you came up with?"
"No!" Lou quickly clarified. "That was all the writers."
"I think we have the first kiss. Do we have that? Let's show that," Johnny said.
They watched the first kiss scene and the audience whistled and hollered. Johnny cleared his throat. "So, was there a lot of practice getting that scene just right?"
Debbie shook her head and Lou joined in. "No," Lou said. "That was our very first kiss."
Johnny's mouth fell open. "We have your very first kiss on tape?"
Debbie leaned in. "She gave me a little tongue, Johnny." She looked at Lou. "Or, did I give you tongue?" Lou turned bright red again. "Anyway," Debbie said with a shrug. "There was a little tongue."
"And the rest is history?" Johnny asked.
Lou intertwined her fingers with Debbie's "Off the market."
Johnny gestured at them with a sweeping move. "Lou Miller and Debbie Ocean, ladies and gentlemen."
***
Lou got out of the car behind Debbie . It had been an awkwardly quiet ride to Debbie's apartment. Not even Linus and Amita's excitement over how well the show had gone could cover up the fact that Debbie had nothing to say to Lou once they were off stage. It was as if a switch had been flipped, turning off the light in Debbie's eyes.
But it wasn't all just an act. The kiss was real. Debbie had kissed Lou back. She had gripped onto her waist and held onto her during the kiss. Just like the first one, Lou realized. Debbie's kisses had never been fake. And Lou couldn't let it end like this. She had to try.
"A huge soap fan, huh?" Lou asked as she followed Debbie to the apartment building. She hoped she could break the ice. "Now, I'm going to have to watch old episodes just so I'll know what's going on, in case anyone ever asks."
"Yeah, well, you deserved it." Debbie said, not stopping or turning around.
"I'm sure I deserve a lot of things, including the silent treatment I got in the car. But, Debz..."
Debbie stopped at the door and turned around.
"Linus told me about Tammy. I plan to repay you, whatever amount you end up giving her."
Debbie shook her head. "No. It feels better this way." She sighed deeply. "More honest. Less dirty."
"Debz," Lou whispered. "Please...just give me a minute." She looked around to see if anyone was near enough to hear. "I know I've said it over and over in emails and texts, but I need to say it in person." She took a step closer. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. After everything we went through together...the way you took care of me..." She sucked in a breath, trying to hold back the tears. "I should've handled it so much better than I did. I should've..."
"Given me a chance to fix it," Debbie interrupted. "Which I have."
"I know. And I will never doubt you again." hesitated. "Okay," she said. "Are we done?"
"I hope not. God, I hope not." Lou reached out her hand. "Debz..."
Debbie stared at the hand and then her gaze met Lou's. She faltered again, but then straightened her shoulders. "I can't." She turned to open the door.
"I have a brother!" Lou exclaimed.
Debbie slowly turned around. "What?"
"I have...a brother." Lou was embarrassed to say the words. "A half-brother. I want to meet him, but I can't do it alone. Will you go with me?"
Debbie shook her head in confusion. "You have a brother...and you've never met him? How old is he?"
Lou kept her eyes on the ground.
"How old is your brother, Lou?" Debbie'svoice had a little more force behind it, now.
"They live in Connecticut. Will you go with me to see my dad and my brother?"
Debbie turned back to the door and punched in the security code.
"Debz, I can't do it alone. I won't."
"Wow," Debbie scoffed. "This feels like emotional blackmail." She folded her arms and looked Lou in the eye. "You don't need me by your side to meet your own brother, and you don't need me by your side when you tell your father that you've finally forgiven him. You're so much stronger than you think, Lou."
"He's eighteen," Lou lowered her gaze, embarrassed that she had a brother she'd never bothered to get to know.
A look of disbelief crossed Debbie's features. She started to say something but stopped. In a softer tone she said, "And you're his cool, celebrity sister. Just plan on being all over his Instagram."
"You don't think he'll hate me for never..." Lou looked away.
He'll love you. No matter what, he's gonna love finally knowing you."
A glimmer of hope flashed across Lou's face. "You really think so?"
Debbie pointed at the building with her thumb. "I need to go. I have a lot of packing to do."
Lou looked up at the building, trying to remember which floor Debbie's brother's apartment was on. "Since we're giving out advice, do you mind if I give you some?"
Debbie punched in the code again, ignoring Lou.
"Don't sell it."
Debbie turned back around.
"Don't sell your brother's apartment, Debz. I mean, what's the rush?"
"It'll just sit empty."
"Not really." Lou took a step closer. "Everything you have left of your parents is in that apartment. It can be your New York pied-à-terre."
Debbie chuckled at that. "Yeah, I guess it could." A wave of sadness crossed her features.
Lou wanted to wrap her arms around Debbie and take away the sadness. Or, better yet, offer to go up and make coffee and talk all night, so she wouldn't have to be in that apartment all alone. She was grasping for ideas. Anything to keep her in Debbie's orbit a little longer. But the look on Debbie's face told her that wouldn't be welcomed. "Thanks for what you did tonight. I think I was boring Johnny to death before you showed up."
"Well, technically I'm still under contract, so..."
"So, you'll go with me to visit my dad and meet my brother? You know...as my supportive girlfriend?" Lou knew she was pushing it, but it wouldn't hurt to try one more time.
"Nice try, but you're on your own with that one." Debbie lifted her chin toward the car. "Linus and Amita are..."
"Getting paid. Don't worry about them."
Debbie smiled, and this time it made her eyes sparkle. "You'll be the death of me, Lou Miller."
Lou snorted. "How many times have you said that in your head over the past year?"
"Too many to count." Debbie reached out and pushed Lou's hair behind her ear, then cupped her cheek. "We managed to have a few laughs, didn't we?"
Lou covered Debbie's hand with her own. "Too many to count."
"Take care of yourself. Don't ride that bike too hard." Debbie stepped away and punched in the security code.
"Too late."
Debbie went still but didn't turn around. The big sigh had Lou hopeful for a few seconds. So did the slight shake of Debbie's head. It was okay, she could be disappointed, disgusted, whatever - so long as she turned back around. Yell at me, Debz. Yell at me for riding too hard. Yell at me for everything! Just don't walk away.
The door opened. A couple came out of the building and walked the other way. "That wasn't our first kiss, Debz."
Debbie held the door open and turned her head, but didn't look at Lou. "I know."
I wanted to kiss you back that night. I wanted..." Lou sucked in air. "I wanted to do more than that."
Debbie met her gaze. "You should have."
The door closed, leaving Lou standing on the sidewalk alone. She stared at the door, tears welling up in her eyes. Linus took her arm. "Come on, sweetie." Lou didn't move. Linus tugged again. "Come on." He wrapped his arm around her and led her back to the car.