“It’s okay. I’m not on anymore, anyway.”
“Jason shot her,” Flo said. “Good riddance, too.” She regarded Heather apologetically. “Sorry, but you have to admit you were a real schemer.”
“The worst,” Heather agreed. It was what had made the part so appealing initially. It had been a chance to play against type. Usually she was somebody’s perky sister. Only later, when she’d realized the ramifications with the fans, had she regretted the decision to take the role.
Jake appeared to have heard enough about the soap opera. After one last scowl at Flo, he motioned for Heather to follow him.
In his office, he gestured toward a credenza along the wall. “Coffee?”
She shook her head. He poured some for himself, then took a seat behind an impressive desk. That desk, combined with the bronze sculpture she recognized as a Remington, reassured her that despite his reportedly lackadaisical ways, Jake Landers was very successful at what he did. But could she trust him?
Right now he was studying her with what she supposed passed for an appropriately somber, lawyerly look, though on the soaps the men cast as attorneys rarely had such a twinkle in their eye.
“What can I do for you?” he asked. “I don’t do a lot of entertainment law.”
“I seem to remember that you played a big role in getting that syndicator to back down when he threatened to pull the plug on your wife’s syndication deal,” she said, recalling what she’d read in the trade papers at the time. She’d followed the story avidly, just as she did anything that might include a mention of Todd. Of course, if anyone had accused her of that, she would have denied it.
Jake grinned. “Let’s just say that in that instance I was highly motivated.”
Heather fiddled with her bangle bracelets, something she did only when she was nervous. Finally she said, “Look, maybe you should tell me about this lawyer-client confidentiality thing before we get started.”
He nodded. “Okay. Anything you tell me, I am ethically bound not to repeat.”
“Not to anyone?”
“Not to a living soul.” He regarded her closely. “You haven’t killed someone, have you?”
Startled by the question, Heather stared at him to see if he was serious, then caught that twinkle back in his eye. Normally, she enjoyed black humor, but at the moment she was way too tense to appreciate it.
“No, of course not,” she said. “Nothing like that. It’s just that you know the other person involved.”
“I do?”
“Todd Winston.”
Jake nodded slowly, apparently digesting that. “Is he in some sort of trouble?”
She grinned at his disbelieving expression. “I know. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Dudley Do Right in trouble.”
“Todd strikes me as a very ethical man.”
“He is,” she agreed, then took a deep breath and added, “He’s also the father of my child.”
Jake very nearly choked on the sip of coffee he’d just taken. “Would you mind repeating that?”
“Oh, I think you heard me.”
“Does he know about this?”
She shook her head.
“I see.”
“Is this going to be a problem for you?” she asked, regarding him with concern. “I know how tight he is with your wife. That’s why he and I broke up, in a way.”
Jake held up his hands. “Whoa! Back up. What does Megan have to do with this?”
“Nothing, not directly, anyway. It’s just that when Todd went to work for her and gave up the dream we shared to be on Broadway together, it pretty much ended our relationship. We split up.”
“And you had his baby?”
She nodded. “After he’d left.”
“And he doesn’t know?” Jake asked again, as if he might have misunderstood her the first time.
“Nope.”
“How old is this child?”
“She’s three.”
Jake whistled. “Does he know you’re here now?”
“Not yet. I just got in. I took a room at a motel, but Henrietta gave me a job at her place across the street. She said I could use the apartment upstairs for as long as I’m here.”
“You don’t plan to stay?”
“Only long enough to settle things with Todd.”
“Settle things how?”
Her bangles clinked noisily. “I’m not exactly sure. That’s why I came to see you. I can’t manage on my own anymore. Angel’s the greatest blessing in my life, but she’s a handful. And trying to be an actress doesn’t exactly bring stability. She deserves to have more than I can give her. It took me a long time to admit that. It’s not too late, is it?”
“No. I’m sure we can get you child support. Fortunately, I have an in with his boss.” Jake allowed himself a smile. “I’ve seen the books. I know what she had to pay him to get him to move out here. You won’t have any financial worries.”
“That’s not it,” Heather said, leaning forward in her chair. “Not exactly. I know with money I could hire a nanny or something, but I want Todd to help out. Maybe shared custody. Angel needs to spend time with her daddy.”
“Oh, boy,” Jake murmured, but not so low that Heather missed it.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You sounded like you don’t think he’s going to go for that.”
“Really, I shouldn’t have said anything. This is a different situation entirely.”
“Different from what?”
“Never mind. Heather, let me think about this. Can you stop by tomorrow? We’ll go over your options and decide on the best course of action.”
“Sure. What time?”
“Make it eleven. Megan’s taping then, so I can get away from the studio for an hour and still be back to see that she eats a proper lunch.”
Heather bit back a smile as she recalled what Flo had said about his hovering. “I’ll be here. I won’t have long, though, since I imagine Henrietta will want me to help with the lunch crowd.”
“Folks around here show up promptly at noon, leave by one. You’ll be okay.”
“What about the judge? I notice he was there much later than that.”
Jake chuckled. “The judge tries to snatch whatever private moments he can with Henrietta. His schedule drives everyone at the courthouse nuts. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the gesture, though.”
“I noticed.”
“Did she run him off again today?”
“Pretty much.”
“Henrietta has a stubborn streak, but so does the judge. He’s been after her for years now. My bet’s on him.”
“Even though she’s held out for years?” Heather said skeptically.
“Believe me, if Henrietta really wanted him gone, he’d be gone. She’s just tormenting him.”
“An interesting technique.”
“It’s certainly fun for the rest