“Of course I have. He checks on his sister almost every day.”
Redmond pulled out his phone. “Is it a new number?”
“I’m not giving it to you,” she snapped. “Why do you think he changed it? You all ganged up on him over that pink-haired tart from the beach.”
My face flamed red.
She looked at my hat, and then must have spotted the bits over my ears. She stepped up close and lifted the rim to look closer. “Unbelievable. It was you?”
I stepped back, but she was already pushing us toward the door. “This is a staff-only area. You are not authorized to be back here.”
“Charlie, pry open that cold black heart of yours. The girl has got some reason to find him. You might want to ask her what it is.”
“I don’t care what it is. I saw the stories. She’s got some big-shot boyfriend, and she doesn’t need to be toying with Chance. He’s got enough to worry about.” She got us moved out into the hall. “Now, get out.”
Redmond turned to face her again, but she slammed the door. I could hear a bolt falling on the other side.
“That went well,” I said.
“Yeah, Charlie can be a little much.” Redmond scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I’m not sure what else to tell you. She’s about the only person who knows how to get to Chance at the moment.”
I leaned against the wall. “Now what do I do?”
“I guess you let it go,” Redmond said. “Pick up the shards of your broken heart.” He sighed. “That idiot Chance. Can I take you somewhere? Are you hungry? Do you have a hotel?”
The urge to start bawling was fierce. I had come so far. I couldn’t just give up.
“You think there’s a chance that Charlie will tell him I came, and he’ll want to see me?” I asked.
Redmond’s face contorted. “Not sure, really. Maybe.”
I pushed away from the wall. “I guess that’s all I can do, then, hope Charlie will contact you, and you can contact me.”
“I’ll get your info from you. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear, if I do.” He looked concerned now. “Did something, you know, happen?”
He looked like he might be catching on.
The words stuck in my throat. I couldn’t tell this total stranger the things that Chance should hear first.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure something out.”
“Are you in trouble? Did that director threaten you?” Now he looked angry.
“No, I just…I just regret how I left things,” I said. That was true.
“Let me take you somewhere,” Redmond insisted. “I can tell you all about growing up with Chance McKenzie.”
Actually, that sounded kind of nice. If I wasn’t able to track Chance down anytime soon, I could at least build a bunch of stories to tell the baby. Let him have something to go on.
Chance couldn’t stay gone forever, right?
A rotund woman in a gray floral dress hurried toward us. “Redmond, is that you?”
He turned, and his expression changed again. “Oh, boy,” he said.
“What are you doing here? Visiting Hannah?”
Redmond cleared his throat. “No, I came to see Charlie.”
“Oh,” she said. She noticed me then, and nodded politely. “How do you do?”
“Oh, Mrs. McKenzie, this is —” Redmond stopped when he realized I hadn’t ever said my name.
I swallowed the shock that this was someone related to Chance, and said quickly, “Jenny. I’m from Los Angeles.” I held out my hand.
She took it gingerly and shook it very slowly. “Chance was just in Los Angeles. I saw it in Star magazine.”
No point beating around the bush. Chance’s big exposé obviously had made the rounds. “He was with me, Mrs. McKenzie. We had a misunderstanding when he read the accounts of my relationship history. I’m here to find him, to set things straight.”
“Oh!” she said. Then after a second, another “Oh!”
“Have you heard from him?” I asked. “I think he changed his number.”
“He never writes me back,” she said. “He’s gone on quite the adventure, cutting himself off from everyone.”
“’Cept Charlie,” Redmond said. “She knew all about everything.”
“Oh!” Mrs. McKenzie said again. “Maybe I should speak to her.”
Redmond pointed at the door behind him. “She’s holed up in there,” he said. “But we can stand siege. Cut off all escape routes.”
“Redmond, you were always such a card,” Mrs. McKenzie said. She turned to the door and rapped loudly. “Charlie? It’s Chance’s mother. Let me in.”
Nothing happened.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she said. She knocked again. “Charlotta Jones, open this door this instant!”
Redmond stifled a laugh. Mrs. McKenzie turned to him sharply. “Hold your laughter, Redmond. I can speak to your mother as well.”
“Won’t be telling her anything she doesn’t already know,” he said, trying to keep a straight face.