Chapter 69 Sorry Isn't Good Enough
Andrea rode to work with her team the next morning. Kelsey, Rick, and her other body guard, Jim, all made her feel safe and prepared, even if Sarah did show up on set again that day. She wasn’t scheduled to be there, but since Travis’s face was likely still swollen beyond what Stephon could fix, Cam would probably have to readjust the schedule again.
When the driver pulled up to the door of the sound stage, Andrea saw a somewhat- familiar face loitering by the back door. It was Alan. She hoped he was there to talk to Sarah and would leave her the hell alone, but when she headed toward the entryway, he called her name.
“Andrea, can I talk to you, please? For just a minute.”
“I don’t think I have anything to say to you,” she said, her shoulders back and her head held high.
“I can’t blame you for feeling that way, but.. please. I want to apologize.”
“So do it.”
“It’s not that simple. Could you please have lunch with me today? I’m only in town another couple of days, and then I have to get back to San Francisco, for work.”
“Oh? Are vacuum sales pressing right now?”
“I don’t do that anymore. I own a sporting goods store.”
Andrea nodded. “Locke and Load?”
“That’s the one.”
She’d heard of the chain that was popular in parts of California. “I already have lunch plans today.”
“Cancel. Please.”
“I’m not going to cancel. My boyfriend has to go back to North Carolina in a few days.”
“Okay, let me go with you. Please, Andrea?”
With a deep breath, Andrea finally consented. “All right. But just this one time. And you should know Case won’t be opposed to punching you in the face.”
He nodded. “I know of Case. I’ve never met him.”
“Good.” It hadn’t crossed Andrea’s mind to ask Case if he’d met Sarah’s dad. She was allegedly carrying his baby before. It would’ve been possible. “I’ll see you at 12:30 at Spencer’s.”
“I’ll be there.”
“And don’t bring Sarah. Or your wife. Or anyone!”
“I won’t.” He gave her a grateful smile and rushed off before she could change her mind.
“Wow—Andrea. That was big of you. Good for you,” Kelsey said, patting her on the arm.
“Thanks. I should’ve probably told him to go to hell, but I just want to hear him out and get it over with.”
“I don’t blame you. I doubt he can say anything to make up for what he did to you, but remember, forgiveness isn’t for the other person—it’s for you.”
“You’re right,” Andrea said, smiling appreciatively at her friend. “Now, let’s go make a movie.”
Luckily, Sarah was not on set that day. Andrea did scenes with a few of the other actors, including Lance, but not Travis. He was there, but his face still looked like something out of a meat locker. He kept saying that he would be ready tomorrow, but she didn’t know how that could be.
She’d sent Case a text to let him know that Alan would be meeting them for lunch. He said that was fine with him as long as she was okay with it. When they got to Spencer’s, Alan was already there. He looked nervous. He was wearing a nice suit with a tie. When he stood to shake their hands, he almost spilled his water.
Andrea wasn’t very hungry, so she ordered a salad, hoping Case didn’t make fun of her for eating like a bird. He didn’t.
“Thank you so much for agreeing to hear me out,” Alan said as they waited on their food and sipped their drinks. “I don’t blame you for being angry.”
“Angry is an understatement,” Andrea said, trying not to glare at him. “Do you have any idea what it was like, growing up without a dad? Wondering what I’d done wrong that he just walked away from me?”
Alan shook his head. “I’m so sorry. No, I don’t know what that was like. And there’s nothing I can say that can make it up to you, either. When I met your mother, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I acted selfishly, foolishly. I thought I could have the best of both worlds, but it didn’t work out that way.”
“And you ended up making a mess of a lot of people’s lives,” Andrea added as the waiter brought their food. She wasn’t hungry at all now.
“But… look how great you’ve done! You’re an amazing, successful actress. And I understand your sister is a promising musician who’s about to finish her college degree. I know it couldn’t have been easy after what I did to you, but you’ve really overcome those obstacles.”
“No thanks to you,” she added.
“I can’t blame you for being angry. I just want you to know… if you ever decide you will forgive me, and you want to talk, I’m here. I know I wasn’t there for you before, when you needed me, but I am now.” He gave her a small smile, and started eating his pasta.
Andrea didn’t respond. She had nothing else to say. They finished their lunch in relative silence. As much as she wanted to forgive him for her own sake, she wasn’t there yet. Maybe she would be someday, but today was not that day.
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