The high notes, p.20
The High Notes, page 20
He came home early from work one afternoon, and found her asleep on their bed. She hadn’t been to the studio to rehearse in several days, he discovered when he checked, which was unlike her.
“What are you doing home so early?” she asked him sleepily, and he looked serious.
“We’re going to the doctor.”
“That’s ridiculous, I’m not sick.”
“I hope not. You felt lousy for most of the tour. You had food poisoning in San Francisco, the flu in Dallas, and you fainted in Atlanta. That doesn’t sound good to me. You’ve been working too hard. We have a four o’clock appointment with my internist. I can’t have my biggest star out of commission.”
“I have too much to do. I promised Jimmy I’d take him to get a new action figure that just came out, before it sells out.”
“Nope.” He sat down on the edge of the bed then. “Iris, I love you, you’re scaring me. Let’s find out what you’ve got and fix it. Please.” There were tears in his eyes, and she nodded and got up. She felt silly being taken to the doctor by him, but she didn’t like going to doctors, and he knew she wouldn’t go on her own. Her father had never taken her when she was a kid. She just kept going till she got over it.
“I promise, I’m not sick. I’m just tired after the tour.”
“You were tired before the tour,” he reminded her.
“I was recording the album then. I worked late every night.”
“Shut up and be good. Would you take Jimmy to the doctor?” She nodded and she could see that she wasn’t going to talk him out of it. He had his car and driver downstairs, and twenty minutes later, they were at his doctor’s Park Avenue address. She didn’t have one of her own.
He walked into the waiting room with her, and sat down. “You can take it from here,” he said. He wasn’t going to go in with her. He just wanted to get her there. After that, it was up to her. She sat down next to him and read a magazine, and they called her name five minutes later and she disappeared. She was gone for half an hour, and came out looking dazed. Clay didn’t like the way she looked, but didn’t want to ask her with other people around.
“Are you okay?” he whispered to her when they left the office.
“I’m fine,” she said. She looked shell-shocked.
“Did he run tests?”
“Yes.”
“Is it serious?”
“Very.” He looked panicked when she said it, and wanted to cry. He didn’t want to lose her. He had waited for her all his life. He stopped walking before they got to the car, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Whatever it is, we can deal with it. I love you. What did he say?”
She clung to him and it started to snow. She felt as though the world was spinning around her, and she pulled away to look at him and burst into tears.
“I’m four months pregnant, and I didn’t even know,” she said, and he stared at her. It hadn’t occurred to him either, since they were usually careful, but not always.
She was crying and it was snowing, and he started to laugh. “That’s it? You’re pregnant?” He hugged her tightly again. “I thought you were dying.”
“I’m scared,” she cried into his shoulder, as he held her. “I don’t know how to be a mother. I never had one. I didn’t want a baby, and it’s already four months.”
“You’re a great mom to Jimmy. You don’t have to have a mom to be one.”
“Yes, you do. I don’t know any of that stuff. I love you, but I’ll be a terrible mother.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll be a fantastic, loving, talented superstar mom.”
“All I can do is sing. That’s all I’ve ever known. How to hit the high notes.”
“You’ll be great. We’ll do it together.” He walked her to the car then, before she froze. She was shivering in the cold. They got into the car and she blew her nose. She couldn’t stop crying and he was beaming and then he thought of something. “Do you think we should get married?” he whispered to her, and she looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what people do. Usually, at least.”
“But you hated being married,” she reminded him.
“To Frances. Not to you. I’d love being married to you. I feel like we already are.”
“What if it spoils everything and you hate being married to me?”
“I won’t,” he promised her. “I just think it would be nice to be married if we have a baby,” he whispered so his driver didn’t hear him.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Do you want to be married?” he asked her.
“Not really, I’m happy the way we are.”
“Then we won’t,” he said. She was too upset to make sense.
“Do you want to be married?” she asked him.
“To you, yes.” She nodded, and continued crying until they got home. He was trying to remember what Frances was like when she was pregnant, but it was too long ago. All he could remember now was how mean she was during the divorce and ever since. He couldn’t remember anything pleasant before.
Jimmy was upset when they got home.
“You said you’d take me to get the new action figure,” he said to Iris.
“We’ll go tomorrow. I promise,” she said, and Jimmy slunk off to his room like any twelve-year-old.
The three of them had dinner together in the kitchen, and Iris went to bed right afterward. Clay came to find her a little while later and lay down next to her, and held her.
“I’m sorry you’re upset,” he whispered to her and stroked her silky blond hair. “I should have been more careful.”
“Maybe I wanted it to happen,” she said, and turned to look at him. She had been thinking about that for the last hour. She kissed him then. “I think I want to get married,” she said with a sigh. “I was just so shocked when the doctor told me. Maybe we should adopt Jimmy so he doesn’t feel left out.”
He was smiling at her. She made him so happy. “It sounds like a plan,” he said and kissed her. She thought that maybe everything would be all right.
They got married between Christmas and New Year at a little church she’d seen before and liked in the East Seventies. Boy and Star were their witnesses, and Jimmy held their rings. He was beaming, and they had asked him if he’d like to be adopted and he said yes, right away. He didn’t know about the baby yet. There was time. They wanted to adopt him first. He was their first child. The baby would be second. When they left the church there was snow on the ground. They had a snowball fight, and then the five of them went to lunch at a little Italian restaurant, and ate pasta. Boy was happy for them.
It wasn’t the way Iris had imagined she would get married one day. It was better, because she married the right man.
Chapter 17
Clay was right. Both Iris and Boy were nominated for Grammys. She for her first album, and he for his most recent single. Iris had written the song for him and it was a huge success. Clay went to the Grammys every year. It was old hat to him, although it was always exciting when his artists were nominated. He represented two of the other artists who were nominated that night, but he wanted Boy and Iris to win.
Clay and Boy wore tuxedos, and Star was wearing a sexy black dress that clung to every inch of her and was very glamorous. Iris wore a deep blue dress the color of her eyes that floated around her. You could see that she was pregnant, but not as much as she was. She was six months pregnant. They had adopted Jimmy in January and had a party afterward to celebrate. He had taken Clay’s name, but they kept his old last name as a middle name, to honor Pattie, since she had given him her last name and not his father’s. He left the courtroom as James Dixon Maddox. It sounded very distinguished.
“He’ll have to be an attorney one day with that name,” Iris said.
“Or run my business,” Clay said proudly. They didn’t know what sex the baby was yet and wanted to be surprised. Iris felt better than she had in the beginning. The baby was due in May. She wasn’t tired and didn’t feel sick anymore. She was writing a lot these days. She couldn’t believe it when she found out that she’d been nominated for a Grammy. She and Boy were both wildly excited, but he was sure he wouldn’t win. Just being nominated seemed like enough. Iris was sure she wouldn’t win either, and didn’t bother to write an acceptance speech she’d never use.
There were half a dozen parties that week, in anticipation of the awards. And they’d been invited to several after-parties, which sounded more appealing. The tension at award ceremonies was always tremendous, in every category. Nominees sat at the edge of their seats looking intense and nervous as the evening droned on.
Clay was surprised that Iris looked as relaxed as she did, when they left for the ceremony, and picked up Boy and Star on the way. Boy joked in the car, and they walked the red carpet as photographers snapped their pictures and had them pose looking very elegant. Every TV network had cameramen and reporters there, every newspaper from around the world.
Iris had been asked to perform one of her songs at the ceremony, which she didn’t want to do six months pregnant, so she had declined.
Boy’s category came first, and they had a film clip of each artist’s performance, which they played one by one. Boy looked tense for a moment, and looked over at Iris, and thought of when they’d met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and sang at the Elk. It was a lifetime ago, and had changed both their lives. But they both remembered back to the beginning, when they were no one, and now, thanks to Clay, they were both stars. That alone seemed like enough to Boy. In everything that mattered, he had already won his prize.
Iris held her breath when they called out the names in Boy’s category, and closed her eyes when they fumbled with the envelope. She was hoping that he’d win. It would be a big step up in his career, but Boy was already hurtling through the skies of fame at lightning speed, and had already come far since his first appearance on the scene in what seemed so long ago now, when Iris had taken him with her to meet Clay.
It had all begun then, thanks to Clay’s incredible vision and foresight, and ability to discover talent that no one else had recognized before or in quite the same way.
The winner’s name was finally announced, and Boy didn’t win this time, but Iris was absolutely certain that next time or the time after, or in a not-too-distant future, he would be standing on the stage holding the trophy. She met his eyes and they both smiled. He felt like a winner no matter what name the envelope had held. He wasn’t even disappointed, just grateful to have been nominated, and to have been there for the experience.
He leaned over and kissed Star’s cheek, and she nestled closer to him. As she did, he remembered the bullet that had only grazed him at Madison Square Garden, and felt lucky all over again. He was well aware that with the encounters he’d had, and the opportunities, he led a charmed life. He would have felt greedy wishing for more.
Iris was talking to Clay, whispering intensely, when they read off the names in her category. Then they showed the film clips and heard each song. She was intensely relieved that she had declined to perform hers onstage that night. She would have felt like a large helium balloon drifting off the stage.
She glanced at her fellow nominees, so obviously desperate, while trying to look glamorous, and not to show how badly they wanted it. It was a game changer to walk away with a Grammy. Iris knew others who had done it, but could not imagine it happening to her. Her mind drifted as they called the names again, after the film clips, and cameras panned their faces, and showed hands clenched, teeth gritted. You could almost hear their hearts beating like metronomes. Her competitors looked like they would have killed someone to grab the little statuette and run. Like Boy, she thought back to the beginning, the beginning of her time with Clay and everything that had come before. It was all held together, one long chain from beginning to end, and the people who belonged to the chapters in her life. Her father, Harry, Sally, Pearl, Pattie, Boy, Billy Weston, and Glen Hendrix, and then finally Clay, who had been the guardian angel who had brought her to where she was now, sitting here next to him, waiting to hear if she would win the coveted award. Her mind was drifting and she paid no attention, as she held Clay’s hand. Somewhere in the distance, she heard someone say her name.
She was still daydreaming, thinking about her husband, when he nudged her. She smiled at him and he whispered to her.
“Stand up, you won! Go up on the stage.”
“What?” He’d broken into her reverie. For an instant she didn’t remember where she was.
“Go up onstage,” he whispered to her again, and Boy was staring at her, and reached over Star to touch her hand. Sweet victory was hers. She fumbled with her dress and stood up, feeling disoriented, and then ran lightly down the aisle to the stage, as someone lent her a hand up the steps so she didn’t trip on her dress or fall. Then suddenly she was standing on the stage, staring into the audience, as they all waited for a speech she hadn’t prepared. All she could do was speak from her heart, just like her songs.
She walked slowly to the mic, trying to regain her composure. “I’d like to thank my wonderful husband, Clay, and my son, Jimmy, for giving me the amazing life I lead today. When I met Clay, I knew him only as the remarkable impresario who has given all or most of you work. To all of you in my life, I thank you, for the good times and hard times you gave me, for the lessons that I learned from you or because of you. For those of you who loved and respected me, I thank you. To those of you who hurt me and made the dark days longer, I forgive you. To my husband, Clay, I owe you my life, and this life,” she said, lightly touching her belly, “thank you for my incredible career, and helping me hit the high notes. I will love and be grateful to you till the end of my days, and for my peers and colleagues”—she held the Grammy high—“thank you for this.”
The after-parties were fun for a while, when she went with Clay and Boy and Star, looking awestruck and clinging to Boy. But Iris knew the best of it, the long hard road she’d traveled to reach where she stood now, with the Grammy in her hand. The life she’d led had given her something to write and sing about. Everything she’d done and lived and suffered and hoped, and the love and joy she and Clay shared now, was in her songs.
THE WHITTIERS
Connie and Preston Whittier raised their six children in a once grand mansion in the centre of New York’s Manhattan. The children are now adults and have lives of their own, but the house remains the heart of the family and somewhere they all love to return to, particularly in times of stress. But when Connie and Preston take what they fondly call their annual ‘Wintermoon’ to go skiing in Europe, an avalanche hits their resort, resulting in tragedy.
In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street, but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life and discover who they really are. Benjie has personal challenges, and requires additional support from his home environment. And rebellious Annabelle, the baby of the family, has fallen in with a bad crowd.
The future of the family – and also their home – is now in question. The house is a refuge providing comfort . . . but, importantly, every one of them learns that to move forward and face their personal challenges, they must be true to themselves and come together to support each other.
Coming soon
PURE STEEL. PURE HEART.
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THE HIGH NOTES
Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with nearly a billion copies of her novels sold. Her recent international bestsellers include Beautiful, Suspects and The Challenge. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood. Danielle divides her time between Paris and her home in northern California.
Danielle Steel
The High Notes • The Challenge • Suspects • Beautiful • High Stakes • Invisible
Flying Angels • The Butler • Complications • Nine Lives • Finding Ashley • The Affair
Neighbours • All That Glitters • Royal • Daddy’s Girls • The Wedding Dress
The Numbers Game • Moral Compass • Spy • Child’s Play • The Dark Side
Lost And Found • Blessing In Disguise • Silent Night • Turning Point
Beauchamp Hall • In His Father’s Footsteps • The Good Fight • The Cast
Accidental Heroes • Fall From Grace • Past Perfect • Fairytale • The Right Time
The Duchess • Against All Odds • Dangerous Games • The Mistress • The Award
Rushing Waters • Magic • The Apartment • Property Of A Noblewoman
Blue • Precious Gifts • Undercover • Country • Prodigal Son • Pegasus
A Perfect Life • Power Play • Winners • First Sight • Until The End Of Time
The Sins Of The Mother • Friends Forever • Betrayal • Hotel Vendôme
Happy Birthday • 44 Charles Street • Legacy • Family Ties • Big Girl
Southern Lights • Matters Of The Heart • One Day At A Time • A Good Woman
Rogue • Honor Thyself • Amazing Grace • Bungalow 2 • Sisters • H.R.H.
Coming Out • The House • Toxic Bachelors • Miracle • Impossible • Echoes
Second Chance • Ransom • Safe Harbour • Johnny Angel • Dating Game
Answered Prayers • Sunset In St. Tropez • The Cottage • The Kiss
Leap Of Faith • Lone Eagle • Journey • The House On Hope Street
