How dare you walk out on me like that! he shouted at her, and Simon and Blaire exchanged a look, and walked quietly upstairs. Allegra and Jeff were so furious, they never even noticed that her parents had left, and they stood in the living room and shouted at each other for an hour, as Blaire tiptoed around upstairs wondering if they were still going to have a wedding.

Well, they certainly sound well matched, Simon said with a small smile. It was more excitement than they'd seen in their house in years, if ever. And a few minutes later, Samantha called. With the windows open, on a warm night, they could hear Jeff and Allegra's argument all the way to the guest house.

Are you and Mom having some kind of a fight? she asked, sounding worried. She had just nursed Matt and put him back to bed, and she had never heard so much fighting in her life. Jimmy thought she had better call to make sure they were all right, and Simon laughed at the question.

No, but your sister is, he said simply.

With Mom? Sam looked surprised. Allegra had never fought with their mother like that, or with anyone for that matter.

No, with your future brother-in-law, that is, if the wedding's still on. He couldn't help but laugh. It was a soap opera of the first order. We'll ask them when it's all over.

When did they get here? Sam was intrigued by what was happening, but the fight was still raging on from what they could all hear. The floodgates had finally opened. They had lived with tension for months, with clients, and movies and screenplays; Allegra had dealt with death threats and miscarriages, and one of her favorite clients being gunned down and murdered, her sister's pregnancy, and nearly giving the baby up, and then nearly adopting it herself, and then the disappointment of giving it back to Sam, and all the stress of getting married, and meeting her new mother-in-law, and all the expectations and hopes and plans that went with getting married. It was enough to make anyone hysterical, and Jeff and Allegra certainly sounded as though they both were.

They got here a little while ago. I'm sure they'll leave soon, if they survive, he said, and a little while later, he and Blaire went down to see if they could lend a hand and stop the war before there were no survivors. Allegra was crying softly in the living room by then, and Jeff was looking as though he wanted to kill someone or die, whichever happened first. This was clearly not the moment to ask them if they were still getting married. There was no question that both of them were ready to toss the whole wedding right out the window.

How are you two doing down here? Simon asked calmly, pouring four glasses of wine, and handing the first to Jeff, who looked as though he needed it very badly. He took it with a nod, and then sat down, far across the room from Allegra.

We're fine, she said between sobs, in answer to her father's question.

I'm not sure I believe you, he said, and Blaire went and sat next to her. She had the best suggestion anyone had made to them in months.

I think you two need to get away for the weekend. This may be your last chance before the wedding. She looked at Jeff. I think if they can spare you from the set for two days, you ought to try. He nodded, looking at her. Even he knew it was a wise suggestion.

I was sorry to hear about the show, he said sympathetically, and then glanced over at Allegra.

So am I, Mom, she said, and blew her nose again. No one had ever been as unfair to her as Jeff had just been. He said she was being rude about his mother, and she wasn't giving her father a chance, and it all seemed like the end of the world to Allegra. That and having to finish up everything on her desk, and get everything done before their wedding. It was almost inhuman.

Thank you, Blaire said quietly. She had done her share of crying that night too, but this was so much more real to her. She knew it wasn't serious, but it was their lives, not just a lot of pretend nonsense on television. Fortunately, she knew the difference.

I think your mom's right, Jeff said as he finished the wine. Maybe we need to get away for the weekend. Allegra wanted to tell him she wouldn't go anywhere with him, not after the things he'd said to her, but she didn't dare do that in front of her parents. Instead, she agreed to go away with him, to Santa Barbara, for just two days. At Simon's suggestion they were going to stay at San Ysidro.

It took another two hours, but they left finally, in separate cars, with their own thoughts and fears and regrets and terrors. Allegra thought about him all the way home, and how cold his mother had been to her. She thought of her own father too, and the anguish caused by him over the years, but she thought too of how different Simon had been, and how different Jeff was. None of it looked quite as monumental when she got back to Malibu and Jeff apologized for the things he'd said about her. He hadn't really meant to say most of those things, but he was so upset about what she'd said, and so wound up over the end of his movie. They said a thousand things to each other that night, but mostly they just lay in bed and talked, and laughed at how stupid they had been and apologized for the vicious things they'd said. When it was all said and done, they lay in each other's arms and slept, and in Bel Air, Simon and Blaire went to bed too, still awake and talking about them.

I'm not so sure I'd want to be that young again, Blaire whispered to Simon. They had talked about them for hours after they left, and how frantic both of them had been. It had been exhausting just watching and listening to them.

It might be fun to get that wound up and stomp around and scream. Allegra certainly got excited anyway. You never shouted at me like that. He looked amused and she laughed.

Is that a complaint? I could learn, I guess. I've got lots of time on my hands now. She still felt bad about that. She was going to miss her show so much, and she didn't know what to do now. She didn't want to just stay home and take care of her grandchild. She was fifty-five, and there was still plenty of life in her, but she no longer had a job, except for one last episode. She still couldn't believe it.

I had an idea tonight. I don't know what you'd think of it, he said pensively, as they lay side by side in the dark, comfortable again. The specter of Elizabeth Coleson had finally disappeared between them. He rolled over on his side and propped himself up on one elbow so he could look at her in the moonlight. I've been wanting to add a coproducer to my staff for a while. I'm tired of doing everything alone. I get all the glory, but it drives me crazy sometimes, and you're so much better on the creative details than I am. I'm better at the broad strokes. What do you say we try a collaboration on my next picture? Maybe Jeff's? What do you think of that? She thought about it and smiled at him.

What are we calling it? Family Business} She thought he was being charitable, or just kidding.

I'm serious. I've wanted to do something like that for years, but you never had the time. You're too good for television anyway. Why don't you at least try it? He loved the idea of working with her. They were a good team in many ways, and their professional skills were compatible. She was smiling at him, thinking about it.

We could try, I suppose. I don't have anything else to do. I'll be free in three weeks, right after Allegra's wedding. She actually liked the idea, and she kissed her husband to thank him.

Is the wedding still on, by the way? he teased. I didn't dare ask them before they left.

I hope so, Blaire said with a sigh, as she lay down again. She liked the idea of working with Simon.

So what do you think? He was prodding her for an answer.

I'll have to call my agent, she said coyly, and he laughed.

You Hollywood types, you're all the same. Go ahead, call your agent. I'm calling my attorney. He chuckled and kissed her on the neck, and she snuggled closer to him. For a day that had been disastrous for a while, it had taken a definite turn by the end of it. She was still sad to lose her show, but the idea of a partnership with Simon had a lot of appeal to her. She wanted to talk to Allegra about it in the morning. And when she turned to Simon again, he was sound asleep. It was very late, and they'd had a long night, and a lot of excitement. She smiled to herself, looking at him. He was such a good man, and after all the pain he'd caused her in the past year, she felt as though she'd found him again, and maybe some of the pain had been worth it.

Chapter 21

Allegra thought that her parents working together was a great idea, particularly on her husband's movie.

Talk about keeping it in the family, she said, and laughed. Can I have a starring role? she teased her mother.

She talked about it after she and Jeff got back from San Ysidro, and by then everything had calmed down with them again. Everything had returned to normal, as normal as it was going to be with her wedding in six days. As Delilah Williams said, the final countdown had started.

The dress had come, the hats had finally arrived, the veil had been made. And the landscape gardener swore that the garden would be finished by the weekend.

Both of Allegra's bridesmaids who were coming from out of town were arriving in two days, one from London, the other from New York. Jeff's mother was arriving the day after that, and staying at the Bel Air. And worse yet, her father was arriving on Friday.

Do you think we'll survive it, Mom? she asked her mother, looking terrified. She was trying to finish out the week at work, and Jeff was wrapping his movie on Wednesday. It was all very tightly scheduled, and poised like a house of cards. She had even sold her house, and the closing was in two days. And wherever she looked, there were a thousand details.

After her bridesmaids arrived on Tuesday night, they were having a last-minute fitting of the dresses on Wednesday morning and any necessary adjustments could be made. But Nancy and Jessica had willingly supplied their sizes, and there was no reason to think there would be a problem.

I'm so scared, Allegra whispered to Blaire as she visited her on Monday night. Jeff was working late, and she had come to see Sam and the baby.

Of what, sweetheart? Her mother was trying to calm her.

Of everything. What if it doesn't work, like you and ‘ you know ‘ Charles ‘ ? Her original father. She refused to call him Daddy.

It can happen, but those circumstances were very unusual and I was much younger than you are when we got married. You and Jeff are a lot smarter than we were and you're going to be just fine. I know it. They were intelligent and young, and they had entered into it with much thought. Dr. Green felt really good about the way Allegra was handling all her old fears and feelings. But there were still no guarantees, they could lose their jobs, their lives, their limbs, their children could die, as her mother's had, their life's dreams could be shattered by a bolt of lightning at any moment. There are no guarantees in life. You just have to do your best, and be there for each other no matter what, Blaire said wisely, as she smiled at Allegra.

Yeah, and never run out of Haagen-Dazs or frozen pizza, Sam added her marital advice. Feeding Jimmy was like keeping the Green Bay Packers supplied, but she had never been as happy in her life, and they were loving the baby. He was asleep in her arms, and he nursed all the time. He was a month old and he weighed twelve pounds. And Sam looked as though she had been born for the life that she was leading. She loved being with Jimmy all the time, and he was wonderful at helping her with the baby. His little sisters came to visit them all the time, and they played in the Steinbergs' backyard. All of a sudden, Blaire felt as though she had a house full of children. It was like turning the clock back for her, except that in a nice way, it also wasn't. She and Simon had their own life, and they were free for the first time in years, except when they wanted to see Jimmy and Sam, or Allegra came by, or Scott came back from Stanford, which was rare now. They had time for each other; they were making plans for their new collaboration as soon as she did her last show. They were even talking about going to Europe for a while before his next movie. It was the most time they'd had for each other in years, and Simon really enjoyed it. He even came home for lunch now sometimes, and they seemed to spend more time in bed than they ever had when they were younger.

Maybe getting old isn't so bad, Blaire had teased him only that morning, as he pulled her out of the shower and dragged her back to bed to make love, complaining that she had gotten up too fast that morning. She had still been dripping wet, and her hair was piled on top of her head. He had left for the office afterward, half an hour late for an appointment.