Chapter 24

Meredith was sitting on Brock's front porch when he and Randi arrived home at lunchtime Tuesday. Brock was nervous about how Meredith might react but Randi had no trepidation. She raced from the cab and ran to Merie, grabbing her in a tight hug and kissing her cheek.

Brock was left to unload the multitude of bags that had been brought forth for two nights away from home. He could only imagine what Randi's tour bus might look like when she was gone for months at a time.

Brock greeted Meredith with a warm kiss as he ushered both young women inside. Randi soon departed to see her mother, leaving Brock and Meredith alone.

"Well, that apparently went well," she said.

"I think it helped her put some things behind her," Brock answered diplomatically. Meredith laughed.

"Well, from what she told me yesterday, one of the things she wanted behind her was you," she said. "Did you get the chance to bend her over the couch?"

"Uh, no," Brock said. "Merie, are you sure it's a good idea to talk about this? I mean, I know you and Randi share a lot but, I mean, hearing details from me seems a little bit wrong."

"I have to live vicariously through somebody," Meredith joked. "God knows I ain't getting any. Seriously, this is important. It's important not just to her and her mental health. It's important to you and your future and it's important to us and our future."

"I just want to make sure we still have a future," Brock said.

"We do," Meredith replied, hugging him tightly. "Randi said she explained some of what's going on. I'll fill you in on the rest. Susan is not happy that I have returned to a prominent spot in your life – no more than I would be happy if she had. Brock, I never let her get away with blaming things on other people. Even when we were young, I just couldn't put up with it. The others were content to let her shift responsibility but I just couldn't seem to let it go. While I was away, I began to understand it a little better. But there comes a time when you have to accept that you fucked up and to try to make amends. A part of Susan still feels justified in leaving you to take the blame for things. She thinks that because she managed to turn her life around – to come out of her shell while in Paris – she was justified in her actions."

Meredith saw Brock's frown. One of the things that had never changed was his willingness to protect those he cared about.

"Look, you're probably going to be mad but I guess we'll have to deal with it," Meredith continued. "If you ask the others, they will tell you the same thing. Expecting you to have nothing to do with Jen, Mel and Tara while you were in college was part of the same problem. Once she got your attention, she expected all of your attention. If you and she get together when she comes back up here, it won't change. She will expect you to call three times a night when you're on the road. She will inspect your dirty clothes for lipstick stains or signs of infidelity. I know she won't find any because I know how you are. It's why I sent a note with Randi, even though you and I have never discussed exclusivity."

"But eventually, Susan will create some excuse and walk away again. It won't be because you're at fault, although in her mind you will be. It will be because she can't handle the fact that you have friends and the only reason she has friends is because you share yours with her. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. When they were here in July, Susan was standoffish with every female she met. She even glared at Esmi when she pinched your butt once. I mean, Jesus, Esmi would tear her apart. She made sharp comments to Chastity every chance she got. She made snide comments about me and even about Emmy, who none of them even know. It grated on everyone's nerves and not just mine."

"I honestly didn't notice," Brock said.

"And you would have ignored it if you had noticed," Meredith replied. "Susan is not going to be happy with the next person you date. Mel, Jen and Tara agree with me on this. Emmy agrees with me on this. Hell, Emmy was willing to take one for the team until she figured out we all already knew she liked to dine at the Y."

"Jesus, Meredith," Brock said. "Please tell me you don't talk like that around her."

"Me?" Meredith asked. "Those are her words, not mine. She is super cool by the way. I've thought about swinging that way just to get the chance to hang out with her more."

"You should have gone out with them last night," Brock said.

"They invited me but, crap, OK, in the spirit of giving, I'll say it," Meredith began, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I stayed home last night and masturbated about a half dozen times. I guess I figured out why Jen got so excited when we first got together."

Brock lowered his head and shook it.

"OK, back on point," Meredith said with smile. She liked the fact she could still confound Brock after all the years had gone by. She hoped in another seven years she could still think up things to set him back on his heels. "Randi accepts that, at this point, long-term really isn't an option. She was the logical choice to bear the brunt of Susan's hatred for the next little while as you and I see how things fit together for us."

"Wait a damned minute," Brock stated. "You know, I'm getting sick and tired of you people planning my entire God-damned life for me. Randi is a very sweet young woman. I enjoy being around her and, yes, I enjoyed rolling around with her. But if you're right, then Susan is just going to have to grow the fuck up and get over it. I was very clear with her a few months ago. I don't feel for her what she wants me to feel. In hindsight, I never did. I feel great affection for Susan and I enjoyed the time we were together. But it was never something that could sustain itself. That hasn't changed. If I have to choose between Randi and you, I choose you. I don't want to hurt Randi but I'm tired of spinning my wheels while the world passes by.

"Meredith, you and I connected, at 16, on a level I've never felt with anyone else. I thought Chastity and I had a chance to reach that point but we never did. When you showed up here a couple of weeks ago and dropped your bombshell, I didn't think it would work. You know what? I was wrong. In just two weeks, we've managed to move beyond our past and start fresh. As much fun as I had with Randi, I would have preferred it to be you. Is that simple enough? I choose you. I do not want to set aside what we're developing in order to satisfy Susan's insecurities – or in order to fulfill some perverted role I'm expected to play in Randi's fantasy life."

Meredith smiled. She had felt everything Brock had said but she doubted that he had. Even if he had, she didn't expect for him to open himself up again to her so quickly.

"And you won't," Meredith replied, sitting up just long enough to sit down on his lap. "For now, Randi is going to be a part of our relationship – if you want her to be. Truly, I suspect her role will decrease from last night. It might stay on the same level for a week or two but then it will diminish. I want to do this for her. She has become a true friend to me these past few months. I'm really surprised. But I'm not wrong about that part. But now she has a frame of reference for future relationships that isn't skewed by her past. I heard about you standing firm against the guy from the record company. She told me all about how you handled the same actor that pawed Emmy at the club. She now knows those things are possible in her life. Until she met you, she viewed every relationship – as friends or as lovers – as having to be one-sided. Now she understands that things are so much better as equals – just like I've come to understand that."

Brock pursed his lips.

"Hon, no matter what you decided about Randi, I would be right where I am today," Meredith reiterated. "If you had decided to come home Sunday night, I'd be here. I told Randi to trust you to make the right decision because I have no idea what's the best way to go. I have my ideas but you sometimes have ideas of your own."

Brock frowned and looked quickly toward Meredith. He found her smiling back at him.

"I'm kidding about that," she said. "I will not force you to choose. I will not ask you to choose. I won't even expect you to choose. For now, we'll share if you want. If you don't want to involve Randi, we'll move forward without her. If you don't want me involved, I suppose I'll go away – but I'll admit that I didn't really consider that prospect."

"It's just, I don't know, weird," Brock said. "Look, we can't all be together. Randi is too famous for that to even be considered. The rumors would start and she'd wind up looking bad –regardless of the truth involved. The truth doesn't seem to be highly prized in Hollywood. So I don't know how it will work."

"I've thought about this," Meredith said. "Love, I think for the next few years, Randi is going to flit in and out of our lives as the mood strikes her. I can see our home becoming her home while she is off tour or between movies or whatever she decides to do. That's sort of where we are now. People have already started to notice Randi and I spending a lot of time together. Most people just assume I'm her personal assistant or something."

"I was thinking a backup dancer," Brock replied, smiling.

"Too busty," Meredith told him with a wink. "I'd have black eyes all the time."

"They're not that big," Brock pointed out. "I mean, it's not like they're udders or anything."

"They are a lovely 32C," Meredith pointed out. "But you already know that since I'm sure you snoop through my bras all the time."

"But back to Randi," Brock said as the blush crept up his neck. Meredith had made it a point to show him her bras – and her breasts – regularly during the past few weeks. She seemed to have an amazing assortment of undergarments.

"Yes," Merie agreed. "I have thought very hard about this. Randi is the first real friend I've made in a number of years. You know I've always had problems in that area. For now, I think if you're willing, we address any public concerns by simply acknowledging that you have a casual relationship with each of us."

"I mean, look, we all know once everyone is here you're going to be seen with them. You've already been spotted with Tara. She's become an instant hit on the internet. I mean, there are already a dozen web sites devoted to her. You're going to go to lunch or dinner sometimes with Melanie. Or at least I hope you do frequently. Once she gets ensconced in the DA's office, they're going to do whatever they can to get her in front of a camera. She presents a very pleasant public image and that's something that office has lacked for a decade now. Jen is adorable. She has actually gotten cuter as she has aged. The first time you and she are spotted walking down the street smiling and laughing, people are going to take note of her. The same is true with Emmy because, well, let's be honest, people notice Emmy."

"So as far as the public is concerned, I'm in the mix and so is Randi. So long as we can keep from ripping off our clothes and humping on Rodeo Drive, we'll be fine. We can basically behave like we always have because you'll be behaving that way with everyone else. If Randi or I are more demonstrative in our affection, so what? We'll deal with things as they come. But I don't want to start letting public perception dictate whether we do what we think is right."

Brock and Meredith had to conclude their discussion before anything was really resolved. He had to get ready for that night's game. The Dodgers played 17 of their next 20 games against National League West opponents. The Giants were in town for three games before a four-game trip to San Diego and then three games in St. Louis. Then it was back to Los Angeles for 10 games – six of them with the Diamondbacks in back-to-back weekend series. The Padres came up to Los Angeles for a four-game set in the middle of the week.

The team's last road trip would feature three games against the Reds in Cincinnati and four in Pittsburgh. The season would close with four games against the Giants at Dodgers Stadium.

The team entered September with a six-game lead on San Francisco but the Giants were still in the hunt for the National League wild card, battling with the Phillies for the final spot in the playoffs. The Diamondbacks had never slipped to six games below .500 for the season and the Padres and Rockies folded up their tents in mid-July.

With eight head-to-head games with their closest challenger still on tap, it wasn't inconceivable for the Dodgers to fall completely out of the playoffs. But it seemed unlikely since the Giants were the only team left on the Dodgers schedule that had managed to win more than half of its games.

With a strong September, Los Angeles had a real chance to lock up the top seed in the National League playoffs – and ensure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The National League had won the All-Star game so whichever team won the NL pennant would host four games in the World Series.

The Indians had faltered slightly in the heat of summer. J.C. Michaels had proven to be a legitimate ace, however. He was on track to win 20 games and his ERA was below 3.00. If a pitcher from Oakland hadn't already won 22 games, J.C. would be a shoo-in for the AL Cy Young Award. Still, the Indians were in the hunt for a wild-card berth if they had a strong September. They were only a game behind the Tigers and Rays for the last playoff spot, although they were nine games behind Minnesota for the AL Central crown.

Boston was running away with the AL East. They had a 12 game lead on Tampa and the Yankees were 10 games behind the Rays. Oakland was making a late run at Seattle in the AL West and that looked like it would be the only divisional race to go to down to the wire. Neither was in the hunt for the wild card so the loser would find itself watching on TV when the regular season closed on the last day of September.

Brock figured the best way to ensure the Dodgers were still alive in October was to keep winning baseball games. Mostly, he was happy to put life's dramas behind him and head to the ballpark.

He was still being escorted by security personnel – and it was starting to grate on him a bit. It was protocol for him to be dropped off at a different stadium entrance each day. He never knew if he was going to be dropped off right outside the clubhouse or have to walk 10 minutes through the bowels of the stadium to get to his locker.

He was doing his best to keep from complaining but he just wished the woman would leave him alone. He was tired of sitting down with Cynthia Lu two or three times each week. He was tired of having to let her in on his plans days in advance. He was tired of not being able to go to the grocery store or a restaurant or to anywhere without having someone follow along behind him.

The team had relented on the Emmy Awards. Security for televised events was solid and Cynthia Lu knew full well the parties would have their own security. Once she was satisfied that the limo driver was qualified to provide protection, she agreed that Brock could have a night without one of her people looking over his shoulder.

Still, he was grateful for the additional security when they pulled into the stadium parking lot. There were a dozen news crews from varying networks waiting outside the stadium. They had apparently been tipped off – most likely by paying someone inside the Dodgers organization – as to where Brock was scheduled to debark. Brock hoped whoever it was who leaked the news had been paid well because he was positive Cynthia Lu would track him down. Not only would he be fired but Cynthia would probably do her damnedest to make sure he had trouble getting a job as a fry cook at McDonald's in the future.

"Do we want to try a different door?" the driver asked. The man in the passenger seat turned to Brock.

"It won't make any difference," the security guy told him. "They're going to hound you until you give them a statement. Do you just want to get it over with?"

"I just want to play baseball," Brock muttered. But he knew the guy was right. There had been nothing in the newspapers or on TV about his confrontation with Taylor Reynolds or Pete Weinberg but he was still a hot topic. Not only was he seen with Randi Raver at the Emmy Awards but that stupid woman had made an ass of herself on television and the entire segment had been posted a thousand times on the Internet. "Fine, let's get it over with."

The questions began to fly as before Brock had managed to get the door open. There were only 20 or so people in the group but each seemed to have a camera or a microphone in their hands.

"Hey!" Brock yelled loudly to be heard over the screamed questions – none of which he could understand. It took a moment for the general hum to quiet. "Look, if you want to act with a little bit of dignity and ask your questions one at a time, I'll do what I can to answer them. But if you're just going to try to yell over top of each other, I'm going inside and you guys can find some other poor bastard to bother."

Brock spotted a young woman near the front whose microphone bore the same logo as the woman who had insulted him at the Emmys. He figured she was as good a person as any to start with, since it would probably give him a pretty good idea of the general tone of the questions.

"Miss," he said, pointing to her. "How about we start with you?"

The woman nodded.

"Uh, I'm Leslee Scott from Home, Health and Entertainment," she said. "Before I ask you a question, I'd like to apologize personally and on behalf of my network. What happened was completely inappropriate and unprofessional. Do you have any comment about how the situation was dealt with?"

"Ms. Scott, I guess I should be honest," Brock began. "I had never heard of your network before Sunday night. If I had ever watched a second of it, it was purely by accident. I should point out that is the case with almost every network I see represented here today. I had never met your correspondent and, quite honestly, I have no idea of her name or her claim to fame. Nor do I know what steps your network has taken to ensure that no one else makes remarks that can be taken out of context. Thankfully, my story is well known by many people. But she left it for others to clarify what she meant, which I'm sure was her intention. Thankfully, in the digital age, such ill-conceived statements can be quickly refuted or cleared up. Her comments not only reflect badly upon me but also upon the young woman I was escorting that evening. I will be the first to tell you that I have no idea how a network is run so I'm not the person to ask for comments about how it was handled. I'm sure your viewers and your advertisers will give you the answer to that question quickly enough."