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  Next, we stopped off at Chuck E. Cheese, but we didn’t eat. We just slid down the tube slides and jumped unhappily in a ball pit with some preschoolers. Then we caught a break. One of the moms there recognized Jimmy, and a pack of them began to mob him for autographs. He gave us a signal, and we got out as fast as we could.

  When we got home, Maria had cooked up regular and vegetarian hamburgers and hot dogs and set up a picnic in the living room in front of the big-screen TV. At last, I thought, maybe some juvenile but grownup entertainment on the tube, but it was not to be. Jimmy had sent Alex to the video store, and what popped up on the screen? A Wiggles DVD.

  Jimmy leaned back and sighed. “This was the best day of my life,” he said. “I love being a dad.”

  We all looked at each other. Could we say it?

  “It was great, so great, beyond great . . . it was truly magnificent,” I said.

  Gabe picked up with, “It was, and Jimmy, please don’t think we don’t appreciate everything you’ve done. I mean the merry-go-round reminded me of when I was a lot younger, and I used to love to do that kind of stuff . . .”

  “But, Jimmy, the truth is, although the petting zoo was very cool, we’re not actually little kids anymore,” Jesse said very gently. “That ship has kind of sailed.”

  Jimmy’s face fell for an instant. He looked at us with so much affection, it made me choke up. Then he hit himself in the forehead. “What was I thinking?” he asked the universe. “Of course, you need more grown-up entertainment. Tomorrow will be different.” That taken care of, he moved on.

  “Now let me show you how this TV set-up works. Each one of the smaller screens is hooked up to another place in the house, so I can be sitting here and see what’s happening in the recording studio, the control room, the pool, the spa, the front door, and the deck. You just press the button with the letter of the area you want to see. If you press it twice, you can tape what’s going on there. Press the button three times, and the action pops up on the big screen. Cool, huh?”

  “The coolest,” we told him.

  “So if you need me, you can just look for me.”

  “Finding you in this house is a snap,” I told him, “compared to just plain finding you.”

  “What should we do now?” Jimmy asked. “Wanna watch one of my concerts?”

  That’s what we all wanted, so that’s what we did next. Now it was our turn to feel proud. Our dad may have had a reputation as a wild man, but he was such a bitchin’ singer and songwriter, I felt blessed to have inherited even a hangnail of his talent. About midnight we all said goodnight, and the three of us headed back to the guesthouse. Gabe and Jesse were sharing a room and I had one to myself, at least I thought so until I opened the door.

  Sitting on my bed, wearing a lacy, baby-doll night thing and doing her nails, was Brandy. What was with all these manicures around me suddenly?

  “Hi, KT,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind that I let myself in.”

  What could I say? That I did mind?

  “That’s okay, Brandy,” I said. “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to chat with you a bit. You know, a little girl talk,” she explained.

  “Lay it on me.” I plopped down on the bed facing her.

  “Well, Jimmy and I are very close, as you may have guessed.”

  “Couldn’t miss it,” I assured her.

  “I may be a little overprotective of him, but that’s how I am. I’d never let anyone come between us.”

  “Chill out, Bran,” I told her. “There’s no way we can do for him what you do.”

  She leaned forward. “Not that it’s any of my business, but exactly how long are you and your brothers planning to be here?”

  “You said it, that’s between us and our . . . Jimmy.”

  “I could try to get all BFFy with you and your brothers, especially the cute one, but I’m too up front for that, so I’ll just say it. I don’t know who you really are or why you really came here. I kind of figure it’s ’cause he’s a rich rock star. His brain may be a little fried from his druggie years, but I want you to know that I’m here to protect him, to keep his focus on making music and keeping his bank account full. That’s what matters. He doesn’t need the distraction of the three of you. So what it comes down to is, the sooner you leave, the sooner he can get back to what he’s supposed to be doing—his music and me.”

  She sighed and stood up. “And don’t think you can mess with me, KT,” she said. “I’d hate to have to screw up your relationship with your . . . Jimmy. But I could do it like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Damn, I smudged a nail,” she fussed. Could be karma, I thought, but I didn’t say it. Then she picked up her nail polish and sashayed out the door.

  I sat there wondering how she could screw up our relationship with Jimmy when there was a knock on my door. It was Gabe and Jesse, and I filled them in on my visitor.

  “That’s really interesting,” said Gabe. “I’ve been waiting until we were alone, without Jimmy, to tell you guys, but today when I ran back in the house for my allergy spray, I spied Miss Brandy and Alex engaged in some serious tongue wrestling. It was very uncool. Jimmy really loves her, and I think she’s just with him for the rock star perks.”

  “Maybe things do happen for a reason,” Jesse mused. “Maybe we were sent here to save our dad.”

  “We can’t tell him about any of this. She’ll just deny it,” I said.

  “We can’t tell him, but maybe we can show him. I heard them talking about hooking up while we’re out tomorrow,” Gabe told us.

  “Let’s beat this one out,” I said. “It should be a lot easier than getting through Texas, and we managed to do that.”

  So we put our heads together again, and before we knew it, the “Savages” had a plan for Operation Save Our Dad.

  chapter twenty-seven

  The next morning we came into the house to find Jimmy and Brandy sucking face and having breakfast at the kitchen counter. When he saw us, Jimmy got all flustered like we had seen something we shouldn’t have. He gave Brandy a gentle nudge to push her away, as if to say “not in front of the kids.”

  “Mornin’, my children,” he said, his attention totally transferred to us. “Let me lay out today’s game plan. Tomorrow night’s the concert, so this morning the band’s coming over to run down a few songs in the studio. I thought you might like to sit in on that.”

  Might like to? We were totally pumped.

  “And this afternoon,” Jimmy went on, “I’ve arranged something special to make up for yesterday’s mistakes.” He turned to Brandy. “Hey, sweet thing, why don’t you go shopping or something while I hang with my babies?”

  He pressed some cash into her hand, and Brandy’s face was a picture of mixed emotions. “Money” and “shopping” equaled “good” and “happy,” but “Jimmy and us alone” equaled “bad” and “sad.” She took the money and disappeared, but I could feel her resentment hanging in the air.

  We munched out until the band arrived. There was Toxic, the bass player, a beanpole of a dude totally covered in tattoos. Louie “Fingers” Lemonchello was on synth and keyboards. He was chubby and balding, and both he and Toxic had been in Jimmy’s old band, Bad Angels. Then there was the drummer, “Sticks” O’Conner, and “Big Dee” Willis, who played guitar, any other instrument needed, and sang vocal parts with Jimmy.

  Jimmy clicked on the camera in the studio, and we could see Alex in there setting up for rehearsal. “We’re coming in, my man,” Jimmy told him. For the next two hours, I was in heaven listening to my bio dad’s music and watching how he worked with his musicians. He may have been a nut in his private life, and he may have forfeited some gray matter to his excesses, but he was still a pro in the studio.

  Then it came time for our grown-up afternoon entertainment. Jimmy was waiting in his car for us. Gabe, of course, had to run back in for his spray, but we took off all excited.

  “Hey, Jimmy,” Gabe said, “I think the camera in the
studio isn’t working.”

  “I’ll check it when we get back,” Jimmy told him.

  I guess we should have known that Jimmy didn’t have a clue as to what kids our age considered fun, but it didn’t really hit home until we drove through a neighborhood of mansions called Holmby Hills. Jimmy turned into a gated driveway and proceeded to a huge semicircular parking area around a big fountain. He just sat there grinning until the doors opened, and an old dude in pajamas and a bathrobe came out to the car.

  “I’m Hugh Hefner. You can call me Hef,” the dude said. “Welcome to the Playboy Mansion. Jimmy tells me you’re in need of adult entertainment.”

  Oh my god! Wrong, so wrong, on so many levels. I mean, I actually wrote an extra credit paper in social studies, “The Birth of Feminism.” I once had a goldfish I named Steinem, after Gloria. Everything in me wanted to scream “Get me out of here! This is a disgusting place where women are exploited.” But I just couldn’t do it. First of all, I wasn’t sure Jimmy would even understand the whole concept without a long explanation that would hurt his feelings. And second, he was grinning proudly because he was delivering his big special surprise.

  Our dad was trying so hard to make us happy in his own sweet, misguided way, it just seemed kinder to roll with it. For some reason, I was beginning to understand a lot more about being kind.

  Hef took us to the game house, which had even more toys, video games, and jukeboxes than Jimmy’s house. There were beautiful “bunnies” wandering around who all seemed to be named Kendra, Brittany, or Chloe. And a lot of people looked kind of familiar, like they might be celebrities. In no time, Jimmy was surrounded by hot chicks and fans, and as they dragged him away, he held up his cell phone and called out to us, “I’ll be at the Grotto. Call me if you need me. Have fun.” I guess he forgot that he had never given us his cell phone number. When Hef finally left us on our own, the three of us settled down on a couch.

  “Jimmy is such a great guy,” Jesse said solemnly.

  “The greatest,” Gabe added.

  “The best ever,” I chimed in.

  “He’s got the biggest heart,” Gabe continued.

  “And he’s a lot of fun,” Jesse commented.

  “We’re so lucky,” I said.

  “We are,” Gabe declared. “We’re the Lucky Sperm Club.”

  We sat there in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Finally, I got up the guts to say it: “You know, he’s not exactly the dad I thought we were gonna find.”

  “I know what you mean,” Gabe said.

  “He has a very young soul,” Jesse remarked.

  “Yeah,” I went on, “he’s like a vacation. It’s great for a while but not, like, forever. You know, basically he’s like an old kid.”

  “Yeah, I’m kind of over the healthy junk food,” Gabe added. “He’s not really the dad my moms are,” Jesse mused. “I don’t think it’s in his DNA.”

  Just then, a Playboy bunny in a bikini danced up to us. “Jimmy sent me,” she announced. “We’re gonna play water volleyball, and we’d like you to join us.”

  “I don’t think so,” Gabe and I both answered.

  “I hate to be rude when a path is being revealed, but I didn’t bring my bathing suit,” said Jesse.

  “Don’t worry,” the bunny assured him. “I’ll take mine off.” And with that she whisked him away.

  I pulled out my phone. “You’re so lucky your parents are out at sea, and you don’t have to check in,” I told Gabe.

  “I guess so,” he sighed, “but I kind of miss them.”

  “Hi, Mom,” I said, “I didn’t think I’d get you home. I miss you, too, but we’re getting some real good work done.”

  My mom said I was sounding happier than usual. “I sound happier ’cause I am,” I told her. “I know it’s unusual. I’m happy that you’re happy that I’m happy. Have fun with Ben. Sasha says hi. I love you. Bye.”

  “That’s that,” I said to Gabe.

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “We could play video games until J and J turn up,” I told him. So that’s what we did. Gabe killed me, but I didn’t mind.

  We didn’t say anything to Jimmy about what a bad choice the Playboy Mansion was for us. He and Jesse had fun playing volleyball so we acted as if it had been a perfect afternoon.

  When we got back to Malibu, Jimmy headed straight for the TV remote. He hadn’t forgotten what Gabe had told him.

  “Let’s see what’s wrong with this thing,” he announced and clicked S for Studio. “Let’s see if it taped rehearsal.” He punched the button three times. First the time, 3:00 p.m., came up on the big, dark screen. The rehearsal had ended at two. Then an image popped on. There were Brandy and Alex, but they weren’t rehearsing. They were making out like crazy, giving a full-out performance, with vocals, on the studio floor. Jimmy clicked it off right away and turned to us with a really hurt look in his eyes.

  “This is a life lesson that I never want you to have to learn, my children,” he said sadly. “Over the years, I’ve found that the easiest relationship for me is with ten thousand people, and the hardest is with one.”

  “Not if it’s the right one,” I told him.

  The wounded look on his face made me feel really bad.

  “Don’t close your heart,” Jesse advised. “Just keep your eyes open.”

  “You deserve the best, and she wasn’t it,” said Gabe.

  “You guys are very smart. I’m glad you’re here,” Jimmy said sincerely. “Now I have some business to take care of. I’ll see you later.”

  With that he walked out of the room and we headed back to the guesthouse. We’d saved him, but we’d hurt him, too. Nothing ever seemed to be as clear-cut as I used to think it was.

  “He’ll be okay,” Jesse told us. “The right someone is waiting to come into his life. It’s just a matter of time.”

  chapter twenty-eight

  When we came back to the house at dinnertime, Brandy and Alex were gone. We never saw them again, not that we wanted to. Jimmy was a little quiet and didn’t mention what had gone down. We had dinner out on the deck, and afterward, Jesse and Gabe left to take a walk on the beach.

  Jimmy had just gone to get his guitar from the studio when my phone began playing “Hungry Heart” by The Boss. I got really scared because that was my mom’s ringtone and I had already talked to her. When I picked up, she was crying, and I found out why between sobs. Hearts were being broken right and left today.

  “Please, Mom, don’t cry,” I pleaded. “How could you know Ben was on parole? My god, he was on JDate.”

  I listened as she beat herself up, and then I cut in.

  “Mom, I know you can’t see it now, but this is for the best. He wasn’t the one. I know how bummed you must be, I can feel it through the phone, but please try and believe that everything happens for a reason. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Just let it go. I love you too, Mom,” I told her. “I’ll be home soon, and you’ll feel better after we eat some Ben and Jerry’s and watch Sleepless in Seattle.”

  I clicked off, picked up my guitar, and began noodling like I always do when I’m upset. Jimmy must have heard some of my conversation with Mom, because after he moseyed in, his first question was, “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  I kept on playing. “It’s my mom. Someone let her down and she’s not doing so well.”

  “I can relate,” he said. “What’s Mom like?”

  “She’s sweet, and she’s pretty, and she’s lonely,” I told him. “All she does is hook up with losers, probably on account of me.

  “What do you mean?” Jimmy asked.

  “She thinks I need a dad.”

  “Do you?”

  “I thought so, but now I don’t know. Now that I think about it, maybe all I wanted was to find out who he was. Finding you was really all that I needed.”

  He picked up his own guitar and began weaving in and out of my picking.

  “So now that you found me, what do you thin
k?” he asked.

  “I think I’m okay, sorta happy actually,” I said, and I couldn’t help but smile at the way our playing fit together. It was like dancing with the perfect partner.

  “I love your smile, my girl child,” Jimmy said. “I used to think I couldn’t be a good writer if I was happy, but over the years I found out that even though pain can make the creative juices flow, sometimes happiness can make them positively percolate.”

  “I’m beginning to get that,” I told him. “Hey, you gonna play this one tomorrow night?” I asked and then segued into the opening riff of one of my favorite Bad Angel songs, “Undefeated.”

  Jimmy smiled and joined me, and then we started to sing together. Our blend was awesome. It was as if we’d harmonized forever. When the song ended, we heard applause and looked up to see that Jesse and Gabe had come back from their walk.

  “That was incredibly cool,” Gabe said.

  “You can’t imagine what it felt like for me,” Jimmy said.

  “Thanks for the gift,” I whispered.

  “You’re welcome, baby girl,” Jimmy said. “It’s the least I could do.”

  The room was so loaded with emotion, we had to get out of there. “Hey,” Jimmy said, “let’s roast some marshmallows on the beach.”

  Jesse got a fire going and we all sat around it. The night was cool, the fire was blazing gold and orange, and silver streaks of moonlight bounced off the waves as they rolled in to shore. We all sat there silently, taking in the sounds of the beach and the warmth of the starry California night. Then Jess cleared his throat, kicked off his hemp sandals, and dug his toes into the sand.