A Captivating Conundrum (4 page)

"You okay, man?" Bobby's voice came out far stronger than mine, as I waited to see if any paralysis was settling into the still frozen figure on the stage.

Suddenly the man exhaled. Staring up at me, he took Bobby's hand and was immediately vertical.
Thank God.

"I'm fine," he coughed, clearing his throat.

I felt the need to apologize again and again, but instead I looked down into Amber's apologetic face. Going down on one knee, which in a leather skirt and Prada shoes was not nearly as easy as it looked, I gave her a hard stare. "Honey, you have to be more careful! We could have hurt this poor man."

She began to cry, throwing herself into my arms. "Star, he's a dancer. What if I broke him?"

I heard the soft, kind laughter from above, as he looked down and patted Amber's shoulder. "You can't break me, sweetie. I'm made out of iron."

Without thinking my eyes moved to the muscular chest that was hidden beneath the black t-shirt and had to agree with his statement. I tried to offer another apologetic smile even though I could still feel the burning heat in my cheeks. "I really am sorry. She kind of swept me off my feet." I tried to laugh.

"Too bad." He reached out his hand and helped me up. "I was hoping I could take the credit for that."

My skin was inflamed, although now the heat was coming from every pore I owned.

I heard Amber's whisper. "You shouldn't wear such high heels, Star."

Nicole burst into laughter behind me. "That is so true, Amber. It's her fault. You tell her!"

I glanced over my shoulder. "You're wearing six-inchers."

She snickered. "That's true, but I'm short. I need them. Besides, I'm not the one who threw myself into this poor man's lap." Nicole shook his hand and grinned. "Unfortunately."

I wanted to laugh as he stared down at Nicole. She looked a bit like an alien with the large headband wrapped around her skull, securing the bright pink earpiece and microphone that dangled in front of her face. "I am Nicole Langley, pretty man. Who are you?"

"His name is Matt," Amber piped up.

His eyes returned to mine. "McKenna," he added. 

"Oh!" Amber jumped up in the air as I took two steps back, preparing myself for the next assault. 

Racing over to the piano, Amber grabbed a young man's hand and led him to our group. "This is Christopher, Matt's friend. They sing and dance and stuff. They're helping with the charity."

She leaned in toward me. "Do you think they have enough friends to get us lots of money?"

As if on cue, Bobby belted out the only response I had running through my head. "Talented superstars as handsome as these two? They'll pack the house, Amber!"

My giggle was actually cut short when I looked at Bobby's profile and watched a bit of pink enter his cheeks as he glanced at Christopher.
Interesting.
My heart skipped a beat as I witnessed the unmistakable 'moment' that I'd been waiting to see for what seemed like centuries.

My brain kicked into gear. I'd been waiting for Bobby to find some quality person out there. All he'd done was follow my lead and close himself off in my house. I loved him so much that I wanted Bobby to find a man who could see all the fantastic things he had inside him, and as I stared at Christopher, not only did I see one of the sweetest faces in the world, I saw a blush that was actually as red as mine. I wanted to cheer. THIS was definitely the 'boy next door.'

"Bobby Morrison," my friend spoke quietly.

"Chris Haven." The blue-eyed man nodded back.

Breaking their eye contact, looking as if he just needed to step back from the prettiest face he'd ever seen, the young man looked me up and down. "Killer fashion."

"Thanks." I laughed. "It almost really was."

He grabbed my hands and smiled. "Is you name really Star?"

I swallowed the lump of truth that rose in my throat, as I took a second to think through the answer.

Nicole's voice shattered my eardrum, "I have to say it was absolutely THRILLING to meet you both today, but we have to head to the writer's room and get coordinated."

"Are you one of the writers?" Matthew asked Nicole, as he sent me yet another glance that made me feel as if high school prom was upon me and I was being crowned homecoming queen with him by my side. I shook the silly thoughts from my head, wondering why a woman my age would be acting like such a moron.

"Yes," Nicole lied.

Taking me by the arm the short, yet seriously strong woman, led me off the stage and away from the questions as fast as possible.

In a fleeting gaze I saw Matt McKenna disappear from sight, as the crowd flooded the stage and blocked him from my view.

As the lights began to dim and Nicole congregated with the other writers and agents sitting all around, I took my place in a very private corner and waited to see the beauty and talent that was about to unfold.

~***~

I like sitting off by myself, but there are times when I also love to be the center of attention on a dance floor. Nicole calls me a puzzle but, then again, Nicole sometimes finds people on the street a puzzle because she can't understand why anyone would put all that crap on top of a hot dog and then put it into their system by choice. I like those dog vendor choices, myself. Maybe it's the level of controlled danger they present. There could be a heart attack waiting when you're through, could be just some indigestion…who knew? That's what made it fun.

As the musical performances began I was beyond stunned. There was one young lady who hit such a flat note that I thought even Amber—who was sitting beside me, and the only one allowed to share my private space—was going to swallow her tongue.

Amber looked up at me with confusion in her eyes. I tried not to laugh because it's completely classless to do that in a theatre. But I did emit a giggle and then immediately blamed it on Amber by pointing my finger over her head. Upside? Amber let's me get away with juvenile things like that; that's one of the reasons she's my girl.

The Hollywood star 'most talked about' appeared and began reading my piece. Yes, he was good at it—had it memorized down to a tee, in fact. And yes, he was good looking. Of course, I already knew he'd been voted the most beautiful or most sexy or whatever it was, in the world. But the more he spoke the more I realized there was something 'off' about him. He produced the tears on cue, anger erupted from his soul at just the right time, but he took my script and turned it into just that…a script. Nothing more, nothing less.

Applause came from the group clustered in the center seats.

Amber looked up at me. "Do I really have to dance with
him
?"

I laughed. A diva at such a young age. I wondered if she'd already asked the House Manager if she could have chocolate chip cookies in her dressing room no matter how small it may be, practicing for the day when the cookie request would become Perrier and caviar.

I reached out and took her hand. "No, hon.
I
get to decide who you dance with."

"Do you like him?"

I stared up at the stunningly handsome face that wore a mask of superiority, and my stomach curdled. I shook my head.

She nodded over at the group. "But they like him."

Taking a deep breath, my reliable sarcastic tone bubbled right to the surface. "Then I guess they'll just have to write the next one themselves, aye?"

The starlet approved, as Amber's nose reached just a little higher into the air.

Next on stage came my victim. It was certainly good to see that he was still standing and not in traction after I'd landed dead center on his…well, personal area. I thanked the Lord that it wasn't my knee that'd gone down first.

Matt McKenna immediately went into song—a ballad that was so incredibly beautiful I found myself tearing up in seconds. Then came the moves. I was stunned as I literally watched Gene Kelly reappear and then mesh with the 'pop-and-lock' of a breakdancer. It was new, unique and I could see why my pal's script was the one they'd chosen for him to perform.

But I saw something else in there too—pure expression. When he sang a fun and upbeat song his face softened, and I knew it would make the audience want to celebrate. And when he whisked his partner across the stage it was like watching a man slowly fall in love right before my eyes. I was truly mesmerized, and that hadn't happened since Michael Crawford sang
Music of the Night
to only me in the confines of Lincoln Center. Okay, I suppose he may have been aiming his words at the other chicks too, but he had the ability to make sure that each female in that building
believed
they were the only one in his world—and that's exactly what Matt McKenna could do. 

Amber whispered, "I want him to talk."

I'm telling you, this kid must've come from my womb via Immaculate Conception because I swear she always seemed to say exactly what I was thinking. "Me, too."

"Can I dance with
him
?"

I took a deep breath. I was wondering if Matt would even be interested in standing alone on the stage, telling a story that was a bit hard to tell. Maybe he wanted to dance and jump and sing; he was certainly skilled at it. But somehow I knew that Matt McKenna was the only guy who could help Amber while doing justice to my words.

I felt the hard grip on my shoulder; Nicole's hands were like bear paws.

"What did you think of your guy?"

"Don't like him," I replied immediately.

She literally pole-vaulted the rows, slammed herself down in the seat in front of me and glared.

Amber giggled. "She can dance, too."

Nicole patted her on the hand. "You should go backstage, sweetie. Anna and her kids are coming up next."

"Yay!" Amber turned to me. "Should I break a leg, Star?".

I gave her a hug. "I'd prefer if you just had fun. You're gonna need your legs for this one."

She giggled. "You're so silly. That's just what they say to actors before they go on."

"Yeah, but since you already tried to break someone else's legs today, I think you're good to go."

I sighed as I watched Amber scamper away, knowing full well that an argument was about to begin.

~***~

"What do you mean you don't LIKE him?"

I knew I needed to pull out my big guns and head into battle as Amber's small, comforting form ran behind the curtain and Matt and Chris exited the stage to a round of seriously enthusiastic applause.

"Nicole, you told me I was brought here to pick the best person to do the material—MY material."

Nicole took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself before she boxed my eardrums. She began slowly, "He's the number one actor in America right now, Beth."

"No, he's the number one heartthrob in America, Nicole. And although he probably deserves that title, he's not right for this. My story is about a man who wants to be a father, who wants a second chance. This is a script with heart and soul—the type of material that needs a life behind it. I need a man who's had at least some trials and tribulations…some rejection. The audience has to connect with him so they can see how wonderful it would be to be a father. I want these kids to be adopted, Nicole." My voice grew louder, "Amber needs a home with a mother and father who love her! She deserves that."

"But…this guy can bring in more money than anyone else."

"I'm not saying ditch the guy." I sighed. "Look, I need someone around thirty-five for this or the audience won't believe it. And that song and dance number at the end
means
something. Amber is going to be the precious girl this new father holds in his arms. It has to be real!"