Taffy Sinclair 010 - Taffy Sinclair Goes to Hollywood (13 page)

Len Butterworth

"
Len Butterworth?
"
she whispered. Was it the same Len who had been sending her presents? Did he live here with Raven Blaine? Maybe the two lived together, and they put Len
'
s name on the mailbox so that tourists wouldn
'
t discover t
hat Raven lived here, too. Taffy
was still shaking her head when she went inside.

"
Hi, Taffy. Hi, Mrs. Sinclair,
"
Tess called out across the crowded room.
"
Isn
'
t this the greatest party ever?
"

Taffy had to admit that it was. Everyone she knew from the set was there, wandering around among tables laden with every kind of food imaginable. She could see through the windows overlooking the beach that a small band was playing on the deck, and the strains of their music floated in to her, putting her in a dreamy mood.

Her mother spotted some other parents on the deck and went toward them, leaving Taffy standing alone. But not for long. KJ wandered over, putting an arm around her and planting a big kiss on her cheek.
"
We
'
re going to miss you, kid,
"
he said.

"
Maybe we won
'
t have to miss her for very long,
"
said Paige, who had strolled over to stand beside them.
"
Jerry just said that there
'
s a good chance this movie will be a pilot for a television series. If they do decide to film a series, then we
'
ll all be working together again.
"

A cheer went up from the group of friends.

Taffy
'
s heart leapt, too.
"
A pilot for a series?
"
she said. Then glancing toward Paige, she added,
"
I think
you should have the role of Tiffany Stafford if it becomes a TV series, Paige.
"

Paige looked at Taffy, and tears glistened in her eyes.
"
Thanks, Taffy,
"
she said softly.
"
I know you mean that, and I really appreciate it. But I think you should keep the role. You
'
re a good actress, and you play the part just super. Besides,
"
she added with a grin,
"
I don
'
t need that
particular
role anymore. I
'
m perfectly happy being Jillian Morris now.
"

"
Hey, everybody,
"
cried Tess before Taffy could respond to Paige.
"
Here comes our host. The one and only Len Butterworth!
Ta-d
a!
"

Taffy whirled around, frowning. Our host? she thought. But when she glanced in the same direction that everyone else was looking, the only person she saw was Raven Blaine.

"
Who
'
s Len Butterworth?
"
Taffy whispered to Tess.
"
The only person I see is Raven.
"

"
Oh,
"
said Tess, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"
You haven
'
t met Len? Well, come along with me. It
'
s time you two were introduced.
"

Bewildered, Taffy followed Tess across the room.
"
Len,
"
Tess called out.
"
There
'
s someone here who wants to meet you.
"

To Taffy
'
s surprise, Raven turned to face them as Tess gave her a little shove toward him and then disappeared.

"
You
'
re Len?
"
Taffy whispered in amazement. Suddenly Raven
'
s face turned bright red.
"
That
'
s right,
"
he said.
"
Raven Blaine
'
s just my stage name.
"

"
Then you were the one who sent me the roses and the necklace?
"
she asked, still unable to believe that it was true.

Raven nodded, and Taffy watched the color creep up his face. He
'
s blushing! she thought.

"
I wanted to tell you how much I like you and what a great actress I think you are, but every time I started to say the words, I
. . .
I just got too nervous.
"

"
But you
'
re an actor,
"
Taffy insisted.
"
You sign autographs and talk to reporters all the time.
"
She couldn
'
t believe what he was saying.

He looked toward the floor.
"
That
'
s different. That
'
s when I
'
m Raven Blaine. But when I
'
m just being myself, like with you
. . ."
His voice trailed off.

Taffy thought her heart would burst. He was telling her that he was shy. That he had trouble talking to a girl he liked. It didn
'
t matter that he was a superstar. Deep inside, he was just like everybody else.

She reached out her hand and touched his.
"
Thank you for the roses. They were absolutely gorgeous. And the necklace! I love it.
"
Then she added softly,
"
I wish I
'
d known before that they were from you.
"

"
KJ said that you already have a boyfriend,
"
said Raven.
"
Is that true?
"

Taffy thought a moment before she answered.
"
There is a boy at home that I go out with,
"
she admitted.
"
But we
'
re not going steady.
"

"
Then if you come back to Hollywood to make the TV series, would you go out with me?
"

"
Oh, yes!
"
she said breathlessly.
"
I
'
d love to go out with you.
"

It was a wonderful party, and when it was over, Taffy went back to her hotel room filled with excitement. Tomorrow she would be going home. Back to Wacko Junior High, and Shawnie and Cory. Back to her old life. Would she fit in now that she had been to Hollywood and had become a movie star? Or would she get to come back to California to make a television series and become the girlfriend of superstar Raven Blaine?

She crawled into bed and turned off the light, but even in the darkness her eyes were filled with stars. She could hardly wait to find out what the future would bring
.