Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) (36 page)

Chapter 20

             
Finding fancy enough dresses in time for their red carpet Hollywood show was no easy trick; in fact they ended up flying back to California again just to find them.  The consultant who helped them with their dresses helped them with shoes and arranged for jewelry to be basically rented from a local jeweler too.  When Kit realized how much the jewelry was worth she would be wearing that night, she considered renting an armored guard as well. 

Flying back out for the actual show, Kit was so uptight she almost wished she'd told Nick no.  At least saying goodbye at home had been easier this time. She'd been too nervo
us worrying about falling off her heels in front of millions of people to be as sad as usual about leaving.

Naomi and Rob came with them.  Bryan had b
een able to get them tickets, so Naomi was there to help the girls get dressed in all their finery after having had a stylist come right to their rooms to do their hair.  Nick and Bryan called from the limo when they got to the hotel saying there were so many people out there waiting for celebrities to show, that they worried if they came up they'd never get back in the car in one piece in time. 

The girls went down the grand staircase of the hotel in all their glory on the a
rm of Rob dressed to the nines in a tuxedo of his own.  Naomi came right behind.  The chauffer opened the door of the car and Nick and Bryan got out to help them all in.  The girls thought they'd gotten used to the crush and flash of cameras by now, but they were wrong. Kit was nearly blind by the time they were safely seated next to their famous dates and the limo pulled away.  She felt so harassed that she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live this way.

             
When she could finally see again, she realized Nick was watching her every move with deep brown eyes and an appreciative, satisfied smile on his face.  She was almost a bit shy when he didn't say anything, just kept checking her out.  When she couldn't stand it any more she asked, "Do I look all right?"

             
He gave her his famous drop dead gorgeous smile and said, "Oh yeah!  Way more than all right!  It's a good thing they'll have tight security tonight, because otherwise someone would be tempted to steal you away!"  He turned to Joey and told her with a touch less enthusiasm, "You look awesome too, Jo.  Don't you think so, Bryan?"

             
He answered the same, but with his typical cheerful southern Alabama drawl, "Oh yeah!"

             
Nick must have been aware of Kit's case of nerves because he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You look great and you're gonna be just fine!" 

             
She gave him a small grimace. "Coach me through this, okay.  I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing.  I should never have agreed to come."

             
He slid over close to her on the leather seat. "Sure, I'll coach you.  But honestly, all you need to do is be the same Kit you always are and you'll be great—like you always are.  If you get uncomfortable, just take my hand and smile and you'll be all right.  This is Kit, the woman who can handle anything with style, remember?  That same girl who knocked my socks off the instant I met her."  He leaned into her and kissed her temple.  "Relax; it's going to be fun!"

             
She looked up into his smiling face and decided he was right.  And if Nick said she could do this, she could.  She'd trust him and relax and enjoy her one shot at fame.  As the long limousine pulled up beside the red carpet, she got out, smiling like a princess and fairly floated up the walk lined with photographers and fans. 

             
Nick held her hand and smiled and actually posed in front of a couple of the cameras with her as they made their way along.  Everywhere she looked there were famous faces and press, and even though for a while she lost sight of Joey in the crush, she hoped she was having a good time too, enjoying the insane glitz.

             
They eventually made their way inside and were ushered to what turned out to be the head table, right near the front of the huge venue.  There were tables toward the front, then only chairs, and then further back, stadium seating.  Kit was a bit intimidated until she remembered that Nick thought she could handle anything.  His belief in her helped her to have confidence in herself and she turned to him and smiled again.

             
The program began and Nick stood to address the audience with his usual dashing style, the diamond stud in his ear flashing lightning in the floodlights.  Throughout the evening he went to the nearby podium between the different segments of the show to introduce the performers and speakers.  At one point he stood and introduced Bryan, who also went to the microphone.  Kit didn't know Bryan was part of the show, and she didn't think Joey did either.  When Bryan began to speak, Joey's eyes filled with tears. 

He looked at Joey and said, "This is the first time I've sung this song in front of an audience.  It will be on my new album.  I want to dedicate it to a dear friend of mine, Joey Rockland.  She encouraged me to stick to my convictions, no matter the cost, a
nd she’s helped me find something priceless that I'd lost somewhere along the way.  So thanks, Joey.  This song's for you." 

With
that, the lights went down.  He began a song about all the things that made life great and how good it was to enjoy the everyday things that really matter.  It was sweet and soulful, but with an engaging rhythm that fit his smooth voice and happy demeanor exactly and when he finished the crowd was on it's feet clapping and cheering wildly.  When he left the stage to return to his seat, there were still tears slipping down Joey's cheeks.  He stopped to bend down beside her chair and wipe gently at the tears, before sitting in his own seat.

             
Kit hardly had time to be emotional as Nick went back to his microphone and began to announce the next portion of the show.  She nearly had a coronary when she understood what he was saying, "This next song is one I wrote for a friend, too.  She's here with me tonight.  I'd ask her to marry me in front of you all, except I think she'd turn me down in front of ten million people and my ego would never be the same.  She is an incredible new talent in the music industry!  I'd like to introduce to you tonight, musician extraordinaire, the beautiful Kit Star!"  The crowd went off again as Kit realized he was strapping on a guitar, while a stage hand held one for her. 

She walked up on
to the stage too stunned to do anything but smile and take the instrument.  She had to hear the introduction before she could even figure out what they were going to play.  She looked up at him standing in the spotlight as the house lights dropped, wondering if she should kill him later or thank him for sparing her the knowledge and therefore the nerves.  He winked, hit a plaintive guitar lick and she just had time to let her instincts kick in, before she began to sing
Coming Home.
 

The guitar seemed
slightly strange with the formal gown at first and she was glad it was a relatively mellow song.  Then she was into the music, dancing smoothly alongside him as he sang in her ear like they'd done so many times in the studio.  He was even more focused in front of this huge crowd, and his intense showmanship calmed her nerves so she could put her heart into the song.  Their harmony was smoother and sweeter than ever, ringing over the speakers in the huge stadium and her first experience in front of a crowd became an incredible high. 

She'd wondered how it
would be to sing in a concert.  Well now she knew!  And he was right.  She did love it!  He could read all of this in her face as he sang to her in front of millions and she knew she needed to thank him later, not kill him, when he gave her his dazzling smile as they played the last notes.

She was just wondering what she needed to do n
ext when the crowd came unglued.  She'd never heard anything like it in her life.  Standing on the stage in front of the audience gave a whole new meaning to applause.  He took her hand and gave a nod to the roaring crowd as they both waved and smiled for the viewers and fans.  It felt like an eternity of standing and acknowledging the appreciation.  Finally, he walked her to the edge of the stage where an usher helped her back to her seat as he returned to the podium to introduce the final act of the night. 

             
He walked back to their table with a wide smile on his face and he too bent beside her chair as the lights dimmed for the final singer.  He just looked at her for a moment with open admiration in his eyes before he said huskily, "You were great up there."  He touched her cheek with his hand and sat down in his chair. 

             
Kit's heart had still not returned to its regular speed by the time they made it out of the crowded stadium and into the car.  Even with hordes of security and walkways cordoned off, there were still incredible numbers of people to greet and be introduced to, or even just walk past, and Rob and Naomi chose to simply take a cab back to their hotel.  When the limo door finally shut behind the rest of them, the evening had become almost surreal.  Kit's brain had a hard time even acknowledging the fact that she was indeed here and not watching all this happen to someone else on TV.

             
Nick sighed, pulled the tie of his tuxedo loose and tossed it onto the seat beside him as Bryan followed suit.  Joey leaned back into the seat and took off one dainty high heel to stretch out her foot.  Nick opened the mini fridge to pull bottles of water and sparkling apple juice out and offer them around.  "I had the fridge stocked especially in honor of you two ladies tonight!  There's not a drop of booze to be found.  Honestly, this is the first time I've ever finished one of these things without drinking, but I won't tell you that." 

Kit laughed at his ludicrous honesty, which w
as exactly what he had in mind and he went on, "There are approximately six thousand four hundred and twenty-three fashionable parties we could attend tonight.  Or we could go back to my place and listen to music and relax where we won't be bothered by any drunken Las Vegas show girls.  What do you say, ladies?  What's your preference?"

             
Kit had had enough crowds for the night and apparently Joey had too, when she opted for the quieter private celebration at Nick's home.  Had Kit been honest about her preference, she would have called it a night right then, but she felt like she needed to let Nick continue to celebrate; after all, he had been the Master of Ceremonies.  

When
they arrived, Kit was surprised to find that Nick lived in a condo in the foothills in the twentieth floor penthouse.  It was luxurious, but she couldn't even begin to imagine coming home to this everyday.  You couldn't have come up with a more opposite setting to the wooded bench of the Rockland Ranch if you tried. 

Nick showed them in,
turned the sound system on low, and invited them all to come to the kitchen and find something to eat.  He and Bryan hadn't eaten since they'd had a late lunch and they were both ravenous.  They took king crab legs out of the freezer to steam and teamed it up with a loaf of French bread and several kinds of fresh fruit.  Nick was inordinately pleased with himself when he went to his wine cooler and produced another bottle of sparkling cider.  Kit and Joey shared some of their dinner and wandered around his beautiful condo. 

             
Kit ended up on the balcony overlooking the city lights below.  She wondered what Rossen was doing right now, however many miles away.  It felt like ten million.  The music drifted from an outdoor speaker behind her and far in the distance she could see the dark, flat horizon of the ocean.  The lights surrounded her on every side for almost as far as the eye could see and that many people made her feel smothered, almost as if she couldn't breathe. 

What she wished she w
ere seeing was that snow covered mountain valley with its towering, pine clad, guardian peaks surrounding it.  She knew she could breathe freely there.  She was struggling to comprehend this much humanity in one place when Nick came out to stand beside her.  She began to shiver in the coolness of the November evening and he set down his champagne flute of cider to come up behind her and wrap her in his arms.

             
"Are you warm enough?  Do you want my tux coat?"

             
She shook her head.  "No.  I'm fine if you hug me again.  I was just admiring your view. You have a beautiful home."

             
His voice was close to her ear when he said, "It's beautiful with you here."  He turned her in his arms and began to dance with her to the slow music. 

             
She was honestly trying.  The setting was perfect, the city lights and the stars and the opulent home.  A good looking, wealthy and famous man.  The gala evening, her first performance and then slow dancing here in the dark, but it was all she could do to hide her thoughts so she didn't ruin his big evening. 

She pushed her dreams of the home on the bench from her mind as well as she could.  She'd agreed to be Nick's date tonight and she felt like she needed
to enjoy herself and help him have a good night just to be honorable.  With this thought in mind, she came back to the present and concentrated on listening to the man whose arms she was in as he talked into her ear about the different things they'd seen that night.  He was bright and funny and she wasn't miserable as she waited patiently for this night to come to an end, but if it were sooner than later she wouldn't mind at all.  They went back inside after a couple of songs and when she knew that Joey was enjoying Bryan's company, she tried even harder to be a good sport.  What was wrong with her?