Catch a Rising Star (29 page)

I recognize the threat, and I know he means it. “Listen, Jerry and the rest of you. I don’t mean to be disrespectful or hardheaded,
but the fact is this affair, thrown in out of the blue, doesn’t feel right. I only want what’s best for this character. And
an affair isn’t it. You have to consider that she has children that she loves, and she’s remembering her life in snatches.
It doesn’t make sense to toss her in bed with another man. The fans will freak.”

Before anyone can respond, the sound of “So no one told you life was gonna be this way…” starts blaring from my cell
phone. My face goes hot. “Sorry.”

I grab my purse and check the caller ID, planning to shut off the phone and call whomever it is back, but the number is my
mom’s. “I’m sorry. It’s my mother. She hardly ever calls during the day. Something could be wrong.”

Jerry stands. “That’s fine. We’re through here anyway.”

I hate the way he said that, but what can I do about it right now?

I answer the phone, and Mom’s voice greets me with a frantic tone that is completely foreign.

“Tabitha, honey. It’s your sister. They’ve just taken her to the hospital.”

I rush into the emergency room and find out they’ve taken Shelly to labor and delivery. David’s sister is the first one to
greet me when I get off the elevator on the maternity floor. “Nessie? You work up here now?” I ask.

“Just tonight. They were shorthanded. Must be a full moon or something. You here to see your sister?”

“How’d you know?”

She grins and flashes a perfectly matched set of dimples. “Michelle Brockman. And there you are. Two and two.”

“How is she?”

“In labor.” She stands and walks around the kiosk. “The doctor has her on IV meds to try to stop it.”

“Nessie, she’s only six months along.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll put it in God’s hands and pray she got here soon enough to stop things from progressing to the point of
no return.”

Nessie escorts me to Shelly’s room. Tears are flowing down my sister’s cheeks. Mom is with her, and Brian hovers nearby.

“Oh, good. You made it,” Mom says.

I walk over to the bed and take Shelly’s swollen hand. “How are you doing, honey?”

Her eyes fill with fresh tears, and she grips my hand as a contraction seizes her. Ouch. The girl can squeeze. The contraction
doesn’t last long and she loosens her hold. “Sorry,” she whispers.

“Hey, it’s okay. Are they subsiding at all since the doctor started the medicine?”

Brian shakes his head. “Not yet.” He smooths the hair from her forehead. “But it hasn’t been long. We need to give it time
to start working.”

I turn to Mom. “Where’s Daddy?”

“In the waiting room. Said he was going to go pray.”

“That’s the best thing right now. I think I’ll join him.”

We sit through a very intense few hours of touch-and-go, and finally around daybreak all the contractions stop. Shelly will
have to stay for a couple of nights and will be on bed rest for the next three months, or for as long as she can manage to
stay pregnant, but thankfully, the baby seems to be fine.

I stop by the apartment long enough to hop in the shower and pull on a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I’m
dead on my feet when I get to work. Something seems odd when I walk through the door. No one will look me in the eye, and
I feel a sense of impending doom. I know we left things a bit shaky yesterday, but it seems like someone has died.

Died?

Oh please, do not tell me they’ve done it to me again.

I find myself rushing across the studio to find the only person who will be likely to know what is happening and who will
tell me everything he’s heard.

“Freddie!” I say, out of breath after my sprint across the building to the gym.

“Tabby? What are you doing here? Didn’t they call you?”

My stomach sinks. “It’s true then?”

“Apparently. I can’t believe they made you come all the way in when they knew they wouldn’t need you. How heartless can they
be?”

“Pretty heartless. Remember the last time they fired me? I wasn’t told until the day before they killed me off.”

“Oh, honey. You think they’re firing you?” Freddie gives me an eye roll. “It’s all about you, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean? They’re not killing me off?”

“Of course not. How stupid would that be?”

“Okay, Freddie, spill it.”

And like a fourteen-year-old cheerleader, he launches into all the sordid details. “Apparently, Rachel and Trey have run off
together. Julie’s been suspecting the two of them for a while, and that’s why she decided to give Felicia a new love interest
on the spur of the moment. Just in case she decided to kill off Trey. Last night, Trey told her he was leaving her and wouldn’t
be back on set for two months because he’s going to travel to clear his head. She didn’t find out until today that Rachel
was his travel mate though.”

“Oh my goodness. That’s the most horrible thing I’ve ever heard.”

Poor Julie! She was looking out for me and here I thought… I really need to learn to give people the benefit of the doubt.

“Wait! So you’re saying Rachel was having an affair with Trey?”

“Hello? Where have you been? I’ve been saying that for the last five minutes.”

“What about David?”

“David Gray?”

Freddie laughs and shakes his head. “There’s no way David is going to be interested in a woman like Rachel. She’s too much
like that witch he was married to.”

“Freddie. Don’t speak ill of the dead. And what do you mean anyway?”

“Oh come on. You know, all cheap, brassy, pushy. David’s not into that.”

I give a sort of bitter laugh. “Oh really? Could have fooled me.”

“Then you’re not too hard to fool.”

“Oh come on. What about all those so-called double dates with Trey and Julie… oh. He was a decoy.” Okay, I feel badly
for him for about two seconds then come back to: “He still went out with her. Do you think he knew she was using him?”

“Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes? No way. You don’t know this guy very well. And here the rumor mill has been buzzing about the two of
you for weeks.”

“Whatever.” Seriously, Freddie can be such a pain sometimes.

I head to Blythe’s office. “So shooting is off today?”

“For you it is. Your scenes were with Trey, who ran off with Rachel.” She drops her head into her hands. “I have no idea how
we’re going to fix this. But you should be happy.”

“Why’s that?” Besides the fact that Rachel is out of David’s life?

“Because Jerry told Julie to do whatever it takes to keep you. There’s no telling what’s going to happen with Trey and Rachel,
so we can’t risk losing you right now.” She gives a short laugh. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”

“Yeah, probably not. I won’t take advantage of the news; just don’t say anything to Kyle or there’s no telling how he might
want to renegotiate. Did Julie call in or is she writing?”

“You know Julie. She’s not going to take a day off and risk having someone else mess with her story lines.”

“See you tomorrow, or whenever,” I say. She waves me away as her phone rings.

On impulse, I knock on Julie’s door. “What?” she hollers.

Oh boy. This was a bad idea.

I poke my head in.

“Come to gloat?” she asks, sarcasm dripping.

“No. I came to see if you want to go out to breakfast with me. I’m headed to the café on the corner.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“Good. Then come with me and let’s talk about what we’re going to do with Felicia.”

“You want to brainstorm?”

“I’m not a writer, but I have an instinct about my character.”

“Okay, fine. But this doesn’t mean I believe you about that Christmas party.”

I sigh. I guess I’m going to have to let that one go.

She grabs her purse. “But thanks for getting me out of here.”

Laini, Dancy, and I are sitting around the table trying out Laini’s latest creation: stuffed crab casserole—don’t ask. It
looks incredibly messy, but tastes surprisingly good.

“So, Trey and Rachel just… took off?” Laini asks. Apparently she escaped our measles epidemic because after a couple
of days of treating a cough with Robitussin, she’s fine. Dancy’s still a little shaky, but definitely on the mend.

“What are they going to do about Rudolph and Felicia?”

I shrug. “They can’t kill him off, although that’s what Julie’s really pulling for. Trey has three days to check in. If he
doesn’t, they’ll bring in a replacement. As a matter of fact, I think they’re eyeing Kirk Cameron for the role.”

Laini gasps. “Mike?” Everyone’s heartthrob from the eighties sitcom
Growing Pains
, she means.

“You have got to stop watching so much TV Land.”

“So,” Dancy says around a bite. “Have you heard from David?”

I shake my head. “Can you imagine a woman dumping David for Trey? I mean really. It’s just gross.”

“Are you going to call him?” she presses.

“Of course not. What would I say?”

“How about… what’s the deal with your dumb girlfriend running off with a married man?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m so sure I’m going to ask him that.”

“Well, the least you can do is call him and offer your sympathy.” Laini jumps on the bandwagon. “After all, you two have sort
of become friends.”

“Oh, all right. Fine.”

I shove up from the table and grab the cordless phone to dial David’s number. The phone rings, once—twice—and on the third
time his answering machine picks up. I wait for the beep. “Uh, hey David, it’s, um, Tabby. I heard about Rachel and just wanted
to tell you how sorry I am that she did that to you. I hope you’re not feeling too badly. I’m sure there are plenty of other
fish in the sea for you to choose from.” Oh, good grief. I did
not
just say that. “Well, I guess that’s all. Have a good evening and… well… good-bye.”

“That was painful,” Dancy says.

“Who asked you?” I dive into another spoonful of crab casserole. “Is there dessert?” I ask, needing something to take away
the humiliation of that message I just left.

“Sorry. No time. I was researching design schools all day. Only had time to whip this casserole up real quick.”

“Who wants something from Nick’s? I need cheesecake and a latte.”

Dancy tosses me her keys and gives me her order. I head out to the sidewalk. The street is well lit and I decide rather than
risk losing Dancy’s parking place, I’ll simply walk the few blocks to Nick’s.

“Hey there, Tabitha!” the Italian calls out when I walk inside. “What are you doing here so late?”

“I need cheesecake to numb my emotional pain.”

“Sit down and tell old Nick all about it.”

“Oh, you don’t want to hear my troubles.”

“Are you kiddin’ me? I’m a very sensitive guy. Just ask my wife.”

Nelda looks at him askance. “Yeah, you’re a regular Dr. Phil.”

“Don’t tell me that. You know I hate that guy.”

I can’t help but grin at this couple who have been married for thirty years.

Nick brings me my chai mocha latte and a slice of cheesecake. “Come on, Tabitha. Spill it.”

“There’s been some trouble on the set of
Legacy of Life
. I’m not sure what’s going to happen. They’re talking about recasting the character of Rudolph.”

“Best thing that could happen. That guy’s a putz.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. He don’t have a face anyone can believe.”

“What do you think of Kirk Cameron for the part?”

“The kid from that show? Now there’s a face you can trust. That all that’s buggin’ you?”

“No.” I sip my latte, enjoying the warm sweet taste of spice and chocolate. “Well, there’s this guy.”

“I knew it.”

I cradle my latte and stare at the already receding foam on top. “Yeah, well. He doesn’t see me the way I see him. And besides,
his girlfriend just dumped him and ran off with a married man.”

“That’s harsh.” Nick shakes his head. Then he meets my gaze. “Does he know you like ’im?”

What am I, in junior high? I shrug. “I don’t know. Probably.”

“Well, if he ain’t flattered, he’s a putz too.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Nick, how come they don’t make guys like you anymore?”

“God broke the mold, sweetheart. Didn’t he, baby?” he calls to Nelda.

“Sure. And a good thing too. Who else would want him?”

Nick gives me a wink. “Don’t let her fool ya. She’s crazy about me.”

“She’d be crazy not to be.”

I order for Dancy and Laini, and Nick heads behind the counter. Again, he won’t let me pay.

The bell above the door dings just as I’m getting ready to leave, and I suck in a sharp breath. “David? What are you doing
here?”

“Your roommates told me where you were.” He’s looking at me with such intensity I’m about to drop what I’m carrying. “I got
your message, but I didn’t really understand it.”

“Oh.”

“This guy botherin’ you, Tabitha?” Nick calls.

“He’s okay, Nick. We’re just leaving.”

“This the guy that just got dumped?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“No!” David says, stepping to the counter. “I didn’t get dumped.”

Nick gives him a scrutinizing squint. “You mean your girl didn’t run off with some other guy?”

“She did too!” I follow David to the counter. “I had breakfast with the wife of the man she ran off with. They’re getting
ready for a trip.”

David scowls but directs his comments to the big Italian behind the counter. “I’m not denying that Rachel ran off with Trey.
I’m just saying she was never my girlfriend. You’ve known all along about my history with Rachel. She’s only a friend. And
honestly—she was my wife’s friend.”

I snort. “Oh please.” I stare at Nick. “Then why did he take her out on Valentine’s Day? You don’t ask just anyone out on
the most romantic day of the year. It’s reserved for someone special.”

“I didn’t ask her. She asked me. I turned her down, until you volunteered to babysit. Then I didn’t have another excuse.”

My eyes go wide. “Oh? She said you wanted me to watch the kids.”

“Well, I didn’t. The last thing I wanted was to go out with Rachel. She isn’t my type.”