Chasing the Dream: Dream Series, Book 3 (38 page)

He put his hand out to me, and the crowd parted letting me join Charlie in the wild storm of flashes and clicks from the cameras, along with the shouting that surrounded us. Charlie slung his duffle over his shoulder and tucked me under his arm, and we pushed through, heading to the limo that waited for us. Questions of “Who?” “When?” “Where?” chasing us into the Town Car.

“Sorry, Sweets. I didn’t mean to make you sweat like that,” he said burying his lips into my neck and hugging me close.

“You had me going there for a minute.”

“Yeah, well…I have an image I kinda have to maintain. It keeps me trending, you know?”

I nodded. I guess I knew. I didn’t like it, though. Not one bit.

“But I promise. I’ve got a plan. You’re in it…Long term. If I change overnight, the photogs and reporters will think they see right through it. It’s all good. Please. Trust me.” Charlie gave me
that
smile. The one that exuded from his whole face and body, and said, ‘Everything is 100% and a-okay.’

Sitting back with me tucked into him, Charlie pulled his phone out of his pocket. “So, what do we want do this afternoon? Seems…” he said while thumbing through his phone, “I’ve got a couple of emails from a realtor with condos she wants to show me.”

I thought about my mom. I had no doubt she was growing anxious. I hadn’t spoken to her all week. I turned my phone on, and waited for it to boot up while Charlie paged through and showed me a couple of the unbelievable listings the realtor had sent.

As soon as my phone was done booting up, a text from my mom rang in, as well as a notification of two voicemails, one from my mom, the other from…I froze, and my heart started pounding in my ears…Dickwad Danny. I noted the time of his voicemail. It had come in around midnight last night, long after I’d shut my phone down, and while I was safely wrapped in Charlie’s arms. I couldn’t have cared less what that fucking jackass had to say. His bimbos had probably all dumped him and he was feeling lonely, probably wishing for a booty call. As tempted as I was to delete his message, I chose to just ignore it for now, and I opened my mom’s text.

11:29am

Come to Jack’s for

dinner tomorrow night,

okay? Bring Chase if

he isn’t doing anything.

My mom was the perpetual entertainer. Since I could remember, she was encouraging my friends to come over for dinner. She said she liked cooking for people, and it was a good way for her to get to know my friends.

I showed Charlie the text and he grinned. “Not doing anything, Sweets. I’m all yours.”

I texted back that we’d see her then. Charlie and I talked about how we would break the news to my mom. I wanted to wait for an official confirmation from the doctor that I was pregnant or not. I mean, what if the drug store test was wrong? No sense in worrying her, right? Charlie said he’d take my lead on the night.

“Now, I’m still thinking about Davis and Biz from that naughty book of yours on your iPad. Let’s be co-eds and pretend this is a dorm room,” Charlie growled leaning into me and nipping at that spot where my neck meets my shoulder, and I was right with him.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Charlie’s hotel. We’d been making out the whole time, but I refused to ‘do the deed’ in the limo. This car didn’t have that fancy divider glass between the front and back seat.

Charlie looked out the window at the front of the hotel and spotted a few paparazzi across the street. He sighed and dropped back into his seat. “I don’t want to go to my room,” he whined. “The camera guys are outside, and besides…” He stuck out his lower lip, and pouted like a little boy. “It’s lonely there.”

I leaned in and sucked that lip into my mouth and gave it a tiny “chew.” “So don’t. Come to my place.” You would have thought I just told him that he’d won an Emmy or an Oscar, or both.

Quickly, he barked the address to the driver, and we were off. I was more than a little amazed that he knew where my apartment was. Sensing my question, he shrugged. “So, I may have made a note about your place the first time you took me there.” I grinned and we resumed our make out session in the back seat.

We got to my apartment building and Charlie sighed with relief that there weren’t any paparazzi to be seen. We headed into the building with Gilbert greeting us with his customary formal smile. I looked forward to Monday when I’d see Dominic and his more friendly mannerisms.

“Oh, Miss Fairchild,” Gilbert said. “I have a package for you. The envelope was too big for your mailbox,” he explained, walking to his stand. He produced a large craft envelope. The return address was from the studio.

We headed to the elevator and pressed the call button. While waiting, I opened the package, curiosity getting the better of me, and saw it was the revised shooting schedule for Monday. Call time five am. I groaned.

“No rest for the weary,” Charlie said looking over my shoulder.

The elevator arrived, and we stepped in. Since Charlie was loaded with the bags, I pushed the button for the sixth floor. Charlie started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Six is one letter off from sex. I dunno why but that thought just popped into my head. Sorry, that was immature.” He tried to school his smile, and I tried to glare at him for his mind always being in the gutter, but we were soon laughing our heads off.

The door opened on the sixth, and we started down the hallway, trying to quiet our giggles. Kevin’s door opened as we were walking by, and I stopped. I hadn’t seen him since the day I tore out of here to go to Georgia and let him know that I would be out of town. Charlie apparently recalled the last time he had seen Kevin, and my shameless flirting with him, and the insinuations I’d made about a relationship that didn’t exist, because he flung the duffle over his shoulder and tucked me into his arm.

“Boots! How are you? Did you just get back?” Kevin beamed, leaning in for a quick cheek kiss.

“Yeah. Stayed an extra day. Char—Chase’s mom has a beautiful farm down there. She grows sunflowers. Isn’t that cool?”

“Very,” Kevin agreed. “Chase, she looks good. Thanks for taking good care of our girl on this trip.”

Charlie’s jaw ticked, and his grip on my shoulder tightened slightly. “Keith, good to see you again,” he said, in near full actor mode.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I didn’t know if Charlie really didn’t know Kevin’s name, or was getting it wrong on purpose, but I stepped in quickly. “Yes, Kevin, Chase took good care of me,” I said, trying to smooth over Charlie’s faux pas. “You look good. Heading out?” I chirped, going for a change in subject.

“Tonight’s the night. I’m taking Shelby to dinner, an adventuresome meandering on a hunt for dinner like you suggested,” he smiled. “Then we’re going to see
Avenue Q.
Your mom said she’s been wanting to see it since it came out. She, your mom, is covering Shelby’s shift tonight for us.” Kevin smiled bright. I was happy that he’d found someone to make him smile like that…the way Charlie smiled at me.

“Great show, man. Have fun.” Charlie shook hands with Kevin, and it seemed genuine. I guess Charlie sensed the competition was over? I smiled.

“Will do. And you keep taking good care of my Boots, here. She’s positively glowing with your arm around her.” My smile faltered, of that I was sure. Didn’t people say that pregnant women ‘glowed.’ Did Kevin somehow know?

“You betcha,” Charlie said and pushed us toward my door, as Kevin headed to the elevators, whistling.

Safely inside my apartment, I flopped on the sofa. “You don’t suppose Kevin knows something, do you?” I asked.

“Impossible. I think I just really make you look good,” he joked, doing a terrible job at hiding a smile.

“Hardy-har-har,” I said, dryly. I let out a deep sigh, and reached for my laptop that I’d left plugged in for the whole week. “I need to find a doctor.”

Charlie grabbed us a couple bottles of water from the fridge and came over to sit with me. There were
thousands
of doctors listed. Who would I choose?
How
would I choose? Using the filter for the insurance carrier that I was under since I was still a student, was of no help whatsoever.

“What about asking a friend who she goes to?” Charlie asked. Just then, his phone rang. “It’s Michael. I have to take this.” I nodded, and he answered the call.

I thought about Charlie’s suggestion. Jenny immediately came to mind. Her father was a doctor at one of the best hospitals in the city. But I wouldn’t want her family to know. It was just too embarrassing. Although, it was only a matter of time until they found out. I decided to bite the bullet and give Jenny a call. As much as I tried to remember I couldn’t remember what her future husband specialized in, or even if I ever knew.

“Hi Jenny, it’s Phoebe,” I said as she picked up her call.

“How was your getaway with Chase? Was it romantic?” she asked right away.

Because I wasn’t really ready to be acknowledged as his girlfriend, I went with the original reason for the trip. “Like I said when I left, it was for moral support for a family emergency.”

“Mhmm,” she said. “And the Twitter pics from when you returned?
Girlfriend.
”

I dropped my head into my hand.
Really?
I had turned off notifications for Twitter after my whole passing-out-on-set. I must still be on Georgia brain to not consider the paparazzi that attacked Charlie and I at the airport.

“I… I… I really don’t… I don’t know what to say,” I groaned. “Listen, what are you doing this afternoon? Or evening? Can we get together? I really need to talk to a friend.”

“Sure! This afternoon would be
great!
Having dinner with Ankur and my parents along with his parents tonight. They’ve just flown in. They’re spending the afternoon with Ankur and I’m here with my mother who is making me a nervous wreck. It’s not like I’ve never met his parents before. Yeesh. I’ll be there in twenty minutes?” She really sounded eager to get out.

I sighed. Jenny just had a confident way about her that made me feel better. We agreed that she’d come here, despite my protests to meet her elsewhere, and ended our call.

Charlie was wrapping up his call as I hung up with Jenny. “Yeah, yeah. I know.” He rubbed his head and tried to see his reflection in the window. “Thanks… I will… I promise.”

He ended his call and shoved his phone in his pocket. As he did, my phone rang. The caller ID was just a random phone number, but I chose to answer it. “Hello?”

“Welcome home,” Valerie’s voice came through the line.

“Oh, Ms. Cocozza. Hi. Thanks,” I replied, recognizing Valerie’s voice immediately, and trying to find my professional voice.

“Phoebe, how could you let him do that to his hair? And
girlfriend
? What happened on that trip? We needed you there to keep him
out
of trouble.”

Shit, where do I start? In the couple of texts I’d shot to Valerie, I didn’t mention the hair. I mean, what could I have said? ‘
Hi Val. Chase shaved his head because he loves his mom. Sorry.’
I swallowed and struggled to find the words. “It was kind of out of my control. Char—er, Chase went with his mom to a doctor’s appointment, and…” I couldn’t say anymore. I couldn’t believe I had to defend Chase’s actions when they were done so selflessly. And when it came to
girlfriend
, well, I had no clue how to handle that. Not to Jenny, and certainly not to Valerie.

“I know. I heard his proclamation about standing with women with cancer, but this is his
image.
We wanted you to go with him to keep him out of trouble. He still has three shooting days. Now hair and makeup need to create a wig for him.”

“Ms. Cocozza, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I—”

“Stop,” she said. “Listen, I’m having new shooting schedules written up and messengered over. His call time will have to be much earlier on Monday for that wig.”

“Okay. Thank you. I’ll look for that.”

“So, Chase is moving to New York, and going to school?”

“I swear, I had nothing to—” I rushed.

“I know. He’s impulsive and a lot to handle. I tried to warn you. Keep things quiet. Be careful of the paparazzi…And don’t let him break your heart,” she added quietly. I looked at Charlie who was thumbing through his smartphone. He looked up and gave me that warm smile I’d come to crave.

“I won’t,” I replied.

“I look forward to having you back working with me on Thursday.”

“Me too,” I said. And it was true. Although I was looking forward to getting back to the office and getting back to work with Valerie on Thursday, it meant that I wouldn’t be at Charlie’s side all day. My heart sunk a bit. And that on Wednesday he was flying back to L.A. Suddenly, I wanted Charlie to move to New York more than ever.

We said our good-byes and I set my phone on the table.

“She saw Twitter?” he asked, holding up his phone and showing me screen—a picture of the two of us at the airport, me taking his hand, head ducked. I nodded. “Yeah, Michael’s pretty pissed, too.” He rubbed his practically hairless head. He shrugged. “I know Michael, and he probably would have done the same thing. He said Valerie was fuming.”

“Well, I guess she’d calmed down some before she called me,” I shrugged. “But yeah, she’s not happy. I guess that five o’clock call time is now earlier.”

“That’s show business,” he said. “Listen, if I’m serious about moving to New York, I have to go look at these condos the realtor has scouted for me, sooner than later. One place has a potential offer going in on it, but she thinks it’s perfect for me and doesn’t want me to miss out.”

“
Are
you serious about moving here?” I asked, equal parts hope and fear. What if we didn’t work out? What if I wasn’t as strong as he said I was, and couldn’t take his fame? That little paparazzi flurry at the airport was mild to what I knew it could be. There was also my mother’s advice. I started out this summer single and resolved to remain that way. Yet, here I was just a month later, “with” a guy—a famous guy, who was taking charge of everything. It was a mixed blessing, though because I seriously had no idea what to do or where to turn. I wanted to be a strong, self-confident woman who knew what she wanted. And right now, especially now, I had no idea who I was.