Stars Collide (23 page)

“So true.”

The audience roared with applause as Toby took his final bow.

Rex gave Grandma a quick hug. “Now, let’s go out there and knock ’em dead, kid.”

“Don’t think we should carry it that far,” she said. “But I’ll give it my best. You do the same.”

“Only my best for you,” he whispered.

Grandma took the stage. She got a hearty cheer from the audience, and all the more as several of her old movie clips played in the background. I heard a couple of people gasp and even heard one lady say, “That’s Lenora Worth! I own every one of her movies.”

I hoped Grandma heard too.

Or not. Looked like she was a little busy setting up for her scene. We’d practiced together, so I knew just how it would go. Rex entered stage left, dressed like Dean Martin. I couldn’t help but marvel at how much he looked like the real deal. And Grandma Lenora was in her element. As Rex entered, her face lit up. I could read the love in her eyes. No acting here. These two might be performing a love scene, but it was one borne of years of waiting.

Grandma delivered her opening line, the actual line from the Dean Martin special she’d been in all those years ago. Back and forth they went, one line leading to another. Talk about a sweet scene. And cute too. At the end, Rex—er, Dino—swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her that she would surely never forget.

The crowd went crazy, especially the kids. Athena looked my way, her eyes wide and her mouth rounded into a perfect “O.”

“Kat,” she whispered. “Is there something I need to know?”

I just smiled. There would be plenty of time to share the news of their engagement later.

Or maybe right now would be a better option. With the whole room looking on, Rex eased himself down on one knee—not an easy task—and popped the question. For a moment the audience members took it as part of the act. Until he called my grandmother by her name and went into a soliloquy about her exquisite beauty.

When Grandma responded with a vibrant “Yes!” the crowd went crazy. Rex pulled out one dazzler of a ring and slipped it on her finger, then rose and gave her one last romantic smooch.

I glanced at Athena, who mouthed the words, “Mountains and valleys,” then grinned.

This was definitely a mountaintop moment.

But talk about a hard act to follow! I was thrilled that Scott was up next. For whatever reason, he hadn’t told me what he planned to do. I’d given it the old college try, guessing everything from juggling to card tricks. My heart jumped into my throat as he entered the stage with an acoustic guitar in hand.

I knew he sang a little. I’d figured that much out the first season of
Stars Collide
. But to accompany himself in front of such a large crowd? No way.

He looked directly at me, love pouring from his eyes, and then started strumming. I recognized the melody, of course: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” Okay, so he didn’t exactly sound like Elvis, but when I closed my eyes, I could almost believe he did. Almost. My honey had great pitch.

He continued on with that silky smooth voice, and I was captivated. Caught up. Transported. Carried away to a different place.
Calgon, take me away!
I listened to every word, realizing he was singing them just for me.

Athena must’ve been watching me as I listened. She jabbed me with her elbow. “I want what you have.”

My eyes popped open. “What I have?”

She sighed. “Yeah. You’ve got the real deal, Kat. Sometimes I think it will never happen to me.”

“Never say never.” I gave her a hug. “Your day is coming.”

Scott finished his song and the crowd went crazy, especially the ladies. I’d never heard so much whooping and hollering. Since the initial reaction to Brock Benson, anyway.

Brock took the stage again, announcing me. I entered the stage, my knees knocking. Something about a live performance nearly did me in. Talk about nerve-racking. I stared out at my audience, my heart working overtime. I knew they were all wondering what in the world I’d chosen to do. Would I sing? Act? Dance?

None of the above.

Instead I reached for a poem, one I’d found in my grandmother’s trunk. The words were my mother’s penned for me—her baby girl—just one week after I was born. Grandma Lenora had passed the poem on to me on my wedding day, and it was perfect. Perfect because it reflected the heart of God for his children. Perfect because the kids in attendance today needed to know just how much I cared about them. And perfect because it somehow reminded me that my mother had loved me more than life itself.

For a fleeting moment, I thought about my father . . . and all he had missed. It was truly his loss. If he’d stuck around, he’d know that he had a strong, confident daughter ready to take on the world. With the Lord’s help, of course. And with the love of a great husband.

I managed to get through the poem, my voice breaking as I read. My mother’s words cut to my very soul, and I could almost envision her standing here, reading them herself. Apparently so could my grandmother. I heard her sniffles from the wings. Glancing her way, I offered a smile.

Somehow I finished without crumbling. And so did the other participants in the show. In the end, the audience members rose and gave us much more applause than we’d probably earned. Still, it was great fun.

When all was said and done, Brock made the announcement we’d all been waiting for. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have raised $86,750 for the orphanage.”

“No way.” Julia shook her head, clearly unable to comprehend such a thing. “Did I hear him right?”

I nodded. “You heard him right. And if I know Brock, he’ll be first in line to help you build. Behind Scott and me, I mean.”

“I . . . I don’t know how to thank you all.” She burst into tears, and I wrapped her in a warm embrace.

Grandma drew near, a worried look on her face. “Everything okay over here?”

Julia looked up and, through her tears, whispered, “I’m just . . . so . . . happy!”

“Oh, me too!” Grandma giggled. “What a glorious day . . . all the way around.”

I laughed. “No kidding. Now that you’ve announced your engagement to the masses, I guess we’d better get busy planning a wedding.”

Grandma shook her head. “No, sweetie. Just a private little ceremony at the house will do for us. Oh, and speaking of the house, it’s high time we talked about living arrangements.”

Here it comes. The part where she says she wants Scott and me to move into Worth Manor.
For all I knew, she was probably building on a west wing as we spoke.

“I’ve never had a honeymoon before. Never even been married. So I hope you don’t mind that Rex and I will need a little privacy.”

“W-what?”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I, um, I figured you and Scott would be moving into his place.”

My honey drew near, slipping his arm around my waist. “Actually, I’ve been looking at a house in Beverly Hills just a few blocks from you, Lenora. I think it would be perfect for Kat and me.”

“You . . . you have?”

He nodded. “Brock Benson’s place. He showed it to me last week. He’s downsizing to a condo so he can devote more time and effort to the kids in his after-school program.”

“Wow.”

“Mountains and valleys,” Athena said, passing by.

I could only nod. Looked like the script of my life was really coming together nicely. Oh sure, I knew there would be tough days ahead. I was a realist, after all. We would somehow walk Grandma through this valley called Alzheimer’s, and we would be stronger people because of it. But in the meantime, I would enjoy living on the mountain. I might even conquer the “God is my Father” issue, now that I had Rex Henderson in my life. Talk about the ideal father image. And when I thought of the godly father Scott would one day make, I could easily picture the Lord’s heart for me.

Yes, things were definitely on the upswing.

Scott pulled me to the edge of the stage, holding tight to my hand. “So, what do you think about the house idea? I knew you’d want to be close to your grandmother, so it seemed like the best option.”

“Better than best,” I said. “You’ve thought of everything.” I slipped my arms around his neck and gave him a gentle kiss. “I love you, Mr. Murphy,” I whispered.

“I love you, Mrs. Murphy,” he echoed, brushing a loose hair out of my face.

We stood together in blissful silence for a moment as the crowd pressed in around us. Funny, with Brock Benson in the room, no one seemed to pay us much notice. Not that I minded. I rather enjoyed being off in our own little world.

“I’ve been thinking about this ‘Kat with Nine Lives’ thing,” Scott said finally.

“Oh?”

“It does seem like the Lord keeps giving you new lives, doesn’t it?” He shrugged. “Some scripted, others not so much.”

“True. I’m Kat the granddaughter. Kat the actress. Kat the girlfriend—er, wife. Kat the woman who’s been healed from the pain of her past. Kat the niece who found herself grafted into a large family.” I giggled. “What else?”

“Oh, trust me. There are plenty of lives left to go. And I, for one, am glad we can’t see into the future.” He gave my nose a tweak. “Though I wouldn’t mind seeing you become Kat the mommy. And Kat the PTA leader.”

“Ooh.” I smiled. “The first one sounds lovely. Not sure about the second.”

“Well, you know what they say. ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ ”

“Tell me you did
not
just say that.” I punched him in the arm. “Haven’t we had enough of that goofy guessing game?”

As he shrugged, a giggly voice rang out from the wings: “Tom Hanks.
Forrest Gump
. 1994.”

“See what I mean?” he whispered. “You never know what you’re gonna get.”

He was right. And for once I was completely happy with that idea. Toss the script. This girl didn’t want to see what was coming around the next bend.

No, I decided as I stared into Scott’s gorgeous baby blues, this moment—the here and now—was all a girl like me would ever need.

SPECIAL FEATURE

STARS COLLIDE

SEASON FOUR, EPISODE ONE

“HONEYMOON IN PARADISE”

WRITTEN BY

Athena Pappas

The AMAZON RAIN FOREST at sunrise. Crickets chirp. Early morning dew covers foliage. Wide shot of rustic thatched hut, exterior, with a Hummer parked out front.

View dissolves to inside of hut, which is beautifully decorated. Open laptop sits on IKEA-type table, displaying Facebook page with
Stars Collide
logo on top. Status update:

“ENJOYING OUR HONEYMOON IN PARADISE. DON’T CALL US. WE’LL CALL YOU.”

Tight shot on ANGIE, sleeping in a hammock surrounded by mosquito netting. JACK sleeps in another hammock nearby. The sound of a MONKEY calling to its mate shatters the stillness of the dewy morning. ANGIE stirs.

View dissolves to the exterior of the hut, where the MONKEY examines the Hummer then moves to the hut, tapping at the window frame. A blue and gold MACAW joins him, perched on the windowsill. Together they peer inside at the sleeping honeymooners.

ANGIE

(stirring, eyes still closed)

Jack?

(stretching)

Jack . . .

Tight shot on JACK’s hammock. He stirs, but does not fully awaken. He swats at a mosquito.

ANGIE

(coming awake, eyes still closed)

Jack, I had the craziest dream. We were on our honeymoon in Acapulco. Then suddenly the dream shifted and we were in a canoe, floating down the Amazon. Huge snakes and all sorts of wild animals surrounded us on every side. Isn’t that crazy?

(yawns and stretches)

Wide shot on JACK’s hammock, through open window. We see the back of the MACAW and MONKEY as they listen in on the conversation. They are joined by a large, red-eyed TREE FROG that hops onto the windowsill, croaking loudly. Cricket sounds fill the air. Other rain forest animals begin to vocalize. A BOA CONSTRICTOR slithers by in the grass.

JACK

(eyes still closed, half-asleep)

Hmm? Wild animals?

“THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT” begins to play overhead. The MONKEY takes the opening melody, with the FROG croaking out the rhythm section. The MACAW joins in, adding just the right harmony. Crickets do the choreography, joined by dancing spiders. Angie’s GRANDMA appears in the doorway of the hut and begins to sing the lyrics in an off-key, full voice. Before long, all of the
Stars Collide
KIDS pop up from various spots, both inside and outside the hut, adding their voices to the chorus.

ANGIE

(sitting up in bed, looking through netting)

Jack, wake up!

JACK

(falls out of hammock onto ground)

Huh? What? Where am I?

(looks around, rubbing eyes)

The MONKEY comes to JACK’s rescue and encourages him to join the dance. GRANDMA takes ANGIE by the hand and pulls her to the middle of the room. Before long, everyone is in a circle, singing and dancing with full abandon. The MONKEY begins to show off, singing louder and dancing harder than anyone else. By the time the song ends, all eyes are on him.

(music ends)

JACK

(looking at MONKEY, spoken to ANGIE)

You know, he’s not half bad. Maybe we should sign him.

ANGIE

(slipping arms around JACK’s neck)

Oh no you don’t! We’re on our honeymoon. No business! We promised.

JACK

(eyeing MONKEY)

Yeah, but think of the possibilities with Pixar and Disney alone. This little guy’s really good!

MONKEY reverts to begging position, then shows off his dancing skills.

ANGIE

(shooing him away)

Sorry, little guy, but not this time.

View widens. ANGIE boots everyone out of the hut, leaving the place empty and quiet. She closes the window, casting shadows of darkness over the room. Drawing near to JACK, she wraps him in an embrace and begins to kiss him. TREE FROG eases window open, sighing as he sees them kissing. MACAW slips through the crack in the window, flies to the laptop.

Tight shot on MACAW, typing on laptop with his beak. He is updating the status report on Jack and Angie’s Facebook page to read:

“AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.”

FADE TO CIRCLE. MACAW PEEKS THROUGH CIRCLE. FADE TO BLACK.