Typecast (42 page)

She shook her head.

“If nothing else, he needs to know you knew about me and never said a word.” He took her by the shoulders. “He needs to know you quit, and he needs to know you love him, and then you need to hear what he’s trying to do to be worthy of you.”

Worthy of her? Her heart hurt. It didn’t want to be cut open yet again. “Why are you doing this?” She stared into his face for the first time without feeling guilty for knowing the truth. The Drew from the movie was there, hidden away.

“He’s my best friend. He’s always been there for me. You belong together and you need each other.” He shrugged. “Maybe I should have talked to Erin and not disappeared.”

“You’re going to have to zip up my dress.” She thrust the bottle of water at him and walked to her bedroom. Worse than any stage fright was the fear of facing him. Yes, fear was a warning, a sign, but she also had a small glimmer of hope trying to shine through, and she would never forgive herself if she snuffed it out.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOLLYWOOD STARDUST – HOLLYWOOD, CA – DAY

After dropping CHARLES at the airport, they make it to Hollywood Stardust. WILLIAM gets out of the car.

STEVEN

Here we are, the end of the line.

STEVEN motions toward the door.

ROXY

Aren’t you coming?

STEVEN

Go live your happily ever after.

ROXY gets out of the car. WILLIAM guides her to the front of the theater and takes her in his arms.

WILLIAM

It’s just you and me.

ROXY opens her eyes and watches STEVEN drive away.

FADE OUT

ROLL CREDITS

Chapter Twenty-Three

Over twenty years ago, the Hollywood Stardust facade had been erected on the studio back lot along with other building parts and pieces. Erin and Ryder had taken their marks by the theater entrance and Logan had driven down the fake rendition of Hollywood Boulevard on his way out of the city.

With his hands in his pockets, and trying to stay away from the red carpet leading into the gala party and screening of the
Hollywood Stardust
movie, he watched the guests pose in front of the facade. They would never know about the hidden message the four stars had written behind a hidden panel, they didn’t understand what that spot meant to the one person he loved, and they didn’t realize only last week he had proposed to her in that exact location.

After seeing, and more importantly, understanding, the movie with Ivy, he knew Erin’s character had opened her eyes and watched him go. Her one last look opened the door to the sequel.

Eyes wide open, Ivy had watched him go. In fact, he had watched her watch him go. The screen faded to black. The music played.

She had watched him go.

She had also quit her job and returned the ring and cried on his brother until his shirt was soaked.

Most importantly, she hadn’t read the script.

Trust was a two-way street. People made mistakes, but in the end, she had done the right thing and told him.

He had driven away and, as she’d predicted from day one, broke her heart.

If he did nothing else, he had to give her a chance at a happily ever after if she would allow it.

Though his agreements with the dynamic duo might state he had to attend the function, it didn’t specify how he entered, whom he spoke to, or how long he stayed. He waited until the last of the guests entered the studio and photographers dispersed and made his way around to the side entrance, nodding at the guard who let him inside.

A lump formed in his throat the moment he entered and got a look at the main room. They had set the inside up as the interior of the Hollywood Stardust theater, had there ever been an interior. The art deco theme ran throughout the room, plush red velvet chairs were set up for the screening of the newly remastered movie, and they even had people dressed as old-fashioned ushers guiding the guests to their seats.

Ivy needed to see this. She deserved it more than anyone. He glanced at his watch. If it took only ten minutes to deal with his costars, he could leave, get Ivy, grovel and beg, and drive her back before Steven drove away. Of course, his entire plan hinged on whether she took him back.

Needing to hurry things along, he ventured inside and scanned the room. He found his stars smack-dab in the middle of a large group holding court and decided to join them.

“There’s Logan!” A woman thrust one of the collector’s programs and a pen in his direction.

In an instant, a throng of other women surrounded him.

“I need to get one of these.” He signed his name on top of Ryder’s autograph, and much bigger, just because he could, and then signed a few more.

“Where’s Ivy?” One of the women tiptoed up to him with her book.

“You know her name?” He put his autograph on the cover and didn’t answer the question.

“I’ve been watching you since the first time you were on the Internet.” She smiled and hugged her program. “I love the two of you together. You’re not who everyone used to think you were.”

“What’s your name?” He plucked the program away from her.

“Mary.” She leaned over.

“Mary.” While he rarely, if ever, personalized an autograph, he figured he owed her something special. He put her name on the program and added the words “thank you.” “Here you are.”

“Thank you!” Once more, she hugged the book and then went to show her friends.

“Well, well, look who missed his photo opportunity.” Ryder came up beside him, patted his shoulder, and leaned in. “We have media wanting interviews—also some newspapers insisted you and Ivy be interviewed. What’re you doing? Where’s your girl?”

“Logan.” In a silver floor-length gown, chosen no doubt for her to stand out in the crowd, Erin joined them. “I need you to talk to some people. Did you leave the little woman at home and decide to make it about us for a change? There’s a man here who wants to do a story. How could you be late to this?”

Some of the onlookers started taking pictures of the three of them together.

In an effort to stop the flashes and demands, he held up his hand. If nothing else, he succeeded in ruining a few pictures.

The lights flashed, and an announcer’s voice came through the speakers announcing the screening would start in two minutes. The crowd began to disperse to their seats.

“Where is Ivy?” Ryder elbowed him.

“Logan.” Erin grabbed his arm.

He jerked his arm away and turned toward them. “The two of you are the most selfish, inconsiderate people I have ever met, and you are in good company because I’m the third. I just went through the worst four days of my life, and all you can think about is if we get an interview or a photo, or if you’re the center of attention.”

Ryder jutted his jaw out.

Erin wrung her hands. “I thought for sure Drew would have come tonight.”

“Listen to you. Look at you. Drew is the smartest of us all. I should have joined him.” He shook his head. Ivy knew everything. Every selfish move, every bribe, every deal, and she had still said yes when he’d asked her to marry him. Yet he had driven away. If she allowed it, he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her, but first he needed to go to her as a hero. “We all need to face the fact that times have changed. I want an answer to my question now, and I need to get out of here.”

Almost as if they had planned it, the lights lowered, and the room shimmered in the distinctive flicker of a movie projection.

“Did Ivy leave you?” Erin touched his shoulder.

Her question seemed to echo through the space and suddenly every guest there let out a collective gasp.

“No.” Ryder hit him. “She’s up on stage.”

The lights came up, the movie stopped, and he turned. Only the magic could produce what he saw on the stage. Ivy, his love, the woman he wanted to marry, stood in front of the screen. Had he passed out? Was this a hallucination?

“What’s she doing?” Erin growled.

Ivy put her hands over her mouth and, like an actor who had forgotten her lines, turned toward stage right and shook her head. At last, she faced forward again. “I need help.”

Never one to miss his cue, Logan went running.

With her mouth open, her heart threatening to explode, and the real threat she might vomit any second, Ivy stood in the middle of a soundstage in front of no less than five hundred people. For her grand finale, she also managed to interrupt the screening of her favorite movie. If anyone would go down as the villain, she would.

She and Drew had raced to the gala and, not wanting to make a scene, snuck into the back with the help of a guard. Her plan was to lead where Drew followed and pray Logan would come to her. One wrong turn landed her exactly where she didn’t want to be, and the only words she could utter were that she needed help.

Somehow, she thought Logan would magically come to her and carry her off the stage. Instead, she stood there with people staring and glaring at her, and finally she realized a greater fear than stage fright.

The fear Logan wouldn’t appear.

She used her father’s old trick and stared into the lights. Through the glare, she couldn’t make out the individual people, and she didn’t care because what she had to say only one person needed to hear. Of course, she made sure to follow Logan’s rule and tilted her head to ensure she looked her best.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your evening.” Her voice seemed to bounce back at her, but she forced herself to continue. “You know, I studied the movie you’re about to see, or really were seeing until I arrived. I wrote my master’s thesis on it. I barely remember a time when this movie wasn’t a part of my life.”

The crowed whispered and grumbled.

She swallowed. “I was and still am a fan, and then in what I would call the most incredible plot twist never written, I met and fell in love with one of the stars while doing a story. Even more amazing is he fell in love with me.”

“That’s Ivy!” someone yelled out.

“Guilty.” She lifted her hand in a weak wave. “I’m also guilty of making some really bad mistakes. I realize now I should have gone to him and trusted him.”

The crowd let out a collective
aww
.

“When we first got together, he told me he wanted to be with me until we lost track of the days. I just wanted to tell him that we’ve been apart for four days, and I can keep track of every minute.”

She waited, looked down, and wondered if anyone would notice if she tiptoed away. If her heart didn’t break before, it shattered with the utter and complete silence in the room.

“That’s funny because I can also count every second we’ve been apart, and it feels like torture.”

At the sound of Logan’s voice, she turned. There would never be a day when the man didn’t enter the room and take over.

The crowd broke out in applause.

“Ivy.” With his hands out, he approached her. “I made the mistakes. I should have never driven away. I was on my way to get you now. I wanted to be what you deserved when I came to beg you to take me back, but this is all I am.”

“Don’t you get it?” She stared into his eyes. “No matter what, you’re always my hero. I don’t care if the world knows or not. I do.”

“Four days ago, I asked you to marry me and you accepted.” In a sudden move, he got down on his knee, reached into his jacket pocket, and held up her ring. “I’m asking you again to be my wife. If I ever drive away again, I promise to turn around and get you in the front seat with me.”

“I promise to always come to you first.” She took her first full breath and held her hand out. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He pressed his lips to the back of her hand and slipped the ring on her finger.

The crowd cheered, and Logan stood, nodded to their fans, and picked her up. “To be continued.”

As they made their way off stage, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can walk.”

“But you don’t have to. I am more than thrilled to be your personal mode of transportation, future Mrs. Alexander.” He stopped and lowered his face to kiss her.

“Congratulations.” Ryder interrupted them.

At the sight of both Ryder and Erin she tightened her hold on Logan.