STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series (20 page)

I’d promised to show Dylan my make-up job, but first I went back to my dressing room. I fetched my phone from my bag and saw that I’d missed eight calls: two from Marion, one from Janette, four from my mother, and one from Max. I sighed and dialed in to my voicemail.

Marion had left one message, assuring me that she was doing everything she could to get the paper to print a retraction. She reiterated Dylan’s point that all publicity was good publicity and promised to stay in touch.

My mother’s first message was calm and casual. “Hi sweetheart, I just wanted to call and make sure that you are all right. Don’t let those silly New York reporters get you down, you know they’re all a bunch of liberal storytellers. Call me when you can.”

Her second message was less reserved. She’d been on the internet and had read stories about “that Dylan boy’s reputation.” She insisted that I call her as soon as possible; four minutes later, she’d called again.

“Kate, I am really getting worried about you.” She said, her tone now slightly panicked. “I trust you, of course, but after everything I’ve been reading I’m not sure that you shouldn’t just come back home… call me as soon as you can.”

The fourth message was even more frantic. “Kathryn Elizabeth Harper, if you don’t call me back right now, then when your father and I come up next week we are going to pack your things and bring you home with us. I don’t care how old you are, I am your mother and you are going to talk to me.

I sighed. Like most people, I always knew I was in trouble when my mother used my full name. ‘What did she mean when she said when they come down here next week?’ I wondered. Instead of listening to Max’s message, I decided to call my mom and face the music; she answered on the first ring.

“Kathryn Elizabeth, you have had me worried sick. Why in the world have you been ignoring my phone calls?” She demanded.

“I’m sorry, mom,” I sighed, “I was getting measured for my costumes, my phone was in my dressing room… I guess you’ve read the Times article?”

“Yes… your Mimi called first thing this morning. One of her sorority sisters lives in the city and she called to tell her about the article… she thought she recognized your name, but she couldn’t believe that someone from our family would behave in such a way.” My mother scolded me; I felt like I was five years old again.

“Mom, nothing in that article was true.” I insisted. “You can talk to Marion if you want; she’ll tell you that the casting director wanted me for the role. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Whether you have or not sweetheart, people are saying such awful things about you. Surely a role in some silly little play isn’t worth ruining your reputation.”

Rage fumed within me and I chose my words carefully. “Mother, as soon as I step onto that stage for my debut performance, everyone will know that that article was a load of horse sh… manure.” I caught myself before swearing. “I am good at what I do, and I am not involved with Dylan Matthews.”

“Well, I certainly hope that’s true… but I’m warning you, Kathryn, if I don’t like what I see next week, I’m packing your things and moving you home.”

“About that…” I hesitated. “You mentioned visiting in one of your messages… I didn’t know you and daddy were planning a trip.”

“Oh, FUDGE!” My mother exclaimed in one of her ‘polite’ curse words. “It was supposed to be a surprise… I got so worked up, I completely forgot.”

“Forgot what, mother?” I prompted.

She sighed. “That nice man you’ve been seeing called us after you won the part. He said that he’s planning a party for your debut night, and he invited your father, Mimi, and I to fly out and join you… I can’t BELIEVE I spilled the beans.”

“Max called you?” I asked; I couldn’t believe that he’d called my parents up, introduced himself, and invited them to the city.

“Yes, Kate, and thank God he did. If he’d left it up to you, we’d have found out about your debut months after it happened. Really, you must check in more… your distance makes me suspect even stronger that it’s time for you to come home.”

“Mother, I am home.” I said patiently. “I hope that you can see that, while you’re here. I’m glad that you’re coming.” I added softly.

“I may not understand what you’re doing, Kate.” She sighed. “And I may not always approve of it. But I am your mother… I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks mom. I love you; I’ll see you next week. I won’t tell Max that I know you’re coming… I’ll let him think he’s surprising me.”

“Thanks pumpkin, I love you… behave yourself.” She added before ending the call.

I dialed in to listen to Max’s message, a happy smile spread across my face. The smile disappeared as I listened to his words.

“Hey baby… we have a bit of a… situation. Call me as soon as you can.”

‘Shit!’ I thought. ‘What could have possibly happened now?’ I dialed Max’s number; he didn’t answer, but called back a few moments later.

“How bad is it?” I asked.

He laughed lightly. “It’s not terrible… it’s just that Fiona read the Times article… one of the kids at the Youth Theater brought it to class. Glory confiscated it, but not before Fiona had a chance to read it.”

“Oh god!” I groaned. “I hadn’t even thought about the kids reading it! Does Fiona hate me?”

“No, she called me and I explained to her that some people make up stories to sell more newspapers. I assured her that you and I are very happy together, and that Dylan Matthews is just a friend from your job. I think that it would help if you called and reassured her, though.” He added.

“Max, I am so sorry that you have to deal with this.” I sighed.

“Kate, have you been sleeping with Dylan Matthews?” He asked sarcastically.

“Of course not! You know that I love you… I love you so much Max. Dylan is just a friend, just like you told Fiona.”

“Then you have nothing to be sorry about.” He said simply. “If having you in my life means dealing with a little unwanted press, so be it.”

“Thank you, Max… what are you doing now? Are you free for lunch?”

“Kate, its five o’clock in the evening,” He laughed. “I just got to work.”

I was shocked; time had flown since I’d arrived at the theater. “Any way you could take off?” I asked hopefully.

“I wish… can I call you when I clock out? I’m scheduled to close.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call.” I told him with a smile. We hung up and I dialed Fiona’s cell phone number. I assured her that the newspaper man had gotten a lot of things wrong in his story, and that I loved her Uncle Max very much. She assured me that she’d known from the beginning that the article was “silly”. I ended the call with a promise to get matinee tickets for her and three of her friends; she proclaimed that I was the aunt she’d always wanted. I hung up the phone with a smile on my face.

A knock on my door interrupted my happy daydreams about my soon to be family. I reluctantly rose from the couch and opened the door; Dylan stood in the hallway.

“Not bad,” he whistled, examining my make-up. “Mica really outdid herself… of course, she had a beautiful canvas.” He added with that dazzling smile.

“You have to stop that.” I insisted. “We’re coworkers… we can be friends, but nothing more.”

“Oh, Kate, you need to lighten up.” He teased. “I’m just having a little fun.”

“The last thing I need is for someone to overhear a comment like that.” I told him firmly. “I’m sure the paper would be more than happy to print a follow up on the trash they’ve already reported.”

“You’re looking at this all wrong.” He told me. “What happened to the girl who didn’t care what anyone said?”

“She received four panicked phone calls from her conservative, overbearing mother and realized that some publicity IS bad publicity.” I sighed. “Also, I had a run in with Serena outside the make-up room.”

“Why don’t you tell me all about it over dinner.” He suggested.

I laughed. “Yeah, right… that’s a brilliant idea. A scandalous article came out about us this morning, let’s go out for a night on the town.”

“There’s a great place just down the street.” He told me. “They love me there, we’ll be safe.”

“Someone is sure to see us, Dylan.” I argued. “And people recognize you… even if the press doesn’t see us, someone is bound to snap a picture with their smart phone.”

Dylan sighed. “Kate, if you’re going to be a star then you’re just going to have got to get used to living in the public eye. Cameras will follow you wherever you go, do you really want to let them control your life? All I’m asking for is dinner… we’ll sit a respectable distance away from each other, with a table between us, and we’ll discuss your career. Is that too much to ask?”

I studied him carefully. “I guess not.” I finally relented. “Let me wipe off some of this make-up, I look ridiculous… can I go like this or should I run home and change?” I asked, gesturing to today’s exercise set; yoga pants and fitted t-shirts were becoming my standard uniform.

“You’re fine like that.” He assured me. “I’ll grab my stuff and meet you in the hall.”

We snuck out the back exit of the theater and made our way down the busy street; Dylan wore a stocking cap, scarf, and sunglasses and blended into the crowd. We walked eight blocks to a small, brick storefront. A sign reading “Joe’s Bar” hung in the window.

“They keep it simple.” I said, gesturing to the sign as we stepped into the bar.

A hostess greeted us; she knew Dylan and led us to his favorite table. We sat next to the juke box, just a few feet away from the door.

“I like to see people as they come in.” Dylan explained as he draped his coat over the back of his chair.

“Do you need menus, or do you want your usual?” The hostess asked.

“I’ll have the usual,” he replied. She turned to me.

“What’s your usual?” I asked Dylan.

“A cheeseburger and onion rings, with Sam Adams draft.”

“Make that two.” I told her. The hostess disappeared; a few moments later, another woman arrived at the table with a pitcher of beer and two frosty mugs.

“You’re food will be up soon, Mr. Matthews.” She assured him.

“Thank you, Grace,” he smiled. “Now, if you don’t mind my friend and I have important things to discuss.”

“Of course, Mr. Matthews,” she replied quickly before leaving the table.

Dylan looked at me and smiled. “So, are you ready for your first night on Broadway?”

“You tell me.” I laughed. “You know the business better than I do.”

“I think you’re going to do just fine.” He grinned. “Better than fine… as long as you can keep the drama from getting to you.”

“I’m going to have to do more than that to survive.” I sighed and told him about my encounter with Serena. “She’s determined to take me down.” I insisted. “If I do one thing that she could possibly twist to her advantage, I’m done.”

“You’re overestimating her power.” Dylan insisted. “She’s a disgruntled make-up artist who’s jealous of your success. There’s nothing she can do to hurt you.”

I shook my head. “I’m not so sure about that… the way she looked at me, she seemed evil… like she’d kill me if she could get away with it. I think that you and I should keep things strictly professional at the theater. I don’t want to give her the ammunition she’s looking for to take me down.”

“We need to keep things strictly professional… at the theater.” He repeated with a sly grin. “Does that mean that we can be unprofessional outside of the theater?”

My face flushed red. “No…” I stammered. “That’s not what I meant at all… I have a boyfriend, Dylan, I’ve told you that.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But does he understand you the way I do? Does he know what drives your passion, or the way it feels to get a standing ovation? Can he handle your long hours and the adoring fans you’ll have in a matter of weeks? Can he give you what I can, Kate?” He asked softly.

I stared at him in disbelief. “They were all right…” I said softly. “You weren’t interested in my talent at all… you got me the role so you could seduce me.”

“That’s not what happened at all.” Dylan insisted. “I got you the AUDITION for the role, because you’re incredible. Poppy was mediocre at best, and I hated working with her. We had no chemistry on stage. The fact that I’m attracted to you is a completely separate issue.”

‘I cannot believe that Dylan Matthews is attracted to me.’ I thought in disbelief. ‘This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to girls like me… this happens in fairytales.’ I snapped myself back to reality.

“I have a boyfriend.” I reminded him again. “We’re very happy together… I’m flattered, really, but I’m only interested in friendship here…”

“Indulge me for just a moment.” He insisted. “If you feel the same way after, I’ll never bring it up again.”

“After what…?” I asked.

He flashed me another dazzling smile, took me by the back of the head, and pulled my lips to his. He kissed me, softly at first, and I lost myself in the moment. I kissed him back, my tongue hungrily searching for his. Suddenly, a bright light lit the dark table. I pulled away from Dylan’s embrace and looked to the source of the flash.

My heart sank and I knew my world was ending, just as Serena had promised only an hour ago. She stood in the doorway of the bar, a camera in hand and Max by her side. She looked at me with sick satisfaction.

I looked pleadingly at Max. “This isn’t what it looks like, I promise.” I insisted.

“Save it, Kate.” He said harshly. “God, I am such a fool… I still felt so bad about yesterday… I asked Steve to let me off early. You said you were going to run lines in your dressing room, so I went to the theater to surprise you.”

“I see,” I said, looking at Serena. “And you brought him here?”

Serena smiled innocently. “I ran in to him, and he asked if I knew where you were. I know that Dylan hangs out here, and since he was gone too, I figured that this would be the next logical place to check… I’m sorry, Kate, I never imagined that we’d be… interrupting anything.” She finished smugly.

I looked her in the eye and knew that I’d been defeated. Even worse, I’d been responsible for my own undoing. Serena was to blame for bringing Max to the bar, but I was to blame for what he saw when they got there.

“Is that why you brought a camera?” Dylan asked in amusement. “Because you didn’t expect to see anything?”

Serena grinned evilly, “Having the camera was a happy accident… one that the press is going to appreciate.”

I no longer cared about Serena, her camera, or what kind of reputation I was developing with the press. All I wanted was for Max to look at me, to forgive me and give me another chance. I looked him in the eye and pleaded for forgiveness.

“I’m sorry,” I begged. “It didn’t mean anything… we were rehearsing for the show.”

“Save it, Kate.” He snapped again. “I’ve heard enough of your lies… I JUST got off the phone with you… you promised that article was a lie… you promised Fiona!” He said, tears falling from his eyes. I pushed my chair from the table and moved towards him. He backed away and put up his hands.

“Don’t touch me… don’t talk to me… I have nothing else to say to you.” He backed out the door and rushed down the sidewalk. I raced after him when Serena called me back.

“Oh, Kate…” she sang. “We aren’t finished here.”

I turned on her and tried to take the camera from her hand. “We have nothing left to talk about.” I told her as she fought the camera from my grasp.

Dylan joined the conversation. “Look, Serena is it? I don’t know what you hope to accomplish with that picture… do you think that causing trouble for us will make people respect you? Is that what you’re after?” He asked in that same amused tone.

“I don’t care how people feel about me,” she insisted defiantly, “as long as they know the truth about her… I guess they’ll know the truth about you too now, lover boy. I’ll consider that a bonus.” She smiled again and made her way to the door.

“Enjoy tomorrow’s paper!” She called out with a laugh as she disappeared onto the street.

Dylan looked at me and smiled. “On the bright side, we’ve taken care of that boyfriend problem of yours… and if everyone believes we’re seeing each other anyway, why can’t we give it a shot?”

I shook my head in disbelief; he had some nerve, acting like what had just happened was no big deal. “I have to go.” I announced. “I’ll see you tomorrow… maybe.”

“Kate, wait…” He called after me. I ignored him and fled the bar.

A taxi sat nearby; I slid into the backseat and gave the driver my Sunnyside address. I knew that the ride would cost four times as much as a subway ticket, but I was too upset to care. As the taxi moved down the city streets, I wondered how in the world I’d ever manage to put my life back together.