Stars Collide

  “Just like you’ve been trying to protect your parents.” I sighed. “When did it become the job of the kids to protect the parents and grandparents, anyway?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t mind, Kat. I think it’s biblical, anyway. We need to care for our own household, and my parents are my household. Even though, technically, they live on the other side of the country. But you get the idea.”

  “I think you’re pretty amazing, Scott Murphy.” I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

  I heard Athena holler out, “Would you two cut that out? You’re making us nauseous over here.”

  I laughed and hollered back, “Don’t blame your seasickness on us.” I looked at Scott and smiled. “So, you’re okay with people knowing we’re a couple?”

  “More than okay.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I plan to shout it to the whole world.”

  “Hope you’ve got good lungs.”

  “Won’t need ’em. Not with the paparazzi hovering around us at every turn.”

  “True. What are we going to do about that?”

  “Play along?” After a moment he grew more serious. “Kat, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. I don’t want to lose you. Next to the Lord, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t care what kind of stories run in the gossip magazines . . . I’ll still love you. And I plan to go on loving you . . . well, for the rest of my life.”

  The kiss that followed almost sent the yacht sailing off into uncharted waters. Fortunately Scott managed to get us back on course in record time. I felt invigorated by his words, yet a couple of lingering doubts remained. I couldn’t seem to shake them.

  I happened to glance over at Tia and Jason, who stared at each other in stony silence. For just a second I had a flashback to that dream, the one where I was sitting at IHOP with my parents. Their cold, hard stares left an indelible impression on my mind, searing my memory of them.

  I looked at Scott. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” His eyes remained fixed on the water. Probably a good thing, since the waves had grown up around us, tossing the boat to and fro.

  “You know how sometimes in restaurants you’ll be sitting near a couple you don’t know?”

  “Sure.” He glanced my way and shrugged.

  “Sometimes you feel like you’re invading their space because it’s just the two of them sitting there. And they don’t look like they’re having a very good time.”

  “Ah.”

  “I always wonder why some couples don’t talk to each other at the dinner table. They just sit there. Silent.”

  “O-okay.” He looked confused.

  “What if that’s us?” I whispered. “What if we run out of things to say?”

  The laughter that erupted from him nearly rocked the boat. “Kat, you’re hysterical. First of all, I can’t ever imagine you running out of things to say.”

  “Hey now.”

  “Second, if I have the privilege of spending my life with you, I’ll sit across the table from you and tell you how gorgeous you are . . . every day of your life.”

  “See, you say that now,” I told him. “But it doesn’t always last. I’m sure my dad . . .” I paused, unable to speak over the lump in my throat.

  “Ah.” Scott reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Is that what this is about? Your dad?”

  As I nodded, a golf-ball-sized lump rose in my throat. For a minute I didn’t say anything. “I know he cared about my mom once. I’ve seen their wedding pictures. No one forced him to marry her or anything. I know they used to travel and do all sorts of fun things together. They had a great relationship . . . until I came along.”

  “Kat, wait a minute. Are you trying to say you think you’re somehow to blame for your father’s stupidity?”

  “Not me personally. I just have to wonder if I was an interruption to his plan or something.”

  “If so, you’re the best interruption I’ve ever met.” A mischievous look crossed his face.

  I started breathing easier. Scott’s words were just the medicine to soothe my soul. I drew in a deep breath and whispered, “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

  “I know. And you need to hear something else too. You need to know that your father didn’t leave because of you. Parents don’t leave because of the kids. Rarely, anyway.”

  “I know that. In my mind. It just hasn’t reached my heart yet.”

  “It will in time,” he said. “But in the meantime, there’s one more thing on my mind.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You’re assuming that silence is a bad thing. I might argue that point. Sometimes people just need their space. If I ever sit across the table from you and don’t speak, please don’t assume it’s because I don’t love you. Maybe I’m just distracted, or maybe I’m plotting the next great vacation I’m going to take you on.”

  “Mmm.” I quirked a brow. “To South America?”

  “What is it with you and the Amazon?” he asked, then chuckled.

  “I have no idea. I think it just started as a joke and went from there. But I have always had a fascination with the rain forest. Ever since I saw that movie Medicine Man with Sean Connery.”

  “Sean Connery.” Scott smiled. “I haven’t thought about him in ages.”

  “He used to date my grandmother.” I shrugged. “Well, at least that’s what she says. But she says a lot of things, doesn’t she?”

  “Yep.” He nodded. “And some of them are even true.”

  At that, we had a good, long laugh. And as our laughter rolled across the waves, I felt my burdens lift. In that moment I realized that I could actually let go of the pain I’d been holding on to where my father was concerned. Whether he ever knew me or not, I was known—and loved—by the Creator of the universe, and by the Pacific’s most fearless sea captain. What more could a girl ask for?

  19

  Days of Our Lives

  Less than an hour into our trip, just about the time my queasiness lifted for good, Scott received a report from the coast guard.

  “What’s up?” I asked when I saw the concerned look in his eyes.

  “There’s a storm off Catalina. Came up suddenly, they said.” He paused. “Whatever happened to that ‘It never rains in Southern California’ thing? We’ve had two storms in a row.”

  “Crazy. Something must be going on in the stratosphere,” Bob said.

  “Oooh, that would make a great scene for the show,” Paul interjected. “Maybe a hot-air-balloon sequence. Angie and Jack could go sailing off into the stratosphere and float for days. There would have to be a bad guy, someone who set the whole thing up. Maybe someone out to destroy the talent agency. A Snidely Whiplash sort.”

  “Maybe he plans to steal the agency,” Athena added. “But the only way is to get rid of Angie and Jack first.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said. “Are we going to drift off into the stratosphere, never to be seen again?”

  Jason shook his head. “I don’t think stratosphere is the right word,” he said. “Technically, the stratosphere is above the troposphere, but below the mesosphere. I don’t know if a hot air balloon would actually get that high.”

  Athena looked at him and groaned. “You’re such a geek.”

  “Did everyone miss the point?” Scott asked. “I said there’s a storm coming in. That changes everything . . . in the stratosphere and on this yacht. We’re going to have to head back to shore. The trip is off.”

  “We don’t get to go to Catalina?” Grandma asked.

  “No, sorry.” Scott shrugged. “Maybe another time.”

  “Oh, pooh.” She pursed her lips. “I was hoping you two would end up like Doris Day and Chuck Connors in Move Over, Darling.”

  “Don’t think I saw that one,” Scott said.

  “Two strangers stranded alone on a desert island,” she said, then wiggled her thinly plucked brows. “I’m a firm believer in getting alone and working things out. Don’t let anyone
else keep you apart. Promise me that, KK.”

  I reached to give her a hug, noticing for the first time that she was trembling. “I promise, Grandma. And besides, we’ve already worked things out.”

  “Wonderful!” She looked back and forth between Scott and me. “Oh, Jack, I’m so happy! I’m still making plans for the most beautiful wedding ever!”

  I looked at Scott, wondering how to respond. He slipped his arm around my waist and nodded. “The wedding’s back on. So get busy planning, Lenora. We want it to be spectacular, something the paparazzi will talk about for years to come.”

  “I’ll go chat with Athena now. There are some loose ends we need to tie up.” After taking a couple of steps, she turned back and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Oh, KK, you’re going to have everything I only dreamed of having. I promise. It will be spectacular.”

  I wanted to respond but was too overcome by the look of sheer joy on her face. She gestured to Athena, and the two of them disappeared into the hull of the ship. Moments later, raindrops began to fall. After I spent a few minutes of alone time with Scott above deck, he encouraged me to go down below to join the others. I did just that.

  “So what’s going on up there?” Athena asked as I took the seat next to her.

  “We’re racing back to shore, hoping to beat the storm,” I explained. “It’s getting worse.”

  “If I were writing this scene, it would be a hurricane,” Paul added. “Can you imagine the tension we could add with a real hurricane blowing in?”

  “We don’t get a lot of hurricanes off the coast of California, though,” Bob said. “It’s got to be believable.”

  “Since when does comedy have to be believable?” Athena asked. “Viewers are willing to use their imagination. Did people really believe that Lucille Ball was that goofy? And did they really believe that the gal on I Dream of Jeannie could fit into that bottle?”

  “Barbara Eden,” I threw in.

  “Right. Barbara Eden.” Athena threw her hands up in the air. “I mean, she was petite, but not small enough to fit into a genie bottle. C’mon, guys. We’re always asking viewers to allow their imaginations to take them places they’ve never gone before.”

  “I still don’t think they’ll buy a hurricane in Southern California,” Bob said.

  “The point is, we need something to get the viewer’s stomach in knots,” Paul said. “Something big. We’ve got to keep the tension building. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

  “True.” Athena nodded. “Maybe an earthquake?”

  “Nah, that’s overdone.” Paul shrugged. “I say we just stick with a storm. A plain, ordinary, generic storm.”

  Scott hollered down an update. “Just heard from the coast guard again. The storm is bearing down on us. We’re racing it back, but I wanted to prepare you in case the waters get rocky.”

  “See what I mean?” Paul said. “Scott just upped the tension of the story. Now we get to factor in the element of time.”

  “Will they make it back to shore before the storm hits . . . or won’t they?” Athena’s eyes shimmered with excitement.

  “You guys are enjoying this way too much,” Scott called out.

  “That’s our job,” Paul said, looking far too excited about the possibilities.

  “Not when you’re on strike,” I reminded them. “You can rest easy now.”

  The boat lifted several feet and slammed back down, sending us all tumbling into each other. Even with Scott at the wheel, I still felt nervous.

  “Fasten your seat belts,” Bob hollered. “It’s going to be a bumpy night!”

  Grandma’s face lit into a smile. “Oh, I know that one! Bette Davis. All About Eve. 1950.”

  “How does she do that?” Athena asked, still rocking back and forth. “It’s absolutely amazing.”

  “It’s a gift,” Rex said. “No one can match it.”

  My grandmother’s eyelashes fluttered. Talk about flirtatious.

  Tia shook her head. “This is getting scary, if you ask me. To think we just went out for a little boat ride to Catalina, and now we’re stranded in a storm.”

  Bob started whistling the theme song from Gilligan’s Island, and we all laughed. Well, at first. About ten minutes later, only a handful of those on board—namely the writers—still found this exciting. The rest of us were looking a little green.

  Athena, Bob, and Paul didn’t look a bit fazed, even when Rex dismissed himself to the bathroom due to seasickness. The overly ambitious writers huddled together, laptop open on the tiny coffee table, plotting a great scene for the show. One that would, of course, involve a storm off the coast, which Jack and Angie would brave. On their honeymoon, no less.

  “Just wait. It’s going to be great, Kat,” Athena said. “Angie will be seasick and Jack will be chasing the storm to shore.”

  “Will they live or will they die?” Bob spoke with excitement, using his best announcer’s voice.

  “Only the coast guard knows for sure.” Athena chuckled. “Write that down. We’ll use it in the promo material.”

  Bob continued to whistle the Gilligan’s Island theme song, and my thoughts shifted to the show.

  “Just promise me one thing,” I said, giving Athena the most serious look I could muster.

  “What’s that?”

  “If this boat we’re on—the real one, not the one in the scene you’re writing—ends up crashing on a desert island, I get to be Mary Ann. You can be Ginger.”

  “Aw, I wanted to be Ginger,” Grandma said. “I always loved her dresses.”

  “Weird that she packed so many for a three-hour tour, though,” Paul said. “That part always bothered me. The writers of that show sure expected viewers to suspend their disbelief in a lot of areas.”

  “Who cares?” Athena slapped him on the arm. “I’m willing to suspend my disbelief if I can be the glamorous movie star. Ginger’s always been my favorite.”

  “Well, who does that leave for me?” Grandma asked with a pout.

  “Mrs. Howell, of course,” Athena said. She turned to Rex as he exited the restroom looking a little green. Calm as you please, she said, “We’re playing Gilligan’s Island. You’re going to be Thurston Howell the Third.”

  “That figures.” He laughed and a bit of color returned to his cheeks. “Fine with me, if I can have the bank account to go with it.”

  “Naturally.” Athena nodded.

  Bob looked thoughtful. “I guess I’ll be Gilligan, since I’m pretty goofy. What about Scott and Paul? Which one will be the professor and which one’s the skipper?”

  “That’s a given,” Athena said. “Scott is the captain of this ship. He has to be the skipper.”

  “Scott?” Grandma’s brow wrinkled and her eyes took on a faraway look. “Who’s Scott?”

  Thankfully Rex intervened. “That means you’ll have to be the professor, Paul. Hope you’re okay with that.”

  Paul nodded. “Whatever. I’m pretty geeky.”

  “What about me?” Tia and Jason spoke in unison. They looked at each other, then at us.

  “Hmm.” Athena pondered their question a moment. “I know. Tia, you’ll be the Hollywood director whose plane crash-lands on the island. When you figure out that Ginger is one of the castaways, you’ll try to kidnap her to star in your latest film. But Jason, your pilot, will fix the plane and deliberately sabotage your plan, causing the two of you to leave the island without Ginger.”

  Grandma looked at Rex, aghast. “The way these writers come up with stories is nothing short of miraculous.”

  Athena smiled. “It’s a gift.”

  Suddenly the boat hit a huge wave and sent us tumbling all over each other again. As soon as we settled down, Athena went off on a tangent about the Gilligan’s Island–like episode they would write as soon as we made it back to shore, and Rex turned her way with a grin.

  “You know, Athena, it’s good to know that even though you’re on strike, you’re still coming up with story ideas for the show
. You’re a real trouper.”

  With a wave of her hand, she dismissed any concerns we might have had. “Trust me, this strike is temporary, just to make a point. It’ll be over in a few days and we’ll be back on task.”

  “Or, if this storm catches up with us, we’ll all be living on a desert island,” I said. “Permanently.”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted all along, Kat?” Athena asked. “To live in the rain forest? In a hut?”

  “By myself,” I said, crossing my arms. “What’s the point in running away if everyone goes with you?”

  “You’re running away?” Grandma Lenora’s words were quiet yet laced with fear.

  Oh, man. Now what? I looked her way, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t add fuel to the fire.

  Athena jumped in. “Well, you know how it is, Lenora,” she said. “We all say we want to run away sometimes. Didn’t you ever want to?”

  For several seconds, my grandmother said nothing. Then, finally, a lone tear trickled down her cheek, and she shifted her gaze to the floor. You could’ve heard a pin drop. From a distance, Rex kept a watchful eye on her, his brow wrinkled. When her tears began to flow, we all sat, stunned, not knowing what to do. Rex moved to her side and took hold of her hand.

  “I think I’ll check on Scott,” Bob said. “Er, the skipper. I’m his first mate, after all.” He shot up the stairs, clearly anxious to leave this tearful scene behind.

  “And I’m the professor, so I’ll think of something to get us out of this jam,” Paul added. He too headed for the steps.

  “I’ll entertain them with a scene from one of my movies,” Athena said, then scooted up the stairs behind the guys.

  What was it with these writers? They could write dramatic scenes but had trouble sitting through them when they played out firsthand. Not that I minded their leaving. In fact, I was happy to have the time alone with my grandmother, who had curled into Rex’s embrace.

  For a while no one said anything. Tia and Jason, who observed all of this in silence, finally decided to join the others topside.