Fifteen Minutes: A Novel

by Karen Kingsbury

  “ ‘I can only imagine, what it will be like . . . when I walk by your side . . .’ ”

  Zoey stepped up. “ ‘I can only imagine . . .’ ”

  They each took a part and on the chorus they harmonized in a way that made Carnegie Hall sound like heaven. Midsong Zack saw Chandra rub her arms and say something to Cullen, as if she had chills at the beauty of the music. At least that’s what Zack hoped was happening.

  When the song ended, the audience of contestants erupted into applause and shouts. Kelly and Chandra jumped to their feet, and Kelly pulled Cullen out of his chair. “Get up! You said we could give a standing ovation for perfection.” Kelly shouted above the cheering contestants. “That . . . was perfection.”

  Cullen looked reluctant, but even he rose to his feet. He clapped slowly at first and then more powerfully. “Okay, okay,” he quieted the crowd. “Yes. That was impressive, Zack. Your group sounds ready for the stage. Maybe you should stick together when this is all done.”

  “We might just do that.” Zack motioned for the others to join him again, arms around one another. “We liked group week.”

  Chandra waved off the cheering crowd again. “That was easily the most beautiful rendition of that song I’ve ever heard.” She shook her head, clearly amazed. “Where did that come from, that sound?”

  Zack didn’t hesitate. He leaned in toward the mic. “I think it only could’ve come from God. We asked Him to shine through us.” He smiled at the others. “I think He did that today.”

  “I guess so.” Kelly Morgan chuckled, though something about her expression looked off. She looked at her peers and held out her hands in a grand shrug. “You sing a song about God, that’s what you get.” She spun around and pointed at the remaining contestants. “It’s not too late. You can sing a song about the Father, too. Everyone can use a little divine help, right?”

  She was making light of the situation, but Zack didn’t care. The song, the moment, the glory to God—all of it had been captured by the cameras. Never mind the romance they were trying to conjure up between him and Zoey. This was the real story. And now all the watching world would see it. Never mind the limitations Meier and Gaines wanted to put on him. The judges had asked and he had answered. Nothing wrong with that.

  As they filed off the stage, each of them swapped hugs. Zoey held on a little longer and spoke close to his face. “I was serious about talking later. I want to hear more about God, okay?”

  Zack pulled back and met her eyes. “Yes.” He couldn’t tell if she meant it or if this was just another ploy to spend time with him. “After dinner.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Perfect. I can’t wait.”

  They headed back to their seats to watch the final groups. Seventy-five contestants remained in the room, all eighty minus the country group Cullen had sent home. As the performances played out, Zack allowed for the fact that maybe one of them—and not him—would be better suited to win this year. Whatever You want, God . . . whatever You want. Throughout the afternoon, Zack prayed and watched and wondered. Every few minutes he fielded another question or arm touch by Zoey. Finally three hours later they broke for dinner.

  By then Zack wasn’t hungry.

  Not when all he could think about was his looming talk with the relentless girl beside him.

  THE STORY ABOUT Michael Manning ditching Kelly was all over the Internet, no surprise. With all eyes on her, she had stopped at a clinic on the Upper West Side early that morning before the office opened. A doctor she knew had given her eyes and cheeks a treatment, a mix of mild Botox and glycolic acid intended to remove any proof of her tears.

  On top of that, her fellow judges had been nothing but kind since they arrived early that morning. Cullen had pulled her aside before the taping began. “The guy’s a jerk, Kelly. You’re rich and beautiful and famous. You deserve better.” He pointed to the Fifteen Minutes logo atop the famous microphone. “Your star is rising. He’s an idiot.” He hugged her neck and pinched her cheek. “When the bloke figures that out, don’t take him back, you hear me?”

  “I won’t.” Kelly appreciated Cullen’s support.

  All day her tight skin reminded her to keep smiling. She wasn’t a victim. She wasn’t. As the groups paraded in front of them, Kelly reminded herself to call her parents that night. Samuel Meier had said she could take off three days for a trip back to Greenville, South Carolina. Kelly figured she could take care of the visit in two.

  Now that it was time for dinner, Kelly was about to leave the auditorium when Chandra tapped her on the shoulder. Kelly turned around, surprised.

  “You have a minute?” Chandra didn’t look happy.

  “Sure.” Kelly never knew what to expect from Chandra. The woman was young and beautiful, but she had a past full of heartache and lately she seemed distant. Kelly had no idea what to expect.

  When they were alone, Chandra put her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to talk about Michael.” Her eyes looked deep, concerned. “I heard you on the phone with your manager when we were at lunch in L.A. Your husband wants reconciliation, right? He doesn’t want the divorce?”

  “Wow.” Kelly bristled. “That’s none of your business.”

  “I know that.” The singer’s tone was sharp. “But you’re going to hear me out.”

  No one talked to Kelly Morgan like this. She opened her eyes wider, too surprised to do anything but listen.

  “You and Cal had one of the most beautiful marriages in Hollywood.” Chandra spoke with all the diva attitude she was known for. “That’s right. I followed your story. It was a fairy tale right up until a few years ago.”

  “You don’t know—”

  “Wait!” Chandra pointed at the ceiling. “I’m not finished. I know this is your breakup day and your heart’s all in a knot and I’m sorry about that. But let me tell you something, Kelly Morgan. You looked like a fool dating that boy. And right now you’re gonna listen. At this point in my life I have nothing to lose.”

  Again Kelly could only hold her breath and listen, curiosity winning over her outrage.

  “All right.” Chandra smoothed the wrinkles in her red silk top and found a new level of composure. “The way I see it, you changed. Not Cal. You.” She jerked her thumb toward the stage. “All that fame crap got to your pretty head and you started believing it. Next thing you know you’re talking about your trainer this and your Botox that. Your husband ain’t good enough and you’re too busy for your kids. Your family, your home, everything that used to matter fell to the idol of fame.” She looked Kelly up and down. “Why? Because you decided you’re all that. When you’re not.” She lowered her voice. “No one is.”

  Kelly rolled her eyes. Her stomach felt bunched up and she needed a restroom. A lecture was the last thing she’d expected from Chandra today. “I don’t need this.”

  “Listen to me.” Chandra leaned closer and pointed at her. “You call that husband of yours and figure it out.” She settled back a few inches. “My parents were a beautiful example. They loved each other and took care of each other. They’d be here right now cheering me on if . . . if they had the chance.”

  A light dawned in Kelly’s heart. This was about Chandra’s parents, not her and Cal. She folded her arms and let the woman finish.

  “Marriage is beautiful. Fame is ugly. Your boyfriend’s out of the picture, fine.” Chandra’s words were rich with passion. “Call your husband. Before it’s too late.” She raised both hands in the air and shook her head. “That’s all. I had to say it.”

  Chandra started to leave, the tension between the two of them still thick. Kelly called after her. “Wait.”

  The singer stopped, her eyes flashing with emotion. “What?”

  “You’re as famous as I am. Don’t tell me it doesn’t matter.”

  “It’s a prison.” Chandra took a step closer, her tone seething. “I’d give it up right now.” Her voice settled into a deep sorrow. “To be back at home with my parents, the day before my Fifte
en Minutes audition. All of it!” She said the words “fifteen minutes” as if they were poison. Chandra pointed at Kelly again. “There’s no escape. I’m here this season so I can whisper the truth to a few people about fame. Maybe you.” She held up her hands again and headed for the door. She looked back at Kelly once more. “Call your husband.”

  Chandra left the room and Kelly leaned against the wall, exhausted and trembling. What was all that? The diatribe was misplaced and uncalled for. How had she felt the right to say those things? Kelly shouldn’t have to deal with this. If Samuel Meier asked Kelly back next season, she would tell him how Chandra felt. Then the black queen of pop music could be cut from the panel. Kelly’s problem wasn’t fame or her refusal to call Cal or even Michael Manning. Her problem was Chandra Olson. One of them would have to go next year.

  The show had room for only one diva.

  chapter 14

  Monday’s premiere of Fifteen Minutes, season ten, took forever to arrive.

  Finally, Reese was headed over to Zack’s house to watch the show, to gain a window on his world, the new life he was living. Her nerves had been on edge all day. Halfway to Zack’s house, her phone rang. She pulled over and looked at the starry Kentucky sky. No clouds tonight. Reese took the call. “Hello?”

  “Reese. It’s Maggie Coltrain from London. Do you have a minute?”

  “Absolutely. Sure.” Reese did the math. It had to be early in London. Before sunup.

  “Very well, let me explain where we’re at in the process of hiring.” Maggie had talked to her a few times already, though Reese had been careful not to commit. The London woman had explained that Reese was her first choice, but she had a few other equine therapists she was looking at. Now, though, she sounded almost desperate. “Our committee checked out the other options. None of them matches your experience, Reese. You said you needed time, but we’d like to offer you a one-year position starting in a month. The sooner you can get here for training, the better. We really hope you’ll say yes.”

  Reese’s head began to spin. She gripped the steering wheel while Maggie explained that there was a small house on the horse farm where Reese could live, and all her expenses would be covered. On top of that they would pay her twice what she made now.

  “We have so many kids who need help.” Maggie hesitated. “You’re our first choice. Consider our offer and get back to us, okay?”

  “Thank you.” Reese was breathless. “I’m honored, Ms. Coltrain. Really.”

  “Why don’t you take the next few days? Get back to us on Monday. How would that be?”

  Monday. Reese squeezed her eyes shut. Five days from now. Five days to decide if she should leave Kentucky for a year and whether this would be what she and Zack needed or the final act that could separate them forever. “Yes, ma’am. Monday would be fine.”

  “Very well.” A smile filled the woman’s voice. “I have a feeling you’ll say yes. You’re exactly what we need over here.”

  The call ended and Reese realized her hands were shaking. She needed to talk to Zack, needed to hear his voice and know his heart. He was still sailing through with Fifteen Minutes. His group had survived last weekend’s eliminations. They would have another round of group performances this weekend, where some contestants would move on and others would be kept. Groups would be broken up and pared down to ten guys, ten girls. By Monday Reese would know whether Zack had made that cut or not.

  Even if he did, would he want her gone for a year? Before he drove off for Atlanta, he had told her he couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving. Now though so much had changed. He was constantly tweeting about the show and the sponsors and what God was doing in his life. When it came to her, he barely had time to text. Could there be a better year to spend in Europe?

  Suddenly the thrill of being in a foreign country, training instructors, making a lasting difference for kids without hope, even the doubled salary—all of it was too much to ignore. If God didn’t want her to take the position, then why did Maggie Coltrain call? Maybe this was His way of getting her out of Kentucky, out of the path of Zack Dylan. For now, anyway.

  She pulled her car back onto the road and a few minutes later she was in the Dylans’ living room with the rest of the family. Duke took the spot next to AJ and across the room Zack’s parents sat together. Grandpa Dan hunkered down in his favorite recliner and Reese slipped in beside AJ.

  “I’m nervous.” Dara Dylan slid closer to her husband.

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “He’ll do great. We already know that.”

  Even though Atlanta was the last big-city audition, the producers of Fifteen Minutes had chosen to air it first. Zack had explained the situation to Reese during one of their rare phone calls. “They pick the audition with the best stories, the most drama. Anything to hook the audience.”

  “How many cities will they cover today?” Duke looked around the room. He seemed nervous, too, wringing his hands as he sat at the edge of the sofa.

  “Two today and two tomorrow.” Reese had studied the format. “Then four more next week. After that they’ll start showing the group auditions.”

  “Then what?” Zack’s dad shrugged. “None of us are really sure.”

  Reese did her best to explain. Fifteen Minutes would air one episode a week starting with week three. After six weeks, they would be down to twenty contestants and the shows would air live, two a week, one show for the competition and another for the elimination of two singers.

  If Zack survived the cuts, he would get busier and more in demand with each passing week. Reese kept that part to herself. The show was about to start and all eyes were on the television.

  The music began, the production slick and professional. Reese folded her hands and tried to relax. No need to be nervous. They all knew how this was going to play out. Zack would sing and he would make it. No surprises in this episode. But this was the premiere, so all of America was going to see Zack Dylan for the first time. They were going to see the amazing man he was. The guy Reese had fallen in love with.

  Ten minutes into the show Kip Barker’s voice-over began talking about Zack Dylan. “Every year a number of heartthrobs find their place in line with the masses.” A camera zoomed in on Zack, standing with what looked like a group of high school cheerleaders. “But it’s not every year that a heartthrob can actually sing.” The camera cut to Zack partway through a beautiful solo, which he was clearly singing to the group of girls while they fawned over him.

  What was this? Reese felt her heart skip a beat and the room started to tilt. The others were glancing at her, checking her reaction. Everyone in the room seemed uncomfortable. Why hadn’t Zack told her about this? She settled back against the sofa and tried to slow her racing pulse.

  Kip was still talking. “Girls were crazy about Zack Dylan from the moment he stepped foot in line at Atlanta.” While his voice-over provided commentary, a pretty blonde stood closest to Zack, barely containing herself. As Zack finished the song, the girl threw her arms around his neck. A quick cut and Zack was walking into the audition room.

  “Well, hello, hunky young thing.” Kelly Morgan whispered the words to Chandra Olson but the camera caught every syllable.

  Cullen Caldwell heard the exchange and chuckled. “Try to control yourself,” he whispered to her.

  Kelly gave him a light punch in the arm. “I am trying.”

  “Really?” Cullen laughed again. “What I put up with.”

  Down the sofa from Reese, Duke broke the awkward tension in the room. “Wow.” He looked at Reese and then at the others. “People are crazy.”

  “Definitely.” Zack’s dad cleared his throat. He leaned his forearms on his knees and studied the screen. “I didn’t expect this.”

  “Inappropriate.” That was all Grandpa Dan said.

  Reese stayed quiet. She felt a strange pit in the center of her stomach. Not once as she looked forward to the season opener had she imagined this. Zack was this season’s heartthrob? And
even Kelly Morgan seemed to be falling for him? Reese clenched her fingers and kept watching.

  Chandra Olson looked stunning, the picture of professionalism. She was the one who took control of the moment. She asked Zack’s name and then Kelly asked where he was from.

  Cullen elbowed Kelly. “Nowhere near New York.” He patted her shoulder. “Settle down and give the bloke a listen.”

  “Why can’t they let him sing?” Grandpa Dan rarely sounded angry, but this was one of those moments.

  Again Chandra stopped the insanity. She asked Zack to talk about himself. He mentioned that he was a worship leader at church and he told the story of the horse farm. The Kentucky Derby winner came to light and the judges all seemed impressed. Reese sensed a collective sigh of relief in the Dylan’s living room.

  Cullen mentioned that Zack looked a little like a young Elvis Presley and Kelly couldn’t seem to resist adding that Zack was even better-looking. Finally Zack was able to sing. Reese knew the song. He had practiced it for her the week before he drove to Atlanta. Tyrone Wells’s “Dream Like New York” came off better than Zack had ever sung it.

  All three judges clapped for him and Kelly Morgan was on her feet. “Did you hear that boy?” She danced around and pointed at the camera. “Listen up, America! You just met Zack Dylan! You can say you saw him here first!”

  Reese struggled to stay in her seat. Something inside her wanted to run, wanted to chase down yesterday and find herself back on the front porch of her house before sunrise the morning he left for Atlanta. Before he belonged to Fifteen Minutes.

  Zack made it through to New York, as they knew he would. His mom and sister clapped when the judges announced their decision. Kelly jumped up from the judges’ table and ran around to the other side to hug Zack before he left. She said something about being the first to get a hug from Zack Dylan. All of it began to blur in Reese’s mind. She’d never pictured the guy she loved being elevated to heartthrob status right before her eyes.