Love's Falling Star

by B. D. Grayson

  He didn’t have a chance to speak before her mom came into the room. “Hello, sweetheart.”

  Vanessa stood to meet her mother in an embrace. “Hi, Mom.” She held her mother tightly and looked over her shoulder to mouth her brother the words “Please” and “Shhh.”

  Chris nodded and left.

  ✥ ✥ ✥

  Lochlan’s intern assistant entered her hotel suite. “Ms. Paige. You wanted to see me?”

  Lochlan looked up at her and replied with a smile. “I did, Spencer.” She motioned for her to have a seat. “I have something that I need for you to handle tomorrow.”

  “Sure.”

  “This is your own special project. I need this to be done precisely as I tell you, and I need to know that I can trust you to do that.”

  “I will do my absolute best, Ms. Paige.”

  Jamie had always spoken highly of Spencer’s organizational skills, so Lochlan felt fairly confident in handing this off to her.“My driver will take you to the airport tomorrow at one, where you will meet my friend Vanessa. She will be flying in from Charlotte, and you will escort her back to this hotel.” Lochlan handed her a room key. “This room, two doors down from mine, belongs to her. You will see Vanessa to her room, let her get situated, and when that is done, you and the driver will bring her to the stadium. I have sound check at two, so you will bring her in and around to the stage.”

  “I can do that,” Spencer said. “Your friend must be very excited to see you in concert.”

  “I hope so. Anything outside of the concert will be a surprise to her, so you’ll need to do as I ask without informing her of any plans.” Lochlan smiled. “This weekend, you will oversee everything having to do with Vanessa. If she needs anything, you get it. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “It’s Vanessa’s birthday weekend, so I want my friend to have a good time.”

  “I understand.” Spencer nodded. “I will take care of it.”

  “Also, later this evening you will receive a text from this number.” Lochlan handed her a piece of paper. “You will meet a guy named Corbin. Corbin will have an envelope for you.”

  “Okay.” Spencer seemed intrigued. “This all seems so exciting.”

  Lochlan smiled as she hoped Vanessa felt the same way. “When you get the envelope, you contact me and I’ll take it from you.”

  “I won’t let you down. Your friend will have an amazing time.”

  Lochlan smiled back. “Thank you. That’s all.”

  “I’m on it.” She left the room.

  Lochlan sighed as the reality set in. She was actually going to try to woo Vanessa. She felt a mixture of excitement and nerves. “Okay. Here we go.”

  ✥ ✥ ✥

  Vanessa had an amazing time with her family. Her parents had taken her and Chris to the family’s favorite Italian restaurant. They had laughed about things that were going on with them at school. Chris had met a girl a couple of months ago that he was interested in. That, of course, prompted questions from her parents, asking Vanessa if she had found a nice girl. After glancing quickly at Chris, she simply replied that she was very busy with her studies.

  When the sun came up the next morning, she wiped at her eyes as she stretched. She reached over to check the time when she saw the text alert. She clicked on the icon and smiled when she saw the message.

  I’ll be busy when you arrive, but my assistant, Spencer, will meet you at the airport and take you to your destinations. I’ll meet the two of you at the stadium where I’m playing tonight. Can’t wait to see you. Hope you had a good time with the family.

  She forced herself out of bed and went down to have breakfast with her family. Her parents hated to see the time come for Vanessa to have to leave. They hugged her good-bye and told her to be careful going back to Raleigh.

  Chris helped her load her bags into the car. “Okay, you’re ready to head out. Can I ask what your plans are?”

  “I fly out at noon, so I need to get to the airport. Other than seeing the concert, I honestly don’t know.”

  “Is this serious?”

  Vanessa laughed at the fact he was honestly expecting an answer that she hadn’t figured out herself. “I don’t know, Chris. As serious as it can be between two people who have been in a room together only twice. We’ve spent more time just talking over FaceTime and text messages than we have been face-to-face.”

  “So, you’ve only seen her twice?”

  “Today will be the third time.”

  “And she’s flying you there?” He chuckled. “Wow.”

  “I think that she’s so used to people wanting her for who she is, that when she meets someone who makes her feel that she isn’t just Lochlan Paige, she wants to be around that person.”

  “And that’s you? She wants to be around you?”

  “She’s flying me to Indy, so…”

  He laughed. “I can’t believe that you’re having this hidden thing with Lochlan freaking Paige.” He shook his head. “What is she like?”

  “Amazing.” Vanessa smiled. “She is beautiful and funny, and she is so sweet.”

  “That’s all I need to know.”

  “Chris…” Vanessa became serious. “You know you can’t tell anyone about this. This is her career. No one can know.”

  “I got it.” He pulled her into a hug. “She’s hot and famous, but you’re my sister. You’re the one I’ll do this for.”

  “Thank you.” She hugged him tightly. She was quiet a moment. “I told her about Michael.”

  He pulled back. “You never talk about Mike.” Since their brother’s death, Vanessa had been the most closed-off about him.

  “We talked about school and my specialty. He just came up.”

  “It’s good that you talked to her. You must trust her.” He took in her disposition. “I think you trust her even more than you know.”

  Vanessa sighed. “Look at us. We’re trusting each other with the things that we hold the dearest.”

  “You better get on the road. You gotta get through security.”

  “I do.” Vanessa smiled.

  “I would tell you to send Lochlan a hello for me, but…”

  “Right,” Vanessa answered. “Secret and all.”

  “Sweet Lord, my sister is dating Lochlan Paige.”

  Vanessa didn’t argue at the term, only smiling as she got into the car. “See ya later.”

  ✥ ✥ ✥

  Vanessa’s trip had gone smoothly. She had exited the terminal and saw a very bubbly redhead at baggage claim holding a sign that read Ms. Wallace. She walked over to her. “I’m Vanessa. I assume I’m with you?”

  “You are. My name is Spencer.” She took the rolling luggage from Vanessa. “I work for your friend.” Spencer seemed careful not to mention names in the crowd of people. “We have an SUV just outside that will take us to the hotel.”

  “Great.”

  “Is this your first trip to Indy?”

  “It is, yes.”

  “Well, you’ll have an exciting night.” As they approached the SUV, a man exited and took the luggage from them and placed it in the back. Spencer spoke again as they entered the vehicle. “I’m sure that you’re excited to see your friend in concert as well.”

  “I am. This will be my first.”

  Spencer’s mouth fell open. “You’ve never seen her in concert?”

  “Not a full show, no.” Vanessa squinted in embarrassment.

  “Oh, you’re in for such a treat. I’ve seen her perform every weekend for three months now. I also have seen her twice just as a fan. She is amazing in concert.”

  “I assume she is.”

  “She isn’t the highest-selling concert ticket for no reason,” Spencer said proudly.

  “I imagine not.” Vanessa smiled at Spencer, who seemed to be fangirling right before her eyes. “Well, you’ve made me even more excited now.”

  Spencer seemed giddy for her. “I’ll take you to your room and let you put your
things down, then we’ll head over to sound check where Ms. Paige is waiting.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Vanessa was shown to her room. As they passed one of the rooms, Spencer spoke. “That’s Ms. Paige’s room there.” Vanessa looked at the door. “I’m sure that she’ll go over all that with you later.” As they arrived two doors down, Spencer placed the key card in the door. “Here we are.”

  Vanessa walked into the room trying to hide her surprise, but her mouth dropped open slightly as she slowly took in the space before her. Damn, this wasn’t a typical hotel room. In fact, she was pretty sure that she could have fit their whole apartment in the sitting room of the suite. She went to the window and looked out over the city. She couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell she was doing here, and why Loc had taken to her so easily.

  Vanessa’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice beside her. “It’s an amazing view, right?” Spencer said as she placed Vanessa’s luggage in the bedroom.

  “It is.”

  “Did you notice it?”

  Vanessa was puzzled. “Notice what?”

  Spencer smiled. “I guess not.” She joined her at the window and pointed slightly to the left. “There’s the stadium.”

  Vanessa smiled as she saw the large stadium front, but her smile grew wider as she saw the billboard that faced her hotel. Amongst the changing pictures of upcoming events at the stadium, Lochlan’s picture came up. She was standing, the flawless legs that she was known for slightly spread. Her head was thrown back, mic inches from her mouth as she apparently was hitting the high pitch-perfect note, with her other hand on top of a mic stand. There was a pink banner running diagonally across the bottom of the picture that read, Sold Out. She turned to Spencer. “I think I’m about to get really excited.”

  They both laughed. “Okay. Sound check started about fifteen minutes ago. We can either head over now, or we can wait for a moment.”

  Vanessa was brought back to reality and the fact that she had been up since eight this morning, been through two airports, and it was now just after two in the afternoon. “I would like to freshen up before we go.”

  “Of course.” Spencer smiled. “I’ll just wait for you here.”

  Vanessa returned the smile and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the room, the likes of which she had only ever seen in magazines. She attached the photo to a message.

  Chris, you have to see this room. This is JUST the bedroom. Flight went well. About to head to the stadium.

  She went to the bathroom to reapply makeup and try to make her hair presentable. She was casually dressed but had made sure that she looked nice just in case she saw Lochlan before she had a chance to change. Her phone buzzed on the vanity.

  Damn it, sis. You’re sleeping with her, aren’t you?

  She laughed and could almost hear her brother doing the same as she typed the reply.

  No, I have not.

  Just before she and Spencer left the room, her phone buzzed again. She laughed at the reply from Chris.

  Maybe I should ask you that question again on Monday?

  ✥ ✥ ✥

  Vanessa and Spencer entered the back of the stadium and walked down the hallway. The halls were half occupied by the large rolling boxes that were used to transport the equipment for the bands and crew. They had been walking for quite a while when she saw an opening that showed the corner of the stage. There was no music at first, but just as they approached, she heard Lochlan laugh. “Okay, let’s try that disaster again. I’ll try to remember the words this time.”

  Just then, she and Spencer cleared the dock opening and she was looking at the back side of Lochlan. She saw her walk across the stage and over to the ramp that led to the risers of the stadium. She was singing a song that Vanessa knew well. It was one of the songs that had been released on Lochlan’s first album and was one that had climbed the chart to number one in record-breaking speed. Lochlan tapped her foot to the music and then descended the corner of the stage. She then crossed the main stage and out the walkway that extended to the middle of the floor seating area. Lochlan stopped at the end of the walkway and belted out the notes. She turned to head back down the walkway and then came their way and climbed the corner ramp to stage left. She continued to sing for a moment, then turned to make her way back to center stage. As she turned, her eyes met Vanessa’s. Her voice caught for a second but picked right back up. She smiled and waved slightly, using only her fingers.

  Vanessa returned the gesture. “Okay, she knows that you’re here,” Spencer said and turned and started to walk away. “Come with me, please.”

  Vanessa was sad that she was leaving, as it felt like she had just gotten here. “Where are we going?”

  “First off, I am not letting you see any more until tonight. I don’t want to ruin it for you.”

  The farther they walked, the quieter Loc’s voice became. Within a moment, they were in an elevator going to the first level. When the doors opened, she could hear the music again. They were walking through the level where people were working to open concessions for this evening. They slowed just in front of a long table and Spencer smiled at the woman behind it. “Hey, Jess.”

  “Hey ya, Spencer.”

  “This is Vanessa. She’s a good friend of Ms. Paige and it’s her first concert, so we need some things for her.” As Vanessa eyed the assortment of items ranging from DVDs to key chains, Spencer said, “Get me a cap and a program, and let her pick a shirt.”

  Vanessa studied the shirts on display. She was quickly drawn to the one adorned with the picture that was on the billboard outside her hotel room. It was those damned legs. “I’ll take one of those.” As Jess handed her the shirt, Vanessa smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Any time, dear. If you need anything else, you just come back up.”

  Vanessa took the bag. “I think that should do it.”

  She followed Spencer to the elevator and down the lower level hallway where they had been earlier. “Here we are.”

  Spencer knocked on the door, and when there wasn’t a sound, she opened it. The large room had two couches, a makeup mirror that was covered with lights, and two vases of flowers sitting on a table in the center of the room. “Lochlan will be done in about twenty minutes. You can wait for her here. I’ll be just outside if you need me.” She pointed to the table in the corner. “There are some treats and fruit on the table. The cooler just beside it is also full of drinks of any kind. The beer company that is one of the sponsors always has a large assortment of options, but Ms. Paige doesn’t drink, so help yourself. There are also sodas and water. You’re welcome to anything that’s there.”

  “Thank you,” Vanessa said as she made her way to one of the couches.

  “You’re welcome. If you need me, just let me know.” With that, Spencer left the room.

  Vanessa sat on the couch and went through the program that she had in the bag. She loved the cute pictures from Lochlan’s childhood. She was in awe of the young girl the photos showed standing on a stage in a Knoxville talent show. It was at that talent show that Lochlan had been discovered. Even at a young age, Lochlan was beautiful. There were photos of the Country Music Association awards that she had won multiple times. Photos of her Grammy wins over the past twelve years, and red carpet appearances with some of the most attractive men in the entertainment business. Out of nowhere, Vanessa started humming the song that she had heard Lochlan singing earlier. She was flipping through the pages, reading the bio when she heard the door to the dressing room open.

  “Oh God, please don’t look at those horrendous baby pictures.”

  Vanessa looked up to see Lochlan. “I think they’re adorable.”

  Lochlan stood just inside the door. “Hi.” She smiled.

  “Hi.”

  She sat beside Vanessa. “How was the flight?”

  “Great. No issues.”

  “Good.” Lochlan glanced over at the book
in her hands. “Reading my bio?”

  “I am.” Vanessa smiled. “Amazing the things you can learn about a person. I think everyone should carry one of these things around with them.”

  Lochlan took the book and put it back in the bag. “Tell you what, I have some food waiting for us at the hotel. Come eat dinner with me and I’ll tell you anything that you want to know about me.” Lochlan stood and Vanessa followed.

  “Food sounds great. I’m starving.”

  Just then there was a knock at the door and Jamie came in. “Hey, Loc—” Jamie stopped when she saw Vanessa. A flash of confusion showed briefly in her eyes before her professional demeanor returned.

  “Jamie, this is Vanessa Wallace.” Lochlan turned to Vanessa. “Vanessa, this is Jamie Holt. She is my right hand. My fixer of all things. I couldn’t do this without her.”

  Vanessa could tell the smile on Jamie’s face was forced. To be Lochlan’s fixer of all things, she seemed very surprised to see Vanessa. After a moment, Jamie spoke. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “You too,” Vanessa responded.

  “We’re heading over to the hotel for an early dinner.”

  Jamie looked at her watch. “It’s three now, Loc. I need you back here by six.”

  “Got it,” Lochlan said as she picked up her bag. “I’ll be at the hotel relaxing, so if you need me, that’s where I’ll be.” Jamie seemed to accept Lochlan’s unspoken message. Vanessa assumed it was Lochlan’s polite way of saying she was done with the conversation.

  Chapter Five

  Lochlan and Vanessa entered a hotel room that featured a beautifully decorated table in the center of the room. Ornate place settings, sparkling utensils, and a vase of fresh flowers stood on a spotless white tablecloth. Lochlan picked up the phone and spoke into it. “Yes. This is room 1504. We’re ready for dinner.” She returned the phone to its receiver after a quick “thank you.” She turned to Vanessa, who stood in front the window. “It’s a good view.”

  Vanessa turned to her. “It is.” She smiled. “I love that billboard, by the way.”