Fame & Consequences

by Reese A. Stephens

  Fame & Consequences

  By

  Reese A. Stephens

  Copyright All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  First Printing, 2018

  ISBN (eBook): 978-1-7320977-5-9

  ISBN (paperback): 978-1-7320977-6-6

  Tampa, Florida

  Copyright © 2018 Winyan Press, LLC

  Cover Art © Alex Marin

  Dedication

  To my lifelong friends Bonnie, Jessica, and Jeanette, who’ve been through more than they deserved this past year. I love you guys and pray for God’s miraculous healing for your kids and families daily. I know that through these hardships something beautiful will come.

  Preface

  I wrote Fame and Consequences about seven years ago. It was actually the first book I completed. In the original version of the story, there are three books! Being the first thing I’d written, there was a lot of filler and not a lot of plot, so I decided to use the characters, but take it into a totally different direction.

  This story is a complete departure from my suspense stories. In fact, my editor had to keep reminding me that it was okay that it wasn’t high on suspense and that I could focus on the romance, with the main plot I had devised. That was something I definitely wasn’t used too. HaHa. I didn’t feel these characters needed to be in a steamy romance. I wanted this story to be more than the physical, but still tell a love story, that people will love. I was intrigued by the idea of a Sweet Romance and what that would look like. I feel like these guys were perfect for that.

  So that’s it for now. I hope that you will enjoy reading this story as much as I did writing it. These two aren’t perfect but they are perfect for each other.

  Acknowledgement

  Winyan Press, LLC would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions on Fame & Consequences.

  Leeanne Lemaster, Proofreader

  Alex Marin, Graphic Artist/Illustrator

  Amanda Rash, copy editor

  Tawa Witko, developmental editor

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Preface

  Acknowledgement

  Prologue

  1 Interview

  2 College Friend

  3 Insecurities

  4 Leaked

  5 Home

  6 Meeting the Family

  7 Carter

  8 Sunrise Disaster

  9 Cabins & Airplanes

  10 Front Page

  11 Wake Up America

  12 White Light

  13 Testing Waters

  14 Punches and Freedom

  15 Leaving

  16 The Journey Begins

  17 RV Woes

  18 Not Again

  19 Is it over?

  20 Regrets

  21Jarring

  22 Busted

  23 Trouble Waits

  24 Past Revisted

  25 Misconstrued

  26 Confrontation

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  About the Author

  WP Contact Information

  Other Works of Fiction

  Prologue

  Throughout my life I only wanted one thing, to make my parents proud. They’d passed away when I was a child. I didn’t get to know them like my brothers had, but my family always reassured me that they’d be proud of me. Right now, I’m not so sure. All the consequences that fame is bringing, is making me question if it’s really worth it. I might just tuck tail and run back to my little corner of Mississippi.

  1 Interview

  A year ago, if you would have told me I’d be standing here today, I would have laughed in your face. Even now, as I stand here ready to walk out on that stage, it feels like a dream. I shouldn’t be here. I’m not at this point in my life. Am I?

  Gentle hands shake my shoulders back and forth. “Take a deep breath and relax.” Obeying, even though it does nothing to settle my nerves. I open my eyes and peer into Elijah’s hazel-grey orbs.

  “I can’t do this.” My voice shakes.

  He sighs, in exasperation I’m sure, and rubs his hands up and down my arms. “Sophie, you can do this. You’ll be fine. I’ll be with you the whole time.”

  “But, what if I say something I’m not supposed to? This is live TV; you can’t take it back.” I groan as my stomach lurches. I’m going to be sick.

  “Mr. Stone, you have two minutes,” a small woman with a clipboard and headset tells him. He nods then turns back.

  “Suck it up. You can do this.” The authority in his voice makes me smile.

  To the world, Elijah Stone may seem like a quiet and reserved guy, who has everything in his life mapped out and perfect, and he does. But, to those of us who know him well, we realize that underneath that quiet, reserved exterior is a passionate, caring man who would walk through heaven or hell for those he loves. He does have a downfall, he’s exceptionally unorganized without his assistant, and he likes to assume he’s in complete control of his world. We who love him let him continue in his delusion.

  “I’ll be okay. You better get ready.” I smile to let him know I’m fine. It doesn’t fool him though.

  He rests his forehead on mine as he takes my hands into his, kissing them. “Listen, my little brown-eyed girl, you can do this. You have nothing to fear. I’ll help you. I’m here for you. I’ll even hold your hand out there, if it will help.”

  He tucks loose wisps of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead. I love it when he does that. Forehead kisses are the best and completely turn me into goo. I expect he knows this and uses it to his advantage. No, I know he knows this, his smirk is telling.

  “No, we agreed, our private life should be private. We’re hounded enough.” I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek.

  “Mr. Stone, we have thirty seconds,” the same girl says.

  “Go, Mr. Stone. I’ll be with you soon.”

  He cups my face, then leaves me to head out on stage as he’s being announced by Lesley Winters, America’s number one daytime talk show host. I suppose you could say that this is my debut into the world of television. I wrote a few books recently, and somehow they made it onto the New York Times’ bestsellers list. They were in the top ten for nearly two months. I’ve even won a few awards for them. Suddenly, everyone everywhere wanted to interview me, or ask me about them. I had signings all across America and in other countries as well. It’s been surreal and overwhelming. All of this has brought me here today, my first television appearance. I’m so thankful that Elijah could be here with me.

  As these things go, Elijah is the big crowd pleaser, so they have him go on first. After all, he does have a movie coming out soon. When he’s done, I’ll come out, and we’ll discuss my books and them becoming movies, which is Elijah’s first production project. There’s been tons of speculation on our relationship because of this. He had ended a year long, high profile romance with actress Keira Martin not long after he was seen with me, and it was assumed he was cheating. It was, in fact, not due to cheating at all. She wanted a man to shower her with things, and though Elijah is very generous, he couldn’t keep up with her demands. So, they parted as friends. They probably have the cleanest break-up story ever told. Elijah and I have chosen not to say anything on the dating matter, because, I have nothing to do with their demise. I glance at Elijah on stage one more time before heading to my dressing room. I need the quiet to calm my nerves. This is the next step in my journey, comfortab
le or not, but I know with Elijah by my side, I’ll be fine.

  A faint knock on my door precedes a timid voice. “Miss Parker?” says a young girl with brilliant blonde hair standing at my dressing room door.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Stacey, I need to do your makeup for the set.”

  “Oh, okay. Come in.” We shake hands, and she sets to work.

  After a few moments of silence, Stacey says, “I read your books. They’re wonderful!”

  I take a steady breath. Not that I’m nervous about speaking to her about my books; no, I do that all the time. I’m so nervous about being in front of a billion people on live TV, talking about myself and my work.

  “Thanks. I’ll sign them for you, if you want.” I offer.

  I don’t understand the whole signing thing, but I do it. It blows my mind that people want my signature or that having my little Jane Hancock on my books might make them more valuable one day.

  “Oh, really? That would be so awesome! Mr. Stone signed my makeup kit. He’s so sweet. You guys make a great couple. I don’t care what anyone says, you’re way better than that other chick.” Her hands work wildly through my hair as she speaks. Her mannerism reminds me of someone talking with an old friend, not a stranger one has just met.

  “Um … Stacey, I’m not comfortable talking about Mr. Stone, or his relationships.” I do try to be polite.

  “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. Forgive me, that was terribly unprofessional.” She looks abashed, and I feel bad for crushing her mood.

  I clear my throat. “It’s okay.”

  It doesn’t take her long to finish up and leave me to fret until it's my turn. I catch the tail end of Elijah’s interview on the small TV screen in my dressing room. He looks great out there. Elijah is gorgeous, tall, great hair, perfect doe brown eyes. To me, looks aren’t important. He’s a natural with people, and has Lesley Winters eating out of his hands.

  I can see now why he suggested her for my first interview. She’s friendly and funny with the perfect amount of seriousness. Plus, she has a genuine interest in me. She had contacted me not long after my books hit the top ten for an interview, but I wasn’t ready. She wanted my life story, more than to promote my books. I didn’t want the tragedy in my life to be what pushed me to fame, not that it would. I wanted my work to be what people considered when they read my name, not the tragic tale of an orphan girl. However, to some degree, my life circumstances have pushed me into the limelight anyway.

  I stare back at the screen where Elijah is sitting, listening to Lesley explain about his new movie before they watch the clip. His dark hair flops into his face and he brushes it away. His hair is one of my favorite features. It’s long on top, and slightly wavy and dark, with a bit of a white skunk spot on the top left side of his head. He hates it, but it’s him. It plays perfectly with his lightly tanned, complexion.

  “Miss Parker, we’re ready for you,” clipboard girl tells me. I nod and follow her to my place behind the curtain.

  Stacey checks me over again, squeezing my arm lightly. “You’re going to do great.”

  “Thanks.” I smile warmly. She is sweet even if she rambles about things that are none of her business.

  I barely hear Lesley announce me before clipboard girl shoves me out into the spotlight. I did a walk-through before the show so I know where to go and what to do. However, I didn’t ask how I should greet my boyfriend. We’ve not confirmed or denied anything to the public. It’s not that we are trying to hide anything; it’s just not their business.

  I walk over to Lesley, she gives me the customary hug and kisses my cheek. I do the same, then smile uneasily at Elijah. He’s clapping and smiling brightly. Lesley motions me into position beside Elijah.

  He must sense my unease, because he wraps his arms around me in a slight hug and says, “You’re doing great. You look beautiful.” He kisses my cheek then we settle into our seats. I feel more relaxed sitting. Everyone is cheering. I know they’re told to, but it still makes me more at ease.

  “Thank you, thank you. Let’s get this show on the road,” Lesley says, laughing, waving the excited audience to sit down. She takes a sip of her water, crosses her legs with flare. “Sophia, nice to meet you.”

  “You as well,” I say, smiling. I adjust my skirt, crossing my left leg over my right. Elijah is sitting close to me on the couch. I can feel his warmth, but he's not touching me. It’s comforting.

  “You look gorgeous. I love your outfit!” She waves her hand to my form, several people in the audience cat whistle.

  I blush. “Thanks.”

  “Who’s the designer?” she asks.

  I glance down, embarrassed, and smooth my skirt out a little. “Um … me?” I don’t know why it comes out as a question.

  “You? You designed your outfit?” Lesley asks. I assume she’s genuinely impressed.

  I nod. “Yeah, my grans was a seamstress, and she taught me everything she knows. I’ve been making a lot of my clothes since I was a teenager.”

  “Wow! Multi-talented. I’m impressed. It looks beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” My skirt is black with a lace overlay that comes to the bottom of my thighs, with a silver, glittery belt, and a ruffled purple sleeveless top. My brown naturally curly hair is left down and flat-ironed stick straight.

  “Well, I for one am excited to have you on the show today!” She turns to the audience. “Who else is excited?” The audience cheers, and I blush. Elijah chuckles. Lesley settles them down, then turns back to me. “As you know, I’ve been trying to get you on here for a while.” She raises a perfectly groomed eyebrow at me.

  I raise my hands in surrender. “I know,” I say, faux wincing.

  She grins. “Well, you’re here now, and it seems like I have even more info to get out of you.” She throws her head back laughing.

  I chuckle, but my insides are doing somersaults. I know what she’ll ask, as the whole thing is scripted, but Elijah warned me that sometimes they go way off script, and it has me worried.

  “Oh, no,” I murmur nervous. Elijah brushes my hip with his finger; I relax slightly. He won’t let her get far without stepping in on my behalf.

  “I want to talk about your book and subsequently the movie, but I’d like to start with telling everyone a little about you.” I nod. “You did a magazine interview recently, where you talk about your family.” I nod again as I listen. I’m forgetting about the audience. It’s more like I’m having a conversation with a friend. “Tell us a little about yourself.”

  I smile, feeling the telltale sign of a blush rising on my cheeks. “There’s not much to tell. I grew up in Mississippi with my twin brothers, my grandparents and great uncle, all my family really. We’re a pretty close-knit group. My mom and dad were teen parents, but passed away when I was young.”

  “That’s terrible. What happened to them?”

  “Car accident. There was a flood and their car was washed into the river,” I say, trying to suppress the tears I feel forming. It was a long time ago, but it still hurts. I avoid thinking about it as much as possible. Elijah moves his hand and gives mine a gentle squeeze. I smile at him in appreciation.

  “Oh my. And your grandparents raised the three of you?”

  I nod. “They did, along with my grandpa’s twin brother. He moved in when I was probably eight. His wife passed, and he didn’t like living alone, his kids were grown and out of the house by then.”

  “Sounds like you had a loving family. Did they support your desire to write?”

  “Yes, actually. My uncle Cliff, he’s the one who lived with us, was a writer. He stuck to poetry, but he told the best stories. I guess that’s where my love of writing started.”

  “Well, we are certainly glad you pursued that path. Your stories are fabulous. Am I right, guys?” The audience cheers and screams.

  I smile and mouth a ‘thank you’ to them all.

  Lesley turns to the camera. “We’ll take a short break and be back in a moment to
talk to Elijah and Sophia about their upcoming movie project.” We go to commercial.

  Elijah leans over and whispers in my ear, “You’re doing great, baby.”

  I glance at him and smile. “Thanks. I don’t feel as nervous.”

  “You’re doing wonderful!” Lesley confirms. We chat about nothing important, and before I know it, the cameras are rolling again.

  “We’re back with Elijah Stone and Sophia Parker. Now, I’ve heard that you two had an interesting 'Meet Cute'. Will you tell us about it?” Lesley asks.

  I peer at Elijah and laugh. He smiles. “Go ahead, tell the world how head over heels you were for me.” He laughs then winks at me.

  I giggle and straighten my skirt nervously. I hope I don’t mess up. “Um, I like to refer to our meeting as a ‘Meet Stupid’ not a ‘Meet Cute’,” I say.

  Lesley’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, do tell!”

  I laugh again and the crowd cheers loudly. I can’t believe this. It’s absolutely nuts. “Oh, okay.” I look out at the couple hundred people who have come for today’s show and shake my head. I lean in a little closer to Elijah. “I can’t believe they care.”

  “I know. I know,” he says, chuckling.

  “So, we were both on the same flight to Australia about a year ago. I was running a bit late and was rushing to get to my seat. I’m terrified of flying.” The crowd laughs. “So, of course, I trip and fall. I’m not sure how I managed it, but my laptop bag bonks Elijah on the head and my overnight bag goes soaring off in front of me as I sprawl in the aisle. The attendant helps me up as I hear him,” I point to Elijah, “ordering two tequilas. I think nothing of it and finally get settled in my seat. I don’t bother looking at him or anyone. I’m mortified by this point. So, I ignore everyone and start breathing real deeply, counting, and chanting to myself that I’ll be all right, to calm myself. Elijah is laughing beside me, but I pay him no attention, until he sets the little bottle of liquor in front of me and tells me to drink.”