Starring Me

by Krista McGee

  “Thank you so much.” A baby on one hip and two other boys attached to her legs, Mrs. Miller looked like she would topple over at any moment.

  “When Pastor Greg called and said someone had paid for an apartment”—Mrs. Miller began to cry—“I was just about at the end of my rope. I was praying this morning for some help. I didn’t think I could go on.”

  “One thing we know is that God answers prayer.” Dad held his arms out to the baby. “We are glad to be used by him to help you.”

  “We haven’t been formally introduced.” With the baby safe in Dad’s arms, Mrs. Miller was able to take Mom’s outstretched hand. “I’m Maria Beacon, and this is my husband, Bill, and my son, Chad.”

  “Of course. I know who you are.” Mrs. Miller smiled and invited the family into the tiny room. Two double beds crowded the space. A chair was butted against the window and one small suitcase lay on the dresser. “I’m Karen Miller. My husband, Allan, is at work right now. But this is Allan Jr. We call him A.J.”

  The five-year-old stood next to his mother, his big brown eyes staring up at Chad.

  “How are you, buddy?” Chad knelt so he could be at eye level with the boy. “My name is Chad. My parents are going to let me have a playdate with you today. What do you think about that?”

  A.J. looked at his mother. When she smiled, A.J. nodded. “Can Robby come too?”

  Chad looked at the three-year-old, who was flashing a wide grin at Chad. “I wike bafeball.”

  “I like baseball too, Robby.” Chad laughed. “Maybe we can pick up a ball on our way out.”

  Dad tickled the baby. “And who is this little guy?”

  Robby pulled on Dad’s shirt. “That’s my brover.”

  “Is he your brother?” Dad looked down at Robby. “Are you sure? I thought this was your dad.”

  “No.” Robby giggled.

  “Your uncle?”

  “No.”

  “Your pet turtle?”

  A.J. stepped out from beside his mother. “He’s our little brother, mister.”

  “Well, if you both say he’s your brother”—Dad looked at the baby again—“then I guess he must be.”

  Chad looked at the boys. “You’ll have to excuse my dad, kids. He’s old. Sometimes he gets confused.”

  The adults shared a laugh while A.J. and Robby looked at Dad with suspicion.

  “All right now,” Mom said. “We have a busy day. You boys ready to see your new place?”

  “Yeah,” Robby and A.J. yelled. The baby joined in with a squeal.

  Karen Miller was able to gather all her belongings in just five minutes. Chad watched as she placed everything she owned into the one suitcase in the room. The apartment complex was south of Orlando. Janet White was a longtime friend of the Beacons. They had been part of the same small-group Bible study for years, and Janet’s husband, Dan, ran a marketing firm that his parents used to advertise their oranges.

  “We’re going to wiv dere?” Robby pressed his face against the SUV’s window.

  Mrs. Miller patted her son’s head. “Not in all of that. Just a part.”

  The apartment community had a gate at the entrance. Once they passed that, the boys saw the huge pool and play area.

  “I wanna go there,” A.J. said quietly.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” Chad smiled. “Me too.”

  “Chad will watch the boys while we go shopping and get you settled,” Mom said to Karen.

  “Oh, are you sure?”

  “Of course,” Dad said. “Chad is great with kids.”

  “But he’s a big star.”

  “Today he’s just a young man wanting to help,” Mom said.

  “Really.” Chad pinched baby Trevor’s cheeks. “I love kids. It’s my pleasure to get to spend a day with these guys.”

  Karen Miller wiped her eyes. “Thank you. Are you sure you can handle all three?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Chad said. “Don’t worry. I won’t take my eyes off them.”

  The afternoon went by faster than Chad had expected. He and the boys went to the pool, to the playground, and back to the pool. The older boys loved having Chad throw them into the deep end. The baby sat in a float and laughed as his brothers begged to “go higher.” Chad enjoyed watching their faces light up. But keeping three young boys entertained was exhausting. He was relieved to see his parents wave him over to the apartment at five o’clock.

  “The Millers have invited us to dinner.” Dad opened the door for Chad and the boys.

  “Wow.” Robby looked into the apartment, his eyes wide. “This is awesome.”

  “I want to see your room.” Chad turned to A.J.

  “Where is my room, Mama?” A.J. asked.

  “I think you should try to find it yourself,” Karen said with a smile.

  A.J. darted through the living room and down the hall. He peered in the first room. “Hey, those beds are too little for me.”

  “You’re right.” Chad stood behind the little boy and looked at the room. A crib was on one wall, a toddler bed on the other.

  “Thomas the Tank Engine.” Robby ran past Chad and A.J. to the toddler bed. “Dat’s my favowite!”

  His wall was filled with prints of Thomas and Friends. His comforter matched the prints, and a table with Thomas trains and tracks sat below the window. Robby sat by the table and began playing.

  “I think Robby found his room.” Chad gazed down at A.J. “But where’s yours, buddy?”

  A.J. looked at the room across the hall from his brothers’. “That’s not mine.”

  The master bedroom was spacious. A queen-sized bed filled the center of the room, with a dresser and chest of drawers against the walls.

  “Maybe you’ll have to sleep outside in the pool,” Chad said.

  A.J. looked at Chad and frowned.

  “Oh, wait,” Chad said. “I see one more room down there.”

  A.J. ran to look in the last bedroom. “This is mine! And it’s got baseball stuff everywhere.”

  Chad walked in and saw a twin bed topped with a baseball quilt, pictures of baseball players on the walls, and a shelf with baseball caps above the dresser.

  “I even have my own bat and glove.” A.J. pointed to the spot beside the door where the equipment hung.

  “Awesome,” Chad said. “Maybe we can go throw the baseball a little before dinner.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Mom said.

  Chad and A.J. stayed outside until their mothers called them in. The dinner, spaghetti with garlic bread and a Caesar salad, was delicious, and the little boys were asleep before the Millers could serve the chocolate cake Karen had made for dessert.

  “We can’t thank you enough,” Allan Miller said after tucking A.J. into his new bed for the night. “This is so generous.”

  “We just helped get you in and get you set up,” Mom said. “And it was a joy to be able to do that. You have a beautiful family.”

  Karen Miller wiped her eyes. “Thank you. And thank you, Chad. My boys had such a great day. You have no idea how difficult the last week has been for all of us. This is the first time I’ve really seen them happy since the fire.”

  “I should thank you.” Chad smiled. “And if it’s all right, I’ll come back again. Maybe you guys can go out one night and I’ll watch the boys.”

  “I’d love that.” Allan winked at his wife. “Wouldn’t you, dear?”

  “Chad Beacon, babysitting our sons?” Karen laughed. “That is something.”

  The families said good-bye, and a fatigued Beacon threesome got back in their car to drive home.

  “That was great,” Chad said. “Thanks.”

  “Better than the recording session?”

  “So much better.” Chad laughed.

  Chapter 21

  Today I’m taking you to the set of Morgan’s Road,” Ashley Win informed the girls the next morning. She had arrived at the house at eight o’clock. Most of the girls weren’t even awake. Kara, an early bird, had been
up, had her morning jog and shower, and was just sitting down to breakfast.

  “Morgan’s Road?” Sophie asked. “I love that show. Will we get to meet the cast?”

  The other girls all talked at once about the teen show, a soap opera–type drama on a popular teen network.

  “I’ve seen every episode.”

  “Will we be on it?”

  “I want to do a scene with Zach.”

  “No way, he’s mine.”

  “Not with that big old pimple on your face. He’ll take one look and go running.”

  “Girls.” Ashley silenced the girls with a wave of her hand. “You are auditioning to star in a show that will be just as, if not more, popular than Morgan’s Road. Don’t get star-struck. You’ll be performing a scene with the actors from that show, just as if you were starring with them. It will be taped. Just like your scene with Devlin, this will be shown on television too.”

  “When?” Anna Grace asked. “When I did The Book of Love, our episodes were shown that same week.”

  “This is not a reality TV show.” Ashley folded her arms. “This is a television show that will, hopefully, be on for years. Your auditions will be aired the month leading up to the show’s premiere. The premiere is scheduled for the first week of October.”

  “She’s already told us that.” Haley looked at the petite blonde. “Pay attention once in a while.”

  “Enough.” Ashley tapped the screen on her phone. “We begin at ten o’clock. The van will be pulling out of the driveway at nine thirty.”

  “That’s not enough time to get ready.” Zoey ran her fingers through her curly brown hair.

  “That’s all the time you get,” Ashley said.

  “It’ll be fine.” Jillian smiled at the girls. “We can do this.”

  Flora, sitting in the back of the room, stood. “We have six bathrooms. Let’s make a sign-up sheet for each one, and that will allow each girl to have thirty minutes in a bathroom. That will be . . .”

  The girls, ignoring Flora, ran for their rooms. Doors slammed. Ashley walked out, leaving Jillian and Kara standing with Flora.

  “I thought it was a good idea, Flora,” Jillian said.

  “These girls don’t listen.” Flora shook her head.

  “Don’t worry about them.” Kara hugged the smaller woman. “You’re the best housemother I’ve ever had.”

  “Have you had other housemothers, Kara?” Flora asked.

  “No, I was being silly.” Kara laughed. “But even if I’d had others, you’d still be the best.”

  “I’m not sure how you could come to that conclusion, based on such hypothetical assumptions.”

  Jillian grabbed Flora’s hand. “Don’t mind Kara. We all think you’re great. The other girls are just focused on getting this part. Too focused on that, if you ask me. I think there are more important things in life than that.”

  “Do you, Jillian?” Flora smiled. Kara walked out slowly, listening to the conversation. “Like what?”

  “Like God.”

  “Are you a believer?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I sure am.”

  “Well, isn’t that wonderful.” Flora patted Jillian’s hand. “I’d love to hear your testimony.”

  “Of course,” Jillian said, her voice sounding strained. “But right now, I really should get ready.”

  “Oh yes. You do that. Have a good time now.”

  The girls barely made the nine thirty deadline. By the time Kara got to her room, Haley was in the bathroom. Of course. Once again, Kara was forced to put her makeup on in her bedroom, opening the blinds to let in more light and holding her compact out at arm’s length to check her hair. Haley waltzed out of their bathroom at 9:25, freshly showered, her hair and makeup perfect.

  “You could have let me in the bathroom to fix my hair.” Kara threw her compact in her purse.

  Haley looked at Kara. “I could have.”

  “I knocked a dozen times.”

  “I know.”

  “Well?”

  “What are you upset about? You look fine.” Haley put her makeup bag in the dresser drawer.

  That was the closest her roommate had come to a compliment, so Kara chose to smile and say thanks.

  The ride to the studio was silent. The girls were either texting or listening to their iPods. Kara glanced over at Ava’s cell phone. “Agent Kelly” was advising her to befriend the stars on Morgan’s Road.

  “Stop looking at my phone.” Ava covered the screen with her hand.

  Kara sighed.

  Sitting next to her, Kylie had her eyes closed. Kara knew from their oh-so-brief conversations that the girl was mentally preparing for the audition.

  Kara decided she’d close her eyes too. No one in the van needed to know it was out of sheer boredom.

  As soon as the vans pulled up, the girls scrambled over each other to get out and greet the waiting stars. The five teen celebrities hugged each girl as she introduced herself. Kara waited at the end of the line. She noticed Flora pulled into a parking space at the corner of the lot.

  “You’re Kara McKormick,” Paige Hanson, Morgan of Morgan’s Road, said when Kara reached her.

  “I am.” Kara extended her hand.

  “I loved you on The Book of Love,” she said.

  “Wow, thanks.” Kara smiled. “I’m excited to be here.”

  “Come on in,” Paige said. “I’ll show you around.”

  The other girls, most of them vying for the attention of Zach Stone, the show’s handsome costar, were ahead of Kara and Paige.

  “You’ll love it here,” Paige said. “And you’ll be great. You were a natural in The Book of Love.”

  Paige showed Kara the dressing rooms and the set. She introduced her to their director and stage manager.

  Wow, a down-to-earth star. What a nice change.

  “And there’s Ashley Win.” Paige pointed to the small woman walking into the building.

  “Oh yes.” Kara winced. “I know her.”

  “She talks tough, but she’s really a sweetheart once you get to know her. She just has to be like that for auditions. Once you’re in, though, she’s great.”

  “Let’s hope I get to see that side of her.” Kara looked across the room as several of the other girls roared in laughter at something Zach said.

  Paige looked at Kara and must have guessed what was going on in her mind. “Everything is better once the auditions are over. Trust me. When you’re in a show together, the cast really does become like a little family.”

  Paige’s assurance gave Kara hope.

  Ashley gathered the girls in the green room as the show’s stars went into their dressing rooms to prepare for their day’s work.

  “All right,” Ashley said. “This is a little different from your last audition because you’ll be working with two actors, not just one. We want to see how you interact with the other actors. And Morgan’s Road is a drama, so we’ll be looking at how you can perform in that arena.”

  “But isn’t our show going to be a comedy-sketch show? ” Haley tossed her perfect curls behind her shoulder.

  “You don’t have a show.” Ashley walked over to Haley, her stiletto heels clicking with each step. “If you ever hope to have one, you better show that you can perform in any venue, any style, under any circumstances.”

  The door opened, and the man Kara recognized as the stage manager brought in a handful of scripts.

  “Thanks, Randy.” Ashley smiled and took the scripts from him. “We don’t have as much time as we did with Devlin. The Morgan’s Road actors have graciously agreed to give us their morning. I purposefully didn’t give you the scripts until now because I want to see how you do with just a few minutes to memorize your lines.”

  The girls gasped.

  “There will be monitors on the sides of the stage with your lines on them,” Ashley said. “But you can’t be attached to those. It will be obvious.”

  “This isn’t fair,” Gina said. “You’re just rewarding
those who can memorize quickly.”

  Ashley looked down at Gina. “This is fair, my dear. And this is show business. If it’s too tough, then go home. I can guarantee you there are plenty of other girls who won’t complain.”

  Gina opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

  “All right, then,” Ashley said. “I will give you your script ten minutes before your audition. You must stay in here and wait for your turn so no one sees the scenes and comes in with an advantage.”

  Flora entered with a tray full of fruits, vegetables, and cheese. “I’ve got snacks so you won’t go hungry.”

  “Thank you, Flora,” Ashley said. “We’ll go in reverse alphabetical order today. So, Zoey, you’re up.”

  Kara ran through the list of girls in her head. Zoey, Sophie, Kylie, me. Fourth. Not bad. Enough time to mentally prepare, not so much time that I go crazy. I can handle that.

  Ashley left the room with Zoey and the girls began to gripe.

  “This is ridiculous,” Gina said. “None of the Morgan’s Road cast is given a script a few minutes before performance.”

  “How do you know?” Kara asked. “Maybe they are.”

  “That’s not how it works.”

  Anna Grace walked up to Gina. “And you’re an expert? ”

  “This isn’t my first audition.” Gina pursed her lips.

  “Well, it may be your last,” Anna Grace said, “if you keep mouthing off to Ashley like that. Actually, never mind that. Keep it up. You’re digging your own grave. One less competitor for me to have to beat out.”

  “This is about our acting abilities.” Gina took a step closer to Anna Grace.

  “Strike two.”

  Jillian stepped between Gina and Anna Grace, her eyes on Flora. “All right, girls. No need to get upset. We’re all tense. This is nerve wracking. But getting angry at each other won’t make us audition any better.”

  Anna Grace walked away. “Whatever. You’re not worth it. None of you are.”

  The room grew silent and remained so as the minutes ticked on. Sophie was called out twenty minutes later, then Kylie. The girls didn’t return once they performed. They could, though. Kara looked around the room. If Ashley is worried that they might tell us what the scene is like, she’s crazy. They’d be more likely to make up some stuff just to throw the rest of us off.