It Will Always Be You
By
L.C. Zingera
Starlight Walk Series #1
Each book in the Starlight Walk Series is a complete story with no cliffhangers. The main characters from each book will often make appearances as secondary characters in future books.
Book Description
It Will Always Be You
(Starlight Walk Series #1)
When Regan Jordan and her best friend Elsie acquired tickets to their all-time favorite TV talk show ‘The Lundquist Hour’ on their summer vacation to Madison City, they had no idea it would be a life-changing event.
When special guest, Broadway legend and music superstar Loretta Lindstrom unexpectedly leaves the show early, host Thorndike Lundquist must find a way to fill the remainder of the hour. With his well-known easygoing charm he turns to the audience, filling the remaining time by taking heartfelt pleas from those seeking either a lost love or their birth parents, and some aspiring talent.
Regan, at Elsie’s urging gets up to sing. She has been compared by friends and family to Loretta, for years. Though she has never taken any of it seriously; she’s a receptionist, singing is something she does for fun. But Regan’s tribute to Loretta is amazing, and Vance, Thorne’s producer, knows the viewing audience will want to see more of her.
Regan, who is sweet, but also very headstrong and independent, becomes an overnight sensation. With the help of Thorne and her long-time idol and new friend Loretta Lindstrom, she embarks upon a journey to stardom. Regan finds herself falling for the handsome talk show host, but though he is kind, Thorne is also domineering…
Copyright 2012 by L.C. Zingera.
No part of this book may be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Chapter One
Regan Jordan slowly opened one eye, peering around the unfamiliar room as the morning sun seeped through a chink in the otherwise tightly closed curtains to cascade over her features. She was alone, in an unfamiliar bed. Tossing away the last vestiges of sleep, she sat up. She was on vacation! She hugged her knees before happily throwing herself back against the pillows of her scrumptiously soft hotel bed. The next two weeks were hers to do as she pleased. On the nightstand sat the two dreamed of tickets to The Lundquist Hour, her favorite TV show of all time. They had not been easy to get, despite the fact the show offered free tickets to all its tapings. But this one was special, this one had her favorite star of stage and screen, Loretta Lindstrom, as today’s special guest. And maybe if they were lucky, Loretta would sing for them. People often said that she—Regan, sounded just like her, they were wrong of course, no one could sing like Loretta, but even to be compared...the door burst open and in sprang Elsie, her best friend and traveling companion. Elsie never did anything quietly or slowly. She was like an excited, over-caffeinated jumping bean. She been out for a run while Regan was sleeping in, hopefully she’d burned off a little energy.
“You’re up! Great! I’m starved. Let’s go out for breakfast...no wait, you’re not dressed!” Elsie rolled her eyes, “Let’s order room service.”
“You order room service while I shower and dress,” chuckled Regan. One thing Elsie was never lacking in was enthusiasm. That’s why she was the perfect friend to spend this much awaited vacation with. She was chipper, fun, easygoing, and a complete optimist.
Regan whipped off into the bathroom, for a long warm shower as Elsie picked up the phone, grinning as she imagined what decadent culinary delights Elsie would order up for breakfast. Elsie’s sweet tooth was legendary! They’d saved and penny pinched for this vacation for so long, they planned to enjoy it to the fullest.
A delicious aroma filled the air as Regan returned to the bedroom. Elsie sat at the small dining table, staring at the breakfast spread with childlike delight.
“Fresh strawberries, cream, warm croissants with butter and boysenberry preserves, cafe latte, some extra espresso on the side…orange juice, and a small tray of assorted chocolates. I restrained myself!” she grinned up at her friend.
Regan’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Not by much!” She sat down eagerly picking up a juicy strawberry in one hand and a croissant in the other. “That’s what I like about you, Elsie, you know just how far to go. Though honestly… I’m not sure you need the extra espresso!”
Elsie grinned. She was not plump, just nicely curved. She liked to eat and managed to exercise frequently enough not to have to worry too much about it. Fortunately, in her enthusiasm she usually carried Regan along to the gym with her. She really should have been a cheerleader or a work-out coach.
In appearance they were total opposites. Elsie kept her sandy blonde hair short while Regan’s soft brown hair was long. Elsie was petite at five feet two, Regan, though only five feet six, appeared to tower over her tiny friend. Elsie’s eyes were brown, and Regan’s blue. But they did have one thing in common besides their generous but well-toned curves—a very healthy love of good food.
“We have all the major food groups here,” Elsie informed her cheerfully, tucking into their feast. When Regan gave her a doubtful look she counted on her small fingers, “Dairy, fruit, carbohydrates…and caffeine.” She gave her a mischievous grin.
“We’re practically health nuts,” Regan observed dryly.
***
Thorndike Lundquist paced the long hallway of his TV production studio and slipped the cell phone back into his inside pocket. Of all the days for anything to go wrong, this was positively the worst. Lighting problems, staff shortages, and difficult stars. Murphy’s law seemed to be modus operandi for the day. Even the weather seemed to be changing along with the mood in the studio. The day had started out fine and sunny and taken a sudden downturn around noon into drizzle and gloom.
“Mr. Lundquist...Miss Lindstrom is here...” Jenny, the young Girl Friday stepped back a couple of paces at the furious look on his face. Quickly he forced a smile, if there was one thing he would not do, it was kill the messenger because he didn’t like the message.
“She’s not meant to be here for another hour at least.”
“Yes, sir, but she says she has a full schedule and wants to ‘get on with it’.”
That didn’t sound promising. He felt his spine stiffen with irritation as he walked slowly toward the green room.
“Oh, there you are!” Loretta Lindstrom, A-list star and songbird extraordinaire turned away from the window handing him the leash to her wheezing pug.
Unsure what she expected him to do with it, he took it. The pug sat looking up at him expectantly with its bulbous brown eyes, pink tongue lolling sideways. “Someone needs to walk him.”
“We’re a little short staffed,” he murmured. He’d heard good things and very bad things about this woman. She had the voice of an angel and apparently the personality of a termagant. The dog though, was a sweet looking thing. He called Jenny, his Girl Friday back in.
“Jenny, if you could just take and walk…” He raised his eyebrows in question.
“Rugly,” Loretta supplied.
Rugly looked hopefully up at Jenny, who immediately began crooning baby talk to him as he waddled after her down the hall, his small claws clicking as he went.
“Let’s get on with it then.”
“Sorry, Miss Lindstrom, but we don’t go on the air for another two hours.”
“You tape the show!” she reminded him vehemently. “Your audience is already here, your pre-show warm up guys are out there right now!”
“Yes, but we go live to Chicago.”
“As if rerun
ning the damn thing an hour later would kill you!” she spat. “Your audience will be half bored to tears by then! They’re fresh now...and so am I!”
“Is there a problem? Are you unwell?”
“Do I look unwell?”
Thorne knew better than to answer that.
“I hate live TV,” she admitted abruptly.
Thorne bit back the obvious question—why had she agreed to do his show if she didn’t want to? She was world famous, she could be on any TV show, anytime she chose. Any host would boot off any less important star to showcase Loretta Lindstrom. She must really want to be here. He was number one in his time slot.
“Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable while you wait, Miss Lindstrom?” he asked politely.
“Yes. Get out.”
Thorne left the room without another word, just as Jenny returned with Rugly, her eyebrows rose at his ominous expression. “I’ll see you in my office in five minutes,” he said quietly.
***
Thorne breathed deeply, assuming his usual calm poise as the studio lights went up, and with cameras rolling, the live show was on the air. The audience were especially loud today, their enthusiasm for the chance of seeing the infamous Miss Lindstrom was deafening.
“Well, good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I don’t need to ask what the excitement I sense in the air is about!” he addressed the audience with his usual charismatic smile and good humor. The crowd roared in anticipation. “So without further ado, let me introduce our honored guest—Miss Loretta Lindstrom!”
He turned applauding along with the audience as the spotlight fell on the side entrance, his heart skipped a couple of beats as they waited; it was the show’s policy to have every male guest escorted on and off stage by two lovely hostesses, and every female guest by two tuxedo clad handsome males. She wasn’t there.
Finally she appeared, a slight frozen smile touching the corners of her lips, the two young men escorting her looked both awestruck and half-terrified. This was going to be one hell of a show if her performance in the green room had been anything to go by. He knew she’d stayed just to avoid a messy lawsuit that reneging on her agreement would ultimately bring, and judging by her expression she wasn’t going to make it easy on him.
The crowd didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and when she turned to face them, it was with a broad smile and a regal bow that was anything but humble. Finally they were seated.
“Thank you for agreeing to be here today, Loretta,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!” she said sweetly, but her eyes held a different message. Or at least, the half million dollars it might have cost me to get out of it you jerk!
Thorne knew he’d accurately read her expression, and hurried on to his first question.
Soon, he found himself wondering why he hadn’t become an architect as his parents had advocated. Working in his own office, designing buildings, even wrestling with building codes and difficult contractors sounded like a lot more fun, and less stressful than what he was going through right now. He’d loved his career until now. Funny how one profoundly difficult female could change his perception of his entire career. Their confrontation in the green room had been something else, he’d returned later to go over some of the questions with her, but she’d been irate. While he’d met spoiled stars before, they had never been malevolent, but this lady, well, she was no lady. And now each and every question was answered in monosyllables. Perhaps it was time to wrest control of the situation.
Enough.
Thorne’s eyes met hers, and in them he could see the light of victory, she hadn’t wanted to stay, she hated him, and was doing her best to make this the most difficult interview of his life. He’d gone through an hour’s worth of questions in less than ten minutes.
Finally he stood, with a slight signal to the male assistants, who, though bewildered at being summoned before the first commercial break, obediently stepped forward to perform their assigned role. They stood one on each side of her chair. Loretta looked up at them in surprise, the interview wasn’t over yet, or was it?
“Ladies and gentlemen, though it pains me to bring this interview to a close, I’m afraid I must.”
Thorne turned holding out a firm hand to the bewildered star who merely stared at it, her puzzled expression plastered across every monitor in the studio. “Despite her heroic efforts to continue this interview, Miss Lindstrom arrived here today suffering the agonies of an intense migraine, it is evident even now—great actress though she is—that she is having trouble speaking to us. But as she informed me in the green room, she would not wish to disappoint you for the world!” This brought a resounding round of applause from the grateful audience, who rose to their feet in appreciation. “But now, with our heartfelt thanks, I feel we should send this great lady on her way, her doctor is at this moment awaiting her at her home.”
Reluctantly Loretta placed her hand in his, rising to her feet as the two solicitous young men escorted her from the stage.
Vance, Thorne’s producer was motioning wildly from the sidelines as the crowd continued to applaud until Loretta was finally out of sight. Sweet satisfaction coursed through him, making him momentarily euphoric as he announced that they were going to commercial break.
“Are you mad?” Vance spat out, his eyes bulging in a vague impression of Loretta’s pug, as Thorne stepped off to the side to confer with the aggrieved executive.
“No,” Thorne grinned, “But I would’ve been, to try to continue that interview!”
“You’re the one who insisted on going live! If you thought there was a problem we could have taped…” Vance ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You have two minutes to come up with a way to fill the rest of your show, or we’ll all be on unemployment!”
Thorne grinned. “I already have.” With a quick backward glance at the stunned producer, Thorne walked back out to greet the audience. They had almost fifty minutes of live TV left to fill. Fortunately while his alert conscious mind had been dealing with the quietly hostile Miss Lindstrom, his active mind had also been working up a plan to deal with her, and fill the rest of the hour. He knew if there was one thing an audience enjoyed—it was participation.
“Welcome back!” He smiled warmly at the crowd and turned toward the TV cameras, “As you know, we had intended to dedicate this hour to Miss Loretta Lindstrom, but as she is indisposed, we have chosen to focus our attention on you, our audience. To show you how much we appreciate your unfailing support of The Lundquist Hour over the years, we would like to dedicate the rest of the time available today to you.” A startled gasp ran through the crowd. “This is your opportunity, if you have been seeking a lost loved one, wish to apologize for a misdeed to someone in your life, or perhaps…propose?” He laughed lightly and the audience laughed with him, heads automatically turning to the few couples in their midst. “Or, if you have a special talent that you would like to share with us, speak now!”
He turned with a wink to Vance, when almost every hand shot up in the audience. Vance leaned back against the wall and heaved a dramatic sigh of relief.
“Well,” he chuckled. “Perhaps we’d better start with those seeking a lost loved one!” He walked through the audience with the sound technicians swinging the boom across above him, they were all enjoying this.
Thorne took several requests for those seeking birth parents, lost loves and old friends, before the first segment was over. The band played impromptu music to accompany each sad or desperate request until the next commercial break.
He sent the aspiring talent to speak with the producer and his assistants while the next segment began, and anyone wishing to apologize for a small offence was able to clear their conscience. But the lion’s share of the remainder of the show would go to the talent.
Thorne strode down the steps on the second commercial break to apprise himself of the line-up.
A stand-up comedienne, a few singers, and a couple o
f dancers. Not bad. And it was more than enough to complete the show.
“And you?” Finally he turned to the two women standing at the end of the line.
“I’m Elsie. This is Regan—she does a wonderful rendition of Loretta’s songs!” The enthusiastic smaller one answered indicating her friend.
Thorne tried not to roll his eyes, no one could imitate Loretta, she was a one-of-a-kind and knew it. Imitating Loretta would be like trying to imitate Streisand, it just wasn’t possible. But he could announce it as a tribute, and if she sucked, well, it would serve Loretta right! He smiled at the young hopeful woman and her friend and pointed them in the direction of his musical director, to set up the song.
When the very last segment began, he allowed all the other hopefuls to go first and then announced Regan last of all, if she was really bad maybe they could start their closing theme music a little sooner.
As the lights dimmed, Regan stood alone center stage, she turned with a smile to her friend Elsie on the sidelines and held up her hands, showing her fingers crossed as silence gradually fell over the audience. The camera focused on Elsie too for a few seconds to build the intensity of the moment, as she bounced up and down in place, stars in her eyes, her excited gaze centered on Regan, and then panned the hopeful expressions of the audience members, who may have missed hearing the real Loretta Lindstrom sing, but were hoping for something great from the tribute singer. Then the music slowly began. He groaned, Regan had chosen the song everyone loved the most, the one that required the widest vocal range of all. It will always be you.
Regan’s eyes closed as the first strains of the music began, Elsie whispered softly to Thorne. “She’s centering her concentration, just as she’s been trained to do in her Zen class. There’s no one here but her and the music.” Thorne was getting more uneasy as the music built to a crescendo. “Feel the sound waves, Regan, meld with them and allow your voice to join the flow.” Elsie whispered so softly that he was the only one who could hear her. And then Regan began to sing.
It Will Always Be You (Starlight Walk Series #1) Page 1
