Tim cleared his throat before laughing softly. “I can’t see why she’d complain myself. I’m probably not going to get along very well with this mother of yours, am I? I suppose you’re going to be singing here later on?”
“Yep,” Emily answered. Still looking at her mom nervously, Emily frowned as a familiar woman stopped her mother in her tracks. That wasn’t…?
“How about we get together and talk once you’re finished?” Tim was asking.
“Uh,” Emily turned back to Tim. “I’ll be singing from eight until ten, and then a couple of other bands will be entertaining here for the rest of the night.”
“Okay. Let’s meet at what—half past ten?”
Emily nodded her head up and down.
“Outside the solarium, on the lakefront?”
Emily smiled, nodding her agreement again.
“Okay.” Tim grinned. “Good luck with your mom,” he muttered. After squeezing her hand, he slipped away quickly.
Her mother finally managed to pull away from the woman who was hanging onto her arm and marched up to Emily. “Did I really see you letting someone kiss you? Who was he, Emily?”
The woman who was following her mother halted and stomped her foot, obviously angry. “Connie, she’s eighteen years old. When are going to quit controlling her life?”
Emily’s jaw dropped. “Aunt Trish?”
“Hi, Sweetheart.” Stepping up to her, her aunt reached out and pulled Emily into her arms. “It’s so good to finally see you again,” her aunt whispered into her ear.
Emily couldn’t help it when she began to cry.
Finally breaking away from her aunt’s arms, she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Why didn’t you answer my letters?” Emily asked quietly.
“Well, that’s the thing, Sweetie. I wrote you a bunch and tried to email you, not to mention I sent Christmas and birthday cards. I never got your letters. But I’m not surprised you never got mine. Your mom thought I was a bad influence.”
Thinking about how many different email address and phone number changes her mother had insisted on through the years because of Emily’s celebrity status, Emily stared at her mom accusingly. “Why, Mom?”
“Why, what?” Appearing unperturbed, her mother brushed away some invisible lint from her skirt with her hand. “You needed to concentrate on your career. Speaking of which, it’s time to eat. You have another performance in an hour.”
“Connie?”
Her mother nodded curtly at her aunt. “I’d like to say it’s been good to see you again Trish.” Reaching out, her mother grabbed Emily’s hand, pulling her away.
But when Emily was being dragged away, she turned around momentarily, just in time to see Trish winking and giving her a thumbs up.
So, Aunt Trish was still living in Crystal Rock? Emily realized now that her mother must’ve been giving her some kind of rigmarole as to why she’d never heard from her aunt while growing up. And although she’d been heartbroken to think her aunt had deserted her so easily, Emily had accepted her mother’s explanation as the truth.
Whatever else her mom had done, Emily hated to think she’d been lying to her all these years, because if she’d been lying about this, what else had she been lying about?
Chapter Five
Tim was in still in a state of shock. How could an eighteen-year-old girl have this kind of effect on him? Plus he was pretty sure he’d just given Emily her first real kiss.
The Dragonfly Pointe Inn offered five-star cuisine, and prime rib was being served tonight to the wedding guests. But Tim could’ve been eating cardboard for all he knew. Time seemed to be dragging and yes, he felt like an idiot for looking forward so much to his meeting with Emily later on tonight.
Dinner was finally finished and several toasts to the couple were delivered before Gabe and Lucy began to slice the wedding cake, each of them sampling a bite. Soon, the lights were dimmed, and they were sharing their first dance as a married couple.
When Emily began singing a romantic ballad, Tim felt surprisingly dispassionate watching Lucy and Gabe dancing. Had a lovely girl with lavender eyes replaced Lucy in his affections just that easily?
Yes.
Tim watched Emily perform with a silly grin on his face. Whoa, she was incredible. Not only did she have a beautiful voice, but her range was amazing too. She hit every high note with ease, performing several series’ of runs impeccably.
Tim frowned when she began singing a country song. Her voice was much better suited to rock, he thought, and even the country rock she was singing now sounded a little like she was yodeling. It was a quality she must’ve been trained to use.
No question about it, even though Tim had never been a fan, he knew she was a good country singer. But even though her face was so expressive, she was singing the words of the song like they had little or no meaning, and Tim could see that her heart wasn’t really in it.
But thankfully, she was back to singing romantic ballads again a few minutes later, where she was totally at ease. Lucy must have had a part in choosing the music that Emily would perform, because Tim recognized some of Lucy’s favorite songs in the mix.
Although he would’ve gladly sat and watched Emily sing the entire night, he asked one of the bridesmaids who was sitting alone at the table with him for a dance. Tim felt guilty because by the time they were finished he couldn’t even remember her name.
He glanced around the room and saw plenty of familiar faces, but he just couldn’t get into making the rounds again.
Tim grinned, seeing his dad in intense conversation with a pretty older woman who looked vaguely familiar. Hmm. His dad was lit up like a Christmas tree. Wouldn’t it’d be nice if Dad moved on with his life? Ever since Tim’s mom had passed away, his dad had remained rather isolated. Sure, he spent a lot of time in town and at the service station. He was still an excellent mechanic and liked to fiddle around when any challenging problem arose with a vehicle. But Tim had never seen Dad go out on a date even once during his fifteen years as a widower.
Jack Atkinson had been a great father, that’s for sure. Even though Tim had missed his mother terribly, he’d never lacked for love growing up. Plus, his dad had encouraged Tim through all his endeavors and Tim’s grades had been pretty darn good. Even when Tim had played basketball and hockey as well as a little baseball, his father had made sure he’d kept up with his studies.
He’d realized today that Dad had always been hinting around for Tim to think about his future, but he’d never come right out and said it; probably because he’d miss Tim as much as Tim would miss him.
Tim had ignored his father’s hints because of his obsession with Lucy.
No more. When he’d begun thinking harder this past year, Tim had realized he’d been awfully stupid to let his feelings about a girl hold him back. And what was this thing that was developing between him and Emily? Even though he knew in his heart it was different from what he’d been feeling for Lucy all these years, there really wasn’t any possibility for their relationship to become more.
Was there?
That’s when he decided to move outside, even though Emily wouldn’t be meeting him for at least another twenty-five minutes.
He wandered through the solarium and made his way outdoors when the sliding doors opened. Soon he was staring upward at a moon that was bright and full in the sky. He could hear Emily’s voice echoing from inside as he strolled along the trail overlooking the lake. She was singing a romantic ballad again, acapella this time, and the dulcet tones of her voice sent shivers down his spine.
Sitting down on a bench near the trail, Tim stared across the lake where the water was unusually calm tonight. A boat was zipping through the water with its headlights turned on, and Tim could make out the motor’s roar, even though the speedboat had to be at least a half mile across the lake.
No, it was stupid to think about becoming involved with Em. It wasn’t even the fact that she was only eighteen years old.
Emily
Richardson was going to be a huge star someday, there was no doubt about it, and someone like Tim would never fit into her world.
Besides, he’d definitely decided he wanted to enter the Air Force and ultimately train service dogs. From the information Tim had read, it’d probably mean he’d be shipping out overseas eventually.
The music had gone silent from the exterior speakers, so Tim stood up and began approaching the solarium. There was a patio outside where lunch was served during the day, and Tim sat down at one of the wrought iron benches surrounding a table to wait for Emily.
Would she be able to get away and make it out here? Tim was hoping she would.
His question was answered only moments later when Emily appeared at the door, looking rather hesitant. How had he ever mistaken her age? It amazed him again to realize just how lovely she really was.
Tim stood up and met her at the doorway just as she was walking through. She was shivering, so the first thing he did was slip out of his jacket and lay it over her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she said, giving him a rueful smile.
“You’re welcome,” Tim answered. “I wasn’t thinking about the weather and how cool it would be out here by the time we got together.” He noticed her high heels. “We won’t go far. It has to be hard walking along in those shoes.”
She grimaced. “Uh, huh.”
A waterfall running into the lake had been constructed bordering the brick patio and they strolled along the lakefront where the edge of the pond was beautifully landscaped with perennials and annuals. It looked amazing lit up at night as water spewed upward from a fountain.
When they stopped near the point of the waterfall’s descent, Emily spoke hesitantly. “I’ve been afraid to ask. How’s the puppy doing?”
“Great.” A huge smile appeared on his face. “The little mutt’s already got a home.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Yep. Guess who’s?”
“Who’s?” Emily asked.
“Mine. My dad fell in love from the moment I walked into the house with your puppy in my arms.”
Emily laughed softly as they resumed their stroll.
Tim snickered. “I knew once my dad saw that dog he wouldn’t be able to resist. Dad’s been a little blue since we lost Scamp last year.”
“I’m so glad you’re the ones taking him in.” She frowned. “But I’m sorry to hear about Scamp.”
“Yeah. We sure miss him.”
But then she gave him an impish grin. “I never even knew that people allowed dogs to lick their faces until I met Scamp. I remember thinking my mom would’ve had a fit if she knew.”
“You’ve led a pretty sheltered life, I take it?”
The roar of the waterfall became louder and, as they halted where the water began its downward plunge, Emily sighed heavily. “Not exactly sheltered as much as lonely. I only had a few friends growing up since I had a tutor instead of going to public school. I always had daily voice lessons of course. I mainly hung out with girls I worked with modeling.”
Emily took a seat on the wrought iron bench nearby, and Tim sat down beside her.
“Wow. It’s only been me and my dad since my mom passed away, but what I did and who I hung out with has always been my own choice.” Tim was curious. “Never any boyfriends?”
Emily looked sheepish. “Heaven forbid, as my mother would say.”
Tim stared at her intently. “So, Emily. What are you going to do now that you’ve turned eighteen? Strike out on your own?”
“Well, that’s the problem Tim. Mom has always managed me, along with Ben. Although he doesn’t have as much say so as he would like. But I’m not exactly prepared to be on my own. In her own weird way, my mother really does love me.”
“What about your father?”
Her eyes suddenly looked haunted. She was obviously deeply wounded. “My mom and dad divorced before I was even born. I don’t even know anything about him, except that he signed away his visitation rights, according to my mom.” She cleared her throat staring rather vacantly at the waterfall. “I can’t believe I’m even telling you about this. I’ve never told anyone else before.”
“It doesn’t sound like you have anyone else to talk to,” Tim growled. “How important is your singing to you?”
“It’s everything,” she answered softly. “I’m a different person when I perform. The lights, the audience...it’s where I belong. I could never give it up.”
Tim stared into her eyes. “Someday, you’re going to have to break away from your mom. You do know that, don’t you? I mean, you’re only living half a life from what I can see. The longer you hang on, the harder it’s going to be for you to become your own person.”
Obviously reluctant, she nodded her agreement. “What about you, Tim? What do you do?”
“Well, since I graduated high school, I’ve been managing my dad’s auto repair and service station,” he answered, giving her a rueful grin. “That’s why I’m giving you the lecture. In a strange way, I’ve been hanging on to my life because it’s familiar, the same way you’ve been hanging on to yours.”
“How’s that?” Emily asked, looking puzzled.
“I’ve been living at home, not really moving forward. I thought that my friendship with Lucy would someday end up being more than it was. I pretended that my dad expected me to run his service station when he really didn’t. Truth is, it’s always been him and me and I hated to give up what’s familiar. He’s always been hinting around for me to go to college but I ignored all the signs.” He took in a deep breath. “I’ve decided I’m going into the Air Force. “
Emily looked taken aback. “Really?”
He grinned. “I’d like to train service dogs.”
Emily smiled. “I’ll bet you’d be good at it too.” But then she frowned. “But wouldn’t that mean...?”
His expression turned grim. “That’ll I’ll end up overseas?” He nodded. “Yes, more than likely.”
“Oh, Tim,” Emily moaned, looking like she was ready to cry. “When will you go?”
“Soon.” He sighed. Tim recognized Danielle Loughlin’s voice when music began echoing through the speakers once again.
He looked around at his surroundings. Not that he knew much about it, but the backdrop seemed to be perfect for romance; the waterfall was tumbling down over the steep edge of the cliff and falling like a shower into the lake, while the moon was full up above and the stars twinkled brightly in the sky.
“Besides, withstanding this rising star thing you’ve got going on, the timing is way off for us. Isn’t it?”
“Us?” she answered with a grin.
Emily was looking extremely pleased by his words so Tim built up the courage to continue. “Can I kiss you one last time?”
Her smile went wide as she nodded her head up and down.
They both stood up on their feet, and seconds later, he was taking her into her arms. Her skin was soft and silky and the scent from her perfume brought to mind lilacs that were blooming in spring.
He kissed her once, and then again. And by the time the third kiss was done there was hunger as well as desire when his mouth moved from her lips to her cheek and throat.
It was time for him to stop. But he couldn’t help kissing her just one more time. He kissed her softly and tucked her against him. It scared him to think he’d be perfectly happy holding Emily like this for the rest of his life.
Whoa, where had that thought come from? Now that he’d finally made a decision about his future, it was strange to realize he might’ve just met the woman of his dreams.
They were both on the verge of beginning a new life. That’s when Tim made a vow. If fate meant for them to be together someday, he’d know. The timing was off for them now. But if by some miracle, Emily came back into his life again someday, he’d do everything in his power to make sure they were together, no matter what her status and fame. Even though he’d miss Crystal Rock like crazy, it was time for a new chapte
r of his life to begin.
Chapter Six
Emily couldn’t quite believe what was happening. Not only had she just been on the receiving end of her first real kiss, which had been extraordinary, but Tim had kissed her four more times. And wow every kiss had been increasingly awesome.
But he was joining the Air Force. Silly, wasn’t she, for thinking something more might happen between them? But even if he hadn’t already decided to go into the military, would it have really make any difference?
Nah. Whether Tim was here in Crystal Rock or on the other side of the world, the odds that she’d be seeing him again were equally slim.
The roar from the waterfall tumbling into the lake, the stars shining brightly in the sky above...even the scent of pine infusing the air from the needles beneath their feet; it was a magical night, and Emily knew she’d remember every moment for the rest of her life.
“Well,” Tim said, gazing into her eyes. Every time he looked her way, Emily had the same reaction she’d had at ten years old. With that wavy brownish-blonde hair and those silver-gray eyes, he was probably one of the best-looking boys she’d ever known. And it’s not like her mom hadn’t been throwing a bunch of guys her way. Of course, her mom had always had an ulterior motive for hand selecting everyone Emily met.
Either they had to have a claim to fame or they had to have money.
“Well,” Emily answered, giving Tim a much more confident smile. “I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom is looking all over the place for me by now.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised either. I’ve noticed she never seems to take her eyes off you unless you’re performing.”
They began walking towards the inn.
And then Emily hesitated. Should she tell him? Why not? From the moment she’d met Tim, she’d known he was someone she could trust.
Tim suddenly looked concerned. “What is it Emily?”
Emily looked at Tim with a frown. “I’ve had some trouble with...well, someone watching me. So that’s part of the reason she worries about me too.”
A Kiss Upon A Star Page 5
