My Life With The Movie Star (18 page)

The night before my interview, I had Lisa come over to go through my closet with me. I needed to find something that would catch Gray’s attention.

“How about the pink dress he bought you?” Lisa asked. I thought back to my shopping trip with Gray. Then flashes of the night at Rain came back to me.

“I don’t think I’m ready for that dress yet. I need to stay focused,” I said.

“How about a more professional look?” Lisa suggested. “Here, wear this black pencil skirt and this blouse. Oh! You have a red belt that will look great with that.”

I chuckled to myself. “Lisa, this is the outfit you put together for me for my Dallas trip.”

“I do have great style,” she said, laughing. “I still think this would be appropriate. You want to look sophisticated and smart. And, if my memory is correct, this is what you wore when you first spoke to Gray. So it should jog his memory too.”

“Do you think this is stupid?” I asked, flopping down on my bed.

“No, this is so romantic. Finding the one and the only way you could reach Grayson,” Lisa said.

“I could have just flown to LA and shown up on his doorstep,” I suggested. “That might be less embarrassing.”

“You would never make it past the guard gate in the front of the complex. They probably have pictures of you for being a stalker. Sorry,” Lisa said. “This is the best way. Who knows, maybe you’ll get a book deal out of it.”

“What a great book: no happy ending,” I said sarcastically.

“Abby, you don’t know that yet. Even if you never speak to Gray again, this may have brought you Dave. You two seem very chummy these days.”

“He’s being very patient with me
hasn’t
he?” I asked.

“Are you seeing him after the interview?”

“I’m not sure. What if Grayson tries to call me?”

“Oh, Abby, it’s not like he will call immediately following the interview. We need the news to pick up and rebroadcast the show. Hopefully E! will run with the story. My guess it will take a couple days before he sees it,” Lisa said. “Give the guy a break. Go have dinner with him. He’s better for you anyway.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Dave has been a true friend over the past couple weeks. I’ll go have dinner with him.”

“Maybe see where things go?” Lisa asked.

“Don’t push. Dinner is where I draw the line,” I teased.

Lisa helped me pack for my brief trip to Chicago. I secretly wished she would be going with me again, but I knew that this was something I had to do alone.

I tossed and turned all night long. I was relieved when my alarm went off and forced me to get up and get ready. I rolled over, looking for Thor, but he was staying with Lisa until I got back from Chicago. It was nice not have to take him out in brisk fall air, but I did miss my cuddle pup.

I hurriedly got dressed, threw my suitcase in my car and hit the road for Chicago. It was around a ninety-minute trip, but with traffic, I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to get to the studio. I didn’t mind the drive; it gave me time to put all my thoughts together. I secretly had butterflies in my stomach about seeing Dave. Maybe this getting over Grayson would be easier than I thought. Maybe I was just holding on to a silly dream. This would be the closure I was
looking for. I had only known him a few months, but I deserve to move on with my life.

I pulled up to the studio and parked the car in a costly parking garage. I couldn’t believe they could charge $40 just to park for six hours! I guess this is why most people did not have a car in Chicago.

I walked into the lobby of the studio. The floor was a smooth and glossy marble. I did my best to walk in my heels without killing myself. Of course, the reception table was way over across the other side of the lobby.
I introduced myself to the receptionist.

“I’m Abby Smith, here to see Dave Johnson.”

“Here
is
your visitor badge,” the receptionist stated. “Take the elevator to the fifth floor. He will be at the door to meet you.”

“Thank you.” I took a deep breath and made my way up to the fifth floor. I was relieved to see Dave when the doors opened.

“Hey, Abby! How was your drive in?” he asked. “I hope not too much traffic?”

“No, it was fine. Paying for parking is what really hurt,” I teased.

“I’ll make sure to take care of that before you go. Are you ready to see the studio?”

“I have never been in a TV studio before.”

Dave walked me into a surprisingly small studio. Most of the room had been painted black, with a few movable sets. They had a standard news-anchor set and then a more relaxed set with oversized comfy chairs. This must be where he’s doing the interview, I thought to myself.

“Abby, let me introduce you to the crew. This is Amy; she will be doing your hair and makeup for you.”

“Hello,” I said.

“She looks good, Dave. Maybe just needs some powder to touch her up,” Amy said as she grabbed some things from her bag.

“Don’t be nervous,” Dave said. “This is just a brief fifteen-minute segment during the news. No callers or anything, I’ll be the only one asking you questions. Remember, this is your time to shine.”

I swallowed hard while staring straight ahead into the TV camera lenses. I watched as people scurried around me, making sure the set was perfect. Dave was in front of me doing a mic check. He gave me a brief smile and wink to let me know everything would be
okay
.

This would be one of the hardest things I had ever had to do, but if it brought Grayson Edwards back into my life, I would gladly do it. I heard the director say we had two minutes before we went live.

I looked over at Dave. I was ready to go on live TV to clear my name and hopefully, if everything went well, to get the love of my life back. Here goes nothing, I thought to myself as Dave welcomed the audience to the show.

“Welcome to Chanel 12 Entertainment News!” Dave said with his announcer voice.

“Today we have a special guest, a young lady who has made some headlines the past couple weeks: Abby Smith. Abby has been wrongfully accused of exploiting her ex-boyfriend, Grayson Edwards, by using a website to sell his belongings. Thanks for being here today, Abby.” Dave shot me a killer smile. He instantly put me at ease.

“Thanks Dave,” I said shyly.

“Now, let’s start at the beginning. How did you meet Grayson Edwards?”

“I was at a business conference in Dallas called Tech Con, where my company had a booth. Grayson was staying at
the same hotel for the opening of
Texas High
,” I said, thinking back to how we first met.

“You must have been very excited to meet Grayson Edwards,” Dave said.

“Not really, I had no idea who he was,” I said as I looked at my hands. “I wasn’t a fan of Crystal
Caldron
movies. When I met him, I just thought he was a cute lonely guy.”

“How did you find out who he was?” Dave asked as the interview continued.

“I gave Gray my business card, and when I returned to work he had sent me some flowers. My friend, Lisa, recognized his name.”

“That must have been thrilling to find out,” Dave continued on.

“Well, it was more scary than thrilling. Why would Grayson Edwards want to date a normal girl like me? He has always been linked to actresses. But he continued to call me, and we became close over the phone.”

“I heard that he came out to see you during a festival in your hometown,” Dave asked.

“Yes he came to Port Washington’s Fish Day,” I said. “This is where we ran into my old friend, Rachel.”

“This is the girl who has been charged with identity theft?” Dave asked.

“Yes, she is the one. I can’t comment on her other than to say that’s where she saw him,” I answered, hoping my lawyer would be
okay
with that.

“When did you find out about the website?” Dave asked.

“I was Grayson’s date
at
the MTV Movie Awards, and th
at
is where a reporter showed him the site.”

“What did Grayson say to you about it?” Dave asked. His eyes were friendly and thoughtful.

“He didn’t say anything.” I looked down at my hands, fighting back tears. “His assistant asked me to leave
immediately. She had security at his house watching over me while I packed up my things.”

“Have you spoken to Grayson since it was discovered that your friend, and not you, created the site?”

“No, he has not spoken to me. I’m not sure if he knows that it wasn’t me, or that I have pressed charges against the person who did it.”

“We’re almost out of time. Abby thank you for sharing your side of the story. Identity theft is scary and very real. If you could say anything to Grayson Edwards now, what would you want him to know?”

“That I’m sorry for anything bad that happened to him, and that I’m taking care of things,” I said.

I heard the director call “cut” – and that was it? This scary experience was over. I looked over at Dave, and he was still smiling.

“How did I do?” I asked nervously.

“You did great!” he said. “I
am
so proud. But I do have one question. I gave you the chance to tell Grayson you love him, and you didn’t?”

“Well, I have been thinking, and really … what kind of relationship could I ever have with him? Something bad happens, and he dumps me without a chance to explain? I would be scared that something would happen again and that he would just leave me again,” I said matter of fact. “I’m looking for a real person, not a movie star who puts on an act. I need someone I can depend on to take care of me – someone I can take care of right back.”

“Do you want to grab some dinner?” Dave asked.

“Sure, let’s go.” I was happy to be leaving the studio. I felt like this was now all behind me. I had the fresh start I was looking for, and I had Lisa and Dave to thank for that. I only hope Dave knew how much this day meant to me.

Chapter 22

Dave took me to a fancy steak house in downtown Chicago. We toasted to my success over dirty martinis.

“I do need to thank you, Dave. You have been wonderful to me the past couple weeks. That’s for taking a chance on my story,” I said.

“Your story was worth telling. I needed to rub some of the gold off of Grayson Edwards. I’m sick of that guy being Mr. Perfect. What he and his people did was wrong,” Dave said.

I wondered if he had always disliked Grayson, or if it was because of me that he didn’t have any love for him.

“Thanks again. I just wanted to let you know I’m having an early Halloween party at my house, on the second Saturday in October. I thought maybe you would like to come?” I asked, hoping his answer would be yes.

“I had already heard about that from Lisa and have made plans to come, but it’s nice to hear that you wanted me to come also. What are you going to dress up as?”

“I’m always a vampire. I know – not real original. What are you thinking about coming as?” I asked.

“I could be a vampire too. Or maybe a zombie, or a werewolf?”

“I think a werewolf would suit you just fine,” I said.

Our meal came, and it was one of the best steaks I
have
had in a long time. Dave and I finished our dinner, and he walked me back to my car. He also was able to validate my parking so I wouldn’t owe eighty dollars. We both stood next to my car awkwardly. I wasn’t sure at this point how I should finish the evening.

“If you’re too tried to drive, you can stay at my place,” Dave offered wistfully.

“I think I’m
okay
. I can always stop at a motel on the way up,” I said.

“Are you sure? It’s a long drive, and it’s already after 11 p.m. Please, stay at my place. I have a guestroom. We have had couple cocktails. I would feel much better that way.”

Beyond my better judgment, I agreed to stay at Dave’s. He did have a legitimate point: it was late, and I did have a couple of drinks in me.

Dave drove my car to his apartment, and we walked up the three flights of stairs together. I could tell the building was old but had been remolded recently. Dave’s apartment was exceptionally nice He had brand new appliances, lovely hardwood floors, and granite counter tops. His apartment was small, but it did have two good-sized bedrooms. I could tell he was a bachelor. Bulls and Bear items and posters adored the walls. I got a chuckle that a diehard Packer fan could end up dating a diehard Bears fan.

He was a true gentleman and showed me where I could sleep in the guestroom. I was relieved that he didn’t push any romance on this trip. I had been drained that day and could not handle hurting his feeling
s
as well.

I woke up the next morning to
the
smell of coffee. I got up and walked to the bathroom and struggled to do
something
with my hair. I gave up and walked into the kitchen.