Sunrise (28 page)

“Really?” The fear was still in her eyes, but through it was a river of hope.

He came closer and kissed her, a tender kiss to soothe her fears and his. He drew back and searched her heart, her eyes. “While we’re in LA, we’ll sign the autographs and do the interviews and smile for the cameras.” He looked past a mountain of doubt bursting inside his own heart, doubts that somehow making themselves available would only incite the media, make the attention worse. He swallowed hard. “If this makes you more comfortable, we’ll do it. I won’t complain about it anymore.”

They drove toward Dayne’s house and stopped at a market on Pacific Coast Highway. Katy ran in and picked up ribs, carrots, salad, and little red potatoes. When she was back in the car, she said no one had recognized her. This was Malibu, after all. Everyone who lived here was in the movie industry one way or another. People didn’t care to look twice at the other people in line. They were too busy with their own lives.

That night Dayne barbecued, and they talked about everything but the paparazzi. Because whether they gave in and allowed every photograph and interview or changed their minds and turned their backs and ran, they both could feel the wave of attention coming.

It would appear on the horizon of their recently quiet lives the moment the cover story hit. Dayne could only beg God that when it did, they could ride it out together. He’d seen what the glare of the media spotlight could do to people who made themselves available. Too often the remnants of a marriage were the only carnage left at the end of the day.

Dayne felt sick at the thought. As they finished eating, he studied Katy in the waning sunlight, and one thought stayed in his mind. He would rather die than let the media destroy what he and Katy had finally found together.

Stephen Petrel, the director of
But Then Again No
, was the most compassionate in the business. Dayne had no doubt that the movie would be replete with depth and emotion, a love story for the ages. That’s how it was being talked about in the early buzz that surrounded the film, and he was sure that’s how it would play out on-screen.

All the more reason why Dayne hoped Katy would give her best efforts in the reading she was about to do. The alternatives weren’t something he even wanted to consider, and he’d told Katy as much last night before she headed back to her hotel. The movie was a love story, after all. How could he be dreaming night and day of Katy Hart while spending his days in the arms of the costar he wound up with?

Dayne and Katy stepped into the studio offices, and Dayne made the introductions.

Stephen shook Katy’s hand and sized her up with a kind look. “You’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She blushed—something Dayne loved about her. The Hollywood women he knew, the ones he’d dated or spent time with on various movies, were very used to hearing people comment about their beauty. They took such compliments in stride, expected them even.

Not Katy. She angled her head, and for a moment Dayne saw her the way he’d seen her on the Bloomington stage that long-ago day when the CKT kids had just finished their run of
Charlie Brown
. Simple and irresistible with an uncomplicated beauty that had taken his breath.

Katy moved on from the compliment. “Dayne says you can tell us a little more about the film, the story line.”

Stephen sat up straighter. “It’s beautiful. This generation’s
Love Story
, if I had to compare it with something.”

The comparison sent chills down Dayne’s arms. Stephen wasn’t known for his flowery words and empty promises. If he saw
But Then Again No
as that big of a picture, then it would be a special movie indeed. Dayne wanted to hurry this part of the meeting along so they could get to the reading.

“Are you comfortable on a horse?” Stephen studied Katy. “Dayne says you rode when you were a schoolgirl.”

“I did.” Katy seemed confident. “Horses are easy for me.”

“Good.” The director went on to talk about how thrilled he was that they’d been able to get fourteen-year-old Jaclyn Jacobs for the role of the female lead during her younger years.

“Jaclyn is fantastic.” Stephen rested his forearms on his desk. He told them that Jaclyn was one of the strongest child actors of their time. She was a pretty girl, tall with strawberry blonde hair and freckles. Her transparency in front of a camera made her perfect for the part. “She’s a great kid too. Strong family, very grounded. She’d just as soon babysit for the neighbors as star in a big film. This is a small role for her, but she was passionate about it. We got the okay from her last week.” Stephen smiled. “All that and she’s a natural on a horse.”

Dayne had heard of her. “Didn’t she have an accident a while back?”

“Her horse rammed her into a wall, hurt her head.” Stephen winced. “Tough blow. She had a helmet, thankfully, and she recovered after a week or so.”

Katy frowned. “And she’s still okay to get on a horse?” She gave a nervous laugh. “I’m pretty sure I’d stay far away after something like that.”

“Jaclyn’s very sweet, but she’s a tough girl too. She’s very active. Even while she was recuperating, she played tennis in the mornings and walked her horse in the afternoons.” Stephen pulled her head shot from a file and slid it toward Dayne. “She’s the perfect younger girl in this story.”

“Part of the story takes place when the couple’s daughter is a young girl into horseback riding, right?” Katy sounded hesitant.

“Exactly.” Stephen explained that the male protagonist was angry because of issues with his parents, and the female protagonist was mysterious because she was an editor who kept her emotions close to the vest. When he finished, Stephen stroked his chin. He studied Katy a moment longer, then turned his attention to Dayne. “I can feel it.”

“Feel it?” It usually took a few weeks before Dayne was able to know exactly what a director meant in a moment like this.

“The chemistry.” Stephen leaned back and folded his arms. “Intense chemistry between the two of you.” He narrowed his eyes. “Physical love is good between you, I assume?”

Dayne wasn’t prepared for the question. The mortification making its way through him was eased only when he caught Katy’s quiet laugh beside him. He could tell she was embarrassed but not shocked. Hollywood would expect Katy and Dayne to be sleeping together.

“Uh . . .” Dayne cleared his throat and raised his pointer finger. “It’s not like that with us.”

The director looked confused. “I . . . I don’t understand. I thought you were . . . I thought this was a relationship between you.”

“It is.” Dayne took hold of Katy’s hand. He wasn’t sure where to begin. “We’re engaged, but we have a strong commitment to waiting, doing this God’s way.” He felt like he was rambling. “In other words, we’re waiting until we’re married.”

Stephen’s eyes opened wide. “I’m a believer also. I had no idea, Dayne. . . .” Slowly he gave a few distinct nods. “That explains the chemistry.”

Dayne stopped himself from saying more, but silently he shared his shock with the Lord. Stephen was a Christian? That meant the film had a chance to not only be a beautiful love story but something life changing, a picture that would give people a true understanding of the sort of love found in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

All the more reason why Katy had to have the part.

They talked a little longer, and then Stephen looked at his watch. “You ready to read for me, Katy Hart? I’ve seen your pilot movie, and I’ve talked to my friends in this town.” He stood and led them into the hall. “I know what you can do.”

Dayne felt his heart swell with pride. He would’ve fallen in love with Katy whether she could act or not. All he knew of her from the beginning was that she loved theater and kids and God. That was enough then, and it would be enough until they drew their last breath together. But the idea that she was also a talented actress in her own right was an added bonus. Dayne wanted her to have the role opposite him more than he’d wanted anything in a long time.

They walked into a soundstage, and Stephen positioned himself behind a camera located in the center of the room. He flipped a few switches, then grabbed a script from the nearest table and handed it to Katy. “Take a look at the first two pages. This is the scene where the female lead is explaining why she prefers work at the magazine to relationships.” Stephen took a step back. “Spend a few minutes with it, and then we’ll roll.”

Stephen talked to Dayne about his last film and working with Randi Wells. “She’s getting a divorce. I guess you know that.”

Dayne had heard but only from the headlines in the tabloids. He needed to call her and see how she was doing. Or maybe Katy could call. The two of them had formed a friendship in the days after Dayne’s accident. They were still talking about Randi and the struggles of living with an Academy Award–winning career while trying to maintain a marriage and young children when Katy signaled.

“Ready.” She positioned herself in front of the camera. “Is Dayne part of this?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Stephen pointed toward the spot near Katy. “You don’t have to do anything, Matthews. Just give her someone to talk to. Let us feel the chemistry.”

Stephen took his place behind the camera, peered through the viewfinder, and gave the okay sign. He pressed a button. “And . . . roll it.”

Dayne looked intently at Katy, and before his eyes she began to transform. Passion and anger filled her expression, and she pursed her lips. When the words came, they didn’t flow from her lips. They exploded. “I work because I have to work, okay? What do you know about my life?” Tears made her eyes damp, but she pressed on.

When the scene was finished, Dayne couldn’t do anything but stare at her. Katy was so good he had goose bumps. He looked at Stephen and tried to find the words. “Okay, so maybe she can teach me a thing or two.”

They all laughed, except Katy. She was still trying to come back out of the character. She looked at Stephen, clearly puzzled by their laughter. “Should I run it again?”

Stephen crossed the room. “Yes, my dear, I should say so. You’ll run it again in May when we’re shooting the scene on the set.”

“You mean . . . ?” Now it was her turn to be amazed. She brought her hands to her lips, her eyes big. “You mean, you liked it?”

Again the men laughed, and Dayne put his arm around her. “Katy, you were so believable it was scary.”

“Very believable.” Stephen took his BlackBerry from his pocket and made a few taps on it. “I’ve got it penciled in now.”

“What?” Katy was smiling, but she still looked like she was dizzy from the response to her reading.

“To send you a contract. I’d like you to consider the part, Katy. I can’t imagine someone playing this role better than what I just saw here in a sixty-second cold read.”

On the way back to the airport, Katy fell asleep on Dayne’s shoulder, and Dayne replayed everything from the past few days. The meeting with the magazine and the conversation they’d had in the car on the way to his house. How terrified Katy was that the press would chase him into an accident again. And finally, the brilliance of her reading for Stephen.

But no matter how wonderful their time in Los Angeles had been or how hopeful their private and public future seemed, Dayne was still troubled by all that lay ahead with the press. The one thing he didn’t want to think about was the starring role, the one the director had offered to Katy on the spot. Because doing a film like that together could be amazing or it could place them in too bright a light.

So bright that they might have trouble seeing the simplicity of a starry night in Bloomington or the wonder of God. Or even the love they felt for each other.

The Celebrity Life magazine cover story caused shock waves that Katy hadn’t anticipated. Now that she and Dayne had announced their intentions, it seemed that every publication in the world wanted to know exactly when and where they were getting married.

Paparazzi were stationed in Bloomington, camping out at the local Holiday Inn, determined to follow Katy and Dayne everywhere they went. Even so, Katy believed they were doing the right thing by being available. Early on they’d met with the photographers and explained that a true plan for the wedding really hadn’t been set.

“You can take pictures of us coming and going, but the rehearsals for my kids theater are closed to the public,” Katy had told them. “Also, we need to ask that you resist the urge to follow us home. There’s a level of privacy that we’re requesting here.” She smiled at them, and she could feel the group of eight men being charmed. They didn’t want to be enemies with Dayne and Katy—quite the opposite. If Hollywood’s overnight glamour couple was willing to work with them, then they seemed willing to do their part.

A deal was struck. The photographers could get shots of Katy and Dayne coming and going to the theater and church as long as they stayed in the parking lot. Anytime Katy and Dayne had a few minutes, they would stop and pose for pictures, chatting with the photographers and giving them whatever tidbits might help them get their jobs done.

Dayne was going along with the plan, but he didn’t like it. Katy could easily tell that much. “How long are we supposed to live like this?” He wasn’t angry with her, but he obviously wasn’t convinced that their approach was going to work.

“Just until the wedding.” It was what the photographers had told Katy one day, and she believed them. “After that we’ll be old news.”

The constant presence of the paparazzi made it difficult to keep their talks with Wilma Waters secret, but they were finished meeting in person, anyway. As the days passed, a buzz bubbled just beneath the surface among the regulars at CKT. The Flanigans and other families could hardly wait for the wedding, even though they had no idea where the ceremony would take place.

They’d put out the first level of invitations, asking people to keep March 16 through 19 open, with instructions that another invitation would be hand delivered closer to the actual date. Katy expected that the press would get wind of the dates, though they wouldn’t know the whereabouts of the wedding.

But for the first time since she’d come up with the idea, her kindness toward the paparazzi worked in their favor. The photographers seemed almost lulled into taking the easy pictures, gathering up the bits of information Katy and Dayne provided. And now it was opening night for
Oliver!
which meant that the wedding was two weeks away. Katy and Dayne dressed the way they might for a Hollywood premiere. She wore a glittery black dress, and he wore a tux he’d brought back from his Malibu house on their last visit.

The Baxters were all in attendance—including John and Elaine, who were spending more time together these days. Katy liked the way they were together, and she wondered—as did Ashley, Kari, Brooke, and the others—when John would see for himself that he had feelings for Elaine. Feelings that definitely seemed to go beyond friendship.

Katy made her way through the theater to check on Nancy and Al Helmes. “Everything all set?” She bent close so they could hear her above the excitement coming from the people filling the seats.

“Good to go!” Al gave her a pat on the shoulder. “If I haven’t already told you, I’m impressed, Katy.”

“By what?” She loved these friends of hers, loved the way they were almost like the parents in Chicago she saw so little of.

“By the way you’re handling all the attention.” He winked at her. “You’ll make the perfect wife for Dayne Matthews. And things’ll settle down eventually.”

“Thanks, Al.” She grinned at him, then at Nancy. “Let’s bring down the house tonight.”

On her way backstage, she saw Jenny Flanigan in the third row. All the kids were with her, and Cody Coleman had the seat on the end. Jenny cupped her hands around her mouth so Katy could hear her. “Jim’s getting popcorn!”

“Pray that we’re ready!” Katy felt her heart rate speed up. It was starting to hit her. In a few minutes the show would come to life onstage. The adrenaline rush from seeing that happen was always a factor just before the first show. “You never know on opening night.”

Cody stood and moved close enough so Katy could hear him. “Do me a favor, could you?” He handed Katy a yellow rose. “Give this to Bailey for me.”

Katy resisted the urge to raise her eyebrow. A yellow rose was very appropriate coming from Cody. He and Bailey had become good friends in the last few weeks, while Bryan hadn’t called once. At least that was Jenny’s take on the situation. Katy smiled at him. “I’ll make sure she gets it.”

She glanced at Jenny as she headed toward the stage wings. The look on her friend’s face said Jenny was okay with Cody giving Bailey the flower. They’d all grown much closer to him since his alcohol poisoning. Cody seemed like a different person, and with the way Jenny said he was relying on God these days, he probably was.

The excitement continued to build as Katy zipped down the stairs and into the greenroom. The kids were putting the finishing touches on their makeup, smudging powdered cocoa on their faces so they’d look like dirty orphans, and adjusting their costumes and microphones.

Dayne was downstairs too, helping Larry Taie with the buttons on his Mr. Bumble costume. The kid was the funniest actor they had in CKT. He was perfect in the role, and he and Dayne had bonded in the course of bringing the show to life. Dayne saw great promise in Larry and had encouraged him to study acting in college.

“Okay, everyone.” Katy clapped the rhythm the kids knew instinctively.

In only a few seconds, a hush fell over the greenroom, and the kids echoed the clap back to her.

“All right, let’s circle up.”

All seventy kids and fourteen crew members squeezed into a circle that took up most of the room. Dayne was at the opposite end, and just as Katy opened her mouth to make the final announcements, her eyes caught his. A sudden wealth of emotion built in her, and she brought her lips together and swallowed. Here they were, she and Dayne, doing the thing they loved without any cameras or paparazzi or national fame.

But was it the last time? the last time she’d ask her CKT kids to circle up before a show? the last time they’d share opening night in the Bloomington Community Theater? She blinked back tears, and one at a time she looked at each boy and girl in the circle—Bailey and Connor Flanigan, Tim Reed, Larry, Patrick, Sydney, the Shaffer kids, and the Picks. . . .

Dayne seemed to sense that she was struggling. He coughed, and the attention shifted to him. “Katy and I are very proud of all of you.” His eyes shone, and sincerity rang in his tone. “You’ve worked hard to get where you are tonight. Now it’s time to go out and show them what you can do, what God’s given you the gift and talent to do. Tonight isn’t about us. It’s about giving glory to the One who brought us together.” He glanced at Katy. “The only One who could’ve done that.”

Katy was grateful to Dayne. If she could have frozen the moment, she would’ve crossed the room and hugged him. He knew her so well that they might have been friends for a decade or more. She found her voice. “Let’s pray.” She closed her eyes. “Lord, thank You for each one here. Help them remember their lines, and be with them that they might sing clearly for You. Above all, we pray that Your light will shine through us tonight. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

In her heart, she added another prayer that developers might not buy the theater and turn it into condos, and the kids might have the chance to continue with CKT, even if her position among them was replaced by Rhonda and Chad Jennings from Cleveland.

Before the circle broke apart, Tim Reed led the group in the song that had become as much a part of a CKT show as the lights and the stage. “‘I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice. . . .’”

Katy swallowed again. CKT couldn’t be nearing its end. It was enough to think that this might be her last show without having to imagine one day driving by where the theater had been and seeing condos. She focused on the matter at hand, and when the song ended, she smiled at her entire cast. “Let’s make it happen!”

A cheer rose from the kids.

As Katy made her way toward the stairs, Dayne fell in beside her. “Somehow I can’t imagine you not doing this work, Katy.”

“Me neither.” She sniffed and kept her smile in place. This wasn’t the time to mourn future losses. It was time to celebrate all they’d worked for. She looped her arm through his. “Here we go!”

The show began five minutes later and went along flawlessly through the curtain call. Patrick’s nose stayed in place, and Bailey’s angry interchange with Tim Reed’s Bill Sikes character was something Katy felt in the pit of her stomach. There was no question that by the end of the show, everyone believed Bailey was an abused barmaid and not the innocent girl she was offstage. Connor was wonderful as Dodger, and Larry brought down the house with his funny leprechaun-like dance in pursuing the hand of the workhouse widow.

It wasn’t until the play was over and they’d celebrated opening night with a party at the Flanigan house that it occurred to Katy: with this milestone behind them, the next one lay just ahead.

Their wedding.

Ashley stayed in touch with Katy throughout the run of
Oliver!
shows. She even left baby Devin with Kari and took Cole out of school so the two of them could act as ushers for one of the school-day shows.

“I don’t get it,” Cole told her that afternoon. “Why would they sell Oliver? You don’t just sell people, Mom.”

“No.” Ashley thought about all that Cole would learn in the coming years, about the civilizations and generations who did indeed believe that people could be bought and sold. “No one should ever be sold like that.”

“Because Jesus already paid the price for everyone. So that means people can’t be sold again, because we’re already sold to Jesus.”

“Exactly.” She loved the way Cole was growing, the way his thoughtfulness was starting to shape his worldview. “A lot of leaders would’ve done well to understand that through the ages, Cole.”

She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t sure what she meant, but he smiled anyway. “Exactly.”

Later that night she shared his words with Landon, who pressed his fist over his heart. “That kid gets to me every time.”

They were in the family room watching a basketball game on TV. Ashley kissed his cheek. “That’s why I told you.”

He cocked his head and studied her for a moment. “How’re you feeling? You’re not feeling sick like you were with Devin?”

“Nope.” Ashley was glad. With Devin she’d had nausea morning, noon, and night. “This is my easiest pregnancy by far.”

“Which’ll make traveling a lot easier.”

“I’ve thought about that. I think Dayne and Katy are going to whisk us off to some island somewhere.”

It was fun trying to guess and allowing the actual destination to be a mystery. Ashley and Landon talked about it with each other and with the other Baxters whenever they got together over the next week.

Then on Tuesday, March 14, a woman knocked on their door and delivered an envelope to them. “It’s from Dayne Matthews. I believe you’ve been expecting it.”

Ashley could hardly wait to rip it open. She thanked the woman and yelled for Landon. “It’s here! The golden ticket is finally here!”

Landon had Devin on his hip. He hurried into the room with Cole in tow. “Is it the invitation?”

“Yes.” Ashley held it up and did a little dance. She waved the envelope around and then tore off the top flap. “‘The honor of your presence is requested at the wedding of Katy Hart and Dayne Matthews, March 18, at the Riviera Resort in Cancún, Mexico.’” Ashley let out a squeal. “They’re getting married in Cancún!”

The rest of the information explained that guests should pack swimsuits and casual clothes, as well as wedding attire, in one suitcase each and meet at five o’clock in the morning on Thursday, March 16, at the Indianapolis airport. From there they would fly by private jet to Cancún, where a bus would transport them to the resort, which had been rented exclusively for the occasion. There would be a bridal shower on Friday morning and various meals and gatherings throughout the day.