by Taylor Hart
His model hair was still long on top and had gotten longer. The sides were shaved and the top hung sexily into his eyes.
Erupting into the bottom of her stomach were butterflies. Dang, the man was gorgeous and good. Better then she could have imagined. All she wanted to do was kiss him.
Dang it. She wanted so much with him.
His eyes were happy. He pointed to the bed. “Finish opening it.”
She giggled, loving the way he demanded simple things like this as if he was telling her to pick up a gun and target enemy forces.
His mouth twisted into a smile, in reaction to her giggle. “What?”
“Nothing.” She gently tore the tissue paper and she could sense he wanted to just rip it off.
Then…there it was.
Her breath caught.
Pink lace over white silk taffeta, in waves with tiny little butterflies hand embroidered.
Nana’s prom dress.
Gently, she put her hand on it, feeling like she might break it, like it would crumble to pieces at her touch.
Gingerly, he picked it up and held it up to her. “I had a designer in L.A. make it.”
“But…how?”
He whipped out his phone. “Got my phone back last week and I already had Kevin’s number, so I asked him to text me the pic. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Instantly, she felt the tears misting in her eyes. “It’s so beautiful.” She gently took it out of his hands and pulled it to her. “I actually have the old dress in a trunk and it’s yellow and tattered.” She held it and closed her eyes as a tear escaped. Opening her eyes, she looked at him and she knew.
She loved him. “You did this. For me.” It was the closest she’d felt to Nana in…so long. It meant everything to her.
He carefully took the dress out of her hands, put it on the bed and then pulled her into his arms.
She held to him, loving that he did this for her. He was so thoughtful.
“What are you thinking, Moonwater?”
She sniffed, not realizing until this moment that tears were in her eyes. “I…” She pulled back and stared into his eyes. Gently, she put her hand on his face. “You…don’t like buying people off, you…like to take care of people.”
He went completely still.
She smiled at him, falling even more in love with him as she realized this. “Nana always took care of me. I think that’s part of the reason I could have a crappy boyfriend.”
He blinked.
“But…you remind me of her.” She smiled. “I didn’t even know how much I needed taking care of until right this minute.”
Another round of tears tumbled down her cheeks. “I’m kinda falling pretty hard for you, Movie Star.”
He smiled and took her hand. “I like the sound of that.” He winked at her. “Cause I’m kinda falling kind of hard for you too.” He leaned forward and like the wings of the butterfly kissed her.
Frozen. That’s how it felt at this moment. Like Kira could be happy never leaving this space and time with this man.
They stood there holding each other, everything feeling like it was more than just a chance encounter with a movie star. More than a love potion, more than she had ever dreamed a relationship could be.
Chapter 11
Later that night, when B.C. was staring out at the moonlit sky, he thought about Kira.
Of course, he wasn’t stupid when it came to the fact he was falling in love with her. He knew that they were in this amazing bubble. It worried him a bit that things might not be exactly the same after. Not on his part, but when they got back to reality. His reality. Of Hollywood. Movie sets. It was a different life than Kira knew or even could know.
It had actually been a good thing to tell Dr. Schneider about Kira and him because the doctor had really pushed him in therapy about the fact that his sobriety had to be all his own.
Over and over, the doctor hit this hard and discouraged his relationship with Kira.
B.C. knew the doctor just worried about him. He got that. The thing was, even though B.C. tried, he couldn’t describe to the doctor the changes that were taking place inside of him. Sure, he was falling for Kira. That was a plain as day. He was changing. He could feel it. He was reading the Bible, he’d even started praying, which was strange for him.
When he’d wanted to pray he’d asked the doctor how and the doctor had just said, ‘Some people pray on their knees, some people pray all day in their minds, there’s no right way to do it.’
This mystified B.C. and he kind of avoided doing it for a few days. When he told Kira about it she said, ‘Why don’t you try it when you’re running. That way you don’t have to think about it so much.’
So he had. It felt weird at first, talking to God in his mind. As he kept trying every day, he found himself telling God everything. About his dad dying and how he’d been so angry for a long time he didn’t have him. About his mother and his recent realization that she only used him. About his buddy Troy and how unfair it’d been that he’d been taken so young. About all the bad stuff he’d done. He actually found himself apologizing to God for hurting the thing he’d created….his body. Which had been an awesome realization. His body was God’s creation.
When he’d told Dr. Schneider all the things he was realizing, for the first time, Dr. Schneider had smiled and told him, maybe he wouldn’t have to see him at Red Rock Acres again after all. He took out the little bottle of oil Dr. Schneider had given him and told him to diffuse in his room. He looked at the label ‘white fir.’ He put a couple of drops in and started it, taking in a long breath. It was supposed to help him break bad family patterns of addiction. He needed any help he could get.
He smiled, thinking that he actually felt good. Really good. Hopeful. Happy. Better then he’d been in a long, long time.
He did want sobriety for more than Kira. He wanted it … because he kinda thought God wanted it for him too. This knowledge actually brought him to the realization, that God might help him, too.
That reality had been amazing. He could rely on God’s strength. Every day he felt more and more optimistic and he wanted to do more and more for others. He wanted to give more.
Smiling, he pulled out his phone and pressed her number. He’d gotten that earlier in the week from Kevin, too. He’d wanted to have the dress be such a big surprise.
It was weird to make a phone call after so long.
“Hello,” she said sleepily.
He felt bad, but he knew this had been a possibility. “Are you asleep?”
He could hear her shifting around. “What if I said yes?”
He felt a tiny bit bad but it was only ten-thirty. “I’m sorry.”
“Naw, I was actually just messing with the potions book. I’m re-doing Nana’s recipes. Making some potions that I think people might like.” She cleared her throat. “Actually, Dr. Schneider said he would help me sell them. Or market the potions, whatever I want.”
B.C. had to ask. “Will you let me help you?” With his connection among the ultra-rich, he could make her like…millions of dollars.
She hesitated. “I don’t know.”
“Hey, I’m the one the potions were used on, remember.”
She giggled and he loved the sound of it.
“I could just do one commercial. I have a team that could help me.”
“Of course you do.”
“I could star in it.” He sat up in bed.
“Who else?” she offered.
Loving this idea more and more for her he grinned. “We could star in it.”
“What? No,” she said quickly.
His mind was already going a million miles an hour. “Moonwater, listen to me, this will get you back to Julliard with no problems, are you hearing me?”
She chuckled and then said, “Noooo.”
“Why?” he demanded, feeling happy and slightly giddy that he could help her with Nana’s recipes and with Julliard at the same time. He got out of bed and ran a hand thr
ough his hair. “I’m serious. You won’t let me buy you off, but you never said I couldn’t help you.”
She sighed. “Isn’t it the same because you’re a movie star?”
“No, because my help isn’t automatic for people. I would be doing it because I wanted to do something for my girlfriend.”
There was quiet for a moment.
Was this really the ninth grade and he was begging a girl to go out with him?
“I like the sound of that.” She said quietly.
His heart skipped a beat. “You do?”
He could hear bottles clinking in the background.
“But you still can’t help me.”
He sat in the chair that overlooked the grounds, his mind still buzzing about how he could just send out a couple of texts and a couple of tweets and everything would be lined up for her. He thought about how different she was from any woman he’d dated. From any woman he’d been around. “Please.”
She let out a small whine. “No.”
He stood, sensing he was breaking her down. “Just think about it.” He went into his car salesman mode, then his Brooklyn accent. “Think about it, sweetheart, and I think you’ll think about the idea and it’ll grow on you and you’ll love it.”
She laughed and he felt like he’d won.
An epiphany smacked him in the face. He really did like helping people. She was right and he loved that she was right … he liked helping people, not just buying them.
“Yoo hoo?” she said sing song-ish into the phone.
“Hey.” He went back to his bed.
“You got radio silent for a sec.”
Liking what he’d been thinking about, he shared it with her.
“Ah,” she said after he’d explained it. “Actually, I think that makes sense.”
“You do?”
She giggled. “I think you should go help build catfish ponds in Africa because you like to help people so much.”
Bam, dead energy.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
He let out a breath and lay in bed, commanding himself to relax. He heard noise on her end in the background. “What are you doing right now?”
“Oh, I’m going room to room, shutting the blinds. I’m locking the doors. Kevin is already asleep and I’m shutting off lights.”
He could hear it all and he imagined himself there.
“Tell me more about it.”
She laughed. “You want to hear about the ranch.
“Every detail.”
She hesitated.
“Moonwater, phone manners.”
She laughed.
“Okay, when you drive here from the highway there’s a long, dirt road that winds down a lane with trees. In the spring and summer the trees are shady and wonderful. When you get to the house, there’s a giant flagpole. When we were kids, we would have to get up with Nana and pray and recite the pledge of allegiance as she put it up.”
For some reason, this made B.C. a bit emotional. Thinking of how much he loved his country. How much he loved to hear about Americans who valued their country. “Teaching kids patriotism, I like Nana more and more.”
“Then there’s a white house with black shutters. There are two columns that make it look stately. And a black door that Nana always had a huge wreath on according to the season.”
He was already in love with it.
“Continue.” He wanted the rest of the story.
“I was actually thinking…why don’t you just come out on Friday?”
He did suddenly sat up in bed. Of course he’d though about it. He didn’t know how to invite himself.
“You can have a tour and…I’ll have dinner ready.”
The center of his chest squeezed. An American girl with home cooking? It all felt so perfect and so…not his life. He wanted this life. He wanted it so badly right now he could taste it. Wanted it so much he would give up anything for it.
“Okay.”
For a second she didn’t even say anything. “Okay.” Then she giggled.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just feel silly.”
He liked her good nature and her naivety and all things about her. “Why?”
She scoffed. “Because you’re…B.C. Knight!” She said it so understated, it made him laugh.
“Wow, the way you say it does make me sound pretty incredible.”
She laughed. “How am I supposed to say it?”
He was instantly embarrassed.
“Tell me. How do you like your name said.”
He grinned. Yes, he would tell her. “When I was in high school I played football and I always think of the way the announcer said my name. “Ladies and Gentleman, number eleven, the halfback leading the team in touchdowns,” he cupped his hands and said it in the announcer’s voice, “B.C. Knight.” He made an audience clapping sound.
She laughed.
He laughed, too knowing he was silly, loving he could be silly with her.
She giggled more. “I like it.”
He lay back down, liking this conversation so much. “I like you, Moonwater,” he said softly.
She was quiet for a minute longer. “So Friday you’ll come to tour the ranch and have dinner?”
Was this the end of the conversation? He didn’t want it to end. “Hey, no let’s keep talking.”
She laughed that singsong laugh he was getting used to. He wished he was with her. That she was in his arms and he was holding her, touching her hair, playing with her hand, kissing her.
“What do we have to talk about?” she asked lightly.
“Are you coming to the premiere with me or not?”
“Oh.” She sounded like she’d forgotten.
Which didn’t surprise him. How many women would want to go with him, jump at the chance? But Kira had forgotten. “I bought you the dress…”
She sighed. “I don’t know if I can get away. There’s so much.”
He wouldn’t hear that. “I already cleared it with Kevin.” B.C. was taking no chances.
She laughed. “Oh, perfect, you’ve gotten permission from the grand duke, is it?”
He smiled. “Yes, lovely maiden, will you please accompany me to the ball?”
She let out another breath. “I’ll give you a definite maybe.”
“No,” he laughed. “I’ll get Kevin to give me one of those potions that would work on you.”
Now she did laugh. “You think it would work on me?”
“I’m willing to try.”
“Good night, Movie Star.”
Chapter 12
When Kira pulled up to the facility Thursday morning, she wasn’t prepared for the scene in front of her.
A whole slew of cars and vans were outside of the facility. Crowds of dozens of people milled around, holding cameras.
She was assaulted when her car came into the parking lot.
What the heck?
She got out and a reporter stepped into her personal space. “We are here, outside Red Rock Drug Rehab, where it has been reported that B.C. Knight has had an illicit affair with a woman by the name of Kira Moonwater.” The reporter stuck the microphone in her face. “Ms. Moonwater, do you have a comment?”
Kira rushed toward the facility, shaking her head, feeling her heart rate kick up. What the heck?
The reporter still tried to shove the microphone into her face. “Kira Moonwater, do you want to tell your side of the story?”
A bunch of security guys wearing black SWAT-type outfits formed a barrier in front of the door. Dr. Schneider was there, yelling out to them, “Let her through!”
The security parted and she heard snaps of cameras and felt the flashes on her skin. She thought she might have a heart attack.
When she got to the lobby it was a mixed scene. Clark and Tricia, both staring at her with accusing looks. Gary and Tina and Zoe, giving her expectant looks.
Gary frowned at her. “Why did you sell him out, Kira?”
She was stunned. “Wha
t?”
B.C. was instantly at her side, taking her hand. “I spoke to Dr. Schneider. Would you mind if we went to his office?”
Nervous would be the lame version to describe how she was feeling. More like…horrifically horrified. “They said we had an illicit affair?”
B.C. patted her hand. “They lie, just ignore it.”
The very center of her chest was trembling. Ignore it? Ignore all those people shoving microphones in her face. Precipitously she realized…this was B.C.’s life. What the heck had she done by getting involved with B.C.? Could she handle this?
They got to Dr. Schneider’s office and B.C. waited for the doctor as he closed the door behind him.
Dr. Schneider scowled and pointed to B.C. “I didn’t want this to happen.” He rubbed his balding head nervously.
B.C. put his hands up. “I know. I’m so so sorry. I take full accountability.”
The doctor looked stunned.
“How can I make this right?” continued B.C.
Kira’s mind was whirling with craziness. “It’s my fault too,” she said robotically. “I shouldn’t have let myself get close to a patient. I shouldn’t have—”
B.C. scowled and shook his head. “I am not your patient.” He pointed at Dr. Schneider. “I might be his patient, but not yours. Plus, this is not your fault.”
Although she appreciated his heroics, she found herself shaking her head and apologizing again to Dr. Schneider, but B.C. kept interrupting.
Finally, she threw her hands up. “I need to leave.”
“What?” both men said at the same time.
She walked toward the door. “I’m sorry, I…Nana would be so ashamed I did this to you, Dr. Schneider. You gave me a job, you’ve helped me try to figure out how I can sell my remedies. I never should have put you in this position and now all this crazy is upon you.” She turned to B.C. who had that grim, crossed arms, military face on.
“I’m sorry, B.C. I can’t do this with you. I can’t.” She rushed out, down the hall, ignoring all the looks, and back through the paparazzi, knowing her whole world had just exploded.
Later that night Kira sat on the porch. It was getting dark and she’d had this nervous energy all day. Self-loathing. She’d watched some of the news and she couldn’t understand how the story had leaked.