Quest For A Popstar

by Katie Hamstead

  “I swear it.”

  Her agent walks over, ending our conversation.

  ***

  That evening, I primp and scrub up the best I can for my dinner with the Murphys. I start with a sexy red dress, then change it when the thought of Arnie and Levi seeing me crosses my mind. I settle with a royal blue dress and white cardigan, then loosely curl my hair.

  In the cab, I feel like I might throw up. What am I doing? Can I face Lucas like this? I won’t talk to him unless he talks to me first. I’ll focus on catching up with the rest of the family.

  The cab pulls up to the familiar hotel where I’d lived for weeks, several months even. It feels strange to be back, but also somewhat welcoming. I’d spent so much time there for so long. I climb out of the cab, taking deep breaths. Despite the familiarity, each step into the lobby feels like agony.

  The Murphys stand by the entrance of the restaurant as I approach. Clarissa spies me and rushes over. She throws herself at me, barely giving me time to brace for the impact.

  “I’ve missed you!” she says, squeezing me tight.

  “You too.”

  Clarissa slides her arm through mine, pulling me over to her family. Isaiah and Lucas stare at me, but Isaiah steps forward.

  “Hailey! How are you holding up?” He wraps his arms around me.

  “Fine. Doing better.” With a quick glance, I take in Lucas standing back with his hands in his jean pockets, staring at his feet.

  Isaiah releases me. “That guy was an idiot. How could anyone cheat on you?”

  Clarissa shoves his chest. “Down, boy. Let’s go have dinner.”

  We sit in a large corner booth, and somehow I manage to end up sitting between Clarissa and Lucas. Lucas plucks up his menu and buries his face in it. Isaiah sits opposite me, and I can’t help feeling like it’s all too reminiscent of the day we all first met.

  Kessa starts off the conversation with me. While we talk, I try to ignore Lucas’s body being so close to mine, the heat seeming to radiate from him more than usual. His hip and shoulder touch mine, so I pluck up my menu while Kessa talks to keep my hands busy and try to remain as nonchalant as he is.

  The waitress takes our orders. When she collects the menus, Clarissa bumps me and I shoulder Lucas. His hand rests on the small of my back. “Clarissa.”

  “Sorry.” She shrugs.

  His hand falls but rests right beside my thigh. Why is he touching me? Kill me now! This is torture!

  Then, Isaiah’s foot presses on my inner calf. My gaze shoots to him. He grins and looks to Levi as he talks. His foot lifts, pushing under the hem of my skirt. Gasping, I flinch back. He smirks, his foot coming after me.

  Lucas’s hand shoots away from my thigh. By the abrupt stop of ascent of Isaiah’s foot, Lucas has grabbed it. They glare at each other, then Isaiah’s foot pulls back.

  Clarissa shuffles closer to me. Looking between the three of them, I sense a deeper tension than before I left, and somehow I’m right in the middle, and not just physically. Kessa’s pain reflects in her eyes as she looks between them.

  Arnie takes over the conversation, and Levi catches my eye. Something about the way he stares at me tells me he wants to talk. He’s likely the safest person to talk to at that moment.

  Isaiah’s foot returns to my leg.

  “I need to use the restroom.” I nudge Clarissa and she moves out of the way.

  The restroom, to my relief, is clear across the other side of the restaurant. Inside, I pause in front of the mirror to regain some control. This is crazy. Isaiah is all over me, which a few short weeks ago I would have loved, but now I want Lucas to pay attention to me, and he’s gone cold again. But the tension between the brothers and Clarissa is frightening. I don’t understand how I’m in the middle of it, but I am, and I hate it. I look at myself. “I should leave.”

  “Why?” Lydia stands by the door, gazing up at me with her big brown eyes.

  I turn to face her, my love for their family swelling in my heart. “Lydia.”

  “Stay with us.”

  I look away. “I’m not feeling well.”

  “We’ll take care of you. You’re one of us now.”

  I shake my head. “Lydia, sometimes we love people who will only hurt us—”

  “I know. But we’re family.”

  “I’m…” She gazes up at me with those large dark eyes, full of love. I rest my hands on her shoulders. “I’m not part of your family. I’m tearing your family apart.”

  “No, you’re not.” She grabs my hands. “Stay with us.”

  She gives me a quick squeeze around the waist, then heads into the cubicle.

  Her purity affects me. I almost burst into tears. I need to leave. With my feelings for Lucas in turmoil, and now seeing the tension between the oldest three siblings, I can’t do that to their family.

  I burst out of the bathroom and find Levi waiting for me. He pushes off the wall and pulls me out of sight. He glances behind him, scanning the room, then looks at me. “Which one do you like?”

  “Huh?”

  “Isaiah or Lucas?”

  “I just broke up with my boyfriend!”

  He glances around again. “This is a really old fight between them. I’ll help keep you out of it as much as I can. Clarissa has taken sides, so she’s making things worse.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Anguish fills his eyes. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. We all really like you.”

  “Levi…” I rub my eyes. “I can’t deal with this right now. I’m going back to my hotel.”

  “No!” He grabs my shoulders. “That will make things worse. They’ll argue about whose fault it is, and there’ll be lots of yelling. Please, just stay.”

  Although agonizing, I agree. Clarissa moves to stand for me, but I slide in, forcing her to stay put so she remains between Lucas and me, and I can make a speedy escape.

  “Are you okay?” she whispers in my ear.

  I nod, forcing a smile.

  The rest of dinner remains mostly uneventful, except Isaiah keeps staring at me. That alone causes my feelings of unease to burrow into my gut.

  “Do we want dessert?” Kessa asks at the end of the meal.

  “I need to go,” I say with a smile. “I have an early start tomorrow.”

  “I’ll take you back,” Lucas offers.

  “No.” I shoot to my feet. “You need to stay here. The show’s tomorrow night, so you need to prepare and get some rest.” And call Vanessa.

  “I’ll go with you then.” Isaiah grins.

  “Ah…you have the same show to prepare for.” I pull some cash from my wallet. “This should cover it with some extra for the tip. It’s good to see you all again. Break a leg tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Hailey.” Clarissa stares up at me with wide, wet eyes.

  “Bye.” I swivel on my heel and hurry away, unable to face them any longer. Once I hit the lobby, I let my tears fall. I cover my face to keep them discreet and promptly run into someone.

  “Hailey?” Jeff grabs my shoulders. “What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here?” I sniff, trying to hide my tears from him.

  “Finishing up some work with Jessica.” He glances around and pulls me aside. “Stop crying.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  “Don’t sass me. There are all kinds of people watching this hotel. Stop crying.”

  I suck in air, forcing my emotions into submission.

  He brushes my hair over my shoulder. “Now, what are you doing here?”

  “The Murphys—”

  “Ah. Of course.” He pulls off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. “Let’s go out the back in my car.”

  He leads me to the basement and we climb into his black Ferrari. I’ve never ridden in anything European, so I run my hands over the tan leather interior as we drive.

  “Hailey?”

  “Mmm?” I sniff again, tensing at his firm tone.

  “Yo
u shouldn’t come to the hotel. Steven might see you.”

  My chin quivers. “I don’t care about him anymore.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “It’s…” I rub my eyes. “It’s Lucas.”

  “I can’t say that’s completely unexpected, but okay. What’s happening?”

  Tearing my gaze from the soft leather seat, I gaze up at him. “I think I like him, but he doesn’t like me. Not like that.”

  “Really? Huh.” He raises an eyebrow.

  “Isaiah flirts with me like crazy, but I’m not sure if he’s just being him, or if he’s really interested. Then Clarissa’s acting all possessive when they’re around, like they’re trying to steal her friend away, and the tension between the three of them is unbearable.”

  “They’ve always had tension between them,” he says, glancing at me. “Right from the start. It’s part of what makes their act so riveting. You watch and they’re incredibly talented, but you just know those three want to rip into each other. You’re just itching for them to break out into a fight on stage, Jerry Springer style.”

  “But…” I stare at him. “It feels…worse.”

  “That’s because you’re in the middle.”

  I nod.

  He turns at an intersection heading the opposite direction of the hotel.

  I watch the street sign pointing to L.A. fly by. “Where are we going?”

  “You’re going to come spend some time with my family.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Uh…why?”

  “Because it’ll cheer you up.” He grins.

  I stare at him, my jaw hanging open.

  “Don’t look at me like that.” He pushes my mouth shut. “We’ll have fun. Emily has been asking how you are anyway.”

  I wrap my arms around my waist. “This is kinda weird.”

  “I can take you back to the Murphys if you like?”

  I wince, the knot in my stomach tightening. “Just for an hour.”

  We turn off the freeway into Beverly Hills and soon arrive at a large house I’d never expected to see him living in. The two-story brick home has a perfectly manicured yard, white trimmings, and false shutters. It looks like a nice, simple, suburban home.

  He walks me to the double oak front door and goes straight in. I hesitate on the threshold. Slowly scanning the entry area, I decide I’d wait until someone specifically says—

  “Hailey, come in.”

  I continue to hesitate. Who gets invited into a rock star’s house in Beverly Hills? Not little old me.

  “Hailey.” Jeff rests his hands on his hips.

  “Hailey?” From the top of the stairs to my right, Collin appears. He stares at me, jaw hanging, as he cautiously steps down the top three stairs.

  “Both of you are acting ridiculous.” Jeff grabs my arm and pulls me in the door. “Collin, you’ve met Hailey before.”

  A maid appears and takes Jeff’s jacket from me. I stare at her. A maid? Seriously? I don’t know anyone who has a maid.

  “Sir, dinner is waiting for you,” she says to Jeff, and despite all stereotypes, she has no foreign accent.

  “Thank you, Janet. Where’s Emily?” Jeff responds.

  Collin steps up beside me, grinning from ear to ear.

  “She’s with Vinnie and Zach in the pool,” the maid replies.

  “Thank you.”

  Janet leaves, and Jeff tilts his head for me to follow.

  Collin’s hand gingerly touches my elbow. “It’s really cool that you’re here. I couldn’t believe you got knocked out.”

  “Thanks.” I smile at him.

  “Come on, you two,” Jeff calls, disappearing through a doorway.

  “Mom will be happy to see you,” Collin says, gently tugging on my elbow. “She was so mad when you were kicked off.”

  “Oh.” She must know why. I don’t see Jeff as the withholding-information-from-his-wife type.

  Collin coaxes me through to an indoor pool. In the doorway, I gaze around at the glass walls, potted plants, and in a small alcove, a hot tub. Not a normal suburban home.

  Emily climbs out of the pool, her one-piece suit showing off her slender figure. Jeff’s eyes take her in as he walks toward her. His smile widens as he approaches. He plants a kiss on her lips.

  She smiles up at him but immediately turns her attention to me. “Hailey!”

  “Hi,” I respond sheepishly.

  Collin pulls me forward as she walks toward us. The two younger boys stop splashing and swing around to look at me.

  Emily rests her hand on my shoulder and kisses my cheek. “It’s good to see you again. You’ve had a rough time lately. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.” I have no idea what to say. I feel like a street bum walking in on the royal family’s quality bonding time.

  She waves to the boys in the pool. “Go upstairs and get changed.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, they climb out of the pool and scamper away.

  “Excuse me while I change.” She smiles, touching my cheek. “Jeff and Collin will take care of you.”

  “I sure will.” Collin wraps his arm through mine.

  Weird. Everything feels so weird.

  As Emily heads upstairs, Jeff motions for us to leave the pool area. Collin guides me into an entertainment room where a pool table, foosball, laser tag, a huge TV, and a stereo all sit waiting to be used. Black leather couches line the walls, and Collin leads me to one.

  Jeff grabs a fold-up chair and sets it up facing us. “You look uncomfortable.”

  I nod.

  “Relax.”

  I raise an eyebrow at him.

  “Why are you uncomfortable?” Collin asks.

  “Uh…”

  “I doubt she’s used to houses like this,” Jeff answers for me.

  “I should go,” I mutter.

  Collin clutches my arm. “Not yet.”

  Jeff scowls at him. Collin releases my arm. Weird. So weird. Why does everyone suddenly want my undivided attention? I’ve gone from being easily forgotten to the most wanted person alive. Well, at least that’s what it feels like.

  “So, Hailey,” Jeff says, leaning back. “Have you been contacted by any agents or producers yet?”

  “No,” I say quickly. “Well, apart from this gig with Vanessa.”

  “Give it some time,” he says. “Let your newfound availability marinade for a few weeks, and they’ll come calling.”

  “I don’t think I’ll do a solo album.” I press my hands between my knees.

  “Why not?” Collin asks. “I’d buy it, and so would just about everyone I know. Dad, why don’t you get your guys to hook her up?”

  Jeff lets out a long breath of air. “Can’t. Not until her contract expires, anyway.”

  “That’s okay.” I chew my lip.

  “Why wouldn’t you want to go solo?” Jeff asks. “You went on the show as a solo act.”

  “I know, but I didn’t expect to get anywhere.” My knees quiver. “I don’t think my mom would approve. She loves my singing, but she’s afraid of what fame does to people. She doesn’t want me to turn out like that.”

  Jeff scowls. “I didn’t turn out so bad.”

  “I don’t mean you. I mean in general.” Kill me now.

  His two younger sons shuffle sheepishly into the room. Both look like younger versions of Collin, with blue eyes and light brown hair. They shove and wrestle onto the couch beside me, their stares never breaking away from me.

  Jeff rolls his eyes. “Stop that.”

  Emily walks in wearing a floral maxi dress, twisting her dark hair into a bun. “Excuse the boys. They’re a little starstruck.”

  “But their dad’s a way bigger star than I could ever be.”

  “Yeah, but he’s our dad,” the middle son says.

  “That’s Vincent,” Jeff says. “And the runt there is Zachery.”

  The boys both grin.

  Emily rests her hands on Jeff’s shoulders and her chin on the top of his head. I e
xamine them both. The blue eyes on the boys comes from Jeff, but I can’t place the light brown hair. Maybe Emily dyes hers? That makes sense. A woman in her early forties would probably have some gray.

  “Let’s play something,” Collin says, jumping to his feet. “We have the latest of every console. We could do Kinect Sports?”

  “Yeah!” the other two boys say in union, both jumping up and following him.

  “Um…” I glance at Jeff again.

  “Go.” He gestures for me to follow. “You wanted to take a break. I’m sure three preadolescent boys will be a sufficient distraction.”

  At first, I hang back, but the three boys are so entertaining that I can’t help but join in. Beach volleyball turns into a slap fest, with each brother using it as an excuse to hit each other. When we change to bowling, they tease each other about their technique. I enjoy every second, rolling with laughter when they resort to name-calling.

  More than an hour passes; in fact, two pass before I realize how long we’ve been playing. Swiveling around, I find Jeff and Emily gone. I slip out of the room and hear them talking quietly somewhere out of sight. I don’t want to eavesdrop, so call, “Jeff?”

  They fall quiet, and a few seconds later Jeff appears in the hallway. “Yes?”

  “It’s getting late.”

  He glances behind me at a clock showing ten thirty. “Wow, yeah it is. Let’s go.”

  Emily places her hand on his shoulder as she says to me, “You better say goodbye to the boys or they’ll be disappointed.”

  “Okay.” I hurry back. The three kids rush at me, talking a hundred miles a minute as they fist-bump me goodbye.

  Emily wraps her arm around my waist. “I hope the boys helped cheer you up.”

  “They did. Thank you,” I answer with as much genuine feeling as I can muster. They’ve been beyond great, and I want her to know.

  She squeezes my waist. “Hopefully we’ll see you again soon.”

  Jeff rests his hand on my arm and leads me out. His family waves from the door as we drive away.

  I sit stiff, staring out the window. The whole experience has left me feeling strange about Jeff. His family seemed too happy to see me, even if I had enjoyed spending time with them.

  “Jeff?” I say softly.

  “Mmm?”