DASHED DREAMS

by Worley-Bean, Susan

  “Good evening, Lake Tahoe!” He continued through the cheers, “Since this is a benefit concert for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, tonight I’m going to deviate from my usual opening. I’d like to recognize a few people, without whose help this evening couldn’t have been possible. Mark, a spotlight please. First and foremost, please meet this gentleman, and I use this term lightly.” The spotlight shone on Jack Morgan. The audience laughed.

  “Mr. Jack Morgan, President of Tucker’s Entertainment Department. Without his generously we’d be doing the show down south in Glitter Gulch.” Again the audience laughed.

  “Next, I’d like to acknowledge another couple, Billy and Angyne Bean. Angyne’s my cousin from Mannsville, Oklahoma, and is Mannsville’s mayor. Her husband, Billy, is Oklahoma’s pecan king. And they are the nicest couple you’d ever want to meet, Hi, Cus! Sitting next to them are David and Jackie Symmons. Jackie’s the Western Region President of Children with Disabilities Program.” The spotlight shone brightly upon the two couples sitting in a booth left of the stage.

  “I could stand up here and spend a lot of time introducing and addressing notable folks, but there wouldn’t be any left for me, to entertain you…” The crowd roared.

  “Before I begin, another group I’d like to acknowledge.” The spotlight focused on the booth directly in the center of the room.

  “You all know football legend, Teddy Deprye and his beautiful wife, Celeste. To their right are Mr. Morgan and Lynda Brockhurst, and to their right my road manager, Gary Johns and his lady, Emma Elliott. To their right’s a very special lady, Dr. Jillian James. Hands off fellows, she’s all mine! Jillie, this is for you.” the rabbit.

  The audience clapped and gazed onto the center booth. Jillian suddenly felt out of place, embarrassed by all the attention.

  Emma leaned over to her best friend and whispered, “You’d better get used to it.”

  The room went dark, the music started again. Robert John Montgomery began singing his heart out. For twenty-five minutes he sang song after song. He took a break about halfway through the show, left the stage, while his band played an instrumental of one of his hits. Offstage a stagehand had a cool towel and a cold drink waiting. This break usually lasted about a minute or so. Sometimes depending on the audience, Robert John Montgomery would return early with the towel draped around his neck and drink in hand. Tonight was no exception. He returned to the stage, set his drink down on a stool back by the keyboard, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel. He introduced his band, and the show continued. After several more songs he began his finale song, and the audience roared with the first few bars being played, his greatest hit, Loving You. He motioned towards Jillie. the rabbit.

  When the ballad ended, Robert John Montgomery took a bow and received a standing ovation.

  “Thank you so very much. Please remember. Open your checkbooks tonight and tomorrow night for our purpose. Please be kind to your heart. Goodnight and God Bless.” He bowed again, took off his bow tie and tossed it out into the audience, turned, and walked offstage. His band continued to play until he was completely offstage.

  RJ thanked all the backstage hands on the way to his dressing room. He opened the door and found several people waiting for him, among them, Jillian and her group. He nodded to the others, walked over to Jillie, and whispered into her ear, “Please take them up to our suite. I’ll be up as soon as I finish this meet and greet.”

  Jillian quietly said, “Okay.”

  The group was chatting when RJ arrived back at the suite. He hadn’t changed, still wearing his “work” clothes. He fixed himself a drink, stopped at the edge of the living room to chat, then excused himself to clean up. He returned to the living room, replenished his empty glass, came over to the couch, and sat by Jillian. He put his arm around her shoulder, squeezed it lightly.

  “That was a terrific performance, RJ. You sure give them their money’s worth. A hundred and ten percent, you must be exhausted,” Teddy said. All the others either silently nodded or said “yes” out loud.

  “Thank you, kind sir. I love my job.”

  The group made small talk for about an hour or so. Looking at her watch, Lynda said, “I’m going to call it a night. I’m pooped.” She got up and said goodnight to everyone.

  Jack Morgan stood up and said, “I’m also leaving. Once again, great concert, RJ. See you on the course tomorrow morning. Tee off’s nine, right? Lynda, wait up.”

  As the evening before Lynda and Jack’s exit caused a mass exodus. After all the thank-you’s and goodbyes were said, Jillian and RJ found themselves alone and back on the sofa facing the lake.

  “You’re really something. I loved your performance.”

  “Ah, it ain’t nothin’, M’am.”

  He moved closer to her, reached over the back of the sofa, and turned off the lights. The room’s darkness was softened by a full moon, and the lake shimmered in the moonlight. He put his arm around her, and she moved closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder. At this moment Jillian felt safe and secure, a feeling she’d never before felt. Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.

  “I have something to tell you. I’ve been wanting you all to myself before I tell you.”

  “What?”

  “Jillie, I bought a house yesterday morning…”

  “Where?”

  “Off Highway 50 on the Nevada side. It’s in a gated community, right on the lake, complete with a boat dock.”

  “Oh, that sounds marvelous.”

  “Would you like to see it? I tee off tomorrow early, so I’ll be finished early. How about tomorrow afternoon, after all the festivities are over? I want for us to have time to be able to really look over the place.”

  “Yes, I’d love to see it, but tomorrow morning several of us are going shopping.”

  “Oh, I thought you’d be on the course to watch me.”

  “You’ll have plenty of people watching. You don’t need me there.”

  “But you’re MY one-woman cheering section. I don’t need anyone else.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. At the touch of his lips, Jillian fused into his arms and returned his kiss.

  “Something’s different.”

  “What?” Jillian asked, knowing all too well what he was talking about. She felt peace and completeness.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning Jillian and the girls met the others at the Coffee Hut by the concierge in the hotel lobby. Word had gotten to Birdie of the shopping excursion, and she arranged for a car to transport the girls. It was decided that they’d shop at the Factory Stores at the Y. After a couple of hours of serious shopping, the bag-toting ladies arrived back at Tucker’s. After thanking their driver, the ladies exited the limousine. A bellman offered to take their bags and Deliver them to their respective rooms.

  “What a grand idea! Thank you,” Celeste said, as she began to spout off room numbers. As they were walking away, Jillian noticed that Celeste handed the bellman a strip of folded money.

  They decided to have lunch in the Seafood Sound restaurant. The nautical-themed eatery hit the spot for the hungry shoppers. Seafood salads were ordered all around with plenty of sourdough bread and butter. The conversation was light, mostly about shopping and this and that, until Celeste asked Jillian about her relationship with the country singer.

  Jillian was taken back, but remembered he was in the public eye and they were all curious about his life and loves. She smiled and redirected the question back to Celeste. The girls started talking about the word, “celebrity” as it’s an eye-opener. The question always is: Are celebrities different? There is a fascination about celebrities that’s risen due to America’s common peoples’ chance to live out their dreams through their favorite stars. One question arose. Are they America’s Kings and Queens? The girls discussed if indeed stars lead a fairytale life and how fame changes lives.

  Bertie was passing by the Seafood Sound and saw Jillian and her group. She noticed that they
were in a serious conversation. She asked if the shopping excursion was successful. Jillian asked about the tournament. Bertie said she’d check to see if it was finished. From the house phone Bertie placed a call, spoke for a few minutes, then returned to the girls’ table.

  “They’ll be finished up in about an hour or so,” Bertie informed the ladies. They all thanked her.

  After lunch, the girls said goodbye to Celeste and returned to Jillian’s room. Emma, Lynda, and Jillian were sorting and comparing their acquisitions, when the phone rang. Lynda, closest to the phone, answered in a most officious voice, “Hello, Miss James’ suite.” She was silent and then smiled.

  “Hold on, Sir. I’ll see if she’s receiving calls.” She laughed and motioned the phone’s receiver towards Jillian. “Your shining star.”

  Jillian shook her hand at Lynda, “Hello…. Nope just waiting for you to return. How was golf?” The girls were trying ask where Gary and Jack were, but Jillian swatted at them, and continued, “We had lunch downstairs.”

  “Are you ready to go house-looking? We’re munching lunch right now. Jillie, come on down to my room. After I finish, we’ll go look at my house. Hey, bring the girls. Jack and Gary are here eating, too. See you in a few?”

  “We’ll be right down.”

  After hanging up the phone, she felt two sets of eyes focused on her.

  “Come on, we’re meeting the guys down at RJ’s.”

  After lunch Jillian and RJ met with Lionel, who was waiting with the car. No one in the hotel lobby seemed to notice RJ, as he was still dressed in golf clothes and wearing a golf cap.

  “Good afternoon, Miss James and Mr. Montgomery,” Lionel said as he opened the rear door for the couple.

  The limousine turned onto Highway 50. In about ten minutes they reached Tahoe Drive. The car turned left off the highway. At the security gate, Lionel handed the guard a paper. He handed Lionel a card that he slipped onto the dash. The guard opened the gate, and as the car passed he nodded to the occupants. RJ had given Lionel a set of directions. He continued on Tahoe Drive. The road had a very steep descent to lake level. Once they reached lake level, Lionel made a brief left turn, and the house was directly in front of them. The limo pulled into the covered horseshoe-shaped driveway. One of the first things Jillian noticed was the shiny tile driveway and another was a massive rock exterior.

  “You’ve been calling this a house. This is a villa.” Jillian motioned with her arms outstretched wide, indicating the vastness.

  “Nah, it’s just somewhere this old country boy can unpack his duds. The big house is in LA.”

  They both laughed. RJ unlocked the front door. Standing in the entryway, the view was breath-taking both inside and out. Across the vast living room were massive picture windows revealing majestic Lake Tahoe.

  “Kind’a takes your breathe away.” Jillian remarked. Her voice echoed due to the lack of furniture.

  “Yeah, ain’t seen nothing yet, kid. Roam around and get to know the place.”

  The interior of the home was designed like a wagon wheel, with spokes coming off the center. The dining room was off to the left of the great room, with the kitchen entry to the far side of the dining room. On the same wall was an open-through fireplace between the kitchen and dining room.

  Jillian walked into the kitchen. “Wow! If my mother could see this! This is exactly like what her dream kitchen would look like. Come to think of it, just like mine.”

  A hand touched her shoulder. “I’m glad you approve.”

  The kitchen was every cook’s dream, with a large restaurant-style stove in the middle of a large kitchen island. Jillian walked around inspecting everything. Off the kitchen, was a breakfast nook. There was another bank of windows affording spectacular views. Jillian stood at the nook, looking back into the kitchen, imaging a snowy day with a roaring fire burning in the fireplace. RJ looked at her daydreaming and fell deeper in love.

  “Hey, come on, we have more to look at.” the rabbit

  He took her hand and escorted her down a hall from the kitchen. They inspected two bedrooms with their own sitting areas and baths. Again, they were in the entryway, heading down another hall, one that revealed two more bedrooms, with the same configuration as the previous ones.

  When they reached a grand double door, RJ opened it and once again, the view was breath taking. Jillian thought to herself: Strange, but each view throughout the house of the lake is somewhat different. She stepped up on a landing, looked out over the lake, and smiled. Turning and looking towards the middle of the room, she saw RJ looking at her, smiling.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m just loving what I’m seeing.”

  She walked past him and touched his cheek. He took her into his arms. “If only there were a bed right here.” He motioned to the exact spot Jillian had imagined she’d place the bed, if she were decorating the room. He kissed her. “There’s more to see.”

  The twosome looked at his and her master baths each with its own walk-in closets. Down the hallway led to a giant laundry and mudroom with a door on the far side of the room. Jillian opened the door, she found herself inside a four-car garage. She noticed that the flooring in the garage was the same shiny tile as on the driveway. Off the same hall were another three rooms: An office, complete with two built-in oak desks located along the far wall. Another empty room contained a sitting room, bedroom, and bath.

  “These are the servants’ quarters.”

  From that room down the hall was another door, which led into a room -- that was the plainest of all -- no wood, no built-in cabinets, nothing but a door leading out onto another deck. RJ opened the door, and they were standing on a small deck area. The steps led down from the small deck onto a grass yard. The couple stood looking at the lake, then turned to look at the house.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “So, this is how the rich and famous live?” Jillian said, ribbing RJ.

  “Hey, someone has to live here, why not us?”

  Jillian was taken with his remark and changed the subject. They walked back into the great room, out onto the deck from the French doors leading out of that room. RJ took Jillian’s hand and they walked down the walkway that came off the deck. Several yards down the walkway they came upon a boathouse and a pier. RJ tried several keys and opened the locked gate. They walked out onto the pier. At the end of the pier was another small deck, probably used as a swim platform, as a metal ladder was propped against the boathouse.

  The couple sat on a redwood bench. RJ looked back at his home. “Years ago, never in my wildest dreams I ever thought I could have something like this.”

  “RJ, it’s something to be proud of. It is….” Jillian thought for a second trying to find the right word, but all she could say was, “breath-taking.”

  They sat quietly; listening to the lake’s ripples slap against the concrete pilings.

  When they started back to the house, they were holding hands. RJ said, “Too bad this wasn’t furnished and we could’ve stayed here tonight. Another time.”

  They locked up the house and got back into the car. While mixing a drink, RJ asked Jillian if she wanted one. She shook her head no.

  Jillian asked, “What’re you going to do with the plain room?”

  RJ replied as he sipped his drink. “Makin’ it a recording studio.”

  “Sounds good.”

  It was almost evening when the pair returned to Tucker’s. In RJ’s suite the foursome of Gary, Emma, Lynda, and Jack left a note saying that they were having dinner at The Top of The Wheel, across the street at Harvey’s.

  “Want to join them?”

  “No, thanks. I’m kind’a tired. Since we leave tomorrow, I want to just relax tonight. I might just order room service,” Jillian said.

  “Want to have dinner with me here? We can order room service and just kick back,” RJ said as finishing mixing a drink. He motioned a silent, “Do you want a drink?” to Jillie, and she shook her head no. He k
icked off his shoes and planted his feet on the coffee table, sipping his drink.

  “Thanks. Sounds good.” Jillian said, watching the late-afternoon sun reflect on the lake. She sat down next to him and also removed her shoes.

  “Whatever you want for dinner, it’s yours. What do you feel like? Think I’m going to order something that you’re going to scold me for eating.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Well, to start off, I’m going to have an order of Chicago Wings, then the largest cheeseburger they can make. One of those ‘Elvis’ burgers with a fried bun and with cheese dripping off the sides, with French fries and onion rings. And to complete that, a large vanilla malt, with a couple of beer chasers.”

  “Heart attack ready to happen.” Jillian laughed. “Hey, I’ll have the same, but skip the beers.”

  When dinner was finished, RJ asked Jillian if she wanted to watch a movie or listen to music. She declined both, saying she’d just like relax, knowing that tomorrow everyone would be leaving. The couple talked about their parents, their childhood, and their dreams.

  At about ten the phone rang; it was Gary. He said the plane would be ready for him and RJ, whenever they were ready to head back to Los Angeles. He said the rest of the support crew left a few hours ago and were heading home. RJ told him that he’d be ready by mid-morning.

  After the call RJ mixed himself another drink, again offering Jillian one, which she declined.

  They talked until the wee hours of the morning. RJ walked Jillian to her room; they opened the door and stepped inside. After Jillian closed the door, he took her into his arms and held her tightly. They didn’t speak, just held one another. He whispered in her ear, “Jillie, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this weekend. I’m glad you were here to share it with me. Thank you.”