An Encore for Estelle (Melodies of Love Book 2)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Estelle wanted to know more, but the clock edged close to her rendezvous time with Blake. “I think your cousin is happy.”

  “Good.” Gabby stood. “Thanks again. I won’t forget what you did for her.” Sincerity filled her face.

  Estelle squeezed her hand. “Let me know if she needs anything but doesn’t want to ask.”

  Gabby chuckled. “You figured Cerise out fast. She won’t complain. She’ll make do. But I’ll quiz her from time to time and let you know.”

  “I appreciate that.” She slid off the stool. “I’ll catch you later.”

  Gabby walked her to the door. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  “I won’t. See you.” She turned and strolled back toward the community center. This town hadn’t changed much in the weeks she’d been gone. The flower boxes seemed a little fuller, but otherwise everything moved along as it always did. The warmth of familiarity wrapped around her like the crust on a hot apple dumpling.

  She waited for a break in traffic then crossed the street to where Blake’s pickup was parked. She looked inside—no Blake yet. Though tempted to go looking for him, she opted to wait. It would be too easy to miss him if he went out a different door. She waited in the shade of his vehicle, resting a hip against the passenger side and pulled out her cell phone.

  The click of a camera grabbed her attention. She looked up, shielding her eyes and spotted Mr. Paparazzo. “What are you doing here?” Her pulse surged. Was he alone again or had he brought reinforcements this time?

  “Your restaurant fiasco generated some new interest in you.”

  She looked around. Lord, please give me courage. “You’re the only one here. Apparently I’m not as big as all that.”

  “We’ll see. Rumor has it you’ve returned to acting.” He chortled. “In a children’s theater. I knew that had to be gossip to throw me off the scent of the real story, so I’ve been following you.”

  A shudder ran through her. He’d been stalking her? She knew better than to respond with any expression. That was what he wanted—to capture her with an angry or odd look on her face. The man was excellent at bagging headlines. “I could report you to the police for stalking.”

  “I can’t stalk you. You’re a celebrity, so it doesn’t count.”

  “That is one of the most ridiculous things anyone has ever said to me. And I’m not a celebrity anymore. But based on your own words of defense, if you were arrested and your case went to trial, you’d lose. Is this story really worth the risk?”

  A hard look covered his face. He lowered the camera.

  She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. She heard footsteps approaching and glanced toward the community center. Blake. Relief surged through her.

  “You ready to go?” Blake strode toward her, frowning. The pickup’s locks clicked. “Is he bugging you?”

  She looked to the man who still seemed to be contemplating her words.

  “No. I’m leaving. You won’t be seeing me around here again, Ms. Rogers.”

  “Good.” She whirled around and opened the door. Once inside the safety of the pickup, she tried to still her trembling hands.

  Blake slid in beside her. “You’re not okay, are you?”

  She shook her head. “I will be, though. Can we go please?”

  He started the engine. “What about the grocery store?”

  She sighed. “Skip it. I could stand to lose a few pounds anyway.”

  “No you can’t. I’ll stop. Text me your list.”

  She slid him a sideways glance. His thoughtfulness was like a healing balm. Warmth replaced the prickles of cold the confrontation had caused. She created a short list then sent it to his phone.

  His cell chimed indicating her text. “What was that paparazzi dude doing hanging around in town again? He already got his story.”

  “He wanted more. But I took care of him. I don’t think he’ll be back, but if you see him lurking around let me know.” She was serious about turning the man in to the police.

  Blake pulled into the grocery store lot, parked and hopped out. “I’ll go fast.”

  She nodded, then pulled out her cell and called Kayla. “Hey it’s me. I’m back.”

  “And not a day too soon.” Strain filled her friend’s voice.

  Alarm shot through Estelle. “What’s wrong?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Blake rushed across the parking lot to his pickup. Estelle wasn’t herself after seeing that paparazzi guy. He hated leaving her alone, but at the same time, she clearly wasn’t up to shopping. Derek had warned him about her fear of the paparazzi. He had doubted what his buddy told him until now.

  He put the groceries in the bed of the truck then climbed into the cab.

  Estelle’s face was pale, and she looked like she might be sick. Was there something going around? Kayla had the same look about her the last several times he’d seen her. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just had a shock.”

  He noticed she had a white-knuckle clutch on her phone. “Did you get some bad news? Is everything okay with your restaurant?” He started the engine to head toward home.

  “It’s Kayla.”

  Alarm shot through him. Had his fear for her health been justified? He’d thought he was imagining things and had tried to ignore the warning in his gut when he last saw her. “What’s wrong?”

  Silence.

  “You’re killing me. Maybe I should call her myself.”

  “No, don’t.”

  “Then what’s going on?” This woman could drive a man crazy. Ever since he’d picked her up from the airport, he had experienced a roller coaster of feelings.

  “I shouldn’t say.”

  “But you told me it’s Kayla so . . .”

  She let out a huff. “Fine. But this stops here. Okay?”

  He nodded. Fear gripped him, and he braced for the worst. Maybe he didn’t want to know after all. No, whatever it was, Derek and Kayla were his best friends. He wanted to know—but why did Estelle know while he didn’t?

  “Kayla is pregnant and is having horrible morning sickness. She’s not sure she can continue with the musical.”

  He blew out a long breath. “Praise the Lord. I was afraid she was seriously ill.” He loosened his grip on the steering wheel. “She hasn’t looked well lately. I guess that explains it.” He chuckled. “What a relief. I was afraid she had cancer or something horrible.”

  “Whoa. Now I’m glad I told you. This pregnancy has been rough. She asked me to step in for her. She doesn’t think she can continue with the musical.”

  Confusion filled him. “But doesn’t morning sickness pass after the first trimester?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been pregnant. But even if it does, she’d still be in the first trimester.”

  “I see. Well, it looks like you’ve been promoted. How do you feel about that?”

  “To be honest, this has been an overwhelming day. I need time to process.” She leaned back against the seat and stared at the ceiling.

  “Understandable.” He could use some processing time himself after the bombshells she’d dropped on him—first about the Hollywood producer and then about Kayla. “Maybe you and Kayla can work something out so she still does one performance. As hard as she’s worked, she deserves to do at least one, but she’d need to come to rehearsals now and then for that to work.”

  “That’s a great idea. Let’s talk to her about it. But not today. I’m beat.”

  “Me too.” They finished the drive in silence. He parked in front of the barn.

  Estelle got out and gently closed the door. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

  “You’re welcome.” He’d never seen her like this, and it concerned him. Then again, the drive home had been an emotional roller coaster, plus she had come face-to-face with the paparazzi guy, so it made sense she’d be worn out. “I’ll help you with your bags.”

  “That’s okay.” She threaded the grocery bag on her arm, wrapped her pur
se across her body then gripped one suitcase in each hand. “I’ve got it.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” He wanted to help her, but if she didn’t want it, there was nothing he could do.

  “I am. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She trudged across the driveway and stopped at the path that led to the cottage.

  He waited, certain she’d need help. She picked up a suitcase in each hand and stepped from stone to stone. He shook his head and headed for the barn. Thankfully, he had nothing else on his agenda, because all he wanted was to collapse. He went straight to his room and spread out face down on the bed.

  Estelle’s words from earlier danced around in his mind. What was his five-year plan? She had opened a door for him he’d never considered. If his musical was made into a movie, he would finally make a name for himself. Should he consider getting his own place? If he were honest, staying here long term had never been a consideration. But one day had led to another, and slowly the years had ticked by. Maybe it was time to have a talk with Derek and Helen. Not that he would move simply because of Estelle’s comment, but maybe if he moved on, Helen would feel free to follow her heart rather than mother him. He knew she worried about him; and if he was no longer under her roof she’d be free of him.

  But before he talked to anyone about anything, he’d pray—something he’d been trying to do more of lately. It seemed Pastor Miller was rubbing off on him.

  His phone rang. He checked the caller ID and didn’t recognize the number. “Hello.”

  “Blake Price?” a woman asked.

  “That’s me.”

  “My name is Alexis Trudeau. We have a mutual acquaintance.”

  His pulse amped up. She hadn’t wasted any time. He rolled over and sat up. “Right. Estelle mentioned you to me a little while ago.”

  “Good.” She explained her vision for his musical. “My hope is to have this in production by the spring of next year.”

  His brow furrowed. “Isn’t that ambitious?”

  “Yes, but I already have interest in the project. Estelle’s timing couldn’t be more perfect. If you’re onboard, I’ll go ahead and send you the contract.”

  He blew out a soft breath. “I’m very interested. Please send the contract.” He gave her his email, and they wrapped up their conversation.

  He paced to the window that faced the field along the driveway. “Did that really happen?” He couldn’t believe it. Estelle had done it. He let out a whoop and ran out of the barn, across the yard, around the house, and through the courtyard. He stopped at the cottage, raised a fist and knocked loudly.

  The door flew open. “What’s wrong?” Estelle’s eyes were wide.

  He laughed, and wrapped his arms around her, then twirled her in a circle. “Everything is great, thanks to you.” He suddenly realized she wasn’t laughing and rejoicing with him. He set her down.

  She smoothed her shirt. “Thanks, and congratulations on whatever you’re celebrating,” she said. Weariness seemed to cover her entire being.

  Concern for her pushed aside his euphoria. “Sorry about that. Are you okay?”

  “Just tired.”

  “Okay. I’ll be fast. Your friend is sending me a contract.”

  Understanding lit her eyes. “That’s great. Why didn’t you say so before accosting me so I would’ve known what we were celebrating?” She shot him a weary smile.

  He chuckled. “Sorry. I don’t normally act like a raving lunatic.”

  “True.” She leaned against the doorframe. “Now what?”

  He tilted his head and looked down. “Now I slink back to my humble room and hope you’ll forget this ever happened?”

  “If that’s what you want.” She raised a shoulder. “Or you could come in, and we can celebrate together while I keep both feet firmly planted on the floor.”

  He nodded. “I’d like that. I thought for a minute you might be angry with me.”

  She sighed. “I’m beat. I’ve been up since yesterday and I—”

  “Wait. You haven’t slept since yesterday?” No wonder she was so emotional.

  “I worked with Cerise last night. I was too wired to fall asleep and had to be at the airport early this morning.”

  “Okay. I didn’t know. We can celebrate another time. I’ll leave you alone to rest.”

  “Sure. That sounds good.” She moved to close the door.

  He stopped it with a hand. “I’m glad you’re back.” He meant those words, in spite of being rejected when he’d asked her out and basically told he wasn’t good enough for her.

  She looked up at him. “Thanks. Me too.”

  He turned and walked toward the courtyard garden. Time alone was for the best anyway. He needed to think and pray. He cared so much for Estelle, and if he was honest, she was right. He did need to let go of the past, and he needed to figure out where his life was heading. He didn’t blame her for expecting him to get his life in order before she would date him.

  ~

  The following morning Estelle rushed to get ready. She’d overslept after tossing and turning half the night in spite of being exhausted. With one last look in the mirror, she sighed. It would take a professional to make her look fresh and youthful today. She pulled away from the mirror and determined not to give her appearance another thought—not an easy task.

  She stopped at the door to the cottage before leaving and took several slow, deep breaths, then let them out slowly. Please be with me today, Lord and help me to be a blessing to someone. She’d heard Cerise pray that same prayer her first night on the job and liked it so much she’d adopted it.

  Estelle opened the door and strolled into the cool morning. Birds sang their songs and sunshine filtered through the trees casting shadows on the ground as she moved across the walking bridge and through the courtyard.

  The back door to the main house opened, and Helen stepped out. “Good morning.” She smiled. “Welcome back.”

  Estelle hustled over to her and gave her a hug. “I’m surprised to see you.”

  “I’m watching the girls today and needed to get some work done before they get here.”

  “We have a lot to catch up on,” Estelle said. “I need to get moving right now, but we’ll talk later.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Don’t forget.”

  “I won’t.” Estelle made a mental note to stop by as soon as she got back this afternoon. She wanted to get to the theater before everyone this morning. She strolled around the side of the house and noticed Blake’s pickup was already gone. Disappointment shot through her. He’d left without her. Sure, she was planning to go on her own today anyway, but he didn’t know that. They had always gone together before she’d left.

  Her car sat right where she’d left it. A layer of pollen and dirt covered it—another thing to add to her list of things to do. She got in and headed to town. Though tempted to stop at Java World, she kept going and parked near the community center. She didn’t need the extra caffeine this morning.

  She got out and looked around for anyone lurking in the shadows. Ever since the paparazzo had admitted to following her, she’d been a little creeped out. No one loitered around. Tension eased from her, and she hustled inside. The sooner she got to the stage, the better. She wanted to run through her lines on stage before anyone arrived.

  She headed directly to the auditorium and paused at the door still shrouded in darkness. Blake wasn’t here?

  ~

  Blake waited outside the church in the crisp morning air for Derek. He couldn’t wait to tell his friend about the contract offer.

  Derek pulled into the lot and parked. He stepped out of his pickup carrying two cups with the Java World logo. “Hey, man. I thought we might need something hot this morning. It’s a little cool for the end of July.”

  Blake took one of the cups. “Good idea. What is it?”

  “Coffee.” Derek pulled a sugar packet and two creamers from his pocket and dropped them in Blake’s hand.

  “Thanks.” Blake waited for h
is buddy to unlock the building then followed him inside to a corner of the foyer where a seating area welcomed conversation.

  “Your text was pretty mysterious. What’s going on?” Derek eased into the side chair.

  Blake pulled the contract from his back pocket before sitting. “I received a call from Alexis Trudeau last night.” He handed Derek the contract.

  “Who is Alexis Trudeau?”

  “You don’t know? I thought you would. She’s a movie producer. She wants to make our musical into a made-for-TV movie. That’s the contract.”

  “Wow.” Derek whistled. “I assume you read it.”

  “About ten times. Since you wrote the score, you need to be a part of this too.”

  “This is incredible. How did she get her hands on it?”

  “Estelle.”

  He chuckled. “Of course. I should’ve known.”

  “Aren’t you going to read it?” Blake was anxious to get Derek’s take on the contract.

  “I will, but first tell me what you think.”

  “I have no idea what to think. I have zero experience with this kind of thing.” His leg bounced up and down. He set the coffee down. He was already wired.

  “All right. I’ll take a look and then have my attorney go over it before we sign anything.” He set the contract aside.

  “What are you doing?” He’d hoped Derek would look it over immediately. He trusted his friend’s opinion since he was in the entertainment business and had probably signed many contracts over the years.

  “I thought as long as we were here with no distractions, we could talk. It’s been awhile.”

  Blake stopped himself from groaning. This felt like his birthday when he was a kid and his parents wouldn’t let him open up his gifts until evening. “I suppose it has. We’ve both been busy.” Maybe Derek was going to tell him Kayla was pregnant. He couldn’t believe they’d kept it quiet this long. With their first pregnancy, they told people right away. “What’s been going on? Anything new with you?”