The Trouble with Dating a Movie Star

by ZN Willett

  Andrew had said that his family celebrated on Christmas Eve, so I knew I wouldn't be speaking to him until later that evening. I wanted to confirm that he had received my gift, so I thought a quick call would be in order. Andrew answered on the first ring. "Andria!" He sounded joyful.

  "Merry Christmas, Andrew." I stopped just outside my door.

  "Merry Christmas to you. How's your Mom?"

  I quietly laughed. "Funny. Good. Can you believe she figured out we had sex by looking at me."

  "I'm that good," he confidently stated.

  I giggled. "Did you get my gift?"

  "I did. I was going to open it."

  "No! Can you wait until tomorrow? And when you're alone?"

  "Now, I'm really going to open it," he said, quizzically.

  I peered down the hallway, hearing my mom's voice. "It's not like that. I just wanted you to open it, alone."

  Andrew hesitated before saying, "Okay. I had planned on it. Hey, is everything all right?"

  "Great, and you?"

  "Well, it would be a lot better if you were here."

  I spoke softly. "I wish that I could be."

  Then her voice came through loud and clear in the background. "Andy, you're missing the game," Brittney whined.

  "I'll be there in a minute. Well, enjoy your time with your Mom."

  I wanted to say something to Andrew about Brittney, but I held my tongue. Later, I thought. It's Christmas. "I will, and enjoy the time with your family."

  I was about to hang up when I heard, "Oh, Andria, my mom says Merry Christmas."

  "What?" I paused in shock. I had never met his Mother.

  "Like your Mom, my mom noticed a difference too. She hounded me until I conceded. I told her everything about you and she can't wait to meet you." I didn't know what to say. I was in shock. "Andria?"

  "I would love to meet your mom," I smiled at the phone.

  "As soon as we're both back in the states, I told her I would plan something. If not, she threatened to come find you on your book tour," he chuckled.

  "If she's anything like you, I think she would."

  "Where do you think I get my detective skills from? Oh, and Wade says the same. He wants you to meet Taylor. That meeting can wait a bit. She's a little harder to take."

  My mom's voice got closer. "Okay. Well, I have to go. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas." I wanted to add "I love you" but that wasn't going to happen.

  "I'll call you tomorrow."

  I felt a little lighter after our phone call. Andrew had told someone about me, and that someone was his mother. My heart grew a bit larger thinking about that. It also cringed at the thought of Brittney being there with him. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was up with her.

  Walking down the hallway, I bumped into my mother. "You look better. Talk to that man of yours."

  I smiled. "Yes, Mother. I spoke to him."

  "Thought so." She winked walking past.

  Mothers always know.

  I loved spending Christmas in Virginia as a child with all the snow, but spending it at the beach house in Florida wasn't bad at all. We woke up, opened gifts, and made a huge brunch before we headed to the resort. I had booked rooms at one of the luxury beach hotels in the area since we were going there for dinner. I wasn't going to eat my mom's cooking, and I thought we could enjoy the resort’s amenities for the day.

  Bob golfed while my mom and I lay at the relaxation pool. I love kids, but this pool was for adults only. They also played spa music while people waited on you hand and foot. Merry Christmas to me.

  Andrew called in the late morning when he opened up the watch I had given him. I had no clue what to get him, and since he was always late, it seemed apropos. I had it engraved on the back with a picture of a beer pilsner and my initials. He loved it.

  Andrew didn't mention anything for me, but I didn't expect it. I wouldn't say that I was overjoyed that he hadn't had time to buy me anything. Lately, everything that Amy was supposed to do fell through the cracks. This frustrated Andrew so much that he had started to handle personal matters himself—he was getting good at ordering flowers. Andrew's been busy lately, and his hands have been full with Brittney stuff. So, I didn't say anything, just happy that he had liked my gift.

  During our conversation, Andrew had expressed several times that he was freezing his ass off; it had snowed in Virginia. I bragged how it was eighty-five degrees and sunny as I sipped frozen drinks and relaxed in the Jacuzzi. He didn't find that funny, but I did. My mom kept looking over at me with a knowing smile—I had told her few things about Andrew. I also ignored her while I told Andrew I would call him when I arrived in New York in the morning.

  Christmas day was relaxing, and dinner was incredible. I ate so much my belly swelled up and looked as if I had a baby pump. I had chills thinking about a baby, and then Andrew came to mind. I had to shake that thought away. It was way too early, and I wasn't nearly ready to entertain that idea.

  When we arrived back to the house later that evening, there was a package on the doorstep along with a bouquet of flowers. Mom read the card, and said with a goofy smile that it was for me. She handed it to me to open. As I looked at the perfectly scripted card, I knew it was from Andrew. He had remembered. Even funnier was what the card said:

  "Are you going to open it?"

  "Yes, Mom. But, in private. Can you put these in water?"

  She smelled the red roses, smiling as she went into the kitchen. I went into my room and locked the door. I knew my mother, and she was a very nosy person. I unwrapped the small box that contained a red jewelry box and I knew this box well. I was friends with Erin, and she had expensive taste. It was a platinum bracelet with a very delicate chain. In the center were three circles intertwined: pink, gold, and silver with a diamond attached at the end. It was magnificent, expensive, and too much. I called Andrew. "O.M.G. Andrew! Cartier?"

  "Do you like it?" You could hear his smile through the phone.

  "I love it! It's too much," I said and sat on the edge of my bed.

  "Nothing is too much for you."

  "But…"

  "All I want to hear is that you love it. When I saw it, it reminded me of you."

  My heart ached for him so much right then. "I love it, Andrew."

  "Good. You thought I forgot."

  I giggled. "I didn't."

  "You did."

  I lay back on my bed. "Well, I know you've been busy, and I didn't want you to feel obligated to give me something."

  "I have said a thousand times, I will never be too busy for you. It's Christmas. How could you think I would forget to buy you a gift? I love my watch. Maybe I'll start to be on time."

  We both laughed as tears dropped from my eyes. I was an emotional sap, and I knew that I loved this man. I wanted so much to tell him right then, but I knew it had to be done in person.

  I was scheduled to leave for New York early the next morning to arrive at a store signing by one. I had called Erin yesterday to see if she liked the earrings I had bought her, but she didn't answer. Usually, I would be concerned not to hear from her, but with Miles in her life, things had changed. It was just weird that she hadn’t called me back on Christmas or answered her cell. I sent her a couple of urgent texts, and knew she would respond as soon as she could.

  I also checked on Andrew who had a couple of days off before heading back home. He planned on spending some quality time with his family before he and Brittney returned to LA. I promised we would have some time later that evening to talk. We ended up planning a phone date for nine.

  There was something magical about being in New York in the winter. Erin and I would fly in for a weekend of shopping during the month of December. I loved to look at the Christmas store window displays while Erin just loved to shop.

  Keira had arrived before me and checked us into the hotel. The driver pulled up to a very beautiful and elegant boutique hotel. My keys were waiting for me at the front desk, and I had a few momen
ts to take a shower and relax before taking off. I tried Erin again and nothing, which made me start to worry. This in turn made me regret that I had never asked for Miles’ cell phone number. I knew his email address and sent him a happy holiday's greeting and have you seen Erin email.

  I wanted to lay down for a bit. But, as soon as I got out of the shower, Keira was at my door. "Andria, how was your Christmas?"

  She had on a cute sweater dress that was a perfect fit for her petit little body. Her short black hair was pulled back by the cutest headband. But, it was the glowing smile and twinkling dark eyes that showed through her glasses that caught my attention. That was something new. Keira Tanaka was a very beautiful girl with great full features, but her brown eyes were beaming more than normal. "Good and yours?"

  She smiled. "I brought a friend to my parents’ house."

  That explained the glow. "Ah-hah. Was this a special friend?"

  "Maybe?" She grinned with a slight giggle.

  "Do I know him?"

  "Andria, it's in the beginning stages," she warned.

  Keira had always been a very private person, and I respected that. "All right, I won't press it. How was the flight?" I asked as I finished brushing my hair.

  She placed a folder on the vanity desk in front of me. "Long, but at least they added lie-flat seats in first class. I have your schedule for today."

  I looked it over and saw that I would be done around seven tonight. I had a couple of meetings the next morning, and a tour of our affiliate’s publishing house that Elena worked with. She wanted me to meet their creative team.

  Keira and I decided to get something to eat before heading to the bookstore. I wanted a slice of cheese pizza and a potato knish. The best thing about traveling was the local food. I was a foodie at heart, and I loved to try new things. But that wasn't new. Every time I came to the city, I had to get a slice of pizza from a stand and a knish from a deli. I had Keira take a picture of me eating the dripping cheese from the pizza, and I sent it to Andrew. I knew he wouldn't see it until he woke up, and I was surprised when he sent a response back.

  I want to lick that cheese off MY lips~ A.

  "That good?" Keira asked and smiled as she looked at me grinning at my cell phone. I nodded. "So, it's serious?"

  I wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. It was for me, but we hadn't discussed everything yet. "I hope so."

  She gave me a warm smile before my cell rang.

  "Are you having fun?" Andrew's raspy voice spoke directly to my girly bits.

  "It would be better if you were here."

  I could hear Andrew's sheets shuffling. "We'll plan a trip for just the two of us."

  "That sounds great. Did I wake you?"

  "I like being woken up by you. Too bad it wasn't under other circumstances." You could hear his smirk through the phone.

  "Maybe we need to plan on that soon," I said, lowering my voice.

  "Don't tease. I can barely stand it as it is."

  "You said you would try to visit me."

  "I did, but my schedule keeps filling up. They keep adding earlier times to the production."

  The joy of eating the pizza was wiped away in an instant. The thought of not seeing Andrew for a longer time…. "Andrew, I need to go. I'll call you tonight."

  "Okay...I miss you."

  "Miss you too, talk to you tonight."

  "Can't wait."

  I hung up staring out the window. "Is everything all right?"

  "It's fine. Andrew's schedule is getting busier."

  She placed her hand on top of mine. "Hey, it will work out. If I need to rearrange some things, give me the word."

  I smiled at her. "Thanks, but you know how jam-packed things are. It'll be fine. Hey, can you do me a favor?"

  "Name it."

  "Can you keep trying Erin for me? I haven't heard from her."

  She looked concerned. "I'll get on it. We had better head out, or you'll be late."

  I threw out the last bites of my food. Between missing Andrew and not hearing from Erin, I had lost my appetite.

  The line of fans formed around the block. I was shocked at the amount of people who were waiting, and the response my book was getting always surprised me. The book signing was being held at an independent bookstore, and it could barely hold the fifty people allowed inside at a time. It reminded me of the bookstores I would find in Virginia. They were the best places to explore. There was something about the whimsy of old books, and obscure stores with friendly shop owners that kept me coming back. I would love for all of my signings to be at places like that.

  I was halfway done with the line when I saw Keira walking toward me with a concerned face. I thanked the person in front of me for her support and excused myself. "What's wrong?"

  "I have Erin on the phone, and she sounds as if she's upset."

  Taking the phone out of her hand, I walked into a private corner. "Erin!"

  "I'm sorry I didn't call," she sniffed. "I love the earrings."

  "What's wrong?"

  Erin cried out, "Miles and I broke up."

  "What?"

  "It was horrible. We were driving back from my parents, and I mentioned that I wanted kids. He froze and started spitting out things like, ‘I'm not ready’, and ‘we're young’, and he had a bad childhood, and ‘isn't it too soon’?" She started to sob harder.

  "Please calm down. You are young, and the two of you have plenty of time for that."

  "I didn’t say that I wanted kid's right then. I was trying to hint about a commitment."

  "You two are committed."

  "It's my fault. I thought he was going to ask me to marry him."

  "What? When?" I asked a little too loud. I hunched further in the corner, lowering my voice.

  "I thought he was going to do it on Christmas. He's been acting funny. Suspicious and weird, Andria. I thought if I brought up the subject, he would feel more comfortable."

  "So you mentioned having kids?"

  She started bawling. "I know! Ugg, I don't know. And I was hormonal. We met my parents!"

  Sadly, Erin being hormonal explained some of it. She can get pretty nasty. "Did that go well?"

  "As well as expected. Mom was drunk, and Dad kept asking what his intentions were with his little girl."

  I couldn't help chuckling. He sounded like my Dad. "I'm sure things will calm down in a couple of days."

  "I broke up with him!" she yelled before sobbing.

  "Erin…"

  "I was mad, Andria. I broke up with the love of my life."

  "Did you try to call him, maybe if you talk—"

  "That's it. He won't talk to me! In fact, he wasn't even at home. I went over late last night, and he wasn't even home. I have a key. I went over again this morning, and it looked as if he never came home." She sobbed harder.

  "I'm sure he's just at a friend's."

  She blew her nose and her voice started quivering. "He was with her."

  "Excuse me?"

  "There's a girl at his firm. She works with him, and I know she likes him, but he never showed interest until…"

  I felt myself getting heated. "What, Erin? Tell me."

  "I saw them walking down the street a few days ago. I thought they bumped into each other, but then he opened his car door for her, and she got in."

  "Hell, no! I swear, I will come there and cut his balls off! No one cheats on my friend!"

  I said that a little too loud forgetting where I was. Keira cleared her voice, and I saw a couple of women stopped in their tracks. My bad.

  "It gets worse. When I called his friend Pete to find Miles, he said he saw Miles at the bar. They were performing last night, and he mentioned that Jocelyn—that's the whore's name from his work—was there. But after their set, Miles disappeared. I am such a fool. And it's Christmas, and I'm alone."

  She was breaking my heart. I couldn't take it. "It's going to be all right. Try to get some sleep, and I will call you later, okay?"

  "
What am I going to do? I loved him so much. He was the one."

  "I know. Please get some rest. I will call you as soon as I'm done here, okay? I love you."

  Erin hung up, and I had to take a couple of deep breaths before I could face these women. I turned my head signaling to Keira. "Is everything okay?"

  "No. I need you to get me on a flight tonight to DC, Erin needs me. Do whatever you have to." I walked back to the table and put my game face on.

  Keira was unable to find any flights for tonight. When I told her I would drive, she worked a few miracles. Keira was able to find a rental car that needed to go back to the DC area. She arranged for me to take the scheduled meetings I had tomorrow as a conference call instead. Then she was able to push back the other meeting with the creative team out a couple of days in-between personal appearances that were scheduled. I had two days to be back in time for the network interviews and talk show appearances. I was worried about those, but now I had no time to focus on them. Keira said she gave them my standard questions, and I already knew the answers, so I was set. Keira was getting a raise. I don't know what I would have done without her.

  I called Erin and told her I would be there late that evening. I drove four hours and arrived at her brownstone around midnight. I had known Erin for most of my life, and I had never seen her look this bad. She was a wreck, and I knew I had made the right decision. I couldn't stand hearing the pain in her voice and not being there. Erin looked and sounded like a broken woman. Even though I wanted to kill Miles, I knew he loved her and there had to be an explanation.

  Miles was still M.I.A., and no one had seen him since his performance Christmas night. I prayed he wasn't with that skank, Jocelyn. Erin was a prize, and he was damn lucky to have her. Erin and I talked the entire night until we fell asleep around 7:00 a.m. I listened to her stories about how wonderful Miles was, and how she was shocked that he would cheat. Erin also outlined why she thought Miles was going to ask her to marry him. It all made sense to me.