Substitute Starlet

by Marie Kelly

  Picking up a magazine, she flicked through the pages, her mind not fully on the glossy images as her mind flew back to the previous week, when she had met Susan for the first time in many years. Ross had taken her to meet her sister so that she could see for herself how bad she really was.

  Moving into the ward, Tara had been stunned to see her. Normally so perfect, her makeup and hair impeccable, her demeanor that of the star she had always known she would one day be, she was almost unrecognisable. The woman who sat on the steel chair in the bleak white room was frail and vulnerable. She had fidgeted nervously the entire time, biting at her nails, her eyes ringed with black shadows, her hair hanging limply around her thin shoulders.

  “Oh my God Susan”, Tara had whispered before she could hold back the words, Susan taking in her sister’s horrified look and bursting into tears. Tara had rushed forward to pull her into her arms, making soothing sounds against her head. “It’s OK Susie... I’m here”, she had whispered, feeling her own tears sliding down her face, her sister clinging to her.

  “Oh Tara. I don’t know what happened. It all just got so much”, she had whimpered softly, small snuffling noises breaking up the words.

  Pulling back and pushing a handkerchief into her fingers, Tara had looked reassuringly back into her distraught features. “Well Ross and I are here now Susie... Everything will be fine”, the other woman nodding her head as her bleary eyes moved to Ross, her look softening.

  “Thank you Ross. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

  He had stepped forward, also squatting down before her to take her hand, Tara seeing the love emanating from him. “We just want you well Susan. You know that is the most important thing here.” Susan had nodded as the two moved to sit in the seats provided on the other side of the table.

  Tara had moved to take Susan’s hands in her own to stop the way she picked nervously at her fingers, her look gentle, “What happened Susie?” Seeing as her sisters lips quivered again as her eyes stared back, full of such pain and hurt.

  “This movie is everything to me Tara”, she had whispered softly, “I had to make sure that my face was out there, that I got known. When they announced that I had been given the part I was invited to all kinds of parties. It was constant. I couldn’t keep up and I couldn’t say no.”

  Tara had given her hand an encouraging squeeze as her sister’s voice faltered, her eyes full of shame, “Then I was offered pills, just to keep me going”, her look going to Ross, “I’m sorry Ross. I know you said to stay away from them... But it all got so much.”

  He had leant forward, his features full of anguish. “No… No Susan... Don’t you blame yourself. I should have been there for you. I should have seen what was happening, protected you more. It’s my fault.”

  Tara had seen the way her sister shook her head, a small smile returning to her tired features, “You are always protecting me Ross. No, this was my fault, and I hid it from you. I’m so sorry.”

  Looking back at Tara she had sounded angry at herself. “Soon I couldn’t even get up without them. And then one day two men tried to take me back to their room”, her eyes once more filling with tears, her look flicking to Ross. “Thank God you were there”, she muttered before finishing, “Ross nearly ended up in a fight, and I was screaming... Just screaming. Next thing I knew I was here.”

  Tara mouthed over to Ross ‘Thank you’, knowing just how much he had actually done for Susan.

  “Tara... If you can’t do this, then you don’t have to. I will sign myself out. I am much stronger now, honest.” Tara had looked at her sister, aware of what a state she was in, briefly wondering how bad she had been, frowning softly.

  “No. You are not ready to leave just now Susie”, smiling gently, “Ross has explained everything to me.”

  She had given what she hoped would pass as a humorous laugh. “He says that all I need to do is to be pampered, get my photos taken and attend a couple of parties. Not the amount you were obviously”, her voice teasing, as her sister had given a small return smile. “If we do this then by the time shooting starts you will be rested and ready to go... Right?”

  Susan nodded. “Thank you Tara... I really appreciate it. I know that we have not been close... ”

  Tara had shaken her head. “No Susie... That took both of us. But we are here for each other now. And that is all that matters.” Susan had looked thankfully back, her eyes shining with gratitude.

  As the two left, Tara’s remembered her last words to her sister, “Just get better Susie, I will do whatever it takes to keep things on track. Honest”, and she had meant it.

  Giving a sigh she returned to the present, her eyes flying to a laughing Ross. “I just talked to David Letterman... David Letterman... Oh my God Tara... David Letterman!”

  She in turn laughed back, “Pass him on with the rest”, she chuckled as he nodded, his expression one of pain.

  “I know... but David Letterman!” Both laughed together.

  The next day, as ordered, the two arrived at Logan Callen’s office just before 1:00. This time they were immediately ushered into the large room, Logan smiling warmly at them both as he shook Ross’s hand, before turning his attention to Tara.

  “As beautiful as ever Sunny”, his voice teasing although his eyes shone brightly as he led them to their seats. Calling his secretary, he ensured that everybody had drinks as they waited for Rita, who finally appeared, full of profuse apologies for her lateness. Staring at the woman, Tara wondered how she managed to talk so long without stopping for breath or passing out, as she informed them of all of the offers for personal appearances for both Tara and Logan.

  The man whose life she saved had already appeared on one show, his praise for Tara’s actions glowing, along with her kindness at contacting the hospital to check on his condition. Logan looked over at the woman before him hearing this, knowing that it had not been for publicity but out of genuine concern for his wellbeing.

  Finally Rita stopped, everybody looking expectantly at her as in a grand flourish of her hands she turned to Ross and Tara. “Sunny, would you truly do anything for the sake of this movie?”

  Giving a small smile Tara nodded, raising a small eyebrow as she replied softly, “Within reason.” Rita flashed a knowing grin to Logan, who sat silent, content to let her do the talking as his eyes watched Tara.

  “We want to encourage the story the press have come up with. We want to announce that you, the star of the future and Logan, the head of a business empire, are dating, make out that the two of you have given up your wild ways and are in love.”

  Looking pointedly at Logan she added, “BOTH of you are to only be seen in each other’s company, and Tara we have scheduled a list of talk shows for you to appear on.” Tara’s eyes flew open in horror, her look flying to Logan’s expecting the same reaction from him. He however, sat silent, emotionless, watching her.

  “L… Love?”, she stammered ,“That seems like a bad idea to me Rita... A really bad idea.” Looking at her in bewilderment Rita raised her eyebrows.

  “In what way Sunny? You have at the moment what can only be described as a tarnished reputation. And in one fell swoop this is going to make you into a household name and restore your golden-girl image. The public love nothing more than love stories.”

  Her eyes moved to Logan’s with a wicked twinkle, Tara surprised that he would allow somebody to tease him so openly. “And it would really not do your reputation any harm either Logan.” Logan threw her a warning look, which also held something else, something warmer.

  “But it does not need to be true”, Rita managed, as again she smiled. “It is acting dear. Remind me again... You are a what? That is right. An actor.” Tara frowned, searching for something else to say as Ross placed a hand over hers, his look full of reassurance.

  “Indeed she is Rita. One of the best I have ever known. Now just to be sure we are on the same page here, this is just for the benefit of the press right?”

  Rita
nodded, “Of course.”

  Ross looked at Logan, “So it is not as if they are moving in together or anything?”

  Logan’s deep rumbling laugh caused them all to look around, as he sat forward on his chair, his dancing eyes moving from Tara to Ross. “I can assure you Ross that everything will be above-board. There will be times that Sunny and I will need to be at the same places, and yes, possibly staying over. But I will ensure that at all times she has her own room.”

  The last words were directed at Tara, who blushed softly, knowing that like her he remembered his last conversation with her and his offer of a date. Logan also knew that she had interpreted the situation as being a little too convenient.

  Rita watched the two, a slight frown on her smooth forehead, before she shrugged, her bubbly exuberance once more resurfacing. “Think of it as a nice relaxing holiday. Attending parties.”, her face taking on a more prudish expression as her eyes moved to Tara, “Which we will control… And lots of laying by pools, broken up with the occasional interview to feed the media frenzy.” Tara swallowed down the groan seeing the gleam in the PR woman’s eyes, a dreamy look now filling her features as she looked into the distance. “This will be perfect… Just perfect.”

  Swallowing down the words, “This will be far from perfect”, she managed to pull a smile to her face, Ross perking up as he nodded encouragingly at her, his eyes making it clear she should agree. “I am sure we will not let you down”, she muttered through teeth which were clenched a little too tightly. Only Logan seemed to notice her reticence as the other two began exchanging details.

  When done, Rita rose to her feet as she bustled noisily to the door. “Later darlings”, she breezed before exiting the office with all the subtly of a hurricane. With her leaving, silence fell on the three remaining people in the room before Ross stood, his hand extended to Logan.

  “Don’t worry Logan. We won’t let you down. I think I speak for Sunny when I say we are looking forward to working with you.”

  Beside him, Tara managed to pull a weak smile of her own to her perfectly glossed lips, nodding softly, “Of course.”

  A smile hovered on his mouth as Logan lifted a card holding it out. “I have written down my private contact details”, his eyes landing on Tara, “Please phone me anytime.” She once more felt the blush rise to her cheeks, not sure why this man affected her the way he did. “This weekend there is to be a big party on my yacht. I will add your names to the guest list”, he continued, his smile widening, catching her discomfort. She opened her mouth to find some excuse not to attend. The whole thing seeming to be moving too fast, the idea of being in such a confined space with him unsettling. Ross had become excited beside her, moving forward to take the card, smiling as he thanked Logan.

  However Logan only had eyes for Tara, his look not once leaving hers, Tara feeling the tingle of electricity which skated down her spine at the way his eyes held hers before Ross took her elbow, turning her as the two moved from the room.

  Outside in the safety of the car, Ross began laughing, grabbing Tara and hugging her tightly. “Have you any idea how hard it is to get an invite onto that yacht? Those parties are legendary. All the major players are there. That party is A-list only… And we are going!”

  She nibbled the edge of her lip nervously, managing a weak smile. “Ross, is it such a good idea? What if people realise that I’m not Susan. There might be people who know her there.”

  Ross’s snorted laugh made her stare back at him, her brows lifted in question as he turned in his seat, starting the engine. “People don’t ‘know’ each other here Tara. They might know your favourite drink, but the people in this town are too shallow to care about anybody but themselves.”

  Sadness filled Tara’s eyes as she thought about the life her sister had chosen to live. Did she really think that this was a life worth living, having nobody to trust? Her eyes fell once more on Ross, her voice soft, “You care.”

  Beside her Ross tried to laugh off her comment, “Yeah, I care that I get my 10% just like everybody else”, his words halted as her hand was gently placed on his arm.

  “You’re in love with Susan”, halting his overly-bright words.

  Ross grew quiet, she seeing the struggle he seemed to be having before he turned tortured eyes to her, “Is it that obvious?”

  Tara’s lips twitched affectionately, “To me yes… But as you say, probably not to those around.”

  With a long, weary sigh Ross seemed to consider his words before starting, “I have loved her from the first time I met her. I have seen her change Tara, and it has killed me watching that sweet kid who wanted to act spiral downwards. All I ever wanted to do was look out for her”, his voice now sad, “She has no idea how I feel, and I would rather you left it that way.”

  Nodding, Tara watched him before squeezing his arm, “If it means anything at all then I think you should tell her. You would ground her Ross, not because you had to, but because you love her. You have done so much already. Let her know how you feel.”

  She could see the way he pondered her words before sighing sadly. “What if she didn’t feel the same? She is a star, she has billionaires chasing her, why would she be interested in someone like me?”, pain edging his voice. “I could lose her forever, and even just being part of her world is better than nothing.”

  Tara shook her head softly. “I think you are wrong… But you have to do what you think is best.”

  Beside her Ross nodded, although she could see indecision in his eyes as he muttered, “Maybe.”

  With only two days till the weekend, Rita still managed to book a talk show for Tara to attend. She felt sick standing in the wings, panic in her eyes as she looked at the audience and the many cameras. Her desperation must have shown in her eyes, as Ross clutched her hands, a big calming smile on his face. “OK Sunny, breathe…deep breaths.”

  She obeying him till the panic receded, a wan smile coming to her lips, “I don’t know if I can do this”, she whispered.

  Ross chuckled, “I remember your sister being the same. And she went out there and was a star. When she came back I asked her how she managed to keep it together. And she said to me: ‘Easy. I just pretended that I was at a job interview and that if I got the job, there was the biggest ice cream sundae in it for me’.”

  Tara could not help but splutter out a laugh, her eyes shining. That was so Susan. “What did you say?”, she chuckled as his eyes shone.

  “The same thing I will be saying to you when you come back here: ‘What flavour do you want?’”

  At that the prompter patted her arm, a sign that she was on. Dragging in a deep breath she moved into the limelight, smiling brightly at the crowd who cheered her. The host stood, dropping a kiss on her cheek, Tara having seen the man on her television for many years. This stalwart of the industry was kissing her! Suddenly, she felt the fear leave as she settled down to enjoy herself.

  The interview went well. While initially a little reserved, her genuine concern for the man she saved shone through, bringing the audience squarely on her side. She laughed with the host as he talked about some of her exploits, her hand rising as she proclaimed herself a changed woman. When her relationship with Logan Callen was brought up, she adopted the cutest little chuckle, her “He is a really nice man. Very kind and considerate”, words even having the host smiling brightly as a chorus of “awwww’s” rose from the crowd. By the time her slot was up, he was patting her arm, talking in the most flattering way of her role in the upcoming movie, and begging her to return.

  As she stepped back into the wings Ross was there to meet her, his expression one of delight. “Oh my God Sunny… You were a natural”, a cheeky light entering his eyes, “So… What flavour?”

  Tara laughed back happily with him, her lips twitching. “Chocolate, of course!”

  Chapter Four

  All too soon the weekend was on them. Ross ensured that she have the perfect wardrobe for the two days they would be on the boat. When
Tara looked warily at the stiletto shoes, questioning the wisdom of wearing such accessories on a boat he roared with laughter. “Have you seen his yacht?”, her shake of the head eliciting a mysterious smile from him. “Oh you will”, his words full of hidden meaning, as she scowled.

  Logan, who had phoned the night after the interview to tell her what a good job she had done, had insisted on sending a car to pick them up. Tara had given Ross a telling look as she giggled, “Stretch limo… Do the people in this town understand the energy crisis?”, his return laugh and shake of his head the only answer, as the two moved into the elegant and luxurious vehicle. While the car provided the most expensive of champagne, Tara refused the offered glass, preferring instead to sip on a bottle of mineral water, the brand one she knew was well out of her price range on any other day. Grinning, she shook her head – how the other half lived!

  The car stopping saw the relaxed atmosphere in the car tauten, Ross giving her a supportive squeeze of the hand, “OK kiddo, game face on. There will be paparazzi here. Keep walking, don’t say anything and just smile.” Nodding, Tara prepared herself as the door of the car was opened, the driver extending a hand to help her out.

  The moment her foot touched the red carpet, bright flashes of light exploded around her, only Ross moving behind her out of the car preventing her from bolting back inside. His hand gently touched her back, encouraging her forward as her feet stalled. Once more in motion she could finally see Logan’s yacht, her mouth gaping open as she looked with shell-shocked eyes at Ross. “Yacht? How can you call that a yacht?… That is nearly the size of a cruise ship!”