Love in the Heartland

by Diana Currie

  “Just open it,” Maddie said nervously.

  His fingers slid underneath the wrapping paper and tore it away. Inside the cardboard box was tissue paper and when Nathan pulled it out he saw what had been placed inside the box. Two unopened fan letters in canary yellow envelopes with the return address of one Miss Maddie Sherratt, Amarillo TX.

  He looked at her in complete surprise. “Are these what I think they are?” he gasped.

  Maddie nodded. “We spent all day in the attic looking for those letters. I was going to read them and then decide whether or not to show you, but that felt wrong for some reason. I wrote them for you, even though it makes me nervous to think what I might have written, I still wanted you to have them.”

  “We don’t have to open them. I’m happy enough that they were found.”

  “It’s okay; I know you’re dying to find out what they say. Giving these to you is my way of proving that I believe in us. I know that my feelings for you are deeper and stronger than those of the girl who wrote these letters. I love the real Nathan Foster, and I’m not afraid of your superstar persona. I see the way you look at me sometimes; like you did when you asked me to watch your photo shoot on Saturday. You still think I’m going to freak out at some point and run home to Texas. But I’m not. And likewise, I know you won’t run no matter what crazy fan girl things I said to you in these letters.”

  Nathan grinned as he picked up the older of the two letters. He turned it over in his hands and carefully opened the seal. “I love how this letter proves that you were with me even before we met. A piece of you was here in my house waiting for me to find you. And I’ll never wish that you weren’t my fan before my friend, because otherwise we wouldn’t be here together right now.”

  He leaned in to kiss her and Maddie surprised him by wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close. “Just remember I was under the influence of Holly Bishop when I wrote this,” she whispered.

  Nathan laughed as she pulled away and stared at him with a smile. He opened the folded yellow stationary and cleared his throat to read the letter aloud. “Dear Nathan, my name is Maddie Sherratt and I’m a big fan of yours. I’ve seen Love Spelled Backwards 3 times already and my friend and I have plans to see it again this weekend. You are a very talented actor and this movie has captured our hearts. We both think that you are soooo hot; it’s kind of all we talk about! Your sexy hair, your cute smile, and your even cuter butt! (hehe).”

  Maddie grabbed a pillow cushion and covered her face trying to smother herself. It was even worse than she feared.

  “Stop that,” Nathan said pulling the pillow away from her. “There’s a lot more here! Let’s see, where was I… Oh yes, your even cuter butt…I’m 23 and living with my parents in Amarillo. I’m a few years older than you and when I was about your age (19) my father had a serious heart attack. I thought that he was going to die so I dropped out of school in Alabama to help my mom take care of him. It was touch and go for a while. Taking care of my dad like he was a child was difficult for both of us and it was also a struggle financially. These things hurt his pride immensely. I never did go back to my school. He’s getting much better now (thank God), and is soon returning to work.

  It’s been hard coming home and having to be the head of the household at that age. I guess that’s why I love EVOL so much. I can lose myself in your eyes and forget all my problems for a while. I know it’s silly to say that I love you… but I can’t help feeling like I do. I watch every interview you do, and buy every magazine you’re featured in because I want to get to know you. I guess that’s because you’ve been such an important influence in my life. I want to feel like I know you better than I know Caleb Thomas. Does that make sense? Probably not.

  Thank you for making this movie and I hope that you do more just like it. Just when I think my life might be getting back on track our family is dealt another blow. My hormone driven brother just got his girlfriend pregnant and our family and her family are fighting and freaking out about how to handle this. They are seniors in high school. Did I mention she’s expecting twins?

  So yeah… I could use another good Nathan Foster movie to take my mind off the real world. Thank you for reading my letter. Love, Maddie Sherratt.”

  Nathan put the letter down and stared at it, letting Maddie’s words soak in. He was devastated by what she’d written and felt such strong emotion overwhelm him that he didn’t know how to characterize it. She’d told him about her father and brother before many times so he knew all the facts surrounding her return from Alabama. But reading that she found solace in his work affected him in a surprising way.

  “You have tears in your eyes,” Maddie whispered.

  “I wasn’t expecting your letter to be so…. I don’t know how to explain it. I guess just knowing who you are now made your story so much more personal. I’m sorry it took me three years to read it, Angel.”

  Maddie smiled and turned his face towards hers. “I still get lost in your eyes when I look at you. Maybe not so much has changed after all,” she said under her breath.

  He shook his head. “No, everything has changed. Everything changed when we met, for both of us.” He kissed her sweet lips and she opened her mouth to him eagerly. They kissed for a long time, pouring their love for each other into every kiss. Eventually, Nathan carried Maddie up to bed where he continued to show her how much love he had for her. Letter number two was left unopened on the coffee table to be read another day.

  On Saturday morning, a black Cadillac picked Nathan and Maddie up from his house and took them to a warehouse with a colorful mural painted along one side in West Hollywood. Inside the building they were greeted by a team of people from the magazine. Introductions were made and then Nathan was quickly torn away from Maddie’s side and taken to the dressing room. A young man named Frank was assigned the duty of keeping Maddie company while Nathan was occupied.

  “Hi,” she greeted sweetly. “How long does it usually take to get someone camera ready?”

  “Only an hour or so. Don’t worry, I’ll show you around and then take you to where he is, okay?” Frank replied kindly.

  Maddie smiled at him nervously as he explained the schedule for the day. Nathan was right, magazine photo shoots were a complicated process. Frank gave Maddie a tour of the set they would be using. He explained that photos would be taken with a number of different backdrops and the best group of photos will end up getting published. They made their way around the warehouse and finally came across the makeup station. It looked similar to the dressing room Nathan showed her at Universal only without walls. There were tables and mirrors and all kinds of makeup products scattered around.

  Nathan was sitting in a salon style chair with a black smock around his waist and no shirt. His head was tilted back against the head rest and his eyes were closed.

  Maddie leaned closer to Frank to ask him a question. “What are they doing?” she whispered.

  “Camera makeup,” he replied simply.

  The stylist named Jane had spiky pink hair and a nose ring. Maddie watched her work as she prepared Nathan for the first round of shoots. She was about to ask why the smock was around his waist and not his neck and then her question was answered. Jane smeared beige tinted cream all over her hands and proceeded to slather it all over Nathan’s chest and abdomen. Without having to be told, Nathan placed his arms on the chair rests so Jane could access every inch of exposed skin. Maddie didn’t like this woman’s hands all over her boyfriend, but knew there was no rational reason to feel jealousy.

  Jane worked on covering Nathan’s face and upper body with that cream for five minutes. Then she asked him to stand up. Nathan got out of the chair and stood in front of her with his arms out in the air. Jane stood on a step stool behind him in order to cover his back and shoulders the same as his front.

  “It’s like a tanning oil,” Frank stated when he saw Maddie’s confused expression. “It’ll make him look tanned and sweaty when Jane’s done.” />
  “Why do they want him looking sweaty?”

  Frank pointed to a set with a green screen behind it where a couple different weight lifting machines were placed.

  “Oh, I get it. Men’s Health. They want to showcase my man’s amazing abs,” Maddie said.

  Frank just smiled and winked at her.

  When Nathan was finally ready, he was escorted over to the set and told to sit on one of the weight lifting benches. Frank brought Maddie over to a couple chairs set up just off set where they would watch the shoot. Nathan saw her and smiled. She waved at him and blew him a kiss.

  Another stylist came onto the set and made adjustments toNathan’s hair and jeans. She mussed up his hair this way and that until she decided it was perfect. And she adjusted his ripped, worn blue jeans so they hung loosely off his hips in a very enticing way. The lighting above Nathan’s head was adjusted as he stood still as a statue. When both stylists gave a thumbs up the photographer finally showed up.

  His name was Tre and Maddie thought he was very interesting. He wore leather pants, a tight green tank top, and his black hair was braided against his scalp. Tre said hello to everyone in the room and took a few moments to speak quietly with Nathan. But it was what happened after the cameras started clicking that fascinated Maddie.

  Tre shouted at Nathan, loudly and commandingly. “Turn left! Lean back! Lift your arm… stop, just like that! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I like it baby! No, hold it! Now turn around, Nathan. Look angry, like I just fucked your mother. Punch the air and hold it. Yes!”

  Maddie watched in amazement as Nathan took his direction and posed in what seemed like a thousand different ways. After all those shots of Nathan standing, Tre instructed him to pick up the barbell on the floor. Frank whispered in Maddie’s ear that the barbell was a prop and it didn’t actually weigh thirty pounds. She was glad to hear it because Tre made Nathan hold the darn thing in so many different positions for at least fifteen minutes.

  She personally liked the shot where Nathan’s back was turned mostly towards the camera. He was resting the barbell against the back of his neck, level with his shoulders, and his hands were gripping the bar on either side. His face was turned to look over his right shoulder and he had such a sexy smirk. Maddie hoped that shot made it into the magazine or else she might have to ask Tre to let her keep one of the proofs.

  For three hours Maddie watched the photo shoot process move from one design set to another and from one wardrobe change to another. Finally, when Maddie was so bored she was considering taking a nap with her eyes open, the photographer announced he was done. Maddie was ready to go home but knew that Nathan still had to sit down for the interview!

  Nathan walked over to her with a knowing smile on her face. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

  “I’m a little stiff from sitting so long, but otherwise okay. Now you go for the interview?”

  “We have lunch first. Then I’ll sit down with the journalist. I’m just going to go clean myself up. I feel sticky.”

  Maddie laughed. “That makes sense, you’re covered in goo. Are they going to let you wipe all that makeup off before we eat?”

  “Yes, I’m going to go shower right now. Go with Frank, okay? He’ll take you to lunch and I’ll meet you there.”

  Maddie nodded and watched as Nathan jogged away down a dark hall, presumably to where the dressing rooms were. Frank escorted Maddie down another hall to a large room with a conference table in the middle. Along one wall was another table filled with food. He told her to make a plate and take any seat she liked. Maddie felt nervous being the first one to start eating but she did as she was told. The buffet was the most impressive spread she had ever seen. There was everything from cold cuts, to seafood, to wrapped burgers from In & Out. She took some lobster raviolis and a side salad over to the large table and chose a seat near one end but not at the head. She was still alone in the room so she went over to the drinks and poured some iced tea.

  All at once the magazine’s staff filed in to grab their food. Maddie recognized Jane, the other stylist, Frank, and Tre. Everyone was talking among themselves as they made up plates of food and began taking seats all around her. Maddie was starting to worry about having to make pleasant conversation with them when Nathan finally appeared in the open doorway. He scanned the room for Maddie and smiled when he saw her. She was relieved to see all the makeup was gone and Nathan looked like a human again.

  For the next hour Maddie didn’t have to say much. She sat next to Nathan as he talked to the others about everything from how the Dodger’s season was going to who he thought should be cast as the next Indiana Jones. Maddie admired how personable Nathan was and wished she had the same people skills. She was better suited for a biology lab rather than a red carpet and she knew that would always be a challenge for her.

  When lunch was over, Nathan took her hand and led her to an office on the second floor that had a large wooden desk and large comfortable sofas. “Is this where you’ll be interviewed?” she asked Nathan.

  Nathan looked around the room at all the magazine covers that were framed in glass boxes and displayed on book shelves. “Yep, the guy’s name is Simon. I’ve never heard of him before. But this is the first time I’ve talked to Men’s Health so that’s probably why.”

  Nathan was a little nervous about this interview because he planned on publicly acknowledging that Maddie was his girlfriend. After her accidental interview on her college campus the media had gone crazy with her story, but in the week that had passed since there was still no confirmation from Nathan or Melissa that Maddie’s claims were true.

  He chuckled to himself thinking how mad the tabloids will be when they find out Men’s Health would be the publication to break the story of Nathan’s secret girlfriend. “You’re still okay with me discussing our relationship, right?”

  Maddie looked at Nathan in surprise. “Yeah, I’m fine. He’s not going to ask me any questions, is he?”

  “He might, but you don’t have to answer, Angel. I was only asking to make sure you were okay with me discussing us.”

  Maddie walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Let’s tell the world,” she whispered. Nathan smiled and pulled her face to his for a kiss.

  They were still kissing five minutes later when the office door opened. “Whoops, am I in the wrong office?” Simon asked, jokingly looking at the name plate on the door to make sure it was his.

  Nathan stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. “Sorry. Hi, you must be Simon. Nathan Foster.”

  Simon crossed the room to shake Nathan’s hand. He turned to Maddie next and said, “Hello, Miss…”

  “Maddie. Maddie Sherratt,” she replied and shook his hand too.

  Simon gestured for them to sit and he grabbed a tape recorder from the desk before sitting on the sofa across from them. He began by talking with Nathan off the record about what things he’d like to discuss during the interview and if there were any topics he should consider off limit. Maddie noticed Simon glance at her as he asked that question.

  Nathan smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Nope, you can ask me about my love life. I’m ready to spill.”

  Simon’s face showed his surprise. “Will you let Tre take a picture of you together?” he asked warily.

  “I’m not sure Maddie would be comfortable with that,” Nathan replied.

  Simon coughed awkwardly and then said, “I’ll be honest with you because I appreciate the opportunity you’re giving me to be the first to get a quote regarding your girlfriend. If you don’t offer a photo, my editor is just going to buy a paparazzi shot to publish. So, if you’re going to mention her in the interview, you might want to consider controlling what photo is used to accompany the article.”

  Maddie gasped, thinking about all the terrible pictures of Emma that the paparazzi have taken. She knew that was in her future as soon as she and Nathan started leaving his house and trying to enjoy their summer together. But she liked t
he idea of a candid picture with Tre. It would be so much better than anything the paparazzi would get of her on the street.

  “Let’s give them a picture,” Maddie said to Nathan. “We’re ready to go public, right? This is part of the deal.”

  “Really? Are you sure?” he replied shocked that Maddie was so willing to let her face get published.

  Maddie nodded her head confidently. “I’d rather them take a good picture of us together than risking a horrible paparazzi picture showing up in the magazine.”

  Nathan thought for a few seconds and finally agreed with her logic. “You heard the woman; we’ll let Tre take our picture together for the article.”

  Simon looked surprised and then laughed out loud. “It’s not my fucking birthday, but thank you!”

  Maddie blushed but couldn’t help smiling. She knew it was a big deal for Nathan Foster to be announcing that he was off the market. It was an even bigger deal to Simon who would get credit for breaking the story. Nathan held her hand and kissed the side of her cheek. She was proud to stand beside this beautiful man, and she knew she’d have his support if and when the media tried to attack her.

  For the next hour Simon interviewed Nathan. It was odd to witness the conversation because it wasn’t the same as a television interview. For one thing, Simon and Nathan both kept going back and forth between on the record and off the record comments. No wonder Simon needed that tape recorder. They discussed Tomorrow and Forever, Shock and Awe, and what Nathan hoped his next project would be. Then Simon asked him about his hobbies, house, family, and favorite local spots. They talked a lot about the exercise routine Nathan had to keep up in order to prepare for his role in Shock and Awe. Simon asked about the emotional toll that role took on him as well as the physical.

  He saved his questions about Maddie for last. “There’s a woman out in Texas named Madeline claiming to be your girlfriend. Do you care to comment on that at this time?” Simon asked.