Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series)

by Michelle Maness

“She’s great. She rescued me from Susan’s nagging on me about having a date a time or two recently. I’m surprised we haven’t become linked in the gossip papers yet,” Joel shook his head.

  “Susan wouldn’t harass you, Joel; you know better than that,” Adam’s eyes were twinkling.

  Susan was Joel’s manager and publicist all rolled into one and chastised and ordered Joel around like a child on a regular basis.

  “Humph,” Joel grunted.

  “Where are you staying while you’re here?” Kaitlyn inquired.

  “I booked a room,” he returned.

  “Stay with us. It’ll be easier to keep a low profile that way,” Kaitlyn suggested.

  “That’s sweet but…”

  “But nothing; we have five bedrooms, only one occupied, Joel. You won’t be in the way and you’ll be convenient to your house,” Adam cut him off.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that, guys.”

  “You’re welcome,” Kaitlyn assured him. “Excuse me, please? I need to go check on the pot of chili I left on the stove.” Kaitlyn stood and left the room.

  “How’s married life?” Joel asked his buddy.

  “Wonderful!” Adam’s smile was wide. “I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be.”

  “You two are so great together, Adam. It makes me a little sad, though, because I want what you have…not exactly, but that someone for me.”

  “I knew what you meant,” Adam assured his friend. “Maybe you should be looking outside Hollywood.”

  “Maybe,” Joel nodded. “Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone right here in Tennessee; worked well for you.”

  “Yes, it did, but then she knew me before I made it in the music industry. She never was impressed with my fame and I think that helped,” Adam admitted.

  “True,” Joel conceded. “It’s a little harder to know when someone loves you for yourself when everyone knows who you are before you’re ever introduced.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Adam nodded and Joel knew he really did understand.

  “How are things going at the youth center?” Joel changed the subject.

  “Going well. Kaitlyn and I usually volunteer a few hours a week at the least,” Adam shared.

  “I think it’s really great that you volunteer down there, Adam,” Joel shared his opinion. Adam had started volunteering at an inner city outreach shortly after he got out of rehab and continued to do so.

  “Come volunteer; the kids would love it,” Adam smiled as he uttered the invitation.

  “I’m not sure I’m as cool are you are, Adam. You had the top selling rap album; still in the top ten…I have no street cred, remember? I grew up in a small Kansas town, not in some of the toughest inner cities as you did.”

  “Okay, the girls would love it,” Adam insisted.

  “Just what I need: a throng of teenage admirers.”

  “They all love Kaitlyn,” Adam pointed out.

  “Adam, everybody loves Kaitlyn, you can’t help but love Kaitlyn; she’s a sweetheart.”

  “I know,” Adam grinned; his eyes were lit with pride.

  “You are so smitten, man,” Joel laughed at his friend.

  “I have been since high school,” he admitted.

  “Are you two hungry yet?” Kaitlyn returned to the room, “The chili is ready.”

  “I am,” Adam stood.

  “Me too,” Joel followed his friend.

  A few minutes later, Joel had cleaned his bowl.

  “That was really good, Kaitlyn; thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” she assured him as she piled more chili on a cracker.

  Joel had never seen anyone eat chili the way she did. She melted cheese in it and then proceeded to spoon her chili onto a cracker for every bite. He wasn’t certain if she was having chili with crackers or crackers with chili.

  “That is the first home cooked meal I have had since New Year’s,” he admitted.

  “Poor Joel!” Kaitlyn shot him an empathetic look. “We’ve got to find you a wife.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “I’ll throw a party and invite all my single friends, surely there’s someone among them that would interest you. I know Tessa nearly freaked when she found out you were going to be in the wedding party.”

  “Tessa is sweet but not my type.”

  “I know. As much as I love Tessa, you two wouldn’t be very well suited,” Kaitlyn shook her head.

  “Faith is seeing someone isn’t she?” Adam referred to one of Kaitlyn’s friends from college.

  “Yes, she met someone a few months ago,” Kaitlyn shared.

  “Thank you, both, really but I don’t need a match maker,” Joel laughed.

  “Just trying to help,” Kaitlyn shrugged and lifted another chili laden cracker to take a bite.

  “I’ll help you get your bags in,” Adam offered after he had finished eating.

  “Thanks,” Joel nodded and stood.

  He and Adam grabbed Joel’s bags. Adam led Joel to a large bedroom overlooking the street. It had its own private bath and was at the opposite end of the hall from the master suite; Joel as well as Adam and Kaitlyn, would all enjoy their privacy.

  “Thanks, Adam; I appreciate you and Kaitlyn inviting me to stay.”

  “No, problem. Kaitlyn likes you and says it’s fun to get the two of us together,” Adam shared.

  “Cleo, no; you don‘t need in here. Joel doesn’t want cat fur on all his things,” Adam scooped up the Siamese he had bought for Kaitlyn on her last birthday. “I’ll let you get settled,” Adam left the room.

  Admiring the beautiful room he occupied, Joel unpacked his bags. It had a window seat in a turret shaped alcove and Joel moved to look out onto the street below.

  The neighborhood Adam and Kaitlyn lived in and that he had recently purchased in, was in the historic district. The styles ranged from a few antebellum homes to several Victorians and a hand full of Craftsmans. He spotted a woman walking at a brisk pace, a Weimaraner heeling obediently at her side. Joel found himself watching as she drew nearer. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black and bounced in a ponytail. Her eye color he couldn’t discern, but her figure was amazing. She was full chested, narrow waisted and had voluptuous hips. There would be no mistaking her for a man, he mused; he had done so with one of his recent co-stars. Joel knew tall and thin was the new standard; he preferred a woman to look like a woman. He suspected he had come by this honestly given his father and grandfather’s choices of wives. Nice rear too, he noted as she passed the house before disappearing behind the large tree in the corner of the yard. Joel shook his head, for all he knew she was married. In fact, most the neighborhood was filled with families.

  He decided to rejoin Adam and Kaitlyn downstairs. He found the pair on the couch in the family room. Adam sat in the corner of the couch, Kaitlyn leaning against him; his arm was around her waist.

  “Did you get settled okay?” Kaitlyn inquired.

  “I did,” he nodded and sat down. “What are you watching?”

  The movie network they were watching was currently on commercial.

  “One of your movies,” Adam admitted, “Kaitlyn is a fan you know.”

  “Great,” Joel grinned and shook his head as he sat back.

  “You’re a good actor,” Kaitlyn shrugged, “and you do good movies.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And I thought she just thought you were cute,” Adam teased his wife and watched her blush.

  “He’s almost as good looking as you but not quite,” she returned.

  With dark golden blonde hair, deep brown eyes, sculptured features, and a well-toned physique, Joel was not short in the looks department.

  “I’ll take second place,” Joel joked.

  “Watch it,” Adam playfully cautioned.

  “Hey, you don’t happen to know which one of your neighbors owns a Weimaraner do you?” Joel inquired. Knowing Kaitlyn and her propensity for meeting people, she just might, he mused.

  “
You mean Virginia?” Kaitlyn’s eyes were bright with curiosity.

  “Dark hair, probably a little taller than you and a very nice voluptuous figure?” Joel returned and watched Kaitlyn smile.

  “That’s Virginia. She’s the one who was moving into the house on the other side of you the last time you were here,” Kaitlyn informed him.

  “With her family?”

  “No, with her baby, the Weimaraner you saw her with. She’s single, moved into her grandmother’s old place, and has started her own business. She’s an architect who specializes in restoration. She does interiors too, especially on restoration projects.”

  “So you’ve gotten to know her already?”

  “Only in passing,” Kaitlyn admitted.

  “And you already know all of this?” Joel was grinning now.

  “You know, Kaitlyn; she never meets a stranger,” Adam kissed the top of his wife’s head.

  “She seems really nice; you want me to introduce you two?” Kaitlyn offered.

  “Maybe,” Joel shrugged. He hadn’t meant to give away just how interested he was but clearly he had.

  “I wonder what she’s doing for dinner tomorrow night,” Kaitlyn mused aloud.

  “Kaitlyn, don’t you try to play match maker,” Joel warned.

  “Why not?” she pouted.

  “I can get my own dates,” he assured her.

  “I have no doubt about that but who says a little help is a bad thing?”

  Two

  Virginia Philips knocked on her neighbor’s door and waited for an answer. She had been watching furniture arrive all day and had baked cookies to welcome her new neighbor. She blinked when Kaitlyn opened the door and smiled.

  “Hi, Virginia,” Kaitlyn greeted.

  “Hi,” she frowned.

  “I guess I’ve confused you,” Kaitlyn stepped aside for Virginia to enter.

  “A little,” Virginia admitted.

  “Joel, my husband’s best friend, bought this place but had to be back out in California to finish his latest job. I offered to be here so he could start getting settled. He’ll be back the first of next month.”

  “The work crews out back haven’t bothered you any have they? Joel was worried that they might disrupt you,” Kaitlyn queried about the glass building going up in the back yard.

  “No, I’m up early anyway,” Virginia assured the petite red head. She didn’t know Kaitlyn very well and had never met her husband, but she was very friendly and seemed genuine. Virginia wouldn’t mind knowing the woman better.

  “Come on in and have a look around,” Kaitlyn invited. “I know as a restoration specialist you must like old homes.”

  “I do,” Virginia agreed.

  “Me too; I adore old houses and buildings. That’s why my husband bought me our current house. It wasn’t even for sale at the time but I fell in love with it when we looked at this place. Joel bought this place right after that.”

  “I knew a sold sign went up but the place sat quiet and empty after that,” Virginia noted.

  “Yes, Joel’s business takes him to California and all over on a regular basis but he wanted somewhere quiet he could come to during down times,” Kaitlyn offered as an explanation. “Now that he’s rounding up his latest project, he is looking forward to some rest.”

  “So, anyway, this is the living room. The painters just finished a few days ago. I have to say, Joel has excellent taste and knows how to use color. Surprised me; my husband kept deferring to me so long as I didn’t get carried away with the frills,” Kaitlyn smiled at Virginia.

  Virginia followed her from room to room and had to agree. Joel, the mysterious, absentee homeowner, had good taste and had used color well. The result was a welcoming if, currently, sparsely furnished home.

  Kaitlyn’s cell rang as they were coming back down the stairs and she grabbed it to answer.

  “Hi, Joel,” she smiled a moment later. “Yes, it did arrive and I hope everything is where you want it.”

  Kaitlyn looked thoughtful a moment. “I’m not sure; I’ll have to check. Right now I am giving your neighbor a tour of the place. I think I told you that she does restoration work. I figured she would enjoy seeing the place.”

  Virginia watched Kaitlyn smile widely.

  “I’m not; you aren’t even here.”

  Virginia watched Kaitlyn’s smile widen; her nose scrunched.

  “I’ll see you when you get back….tell Ginger I said hi. Right. Bye, Joel,” Kaitlyn disconnected her call and turned back to Virginia.

  “Sorry about that. He wanted to make sure everything had arrived.”

  “So I take it this guy is single? Seems like a big place for one man.”

  “He fell in love with it and I think liked its location. As I stated, he and my husband are best friends.”

  “How long have you been married, Kaitlyn?”

  “Just a few months.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. I would like to have you over sometime, Virginia. I have a few things in the air the next couple of weeks but look for an invitation sometime after that,” Kaitlyn smiled.

  “I will, thanks, Kaitlyn.”

  “Sure. Where did you move here from?” Kaitlyn inquired.

  “Atlanta, Georgia. I was working for an architecture firm down there.”

  “I admire you for starting your own business. My husband has and I am learning what an endeavor it is,” Kaitlyn offered.

  “It really is,” Virginia agreed and was about to ask Kaitlyn more about herself when another delivery truck showed up. She politely excused herself and allowed Kaitlyn to get back to work. She hoped Kaitlyn followed through on her dinner invitation. If not, maybe she would. She could use some friends in the area.

  Virginia let herself back into her house and patted Dovie on the head.

  “Hey, girl, did you miss me?”

  Dovie’s tail wagged enthusiastically at her owner’s attention.

  “Didn’t get into any trouble did you?” Virginia asked.

  Weimaraners were intelligent dogs but very high energy and very attached to their owners. At times this could spell trouble when they were left alone. Virginia had learned not to leave Dovie alone inside for extended stretches of time.

  Virginia set the plate of cookies she had taken next door on the counter and frowned at them. She should have left them with Kaitlyn, she realized belatedly. Oh well. She grabbed a cookie from the plate and moved to her home office.

  She had restored the front of grandmother’s home to its original glory, along with the upstairs rooms. The back she had renovated. She had halved the original kitchen, installed a small but functional kitchen in its place, and a small dining nook off it that overlooked the back porch and yard. She had left the remaining part of the kitchen and what had been a family room, open, a couple of posts and beams offering the structural support along what had been two walls on either side of a hallway. The space was now wide open, leaving a very livable space. She had also enclosed part of the porch to make a home office. She had only been moved in for a short time but already loved her home.

  Fortunately, her business was picking up, meaning she should be able to support herself without touching her inheritance any more. She had pulled from it to see to the house and business startup costs. When her grandmother had left her the house in Franklin, Tennessee she had wondered what she was supposed to do with it. Now, almost six months after a broken engagement, the loss of her previous job that had landed her in Atlanta on the rebound, and the realization that she wanted to go into her business for herself, the inheritance of the house seemed like providence. If she wanted to make a go of her business she should get busy, she mused and seated herself to get to work.

  ***

  Virginia transferred cookies from a cooling rack and onto a plate to once again attempt to welcome her new neighbor to the neighborhood. She knew from talking with Kaitlyn that he was supposed to be back in town by now and the house had been humming with ac
tivity all day. She had watched a Jeep pull into the driveway earlier and took that as a good sign as well. Once the plate was full, Virginia covered it with plastic wrap and lifted it from the counter before moving to the door.

  “Stay, Dovie,” she ordered her pet as she opened the door.

  Dovie sat obediently, but her light amber eyes pleaded to be included.

  “I’m sorry, girl; I don’t know that he likes dogs. I’ll be right back,” she promised. Virginia shut the door and bounded down her front porch steps and down the sidewalk. Her own home, as well as her neighbor’s, was Craftsman in style, while Kaitlyn’s home was a Queen Anne Victorian.

  Virginia mounted the porch steps, knocked, and waited to hopefully meet her neighbor. She had never lived in such a picturesque neighborhood where people walked their dogs and called greeting to one another before now. She really did want to meet her new neighbors and put down some roots. It wouldn’t hurt to make their acquaintance if they were ever looking for someone of her skills either.

  Joel glared at Susan as she, yet again, started in on him about his lack of a public social life. She had arrived to help him get settled and to see to his utilities and phone for him and hadn’t let him have a moment of peace yet.

  “Look, Joel; I know Cassandra hurt you, but you can date someone without getting serious. Please, line up a date for the premier of your latest film?”

  “Susan, I know it is your job to worry over my public image but I don’t really give a crap what people think one way or another. I am not going to date someone just to date someone.”

  “You should care about your public image, Joel; in this business it can affect how much work you’re getting,” she reminded him.

  “Susan, I will decide when and where I start dating again!” he snapped as a knock sounded on the door.

  He yanked the door open, despite Susan raising her hand in protest and frowned at the woman on the other side a moment. It was her, he realized; the woman who had been walking her dog! He felt his frown melt away as his heart skipped a beat and then started pounding. Deep blue eyes, wide with disbelief, stared at him; her beautiful mouth open as though she had been prepared to speak only to find her voice gone.