DASHED DREAMS (11 page)

Lynda nodded, turned, and walked away. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Jillie, sometimes you just have to listen to your heart, not your head. Em and I love you. We know you’ll do the right thing. And when you do, you’ll tell us.” She laughed as she closed the door.

RJ hung up the phone. Gazing into the bathroom mirror, he began to shave. When he was finished, he applied his cologne. “Hello, you gorgeous you!”

They were the last to arrive at dinner and were razzed for being late. The group had already started on margaritas. Jillian and RJ both ordered margaritas, on the rocks both with salt. When their drinks arrived, RJ proposed a toast.

“To good friends, old and new.” He leaned over and quietly said to Jillian, “To us.”

She touched her glass to his, then everyone clinked glasses. As Jillian sipped her first drink, RJ was working on his third. During dinner the group’s conversation turned to the day’s golf scores. The men’s tournament would finish tomorrow morning. Gary checked his watch and mentally noted that they had 45 minutes until show time. He tried to get RJ’s attention by tapping on his watch.

“What, time to go already? I was thinking about ordering another round.”

Celeste moaned. “I couldn’t drink another drink or I’d have to be poured into my seat at the show.”

“Yeah, no more for me, either,” Emma said. She stretched her arms over her head. “You know, I don’t know about the rest of you, but my arms are kind’a sore from today’s workout.”

“Just wait until tomorrow, when you try to get out of bed,” Lynda said. “We’ll all be calling our favorite ortho to help us out.”

The group laughed.

Gary caught the waiter’s attention and silently asked for the check. He was told that it had been taken care of. Gary thanked the waiter, and RJ handed him a hundred-dollar bill tip. The gentleman profusely thanked RJ and the group.

The group split up, once outside the restaurant. Celeste, Teddy, Lynda, and Jack Morgan decided to wander around the casino until almost show time. RJ, Gary, Emma, and Jillian went down to the headliner’s dressing suite. In the outer room of the suite RJ excused himself to change his clothes and get ready for the night’s performance. Gary and Emma sat on the sofa, and Jillian took an easy chair. Gary and Emma were holding hands, quietly talking between themselves.

When RJ came out of his dressing room, he was dressed in the same “work” clothes he wears for almost all his performances: jeans, white tuxedo shirt with sapphire buttons, a sapphire-colored bow tie, a belt adorned with a large oval gold buckle, and buttery-soft suede Western boots. Jillian took one look at him and suddenly understood why almost every woman in America was “in love” with Robert John Montgomery. The fragrance of his cologne swirled into the room, as if chasing him. Jillian closed her eyes, drew in her breath, and smiled. Emma noticed her best friend smiling and whispered to her, “He’s yours, if you want him.”

When the stage manager called through the intercom, “15, Mr. Montgomery.” RJ grabbed a green bottle of water and in a couple of swallows, it was empty. They stood to leave.

RJ moved over and whispered into Jillian’s ear, “Baby, this show’s for you. I love you, Jillie.”

“I lo…you,” Jillian stammered. Her thought was: Do I really feel love in my heart or is it just the moment?

He put his arms around her and kissed her. “See you later, darlin’.” the
rabbit
.

Jillian put her hand into his and squeezed. Gary motioned for them to follow him. Jillian and RJ slowly withdrew their finger hold to each other.

Once in the showroom Gary, Emma, and Jillian joined the others in the Entertainer’s box. Courtesies were exchanged and drink orders were taken. All the men ordered liquor drinks; the ladies ordered Perrier with lime.

As the lights dimmed, Jillian was nervous with anticipation. She leaned over to Emma. “Em, I’m a nervous wreck. And I don’t know why.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Tucker’s, it is my pleasure to introduce Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year, Robert John Montgomery.”

The audience went wild. Spotlights from the back of the showroom swung to the front of the stage and swirled in various directions. The spots eventually became one, growing smaller and smaller, focusing on center stage. The background music was from RJ’s five band members, playing a melody of his greatest hits. The heavy curtains opened, and the applause was overwhelming with excitement. Robert John Montgomery stood center-stage, holding a wireless microphone. He started talking before the applause died down.

“Good evening, Lake Tahoe!” He continued through the cheers, “Since this is a benefit concert for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, tonight I’m going to deviate from my usual opening. I’d like to recognize a few people, without whose help this evening couldn’t have been possible. Mark, a spotlight please. First and foremost, please meet this gentleman, and I use this term lightly.” The spotlight shone on Jack Morgan. The audience laughed.

“Mr. Jack Morgan, President of Tucker’s Entertainment Department. Without his generously we’d be doing the show down south in Glitter Gulch.” Again the audience laughed.

“Next, I’d like to acknowledge another couple, Billy and Angyne Bean. Angyne’s my cousin from Mannsville, Oklahoma, and is Mannsville’s mayor. Her husband, Billy, is Oklahoma’s pecan king. And they are the nicest couple you’d ever want to meet, Hi, Cus! Sitting next to them are David and Jackie Symmons. Jackie’s the Western Region President of Children with Disabilities Program.” The spotlight shone brightly upon the two couples sitting in a booth left of the stage.

“I could stand up here and spend a lot of time introducing and addressing notable folks, but there wouldn’t be any left for me, to entertain you…” The crowd roared.

“Before I begin, another group I’d like to acknowledge.” The spotlight focused on the booth directly in the center of the room.

“You all know football legend, Teddy Deprye and his beautiful wife, Celeste. To their right are Mr. Morgan and Lynda Brockhurst, and to their right my road manager, Gary Johns and his lady, Emma Elliott. To their right’s a very special lady, Dr. Jillian James. Hands off fellows, she’s all mine! Jillie, this is for you.” the
rabbit
.

The audience clapped and gazed onto the center booth. Jillian suddenly felt out of place, embarrassed by all the attention.

Emma leaned over to her best friend and whispered, “You’d better get used to it.”

The room went dark, the music started again. Robert John Montgomery began singing his heart out. For twenty-five minutes he sang song after song. He took a break about halfway through the show, left the stage, while his band played an instrumental of one of his hits. Offstage a stagehand had a cool towel and a cold drink waiting. This break usually lasted about a minute or so. Sometimes depending on the audience, Robert John Montgomery would return early with the towel draped around his neck and drink in hand. Tonight was no exception. He returned to the stage, set his drink down on a stool back by the keyboard, and wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel. He introduced his band, and the show continued. After several more songs he began his finale song, and the audience roared with the first few bars being played, his greatest hit,
Loving You
. He motioned towards Jillie. the
rabbit
.

When the ballad ended, Robert John Montgomery took a bow and received a standing ovation.

“Thank you so very much. Please remember. Open your checkbooks tonight and tomorrow night for our purpose. Please be kind to your heart. Goodnight and God Bless.” He bowed again, took off his bow tie and tossed it out into the audience, turned, and walked offstage. His band continued to play until he was completely offstage.

RJ thanked all the backstage hands on the way to his dressing room. He opened the door and found several people waiting for him, among them, Jillian and her group. He nodded to the others, walked over to Jillie, and whispered into her ear, “Please take them up to our suite. I’ll be up as soon as I finish this
meet and greet.”

Jillian quietly said, “Okay.”

The group was chatting when RJ arrived back at the suite. He hadn’t changed, still wearing his “work” clothes. He fixed himself a drink, stopped at the edge of the living room to chat, then excused himself to clean up. He returned to the living room, replenished his empty glass, came over to the couch, and sat by Jillian. He put his arm around her shoulder, squeezed it lightly.

“That was a terrific performance, RJ. You sure give them their money’s worth. A hundred and ten percent, you must be exhausted,” Teddy said. All the others either silently nodded or said “yes” out loud.

“Thank you, kind sir. I love my job.”

The group made small talk for about an hour or so. Looking at her watch, Lynda said, “I’m going to call it a night. I’m pooped.” She got up and said goodnight to everyone.

Jack Morgan stood up and said, “I’m also leaving. Once again, great concert, RJ. See you on the course tomorrow morning. Tee off’s nine, right? Lynda, wait up.”

As the evening before Lynda and Jack’s exit caused a mass exodus. After all the thank-you’s and goodbyes were said, Jillian and RJ found themselves alone and back on the sofa facing the lake.

“You’re really something. I loved your performance.”

“Ah, it ain’t nothin’, M’am.”

He moved closer to her, reached over the back of the sofa, and turned off the lights. The room’s darkness was softened by a full moon, and the lake shimmered in the moonlight. He put his arm around her, and she moved closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder. At this moment Jillian felt safe and secure, a feeling she’d never before felt. Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes.

“Would you like to see it? I tee off tomorrow early, so I’ll be finished early. How about tomorrow afternoon, after all the festivities are over? I want for us to have time to be able to really look over the place.”

The next morning Jillian and the girls met the others at the Coffee Hut by the concierge in the hotel lobby. Word had gotten to Birdie of the shopping excursion, and she arranged for a car to transport the girls. It was decided that they’d shop at the Factory Stores at the Y. After a couple of hours of serious shopping, the bag-toting ladies arrived back at Tucker’s. After thanking their driver, the ladies exited the limousine. A bellman offered to take their bags and Deliver them to their respective rooms.

“What a grand idea! Thank you,” Celeste said, as she began to spout off room numbers. As they were walking away, Jillian noticed that Celeste handed the bellman a strip of folded money.

They decided to have lunch in the Seafood Sound restaurant. The nautical-themed eatery hit the spot for the hungry shoppers. Seafood salads were ordered all around with plenty of sourdough bread and butter. The conversation was light, mostly about shopping and this and that, until Celeste asked Jillian about her relationship with the country singer.

Jillian was taken back, but remembered he was in the public eye and they were all curious about his life and loves. She smiled and redirected the question back to Celeste. The girls started talking about the word, “celebrity” as it’s an eye-opener. The question always is: Are celebrities different? There is a fascination about celebrities that’s risen due to America’s common peoples’ chance to live out their dreams through their favorite stars. One question arose. Are they America’s Kings and Queens? The girls discussed if indeed stars lead a fairytale life and how fame changes lives.

Bertie was passing by the Seafood Sound and saw Jillian and her group. She noticed that they were in a serious conversation. She asked if the shopping excursion was successful. Jillian asked about the tournament. Bertie said she’d check to see if it was finished. From the house phone Bertie placed a call, spoke for a few minutes, then returned to the girls’ table.