It Will Always Be You (Starlight Walk Series #1) (2 page)

He turned with a
wink to Vance, when almost every hand shot up in the audience. Vance leaned
back against the wall and heaved a dramatic sigh of relief.

“Well,” he
chuckled. “Perhaps we’d better start with those seeking a lost loved one!” He
walked through the audience with the sound technicians swinging the boom across
above him, they were all enjoying this.

Thorne took
several requests for those seeking birth parents, lost loves and old friends,
before the first segment was over. The band played impromptu music to accompany
each sad or desperate request until the next commercial break.

He sent the
aspiring talent to speak with the producer and his assistants while the next
segment began, and anyone wishing to apologize for a small offence was able to
clear their conscience. But the lion’s share of the remainder of the show would
go to the talent.

Thorne strode
down the steps on the second commercial break to apprise himself of the line-up.

A stand-up
comedienne, a few singers, and a couple of dancers. Not bad. And it was more
than enough to complete the show.

“And you?”
Finally he turned to the two women standing at the end of the line.

“I’m Elsie. This
is Regan—she does a wonderful rendition of Loretta’s songs!” The enthusiastic
smaller one answered indicating her friend.

Thorne tried not
to roll his eyes, no one could imitate Loretta, she was a one-of-a-kind and
knew it. Imitating Loretta would be like trying to imitate Streisand, it just
wasn’t possible. But he could announce it as a tribute, and if she sucked,
well, it would serve Loretta right! He smiled at the young hopeful woman and
her friend and pointed them in the direction of his musical director, to set up
the song.

When the very
last segment began, he allowed all the other hopefuls to go first and then
announced Regan last of all, if she was really bad maybe they could start their
closing theme music a little sooner.

As the lights
dimmed, Regan stood alone center stage, she turned with a smile to her friend
Elsie on the sidelines and held up her hands, showing her fingers crossed as
silence gradually fell over the audience. The camera focused on Elsie too for a
few seconds to build the intensity of the moment, as she bounced up and down in
place, stars in her eyes, her excited gaze centered on Regan, and then panned
the hopeful expressions of the audience members, who may have missed hearing
the real Loretta Lindstrom sing, but were hoping for something great from the
tribute singer. Then the music slowly began. He groaned, Regan had chosen the
song everyone loved the most, the one that required the widest vocal range of
all.
It will always be you
.

Regan’s eyes
closed as the first strains of the music began, Elsie whispered softly to
Thorne. “She’s centering her concentration, just as she’s been trained to do in
her Zen class. There’s no one here but her and the music.” Thorne was getting
more uneasy as the music built to a crescendo. “Feel the sound waves, Regan,
meld with them and allow your voice to join the flow.” Elsie whispered so
softly that he was the only one who could hear her. And then Regan began to
sing.

Thorne, the
audience, and the entire crew stood enrapt as Regan’s melodious voice filled
the studio, cascading off the vaulted ceilings, and bringing every member of
the audience to tears. She didn’t just do justice to Loretta, she eclipsed her,
completely.

Thorne swallowed
hard as the song came to its resounding conclusion, and Regan finally opened
her eyes, she smiled at the camera—and he knew they were in deep trouble!
Loretta was going to be royally pissed. He applauded along with the rest of the
audience as he joined Regan center stage. He turned to the camera, dropping a
gentle arm around Regan, while her effusive sidekick was jumping up and down,
tears streaming down her cheeks beside her.

“Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen, and thank you, Regan, for that phenomenal tribute to the
world’s greatest lady of song. And Loretta, if you see this, we all love you.
Feel better soon!” The audience went wild.

Chapter Two

“Only a total
creep would sue us for this!” Vance exclaimed, later in his office, seated
behind his huge mahogany desk.

“Yeah, well in
that case, you’d better expect a lawsuit,” Thorne replied dryly.

“I don’t know, I
mean…after the last words, your tribute? How could she do it? She’d look pretty
bad.”

“Exactly!”
Thorne grinned. He hoped Loretta
was
royally ticked and completely
impotent to do anything about it. He’d rarely ever met a woman he disliked more,
and he’d been in this business for a very long time.

“So, where are
you off to tonight?”

“I’m having
dinner with our songstress and her friend.”

Vance chuckled.
“Have fun.”

Thorne laughed.
“I intend to.”

“Not too much
fun, Thorne… I have a feeling we’ll be seeing her again real soon,” he warned,
turning his computer screen toward Thorne, the emails were flooding in already.

They’d be having
Regan back in her own right very soon.

***

Regan and Elsie
awaited Thorne in his dressing room while he tied up a few loose ends, he was
taking them to dinner at
Cherie
, a new trendy restaurant downtown on the
Starlight Walk. They’d only heard of the place, never dreamed of going there,
it was way out of their price range.

When Thorne
showed up with a pretty young blonde at his side, that he introduced simply as
Jenny, Regan couldn’t help the slight feeling of disappointment. Not that she
really stood a chance in a million with someone like him, but their
conversation wouldn’t exactly be fluid with his girlfriend in tow. One evening,
just her and Elsie, with Thorne all to themselves would have been nice. A
unique chance to get to know the man they’d watched on TV for the best part of
the last ten years. But with a mental shrug as she followed Elsie into the
limousine, Regan determined she was going to take a leaf out of Elsie’s book,
be an optimist, live in the moment, and enjoy the evening and the fabulous
food!

The first clue
that
Cherie
was extremely over-rated, at least food-wise, came with
their first course, by the second, Regan was wishing she could simply go to
McDonald’s. Apparently the staff thought excessively doting service would make
up for their culinary deficiencies.

When the
hovering waiter finally left them alone to enjoy their meal, Elsie set down her
fork, food lover and optimist that she was, even she couldn’t pretend it was
edible. And the conversation hadn’t exactly been flowing with the waiters
constantly interrupting.

“Well, sorry
folks, but I swear, one more bite of this stuff and I’ll be visiting Madison
General Hospital’s poison control center, for ingesting a strange and unusual
substance!” Elsie groaned.

“Oh, thank God
you said that!” Jenny exclaimed. Thorne and Regan laughed as one by one they
set aside their forks.

“It really is
pretty bad,” Thorne grimaced. “Sorry ladies, I had hoped to show you a good
time this evening. Your performance saved the show tonight, Regan,” he said,
gently touching her hand.

“Wow, thank
you,” Regan answered stunned, savoring both the compliment and the feel of Thorne’s
large hand clasping hers.

“You really
don’t know how good you are, do you?” he asked, looking into her wide blue
eyes.

“I’ve been
trying to tell her that for years!” Elsie exclaimed.

“Years? Are the
two of you a couple?” Jenny asked softly, looking from one to the other.

“No,” Elsie
answered, “Just best friends.”

Regan looked up
at her friend and finally noticed the way Jenny was looking at Elsie. So,
apparently she wasn’t Thorne’s girlfriend. Her heart skipped an excited beat,
she swallowed hard and took a deep breath; then found herself smiling, as Jenny
subtly moved a little closer to a suddenly blushing Elsie, her eyes shining
with interest.

“Shall we risk
ordering dessert? I hear they at least have great coffee here?” Thorne
suggested.

“Yes! Espresso!
We’d better make that a double!” Elsie chirped. “It’s been a long day!”

The waiter
arrived with the dessert tray and elaborately slid a different confection onto
a delicate plate for each of them, and they all shared bites of each other’s.
It was the best part of the meal.

As their evening
drew to a close, Thorne was becoming oddly pensive and appeared completely lost
in thought, and since Elsie and Jenny were really hitting it off, Regan was
beginning to feel like a third wheel by the time the coffee arrived.

“I would like to
show you a little of Madison City, Regan,” Thorne said, snapping out of his
reverie, “If you don’t mind a walk?” She nodded gratefully. “We can leave the
limousine here for the two of you, if you’d like?” he added, turning to Jenny
and Elsie who both nodded enthusiastically. Regan’s heart leaped in
anticipation, finally a chance to spend a few minutes alone with Thorne.

***

Regan readily
took Thorne’s proffered hand as they exited the restaurant; gently drawing her to
his side, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as they walked along
Madison’s famed Starlight Walk. It was the largest shopping street in the city,
lined with starlit trees glowing with fairy lights, and with its own style walk
of fame. Curved sun and half-moon shaped stones were inscribed with the names
of Hollywood’s most elite stars of stage and screen. They stopped at Loretta’s
stone.

“She’s truly
incredible, isn’t she?” Regan said, looking up at him, eyes shining.

Thorne swallowed
hard. Regan was sweet, and her friend Elsie too, but they were about as naïve
as…well, as naïve as he’d been when he’d first entered show business. He didn’t
want to burst her bubble since she had no idea what the real Loretta was like.

“An incredible
talent,” Thorne answered honestly.

“Thank you for
letting me sing today, Thorne, it was a dream come true,” Regan said, her hand
unconsciously squeezing his arm, hugging him closer to her. For the first time
he looked down into her sweet face, and wondered if he should just tell her to
hurry home to Iowa. But a part of him wanted her to stay here. She was
gorgeous, in a clean living, cute girl next door kind of way. Shoulder length
dark brown hair, pink cheeks, and big blue eyes. She was trim and yet not
Hollywood thin, she had a real figure. Her lips were full, pink and soft
looking. But Vance’s warning hung in the air, so he simply smiled at her and
pointed out some of Madison’s most well-known designer shops. It didn’t
surprise him that she hadn’t heard of them. They both laughed as the limousine
rolled slowly by with both Jenny and Elsie hanging out of the window waving at
them. He watched Regan’s lips curve into a sweet smile, and decided to take a
leaf from her book and simply enjoy the evening.

The fountain at
the center of Madison’s Starlight Walk was beautiful, a modern art profusion of
cascading stars and half-moons in various shapes and sizes, encircled by a wide
marble perimeter. They sat at the water’s edge, watching the couples strolling
by arm in arm, enjoying the evening. Regan was running her fingers through the
water. The shimmering multi-colored lights surrounding the fountain cascaded
over the clear liquid making it too appear multi-colored.

“This has truly
been a day to remember, Thorne, thank you so much!” She looked up at him eyes
shining.

Thorne was
quickly losing track of the amount of times Regan had thanked him for the
little day to day things he took for granted.

***

Regan held on to
Thorne’s arm as they continued their walk, this whole day had had a very unreal
feel to it. First, she’d awakened on the first full day of her vacation in a
sumptuous hotel room, had a wonderful decadent breakfast, attended the show
she’d always wanted to see, hosted by the sexiest most gorgeous talk show host
on the planet, seen Loretta Lindstrom, and then been invited to sing on TV! Now
she had the handsome Thorne all to herself. She looked up at his six foot two
inch frame, broad shoulders, dark blonde hair, and big blue eyes. He could have
been an actor, or a model, or probably anything he chose, he had so much
onscreen presence and he was also kind. And Elsie seemed to have found someone
really sweet who was interested in her too. Was Thorne interested in her, or
was he merely being polite?

“Deep thoughts?’
he asked, bringing her back to the present.

“Just feeling a
little star struck!” she admitted. He gave her a knowing grin and she could
feel her cheeks heating. “And I was just thinking about Jenny and Elsie, too,”
she added.

“And?” he
prompted.

“Elsie hasn’t
met anyone she’s been interested in like this in a really long time. I’m almost
afraid to go back to the hotel room, I might interrupt something.”

“Then come home
with me,” he offered. “No strings, I have a big place.”

“I wasn’t
hinting Thorne, honestly…”

“I know,” he
assured her, “but I think you might be right, the two did seem to be pretty
infatuated with one another!”

Regan smiled,
about to politely refuse, but her cell phone rang.

“That was Elsie,
she wants to know if I mind…”

“Beats putting a
sock on the door, I guess,” he chuckled.

“Do people
actually do that?” she asked incredulously.

“Only in the
movies as far as I know,” he laughed. “And maybe in college dorm rooms.”

“Where do you
live?”

“Central Towers.
It’s only a couple of blocks from here, it’s close to work and I have a
spectacular view of the city.”

“I love city
lights at night,” Regan said, looking around at the vivid neon colors and
bright lights. “When I was little I loved my home town, but I always wanted to
move to a city where I could just walk to the shops and look out over a balcony
and enjoy watching the city come to life below.”

“Most people
dream of ocean views and landscapes…a home in the country…”

“Maybe I’m just a
little odd then!” she laughed. “I’ve always wanted to live in a big city.”

***

They took the
private elevator up to his apartment. Regan didn’t even hesitate, she hurried
straight across the room to the giant glass paneled walls, her hands flattened
against the panes, her nose pressed against the cold glass, and drew in a deep
breath. “It’s magnificent!”

Thorne opened
the glass doors for her to step out onto the wide balcony. She gripped the
handrail and breathed in the cool night air. “I’m in seventh heaven!” she
exclaimed.

Thorne found a
part of himself, a hidden, long lost part, reaching out mentally toward her.
She was sweet and honest and way too naive to be here without a protector.

“What are your
plans, Regan?”

“We’re on
vacation for the next two weeks. We plan to explore the city a little and eat
lots of good food!” she laughed. Then catching his penetrating gaze she asked.
“That’s not what you meant?”

“No, I meant for
your singing.”

“Plans?” she
exclaimed. “It’s just for fun, I’m a receptionist. Today was just ‘a moment’! A
spectacular thrill in my otherwise very dull and quite ordinary life!” she
chuckled.

“If you could
have a singing career, would you want one?”

“Of course, who
wouldn’t? It beats sitting at a desk all day!”

He sighed
inwardly, wondering if Loretta had once been just like her, young, enthusiastic
and naïve. Would Regan turn into another Loretta? He didn’t know her well
enough to even begin to guess.

She obviously
had no idea what she was in for. He walked back into the living room, Regan
followed him her eyes shining with hope. “Then perhaps we should celebrate
together now, because by tomorrow, your name will be all over the tabloids.”

Regan turned
pale.

“We can stop it
now, Regan, and you can return to your quiet life, or we go full steam ahead.
I’d like to be the one to help you.”

Regan just
stared at him, eyes round as though he’d simply and matter-of-factly informed
her she’d won the lottery.

“You have an
extraordinary talent, Regan,” he said as he popped the cork on a bottle of champagne,
and poured them each a glass.

Thorne watched
her soft pink lips caress the edge of the glass as she sipped lightly and
savored the champagne.

“We can wait and
see how you feel in the morning. You’ll be here when the papers hit the fan,”
he chuckled at her still bemused expression.

“You really
think that’s going to happen?” she asked incredulously.

“I can guarantee
it.”

“You’re an
optimist.”

“Realist,” he
corrected. “You’re in for a wild ride, Regan.”

“Elsie says I’m
stuffy and I need to get out more,” she offered suddenly.

“So, agreeing to
come here with me was a part of that?” he asked in amusement.