Rising Star (12 page)

Selena’s face reddened. She had hidden the
magazines from her parents and she certainly hadn’t planned to tell
them about it, at least until she was sure that whatever she had
shared with Matt hadn’t ended the second she was on the plane for
home.

She showed Matt around the small trailer.
“And this is my room,” she said as he followed her into the small
room. She was embarrassed to have him there, but she felt like she
was being swept along in a riptide. She either had to go with it,
or exhaust herself fighting the current. Matt walked around,
touching her books and music on the shelves, then took a seat in
front of her old computer. “I haven’t seen one of these
monstrosities for years. You should get a laptop,” he told her.

“
Yeah, I guess.” Selena put
her hands on his shoulders as she leaned over him to see what he
was doing. “Hey, don’t open that.”

Matt had brought up her files and was
looking at the stories she’d been working on. “Too late,” he
laughed. “Hey, these are really good.” He read a few lines, then
went to the next one. Selena had several unfinished manuscripts and
he counted five finished stories in the detective series with the
young girl, Trish. “These are unbelievable,” he said in awe. Have
you sent any of them in to publishers?”

“
Just one, before I went to
L.A.”

“
And?”

“
Lots of rejection
letters.” Selena sighed. She had gone from embarrassed to being
completely humiliated. She suddenly wished she was out on Rusty’s
back, wandering across the desert alone.

“
Well, you can’t give up
Selena, these are fantastic.” Matt stood and put his arms around
her. “You know, I know a friend of a friend who could probably talk
to some people for you.”

“
No!” Selena almost shouted
it. She took a step back from Matt, as if he were suddenly the
enemy. “I would love nothing more than to be a published author,
but I’ll never know if my work is any good unless I make it on my
own.”

“
Okay, okay.” He put his
hands up, defeated. “I know what you mean. It’s the same with
acting,” he said, pulling her back into his chest. “Hey, I have an
idea, let’s take your parents out to dinner.”

Selena looked at his face to see if he was
joking.

“
And your friend Beth too
if you want?”

“
Okay.” Selena brightened
at the thought. Her parents hardly ever went anywhere and she knew
Beth would enjoy an evening out on the town. “I’ll go
ask.”

The group had a wonderful time at dinner.
Matt kept everyone laughing as he described mishaps with different
movies he’d made. Beth stared at him adoringly throughout dinner
and Selena could see the same star struck look in her mother’s
eyes.

Matt took them all bowling after dinner and
Selena watched as the muscles contracted in his back and shoulders
as he deftly threw strike after strike. He was wearing another
tight, black tee shirt and it made the blue of his eyes stand out
fiercely. Is this it then, she thought as she watched him. He’s
just going to show up occasionally? I’ll be his girlfriend, but
only when it’s convenient for him?

Selena was more like a fish out of water as
she put the bowling ball continuously in the gutter. “I belong on a
horse, not throwing a heavy ball around,” she laughed as she
watched another ball hit the gutter.

“
Let me show you a couple
things,” Matt said. He stood behind her, putting his arms around
hers as he showed her how to hold the ball and how to swing her
arm. “Now, release,” he told her. Selena watched as the ball
knocked down about half the pins. “Yay, I did it.” She did a little
dance before returning to her seat as everyone laughed.

They bowled until they were all exhausted.
Selena could see her parents falling for Matt’s charm, as she
herself had and she already knew Beth was completely enamored by
him.

Matt drove them home afterward, where Beth
left quickly after giving Selena a hug and thanking Matt for the
wonderful evening.

Selena stayed outside with Matt after her
parents went inside. “So,” Matt said, as he gently pushed her
against his car and leaned over her, looking down at her with a
smile. “I don’t know how it can work with the distance, but I miss
you horribly when you’re not around.”

“
Then how come you never
call or email?”

“
I’m sorry, I’ve never been
good at that sort of thing. But I promise you, at least one email a
day, okay?”

“
Okay.” Selena was happy
for even that much. And now her emotions weren’t flip-flopping
anymore. She was feeling more and more sure of Matt with each of
his surprise appearances.

Matt kissed her then, long and hungrily.
“How bout I take you to dinner tomorrow, somewhere nice?” Matt’s
voice had grown husky from their kiss.

“
Just the two of
us?”

“
Yeah, anywhere you
want.”

“
Sounds nice,” Selena said
quietly.

They kissed again, then Matt left, back to
his hotel in Albuquerque.

“
He seems great,” Selena’s
mom said as soon as she was through the door. “Why didn’t you tell
us about him?”

“
I don’t know, I guess I
was waiting for the right time.” How could she explain to her
parents that she’d felt unsure of Matt and didn’t want to be
humiliated if he had moved on to another girl?

“
Well, I think he’s a
keeper,” her mom said.

“
Only if he makes you
happy,” her father chimed in.

Selena nodded and escaped to her room. She
was still working on the new story of Trish and she dropped in
front of the computer to pick up where she had left off. She was
surprised when she saw a new document in her files. She quickly
opened it and read it.

Selena Summers, I can’t stop
thinking about you.

Day and night, you are in my
thoughts.

I don’t know how a relationship can
work between us,

but I know I want to be with
you.

Love,

Matt

Selena’s heart raced as she read his words.
Matt must have done this before she’d come to stand behind him. And
it said: Love, Matt. Was he saying he loved her? Selena stared at
the computer screen, then finally gave up on writing. She dropped
down on the bed and thought about Matt. His good looks, his
charming ways and the way he made her feel every time he was near
her. Was she in love with him? She thought about it as she lay
there. She could feel her heartbeat accelerate just thinking of
him. Yeah, she smiled in the dark. I think I’m in love. She finally
drifted off to sleep, still fully clothed and on top of the covers,
her smile still in place.

Chapter 18

Selena showed Matt around Albuquerque the
following day. They walked hand in hand through Old Town, exploring
the quaint shops and artist’s studios. She took him to dinner at
her favorite New Mexican restaurant and they sat out on the patio,
underneath a wooden roof with small white patio lights twinkling
above their heads. It was quiet and romantic and they moved their
chairs closer together, holding hands on the table.

Matt still couldn’t handle the hot chiles
and Selena laughed at him as he ate more and more honey, trying to
kill the burn in his mouth. “I think I’ll stick to French fries and
brown gravy,” he said hoarsely as he downed his iced tea.

“
Ugh, that sounds really
gross,” Selena laughed.

“
And my ketchup potato
chips,” Matt laughed with her.

“
No. Really? That’s sounds
even grosser. Or more gross, something like that.”

“
You should try Lengua,”
she told him.

“
What’s that?”

“
Tongue.”

“
Whose tongue?”

“
I’m not sure, but I think
they cut the tongues from smartass movie stars,” she said without
missing a beat.

Matt threw back his head and laughed
happily, his blue eyes sparkling. “Ugh. I think I’ll pass.”

“
Or Menudo, it’s made with
intestines.”

“
Aw, really? Are you
serious?”

“
Yep, it’s
delicious.”

“
No thanks. I don’t think
my stomach can handle the local cuisine.” He picked up a chile
pepper as he said it, staring at it with a look of fear.

They laughed easily together throughout the
meal, and Selena relaxed as they fell back into their easy
friendship. She wasn’t even surprised anymore when teenagers
stopped to talk to Matt. She watched in amusement as he posed for
pictures and signed autographs, until he finally shooed the kids
away and returned his attention to Selena.

She hated to see the evening end when Matt
took her home. “Well, you can always stay with me at my hotel,”
Matt said, leering at her from the corner of his eye.

Selena glanced toward the house, afraid her
parents might overhear.

“
I know,” Matt said before
she could voice the thought, “Better not.”

He kissed her hungrily then, before jumping
in his car and driving away. Selena stood in the dark as she
watched the shiny black car disappear down the drive. She felt a
hunger—a yearning, to chase after the car and jump inside. She
wanted to go with him. She wanted to spend the night with him and
not worry about what anyone thought. She wanted to spend the rest
of her life with him, laughing and loving and enjoying each other.
She watched until the car was out of sight, then turned and went
inside with a heavy sigh.

Selena drove her new red car to the airport
the following morning. Matt was flying the rest of the way to
Toronto. “Besides,” he told her. “Now, I have to come back to New
Mexico. For my girl and my car,” he said with the mischievous light
in his eyes.

Selena felt like she was floating when Matt
called her ‘his girl.’ She’d never thought two simple words could
make a person feel this good. She’d hardly slept that night as she
tossed and turned, thinking of him.

“
I’m really going to miss
you, Selena,” Matt said as he checked his bags and walked with her
to the long line at the security counter. “Hey, I have an idea. Why
don’t I fly you up to Toronto to the movie set? You can hang with
me while I’m filming.”

“
Oh, I would love to.”
Selena smiled happily at the thought.

“
You have a passport,
right?”

“
Uh.” She hadn’t given it a
thought. “No, of course not.” She could feel her heart beginning to
break. It would have been so much fun to hang out with Matt and see
Canada at the same time.

“
Well, don’t look like I
just kicked your dog. You go and apply for it and when you get it,
I’ll get you a ticket.”

“
Deal,” Selena said, her
voice brightening. She was still sad to say goodbye to him, but
knowing she would see him again soon lifted her spirits
considerably. And, they had actually made plans for the future,
instead of Matt just appearing in her life unannounced. That would
be a nice change. She was feeling more secure about Matt now and
looking forward to seeing him again.

She applied for her passport that very day
and she was surprised to hear it would take a month or more.
“Really, that long?” she asked the lady at the Post Office. “Is
there nothing I can do to get it faster?”

“
Sorry sweetie, it’s in the
hands of the U.S. Government now. There’s nothing I can
do.”

Selena went home, feeling dejected. She
wasn’t sure how long Matt would be in Toronto. She didn’t want him
to finish his movie and return to L.A. before she had a chance to
visit. Her spirits lifted when she saw a new email from him.

I miss you already, can’t wait til
you come and visit.

Matt

She was surprised to see an email also from
Don Broward.

Dear Selena,

You’ve created a bit of a buzz in Hollywood
with the magazine layout. Angelique told me she was incredibly
happy with your work and that you photograph beautifully. I have a
small part in a movie I’m working on if you’re interested in
reading for it. Thanks for not letting me down with Angelique
Deveroux. I’m glad I recommended you for it.

Sincerely,

Don Broward

Selena sat back in her chair as she thought
about it. Another movie? Really? Why couldn’t she have publishers
and literary agents beating down her door instead? Did she really
want to go through all that again? She sat immobile in her chair
for a few minutes, staring out the window, watching as Rusty banged
his grain bucket against the side of the fence. Well, why not? She
finally decided. I’m stuck here until my passport arrives anyway
and it’ll be more money to help my parents with. She called Don and
accepted the part, or at least the audition for the part, as he
explained.

Next, she called Beth and invited her to go
for a ride.

“
I can’t believe it,” Beth
squealed when she told her about the part in Don’s movie. They were
riding their horses alongside the river, picking their way slowly
among the shade of the cottonwoods. “You’re so lucky, Selena.
You’ve been discovered,” she said, a note of awe in her
voice.

“
But I don’t want to be
discovered. I mean really, Beth, I’m no actress.”