Spotlight
Authors: Krista Richmond
Spotlight
By
Krista Richmond
First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2014
Copyright © Krista Richmond, 2014
The right of Krista Richmond to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the
Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
This work is copyrighted. All rights are reserved. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
All characters and events in this book—even those sharing the same name as (or based upon) real people—are entirely fictional. No person, brand or corporation mentioned in this book should be taken to have endorsed this book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.
This book is a work of fiction and should be read as such.
The Writer’s Coffee Shop
(Australia)
PO Box 447 Cherrybrook NSW 2126
(USA)
PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168
Paperback ISBN- 978-1-61213-242-6
E-book ISBN- 978-1-61213-243-3
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.
Cover image by:
© EDHAR / Shutterstock.com,
© Yuganov Konstantin /
Shutterstock.com
Cover design by:
Jennifer McGuire
www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/krichmond
To my favorite actors—
for inspiring so many (including me!),
for sharing your talents,
and for putting up with the glare of the spotlight.
“I’m tired of rumors starting.
I’m sick of being followed.
I’m tired of people lying,
Saying what they want about me.”
– Rumors, Lindsay Lohan
“Would you be so into me,
If I wasn’t a celebrity?”
– Celebrity, *NSYNC
Chapter One
Lily Richards’ alarm startled her out of restful sleep at five thirty on a Saturday morning. She swatted at the snooze button with one bright, blue eye open and then flopped back on her pillow, her black hair spilling around her like a halo.
Despite the early hour, there was already a smile on her face.
This was the day she was going to see Daniel Brighton.
In person.
On stage.
In fourteen hours.
Not that she was counting
.
Sitting up, Lily threw the covers off and sprang out of bed. She may or may not have done a little dance on the way to the shower, but she refused to be reduced to squealing—even for the Sexiest Man Alive.
It was only a few weeks ago that Lily and her two closest friends had toasted the end of their favorite television show. And the end of seeing their favorite actor on a weekly basis. They had even thrown a mini farewell party, knowing it might be a while before he appeared in anything new.
People Magazine
didn’t count. (Although, it was exciting that he was one of the youngest actors to ever make the cover. Not to mention one of the few television stars.)
In My Life
had been a cult hit at best. It never achieved the highest ratings in its Wednesday night time slot or received any Emmy nods. By the end of the first season, the network wanted to can it due to lackluster ratings, but when it failed to appear on the lineups at the upfronts, fans of the show took it upon themselves to let the network know just how much they wanted it on the air.
Lily was one of those fans. She had started watching
In My Life
on a whim, and it so captivated her attention that she found herself telling Colette, a fellow writer she met when she started her job the
Nashville News-Journal
, all about it the next morning. It didn’t take long for the two of them to hook Maggie, a local psychologist who had been Lily’s best friend since high school, on the show as well.
The story lines were interesting. The writing was excellent. The acting was brilliant. The production values were beyond reproach. Which all earned the show a devoted following.
And Daniel Brighton bore the brunt of that devotion.
It was his character who drove the show. His leading-man good looks—and acting skills—earned him thousands of dedicated fans while portraying Preston Ainsley, the eldest son of a prominent Charleston, South Carolina family. In particular, it was his character’s relationship with a long-time girlfriend that fascinated viewers during the show’s three seasons. Their families were rivals, and the writers dedicated countless episodes to the obstacles they faced.
With the show, and Preston, now behind him, Daniel Brighton had taken a part for the summer in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
before starting his next role. Lily and Colette—naturally—made plans to go see it, since Montgomery wasn’t that far away.
At six forty-five on the dot, Lily arrived at Colette’s apartment with an extra Starbucks white chocolate mocha in hand.
“Colette! Are you ready?” Lily asked as she knocked.
“Yeah,” Colette replied, opening the door. “Give me just a sec.”
“Sure. I brought you coffee. I thought you could use it. And it’s a small
thank you
for coming on this trip.”
“Thank goodness,” Colette said before taking a much-needed sip. “This had better keep me awake on this long drive.”
Lily snickered. “Don’t give me that. Montgomery isn’t that far from Nashville, and you want to see this play every bit as much as I do.”
Colette rolled her eyes, taking another drink of her coffee. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s get this show on the road!”
Lily tapped her fingers on her steering wheel thoughtfully as she merged onto the interstate. “You know, it seems strange that
In My Life
won’t be back in a couple of months.”
Colette nodded. “Yeah, it does. I still can’t believe that it’s over—and that it ended like that!”
Lily grinned. She thought the ending had been perfect.
“Well,” she said, “I wanted to see the white dress, too, and Preston in a tux. But the proposal was perfect. If only real life were like that.”
“That’s so true,” Colette agreed. “But as much as I loved Preston and Nina as a couple, I think I’ll miss Grayson the most.”
Grayson Ainsley was Preston’s baby brother and had always been a bit of a free spirit. He believed in living life to the fullest. And to him, that included partying until the early morning. He felt most comfortable on the dance floor at a rave. That was his secret identity—the one only his siblings and closest friends knew. Things calmed when he told Preston and their sister, Avery, he was gay during his senior year of high school. As the show ended, Grayson graduated from Brown University with a degree in creative writing.
Lily stole a quick glance at Colette. “Is it weird to say that I learned a lot from Grayson?”
“Not at all! I think that was the point.”
Lily nodded, knowing that a majority of people—women, in particular—only tuned in to watch beautiful people wearing beautiful things while running around beautiful places. But she had always seen past that. The struggles the Ainsleys faced were no different from the struggles of any other family, and that was what appealed to Lily, Colette, and Maggie.
Colette settled further into the passenger seat. “I wonder what’s going to happen to the fandom now that it’s over.”
Lily sighed. “I don’t know. My guess is that it’ll become all about Daniel. Those who were in it for the show will probably drift away after the final season DVDs are released.”
“True. You think the ‘DanFans’ will make a big showing during the play?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Of course they will. Just wait until tonight—you’ll see.”
Lily and Colette were early for the play, arriving at the theater forty-five minutes before curtain. Lily didn’t want to miss any of the experience. The gift shop was open, so they walked off energy and excitement among the posters and trinkets. Lily wanted something to remember her first time seeing Daniel Brighton in person, so she added to her Shakespeare collection with a book of the play and also purchased a magnet depicting the theater for her refrigerator.
At twenty minutes to curtain, they walked through the Merlot-colored velvet curtains into the theater. Row D. Seats 109 and 111.
“Oh. My. God,” Lily said when they were settled. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, darted back and forth between Colette and the stage. “Four rows. Four rows! I’m going to be, like, ten feet from Daniel Brighton.”
“I know,” Colette responded, anticipation bubbling in her voice. “I can’t believe these seats are so good!”
While Lily tried to calm herself, the theater filled with an audience as diverse as the characters flowing from Shakespeare’s quill.
There were the kings and queens wearing their richly colored jewels and finest robes—the patrons of the festival who donated their extensive fortunes to fund this tiny oasis of culture.
There were the middle-class nobles—the groundlings and regular gentlemen of Verona who appreciated the luck the fates had bestowed on them so that they could see this production.
And then there were the court jesters—the love-struck Juliets reduced to giggles at the mere thought of the Romeo about to take the stage.