Chapter Twenty-Two

Well, I am freshly coiffed. My hair is beautifully colored, the grey is all gone (there was only a little!), and I am relaxed. Too relaxed. I can barely lift my fingers to type. Yawn... I think half the problem is my week last week. I'm a little mind fried. Well, nothing else to do for the rest of the weekend but to sit here and relax (and write a little too).

Last night was my last night working at the Pavilion. I've been volunteering there all summer. In exchange for volunteering, I got a free pass to go to any concert I wanted to see. It's been fun! I saw 13 concerts this summer. Aerosmith, No Doubt, Dave Matthews, Nickelback... those are just a few of the wonderful acts I saw. Wow. So much fun. It's a sure sign of the end of summer that I'm done. I'll still go to Creed and Buzzfest, but no more working.

This is it!! The last chapter. What do you think will happen? There's an epilogue too; I always write an epilogue. Whenever I read a book and I get to the end, I aways get a little sad. What happens to the characters? What's next? After 22 chapters, they're my friends. The good part for me, the writer, is that Kate and Logan and Melanie and Eric and everyone else continue to live in my head. For you, don't worry. There's one last post after this for Hollywood Dreams.

So, enjoy Chapter 22. I'll talk to you all again tomorrow.

Chapter 22

By the time night fell, most of the media left. A few determined paparazzi remained behind, but I so was used to them that they almost seemed part of landscape. As the last TV truck drove away, I let out a deep sigh and walked into my bedroom. Rather than chance seeing the inevitable discussion of my life and Logan and Savannah’s rumored “relationship,” I turned on a DVD and let myself drift into a restless sleep.
The house was silent when the alarm rang the next morning. No sleeping until noon today. There was packing to be done before we left for our afternoon flight to Los Angeles. Today I would be back with Logan – maybe not emotionally but at least physically. My pulse beat faster at the simple idea of being near him.
I flicked on my bedroom television before heading into the kitchen to find Mom and a cup of caffeine. I found the caffeine, freshly brewed and smelling like heaven, but no Mom. A note on the counter informed me that she and Kyle had gone to check on Chic and find some breakfast. I was to pack and be ready to leave by eleven. Our flight was scheduled to leave at two.
Cup of coffee in hand, I returned to the bedroom. Determined to be ready when Mom and Kyle got home, I grabbed a suitcase from my closet and started to carefully pack, listening to the background noise of the TV for the inevitable discussion of me. It would come, even on the morning “news” program, and when it did, there might be more news about Logan.
I was halfway through my first suitcase when the newscaster’s words stopped me cold. The dress I was holding slipped through my fingers, and I slumped down on the bed and back into the pillows.
“As we all know, Kate Broucheriou has had a bad week. First was the news Kyle Thomas was her father and then came the reports yesterday that boyfriend Logan St. James was seen around Hollywood with co-star Savannah Sears on his arm. Well, we’re thinking the following video might just help improve the mood of America’s Sweetheart…”
The camera flicked off the face of the newscaster and the screen was filled with a grainy video filmed late at night outside what appeared to be a LA nightclub. Savannah was beautiful against the bright exterior of the club, but even in the grainy video, it was apparent she was nearly fall-down drunk. Logan stood inches away from her, just as obviously stone sober. The couple was surrounded by cameras that clicked wildly in an effort to catch the entire exchange.
“Come on, Savannah. You don’t mean it. You know we’re meant to be together,” Logan said with thick sarcasm. His eyes glinted maliciously as he glanced into the crowd and smiled.
“Go to HELL, LOGAN. Just go to your DARLING KATE. You two deserve each other,” she screamed.
“Honey, you don’t mean that. I swear I love you best,” another glance into the crowd and a slight roll of his eyes.
“You’re both as boring as snot and almost as interesting. You’ve been doing nothing but mooning over her interview all night,” Savannah mocked, stumbling slightly as she gestured wildly.
“Honey, it should please you – all the attention Kate’s getting. After all, it was all your doing,” his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Savannah seemed to miss the baiting tone of his voice. “Ha! I don’t even know why I bothered. You’re certainly not worth the effort it took to set it all up. It wasn’t nearly as easy to arrange as your little run-in with the photographer in Houston. That was easy. Sneak him in. Wait for you and Kate to disappear. A few pictures later, you and Kate were all over each other and the evening news.”
“How were your latest efforts harder,” he asked. Savannah was so out of it she didn’t even notice how the crowd had gone completely quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the click of cameras.
“I had to be very careful that it couldn’t be traced back to me. I might hate Bridgette and Kate, but they seem to have the rest of the world, including Jackson, wrapped around their little fingers. It had to be completely anonymous. There was also the inconvenient fact I had no real proof. I had to count on the strength of my speculation and the media’s desire for a good story,” she seemed to have forgotten exactly where she was. Venom poured from her voice.
“Why did you “bother”? Why try to destroy Kate and Bridgette,” Logan asked.
“Because I wanted to. This is MY world. I OWN it, and no little farm girl and her has-been mother is going to try to take it away from me.” Savannah twirled in a circle, hands outstretched to indicate the extent of her realm. When she completed her circle, she collapsed to the ground, balance deserting her completely. At the gasp of the crowd, her eyes focused on her surroundings once again. Shock spread across her face.
“You did this on purpose. Didn’t you, Logan?”
“Absolutely. You’re a skanky bitch, Savannah. I’ve always known it; now the rest of the world does too,” Logan smiled at the crowd. “Thanks, guys. The show’s over. I’ve got to go.”
As the cameras focused on Savannah, still on the ground, I heard the purr of Logan’s car drive away. The video ended and the camera refocused on the newscaster.
“One of my better performances, don’t you think?” I jumped at the deep sound of Logan’s voice. As I stared at him blankly, he walked slowly across my bedroom and sat next to me on my bed.
“It might not win me an Academy Award, but I’m certainly as proud of it as if it would.” He took my hands and pulled them up and around his neck while his lips lowered to nearly touch mine.
“I hope you don’t mind I let myself in,” Logan words were spoken softly against my lips. I could only shake my head before Logan pulled me the rest of the way into him and deepened the kiss.
It was like coming home. I poured every apology I would make, every vow of love, every ounce of who I was into the kiss. Logan’s lips held the promise of my future and erased every hurt of our past.
“Logan,” I gasped pulling away reluctantly. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be. I should be the one begging your forgiveness.”
“I’m here because I love you, Kate. Pride wasn’t worth being away from you for another moment,” he pulled me back into his arms, holding me as if he would never let me go again. I hoped he wouldn’t.
“But Savannah?”
“It was an act, Kate. I couldn’t let her get away with what she’d done. I wasn’t sure how we’d end up, but, regardless, she’d hurt someone I love. Her ego made it pretty easy. All I had to do was act wounded and vulnerable, and she attacked. It wasn’t hard to make her believe I was grateful for her attention,” he smiled as he leaned into kiss me lightly.
“I’d planned to cause my scene the night before, but she was too joyous when you kept calling. I had to act as if I wasn’t dying to talk to you. It was horrible and fantastic at the same time. I knew then that you’d forgiven me. It gave me the strength to wait one more day to be with you. It all worked out better than I hoped. Your interview gave her just the push I needed. Savannah’s done, Kate. She’ll never bother anyone again,” he promised. I could feel his heart beating fast against mine.
“There was nothing for me to forgive, Logan. I overreacted. You didn’t do anything wrong. I took out all my pain and rage on you. I am begging for your forgiveness, Logan. Please! I love you so much. I don’t want to live without you,” I pulled out of his arms to face him on my knees. “Please, Logan. Forgive me.”
“I forgave you the moment you walked out the door, Kate. There is nothing you could do that would cause me to stop loving you.”
Joy burst in my heart at the promise of his words. It was a promise I hadn’t earned, but maybe true love didn’t need to be earned. Maybe true love was given unconditionally. Sinking into the kiss that followed, I made a promise of my own. I would be worthy of this gift. And if proving myself worthy took the rest of my life, it was a price I was willing to pay.

© 2008-2009 Elizabeth Johnson