60
I called Rolling Stone the next morning. The switchboard patched me through to Glen’s office, and a secretary asked who I was. I told her and waited while I got put on hold.
He answered only a few seconds later. He sounded wary, but hopeful. “Kaitlyn?”
“Hi. Is the offer still good?”
Hope blew past wariness into full-on excitement. “Yes – absolutely – yes!”
“Then I’m in,” I said, a lot less enthusiastic than Glen. “What do I do?”
“You’ll need to come by the office so we can set you up… and then we’ll put you on the next plane to LA.”
61
Four Years Ago
Derek walked me back to my room. Neither of us said much on the way up the stairs. I was seriously nervous; he was Mr. Calm, Cool, and Unruffled.
“You need help packing?” he asked.
“Um… I guess…”
I unlocked the door and we stepped inside. Shanna’s half of the room was stripped bare – metal-frame bed, old mattress, empty wooden desk. I felt lonelier just looking at it.
“Can I ask you a favor?” Derek asked.
“Um… depends on what the favor is…”
“Can you not leave today, and just stay one more night?” he asked, staring into my eyes.
“I… I told my parents I’d be back today…”
“I’m probably never going to see you again once you leave. Could you please, please just stick around one more night and give me some more time with you?”
One more night.
The phrase made me weak in the knees.
Maybe from how many times I’d heard it in love songs.
“…please,” he whispered.
All the little voices in my head were screaming, No! Don’t! Bad idea!
But the feelings in my body were saying something else entirely.
“…okay.”
He grinned, one of the happiest smiles I’d ever seen him wear. “Good. Thanks.”
I nodded and just stood there looking at him.
“Don’t you need to call them?” he asked, concerned.
“…who?”
“Your parents.”
“Oh – oh yeah…”
Damn it was so easy to get lost in his eyes…
I got my phone out of my purse and started to dial –
“Could you, uh, talk to them out in the hall?” he asked.
I frowned. “What? Why?”
“I have a surprise for you.”
I stared at him. “What?”
“You’ll see.”
“You need me to be out of the room while you set it up?”
“Yeah. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he said in a smart-aleck voice.
I looked at him apprehensively. “…okay…”
“Thanks,” he grinned.
Then he pushed me out the door and closed and locked it behind me.