Stars Collide Read Free Page A

Not enough to share my thoughts or feelings with Mark, however.
    “This is a brilliant idea.” Grandma Lenora gave an abrupt nod. “KK hasn’t dated anyone for ages.” She went on about how she’d prayed for years that the Lord would bring just the right person into my life, and how—until now—he had remained silent. “Let the public see you as a couple,” she said. “It will do you—and them—good.”
    Good grief. Could things possibly get any more awkward?
    Rex gave me a fatherly look, his eyes twinkling with unexpected merriment. “I’m not saying I agree about involving the paparazzi. But I suppose it’s inevitable the public will wonder if you two are really enamored with each other.” He turned to Scott. “Sometimes people have a hard time separating fiction from reality.”
    For whatever reason, this last line caused all of us to turn to Grandma, who rattled on again about my lack of a love life.
    Rex nodded and then piggybacked on her enthusiasm. “People will talk, and I suppose we can’t really control what they say. You certainly can’t control what appears in the magazines and on TV.”
    I sighed at that one, thinking of how I’d made the attempt more than a few times. The paparazzi had already labeled me “Kat with Nine Lives” because I’d been linked to so many failed television pilots. I couldn’t stand the idea that they would find yet another reason to comment on my already-too-public life.
    For the first time I noticed the exhaustion in Rex’s eyes. “I’ve been in this business a long, long time,” he said. “I’ve outlived most of the folks who used to work for those newspapers and magazines.”
    “If that’s what you want to call them,” I muttered.
    “True. I’m just saying that I’ve outlived them, but their tactics haven’t changed. They’re out to get a story. And when there isn’t one . . .”
    “They have to make up something.”
    Mark joined in, his enthusiasm growing. “Only, maybe this time we’ll use the story to our advantage.” He went off on a tangent about how we could do that, but he lost me after a few words. Getting the public involved in my personal life didn’t feel right—at all.
    Thankfully Athena and the other writers began to express their opinions, and before long we had all come to an agreement. Jack and Angie would kiss. The viewers would love it. Ratings would rise. And the paparazzi would have a field day with it.
    I groaned inwardly at that last part but kept my mouth shut. Playing along might be for the best . . . for the sake of the show. I couldn’t bear the idea of Stars Collide unraveling. Surely the publicists could step in and save the day.
    Rex offered a hand to Grandma Lenora, who took it with a shy smile. She rose and did a bit of primping, showing off her shimmering black dress. “No one asked me who I am today,” she said at last. A rehearsed pout followed.
    “Who are you today, Lenora?” Scott asked with a twinkle in his eye.
    She grinned. “Bette Davis. The Little Foxes. 1941.”
    “Nice choice.” Rex gave her a tender smile, and her gaze lingered on him before darting to the floor. “Bette was always one of my favorites.” He dove into a story about a Bing Crosby fund-raiser he’d once gone to at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he’d met her in person, but my attention shifted to Scott. I could feel his eyes on me. Was he as worried about this paparazzi thing as I was?
    Looking my way, he gave me a little wink. My heart sailed straight up into my throat.
    Heavens! I’d fallen . . . and I wasn’t sure I wanted to get up.

3
    The Golden Girls
    As we prepared to leave the studio, Grandma Lenora turned to me, her hands clasped together. “KK, I have the best idea!”
    “What’s that?”
    Her eyes twinkled as she responded, “Let’s go to the Brown Derby for dinner tonight. My treat!”
    Oh, yikes. Not again. “I don’t really think—”
    “You know, I once went there with Lucille Ball and