0 comments/ 15664 views/ 0 favorites The Keeper of The Stars Ch. 01 By: velvetpie Life sucked. Plain and simple. Of course, for anyone looking into my fishbowl existence, I was crazy. Who the hell wouldn't want to be a successful author with a nice house and plenty of spending money? Obviously, the answer is me. I didn't want to be Courtney DeLille, inventor of Samantha St. Andrews, the heroine of Guildencrest Manor. I didn't want to be recognized when I went out of the house. I wanted to be left alone. It was all my daughter's fault. She was the one who suggested that I try my hand at writing romance novels since I had an affinity for porn. So I softened the sex, elongated and deepened the story line and BOOM! Samantha St. Andrews was born. Three novels later, I found myself in the exact opposite of where I thought I wanted to be. Famous and recognizable. Sure, the money was good. Hell, the money was fucking fantastic! But I craved the anonymity that I had before and I was having a hard time adjusting. So I bought my lovely house in North Carolina, far enough inland to escape hurricanes and with enough land to discourage nosy neighbors. My daughter, who was living in Atlanta, came to visit once a month and my son, in Miami, came up every couple of weeks so I was never lonely. Or so I thought. I went into town to do some shopping and was very surprised to see an actor that I absolutely loved. Gale Harold, one of the stars of the show, Queer As Folk, was striding down our 'Main Street' and gazing into shop windows. I pulled myself together enough to find a parking space and jumped out, intent on getting his autograph when Mrs. McArdle roared through the intersection. Gale was standing in a parking space, admiring the architecture of one of the old buildings and didn't notice her approach. I watched in horror as she came flying down the street and I saw her corkscrew curls whip around as she noticed the empty space. Her wheels pivoted and she maneuvered her automobile toward the curb. Gale hadn't noticed. He had removed his sunglasses and was squinting up at the cornices when I shouted at him. I didn't think. I forced my body into action and sprinted toward him, tackling him as the crunch of metal and glass sounded loudly behind us. The last thing I saw was the look of astonishment on Gale's face just before we both crashed to the pavement, his leather-clad torso breaking his fall and my head breaking mine. ***** I opened my eyes and immediately winced from the bright lights and the pain that brutally stabbed through my skull. "Finally!" My daughter smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to my forehead. "I thought you were taking a vacation." I started to sit up and she pushed me back down. "Mrs. McArdle totaled her car, by the way." Her words bounced around my brain as snippets of pictures flashed through my brain. I remembered what had happened and I turned to her with a question on my lips. She smiled, speaking before I could even get the words out. "He's waiting outside." "He wasn't hurt?" "Just a few scrapes. Momma, you saved his life." "No, I didn't." "Yes, you did." The words came from behind her and she stepped aside to make room for my visitor, the man himself. For several long seconds, I forgot to breathe as those dark eyes focused on me and heat suffused my entire body from head to toe. "How are you?" "Uh, fine. I think." I raised a hand to my forehead, my fingertips meeting a thick pad of gauze and antiseptic tape. "Brains are probably scrambled but what the hell. They were scrambled before this." He smiled and gave his flowers to my daughter and she set them to the side. "I'm Gale, by the way." "Yes, I know who you are." I took his hand, clasping it gently. "I'm Gena, Gena Richards." "Well, Gena, I don't know what to say." "Thank you is sufficient, Mr. Howard." "Gale, please." I nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm glad that I was there." "I am, too!" He laughed. "So when do you get out of here?" "I don't know. Hopefully before I have to eat. It's been awhile since I've been in the hospital but I know that the food hasn't gotten any better." "You've been here for two days, Momma. I'm sure they'll keep you for another day for observation." "Ugh." I covered my eyes, shaking my head. "I'm doomed. Say, what are you doing in North Carolina anyway?" "Doing a movie." "Good for you." "It's a Queer As Folk reunion." My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and my daughter laughed out loud. "Here? In North Carolina?" "It's supposed to be where Lindsay and Melanie have moved to." "I thought they moved to Canada … " "Well, if you're the fan your daughter told me you were, you know that we filmed in Toronto, pretending it was Pittsburgh. So North Carolina isn't that much of a stretch." I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess not." "All right, everyone. Visiting hours are over and Miss Richards needs her rest." The night duty nurse came bustling in, taking the chart from the end of my bed and moving to my side. My daughter gave me another kiss and whispered that she'd see me in the morning. Gale stood, giving me a warm smile. "I'll see you tomorrow." "You don't have to come by, Gale. I'm sure I'll be heading home tomorrow." "Then I'll be by to see you off." He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "And I'd like to take you to dinner." He gave a little wave before he escorted my daughter from the room and I just watched, my heart pounding and my mind suddenly blank. Dinner with Gale Harold? Wow. The Keeper of The Stars Ch. 02 My words came true the next day. After more blood work and a final set of x-rays, I was released from the hospital. My daughter was there first thing in the morning and Gale arrived an hour later, a bag of beignets from the French bakery and three Styrofoam cups in a carrier. He handed one to my daughter, kept one for himself and handed one to me with a smile. "Um, I don't drink coffee." He gave me a kiss on the cheek and dropped the bag in my lap. "Who said it was coffee?" I looked down, pulled the lid back and took a deep whiff. Hot chocolate. "How did you know?" Gale winked and my daughter laughed, sipping her latte. "He took me to dinner last night." She offered me her most mischievous grin. "And I told him everything he wanted to know." "Damn." I whispered, gratefully sipping my drink and humming in appreciation when I sank my teeth into a fresh beignet. We ate and talked for a bit before the nurse carted me off for my x-rays. Finally, Gale wheeled me out to the street and I stepped into the front seat of my Expedition, grinning with absolute glee. "So what about dinner tonight?" I looked over at Gale and swallowed. I had forgotten about that. "Dinner? Tonight?" "Either tonight or tomorrow. I have a production dinner on Thursday." "Gale … " "You're not going to turn me down, are you?" I looked into those warm brown eyes and suddenly, I had no words to say. Thankfully, my lovely and smart daughter spoke up for me. "Pick her up at 8. I'll call you and give you directions." "Okay." He grinned at me and leaned in the window to give me another kiss on the cheek. "Be ready to have some fun." He looked over at my daughter and winked. "Don't wait up for her." She started the car and we drove away, my heart pounding in my chest and my head in the clouds. "I can't believe that I'm going to dinner with Gale Harold." My daughter grinned, glancing over at me as she wheeled us toward home. "I can and we'd better hurry because we're going to have to go shopping." I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. Shopping? Would I survive? ***** I looked at myself in the mirror and then looked over my shoulder at my daughter. I didn't see Gena in the mirror; I saw some mysterious chatelaine with dark eyes, plump red lips and a beautiful smile. She laughed as I pretended that the mirror was in a circus tent. "Momma!" "Sorry!" I quit with the silly monkey actions and stood still while she fixed my collar and picked a few pieces of lint from my jacket. "How do I look?" "You look cool." "Cool?" "Yeah, Momma. Cool." "Is cool good enough?" "He's a New York boy, Momma. He knows all about fashion." "And I don't?" "No, Momma." She hid a smile from me as she re-hung the other clothes that I'd tried on in my own closet. The new jacket and pants went well with an older white buttondown and a pair of short-heeled boots that had been collecting dust under my bed. "You know a lot of stuff but fashion is not one of your strong points." She threw her arms around my shoulders, pressing her cheek against mine. "That's what I'm here for." "I thought you were here to eat all of my chocolate chip cookies." A giggle. "That, too." The doorbell rang and she gave an excited squeal. "Sounds like your date is here." She had dashed down the hall and clumped down the stairs before I could shout, "He's not my date!" Shaking my head and laughing at her exuberant behavior, I grabbed my clutch and headed down. I didn't think that Gale could get any better looking but I was wrong. He looked fantastic in a pair of distressed black leather pants and loose-fitting shirt and he gave my daughter a hug when she opened the door. I heard them talking as I came down and his eyes swung up to mine, sending a bolt of heat through my poor body. It seemed like minutes instead of the seconds it took for his eyes to make a circuit of my body, from seductive lips to partially exposed breasts to my scantily clad feet. I was never so happy in my life to have good-looking toes! "Wow, you look nice." "Should I go up and change?" "Are you kidding?" He gave me a huge grin, stepping forward to give me a hug. My daughter made silly faces over his shoulder and I tried not to laugh. "Let's go before you change your mind." He had a cab waiting and I thanked my smart daughter for suggesting that I take some cash along with me just in case. I slid into the back seat and made myself comfortable as we sped off toward the restaurant. I looked over at him, taking in his beauty and at the same time, wondering why he was doing all this. I understood that I had kept him from danger but I didn't want him to feel obligated to me. I was too in love with him to withstand that. What can I say? I was a fan. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." I said quickly, averting my eyes and crossing my ankles. He put his hand on my forearm, drawing my focus from the scenery to his face. "I didn't ask you to make you feel bad, Gena. I asked you to dinner because I've enjoyed meeting you." He paused. "And I don't know anyone here and I thought that we could have a good time while I was in town." I released my breath a little louder than I'd planned. I was happy that I at least knew where I stood in this heady mix. "Okay." "So, are you ready to have some fun?" I smiled, gazing at his handsome face. "Bring it on."