“Kat! Where are ya?” Brian walked into the catering room with a blonde woman trailing behind him. Kat was sat at a table with a coffee. She stood up when she saw them. “Kat, I want you to meet my wife Leighanne.”
“Hi Leighanne,” the two women shook hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you already.”
“And you’re still talking to me?” joked Leighanne with a big smile. “It’s good to meet you too Kat.”
“Are you joining the tour?”
“I wish. I’m just here for the show and then I have to fly to LA for work.”
“But she might join us later, right?” asked Brian hopefully.
“I’ll try sweetie,” Leighanne smiled and kissed him. “Now you go and get ready. I’ll have a coffee with Kat.”
“Ok honey,” he kissed her. “Enjoy the show girls.” He left the room and Leighanne poured herself a coffee before sitting next to Kat with a sigh.
“Oh, I need this coffee.”
“A caffeine fix?” Kat giggled. “I know the feeling.”
“What a day, Kat…” Leighanne drank her coffee.
“Tell me about it. I bet I can beat it,” offered Kat with a grin.
“You can try,” Leighanne took a deep breath. “Ok, well it started with gettin’ woken up at 6am by the producer of my movie, Olive Juice, saying they messed up the final shots and I need to fly to LA tomorrow for re-shoots.”
“That does suck,” Kat agreed.
“So I get up and find out my dog Tyke was sick all over the couch in the night so I take him to the vet and pay a few hundred dollars to be told he’s fine, go back home and scrub the couch down. And then the day is kinda normal only on my way over here some jerk rear-ends my car at the stop lights.”
“Whoa, did ya get his details?”
“I sure did!” the blonde woman said angrily. “I also got rid of some of my frustration by yellin’ at him.” Kat laughed and Leighanne smiled. “So, what went wrong with your day Kat?”
“Well, nothin’ as heavy as that stuff.”
“Tell me.”
“Ok, two words. Kevin Richardson.”
“Ah,” Leighanne laughed. “Not a Kevvy fan huh?”
“He kinda rubbed me up the wrong way when I first met him. I interviewed them all and he just seemed…” Kat’s voice trailed off as she searched for an adequate word.
“Opinionated? Stubborn? Arrogant? Superior?” Leighanne supplied and Kat laughed.
“You know him well.”
“Yeah, he’s all those and more. But he’s also genuine, warm, funny, intelligent, loyal and kind. You just gotta get to know him.”
“Well, I doubt he’ll give me the chance,” Kat sighed. “Not after the article I wrote…” She looked embarrassed. “I kinda referred to him as not bein’ as good as he thinks he is.”
“Oh! The Teen article?” Kat nodded and Leighanne chuckled. “YOU wrote that?! Girl, he just about freaked when he saw it!”
“Uh, yeah, AJ told me.”
“AJ loved it. He brought it up whenever Kevin got too far ahead of himself.”
“I bet he just LOVED that,” said Kat sarcastically.
“What man would? He’s a real proud guy. He woulda gotten over it if it wasn’t for AJ bringin’ it up every so often.”
“And now he’s got me around to remind him,” Kat stated. “I overheard him say I had attitude, and then he saw Nick on top of me…”
“Whoa…” Leighanne’s eyes widened and Kat laughed.
“It was all very innocent. Y’see Aaron was playing the drums and we were dancin’. And Nick slipped and kinda landed on top of me, and that was the bit Kevin saw.” Leighanne started laughing and Kat shrugged wryly. “I guess he thinks I’m corruptin’ Nick or somethin’ now.”
“Naw, that’s AJ’s job,” Leighanne said seriously before the two women burst into laughter.
Kat and Leighanne looked up from their coffees as Devon from LFO walked in to grab a drink. He smiled at them.
“When do you go on?” asked Kat.
“Gee, thanks for the support Kat!” he laughed. “We just came off.”
“Ya did?! Oh Christ!” Kat jumped up quickly followed by Leighanne. “I bet you were GREAT!” She kissed Devon’s cheek quickly before following Leighanne down the corridor towards the steps to the stage.
The five guys were stood around there with the members of their band and the dancers. When Brian saw Leighanne, he jogged over for a long hug and kiss.
“I thought you’d gone AWOL,” he joked.
“Sorry sweetie, I got talkin’ with Kat and we just lost all track of time.”
“I’m glad ya got on,” he kissed his wife’s forehead and smiled across at Kat just as a tall dark-haired model type brushed past Kat, knocking her against the wall.
“Hey,” Kat exclaimed as the model turned and gave her a cool glance before proceeding to ignore her in favour of air kissing Leighanne.
“Hi sweetie, how are you?”
“Just fine, thanks,” said Leighanne coolly, reaching out to pull Kat closer. “Madeleine, I’d like you to meet Kat.”
“Hello,” said Kat as the woman looked her up and down. Madeleine was certainly striking with her black urchin crop and long tanned legs, a perfect red pout and a willowy frame. But there was something cold in her eyes that made Kat instantly dislike her. That and the fact she had just draped herself all over Kevin.
“Honey, Kat is following us around for a while,” explained Kevin.
“Really?” Madeleine looked at Kat for a while before smiling. Kat shivered. She had suddenly been reminded of the way a shark smiled before it ate its prey. “Well, I guess it’s fairly obvious she’s not a dancer…” the woman tittered, gesturing towards Kat’s body.
Bull’s eye thought Kat. Although she wasn’t obese or anything, she was definitely no stick insect.
“It was the two left feet that gave it away right?” joked Kat lightly. Ever since her childhood she had used humour to cover up things that hurt her. Leighanne sensed this and put an arm around her shoulders.
“C’mon Kat. Join the circle.” Leighanne pulled the other woman into a newly formed circle of the boys, their band and the dancers. Plus Madeleine and Aaron.
After a quick prayer, Kevin led a chant.
“What time is it y’all?”
“Time to go to work!”
“What kinda work?”
“HARD WORK, UH!” They high fived each other before breaking the circle.
Brian kissed Leighanne before joining the other guys on the podium, which rises up out of smoke for their appearance on stage. Madeleine swooped imperiously ahead of Leighanne and Kat who couldn’t fail to notice a brown stain on the back of her white pants. Leighanne nudged Kat who stifled a giggle as, next to them, Aaron held up his chocolate-covered hand with a mischievous wink.