The next day, AJ and Howie left for Orlando and the girls settled back into their routines of school and work.
Amanda spent her afternoons over at the Carter house helping BJ with her studies. Nick always made it point to make it home for dinner so that he could see Amanda each day.
Thursday evening, just as Amanda was walking in the door, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Is Amanda Forrestter there?"
"This is Amanda."
"Hi there. This is Donna Wright calling on behalf of Jive Records." After exchanging pleasantries, Donna got to the point.
"I have already contacted the other members of your team with the good news. Jive Records will be accepting seven of the ten songs that you presented the other day. However, not all will be for the Backstreet Boys. We would like to use four of the songs for the BSB, two for 'N Sync and one for Britany Spears. Britany heard the song 'Secret Love' and would love to use it on her upcoming album if you would be willing to change the song to be from a girl's point-of-view."
Donna smiled when she heard the silence on the other end of the line. Amanda was in shock, but she quickly regained her composure.
"That would be fine. 'Secret Love' was originally written from my point-of-view, but since we were presenting it to an all-boy group, we altered the words slightly." Then Donna's other news registered. "Wow! Seven songs? That is amazing! Thank you so much!" Donna smiled.
"Congratulations Amanda. Jive is hosting a party in honor of your writing team and these new songs. We would like for the three of you to meet 'N Sync and Britany. It will be this Sunday night at the Orlando Hilton. It will be a formal event and if you would like to bring a date, you may. The Backstreet Boys and many Jive executives will be there also." The two discussed a few more things and then said their goodbyes.
Amanda stood there in the entryway for a few minutes in a daze until the beeping of the phone broke her out of her trance and she hung up the phone. Then it hit her.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" She started shrieking and jumping up and down when her cousin came into the room.
"What was that all about?" Lindsey was munching on some carrots.
"That, my dear cousin, was Donna Wright from Jive and she was calling me about the song proposals. They are taking seven of them!" Lindsey gave her cousin a big hug.
"So do you know who will be singing them?"
"Yeah, 'N Sync has two, Britany Spears took one, and four others are for da Boys."
"Da Boys meaning the Backstreet Boys?"
"Yup. They were the group that we originally pitched the songs to."
Lindsey looked at Amanda. "You mean that you saw da Boys at that meeting and you didn't tell us?"
Amanda nodded. "I was going to tell you that night at the restaurant, but then they showed up. When Liv asked me that night at the diner, they seemed like they didn't want to talk about it at all."
"I can see that. I mean, the songs are a business thing and you were out on a social thing. It's a classic case of not wanting to mix business with pleasure." Amanda smiled at her cousin.
"You are so smart. And Jive is hosting a party for us to meet the other groups and some suits, and I get to take a date."
"Are da Boys going to be there?"
"Yeah, but I think that I am going to go by myself."
"Unless Nick asks you to go with him."
"Yeah, unless Nick asks me."
"Unless Nick asks you what?" Amanda turned to see Nick strolling out of the kitchen with Brian on his heels.
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, about twenty minutes. We got out of our meetings today and since Bri here wanted to see your cuz, and I knew that you were coming home soon, so we stopped by. What did we have for dinner tonight?"
Nick grinned because he knew that Amanda made it a habit to stay for dinner on nights that she tutored BJ so that she and Nick could see each other. Tonight, however, Nick had a meeting in Orlando and couldn't make it for dinner.
"Your mom made a broccoli and cheese casserole. It was really good."
Nick scrunched up his face as he pulled Amanda in for a hug. "I don't know how you can eat those sort of things. Broccoli."
"So what was all that shrieking about?" Brian asked mischievously as the four walked into the kitchen where they had been snacking.
"Well, you should know, Brian. It was Donna telling me about the songs."
"So she finally called you?"
"Yup, and I am so excited. I didn't know that anyone else was going to be considering the songs too."
"Do you mind?" Nick asked as he bit into a cookie.
"Nah, but I am a little nervous about meeting them on Sunday."
Brian's eyes lit up as he realized what Amanda meant by 'unless Nick asks me.' He pulled Lindsey out of the room as Nick began to speak.
"Did Donna tell you that you can bring a date?"
"Yes."
"Do you have someone in mind?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Nick looked up into her smiling face and got up from the stool that he was sitting on to stand in front of her.
"Well, do you think that I can persuade you into telling me who it is?" She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"I suppose you could, but it shouldn't be that difficult." He smiled and pulled her closer.
The kiss was sweet and when they pulled apart slightly, Amanda rested her head on Nick's shoulder. He waited for a minute or two and when she didn't say anything, he tilted his head to look at her. She couldn't help it and burst out laughing.
"I suppose you want me to ask you all proper-like." She nodded. "Okay. Amanda, will you be my date for this Jive dinner party on Sunday?"
"Well, I'll have to check my calendar, but I think I can make it."
Laughing, he picked her up and carried her into the family room where he dropped her on the sofa and proceeded to sit on her and tickle her.
"Okay, okay! I'll go with you on Sunday! Just let me breathe or else you will be known as the Backstreet Boy who is dating a corpse."
He shifted his weight so she could wriggle out from underneath him and sit up. Brian and Lindsey just sat on the other couch laughing at the two before Brian looked at the clock.
"Hey Nick, we better get going. We have to be in the studio early tomorrow morning. Can I crash at your place tonight?"
"Yeah, we should go. Goodnight ladies. I'll call you Manda." Nick gave her another quick kiss as he and Brian walked out the door. "Good night Linds. I'll see you on Sunday." Amanda shut the door and turned to her cousin.
"I suppose Brian asked you to the party."
"You betcha. He also told me that the rest of the girls are going too. It's going to be like getting ready for prom all over again."
"Yeah, but this time our dates will know how to dance."
Lindsey laughed as she remembered Amanda as a high school senior complaining about how her prom date refused to dance because he didn't know how. The girls locked up the house and headed for bed knowing that Sunday was only three days away.
[ chapter 16 ]
