Catch a Falling Star (7 page)

Billy nodded. “Not like I thought she’d be.”

“You’ve seen her quite a bit since she’s been back in the area. Afraid of the paparazzi following you?”

“Not really. She’s lying low, I guess. Just trying to heal up and get better, like me.”

“And then she’ll be gone to her Hollywood life when she’s done here.”

Jake’s words hung in the air. Justine. Gone again. Her only tie here was a mother she’d barely spoken to, and she’d been in Texas for a little less than a month. What kind of a family was that?

“She’ll probably be gone by this fall,” Billy said. “She has a life to get back to.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I shouldn’t be. We don’t have anything in common. Plus, I don’t think she’s darkened a church door in years.”

“Maybe she’s finding her way back.”

“To church?”

“No. To God. Anybody can go to church, and it doesn’t mean a thing. It’s more like a club to them. Another activity to cap off the week.” Jake took a seat at the breakfast bar.

Billy nodded. He had a lot of thinking to do, especially about Justine Campbell. He realized he wanted her to fall in love with Starlight, to see all of the good in it. People complained about the Texas heat, about the transient area around Fort Hood. All they talked about was how life was so much better where they were from.

But to Billy, Starlight was home. He’d come here as a teenager, considered it an exile, and could hardly wait to get out of town and be an Army hero like his dad. That had worked out great. He frowned.

Attraction to Justine Campbell wasn’t enough to base a relationship on. What if she tossed him aside, like her other Hollywood boyfriends? When Hollywood came calling again, he couldn’t compete with that.

Plus, since he'd been home recovering, he'd come face-to-face with what was important to him in life. He was all-in with God. Maybe he didn't get things 100 percent right, but he couldn't imagine himself in a relationship with a woman who didn't feel the same way.

Thanks to Azalea’s suggestion, Justine found the hole-in-the-wall nail spa in one of Starlight’s strip mall plazas. Top Nails had a simple, yellow plastic sign with red letters. Not a fancy place, but they were open on Monday, and she didn’t need an appointment.  Of all the obscure places to have some spa therapy. A month ago she couldn’t have imagined herself stepping into a place like this.

Justine walked into the storefront, and the aroma of nail polish remover struck her nose. A row of cushioned chairs lay just beyond the counter, where a short Asian lady stood. She wore a flaming red smock that matched her lipstick. Her name tag read “Chin-Mae.”

“You the lady who called?” Chin-Mae asked.

“Yes, I wanted to be sure you were open today. My friend Azalea recommended you to me.”

“Oh yes, we’re always open. Except when we’re not.”

A laugh tickled Justine’s throat. “That makes sense to me.”

“Azalea sent you, did she? She’s my best friend. Helped me get better with English when I first came here.” Chin-Mae reached for Justine’s hand and studied her nails. “We have a good Bible study, us and some other ladies. Maybe you could come one day.”

“She’s a very sweet lady. She’s done a lot for me.” Justine tried to pull her hand back, but Chin-Mae’s vice grip held as she inspected her fingertips. “I know, my nails are a mess.”

“You been worrying?” Chin-Mae studied her face. “A lot on your mind, your nails tell me the story. You need some work on these.”

Justine nodded. Worrying and a lot on her mind were an understatement. “So I’m here now. Please, fix the mess I’ve made.”

“You want a mani-pedi, right?”

“That’s right. I’ve been worrying a lot.”

“It’ll be forty for both, including foot massage. Sound good to you?” Chin-Mae released her hand and waved toward the area behind the counter. “Come over here, and we’ll get started. You put your worries to bed for a while.”

“Forty sounds super to me.”

Chin-Mae led her around to the nearest high-backed, cushioned chair. In the chair next to it, another woman sat soaking her feet. Her hair was the color of dark honey, and her skin had a tawny glow that didn’t come from a tanning bed. Her green eyes widened in recognition.

“Hey,” said Justine.

“Hi,” the other woman replied. “I’m Tamarind Brown.”

“Justine Campbell.”

“I know.” Tamarind grinned. “Sort of hard to stay anonymous here, isn’t it? Or anywhere, for that matter.”

“I’m used to it, sort of.” Justine settled into the chair and put her hands on the cushioned armrests. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes spa therapy is exactly what a girl needs.”

Tamarind nodded. “You’re right. I love some girl time away from The Pit.”

“The Pit?” What on earth did this woman do for a living?

“The home of the best Texas barbecue in Starlight, or anyplace else in central Texas.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yes, yes. The Pit has the best barbecue anywhere,” said Chin-Mae. “Ms. Brown brought me some barbecue and I give her kimchi. Good trade.”

“What’s kimchi?” She’d heard of it but never knew exactly what it was.

“Korean marinated vegetables, often cabbage. It can be very hot and spicy. And Chin-Mae’s is awesome,” Tamarind replied.

“I haven’t been back to Korea in twenty years, but I still remember how to make it.” Chin-Mae glowed at Tamarind’s praise. “I love Texas. And Texas loves me. So I get barbecue from Ms. Brown.”

Justine tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sound of pickled cabbage. How she wished she felt the same way about Texas. But the camaraderie these women shared was something she craved. Different cultures, set in a melting pot in the heart of Texas. Talking about food and laughter.

“My niece, Liann, I'm trying to get her to move here,” said Chin-Mae. “I think she'd like to be friends with you two.”

“I’d love to meet her when she gets to town someday.” Tamarind wiggled her toes in the foot bath and glanced at Justine.

“Oh, um, yes. It would be nice to meet her.” But Justine didn’t want to set down roots here or get attached and become a fixture here. This was only temporary.

“Good, good. She is having a hard time finding a teaching job after college, and she is willing to move here if she can't find one where she lives now. I’m glad she’ll have friends when she gets here.” Chin-Mae clapped her hands. “Now, Ms. Justine, my helper Sue will take care of you while I work on Ms. Brown.”

“That’s fine by me.” Justine normally brought her MP3 player to the spa and didn’t talk to anyone. Maybe next time she came here, she’d do that too. Although Tamarind seemed friendly enough, Justine wasn’t in the mood for talking.

Tyler hadn’t returned her calls in almost a week. Not a text, either. Movies took up a lot of time. But ever since his blasé dismissal of her crisis, Justine doubted if he’d given her a second thought. What had happened to them? Not that there was much of a
them
anymore.

“Fix yourself up and get back here to me,” he’d told her. The premiere of his latest movie had been Friday night, and there’d been a red carpet lineup.

“I’ve seen you in the papers,” said the younger Korean woman . “Here. I’ll soak your hands and feet before we get started.”

Justine nodded. Yup, next time she’d have her MP3 player. Sue chattered about her favorite Justine Campbell movies, what it must be like to star opposite Brad Pitt, if he was a good kisser, imagining how must fun it would be to travel the world and go to premiers and sign autographs.

With the warm foot- and hand-soaks and the comfy chair, Justine felt her eyelids grow heavy. She leaned against the headrest and listened to the buzz of conversation.

Chin-Mae sat at Tamarind’s feet, working on her toenails. “You have to give it time, Tamarind. He’ll make up his mind.”

“I know. I’ve done everything except ask him out myself.” Tamarind let out an unmistakable sigh . “Call me old fashioned, but he’s not that approachable, either.”

“Give him time. If he doesn’t make up his mind, then it’s probably not meant to be.” Chin-Mae had a soothing, musical voice.

“. . . I didn’t want to show it to you unless you want to see it,” Sue was saying as she massaged Justine’s feet.

“Show what to me?” Justine snapped to attention and stared at the young woman.

Sue frowned. “The latest copy of
Tattle-Tales Weekly.
”

“I don’t think I’ve seen it. . . .” She wasn’t sure that she wanted to, either. She’d avoided looking at the magazines in the grocery store the few times she’d gone.

“I don’t want to believe half the stories they publish, but they always make me wonder. But you ought to know more than anyone if it’s the truth.”

“What’s the truth?”

Ignoring the sharp glance from Chin-Mae, Sue wiped her hands on a towel and hurried off to a nearby desk behind the counter. She returned with a full-color tabloid.

“Look.”

A trio of photos dominated the cover.

Tyler, in New Zealand. Wearing the Versace shirt she’d bought him last Christmas, his hair hanging in his eyes, his mouth open in laughter.

A raven-haired beauty with eyes the color of blue ice grinned at him, holding a drink in one hand, her other arm draped around his neck.

Tyler Drake Frolics with Local Kiwi
was all Justine read.

“Oh.” The word came out in a croak. “He. . . I. . . Well, we’re through, really. Hadn’t made an announcement or anything.” Justine took the tabloid from Sue and studied the article.

While his sometime lady-love, Justine Campbell, recuperates from injuries suffered in last New Year’s Eve car accident that nearly claimed her life, Tyler Drake is on the other side of the globe shooting a film.

That doesn’t prevent him from spending some quality time with rising silver screen siren Maeve Riley.

No wonder he hadn’t called. She should have guessed it was over.

The room grew silent as Justine folded the paper.

Chin-Mae’s words were soft. “Sue, you shouldn’t show this to her.” She moved to Justine’s side. “Miss Justine, he’s not worth it. If he doesn’t want to be with you while you are healing, he’s not the man for you.”

She shot a look back at Tamarind. “Same for you. A man wants to spend time with you, be more than a friend, you know. And you know if he doesn’t.” She clucked her tongue. “If you have to make him like you, he’s not the one. Song of Solomon says. . .”

“Oh, Chin-Mae, are you quoting the Song of Solomon?” asked Sue, who followed the question up with a chuckle. She took the paper from Justine, whose cheeks stung as if she’d been slapped.

“My shop. I quote what I want.” Chin-Mae turned back to Tamarind. “‘Do not awaken love before it pleases.’ You can’t force love.”

Justine nodded. Love. She wasn’t sure what that was anymore. She loved the idea of her and Tyler. He was funny, talented, smart, and didn’t feel threatened by her success.

She should have known it wasn’t real with Tyler. She didn’t know the real Justine Campbell
herself
, hadn’t known real love with Tyler. Real love didn’t keep you around only when your life had no drama.

Real love should be there even when everyone else turned tail and ran off to do their own thing. Real love should be there even when you’ve made a total mess of your life.

A lump the size of a golf ball lodged itself in Justine’s throat.

“Sue, finish Ms. Brown, and I will see to Ms. Justine.” Chin-Mae waved Sue away. She scurried in Tamarind’s direction. “It’s not bad, Ms. Justine.”

“I feel stupid,” Justine admitted aloud. “I should have known.”

Chin-Mae perched on the low stool near Justine’s feet, her dark hair swishing at her cheeks as she worked on Justine’s toenails. “Don’t feel stupid. You’re not the first, not the last. You did not marry him or bear his children. For that, thank God. Your heart is broken, but it will heal.”

“No, not quite broken.” Justine glanced over at Tamarind, who gave her a sympathetic look as she padded over to the manicure area. “I was beginning to wonder what was going on. I’ve hardly heard from him since I’ve been here.”

In fact, she’d felt a little guilty over the attraction she felt to Billy Tucker. Even now she remembered sitting close to him as he showed her how he worked on boots. That same night she’d reminded herself dozens of times she was with Tyler. After Market Days and the feeling of jealousy when Billy mentioned someone else, she’d put a stop to her thoughts.

She never dated more than one man at a time and wasn’t about to start now. Especially after this public humiliation with Tyler, her love life shot to the bottom of her priority list.

“You don’t look at those papers anymore.” Chin-Mae’s tone was scolding yet kind. “I forbid it. Next time you come here, I’ll tell Sue she needs to throw that garbage away. Azalea said you are a good girl, no matter what those papers say.”

Justine could only imagine what the papers did say. No wonder her mother gave her such a tepid welcome home.

“Thank you, Chin-Mae.”

“Any friend of Azalea’s is my friend too.”

#             

The Fourth of July weekend disappeared behind them. Billy didn't even dream of trying to cook anything, and neither did Jake or Maddie. The mercury crept up to the triple digits, as if announcing that
this
was how summer weather ought to feel. Thankfully, the central air conditioning kept the Tucker house feeling like a blast freezer.

Billy lounged in the den, checking the television schedule to see what time the Rangers game started, and Tam was in the kitchen setting out plates. Sunday supper hadn’t smelled this good since Mom and Dad had moved away. Billy’s mouth watered at the aroma of Tamarind’s signature barbecue beef brisket on the table. She’d offered to bring by a meal after church, along with a cherry pie from Rebecca’s Kitchen in Kempner. Cherry pie, his Achilles heel. And Tamarind had found it.

Where in the world was Jake? He and Maddie had ridden together to church. Billy had skipped Sunday school because his leg was hurting so bad.

He hoped to talk to Tamarind today, to help her see that they could never be anything more than friends. Maybe, eventually, she’d show interest in his brother instead.

The kitchen door banged, and voices filled the room. “We’re here!” Maddie’s voice rang out. “Oh. Tamarind. Hi.” The last three words came out in a squeak.

“Look who we brought with us for lunch,” Jake said.

Billy set down the remote control and entered the kitchen. This was his reward for sleeping through the alarm this morning.

Justine stood in the kitchen, glancing from Tamarind to Jake, then over to Billy. “I’m sorry. Maddie invited me to come along. I actually made it to church with Azalea, and the roof didn’t fall in.”

“Of course it didn’t,” said Tamarind. Her voice was kind, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Billy definitely needed to clear things up once and for all with Tam. After lunch, before the game, before anything worse happened and people really got hurt. He wasn’t going to hurt Tam. The more he kept quiet, the worse things would get, and then she
would
be hurt.