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Ch 1
Spaz walked up to the microphone as the music for ‘Don’t Bother’ by Shakira started. She sang her heart out and moved to the beat as the small crowd in the karaoke bar started clapping. Once the song was over everyone was on their feet clapping. ‘Thanks so much.’ Kerrie said walking off the stage as the owner stopped her. ‘An encore.’ He said hanging the microphone back to her. She walked back on stage as the music for ‘Some Hearts’ by Carrie Underwood started. Luckily Kerrie knew the words and did another awesome performance. At the end she bowed and walked to the bar. ‘Great job, who knew.’ Her flat mate Jen said giving her a hug. ‘That was great; I want to offer you a regular spot on Friday and Saturday nights.’ The owner said walking over. ‘Wow, thanks.’ ‘How about you stop by tomorrow afternoon and we’ll set things up.’ ‘Thanks so much.’ Kerrie and Jen finished their drinks and headed home. ‘I can’t believe that, I’ve known you for years and I’ve never heard you sing.’ ‘I haven’t sung in public in nearly 3 years.’ Kerrie said as she opened the door to their flat. ‘You sang before?’ ‘All through high school and the first two years of college I did gigs around Boston and in New Hampshire but when I broke up with Sam he made the places choose his group or me and the teenage girls spoke.’ Kerrie said sadly. Both Jen and Kerrie were from Boston and moved to London 3 months ago to work for a two different magazine. Jen worked for a music magazine while Kerrie worked for a sports magazine. The girls met while in college and became quick friends even though they were complete opposites. Jen was very girly while Kerrie was a tomboy. ‘Spaz, I have a party on Thursday and I got an extra pass.’ ‘What kind of party?’ She asked grabbing a can of soda. ‘A party BMG is having its formal.’ ‘No way, I don’t want to wear a dress.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Come on, Spaz. It’ll be fun. It’s a good way to check out the music scene around here.’ ‘I doubt any musicians I like will be there.’ ‘You never know.’ ‘Jen, most of the music I like is by bands on indie labels and BMG is a major label.’ Kerrie said turning on the TV. ‘So... maybe you’ll meet a cute guy.’ ‘After Kyle I’m not dating for awhile.’ ‘Spaz, you and Kyle mutually broke up because you were moving here.’ ‘It’s not because of that it’s just guys in general.’ ‘Still comparing everyone to Dr. Love?’ ‘Don’t call him that.’ ‘You want him to be your love doctor.’ Jen said grinning. ‘We’re just friends. He knows how I feel about him and obviously he doesn’t feel the same.’ ‘You blurted out that you love him before he left for Africa.’ ‘Jen, I’ve known T for years and he thinks of my as his little sister.’ ‘You could always date Rafe.’ ‘He has a girlfriend and Josh is engaged to Sandy.’ ‘How come you never hooked me up with Josh?’ ‘Cause he’s a good Christian boy.’ Kerrie said laughing as Jen threw a pillow at her. ‘Jen, seriously their father is a Minister and Josh is following in his footsteps.’ ‘Really? How does Sandy feel about that?’ ‘I think she likes the idea, she didn’t call off the wedding or anything.’ ‘Maybe you and Dr. Love can get together at the wedding.’ ‘I doubt it. I better get to bed.’ Kerrie said yawning. ‘Tomorrow we’re going shopping.’ Jen said as Kerrie just nodded. ‘Night.’ ‘Sweet dreams.’ Jen said as Kerrie closed her door.
Ch 2
The next day Jen woke up to find Kerrie on the phone with Sandy. ‘You’re going to send me some songs? That’s great. Yea, I’ll see you in three weeks. Good luck with the planning. Bye.’ Jen poured some coffee as Kerrie hung up the phone. ‘How’s the wedding coming along?’ ‘Good, everything is all set.’ ‘It will suck if your dress doesn’t fit.’ Jen said half laughing. ‘Oh shut up.’ Kerrie said as Jen stuck out her tongue at her. ‘You should really come with me.’ Kerrie said as Jen poured herself some coffee. ‘I was just in Miami 2 weeks ago plus Sandy and I don’t love each other.’ ‘Jen, why are you still pissed that I set Josh up with Sandy? They were dating before I even met you.’ Kerrie said getting aggravated. ‘It’s not that but that girl tries to act to perfect. Anyway Dr. Love is going to be your date and I’ll be all alone.’ ‘Actually I got an e-mail from him, he’s bringing a date.’ Kerrie said glumly. ‘That jerk. You two said that you were going together for months now.’ Jen said flopping on the couch. ‘Tell that to his new girlfriend, she’s a doctor that’s just joined his team.’ ‘That really sucks. You should call Kyle and have him go with you. He’s down there for Spring Training.’ ‘Maybe.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘Come on, I bet he’ll look good in a suet. All 6 ft 8 of him.’ Jen said laughing. ‘I’ll call him later; we were going to meet up anyway.’ ‘You two still are talking?’ ‘Online, he actually sent me a video of him pitching to see if I could see anything wrong because he was having some trouble.’ ‘Ohh..... I bet he just needs some loving.’ Jen said as Kerrie turned a bright shade of red. ‘Anyway, let’s get ready to go shopping.’ ‘I’m ready. I went to the gym early; I’ve been up since 7.’ ‘Damn you, I don’t know how you do it.’ Jen said walking into her room to get ready. An hour later they were picking out dresses for the BMG party. Jen had already picked out a dress, shoes, and a bag for Kerrie and was now looking for her own outfit. Kerrie’s dress was a light green with silver shoes and a silver bag. Jen saw a white dress and ran over to it. ‘This is it.’ Jen said happily holding it up. ‘Go try it on.’ Kerrie said hoping to get out of the store quickly. Jen tried on the dress and loved it and she found shoes and a bag to match. The girls grabbed lunch before Kerrie went to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. They set up a great deal for her that would be every Friday and Saturday night from 10 to 11:30 and anytime she needed off was fine. She was also getting paid a good amount of money and the only pre work she needed to do was hand in her set list for both day by Wednesday of each week.
Ch 3
Thursday came quickly and Jen went out to have her hair and nails done. She had also been going tanning all week and was very tanned. Kerrie got stuck late in the office and rushed home to get ready. ‘You’re not ready?’ Jen asked almost freaking out. ‘Give me 15 minutes.’ Kerrie hurried in the shower and tossed her hair into an updo and did some quick make-up before their car arrived. ‘Ha, I’m 2 minutes early.’ Kerrie said laughing as Jen shot her a look. ‘I talked to Kyle and he said he’d go with me. I feel so bad, he’s freaking out because if he doesn’t make the 25 man roster then he’s gonna be traded.’ ‘Baseball is so cold. I don’t know why you love it so much. Anyway... tomorrow night you’ll be on stage. Getting nervous?’ ‘No way, I can’t get too worked up. I have been on stage before. Sandy’s songs are great and I’m gonna play the guitar for 3 songs.’ ‘I can’t wait. Your gonna be awesome.’ They arrived at the party and Jen had to go do a quick interview so Kerrie hung out at the bar until Jen returned a half an hour later only to lead then into the VIP area. ‘Sorry we left you out there. Jen didn’t mention that someone was waiting for her.’ A blonde guy said grinning. ‘Kerrie this is Westlife. This is Shane, Nicky, Kian, and Mark.’ ‘Nice to meet you all.’ Kerrie said shaking all of their hands. ‘Jen mentioned that you’re a singer. We’ll catch yea sometimes at Wilson’s it’s one of our favorite hangouts.’ Shane said. ‘I must say both of you ladies look lovely.’ Kian said. ‘Kerrie didn’t even want to some; she’s not a big fan of the whole dress up thing.’ Jen said sitting down next to Nicky. ‘Things like this get old quick.’ Kian said softly to Kerrie as she smirked. They all got to talking and by the end of the night it seemed like they had know each other for ages. The guys were going to go to Wilson to see Kerrie on her opening night. At around 1 Kerrie got a taxi back to the flat while Jen opted to stay around. Kerrie got ready for bed assuming that Jen wouldn’t be home until that afternoon. At 9 Kerrie woke up and got ready for the gym noticing Jen asleep on the couch. ‘What time is it?’ Jen mumbled. ‘Almost 9:30, I’m going to the gym then when I get back I need to finish some work.’ ‘I won’t disturb yea. I’ll be in bed most of the day.’ Jen said getting up. ‘What time did you get in?’ Kerrie said grabbing a water bottle. ‘I think around 4. I was so tired I crashed here.’ ‘Have fun sleeping.’ Kerrie walked out the door and down the street to the gym. She worked out for a little over an hour getting rid of most of her nervousness. After working out she relaxed by doing laps in the pool then spending some time in the sauna.
Ch 4
When she arrived back at the flat Jen was talking to someone. ‘Am I interrupting?’ ‘I actually have a surprise.’ Jen said as Thiago came walking out of the kitchen. ‘T, wow.’ Kerrie said shocked. ‘I couldn’t miss yea first show after all I am your biggest fan.’ He said smiling. Kerrie tried her hardest not to fall for him again; after all he never saw her anymore then a friend. ‘Come on I haven’t seen yea for a year, give me a hug.’ He said walking over to her. ‘I missed you.’ Kerrie said trying hard not to cry. Jen left the room as they sat on the couch. Thiago asked about her songs and Kerrie told him all about her set. Kerrie made a light supper then started to get her stuff together for the show. Thiago had always been her biggest supporter. They met when she started working in a pharmacy. He was the one to train her and they became close due to their love of music. Thiago played the guitar at church every weekend. When he heard Kerrie sing he helped her find some gigs and drive her if her parents couldn’t. Once she got her license he still went to the gigs but she was there early and started hanging around with the other singers. When she started dating Sam he protested and gave her a lecture on guys like him but when he realized how stubborn she was he dropped the topic. He was surprised how much her music developed when she dated Sam. Once a month they sat down and worked on songs and she even recorded a demo. When college started she was actually invited to a showcase in New York where several labels were looking at acts. Kerrie went and made an impression on a few labels but she wasn’t what they were looking for. This didn’t put her down so she kept working on her music until her and Sam broke up. Sam’s band mate, Dan, tried to stop him from getting organizers to choose but he did it anyway and due to his groups popularity everyone went with him. Thiago was the one she came to in tears and he helped her get over it and that’s when she became really serious about her writing. ‘I’m so pumped. I can’t wait to see you on stage again.’ Thiago said carrying her guitar as they walked in Wilson’s. It was only 9 but Kerrie wanted to do a quick sound check before going on stage. She walked on stage as Thiago and Jen gave her thumbs up. Kerrie started playing the guitar and motioned for Thiago to come up on stage. ‘Come on T, your not gonna make me sing this one alone.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘What are we singing?’ ‘Our favorite song.’ She played the opening noted of “Broken” by Seether and Amy Lee as some people came through the door. Jen’s face lit up as she saw Nicky. He and the other guys joined Jen at the bar as Thiago started singing followed by Kerrie. When the song finished everyone was clapping. Kerrie put her guitar away and joined everyone at the bar. ‘That was amazing; you two should do a duet during the set.’ Jen said as Thiago shook his head. ‘No way, that was a one time thing.’ ‘Kerrie, you were great.’ Nicky spoke up. ‘Thanks. Oh rude of me... this is my best friend, Thiago. T this is Westlife, Nicky, Shane, Mark, and Kian.’ ‘Are you a writer to?’ Nicky asked. ‘I’m a doctor, right now I’m in Africa for two years working with children with AIDS. I’m half way through my trip and I couldn’t pass up seeing Kerrie sing again. I was her biggest fan back in the day.’ He said putting his arm around her shoulder.
Ch 5
A little while later Kerrie went backstage to get ready. ‘We thought we were missing the show when we walked in. Kerrie has such a great voice.’ Shane said as the group walked into the VIP area on the balcony. ‘Up until last Thursday I didn’t even know she sang. Our first two years of college when we were dorm mates she’d be out every Saturday night but I assumed it was to be with her boyfriend, now I know it was because she was doing concerts.’ Jen said laughing. ‘She never told you because she was embarrassed. Kerrie hardly even invited her family to her shows.’ Thiago said. ‘Back then she was doing the whole singing and dancing thing that all female singers were doing and she hated having people she knew there. When she was on stage she was a completely different person.’ ‘Who would have thought? She is such a tomboy.’ Jen said shrugging. When Thiago went to make a phone call Kian started asking about Kerrie. ‘Hey Jen, is he Kerrie’s boyfriend?’ Jen just laughed. ‘No, she’s single right now.’ ‘What kind of guys is she into?’ ‘Am I sensing someone has a little crush?’ Nicky asked as Kian turned a light shade of pink. ‘She doesn’t have a specific type. Her last boyfriend was a pro baseball player and before that she dated a singer. She basically likes guys she has a lot in common with like sports, music, and horror movies. Kerrie’s into the whole emu/indie rock scene.’ Kian stopped the questions when Thiago came walking over with a girl. ‘This is my girlfriend, Talia. This is Jen, Nicky, Kian, Shane, and Mark.’ ‘Hi.’ ‘There she is.’ Jen said happily as Kerrie walked onto the stage. ‘Hi everyone. My name’s Kerrie and I’m gonna be singing a few songs for yea tonight. I’m gonna get it started with a song by my currant favorite band Plain White T’s.’ The music started for “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drunk Dial” and Kerrie sung her heart out. When the song was over everyone was clapping. Next she sang two songs Sandy wrote for her followed by Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”. ‘Are you guys having a good time?’ Kerrie asked sipping some water. As everyone cheered. ‘Since most of you weren’t here last Thursday I’m gonna sing the song that gave me this gig.’ The music for Shakira’s “Don’t Bother” started and Kerrie dancing around the stage. After that song Kerrie took a 15 minute break and walked up the VIP area as everyone started clapping. Kerrie’s smile faded when she saw the girl next to Thiago, he mentioned earlier that she was going to come to the show but she wasn’t ready. ‘Kerrie, this is Talia.’ ‘Hi.’ Kerrie said forcing a smile. ‘You were great.’ She said smiling. ‘Spaz, you rocked the house.’ Jen said bringing her a beer. ‘Thanks.’ Kerrie said sitting at the table. ‘You did that one better then Shakira.’ Mark said as everyone agreed. ‘I can’t move like her.’ Kerrie said laughing. After a few minutes of joking around she went back to the stage for the rest of her set.
Ch 6
When her set was over Kerrie changed out of her stage clothes and into a pair of jeans a and hoodie. Thiago and Talia were waiting outside of the dressing room. ‘We’re gonna head back to the hotel but we’ll meet up for lunch or something tomorrow.’ Thiago said as Kerrie nodded. ‘Thanks for coming.’ She said giving him a hug. ‘It was nice to meet you, Talia.’ Kerrie said trying her hardest not to cry seeing them so happy. ‘I’ll see yea tomorrow then.’ ‘Yea, just give me a call.’ Kerrie said walking up the stairs brushing her tears away. Jen noticed her face and hurried over. ‘There seems to be more then friendship going on with her and that guy.’ Kian mumbled. ‘Are you blind? It’s obvious that she’s in love with him.’ Shane said as Nicky nodded. ‘Jen mentioned that.’ The girls came back to the table with drinks and Kerrie was trying her hardest to keep it together. ‘Kerrie, that was an awesome second half.’ Shane said as Kerrie half smiled. ‘Thanks.’ After a few minutes Kerrie went to go make a phone call. ‘Is she ok?’ Shane asked. ‘Not really, I shouldn’t have invited him. I really didn’t think he’d bring her with him. Thiago was her biggest supporter when she used to sing and I thought.... I don’t know what I thought but I feel like a jerk.’ Jen said sipping her drink. Kerrie came back a few moments laugher with a smile on her face. ‘Kayte wants a tape of tomorrow’s show. She feels left out.’ ‘Your sister is a crazy woman, I’m surprised her and Charlie haven’t visited yet.’ ‘She keeps saying that their planning a trip but who knows.’ ‘Please, she’ll come back with you from Florida.’ ‘I think I’m gonna head home.’ Kerrie said getting up. ‘I’ll walk you.’ Kian said standing up and putting his jacket on. ‘You don’t have to it’s only a few blocks away.’ ‘I’m heading home, it’s on the way.’ ‘Thanks for stopping by.’ ‘It was a great show.’ Shane said smiling. Kerrie grabbed her guitar and bag. ‘Let me carry something.’ ‘Kian, I can handle these on my own. I’m not incapable.’ Kerrie said laughing. After a short walk they were in front of the building. ‘Thanks for keeping me company.’ ‘Have a good night.’ Kian said as Kerrie walked into the building and to the elevators. ‘Stupid, stupid.’ Kian mumbled to himself walking back to Wilson’s. ‘So much for going home.’ Mark said laughing as Kian sat down. ‘I’m not tired anymore.’ ‘Don’t take it personally; she’ll be a mood until she gets back from Florida.’ Jen said. ‘Kerrie is really talented. She should try for a record deal.’ Shane said. ‘I think she will eventually. When she goes back to the States in a few weeks she’s gonna open for Mike Previti, one of the guys she used to do the shows with. He’s signed to an independent label in New York and I know he’ll talk her into recording another demo. I’ll have to show you guys a video of one of her old shows its pretty funny.’ ‘We should have Louis come to the show tomorrow.’ Nicky said as Shane nodded. ‘Louis will want to sign her right away; talent like hers isn’t something that you find that often.’ After another hour everyone went their separate ways, Shane and Mark went home, Kian opted to stay behind, and Nicky and Jen headed back to Nicky’s place. The next morning Kerrie woke up to the phone ringing. ‘Hello?’ She mumbled. ‘It’s me, the guys are gonna come over to watch some of your old concerts this afternoon.’ ‘Ok, I’m gonna go to the gym.’ ‘See yea later.’ Kerrie got ready and ignored the ringing phone until the answering machine picked up. ‘Spaz, its Thiago. I guess your not home.... Talia and I are going to have lunch in the hotel restaurant at 1. Hope to see you there, if not we’ll see you tonight at the show.’ Kerrie pressed delete as she walked out the door. She spent nearly two hours at the gym with the first hour beating up a punching bag then she did her normal routine of machines and then swimming. When she was done she showered and headed back to the flat.
Ch 7
When she walked in the door she saw everyone sitting around waiting for her. ‘Sorry I got carried away.’ Kerrie said half smiling as she tossed her bag in her room and took a seat on the floor. ‘You have a few messages.’ Jen said. ‘I figured, from whom?’ ‘Dan, Kayte, Mike, and your mom.’ They watched one of the videos which were one of Kerrie’s first shows when she was a freshman in high school. ‘That was classic. Who would have thought you would have sung a Brittany Spears song.’ Jen said laughing. ‘It is pretty funny. I was such a dork.’ Kerrie went to go order some takeout for everyone while they started watching a video of one of her last shows. Once she ordered the food she called her mother back. ‘Hi mom.’ ‘Hi hunny, how was your show?’ ‘Ok, everything went well.’ ‘Jen sent us an e-mail saying she was going to send us a video of tonight’s show online.’ ‘She told me that, I guess everyone wants to see it.’ ‘Kerrie, we’re so proud of you. I also heard your doing a show with Mike when you come home.’ ‘I am.’ ‘That’s great. You’re going to be busy the whole week before you go to Florida. Here is your sister.’ ‘Hi Kayte.’ ‘Hey, I just e-mailed Phil Rollins about you.’ ‘Kayte he is so pervy.’ Kerrie said rolling her eyes. ‘He’s a good manager.’ ‘He is a good manager but he dates all of his female acts.’ ‘Anyway.... I also talked to Brian and he’s gonna bring Jordan to the show.’ ‘Jordan Knight?’ Kerrie asked happily. ‘Yea, he sent him your old demo and he was very impressed. He even said he’d write some songs for you to check out.’ ‘Kayte, thanks so much.’ Jen walked into the kitchen to see why Kerrie was talking so loudly. ‘I gotta go. I’m already late for work.’ ‘Thanks, Kayte I’ll see you in two weeks.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie hung up the phone and hugged Jen. ‘Jordan Knight is coming to the show in Boston.’ Kerrie said excitedly. ‘That’s amazing.’ ‘Kayte, sent him my old demo and he’s gonna write some songs for me. She also e-mailed Phil and he’s gonna come to the show.’ ‘Spaz, this is amazing. Your going to have one of your idols write you a song and you’ll have a manager.’ ‘Jen, you know how pervy Phil is.’ ‘That’s true.’ Jen dragged Kerrie into the room to tell the guys. ‘Jordan Knight is writing some songs for Kerrie.’ Jen said happily. ‘Congrats.’ Shane said smiling. ‘He’s going to her show in Boston.’ ‘Kerrie, we talked to our manager and he’s going to come to the show tonight to see you.’ Nicky said. ‘Thanks so much. I didn’t think things were gonna happen this fast.’ Kerrie said half smiling. Kerrie headed down to get the takeout and Kian offered to help her. As they walked down the hallway Kerrie apologized for the previous night. ‘I’m sorry I was a little cranky last night.’ ‘It’s understandable; I did come on a bit too strong.’ He said laughing nervously. They paid for the food and brought it upstairs and Jen quickly shut off the TV. ‘You can leave it on.’ Kerrie said shrugging as she turned back on the TV to see her and Sam singing a duet. ‘So this is the infamous Sam?’ Nicky asked. ‘Yup, that’s the jerk.’ Jen said. After they finished eating the guys stuck around for a little bit longer before leaving for an interview. ‘You and Kian seemed cozy.’ Jen said smirking. ‘Oh shut it.’ Kerrie said walking into her room.
Ch 8
That night it was rainy so the girls took a cab to the club. Kerrie half smiled as she saw Thiago and Talia sitting at the bar. ‘Sorry I missed lunch. I was at the gym.’ She said walking over to them. Thiago gave her a look knowing she was lying but didn’t say anything. ‘Kerrie, yea have some flowers backstage.’ Mrs. Wilson said smiling. Kerrie walked backstage with Jen following close behind her. ‘Open the envelope. Who are they from?’ Jen said excitedly. ‘Sorry I couldn’t get these there in time for last night’s show. Good luck. Love, Kyle.’ Kerrie said as a huge smile crossed her face as she looked at the two dozen roses on the table in front of her. ‘These too.’ Jen said handing her an envelop of a bouquet of mixed flowers. ‘Good luck with your show. See you in Boston. Phil.’ Jen started laughing as Kerrie made a face. ‘He’s such-’ ‘A perv I know.’ Jen said laughing harder as Kerrie grabbed her guitar for a sound check. She sang a song she wrote several years ago then went backstage to call Kyle. ‘Hey how’s the show going?’ Kyle said. ‘It hasn’t started yet. I just did a sound check. Thanks so much for the flowers, they are beautiful.’ ‘They are not as beautiful as you. I can’t wait to see you.’ ‘I’ll be there in 3 weeks. I’m going home for a week before going to Florida.’ ‘Crap I have to get back to doing drills. I’ll call you later, once I’m done with practices. It’ll be in 3 hours or so.’ ‘Ok, I’ll be done with the show by then. Thanks again.’ ‘Bye Kerrie.’ ‘Bye.’ ‘You two are so cute.’ Jen squealed. Kerrie changed into her stage clothes and got ready as Jen went to go find a seat and set up her camera to video tape the show. Jen spotted the guys sitting with an older man she assumed to be Louis Walsh. Nicky waved her over. ‘Louis, this is Kerrie’s flat mate Jen.’ ‘Nice to meet you.’ Louis said shaking her hand as Jen took a seat. Kerrie walked onto the stage. ‘Hey everyone, how yea doin tonight?’ There were a few cheers as music started. ‘The first half of my set is going to be all female singers. My first song is “You Learn” by Alanis Morissette.’ Kerrie went on to sing “Just a Girl” by No Doubt, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence, “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, and “It’s Sweet” by Liz Phair. When it was time for her break Kerrie grabbed a bottle of water as Thiago pulled her aside. ‘Who is that guy upstairs?’ ‘He’s Westlife’s manager.’ ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ He said giving her a hug. ‘I’m just so overwhelmed. Jordan Knight is writing some songs for me and Phil Rollins wants to manage me things got crazy today.’ ‘That’s great. I’m so happy to see things are working out for you. Go up and meet the guy.’ Thiago said nudging her towards the stairs as she nearly knocked Kian over. ‘We were wondering where you were.’ He said laughing. ‘Louis is really impressed. He never goes to events like this.’ They walked over to the table as Kian introduced her to Louis. ‘So I finally get to meet you Miss Hingston. These lads speak very highly of you.’ ‘It’s great to meet you Mr. Walsh.’ ‘Please call me Louis; I’m not nearly old enough to be called Mr. Walsh.’ He said laughing. ‘Your set was amazing. Do you write?’ ‘I do.’ ‘Great, I would like to hear some original songs and meet with you about being your manager.’ ‘Wow, thanks so much. I also have some songs a good friend of mine wrote. She went to Berkeley for song writing.’ ‘That’s great. I would also like to meet with her sometime.’ ‘I’ll tell her that. She’s getting married in three weeks but I’m sure after her honeymoon she’d fly over here.’ Kerrie headed back to finish her set. First she sang a new song Sandy wrote for her followed by “Through With You” by Maroon 5. After a few more songs Kerrie closed her set with “Hate (I Really Don’t Like You)” by Plain White T’s.
Ch 9
Kerrie cleaned up a bit and changed before joining everyone upstairs. She set up a time during the week to meet with Louis and had a few drinks with the guys. ‘Spaz, we’re gonna head back to the hotel.’ ‘Ok, when’s your flight out?’ ‘Tomorrow afternoon.’ ‘Ok, I’ll call yea tomorrow morning to come over for breakfast. I’m sure you two have been awhile without some home cooking.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Thanks, Spaz. You know how much I love your cooking.’ Thiago said giving her a hug. ‘Consider it part of your birthday present.’ ‘Bye guys.’ Thiago said leading Talia downstairs. ‘Spaz, you spoil everyone but me.’ Jen said laughing. ‘I tried to teach you how to cook but every time you nearly burnt down the kitchen.’ Kerrie excused herself to answer her ringing phone. Kian’s smile faded when he saw her laughing on the phone. ‘It’s Kyle; he’s her date to the wedding in Florida.’ After ending her phone call Kerrie came back over to the table. ‘My favorite person got on the phone.’ ‘Which favorite person?’ ‘Mike he was trying to get me to sing over the phone and is going to tell Mykala that I’ll sing at her birthday.’ ‘Is he off the disabled list?’ ‘Not yet, he said at the first home stand. But there is good news Kyle made the 25 man rooster so he’s not going to be traded or put on wavers anytime soon.’ ‘Did you tell him you were gonna run the race again?’ ‘Yup, same bet as last year if I loose to Dawn then I have to dress up at Jake’s birthday and if I win then I get a pitching lesson.’ ‘Guys, this is one crazy woman. Last year she didn’t train for the road race and sprained her ankle.’ ‘I’ll win this year. I’m actually gonna train for it.’ ‘How long is the race?’ Shane asked. ‘It’s a 5K. It’s a Memorial Road Race for Mike’s mother who died of ALS.’ ‘Spaz, wants to learn how to pitch and since she thinks Mike Timlin is one of the best pitchers she wants to learn from him. I don’t see how she can even talk to him. The two times I met him he was awful moody.’ ‘Jen, he’s a serious guy who’s life is baseball. Guys like him are future legends. His rookie year he was the closer for Toronto and helped them win a World Series.’ ‘Spaz, he’s not a big name player. He’s never gonna get into the hall of fame.’ Jen said. ‘I’m lost.’ Nicky said laughing. ‘Sorry, I get way too involved when it comes to baseball.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘I’d say so.’ Jen said. Kerrie’s phone rang again and she answered it quickly. ‘Hey Kayte.’ ‘It’s not Kayte, its Charlie.’ ‘Hey Charlie, how are you?’ ‘I’m good; I hear your back on stage.’ ‘That I am.’ ‘Awesome, I have a surprised. Kayte and I are flying out tomorrow night. I figured you’d need my skills.’ ‘Wow, thanks so much. I could use some help.’ ‘Anyway... I need to go pack. We’ll see you soon.’ ‘Call me when you guys get in and I’ll pick you up.’ ‘Bye Spaz.’ ‘Bye Charlie.’ Kerrie shut her phone. ‘Guess who’s flying in?’ ‘The terrible two?’ ‘Yup, their flying out tomorrow.’ ‘The terrible two are Kerrie sister, Kayte, and her best friend Charlie.’ Jen said laughing.
Ch 10
The rest of the night was filled with laughs before everyone went their separate ways. Jen left with Nicky, Mark went to go meet up with some friends, so Shane and Kian drove Kerrie home. ‘Who sent you all these flowers?’ Shane said helping her inside. ‘The roses are from Kyle and the other flowers are from Phil, the guy that wants to be my manager.’ ‘You’ll just have to tell him that you already have one.’ Shane said laughing. ‘Thanks for driving me back.’ ‘Not a problem. Have a good night.’ ‘Bye Shane.’ ‘Bye.’ Shane walked back out to the car with a smile on his face as Kian shot him a look. ‘Why did you do that?’ Kian asked as Shane started driving. ‘You are obviously in a mood and she needed help.’ ‘She just confuses me that’s all.’ Kian said as Shane stopped in front of his building. ‘Thanks for the ride. Tell Gill I said hello.’ ‘Yup, see yea tomorrow in the studio.’ ‘Bye Shane.’ Kian walked into his flat as Shane shook his head. ‘You can’t fall for her you have a family you idiot.’ He muttered to himself as he drove the two blocks to his house. The next day Kerrie woke up and starting getting things together for breakfast before calling Thiago. When everything was almost ready she called him. ‘Hey T.’ She said cheerfully. ‘Hi Spaz.’ ‘Are you two ready to come over?’ ‘Yea, we’ll be there in 5 minutes.’ ‘Great, see yea then.’ Kerrie hung up the phone as she flipped the French toast. ‘Hey Spaz.’ Jen said walking through the door holding a coffee. ‘Hi Jen, have a good night?’ ‘As always. I’m gonna take a shower then head out to do some shopping. I have a date tonight.’ ‘Want any breakfast?’ ‘No I’m good for now.’ Jen walked into her room and a few minutes later the shower was on. Kerrie hurried to answer the ringing doorbell and in walked Thiago and Talia. ‘Good morning.’ ‘Hey superstar.’ Thiago said laughing. ‘I still need a record deal.’ Kerrie said leading them into the kitchen were the food was on the table. ‘Kayte and Charlie are flying in.’ ‘That’s good. How are they?’ ‘Good, Kayte’s working as a personal shopper as Saks and Charlie is working at a salon on Newbury Street.’ ‘Is he coming to work on your dancing?’ ‘Yup.’ ‘I’m just so excited for you. It’s about time things start to happen for you.’ ‘Enough of me. How long have you two been dating?’ Kerrie asked sipping her orange juice. ‘3 months, Thiago was my mentor when I arrived in Africa.’ ‘Are you a pediatrician too?’ ‘Yes, I just finished medical school last year.’ ‘That’s cool. Are you stationed out of Mass General?’ ‘Children’s Hospital but they are linked up now.’ ‘Very cool.’ ‘What about you Spaz, are you seeing anyone?’ ‘Not since Kyle and I broke up. He’s going to Josh and Sandy’s wedding with me.’ ‘So I finally get to meet the giant.’ ‘T, there are people taller then him.’ ‘Not many the guy is freaking 6 ft 8 that’s over a foot taller then you.’ Thiago said as Talia almost chocked on her bread. ‘He’s that tall? Wow.’ ‘I thought you and that blonde guy were cozy.’ ‘Kian? We were just talking.’ ‘It’s obvious that he has the hots for you Spaz.’ Thiago said laughing as Jen came walking into the room. ‘Hi guys, have a good flight. I’ll see yea this afternoon, Spaz.’ ‘Bye Jen.’ After another hour of talking Thiago and Talia had to go catch their flight. ‘See yea in a few weeks!’ Kerrie said waving as they got into their taxi. ‘Keep up the good work, Spaz.’ Thiago said getting into the cab. As it drove away Kerrie smiled to herself and walked inside. ‘No more falling in love with my best friend.’ She said cleaning up the kitchen. A few hours later Jen returned carrying several bags. ‘Breakfast go well?’ Jen asked sitting on the couch. ‘Yea, I think I’m finally getting over him.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘Good. Guess what?’ ‘What?’ ‘I got us Fall Out Boy tickets for the concerts when you get back.’ ‘Concerts?’ ‘Yea, both of them. I need to write a review and I figured 2 shows are better than one.’ ‘You honestly want to go even though you can’t stand their music?’ ‘It’s a job plus you’ll have fun.’ ‘Thanks Jen.’ Kerrie said giving her a hug. ‘I better go get ready for my date.’ Jen said walking into her room with her bags.

Ch 11
2 hours later Jen was finally ready and waiting for Nicky to show up. ‘What are you doing tonight?’ ‘Hanging out and watching a movie.’ Kerrie said looking up from her book. ‘Have fun.’ Kerrie said as Jen got up to answer the door. ‘Thanks, see yea later.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie flipped on the TV as she went through to see if anything interesting was on TV. After an hour of not seeing anything she popped in “From Hell” and turned on her computer to check her e-mail. Kerrie was surprised when the door opened and Jen, Nicky, and Kian came walking in. ‘What yea watching?’ Jen asked. ‘ “From Hell” one of my favorite Johnny Depp movies. What happened to your plans?’ ‘We had dinner and then the media went crazy. We bumped into Kian on the way here and figured we could all hang out.’ Jen said as Kerrie nodded. ‘I hope you all like this movie.’ ‘It’s ok, a bit bloody.’ ‘Come on, Jen. This isn’t that gruesome. You need to see “Saw III” if you really want to be grossed out.’ Kerrie said going back to looking at her e-mail. ‘You’re such a myspace addict.’ Jen said laughing. ‘I am not.’ Kerrie said turned a light shade of red. ‘You are, I swear you check that at least 5 times a day.’ ‘This is how I stay in contact with everyone.’ Kerrie said reading her most recent comments. ‘Look at my cute godchildren.’ Kerrie said handing the laptop to Jen. ‘They are cute. How’s Mat and Dani?’ ‘She’s pissed he reenlisted for another 4 years.’ ‘That’s a death wish. He’s already been deployed twice.’ ‘I tried to talk him out of it but he’s set in his ways. At least he’s home for a few months before going back.’ ‘This is the guy Kerrie’s having the concert with.’ Jen said showing his page to Kian and Nicky. ‘Does he have enough tattoos?’ Nicky asked laughing. ‘That’s nothing.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Kian, what’s up with you? Your being awful quiet.’ Jen asked as Kian shrugged. ‘Do you guys want some cookies? I’ll make some.’ ‘Heck yea. Chocolate chip?’ Jen asked. ‘Yup.’ Nicky and Kian nodded so Kerrie went into the kitchen to make some cookies. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ Nicky quietly asked Kian. ‘Nothing.’ Kian mumbled. ‘Stop lying.’ ‘I think she’ll shoot me down.’ He mumbled. ‘Ha.... don’t be crazy.’ ‘You think it’s funny. I really like her-’ Kian stopped when Kerrie walked back into the room. ‘They’ll be ready soon.’ She said sitting on the couch. ‘Spaz, we need to change this movie.’ Jen said getting up and shutting off the movie. ‘Jen, you suck.’ Kerrie said throwing a pillow at her. ‘Put on another Johnny Depp movie then.’ Kerrie said as Jen looked through the movies. ‘What’s “The Brave”?’ ‘It’s depressing. He plays a Native American who accepts money to be killed on film in order to support his family.’ ‘Yup, that does sound depressing. What about “The Ninth Gate”?’ ‘That’s a good one. It’s about finding a gate into hell.’ ‘What do you think guys? “Ninth Gate” or “Sleepy Hollow”?’ Jen asked holding up the movies. ‘I like “Sleepy Hollow”.’ Nicky said as Kian shrugged. ‘Come on Kian. Which one?’ Kerrie asked. ‘I haven’t seen either of them but if Nicky wants to watch “Sleepy Hollow” then that’s fine with me.’ ‘Good, this is my second favorite Johnny movie.’ Kerrie said happily as Jen put the movie on. ‘Spaz, you always have to be a fan of “out there” actors. Why can’t you just like Brad Pitt like every normal girl?’ ‘The only movie that I like him in is “Interview with a Vampire”. He plays Louis great but Tom Cruise kills Lestat.’ ‘What about “Troy”?’ ‘He’s ok, a bit over the top. Johnny Depp is never over the top. That’s why he’s my favorite actor.’ ‘What about Jon Bon Jovi? You have all his movies too.’ ‘First and foremost he’s an excellent singer. He’s a good actor, most cross overs are terrible. What do you guys think?’ ‘Johnny Depp is a decent actor. I really haven’t seen any movies with Jon Bon Jovi in them.’ Nicky said shrugging. ‘I guess he’s ok. I saw a TV show that he made a guest appearance on.’ Kian said. ‘He may be a good singer but his fans are crazy.’ Jen said laughing. ‘The random guy that groped you was a Nickleback fan and was extremely drunk.’ Kerrie said getting up to check on the cookies. A few second later they heard Kerrie laughing. ‘Are you stalking me cause that would be super?’ She said laughing harder. ‘It’s not my fault you won’t return my calls and I have something important I need to ask you.’ ‘Shoot.’ ‘The Sad Cafe is holding a fund raiser so they don’t close down. It’s when your in town and I was hoping you’d host the event and maybe sing a few songs with me.’ ‘I don’t know I’m already doing the show with Mike. What day is it?’ ‘Thursday and Mike’s concert is Saturday. Tyler Hilton, Playback, Brandon, and I are playing.’ ‘That should be fun I haven’t seen Brandon and the twins in years.’ ‘Spaz, you’ll be hanging out the teenage girls again. You know the place will be packed cause Tyler is going.’ ‘Of course it will be. Everyone loves that guy. I went to one of his shows in Boston and the girls were crazy.’ ‘ ”One Tree Hill” made his career.’ ‘I better be going we have some guests.’ ‘Ok, I’ll e-mail you with the times and all that.’ ‘Thanks for thinking of me.’ ‘Spaz, I also have another question.’ ‘Ok.’ ‘Will you kill me if I take Kayte out?’ ‘As in a date? No, I wouldn’t kill you. Your a decent guy.’ ‘Great. I was going to ask her out.’ ‘Good luck with that. She and Charlie are flying in tomorrow.’ ‘Thanks Spaz.’ ‘Talk to yea later.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie hung up and phone and walked into the living room.
Ch 12
‘Who’s stalking you?’ Jen asked laughing. ‘Dan asked me to host a show at the Sad Cafe.’ ‘Are you?’ ‘Yea, they need to raise another thousand dollars to stay open. That used to be the main place where I used too perform.’ ‘Who else is doing the show?’ ‘Tyler Hilton, Playback, and Brandon.’ ‘That should be crazy. Are those cookies done?’ ‘Yup, just letting them cool a bit.’ Jen got up and went to go get them from the kitchen. ‘Spaz, these are yummy.’ Jen said walking in with a plate full of cookies. ‘Try these guys.’ Jen said putting the plate on the table. ‘Wow... these are good.’ Nicky said as Kian agreed. ‘These are great.’ ‘I’m getting board. We should go out.’ Jen said munching on other cookie. ‘Jen, it’s Sunday night.’ Kerrie said rolling her eyes. ‘So... you can go out any night.’ Jen said laughing. ‘Nothing to crazy for me. I need to pick up Charlie and Kayte in the morning. They will have a fit if I don’t answer the phone.’ ‘You should have told them to take a cab. Kayte is way to spoiled.’ ‘Jen, do you really think I’m gonna let my baby sister take a cab? I’d never hear the end of it.’ Kerrie said tiredly. ‘We could catch a movie? That wouldn’t be to crazy.’ Nicky suggested. ‘That wouldn’t be to bad.’ ‘Which movie?’ Kian asked. ‘You pick, you’ve been quiet all night.’ Jen said as Kerrie looked up the movies playing at the theater a few blocks away. Kian choose an action movie and Kerrie went to go get ready. ‘20 minutes tops.’ Jen said laughing as both Kian and Nicky shook their heads. ‘No way.’ Nicky said laughing. ‘Let’s see if your right.’ Kian said looking at his watch. 15 minutes later Kerrie came back into the room showered and dressed. ‘Ha! I told yea.’ Jen said laughing as both Kian and Nicky were surprised. ‘She is the only woman to have done that ever.’ Nicky said standing up. ‘The longest I take is a half an hour.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Let’s get going.’ Jen said putting her jacket on. Kerrie tossed on a hoodie as they all started walking towards the theater. ‘When are we gonna meet your sister? She sounds interesting.’ Nicky asked. ‘We’ll be hanging around tomorrow so whenever.’ ‘Yea, you guys should come over tomorrow. I’m sure Charlie and Kayte will be asking Kerrie to cook for them.’ ‘We’ll have tons of food. Mark and Shane should come by too.’ ‘We can come by on our break from recording.’ Kian said finally starting to talk. Nicky and Jen walked ahead as Kian and Kerrie started talking about what songs she would be singing at her shows the following weekend. ‘I think it’s gonna be entertaining this weekend. Charlie is going to try to get me to dance to a song or two but with my knee it’s gonna take a lot of work.’ ‘What happened to your knee?’ ‘I did something to it the first time I went skiing. I needed to get fluid drained and after that some surgery to repair a bone. I have no idea how I did it. When I was on my crutches and couldn’t get around is when Sam cheated on me and we broke up.’ Kerrie said as Kian shook his head. ‘That’s crapy. How long were you on the crutches for?’ ‘Almost 2 months but it still didn’t heal right and every so often is acts up and I have to wear my brace.’ They got to the theater and got tickets and popcorn. ‘This is gonna be fun. We should sit behind them and throw popcorn.’ Kian said laughing. ‘Exactly what I was thinking.’ Kerrie said grinning as Jen and Nicky walked into the theater holding hands. They sat down in the middle so Kerrie and Kian sat a few rows back and lucky for them it seemed that not many other people were going to see the movies. ‘Kian, did you pick another terrible one?’ Nicky asked as the previews started.
Ch 13
When the movie started Kerrie and Kian started tossing popcorn at Nicky and Jen. This went on for almost 10 minutes before they noticed. ‘You guys suck. Stop it.’ Jen whined. After that Kerrie and Kian decided to keep the popcorn fight to themselves. 20 minutes later they were out of popcorn and tired of joking around. Kerrie was surprised when Kian put his arm around her but she didn’t push him away. They stayed like that for the rest of the movie. Once they movie was over they started out. ‘We’re gonna grab something to drink.’ Nicky said as Jen nodded. ‘I should get back to the apartment.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘Come on, I’ll walk you.’ Kian said taking her hand as they walked down the street. ‘Look at them.’ Jen said happily. ‘Kian likes her a lot.’ Nicky said leading the way to the coffee shop across the street. ‘I think she likes him too.’ ‘What’s your thoughts?’ ‘I think it could work but I think they need to take it slow or she’ll freak.’ ‘Why will she freak?’ ‘After the whole Sam thing. He cheated on her while she was recovering from on operation on her knee. She’s really hasn’t trusted everyone since then. Her and Kyle dated for almost eight months, I really thought he was gonna ask her to marry him and then she talked me into moving here when things started to get serious.’ ‘We’ll have to work on them.’ Nicky said grinning. ‘That we will. When Kayte and Charlie come tomorrow they’ll be able to get her on the right track. Kayte is one of the few people she’ll listen to.’ Meanwhile... Kerrie and Kian just arrived at her building. ‘Want to come up for a little while?’ Kerrie asked. ‘Sure.’ They walked up the stairs and into the flat. ‘I had a good time tonight.’ Kerrie said sitting on the couch. ‘Me too and to think I was gonna go home instead of coming here with Jen and Nicky.’ ‘We should hang out again but next time I think I should pick the movie cause that one wasn’t too good.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Yea, it wasn’t.’ ‘Want anything to drink?’ Kerrie asked getting up. ‘No thanks.’ Kerrie came back two minutes later with a bottle of water. ‘Are you going to take your sister and Charlie sight seeing?’ ‘They are not really into that sort of thing. I know they’ll want to go shopping and I’m sure I’ll get stuck taking them to Paris for a day or two.’ ‘How long are they going to stay?’ ‘I think until I go home. I’m sure they’ll like it here and come back. Both of them like to travel.’ ‘How does your mother like it with both of you not being home that much?’ ‘She doesn’t miss me being around at all. I moved out the summer before my last year of high school to move in with my friend, Danny. My mom and I don’t see eye to eye. I want to do my own thing and she wanted me to be a pharmacist. When I refused to go to Pharmacy School she said she wouldn’t pay for my college so I moved in with Danny and his parents. I ended up going to Salem State with Danny and earned myself a scholarship. Kayte, on the other hand, was the apple of her eye and could do nothing wrong. My dad was always on my side but since he worked a lot to support the family.’ ‘That must have been though.’ ‘Not so much. My grandfather lived on the first floor so I spent a lot of time with him and my grandmother. He got me into baseball and football. What about your family?’ ‘I’m close with all of my siblings and my parents. Luckily I never had any huge issues with any of them.’ ‘That’s cool; I think it’s the American culture that screws so many families up. I know only two of my friend’s parents who aren’t divorced.’ Kerrie and Kian continued talking for almost an hour before Jen and Nicky came back. They four of them chatted a little awhile longer before Kian and Nicky headed home. Jen went right to bed while Kerrie pulled out a notebook and started to work on a new song. When around 8am the phone rang and Kerrie sat up from the couch with a stiff neck. ‘Hello?’ She said groggily. ‘We just got off the plane. We are gonna grab a coffee then get our bags.’ ‘Morning to you too.’ Kerrie said tiredly. ‘So we’ll see you at the baggage claim in about a half an hour.’ ‘Ok, see yea then.’ Kerrie fixed her hair and grabbed the car keys and her bag before heading out the door.
Ch 14
Several hours later Kerrie had made a bunch of different things for lunch such as lasagna, stuffed mushrooms, chicken parm, and eggplant parm. ‘I can’t wait to meet these guys. Are any of them hot?’ Charlie asked sipping his beer. ‘Charlie, I don’t think any of them are gay.’ ‘I think he is.’ Charlie said pointing to Mark. ‘Look it says here he is.’ Kayte said looking at the computer. ‘You two are crazy. I don’t think that is really any of your business.’ Kerrie said picking up the ringing phone. ‘Hello?’ ‘Spaz, it’s me. I just met the guys and we’re on our way over. We should be there in 5 minutes.’ ‘Ok see yea then.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie hung up the phone. ‘They’ll be here in 5 minutes.’ She said sitting on the edge of the couch as Kayte rushed into the bathroom to check her appearance. ‘Spaz, I’m putting on that tape.’ Charlie said holding a tape. ‘No, please don’t.’ Kerrie said trying to snatch it away form him. ‘Spaz, this was one of your best performances and it wasn’t even on stage.’ ‘Charlie, you know I hate you right?’ Kerrie asked going into the kitchen to grab a beer. ‘You love me!’ Charlie exclaimed as the door opened. ‘Hey Jen!’ Charlie said running over and giving her a hug. ‘Where’s Kayte?’ ‘Where do yea think? You must be the guys from Westlife. I’m Charlie, Kerrie’s choreographer and hair dresser.’ He said as Kerrie walked into the room. Kerrie introduced Charlie to everyone as Kayte finally came out of the bathroom. ‘No way are you two sisters.’ Nicky said looking between the two of them. ‘She looks like our mom’s side of the family and I look like our dad’s side. I’m Kayte.’ She said sitting on the couch. ‘All of the food is out in the kitchen. Drinks are in the fridge, help yourselves.’ Kerrie said turning on the CD player and groaning as Britney Spears started playing. ‘Charlie, your gonna kill me.’ Kerrie said taking out the CD and putting in Jack’s Mannequin. ‘Spaz, this CD sucks. Why do you have the listen to this folk music?’ ‘Kayte, this isn’t folk music it’s indie/emu.’ ‘Whatever I still say it’s crap. There is only one good song on the CD.’ Kerrie ignored her sister’s comment as she put on number 2 “The Mixed Tape”. ‘Kayte, this is a decent CD. Why do you hate this guy so much?’ ‘Just not a fan.’ Kayte said walking into the kitchen. ‘Jen, how was work?’ Kerrie asked. ‘Ok, not to much going on. Unlike you I can never work from home.’ ‘I’m lucky my boss is chill. He’d rather everyone work at home instead of coming in his office and bothering him.’ ‘Kerrie, this food is amazing. Your a great cook.’ Shane said as the others nodded in agreement. ‘Spaz is a great cook. She’s been trying to teach me for years.’ Charlie said. ‘Charlie, are you going to choreograph some stuff for the shows this weekend.’ ‘I’m working on it. I want her to do a certain set of songs and she’s gonna fight me the whole way.’ ‘You know I am. No way I am going to dance to those songs.’ Kerrie said as Charlie got up and put the tape on. ‘This is what I had in mind.’ Charlie said with a smirk as Kerrie shot him an icy glare. The beginning of “Baby One More Time” came over the TV as several dancers moved to the beat. ‘There she is.’ Charlie said pointing to the screen as Kerrie moved to the front of the dancers and hit all of the spots. ‘Spaz, this is good.’ Jen said surprised. ‘This was when I was in high school, almost 5 years ago.’ Kerrie said shaking her head. A mix of two other Britney Spears songs were danced to before the tape was over. ‘She was great and pulled out of this dance routine the night of a show.’ Kayte said as Charlie nodded. ‘I sprained my ankle.’ Kerrie said trying hard not to laugh. ‘You faked spraining your ankle because all of your guy friends were going to the concert.’ ‘And I would never hear the end of it. Charlie, your a great dancer but all Britney Spears songs are not a choice.’ Kerrie said as Jen smirked. ‘Here comes the stubborn Hingston side.’ ‘Yup, not use trying. She is not gonna do it.’ Kayte said knowing how stubborn her sister was. ‘Spaz, your so difficult. Kayte isn’t a pain in the ass like you.’ Kerrie just laughed as she walked into the kitchen.
Ch 15
The rest of lunch went well and after an hour the guys had to head back to the studio and Jen was going back to work. Kerrie and Kian planned to meet up for dinner because Kayte and Charlie were staying in, most likely sleeping. At 6pm Kerrie finished getting ready and walked into the living room to see Charlie going through her phone. ‘Damn, no new numbers.’ ‘I’m going out.’ ‘With whom? A new boyfriend?’ ‘Just a friend, Kian.’ ‘He has the hots for you. I can see it.’ ‘Where’s Kayte?’ ‘Asleep, I’m gonna head to bed soon too.’ ‘I guess I’ll see you in the morning. Are we gonna start working on the routine tomorrow?’ ‘You bet. I already have some new stuff in mind. Have fun.’ ‘Thanks, night.’ Kerrie walked out the door bumping into Jen who was coming back from work. ‘Where you heading off to?’ ‘Kian and I are gonna hang out.’ ‘Have fun. See yea later.’ Kerrie waved as she headed to the elevator. By the time she got to the lobby Kian was in his car outside waiting. ‘Hey Kian.’ She said getting into the car. ‘Hey Spaz.’ ‘How was the rest of the day in the studio?’ ‘Ok, we finished up one song and started another. How was the rest of your day?’ ‘Good, just went to the gym and hung out.’ ‘There’s a cover band playing on the other side of town. I figured we could check it out.’ ‘Sounds good to me. Who are they covering?’ ‘Poison.’ ‘Awesome, I love Poison. C.C. Deville is the man, he is a great guitarist.’ ‘I was hoping you’d like it.’ ‘I love 80s big hair bands.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘Me too.’ A few minutes later they arrived at the club. They were escorted to a VIP section off to the side with a perfect view of the stage. ‘This place is nice.’ Kerrie said looking around. ‘We have had a few record release parties here as well as a few birthdays.’ Kian said as a waitress came over with some drinks. The band came on stage a half an hour later and played for almost 2 hours. ‘That was so much fun.’ Kerrie said walking to Kian’s car after the show. ‘They were really good.’ Kian said opening the door for her. ‘On Wednesday I’m going to hit some clubs with Kayte and Charlie if you want to come with us.’ ‘That sounds good.’ They continued the small talk until they pulled up to Kerrie’s apartment building. ‘Thanks again, Kian.’ Kerrie said smiling as she kissed his cheek. ‘Anytime.’ ‘I’ll give you a call on Wednesday with all the information.’ ‘Ok, goodnight.’ ‘Bye.’ Kian waited for her to walk inside before driving away. Kerrie walked into the apartment and went right to her room. She let out a sigh as she sat on the bed and kicked off her shoes. The next morning Kerrie got up early and dropped off some things at her office before going to the gym with Charlie. Charlie talked the receptionist into letting them use one of the free rooms to work on their dancing. After being there for nearly 3 hours they decided to call it a day and went back to the apartment. Once they were showered and changed they all went shopping. ‘Spaz, how was your night?’ Kayte asked smirking. ‘Good, we went to a concert.’ ‘And?’ ‘That’s it.’ Kerrie said shrugging. ‘Your so dull.’ Kayte said looking through the racks. ‘Kayte has been seeing someone.’ Charlie said as Kayte shot him an evil look. ‘Who may that be?’ Kerrie asked. ‘A certain manager-’ ‘Charlie, shut it. We’re not dating.’ Kayte said crossing her arms. ‘Kayte, he is sleazy and he’s nearly twice your age.’ Kerrie said obviously upset. ‘It’s just sex.’ Kayte muttered. ‘I can’t believe you.’ Kerrie said walking away. ‘Charlie, you shouldn’t have told her.’ Kayte said going after her sister. ‘Spaz, wait up.’ Kayte said catching up with her outside. ‘Kayte, why? You could date or sleep with any guy. Why him?’ ‘He’s working on getting me some modeling jobs.’ ‘And you needed to have sex with him because?’ ‘It just happened, I’m not proud of it.’ Kayte mumbled. ‘That’s good to hear. You need to stay away from him. He’s no good.’ ‘What about you? ‘What about me?’ ‘Your singing?’ ‘I have a meeting tomorrow with a manager.’ Kayte hugged her sister. ‘I’m sorry.’ Kayte said. ‘Don’t let it happen again. He likes to take advantage of girls like you.’ Kerrie said as Charlie came walking over. ‘Are you ladies cool because I could go for a coffee?’ ‘Yea, there’s a shop around the corner.’ Kerrie said half smiling.
Ch 16
Later that night the three of them arrived home. Kerrie flopped on the couch as Charlie and Kayte went to go plan their outfits for the following nights. ‘Charlie, I hate you!’ Kerrie said lying on the couch. ‘Are you hurting?’ He asked walking into the room. ‘Of course I am.’ ‘Good.’ He said smirking. ‘Just wait.’ Kerrie said flipping on the TV. Jen and Nicky came through the door laughing. ‘What’s with you?’ Jen asked. ‘Charlie killed me.’ Kerrie said tiredly. ‘Come on, we’re gonna go meet up with everyone for some drinks.’ ‘No way, I’m not moving from the couch.’ ‘Kerrie, get your ass up.’ Jen said walking over to the couch as Nicky started laughing. ‘No, I’m in to much pain to go out.’ Kerrie said whining. ‘Spaz, I’m serious. Everyone is down stairs waiting. Kayte and Charlie, are you two up for drinks?’ ‘Hell yea, give us a minute.’ ‘That means a good 20, plenty of time for you to get up.’ Jen said trying to nudge Kerrie off the couch. ‘Jen, I’m seriously not going.’ Kerrie said hitting her with a pillow. ‘I’m gonna call Kian then.’ Jen said. Charlie came rushing in the room. ‘Spaz, get your booty up.’ ‘Nope, I’m gonna chill here until the morning.’ ‘Come on, you’ve never been one to shy away from going out.’ Kayte said coming into the room. ‘I’m tired.’ She whined. ‘Just come out for awhile.’ Charlie said as Kerrie sat up. ‘Fine, just for a little while.’ She said standing up. ‘Give me a minute.’ Kerrie walked into her room and changed out of her track suet into a pair of chinos and a sweater. Everyone walked to the elevator as Kerrie’s phone rang. ‘It’s Designated Dan.’ Kerrie said laughing as she answered her phone. ‘What’s up?’ She asked. ‘You and Kyle are back together and you didn’t care to tell me?’ ‘We’re not back together. He’s going to Sandy and Josh’s wedding with me.’ ‘I just talked to him and he said you two are back together.’ ‘Damn... anyway how’s things with you?’ ‘Ok, Jean had her appointment today.’ ‘How’s the bimbo?’ ‘Spaz, be nice.’ ‘I can’t be nice. She’s gross and I know she planned this. I don’t know why you hooked up with her.’ ‘The doctor said she’ll most likely have the baby early since she’s getting so big.’ ‘You better get a paternity test once that baby is born.’ ‘I will. I had a date last night.’ ‘With who? You are such a pimp.’ Kerrie said laughing as the elevator stopped in the lobby. ‘A girl I know from back in the day, her name is Torey. What about you? Any new guys?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘Your lying, I know it you better spill.’ ‘Not right now, I’m on my way out.’ ‘Ok, you better call me tomorrow with all the juicy details.’ ‘I will. Don’t tell Kyle what I said. I’ll talk to him about it.’ ‘I’ll try not to say anything.’ ‘You better keep your mouth closed.’ ‘Have fun, call me anytime tomorrow. I’m working from home.’ ‘Same here, talk to you tomorrow.’ ‘Bye.’ ‘Bye Dan.’ ‘What’s he going on about?’ Kayte asked bitterly. ‘Jean and the baby.’ Kerrie said rolling her eyes. ‘You set him up with her back in the day.’ Kayte snapped. The truth was Kayte had liked Dan for some time and he didn’t feel the same. ‘What happened?’ Jen asked seeing Kerrie’s slightly agitated expression. ‘I’ll tell yea later.’ She said. ‘Are we ready to go?’ Nicky asked as everyone agreed. ‘Are you ok?’ Kian asked. ‘Yea, just a small misunderstanding that I need to take care of tomorrow.’ ‘Are you nervous about the meeting tomorrow?’ ‘No way, I never let myself get worked up about anything.’ ‘How’s the dancing working out?’ ‘It’s coming along. Charlie nearly killed me today.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘Spaz, it wasn’t that bad.’ Charlie said putting an arm around her shoulder. ‘You do this stuff all the time. Tomorrow I won’t be able to move.’ When they arrived at the bar they headed to a large booth in the back. Several hours later everyone went their separate ways after the plans were finalized for the following night.
Ch 17
The next morning at 10am Kerrie went for her meeting with Louis. Charlie went with her to the meeting. Everything went well and Louis officially became her manager. He would start working on putting together a showcase with several record labels. After the meeting was over Louis brought them over to the studio a few blocks away. On Saturday Louis set up some time for Kerrie to record a demo Shane and Kian offered to help with the process since all the producers were already booked or had the day off. ‘Where are you two off to now?’ Shane asked. ‘Heading back to the gym.’ Kerrie said glumly. ‘Only a short session just to go over everything we did yesterday.’ Charlie said smirking. ‘Just wait tomorrow your going to Pilates class with me. See you guys later.’ Kerrie said as her and Charlie walked out of the studio. ‘Pilates class? That should be a piece of cake.’ Charlie said confidently. ‘We’ll see.’ They arrived at the gym and changed into their workout clothes. Kerrie went over the routine and did everything almost perfectly. ‘You really want to get out of here don’t you?’ Charlie asked surprised. ‘Yup, I want to go swim a few laps.’ ‘We’ll do two more run throughs and we’re done.’ Kerrie sipped her water as she nodded. 20 minutes later Charlie was sitting by the pool watching as Kerrie did her laps. ‘The show Friday is going to be awesome.’ Charlie said smiling. ‘Yea, we need to stop at Wilson’s to drop off my set lists before going home.’ ‘So Saturday your doing a complete acoustic set?’ ‘Yea, it will be a nice change.’ Kerrie said finishing her last lap. ‘I’m gonna hit the showers. I’ll meet you outside.’ Charlie said walking towards the men’s locker room. Kerrie grabbed her towel and headed to the woman’s locker room. Once she was done she walked outside to see Charlie smoking. ‘Ready to go?’ She asked. ‘Yup.’ ‘I thought you quit?’ Kerrie asked smirking. ‘No way, cigarettes are my life.’ After a short walk they were outside Wilson’s. ‘I’m gonna go grab a coffee. Meet me over there.’ Charlie said putting out his cigarette. ‘Ok, I shouldn’t be long.’ Kerrie walked inside to see Mr. Wilson filling the bar. ‘Hi Kerrie, how yea doing?’ ‘Great, Louis Walsh is now officially my manager.’ ‘Congratulations, you’ll have a record deal soon enough.’ ‘Here are my two sets. Also I wanted to remind you that after next weekend I’ll be away for three weeks.’ ‘I remember, wrote it down on the calendar and I actually managed to get a few bands to play those dates.’ ‘Great, I’ll see yea Friday night.’ ‘Ok, see you then.’ Kerrie walked over to the coffee shop to see Charlie flirting with a guy behind the counter. She laughed to herself as she waited outside and decided to call Danny. ‘Hello?’ He answered. ‘Hey you.’ ‘Hey Spaz, how’s London?’ ‘Great, I have a manager now.’ ‘That’s good to hear. Did you call Kyle yet?’ ‘No, I’m kinda dreading it.’ She said smirking. ‘I figured you would be. You’re far to nice.’ ‘What’s new with everyone?’ ‘Not to much, it turns out Mat didn’t reenlist so him and Dani are fine now.’ ‘That’s good; those two are such a great couple.’ ‘Anyway... you were going to tell me about your love life.’ ‘Ha! What love life?’ She said laughing. ‘Stop lying, I know there must be someone.’ ‘Maybe.’ ‘Come on spill it.’ ‘Well I’ve hung out with Kian a few times.’ Kerrie finished talking to Danny while she waited for Charlie. ‘I better get going. I’m gonna meet Tory for lunch.’ ‘Good luck.’ ‘You too, call Kyle soon.’ ‘I will, talk to yea later.’ ‘Bye Spaz.’ ‘Bye.’ She hung up the phone and went inside to get Charlie. ‘Who were yea talking to?’ He asked sipping his coffee. ‘Danny wanted to know all the news.’ ‘Typical him. Have you called Kyle yet?’ ‘No.’ ‘You better call him or I will. I love breaking up for people.’ ‘Charlie, you are to crazy.’ ‘I have a date tomorrow.’ Charlie said happily. ‘Figures, your here a few days and have a date, only you.’ Kerrie said as they walked into the building. Kerrie went into her room and stared at the phone. ‘Just do it.’ She mumbled to herself as she dialed Kyle’s number. When it got his voice mail she sighed. ‘Hey Kyle, it’s Spaz. Give me a call back when you get a chance.’ She said quickly then walked into the living room. ‘What happened?’ Kayte asked munching on some chips. ‘Voice mail.’
Ch 18
9pm came quick. Kayte and Charlie started getting ready at 7pm with Kerrie hanging out in front of the TV until almost 8. When she was in the shower her phone rang and Kayte gladly answered it. ‘Hello?’ She said cheerily. ‘Hi Kayte, is Spaz there?’ ‘She just jumped in the shower. She should be out soon.’ ‘Oh ok.’ ‘How’s spring training going?’ ‘It’s ok, I earned a spot on the 25 man rooster so I’m not getting traded yet.’ He said nervously. ‘That’s good to hear. You had a decent season last year so you deserve a chance.’ Kerrie got out of the shower a few minutes later as Kayte continued to chat with Kyle about baseball. ‘Here she is. Bye Kyle.’ Kayte said handing the phone to her sister. ‘Hey Kyle.’ ‘Hi Spaz, how are you?’ ‘I’m ok. I want to talk to you about us though.’ ‘Why what’s wrong?’ ‘Kyle, we aren’t dating anymore. I thought we were gonna stay friends because of the long distance thing.’ ‘I thought.... crap, I feel really stupid now. I’m sorry.’ He mumbled. ‘This is my fault. I should have said something when I asked you to go to the wedding with me.’ ‘Ok, just friends. How have things been with you otherwise?’ ‘Good, I officially have a manager now and I’m going to work on a demo this weekend.’ ‘Are you seeing anyone?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘So you are then?’ He said starting to feel extremely jealous. ‘No, I have gone out a few times but nothing serious. Anyway I better get going. I’m meeting some friends in a few minutes.’ Kerrie didn’t wait for his reply and turned the phone off. ‘That was awkward.’ She mumbled as she finished getting ready. ‘What happened?’ Kayte asked as her, Charlie, and Jen appeared in the doorway. ‘I explained things and he took it ok, a bit weird though.’ ‘I knew it was a bad idea to go to the wedding with him.’ Kayte said smirking. ‘Oh shut it, they can be friends.’ Jen said. ‘Or bed buddies.’ Charlie said laughing. ‘Charlie, your a jerk. That isn’t going to happen.’ Kerrie said glaring at him. ‘Oh please, you agreed with me before that baseball players are good in bed.’ Charlie said before running out of the room as Kerrie chase him. ‘I never said that.’ Kerrie said throwing a shoe at him. ‘When you were drunk you did.’ He said laughing as she walked back into her bedroom. Kerrie finished getting ready and she called Danny to tell him what happened. ‘Did you talk to him?’ Danny said answering the phone. ‘Yea, he’s pissed. I’m sure he’ll call you later. He asked me if I was seeing anyone and I said not really and he started acting like we were in a serious relationship.’ ‘Crap that’s him beeping in. I’ll call you back after I talk to him.’ Danny said hanging up. Kerrie sat on the edge of her bed as Jen walked into the room. ‘Sorry.’ ‘For what?’ ‘Telling you to take Kyle to the wedding.’ ‘It was my choice.’ ‘For once it’s drama about her and not any of us.’ Charlie said walking in with Kayte. ‘Big whoopee.’ Kerrie said falling back on the bed. ‘I think-’ Kayte was cut off by the phone ringing. ‘Hello?’ Kerrie asked putting her cell phone on speaker. ‘Hi Spaz, I think he’ll have it out of his system before you get to Florida.’ ‘Why is that?’ ‘He said something about parting with the rookies.’ ‘That should turn out great. You know most of them are coke heads don’t you?’ Kerrie asked as she started to pace. ‘I know, I’ll call Mike and have him talk to him in the morning.’ ‘This is fucking crazy.’ Jen piped in. ‘That’s true, how are you guys?’ ‘We’re good, Spaz is a bit stressed.’ ‘Weren’t you going out tonight?’ ‘Yea, we’re meeting everyone at the club in 20 minutes.’ ‘Don’t let me keep you.’ ‘Talk to you later.’ ‘Bye Dan.’ Jen said. ‘Bye guys.’ Kerrie hung up the phone as she went to go get her coat. Kayte picked up her sister’s phone and scrolled down to Kyle’s number and hit call. ‘Hello?’ He mumbled. ‘Kyle, it’s Kayte. What the hell is going on?’ ‘Nothing.’ He muttered. ‘It better be nothing. Don’t give my sister crap and I hope you aren’t hanging out with the rookies.’ ‘I’m not.’ ‘Good, I better get going bye.’ Kayte hung up without a response from him and walked into the room. ‘Spaz, I talked to Kyle. Everything is all set.’ Kayte said proudly.
Ch 19
Jen stood at the door. ‘Ok, let’s end this right here. For the rest of the night this topic is over.’ ‘I agree.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘You two?’ Charlie and Kayte nodded. ‘Great, let’s get going before we’re late.’ Jen said locking the door. They walked six blocks to where the club was located. Shane and Gillian were outside waiting. ‘Hey, where’s everyone?’ Jen asked. ‘Mark and Kevin are inside. Nicky and Kian aren’t here yet.’ ‘And we thought we’d be late.’ Charlie said laughing and he lit up another cigarette. Gillian made a face as she moved further away. ‘Charlie, hurry up it’s cold out here.’ Kayte said hugging herself. ‘If you’d like to go inside I’d go with you.’ Gillian said as Kayte nodded. ‘We’ll be at the bar.’ Kayte said as the girls walked in. ‘Kayte is always cold. This is just as cold as it is in Boston now.’ Charlie said taking a drag. Kian and Nicky got out of a cab fifteen minutes later. ‘Finally, we’re getting frostbite.’ Shane said laughing. ‘Where’s everyone else?’ Nicky asked. ‘Inside, it was to cold for them.’ The group of them walked inside checking their coats in before going to the bar. Kayte and Gillian were on their second drinks laughing and making jokes with Mark and Kevin. ‘There they are.’ Gillian said giving Shane a hug. ‘You should slow down.’ Shane said noticing she was already tipsy. ‘Slow down? We’re here to have fun.’ She said finishing her second drink. They all headed to the VIP area as Shane stayed behind to talk to Gillian. ‘You look nice.’ Kian said as Kerrie blushed. ‘Thanks, you don’t look bad yourself.’ Charlie came back with their drinks. ‘Do you have any ideas for your demo?’ ‘I was thinking of maybe two songs that Sandy wrote and one that I wrote.’ ‘Sounds good, it will be a good time. Shane may get to serious but I’ll keep him in line.’ Kian said smiling. Shane and Gillian came into the VIP area both looking pissed. Gillian went to talk to Kayte while Shane sat on a couch with a drink. Charlie left the VIP area to mingle with people at the bar. Kian and Kerrie went to go dance. Shane looked out at the dance floor and his eyes found her. She was so carefree and very different from Gillian. Charlie came back to the VIP area with the guy he had meet in the coffee shop, they sat in one of the corners laughing and drinking for the rest of the night. Kerrie and Kian hung out on the dance floor most of the night. Shane remained in his spot on the couch watching her. He envied Kian when he saw him kissing her. ‘Fuck it.’ Shane mumbled to himself as he stood up. ‘Gillian, I’m going home.’ Shane said. ‘Why it’s to early?’ ‘I’m tired.’ Shane said shrugging. ‘Are you coming with me?’ Gillian shook her head. ‘We’ll make sure she gets home.’ Mark said as Kevin nodded. ‘Thanks guys, see you tomorrow.’ Shane walked out of the VIP area and spotted Kerrie at the bar. ‘Going home already?’ She asked. ‘Yea, it’s been a long day.’ ‘See yea Sunday.’ ‘Bye.’ Shane watched as she brought the drinks over to Kian who was talking to someone from BMG. When Shane got back to the house he walked into Nicole’s room to see her asleep. He sat in the chair by her crib and tears started to fall. ‘I’m sorry; I don’t love your mommy anymore.’ He said before breaking down into full out sobs. Nicole slept through his crying and Shane feel asleep in the chair watching her sleep. Back at the club everyone was having a good time. Kian had introduced Kerrie to several people from BMG and told them about her concerts at Wilson’s. At midnight Kerrie and Kian left. Kayte noticed this and smiled to herself. She motioned to Jen and she smirked. ‘What are you two smiling about?’ Nicky asked looking around. ‘Oh nothing.’ Jen said giving him a quick kiss. At nearly 3am everyone else headed home. Charlie groaned as he noticed the note on the guest room door. ‘Be up at 7am for Pilate’s class. If your not I’ll drag you out of bed. ~ Spaz’

Ch 20
The next morning Charlie stumbled into the kitchen at 7am to see Kerrie dressed and sipping a coffee. ‘How long have you been up?’ ‘20 minutes.’ ‘Where’s Kian?’ Charlie asked. ‘Asleep, he knew I was getting up early.’ Charlie poured himself a cup of coffee then went to get dressed. ‘Hurry up we need to be there in 20 minutes.’ Kerrie said finishing her coffee and grabbing her gym bag. 10 minutes later the two of them were walking down the street. Kerrie signed them in for the class and they went to go stretch. ‘Get ready for some pain.’ Kerrie said laughing as Charlie shot her a look. ‘You are evil sometimes. I think I’m still drunk.’ Charlie said as the instructor walked into the room. Nearly an hour later the class was over and Charlie was sprawled out on the floor trying to catch his breath. ‘Wasn’t so easy was it?’ Kerrie asked extending her hand to help him up. Charlie got up and they went to shower and change before going back to the flat. Charlie was limping a little but Kerrie was feeling great. ‘You really suck. I hope you know that.’ Charlie mumbled walking back to the room. ‘Where yea going?’ ‘Back to bed. I want to sleep off my hangover.’ Kerrie walked into her room to see Kian still asleep. She smiled to herself and lay next to him on the bed. A few minutes later Kian opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her lying next to him. ‘Have a nice sleep?’ Kerrie asked smiling. ‘Yea, I did.’ Kian said sitting up. ‘How was your class?’ ‘It was good; Charlie’s opinion of Pilates has changed. Do you have anything to do today?’ ‘I have to be at the studio at 1 for a few hours.’ ‘Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll make some breakfast?’ Kian nodded and Kerrie walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Kerrie made some waffles and cut up some fruit as Kian came out of the room. He sat at the table with her and they had breakfast. Kian looked at her face and knew he was falling hard. Once they finished breakfast Kian headed back to his place and Kerrie checked to see if Kayte was up. ‘What are you doing?’ Kayte mumbled. ‘I wanted to see if you were up. I want to go shopping.’ ‘Ok, give me some time to get ready and we can go.’ Kerrie nodded and went to go check her e-mail. She noticed an e-mail from Kyle and opened that one first. “Hey Spaz, I feel like a jerk about last night. I hope you don’t hate me. I would still like to take you to the wedding as friends. Danny and your sister talked some sense into me. I hope things work out with that guy your seeing. ~ Kyle” Kerrie wrote her reply and then finished checking her e-mail. Kayte finished getting ready and the girls went shopping. That afternoon Kayte went with Kerrie to the gym to see her work on her dance routines. ‘These dances are awesome. I love them.’ Kayte said as Kerrie worked on improving a few steps that she was still having a hard time with. After nearly 2 hours working on her steps the girls went home. Kerrie started supper then went to go take a shower. Charlie went out with his date and Jen was working late so it was just the sisters. They joked around after dinner watching some chick flicks on TV and Jen joined then when she came home. ‘Look at all these bags. You girls are crazy.’ ‘That we are. Tomorrow I am going to have to mail some of my stuff home because me bags will be to heavy.’ ‘I was thinking. Jen could you get two days off and the four of us can go to Paris. We can hang out in a hotel spa and the other two can go shopping.’ ‘Sounds good to me. I’ll check on it tomorrow.’ ‘Great, I have all my assignments done for the next issue so I’m free to do what I want.’ ‘You suck, you really do. I bust my ass and writing comes so natural to you.’ ‘If you need to work let me see your stuff and I’ll finish it for you.’ ‘You are a pal. I’ll go heat up my dinner and join you ladies watching these movies.’
Ch 21
Kerrie out on anther movie as he phone rang. A huge smile crossed her face as she saw Kian’s name on the caller ID. ‘Be right back.’ Kerrie said running into her room and flopping on the bed. ‘Hey.’ ‘Hey, how are you?’ ‘Good, Kayte and I spent the day shopping and hanging out.’ ‘That’s good. What are yea doing now?’ ‘Watching some chick flicks.’ ‘Oh.... I wanted to see if you wanted to come over.’ ‘How about I finish the movie I’m watching, it’ll be about an hour and a half and then I’ll come over.’ ‘Sounds good. Give me a call on your way over.’ ‘I will.’ ‘Ok see yea then.’ ‘Bye.’ Kerrie hung up the phone and walked into the room. ‘You are ditching us?’ Kayte asked. ‘I’m gonna finish this movie.’ ‘You should have gone. We would have been fine.’ Jen said noticing the change in for friend. ‘You had sex with him didn’t you?’ Kayte said finally catching on. Kerrie turned a bright shade of red as Jen started laughing. ‘Let’s just watch the movie.’ Kerrie said pressing play. ‘This is nice everyone is getting action except me.’ Kayte said crossing her arms. ‘If I remember correctly you had sex recently with a certain someone I don’t want to talk about.’ Jen’s mouth hung open. ‘Kayte, no offense but that’s gross.’ ‘I know, I know.’ Kayte said shaking her head. ‘At least it was good.’ She mumbled. ‘I didn’t hear that. I do not want to know what that jerk is like in bed.’ Kerrie said covering her ears. After the movie was over Kerrie got on her coat and started towards Kian’s flat. She called his phone and let him know she was on her way. Back at the flat. ‘She seems so happy here.’ Kayte said flipping stations trying to find something good to watch. ‘Yea, she adapted to life here fast and I knew she would start dating soon.’ ‘I hope Kyle meant what he said when I spoke to him on the phone.’ ‘Me too. Kerrie said he e-mailed her to apologize.’ ‘That’s good. She doesn’t need anymore drama in here life after Sam.’ Kayte said as Jen nodded. ‘He was such a jerk. I don't know how a strong willed person like her put up with his crap for over 2 years.’ ‘You met him at his worst. Using drugs and fooling around on her. When they first started dating he was the complete opposite but six months into their relationship something happened and it went down hill. Thiago and Danny both tried to talk to her but nothing worked.’ ‘I remember that. She has surgery on her knee and the week she was in the hospital he never came to visit her. Then she went home for a week and he didn’t answer her calls so Danny and I drove her to Lowell only to find him drunk and high at a bar making out with some girl. Danny was so pissed he wanted to kill him for making her so upset. He went after him and nearly got arrested. Kerrie hit Sam with her crutches it was classic.’ Jen said remembering the crazy night. The three of them went into the bar to see him with that girl. Jen was the only one who didn’t completely loose it and she managed to get Kerrie out of the bar before she hurt herself. Dan, Sam’s band mate, managed to get Danny out before the police had to arrest him.
Ch 22
The next day was Friday. Kerrie woke up with a smile as she looked to see Kian already awake. ‘Good morning.’ He said giving her a quick kiss. ‘Morning.’ She said tiredly. ‘Did you sleep well?’ ‘I did.’ Kerrie and Kian got dressed and went to go get breakfast. After breakfast Kerrie went back to her flat and got ready to go to the gym. As Kerrie was walking out the door Charlie was walking down the hall. ‘Yea going to practice?’ ‘Yup, I actually changed a few steps.’ ‘I don’t think so.’ ‘I do think so. I have the dances down and this is just a run through.’ Charlie didn’t bother changing and followed her to the gym. ‘How was your date?’ ‘It went well. He’s coming to show tonight and we’re going to go out after. I see you have a big grin on your face again so you must have visited a certain someone last night.’ ‘Yes, I did.’ Kerrie said walking into the dance studio and tossing her gym back on the floor. ‘What’s with you two? Just sex or are you an item?’ ‘Charlie, your always right to the point.’ ‘I’d say an item. Am I right?’ Kerrie nodded as she put her CD in the player. She ran through her routines. ‘You did a good job with the changes. Are you nervous?’ ‘A little bit. I haven’t danced on stage in years.’ ‘You’ll do fine. Plus I’m doing the dance intro for you.’ ‘Let’s see.’ ‘Spaz, I’m in no condition to dance right now.’ Kerrie just smirked as Charlie’s obvious hangover. Once she ran through the steps again this time while singing. ‘You are gonna knock everyone out of their seats tonight.’ Charlie said happily. ‘I hope so.’ ‘Are you gonna work out some more?’ ‘Yea.’ ‘Ok, I’m going back to the flat. See yea later.’ With that Charlie was gone leaving Kerrie to run on the treadmill before hitting the showers. She got back to the apartment to see Charlie and Kayte eating pizza. ‘Help yourself. It just got delivered.’ Kayte said. Kerrie grabbed a slice and joined them in the living room. ‘How was the gym?’ Kayte asked. ‘Good, I ran 3 miles and worked on the routine for tonight.’ ‘She is gonna be amazing.’ Charlie said smiling. ‘I saw her practice yesterday. She is really good.’ ‘Thanks guys, I hope I can pull this off tonight.’ Kerrie said turning on the TV to see a Westlife interview. ‘Look it’s your boy.’ Charlie said as Kayte laughed. ‘You two leave me alone.’ Kerrie went to go make some phone calls to Dani and Matt to check up on the boys. She also made a quick call to her parents then a call to Danny. Danny went into details about his latest date and also said that the baby could be born any day. After all the phone calls were done Kerrie went on the computer. Sandy sent her some more wedding information with all the final details of the rehearsal dinner as well as a spa day for the girls in the wedding party. At 8 Kerrie started to get her things together for the concert. Unlike her other shows during the break she was going to change outfits. Kayte had picked out both outfits during their shopping trip. Jen came home from work and told everyone that she could get time off work and took the liberty of planning the trip to Paris.
Ch 23
At 9 they all left the flat and started walking to Wilson’s. Mr. Wilson came walking over with a concerned face. ‘Kerrie, a man is here for you. He said he was your manager. He also has a male singer he wants to fill in while your away.’ ‘Let me talk to him.’ Kerrie walked over to the table where Phil sat sipping a beer. ‘Why are you here?’ Kerrie asked coldly. ‘Is that a way to speak to your manager?’ ‘Your not my manager. I called your phone and left a message. I already have a manager and am working on a demo.’ ‘That’s a pity but you still need someone to help you out in the States.’ Kayte and Charlie walked by and Phil smirked. ‘You best leave her alone. If I hear you call or come near her again it will be hell to pay.’ Kerrie said through gritted teeth. ‘After all the effort I’ve put in I think you should at least let my other artist perform while your on vacation.’ ‘Who is it? Lou?’ She asked looking around. A tall guy with a baseball hat walked up top the microphone on the stage and the opening tunes of “Candles” started. Kerrie froze. ‘Your his manager?’ She asked. ‘He is a very talented guy.’ ‘He’s a prick just like you.’ Kerrie said walking towards the stage but Phil grabbed her arm. ‘Talk to Mr. Wilson.’ ‘Get off me.’ Kerrie said pulling her arm away. ‘I want nothing to do with either of you. If you want him to get a spot singing I want an impressive 2 songs, with nothing from out past.’ Kerrie said before walking up to the VIP area. ‘What is going on?’ Kayte asked. ‘He wants me to allow Sam to have my spot while I’m away.’ ‘Are you?’ Charlie asked surprised. ‘I said he’d need to do an impressive 2 songs and I’ll consider it.’ Kerrie said waiting to see what he could come up with. It had been years since she last saw Sam. He looked pretty much the same but 20 pounds heavier possibly due to not taking drugs anymore. First Sam sang “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and then “Lips of an Angel” by Hinder. Kerrie walked down to where Phil was sitting and waited for Sam. ‘That was decent. Before Mr. Wilson will allow him to perform he wants a drug test.’ Kerrie said. ‘Fine, I’ve been clean for 2 years.’ Sam said shrugging. ‘Also I’m not going to allow you to sing any songs we worked on together.’ Kerrie said before going to speak to Mr. Wilson. During this time Kian and Nicky came in. ‘Where’s Kerrie?’ Kian asked looking around. ‘Phil Rollins and Sam showed up. Sam wants to perform while Kerrie’s away.’ Charlie said. Kerrie walked onto the stage for her sound check a few moments later. After one song she went backstage to get ready. There was a knock on the door so she went to open it. ‘Hey.’ She said seeing Kian. ‘How are you? I heard who was here.’ ‘I’m fine.’ She said kissing him. ‘I hear the show tonight is supposed to be really different.’ ‘It’s gonna be different. I’m gonna dance my butt off.’ She said smirking. ‘I’m looking forward to that. How about after the concert we can get something to eat and go back to my place?’ ‘I’d love that but I need to finish working out the details on the trip to Paris next week. Jen booked everything today but I want the final details taken care of.’ ‘Not a problem.’ Kerrie gave him a quick kiss. ‘I better finish getting ready.’ ‘Ok, good luck.’ Kian went back with the others and looked at the VIP bar to see the two men he had heard about. ‘It’s taking all my self restraint not to go hit him.’ Jen said turning her back to the bar. ‘Same here.’ Kayte mumbled sipping her drink. 10 minutes later the lights dimmed and music started as Kerrie walked out on the stage. She danced to the beats then joined in singing to No Doubt’s “Hella Good”. Next she sang Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. Kerrie sang two songs she wrote then it was time for the break. The second half of the show was just as upbeat and after her set Kerrie relaxed backstage for a bit before going up to the VIP area.
Ch 24
Kerrie took a deep breath as she walked up the stairs. ‘You were fucking awesome!’ Charlie said coming over to her with a beer. ‘It’s all thanks to you.’ Kerrie said half smiling. ‘Come on, let’s see every else’s reactions.’ Charlie said dragging her over to the table. ‘Spaz, that was fantastic. I would have never guessed you’d be that great.’ Jen said as Kayte nodded. ‘She has done great shows before but this is a new level.’ Kayte said. ‘Kerrie, that was great. If you put on a show like that at the showcase you’ll have record companies fighting over you.’ Nicky said smiling. ‘I agree; if your demo comes out anything like that I have no doubts that you’ll have a deal in now time.’ Kayte nudged her sister as Sam and Phil came walking over. ‘Kerrie, I have to say this is a whole new side of you.’ ‘I have changed a lot since I was 19.’ Kerrie spat. ‘I deserved that.’ Sam said calmly. ‘If you two would please leave us we are having a private conversation.’ Jen said. ‘I heard something about a demo. I would lime to propose that you and Sam record a song together.’ ‘Ha! That will happen when hell freezes over. He put my singing on hold in Boston there is no way I am doing another favor for him.’ ‘Phil, I told yea it was a bad idea.’ Sam said before walking away. ‘At least he has some common sense.’ Charlie said smirking. ‘Keating, no wonder you never made it big.’ ‘I had offers but I don’t want to be in the spotlight.’ Charlie said shrugging. ‘Yea, he could have been one of Brittany Spears back-up dancers when he was still in high school.’ Kerrie said as Phil just laughed. ‘I bet.’ He mumbled before walking back to the bar. ‘I really hate that man.’ Jen said shaking her head. ‘So doesn’t most people in Boston. Every act he’s ever managed minus LFO has dumped him before they made it big.’ Kerrie added. ‘Enough of him, let’s relax and have fun.’ Charlie said. ‘I think we should all go get something to eat.’ Kayte suggested. ‘I agree, I’m getting hungry.’ Jen said. They finished their drinks then went to a restaurant down the street. After eating they went back to Wilson’s to pick up Kerrie’s stuff. The girls and Charlie headed home while the guys hung around. An hour and a half later they had the final details planned out and everyone went to bed except Kerrie who had fallen asleep on the couch. In the morning she woke up and couldn’t see because her contacts had dried on her eyes. ‘Damn it.’ Kerrie mumbled walking into the wall as Kayte rushed out to see what was going on. ‘Are you ok?’ ‘No, me being not to bright I fell asleep with my contacts on.’ ‘Hang on; I’ll get your stuff. Let me help you back to the couch. Kerrie sat on the couch until Kayte came back with her contact solution. She poured some on her eyes and waited for her contacts to become moist so she could take them out. Kayte smirked to stop from laughing. ‘Go ahead and laugh it was stupid.’ Kerrie said after taking out her contacts and putting on her glasses. Jen and Charlie woke up an hour later. The four of them lounged around the house all day until Kerrie’s concert that night. Kerrie wore her glasses when she sang because her eyes were still a bit sensitive. Westlife had a radio interview but where going to stop by after, it would be about mid-concert. Kerrie got up on stage with her guitar and did her acoustic set. During the break Sam came walking over and Kerrie tried not to roll her eyes. ‘Hi Spaz.’ ‘Hi Sam.’ ‘I’m sorry about Phil. I’m not so sure he’s the best choice for a manager.’ ‘Yea.’ ‘You had another amazing show tonight.’ ‘Thanks but I’m not done yet. Actually why don’t you join me after the break for a song. I can introduce you to the crowd.’ ‘Is that a good idea?’ ‘We’re both adults. The past is the past.’ She said half smiling. ‘What song?’ ‘How about Eve 6 “Here’s to the Night”? I was gonna sing it anyway.’ They worked out who was gonna sing which part before Kerrie went back on stage. She sang one song before calling Sam up. ‘Hey everyone, I have a little surprise for yea. Since I’m not going to be here for the next three weeks an old friend of mine will be here filling in for yea. If you were here last night you may have heard him sing two songs. This is Sam and he’ll be joining me on “Here’s to the Night” originally by Eve 6.’ Sam walked on stage and they started the song. Half way through Kian and Nicky came walking in with Mark and Shane. ‘Who is that guy?’ Mark asked. ‘Sam.’ Kian said before ordering a drink. ‘Sam, the ex?’ ‘Yup, he and that manager from Boston showed up yesterday. Sam’s gonna fill in for Kerrie while she goes back to the States.’ Nicky said.
Ch 25
The rest of the show went well. Sam loved the fact that a few girls were interested in him and spent his time with them. A bunch of other people who were coming weekly to see Kerrie’s show stopped her to talk. Many of them Kerrie was on a first name bases with. Kerrie had set up a myspace page for her music and with the help of the people at Wilson’s more people were coming to her concerts every week. After Kerrie was done talking to Mr. Wilson about Sam she left with Kian. They went back to her place and she took a shower. ‘You’ve been quiet.’ Kerrie said coming into the living room with her hair in a pony tail and dressed in her PJs. ‘I’m just surprised you sang with Sam.’ Kerrie shrugged. ‘It was a good way to get over the past.’ ‘Want to get some take away and go back to my house? You can just bring some clothes and your guitar for tomorrow.’ ‘Ok, give me a few minutes.’ Kerrie changed into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and got together all her music and guitar for their recording session the next afternoon. She jotted down a note for everyone letting them know she’d be back tomorrow night. Kian seemed to be in a better mood after eating. They spent the rest of the night in bed and slept in late the next morning. They had to be at the studio at 1pm so they left his flat at 12 to stop and get lunch. They arrived almost 20 minuets late because of traffic. Shane was sitting in the studio playing around with some beats. ‘It’s about time.’ Shane said wearily. They got right to work Kerrie did well but it seemed Kian and Shane were having issues about which direction they wanted to go. When Kerrie sided with Kian Shane stormed out of the studio. They took a break and Kerrie went to go find Shane but he was gone. Kian gave him a call but he didn’t pick up his phone. Kerrie found Shane walking through a park down the street. ‘Hey, wait up.’ Kerrie said jogging to catch up to him. ‘Kerrie, why are you out here?’ ‘I came to find you.’ ‘You should go back to the studio; you and Kian are working well together. Don’t let me get in the way.’ ‘Shane, you gave up your time to work with me. Come on back we’ll talk about this.’ Shane let out a sigh. As much as he didn’t want to see her and Kian together he couldn’t say no to her. He finally agreed and they walked back to the studio. Kerrie went with one of Shane’s ideas for her songs. That recording didn’t go a smoothly but after a little over an hour working on the song it was finally done. They got half way through another song before they took a dinner break. Kayte called Kerrie on her cell phone to see how the recording was going. Kerrie talked to her for a little while and before long they were back in the studio. The song they were working on took another 20 minutes so that left the last song. It was a song Sandy wrote for her and it was written as a duet. ‘You two should sing it.’ Shane said even though he knew that he was better suited for the song. ‘Shane, look at the notes. This is made for you.’ Kian said handing him the paper. Kerrie recorded her parts and then Shane did his before they recorded the chorus together. At 9pm they finally finished the last touches on all of the songs. Kian drove Kerrie home and they made plans to go out to lunch since Kerrie was leaving for Paris that night. Kerrie also had a meeting with Louis in the morning to go over the demo. Kayte and Charlie already had their bags packed and Jen was finishing up. Kerrie packed most of her things before going to bed. Kerrie woke up at 8 to get ready her 9am meeting. She arrived at Louis’s office at 8:45 so he met with her early. He was very impressed and scheduled a photo shoot for Thursday, the day after Kerrie got back from Paris. She was leaving Thursday night to go back to Boston with Charlie and Kayte. Kerrie also told Louis about Phil Rollins and how he was lurking around. Louis was going to have one of his lawyers go speak to Phil about hanging around and trying to stake his claim as a manager. In the afternoon Kerrie met up with Kian for lunch to talk about her meeting. After lunch they went back to Kian’s apartment for a few hours before Kerrie went back to her flat to get ready for her trip.

Ch 26
They arrived in Paris early in the morning on Tuesday. When they arrived at the hotel they check into their rooms and went to sleep for a few hours. At around 11 they got ready to go shopping. Charlie and Kayte had researched the best shopping areas and pretty much had the day mapped out with the stores they wanted to visit. Kerrie and Jen tagged along for 3 hours before they went back to the hotel to the spa. Both of the girls had massages and facials then met up with Kayte and Charlie for dinner. Kerrie actually wrote Jen’s next article while they sat around the hotel. It was about why emu music so popular. Kerrie finished the article in about an hour and let Jen proofread it before sending it. ‘Thanks so much, you saved my ass.’ Jen said thankfully. ‘Not a problem; that was a piece of cake.’ That night they went clubbing and in the morning Charlie and Kayte went shopping again. Kerrie and Jen slept in then went sight seeing for a bit. ‘This is so much fun. Why don’t we spend this much time together normally?’ Jen asked. ‘You say I’m not fem enough.’ Kerrie said laughing. ‘That’s not true, was I drunk?’ Jen asked smirking. ‘Nope.’ Kerrie said laughing. The girls enjoyed the rest of the day before they had to go back to London. Kerrie arrived at the phone shoot to see Kian hanging around. ‘Hey you.’ She said smiling. ‘How was your trip? I thought I’d hang out today and spend some time with you.’ ‘That’s great. How is this gonna work?’ Kerrie said nervously. ‘It will be easy. The photographer is really good; he’s done a lot of stuff with us.’ Kerrie was ushered off to hair and make-up. The shoot went well and once it was over Kerrie and Kian spent some time together before she had to get ready for her flight. Kian offered to drive them to the airport and Kerrie agreed. Kayte and Charlie were already ready when Kerrie got there. She already shipped all of her clothes for Florida to Danny’s house and just needed to pack her things for Boston. 2 hours later the three of them were in Kian’s car going to the airport. ‘Kian, don’t worry Kerrie won’t stay in the States Jen got her Fall Out Boy tickets for a few days after she comes back.’ Kayte said laughing. ‘I don’t know why you and Jen think that I’m gonna stay and not come back.’ Kerrie said smirking. ‘Because you and Danny will be joined at the hip. Plus your spending a week in Disney with your godchildren.’ Charlie said as Kayte nodded. ‘That’s not a reason to stay in the States. Danny already told me that he was gonna come visit in April. Plus I’m gonna talk Dani and Matt into brining the boys to visit once Jakey gets out of school.’ ‘Maybe we were wrong. Kian, what have you done to my sister?’ Kayte said laughing. Kian smiled as they pulled into the drop off area. They all got out of the car and Kayte and Charlie started inside to give them time alone. ‘Text me when you get in so I know your ok.’ Kian said taking her hands. ‘Ok but it’s gonna bean odd time.’ ‘That doesn’t matter.’ Kian said half smiling. ‘I’m gonna have Danny tape both of my shows and I’ll send you a copy to show Jen.’ ‘Ok, have fun.’ Kerrie kissed him as his hands rested on her waist. ‘I’m gonna miss spending time with you.’ Kian said softly. ‘Me too.’ Kerrie said sadly. ‘We’ll make up for it when you get home right?’ Kian said smirking. ‘We sure will.’ ‘Have a good flight.’ Kian said kissing her again. ‘Ok, I’ll text you when I arrive in Boston and I’ll give you a call sometime tomorrow.’ ‘Bye Spaz.’ He said hugging her tight. Kerrie gave him one last kiss before she walked inside trying her hardest not to get upset. She wasn’t the type to cry but she never felt this strongly about someone after only knowing him a short time. Kerrie looked over her shoulder one last time and waved before she checked her bag in. Kerrie met Charlie and Kayte at the gate for the plane. They still had a half an hour before they could board the plane so they hung around. ‘You’re gonna miss him aren’t you?’ Kayte asked as Kerrie nodded. ‘At least you get to see the family.’ Kayte said smirking. ‘Oh yea, tons of fun.’ Kerrie said rolling her eyes. ‘Mom and I will have another fight and it will end badly.’ ‘She was proud of your concert.’ ‘Right, I bet she’ll take credit for my singing saying she supported me all along.’ Kerrie mumbled. ‘Let’s not keep talking about this.’ Charlie said knowing this wasn’t going to go anywhere. When it was time for the plane to board Kerrie and Kayte seemed to be over their previous discussion.
Ch 27
After the plane landed Kerrie texted Kian to let him know she was there. While they went through customs Kerrie called Danny to pick them up. After getting their bags they went outside to see Danny standing outside of his car. Kerrie ran over and hugged him. ‘How was your flight?’ He asked. ‘It was ok.’ ‘Hi you two.’ Kayte gave a half smile; she still hated the fact that they were never an item. ‘I saw the video you sent. It was amazing; I can’t wait to see your shows here.’ Danny drove Kayte and Charlie back to their apartment and stopped at Kerrie’s parent’s house. Kerrie’s mother was asleep but her father was happy to see her. After spending a little time with him they went back to Danny’s condo. Kerrie opted to take a nap because that afternoon she had a baby shower for one of her friends as well as a baptism the next afternoon. Once Kerrie woke up from her nap she gave Kian a call, they talked for about a half an hour. Danny wanted to Kerrie to come to the hospital to see Jean who was in labor. Much to Kerrie’s surprise Jean agreed to give the baby a paternity test. Kerrie gave one of her friends a call letting them know she may be late in getting to the baby shower. By the time Kerrie walked into the hospital the baby was about to be born. Kerrie joined Danny’s parents as well as Jean’s family in the waiting room. Danny’s mother kept her busy with tons of questions and they made plans to catch up over dinner Monday. An hour later everyone was allowed to see the baby. Kerrie would be the godmother if it was proven Danny was the father. Danny stood with Kerrie outside the nursery and looked at the baby girl. ‘She looks like you.’ Kerrie mumbled. ‘Are you saying what I think your saying?’ He asked smirking. ‘I guess so but I still want it proven. She lost my trust years ago.’ Danny hugged her. ‘She’ll be happy to have a godmother like you.’ He said as the nurse brought out the newborn. Kerrie laughed as Danny nervously held the baby. ‘Look at you Mr. Dad, it suits you.’ She said smiling. ‘Want to hold her?’ He asked. ‘I’d love to. Have you two picked out a name?’ ‘Shantel Doherty.’ He said handing the baby over to Kerrie. ‘Shantel? Oh never mind she’s a cutie so any name will suet her.’ Kerrie said kissing the baby’s forehead. After an hour of hanging around the hospital Kerrie headed to the baby shower and called Jen on the way. ‘I’m a godmother again!’ She said happily. ‘So you accept the baby without a paternity test?’ Jen asked surprised. ‘Shantel looks like Danny.’ ‘It’s a girl?’ ‘Yup, and she is going to have a paternity test.’ Kerrie added. ‘That’s great. I heard you called Kian earlier.’ ‘I did.’ The girls talked for a few more minutes before Kerrie had to go since she arrived at the baby shower. The baby shower lasted a few hours then Kerrie drove to Dani and Matt’s house to visit Jake and Thomas. Kerrie stayed for dinner before heading back to Danny’s condo. The next day was her cousin’s son’s baptism and would stay the night at her parent’s house mainly to watch movies with her father. Danny dropped Kerrie off at her parents in the morning before going to see Shantel who would be going home that night. Kayte faked being sick so she didn’t have to go to the baptism. She wasn’t big on kids as well as their cousin’s wife. Kerrie’s father was working in the morning so it was only Kerrie and her mother. Kerrie had picked out several outfits and books for her new cousin. They arrived at the church before the ceremony and Kerrie spent some time catching up with her cousins before they had to go into the church. ‘This is killing me.’ Kerrie’s cousin, Matt, said laughing an hour into the mass. ‘Me too. I wish we could have left with the kids.’ Kerrie said giggling as her mother shot her a look. A half an hour later they were on their way to her cousin’s house for a small party. Not long after getting through the door Joseph III was in Kerrie’s arms smiling away as Kerrie made funny faces. ‘Look at you, handsome like dad.’ Kerrie said laughing as her cousin made a face. Kerrie’s mother took the baby as Kerrie went to go talk to her uncle and godfather. ‘How yea doing?’ She asked joining him at the kitchen table. ‘Ok, Nancy would have been so happy.’ He said getting teary eyed at the mention of his wife. ‘She would, we all miss her.’ Kerrie said hugging him. Her aunt had passed away from cancer a year and a half before. She fought hard for three years seeing through all of her son’s marriages before finally giving into the disease.
Ch 28
By the time Kerrie and her mother got back to the house her father was home. Kerrie and her father picked out a few movies they wanted to watch and ordered some pizza. After watching three movies Kerrie headed to bed. The following day her father dropped her off at Danny’s condo. Before leaving the hospital the paternity t