Dark Star (2 page)

Callie grinned at her. “You’re such a good
daughter.”

“Yeah. Now if we can get through this party
without her embarrassing me any more than can be helped.”

“Well good luck with that,” Callie said
looking down at her nails.

* * * * *

Having been polished and pampered to within
an inch of her life Tonya reclined on the sofa of her suite,
relaxing and contemplating a brief nap before the party. A nap was
particularly tempting, as the couch was nearly as comfortable as
her bed back home. As was typical for New York boutique hotels, her
suite was small, but luxurious beyond belief. The flokati rug on
the floor was a textural delight and the distressed leather
covering the sofa made her want to loll about like a well-fed
kitty. The entire room was that way--soft and fluffy contrasting
with rugged and textured with lots of natural wood to add warmth
and comfort. In her mind Tonya had already named it the leather and
lace suite and she loved it.

She picked up her laptop -- which was never
far from her -- from the coffee table and began scrolling through
her emails. After answering routine missives from her agent and
publicist, she started going through messages from her fans. Though
it could be monotonous she made a habit of answering any she
received and prevented a backlog by responding to a few each day.
Most were merely complimentary; others asked specific questions --
either when the next book was coming out or about the plot of a
previous story. Most she could answer off the top of her head.
Others she set aside in a special folder to get to when she had the
time. She frowned at one email; it was the tenth one she’d received
from the same fan that week. There was nothing scary or unsettling
in the messages themselves, but the sheer volume was troubling.
She’d trashed the rest of them, but now she hesitated, her hand
hovering over the delete key; then she decided to place it in the
kook file.

Occasionally she’d receive a note from
someone who obviously had mental or emotional problems. They’d
never developed into anything, but this one, while ostensibly a
gushing fan letter; somehow set off her radar and it seemed prudent
to keep it. After finishing her mail for the day, she placed the
computer back on the coffee table and snuggled down deeper into one
of the countless pillows for a nap. Just as she was dozing off
there was a knock on the door. Before she could get up to open it,
she heard the key in a lock and the door opened to reveal her
mother accompanied by her long-time lover, Reuben. A bellman behind
them had their luggage on a cart.

Tonya stood to embrace her mother and to say
hello to Reuben.

“Why don’t you take the room over there?” she
said with a gesture to her right. She resumed her place on the sofa
and waited while her mother got situated. The bellman left and she
assumed they were freshening up before returning. After twenty
minutes or so they came back out. Reuben went over to the small bar
to pour drinks, while her mother joined her on the sofa.

“So how was the flight up?” Tonya asked.

“Not too bad. You know flying out of Atlanta
is always a little slice of hell,” Anita said with a wave of a
perfectly manicured hand. Not for the first time Tonya wondered how
her mother did it. Despite a demanding career as an RN, she always
managed to look as though she was nothing more than a lady who
lunched. She never failed to flatter her petite frame in the latest
fashion. Today she was wearing an elegant camel colored pantsuit.
No one wore a suit to fly anymore, especially in July. Her
almond-hued skin was nearly wrinkle free and was framed by her
carefully colored golden brown bob.

Reuben brought them each a drink before
sitting down in a facing club chair with one he’d poured for
himself. No matter what she could say about Reuben, and there was
plenty, the man was the best dresser she knew. He too was wearing a
well-tailored suit, though his was a light misty gray, which
flattered his graying hair. Reuben was a small man, shorter than
Tonya’s five nine, and shorter than Anita when she wore heels,
which was all the time. Yet somehow they perfectly complemented one
another. He wasn’t particularly good looking, but he carried
himself in such a way that it took a while to notice that, and most
people were already taken in by his charm long before they realized
he was almost ugly.

Tonya took an appreciative sip of her vodka
tonic. Perfect as always. For a Baptist minister, the man knew his
way around a liquor cabinet.

“I was thinking maybe we could get some
shopping in while we’re here. I love to shop here, and isn’t that
designer you like so much...Isn’t her name Geechee? You know the
one up in Brooklyn,” her mother said.

Reuben sighed. “Somehow I knew this trip
would end up costing me a mint.”

Her mother rolled her eyes at him. “Typical
male. Always want a woman to look good, but don’t want to pay for
it.” She looked at Tonya. “What time do you want to leave
tomorrow?”

“Yes, Geechee’s still in Brooklyn, but I
won’t be able to go up there. You know this is a working trip for
me. I’ve got meetings with my agent, editor and publicist and then
I’m off on the book tour. Of course, y’all can stay in the suite as
long as you like. Go out and do the tourist stuff...”

“You mean to tell me that other than this
party tonight, I won’t see you the whole time I’m here?”

“I’m sorry. I thought you understood.”

“How would I understand that my only child
doesn’t have time for me? You spend all your time closed up in your
attic writing and then when you finish one of those books you’re
gone again. ”

Tonya gritted her teeth. Her mother insisted
on talking about her as though she were a character in a Dickens
novel. It was more than a bit annoying, but it was part of their
ritual and normally she just rolled with it. Knowing she was being
manipulated she soldiered on. “I know it’s hard Mama, but I spend
as much time with you as I can.”

“You’re going to regret this when I’m gone,”
Anita said, sounding like a Tennessee Williams heroine.

Tonya blinked, surprised that her mother had
played her ‘I’m gonna die just to spite you,’ card so soon. She was
really off her game. She usually saved that one for serious
matters, like manipulating Tonya into participating in family
reunions and church functions. Well, if she was that
determined...“Tell you what, Mama. I might be able to cut my
meeting with my editor short. It’ll only be for an hour or two, but
we can head up to Geechee.” Might as well get something she wanted
out of it.

Her mother beamed at her. “It’s so nice to
have such an understanding daughter.”

Tonya just smiled back, acknowledging that
her mother had won this round.

* * * * *

Tonya looked out at the glittering scene
before her, surprised, but delighted that so many people had chosen
to come to her party. The array of celebrity guests was amazing --
big names in rock and hip hop; television and movie stars, and a
fairly impressive list of who’s who in the publishing industry. It
was easy enough to discern the A-listers; they were dressed the
most casual. Nobody wanted to look as though they’d tried too hard.
Even so, there were enough designer duds present to keep her in
mortgage payments for years to come. The book people came out
because they had to, and the celebrities came because she had a
genuine rock legend present. And anywhere bona fide stars went, the
paparazzi followed. It helped that most of the people present would
gladly relinquish a vital organ for a magazine cover.

Though her publicist was good, Tonya knew she
owed this party’s success to Callie. In the two years since she’d
married the rocker Bryan Spencer, Callie had become a mover and
shaker in celebrity circles. Tonight the art gallery had been
converted for the release party. The stark white walls which were
designed to display some of the priciest art in the city was the
perfect backdrop for the sparkling array of stars and media that
almost guaranteed her book’s success.

Tonya smoothed the lines of her slip of a
cocktail dress before accepting a glass of champagne from a passing
waiter. She had originally planned to wear the standard little
black dress she kept on stand-by for these occasions, but her
mother and Callie had other ideas. The nude lace sheath dress she
wore was classy and sophisticated; it complemented her subtly
curved figure perfectly. The price still made her a bit
light-headed, but maybe she could write that off on her taxes. She
made a mental note to call her accountant tomorrow to inquire as to
the possibility. Suddenly aware that her publicist was trying to
get her attention, Tonya began walking in her direction.

She’d made it to within a few dozen feet of
where Cecilia was standing when suddenly the hair rose on the back
of her neck and she sensed she was being watched. A silly sensation
really. It was her party. Of course she was being watched. She
couldn’t shake the eerie feeling though, and as she continued
across the room she looked about to see if she could detect who was
paying her undue interest. Not seeing anyone, she continued on her
way until just on the edge of her peripheral vision she spotted a
ghost. Not an actual ghost, of course, but someone who might as
well be one. Tonya turned and began frantically scanning the crowd,
scurrying from place to place, but she didn’t see that familiar
dark head again.

She came back to herself as she realized that
people were giving her strange looks. That wasn’t surprising; she
was darting from one side of the room to another looking at
absolutely nothing. She had turned to make her way over to Cecilia
when Callie came up behind her. “I know you don’t like crowds, but
it’s really rude to run out on your own party. You might want to
act as though you have some home training. This little shindig cost
a mint. No way are you leaving out before it even begins.”

“Of course not. I just thought I saw someone
I knew,” Tonya said, not really listening to her friend as she
continued looking around the room. She had to be crazy. What the
hell would Nate Randolph be doing here? He’d all but chewed off a
limb to escape her twelve years ago, no reason for him to show up
now. Still, she continued to look around.

Callie gave her a quizzical look. “I hope
this place is full of people you know. Come on. I think I’ve talked
Bryan into playing an acoustic set. Everybody will be talking about
it tomorrow if he does it. Most of his songs would make a perfect
soundtrack for murder and mayhem.”

“Are you about to go into PR?” Tonya asked
her all-about-business friend after finally deciding that the man
she’d seen had simply been a figment of her imagination.

Callie patted her enormous belly. Tonight she
was wearing a low-cut jersey silk wrap dress that showed off her
pregnancy enhanced bosom to its best advantage. “It pays to have a
fall back position. Especially since Bryan apparently wants his own
personal tribe.”

To everyone’s delight, Bryan not only agreed
to play an acoustic set he played for much of the rest of the
evening. The paparazzi went absolutely insane and Tonya’s publicist
was almost giddy from the publicity...or maybe it was the
champagne. The celebrity presence was in full-force. Even after
several years of socializing with Bryan and Callie and their famous
friends, it was still surreal for her as a small-town author to
suddenly be rubbing elbows with so many A-listers. Callie worked
the room like the pro she was, dragging Tonya along like a
recalcitrant lap dog. With the lovely music and liberal amounts of
champagne, Tonya gradually loosened up and began to enjoy
herself.

“What’s Thad doing here?” she asked Callie,
nodding her head toward where StormCrow’s lead guitarist stood near
the door looking as though he were searching for someone.

Callie glanced over her shoulder, then turned
back to Tonya with a smile. “Where else would he be with you in
town? You know he’s got a mad crush on you.”

“Oh for God’s sake, Callie, he does not.”

“Every time you come to town he practically
moves in. Last time he came over to bring Bryan a CD.” Callie
rolled her eyes. “I can’t tell you the last time anyone in our
house played one. Bryan doesn’t even have a player anymore.”

Tonya laughed. “Okay, that was funny, but it
doesn’t mean he has a crush on me. I’m ten years older than him,
and way too evil. He needs a sweet little Sunday school girl.”

“I would say he doesn’t want a Sunday school
girl.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s after you, isn’t he?” her friend said
with a wink before she began the countdown as Thad spied them.
Tonya had to laugh at Callie’s antics. Thad was too young and too
sweet for her and she suspected he knew it. She was always careful
of his feelings and never gave him any encouragement. They both
studied the lanky young man as he ambled over to where she and
Callie stood. Three years of being with StormCrow had been good to
Thad. He’d gained a little weight and his personality had loosened
up -- a little. He even had something of a fashion following for
his “geek chic” look that had been created by the band’s stylist.
Thad was fairly nondescript except for one thing, his sparkling
hazel green eyes. Even though he looked as though sugar wouldn’t
melt in his mouth, Tonya was convinced that if he knew how to use
them properly he could probably talk a woman into pretty much
anything with just one pleading look.

“Hi, Thad,” Callie said, giving the young man
a hug. “You’re looking good. So glad you could make it.”

“You knew I wouldn’t miss it,” he said to
Callie, but his eyes never left Tonya’s face.

Tonya extended a hand and he used it to pull
her into his embrace. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, and thank you for coming.”