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Chapter Four

"Brooke, are you and Trevor Tylers really going out?"

I knew that question was going to come up at a VIP session, but I still was caught a little off guard. For a full minute I think I just gave the group standing below me a deer in the headlights look.

"Trevor?" I finally said. "We're just friends."

Okay, so friends was a stretch, but the real story was way too much to get into.

"What's your next single going to be?" another fan asked.

"I haven't decided yet," I said honestly.

After a couple more general questions, I prepared my face for a marathon smile session. Of course, smiling wasn't that hard to do considering Nate was taking the pictures.

"Wow, he's cute," I heard one of the girls still waiting in line tell another girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them looking at Nate. He was oblivious; his gaze never strayed far from the camera lens.

"Totally hot," the other girl agreed.

My smile widened. It looked like my hot guy radar was still working well.

When the last fan was ushered away, I gathered up the gifts I was given. It was amazing how many older women came to my VIP just to give me something for dad. And there were some girls my age that had actually brought things for Noah.

Weird.

"Need help?"

I peered at Nate over the rump of a large brown teddy bear that I already knew I was going to give Landon.

"It's okay. I got it."

I took one step. Then another. I paused.

"Which direction do I need to go?"

I heard a deep, amused laugh. Then I felt warm hands on my shoulder. I was turned gently.

"This way."

We made our way backstage. I dumped the gifts on the table.

"Nice haul BooBoo."

Dad was sitting in a huge chair with his laptop. I smiled.

"There's stuff for you in here."

His eyes lit up like Christmas. "Really?"

He put his laptop aside and hoped up. Someone had done a portrait of him from when he was like a million years younger than he was now. There was a concert photo of dad holding me and Noah on stage (embarrassing!). Finally, there was a small tray of what looked like chocolate fudge. I let out a little cry of protest as dad hit the lever on the trashcan and tossed it.

"Never eat anything a fan makes," dad said.

"Why?"

"Because that stuff is way too easy to tamper with. They can put anything in it."

"Why would anyone want to tamper with food when they just paid a bundle to come VIP?" I asked.

"Some people are just crazy or want to see if it will get publicity."

"Did that ever happen to you, Mr. Carter?" Nate asked. "You seem to know a lot about it.

Dad looked at him. "I'm a well of wisdom," dad said.

I snorted. Dad looked back at me in surprise.

"I'm sorry," I said with a grin. "You are totally wise."

Dad picked up the huge teddy bear and smashed it into my face.

"And so are you," he said. "Wise ass."

He pulled the bear away and kissed my cheek.

"I'm going to Skype mom. Is this for Landon?"

I nodded. Dad tucked it under his arm and headed back to his computer.

Nate watched him go with a grin; he looked back at me.

"So shall we?"

"Shall we what?" I asked.

Nate tapped his equipment bag. "Can you walk me through what you do before a show?"

"Oh!" I said. I felt like I should have a big 'duh' sign right over my head. I smiled.

"Absolutely."

------------------------------------

"So the first thing I do is I eat. There's always a pretty good selection of food," I explained. Nate spanned the buffet table.

"Do you eat the same thing every night?"

"Not really. Except for fruit. I love fruit."

"What's your favorite fruit?"

"Kumquat."

"Kumquat?"

I laughed. "No, my favorite fruit is strawberries."

Nate's eyes sparkled.

"And whipped cream," I added randomly. It had just kind of come out. I looked back down at the buffet table for something else to say. There wasn't a lot you could say about food. Everyone knew what food was and--

"That sounds tasty."

I looked back up. Nate had paused the camera; his voice had changed. It wasn't teasing. It wasn't full of laughter. It was a little deeper and a little slower. It tickled my ears long after the words were said.

"Oh, well, I, er, um...GEE!" I said. I fanned my face. "There's also bananas. They're kind of a boring fruit," I rambled. "But they're versatile. I mean, you can put them on cereal, or ice cream, or..."

"You really think bananas are a boring fruit?"

He came up behind me. We both looked down at the banana.

Somehow that banana suddenly looked sexual.

"Well, that does it for the food table!" I said. I lifted my hands in the air as if to say 'moving on!' but I had forgotten Nate was so close. My knuckles connected with face. I heard a grunt.

I turned around to see him holding his eye.

"Oh shit! Are you okay?"

Nate leaned over. He crouched immobile for a few seconds, staring at the ground. When he looked at me, he was squinting through his right eye.

"You have bony knuckles."

I glanced at my hand. Bony knuckles? Oh no. Did they do fat injections for knuckles? I had never realized...

He started to laugh. I looked over at him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "The look on your face was priceless. What the hell were you just thinking?"

I blushed. I quickly tucked my knuckly hands behind my back. "Nothing. Are you okay?"

He nodded and stood back up. He fiddled with the camera again.

"Let's move on."

-----------------------------------

"So that's basically the ins and outs of any venue's backstage. The layout changes, of couse, but most have all the same things."

I paused at the door of my dressing room.

"This is my dressing room," I explained to the camera. Nate turned the camera from me and turned it onto himself.

"No one's allowed in there but Brooke," he explained with a grin. He flipped it back to me. I smiled.

"Yeah, so, I spend a lot of time in my dressing--"

At that moment Lola stepped out of the room.

"I've got your outfits organized for tonight," she said. I smiled. "Thanks."

I turned back to the camera. "As I was saying, I spend more of my time in my dressing--"

One of my makeup girls poked her head out.

"When will you be ready for makeup?" she asked.

I checked my watch. It was later than I thought.

"Give me ten minutes," I said. She nodded and disappeared back into my room. I turned back to the camera.

"As I ws saying, my dressing room is--"

A plumber walked out of the room.

"You had a little leak, but it's all fixed. Have a good show."

"Thank you," I said. I turned back again. Nate was laughing silently.

"What?" I asked. He paused the camera again.

"You're dressing room is like a freakin' clown car! How in the world can your dad say you're the only one that goes in your dressing room?"

I smiled. "I think that was his way of saying that no one named Nate goes in my dressing room," I teased.

He laughed out loud. I really liked his laugh.

"Is he afraid we'll do it on the couch?" he said mischievously.

All of the oxygen in my body just went woosh right out into the space around me. It took me a moment to remember to inhale.

"Actually, I thought under the stage would be better," I shot back. Nate's eyes widened. I got to hear another laugh.

"You're adorable, do you know that?" he asked.

I almost let out a squeal. I wrapped my hand around the knob leading into my dressing room.

"You know what they say about adorable girls," I said. I don't know why I said it. It was something Kayleigh had told me a long time ago and I still remember being shocked. Why the hell was I pulling it on Nate?

"What do they say?" he asked.

I turned the knob. I backed up as the door opened and began to slid in. I met his eyes.

"You can't spell adorable without 'do-able'," I said.

I closed the door before I saw his face.

"You ready?" my makeup girl asked. She paused. "Why is your face so red?"

I fanned myself again as I walked over to the chair. I plopped down and stared at myself in the mirror. Who was this girl staring back at mee? Where did she come from?

And had I seriously just told Nate I was do-able?