Amanda’s family made it back to Twin Rocks each of the next five years and she and Josh became friends, keeping in touch between camp visits. But they didn’t fall in love until that last summer, months before camp. Amanda had auditioned for a summer theater troupe in Seattle and won a leading role. She stayed with her aunt and uncle and on the first day of rehearsals, Josh was waiting for her at the door. The summer was magical, the two of them working hours a day on Beauty and the Beast. Camp took place the week after the show closed.
Josh found her after the camp meeting the final evening of the session.
He grinned at her. “Come on, Amanda.” He grabbed a paper sack and took her hand. By flashlight they ran through the wooded paths toward the covered footbridge. They didn’t stop until they were forty feet above the highway. Josh pulled a small boom box from the bag and searched her eyes. “If we lived closer, I’d take you to my prom.” He swallowed hard. “Since that can’t happen, I wondered if...”
He bent down and hit the Play button. Then he found her eyes again. “I wondered if you would dance with me now.” He spread his hands out. “Here.”
Amanda tipped her head back and laughed. Then she did a curtsy and gave him a smile that left no doubts. “Of course.”
When the five songs were over, Josh drew her close and kissed her. The memory still took her breath away. How could she have known it would be their last time together? Or that he would catch a break in Hollywood and disappear from her life? That night, before they went back to camp, he said something she remembered still.
“If something happens and we don’t see each other again, let’s make a plan to meet. Ten years from now.” He thought for a moment. “First Saturday in October, 2005. Twelve noon.”
It had sounded like forever away. “Where?” Amanda’s heart beat hard against her chest, the feel of his kiss still on her lips.
“Here.” He slapped the wooden bridge. “Right here.”
Amanda closed her eyes. She didn’t need a calendar to tell her the obvious. The first Saturday in October, 2005, wasn’t forever away at all.
In fact it would be here in sixteen days.
The private club was packed, the music louder than usual.
Josh Nelson didn’t mind. Anything to keep him from thinking too hard. He moved to the rhythm of the song. Smile big, he reminded himself. Someone’s always watching, always taking pictures. Smile big. He was in a cluster of friends, all of them part of Hollywood’s A-list. Dayne Matthews and Kelly Parker and Jennifer. Always Jennifer. He grinned at her, at her long bleached blonde hair and narrow waist.
Every guy in America wanted Jennifer, didn’t they? So . . . Josh closed his eyes and kept moving. What was wrong with him? These should’ve been the best days of his life. He blinked open and after a few more seconds the song ended. Jennifer took his hand and brought her lips to his neck. “Hey . . .” She spoke loud enough for only him to hear. “Let’s find a private booth.”
“Uh . . .” A private booth? The paparazzi would get the shot and the gossip rags would have them married by the weekend. Josh looked around and his eyes met Dayne’s. Another song kicked in. “Maybe later.” He had to yell to be heard. “Let’s dance for now.”
He and Dayne were friends, closer now after shooting their last movie together. At the moment, Dayne was the top draw in the movie industry. Josh wanted to learn all he could from the guy, and what he’d picked up so far was this – Dayne had doubts about the Hollywood lifestyle.
Josh squeezed Jennifer’s hand and they kept dancing. At a table not far away he saw a couple making out – the two of them were married to different people a month ago, but that wasn’t even interesting in Tinseltown. His eyes lingered on them, and then on a group of four girls a few tables down. Each starred in current movies or television shows and all were under the gun for their weight. Two of them were recently featured in a magazine under the headline, “Shocking Weight Loss . . . How Much Can They Take?” And two of them for “Packing on the Pounds.”
Of course, he and Jennifer were cover fodder, too. The magazines actually had it right this time. He was considering marrying her – but only because it was what she wanted. He was 27 now, old enough to settle down. His parents wanted a traditional wedding for him, but Jennifer?
She’d been married twice before. Her idea was to fly to Vegas, find an all-night chapel, and tie the knot without parents or paparazzi getting wind of the ordeal. Josh was tempted. Everything about Jennifer was tempting. He grinned at her now, gave her the appropriate smile to show he was attracted to her, that he liked dancing with her.
But no matter how loud the music or how long he danced, Josh couldn’t get past the face that filled his mind every quiet hour of the night. Or this very simple reality.
It was 2005. And the first Saturday in October was right around the corner.
