Marie flipped her phone shut and tossed it onto the passenger seat. That was definitely not something she had expected him to drop on her. Never once in their conversations had he suggested her coming out there to live, and frankly the thought never crossed her mind. She�d love to move out there but there were so many deciding factors and it seemed as if they were all stacked against her.
She�d lived in New York all her life. Hell, she still lived in the house she grew up in. Sure, she had thought about moving somewhere else to experience new ways of life and different atmospheres but they were only fleeting thoughts. She never let herself think about them too often because she couldn�t leave her father, she was all he had and she couldn�t abandon him.
Living with Lance would be completely different from what she was used to. For one, she�d never had any roommates, and Lance was a celebrity. He wasn�t normal, despite his arguments, and life with him would certainly be a difficult thing to get used to. Rumors would fly and she wasn�t entirely sure she wanted any of the spotlight attention that came with being associated with Lance.
If that wasn�t enough the financial problems were. She�d need a job since she certainly wasn�t going to ask her father for the money. He was already paying for what the scholarships couldn�t cover. She was almost certain Lance wasn�t going to let her stay for free, and even if he was she just wouldn�t feel right about that. She always earned her keep, no matter what the situation.
In the back of her mind a lingering fear, more like a worry, had set in. Lance was different when he was around �the important people�. He was more of the Hollywood party boy who wined and dined rather than the snarky and flirty guy she had grown so accustomed to. To be perfectly blunt about it, he was one person around her and a completely different one around all the famous people, and that definitely irked her.
How am I even supposed to get there anyways, she thought grimly. She switched on her signal and turned onto her street. I don�t like driving as it is and I�ll have to drive cross-country cause I�m sure as hell not leaving my car here.
~*~
Marie pulled into the driveway and waited for the garage door to raise up high enough before pulling in. She turned off the car, grabbed her things, and hastily made her way into the house, pushing the garage door button on the way. She threw her keys and purse onto the kitchen counter and made her way up to her room.
She flopped onto her bed and opened one of the library books. After reading the first line ten times she flipped the book closed and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling.
Mr. Andrews walked down the hallway and stopped in front of his daughter�s doorway. He knocked on the frame and stuck his head in. �Honey, are you ok?�
Marie rolled until she was on her side and propped her head on her hand. �Yeah, just thinking about some stuff.�
He walked into the room and sat down in the white, whicker rocking chair near her bed. �Wanna talk about it?�
�Lance called when I was on my way to the library,� she started.
He smiled widely. �He�s such a nice guy, how is he?�
�He�s doing ok, but he asked me something?�
Mr. Andrews sat forward in his chair in anticipation. Over the past few months, Marie talked nonstop about Lance and their weekly conversations. If his suspicions were correct then his daughter was positively smitten with that young man. �Oh really, anything interesting?�
�Well, you know how he�s supposed to have roommates and they were all going to be his friends from Mississippi?� Jack nodded and she continued, �Well, one of them backed out and he needs someone to fill that empty room. His groupmate, JC, suggested me.�
�Didn�t you get accepted to a few colleges that were near him?�
�Well, yeah, but that�s not the point.�
He grinned and asked, �What is the point?�
Marie sat up and began ticking off reasons on her fingers. �I need a job, a way to get there, Lance is a celebrity, and I don�t want to leave you.�
�Ok, but do you want to go, that�s what I�d like to know?� Marie got silent and he prodded, �C�mon, sweetie, don�t think about all those reasons and just tell me the answer that pops into your mind. Would you like to go live out there?�
She ducked her head and whispered, �Yes.�
He pushed himself up out of his chair and sat down next to her on the bed. She laid her head in his lap and stared up at him. �All those other excuses are obsolete, baby. They�re easily fixable.�
�Daddy, I�ve never had a real job, who�d ever want to hire me?�
�You�re young and a hard worker. Not to mention you�ve done a lot of volunteer work. You�d find one.�
�What about getting out there. I can�t leave my car here since I�d need one out there.�
�Well, we�ll just pack up your stuff in your car and I�d drive out there with you. Once you got settled I�d hop a flight back here.�
�But, daddy, I don�t want you to go out of your way to do things for me.�
�I�m your father, honey, I�m gonna do things for you whether you want me to or not.�
Marie pursed her lips. �What about the fact that Lance is a celebrity?� she argued.
�That never bothered you before, what makes now any difference?� he asked, raising his eyebrows up questioningly. Marie sat up and began playing with the hem of her shirt. �Come on, sweetie, you can tell me.�
Marie bit her lip before looking up. �I�I think I�m a bit scared that I�m going to move out there and Lance is going to become ashamed of me.� Before her father could intervene she continued on, �I mean, now I�m just a friend he talks to through the internet, on the phone, and through letters. When I get out there, everyone�s going to see who he�s been talking to and they aren�t going to like it cause I�m not like them.�
�So what,� he answered. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. �As long as Lance doesn�t change then why do you care what they all think?�
�Yeah, you�re right,� she conceded. �But what about you? I don�t want to leave you.�
He chuckled softly. �Sweetie, I�m a grown man, I can take care of myself. You�re young and shouldn�t have to stay with me your whole life. You should get out and live it.�
�Yeah,� she said softly, �But I feel bad. Who�s going to cook and clean and help you in the store?�
�Hey! I can cook!� Marie rolled her eyes and looked at him. �Well, ok, I can burn stuff but I can learn. And don�t you worry about the cleaning, I knew how to clean before I married your mother.�
�But, what about the store? Who�s going to help you?�
�Sam, the young man down the street, has been hinting at wanting to work in the store so I�ll just give him a little call. He can help me run the register and I can teach him how to do some simple carpentry.� He smiled at her. �See, problems solved.�
�I�ll have to think about it,� she mumbled.
�That�s fine, sweetie. Just don�t let all those worries keep you from doing what you�ve wanted all these years.� Marie�s head snapped up and she looked at him in disbelief. �I may be old but I know when my daughter wants something.�
Mr. Andrews hugged his daughter one last time before getting up and exiting. Marie sat there for a few moments before flopping back down onto the bed. Do I want to go or not, she thought to herself. She took a peek at the small postcard of the Hollywood letters before letting a small smile break across her face.
~*~
The loud music that pounded throughout the party echoed in Lance�s ear. His brain swam and he grinned drunkenly. He took a sip from the glass in his hand before dancing closer to the nameless girl in front of him.
The girl turned around and ran her hands up Lance�s chest till they rested on his shoulders. She pulled his head down till her lips were level with his ear and whispered seductively, �How about we go back to my place?�
Lance felt his eyes drift closed as her tongue snaked out and licked against the back of his ear. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, swiveling his hips and grinding his half hard erection into her thigh. She raked her nails down the back of his neck lightly and began places tiny kisses along the stubble that adorned his jawline. He moaned softly and turned his head to capture her lips in a rough kiss.
The kiss lasted for a moment before Lance pushed her away abruptly, thoughts of Marie popping into his mind, and panted out, �I�m sorry. I�I can�t do this.�
The girl let out a huff of breath in anger and slapped him across the face before stalking off. Lance stared after her for a moment before downing the rest of his drink in one gulp, the sting in his face mixing with the burn scorching down his throat. He rubbed his eyes wearily as snippets of the conversation he and Marie had three months before flashed in front of his eyes. Half of him wished he had just went with the girl while the other part of him wished she were Marie, even if it meant having her punch him again. He stumbled through the crowd in a drunken stupor before bumping into House who took one look at him and decided that it was time to go home.