Fifteen Minutes

chapter 14

Monday’s premiere of Fifteen Minutes, season ten, took forever to arrive.

Finally, Reese was headed over to Zack’s house to watch the show, to gain a window on his world, the new life he was living. Her nerves had been on edge all day. Halfway to Zack’s house, her phone rang. She pulled over and looked at the starry Kentucky sky. No clouds tonight. Reese took the call. “Hello?”

“Reese. It’s Maggie Coltrain from London. Do you have a minute?”

“Absolutely. Sure.” Reese did the math. It had to be early in London. Before sunup.

“Very well, let me explain where we’re at in the process of hiring.” Maggie had talked to her a few times already, though Reese had been careful not to commit. The London woman had explained that Reese was her first choice, but she had a few other equine therapists she was looking at. Now, though, she sounded almost desperate. “Our committee checked out the other options. None of them matches your experience, Reese. You said you needed time, but we’d like to offer you a one-year position starting in a month. The sooner you can get here for training, the better. We really hope you’ll say yes.”

Reese’s head began to spin. She gripped the steering wheel while Maggie explained that there was a small house on the horse farm where Reese could live, and all her expenses would be covered. On top of that they would pay her twice what she made now.

“We have so many kids who need help.” Maggie hesitated. “You’re our first choice. Consider our offer and get back to us, okay?”

“Thank you.” Reese was breathless. “I’m honored, Ms. Coltrain. Really.”

“Why don’t you take the next few days? Get back to us on Monday. How would that be?”

Monday. Reese squeezed her eyes shut. Five days from now. Five days to decide if she should leave Kentucky for a year and whether this would be what she and Zack needed or the final act that could separate them forever. “Yes, ma’am. Monday would be fine.”

“Very well.” A smile filled the woman’s voice. “I have a feeling you’ll say yes. You’re exactly what we need over here.”

The call ended and Reese realized her hands were shaking. She needed to talk to Zack, needed to hear his voice and know his heart. He was still sailing through with Fifteen Minutes. His group had survived last weekend’s eliminations. They would have another round of group performances this weekend, where some contestants would move on and others would be kept. Groups would be broken up and pared down to ten guys, ten girls. By Monday Reese would know whether Zack had made that cut or not.

Even if he did, would he want her gone for a year? Before he drove off for Atlanta, he had told her he couldn’t stand the thought of her leaving. Now though so much had changed. He was constantly tweeting about the show and the sponsors and what God was doing in his life. When it came to her, he barely had time to text. Could there be a better year to spend in Europe?

Suddenly the thrill of being in a foreign country, training instructors, making a lasting difference for kids without hope, even the doubled salary—all of it was too much to ignore. If God didn’t want her to take the position, then why did Maggie Coltrain call? Maybe this was His way of getting her out of Kentucky, out of the path of Zack Dylan. For now, anyway.

She pulled her car back onto the road and a few minutes later she was in the Dylans’ living room with the rest of the family. Duke took the spot next to AJ and across the room Zack’s parents sat together. Grandpa Dan hunkered down in his favorite recliner and Reese slipped in beside AJ.

“I’m nervous.” Dara Dylan slid closer to her husband.

He put his arm around her shoulders. “He’ll do great. We already know that.”

Even though Atlanta was the last big-city audition, the producers of Fifteen Minutes had chosen to air it first. Zack had explained the situation to Reese during one of their rare phone calls. “They pick the audition with the best stories, the most drama. Anything to hook the audience.”

“How many cities will they cover today?” Duke looked around the room. He seemed nervous, too, wringing his hands as he sat at the edge of the sofa.

“Two today and two tomorrow.” Reese had studied the format. “Then four more next week. After that they’ll start showing the group auditions.”

“Then what?” Zack’s dad shrugged. “None of us are really sure.”

Reese did her best to explain. Fifteen Minutes would air one episode a week starting with week three. After six weeks, they would be down to twenty contestants and the shows would air live, two a week, one show for the competition and another for the elimination of two singers.

If Zack survived the cuts, he would get busier and more in demand with each passing week. Reese kept that part to herself. The show was about to start and all eyes were on the television.

The music began, the production slick and professional. Reese folded her hands and tried to relax. No need to be nervous. They all knew how this was going to play out. Zack would sing and he would make it. No surprises in this episode. But this was the premiere, so all of America was going to see Zack Dylan for the first time. They were going to see the amazing man he was. The guy Reese had fallen in love with.

Ten minutes into the show Kip Barker’s voice-over began talking about Zack Dylan. “Every year a number of heartthrobs find their place in line with the masses.” A camera zoomed in on Zack, standing with what looked like a group of high school cheerleaders. “But it’s not every year that a heartthrob can actually sing.” The camera cut to Zack partway through a beautiful solo, which he was clearly singing to the group of girls while they fawned over him.

What was this? Reese felt her heart skip a beat and the room started to tilt. The others were glancing at her, checking her reaction. Everyone in the room seemed uncomfortable. Why hadn’t Zack told her about this? She settled back against the sofa and tried to slow her racing pulse.

Kip was still talking. “Girls were crazy about Zack Dylan from the moment he stepped foot in line at Atlanta.” While his voice-over provided commentary, a pretty blonde stood closest to Zack, barely containing herself. As Zack finished the song, the girl threw her arms around his neck. A quick cut and Zack was walking into the audition room.

“Well, hello, hunky young thing.” Kelly Morgan whispered the words to Chandra Olson but the camera caught every syllable.

Cullen Caldwell heard the exchange and chuckled. “Try to control yourself,” he whispered to her.

Kelly gave him a light punch in the arm. “I am trying.”

“Really?” Cullen laughed again. “What I put up with.”

Down the sofa from Reese, Duke broke the awkward tension in the room. “Wow.” He looked at Reese and then at the others. “People are crazy.”

“Definitely.” Zack’s dad cleared his throat. He leaned his forearms on his knees and studied the screen. “I didn’t expect this.”

“Inappropriate.” That was all Grandpa Dan said.

Reese stayed quiet. She felt a strange pit in the center of her stomach. Not once as she looked forward to the season opener had she imagined this. Zack was this season’s heartthrob? And even Kelly Morgan seemed to be falling for him? Reese clenched her fingers and kept watching.

Chandra Olson looked stunning, the picture of professionalism. She was the one who took control of the moment. She asked Zack’s name and then Kelly asked where he was from.

Cullen elbowed Kelly. “Nowhere near New York.” He patted her shoulder. “Settle down and give the bloke a listen.”

“Why can’t they let him sing?” Grandpa Dan rarely sounded angry, but this was one of those moments.

Again Chandra stopped the insanity. She asked Zack to talk about himself. He mentioned that he was a worship leader at church and he told the story of the horse farm. The Kentucky Derby winner came to light and the judges all seemed impressed. Reese sensed a collective sigh of relief in the Dylan’s living room.

Cullen mentioned that Zack looked a little like a young Elvis Presley and Kelly couldn’t seem to resist adding that Zack was even better-looking. Finally Zack was able to sing. Reese knew the song. He had practiced it for her the week before he drove to Atlanta. Tyrone Wells’s “Dream Like New York” came off better than Zack had ever sung it.

All three judges clapped for him and Kelly Morgan was on her feet. “Did you hear that boy?” She danced around and pointed at the camera. “Listen up, America! You just met Zack Dylan! You can say you saw him here first!”

Reese struggled to stay in her seat. Something inside her wanted to run, wanted to chase down yesterday and find herself back on the front porch of her house before sunrise the morning he left for Atlanta. Before he belonged to Fifteen Minutes.

Zack made it through to New York, as they knew he would. His mom and sister clapped when the judges announced their decision. Kelly jumped up from the judges’ table and ran around to the other side to hug Zack before he left. She said something about being the first to get a hug from Zack Dylan. All of it began to blur in Reese’s mind. She’d never pictured the guy she loved being elevated to heartthrob status right before her eyes.

After the hug, Zack left the room and the judges commented once more about how handsome he was, how well he could sing. How he was going to take America by storm and how music needed a face like Zack’s. A quick camera cut showed Zack rushing through the doors to the lobby where Kip Barker waited. Zack clutched the red ticket to New York, both hands raised over his head as he whooped and hollered.

Then before Kip could speak, Zack dropped to the floor in the Tebow pose—one knee to the floor, elbow anchored on the other, head in his hands.

Reese felt sick to her stomach. What was happening? Zack would never do this.

“I’m confused.” Dara stood and paced a few steps toward the TV. “Why’s he doing that?”

“No idea.” Zack’s dad looked concerned, his eyes on the images playing out on the screen.

“This is ridiculous. Completely staged.” Grandpa Dan waved his hand at the television in disgust.

AJ and Duke squirmed on the sofa. “That isn’t Zack,” Duke whispered.

Reese said nothing, waiting, watching as Kip joked about Zack being the first contestant to Tebow. Zack popped up and grinned, and the music changed to Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story.” At the same time the shot cut to Zack entering the room of contestants and holding up his red ticket. Everyone shouted and screamed and ran toward him. “And so the heartthrob who looks like Elvis and sings like a dream is through,” Kip’s voice-over confirmed. “Of course . . . some people were more excited than others.”

While Taylor Swift sang on, the shot switched one more time. This time Zack was in the hallway as the blond cheerleader spotted him and his red ticket. Her face lit up and they slowed the footage as she ran to Zack and threw her arms around his neck. “Who knows?” Kip’s voice continued. “We might have our own Fifteen Minutes love story this season. We’ll keep you posted.”

The show cut to a commercial, and Zack’s father muted the sound. His sigh filled the room. “Reese . . . I’m sorry. None of us knew what was coming.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled even as tears gathered in her eyes. “He probably didn’t know they were going to play it like that.” She was trying, but her voice sounded shaky. She wanted to run in the worst way. “It’s all for the ratings. That’s what Zack told me.”

Everyone was quiet except AJ. “He had to know about the Tebow thing.” She looked at Reese. “Did he tell you?”

Her question was valid. He would’ve known about that and about singing to the cheerleaders in line and about Kelly Morgan hugging him. Certainly he would’ve known that they’d show the hug between him and the blonde. So why hadn’t he said anything? Why hadn’t he warned her?

“I’d like to know why he didn’t give credit to God.” Grandpa Dan took his baseball cap from his head and slapped it on his knee. “I thought that was the whole point.”

“He may have.” Zack’s father sounded tired, not exactly anxious to defend Zack but not sure they should gang up against him either. “They’ll use what they want to use.”

Reese’s phone was in the pocket of her jean shorts. She felt it vibrate and in a hurry she pulled it out. “It’s Zack.” She held up her finger and the room fell silent. “Hello?”

It sounded like a party in the background, but after a second or two she heard his voice. “Reese? I can barely hear you.”

“Hi.” Her heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear her own voice let alone his.

“I have to explain.” He was shouting and still the background noise made it almost impossible to understand him. “They . . . everything . . . God.”

“What?”

“You’re breaking up.” She pressed her finger into her free ear, desperate to hear what he was saying, how he felt about the episode.

“. . . sorry. I’ll . . . back in a few hours.”

“You’ll call me back?”

The phone went dead.

Everyone was looking at her. “He . . . It was loud wherever he was. They must’ve had a party for the debut.”

“What did he say?” Zack’s mother sat back down, her eyes concerned.

“Something about explaining things. He mentioned God and the girl. But it was too loud. I couldn’t really understand him.”

The commercial break ended. The blond cheerleader was up next. A montage of footage showed her with Zack in line and then sitting together in the stadium before their tent audition. “Eighteen-year-old cheerleader Zoey Davis came to Atlanta looking for a shot at Fifteen Minutes,” Kip’s voice explained. “She didn’t expect to find the perfect guy.”

More footage of Zack and Zoey talking, laughing, making their way into the tent audition, hugging as their names were called and they were sent through. The shot cut to an interview with Zoey. “Zack’s amazing. I don’t think I would’ve gotten this far without him. He doesn’t know how good he is.”

“Now,” Kip continued, “the question remains. How good is Zoey Davis?”

The camera cut to Zoey walking into the room with the judges. This time it was Cullen’s turn to act goofy over the looks of a contestant. “You’re a pretty little Sheila, aren’t you?” He grinned at Zoey. “And I hear you and young Elvis have a thing going on, is that right?” Cullen raised his eyebrows at her, grinning. “Or do I still have a chance?”

Zoey giggled. “I’m single.”

Kelly rolled her eyes and quickly brought matters back to the audition. After a few seconds, the girl sang “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The song was beautiful, her voice like that of any top pop singer. She made it through and again there was a commercial break.

“It’s okay.” Reese blinked back tears. This wasn’t the place to break down. Besides, she hated how everyone in the room was looking at her, feeling sorry for her. Even if they didn’t say so, their expressions did. She stood and hugged Grandpa Dan. “Zack will explain everything. As soon as he has a good signal.”

But she was struggling with the truth. He was at a party and by the sounds in the background, he was having a great time. The connection was bad, but he was in Manhattan, right? Couldn’t he move somewhere across a hallway or into another room? Couldn’t he step outside if it meant talking to her?

Grandpa Dan excused himself, but Reese and the others watched the rest of the episode. The whole time Reese held her phone, watching for his call, waiting for it. When the show was nearly over a thought occurred to her. She called up Twitter and found Zack’s profile. What she saw made her quietly gasp out loud.

“What is it?” Dara was in tune with Reese. “Is it Zack?”

“He has a new Twitter account. He told me about it yesterday.” Reese stared at the screen, shocked. “He already has over a hundred thousand followers.”

His dad looked confused. “Is that a lot?”

“Yes.” Dara kept her eyes on Reese, the two of them more aware than the others. “He had just a couple hundred before the show aired.”

And like that Reese felt the earth shift, felt her reality changing. She tapped the screen a few times and checked the things people were saying to him. After a minute she changed the screen back to Zack’s profile. The girls were relentless, offering themselves in every possible way. Totally shameless. She checked his recent tweets. His latest tweet read, How bout season 10 #FifteenMinutes? Best season ever, right? The beautiful @songleader just killed it! Follow us! The ride’s just begun.

“Beautiful”? “The ride’s just begun”? That didn’t sound like Zack. The tweet sent Reese over the edge. She clicked out of Twitter, stood and grabbed a deep breath. “I have to go. The stalls at home need cleaning.”

“Want help?” Duke was on his feet. “I’m finished here.”

“That’s okay.” She smiled at the boy. He was growing up, so much like Zack. No, that was wrong. So much like Zack a month ago. The way he’d been before he auditioned.

Dara came to Reese and hugged her. “We’ll figure everything out. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“Yes.” She smiled again. Anything to keep the tears at bay. “I’ll call you if I hear from him.”

“I’ll do the same. He may only have a few minutes to talk.”

Her smile felt sad. “Usually.”

Reese hugged AJ and the rest of the family and thanked them for having her over. She was halfway to the car when it occurred to her that the show had been over for ten minutes and Zack hadn’t called. By the time she was behind the wheel and heading down the driveway, she realized that she wasn’t thinking so much about his phone call as the one she’d gotten earlier that day.

The one inviting her to London for a year.