Emily sat across from Laura Terence, the well-known local newscaster with the famous blond bob hairdo."Look at that beautiful ring!" the news host exclaimed, admiring the jewels on Emily's finger. "Are you engaged?""Yes," Emily said, "And I'm so happy.""Looks like your career is on fire as well as your love life," said Laura. "Do you have any advice for young people out there who are just starting out?"Emily blushed, feeling the heat of the bright lights and the pressure of being thought of as a role model."I don't feel like someone who should be giving out advice," she said, "We all have our own unique path in life, and what works for me might not work for anyone else. I'm very lucky because I followed my dream, and it came true.""And what can you say about your designs?" Laura asked."They're made for fun-loving and girly girls who want something they can wear every day," Emily said. "I'm wearing one right now." This was a short-sleeved dress with a cute pocket on the fr
"You're just saying that!" Josh yelled. "You're trying to make me jealous.""No, I'm not," Emily said, trying to project a calmness in her voice that she didn't truly feel.There was no one around. Emily had hoped at least the presence of a bystander might make Josh lower his gun for fear of attracting attention, but no people came.She reached for her phone, this time more decisively."Don't do it!" Josh warned.She pulled the phone out of her handbag. "I don't believe you'll shoot me," she said with more confidence than she felt. But she was tired of being the victim. This had to end now. "I'm calling the police.""No!"Emily half expected him to shoot her, but instead Josh pointed the gun at his own temple.She was about to dial the number, but she paused, not wanting to set him off."Josh, don't do that," she said, "You're freaking me out.""What do you care if I live or die?" he shouted.Finally a couple of people showed up in a distant row of the parkade. Emily hoped t
After the encounter, Emily didn't want to leave the house for a few days. Mostly, she didn't even want to leave the bedroom. She could see now why her brother had enjoyed hiding under a blanket so much. It was very warm and cozy, and she could pretend the outside world didn't exist.She didn't know whether Josh would ever stop trying to see her, despite the protection order. Would he haunt her for the rest of her life? It seemed like breaking the law was no longer a problem for him.Another day passed, and Emily was still snuggling with her dog under the blankets. She hadn't even walked the dogs in the last few days, and a walker came by sometimes twice a day to help with them.After his initial outburst, Byron seemed to take a more laid-back approach. Emily almost wondered if he had forgotten about the whole incident because he kept up with his usual schedule, only stopping by her room once in a while to check on her.While Byron was at work, Emily tried to do some of her work fro
Byron must have been born under a lucky star because all his efforts to sabotage his own movie studio seemed to have failed. Chipfairies 2 was getting rave advance reviews. Nearly all the critics agreed that it was an entertaining film for children and adults. Meanwhile, The Vampire from Outer Space, which was going to be Byron's terrible tour de force intended to embarrass Nova Summers, was stalled in development hell. Apparently, the director requested a rewrite, then the writer wasn't happy with the new contract, and many of the actors decided to bail. Emily suspected Nova Summers had something to do with it; perhaps, unlike Chipfairies, The Vampire had no hope of being salvaged.The premiere was only a couple of weeks away, and Emily was slowly emerging from behind the curtain of fear that the incident with Josh had cast over her. No matter how shaky she felt, she resolved to be ready to travel to L.A. for the screening of the film.Dr. Williams looked somewhat like she had exp
Celebrities paraded down the red carpet, barely paying attention to the bright camera flashes and screaming fans all around them. The premiere of Chipfairies 2 was a grand affair, which was a hopeful sign for the film's future.When Emily and Byron emerged from their limo, she hardly expected people to cheer for them, but the crowd went just as wild as it had for the Hollywood actors.A young woman with a microphone closed in on them, followed by a camera man. "Here comes Byron Pomeroy, the executive producer of the film," she said, "Mr. Pomeroy, there are rumors that you took on this project as a joke. Is there any truth to that?"Byron looked right at home on the red carpet. His tall, dashing figure caught the public's eye, and his chiseled face looked perfect from every angle. "No joke," he said, "I made this film because I believed in it. The Chipfairies are all about having faith and believing in magic. And that's what I did. It was the cast and crew who put in the real work on
Emily was fine for the rest of her stay in Los Angeles. She wondered if the panic attack had been just a one-time thing. She couldn't possibly react like that every time she saw someone who looked like Josh.She tried to focus her mind on other things until her next counselling appointment. One distraction was looking at what the media had to say about the premiere of Chipfairies 2. Reviewers still raved about the film, and its opening weekend proved that the film was a hit with audiences too.Emily was conflicted in how she felt about it. Meeting up with Pam for lunch, she couldn't hide her disappointment about how everything turned out."I don't understand what you're upset about," Pam said. "It says here, 'Byron Pomeroy, who has already made a successful comeback from near-bankrupcy this year, had another hidden ace up his sleeve. The Chipfairies movie proves this billionaire hasn't lost his touch after all'. It's all very complimentary.""Sure, even though Byron doesn't deserve
The next day was the premiere of the clown movie, Deadly Drollery. Emily got an unexpected call from Byron at 11 pm. He sounded highly excited, but he aske how she was doing first."I passed my learners' test," she said, "Now we can go riding together!""That's awesome!""So, how was the film?" Emily asked."This movie is a masterpiece," he said. "I just got back from the viewing, and everyone was crazy about it. I thought it might be all right, but it was more like a triumph. You've got to see it!""Well, okay," Emily said. She wasn't very keen on watching another triumph of Nova Summers."You're really going to like it."Hearing Byron's voice reminded her of the connection between them, and her jealousy was instantly laid to rest.They already had a copy of the film, but they had always been afraid to watch it in case it turned out badly. It would have been a disappointment after the success of Chipfairies 2.Now Emily was kind of curious to see it, even if it had Nova Summe
The next day, Carter dropped by the house, and they took on a moderately steep mountain trail not far from where she usually practiced.Emily was a little concerned about Carter going too fast for her, but he kept a steady pace, not trying to show off or get too far ahead. This was her first ride since getting her license, and as usual it took her mind off other, less pleasant matters.They stopped in front of a picnic bench to have some water and take in the view."This is awesome," Carter said, looking over the mountainous landscape, "You're right, I never want to leave here. I might have a job lined up teaching Tae Kwon Do. Maybe I'll teach some skiing in the winter, and I'll be set.""Sounds like a plan," Emily said, "I can see you fitting right in here."She had always thought it was so cool that Carter did martial arts, even though it wasn't the most lucrative source of income. He was an all around sporty guy who valued his freedom, maybe a little too highly since he never s