HONEY: BOOK II Josie Who also Has A Last Name

Chapter I : The Beacon Theater Six Years Later

At most, two hours after the last curtain call a theater sits in darkness save for the kiosk lights that advertise the upcoming events and the marquee. But on this night the Beacon Theater did not. There was no show but an event that brought a woman to the family of the man she loved but never had the opportunity to share her life with.

You could hear the laughter coming from behind the locked doors.

".....and then Dad said 'yeah, but what if the spider came out and bit me on my ass!' it was so funny. Dad never missed an opportunity to make us laugh." Eddie Stevens the middle child of Robert Stevens was telling a story. All three of his children were telling stories and remembering him with Honey Masters, her real name was Lily Masters but Honey was the name that Robert Stevens had first known her by so she had begun to adapt it in her regular life not just her online persona, the last woman their dad loved, the woman he was trying to make his way to when he was killed in a freak car accident.

"And then there was the time Paul DiOrio came to pick me up at the house for the first time for a date. Dad hadn't met him yet so he invited Paul in to sit in the living room while he waited for me to finish getting ready. So Dad talked to him for several minutes and then Paul said that Dad said ' have you ever been to prison? I have and I don't mind going back again. So you bring my little girl home safe and sound you got that?' Sara Stevens laughed until she almost cried. "I was like 'oh my god! I can't believe you did that Dad!!" She laughed some more.

Honey's smile was from ear to ear. "Oh gosh these stories are amazing. Your Dad truly was a good man and it sounds like a wonderful father. Thank you all for sharing these stories with me. But I think it is time to go. It is almost one in the morning. Where is everyone staying tonight?"

"We are staying in Dad's apartment on Park Avenue. The publishing company had the lease paid up until next June so they said we could continue to use it until the lease expires. But tomorrow morning we are going to his house in Providence. It is the house we all grew up in. Would you like to come?" Adam, the oldest spoke to Honey as if they were old friends yet they hadn't met before this evening.

As they all gathered their things and Tim Siebert, Honey's manager assured her that all the leftover books and other paraphernalia would be sent out first thing in the morning back to their offices at the publishing companies' headquarters. After their conversation they joined Adam, Eddie and Sara at the front door. As the security let them out he thanked them for allowing him to listen in on the stories they told about Robert Stevens.

As the five of them walked out the door closed behind them and Honey put her arm around Sara "Of course I would. You know your dad was so proud of all of you. He spoke about you several times in the short time we spent together." Honey told them as they walked down the entry way and onto the sidewalk.

As they walked Sarah noticed a woman standing at the corner of where the entry way met the sidewalk. She noticed that she was staring at them, not really at all of them just at Honey and Adam. Most likely one of the city's many homeless people who will soon be asking for a handout. She was glad she started to carry extra money for just these occasions. Her father was always willing to help out someone on the streets.

"Dad was a one of a kind person that's for sure. There are times though that I wish I had realized that before....." Eddie began, the rest of his thought was left hanging.

"Eddie, do not regret the past. There is nothing you can do to change it. Your dad knew you loved him," she had her hands on Eddies shoulders as she looked around at all of them "he knew how much we all loved him and he loved us all back ten times that. Remembering the amazing times you all had together is the best way to show that love now. Also it helps me get to know the person I was inexplicably in love with yet never really knew."

"I loved him too" came a voice from behind them. Sara turned first and saw the woman they had passed walking slowly towards them. 'So much for being a member of the city's homeless contingent.' she thought to herself. No one realized that the woman had been following them for almost two blocks.

"Excuse me, what did you say?" Honey was the first to say something. Only she and Sara had stopped at first they were behind the others and they had all kept walking several yards ahead before realizing that Honey and Sara had fallen behind.

"I loved....I mean I knew Robert too." Now the others had turned and walked back to where the three women had stopped.

"You knew my father? How?" Adam spoke up

The stranger walked past the others and walked up to Adam. She touched his face and ran her fingers along his jaw line. A tear ran down her cheek. "You look so much like him. You are him at a much younger age" she said.

Honey took the chance to size the woman up. She was about five feet six inches tall, in the light of the street lamps her hair looked red and she had a very light complexion. She was beautiful and the clothes she wore were designer originals by Claire Audette, a French designer Honey was well acquainted with, she would know her styles anywhere. She turned back to the others.

"I met your father about six years ago on a flight to Providence from Colorado. It was shortly after his divorce was finalized." She told them hoping to dispel any notion that she was just some nut trying to hone in her favorite authors legacy.

Adam cut in "I remember that trip." All eyes turned to him. "I talked Dad into going. It was about six months after the divorce. He wasn't so much distraught over the divorce, they had been separated for so long, but he was feeling down and empty because he felt like it erased more than half of his life. I thought the trip would do him some good."

Josie continued "He went to Longmont to visit his cousin Matt. He spent three weeks there. Like I said, we met on the flight back to Providence."

"Look, would you like to come back to my hotel with us. We were heading there right now. We can all talk there?" Honey suggested

Josie smiled a sort of sad smile "Yes I would like that."

And with that the six people all connected to one another by a man who no longer existed except in the minds of these six people and all his fans walked in silence to their cars.

The first car they came to was Tim's. He pulled Honey aside. "Hey kiddo, I'm going to leave you guys here. I have an early flight to Miami in the morning. I have a model I represent in line for a spokesperson position for a resort in Santo Domingo. Are you sure you want to get involved with her. She could be a scammer."

"I think there is more to her than that Tim. Not only that I can't help thinking I know her from somewhere but I just can't figure out where." Honey told him.

"Okay kiddo, just be careful of claims involving bastard children." He gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. As he got in the car and drove off, Honey joined the rest of the group at Adams car. He and Eddie were going to meet them at the hotel; Sara opted to ride with Honey and Josie.

After seeing Adam and Eddie drive off they walked two cars further and there was Honey's car.

"Before we leave I need to make a call." Josie stepped a few yards away and made a short call then returned to the car. "Okay, all set." She got in the back seat.

Within 45 minutes the five of them were in Honey's suite and Honey was ordering a portable wet bar from room service. Once it got there Adam began pouring drinks. He and Eddie had Rum and cokes and the women all had wine.

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