A Side Effect of Celebrity

Epilogue

When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive – Paulo Coehlo

Jay Dawson got the call on a Wednesday afternoon in September. He was walking down the sidewalk in Midtown, hat drawn low over his eyes, sunglasses hiding his bright eyes. A piss-poor disguise but the average person would be surprised by how often it worked. It was like being Clark Kent. With the glasses, he was nothing spectacular but without them, boom! The Man of Steel.

"Hello?" he said as he answered.

"Hey, Jay? It's Brock. Brock Mason."

"Oh. Hey, man. What's up?"

For a second, Jay had to remember who that was. Not because he wasn't versed in the country music scene that Brock Mason belonged to but rather because Jay had caught sight of a young woman with long chestnut hair on the other side of the street.

Her arm was interlocked with that of a tall, dark-skinned man with a faded hairstyle. Jay found himself studying the man, taking in the blue jean jacket and dark pants. The bright, easy smile and way that he stared down at the girl who was laughing with her head tossed back.

One day, Jay Dawson, someone is going to break your heart. I hope it hurts like hell.

Words spoken to him from a girl who had taken one look at him and known immediately what Jay needed. He wondered what that girl would do now if she could see him. Wondered what she'd think of the way that he'd been wallowing around for the past few weeks since Claire had sent him that text.

Hey...I hope you're doing well. You said you wanted to know how it all ended. Short answer is that we cleared the air and...We're trying this whole dating thing. I know it may not be what you wanted to hear and I'm still sorry that I hurt you. I hope that your movie shoot goes well. If you need someone to help out with Scout, you know how to reach me. And if you're ever back in New York...I'm here. Wishing you all the best.

Seeing her again now, even from across the street, was like having cold water thrown over his senses. Jay wasn't prepared for it. He'd told himself that he was fine. That it was okay that Claire had chosen some other guy over him. Despite his celebrity, his fame, his charm and good looks that had somehow won over an entire globe of movie-lovers, it still hadn't won her.

Somehow that hurt more than anything else. If there was one person that Jay had wanted to win, it was Claire Shaffer.

And now, there he was. Staring at her from across the street. Watching as she walked through her life with a guy that was very clearly not Jay Dawson.

He was happy for her. Well and truly happy but Jay couldn't lie. It would be nice to be out of New York for a while. Maybe by the time he returned, his shattered heart would be a little less...fractured.

As Claire disappeared down the block, Jay realized that Brock Mason was waiting for him to speak. "Uh...Can you repeat that? Sorry. I'm in the city and just went through a wind tunnel."

On the other end of the line, he heard a deep male laugh. "I was just saying that we've got a mutual friend. Chad Wallis? He gave me your number, by the way."

"Yeah, I know Chad," Jay said.

"Well, he and I were chatting the other day and he said that you were coming to L.A. for work soon and were looking for a place to rent out that was off the beaten path from the paparazzi. I don't have an empty place for you to rent but I've got a huge condo with a spare room. You're welcome to it while you're looking for something more permanent."

"Really?"

"Sure. I know how it is living in hotels and Chad said that's where you were headed. Isn't the most fun place when you're spending an extended period of time there. He gave me your email so I can forward you the details. If you're interested, let me know."

"Thanks, Brock. I appreciate it."

"No problem. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

The call disconnected with a click. For a minute, Jay could only stare at his phone. Then, he risked a glance down the sidewalk but Claire was nowhere in sight. She'd vanished like a ghost – almost as quickly and silently as the way she'd come into his life.

Jay gave himself to the count of three.

One – take a breath.

Two – turn around.

Three – take a step and forget about Claire Shaffer.

Los Angeles, Jay thought as he took that first step. Here I come.