"He’s where?! How do I get there?" Billie excitedly asked as she sat straight up on her double bed. She quickly grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down the information as it was given to her. When she had finished writing, she clutched the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"Thank you, Mr. Austin. You don’t know how much this means to me," Billie said as she leaned back against the headboard. She listened for a little while, then answered, "No! No, you don’t need to do anything. Let me take care of it." A pause. "He has a girl with him?" Her shoulders slumped a little as she listened intently. Then her face lit up all of a sudden, and a broad grin spread across it. "So, he’s probably only known her for two days, right? Wonderful! Once again, thank you, Mr. Austin. We’ll be in touch. Goodbye."
Billie hung up the phone and looked down at the sheet of paper containing the information. The Holiday Inn, huh? She just might have to pay a visit to the small town of Boone Mountain in the morning. She also had to find some way to get this little girl out of the picture.
Slowly, a plan began to form in her mind. She grabbed her purse and rummaged through it. She had plenty of photos. She checked the clock. It was eight o’clock. The local Photo-Mart stayed open until eleven, didn’t it? She gathered her things and left her hotel room.
"Any answer, Howie?" Kevin asked as he paced back and forth. Nick had just told them that Brian had not come back the night before like he had promised them. Howie had been trying his hotel room for the past thirty minutes.
"Still no answer," Howie said as he hung up the phone. Kevin sat down on the bed next to Howie. He looked over at AJ and Nick, who were sitting in the chairs by the sliding glass door.
Just when Kevin put his head in his hands, the phone rang. He lunged across Howie for it. "Hello?"
"Kev, hey! It’s Brian. I know you’re mad, but let me explain," his cousin’s voice came from the other end.
"Brian, where are you? We’ve been worried sick! You know, it’s one thing to ditch a TV interview, but when you don’t show up for rehearsal, I get kind of worried!" Kevin yelled.
"Kev, clam down. I met this girl, and we hung out at her summer day camp yesterday. She took me to pick up the truck, and then, I had dinner at her house. After her friends left last night, we fell asleep on the couch. We didn’t wake up until this morning."
Kevin’s blood began to boil. "You were suppose to be here yesterday. Not hanging out with some girl. You don’t have any bodyguards with you. What if somebody saw you?"
"That’s the great thing about it. Only a few people around here know who I am. Even Tessa, the girl, doesn’t know who I am."
Kevin’s anger slowly began to subside. "So, are you on your way back here?"
"After lunch. I’m going to meet Tessa, and I’m going to tell her everything. The Backstreet Boys, everything. Then I’ll come back, I promise."
"You’d better."
"Kev, I’ve got to go get a shower. I’ll see you tonight. Bye."
"Bye." Brian’s end went dead. Kevin hung up the phone and turned to the other three. "He’ll be back after lunch."
"Who’ll be back after lunch?" Kevin looked up to see Billie walk into his and Howie’s room. She was wearing a pink button down shirt and a pair of jeans. She had her purse on her shoulder.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Out. It’ll probably take me a while, so I’ll see you later. Oh, and don’t forget your interview at one. See ya," she smiled. Billie was being uncharacteristically sweet, and Kevin didn’t trust her. She waved to all four of them and left.
"She’s got something up her sleeve," Kevin muttered as he watched her leave.
"I’m sorry I’m late," Tessa apologized as she sat down in the booth that Brian had saved for them at Mountain View. She leaned across the table and kissed him.
"That’s alright. I know how weird it gets," he smiled. She returned it and picked up her menu.
"May I take your order?" the waitress asked. Tessa set her menu down and ordered her usual chicken strips. Brian ordered the beef strips. As soon as she was gone, Brian took both of Tessa’s hands into his.
"So, you’re leaving after this, huh?" she asked sadly.
"Yeah. My job is calling me back, but I want you to know that I’ve had the best time of my life," he answered, his blue eyes shining.
"Really? Even when I subjected you to all those screaming kids yesterday?"
"Yes, even then." Brian’s face grew serious. "Tessa, there’s something I have to tell you about me. Something I’ve been keeping from you."
"Is it bad?" Tessa became worried. She didn’t like the tone in Brian’s voice.
"No, not really bad, but it will change your life…if you choose to continue seeing me."
By the sound of it, Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it. She let go of his hands and stood up. "Hold that thought. I’ve gotta run to the bathroom," she said.
She then took off for the rest room. When the door to the ladies’ room closed, she looked at herself in the mirror. "Are you sure you can handle this? Do you love him?" she asked herself.
The door opened, and Tessa looked towards it. A beautiful blonde woman wearing a pink button down shirt and a pair of blue jeans walked over to her and stopped. She set her purse down on the sink.
"So, you’re the latest one, huh?" she asked.
"Excuse me?" Tessa was confused.
The blonde sighed. "The latest fling for my fiancé Brian Littrell." A puzzled look came across Tessa’s face. The blonde’s look went from harsh to concern.
"Of course he didn’t tell you. He does this in every city. He sings with the Backstreet Boys, and he loves to pick up a girl in every place we stop. By the way, my name is Billie." The blonde showed her a huge diamond ring on her left hand. "We’ve been dating for a year, and we became engaged three months ago. I’ve gotten rather used to his flings."
Tessa just stood there, stunned. "You must be mistaken. You must have the wrong guy," she said.
Billie shook her head. "I wish I did, but here’s proof if you need it," she replied. She opened her purse and pulled out a bunch of photos. Almost all of them were of Brian and her. In several of them, she was wearing the huge rock. "I’m sorry you had to find out this way," she said compassionately.
Tears welled up in Tessa’s eyes as she looked over the pictures. So, this was what he had to tell her? That he was getting married? After she had given him her trust and her heart? It eventually became too much, and she ran out of the bathroom.
When she reached the table, she grabbed her glass of Mountain Dew that had arrived and threw it in Brian’s lap. He looked up at her in surprise.
"Tessa, what’s wrong? What happened?" he asked.
"You liar! You jerk! How could you? You used me!" she shouted.
"What are you talking about?" Brian stood up. "When did I lie to you?"
"You couldn’t tell me you had a fiancee? You couldn’t tell me you were a Backstreet Boy? Was I just some on-the-road fling? Goodbye, Brian. I never want to see you again!" With tears streaming down her face, she raced out of the restaurant and to her car.
"Tessa, wait! What’s going on?" Brian asked as he ran after her. He stopped in the parking lot and watched her speed away. What fiancee? Where had she gotten that idea?
Hanging his head down, he walked back into the restaurant. He paid for the drinks and walked back to his table to get a napkin. The Mountain Dew was seeping through his pants.
He couldn’t understand what had just happened. Why had Tessa snapped like that?
When he reached his table, Brian stopped. He had an idea of what had just happened. Sitting in his booth was Billie with a broad smile on her face. She stood up when he reached her.
"No more games, Brian. It’s time to come home," she said.