Starsitter : Thank God for You!

by Dana, Andrea

• ISBN13: 9781450264198
• ISBN10: 1450264190
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-10-15
• Publisher: Textstream

Summary

- A drunken-dial from a fallen teen queen?- A lock-in at the top of the Sears Tower?- A disastrous first pitch at a Cubs game?Thirty-year-old Grace Daniels' life comes full circle when she receives a phone call from the publicist of former Hollywood it girl, Maddy Malone. Fresh out of rehab, Maddy is returning to Chicago to star in a low budget Indie film and discovers that her former guardian is now the host of her own talk show,As Good As Grace. Having already rejected Oprah's pleas for an interview, Maddy decides that her first public appearance ought to be on Grace's show instead. When the two are reunited, Maddy is shocked and enticed by the new and improved Grace, who has cultivated a new image with her recently highlighted hair, hot boyfriend Jesse, and expensive wardrobe. Maddy is acutely aware that Grace has moved on up, Jefferson-style.Grace is also astonished by some changes in Maddy since they were last together. For instance, Maddy, once consumed with haute couture, now shops at the Gap and resorts to selling her old designer bags to the crew on set for extra cash. Maddy has also essentially dispensed with her freeloading and attention- seeking mother. When Maddy's hotel reservation is lost, the perpetually self-sacrificing Grace makes a split-second decision to help her and finds herself in even more ludicrous adventures with her young protégée. During the most crucial time of Grace's career, she struggles to keep Maddy afloat while the young starlet comes to terms with the fact she is no longer dazzling the paparazzi on the red carpets or wowing them at Cannes. As they embark on this journey together, the two learn that, sometimes in life, stepping up to the plate and helping others can bring true salvation - and that is the path to glory and fame.

Excerpts

"Grace, why are you just sitting here? Start the car." We had been stationary for a few minutes. "I can't. I don't know where I'm supposed to drop you off, since you still haven't told me what hotel you are staying at," I said. "Oh." Maddy fished through her purse again, pulling out the same items she had pulled out at the table during lunch. She placed the collection on the armrest. "I'm just trying to find the reservation," she said. "No problem." After another flustered five minutes, she gave up. "I must have forgotten it at home," she said. "Well, if you tell me which hotel it is, then I'm sure we can figure it out when we get there." "You were always so smart, Grace," Maddy said. "Smart and beautiful. You really have it all." "Thanks, Maddy. That's very sweet to say." She still hadn't answered my question. "Well?" "Well what?" she asked blankly. I looked at my watch. Two and a half hours into our reunion, and I already felt the life being sucked out of me. "Where are you staying? I will drop you off." "Oh that. Um..." I sighed as I flopped against the back of my seat. "You don't remember where you're staying?" "Grace, please be patient. I sometimes have side effects from the..." she leaned over and whispered cocaine. She searched my face for a reaction. I sat back and gave her some more time. "No problem," I said. I turned the key in the ignition and rolled down the windows. "Might as well get some air in here while you're thinking." "I wish I could remember." Maddy stuck her head out the window and started taking deep breaths. After a long, dramatic minute she turned to me. "Hey, is there a Four Seasons in the city?" "There is." "That might be the one," she said. I guess my original hunch had been right after all. I put the car in reverse and headed on over to the hotel. "Could you check in for me?" Maddy asked, as I pulled up in front of the hotel. "You know, so I don't get mobbed by my fans." I agreed, figuring it would also move things along quicker if I just ran it and did it for her. "I'll be right back," I said. At the check-in desk, the girl at reception tried a few times, but there was no reservation made for Maddy Malone. "None of the actors are due in until next week," she explained. "It's a pretty big movie too. One of the biggest budgets Chicago has ever seen." I leaned back against the counter and sighed. It seemed that Maddy, at nineteen, was going to be just as much work as Maddy at seventeen. "Thanks," I said. On my way out, I happened to bump into Pierre. "Grace, what brings you here? Are my chairs ready so soon?" he asked. I didn't want to admit why I was there. "No, not yet. I was just checking out some of the um, accessories on the coffee tables," I lied. "Trying to come up with some ideas for my next show." "Those wheels are always turning, aren't they?" Pierre joked. "Always," I said, smiling as I headed for the door. Back at the car, Maddy was sitting on the hood, smoking. When she saw me coming, she jumped off. "Well? Am I all checked in?" she asked. I motioned for her to get back in the car. "You don't have a reservation here," I said. "Damn." "Anywhere else you can think of?" I asked. "No." "Could you call someone and find out, so we aren't driving around to every hotel in Chicago?" I suggested. "I just tried calling my agent, Crystal. She's not taking my call." "Why not?" I asked. "We had a bit of a falling out this morning. Let's just leave it at that." "I'm sure if you just call her and say it's an emergency, she can put aside whatever happened," I said "I'd hardly call this an emergency, Grace. No one's lying on the operating table." "I guess," I said. She was right. In the worse case scenario, she would just check herself in somewhere until she figured out where she was supposed to be. I racked my brain for other hotels in the area that might be considered celebrity hotspots. I started listing them off to see if I could trigger something in her post-cocaine brain. "Hmm. The Wyndham sounds familiar. Is that close to here?" she asked. "It's not that far. It's near Michigan Avenue." "Well then, yes. Let's try there," Maddy said. It turned out Maddy was not registered at the Wyndham hotel, or the Marriot, or the Embassy Suites, or even the Hyatt. By four o'clock I was exhausted from driving around town trying to check her in somewhere. She was useless and refused to call anyone that might know. It was almost as if she was enjoying this little scavenger hunt. "Well, I would call the production office, except that I don't have their number," she explained. "I'm so sorry, Grace." "Maybe you should just get a room somewhere, and we will figure it out tomorrow," I suggested. I watched as an expression of horror spread across her face. "No! Let's try a few more," she said. I drove to a few of the smaller boutique hotels like the Amalfi, the James, the Felix, and the Indigo, but there was no reservation under Maddy Malone's name or the name of her next movie, Chain of Love at any of them. As I walked out of Hotel 71, Michelle called me. "So how did it go?" she asked. "It's still going." "You're still with her?" "Yes." I explained to Michelle how I'd been driving around the city for hours on a wild goose chase trying to find Maddy's hotel. "That's ridiculous." "I know." "Just take her back to your apartment and try to figure it out from there," she said. I had considered letting Maddy come to my place until we sorted out this mess. I did, however, fear that once I did that, she might never leave. Now it seemed as though I had no choice. "I guess I will," I said. "In the meantime, I will try and get a hold of Crystal for you," Michelle said. Maddy nearly jumped out of her clothes when I told her she could come back to my place. She kept hugging me over and over again, until I finally told her if we wanted to make it home alive, it would be best if she stopped hugging me so I could see while I was driving. "This is amazing. I can't wait to see your place," she said, as I pulled into the underground parking. "I hope you like it." "I don't think I've ever seen the home of a famous Interior Designer before," she said. "Thanks." I was touched by the compliment, but then she added, "Well, if I can't see one of their homes, then I guess I'll have to settle with yours." When we got inside, there was a note from Jesse taped onto Beyonce's leash holder saying that he was out rehearsing and to meet him at his gig later that night. "What does he do?" Maddy asked. "He's a musician." "Oh boy, that's what the world needs, another rock star," Maddy said. She walked in and looked around, ignoring Beyonce, who was going wild at her feet. I guess she sensed that Maddy was her original mother. "You remember Beyonce, don't you?" I asked. Maddy looked down. "Always was a feisty little dog, wasn't she?" She leaned down to pet her for about three seconds before continuing to scope my place out. Maddy made negative comments about virtually everything, including my paper towel holder. She thought it was an interesting design, but not her taste. After she had scaled every inch of the place, she finally turned to me and said, "It's perfect. I love it." This caught me off guard. "You do?" "Oh yes. It's bright and airy, and the colors are so soothing. I'm going to be so happy staying here." Uh oh. I decided to nip this in the bud. "Thanks. You are of course welcome to stay while we sort out your accommodations in the next couple hours." Maddy plopped herself down on my couch. "Let's face it Grace. It's six o'clock p.m. on a Friday night. You are stuck with me for the weekend." I was silent. I knew she was right. "And don't worry! I'll come see your boyfriend's gig so you don't have to go by yourself." "That's really thoughtful of you, Maddy. Thanks." I plopped down on the couch beside her. I needed to take a quick nap before we went to see Jesse play.