Karen C
Shauna waited nervously in the high wooden booth. She and Karen C had decided to use a neighborhood café as their meeting place. How many times had she thought to cancel the appointment? It would be nice to have a mentor of sorts in the publishing field. The tone of the woman’s e-mails had been almost motherly, as if she knew Shauna was younger. She hadn’t sounded like a demented stalker type. But then Shauna didn’t know what was the stalker type. This was a public place and nothing could happen in a public place, right?
“Shauna?”
Shauna glanced up to see a small blonde woman. Oh, no! It couldn’t be…it wouldn’t be…oh, God, not…
“Shauna Coe?” The woman asked again.
Shauna merely nodded mutely. Something this humiliating could only happen to her!
Karen C was Karen Chasez! The mother of one JC Chasez!
Karen Chasez had read Shauna’s steamy fan fiction starring her son. She wanted to melt into the floor.
“Are you all right, dear?” Karen asked, concerned about the pale, stricken young woman.
Shauna swallowed hard. “Just give me a minute to die of embarrassment,” she murmured.
Karen took a seat across from her. “Oh, nonsense.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have believed me? I read you’d had two crank e-mails claiming to be me. I was sure you would be suspicious of another one.
That was true enough.
“So I kept it to myself until we became friends.”
“Friends? You want to be my friend? Knowing I…about your son…”
Karen smiled kindly. “If you hadn’t written it, I never would have seen your potential.”
“How did you even know about me?”
“Young lady, you’ve made quite a name for yourself. The message boards are a buzz.”
Shauna knew her alter ego, Caprice, had a strong following. She never imagined it would draw the attention of JC’s mother. Sheesh!
“In one of your e-mails you mentioned a manuscript you had hopes of publishing. If you trust me, I’ll give it a read.”
“I’ve had a couple of serial romances published…”
“So you know something about the steps you need to take.”
Shauna nodded. “I don’t know if I am good enough. Maybe I should stick with what I know.”
“Fan fic?”
“Honestly that started out as a dare to myself. ‘Could I do it?’ sort of thing. It got out of hand. I never intended to keep doing it, much less make a site. But I received so much positive feedback; it gave me the courage to submit my first romance.”
“I believe you’ve honed your skills beyond that.”
“I’m flattered that you think so. I’ve heard of some fic writers becoming screenplay writers and such.” Dare she hope she could earn a living doing what she loved most?
“So when can I see the manuscript you’ve been working on?”
“Really thank you for your praise, but you don’t have to read…”
“I know I don’t have to, Shauna, I want to.”
At that moment the waitress came to take their orders.
Shauna’s head was spinning. JC’s mother had actually read her work…JC’s mother thought her worthy of her time…She’d read somewhere Karen Chasez was an editor…
Eventually Karen managed to put Shauna at ease and the women chatted about the publishing industry. It was clear Karen knew her stuff – and Shauna was grateful to have an ally in the business. Her limited exposure in serial romances hadn’t prepared her for the wider genres.
“It doesn’t bother you that I’ve imagined you son naked?” Shauna asked.
Karen gave a soft laugh. “You and how many thousands of women?”
Shauna blushed.
“So when can you bring your manuscript for me to read?”
“It’s really in the draft stage.”
“Excellent! We can catch any potential problems early on.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. So when can you drop it off?”
“Like at your house?”
“Yes, at my house. You didn’t think we were going to meet like a couple of secret agents, did you?”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”
“We can meet at my house.”
“What if JC…I’d be mortified.”
“Josh is hardly there except for holidays – and if his tour brings him to Chicago.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I am.”
They made plans to meet on Friday evening.
After paying the check, they walked out of the little café together and said their good-byes. Shauna got into her car and just sat there for a long while, trying to comprehend all that had happened. It was all like a freakish dream and she’d wake up…
Karen Chasez, mother of JC Chasez, was going to be her editor. How bizarre was that?
After the initial shock and embarrassment wore off, Shauna was quite comfortable working with Karen. She no longer thought of her as JC’s mother. She saw the older woman as a mentor and friend. She became a regular visitor at the Chasez house and often stayed for dinner.
Karen was amazed with Shauna’s writing ability. The girl had a natural talent, painting such precise pictures one could clearly imagine the world in which the protagonists lived. The book was well-planned and flowed well. Shauna’s work needed a bit of tweaking, but the authoress herself needed a dose of confidence.
>
“I think that is enough for one night,” Karen announced. “It’s Friday night. You should be out on a date.”
“Me? Hardly,” Shauna replied.
“Why not? You’re a lovely young woman.”
Shauna shrugged. “I don’t get asked out a lot. I have a few club connections, but that is about it on my social calendar.”
“Could it be your attitude?”
“My attitude?”
“I bet you come across as unapproachable.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not into the whole dating thing. I’d rather go out with a mixed group of friends.”
“Then you do get out?”
“I’m not cloistered in a nunnery if that’s what you mean. My social life or lack thereof isn’t important to me. I have higher priorities at the moment.”
Karen waggled her finger teasingly. “You’re gonna be a dried-up, old spinster.”
“And the problem with that would be exactly what?” Shauna laughed.
“You deserve more.”
“I am trying to launch a career. The rest can wait.”
"Just don’t wait too long.”
Shauna rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mother.”
>
“Hey, Mom,” JC called over his cell connection.
“Hello, Josh. How are you?” Karen asked.
“Tired. Got a flu I can’t seem to shake. Other than that, I’m great.”
“You need someone to take care of you.”
“That’s what Lonnie’s for,” he joked. “So what’s new with you?”
“I am helping an up and coming writer. She is so gifted. I’m excited for her.”
“Cool.”
“I know you really don’t care about this…”
“Mom, I’m glad you have a project. It’ll keep you off the streets.”
“Since when do you talk to your mother that way?”
“Since I can get away with it,” he mocked.
“Anyway, Shauna is a lovely girl…”
“Uh, no, Mom. No matchmaking.”
“Who said I was thinking of you?”
“Riiiight…”
“She is lovely. A very gentle soul. I’m sure she has a lot of steel in her, but she’s been darling with us.”
“Mom, you are matchmaking.”
“No, I don’t think so. Shauna doesn’t want to meet you, much less date you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” JC sounded affronted.
“That she would prefer not to know you.”
“And why is that?”
Karen knew exactly why. “She’s a very private person.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
They switched to other topics; still one question remained on JC’s mind: Who was this Shauna who didn’t want to meet him?
“Good afternoon. Taylor, Taylor and Melanski. How may I direct your call?” Shauna asked the caller.
“Shauna, it’s Karen. I’m in the area. Want to grab some lunch?”
“Love to. My relief should be here in twenty minutes. Does that work for you?”
“That’s fine. I thought we could sit outside. It’s such a lovely day.”
It was one of those rare late winter days that held the promise of spring. The weather was sunny and crisp. Trees were beginning to bud and grass to grow.
“I would love to get some sunshine.”
“Why don’t I grab some sandwiches and something to drink and meet you there?”
Shauna thought of the salad in the lounge refrigerator. She had never been much of a lunch eater. Oh, what the heck! She’d live a little! “Great! It’s a plan.”
The cement bench was a trifle hard on the bottom, but the warm sunshine made up for it. Karen had brought thick deli sandwiches and a bottle of water for Shauna.
“I never eat like this,” Shauna confessed.
Karen glanced at the willowy young woman. “Why am I not surprised?”
“It’s not a diet or anything. I just try to eat healthy. I was one of those strange kids that loved salad and veggies. I’m not big on red meat or fried foods.” Shauna shrugged. “Ice-cream is my real weakness.”
“I’m glad you have one!” Karen laughed, and then changed the subject. “You and Josh both look like you could blow away in a stiff breeze.”
“I’ve seen him perform. He must burn every calorie he takes in.”
“And then some. He has two speeds most of the time: fast and asleep.”
Shauna smiled. “He does seem to run on hyper drive.”
“Then crashes. Sometimes I’m afraid he’ll just burn out. This whole CD mess. It’s taken a toll on him privately. He doesn’t complain even though it hurts him. He’s such a good boy and a loyal friend…”
Shauna knew what Karen was alluding to – well, she didn’t know the intimate details. “If they had released it when first planned, a lot of this censorship crap would have been avoided.”
Karen reached over to pat the other woman’s hand affectionately. “I’m glad I have you to discuss these things with. You seem to appreciate Josh’s work.”
“I think he is wonderfully talented. I have to admit the music on the CD surprised me. But I took it in the manner in which he said he made it, to have fun. It grew on me.”
“He called me the other day. He sounded tired.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“I told him about you.”
Shauna choked on her water. “Me?” she squeaked.
“That I was working with you on your book. Don’t worry. After I told him how lovely and nice you are, I told him you were looking forward to not meeting him.”
“Bet he loved that,” Shauna mused. What an ego buster!
“He may have been relieved I wasn’t matchmaking.”
“Then we have that much in common.” Shauna shook her head. “I prefer to keep him where he belongs: on the pages of fan fic.”
“Most fans would love to meet him.”
“Not this one. Besides it being awkward as hell, I don’t want to spoil the illusion.”
“No man could live up to those expectations, Shauna. I love my son, but I realize he is far from perfect.”
“He is if I keep him on paper.”