Paradise Lost
On the short trip back to Orlando, JC racked his brain to find a way to let Anne know he was willing to let the relationship continue. She had been unresponsive to any such overtures.
At baggage claim, he finally said, “Annie, we can’t let this end.”
“Yes, we can.” She gave him the briefest kiss.
“No. Let me—“
“We agreed it ended.”
“We connected. You can’t just walk away.”
“Sure I can. Watch me.” With that, she put her back to him and walked into the crowd.
JC was dumb-founded. It had to be the suit and glasses. They were like some sort of shield. By the time he gathered his wits about him, his Annie was lost in a sea of holiday travelers heading home.
“Annie!” he cried.
Dozens of faces turned to look at him, not one of them was hers.
“You what!” Megan crowed loud enough some of the patrons of the classy restaurant looked over at their table.
Anne’s cheeks turned scarlet. “If you continue to draw an audience, I’ll tell you nothing,” she hissed at her friend.
“This is Chicago. Think anyone gives a rat’s ass?” Megan saw the stubbornness in her friend’s eyes. “Okay, she groused. She leaned forward. “Spill. You met a guy the first night and drug him off to bed. Then what?”
“I didn’t ‘drag’ him. He went rather willingly.”
“Uh-huh. Get to the good stuff. Was he handsome? We’ll skip rich. He had to have a butt-load of money to be there. What’s he do for a living? Was he hot? Was he?—“
“Do I get a chance to answer any of those questions?”
“Oh, okay. Handsome and hot?”
Anne smiled at the memory. “Yes, to both. He had incredible blue eyes. Dark, wavy brown hair that was a bit too long. Built like a Greek god. Lean and ripped.”
“Oooh, Megan likes! Good in bed?”
“Fantastic. Tender. Fun. Sweet – and very unstuffy.”
“That leaves what he does for a living.”
“I have no idea.” Anne swallowed hard, passed the pain in her chest. She’d had no idea she could miss Josh so much after a mere five-day acquaintance. It was almost as if she walked away from half of her soul in Orlando.
“Uh-oh. You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”
“Stupid? You’re the one who said to have a fling.”
“Annie, you are constitutionally incapable of causal sex.”
“That’s what Josh said.”
“I can tell you fell for the guy.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll never see him again.”
“What? He dumped you?”
“No…I made the ground rules we went by that first night – names only.”
“He didn’t fall for you?”
Anne was certain he had. Up until the time she left him at the airport, he had tried to get something solid on her. “He knows me as Annie and that I’m an Aries – and that I like chocolate ice cream and dancing.” And he knew at least a dozen ways to arouse her.
“Annie, you cut the guy off? That’s crazy!”
“It was supposed to be an island fling,” Anne repeated stubbornly.
“Bullshit.” Megan sighed. “May be we can find him. Who is he? Josh who?”
“Josh. That’s all I know.”
“That’s all you know?”
“He’s a Leo. He said he wrote songs sometimes. He has a lovely singing voice. He’s a good dancer, too – oh, and he mentioned he liked Chinese food.”
“Jeeze, not much to go on.”
“That’s the way I intended it. Look at my life, Meg. I don’t have time—“
“You’re wrong. Your clock is ticking. You can’t let the company rule every moment of your life.”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over. I can’t find him. He can’t find me. Finnito.”
“Oh, Annie, I don’t think so. You look like your ready to cry!” Megan dropped her own devil-may-care attitude to feel her friend’s pain. “Why did you do that?”
“I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“And there’s no way to know who he is?”
Anne shook her head. “Paradise prides itself on secured privacy. They won’t give names of former or present guests.”
Megan patted Anne’s hand. “Kismet will put you back together – It put you together in the first place.”
“Kismet – that’s another word Josh used!” Anne said with wide eyes.
“I like him already.” Megan narrowed her cat-green eyes in concentration, like she was peering into the future. “Madame Megan predicts…By New Year’s, you and Josh will be back together again. At midnight, it’s him you’ll be kissing into the New Year.”
“Fanciful, hopeful notion, Meg.” Anne sighed wistfully, “But I do wish you were right.”
“You’ll see. I have a sense of these things.” Megan shrugged. “A handsome rich guy – maybe he has a friend for me!” she laughed.
“May be.”
“Damn!” JC punched the ‘end’ button on his cellphone and jammed it back into his pocket.
“Give it a rest, ‘C,” Justin suggested at his friend’s obvious frustration.
“You know how many Anne’s were leaving Orlando that day?” JC dropped to the sofa, his head in his hands. “And I don’t know if that was her real name. Annie could be a nickname for some other name.”
“And the resort?”
“They have an iron-clad no-disclosure policy – which is why people go there.”
“She didn’t give you a clue – any kind of clue?”
“She’s an Aries. She loves to dance…” JC gave a sad smile. “And she loves chocolate ice cream late at night.”
“That is nothing to go on. Don’t you have any idea what she does for a living?”
“I know she has this little tough act of hers down to a science. If you look hard enough, it’s pretty apparent she isn’t all that tough.”
“Hell, she could be a cop or a school teacher or a lady wrestler.”
“I’m pretty sure the last one is out. She was this tiny little thing. The other two couldn’t have afforded Paradise. She carried a laptop, but anybody does that nowadays.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t nag her into submission.”
Annie had ways to stop every argument – and they usually ended up in bed. JC wasn’t about to impart that information. The sweet love he shared with Annie was his business. “There hasta be away…”
“Well, at least, you’re easy enough to find.”
“She doesn’t know who I am.”
Justin was incredulous. “You didn’t tell her?”
“You know how great it was to have her not know? I was Josh -- not JC.”
“Well, still with appearances and other stuff, maybe she’ll see you.”
“I’d be willing to bet she doesn’t listen to much radio or television.”
“You’re telling me that even as high profile as we can be, she wouldn’t see us?”
“I doubt it.”
“You’re screwed,” Justin muttered.
“I’ll find her, dammit. I’ve got to find her.”
The sapphire colored sweater would look so good on Josh, she thought. It would make his fabulous eyes look even more intense. Before she had realized it, she had gone in and purchased one more gift that wouldn’t be opened by the person it was intended for. Some homeless man would have a nice sweater come New Year’s.
It was insane, she mused to herself. She expected Josh would show up on her doorstep for Christmas. Without full names or location, she didn’t ever expect to see him again. She’d burned that bridge while she was standing on it – and it left her stranded. He had tried to get even a crumb of information on her, but she had refused.
Maybe a little Christmas music would cheer her up. When was the last time she had been to a record store – probably before they sold videos and DVD’s! Entering the store, she headed for the Christmas display. A lot of the CD’s seemed like new stuff. She didn’t know how well she’s like that; she thought of Christmas as a traditional holiday. She continued to flip through the assortment until a familiar pair of blue eyes gazed up at her – at least she thought it was him, albeit younger and more clean-cut.
“NSYNC Home For Christmas,” she read to herself. Her Josh stood in the middle, two other boys on either side. It figured that he’d be a singer; he had a lovely voice. On the back he had this pointing thing going on. What was that about? It looked like him anyway.
Taking the CD to the counter, she asked the girl with multi-colored hair and a nose ring, “Has this group done anything else?”
The teenager looked heavenward as if to say, ‘save me from idiots’, then looked at Anne as if she was speaking a foreign language. With a heavy sigh, she led Anne to the ‘pop’ section. “Take your pick. Can’t avoid those guys.”
“Thank you,” Anne murmured when she saw the line of CD’s by this NSYNC group.
The girl tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a cutout, freestanding advertisement. That certainly looked more like Josh! Then she pointed to two very young, teenage girls who were giggling over a poster of the group. “Ask them what you want to know.”
“Uh – thanks.”
Anne looked over the plethora of CD’s, full-length and singles. The picture on the single “Gone” looked most like her Josh: scruffy and brooding. “I thought the older you got, the more clean-cut you got. He did it backwards.” Taking one of everything she saw, Anne then went to the two girls, still admiring the poster. “So, you like those guys, huh?” she asked.
A red-haired girl with large green eyes and infectious grin stated, “They rock!”
The smaller blonde added, “Looks like you got nearly everything they’ve done.”
“Have I?”
“Well, except for some sound tracks, yeah.”
Anne pointed to the one she knew as Josh. “What about that one?”
“JC?” the red-haired girl asked. “Up until Celebrity, he was the one known for writing and producing. The serious one.”
That sounded like her Josh.
“He and Justin met on the Mickey Mouse Club.”
“You like jazz?” the blonde indicated Anne should follow her. She went to the jazz section and found another CD. “If you like JC, this is a must have. ‘Give In To Me’ is hot!”
Josh made young girls hot?
The redhead appeared and added several more CD’s to Anne’s growing assortment.
Soundtracks and a couple other things JC’s done.”
“Thank you.” Anne was amazed at the body of work JC Chasez had compiled for one young man.
“Want an NSYNC CD carrier? Pillow? Lip balm?”
“What?”” Anne followed her two companions. An entire row of shelves was devoted to the group’s merchandise. It appeared NSYNC was its own industry!
“Videos!” the red-haired girl cried and took off as Anne shifted the load in her arms.
As Anne noticed that JC’s flavored lip balm was watermelon, the blonde went off in another direction. JC’s handsome face was everywhere. No wonder he had been seeking the anonymity of Paradise!
The red head returned with three videos and the blonde came back with a shopping basket and several magazines. NSYNC articles,” she indicated as a grateful Anne placed her burdens in the basket.
“Thank you both very much.”
“We don’t often meet older fans,” the red head stated.
“Did you girls want that poster?”
“Yeah, but we can’t afford it.”
“You both pick the one you want out. It’s on me.”
The young blonde had been right. JC Chasez was hot, Anne decided after listening to him sing ‘Give In To Me’. She had read the group’s messages inside CD covers. They seemed like very down-to-earth fellows. From the first video, she learned JC’s hobby was sleeping and that he was a respectful young man. She watched the Madison Square Garden one and was totally amazed at the dancing and singing. It was small wonder JC was so lean and well muscled.
The Justin Timberlake Foundation! That’s how she recognized the young, curly-haired blonde’s name. She remembered that name had crossed her desk before. Grabbing her telephone, she punched in the number of her vice-president.
“Hello?”
“I know it’s the weekend, Adam…”
“Anne? What’s up?”
“This is a personal favor…”
“Anne, you’ve never asked a thing – and you’ve helped me out plenty.”
“Could I get a number for Justin Timberlake? Not the foundation. I want to speak directly to him.”
“You a closet NSYNC groupie?” Adam chuckled at the thought of his very serious boss enjoying the same boy band his young daughter did. “My daughter is wild about JC.”
“Get me Justin’s number and I’ll see what I can do for Rachel.”
“You aren’t joking, are you?” the man sounded stunned.
“No, I am not joking – and, Adam, please, keep this between us.”
“Mr. Timberlake, please,” Anne asked in her most professional voice. At least, it was over the telephone. No one could see her shaking hands or trembling knees that forced her to sit. She could be making a complete idiot out of her self. What if Josh didn’t want to see her?
Justin chuckled at the woman’s tone. “Nobody calls me ‘Mr. Timberlake’ – unless they want something.”
“Mr. Timberlake, this is Anne Collins-Merrill.”
“It’s Justin, Can I call you Anne?”
“Please do. I know you probably don’t know who I am—“
“The Collins-Merrill Foundation. We fund a couple of school music programs together.”
“Yes, we do. I’m glad you are a hands-on figurehead. Many celebrities aren’t.”
“If my names on it and I’m raising money, I wanna know where it’s going.”
“You sound like a pretty level-headed young man.”
“From what I hear whispered, you aren’t exactly over-the-hill yourself. What can I do for you, Anne?”
“This is rather embarrassing…” She wavered, but could she get this close and not try to find Josh? “I am trying to get a hold of Josh – I – I – mean JC.”
A light bulb popped in Justin’s brain – an Anne looking for a Josh. JC was looking for his Annie…”You were right the first time, weren’t you? You don’t know him as JC, do you, Annie?”
Anne was silent a moment. “He has talked about me?”
“Talked? He’s been nuts, knowing he can’t find his Annie from Paradise.”
“Oh.”
“So…where is Annie from Paradise?”
“Chicago.”
“That’s freakin’ fantastic!”
“It is?”
“Hell, yeah! That’s where he is. He’s gone there to spend Christmas with his folks there.”
“His parents live in Chicago?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t suppose you know their number. That is if he wants to hear from me…”
“You’re gonna be the best Christmas present he ever got. I’ll give you his cell number.” Justin told her the number. “Hey, and tell him Merry Christmas from me.”
“I will. Thank you, Justin.”
“You’re most welcome, Anne.”
“JC,” he snapped when he answered his cellphone’s chime. He was Christmas shopping, something he normally enjoyed tremendously. But damn, everything he saw reminded him his favorite holiday would pass without Annie.
“Hello? JC Chasez?” came a rather timid female voice.
“This is JC.” He guessed his attitude had scared whoever it was.
“This is Anne.”
“Anne…Annie!” he yelled. “God, baby, where are you? I’ll come as quick as I can. I’ll—“
“Whoa, boy!” she giggled.
He found himself grinning, unbelievably happy that she had found him. “Baby, where are you?”
“Chicago.”
“Chicago? Where in Chicago?”
“Where are you in Chicago?” she asked in place of a reply.
“You know I’m here?”
“Uh-huh. I’ve lived here all my life. So, tell me where you are.”
“Oakbrook. Buying presents – looking at to damn many things I wanted to get for you, but I couldn’t find you.”
“I found you. How long will you be there?”
“If you’re coming? All night if I have to.”
“Give me a half an hour or so depending on traffic. Can you meet me in front of Restoration Hardware?”
“Yeah. Annie…” he sighed happily.
“Josh – uh – JC—“
“Baby, it’ll always be Josh for you.”
“I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“I’ll be waiting.”