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Day One - Wednesday

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"I bet you five that he tells her how he feels about her sometime this week."

"Ten sez that he tells her tonight at dinner."

"Twenty, that we don't even get out of the airport driveway."

"You're on, man."

The youngest man in the limousine carefully ignored his three counterparts as he pondered the bouquet of lavender-colored roses in his hands. Somewhere between eighteen and twenty-four months ago Clay Aiken went from someone known only back home in North Carolina to someone known all over the world. Before American Idol he groused about the apparent slump in his dating life. Now women all over the world were throwing themselves - or their undergarments - at him. I don't think I'll ever get used to that one. Truth be told, he could have anyone he wanted. Legend had it that guitarist Jimi Hendrix was quite the ladies' man with all the young groupies. But that's not what I want, Clay protested in his mind. I want a woman of faith, a woman after God's own heart who believes in "for better or for worse" the way I do. Only a woman like that will hold the key to mine. Lately he thought he just might have found her. He bit his lip before setting the roses to the side for a heartfelt prayer. Only time would tell if she was the one.

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Kathyrn "Kate" Kirche released a nervous breath as she followed the man named Jerome through the LAX airport. I still can't believe I'm doing this, she thought to herself. I still can't believe I came out here all the way to LA to spend a week with a man I've never met.

Jerome stopped by the luggage rollers and waited for her to catch up. "I'll help you out, if you let me know which one it is." She wrinkled her nose at him and reached for her own bag. Jerome clucked softly and shook his head as she yanked it free from the pile of suitcases. "You know he's gonna have a problem with that, bein' a Southern gentleman and all."

Somehow that doesn't surprise me - he probably treats all women with chivalrous gentility. Kate shrugged offhandedly. "I'm used to having to fend for myself - used to doing things myself if I want them done at all. I'm not used to being treated like a lady." When Jerome gave her a skeptical look she shrugged again. "I'm not."

"We're gonna have to work on that." Despite her earlier protests Jerome made a move to take her suitcase from her hand. She raised her eyebrow at him and he scowled. "Look, we can either do this the hard way, or the easy way." He pointed to the carry-on size suitcase strapped to her back. "You already have one - let me deal with this one."

With a deep sigh she relinquished the hold on her suitcase to Jerome. "Thank you. You don't have to, you know - after all, that's not what they pay you for."

Jerome chuckled. "True, they don't. But not all of the celebs I've worked for have treated me like a friend, either. Some things you just do 'cuz you want to."

Kate blinked with surprise. "Thank you."

Jerome glanced down at her fidgeting fingers with a slight smile. "How did the two of you meet up again? I forget."

How does one tell the story of when they fell in love with the man of their dreams? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the red overtake her cheeks with ferocity. Just the facts, ma'am... keep it simple. "I started writing him, just like any other fan," she admitted. "You could have blown me over like a straw house the day he wrote back. We've been writing and phoning each other ever since. It's been..." Kate quickly did the mental math, "... a little over a year and a half, give or take some. We got kind of close in that time. You might say I was a bit shocked when he said he wanted to meet me in person."

A second chuckle escaped Jerome's mouth. "I bet." He nodded to himself. "There's quite the demand on his time. This is probably the closest thing he'll get to a vacation until the holidays."

Kate slowly shook her head. "Why me?"

Jerome knew the answer to that one - her cheery cards and letters had impressed the young man, letters full of faith and humor and life. Her writings had impressed him so much that he had immediately written back. More, he kept writing and also started phoning, and he had convinced her to visit him in Los Angeles... and at this moment he was waiting anxiously out in the car with a huge bouquet of flowers. It was a rare woman who could captivate him like that. Jerome and the others believed that the young man was in love with her. He turned towards the door with Kate's suitcase in tow. "You'll have to ask him."

Thanks a lot... Kate double-timed her steps in an effort to keep up with him. They wandered down the sidewalks outside the airport terminal until they reached a long white limousine. "Whoa..." Kate gasped slack-jawed at the car.

Jerome took her luggage over to the trunk. "What's the matter? Never seen one of these before?"

"Oh yeah, I've seen them..." Kate exhaled and gave her head a sharp shake. "I'm just not used to riding in them."

"Don't feel bad, he's not either." Jerome made a motion for her to hand him the bag hanging on her back and Kate quickly obliged. She hastily pulled a camera out of her purse and snapped a shot of Jerome and the car. "Now what'd you do that for?"

Kate grimaced at Jerome's sour face. Guess my Midwestern roots are showing. She slipped the camera back in her purse. "Proof. Otherwise my friends will never believe me. You should see the looks they give me when I tell them that he and I are friends - before and after I show them the letters."

Jerome grinned as he moved over to the passenger side door. "I can imagine." He opened the door and gestured towards the interior. Trying to keep control of her nerves, she gingerly peeked inside.

Immediately the lone occupant of the back seat stood and extended her his quivering hand. "Hi, Kate," he squeaked out, his accent-laden voice cracking like an adolescent's.

Kate looked into his vulnerable, hopeful green eyes. "Hi, Clay," she returned breathlessly. Taking his hand with hers, she started to step into the waiting car...

- and tripped over the running board of the limo. With a cry of alarm she catapulted forward. Reflexively Clay stretched out his arms to catch her as her momentum carried them onward. With a bump the two of them landed on the floor of the limousine, Kate's face resting squarely on Clay's chest. "Ow..." she moaned, trying not to notice the muffled snickers coming from the front of the car.

"You okay, darlin'?" Clay stroked her hair reassuringly with gentle touches, the concern evident in his voice.

Not if you keep doing that. "No..." she sighed weakly. "My dignity will never recover."

There was a flash of light accompanied by a click of a camera from inside the car. As Kate turned a brilliant shade of pink, Clay glared up at the offender, Will. "If that picture shows up in the papers, so help me I'm gonna..."

"Oh, don't worry about that, man," Will purred as Jerome quickly shut the car door behind him. "This is staying in our own private blackmail files."

Clay groaned. "Great. One more photograph that will someday come back to haunt me."

Oh my, he smells good, Kate thought, quietly inhaling the woodsy aroma of his cologne as she listened to the beat of his heart. If she didn't act fast, she was going to stay right here in the closeness of his arms. And she knew she would enjoy that way too much. "'Dear diary,'" she quipped, "'today I met Clay Aiken... and immediately fell for him.'"

At once the car broke into hysterical laughter - Will, Jerome, the driver, and Clay. "Leave it to you, honey," Clay giggled, "to come up with just the right line."

Kate carefully propped herself up so she could look him in the face. "I figure they're gonna laugh anyway, I might as well give them something to laugh at."

Clay grinned up at her with a great, beautiful smile, admiring her bright eyes and her shiny hair. I think I must've died and gone to heaven... he thought as he continued to hold her in his arms. For several long moments he held her gaze, savoring the warmth in it. Except heaven doesn't have such a hard floor. "It's nice to finally meet you... but we're going to have to quit bumping into each other like this."

Kate sat up very slowly, almost reluctantly. "Good plan."

With the ice broken, Clay moved up onto the back bench seat of the limo and once more extended his hand to Kate. "Care to join me?" Again Kate took his hand with her own and carefully sat beside Clay. "Oh, before I forget - " He reached over to take a sizable bouquet of roses from Will. "These are for you. I remembered that purple was your favorite color."

Isn't purple symbolic for fascination? Kate wondered. It somehow seemed appropriate for this moment - she was completely fascinated by the person of Clay Aiken. Kate slowly and deliberately inhaled deeply of their fresh scent before turning back to him with a smile. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you to get them for me."

Clay nodded with a twinkle in his eye. "You're welcome."

Kate admired the flowers for a few more minutes before looking back up into Clay's eyes. There is something so amazingly vulnerable about this man, she told herself, genuine and compassionate and wonderful. She didn't know how many times she had dreamed of meeting him, but it hadn't quite gone the way she had hoped. There was still one thing lacking. "D-Do you mind if I get a hug?" she asked quietly.

Rather than responding with words, Clay carefully took the roses from her hands and placed them back to the side. He embraced her wholeheartedly, closing his eyes as they both held each other tight. At last he released her, settling her gently close at his side with one arm still wrapped around her. He took her hand in his, and when she looked up into his eyes, he gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead. To his delight Kate snuggled closer still, laying her head on his shoulder and stroking his hand. Clay had been imagining their meeting ever since he had received the first couple of her letters. In spite of the... um, interesting start, it had already surpassed the best of his dreams. I've been waiting forever for this, he sighed to himself and kissed her forehead again.

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Clay opened up the door to the apartment and held it open so that Kate could enter. He sat her suitcase down before turning back to Jerome and Will. "I'll see you guys later."

"No problem, man," Jerome said as he gave Clay's extended hand a brotherly clasp. "We're lookin' forward to eatin' with you and the little lady at Planet Hollywood."

Will also gave him a similar handshake. "Later, dude."

His friend Kim Locke entered the living room as the three men were saying their good-byes. "Hey there, Clay. I take it this is the lovely young woman you've been raving so much about?"

I'm screwed. A brilliant blush crept up Clay's face until it reached his ears. "Um..." He glanced guiltily over at Kate, who reached over and squeezed his hand.

Kim glanced down at their entwined hands and covered a wicked grin with her hand as Clay gave a sheepish giggle. "Clay, is there something you want to tell me...?"

"Um, well, we haven't really talked much since she got here..." Clay stammered as Will and Jerome tried to hold in their laughter.

"You haven't exactly been alone to talk," Jerome chuckled.

Kim nodded knowingly. "You move fast, Clay honey."

As Jerome barked out an appreciative guffaw, Will slung his arm around her shoulder. "You have no idea..." An evil glint came into his eye as he watched Kate cover her face with her free hand. "Make sure they tell you about what happened in the car... and I have the photo to prove it."

Clay glared at Will as he hugged Kate to him. "Just what did I do to offend you?"

Will gave Clay a wink. "Better put those flowers in some water before they start wiltin'. Later."

With a resigned sigh, Clay closed the door behind his two regular bodyguards. Kate smiled gently at him. "I'm glad you have such a good relationship with those guys. You really have their loyalty."

Clay shrugged easily, a bit embarrassed. "They're good people, and I enjoy being friends with them. It's not just about the job for me."

And that is just one thing that sets you apart from just another celebrity, Kate thought to herself. "Do you mind if I... step down the hall... for a minute? I hate doing that... sort of thing... on planes."

Kim gently pointed her in the right direction. "First door to your left, sweetheart." She watched for a moment as Kate zipped into the bathroom before turning to Clay. "So... I understand there's a story?"

Clay's blush returned. "She warned me that she was not the most graceful woman in the world. One moment she was getting into the car and the next moment she tripped and I found myself laying flat on my back on the floor of the car with her in my arms."

Kim gave a delighted laugh. "Oh Clay! I'm sorry, but I so wish I had seen that. But that's right - Will said he had a picture."

"I'm never going to live that one down..." A dreamy look crossed Clay's face a moment later. "She has the most beautiful eyes and smile... and when we were in the car she asked me for a hug. She almost begged me!" Clay blushed. "So I did... and we ended up snuggling in the back seat of the limo." When Kim gave him a surprised look he went on in a rush. "I know, I know, it is happening awfully fast - but it just seemed so natural. There was just something in her eyes which made me feel... I don't know, like I've known her all my life. One thing I do know: I could hold her like that forever."

Kim raised her eyebrow. "You've got it bad, mister."

Clay groaned. "I know."

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Kate had already started unpacking her luggage in the spare bedroom when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID screen and snickered - Sarah was calling. Of course it would be Sarah. "Hey there, sweetie."

"So did you actually meet him?"

"Yeah, finally met him, and I have a picture of Jerome with his limo to prove it." Kate pulled a couple of nice dresses from the suitcase and hung them in the nearby closet.

"You rode in his limo???" Sarah exclaimed.

Kate chewed on the pad of her thumb in thought before replying. "I don't think it's actually his limo, I think he just kind of rents the time when he needs. Considering that there was him, me, my luggage, the driver, and two bodyguards, he probably got it for the extra room. We know he's not into all the fame-and-glory hype and all that materialism junk." She made a distasteful face.

"Two bodyguards?" Sarah asked. "Why did he need two?"

"One to pick me up," Kate answered, "and one to see to his safety back in the car. Hey, it makes perfectly good sense to me."

"So you met the intimidating Jerome?"

Kate nodded in spite of the fact that Sarah could not see her. "Jerome was the one who picked me up at the place where the passengers meet the non-passengers. My gravy, he's big..." She made a raspy noise with her lips. "Will's not exactly small either."

"Wow, you met two of his key bodyguards." Sarah sounded clearly impressed. "They almost have their own celebrity status from being associated with Clay. Are they nice?"

"Really nice," Kate answered, "and completely one-hundred-percent nuts."

"Oh really," Sarah drawled. "So what happened that told you that?"

A brilliant blush covered Kate's face. "Sarah, you are my bestest, closest friend in the entire world... and because you are, I am entrusting you with My Secret."

"I am honored."

"You remember how I fell off the stage my freshman year in college?" Kate asked.

Kate could almost imagine Sarah nodding on the other end of the line. "I only wish I had been there to see it."

"Not your fault that it was before your time." Kate went on. "Remember how I slipped and fell in the waterfall on our campus ministry's canoe trip?"

"I remember how hard you smacked your face on the log, and the ugly bruise you had afterwards," Sarah recalled. "We were keeping a close eye on you in case you had a concussion or something."

Kate winced at the memory. "I was kinda stunned silly for a while. I still can't believe the comical reaction my choir prof had to all those stupid bandages on my face..." That was the best double take I've seen in years... Kate thought to herself.

"I'm just glad you didn't hurt yourself worse, like chipping a bone or something."

Kate nodded again. "The only time in my life I've ever had a black eye, and I gave it to myself."

"You know, Katydid..." Sarah began. "I remember our last conversation where you were so paranoid about making a good first impression that you were convinced you would stick your feet in your mouth or trip over them or something."

Kate made a sour face. "I always seem to have at least one size 9 hanging out of my mouth..."

"And considering the conversation we're having now... what did you do in front of Clay?"

Leave it to Sarah, to cut to the chase. "Um... I tripped - "

"Big surprise there, dearie."

Kate ignored her and told Sarah the story of how she tripped over the running board and attempted to blend Clay into the car's upholstery. When Sarah let out a big, appreciative laugh, Kate grinned. "I wanted to make a good impression, Sarah... I just wasn't planning on making it in his chest." She rubbed her nose for emphasis as Sarah laughed even harder.

"I would pay good money," Sarah giggled, "to have seen that."

"You and Kim Locke both," Kate retorted.

"I'm just glad you can joke about it," Sarah replied. "Making Clay laugh is a good thing."

Kate grinned. "He's got a gorgeous laugh... and he smells amazing."

"Mm. So did you like being on top," Sarah purred, "or would you prefer to be on the bottom next time?"

Kate's jaw dropped. "SARAH!!!" Her cheeks burned fiercely with embarrassment. "See if I tell you any more secrets in the future..." Kate squeaked out.

"I suppose I had that coming." There was a brief moment of silence. "Do you think Will would send me a copy of that picture?" Sarah asked in an innocent voice.

With best friends like this, who needs enemies? "Like I need one more embarrassing picture for you to show my future husband some day..." Kate grumbled to her best friend.

"Imagine the fun I could have with that picture if Clay was your future husband."

A broad grin found its way onto Kate's face. "Sarah, do not torture me that way. You know how I feel about the man," she said with a wistful sigh.

Sarah did indeed - the two women had talked at length about the subject, with liberal amounts of teasing from Sarah. "How are the two you getting along so far?"

Kate gave another sigh, long and deep and satisfied. "I really wish you could pinch me right now, because I have to be dreaming. And if I'm dreaming, I sure don't want to wake up."

"Dreaming because you finally met him after all this time of wishing and hoping, or - oh my gosh!" Sarah sounded excited now. "Don't tell me something happened between the two of you! No - tell me EVERYTHING!"

Kate put the now empty suitcase on the floor of the closet. "You know, he doesn't strike me as a smooth, suave operator at all. He strikes me as the kind of man who would be so completely bashful and would trip over his tongue trying to ask a woman out. But after I knocked him over in the car... we just couldn't stop staring at each other, until he finally had enough of laying on the floor and we sat on the seat instead." Kate chewed on her thumb again, remembering that magical moment forever etched in her memory. "He gave me flowers, the most beautiful lavender-colored roses I've seen. When he did that, I asked him for a hug. It was absolutely one of my most pathetic moments - I was stuttering and I'm sure I sounded like a complete dolt. But he gave me one." She wrapped the other arm around herself, again imagining the hug. "He held me sooo close, and for the longest time. It was beautiful."

"Oh wow, Kate." Sarah almost sounded envious. "I knew he sounded sweet on you."

"Um..." Kate managed, "I'm not finished."

"Ohmygosh!"

"He didn't completely let go - during the entire ride to the house he had one arm around me, and he was holding my hand." At Sarah's sharp intake of breath, Kate went on. "And he kissed me on the forehead... not once, but twice. The first one was not short, either."

Sarah moaned with amazement. "Oh... mygosh."

Kate nodded. "There's more. When I met Kim, she referred to me as the lovely young woman he's been raving so much about. Those were her words."

"Oh... my... gosh. You said that he was the right kind of man for you - and evidently he thinks you're the right kind of woman for him. Katydid, I was pretty sure he liked you, but I never expected this." Sarah whistled. "This is unreal..."

"Tell me about it..." Kate breathed as she sat on the bed. "I swear, I never expected this to actually happen either... but it seems so right. He seems so right, as if I've known him all my life and am just now coming home. But I haven't known him all my life, and we've spent the last year and a half getting to know each other... and yet very little of the really deep, intimate stuff about him surprises me." Kate pursed her lips in thought. "It's like coming home, but to some kind of home I've never been."

"Isn't that a quote from a movie?" Sarah asked.

Kate snapped her fingers. "Sleepless in Seattle!"

"If I believed in signs, that would be mine. Wow..." Sarah said breathlessly. "This is amazing..."

"I know, dear, I know." Kate glanced at her watch. "Listen, I know I'm being rude, but the two of us were going to dinner at Planet Hollywood with the boys. I still need to clean up a bit."

The question mark was almost audible before Sarah spoke. "The boys?"

"Jerome and Will. I don't know why, but I just felt like calling them the boys." Kate flashed a wicked grin. "Oh yeah, maybe it was their childish delight at teasing the two of us..."

"Maybe," Sarah giggled. "The boys... I like that. So if you have a dinner date - and I think at this point we'll just go ahead and call it that - I should let you go. But you'd better keep checking in with me."

"Of course," Kate agreed. Then she shook a finger at her friend as if she were really in the room. "Just remember that while I will certainly try keeping you in the loop, I don't kiss and tell."

"I know you don't, dearie. I know how seriously you take face-to-face kissing period."

Kate nodded. She and Clay had discussed the subject of affection a little bit as well, including kissing. Kate considered kissing a very intimate thing, and she didn't kiss just anyone on the lips. Before meeting him it had flattered her that he had trusted her enough to talk so openly with him about everything, including their beliefs and about relationships. Now she was starting to understand why each of the subjects they had talked about had come up.

"Have a good night," Sarah ordered. "And stay out of trouble... but don't stay out of his arms."

Kate made an embarrassed face but was secretly delighted at the suggestion. "I'll try. Bye now."

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Clay looked up from his seat on the couch when Kate entered the room. "Hey you," he said.

"Hey there, you," Kate responded and sat beside him. "Are we ready?"

"Almost." Clay put his arm around Kate's shoulders. "We're waiting on Jerome and Will."

Kate nodded. "Waiting on the boys..."

Clay grinned at her. "The boys, hunh?" When she made an innocent-looking face he laughed. "That's a good one. I'm going to have to remember that." Clay bit his lip. "Listen, um... as long as we have a little time, there was something I wanted to talk about if you don't mind too much..."

I wonder what that would be, Kate thought as she glanced at his nervous eyes. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"I uh..." Clay stammered and chewed his lip some more.

Kate had the sudden thought that her initial impression - that Clay was surprisingly bashful around women who interested him - was very accurate. She put her hand on top of his. "Clay?"

That one gesture seemed to be all that Clay needed. Holding her hand in his, he smiled gently at her. "By now you've... probably figured out that I... um..." Clay took a deep breath. "That I am... uh... interested in you. Interested in dating you, that is." Blinking once he went on. "I was uh... wondering if you would want to date me... be my girlfriend and all."

Her breath caught in that instant. Clay's asking me to be his girlfriend? She attempted to swallow but seemed to have a lump in her throat. "I would like that," she replied hoarsely. "I would like that a lot."

Clay's smile grew larger. "I'm glad to hear that." He nodded with obvious relief. "So... I guess that means we're an item now."

Kate nodded back. "I guess it does." The two of them continued to gaze into each other's eyes for several uninterrupted minutes.

Don't I sound intelligent tonight, Clay groaned inwardly. Come on, Clayton, think of some kind of meaningful conversation to have with the lady. "Um..." Nice start, brain, I can always count on you. "Do-do you have anything that you wanted to do out here in L. A.?"

"Uh, well..." Kate pursed her lips thoughtfully and made a clicking noise. "I really hadn't given it much thought. I knew that I wanted to get you know you better, and that's all I really thought about."

"Oh." After another couple of quiet moments Kate started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"We've known each other a year and a half, Clay. While we were writing and emailing and calling, we could talk about anything and we could take forever to do it!" Kate giggled. "Suddenly we get face to face and it's like... cat's got our tongues, or - "

Clay shuddered. "Don't even mention cats."

"Sorry." Kate grimaced.

"I know what you mean, though," Clay admitted. "I look at you and my mind suddenly goes blank. All I can do is look at you... and think about how beautiful you are."

Kate gave a little gasp. "You... you think I'm... beautiful??"

"Oh yeah!" As Clay nodded for emphasis, Kate's mouth hung farther open. "You mean you don't?" When she shook her head, Clay blinked. "You're very beautiful, Kate."

Kate wrinkled her nose. "I've never thought I was beautiful. I've always thought I was plain, just plain old Kate."

"Darlin'," Clay began as he stood and extended her his other hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. "There's nothing plain about you. Come here." He led her to the bathroom so that she stood directly in front of the mirror. "What do you see?"

Kate gave her reflection a cursory glance before looking up at Clay. "I see me. Nothing special."

Clay's jaw dropped. "It amazes me how you are such a wonderful encourager, and yet you never seem to believe in yourself."

"Oh, I believe in my skills and talents and all that," Kate qualified, "but they are the gifts that God has given me and he gives me the strength to use them well."

Clay chuckled. "It's a start, I suppose. But I find it hard to believe you think you look ordinary." He turned her back to look at the mirror again. "Let me tell you what I see." Wrapping his arms around her waist, he began. "I see a woman who is fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. He gave her two lively, expressive eyes that see only the best people have to offer." When Kate blushed, he went on. "He gave her two soft, gentle hands that serve and uphold those around her. He gave her two strong and willing feet that walk beside someone for the long haul." Clay rested his chin on her shoulder, and Kate leaned her cheek against his. "He gave her two firm shoulders for people to lean on or cry on. He gave her two attentive ears to listen. He gave her a beautiful mouth that encourages people without stopping. He gave her a face that reflects the love of its maker."

Kate's lower lip trembled. "Clay, you're gonna make me cry..."

He went on, softer this time. "He gave her a mind and soul that seeks him constantly, and He gave her a heart of tenderness and love. If that isn't beautiful," Clay said, kissing her gently on the cheek, "then I don't know what is."

A single tear ran down Kate's cheek and she brushed it away. "My father has his own way of telling me I was beautiful. He always told me that people were entitled to their own opinions. If you didn't like how you looked, that was your opinion. If someone else thought you were beautiful, that was their opinion and you had no say in the matter. And he tells me I'm beautiful too."

"Your father's a very wise man," Clay informed her.

"He is," Kate grinned warmly. "He's one of the wisest men of Christian integrity I know." She looked Clay in the eye. "And you're the other one."

"Aw, thank you. That's sweet." Clay turned her so that he could look at her face to face. "You are beautiful, Kate, and not just because God made you in his image." He reached up and stroked her cheek. "You're a very beautiful woman." As Kate continued to meet Clay's eye, Clay could feel his heart beating faster and his lungs tightening with each breath. Involuntarily he glanced at Kate's lips, and back at her eyes again. For one brief moment Clay thought he saw a glimmer of fear in her eyes. What am I doing? He gave his head a sharp shake and looked away. "I'm sorry about that, honey. I shouldn't even be thinking about trying to kiss you on our first day together when I remember you saying that kissing is a very intimate thing for you." He gave her a sheepish grin and gently tapped her lips with his fingertip. "I promise I'll give it at least two or three days before I ask to kiss you."

Kate slowly nodded. "Th-thank you, Clay."

Clay thought she suddenly looked pale. "Are you alright, honey?"

She shrugged easily and smiled at him. "I'm fine."

Clay considered this for a moment. For some reason I don't buy that. He decided he would ask her later on tonight after she had relaxed a bit more. The guest buzzer sounded, and Clay glanced at the door. "That would be Jerome and Will. I'll go let them in." Leaving Kate for a moment to compose herself, Clay walked over to the door. He opened it to admit Jerome and Will. "On time as always..."

"Of course, man." Will and Jerome in turn greeted Clay with a brotherly handshake. "Where's the little lady?"

"Give her a minute, and she'll be ready," Clay answered. It's the truth, he told himself.

"Women," Jerome chuckled, "never on time."

"Are too," Kate retorted as she leaned against the wall beside him, "if it's the right woman." Jerome jumped in mock surprise, and Kate lifted her chin defiantly.

I'm glad to see she has her spunk back, Clay thought as he grinned. "Ready, darlin'?"

"Of course, handsome."

Clay blinked with surprise as Will and Jerome exchanged amused looks. Handsome? He glanced over at Kate. A light blush covered her cheeks at his regard but otherwise she looked completely sincere. She thinks I'm handsome? Beautiful, wonderful Kate thinks I'm handsome? He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out at all. Absolutely dumbfounded, Clay stared at her in amazed awe. Jerome snickered until Kate glared him silent. My Kate thinks I'm handsome. My Kate... Clay shook his head to clear out the cobwebs, filing that thought away for now. "I'm... I'm ready if you are."

"Have fun, you two." Kim waved at the two lovebirds with an impish twinkle in her eye.

Clay turned back to her with a grin. "We will." He offered his arm to Kate, who took it. The two of them followed the bodyguards out the door to the car.

"Dang, girl," Will told Kate as he opened the back door for the couple, "you can give the dirtiest looks. Where'd you learn that little trick?"

"From my mother," Kate offered as she climbed in with a hand from Clay. "It comes in handy with kids and unruly bodyguards."

"If looks could kill, I'd be a goner," Jerome chuckled. "You ought to be a teacher."

Clay giggled as Kate rolled her eyes. "What did I tell you?"

"Okay, okay..." Kate grinned wryly. "But for the record, I usually don't have to give my kids that look. For some odd reason they find my classes interesting enough to behave."

"You make them interesting," Clay told her.

"I try, but some days I suspect that they probably come just to see what little quirky thing I'll do in class." Kate made a goofy face.

"Yeah," Clay answered as Kate laid back comfortably in his arms, "but that's half of what makes you and your classes interesting. You work really hard to make your classes both easy and fun." He smiled down at her. "I could have enjoyed foreign languages a lot more if I had been able to take them from a teacher like you."

"Awww..." Kate rolled her eyes again. "It's something that more teachers should do. I've hardly done anything novel in my classroom."

Will glanced at Clay's frown. "I don't think the man agrees with you. So what do you do in your class that makes it different?"

"We do lots of hands-on things," Kate told him, "and lots of conversations even if they're small ones. A person learns a language better if you use it, and if you use more than one sense to learn it. Let me give you an example by telling you how I teach colors. I have a bunch of solid-colored balls that we toss around the classroom. As a student catches a ball, they have to be able to tell the person who tossed it to them what color it is in both English and Spanish, if that's the target language. Then they toss it on to the next person, and have to be able to ask that person the question in both English and Spanish." She smiled and counted the benefits off with her hand. "In one lesson they use sight, sound, and touch... they are holding mini-conversations in both English and the target language... and they think it's fun since they're throwing things in class and getting away with it."

"Wow," Will said. "If that's the kind of lessons you teach, you do make it interesting."

Kate blushed. "Thank you." Pleased that someone agreed with him, Clay winked at Will.

Jerome gave Kate a half grin and a nod. "What languages do you teach?"

"Spanish and German," Kate replied. "I pretty much grew up with German - my grandmother spoke it fluently, and I picked up a lot of it from her... including some phrases you'll never find in textbooks."

Clay raised an eyebrow at her. "Really. As long as none of them are obscenities..."

"No, I wouldn't let her teach me any of those." Kate blushed furiously. "Though a few of my college classmates sure tried. I'm sorry, guys, I don't use language like that in any tongue. It's not ladylike."

"Good for you." Clay kissed her temple. "I wouldn't expect any less from my lady."

My lady... Kate blushed and hid a pleased grin. I like the sound of that.

"So, then..." Will asked, "what did she teach you that isn't in a textbook?"

"Sayings... mild slams..." Kate grinned mischievously. "Du hast kopf a fron?"

"Say what?"

"Du hast kopf a fron?" Kate's grin grew bigger. "One of the guys I went to high school with liked that one too. He liked it so much he went to the German foreign exchange student to translate it for him."

Clay glanced down at her. "What happened?"

Kate giggled. "She laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes, and she never did tell him what I said. He was so mad... but he had it coming for insulting my friend like that." When Clay raised his eyebrow again she beckoned him down. "'Do you have a frozen head?'" she whispered in his ear.

Clay bit his lip and giggled as Kate gave Will one of her best ornery looks. "You're terrible."

"Yup. I never claimed to be anything less." She grinned. "That's the way I am with all my friends, and they with me. You cross one of us, we leap to each other's defense. It doesn't matter the circumstance, we look out for each other."

Jerome nodded, clearly pleased. "As it should be."

"That's right." Kate made a sour grimace. "Though it was a little tougher when I had my semester abroad... it just didn't work out the same way." A haunted look crossed Kate's face for a brief moment. Shaking it off a second later, Kate took Clay's hand and snuggled closer to him with a deeply satisfied sigh. "I could get used to this."

"I hope you do," Clay murmured and kissed her on the top of her head before holding her tighter.

Oooo... Kate thought to herself as a tingly warm sensation traveled from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. I could definitely get used to this.

Clay and Kate rode the rest of the way to the restaurant in agreeable silence, blissfully ignorant of Will and Jerome carrying a whispered conversation of their own with the limo driver. The limo parked outside of the restaurant, and the two bodyguards climbed out of the car. "What do you think those three were talking about so intently up there?" Kate whispered to Clay as Will went into the restaurant and Jerome took up a post outside of the limousine.

Clay gave a quiet snort. "Probably taking bets on the two of us again..." Seeing her questioning look, he told her about the conversation the three of them had earlier that day at the airport. Kate snickered with amusement as she laid her head back on his shoulder. Rolling his eyes, Clay frowned with stoic patience as he waited for Will to return. "You find it funny now, darlin'... but wait until you hear them place more and more bets over the two of us. Before long they'll be betting over when we'll get married or over how many children we'll have... whether they'll be girls or boys, or whether they'll get stuck with my hair color or get lucky and have yours." When Kate turned to look back up at him with a wide-eyed expression on her face, Clay blushed furiously. Nice going, Clayton. Let's just make our intentions a little more clear next time...

Just when Clay was wondering if he had scared her for good, Kate once more returned her head to his shoulder, a little more slowly this time. Clay bit his lip nervously. Clayton Aiken, when will you learn to keep your mouth shut? Have you just ruined your chances with her? As if she were answering his last unspoken question, Kate slid her free arm around his waist. Carefully, deliberately, she reached up and gently gave him a soft, warm kiss on his jaw, sending Clay's heart into overdrive. Oh my... Clay moaned to himself and closed his eyes in order to concentrate on breathing. Is that the kiss of an angel, or does it just feel that way? He could suddenly see why Kate took kissing so seriously - her kiss had been nowhere close to his lips, and his head was still spinning from it. She never does anything halfway, does she? Clay knew he was going to have a hard time not kissing her from now on.

The door to the limo opened, and Jerome poked his head into the car. "Will says our table is ready. Come on, Romeo, bring your Juliet."

Once more pointedly ignoring Jerome, Clay gently nudged Kate. "Ready, honey?" he asked her. He winced inside, shocked at how low his voice sounded.

"I guess." Kate took her time sitting upright, not seeming to notice the mild change in Clay's voice. "We don't want to keep them waiting."

Clay climbed out of the car and extended his hand to Kate. "Let me help you, darlin'." She stood cautiously to avoid banging her head on the ceiling, and Clay assisted her out of the car. Clay once more gave her his arm, and the two of them walked into the restaurant side by side with Jerome following behind. Immediately he felt the eyes of a lot of the restaurant patrons on them. Oh goody... He sighed to himself - he was never going to get used to the loss of his privacy. Kate placed her other hand on his arm and squeezed it. He took her hand and squeezed back - he couldn't tell whether she was because she was nervous or trying to make him feel better. Clay turned to her and was pleased to see a brilliant smile on her face as he met her eye. Wow. Suddenly a half-naughty thought crossed Clay's mind. Clay brought the back of her hand up to his lips and gave it a delicate kiss, his eyes twinkling as she turned away with a shy blush. For one brief moment he allowed himself a bit of pride before forcing himself back to reality. He knew he was just plain lucky to have Kate by his side. Remind me, Lord, to thank you again later.

Clay made sure that Kate was firmly seated in her chair before he sat in his own next to her. Kate exhaled and shook her head. "That was... interesting."

"What was interesting?" Clay asked her.

"Everyone was staring at us."

Clay snorted. "Welcome to L.A."

Will nodded. "Welcome to the lives of the rich and famous." Clay snorted again and rolled his eyes.

Kate's nose wrinkled with apprehension. "You can't be serious."

"Yeah, we are. Lot of stars out here, and people gotta look to see who's with who." Jerome jerked his thumb at Clay. "He walked in with a beautiful girl who wasn't one of the other Idols and wasn't famous. They were trying to figure out who in the world you were and how you rate."

"That makes two of us..." Kate replied.

Clay frowned at her. "You're my woman. That's what makes you rate." He kissed her hand again.

Kate blushed and rubbed her nose with mild embarrassment. "Awww..."

Will pointed at Kate. "Show up a few more places around town with her, and the paparazzi are going to have a field day with you."

Clay groaned. "I hope not. Kate doesn't need this kind of attention."

Kate smiled up at him warmly. "That's so very much like you, Clay, to always be thinking of others."

He shrugged. "I'm starting to get used to the attention... but I'm more worried about you."

Kate reached over and took his hand. "We'll get through it together, sweetheart." She looked genuinely baffled. "Usually when I get a lot of stares like that, it's because I said something stupid, did something not-so graceful," she made a sour face, "or I've got an amazingly long trail of toilet paper hanging off the end of my shoe."

The three men laughed at Kate's self-deprecating remark. "Girl, that was not the case today," Will told her. "You said nothing, you didn't trip, and you look nice."

Kate blushed. "Thank you, Will." She glanced at him with a thoughtful frown. "Will... is it just 'Will', or is it short for a longer name like William or Willard?"

An impish sparkle lit Clay's eyes as he leaned towards her. "Wilhelmina."

Will frowned. "Thanks a lot, Claytina."

Kate gave an appreciative laugh, squeezing Clay's hand. "But look at it this way, Will - your name has a good meaning. My grandpa's name was William, and it means 'determined guardian'. How many people have a name that's also their occupation?" She grinned as Will chuckled.

"Kate... is it just 'Kate'," Jerome began, "or is it short for somethin' else?"

Noting that she suddenly had Clay's undivided attention as well, she explained. "My first name is actually Kathryn... but do I look like a 'Kathryn' to you?" Seeing both Jerome and Will shake their heads she went on. "I don't either. Maybe in the business world where a person's got to be formal... sign their paychecks and stuff like that, then I go by Kathryn. But I am not a formal person at all in real life - the only people outside of the workplace who have ever called me Kathryn have been college professors and little old ladies. All my friends and family call me Kate."

"Not Kathy?" Will asked.

Kate made a distasteful face. "Do I look like a Kathy to you?" Once more seeing the bodyguards shake their heads, she made a dramatic motion with her hands. "And voila - Kate is born." She glanced at Clay. "Unfortunately with my flair for... um, physical comedy, some of my former schoolmates have taken to calling me 'Calamity Kate'... Not too flattering, me thinks."

Clay snickered and squeezed her hand. "It's kind of charming, in its own way." Kate turned back to Clay with a mildly annoyed look. All at once she stuck her tongue out at him. Clay raised his eyebrow. "Is that an offer, darlin', because I'd love to take you up on it at a later date and time."

Kate's jaw dropped as Jerome and Will chortled. "Clayton Holmes Aiken! You are a naughty man!" She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Now I can see where that 'I think I'm not as innocent as I seem' quote came from. Because you're NOT!"

Clay grinned and bit his lip in thought. "Innocent, well maybe... angelic, not in a million years."

"Definitely not," Kate agreed. "That was downright devilish of you."

"I should be sorry..." Clay began, "but that was too much fun." When Kate pretended to give him another dirty look he continued. "I do respect you, honey, and I will do everything I can to show you the honor you deserve. But you might want to keep in mind that there is definitely healthy red blood in this young man's veins... just a warning."

Kate gave him another pretend dirty look coupled with a raised eyebrow. Makes me wonder what he'd think if I told him some of the less-than-pure thoughts that have run through my mind about him. Kate quickly turned away from him just in case he could read her mind simply by looking into her eyes. If what he just said was any indication, he'd probably enjoy it.

"Where you from, girl?" Jerome asked.

"Nebraska. I teach in a city called Kearney." Clay gave her a wry grin and Kate shrugged. "Okay, you guys would probably call it a town. It only has about 25,000 to 30,000 people not counting the students from the college. University." Kate gave her head a sharp shake. "University, not college." When they graced her with confused looks she explained. "They joined the university system after I graduated high school. I still forget that they're a university half the time."

"Next dumb question," Will said. "If it's got only 25,000 or so, why'd you call it a city?"

Kate flushed. "Probably 'cuz I was born in a remote town of less than a thousand." She rolled her eyes. "Most Nebraskans don't even know where to find the town I was born. Most people from other states are lucky to find Nebraska on the map..."

Jerome exchanged a knowing look with Will. "That explains why she took a picture of the limo."

Kate scowled. She was actually quite proud of her rural roots, and had little patience with people who were so narrow-minded to think that she and her family were all a bunch of redneck hillbillies. "Like I said, I see them often enough. I just have never had the fortune to ride in one."

"You ever ride a horse?" Will asked.

"I grew up riding horses," she acknowledged. "I could bridle, saddle, and ride one of those before most guys think they need to start shaving." Kate gave Will an impish look. "What about you, Will? You a horse rider?"

Will held up both hands. "We're talkin' about a brother here."

"I take that as a no." She turned to Jerome next. "Jerome?"

Jerome snorted. "You've got us beat there."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Wasn't trying, guys, but thanks anyway. Maybe one of these days you guys will all have to come visit me in Nebraska and one of our outings will be horseback riding... all four of us." As the two bodyguards both chuckled at the idea of the four of them riding horses, Kate turned to Clay with a softer expression on her face. "You ever ride a horse, sweetheart?"

Clay gave her a weak grin. "Do the quarter horses outside of Wal-Mart count?"

Kate giggled and squeezed Clay's hand. "Clayton, Clayton..." She sighed deeply and grinned at him. Leaning over with a conspiratorial air, she whispered, "I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was nine."

"Really?" Clay asked. "Why not?"

"The roads were too soft," Kate explained. "They were all sand and couldn't support a bike. Besides, it was too far a ride from where we lived to bike into town."

"You lived in the country?" Jerome asked. When Kate nodded, he grinned. "That explains a lot... like why you are used to fending for yourself."

"Yep," Kate nodded again. "You do it yourself or it doesn't happen. I've been known to find it hard to rely on and trust others." She frowned and mumbled under her breath. "Especially men."

Clay gently caressed her hand. "Maybe you should start."

Kate chewed on her thumb distractedly. "Maybe... but I'm going to need someone to show me how." She smiled fondly up at Clay. "Do you know someone who would be willing to help me out?"

Clay returned her smile. "I think I might."

The rest of their meal went with more amiable discussion, with Jerome and Will continuing to ask questions about Kate and Kate's attempts to answer them and draw out their own lives as well. Or at least it did, until...

When Clay was halfway through his sandwich, his cell phone rang. "You have got to be kidding me..." he muttered as he pulled it out of his pocket. "Ah, no..."

"Who's calling?" Kate asked.

"Jeff the PR guy. Why's he calling now?" Clay asked with annoyance. "He knows I have company and don't want to deal with him."

"Better get it," Jerome told him. "You remember what happened the last time you ignored him."

Clay gave Jerome a don't remind me scowl and answered the phone. "Jeff, what is it you think's so important that you interrupted me in the middle of dinner with my guest? No, I told you... No, I told you that I'm not doing any appearances this week other than that premiere. You what?" Clay's scowl deepened. "You knew I have company this week. No, you can cancel it. Jeff, I'm not changing my mind about this - my girlfriend is here from Nebraska. Yes, my girlfriend. Thank you. No, nothing you can say..." Clay rubbed his face with his hand. "All right. I'll do it this time and only this time under one condition. You find a way to get all-points access and a front-row ticket for my lady. I don't care if that puts you in a bind, Jeff, you put me in one. Either you find a way to make it happen or you call them back and tell them why I cancelled. And Jeff, buy yourself a calendar. I'm not going through this again." Clay hung up on the public relations man with a vigorous take that motion.

Jerome poked a french fry with his fork. "So what dirty little trick did he pull this time?"

Clay heaved a deep sigh. "They're donating to the foundation."

Will shook his head. "Dude, you gotta quit letting him do that."

"Believe me, that's the last time," Clay growled. "The next time he pulls a stunt like that, he can find some other celebrity's chain to yank." He glanced over at Kate with a weak smile. "Well, between the premiere that I haven't told you about and Jeff's little pet project, that kills Friday."

Kate raised her eyebrow. "I'm listening..."

Clay made a tolerant face. "Jeff, in spite of the fact that I told him that you're here and I'm only doing the appearance at the premiere that night, has scheduled me for a Friday morning interview with Regis and Kelly. He says that since the movie I made with Ruben is coming out that night, that would be the perfect time for me to promote the movie." He scowled again. "It doesn't seem to matter that I've already had several interviews promoting the movie." Clay turned to Kate with a gentle expression on his face. "I know you just flew in, but it seems that we're going to do a little more flying on Friday. I am not about to leave you alone in Los Angeles for the day."

Leave it to Clay... Kate smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. I appreciate you looking out for me like that."

"While I'm at it..." Clay gave her a wry grin. "I know I made a pretty big assumption here, but I was hoping that you would be my escort to the premiere."

Kate's jaw dropped. "Is that why you pushed for me to visit this week instead of one of the others I suggested?" When he nodded, she gave her head a shake as if to clear it. "Why me? I thought for sure that you'd share it with your mother, or Kim, or one of your other friends."

Clay shrugged. "Kim is going along with Ruben. Mom and Brett are going to be coming along with us. But I wanted to take you."

Wow. Kate blinked with amazement for several moments before her eyes widened. "Um, Clay... how formal is this premiere going to be? I don't know if I have anything suitable for something like that."

I think I can remedy that. Clay nodded slowly, a wry smile on his face. "Kim wanted an excuse to get to know you better anyway. She informed me that if you accepted my offer she was going to take you shopping for your outfit." He bit his lip. Should I tell her what she said? He giggled and decided that he would. "Her words were, 'Clay honey, by the time I get her all fixed up, you'll be eating out of her hand.'"

Kate flushed. "Well then..." she squeaked.

"Those were Kim's words, darlin' - blame her."

"I wish her all the luck in the world," Kate drawled, "because she's got her work cut out for her."

Clay gave her a mock glare. "I thought we settled that earlier in front of the mirror."

Kate grimaced. Oops.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Clay shut the door behind Will and Jerome at the end of the evening. "How are you doing, honey? Have you caught up on the jet lag yet?"

Kate shook her head with a yawn. "I hope to have it beat tomorrow once I've had a little more sun. After my traveling experiences I've learned that sun and water, not sleep, is the best cure for jet lag."

Clay nodded knowingly. "I've had a crash course in jet lag myself. I thought I was going to drop of exhaustion the first time I was in London."

"Clay, half the time we thought that you were going to drop of exhaustion on the set of American Idol," Kate told him. She laughed quietly. "I swear, Clay, I have seen so much footage of you trying to catch your z's... I bet that you could sleep anywhere."

"Believe me," Clay drawled, "I think I have."

"And the way you can contort that 6'1" frame of yours and wedge it in the tiniest spaces..." When he shrugged she continued. "The day I heard about... the toenail thing, I um..." Kate looked sheepish. "I tried to see if I could get my foot to even go that high, and I couldn't quite..."

Clay blinked at her, amused. "Really. This I have to see."

The two of them sat side by side on the floor, both of them trying to move their lower limbs to directions and heights that few people could reach. Clay touched his ankle with his nose, and Kate shook her head in amazement. "No fair," Kate whined, "I can't do that, and I'm the woman."

"You know I can also turn my feet backwards, and I'm the man." Clay nodded at her. "Keep trying, honey. You were so close earlier." Kate started to make one more attempt when all at once the utter seriousness in Clay's words struck her as hilariously funny. She glanced up at Clay with a mischievous glimmer in her eye. The look was instantly contagious, and the next moment the two of them had collapsed onto each other in fits of helpless laughter.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." Kate gasped breathlessly. "I shouldn't..."

Clay shook his head as he bent double. "Don't... don't be. It's funny..."

Drawn out to the living room by all the commotion, Kim leaned on the door jam and watched the two of them rolling on the floor. She shook her head and walked back down the hall. "I don't want to know..."

The two of them continued to howl with laughter for several minutes before it died down. Kate leaned on her elbow, mirroring the position that Clay had taken up next to her. She chuckled. "How often do you and your significant other spend the evening trying to touch your feet to your nose?"

Clay giggled. "First time for me, honey."

"Oh," Kate drawled and held her hand over her heart. "I'm touched." When Clay laughed again, she shook her head. "You are one very limber man." Kate nodded thoughtfully. "Some day that ability will come in very handy." Clay's eyes suddenly widened and instantly Kate knew exactly where his mind had taken that. That's not what I meant. Her cheeks flushed hotly at the thought. Healthy red blood indeed.

Clay smiled gently at her. "Are you still tired, darlin', or did all that laughing wake you up enough to talk a while?"

Considering our earlier conversation, I know I can trust him to do no more than talk. Kate returned the smile. "I can catch up on my sleep next week. I can't always talk with you face to face."

"I like your thinking." Clay helped her up onto the couch and quickly joined her. Within moments the couple was nestled close to one another, enjoying each other's company long before another word was spoken.

Go to the next day, Day 2

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