The Problem With Heartache by Lauren K. McKellar Page A

empty-handed from my mission to find such a thing when I spied Lee, Lottie, and Jay standing just inside our hotel.
    “Hey.” I waved as I walked past, but Lottie grabbed my arm.
    “Kate, good. Lee needs a hand minding Jay this afternoon. Can you …” She nodded her head toward the two of them, and both Lee and Jay gave me their best cheesy grins.
    “I guess, I—”
    “Thank you so much! It’ll only be for an hour, maybe two. I just have to go check on the clothes for tomorrow’s photo shoot. The damn courier didn’t show up.” Lottie glanced at her phone and then looked back at the two of us expectantly. “Are you guys … good with this?”
    “Fine.” I nodded.
    “Seriously?” Lee raised his eyebrows. “We’ll be fine. And I don’t really need a babysitter.” He gave me a pointed look.
    “Lee, I meant that I want him to be looked after without you getting mobbed or taking him to do something I disapprove of.” Lottie’s eyes darkened. “Besides, sometimes I just think a woman … you look like you’d be good with kids. He’s still only new to all this,” Lottie said, looking at me, a sardonic smile twisting her lips. “Okay, Jay. Love you.”
    She held out her arms and her little man came flying into them for a big bear hug. Something in my heart twinged. I wanted unconditional love like that.
    “Thanks, guys.” Lottie gave us both a wave, then waited till I was holding Jay’s hand and mouthed no monster trucks to me and left. Lee tugged the hat on Jay’s head down and we followed after her, leaving the safety of the hotel for the driveway.
    We had barely been outside alone for three seconds when it happened.
    “Lee? Lee Collins!”
    “Lee! Lee, take a picture with me!”
    “Lee!”
    The screaming continued, and Lee smiled, waved, posed for a few pictures and then led me toward the waiting car with a gentle hand on my back, Jay’s fingers linked firmly in between mine.
    When we were safely inside, I turned to him. “Wow,” I breathed. Fans lined the street, and some of them had even found a spot in traffic to cross and were encroaching upon the car. “Is it always this bad?”
    Lee shrugged. “Sometimes worse.”
    Huh. It seemed too crazy to be true.
    “By the way, Kate, meet Sam, our driver. Sam, meet Kate, our new tour organiser.” Lee made the introductions and Sam, a middle-aged guy with twinkly eyes and a dubious moustache, smiled.
    We drove through the city streets in silence. Even Jay was quiet, as he looked nervously from Lee to me until we pulled up at a water park, Raging Waters in San Dimas.
    “What are we doing here?” I frowned. Surely the place would be closed. It was autumn; who wanted to waterslide then?
    “Going for a swim,” Lee said.
    “Cool!” Jay enthused. “I haven’t been swimming in soooo long, Lee. Not since I was three.”
    “Wow.” Lee’s eyes widened. “That was a long time ago. Are you sure you’re ready?”
    Jay acted as if he was considering it, then nodded, agreeing. “I’m ready.”
    “Great. Let’s do it.”
    The three of us walked to the entrance desk where a bored looking teenager had her day made by meeting Lee- freaking -Collins and agreeing to shut the water park for him, if we paid entrance fees for the capacity. Thankfully, we were the only ones stupid enough to be here in this cool weather, so we didn’t have to kick anyone out.
    “Let’s do it,” Lee yelled and Jay roared after him as they dashed to the biggest slide, a three-storey number that looked seriously dangerous.
    “I’ll mind your clothes,” I called out, but I needn’t have bothered. Apparently, the current strategy was drop them where you feel.
    Seconds later the boys flew down the slide, Lee in a pair of board shorts, which he must have been wearing earlier, Jay in his underwear. They looked cute together, as if they were having a heap of fun, and Lee never lost patience with the little guy, even when he wanted to do the same ride multiple times.
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