Fourteen.

CHASE HARDLY BREATHED DURING THE SCREENING. He could barely take in what was happening around him. He'd never been anywhere like Kendall's house - a plush, expansive tri-level with entire walls of gla.s.s, built into the Hollywood Hills. And sitting with him around the room were people he'd once only read about. Kendall and her father, Ben; Stephanie Fitzgerald; and Brandon Paul. Even Luke Baxter had flown in for the week of meetings, confident he could help on a number of levels.

Kelly had asked Chase if he ever felt like his life had become surreal. He'd told her no, that he wasn't overwhelmed by the glitz and glamour of everything happening around him. But here, every few seconds, Chase asked himself what in the world he was doing rubbing elbows with some of the most powerful people in the industry.

The Last Letter seemed to take twice as long to finish, and more than once Chase and Keith exchanged a look that said neither of them could wait for feedback from the people watching. Everything about their future with Unlocked hinged on the next few hours.

Chase tried to relax and enjoy the film, but it was impossible. G.o.d, it's in Your hands. Let them love it, and give us success here. Please ...

In response, Chase remembered one of his favorite Bible verses, something from Philippians chapter 4. "Present your requests to G.o.d. And the peace of G.o.d, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Yes, that was it. He needed to place all his questions and fears in the hands of Christ, so that the peace of G.o.d would rule over not only this moment but whatever other moments the night held. Success or not.

When the film finally ended, Chase noticed something he hadn't before. Stephanie was crying. She wiped her fingers beneath her eyes and for a long while the group sat in the dark, watching the credits and saying nothing. Stephanie found a tissue from the coffee table and blew her nose. Then she turned to Chase and Keith and grinned bigger than anything she'd given at their first meeting. "That -" She motioned with her elbow toward the large screen, "- was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." She stood and went to Keith first, and then to Chase, hugging each of them and practically lifting them off the ground. "That's what I'm talking about! I knew you were the right guys. Everything I'd seen and read told me that - your skill and determination, your talent and your faith." She stepped back and let out a loud victory cry. "Thank you, Jesus! We got nothing but sunshine and clear skies ahead. Unlocked is going to be amazing!"

The others in the room chuckled at her excitement.

"Hey!" Stephanie spun around and pointed at Brandon. "Don't laugh at me!" She was teasing him, enjoying the moment. "Tell me you didn't get tears all backed up in those beautiful eyes of yours!"

"Okay, okay." Brandon breathed in deeply through his nose. "You're right. It was good."

"I was crying like a baby." Luke tossed his hands and grabbed a tissue.

The sight of their attorney acting as emotional as Stephanie made them laugh and added to the feeling of celebration. Chase listened to the exchange and prayed he wouldn't wake up, prayed he was really hearing this sort of feedback and not lost in the middle of a dream. Keith popped him on the shoulder and grinned. It wasn't a dream. The people gathered in Kendall's screening room loved The Last Letter.

"It's everything I knew it would be." Kendall stood and flipped on a light. "What do you think, Dad?"

"Amazing." He pulled himself to his feet and gave first Keith, then Chase a hearty handshake. "You've got my support. Like I said, I'll fund the P&A for a theatrical release on this film, and I'm good for half the money on Unlocked."

Chase couldn't breathe. He pressed his leg against the sofa behind him so he wouldn't fall to the floor. The P&A budget was five million dollars, and though Ben had hinted about footing the cost, this was an actual promise. Chase had the feeling he was going to whip out a legal doc.u.ment over chips and salsa later that night. Sure, they still needed to convince the studio executives that The Last Letter was worth the financial risk for a theatrical release. But with this sort of reaction, Chase suddenly wasn't worried.

But more than that, Ben's offer to fund half the Brandon Paul movie meant two things. First, they were ready to talk to a studio about the project. And second, they could retain creative control - since providing half the budget would give them that privilege.

Chase could hear people talking around him, but all he could think about was Kelly, how she'd doubted whether they could make movies at this level, at the Brandon Paul level. And how G.o.d had proved to all of them that they could.

They moved into the kitchen and then on to the formal dining room, where a housekeeper had set the table with a Mexican dinner. Once they were seated and the food served, Chase and Keith talked at length with the others. Luke Baxter was showing himself to be a skilled professional, an up-and-coming legend in entertainment law. He had already drawn up paperwork for the financials.

"I understand you're available tomorrow also?" Ben took three taquitos from the closest platter. "We need something in writing to add to the investment money I've already put in for The Last Letter, and of course we need to spell out our deal with Brandon."

"Absolutely." Luke was quick to answer. "I'm in town all week."

Brandon set his fork down. "My agent and attorney want to be in on that. I think we're meeting Friday." He scooped a blob of avocado dip onto his plate. "My agent's going to want a polished screenplay before we commit to anything with a studio."

So many pieces to the puzzle. Chase felt dizzy, and not the least bit hungry even as everyone around him dove into their meals. The conversation didn't turn back to movies again until after dinner.

"Brandon." Kendall was sitting on Chase's other side. "Why don't you tell the producers your story. The one most people don't know."

Chase was dying to know more about the kid. They were about to invest millions of dollars into the guy - that and their futures as filmmakers. He and Keith knew little about the actor, only what was common knowledge in the magazines. Brandon was twenty-two, but he could convincingly play a high school kid. He'd come onto the scene as part of an NTM series about a high school jock who was really the son of a European king. Prince Jake was the series, and it had blown away the expectations of NTM. Prince Jake's image was on everything from pop cans to pizza boxes, T-shirts to bath towels. Brandon Paul could sing, dance, and act, and he was a teen heartthrob like the country hadn't seen in three decades. The only black mark was Brandon's younger sister, Paisley, who was also in show business but who had occasional drug trouble, according to the tabloids. But Chase had never found out more than that.

Brandon's eyes revealed little emotion. He was comfortable with this story, but clearly he didn't enjoy telling it. "My parents don't agree with my acting career. They homeschooled us and hoped that my sister and I would attend Harvard, get doctorate degrees, and find a cure for cancer. I call and tell them how things are going, but they don't watch my stuff, and they don't take it seriously." He gave a single shrug. "It is what it is."

"Tell them about your sister." Kendall's tone was soft.

"Right." He exhaled slowly. "We used to be very close. My parents didn't approve of our acting, but at least we had each other. But that wasn't enough for Paisley. She wanted my parents' acceptance so badly." He exhaled and stared at his lap for a long minute. When he looked up, the pain was there for all of them to see. "She's a drug user. Heroin. She'll surface for a few months, stay clean, and get a commercial or an extra role in a movie. But then she's gone again. Living on the streets, sharing needles with strangers. She goes by a different last name. The press doesn't know the half of it."

Chase's heart broke for the guy, and all he and his sister had lost because of their parents' narrow-minded att.i.tude.

Brandon squinted as if he could keep out some of the pain. "Funny how people think money's the answer. I'll never live long enough to spend mine, but it can't help Paisley. Not until she wants the help. Every job, every day I'm on set, I feel like I'm living for both of us. Like I owe it to her."

Chase thought for a moment. In some ways Brandon's story reminded him of Dayne Matthews. A young guy without the support of his parents. The only difference was that Dayne's adoptive parents had been killed when he was eighteen in a single-engine plane crash. Still, the two actors would have common ground. Brandon might really benefit from the strength and faith of someone like Dayne.

Kendall was explaining that Brandon wasn't actually a Christian. "Not yet, anyway." She patted Brandon's hand. "I'm working on him."

"I'm open. It's just ..." His eyes grew distant. "I'm not quite sure G.o.d believes in me. You know?"

There was a general sense of acknowledgment about how Brandon felt, and Keith admitted that he had been through a time like that during his final years of high school. "I'd been taught about G.o.d all my life, but those few years, I wasn't sure what I believed."

"Exactly." Brandon gave a slow nod. "I guess you could say I'm searching."

"For now." Kendall's smile toward Brandon was kind and full of warmth.

"Yes." He chuckled. "For now."

Keith took over the conversation, engaging both Brandon and Ben about the themes of Unlocked and how they would play out on the screen. But before the talk could get too serious, too focused, Ben stood and smiled at the group. "You know what we need?"

Chase had no idea.

"A good old-fashioned ping-pong tournament." He grinned at Kendall. "My daughter's just about unbeatable. And I find nothing gets the imagination going better than a few rounds of table tennis."

They all laughed, and Chase and Keith joined the others on a walk out back and down a sidewalk to an outbuilding - this one holding two ping-pong tables and a half a dozen sofas anch.o.r.ed to the perimeter of the room. "It used to be a storage place for my father's boats." Kendall smiled as they went inside. "A few years ago we turned it into a ping-pong room."

Chase had never seen anything like it. A dry-erase board hung on the wall near the closest table, and scribbled across it was a tally sheet of some kind. Kendall laughed again. "My dad's pretty compet.i.tive. We keep track of the games we play in a year."

"Because one of these years I'm gonna beat her, by golly." Ben searched a shelf near the entrance to the room and grabbed a red paddle. "This is my baby. I call it The Blade."

Chase loved this. Who would've thought that movie people at this level would spend their evenings playing ping-pong?

Stephanie grabbed a paddle similar to Ben's. "I'm not so bad myself." She twirled the paddle in her hand and aimed it at Kendall. "Let's see who's queen of this palace."

"We'll sit out the first round." Keith nodded at Chase and the two of them took the nearest sofa. "So we can size up the compet.i.tion."

That left Kendall and Stephanie on one table and Ben and Brandon on the other. Kendall seemed to go easy on Stephanie, and halfway through the game, the author was up by two points. But then it was like Kendall found another gear. She began using a spin-type serve and slamming the ball instead of returning it.

"Oooh, girlfriend's got game." Stephanie raised her hands and did a little victory dance on behalf of Kendall's play. "I don't mind losing to someone with skill, no, sir."

On the other table, Ben was giving Brandon a fight. But youth had its advantage, and the game was leaning hard in Brandon's favor. Chase liked Brandon's style - all offense and risk. It was the way they'd been forced to play the game of movie-making.

But even still, he kept finding his attention turning to Kendall. She laughed as easily as she breathed, and besides being a skilled player she had an infectious confidence about her. As if she never really doubted the fact that she'd win the game, any more than she doubted the fact that the movies she wanted to make with Chase and Keith would be successful beyond their wildest dreams.

If only Kelly could be like that, Lord - confident and convinced. Believing in the work we have ahead of us.

As soon as the thought pa.s.sed through his mind, Chase roped it back and chastised himself. He couldn't compare Kendall and Kelly, not now or ever. Kendall had been born into the world of wealth and movies, so of course she was calmer about the risks ahead, more certain. Kelly knew only that they'd run up their credit cards and borrowed money they couldn't afford to repay to help fund The Last Letter. She was alone with the girls too often, and she wasn't happy about it. That much was obvious from the strain between them.

If they were going to work with Kendall and her father, Chase couldn't for one minute nurture a growing interest in anything about Kendall. Period.

Keith worked in on the next round, taking on Brandon, while Ben matched up against Stephanie. That left Chase and Kendall.

"I'm thirsty." She motioned for Chase to follow her. "Help me bring in a flat of water bottles."

Once they were outside, Kendall's pace slowed. Her eyes danced in the moonlight as she looked at him. "You're the real deal, Chase Ryan. I admire you."

He tried not to feel overly flattered. "Why?"

"Because." Their conversation was easy, comfortable. "Your ambitions and dreams, your mission for making movies that will change lives." She breathed in slowly and gazed at the stars overhead. "It's all going to happen. I've prayed about this for a long time, and I can feel it."

Chase tried not to focus on her pretty face, her confidence. For a moment he looked straight ahead toward the house. But then his eyes met hers again. "Sometimes it's hard to believe."

"Well, believe it." Her smile worked its way through him. "One day soon all of Hollywood will want a part of this, of what you and Keith are starting right here."

Their pace slowed almost to a standstill. Chase had been curious about her, but there'd never been a time to ask until now. "What about you, Miss Kendall? What drives you to be a part of all this?"

She thought for a second, her long blonde hair blowing gently in the night breeze. "Redemption, I guess. I've seen a lot of heartache in this town." Her smile was laced with sorrow, an expression that seemed to hold more than she was willing to reveal. "I want my days in this business to matter, I guess. Just like you."

They reached the house, and Kendall punched in a code near the third garage door, causing it to open. She moved toward a stack of water pallets. Chase tried to reach it before her, so she wouldn't think about carrying it. But as he bent to take hold of the top box, his right hand touched hers.

"I've ... I've got it."

"I can help." She looked at him, locked eyes, and for the flicker of an instant Chase felt it. An attraction between them that terrified him. He adjusted his grip on the box and heaved it into his arms. "Don't be silly."

Kendall seemed to try to hide her alarm, but it was there. She moved quickly back to the open garage door. "Thanks. I ... didn't mean for you to carry it by yourself."

The walk back to the rec building pa.s.sed much quicker. They talked about ping-pong and her father's determination to beat her. But not once then or at any time during the rest of the night did he see the vulnerability she'd revealed to him on their earlier walk.

When they were finished playing and after they'd all downed a number of water bottles, they went outside and looked at the lights from the Hollywood Hills. Chase stood next to Keith, but Kendall had positioned herself on his other side - some distance away. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Mmmm. Yes." Chase looked from her to his friend. He wanted to ask Kendall more about her earlier comments, about all she'd seen in Hollywood. But this wasn't the place. "What do you think, Keith? Beautiful up here, huh?"

"Definitely. The perfect Hollywood home."

After a few minutes, Brandon and Stephanie announced that they had to get going.

"Well, then ..." Ben held his arms out. "Let's pray." He waited while the others circled up around him.

By the time Chase realized who he was standing next to and what was about to happen, it was too late. He kept his gaze away from Kendall's as they linked hands, and once more he tried not to think about the way her fingers felt against his.

Ben bowed his head. "We have much to be thankful for, much to ask of our Mighty G.o.d. We never imagined we'd be here, on the verge of a making a movie that the world will want to see, a movie that has the power to bring new life to everyone who sees it."

His prayer went on another minute and it ended with Stephanie adding a few heartfelt words. "Unlocked is a movie that could change the way people think. It could send them running into Your arms if we do things right." She spent a few seconds thanking G.o.d, praising Him. "We come before You, ready to hear Your voice. Whatever You ask. In Jesus' name."

"Amen." Kendall clapped, immediately releasing Chase's hand. She grinned at the others. "The glory of G.o.d. That's the only reason we're all here."

Chase tried to forget the attraction he'd felt earlier. There could be nothing more than friendship and business between him and Kendall. They were going to do what they'd set out to do, taking Hollywood by storm. And along the way they would accomplish the only goal that really mattered.

The goal to change lives with the power of film.

THE NIGHT HAD GONE BETTER THAN Kendall ever imagined - with the exception of one thing. Her attraction to Chase. She'd already warned herself about him, but she had to be more careful. Not that there was any real danger. He was happily married, and she wouldn't consider crossing the line of friendship. Her faith and her past wouldn't allow even the hint of that. But still she needed to watch herself.

The movie had been amazing, of course, as she'd known it would be.

After Brandon and Stephanie left, Kendall's father took off too. That left Kendall, Keith, and Chase. Kendall wasn't ready to call it a night. They still had the first draft of the screenplay to look over. She led them into a softly lit den and produced three copies of the script, one for each of them. Before they got started, Keith excused himself so he could call home. Kendall thought about telling Chase that maybe he should call home too. After all, this was exactly the sort of alone moment with Chase she needed to avoid. But she didn't want to seem too personal, so she took the farthest seat from Chase.

As he looked over the script, Kendall studied him and realized again that he was very attractive. He would stand out in the industry once he and Keith made a name for themselves. His athletic build and chiseled face would become recognizable in no time, and there would be offers to stray. Dramatic offers. She knew because they'd come her way more than once. She bit her lip and felt compelled to pray for him.

Please, G.o.d, help him be strong when temptation comes. Help me too. We need to stay close to You.

She leaned on the arm of the sofa. "Tell me about your wife. She must be wonderful, holding down things at home while you're out here following your dream."

"She is." Chase hesitated, but only briefly. "She's my best friend. I hope someday soon we can move down here. Then she can come to meetings like this, and at the end of the day we can be home together." He looked more composed than earlier, when they went for the water in the garage. "I think you'd like her."

"Me too." Kendall ignored the hint of envy. "It's rare, being married to your best friend." Kendall wasn't sure now was the time to tell Chase about her own sad past. Maybe later, when Keith was with them. The guys would both benefit from hearing the story at some point. For now she only wanted Chase to know she supported his marriage. "Don't ever let this business get in the way of what matters. It happens too often."

He smiled, and determination resonated in his expression. "Keith calls it the pizza-crust philosophy. Fix the small breaks along the edges so you don't get a crack straight down the middle."

She laughed out loud and nodded. "Exactly."

Keith joined them again, and they reviewed the highlights of the screenplay. They talked another hour about the pacing of Unlocked and how crazy things were bound to get. But long after the guys left, Kendall continued to pray for them. She went outside and sat on her patio deck, staring at the stars overhead and begging G.o.d to protect them against the devil's schemes. They were playing with high stakes and there were bound to be pitfalls along the way. Disappointments and discouragement, distraction and temptations.

She peered up at the vast sky and felt the closeness of the Lord. "G.o.d, please help me make this experience one that glorifies You," she whispered. "Help me do my part to keep all of us walking the narrow path." Her own personal life might not have been a shining example of G.o.d's love and commitment. But she couldn't help that. What she could do was help her new friends stay the course.

Because it would do no good to win the world through the message of a movie only to lose themselves in the process.

Fifteen.

ANOTHER MONTH HAD Pa.s.sED AND STILL Cody was getting nowhere with Bailey. He was stuck in the middle of a debate in his sociology cla.s.s, and his leg ached where the prosthetic piece fit up against his flesh - a sign the weather was about to change. Last week's warm temperatures had dropped so that here, at the end of March, winter felt like it had never given an inch in its tug-of-war with spring.

"What I'm saying is I can't support our troops in a situation like the war in Iraq. Our nation is practically fascist the way it attacks other nations without reason." The student speaker was a wiry guy with gla.s.ses and a loud voice. He had short hair and a clean-cut look that defied his views. "It's not about patriotism, it's about common sense." He was on his feet, staring down anyone who dared differ with him. "No one forced those men and women to enlist. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up. A losing conflict, and an ill-fated attempt at tearing down a society because of nothing more than fear."

Cody rolled his eyes. Since the spring quarter had begun, the professor had little control of the cla.s.s. Days that were earmarked for lectures often became all-out debates, typically on topics involving war or terrorism or the rights of Americans to express their dislike of the United States. The professor was a woman who liked to point out that half of Hollywood would've left the country if the wrong president had won the recent election. Nearly every debate was sparked by the guy with the gla.s.ses. Peter something. Cody couldn't remember his name.

"How about that, cla.s.s?" The professor's political viewpoint could swing either way. She sat behind her desk, her hands folded. Outside a chill wind whistled against the windows of the cla.s.sroom. "Anyone have a differing viewpoint?"