Paula proudly surveyed the young women sitting at her table. Charlotte and Jordan, as well as her three daughters, had joined Paula and Beatrice Patterson for a leisurely lunch at Marsh's landing. The girls had matured into beautiful, accomplished women. Charlotte, as it turned out, was a late bloomer. Skinny and angular in high school, she was now a woman with all the right curves.
Steve's grandmother was enjoying her first visit to Sparta and appeared very impressed with the restaurant. She had obviously been pleasantly surprised at all of the photos and posters on the walls of the restaurant.
"This place looks like a shrine to Jordan Quick and the Anderson family!" marveled Beatrice as she gazed at the pictures and posters that adorned the walls of the establishment.
"Yeah, the joke around here is that Billy insisted his father add this section to the restaurant so they'd have more wall space for photos. Billy's in business with his dad, now that he's out of college," revealed Charlotte. "He says that with the new hospital and Lady in Red Performing Arts Center in town, it was a no-brainer. Look how crowded the place is at lunch time."
"Actually, Grandmother Patterson, these photos are more of a tribute to your grandson. He's the common denominator in every photo. Everyone in these pictures is connected to Steve in some way. It just happens that Jordan and we Anderson girls are a bit more connected than most," stated Gwen with a big smile.
"Would you mind giving me a brief tour of the photos?" asked Steve's grandmother. "My eyes aren't what they once were, but I can see some amazing pictures, even from here."
"It would be our pleasure!" responded Gwen. "We'll all go with you, as most of the pictures involve one or more of us. Let's start in the original dining room. That's where Billy's father posted the first pictures."
The group headed out to the older part of the restaurant. They quickly began explaining the stories behind the photos. Beatrice was shown the pictures of the first 'Lady in Red' dance, the 'Emerson River Rescue', the posters Lisa and Gwen made with Steve to promote 'The Lady in Red' line of clothes, the 'pass', both terrorist attacks on the Spartan Nation, along with the sexy posters the school board had been shown the night they voted to award Jordan, Gwen, and Steve special plaques for their outstanding citizenship.
Diners stopped eating to watch and listen to the famous ladies of the Spartan Nation explain the history behind the many photos on the walls. Quite a few of the patrons used their phones and cameras to video the story telling, while others simply took pictures of Jordan Quick and the Anderson sisters.
"Are we bothering the other diners?" worried Beatrice. "We seem to be creating a bit of a stir."
"Not even close," laughed Kate. "Billy and his dad made a deal with Steve, and it includes all of us. It's hard to believe, but every week hundreds of people come to this restaurant to see these pictures, and to hopefully get the chance to meet Steve and/or the rest of us.
"Billy offered to serve all of us free of charge every time we stopped in, thinking it would have the effect of coaxing us to come here more often. In theory, that would increase patronage here from fans of Steve, Gwen, and Jordan, which would have a positive effect on their bottom line.
"Steve told Billy that it would do the opposite; that we would not be comfortable eating here if we didn't pay for our meals. The two guys finally worked out a deal. We all stop in here as often as we can, and we pay for our meals. In return, the restaurant supplies free breakfasts every morning to every child, or adult in need, that comes through the door. These free meals are offered between 5 AM and 9 AM. Lady in Red Productions splits the expense with the Marsh family," stated Kate. "That way, we're glad to stop in and help a restaurant that is giving back to the community, big time. They put on a big buffet in this room every morning and allow those that have fallen on hard times to eat for free. They often have over a hundred people, mostly children, stop in on any given morning."
"What this is all leading up to is that we're helping Marsh's business by being seen here, being courteous, and approachable to the folks that dine here. Notice how they're watching us, taking pictures, and videos. People drive out of their way to come here, and for the chance to interact with Steve and Gwen, or some of the rest of us," indicated Jordan. "This helps the Marsh family and allows them to afford the free meals for those in need. We're all super proud to be a part of this. I don't know how Billy and Steve dreamed it up, but it's sure working well."
"The boys have created a win/win situation. That's quite clever," admitted Beatrice. "I see that the incredible photo of Gwen in Russia with that newborn baby has a prominent place. I was actually there when that happened! What an amazing trip. I notice that there are pictures of Gwen and Steve with world leaders and performing in Sochi at the grand opening of the stadium."
"It wasn't until we returned to the States and Steve entered the Academy that I began to realize how incredible that trip to Russia was," revealed Gwen. "Our song, 'The Glory of Love' was on top of the charts when we got back home. Our faces were all over the papers and cable news stations. My issue of 'Maxim' actually sold out. Morning shows, talk shows, and even news programs were constantly after Jordan and me to appear.
"We couldn't go anywhere without causing all sorts of problems with traffic and security. Jordan and I, sometimes together, and sometimes separately, appeared on a lot of TV programs the first month after we returned from Russia. I told Steve he was lucky that he was at the Academy and isolated from it all. He was able to concentrate on his schooling, training, and playing football.
"Then 'Can't Live' was released as a single in mid-July. It was another huge hit; the second hit from a movie that wasn't even in theaters yet. Just as that song began to cool off, Mom had them release 'Midnight Lights' and that was even bigger! It was on top of several charts when Labor Day rolled around.
"It was probably a bit too much, too fast for me. I was sought after wherever I went. Steve wasn't around to keep me grounded. Charlotte and I left for Stanford ten days before Labor Day and the opening of our film," recalled Gwen with some embarrassment. "We had hardly settled into our dorm when Jack Timberline contacted me and asked if I would perform with him at a concert he was doing at Stanford Thursday night, the first week of classes. I agreed, and that's where that photo came from," indicated Gwen as she pointed to a picture of herself and Jack Timberline.
Gwen remembered those early days at Stanford like they were yesterday. The photo of her with Jack Timberline wasn't her finest moment, but she insisted that the Marshes hang the picture on the wall in the appropriate timeline. It helped keep her perspective and remind her just how close she came to ruining a great thing.
Charlotte and Gwen reported to Stanford ten days before the big Labor Day weekend. They had freshman orientation, as well as a week of classes before the Labor Day world premiere of 'Midnight Lights'. The two girls had agreed to room together in a woman's dormitory. They wisely decided that a co-ed dorm would likely create more distractions and drama. Both of them were in a committed relationship, so they had zero interest in meeting boys, or constantly dealing with them socially.
The two friends had barely gotten their suitcases into their room when girls started dropping by. Most of the visitors were obviously curious about their new neighbor. Most introductions began with, "You're Gwen Anderson. I'm Debbie. I love your videos, songs, and TV shows and can't wait to see your new movie. Is Steve Hammer as gorgeous in real life as he is on TV? Will he be visiting you very often?"
Gwen would always smile at the girl and shake her hand. "Yes, I'm Gwen Anderson. Please call me Gwen. Steve's enrolled at the Naval Academy, so he won't be able to visit as often as I'd like. In fact, I'll be gone quite a few weekends to visit him. It's nice to meet you."
That first evening, the girls from the room across the hall showed up at their door with several Pizzas, followed by just about every girl on the floor. "We've got some pizza and soda. Could we join you guys for a little social dinner? All of us want to meet and get to know you better. You can imagine how excited we are to share the same floor with a celebrity. We've got a million questions to ask, if you're okay with it."
Soon the girls were seated on the two beds, the two chairs and the floor, sharing pizza and listening to Gwen's responses to their questions. Gwen was half way through her recollection of the bombing in Sochi when her cell phone rang. The ringtone was 'The Glory of Love'. It only took a second for a petite, dark haired girl named Cindy to make a correct assumption.
"I bet that's Steve Hammer's ringtones! This is so cool!"
"Hello, Steve. Yeah, we arrived and got settled in okay. Charlotte and I are having some pizza and soda with most of the other girls on the floor. Would you mind if I put you on speaker? For some reason, they're quite curious about you, and they'd love to hear what you have to say. Okay, here it goes," grinned Gwen as she switched her phone to speaker.
Steve managed a couple of sentences before he was barraged with questions. He did his best to respond politely to as many as he could. Then the girl named Cindy asked the one question everyone wanted answered. "So, Steve, I didn't quite catch your phone number. Would you mind repeating it?"
"I must have forgotten to mention it. Ask Gwen for it after we disconnect. She's the only one with the authority to give out my cell number to pretty girls. It keeps me from making bad decisions," laughed Steve.
Gwen noticed her battery was dying, so she gave her apologies to the girls as she switched the phone so she could have a private conversation. Then she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She returned in a minute, gave the girls a big smile and plugged her phone in to charge.
"You've made some friends here today!" laughed a tall blonde girl named Dakota. "Visiting with the famous Gwen Anderson was great, but having a conversation with Steve Hammer was incredible. We'll be falling over ourselves trying to stay in your good graces. Do you think Steve will be visiting anytime soon?"
