Chapter 6 - First Contact

Malibu, California, April 3, 2003

As Heather had predicted, the housing market did start improving. Heather had already sold quite a few houses in the past two months, but her crowning achievement was yet to occur.

Heather was sitting at her desk Thursday morning, finishing up some paperwork from a recent sale when the phone rang. Little did Heather know that this phone call was going to change all of their lives. "National Real Estate, Heather Truscott speaking."

Robbie Ray smiled when he heard the voice that answered. He was a very good judge of character and could already tell that Heather was going to be a sweetheart. "Hi there. I was interested in purchasing a house in the Los Angeles area." Robbie said with a smile on his face.

Heather fumbled around on her desk for a few seconds trying to find a notepad so that she could take down information on this possible new client. "Did you have any specific area in mind? Or just the city of LA itself?" she asked as she started writing furiously.

Robbie chuckled. He had never had to make a decision about where he was going to live before. In the past, someone had always told him where he would go. He figured that this would be no different. He would be all too happy to let the real estate agent guide his selection. "Well, my kids want to live near a beach. Does that limit my options?"

Heather rocked back in her chair as she answered his question. "Well, there are many fine beach communities outside of Los Angeles including Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, and Malibu…those would be the three beachfront areas with the relatively closest commutes to Los Angeles." she said as she twirled the phone cord around her finger.

Robbie Ray took a deep breath. What he was about to do was probably not the wisest move, but he already felt like he could trust Heather. "Well, here's my story in a nutshell. My two kids and I are moving out to California. I promised them a house close to a beach. I need to be relatively close to LA for work. We need 4 bedrooms and price is truly not an obstacle." he informed her, laying his situation on the line.

Heather was slightly dumbstruck at his last statement. The kinds of people she dealt with on a daily basis were not celebrities, just regular everyday people. Despite what the man had just told her, she felt the need to clarify his statement. "Well if I may ask, what would be the highest priced house you would be interested in looking at?" she asked while gently tapping her fingers on her desk.

Robbie Ray considered for all of three seconds before answering. "Let's say top it off at a million and see what you can come up with."

Heather choked. The most she had ever sold a house for was 250,000 dollars. She reached over and grabbed her water bottle and took a quick swig and cleared her throat before answering him. "I can assure you that will give you quite an array of choices." she said trying to calm her racing heart.

Robbie Ray smiled on his end of the line. "Well good. Now, my family and I will be flying out next week-end. Think you could set us up to check out some places by then?"

Heather was writing notes like crazy. She would have so much to get prepared if she wanted to make this happen. "I can have as many appointments set up as you would like." she guaranteed him.

Robbie rubbed his chin with his hand as he considered her question. "Well, let's say five houses in the nicest beachside communities in those three areas you mentioned, alright?"

Fifteen viewings in one day. Holy shit. Heather was nervous as hell at the thought of trying to pull this off, but she was definitely going to give it her best shot. "Certainly. Do you have any other preferences besides four bedrooms and beachside?" she asked.

Robbie Ray looked around the house he was currently sitting in and thought about what he wouldn't want to give up. "Oh, three bathrooms. I can't imagine the kids sharing after they had their own all these years." He said, proud of himself for remembering something so important to the harmony of his home life.

Heather chuckled softly. "Ok, will that be all?"

Robbie Ray nodded his head in satisfaction. "Heck, I think I've given you more than enough to do."

Heather looked down at all the notes she had written and suddenly realized that she was missing the single most important piece of information. "Goodness, we've talked all this time and I never bothered to ask your name sir."

"Robbie Ray Stewart ma'am. Pleased to make your acquaintance." he responded, every bit the southern gentleman. "Well, sorta." he added.

Heather sat in her chair gob-smacked. She was talking to Mr. Achy Breaky Heart himself. Celebrities never bought housing from a common real estate agent. They normal used much more high profile agencies. She was star struck for a second, then shook her head as she regained her professional composure. "Well, Robbie Ray it will truly be a pleasure next week-end. Not going to lie, definitely a fan." she added the last part, because sucking-up never hurt anyone's sales quotas. Even so, she was truly a fan. She loved country music.

Robbie Ray smiled. "Sounds like we both got something to look forward to then."

Heather was already bringing up houses for sale on her computer. "Shall I pick you up at your hotel for the tour?" she asked.

Robbie thought about it for a moment. He wanted to do something special for his kids since they had been handling the entire moving situation so well. "Nah, the kids and I will meet you at your agency and we will go from there." he told her, already forming a plan on how they were going to do this.

"Alright now, is 7 A.M. too early to meet? It is going to take most of the day to look at this many houses…" she trailed off, not wanting to offend the man, but wanting him to understand exactly what he was getting himself into.

"7 A.M. will be just fine." he happily told her. "Us country folk like getting up early." he added.

Los Angeles, California, April 11, 2003

Jackson squinted as the sun was rising over the city. "Did we really have to get up at 6:00 A.M. on a Saturday dad?" he moaned.

The Stewarts had flown out to California from Tennessee late last night. They took off from Nashville at 6:25 P.M. They arrived in L.A. at 9:00 P.M. after the time change. By the time they got their luggage, drove to their hotel, and checked in, it was after well after 11 P.M.

Robbie reached into his pocket and pulled his sun glasses out and put them on. "You two wanted to help find us a house. So yes. We are supposed to meet Heather at 7 A.M. sharp. We've got a lot of places to look at while we're here and a lot of ground to cover, so we need to start early." he gently reminded his son, then chuckled lightly. "I told you that you should have slept on the plane." he reminded him with a grin.

If his son was bad, his baby girl was worse. Miley looked like a walking zombie. She was standing on her father's left side and leaning against him with her eyes closed. "We can still sleep in the car right?" she half-mumbled.

Robbie turned his head to look at his little girl, hoping she wasn't going to fall over while standing there. "You kids get up early everyday at home to do your chores before school, why is this any different?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Time change?" Jackson said as he let loose a huge yawn and stretched his tired body.

Robbie thought about it. Yeah, they technically woke up at 5 A.M. at home, by the time they had gotten to bed here, it would have been about 22 straight hours. "Aw heck. I'm sorry. Its been so long since I had a problem with jet lag that I almost forgot what is was." he said apologetically.

Miley tapped her father's shoulder with her eyes still closed as she grumbled her next question. "So is she picking us up?" she asked while rolling her neck to get the kinks out.

Robbie reached down and gently turned Miley's face to the left to see their ride that was slowly pulling up to pick up the Stewart clan. "No, I figured that you guys deserved a treat while we were here." he said as he pointed towards the vehicle heading towards them.

Jackson stared at the approaching limousine with wide eyes. "No friggin way!" he yelled.

Miley turned back to her father with eyes that were now wide with awe. "Daddy is that really for us?" she asked.

Robbie Ray was grinning from ear to ear to see the excitement on his kids' faces. "Yeah, I thought that you guys deserved something special for being so great about this and it'll leave all of us plenty of room to lay down and nap in between house visits." he said as the car came to a stop in front of them. The driver rushed out of the car and to the back door, to open it for his clients.

Miley ran towards the car and quickly climbed in. As she sat on the comfortable leather seats, she sighed contentedly. "I could get used to this." she mumbled.

Jackson was grinning like Cheshire cat. "Not bad old man." he said climbing into the vehicle.

Robbie shook his head as he got in the car himself. "See? Sometimes I do have good ideas." he told his kids.

Malibu, California, April 11, 2003

Meanwhile at the Truscott household, only 50% of the family was up and moving this morning.

Heather walked into her daughter's room at 6:15 A.M. to find her daughter sprawled out in the middle of her queen size mattress. She had her left leg dangling off the side of the bed and the sheets were only covering about half her body. A pillow was on top of her entire face.

"Lilly." she said, gently shaking her shoulder.

She watched as the lump slowly shifted and she heard a muffled, "Go away."

Heather smiled. "But it's surfing time." she said as she went over and threw open the French doors on her balcony to let in the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

Lilly quickly lifted the pillow and glanced over at the clock and saw that it was only 6:15 A.M. "No, its not surfing time for another thirty minutes." she said pulling the pillow back over her face.

Heather chuckled at her daughter's grumpiness. She went over and sat on the bed next to her daughter. "I love you too." she replied in a sarcastic tone as she patted her daughter's leg. "Just wanted to let you know that I am going to be gone for most of the day. I have my cell in case you need me for something. Make sure the house is locked if you go out and take your keys." she explained.

Lilly lifted the pillow just high enough so that she could eye her mother. "Its not like I can't get back in without them." she dryly noted.

"Lilly!" her mother lightly chastised her. Heather knew that she was mostly kidding. But at the same time, it was the truth.

Lilly tossed the pillow aside and rolled over to face her mother. "I know, I know." she said with a wry smile on her face.

Heather reached down and ran a finger across her cheek. "That's my girl." she said as she stood up from the bed. "Oliver's welcome, but no one else while I'm gone, okay?" she headed towards the door.

"Sure mom." she said, then suddenly sat straight up in bed. "Hey, is today the day you get to meet the country singer?" she asked, leaning back on her arms.

Heather stopped at the doorframe and slowly turned back around to look at her daughter. "Am I that obvious?" she asked.

Lilly just shrugged in response. "To me, oh heck yeah. You don't dress this nicely for work and you are NEVER this perky this early in the morning." she said as she waved her arm up and down at her mother's outfit. "Please don't make a dork of yourself." she pleaded with her mother as she dragged her butt out of bed.

Heather lightly chuckled. "I'll try not to." As she walked down the hallway she called back to her daughter. "Trust me, I want his autograph on a contract, not a t-shirt."

Lilly shook her head. Only her mother. "I love you. Good luck." she yelled back as she headed for her bathroom to change into her swim suit before heading down to the beach to catch some early waves.

Like clockwork, the limo arrived at National Real Estate at 6:59 A.M.

Heather was waiting in front of the building, as she watched the luxurious limo pull up in front of her. She desperately tried to pick her jaw up off the pavement.

The back door of the limo opened to reveal none other than Robbie Ray Stewart in jeans, cowboy boots, and a plaid short sleeved shirt. "Morning. Miss Heather Truscott I take it?" he said, offering her his hand.

Heather reached out and happily shook the country singer's hand. "Indeed." she said with a smile. "Not quite what I was expecting from Robbie Ray Stewart." she added with a snicker.

Robbie Ray tipped his head to the side and gave her a questioning stare. "Did you think we were coming for ya in a pick-up truck?" he asked with a sarcastic tone.

Heather laughed good-naturedly. "Of course not." she said with a grin. "This just seems a little...flamboyant for your tastes." she said, motioning towards the limousine in front of her.

Robbie Ray chuckled briefly and ran his fingers through his lush hair. "Yeah, it is." he admitted. "It was a treat for the kids." he explained to her. "So how about you give that list of addresses to the driver and we'll get this show on the road." he said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them up and down.

Heather wasn't sure what to make of his offer. She never dreamed that she would be asked to sit in the back of the limo. "Oh, I can just sit up front with the driver…" she said, holding a hand to her chest, praying for her racing heart to slow down.

Robbie Ray shook his head. "Goodness no!! We won't bite. And you can tell us more about the areas." he told her, explaining his reasoning.

Heather smiled as his kind hearted nature. "If you insist."

Robbie bowed slightly at the waist and with a sweeping motion, directed her towards the back of the limo. "I most certainly do."

As the adults both climbed in the back of the limo and took their seats, Robbie Ray pointed at his children. Each one was laying on one of the side limo seats, passed out. "Well, I would introduce you, but they are a little tired this morning." he said, chuckling at his unconscious children.

Heather took note of how beautiful his children were. His son had a sandy blonde mop of hair and average build. He looked a little short, but his face had a boyish quality to it. His daughter had the most gorgeous chestnut hair. That was about the only thing that Heather could see since Miley was covered in a blanket. "Jet lag?" she asked.

Robbie Ray nodded. "Big-time."

"What are their names?" she asked, trying to ease into a comfortable conversation with her client.

"Well, this lug over here snoring is my fine son Jackson. 12 years old." he added, figuring it would most likely be the next question. "And that little bundle over there is my baby girl Miley, she's 10." Robbie finished answering her questions and decided it was only fair to find out a little bit about the lovely lady sitting beside him. "Do you have any children?" he asked.

Heather nodded with a huge grin on her face. "Just one daughter, her name's Lilly. She's 11."

Robbie shook his head. "I guess you had to pawn her off on your husband this morning. Sorry about that."

Heather was torn. She didn't want to lie to this nice man, but she didn't want to go into any depressing details about her recentlly collapsed marriage. Not like she could have told him the real reasons behind it anyway. "I, um, I'm actually in the process of getting a divorce right now." she slowly explained as she stared down at her hands resting on her lap.

Robbie reached over and gently touched her shoulder to get her to look at him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get too personal. My wife recently passed away and that's why we're moving out here. Well, one of the reasons anyway. So I understand what your going through, kinda." While they each had lost their spouse for a different reason, it was still a common bond.

Heather smiled at the wonderful man sitting next to her. She could not in her life ever remember meeting a complete stranger that could show such compassion for others. Heather reached over and squeezed his hand quickly in reassurance. "That's very sweet of you." she said, then took a deep breath and decided that they should get down to business. "So, what questions can I answer for you about the places we'll be seeing today?" she said as she turned in her seat to face him directly, tucking her legs under her and leaning her head against her hand that was braced against the back seat.

Robbie Ray turned in a similar fashion so that he could face Heather. "Well, out of the three places that you're gonna show us houses, which would you choose?" he asked.

Once again, Heather considered lying briefly. She could suggest the highest priced area to help increase her commission, but she felt compelled to be completely honest with this man. "Um, well, to be honest…I actually live in Malibu." she told him.

Robbie Ray considered that for a moment. "And where are we going first?" he asked.

"Manhattan Beach." she said. It only made sense to start with the furthest city from the agency and work your way back.

"And then?" he prompted.

Heather looked at him, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "Santa Monica." she told him.

Robbie Ray let out a brief chuckle. "Save the best for last huh? I like your style." he said pointing at her.

Heather blushed slightly at the compliment. "You always find your way back home." she told him.

Robbie Ray's gaze seemed to cloud over momentarily before he answered her. "I guess you do." As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notepad and pen and quickly jotted something down.

Heather thought the action was rather random and became slightly nervous. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

Robbie clicked the pen closed and returned it and the notepad to his shirt pocket. "No ma'am. No problem at all. But when you hear a good idea for a song, you just gotta write it down before you forget it." he told her.

Heather blushed profusely.


Yeah I know....but when I found out how big this chapter had gotten, it had to get divided up into two parts...so the next chapter will be our girls meeting for the first time and should be posted in a couple of hours. - Jess