Is He Or Isn't He? (18 page)

“She
loved
the dress,” Colleen said while digging into her pasta salad. “She just didn't love it on me. She felt it was too
revealing
for someone of my size.”

“She's right, you know.”

Bianca and Rachel approached the table with their barely touched Cokes.

“Excuse me?” Colleen said. “I don't remember asking for your opinion.”

“You're going to get it anyway,” Bianca said.

“We're your friends, Colleen,” Rachel said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Best friends. We care.”

“And because we care, I'm not going to sugarcoat this,”
Bianca said, tossing her long hair over one shoulder. “Your dress shows too much. Way too much.”

“And that's a problem because…?
You
always show too much.”

“But there's less of me to show! And what I
do
show, people want to see!”

“And they don't want to see me in this dress?” Colleen pushed away her plate. “Come on, Bianca. Spit it out. Is this a dress a fat girl shouldn't be wearing?”

Bianca shrugged. “I know this is going to make me sound like a bitch, but you said it, not me.”

“And we're not making judgments,” Rachel said hurriedly. “Honest. But a lot of people have been commenting.”

Colleen picked up her fork and started eating again. “Let them. I don't care what other people have to say. I'll wear what I want, when I want. I'm supposed to wear a shapeless sack? Or better yet, a sweat suit?”

“Obviously there's no reasoning with you,” Bianca sniffed. “So much for trying to help a friend. Come on, Rachel. Let's go mingle.”

“Can you believe those two?” Colleen said after the twins had left.

“They didn't mean to sound malicious,” Paige said, coming to the twins' defense. “They were only looking out for you. You know they'd never intentionally hurt your feelings.”

“They're as bad as Miranda. And speaking of Mommie Dearest, listen to this! As if complaining about my dress wasn't bad enough, there's some fat farm she wants me to go to in Palm Springs. I told her no way. Why can't she be proud of my accomplishments? I'm a plus-sized teen model! People are
paying me because I look like this and I don't have a problem with my size. I like myself. If I didn't, I'd do something about the weight. It's like she's competing with all her other socialite buddies because their daughters are the perfect debutantes.”

Just then the sound of applause came from the table next to them. Anthony and Paige turned around to see a late-twentysomething woman dressed in a black leather miniskirt and blazer approach their table. Her short black hair was slicked back, her black glasses were cat-eyed, and around her neck and wrists she wore a triple strand of black pearls.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the woman said in a low, raspy voice. “I'm Devorah Schwartz.”

“Doesn't she mean Devour?” Anthony whispered in Paige's ear.

Paige giggled. “Stop!”

“Why? She's fabulous! She doesn't look like she takes any crap from anyone! All she needs is a whip!”

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop,” Devorah said, “but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation.”

Colleen buttered a roll. “And?”

“I found it positively refreshing! You are who you are and you make no bones about it. I like that. I like it a lot.”

“Thanks,” Colleen said.

“What would you say if I were to offer you your own TV show?”

Colleen dropped her butter knife while Anthony and Paige's mouths dropped open.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I'm head of development for TTV. That's Terrific Television. We're launching next September. We're
another division of the corporation that owns the Cooking Channel. I'm seeing a reality series that follows you during your days as a plus-sized model.”

“What would you call the show?” Anthony asked.

Devorah held up her hands in a square, as if creating a TV set. “
Fat Model.
It says exactly what the show is, don't you think? You don't have a problem with that, do you, Colleen? Let's face it, ‘plus-sized' is just another word for ‘fat.' And fat is a word that's going to grab people's attention.”

“I love it!” Colleen exclaimed.

“Good!” Devorah handed Colleen her business card. “Have your modeling agent call my office in the morning. We'll set up a meeting.”

After Devorah left, there was silence at the table. Then Anthony, Paige and Colleen began screaming excitedly.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm getting my own TV show!” Colleen shrieked. “Miranda's going to die! I can just see her telling her friends the name of my show. Not!”

“Who needs
Hairspray
?” Anthony said. “Reality TV is creating new stars every day.”

“But the show could also follow me around as I try to make it as an actress!” Colleen exclaimed. “It would be like a televised audition every week for producers and directors in Hollywood!”

“What's going on here?” Bianca asked, rejoining the table with Rachel. “We could hear you screaming all the way across the room.”

Anthony leaned close to Paige and whispered in her ear. “Ever seen a human volcano?”

“No.”

“Get ready. Because you're about to see one, possibly two, explode.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Keep your eyes on the twins. As soon as they hear Colleen's news, they're going to erupt.”

“Guess who's getting her own TV show?” Colleen asked.

Rachel shrugged. “I don't know. Who?”

“Me!”

“
You're
getting your own TV show?” Bianca gasped.

“Yes!” Anthony exclaimed. “Isn't it fabulous?”

“B-b-but that's impossible!” Rachel sputtered.

“Why is it impossible?” Paige asked. “Are only thin people allowed to have TV shows?”

“She doesn't want to be a TV star,” Bianca said. “We do! We should be getting our own show, not her!”

“If you're nice, I'll let you guest star,” Colleen said, “but I can't promise any special billing,”

“
Guest star?!
” Bianca shrieked in horror. “We'll never guest star on your show or anyone else's!”

“We're going to have our own show!” Rachel proclaimed.

“Speaking of guest stars,” Anthony interrupted, “it looks like our guest of honor is here.”

Everyone's eyes turned to the entrance of the ballroom, where a waving Steve Coulter was arriving with his wife on his arm. Max's mother was dark-haired, slim and pretty, wearing an elegant ivory-colored dress and gold earrings. Walking in behind them was Max.

There was no mistaking Steve Coulter. Even though he was wearing a tuxedo and bow tie, he gave off waves of testosterone. From the black cowboy hat on his head, the
black cowboy boots on his feet and the cigar he was chomping, he was macho with a capital M.

From the way Max was standing behind Steve, out of sight, trying not to draw attention to himself, it was obvious that he was overshadowed by his famous father.

At that moment, Anthony's heart went out to Max and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Why hadn't he realized it sooner?

“I think we may have found the answer to our question,” Anthony said to Paige.

“What question?”

“Max. Is he or isn't he?”

“I'm not following.”

“His father.”

“What about him?”

“Didn't you notice? Steve Coulter is a man's man. A frat boy all grown up. I wouldn't be surprised if in a couple of hours he's wearing his tie around his forehead like a bandana while chugalugging a bottle of beer. If that guy was your father, can you imagine telling him that you were gay? He'd freak out. Big time! Max might not be ready to face up to things because of his father.”

“So he's staying closeted?”

“Wouldn't you?”

“If that's true, then you're never going to get him to admit he's gay.”

“Never say never, Ms. Crane. You underestimate the power of my lips. If Max
is
gay, once he gets a taste of them, I guarantee he'll be coming back for more!”

D
ecisions, decisions. It was time for some dessert and Paige couldn't make up her mind between a slice of triple chocolate fudge cake and a slice of chocolate cream pie.

“Why not take both?”

Paige turned around with a smile. “Max!”

“Having a good time?”

“Yes. How about you?”

Max shrugged, tugging at the collar of his tuxedo shirt. “I've been to tons of these parties since Dad's show took off. They're always the same. Everyone kissing his ass, telling him how great he is.”

Paige was shocked at the bitterness she heard in Max's voice. “Well, he is a big star.”

“But he wasn't always.” Max waved a hand around the crowded ballroom. “Before all this happened, my dad was
just a regular guy who owned his own restaurant and spent time with his family when he wasn't working. Now we're lucky if we see him once a month. He's always jetting off somewhere with plans to open up another restaurant, spending hours in the studio taping, working on his book or going out to parties.”

“I know what it's like having a famous parent.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“I've never dealt with it,” Paige said as she reached for a slice of triple chocolate fudge cake. “I've just accepted Camille for who she is. She's selfish, immature, insecure and everything else in her life comes before me.” Paige laughed at the shocked expression on Max's face. “What?”

“That's pretty harsh.”

“It's the truth. I'm not going to lie and tell you how great my mother is. Over the years she's let me down more times than I can count.”

“And that doesn't bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me, but what am I going to do?” Paige took a bite of her cake. “You would think that being a parent would be her number-one priority, but it isn't. Her career comes first.”

“My dad is the same way. And because he's such a big celebrity, he thinks he can do whatever he wants. It doesn't matter who he hurts.”

“Like you?”

Max looked around before answering. Then he grabbed Paige by the hand and walked with her to a secluded corner of the ballroom, far from the crowd.

“Like my mom,” he said. “He's cheating on her. All those
nights that he's supposedly working late? It's a lie. He's got girlfriends and my mom knows it, but she doesn't say anything because she loves him. She thinks it's a phase he's going through, but it's not. My dad's selfish. He's only thinking about himself and what he wants. Do you know how hard it is hearing your mom cry herself to sleep at night?”

The sweet piece of cake that had been sliding down Paige's throat turned to a hard lump. She hadn't been expecting to hear the marital secrets of Max's parents. This was way too much information. But obviously Max needed to talk to someone and she was touched that he trusted her enough to confide in her.

“Your mom must love your dad a lot if she's willing to put up with other women,” she said.

“I guess. If she were smart, she'd hire a good divorce attorney and take him for half of everything, but she won't. Like you said, she loves him, even though he's hurting her. That's never going to happen to me.”

“What?”

“I'm never going to fall in love with anyone. There's too much risk.”

“You shouldn't say that!”

“Why not?”

“Because everyone has to fall in love. At least once, anyway!”

“Why? Have you ever been in love?”

“No, I haven't,” Paige said, not sure why she was so reluctant to admit it. After all, she was only seventeen years old! She had plenty of time to fall in love. “But Anthony has. I guess you could say he's loved and lost.”

“Anthony's a cool guy.”

“He's a great catch.”

“I agree. Any guy would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend.”

Is that guy you?
Paige wanted to ask. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't want to say them. Max seemed so down. So vulnerable. It wasn't about whether or not he was gay or straight or who he liked better. It was about helping a friend.

“Your parents need to work things out for themselves. There isn't anything you can do to fix things.”

“I know, but it's hard to see my mom hurting. Falling in love is too painful. Too messy. I don't ever want to go through what she's going through. You give your heart to someone and what do they do? They throw it on the floor and stomp all over it.”

“Not always.”

“More often than not, it seems.”

“Boy, you're really cynical. But you're wrong and I'm going to prove it. I want you to make me a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“Promise me you're going to fall in love someday.”

“I can't promise that.”

“Why not?”

“What if I don't meet someone?”

“You will. There isn't a doubt in my mind. Trust me. Now promise!” Paige peeked behind Max's back. “And no crossing your fingers!”

Max gave Paige a wide smile, showing off his adorable dimples and she knew, that just for a few seconds, she had
helped him forget his problems.

“Okay, okay, I promise,” Max said, holding his hands up in the air so Paige could see he wasn't crossing his fingers.

“Good! Now when the day comes that you fall in love, I want you to call me. Day or night.”

“And then?”

“I want you to tell me how wonderful it is! And that I was right.”

Max's smile grew wider. “You know something, Paige? You're a romantic. But that's okay. I still like you.”

And with those words, the last thing that Paige expected to happen, happened.

Max kissed her.

She wasn't sure if he was planning to kiss her on the lips. He had leaned in close to her, probably planning to kiss her on the cheek but instead of standing still, she'd moved her head.

When she had, his lips had fallen on hers.

And then they'd locked.

For Paige, it was like two magnets connecting. Click! She'd wanted to kiss Max for weeks and now that she had the opportunity, well, she wasn't going to turn it down.

She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around his shoulders. That might scare him away and end the kiss and she didn't want that. No, no, no! She wanted the kiss to last and last and last.

As a kiss, it was pretty nice. Gentle. Sweet. She was expecting something a little bit extra, but she didn't know what. Maybe because it wasn't a planned kiss Max hadn't thrown everything he had into it.

Still, it was a kiss!

And he
was
still kissing her. He hadn't pulled away. Hmmm. What did that mean? Five seconds ago he was saying he was never going to fall in love.

“Wow,” Max said. “That was unexpected.”

“But nice, definitely nice,” Paige said, hoping he'd pick up the hint and kiss her again.

“Yeah, right. Nice,” Max said, smiling nervously.

Uh-oh. Something was wrong.

“Listen, I better go hook up with my parents. Thanks for listening. You're a really good friend, Paige.”

“Anytime,” Paige said, tracing her fingers over her lips as she watched Max walk away. “Anytime.”

 

“He kissed you! Max kissed you!”

Anthony was practically bouncing off the sides of their limousine as their chauffeur drove through Central Park.

“I almost died when I looked across the ballroom and saw him pressing those lips against yours.”

“It wasn't a real kiss, though,” Paige clarified. “It's not like he planned to kiss me on the lips. It was an accidental kiss.”

“His lips puckered. They pressed. They made contact with your lips. Whether planned or accidental, it was a kiss!”

“If you're going to be technical about it,” Paige said, “then yes, it was a kiss. And…it was definitely nice.”

“Oh, I am
so
jealous! If we weren't best friends, I'd want to tear your hair out!”

“But it didn't mean anything!”

“How can that be? It looked like you and Maxie were having a cozy little chat. Did you tell him how you feel? Is
that why he kissed you?”

“Max did most of the talking. I just listened and after listening, I have my own theory about his love life.”

“Which is?”

“I think Max is afraid to get close to anyone because of his father.”

After swearing Anthony to secrecy, Paige told him everything that Max had told her about his parents' marriage.

“Wow. Poor guy,” Anthony whispered. “You know, now that you mention it, at the party I noticed that Max's father spent most of his time with other women and not his wife.”

“Can you blame Max for not wanting to get involved with anyone? He's probably afraid he's going to hook up with someone who'll treat him the way his father treats his mother. And I don't think he was too happy that we locked lips. He couldn't run away from me fast enough.”

“Did you have bad breath?”

“Anthony!” Paige swatted him on the arm.

“Okay, so he's been distancing himself from others. And he didn't expect to kiss you. But he did and you've given him something to think about if he plays for your team. Hopefully your little chat fixed things, but we still have to find out if he's gay or straight. If we don't do something soon, we're going to wind up going to the Senior Prom with each other!”

“Any suggestions?”

“It's time for a new plan. How do you feel about a little breaking and entering?”

“What?!”

“Don't worry, we're not going to steal anything. We're just
going to do a little exploring and get a look into Max's secret world.”

“Which is?”

“His bedroom.”

“His bedroom?”

“We haven't set foot in Max's apartment since we've become friends with him. There has to be a reason.”

“Felix told you the reason. Max's father guards his privacy. He doesn't like strangers in the apartment. That includes Max's friends.”

“Come on, Paige! Get real! I'm sure if Max wanted to have a few friends over, he could. He's hiding something.”

“Maybe he doesn't want anyone around because of the problems his parents are having. Maybe things are really tense at home.”

“Maybe…but we've got to get a look inside his bedroom.”

“And how are we going to do that? Max lives in a doorman building. The doorman isn't going to just let us go up.”

“That's true,” Anthony said. “But the doorman
will
let us up if we go visit Felix. Remember, they live in the same building.”

“And then what?”

“We visit with Felix and then we leave. But instead of heading back downstairs, we go upstairs instead.”

“How dumb do you think Felix is? He's going to know we're up to something.”

“No, he isn't. Felix and I bonded at his birthday bash. We're tight.”

“You're tight with Felix?” Paige asked skeptically.

“As tight as you can be with a back-stabbing snake,” Anthony said. “Trust me, this plan will work!”

“And if it doesn't?”

“We'll worry about that when the time comes. But I've got a feeling this is finally going to get us some answers. So, are you in?”

“If doing this means I'll eventually get Max, then…yes, I'm in!”