Authors: Cheryl Harper
“I guess I better get back out there. Maybe things have calmed down now. Thanks for your help.”
Shane nodded. “I tacked them up a little higher. Maybe they won’t get underfoot now.” As Laura yanked open the door, Shane said, “And, no, we aren’t a couple. I’ve just worked with KT a lot, know him pretty well.”
Laura said, “Saying ‘that’s too bad for you’ doesn’t have the sympathetic ring I’d like it to.”
Shane snorted and they walked back out to the table next to the stage. Laura picked up her tray and assessed her tables. Marcy had done a good job of clearing everyone out. Thank God.
The man himself was seated at another table. The glass at his elbow was empty and Laura had a battle on her hands. The right thing, the bigger-man thing to do, would be to take him another soda, smile politely, and escape to fight another day. What she really wanted to do was pretend she hadn’t noticed, abandon both KT Masters and Marcy to their fates, and head home to her daughter, her television, and a good night’s rest.
God, she was almost elderly by this time of night.
With a sigh, she grabbed a glass, filled it with ice and soda, and then moved quickly to set it on the table. He had the look of a man working on the puzzle that would free him from a prison. Papers were spread out all over the table and he was muttering over a calculator. He raked his fingers through his hair and leaned back with a sigh.
“Thanks.” He picked up the glass and swigged like he’d just stumbled out of the desert. When he put the glass back down on the table, he sighed. “Man, that’s good.”
Laura turned to go.
“Got your feathers fixed.”
She bit her lip and seriously considered pretending she hadn’t heard him. But she couldn’t. Overt rudeness had been bred out of her from birth. “Yes, Shane helped.”
He nodded. “That really is an . . . interesting uniform.”
Laura sniffed. Maybe he had a point but she didn’t complain out of loyalty to Willodean. She wasn’t going to acknowledge his point. “I’m not sure you should be criticizing anyone’s clothes.”
His eyes shot up. “Oh, really?”
Laura forced herself not to square off against him. “Really. You look like you dressed in whatever you found on your college dorm room floor.” And then she wished she’d just let Marcy handle the rest of the crowd. This was not the way to get a tip.
He laughed. “These clothes are standard-issue Hollywood designer wear, I’ll have you know.” He smoothed down the wrinkled sleeve. “I like to make them accessible to the American man.”
Laura’s lips twitched. “Good job.” It was a good thing she’d met obnoxious KT first. This guy, the one with the messy hair and clever answers, he would be impossible to resist. Thank God he hadn’t apologized for ripping off her feather. The combination of his warm skin and sincerity would have been fatal to her resolve.
KT nodded. “Thanks. It’s been a long, long day.” He hadn’t been blasting her with star power before but now he looked really tired, maybe a little sad. When his eyes met hers, Laura couldn’t catch her breath. Without the cloud of charm and showmanship, she could see warmth and intelligence and humor in his dark brown eyes. He opened his mouth to say something and Laura waited with one arm wrapped defensively around her waist. She fought the urge to say something encouraging or scurry away. Seeing him like this felt like staring heartbreak in the face, like if she got to know him, she’d never be the same again. Not that she had any plans to get to
know
KT Masters. Right now, she intended to stay as far from him and his bad attitude as she could. Finally, he just looked down at the glass and twisted it in a circle.
Laura had the craziest urge to pat his shoulder or give him a hug or smooth down his ravaged hair. But she’d already apologized. And he had not. That was more than enough for one night. He deserved to sit here with his own bad mood for company. For her own safety, she needed to retreat. Laura cleared her throat. “Well, uh, then, if there’s nothing else I can get you now, I’m going to go. Marcy’ll bring you refills.”
KT nodded once. “Good. Thanks.” He shuffled his papers. “I think I’m going to be here a while.” Satisfied that he hadn’t escaped punishment completely, she waved at Marcy to let her know she was leaving and retreated to the dressing room.
After she slid out of the satin outfit and the horrible fishnets, she examined Shane’s patching job. Her stitches were invisible. That had to be a handy talent to have. Laura wouldn’t know. She hadn’t sewn anything since she was fifteen. She could add columns of figures in her head, but home ec had nearly killed her. Now Holly handled most of the cooking and they were both so much happier that way. The best part about the whole arrangement was that the only payment Holly demanded was pizza once a week.
Rolling her head on her shoulders, Laura popped open her locker and hung up her uniform. She slipped into jeans and a sweater before sliding her feet back in her flats and blessed Willodean Jackson again. She was lucky that she only had to walk down the hall and around the pool to get to her apartment.
She shivered in the cool spring air more than once as she walked home. She could hear the faint noise of the television as she slid the key into the lock. Before she could get the door open completely, Holly hit her at a full run. They both laughed as she wrapped her arms around Laura’s neck and then pulled her in to the living room where she urged Laura down on the couch.
“Mom, I’ve missed you so much!” She bounced into the kitchen and returned with a plate.
“Oh, I know. It’s been forever, like four whole hours since my break!” Laura teased her but she was glad to see her Holly, not the moody body snatcher that sometimes greeted her with a sigh and a huff. “You made lasagna?”
“Yep, and it is awesome, even if I do say so myself.” She turned on the television and plopped down on the sofa with both long legs curled up underneath her. She’d already passed Laura in height and there were times when Laura could see the woman she’d become. Then, when she thought about how Holly was only four years away from the same age she’d been when she’d gotten pregnant, dropped out of college, and returned home to have a baby, Laura got really, really worried. She was a good kid, worked hard in school and helped out at home. Laura wished she had more to give Holly and spent lots of nights worrying about how to keep her safe and happy and young, but not naïve. Parenting was such a tightrope act.
Tonight, Holly looked young and Laura loved it. Her long dark hair was up in a floppy ponytail and she’d decided to go without the hot pink strip of “hair” that clipped in. As soon as she saw Mandy’s hair, Holly would be back to asking for a more permanent pink dye at every gift-giving occasion. Maybe Holly looked a lot like a young Laura, but Laura’s mother would have never gone for pink hair, fake or not. Holly wore a huge black T-shirt with The King caught mid-hip shake and black sweatpants. Before they moved into the staff apartment, Holly couldn’t have picked Elvis out of a lineup, but since they’d been adopted by Willodean, Holly had fallen head over heels in a long tumble of love with Elvis Presley. Elvis was on her iPod, Elvis movies lined the shelf next to the television, and she’d already decided her first daughter was going to be named Lisa Marie. When Holly was interested in something, she went all the way.
After she polished off the chunk of lasagna and most of the giant glass of tea, Laura said, “Guess who I met today?”
Holly didn’t answer. She was glued to the latest performance of her favorite singer competing to become America’s next singing sensation.
Laura cleared her throat to try again. “Guess who I met today?”
“Hm?” was Holly’s answer, but she didn’t turn her head.
“KT Masters.” There was no immediate response so Laura stretched her legs out on the couch and closed her eyes as she listened to someone murder a Michael Jackson hit.
At the next commercial, Holly said, “Was he as handsome in person as he was on the Entertainment Weekly reunion cover?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer that. Handsome, yes. Attractive, no. Not all the time anyway. A horrible attitude could ruin even the best looks. She did her best to ignore her body’s answer that he’d been attractive enough, no matter how badly he needed a lesson in good manners.
“I didn’t really spend much time with him, brought him something to drink, but yes, he’s handsome.”
“That’s nice.” Holly nodded and turned up the television. Clearly, if he wasn’t Elvis, she wasn’t interested. Laura had the feeling that would change when Holly met the man. The feelings he inspired smiling back from a magazine cover were nothing compared to being pinned under his stare while his eyes flashed murder and his nostrils flared. When he’d looked at her, even in a temper, it was like the rest of the world disappeared. Yes, he made her mad but she could imagine other times when being the center of his attention would be a very good thing.
But maybe that was just her.
Laura shifted on the couch and did her best to ignore the heat building in her face and lower, brought on by the thought of KT Masters, his eyes, his hands, and what she imagined he might be able to do with them.
“I thought you’d be more curious, ask more questions.”
Holly shrugged. “Willodean promised to introduce me to him. I want to get an autograph, but I know he’s busy. You told me not to bother them. So I won’t
bother
them.” She heaved a heavy sigh that announced to the world how tiresome parents could be. All of the conversations they’d had lately had been a confusing mix of old and new. And even though she’d explained to Holly quite clearly how important this television show was to Willodean and how much they owed her, Holly had picked up a criticism. Treating her like an adult didn’t work. Treating her like a child was even less successful. And Laura wished she had someone to help her navigate the rocky shores of adolescence, someone who could totally be the bad guy if needed. She’d wished more than once for help. She ought to just be happy Willodean Jackson had shown up.
And she was, even if she sometimes wished she’d been way more specific. When Holly was a baby, she hadn’t dated because she’d had her hands full with school and work and a baby who never slept. Then her mother had gotten sick and she’d been left all on her own. Afraid to make a mistake, Laura had focused on Holly and her career and trying to get them both some security. Men hadn’t even registered on her radar. Sometimes she regretted that. Often when teen-angst Holly showed up.
When the show ended, she kissed Holly goodnight and turned off the lights as she checked the locks. Tomorrow she’d have to figure out how to face KT Masters again. Make nice. Be polite. When what she really wanted to do was glare. Or run her hand down his chest. Maybe both. She might also manage a disdainful sniff, but she’d learned a long time ago to never let her emotions get out of control. Except, of course, when some arrogant ass ripped off her feathers. That shout had been a breakthrough of sorts. She hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come.
“N
OW,
M
ISS
W
ILLODEAN,
I understand that you take care of your employees. You strike me as the kind of boss we’d all like to have, but I can say that your waitress has a hair-trigger temper. That can’t be the reputation you want. Maybe you could just give her some time off while we’re here? I don’t think this will be our last explosion, you know?”
KT wasn’t sure why he was so surprised this meeting was straying from his plan. He almost always got what he wanted but this time he was failing miserably. Ever since he’d approached Willodean Jackson with the idea to tape an episode of
The Unusual States of America
for the Travel Network, she’d been nothing but polite and deferential. At first, he’d thought she was just a nice old lady. Then he saw the gleam of calculation in her bright green eyes and knew he was dealing with a shrewd businesswoman. She had some quirks. Today she’d gone green jeans and a brilliant yellow T-shirt so she looked a little bit like a psychedelic daffodil. Maybe that was her spring look but it hurt his eyes to stare at her for too long. He preferred the green suit from the day before. It had been a lot easier to look at while he charmed her. He did notice she’d kept the emerald ring. He was surprised she didn’t travel with a jewelry bodyguard, somebody hired just to protect the ring.
This headache wasn’t a hangover. That much he was certain of. It had been ninety-nine days and about thirteen hours since his last drink. More than once on this television journey he wished he hadn’t had the bright idea to combine clean living and constant, mind-numbing hard work. But he never did things the easy way. This headache, it had to be stress-related.
“KT, hon, I know it was an accident but little Laura doesn’t need to carry all the responsibility here. Maybe she shouldn’t have snapped at you, but I understand that she apologized.” Willodean tapped her bright red fingernails on the top of her spotless desk. He’d tried to take it up with the manager, a dour guy named Tony Ortega, but as soon as he’d heard Laura’s name, he’d shunted KT on up to the head lady in charge.
“I told her to bring drinks and then I told her to wait a minute so I could talk to her. She didn’t like that so she was ready to fight no matter what happened. I mean, she is a waitress, right? That’s her job, what she’s supposed to do.” KT knew he was losing this battle. It had been stupid to start. He wasn’t usually an asshole so why was he here in the first place? The little waitress bothered him. And if there was one thing he didn’t need, it was another distraction. He’d been drawn to her as soon as he’d entered the bar last night and he’d been aware of every stop she made. That didn’t happen often. He was used to fending off flocks of very devoted fans, but she had clearly not been as impressed with him. Maybe that pinched his overblown confidence a bit, but coming off as some selfish, power-mad diva made him cringe inside. He hated when celebrities pulled this shit. And his grandmother would kill him. Too bad he hadn’t thought of that sooner.
Willodean reached over to pat his hand. “Honey, if that’s the attitude you use, I don’t believe you ever have restaurant food that hasn’t been spit in. You’re lucky all she did was snap.”