The Road To Bliss

by Denise N Wheatley

  “Hey, where have you been?” she heard Eva say from behind her.

  Timber changed the expression on her face to a more pleasant one before turning around. “Oh, I just went to get some air.”

  “I’ve been looking for you for almost an hour!”

  “Well, this isn’t exactly the liveliest party I’ve ever been to,” she said, throwing her arms up and looking around.

  “Not to mention Alex has been preoccupied with that woman he was with at the movie premiere, and—”

  “Are you ready to go?” Timber interrupted, not wanting to discuss Alex or his date.

  “Yes. Let me go say my goodbyes to everyone, then we can leave. My feet are killing me.”

  Just as Timber had pushed the thought of Alex into the corner of her mind, she saw him approaching through the corner of her eye. Half of her wanted to run, but the other half wanted to stay. The other half won.

  “Hey, ladies. You two having a good time?” he asked, handing them both a glass of champagne.

  Timber almost choked, because unbeknownst to her, she’d been holding her breath ever since she saw him coming their way. Alex had an undeniable effect on her. And she didn’t like it. But she couldn’t control it. Nor could she do anything about it. Because his not-his-girlfriend was always getting in the way. But for once, Rita was nowhere to be found. So Timber decided to take advantage of that small miracle.

  “We are having a nice time, thank you,” she smiled, taking one of the glasses from his hand.

  “Good,” he responded, handing the other glass to Eva then turning back towards her. “I’ve been running around so much that I haven’t even had a chance to talk to you.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I understand,” Timber said. “You’ve got a lot of guests here to entertain.”

  “Wow. You’re beautiful and understanding. I’m not used to that.”

  The compliment took Timber by surprise. To the point where all she could do was giggle into her glass and take a sip of champagne.

  “Will you two please excuse me?” Eva asked. “I need to find out what time we have to be out of here so that the staff can start cleaning up.”

  “Sure,” Alex said, not taking his eyes off of Timber. “I’m glad you were able to come,” he told her, moving in a bit closer.

  “So am I. And your mother told me that they really liked the—”

  Timber was suddenly interrupted. But this time it wasn’t by Alex’s date. This time it was by the band leader. His deep voice boomed through the speakers, announcing that this would be the final song of the evening. Couples rushed to the dance floor. The lead singer began belting out, “My Funny Valentine.” It was Timber’s favorite oldie but goodie. The thought of having to sit this one out because of Alex’s obligation to save the last dance for his date made her want to cry.

  “Would you like to dance?” he asked her.

  Huh? Timber looked around in confusion. Was Alex talking to her? She scanned the room for his date. She didn’t see her. Apparently Alex was indeed talking to her. So she turned back to him and said, “I would love to.”

  Timber sat her glass down on the nearest table as Alex took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She hoped that her trembling legs wouldn’t buckle underneath her. She prayed that Alex’s date wouldn’t pop up and cause a scene. Then she felt Alex wrap his muscular arms firmly around her waist and pull her in close to him. All of her concerns suddenly vanished. When she glanced over at the far corner of the room and saw Rita slouched down in a chair with her head on the table, she smiled, wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck, and proceeded to fall into a dreamy state of bliss.

  Timber felt so content and secure in Alex’s arms, swaying to the beat of the music. She wanted to stay right there and dance that dance for the rest of her life. She felt Alex’s hands grip the small of her back and wondered if she’d ever see him again. She felt his breath against her neck and wished that he would lean in and kiss her. She heard the song coming to an end and wondered if she could force the band to start all over again.

  “Thank you for coming, everyone,” the singer said as the guests applauded. “We hope you all enjoyed yourselves this evening, and congratulations again to the Witherspoons on their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

  Reality began to invade the space between them as Timber felt Alex slowly pull away from her. She didn’t want to let him go. The music stopped completely, but Alex’s hands were still resting comfortably on her waist. His eyes were trying to connect with hers. But Timber was staring down at her feet, unable to accept the fact that it was time to say goodbye. When he gently cupped her chin in his hand and raised her head, she was forced to look at him.

  “Thank you for the dance,” he said softly.

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered.

  “I’d better go find my parents and tell them goodbye before they go up to their suite.”

  “Okay,” Timber said, smiling to keep from crying.

  “I’ll see you before you go, though. And tell Eva not to leave without talking to me first.”

  “I will,” Timber promised, feeling bare on the outside of his embrace. As she watched him walk away, everything except his silhouette became a blur.

  “Why are you standing all by yourself in the middle of the dance floor?” Timber heard Eva ask.

  “Oh!” Timber jumped, “I uh, I was looking for you.”

  “Right. You look like a zombie standing there staring at Alex like that. And I saw you two out here all wrapped up in each other’s arms and—”

  “We were just dancing, Eva,” Timber interrupted, rolling her eyes and waving her off. “Why do you always have to make something out of nothing?”

  “I only make something out of that which seems worthy,” Eva said, walking over to the side of the dance floor. Timber followed her, and at the same time discreetly scanned the room for Alex’s whereabouts. “But I don’t know about this, Timber,” Eva continued. “You’re fresh out of a serious, long-term relationship. And Alex isn’t your average, everyday type of man. Plus he seems to be involved with that woman he’s with….”

  Timber was only half listening to Eva because she’d just spotted Alex. He was walking away from his parents towards his date, who was still half asleep at the table.

  “See, I don’t like that,” Eva said after following Timber’s gaze. “I’ll admit that Alex is a lot nicer than I thought he would be. But as far as you getting involved with him is concerned….”

  “Eva, what are you talking about?” Timber asked as they sat down and waited for Alex. “I just danced with the man!”

  “Timber, please. I know you. And I’ve been watching you. All I’m saying is that you should tread carefully.”

  “Okay, Eva,” Timber said quickly, annoyed that her friend had blown the situation up to the point of combustion.

  “Thank you so much for everything, Eva,” Alex said as he approached their table. He extended his right hand toward her as he used his left one to support Rita. “You saved me,” he continued. “Without you, tonight never would have gone as smoothly as it did.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Eva said, standing up and graciously taking the envelope that Alex handed to her. “I’m glad that we had an opportunity to work together. And you have my contact information, so feel free to call me if you ever need my assistance again.”

  “I definitely will,” Alex said. Then he turned to Timber. “And I’m glad you were able to make it tonight. Thank you again for the gift baskets. They were beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome,” Timber replied, propping her elbow up on the table and fidgeting with her hair. “Let me know if you ever need—”

  “I’m ready to go,” Rita interrupted, perking up long enough to glare at Eva and Timber. Alex looked thoroughly embarrassed. Eva struggled to hide her disgust. And Timber felt thoroughly defeated.

  “Take care,” Timber concluded, suddenly anxious for the pair to get away from her.

  “I�
��ll be in touch,” Alex said with an apologetic tone. Then he turned around and practically carried Rita out of the room.

  “Are you ready to go?” Eva sighed.

  “Very much so,” Timber responded. She got up from the table and walked quickly, not wanting to converse. But she could feel Eva’s eyes burning holes through her back, so she knew what was coming next.

  “Can you believe that woman?” Eva asked.

  “Not at all,” Timber answered.

  “She is out of control, and Alex is climbing too far up in his career to have someone like that on his arm.”

  “I agree,” Timber said blandly.

  “I’m sorry, Timmy,” Eva offered, gently placing her hand on Timber’s shoulder.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she replied, trying desperately to conceal her disappointment.

  “Okay then, I’ll drop it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Timber was quiet during the ride home. Eva chatted away about all the contacts that she’d made at the party. When they got back to Eva’s condo, Timber went into the bathroom to take a quick shower while Eva checked her messages. By the time she got out and crawled into bed, Eva was laid out in the living room, talking on the phone to some entertainment attorney she had met a couple of weeks ago.

  Timber was glad that she finally had some time alone to sulk in peace. She felt too silly to discuss anything. So silly that she decided to act as if she had never met Alex. She would never mention his name again. And maybe, just maybe, she would reevaluate whether or not she should give Brian another chance.

  Chapter Ten

  Timber’s phone would not stop ringing. And she would not answer it. She couldn’t be bothered with anybody right now. She was beyond irritated. Mainly because since last weekend, Eva kept calling wanting to discuss Alex, Brian, and anything else that could possible send her over the edge.

  Her workspace was a mess. Soiled containers, un-mailed invoices, and puddles of ingredients were everywhere. Everything was unorganized, which wasn’t like Timber. But her life wasn’t like normal. She’d been thrust into a new realm of living that she wasn’t used to. No man, no nine-to-five…Life was on her terms now. She had the freedom to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. And that should have been a good thing. But it wasn’t.

  Timber’s business line rang. She felt like throwing the phone out the window. She just knew it was Eva, now resorting to calling her work phone since she wasn’t answering her cell. Bolting up from her chair, Timber finally relented and grabbed the cordless.

  “Soothing Bliss, this is Timber speaking,” she barked.

  “Hello, Timber,” an enchanting voice replied.

  She was caught off guard. Because it wasn’t Eva. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t any woman she knew. Because it was a man. But it wasn’t Brian. So maybe it was a new client.

  “Hello,” she said slowly. “May I help you?”

  “For starters, you can stop talking to me like I’m some regular customer!” the voice laughed. “This is Alex. How are you?”

  Alex?! The name alone sent shockwaves throughout Timber’s body. The sound of his voice had her heart thumping so vigorously that she could feel it in her ears. “Hi,” she finally managed. “I’m doing well. How are you?”

  “Exhausted. And glad that the publicity tour for Absolutely Nowhere is finally over. And that my parents’ party was a huge success. I’m really looking forward to the next couple of months I have off before my next shoot. What have you been up to?”

  “Oh, nothing too exciting,” Timber said, regretting her reply the moment she said it. Unexciting was the last thing she wanted to be. She was supposed to appear busy, important, and interesting. So she attempted a quick save.

  “Business is doing really well,” she rebounded. “As a matter of fact, I’m thinking about hiring some help. And maybe even moving Soothing Bliss out of my home and into a commercial space.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t done that already,” Alex said.

  “I know. I’ve just been so caught up in the day-to-day business and some personal issues that I haven’t had a chance to really look into it just yet.”

  “Well you should,” Alex said, “Because I’m sure your business is about to break out of your house. And things won’t move to that next level until you take them there.”

  “That’s true,” Timber replied, wondering whether she’d allowed Brian’s doubts, along with their consequential break up, to stunt the expansion of Soothing Bliss. But all things considered she was doing the best that she could at this point, and—

  “Are you still there?” Alex asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Timber stammered. “Yes, I’m here. Talk of a commercial space just made me think about some things.”

  “You wanna talk about it?” he asked.

  “To be honest, not really.”

  “Okay. I get it. Well, I’m calling for three reasons. First, since I didn’t get a chance to thank you for those therapeutic products that you sent to me, I’d like to do that now. They worked wonders. And I know I could have sent a card, but I thought we were past all the formalities. So thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Timber smiled, pleasantly surprised that Alex had said they were past formalities.

  “The second reason why I’m calling is to apologize for the way my friend acted at the party. You were there on business and shouldn’t have had to deal with all that.”

  “Oh….” Timber uttered after a short pause, now feeling a bit confused. Was she at the party on business? Because she thought that she was at the party on pleasure. So much for them being past formalities. “Don’t worry about it,” she said.

  “And the third reason for calling,” Alex continued as Timber reached for her legal pad and prepared to write down the order that she assumed he was about to place, “is to ask if you would like to have dinner with me.”

  Timber dropped the pad on the floor. Had she lost her mind? Or had Alex Witherspoon just asked her out on a date? Surely she’d lost her mind. So she waited for Alex to laugh and say that he was only kidding.

  “Hello?” he said after several seconds of silence.

  “I’m here.”

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  And then there was more silence. And then Timber got uncomfortable. Maybe Alex wasn’t kidding. Maybe he really did want to go out with her. But why? Because after the way he had—

  “Are you okay? Should I let you go?” Alex asked, interrupting Timber’s thoughts.

  “No, wait, I’m sorry,” Timber said quickly, throwing her hands out as if to stop him from hanging up. “I just…I didn’t think you were seriously asking me to dinner.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be serious?”

  “Well, I figured that you were still seeing your friend from the party, and—”

  “She’s not an issue,” Alex interrupted.

  Timber waited for Alex to expound on his point. When he didn’t, she decided to take him at his word and finally address his question. “Okay then, yes, I would love to have dinner with you.”

  “Good,” Alex sighed. “For a minute there I thought I was being rejected.”

  “Please.” Timber laughed, “As if you’d know anything about rejection.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  After they set their plans for Saturday night and said their goodbyes, Timber hung up the phone and stared straight ahead at nothing in particular. She couldn’t see anything anyway because her vision was obscured by her thoughts. But then, after realizing that she needed to share this extraordinary news ASAP, she snapped out of her trance long enough to pick up the phone and call Eva.

  Chapter Eleven

  Timber twirled around in front of her mirror and modeled a fitted burgundy asymmetrical dress for Eva, who was stretched out on the bed eating licorice. It was late Saturday afternoon, and the nervous excitement that Timber had been feeling all week had now turned into
full-blown fireworks in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know if she was ready for all this. “All this” meaning a date with a star. A celebrity whose face had graced the big screen, small screen, magazines, and hundreds of blogs and websites. A famous man who had fans and groupies and—

  “Timber!” Eva insisted, now sitting up. “Are you even listening to me?”

  “What did you say?” Timber asked, staring at her reflection and wondering whether or not this dress would do.

  “I knew you weren’t listening to me,” Eva replied, throwing a pillow at her back. “Try on that fitted off-the-shoulder black and white dress with the black patent stiletto sling backs.”

  “I already did,” Timber told her, pulling the dress up over her head and tossing it onto the mountain of potential outfits piled on her bed. “I think I’m going to go with that, too.”

  “Good, I think you should,” Eva agreed, grabbing some hangers and putting the rejected outfits back in the closet.

  “So, I’ve washed and rolled my hair, and done my manicure, pedicure, and facial,” Timber said. “What else before my bath?”

  “A little relaxation perhaps?” Eva suggested, hanging the dress they’d decided on behind the closet door. “You’re so anxious your voice is shaking.”

  “Well considering I’m about to go out on a date with Alex Witherspoon and all.” Timber sighed, plopping down on the bed. “Not to mention this is the first date I’ve been on since Brian. So let me have my moment.”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry,” Eva said, grabbing Timber’s hand and leading her into the kitchen. “Let’s have some tea and chill out until it’s time for you to finish getting ready.”