“Well, I hope you’re able to come and watch tomorrow as I ask her out on our date by the gazebo in the park,” Brad replied, smiling.
“Oh, honey...I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Jim replied back, his grin just as big.
********
Maggie woke up; it was finally Saturday. She looked outside, it looked to be a cool, crisp day and the sun was shining brightly. She had planned to run a few errands, then it registered in her brain... “Shit,” she called out loud. She had forgotten that today was the day she had to go “meet” Brad and he was going to let her know she had won the contest and how lucky she was...blah, blah, blah. Maggie took a deep breath and told herself she could do this. This was not for her, but for her dad. He needed to meet someone to enjoy the rest of his golden years. Rex was a great companion and all, but he was not really a great date.
Maggie peeled herself from her bed and Mittens hissed, unhappy to have been distributed. Maggie forced herself to get ready for the day. She checked her phone after she had showered and dressed. She had several messages from Todd, informing her of the location to meet and finalizing the time for everything. Maggie pulled her hair back in a low ponytail and applied her makeup. She had chosen to wear a pair of dark jeans and a green sweater that complemented her eyes.
Taking one final glance in the mirror, she figured she looked presentable enough and headed down to the kitchen to get some coffee and breakfast. She was in the middle of lathering her toast with butter when there was a knock at the door. Maggie put her bread down and went to see who it could be.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a rather sharp-dressed man with blonde hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. He was tall and thin. His eyes were almond shaped and were dark brown. He had a long roman nose and pencil thin lips. He was holding a makeup bag in one hand and a garment bag flopped over his shoulder. “Hello. Who are you?” Maggie asked skeptically.
“I’m Pierre. I’m here to help you get ready for today,” he replied. He glanced at her shirt and low ponytail. “And by the looks of it, I got here just in time,” he stated as he pushed past her and entered without being invited.
Maggie stood in the door, her mouth open as two other people followed him into her home. Closing the door behind them, she turned around in shock. “I was never told about this,” she remarked.
“Oh, honey. No worries, I’m here to help. We can’t have you going on live T.V. looking like that. We need the public to see a cute southern belle, not a frumpy, thirty-something,” Pierre tsked.
Maggie opened her mouth to speak, more than a few choice words were ready to spill from her mouth, when she thought better of it. She had a feeling this man wasn’t going to leave until he was done with her. “So, you’ll be doing this all next weekend too?” she questioned.
“You got it, kid,” he replied, touching his finger to the tip of her nose as if to say BINGO. “I’m your new stylist!” he exclaimed. “Well, only until the date is over, then I go back to L.A.”
Pierre looked around the house, “You have such a quaint home, so where can I put my things to get started?”
Maggie showed him to the kitchen, figuring the space would be large enough to accommodate them all. Pierre followed as Maggie led the way. Pierre took no time in making himself at home. He laid the garment bag over one of the chairs at the table. He placed his makeup bag on the table and opened it up. Pulling out all the contents and placing them on the table. Clapping his hands, his helpers sprang into position. “Sit,” he commanded as he looked at Maggie.
Pierre ripped the ponytail holder from her hair, her tendrils falling down framing her face. Then they all got to work. An hour later, Pierre stood in front of her pleased with the result. Maggie was anxious to see how she looked, but he never offered her a mirror to examine his work. “Now, to figure out what you should wear,” he murmured.
“What’s wrong with what I’ve got on?” Maggie asked irritatedly, glancing at her green sweater and jeans.
“Well, if you have to ask, your fashion sense is worse than I’d originally thought,” he laughed and looked to his companions. They joined in on the laughter as well.
Maggie could feel her face getting warm and she was about to lose control and throw them all out of her home. Instead, she took a few deep breaths. “I see. Well, what do you have in mind then?” she asked while she smiled sweetly.
“I brought along a few options,” he replied, very pleased with himself.
Pierre grabbed the garment bag and handed it to her. “Go try these on and let me see how they look. There are three different outfits in there. “Don’t worry, you can’t mess the combination up. I have them paired together for you,” he smiled.
Maggie grabbed the bag from him with more force than she expected. “Thanks,” she replied with annoyance. She walked out of the kitchen and made her way to her room to inspect the items he had brought. The first one was a short gray-blue sweater dress and leggings. It had a low V neckline. Not really her style. The second was another pair of tight black spandex material pant and the top was an off the shoulder white shirt. The top and bottom of the sleeves were lined with black fur. Lastly, there was a pair of ripped jeans and a red fitted bodysuit and a long black-gray cardigan.
Maggie tried all three on and settled on the ripped jeans and cardigan ensemble. She grabbed a pair of knee-high boots to accompany the outfit. When she was done, she took a look at herself in the mirror, checking over her hair and makeup. She hardly recognized herself. They had applied way more makeup than she ever wore in her life. She thought she almost looked plastic. Here eyeshadow was a dark shade of brown that had a smokey effect. Pierre and company had applied fake lashes that felt like they stuck out a mile. Her lips were a dark shade of red. Her hair had been styled in soft curls that framed her face. It was thicker than her normal hair as they had added multiple extensions to give it a fuller look.
Maggie was not sure she cared for her appearance and didn’t want to look like this all weekend when they were on their date. She hoped she could get Pierre to tone it down next time but figured it would probably be a long shot. Taking one last glance she made her way back down to the kitchen. The rest of Pierre’s team had already left, so he was the only one waiting when she entered.
“Perfect choice!” Pierre exclaimed. “Ready?”
Maggie nodded her head; not really sure she was but knew she had no other options. She had made a deal with her dad and she meant to hold up to her end of the bargain. Maggie could handle one weekend with Bradley if it meant her dad would finally start trying to find someone to settle down with.
Pierre and Maggie left the house. Outside there was a large limousine waiting to take them to the park, where Bradley would be waiting. Maggie just wanted to get today over with and get out of these clothes and wipe off all the makeup. She had a bottle of wine with her name on it waiting in the kitchen for when she arrived back home. Also, Jim had planned to come over to sit with her. She really wished he was in the car so she would have someone to talk to other than Pierre on the ride over.
The ride to the park was not long and, on the way, Pierre offered her a glass of champagne to calm her nerves. Maggie had never been in front of a camera before and she was starting to worry she would make a fool of herself on national T.V. She could feel her hand tremble as she raised her glass to her mouth to take a sip. Pierre watched her take back the whole glass and then grabbed the bottle from her reach. “Slow down, little lady. You don’t want to be drunk when you arrive,” he smirked. “Trust me, you’re in good hands. All you have to do is smile and nod and say yes, easy-peasy,” Pierre informed her.
Maggie was not so sure it would be that easy. Her mind wandered back to her first encounter with Bradley and how weak in the knees she had felt. That feeling had surprised her and shook her to the core. She had not felt that in over fifteen years and to have the emotion wash over her so unexpectedly, it frightened her. She had told herself that she would never love anot
her man but when she set eyes on Bradley something came over her, she had never anticipated. It was more than just an infatuation for a movie star. In that moment, she felt a connection to this man she had never known before.
Maggie had wanted to end that meeting as quickly as she could and get out of that room. She prayed that Bradley hadn’t noticed the effect he’d had on her and she vowed to not let that happen again. Maggie poured herself a second glass and sipped the sweet liquid as they pulled up to the park.
Maggie looked out her window and saw that the whole town looked to have shown up for the big moment. She even noticed the mayor in the crowd. Anything to build tourism she figured as she opened the door and stepped out. The moment her foot hit the ground a large camera was in her face, capturing her expression as her eyes locked on Bradley standing right there to escort her to the gazebo.
He placed his hand out for her to grab. Maggie was about to pull her hand back, when she thought better of it. She could see the look of concern in Bradley’s eyes as it registered in his brain, she was hesitant to touch him. He gave her his winning smile and stated, “I promise, I won’t bite.” The people around him that heard his comment, erupted into laughter.
“I might,” she bantered back playfully.
Bradley winked at her, “Watch out I may take you up on that!”
Maggie could feel her cheeks burning. She knew he was playing things up for the camera, giving the world what they wanted--chemistry. She also knew his career was on the line and he needed to make sure this win-a-date contest worked in his favor. He needed to show the world how sweet and caring he was and that he could settle down with one woman and one woman only. He needed to be the boy next door, wholesome and sweet...and he was a good actor.
They walked up to the gazebo hand in hand and out of the corner of her eye she saw her dad, Jim, and Bill watching them. She could see her dad’s excited look as she was finally going on a date, even if it was a publicity stunt. Jim and Bill on the other hand were watching Bradley like a hawk, making sure he did or said nothing to hurt Maggie.
The host of the show was at the gazebo, or at least that’s who Maggie figured the woman was standing there waiting for them. When Maggie stepped up to the center, the woman extended her hand. “Congratulations, Maggie! You’re the lucky lady that gets to spend three days and two nights with Bradley Thomas. Tell me, how do you feel to be the most envied woman in the world?” the host placed her mic in front of Maggie waiting for her response.
Maggie stuttered for a moment. For a second, she almost told her the truth. That she never entered the contest, and she had no desire to spend a weekend alone with the man standing in front of her. Then a strange thought entered her head. She knew that part of that was not true and she didn’t like that thought. Maggie looked around and realized that everyone was waiting for her to speak. She opened her mouth, and the words flew out. “I’m so excited and I can’t wait to get to know Bradley even more,” she smiled sweetly, batting her eyes like a lovestruck girl.
The host smiled and looked back at the cameras. “Well, I, for one, can’t wait to see what you have in store for this romantic date! And I know the viewers at home will be tuned in every night to watch this date unfold. Are there any hints you can give us about what you have planned?” she asked turning the mic over to Bradley.
“I’m sorry, Chelsey, but you and the viewers will just have to wait and watch next weekend. I promise, Maggie will have the best weekend of her life and you never know, maybe love will bloom in the most unexpected of places,” he winked at Chelsey.
“Well, you heard it here, folks--join us this Sunday night for this magical holiday weekend date,” Chelsey informed the viewers at home. The camera man yelled cut and the crew began to pack up their equipment. Everything happened so fast Maggie barely had time to be nervous. But once everyone started to leave, she glanced down at her hand that was nestled in Brad’s. She had not even noticed that he had grabbed it during the appearance, but now the touch of his hand gave her a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Maggie’s heart beat a little quicker and for a brief moment she did not want him to let her hand go.
Brad caught the direction of her gaze and noticed Maggie hadn’t tried to pull her hand away immediately once the cameras had left. They both just stared at each other unsure of who should speak first, then Maggie tugged slightly on her hand pulling it free.
“So, I believe Todd told me that we’ll meet in Vermont Friday night? Is there anything else you’d like me to know? Todd gave me very few details,” Maggie stated, breaking the awkward silence between them.
Brad’s handsome smile returned. “No, all you need to do is show up and enjoy the best weekend ever,” he winked at her. “I promise, there’ll be some fun days in store for us both.”
Brad left her standing alone in the gazebo. Maggie glanced around and saw the crowd still lingered as many of the people left made their way in the direction of Brad, vying for an autograph or picture. Maggie watched as Brad smiled, hugged and greeted everyone around him. That handsome smile plastered across his face and each person he talked to was given his sole attention.
Carl, Jim, and Billy walked up and surrounded Maggie. “Now that wasn’t so bad was it?” her dad asked. The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear.
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Can we go home now? I want to get into my own clothes and chisel this makeup off my face,” she replied.
Jim linked his arm through hers. “You got it, Mags.”
They all walked with her back to Jim’s car and got in. Brad was still out in the park greeting his fans and taking pictures as they departed and headed for Maggie’s house. Maggie looked out the window as they drove away. Before she had thought she could get through this date and life would move on. Now, she was not so sure. She feared that this date may open a door she had intended to keep closed the rest of her life.
Chapter 8
The week flew by quickly, and before Maggie knew it Friday arrived and she was sitting in the airport with her father ready to board the plane to Vermont. The flight was short and when they arrived in the small ski village, Maggie and her dad were greeted by a flock of reporters. They had been waiting outside the baggage terminal. The reporters surrounded them as they tried to look for their driver who was supposed to be there to pick them up.
All Maggie could see was a sea of microphones and cameras all pointed in her face; reporters were asking question after question. She could barely comprehend what one had asked before another person interrupted. Carl did his best to push them through the crowd hoping to find their ride on the other side of the sea of people.
They were in luck. Carl spotted a man holding up a sign with ‘Vaughn’ on the front. He pointed in the direction of the vehicle and Maggie followed behind. They gave their luggage to the man by the vehicle and jumped into the car. Carl closed the door behind them and the shouts from the reporters subsided. Maggie slumped down in her seat. She hadn’t expected such a spectacle and wasn’t comfortable with all the attention. All she wished for was to be back in her hometown, unknown to anyone in this world, doing what she loved most--her job. Now she feared she would never know that solitude again.
They arrived at the lodge which was quiet compared to the airport. Maggie and Carl grabbed their things and headed into the main lobby to check in. The resort was quaint and decorated to the nines for Christmas. She liked the homey feeling she got as she walked into the resort. It had an old, rustic charm to it. The front lobby had an enormous sixteen-foot Christmas tree in the center all decorated with large twinkling, white lights. There were large red and gold bows placed evenly around, with blue and silver balls placed in between. Maggie marveled at the beauty of the tree as they headed to the front desk.
“Hi,” Carl stated to the young man. “Dr. Vaughn and Carl Vaughn here to check in for the weekend.
The young man smiled knowingly, “The contest winner, right?”
“Yes,” Carl smiled and nodded
back.
“Well, I’ve got your reservation here in the system. I see you have two rooms for two nights. Everything looks to be in order, so I’ll get your keys and have someone take you to your rooms,” he replied.
“Thanks,” Carl stated as he glanced over to see Maggie still wandering around the place taking everything in. Just then a mature woman with streaks of gray in her light chestnut hair, approached her. She was a rather tall, slender woman and was beautiful. Her smile lit up the room as she walked over to greet Maggie. Carl could not take his eyes off the woman as she extended her hand out to greet Maggie. He watched as they exchanged pleasantries. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Carl turned his head back to see the young man holding the room keys out for Carl.
Carl thanked him and turned back around, taking a step forward he nearly bumped right into the woman, who was now standing in front of him. Maggie smiled brightly, giving Carl a wink. “Hi Dad,” she beamed, noting his expression. “This is Ms. Florence. She owns this resort and wanted to personally thank us for coming this weekend.” Maggie’s eyes gleamed at her dad as she introduced him.
Ms. Florence extended her hand out to greet Carl. “Please, call me Evelyn,” she smiled, one small dimple appearing on her right cheek as she did. Carl took her warm hand in his and placed his other on top, holding her hand tightly between his own.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Evelyn,” Carl replied back, a twinkle in his eye. Maggie saw a look in her father’s eye that she had never seen before. She could tell he was smitten, and by the look on Evelyn’s face, she was as well.
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