The Relationship Coach

by Sylvia McDaniel

  “No, I’ve tried, but it makes me happy.” Jose stared at him. “Why are you here?” he asked.

  “A wise lady told me I should help you, and at the time, I didn’t know how. I did some research and didn’t really find what I wanted. And then yesterday, an idea came to me,” he said, watching the boy stub his Nikes in the yard.

  Jose glanced up at Reed, seeming curious.

  “I have a film coming out in the next two weeks. A film about changing people’s lives for the better. What better way to demonstrate my interest in helping people than to give a scholarship based on the ticket sales of the film?”

  The kid’s eyes widened, and he stared at Reed.

  “Ten percent of the gross film sales will be put in a special fund that will go to a young man or woman studying filmmaking.” Reed paused. “Do you know of anyone who is interested?”

  A smile broke out on the kid’s face, and he laughed. “That’s a dumb question. I want that scholarship. I want that chance to go to filmmaking school.” He jumped up in the air and yelled, shaking his fists, excitement gleaming from his face. Then he stopped and gazed at Reed. “You were thinking of me, weren’t you?”

  Reed stood and ruffled his hair with his hand, feeling certain Jose would take advantage of the program, and soon would be on his way to making films for a living. “Yeah, buddy. I was thinking of you. In three years of teaching, you’re my best student. I think you have what it takes, and I want to help you. There will be some stipulations that your grades have to remain high, but other than that, you just go to school.”

  Jose clasped Reed’s hand and then awkwardly pulled him to him and slapped him on the back. “Thanks, Mr. Hunter. Thanks for helping me. I can’t ever repay you.”

  “Sure, you can. Graduate.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, running up the stairs. “I’ve got to tell Mama and Papa.”

  Reed watched him rip open the door, screaming at the top of his lungs.

  “Mama! Papa! I got a scholarship. I got a scholarship.”

  A warm sense of happiness came over Reed. Ten percent of the gross sales would more than put the kid through school, especially if this film took off like he thought it would.

  He walked toward his car, lightness in his step. Listening to Lacey and taking action on her advice made him a better man. Now he had to get her back.

  ***

  Lacey’s office phone rang. She picked it up. “Lacey Morgan.”

  “Lacey, Stan Whittaker of Chimney Rock Productions.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and then raced to catch up. The man who had talked her into doing the documentary. The man who had promised her a television show if the film did well. And now, here he was on the phone and what did she tell him?

  “You didn’t call me and tell me about the private screening. I just heard about it. I’m calling to see if you want me to pick you up in the company limo.”

  “Sorry, Stan. I just learned of the date myself. I’ve already got plans that night,” she lied. Why should she attend her own public flogging? There was no need for her to see how Reed had slain everything she loved. Including their relationship.

  There was a long moment of silence on the phone, and then he let out a sigh. “Lacey,” he paused, “in order for me to sell this idea, I need you at that private screening, smiling and saying thank you. You’re the star. You have to attend.”

  Lacey gritted her teeth. “What if the movie is horrible?”

  “Then we still get the publicity of your first bad film,” he said. “It’s going to be fine. What time do you want the limo to pick you up?”

  “Six-thirty.”

  “That doesn’t give us much time to schmooze. How about six?”

  “Whatever,” she said, instantly regretting the word that sounded so indifferent. She felt anything but indifferent. “Arriving in a limo sounds grand.”

  Frankly, she didn’t care how they got there, as she felt sure she’d be going home by taxi, once Stan saw the diabolical film.

  “My wife and I will pick you and your manager up the night of the screening. We’ll see what Reed Hunter has put together. If this film takes off like I’m hearing, you should have your own show very soon,” he said, his voice excited.

  But Lacey was unable to muster any enthusiasm. “Oh, it’s going to take off all right.”

  He laughed. “The buzz around town says it’s his best film.”

  Lacey cringed. Was the film good because it showed her business with all its faults? “Buzz is good.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Great. See you then.”

  Lacey hung up the phone and moaned. How would she get through that night? How was she going to see Reed again without crying? What would she do if she lost everything?

  ***

  That evening, Lacey knocked on her mother’s door. Since her sister had married and moved away, Lacey tried to spend one night a week with her mother. Normally, they went to dinner, but tonight, she didn’t have the energy to do much of anything.

  Disaster loomed on the horizon, and like a bad movie, she could only stand there and let the tsunami overtake her.

  Her mother opened the door and stared at her. “Hi, sweetheart.”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Come in, and I’ll pour us each a glass of wine,” she said, pulling Lacey in and closing the door.

  “Bring the bottle,” Lacey said, walking into the living area and slumping onto the couch.

  A few minutes later, her mother sat the bottle down on the table. “You look tired.”

  “I’m exhausted.”

  “How long before you get over Reed Hunter?” her mother asked.

  Tears pricked the back of her eyes. “You never beat around the bush, do you, Mom? You just come out and ask.”

  Her mother sank down across from her. “You’re letting this man make you a wreck. I’m worried about you.”

  “There will be a private screening next week,” Lacey blurted out.

  “Oh,” her mother said, that single word hanging in the air around them weighing a ton. “Are you going?”

  Lacey hugged her arms around her middle. “I have to. Stan Whittaker, the producer interested in getting me my own television show, he wants us to go together. He’s arranging for a limo to pick me and Amanda up. Do you want to go?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “I think you need all the support you can get. We’ll show up in force and make Reed Hunter realize what he’s missing out on.”

  Or make Reed Hunter see how he’d made her a wreck. She’d never suffered such a broken heart until Reed.

  Her mother raised her chin, defiance sparkling in her gaze.

  “Mom,” Lacey said, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. “I just don’t know if I can face him. I fell in love with him, and those feelings haven’t gone away. Even after three months, the pain is just as sharp.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” her mother said, coming to sit beside her and pull her into her arms.

  Lacey let the tears flow, the open wound in her heart flowing unheeded. “You…you said that passion could cause pain, and now I know what you mean. This hurts so much.”

  “I know, baby. I know. But if you don’t experience great passion, then you would never know what it’s like to live with a great love.”

  “I don’t think I want to experience either one ever again.”

  Her mother laughed. “I understand. I wish it would have worked out for you and Reed.”

  “Thanks, Mom. But how can I still love a man who wants to hurt me? Am I pathetic or what?”

  “No, honey, you’re human. You gave away your heart to a man who didn’t know what he had. You’re a wonderful woman who will make someone very happy. And whoever that person is, you should feel for them how you feel for Reed.”

  “I don’t know. This hurts too much.”

  “Yes, it does. But if you’d moved in with or even married Dean, you would never have experienced this kind of love. Unfortunately, you ch
ose a man who didn’t want commitment. Now you need to find a man who creates these same emotions, but wants commitment.”

  In the last few months, she’d learned so much about life. First what a disappointment Dean had turned out to be and then Reed. Smart, intelligent, handsome with a knife that he would soon shove into her back, killing her business.

  Lacey leaned back and wiped her eyes. “I don’t know, Mom. I think for now I’m going to forget men for a while. Kerri is married, and I’m happy for her, but I don’t think I want this kind of pain again.”

  Her mother frowned. “I understand. I just want you to be happy.”

  “I know. But passion hurts too much.”

  “How are you going to react to seeing Reed for the first time?”

  Lacey took a deep breath and gave her mother a fake smile. “I’m going to smile and picture in my mind, me smacking him with my purse.”

  A genuine smile graced her mother’s lips. “That’s my girl. Maybe we should see about getting you a date.”

  “Absolutely not. No men. I want to face Reed alone,” Lacey said, the thought of another man repulsive to her. She needed to be alone for a while.

  “Okay. Amanda and I will attend. Plus the studio exec and his wife,” she said, rubbing Lacey’s arm.

  “Just don’t let me start swinging my purse.” She didn’t want to see Reed. Her heart was still an open wound and seeing him would only tear open the tissue.

  Her mother laughed, the sound a welcome relief in the small room. “I can’t make any promises. I could be the one doing the swinging if I don’t like the way he’s depicted my baby.”

  Lacey smiled at her mother. “Could be an interesting evening. Who knows? We may end it in jail.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Lacey stared out the window as the limousine pulled up in front of Graham Production headquarters. She didn’t want to get out of the car. She wasn’t ready to face everything this film would do to her and her business.

  The car door opened, she took a deep breath and stepped out onto the sidewalk, not sure she was prepared for this evening. Her mother followed behind her, Amanda next, and then Stan, the television producer who had arranged the limo, and his wife.

  “Can’t wait to see this film, Lacey,” he said. “It’s getting a lot of buzz.”

  “Great,” she said, plastering the plastic smile on her face. She tried to have joy in her heart at the thought of her own television show. But that dream was fading and after tonight would no longer exist. Her only goal was to get through the night without seeing Reed. Her heart still hadn’t mended from the wreckage he’d left.

  They stepped inside the production company and were met by a secretary.

  “Good evening. I recognize Ms. Morgan. Let me just check the visitors roster for your names.”

  Everyone gave her their name, while Lacey stood over to the side, gazing at the place where Reed worked. The company that would destroy her business and her life.

  “Follow me please,” the secretary said and led them to the reception area where a small bar was set up.

  “Wine anyone?” Stan asked.

  Lacey shook her head. “Sorry, I’m too nervous.”

  “I’d love a glass,” her mother said.

  Stan went to the bar, and his wife disappeared into the ladies room.

  “Mom, please. No matter what happens tonight, you promised me you would behave.”

  She laughed. “And I will. Unless the film is totally bogus. Then I will get my hands on Reed Hunter. He could be a eunuch by the end of the night.”

  “Mom, my reputation can’t handle a fight. Amanda is going to have to work magic just to hold off the press, until I can close the business.”

  “Have you told Stan?”

  “I’ve tried and no matter what I do, it just never comes out right. I decided he would learn the bad news from the film. I’m sure the television deal is dead after tonight. Unless I’m going to be the female version of Jerry Springer, and that’s not the type of show I want.”

  How did you tell the man who had worked so hard to find you a network that the film you both were excited about was only going to destroy you?

  Amanda patted her on the back. “We’re here with you. No matter what happens tonight, we love you and know you’re a great relationship coach.”

  Her mother nodded. “We’ve got your back.”

  “And if during the film it gets bad and you want to leave, just give me the signal, and we’re out of here,” Amanda assured her.

  Lacey sighed and glanced around the room at the people there to see her on film. Her stomach rolled, and she wanted to throw up. “Thanks for coming with me, guys. I don’t want to see Reed.” So far so good. She hadn’t laid eyes on him, and she wanted to keep it that way.

  Stan rejoined the group, and his wife returned from the ladies room. “Are you guys ready to go in?”

  “Yes,” Lacey said, her legs shaking. She wanted to get this night over.

  They went into the small auditorium. The theater was filled with people in the industry and those who worked for Graham Productions.

  They found six reserved seats near the front. After taking hers, Lacey glanced around the auditorium and didn’t see Reed. Part of her sighed with relief, part of her was disappointed, and a third part of her would have jumped into his arms at the sight of him.

  That part she had under lock and key. Tonight, there would be no public displays of affection.

  The curtains parted, and the lights dimmed while Lacey’s heart started to pound. The feature film began, and Lacey’s body started to shake.

  Her mother reached over and took her hand. Amanda sat on the other side of her, and she also took her hand. Lacey’s body shook from fear, her nerves completely wracking her body.

  The film started with people leaving her seminars. They came out giving her rave reviews, and she relaxed a little. Reed appeared on the screen, his handsome face, filling her vision, her heart breaking all over again. She loved him and suddenly wondered if she would always love him.

  “When I started this documentary, my intention was to show the world that people who didn’t have counseling degrees were giving people advice about how to live their lives. I wanted to show relationship coaches were not qualified to help people change and make decisions about their relationships. Here is the story of Lacey Morgan, Relationship Coach.”

  The film depicted Lacey standing in front of a crowd, explaining to them what her job as a relationship coach entailed.

  For the next hour, Reed showed her in seminars, laughing with her clients, crying over her clients, and she appeared as a caring human being trying to help people find happiness.

  The couple that ended their relationship in her office broke her heart all over again as she watched the couple split-up on screen.

  At the end, her clients talked about their experiences with Lacey, praising her for helping them realize why they couldn’t find permanent relationships. How she helped them change.

  Then her one problem client came on, and after Reed’s interview, everyone in the theater burst out laughing at the craziness of the guy.

  Reed’s smiling face appeared on the screen. “This film became personal for me. Instead of finding that a relationship coach is someone who needs more education in order to help people find the relationship of their dreams, Lacey Morgan showed me how I needed help with my own relationships. I’ve been to Uganda, Haiti, and even Iraq, but very few documentaries I’ve filmed have affected me like this one. I learned I had no idea what it took to have a good relationship with a woman. Lacey showed me I needed to change.”

  He walked toward the camera. “If you know someone who always seems to find the wrong type of man or woman to date, then maybe what they need is a relationship coach to help them discover more about who they are. How can you have a good relationship, if you don’t know what you want?”

  Tears trickled down her cheeks, as she realized he’d shown her in a positive
way. His film had proven how she helped couples, and instead of the trashing she’d expected, the film reflected her work. By the time the film credits started to roll, she was crying fully.

  The people in the screening room burst into applause. Some of them turned to look at her, and she tried to wipe her tears away.

  Her mother squeezed her hand. “That was beautiful, baby. I never knew what a great job you do for these people.”

  “Oh Mom, he made me look so good. He didn’t betray me.”

  Amanda squeezed her hand. “Lacey, your business is about to explode with clients. Reed has just taken you to the next level.”

  She sobbed. “I know.”

  Stan leaned over. “Pretty emotional moment. Reed Hunter has just made you a star.”

  “Thank you,” Lacey said between her tears. “If you guys don’t mind, I think I’d like to sit here in the dark a few moments alone. I need some time to regroup.”

  Amanda nodded. “Come on, Mom. Let’s go out front and see if we can find Ty. I need to tell him thank you.”

  “Are you going to be all right?” her mom asked, clearly reluctant to leave.

  “Yes, I just need a few moments.”

  The group stood and left Lacey sitting there, watching the credits roll on the screen. Sniffling, she thought of how Reed had taken her life and business and shown the world she was a human being who cared about people. He’d taken the worst and the best of her clients, and showed her resolving relationship problems.

  In the film, he’d captured her love for her business, and in the process, she’d fallen in love with him all over again. Oh God, what did she do now? She loved him even more than when they’d parted.

  ***

  Reed had stayed hidden and watched Lacey throughout the documentary. Even in the darkness, he’d seen her expressions and knew when he’d captured her heartbreak over the couple that had parted, her body had softened. She’d relaxed. And then at the end, he’d known she was crying.

  He’d avoided Graham, but there he was before him, his face red, his body tense, rage reflected from his eyes. “You’re fired! Take your camera equipment, pack your shit, and get out of this company.”