Seeing Stars

by Rachel Burns

  I had told him the truth about my weight, but still, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

  ~

  On Sunday, I visited my parents. They used to be worried that I would never get married. But they weren’t worried anymore. They had given up on me already. I was going to be their old spinster daughter. This was something that they accepted.

  My mom made that offer again. It was the one where she told me that there was no shame in moving back in. She pointed out that I could tell people that I was doing it because my parents needed me. My mother was worried about money. Because my little one-person family only had one income, she was convinced that I wouldn’t have enough money to retire one day.

  “Mom, I met a guy. We’re going on a date on Tuesday. I like him,” I confessed, dropping the bomb.

  “Really?” She gave me the same look that she gave me when she found out that cookies were missing from the jar. She didn’t believe me.

  “His name is Keith.” My cheeks filled with color like they did when I was lying because it felt like a lie. Because we hadn’t met yet, it seemed unreal. “I decided to try one of those online dating sites. We got matched up. We get along so well. On Tuesday night, we’re going on our first a date.”

  Her jaw dropped.

  “Oh honey. I’ve heard about those sites. It’s really about sex trafficking. They are nice to you in the beginning, and then they want you to do a favor for them because they have debts, and the only way for them to get out of debt is for you to sleep with his buddy, and he gets the money. It was just on my afternoon show last week. Nice girls like you don’t get mixed up with their kind.” She patted my hand.

  I pulled my hand away. “Why is it that everyone I’ve told has reacted the same way. I get the feeling that no one wants me to be happy. You see me as your unmarried daughter, and that’s the way you want it to stay.”

  “Young lady, don’t take that tone with me,” she scolded me. She didn’t talk to my brother or sister that way anymore. She saw them as adults. They were married and had families of their own. Only I didn’t, so she saw me as a kid.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. But did it even cross your mind that something good might have happened to me for once?” I asked her, telling myself not to back down.

  I rose to my feet. “I’ve got to go. I want to go shopping and buy myself something new to wear for my date.”

  “Sandy, I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

  “I know that, Mom. But if I don’t live for once, nothing good can ever happen to me either. You want me to be happy, don’t you?” I wasn’t so sure. She wanted me to move in so she had someone to care for her and dad when they got older. Everyone assumed that it would be me.

  “Of course, I do.” She reached out to me and ran her hands over my curls like she used to when I was little. “I just love you so much.”

  “Mark and Jody went on dates and got married,” I pointed out. Mark and Jody were my older siblings.

  “They never had your pure soul. You were always the good one.”

  “I’d still be the good one even if I went on a date.” I was choking back tears.

  “I know that. Wait here, I have something for you.” My mother disappeared into her bedroom. That had always been a room I wasn’t allowed to go into. I waited for her to return. She had something in her hands. She took my hand and placed it in my hand. It felt like metal. “You can wear them on your date. Let him know that you don’t come from a poor family.”

  She moved her hand away and saw my grandmother’s earrings. They were diamonds, real diamonds. I’d always loved the way they sparkled. I knew that my mother had already promised Jody that she would inherit them. The reasoning behind that was because Jodi had a daughter to pass them on to.

  “Thank you, Mom. This means the world to me.” I gave her a hug.

  Then I went off to find the perfect outfit. I went alone. Usually, I shopped with my friends, but I got the feeling that they weren’t happy for me. No one wanted me to change. They were used to who I was, but I was sick of me. It was time for a change before it was too late.

  I was going to take my own happiness in my hands and do what needed to be done. I was going to become Keith’s best girl. It wouldn’t matter if he had greasy hair and a beer belly. I’d ignore crooked teeth and runny noses.

  After all, I could help him become more attractive once we were married.

  Chapter 13 ~ Sandy

  I’d figured that it would take forever for Tuesday to come around, but the time flew by. Suddenly, I was dressed up in my new dress, had diamond earrings dangling from my ears, and make-up on my face, and I was ready to go to a fancy restaurant with my Keith. He’d said that the restaurant he wanted to take me to was a nice one. This wasn’t going to be a cheap date. He was trying to impress me.

  I was going to be impressed with him too. That was part of my plan.

  Then the doorbell sounded. I was dressed and ready to go. I wouldn’t make him wait. My big moment was here.

  I practically flung the door open. I couldn’t believe it. Keith Davenport, the famous actor was standing at my door for some reason.

  I stared at him for a moment while I tried to get my wits about me.

  He looked better in person than he did at the movies.

  He had light brown hair with natural blond highlights. His hair was parted on his left side and had a widow’s peak that framed his face and gave him a sexy and likable face. His hair was straight with a wave in it that made his hair look fuller and held his hair out of his aqua blue eyes.

  Standing this close to him, I could see that he had a gray ring around his irises that I had never noticed on the silver screen before. I’d seen so many actresses dig their hands into his hair and give him a kiss.

  His lips were pink. His trimmed beard accented them and made them stand out. They looked so kissable.

  He had wrinkles under his eyes that I would call laugh lines. They looked amazing on him.

  “Umm... Did I win something?” I asked him. I couldn’t remember taking part in anything.

  He looked a little confused. He was basically staring back at me.

  “Umm … It’s great that I finally won something, but the timing is terrible. You see I have a date tonight. He’s on the way here right now. If he sees you, he’ll think.” I took a deep breath to collect myself. “He’ll think he’s not important. I don’t want that,” I confessed.

  A huge smile grew on his face. “Sandy, I’m Keith.”

  “I know who you are, but you have to leave now. My boyfriend’s coming. There has to be a second-runner-up who would be thrilled to spend time with you this evening,” I suggested, trying to get rid of him.

  “So I’m your boyfriend. So much for taking it slowly, talking, and getting to know each other.” He spoke in a teasing voice.

  “I’m serious. I’m going to close my door now, and you need to leave.” I did exactly that, saying that I was sorry that I was being so rude as I shut the door in his face.

  My computer beeped. I had an e-mail. I feared that my Keith had seen him and left never to be seen again. I could imagine what was going through his mind.

  I held my breath as I clicked on his message. It read, I’m at the door. Please, let me in.

  I raced back to the door, thinking that he had heard everything that I had told that actor guy. That was a little embarrassing. I had called my computer Keith my boyfriend. That might be pushing him away.

  When I opened the door, the actor guy was still standing there. I peeked around him, trying to see if anyone was standing behind him. My shoulders slumped.

  “You scared him off,” I told him. I was so disappointed, and I feared that I was about to cry.

  “Could you hold these flowers? I have to send someone important a message.”

  “Sure,” I sighed with defeat. I took them and tried to remember what game I had signed up for. It must have been online. “I don’t even remember signing up for
anything,” I whined.

  But it was nice seeing what I guessed were fifty roses all tied up nicely with a pretty ribbon. Now that I had time, I’d listen to what I’d won. Seriously, I would have preferred money.

  I watched him sending someone a message. It must be the company that sent him here.

  My computer beeped again.

  “Excuse me,” I told him, turning away from him. This time I left the door open.

  I bent down to my desk and clicked on the message. It was from Keith. I clicked it on to read it, but I got a feeling that the actor guy was looking at my ass, so I sat down.

  Remember that I lied about my last name. This was why.

  What did he mean by that? Had he lied because he feared that I would have a boyfriend who could beat him up. Keith Davenport could probably pound the heck out of most men.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked me.

  I looked over my shoulder.

  “It was a blind date,” I confessed. “He thinks you’re my boyfriend, and that you’re going to beat him up now or something.”

  “That’s not what I wrote,” he scolded me, walking into my apartment. “I wrote that I didn’t tell you my last name. I figured you’d understand that I meant because I’m a public person.”

  I turned around and looked at him. “You read my mail?”

  “No, baby. I sent it. We have a date tonight. The flowers are for you because you’re my best girl. We know each other. I know about the eggs you threw, and your friends wanting to go on a double date, I know everything about you. I’m your Keith.” He held his hands out a little as if he were presenting a prize.

  My jaw dropped, and then I snapped it shut. I closed my eyes. Everything came crushing down on me. I had been chatting with Keith Davenport and not with a real person. And now I had acted so stupid that he would never want me. Not that it mattered. Someone like him would never consider me for marriage. He must be so disappointed. I felt so ashamed of myself.

  “I’m so sorry.” I knew that the tables were about to be turned. He would be telling me that he wasn’t interested in me in a second. I was the ugly duckling of the two of us. I had been prepared to accept any man who came to my door, but I doubted that he told himself that. He wouldn’t want me no matter what after that outburst.

  I realized that I would have rather had an ugly fat guy at my door. It just seemed to be more likely that there would be a future in that.

  “You don’t have to be sorry. This is my fault. I should have warned you.” That sounded exactly like something that my Keith would say. With my eyes closed, I pictured this sexy guy as my Keith. I had to grin. Keith Davenport didn’t have a beer belly, and he didn’t have greasy hair or crooked teeth.

  “I’ve clearly blown this. How do you want to continue?” I figured that he would snap up this chance so he could leave.

  “We need to get your flowers in some water, and you need to slip into some shoes so we can go. This episode hasn’t made us so late that we’ll lose our table.” He was grinning at me.

  “You still want to go out?” I asked him surprised.

  “That was the plan, baby.” He looked down at me and smiled. It was a smile that I’d seen on the silver screen a hundred times before. He was acting, pretending that I wasn’t some psycho.

  I knew that he would never call again after tonight, but I figured that he didn’t want this story in the tabloids either. The title would read: Keith Davenport took one look at me and left. Read all about it.

  As if I would do something like that. That would be dragging my own name through the mud as well.

  I nodded at him. He needed me to go with him so there would be proof that he was the good guy.

  “The flowers are really lovely. I honestly appreciate them,” I told him.

  That made his smile bigger. Of course, he had dimples when he smiled.

  “Would you like to take a seat while I find a vase?” I offered.

  “Thank you, Sandy.”

  “Can I get you something to drink?” With extreme politeness, I tried to cover up that my heart was breaking.

  “I can wait for the restaurant,” he replied.

  Okay, I thought as I put my flowers in a plastic pitcher that I used for orange juice when I had company. At least, it was finally getting some use.

  I brought the flowers out and set them on the table. “Sorry, I wasn’t prepared. I’ve never gotten flowers before.”

  “Then I’ll make it a habit to bring you some,” he told me.

  I looked at him surprised.

  “I mean if all goes well,” he corrected himself.

  I nodded at him. “I’ll go grab my shoes, and then we can go.”

  “Perfect,” he announced. He even looked happy to be leaving with me. He was a great actor.

  When I returned, he stood up and smiled at me. He actually looked pleased to see me. It gave me the feeling that he thought I was attractive. He really was a great actor.

  I told myself that this was a chance of a lifetime. I’d never get to chance to go out with someone famous ever again.

  I locked up my apartment and thanked him for the roses again.

  “It was my pleasure, baby.”

  Feeling a little silly, we went down the stairs to the parking lot behind my apartment building. I could immediately guess which car was his. It was the silver one that looked as if it belonged in a movie. It fit his personality.

  He rushed over to it and opened the door for me. I got in and noticed that my skirt rode up higher than I thought it would when I sat down. When I put on my seatbelt, I noticed that my breasts were being pushed upwards and showing more than I wanted to.

  This whole evening wasn’t going as I hoped it would.

  Keith carefully closed the door and got in on his side. He was grinning when he drove off. He drove for a while, and I could guess where he was taking me. It happened to be that new restaurant where my friends had gone this weekend. They loved it and talked about it yesterday and today at work.

  Now I would be able to picture what they were talking about.

  He parked and hurried around to open my door for me, but I got out faster. My skirt rode up even higher when I did that. I quickly sorted myself out before he could see me doing it. I was so disappointed because I had bought something nice to wear. Now it was clear that I would never wear it again.

  He stepped up to the lady and told her that he had reservations.

  Her jaw dropped when she saw him, but she quickly collected herself and showed us to our table. Keith helped me with my chair. I was getting the full program.

  A waiter showed up and presented us with menus. He too stared at Keith in surprise. I knew the waiter. His mother worked at the factory with me.

  Keith and I looked at the menu for a long time without talking.

  “I think I’ll have the steak. But if you’re a vegetarian, I’ll respect that and get something else.” My, but this guy was perfect. Why couldn’t normal guys be more like Keith? His manners were impeccable, and he gave me such a good feeling about myself. At least, I would have felt better about myself if my clothes weren’t shrinking as I sat, staring at him. He was so good-looking that I could have eaten him with a spoon.

  “I’ll have the steak too,” I announced.

  He grinned at me, clearly pleased. “I’m glad to hear that. One of the things that I’d like is to be able to have long meals with you while we talk for hours.”

  He was confusing me. It sounded as if he hadn’t dismissed me completely. I was trying to remember if he’d ever been in a movie where he’d said something along those lines. I couldn’t think of one, but I doubted that I’d seen all of his work. He was so perfectly polite. It only made sense that he would use some lines from a movie to get through our date.

  The waiter came back to take our order. He asked if he could recommend a wine for us. I was ready to listen to what he wanted to say, but Keith told him he would be sticking to sparkling water this evening. Natur
ally, I said that I’d do the same.

  As soon as the waiter was gone, Keith leaned in towards me. “You could’ve had wine,” he told me.

  “Umm. No, thank you. I didn’t want to drink alone.”

  “I never drink. Is that a problem?” he asked me, looking worried.

  “No, I rarely drink. It’s okay. But you drink in your movies. Do you make an exception then?” I asked him, feeling a little curious.

  He leaned in and smiled at me. “It’s never really alcohol in the glasses. Professionals don’t drink on the job.”

  “Why don’t you drink?” I asked him. He was so interesting, I wanted to get to know him better, and I hoped that we would remain friends.

  “Religious reasons mostly,” he answered.

  “You’re religious?” I asked him surprised.

  “Yes, but I rarely practice. Just at home.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it disturbs the church service, and people try to get close to me so they can use me. I think a lot of people like me have that problem.” He looked pained by that.

  “Would people take pictures of you?” I asked him. I could see a lady at a table behind him pointing her cell phone his way. “Never mind, a woman at another table just took a picture of the back of your head.” I gave her a disappointed look. She should let him be.

  He sighed. “I’m sorry this isn’t working out how I planned.”

  I nodded at him.

  “The next time we go out, I’ll take you someplace where we’ll be left alone.”

  I smiled at him. He was so sweet. I knew there wouldn’t be a next time, but he was giving me the feeling that I was important to him.

  “Besides, I think alcohol can be very dangerous for someone in my line of work. I got drunk once as a kid and swore that I would never drink again. I still haven’t.”

  I thought I remembered something like that being in the tabloids all of those years ago. He had done teen movies then and partied with his friends.

  Then I thought about something else that made my jaw dropped.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, reading my face.

  “You were in the tabloids this weekend. They said that you were on the red carpet, and you stopped to take a call. Was that me?” Was I the woman who was so important to him?