by Goss, Shelia
“Whatever man. I’m out of here.”
Garrett threw up his two fingers making the peace sign.
~ 10 ~
“Hailey, I have a rep on hold from Entertainment Tonight,” Jackie entered Hailey’s office and said.
She put her hand on the phone receiver. “Take a message. I’m on the phone with my designer.”
“But, they want to set up an interview.”
“You’re my assistant. You know more about what’s on my calendar than I do. Make the appointment.”
Hailey could hear Jackie saying a few things under her breath. Hailey didn’t mean to snap at her, but Jackie got paid good money to be her assistant and she was tired of holding her hand. “Back to you. I need the dress pronto. The event is this weekend.”
“Anything for you dear,” Fazio said, from the other end.
“Don’t make me regret it. I saw that last dress you designed for Parris Mitchell, Casper’s wife, and I want mine to look even better.”
“I have one that I designed with you in mind. I’ll send someone over to take your measurements and it’ll be ready for Saturday.”
“Thank you Fazio. You’re a dear.”
“Smooches to you too.”
Hailey scratched off finding a dress on her to do list. She was confident that Fazio would come through. She should credit R & B singer Parris for turning her on to his designs. There weren’t enough people of color behind the scenes of fashion.
Speaking of Parris, she thought it was past time, she gave her new friend a call.
“Has Casper been staying out of trouble?” she asked, after going through the pleasantries.
“You know your friend. He’s a handful but I love him.”
“No mushy stuff please,” Hailey teased. “Tell CJ, the hit maker I called. I don’t want to hold you long. Just called to see how you were doing.”
“We need to get together. Girl, it’s been far too long,” Parris responded.
“I know. Let’s do lunch. My treat,” Hailey said.
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you and a date come over next week for dinner?”
Hailey didn’t know how to respond. She wasn’t sure she would have a date. Folks would laugh if she admitted that. Most men looked at her as a trophy piece but she was looking for more. “I’m free Thursday. How about then?”
“Sounds good to me. We’ll see you around seven,” Parris confirmed before getting off the phone.
Trevon, next week, it’ll be you and I going to that dinner. You’ll see.
***
Garrett rarely got a chance to see Hailey in her work element. She seemed to light up when she was on stage talking to her guests and studio audience. He watched the taping from a room not far from the stage.
He listened as Brenda gave him an update on Hailey’s case. “It’s good to hear that the fan mail has stopped. Let’s think about re-assigning you.”
Brenda said, “I would keep me on for at least another few weeks.”
“Oh no. I know you didn’t say that. Working for the diva Hailey.”
Brenda laughed. “I admit when I’m wrong. She’s not as bad as I thought she would be. Don’t get me wrong; she does have her moments; but for the most part, she’s down to earth.”
“Wow. I’m shocked,” he said, as he handed Brenda an envelope containing her payroll check.
“Thanks Boss man.”
“If anything comes up, let me know. On Saturday, you can have the day off. I’ll be escorting Ms. Barnes to a party.”
“It wouldn’t be the same party I’ve been invited to now would it?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Garrett responded.
“I wasn’t going to attend. But I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
He ignored Brenda’s curiosity. The show was about to end and he wanted to avoid Hailey until Saturday. He made a quick get away. He heard Hailey yelling his name as he turned the corner, but he pretended like he didn’t.
After dropping off Brenda’s check, he returned to his office. He was spending too much time here lately. He needed a life outside of work. His rash decision to stop living the player’s life offered him more free time. Time that he wasn’t used to having. He had to admit that he was less stressed. He no longer worried about whether one of the women he was messing with would have a disgruntle lover lurking near by.
“Hi handsome,” Shareeka’s voice bounced through the room.
He was surprised to see her there. “Where’s Trevon?”
“He’s getting something out of his office. Thought I would come by and say hi to the best man,” she purred. She walked around to where he was sitting. She leaned in for a kiss. He pushed her away.
“You’re playing on dangerous territory. I told you it was over.”
“Can’t blame a woman for trying.” Shareeka moved closer to him.
“You best back up.”
“Or what?”
“What’s going on here?” Trevon asked.
Shareeka walked from behind the desk and wrapped her arm around Trevon. “I was trying to convince our best man to not cancel out on coming to our party on Saturday.”
“Yes, man. How would that look? My own best man, not showing up.”
Garrett looked from one to another. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Great. Now that it’s settled, Tre and I must be going.”
Tre shrugged his shoulders as he followed Shareeka out.
Garrett said out loud, “You two deserve each other.”
~ 11 ~
Entertainment Tonight followed Hailey around the entire day. She was used to being in the spotlight, but she couldn’t wait for the day to be over with. In between shooting, she had Mo re-touch her make-up.
“Girl, thanks for letting me be a part of your ET spotlight,” Mo said, unable to mask his excitement.
“The Hailey Barnes Show is a team. My name is just on the billing,” Hailey said.
“If I wasn’t scared of ruining your make-up, I would hug you,” Mo responded.
“You’re so dramatic.” Hailey laughed.
“You’re not the only drama queen around here.”
“I see,” Hailey said, right before hugging Mo and leaving the room.
Hailey thanked the ET reporter and crew for featuring her. She had food catered to celebrate the event. She had forgotten that Brenda was lurking in the background until it was time to go.
“You startled me,” Hailey said, as she picked up her purse and keys.
“Sorry. You were so busy being a gracious host, I didn’t want to get in the way.”
“You did get you something to eat didn’t you? If not, we can stop and pick you something up on the way to my house.”
“I got my fair share,” Brenda said, rubbing her tummy in a circular motion.
“I need to tell John something and then I’ll be ready to get out of here.”
“John’s gone for today. Said something about his little boy got sick or something.”
“I better call and see what’s going on.” Hailey called John and was relieved to find out that, according to the doctor, his son was suffering from a sinus infection and with proper medication, would be fine.
Hailey sat in the passenger seat and let Brenda drive. She had a lot on her mind so she took the time to think about things. Career wise, she was well on her way to being at the number two spot. Life was good in that aspect. Her love life was in turmoil. When she least expected, she would hear Garrett’s voice saying she deserved better. Maybe he was right, but what if he was wrong? What if Trevon was as good as it got.
She needed to talk to her mother but it would have to wait. Brenda knew far more about her than she wanted anyone to know. Brenda didn’t need to know that she, of all people, couldn’t hold on to one man—a man that happened to be one of her bosses. A few tears ran down her cheeks and she gently wiped them away; hoping Brenda didn’t notice the tears.
***
“I ca
n’t believe I’m doing this,” Garrett said, as he paced the floor; waiting for Hailey to answer the door. He knew she was ready because she buzzed him into the premises.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t find my clutch,” Hailey said, as she opened the door. They both looked at each other and stared.
Garrett was mesmerized by the woman that stood in front of him. With her hair pulled back in a bun and a few tresses falling into her face, her eyes sparkled just as bright as the long diamond earrings dangling from her ears.
Someone cleared their throat. He looked behind Hailey and noticed Brenda standing there for the first time.
“Looks like you got this all under control Boss man, so I’m going to head out,” Brenda said, breaking the trance.
“Thanks for helping me get ready,” Hailey said.
“Thank you for this dress,” Brenda returned.
“You look nice,” Garrett said.
Brenda and Hailey said, “Thank you” in unison.
They all chuckled.
“I’ll see you two at the party. I need to go pick up my date.”
“And who might that be?” Garrett asked.
“You’ll see.”
Hailey looped her arm through Garrett’s. “Come on in. Would you like a drink before we go?”
Garrett didn’t trust his emotions right now. Her perfume reached out to tease his senses. The cream colored dress was too long to be a mini, but short enough to accent her long legs. The five inch heels was enough to drive the average man over the edge. He had to get out of there soon. “Don’t you think we should get going? We don’t want to be late,” he responded.
Hailey seemed to purr. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you didn’t want to be alone with me.”
“What would give you that idea?” he stuttered.
She giggled. “Oh nothing.” She picked up her clutch. “Come on. We have a party to go to.”
Garrett couldn’t hide his smile. The night with Hailey would be far from boring.
***
Hailey pretended to be enchanted by the music, but instead she was trying to get a grip on the feelings that came from nowhere. She asked herself. When did she start finding Garrett attractive? Grant it, he was a good looking man; but he was always Garrett, her buddy, her pal. The player. Trevon’s best friend. Tonight when she opened the door, she saw more than just a pal. She saw a man who for an instant made her forget the whole purpose of going to the party in the first place. She found herself attracted to him. She shrugged it off. It must have been the glass of champagne she drank before he came. Yes. That was it. Alcohol was the excuse.
Instead of thinking about Garrett and admiring how sexy he looked in his brown Sean Jean pinstriped suit, she needed to figure out what she would say when she finally saw Trevon’s fiancé for the first time.
“How does she look?” she blurted.
Garrett must didn’t hear her, because he didn’t respond. She reached and turned down the radio. “Didn’t anyone teach you any manners? Never, ever, mess with a man’s radio.”
“If you didn’t have it so loud, I wouldn’t have had to,” she responded. His attitude reminded her of why she had never looked past them being buddies.
“What’s on your mind?”
“All I wanted to know was how does she look?”
“I’m surprised it took you this long to ask me.”
He turned his system completely off. “She’s pretty.”
Hailey grunted. “You would say that.”
“Well you asked,” he teased.
Hailey rolled her eyes and turned to look out the window. It seemed no matter what time of day or night, traffic in Los Angeles seemed to be at a gridlock.
“She’s pretty, but doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
Hailey looked at him. His eyes were on the road and the cars ahead. He took the next exit but was caught by the light. “Now you’re trying to pump up my ego.”
He looked at her. With the light beaming enough in the light, she could see his eyes. “There are millions of men who could do that. I’m telling you what I think. Although you try to hide it, you’re not just beautiful on the outside, there’s a beauty within you that few women can compete with.”
The sound of a horn blowing broke the trance. He drove on. They remained silent until they reached their destination.
They pulled up in front of the Renaissance Hotel. A valet took Garrett’s keys. She waited for him to open her door. She took his hand and exited the car. He looped his arm around her as they walked inside the hotel. The elevator door opened to take them to the ball room. He leaned down and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her; instead he whispered in her ear, “Show time.”
~ 12 ~
Garrett couldn’t resist teasing Hailey. Whether she wanted to admit it, he could tell she was attracted to him too. Although they both were threading on dangerous grounds because of their affiliation with Trevon, he decided the day Trevon showed how insensitive he was to Hailey’s feelings, that he would let things play out. He hoped Hailey realized Trevon wasn’t the man she thought he was. Garrett also hoped that she would look past his past and see that he was more than what she thought he was.
He felt like a million bucks walking in with Hailey. He could see why Trevon got caught up. He knew he was the envy of all of the men; whether they were married or not. Hailey was oblivious to the attention and clung to his arm as they made their way to the ballroom.
He spotted Trevon and Shareeka first. Trevon was dressed in a black suit and Shareeka wore a short strapless black dress. Her short Halle Berry hair do complimented her face. “There’s the happy couple,” he whispered.
Hailey responded, “She’s cute, but she’s not all that.”
Garrett laughed. “Women.”
As they got closer, he asked her, “Ready? We can turn around now.”
“Let’s do this.” She squeezed his arm tighter.
Trevon was busy talking to a guest so didn’t see Garrett and Hailey walking towards the receiving line. Garrett could feel the venom beaming from Shareeka’s eyes as she plastered on a fake smile. “Garrett, so glad you could make it. And this is?”
She’s good. Real good.
“Hailey Barnes. You know the talk show host/ex-super model,” Garrett said, adding fuel to the fire.
Trevon turned around just at that moment. If looks could kill, Garrett and Hailey both would be dead.
Hailey reached out her hand and barely touched Shareeka’s hands. “It’s about time I met the woman who captured Trevon’s heart.”
She hugged Trevon and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Congratulations,” she said.
Garrett hugged Shareeka. She whispered, “This was a bad idea.”
He pulled back and then shook Trevon’s hand. Trevon mouthed the words. “We need to talk.”
He shook his head up and down to acknowledge him. He grabbed Hailey’s hand as if they were a real couple and was ushered to a table near the front.
He pulled out the chair for Hailey. “Have you had enough?”
Hailey accepted the drink the waiter was offering and took a sip. “Dear, I’m just getting started. Did you see how that heifer rolled her eyes at me?”
“She doesn’t even know you. You’re just being paranoid,” Garrett lied.
“I’m a woman. Trust me she knows. She knows that Trevon belongs to me.”
Garrett rubbed her back gently. “Calm down. You want Trevon to see what he’s missing right?”
“Yes.”
“Then for tonight. Pretend like we’re more than buddies. Pretend like we’re new lovers.”
“I can act, so that shouldn’t be too hard.”
Garrett placed his other hand over his heart. “Well, I’m offended.”
Hailey laughed. Her laugh was like a drug to him. She responded. “You’re so silly. I actually like seeing this side of you. Show it more often.” She winked.
Trevon was taping him on his shoulder before he
could respond. He said, “We’ll be right back. Behave.”
Hailey held up her drink as if doing a toast. “Tre.”
“Hailey,” he responded, before leading Garrett away from the crowded room.
“Man, why did you bring her here?” Trevon blurted out as soon as they were outside in the corridor.
“When I got my invitation to this shindig, it said, it was an invitation for two.”
“Out of all of the women that you know, you couldn’t find someone else to bring with you?”
“Tre. If you’re serious about getting married, you need to get used to seeing Hailey out in social settings. Remember, we are friends. Just because things didn’t work out with you two; doesn’t mean her and I will stop being friends.”
“You two don’t even like each other. You just hung out because of me. So come on. This was her idea wasn’t it?”
“There you are. I was wondering where you two went off too,” Shareeka said, as she reached for Trevon’s hand.
“We were discussing some best man duties,” Trevon lied.
“I’ve left my date long enough, so I’ll leave you two love birds out here to do what you do,” Garrett said, as he excused himself.
***
Hailey signed autographs while waiting on Garrett to return. She noticed Shareeka in the corner and that prompted her to turn up the charm. She flashed her million dollar smile and laughed at some of the not so funny jokes as people kept making a beeline to her table. She felt a slight victory when she watched Shareeka storm off.
She knows and now she knows I know she knows.
“Folks, this will be the last autograph. We’re here to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of my friend and I don’t want to steal the spotlight from the bride to be.”
She heard a few disappointed grunts. Garrett showed back up at the table as she signed the last napkin.
“Can’t leave you anywhere without a crowd forming,” Garrett teased.
“It happens.” Hailey motioned for the waiter to bring her another glass of champagne.
