Interview with Love

by Lisa Y. Watson

  She looked at him skeptically. “Right,” she drawled.

  During dinner Vaughn said, “Hey, want to come over and watch a movie tonight?”

  Sienna pondered his question. “On a school night?”

  He leaned in conspiratorially. “Yes, on a school night. Come on, I’m too pumped up to go to bed any time soon.”

  Vivian’s voice sounded in her head. You’d better say yes or I’ll say it for you. Yes, Vaughn. This crazy woman that hasn’t had a date since Lord knows when would love to go out with you! Pushing her friend’s words aside she nodded. “Sure.”

  “Great. You want to follow me over, or drop your car at your house and ride with me?”

  “Don’t be silly, I’ll follow you over.”

  “Okay.”

  When they had arrived at the house, Sienna followed Vaughn into his driveway. He parked in front of the garage and got out. By the time Sienna had turned off her engine he was at her door opening it for her.

  “Thanks, kind sir.”

  He bowed. “Right this way, milady.”

  “So, what are we watching?” she asked following him into the house.

  “I don’t know. It’s your turn to pick.”

  They descended the basement stairs and went into what Sienna had now dubbed ‘Vaughn’s Playland’.

  She sat on the couch and kicked off her heels while Vaughn turned the projection screen and sound system on. She grabbed a nearby Chenille throw.

  “If you’re cold I can adjust the temperature.”

  Sienna shook her head. “No need, this is fine.”

  She smiled over his concern. Every since their not-so-official date, they had spent a great deal of time together. Sienna admitted to herself that it had been fun getting to know him.

  “So,” Vaughn said, interrupting her inner musing, He plopped down on the couch next to her. “What movie would you like to watch?”

  She sifted through choices in her head. After two minutes he moaned aloud, “Doc, we go through this every time. Just pick something.”

  “I know, I know. It’s just that nothing is really standing out for me,” she complained. “You pick.”

  “Fine, if I pick we’re watching a UFC fight.”

  Sienna rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to watch the Ultimate Fighter. I’m not in the mood for mixed martial arts tonight, but if we’re going to watch regular TV, how about HGTV?”

  “That’ll work.” Vaughn picked up the remote and flicked to the satellite guide.

  Sienna tucked her feet under her and leaned her head on his shoulder.

  When a door chime went off Sienna looked at Vaughn curiously. “Who’s that?”

  He heard footsteps overhead and then rapidly hitting the basement stairs. “That would be Pierce.”

  Sienna sat up. “Great, I finally get to meet him,” she said, excitedly.

  “Don’t look directly into his eyes.” Vaughn warned. “He’ll talk your head off.

  “Hey, bro,” Pierce called from the doorway. When he walked in he stopped short when he realized that Vaughn wasn’t alone. When he saw Sienna he grinned. “I see I finally get to meet the elusive Doc.”

  Vaughn frowned at his brother’s use of what was now his nickname for Sienna. He stood up. “Pierce, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Sienna Lambert. Sienna, this is my younger brother, Pierce.”

  Standing, Sienna extended her hand. Pierce raised it to his lips and kissed it. “The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Lambert.”

  “Sienna is fine,” she corrected. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Pierce.”

  Vaughn noticed he hadn’t released Sienna’s hand. He wrapped his arm around his brother’s neck and squeezed. “So, what brings you by?”

  “My guest spot on that cool new shopper’s network on Satellite. I’m selling my new men’s cologne, Dazzle,” he turned to Sienna. “That’s what they used to call me on the field. I dazzled them, baby,” Pierce laughed. He waved a DVD in his hand.”

  “We’re not watching that,” Vaughn said, pointedly.

  “Come on, man. It’s definitely better than watching someone looking for a vacation home in Panama.” Pierce turned to Sienna. He smiled his signature grin. “You wouldn’t mind checking it out, would you Sienna?”

  “Of course not,” she said, sitting down on the couch. Rule number thirteen: Always be mindful of other’s feelings. “We’d love to. Right Vaughn?”

  He did a double take. “No, we wouldn’t.”

  “Very funny,” Pierce said, taking the DVD out and popping it into the player.

  Pierce sat next to Sienna. Vaughn returned to his original seat.

  “Dim the lights,” Pierce told his brother.

  “Please.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said. Can you get me a beer while you’re at it?”

  “Pierce,” Vaughn warned.

  “Dude, I’m kidding,” Pierce chuckled.

  When they were finished watching the segment Sienna turned to him. “That was great, Pierce.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got another spot coming up. This time I’ll be marketing my ladies perfume, Be-Dazzled.” Pierce winked at Sienna. “You know it’s all about the ladies.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” she replied.

  “I’ve got another one in production now. “Dazzlicious.” That one’s got this pheromone thing going on. When it comes in contact with my men’s cologne it’s guaranteed to drive the ladies wild. If she’s walking down the street and a man happens to be sporting my cologne, ooh, watch out.” Pierce threw up his hands for effect. “Down for the count and the panties—”

  Vaughn looked at his brother as if he’d lost his mind. “Say goodnight, Pierce.”

  “No, I’m the one that needs to be leaving,” Sienna said, reaching for her shoes. “I’ve got a new client coming in tomorrow.”

  Vaughn glanced at her. “Really? Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve toasted your news earlier.”

  “It’s not too late,” Pierce spoke up. “I know where Vaughn keeps the good stuff.”

  Vaughn made a move toward his brother. Sienna’s hand came up to Vaughn’s chest. “Walk me out?” She turned to smile at his brother. “It was great meeting you, Pierce.”

  “Likewise, Sienna. We’ll have to do this again.”

  “He was adopted.” Vaughn quipped following Sienna up the stairs.

  “That would be plausible if he didn’t look like a younger, bulkier version of you.”

  Vaughn swatted her backside. “Are you trying to say I’m old and out of shape?”

  When they were back upstairs, Sienna headed for the garage door. “Stop fishing for compliments, you know you’re just as good looking as your brother—if not more.”

  She’d spoken without thinking. Before she could Vaughn’s hand snaked out and stopped her in her tracks. “You think I’m good looking?” he grinned broadly.

  Rule number fourteen: If you say something too revealing act like you meant to do it. “Vaughn, don’t even try to act like you don’t know how attractive you are. You know, I really think you’ve got a narcissistic thing going on.”

  “Hmm…maybe I do,” he winked.

  “Shameless.”

  When they got outside, Vaughn held her car door open. She slid behind the wheel. She turned her engine on and rolled the window down. He closed her door and lowered himself to her eye level. “Thanks for coming over tonight.”

  “Thanks for dinner, she countered. “Especially the oysters.”

  “Seafood addict,” he joked as his hand grazed her cheek.

  They stared at each other. Vaughn was the first to break their connection. He rose and stepped back. “I’d better let you go. Ring me once when you get home, okay?”

  Sienna turned away. “’Night, Vaughn.”

  “Sweet dreams, Doc.”

  He remained there until her tail lights disappeared into the night.

  “You still want to give credence to the fantasy that you two are just friends?”
/>   Vaughn sighed, loudly. He didn’t bother turning around to answer. “We’ve been over this before, Pierce.”

  “Yeah, and I still keep waiting for you to make sense.”

  “You’re reading too much into this.”

  “Turn around and tell me I’m wrong.”

  He did and fixed his brother with a harsh glare. “Just let it go, okay?” Sienna and I are just friends. That’s all she wants to be.”

  Pierce shook his head. “If that’s what you really think brother, I’d say you’re definitely dumber than you are blind.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The Getaway

  Gordon slid another steak onto the grill. “Oh yeah, come to poppa.”

  “Honey, do you have to say that for every piece of meat you put on the grill?” Cassandra asked.

  “Or every time you grill?” Sienna piped in.

  “Don’t scoff at my ritual, ladies. You know you’ll both be in line impatiently waiting with steak sauce drizzled on your plates,” he laughed.

  “That’s true, darling,” his wife said, kissing his cheek.

  Gordon flipped his steak over and glanced at his daughter. “So, how’s work, beauty queen?”

  “Dad.”

  “What? Really sweetheart, I don’t understand why the whole thing was such a mountain when it was nothing more than a mole hill.”

  A pained expression crossed her face. “It was a lot more than just a mole hill. Forget it. I don’t want to talk about it,” Sienna said, curtly. “I am going to get the corn from the refrigerator.”

  Cassandra watched Sienna walk stiffly into the house. “Where’d that come from?”

  “You’re asking me? She hasn’t been the same since that damned pageant. Why that’s the case leaves me just as bewildered as you are.”

  “It’s been an area of contention between them for the last seventeen years.” Cassandra shook her head. “I wish we could get out of them what really happened that night.”

  Their daughter returned before they had a chance to continue their conversation. “Here’s the corn, Dad, and my apology,” she kissed his forehead.

  “Sweetheart, that’s not necessary. I just wish you weren’t still so hung up on something that happened so long ago.”

  She watched him work, but remained elusive. “Me, too.”

  Later that night, Sienna was home sitting on the couch with her feet up on an ottoman, her computer situated in the middle of her lap. She was working on the notes from the latest group of participants. Her latest client was a furniture company interested in expanding their product line. Thus far their furniture was popular with middle-aged couples with children. Now they were looking to capture young, newly graduated or recently married consumers. The company wanted to entice the buyers transitioning from dorms or rentals to their first homes.

  Scanning her notes, she smiled when she recalled a specific line of questioning geared to discover just what consumers used their couches for. The answers ranged from pizza parties to butt-naked bingo. She laughed aloud. “One thing I can say is that my job is never boring.”

  Her telephone rang. Retrieving the cordless from her coffee table, she looked at the number. When she saw it she frowned. Sasha. She stared at the phone until the ringing stopped, and then she placed it back on the table. After another minute the message indicator light flashed. “Why do you even bother?” she said, in consternation.

  Just then Sienna’s doorbell rang. She checked the time on her laptop and pondered who could be at her door. She placed the computer on her couch and padded across the living room to open it.

  “Dr. Lambert?” a man inquired.

  “Yes?”

  “I have a package for you. I just need you to sign here.”

  Sienna signed the paper attached to a clipboard. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you,” the man handed over her envelope. “Enjoy your evening.”

  “Wait just a minute.” She walked over to the table and retrieved her wallet out of her purse. She took out a few dollars and walked back to the door. “Here you are.”

  The courier thanked her with a smile and left.

  She stared down at the manila envelope with her name and address written elegantly across the front. There was no return address. She returned to the couch. She sat down and put her feet under her. Breaking the seal on the envelope, Sienna eased the contents out of its holder.

  There was a smaller envelope with her name on it and another one that said “Open Me Last.” Her curiosity piqued, she opened the first envelope and slid a thick piece of ecru-colored stationary out. She unfolded the letter and read it.

  “Sienna, by now I know you’re wondering at all the cloak-and-dagger mystique going on here. Actually, I just wanted to surprise you and this was much more fun than a phone call. By the time you read this a few members of my creative team, and others from my office working on Best Kept Secrets, will be in Arizona on-location for one of the commercials. Right now I want you to stop reading this and open the other envelope. After you open it, come back and finish the letter. Come on, Doc, quit frowning and humor me…”

  Sienna immediately smoothed her expression out. Perplexed, she set the letter aside and grabbed the other envelope. Flipping it over, she slid her finger along the inside to open it then took the contents out. “Airline tickets?” she said, astonished. There was a yellow sticky on the front that said, “Go finish the letter.”

  “Okay,” she huffed as if Vaughn were right beside her.

  “By now you’ve seen the rest of my surprise. I want you to join me here in Arizona for the weekend. You can work on that already amazing tan of yours, and I can have a much needed, highly anticipated diversion from the chaos that I’m surrounded by. So far today, one model quit, another threatened to walk out because we refused to re-shoot his scenes and focus on his ‘best side,’ oh yeah, and Sherry Bradshaw and I are butting heads about the commercial’s ‘creative direction.’ Please come, Sienna. I really need you! By the way, you’ll LOVE Sedona!!”

  Sienna read over Vaughn’s letter three times. She was torn between elation at being invited, and the underlying meaning of his invitation. After she mulled it over some more she knew it was time to call in a professional. Picking up the phone, she hit a speed dial number and waited.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, I need to run something by you. It’s big. Um, Vaughn invited me to Sedona to come visit him for the weekend while he’s on location. I don’t know if—”

  “I’m on my way.”

  The next thing Sienna heard was a dial tone. Shaking her head, she pressed the end button on her phone and threw it next to her on the couch. Setting all the correspondence aside, she went to the kitchen. She retrieved two wine glasses from the cabinet and a bottle of Chardonnay from her wine cooler. By the time she crossed her living room again Vivian was walking through the front door. Immediately, Vivian grasped the proffered glass and sat sideways in the closest chair. “Details.”

  Sienna read Vaughn’s letter aloud. After she finished she set it down and glanced worriedly at her best friend. “What the heck does this mean, Viv?”

  Taking a sip of wine, Vivian leaned her head back over the arm of the chair. “Hmm…my guess is he may be ready to take your relationship to the next level.”

  “What?” Sienna choked out. “What does the next level mean? We’re friends, what other level is there?”

  Vivian looked at her incredulously. “You can’t be serious. Girl, I told you from day one the man wanted to jump your bones. I don’t know why you thought I was kidding.”

  “He’s never once talked about…my bones. Jumping them or doing anything else to them. You should’ve seen him at Frankie’s. He had me right up against him when he was showing me how to bat. I swear I could’ve been wearing his shirt we were so close.”

  “And?” Vivian said, excitedly.

  “And nothing,” Sienna murmured. “He was as cool as chilled grapes. “I on the other hand, was ab
out ready to pass out from heat stroke. What in the world makes you think there’s more to this than just a platonic weekend?”

  “The fact that you froze like a deer in headlights, and then called me speaks volumes.”

  “Will you be serious,” Sienna hissed. “I don’t know what to do. What if this invitation has some double entendre?”

  “What if it doesn’t?”

  “How will I know?”

  “You won’t,” Vivian countered, “unless you ask him.”

  “Uh-uh. Rule number…fifteen: Men don’t like to be put on the spot. I’m most definitely not going to ask him,” Sienna was up and pacing at this point. “I’ll look like a fool if he’s only interested in us being friends and I hint at something more. Do you know what a disaster that would turn out to be?”

  “So, what are you going to pack? Trust me; you most definitely better lose that horrific bun.”

  Sienna stopped short. “I haven’t said I was going.”

  Vivian snorted loudly. “Oh you most certainly are going.”

  Sienna’s plane landed at the airport in Flagstaff, Arizona without incident. Vaughn had done a thorough job at planning her trip. By the time she made it off the plane and down to Baggage Claim, a man sporting a black suit and small board with her name on it was waiting for her.

  “I’m Sienna Lambert,” she said, pleasantly.

  “Good afternoon, Dr. Lambert. My name is Charles and I’ll be your driver today. Welcome to Flagstaff. Let me retrieve your bags and then we’ll be on our way to Sedona.”

  After getting her luggage Charles escorted her to his car. His “car” turned out to be a black stretch Cadillac Limousine.

  “It will be just under an hour for us to arrive in Sedona so sit back and relax. There is water back there, soda, champagne and plenty of ice. There are tea sandwiches in the fridge—if you wish.”

  “Oh no, I’m fine. Thanks, Charles.”

  “My pleasure, Dr. Lambert.”

  “Sienna is fine.”

  “Of course, Miss. Sienna. If you want some privacy I’ll put the glass up.”

  “No need, Charles.”

  As they sped by, Sienna found herself gazing out the window at the terrain. Vaughn was right. She liked what she saw. Though she’d never traveled to Sedona, Sienna knew by the pictures she’d fall in love with it. Charles informed her that Vaughn had booked her a room at L’Auberge de Sedona.