Not His Type
Page 26
“What do you suppose that’s all about?” John asked. Juan tried to get a look. “I can’t see anything.” As they continued to walk, people parted like the Red
Sea and there stood Cybil George, Marcus’ ex-girlfriend. “This can’t be good,” Tim mumbled.
Marcus was shocked. “What is she doing here?” “I don’t know but I think we’re about to find out. She’s
headed this way,” Mark said. Blond hair bouncing, Cybil George practically glided over to Marcus.
“Hi, Marcus.”
“Hi, Cybil.”
“Fancy seeing you here.” She tried to be light and breezy.
“We’re playing the Orioles tonight. We just came out to get something to eat.”
“Oh. Hi guys.” She waved.
They waved back but no one said anything.
“Do you have a photo shoot or fashion show here?”
“No. You know how I always wanted to get into the movie business?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m shooting a movie in the area.”
“You’re shooting around Camden Yards?”
“As a matter of fact I am.”
“Where’s the crew?” Mark asked.
Cybil sighed. “We wrapped up shooting for the day. I was going to get something to eat with a couple of friends.”
“I didn’t know she ate,” Juan whispered.
“So do you recommend this place?”
“It’s good.” He looked at his watch. “Listen, Cybil, it was nice to see you but we’ve really got to bounce.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Thanks. Good seeing you. Take care.”
“Is that all I get?” she asked.
“I’m sorry?”
She smiled. “How about a little kiss for old time’s sakes?”
Marcus was taken off guard when she suddenly kissed him dead center on his mouth.
“See? That didn’t hurt, did it?” She grinned.
Cybil didn’t get the rise she wanted. “Okay, Cybil. Take care.” Marcus walked away as if nothing had happened. As soon as they were out of sight range Marcus wiped the lipstick off and got in the car.
“What was that all about?” Tim asked.
“I have no idea. She said she’s shooting a movie nearby,” Marcus answered.
“That’s some coincidence,” Mark said.
“It does seem suspicious,” Juan added.
“You know what? I think so, too. But I really don’t want to devote any more energy to Cybil’s motives and machinations. I did my time, three years hard labor. I am not going back.”
Another word didn’t have to be said. The guys knew Marcus meant business. He was through with Cybil. But they weren’t sure if she was through with him.
CHAPTER 18
Cathy took one arrangement upstairs with her and looked around her room to find the perfect place for it. She wanted to make sure the flowers were the first thing she saw when she got up in the morning and the last thing at night.
“Good God! Where did all these flowers come from?” Anna shouted from downstairs.
“Did somebody die? Or did somebody get married?”
Madison echoed.
They came upstairs.
“Cathy! It looks like the florist set up shop in the living
room.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” She beamed.
“Marcus didn’t just send you flowers; he sent you the
whole damn shop,” Madison said.
“That’s fine with me.”
“I guess we’d better get smoking on those plane reservations.” Anna laughed.
“I’m doing just that.” She tapped away on the laptop. “Jet Blue goes to Tampa, right?” Madison asked. “Yeah. I’m checking the schedule now. This is for Friday
so we need to book it now.”
“We’re kind of last minute but it’s nearly fall so the fares
shouldn’t be too jacked up.”
“Okay, we can get a morning flight at 8:15 or 10:15 out
of JFK.”
“10:15 sounds good. It’s a little after rush hour.” “What are you talking about, Madison? We have to get
there before 10:15 so we’ll be in the thick of rush hour.” “It’s okay, Anna. We’ll use my agency’s car service,”
Cathy said.
“Good. I hate traffic and I really hate long term
parking.”
“You don’t have to worry about either. A 10:15 flight
will get us in just before two. And for our return trip we can
leave at 5:45 P.M. and be back in New York a little after
seven.”
“Sounds perfect, Cathy. Book it.”
Within a few minutes they were confirmed with tickets
printing out on Cathy’s office printer across the hall. “So, Cathy, have you called to thank Mr. Fox? Or are
you waiting to make it up close and personal?” Madison
teased.
“As a matter of fact I called to thank him earlier. And
you need not concern yourself as to how I might thank him
in person.”
He feigned illness. “Too much information.” “Okay, cut it out you two. I can’t believe I’m the
youngest and I always have to break you two up,” Anna
said.
“Give me a break,” Madison groaned.
Anna rolled her eyes. “Anyway, moving right along, did
you see the doctor today?”
“Dad took me this morning. I had a check up and Dr.
Adams put me on medication to help with my back.” “So no steroids?”
A chill went down Cathy’s back. “Definitely not. I
refuse to live through that again.”
Madison nodded his head in agreement. “I hear that.” She closed her laptop. “I’m getting a little hungry. Did
you stop by the store?”
“I did but all they had was honey mustard. I figured we
could order in.”
“Cool. I could go for a chicken gyro.”
“Works for me. Greek food it is.” Anna turned to
Madison “You’d better write this down before you call to
order.”
“Since when am I the waiter?”
“Since I decided I might not be able to take you to work
again this week.”
“You are some controlling witches in here.” “Takes one to know one,” Cathy quipped.
“Very funny.”
“You don’t need to write it down. We always get the
same thing when we order from Athena’s: three chicken
gyros, hummus, large Greek salad without anchovies.” Madison picked up the phone. Anna seemed a little
distracted.
“What’s the matter, Anna? Is your blood sugar dropping?” she asked.
“No. I’m fine.”
Madison hung up. “It will be ready in 35 minutes.” “Good.” Anna wrung her hands.
“Okay, Anna, what’s going on? You’re acting all nervous
or something,” Madison said.
She opened her briefcase and took out The Tattler. Madison looked shocked. “Since when did you start
reading that trash?”
“I don’t read it.” She sighed. “I didn’t tell you the truth
about the supermarket. I was standing in line all ready to
pay for the rotisserie chicken when I saw this on the cover:
Cybil George Talks About the Heartache, Marcus and His New
Lady Love. I put the chicken back, bought this and headed
home.” She handed Cathy the paper. “Did you read it?” “I read some of it,” Anna said.
“Any particular paragraph I should be interested in?”
Cathy opened the paper.
“The third one.” She scanned down to the third paragraph:
Breaking up with Marcus was one of the hardest decisions
I ever had to make. He wanted more from me than I could
give. I didn’t mean anything bad by the chubby comment; she
is just completely different than me, or any of his other girlfriends for that matter.
Cathy looked at the pictures. They had a photograph of
Marcus and Cybil in happier times and one of Marcus and
her kissing outside of the stadium. The caption read: Tale of
Two Women’s Bodies.
She closed the paper. She didn’t want to read any more. Madison picked up the paper.
“Are you okay Cathy?”
“I’m fine. It’s almost to the point of being funny.” Madison threw the paper on the floor. “This is bull. I
thought this girl had a modeling career. Where did she find
the time to do this?”
“It’s all about drama. Creating it and being the center of
attention. What more could a girl want?”
“She certainly doesn’t have a problem making that
happen, does she?” Cathy crossed her legs and arms. She
was tense.
“It’s this whole generation. How old is she? Twentyfive?” Madison asked.
“She’s twenty-eight.”
“That’s old enough to know better in my book,” Anna
said.
Madison stood up. “I’m going to pick the food up. I’ll
be right back.”
“Okay.”
When Madison left, Anna turned to Cathy. “Are you
sure you’re okay with this?”
“I just got twelve gorgeous flower arrangements and she
got page 38 of The Tattler. Who do you think is doing
better?”
Anna backed off and they went downstairs. When
Madison got back they had dinner and watched television.
Cathy checked on the baseball game but there was a rain
delay. They settled for entertainment news.
Madison laughed. “Can you believe they actually cover
this stuff? Who cares if Brad and Angelina shopped at
Piggly Wiggly? Why don’t they just leave them in peace?” “Then they wouldn’t have anything to do,” Anna said. “It seems to me that the bigger stars get, the more
people want to know every little detail about their lives. It’s
nuts.” Cathy sat back in her chair.
The segment showed Marcus and Cybil talking outside
a restaurant while the voice over reported: “Supermodel
Cybil George who is in Baltimore shooting her first feature
film was seen with her ex Marcus Fox. The two seemed to
have a friendly meeting. Representatives from both camps
have stated the two are just friends.”
Anna quickly turned the television off. “Cathy, there is
no reason to get upset.”
Madison chimed in. “It’s just a report. It doesn’t mean
anything. I mean, it must be a real slow news day.” Cathy was still a little shocked.
“The man sent you ten floral arrangements because he
misses you.”
“I know, Anna. It just seems like every time I turn
around here comes another report. First it was the papers,
then the radio and now television. I’ve reached the media’s
holy trinity.” Cathy threw her hands up in disgust. “Don’t get upset, Cathy, this is a part of what his life is
about.”
“Besides, this excess attention will be over after baseball
season.” Anna did her best to sound convincing. “Anna’s right. After the season is over there won’t be so
much coverage.”
“So I just have to survive the next month and a half.” “Changing the subject, I have some news,” Anna said. “It’s good news, right?” Madison asked.
“Naturally. Roger and I have set a date. November
ninth of next year.”
“That’s terrific, Anna.” Cathy was elated.
“Congratulations, Cousin.”
“So of course, Cathy, you have to help me plan.” “I love the idea of weddings. There are so many fun
things to do.”
“I know.” Anna nodded.
A thought hit Cathy. “You’re not just telling me this to
get my mind off the Cybil George thing, are you?” “Of course not. Roger and I have been discussing dates
back and forth for a while and we agreed on November
nuptials.”
“Good. I’m so happy for you, Anna. You’re getting a
great guy.”
“I know.” She smiled happily.
“Madison, do me a favor. Flip the television back on
and turn to YES. I want to see if the rain has let up in
Baltimore.”
There was still a rain delay.
“So what are they going to do if they get rained out?”
Madison asked.
“It’s nearly the end of the regular season and they have
to get the game in. If it gets called, they’ll play a double
header tomorrow.”
The phone rang.
“I’ll get it.” Anna got up.
Cathy stared into space.
“Hey Cathy! Come back. Don’t dwell.”
She snapped out of it. “I hear you. I haven’t lost touch
with reality.”
Anna walked back in with the phone and a mischievous
grin. “Telephone, Cathy.”
She took the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, sweetie.”
“Marcus?” She was relieved to hear his voice. Anna and Madison watched her on the phone. “I know it’s weird to hear from me when there’s
supposed to be a game happening.”
“It’s raining. Does it look like it will let up so you can
get the game in?”
“It might let up. But I didn’t call you to talk about the
game or the weather. I just didn’t want you to hear about
this from anyone else but me.”
Her heart froze. “What is it?”
“I ran into Cybil today. She’s filming some scenes for a
movie around Camden Yards. We spoke for minute and she
kissed me. I didn’t know she was going to do it. If I had, I
would have stopped her cold.”
Cathy processed the information. “I see. She sandbagged you?”
“Exactly.” He paused for a reaction. “Are you upset with
me?”
“No. I’m just glad they didn’t catch that on camera,
too.”
“On camera? What are you talking about?”
“I know you wanted to tell me first but the entertainment news programs beat you to it.”
“What? Damn! Here I thought I was giving you a heads
up.” He was aggravated.
“As long as they missed her planting one on you, I’m
okay with that. I’m not bothered by it or The Tattler story.” “What Tattler story?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, I promise,” she reassured him.
“I got your message about the flowers and you are most
welcome. Listen, if we do get the game in tonight, I’ll call
you tomorrow. If it’s rained out I’ll call tonight.” “Sounds good to me.”
“I’m really not supposed to be on the cell, so we’ll talk
later babe. Miss you.”
“Miss you too.”
Both Anna and Madison had smug looks on their faces. “Didn’t we tell you not to worry?”
“Okay, so you were right. I’m happy to be wrong.”
v
The rain did let up in time to get the game in. Cathy stayed up as long as she could before she dozed off. Wh
en she woke it was morning and her Yankees win streak had ended 5-4.
She followed doctor’s orders and cut back her schedule. Instead of hopping right on the computer to see the day’s business emails, she only checked her personal inbox. Alexander and Andrew had emailed her about the game but both were very sure the Yankees would get back on track that night. So was she.
A little later that morning Cathy put on a nice dress and headed to the supermarket to do some light grocery shopping. She even called her personal president, her mother, to see if she needed to go to the store. As far as Cathy could tell, Clint Eastwood didn’t know a thing about being in the real line of fire.
Before she could stop herself, Cathy honked the horn when she went to pick up her mother. Her mother stood ready at the door.
“Hi, Mom.”
Elizabeth got in. “Good morning.”
Cathy’s cell phone rang. She adjusted her hands free
earpiece. “Hello?”
“Hey, baby. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, thanks. You?”
“Not bad. I’m not happy we lost last night.” “I know, but Alex and Andrew have assured me that
you guys will be back on track this evening.”
“We’re going to do our very best.”
“Cathy? How can you drive and talk on the phone?” “Marcus, excuse me a minute, please.”
He chuckled. “Sure. Is that your mom?”
“Oh yes.” She looked at her mother. “Mom, I’m using
my ear piece so I won’t take my hands off the wheel or my eyes off the road. I’m sorry Marcus. Go ahead.” “Your mother sounds like a pistol.” He had to chuckle.
“A cannon is more like it.”
He laughed. “That’s a good one but I have an ulterior motive for calling.”
“Ooh, sounds serious.”
“Not that kind of serious. Did you book your flight for Tampa?”
“As a matter of fact I did that yesterday. We’ll be in Tampa Friday afternoon.”
“Fantastic. I reserved three rooms for you under your name.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“Who are you talking to?” Her mother’s eyebrows rose.
“Mom, I’m on the phone.” Cathy was growing more annoyed.
Marcus got a kick out of Cathy’s mother. “Your mother sounds like fun.”
“A regular laugh riot.”
“I guess I’d better let you go before she starts interrogating you.”
Cathy took one look at her mother’s stern face. “That ship has sailed. It’s more like the Spanish Inquisition coming up.”
“Okay, babe. I’ll talk to you a little later. If I can call you before and after the game I will.”