“So how did you get into journalism? Was it your major?” Cathy asked.
“I majored in journalism and American literature,” Lisa answered. She was relaxed.
“Sounds impressive. Where did you study?” She hesitated for a minute. ”You wouldn’t believe it if
I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Columbia University.”
Cathy’s interest was piqued. “My uncle got his
doctorate in education from Columbia.”
“Really? I bet he’s doing something productive with
his degree.”
“He’s the chairperson of the Criminal Justice
Department at UC at Sacramento.”
“Wow, that’s something.”
“What about you, though? I know freelancing for
different tabloids probably pays the bills but just below
the surface you seem to have a passion to do something
else.”
“Hi. Can I get you two ladies something to drink?”
the waitress asked.
“Sure, I’ll have a cup of coffee with half and half,”
Lisa said.
“I’ll have the same.”
“When I graduated I was filled with ambition. I was
going to be an investigative reporter and write the great
American novel.”
“So you had a plan,” Cathy said.
The waitress brought the coffee.
“Are you ladies ready to order?”
Lisa looked at the menu. ”What’s good here?” “Everything’s good, but for lunch I like the turkey
burger deluxe.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll have that too.”
“Very good.”
“So what happened with your plan?”
“I got a job with The Post but instead of reporting I
was a fact checker. It wasn’t what I wanted but I toughed
it out waiting for my big break.”
“And the break didn’t come.”
“Actually I got a break, just not the one I wanted.” “How’s that?” Cathy asked.
“My boyfriend and I were total tourists on vacation in
the Caribbean. One day I was on the beach to take some
scenic shots when I realized a certain Republican senator
was vacationing at the same resort. At first I brushed it
off until I saw him making out with a woman who wasn’t
his wife.”
“Not exactly the picture of family values.” “Tell me about it. I investigated the esteemed senator
and sold the story with pictures for nearly 7K. It would
have taken more than a couple of months of working
crazy hours to make that kind of money at The Post.” “That was serious cash.”
“And it led to more work, until eventually I stopped
pursuing a traditional journalistic career, for a different
one that paid very well.”
“Sometimes it just comes down to economics.” “I have a nice house, my husband and I go on at least
three vacations a year, and we’re even talking about
starting a family.”
Cathy smiled. “That’s terrific.” She sipped her coffee
to get her nerve up to ask the question she wanted
answered. “Tell me, other than what was in the newspaper, why were you so interested in me?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve been to your gym.” “There’s not much you can hide from the five A.M.
crowd.”
“By the way, I just have to know. How in the world
do you manage to get up at four every morning and go to
the gym?”
“Is this on or off the record?”
She laughed. “Completely off the record.” “I hate to sound like a Nike commercial but I just do
it.”
“Good for you.” She sipped her coffee. “Just so you
know, I’ve been a member of the gym for five years.” “So you didn’t just join to cover me? That’s good to
know.”
“To be perfectly honest, you aren’t the typical athlete’s
girlfriend. Especially for Marcus Fox.” She qualified her
comment. “No disrespect intended.”
“None taken.”
“He was just one of those players with innate star
quality from the start. So naturally every singer, actress
and model was all over him, which, let’s face it, sells
papers.”
“I know it does.” Cathy sipped her coffee. “What can
you tell me about Cybil George?”
“Oh, I can tell you a lot about that one. She’s a real
piece of work.”
The waitress brought their burgers to the table. “Thank you,” they chorused.
Lisa took a bite. “This is good.”
“I told you.”
Lisa wiped her mouth. “Anyway, Cybil put Marcus
through the mill. They were always on again, off again.
She tried to do things to make him jealous and if she
couldn’t do that she would leak something to the press
about him. It was a mess.”
“Do you think they’re really over? Or is this a break
and not a breakup?”
“It’s a breakup all right and it was Marcus who ended
it.”
“Really? She told The Tattler she broke up with him.” “The Tattler? Please. Just for the record, even I don’t
bother with that rag.” She took another bite. “He definitely broke it off with her. He finally got sick and tired
of the games.”
“One of the entertainment news shows had a
newslink report about Cybil being seen with him in
Baltimore. Marcus said she was filming an upcoming
movie there.”
Lisa sipped her water. “Cybil is filming a movie in
Baltimore, but it’s being shot in the same area they shoot
The Wire, which is a long way from Camden Yards.” “So she was there just to see him.” Cathy shook her
head.
“I’d put money on it. At this point you’re getting
better coverage than she is. She had to take the bait and
run with it.”
“I told Marcus that.”
“I think the final straw with her happened Friday
night.”
“What about Friday night?” Cathy was a little bewildered.
“In the three years they were together we’d see her at
games every now and then, but never sitting with his
parents. When you were seen sitting with Mr. and Mrs.
Fox, I knew he was serious about you. I’d say it was the
final insult to Cybil.”
“I had no idea I was going to be seated next to them.
I didn’t even know they were going to be at the game.” Lisa had a strange look on her face. “I’m going to tell
you something I haven’t reported on.”
Cathy was a bit cautious. “Okay. Are you planning to
report it?”
“I gave it some thought and I decided against it.” “Now I have to know what it is.”
“I heard his parents came in especially to meet you.” She was astonished. “They came all the way from
Jamestown to meet me? I can’t believe it.”
“I heard it from a very good source. Apparently
Marcus called them about you. They came down to
check you out for themselves.”
“In a way, then, I’m glad he didn’t tell me. I would
have freaked. Not that I didn’t when I saw them.” “Good thing.” She went back to her fries.
“Wait. I’ve seen pictures of him with other girlfriends
at events wit
h his parents. What’s so different about me?” Lisa ate another fry. “God, you are going to make me
tell you, aren’t you?”
“Make you tell me what?”
“If you breathe a word of this I will go public with the
supermarket thing.”
She laughed. “I promise. I won’t say a word.” “Not even to Marcus. Promise me. Swear on your Ivy
League honor.”
Cathy looked at her cross-eyed. “Do you know who
else graduated from an Ivy League school?”
“I know. Politicians aside, swear on your honor.” Cathy held up her right hand. “I swear.”
“His sister Cecily and I are friends.”
“She works at a record company.”
“Right. I’ve done some articles and puff pieces on
several of her acts. She didn’t want me to do a whack job
on you. She said, ‘Big brother really likes this one so back
off.’ ”
“So I have her to thank for this kinder, gentler version
of you?
“Sort of. Besides, you just seemed like a good person.
I probably wouldn’t have found a traffic ticket.” “You would have gotten a few late library fees.” She laughed. “Seriously, though, Cybil can’t have it
look like she was thrown over for a full-figured woman,
no matter how beautiful she is. Make no mistake, Cathy,
you are a beautiful woman.”
Cathy got a little embarrassed. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome but don’t be so modest. Cybil is
threatened by you. I’m surprised she wasn’t at Club Z the
night you were there.”
“To be honest, so was I. I’m still trying to get over
that nightmare.”
“As soon as I read it, I knew Marcus would get a
retraction. There was no way he’d let it go.”
“That was such a relief.” Cathy ate a couple of fries.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better I would say you
and Marcus were friends, or at least friendly.” Lisa smiled. “I’m sure he had something to say about
me but I am more of a pesky Chihuahua than pit bull as
far as he’s concerned. Cybil is another story.”
“Doesn’t sound like you like her much.”
“I don’t. Take my advice and watch your back with
that one. She is some piece of work.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Just don’t let her get under your skin.” She finished
her burger. “Would you think I was a pig if I ordered
another one? This was amazing.”
“No, I wouldn’t think you were a pig. FYI, it does
come as a double deluxe entrée.”
“Good to know.”
Cathy enjoyed having lunch with her stalker, Lisa.
She was glad to learn more about Marcus’s relationships
without having to pry it out of him. She realized she had
to keep a watchful eye out for Cybil’s shenanigans.
v
After lunch Cathy needed a little quiet time to think about what Lisa had told her and connect with her inner geek. For her money, there was no better place in the world to do it than the Barnes and Noble Café. Cathy had always loved going to the bookstore and as a literary agent, she had an excuse to hang out and check out the new releases, see if any of her writers were on the shelves and talk to the manager, Larry, to hear about things not reported on in Publisher’s Weekly.
Larry walked over while she browsed the new cookbooks.
“Hey there, Cathy. How are you?”
“I’m good, Larry. How about you?”
“Can’t complain. Checking out the competition, I see.”
“You know me. I have to stay on top of these things.”
“We sold out of your cookbooks this past weekend.”
She was pleasantly surprised. “Really?”
“Oh yes. In fact I just ordered some.
“I assume this recent peak in interest coincides with my higher profile love life.”
“You are dating baseball royalty.”
“Don’t I know it?”
“It sells books. Even a few of your clients’ books have picked up.”
“I guess I can’t complain then, can I? It would be nice to say the work speaks for itself but this is a celebritydriven society. At least for now.”
“I’ve even had a few orders for Cybil George’s book and you know it’s complete tripe.”
She nodded her head. “It is amazing, isn’t it?”
“Anyway, I have a few things to do in the back so I’ll leave you to your research. Good to see you.”
“Same here, Larry. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Anytime.” He went back towards his office.
You can’t buy this kind of PR. My name hits the paper and now my sales have picked up. I suppose I shouldn’t look this gift horse in the mouth.
Cathy treated herself to a decaf caramel latté at the café. I know I had a burger and fries but I love to rationalize calories I don’t chew, she thought as she sipped.
“So this is what it takes for me to see one of my two favorite nieces.”
Cathy looked up to see her Aunt Peg. At 65 she was as fashionable as ever. Cathy got up and hugged her.
“Hey, Aunt Peg. How are you? When did you get back?”
They sat down. “I got back a couple of days ago. You know how it is. I had to sort through mail and try to get my house back in order.”
“I know what you mean. You certainly look good, Aunt Peg.”
“Thank you. So do you. I’d say this new man agrees with you.”
Aunt Peg didn’t miss a trick, never had. “He does.”
“Imagine my surprise when I picked up a New York paper at Heathrow and saw a picture of my beautiful niece and this very handsome man hugging.”
Cathy smiled. “It’s been a bit of a shock to me too.”
“I hope you’re not still flipping out over the weight thing.”
“I hate to say it, Aunt Peg, but you know my mother.”
Peg rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why she is so ridiculous with that. It’s not as if we come from petite stock. Your uncle used to say when we got together with our cousins we looked like prison matrons.”
Cathy laughed. “I remember hearing that.”
“Remember, Anna’s ex said he thought he’d wandered into a camp of female lumberjacks.”
Cathy laughed even harder. “You know, I forgot about that.”
“How is your sister doing? Has she set a date yet?”
“As a matter of fact they just set the date. November 9th of next year.”
“That’s wonderful. Does my sister know?”
“She hasn’t asked.” Her Aunt Peg looked aggravated.
“Why is she still on this kick? I told her you were grown women and she had to accept your decisions, even if she doesn’t like them.”
“It doesn’t stop her. I took her to the store this morning and she was talking about how she didn’t approve of our conduct.”
“Approve of your conduct? You’re not seven years old,” Aunt Peg said in disbelief.
“I know.”
“Sometimes I think the worst thing that ever happened was that knock on the door more than thirty years ago. I don’t have anything against religion but there has to be a balance.”
“I think so, too.”
“My God, they really did a number on you, and my sister only compounds it.”
“It’s all she knows now.”
“No matter what your mother says, you and Anna are good girls.”
“Thanks, Aunt Peg. It’s a shame but even at 40 years old, I need to hear that.”
“The two of you are always doing for your mom. You drive her places and take her to hair appointments. Hell, you even help dig
her out when it snows.”
“We have the aches and pains to prove it.”
“I don’t know why those folks don’t come around to dig her out.”
“They’re busy doing God’s work.”
“Too busy for the widows in their midst?”
“Apparently. She says she has children so we can take care of it.”
Aunt Peg shook her head. “Lord help us. We can talk a blue streak about this, but she’s not going to change. So you have to move on and not let it get you down. You still deserve to be happy, Cathy.”
“I know. I can’t let anyone steal my sunshine.”
“Right. So how are the boys doing?”
“They’re good, Aunt Peg. I think they’ve adjusted to college life.”
“You know, I was so glad when you told me you left that religion because you wanted your sons to have a normal life. I think it’s been good for them.”
“I do, too,” Cathy agreed. “They haven’t gotten into any trouble with drugs or drinking and they’re good students. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Especially these days. You have to count your blessings.”
“You’re right.” Cathy paused. “By the way, Aunt Peg, does Madison know you’re back?”
“I tried to call my son but I haven’t been able to reach him. Have you seen him?”
“He stops by practically every single day. I’ll tell him to call you.”
“Thanks. Is he keeping out of trouble?”
“He’s a good lawyer so trouble sometimes comes his way.”
“Is there something going on?” She quickly became concerned.
“I don’t want to alarm you, Aunt Peg. Everything is under control.” Just then her cell phone rang. “Excuse me. Hello?”
“Hey, Cousin,” Madison said.
“Well, speak of the devil. Your ears must be burning.”
“Why?”
“I have someone here who wants to talk to you.”
She handed Aunt Peg the phone.
“Hello there, stranger, it’s your mother.”
Cathy stepped away to put some books up and give her aunt some privacy. With cameras in her own life, Cathy had a new respect for privacy. Her aunt was still on the phone when she came back.
“I’m glad you’re okay but you need to stay on top of this thing. People lose grip with reality when it comes to money. All right then, you give me a call at home later. I’ll tell Cathy you’ll talk to her later too. Okay, honey. Love you. Bye.”
She handed Cathy the phone. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“Not a problem, Aunt Peg.”
“Lord, I’m glad my son is a good attorney, but sometimes I think he is too good an attorney. You know what I mean?”
Not His Type Page 28
