Fame

by Susan X Meagher

  “Tell me about living in the Valley,” she said, trying to find an in to start grilling Piper about her personal life. “Did you say you have a house?”

  “Uh-huh. It’s not a big one, but it’s all I need. Three bedrooms, two baths. Separate garage.” She laughed a little. “One of the bedrooms is really tiny, and one of the bathrooms doesn’t have a tub, but it’s plenty for me.”

  “Got a yard for Delta?”

  “I do,” she said, nodding. “A nice one. I doubt he’ll ever visit, though. My sister’s tactic is to offer me all sorts of enticements to come to her.” Shrugging, she said, “They’re pretty good enticements, so I usually drag my butt all the way across town to visit.”

  “Just you?” she asked, batting her eyes. They’d been pussyfooting around long enough. It was time to fish or cut bait.

  “Yeah,” she said, carefully stepping over a jagged piece of concrete that had erupted because of a ficus tree root. “What do you mean?”

  “No…boyfriend…girlfriend…ex-lover you still do everything with, even though it’s been seven years since you broke up?”

  Piper’s head dropped back a few inches as she let out a laugh. The kind of laugh only a woman who didn’t have a list of ex-lovers she despised would be able to pull off. “I have a few exes, but none of them take up much of my time. And aside from some fumbling, unfulfilling experimentation in high school, I’ve never had a boyfriend. How about you?” she asked, her eyes now simmering with interest. “Boyfriends, girlfriends…”

  “No boys for many years,” she said, sticking her hands into her pockets as she took in a breath filled with bus exhaust. “And no exes I hang with. I’m free as a bird, and sick of it.”

  Piper’s smile was luminous. And gorgeous. “I’m a little sick, too. I guess I’ve been too busy to notice, but I think I’m coming down with something.”

  “Let’s take a left here,” Haley said, feeling her body start to flush as her heart rate picked up. Flirting always gave her a physical, as well as an emotional rush. “The bar’s on the next corner.” It took a second to cross the busy street, and Haley spent the time deciding how forward to be. She was usually pretty up-front, but it was a little dicey when you were dealing with a client. Not deal-breaker dicey, but you had to be at least a little subtle.

  They entered the bar—a true dive, dark and smoky, even though the ban on cigarettes had been in place for many years. There was a good crowd, but there were still a few tables available. She guided Piper to one in the darkest corner of the place, hoping to avoid unwanted male attention. “I’ll buy the first round. What’s your favorite?”

  “I like ale. The darker the better.”

  “Got it.” Threading through the usual weeknight crowd, Haley finally reached the bar. “Hey there, Captain,” she said, sticking her hand out to shake the bartender’s hand. “How’s it going?”

  “Real good,” he said, giving her a toothy grin. “Haven’t seen you in a while. You all right?”

  “Oh, sure. Just been working a lot. You know.”

  “I do. What’ll it be, honey?”

  “What do you have in the way of dark ales?”

  “Right now?” He looked at the chalkboard behind himself. “One choice.”

  “I’ll take one. Actually, I’ll take two.”

  “Coming right at you.” He drew the beers, and leaned over the bar to speak quietly when he pushed them toward her. “Whatever your friend has in that carrier had better be quiet, right? Like silent kind of quiet.”

  “That carrier holds a sweet little puppy who was just terrorized by a great big dog. He and his owner both got a golden shower,” she said, laughing at the image now that it was in the past. “The pup will be quiet. Guaranteed.”

  “You brought in a dog and a woman covered in—”

  “I washed them both,” she said, continuing to chuckle as she whipped out a bill. “We’re clean and quiet.” She put her finger to her lips, then picked up the beers and carried them over.

  Instead of placing the carrier on the floor, Piper had it on the table top, angled so Delta would be able to see both of them. She was bent over at the waist, speaking quietly to the puppy, who was lying on his side, gazing at her with what looked like adoration. Something about the scene caught Haley right in the solar plexus, making her feel like she might cry. The impulse only lasted a second. The warm thoughts stuck around, though, and she had a wholly improper urge to sit right next to Piper, put her arm around her shoulders and give her a reassuring hug. But she couldn’t think of doing something like that just yet.

  Haley sat opposite Piper, with the mesh ends of the carrier providing both of them clear views of Delta. They held up their beers and clinked the glasses together. “To resilient little dogs,” Haley said. “And their owners.”

  “Cheers,” Piper said, with a warm smile making her even prettier. “But I think we should toast sympathetic dog trainers who give up their evenings to hose down clients who’ve wound up on the wrong end of a bully’s—” She made a face. “I can’t think of a nice way to finish that, but you know what I mean. Thanks,” she said, keeping it simple as she saluted with her beer glass.

  “Not a problem.” They took sips of their beers, both nodding their satisfaction. As soon as Piper was certain she liked it, the sipping stopped. She didn’t quite chug it, but the glass was half empty in the space of a minute. She was clearly trying to settle her nerves, given that her hand was trembling slightly.

  Even though Piper was a little wobbly, Haley decided to get right back to flirting. Once you had some momentum, it was stupid to let it dissipate. “I’d like to talk about something important,” she said, leaning in and lowering her voice. “Exactly how single are you?”

  “Super single,” Piper said, laughing softly. “I broke up with someone about—” her eyes closed halfway as she thought “—three years ago. Since then? Slim pickings. No matter how you define the word, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

  Haley sat up and held both of her thumbs up. “Excellent. I mean, sorry. Did you actually break up, or is that a euphemism for killing her and dumping her body in the desert?”

  “Nice image,” she said, her eyes going wide. “I’ve never killed a soul. Never wanted to, either.”

  “Just checking. I’ve met so many wackos, I like to weed out the true crazies right away.”

  Piper blinked her eyes coquettishly. “If I had experience in digging shallow graves, do you think I’d admit to it? Especially on a first date?”

  Haley laughed at her dry delivery. “We’re on a date?”

  Piper nodded soberly. Even though her eyes were pale and usually playful, they conveyed an amazing amount of soulfulness when she wanted them to. “We’re in a dark bar, we’re drinking good beer, we’re going to get some food, and it’s a stretch to say we’re here for any kind of business reason. I’m claiming this as a date,” she said, leaning back in her chair while looking really proud of herself.

  “I love first dates,” Haley said. “I don’t have nearly enough of them, so I’ve come to appreciate each one. The good ones, that is,” she added, making a face. “The last one I had lasted an hour, but felt like six. She was one of those people who started bitching about how long it took her to get here from Silver Lake, then moved on to the problems she had with her car, her neighbor, her mother… I pulled out my phone, said I had an emergency, and bailed.” She let out a laugh that sounded more evil than she’d wanted it to. “I assume I’m now on the list of things she bitches about to other women, but I’m cool with that.”

  “I’d be cool with that, too,” Piper said. She got to her feet and put her hand on Haley’s shoulder as she scooted past. “Not only am I not going to spend our time together bitching, I’m going to buy dinner. Do I order food at the bar?”

  “You do. I’ll have a burger. No cheese. Just mustard and pickles.”

  “Odd choice, but I’ll chalk that up to a Wichita sensibility. Be right back.”

  Ha
ley drummed her hands on the table quickly, burning off some adrenaline. This was going great! She could feel it in her bones. Delta jumped to his feet and made a sound not too far from a bark. “Sorry,” she whispered. “You can lie back down, sweetie. I just got a little carried away. My bad.”

  A fresh beer suddenly appeared in front of her, and Piper sat next to, rather than across from her, not asking permission or even commenting on the choice. She just made it clear the rules were changing a little bit. Holding up her beer, she toasted again. “To first dates,” she said, grinning. “Good ones.”

  “Very good ones,” Haley agreed.

  They sat there, sneaking glances at each other for a while. Despite Piper’s confident move, it was clear she was a little nervous, and Haley didn’t need a seismograph to know her own body was quivering with anticipation.

  “So,” Piper said, leaning over to speak quietly. “Are there any skeletons—figuratively speaking—in your closet?”

  Haley took a sip of her beer, thinking about how much to reveal. Not much was the smart choice on a first date, but she wanted to convey some basic information. “I broke up with my last significant girlfriend four years ago, then she moved to Seattle, so I think I win the ‘who’s more single’ game.”

  Piper’s eyebrows rose at that bit of news. “You’ve been dating. I know you’ve been dating.”

  “And just how do you know that?”

  She held up her fist and extended her fingers in turn as she ticked off each reason. “You’re gorgeous. You’re fun. You’re smart.” She grasped her arm and pushed Haley’s sleeve up, inspecting it. “No track marks, so you’re not a junkie. No way people aren’t banging on your door.”

  Playing the game, Haley took Piper’s hand in hers, drew it toward herself and delicately tickled the pale skin in the crook of her elbow. “I’m not sure what track marks look like, but this skin is unscathed.” She let the hand drop, but stayed close. “Now that we know we’re not junkies, I guess it’s time to call a moving van.”

  Piper let out a robust laugh, the kind Haley loved to hear. The kind only someone who laughed often had. Piper wasn’t one of those women who seemed to fear showing any true enthusiasm.

  Their hands were nearly touching, and Piper again took the lead. Her index finger slid across Haley’s hand, barely brushing the skin. It was the lightest, gentlest touch imaginable, but goosebumps skittered down Haley’s spine. She’d had first romantic touches ranging from a grasp of her hand, or her arm, or a hand tucked possessively around her waist, up to and including a fierce kiss, yet none of those had carried the excitement of this gentle, exploratory touch. She could tell Piper wasn’t particularly shy. It was also pretty clear that she had a lot of experience. But she was being remarkably respectful, not pushing herself or her interest in any way. That was sexy.

  It had been a full minute since they’d spoken, seconds filled with the most delicious kind of tension. Haley wanted to keep it going, to squeeze every moment from this first significant breach of their boundaries, but she couldn’t just sit there and stare at Piper’s hand all night.

  Once again, Piper took the lead, acting like no time at all had passed. “Are you coming to Woodland Hills? Or am I going to have to move to…”

  “The Palms. I think you’re going to have to come to me. I need to be close to work when something goes wrong.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Something’s always going wrong.”

  “I’m not sure where The Palms are…or is, if ‘The Palms’ is an actual place…but I bet the movers have GPS. When should I schedule them?”

  “First,” Haley said, leaning close to gaze deeply into Piper’s eyes, “we should make sure we’re compatible.” Her voice dropped down even lower, then she used her index finger to start at the crook of Piper’s arm and slowly trace the well-defined muscle in her forearm. “I’ve got some things on my wish list that I can’t compromise on.” Piper leaned in as well, biting the hook eagerly. “Do you have any kinky…freaky…” she looked around furtively, making sure no one could hear “…food issues?”

  Piper laughed again, really letting go. “I really like you. You’re a breath of fresh air from the women I’ve been out with the past couple of years.”

  “You’ve got to back up and answer the question, ’cause I can’t live with someone who only eats vegetables of a certain color, or has to ferment everything, or can only tolerate food raised within shouting distance of her home.”

  “You’re obviously not from LA,” Piper said, as she nodded decisively. “Unique diets are our birthright.”

  “A ‘special diet’ where I’m from means two percent instead of whole milk. And we make fun of the people who want two percent, by the way.”

  “I eat everything,” Piper said. “Happily. No special diets. No rules I won’t break even if it means starvation. And if you cook, you’ll hear nothing but compliments, even if you burn everything you touch.”

  “I think this is going to work out,” Haley said, slapping a hand on the table. “I’ll have Madame Ozatska, my psychic advisor, read my palm and confirm you’re the woman for me.”

  Piper opened the carrier just enough to put her hand inside, with Delta immediately starting to lick her. “My spiritual advisor’s already approved you. As you can tell, he’s very discerning.”

  “We’d all do better if we let our dogs pick our dates. They’ve got much more sense than most humans do.”

  Their burgers were delivered, and Haley allowed herself to do her usual—remove the bun. It looked odd, but staying away from bread and sugar-laden condiments and French fries during the week let her keep off the thirty pounds she’d gained the year she’d had her heart broken.

  Piper dug right in, devouring her bun, as well as her fries, after loading everything with a stunning amount of ketchup. Haley wasn’t sure where she put the calories, but she was as lean as a soccer player.

  Burgers devoured, they slowed down and finished their beers, with some lulls in the conversation. But they weren’t uncomfortable ones. It was more that they’d both decided to not waste time with idle chit-chat. They didn’t need to impress each other, they simply needed to get to know one another.

  After giving Haley a sly smile, Piper focused on her hand again, with a finger gliding down each visible tendon. “I like your hands,” she said, almost reflectively.

  Haley met her smile, then replicated the gesture, gently touching Piper. “Yours are nice, too. Strong,” she added. “Long fingers. Did you ever play the piano?”

  “No,” she said, giving a shrug. “We didn’t have room for one, much less money for lessons. Things were tight when I was young.” Her smile grew. “I spent my free time on track and field when I was a kid. Equipment costs were low.”

  “Were you a runner?”

  “I ran,” she said, nodding. “But I really liked long jump, javelin, discus. Things like that. We had a P.E. teacher who’d been a hammer thrower, and he let us do all sorts of things in gym class.”

  “I was one of those kids falling over my own feet in soccer,” Haley said. “I liked team sports, but I just wasn’t made for them.”

  “I like some team sports,” Piper said, giving her a lascivious smile. “Well, pairs is ideal. I like testing myself rather than relying on someone else to make a goal or drain a three-pointer.”

  “I can see that,” Haley said, sitting back in her chair to give Piper a long, assessing look. “But you’d look cute in soccer shorts.”

  “Then maybe I’ll join a team,” she said, standing to politely pull Haley’s chair out.

  After a leisurely walk back to the shop, they stood in front of Piper’s car, with Piper perched on the hood of her dusty, sand-colored SUV. More good signs: she didn’t treat her car like her child, and it didn’t cost more than Haley had in her retirement fund. “Are you driving all the way back to Woodland Hills tonight?” Haley asked.

  “No, I’ll hang out at my sister’s.” Her eyebrows moved up and down. “Will I se
e you tomorrow?”

  “Afraid not. Atlas, the other manager, and I trade off. I’m usually Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. He’s Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We alternate Saturdays so we only have to do two a month.”

  “Just three or four days a week? Not too bad.”

  Haley rolled her eyes. “Twelve hours on, then twelve hours on call. It’s a rare night I don’t have to run back here once or twice.”

  “Maybe four days a week cutting hair isn’t too bad,” Piper said, her smile so cute Haley could hardly stand it. “I’ll let you get home so you can run right back here in the middle of the night.”

  She stood, and as she did they were face to face. Haley was no shrinking violet, but she wasn’t usually the one to make the first move. Tonight, she found her hand on Piper’s waist, then her body leaned in slightly, drawn to her almost without volition. That simple touch, the first time you decisively breached the personal space barrier with someone you were interested in was always charged. She breathed in the scent of Piper’s skin, smiling at the amalgam of hair salon products that clung to her flesh. Sweet, floral scents that complimented each other delightfully. As if this was what they always did, she tilted her head and placed a gentle kiss to her soft, warm lips. Then she stayed there, breathing her in again. It was an amazingly intimate moment, one she wished could go on all night, simply being close, getting used to each other, pushing against those boundaries. “See you Thursday?” she asked, pulling away.

  A lazy, sweet smile made the corner of Piper’s pretty mouth lift. “How about tomorrow? I’ve got to get the particulars for the moving guys.”

  “Thursday,” Haley said, patting her cheek. “I’ll bring a map.”