Strangers in the Night

by Ines Saint

  Jake looked out into the audience and wasn’t exactly shocked to see something like ten women for every man. So many women … women who had made the top-rated show number one in its time slot because Samantha, Gretel, and Tess got them. And they got to the bottom of things. They got to know people. And today, they wanted to get to know Jake. His gut tightened.

  He shifted his focus onto the stage. The set in front of him looked nothing like the green room. The beige, rust-red, and brown color scheme was warm and inviting; not overpowering and intimidating. He’d even say the set was living room-cozy. Yep, they were mind-messing professionals all right.

  There were two arm chairs on one side and a love seat on the other, with an enormous screen behind them. Right now, the screen had a spectacular view of Chicago. Tess was sitting on the love seat, her legs folded underneath her, alone and hugging a cushion, the lonely space beside her reserved for Jake. They’d sit him down, make him feel all warm and comfortable, the five cameras he’d counted would zoom in on him, using different angles, and then …

  “Ladies, ladies, more ladies, and gentlemen, we’ve been inviting our next, highly anticipated guest on our show for months — ” Samantha began in her sweet, sing-song voice before she was interrupted by Gretel, who drawled, “More like we’ve been begging him to come on.”

  “Right,” Samantha laughed, while Tess just stared right into his eyes. Jake squared his shoulders and jutted his jaw out. Tess smiled, winsomely. Jake swallowed hard. “We’ve been begging a certain enigmatic, inscrutable mayoral candidate on for months, and today, the final day of the year, he’s finally agreed to sit down and talk to us. Everyone, please welcome Jake Kelly!”

  Jake took a deep, calming breath, walked on set, mechanically smiled, and waved to the audience. When a few women whistled and a rose and a pair of red panties were thrown at him, Jake couldn’t help it. He looked out at the audience again, surprised, and really smiled.

  He then looked over at the empty space beside Tess and took a deep breath. When he looked up, Tess grinned and pointed two fingers from her eyes to his.

  • • •

  Her attempts to catch up on sleep failing miserably, Keila switched plans. She’d mope, eat flan, watch TV, and eat more flan. She snuggled into the old living room sofa with the entire dessert and lazily turned on the television set.

  She sat upright, hit by an image of Jake. Granted, she was used to seeing him everywhere, but definitely not on She Said, She Said. The women were talking, and the camera kept panning to him standing just off stage, Tyrone right behind him.

  Her heartbeat picked up. This would be his chance to either set the record straight about his playboy image and deny it, or to own up to it and convince the public that his personal life didn’t matter. Finally, he was getting off that high horse of his and reaching out, actually doing something other than touting his grand plan.

  Would it be enough? She wished she didn’t care as deeply as she did. All she could feel was apprehension for him.

  The sound of applause filled the living room and Keila watched as Jake walked onto the stage, his demeanor suave and his smile practiced. He waved stiffly and a few things were thrown at him. One camera zoomed in on some string that barely resembled panties and then another camera caught Jake’s reaction. Obviously surprised, he smiled his spontaneous smile, the one that didn’t hold back, and his eyes flashed, clearly amused.

  Keila missed that smile and gaze so much her heart clenched hard and an uncomfortable thought settled into her mind. To think Jake was the type of person she couldn’t believe in and that she should push away was so convenient.

  But that smile and that look reminded her of those times she’d felt like no matter how deep she fell into him, there was always more to fall into. Like whatever connected her to him was endless.

  Had her mom and Tania felt the same way about the men in their lives? Tania had misplaced her feelings, which meant Keila could, too. But her mom had been loved completely in return for hers and she’d never regretted it, even though she’d suffered his loss.

  Her mom wouldn’t regret decisions based on love. And Keila knew in the end, despite the tough barrier she’d built around heart, Tania wouldn’t change a thing about the past because she had Mia, Mia who they all adored. She swallowed hard.

  Keila watched as Jake turned his back to walk toward his seat. They announced a commercial break and Keila hurried into the kitchen, snatched the newspaper from the trash, and held her breath.

  “Let’s just say I got to know every room in his house very well.”

  Though it still nauseated her to read that line, she exhaled and quickly read the article in its entirety, stopping only at the decorator’s description of a bay window through which she thought someone might spy on them, although she wouldn’t say exactly what anyone would spy them doing. That particular descriptive phrase Keila read three times.

  The decorator had tried to play it smart, to not say any outright lies and just play coy, infusing every sentence with innuendo. But she’d missed one huge detail — Jake’s house did not have a bay window. It looked like it should have a bay window. No doubt countless similar old country houses had bay windows, but Jake’s did not.

  Jake must’ve not bothered to read the article or he would’ve caught that, and his staff had never been to his house so they had no way of knowing. Wondering what to do, thoughts came at her in fast, tiny bursts.

  He’d tried to reach out to her, to explain, and she’d shut him out because it was easier. Now she had information that could help Jake regain credibility among those who needed to believe he wasn’t just some skirt-chasing playboy.

  But the very fact that she’d spent the weekend with him might just add fire to that image, not help put it out.

  Unless she called Cate or Tyrone with the information and they had Jake mention it during his She Said, She Said appearance.

  Except Jake was already on stage and people already knew there was another mystery woman out there, and there was no mistaking Jake and the house in the background in that picture, so even though Julia would be explained and the decorator would be explained, the mystery woman would not.

  Keila leaned on the wall behind her, remembering her mom’s advice. Don’t make decisions out of fear, make them out of love. She wasn’t sure she could ever let go of her fear over how deeply Jake touched her, and she wasn’t sure he’d ever ask her to try. For all she knew, he might never want to see her again. But she loved him. She’d probably fallen in love with him, somehow, that very first night.

  When she heard the show come on again, she glanced at the TV. Jake was greeting each lady with a handshake, but they each hauled him down for a kiss on the cheek. He sat. Gretel spoke, Samantha smiled, and Tess continued to study him.

  Keila looked at the clock. This was She Said, She Said’s biggest show of the year. Not knowing what to do and feeling she didn’t have a whole lot of time, she called Pete the Blogger because he’d remained true to his word and he seemed to be in tune with the people of Chicago. Most of all, he’d know the best way to get through to his mom while she was on air.

  “Are you crazy? You don’t know what you’re talking about! Trust me, you don’t want that kind of attention,” Pete bellowed over the phone a few minutes later.

  “Please, Pete! Just tell me what do to get the message across. I trust you because you’ve done right by me. But I trust him too and I haven’t done right by him. I … I don’t want to protect myself. I want to protect him,” Keila pleaded.

  A deep sigh. A long silence. Then, “Fine. I’ll help you,” he blew out a breath. “I’ll give you a telephone number. It’s a private line, Okay? Usually reserved for emergencies. It’ll go through to my mom’s personal assistant. Just explain who you are and that I gave you the number. She’ll probably call me back to verify it’s not some sort of hoax, and then I guess she’ll decide what to do and how to handle it from there.”

  “Oh, wow. Okay, okay. I’m
ready to do this. I’ll call right now. Thanks Pete! Mua!” Keila blew a kiss into the phone and, tamping down her anxiety, made her next call.

  • • •

  Jake sat back and tried to look relaxed while Gretel addressed the expectant audience. “As we’ve been broadcasting to our loyal audience, Mr. Kelly has agreed to our no-holds-barred clause. There is only one subject he has requested us not to speak of, one involving a late friend, and aside from this minor reference, we will honor his wishes.” Gretel finished her introduction and Samantha began with her own, more enthusiastic commentary.

  “We asked you, the viewers,” Samantha pointed to a camera, “To email, fax, or tweet any and all questions you have for Jake Kelly, and let me tell you, even though this was last minute, we’ve been inundated!”

  “Curiously enough,” Tess continued beside him, her eyes wide and not at all innocent, “many questions are of a very personal nature.”

  Jake swallowed and squirmed in his seat, doing his best to hide this from the live, studio audience.

  “Look at him, he’s squirming,” Samantha clapped her hands together, delighted. The audience laughed. Jake looked up.

  “I’m not squirming. I’m looking forward to your questions,” Jake smiled, knowing the corners of his mouth weren’t quite reaching up. The audience laughed again. Why the hell was it he’d agreed to do this? At the moment he couldn’t remember.

  “Jake, honey, calm down. Relax. Let your guard down,” Tess coached him.

  Jake breathed in and prepared for battle. “I’m calm. Let’s do this. First question, fire,” he again tried to smile as he faced his execution squad.

  “Okay, you heard him. Fire!” Gretel’s eyes gleamed. “What, exactly, and in full detail, is your relationship with heiress Julia Hamilton?”

  “Julia Hamilton is an old friend,” Jake explained.

  “In full detail,” a member of the audience shouted out. Samantha laughed, “Right, in full detail.”

  “What we want to know is, when you think about Julia Hamilton what comes to mind?” Tess clarified with what seemed like an encouraging tone.

  Jake sighed, thinking, knowing he didn’t have all day. Okay, he’d give it a shot: what did come to mind when he thought of Julia? He cleared his throat. “Details,” he said, clearing his throat again. He lifted his head and looked Tess in the eye. “Julia is sweet and shy and someone I truly value. We trust each other. And there’s never been anything remotely romantic between us,” Jake answered truthfully, thinking this whole thing wouldn’t be too hard.

  “How does it make you feel when the media says she’s waiting on the sidelines for you to sow your wild oats?” Tess then asked. And there it was; that feel word.

  “Some reporters don’t care for the truth.” Jake both sat back and held back; he couldn’t exactly make an enemy out of reporters.

  “No, no, no, no. She didn’t ask what you thought about it, she asked how it made you feel.” Samantha leaned forward.

  Jesus, how did it make him feel? Jake swallowed. Truthfully, like pounding a few of the so-called journalists, but he couldn’t say that. He looked up. Everyone was waiting expectantly.

  “Uh, Jake? This is live television, the cameras are all zeroing in on you, and people at home are going to think their screen has frozen,” Gretel commented and a few people chuckled.

  “Listen, I just don’t see how the way I feel about ridiculous lies relates to how I’ll run the city.” Jake knew people just wanted to get to know him; he got that now. So he tried his best to look as sincere as he felt.

  “Well, to be blunt, nobody likes a jerk. No matter how smart or resourceful the jerk is. Most people vote for competence and likability, it’s just the way it is. When people think you’ve got a woman just waiting for you while you do as you please, it makes you look like a jerk,” Gretel shot back.

  “When it seems like you buy a property just to hide the women you fool around with from the voting public, it makes you look like a jerk,” Samantha, no longer so friendly, chimed in.

  “When regular everyday Chicagoans see that someone who already seems to have it all now wants their city, too, yet he’s too high and mighty to really talk to the people he wants to lead, it makes you look like a jerk,” Tess threw in.

  Stunned, Jake sat back, feeling every word spoken to him like the lash of a whip. They stung.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Guilty,” Jake finally said.

  “Guilty?” Gretel repeated.

  He closed his eyes briefly before opening them. “When Julia’s name is dragged into this, it makes me feel guilty. She’s a very private person, and she didn’t sign up to be heralded as this, I don’t know, martyr for me when that’s not who she is at all. To be honest, I don’t understand how people can be so quick to judge others yet at the same time completely ignore their own behavior, like how easily they believe a lie about someone they shouldn’t even be focusing on,” Jake finished, not having meant to sound so forceful.

  When he looked up to meet Tess’s eyes he saw she’d gotten what she’d wanted from him: emotion. He looked out at the audience and they were quiet now. Scanning their faces, he saw they were interested in hearing more. More about how he felt.

  “Now that you mention it,” Gretel, continued without pause. “Julia didn’t sign up for this, but you did, Jake. The public already knows what you want to do if you are elected, but our viewer’s want to know why, exactly, you decided to run for mayor.”

  Headlines about him being another wealthy man on a power-trip flashed in his mind. The last person to actually ask him this question instead of guessing at his motivations was Keila. Jake folded his hands between his legs, wondering if he was letting his anxiety show.

  “I want to be mayor because … ” he paused, because only canned words seemed to come to mind. Looking up, this time at Gretel, he decided to do what he did with Keila. Open up. “I don’t have a personal agenda. I know it’s hard for people to believe, but it’s not about some power-trip. It’s about how I’ve always felt about this city … as if it somehow helped raise the best part of who I am. Both the grit and glitter are a part of me. Yes, I was born wealthy, I can’t help that, but I spend my time in places here that, frankly, most people avoid. I care about neighborhoods that many have given up on. And I’m not trying to make others feel responsible because I know everyone has their own lives to worry about and that’s fine. That’s good. People should be productive. I’m just trying to let you know that I do want to take it all on. All of it. From the Gold Coast to the South Side, there are problems and opportunities and they are more interwoven than people think. I just want a chance to take them on.” Jake sat on the edge of his seat, looking at the audience, with a sinking feeling that he’d just bared his guts to people who thought it was just a speech.

  “Look at that, people, Jake Kelly isn’t a robot,” Samantha sang out. The audience laughed and someone began to sing the lyrics to Foreigner’s “Hot-Blooded.” People started to clap along and then, even Jake had to chuckle. A little. Something flew in the air and hit the stage again. Gretel picked it up with a pencil and twirled it a few times. It was a bra.

  “He’s sexy when he’s all worked up!” A female voice shouted from the back of the audience. “Hear that, Jake? You’re sexy when you’re all worked up,” Samantha teased.

  “I am not all worked up,” Jake smiled and sat back again.

  “We’re on to you, Jake. We’re going to a commercial break now, but when we come back, we’ve got a few questions guaranteed to let us know just how hot-blooded Jake can get,” Tess turned to camera one and, to Jake’s mind, promised viewers to barbecue him. Live.

  He looked at his watch. He thought he was doing pretty well, but damn it, only fifteen minutes had passed, and he had fifteen to go. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath, but Tess caught it and laughed. As music played just before they transitioned to the break, she hollered, “Hear that? Jake feels we’re messin’ w
ith his mind!”

  • • •

  Keila, phone in one hand, her other hand to her mouth, watched as Jake began to let go. She smiled when he smiled and was so caught up in him that she didn’t hear when Tess’s personal assistant came back on the line.

  “Hello … Keila? Are you still there? Please still be there.”

  “Yes!”

  “I’m sorry about that, but I had to call Pete and confirm you really are who you say you are, and that he’d given you this number.”

  “It’s okay, I understand. Um, what happens now?”

  “I need you to stay on the line, okay? Stay on the line! I need to talk to Tess before the commercial break is over, and then, my best guess is that she’ll want you to wait until the perfect moment to patch you through to the speaker they have on stage. I’ll let you know soon. Stay on the line!”

  Silence again. Speaker? Crap! What was she doing? But as soon as she looked down at the newspaper again, she knew.

  • • •

  Jake watched as Tess quickly sat down again. She’d been called away and had left looking a little annoyed about it, but she came back with a new spring to her step and a nearly blinding gleam in her eye. The She Said, She Said theme song came on and the murmuring crowd shifted their attention back to them.

  “Where were we?” Tess asked.

  “You promised you’d make Jake’s blood boil!” Samantha answered.

  “Right. A squadron of questions awaits. Who wants to fire first this time?” Tess asked the audience. A slew of hands went up. It took all of Jake’s will power not to wipe his brow. Looking toward Tyrone, he saw his friend’s expression was strained.

  An older woman from the audience stood up. “Was the interior decorator you spent the weekend with just a fling, or did she mean more to you?” She started to sit down, but got up again. “Oh! And are you into older women?” she wiggled her hips.