Strangers in the Night

by Ines Saint

  Clearing his throat, Jake again just coached himself to answer honestly. “I hired the decorator a while back to take a look at the house, to give me some ideas. We didn’t see eye to eye and I never saw her again. I don’t think she spent more than twenty minutes in the house — ”

  “Twenty minutes is plenty of time!” someone from the audience shouted.

  “Sure it is,” Jake smiled again. “But nothing happened. No intimacy, not even a personal conversation.”

  “Well, we’ve heard your side before; your camp already denied this, so it really is just a matter of people deciding who they’ll believe, a case of ‘he said, she said,’ if you will,” Gretel stated.

  “Maybe not. Maybe new information has come up … but I’ll just save that for later,” Tess responded mysteriously. Samantha and Gretel quickly turned to her, eyes inquisitive.

  “Ooooooh,” the audience duly sang in unison.

  What the hell? Jake’s head snapped to Tyrone, who shrugged in an exaggerated manner.

  “You haven’t answered what you think about older women,” Tess reminded him, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.

  Jake figured it was time to kiss up to the audience. Big time. Just in case. “There are many older women who I think are beautiful, sexy, and just incredibly smart and wise,” he said, serving up his best smile. And then, to add the icing, he truthfully added, “Starting with my mother.”

  That garnered more than a few “ahhs,” and one loud “bull!”

  “Well, I think that’s great,” Samantha clasped her hands as Gretel laughed, pointed to the audience, and said, “He’s putting the moves on you, people. He senses danger ahead.” Then, abruptly, she ordered. “Next question!” Jake sat up.

  Hands went up, and a young woman was chosen this time. “You’ve denied affairs with the decorator and Julia Hamilton, but what about the mystery woman?”

  Jake instantly shut down. “I’m sorry, but I won’t discuss her.”

  “You don’t have to give her name up, we understand that, but how do you explain her? You’re carrying her in one picture and kissing her in another. This was obviously more than a friend or someone you happened to hire,” Samantha nudged.

  “We’re not ninnies, Jake. You’re a single man and in my opinion, perfectly within your rights to pursue as many women as you’d like, but even I have to wonder if any of them have ever meant anything to you and if not, how much of a heart you have. I want my mayor to have a heart, dammit!” Gretel slapped her thigh and both Tess and Samantha chuckled.

  Jake stared at Gretel. Of course he had a heart, and right now, it was full of protectiveness for Keila. He was not offering her up to the public; he’d rather lose the campaign. “I know how it looks, but I’m not protecting myself; I swear it,” he finally said, again just going for heartfelt truth.

  “You’re protecting the woman in the picture. I think most people can respect that. What we want to know is what does she mean to you, Jake?” Tess prodded, gently.

  Jake sat back, his hand rubbing his temple, a headache beginning to thud there. What was he supposed to answer to that? What if Keila was watching?

  “Just say the truth,” Samantha prompted.

  “Or we can move on to the next question. For now,” Tess shrugged.

  “Move on? We’ve really got him squirming — ” Samantha began to protest before being interrupted by an upset Gretel who asked, “Hey! When was the show renamed Tess Says? I didn’t get that memo.”

  Jake was grateful the bickering women had taken the attention off of him. Until Tess said, “I’m sorry, but something came up a few minutes ago. Just trust me and look at the screen behind us.” She gave someone offstage a signal and seconds later, the images of Jake and Keila dancing at Chicago SummerDance came on. A few exclamations from the audience that Keila might be the mystery woman after all reached him.

  As he sat there, his thoughts whirling, anxiety churning in his stomach, a comforting scent that immediately made him think of Filip surrounded him. A split-second later he realized what the smell was. He took a whiff. It was Vicks VapoRub and Bengay. They were messing with his mind in more ways than one, showing him pictures of Keila, making the set smell like Filip …

  “Which one of you is using Vicks and Bengay?” Jake turned to the women. They all stared back as if he’d gone mad.

  Many in the audience laughed and Gretel gave him a cutting look. “Now that is one lame distraction. Surely a politician can come up with something better than that.” She turned to Tess. “Why are we showing pictures of the violinist? Is she the mystery woman? I thought she had an alibi.”

  “Who’s hiding the Vicks and Bengay?” Jake tried again, not amused by the prank. Jake turned to Tyrone, who was sniffing around, too. Tyrone shrugged, signaling he couldn’t smell anything.

  He next wondered whether he was losing his mind or if Filip was somehow trying to reach out to him in his hour of desperation. He quickly decided he was losing his mind.

  Samantha looked into Jake’s eyes and apparently saw something there because, much to the audience’s amusement, she got up to smell both Tess and Gretel and look around the scant stage furnishings before settling down again and saying. “Absolutely nothing smells like Vicks and Bengay, Jake,” she chided. “Now, why are we showing the hot pictures of Keila Diaz and Jake again? To ask Jake about her? We’re only going to get another denial out of him.” Samantha turned to Tess.

  “Keila Diaz called my private line a little while ago. We’ve confirmed it’s her, and she has something she’d like to share with the people of Chicago,” Tess explained.

  Jake finally gave up. He didn’t know what was happening, why the set smelled like Filip, why Keila was calling in, or how it was all going to end, but things had spun out of his control.

  “Hello?” he heard Keila’s voice on the line. He swallowed hard.

  “Hello, Keila. You told me there’s something you need to share with our viewers?” Tess prompted.

  A sigh came over the line and Jake felt powerless because he couldn’t protect her. What was she doing?

  Keila cleared her throat. “Just that Jake hasn’t lied to you. Julia Hamilton and I are friends and I know for a fact that she and Jake really are just friends. She’d, well, actually like him to find someone.”

  A splatter of “So do we!” shouts from the audience quieted Keila, who laughed softly. “And then I’m also calling in about the interior decorator’s story.” There was a pause and Jake realized he was gripping his chair so tightly, his hands hurt. “She says she was worried about people seeing them through a bay window at the house in Kankakee, but there’s no bay window anywhere in that house. You’d think a decorator would have a good eye and not make that mistake, I think … no, I’m sure she made the whole story up, not just the part about the non-existent bay window.”

  “And how do you know there’s no bay window in that house?” Gretel, eyebrows raised, asked. Many in the audience were leaning forward.

  “I know because … ” Another sigh, this time deeper. “I’m the woman he’s carrying in the picture. Jake invited to go up with him after I’d had a particularly bad day, but not because we were dating or anything. We never lied about that.” Keila now sounded nervous and unsure.

  “But you’re obviously kissing in the picture,” Gretel began, but she was cut off by Jake.

  “She said what she wanted to say, so just leave her alone now, she’s obviously uncomfortable.”

  “What about you, are you uncomfortable?” Gretel shot back.

  “Hell yeah!” Jake splayed his hands out. Everyone burst out laughing.

  The line above went dead. He couldn’t help wonder what Keila was thinking now. His heart was no longer in the show, it was with Keila. She’d called and put herself out there to help him. How was she feeling? Why would she do that for him? And why did it still smell like Vicks and Bengay? He felt like he was finally coming undone.

  “Fine, then let’s get back to
where we were before Keila called in.” Tess quickly stepped in. “You were about to tell us how you feel about … the mystery woman.”

  Jake looked at Tess. Tess looked at Jake. The whole set went still and quiet. Not even Gretel or Samantha made a sound. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him.

  “I’d rather tell her in private. And in person.” He stood up, looked around at the cameras, trying to figure out which one was focused on him. “Keila, please meet me … ” God, how could he tell her where without half of Chicago showing up? He could call her or …

  Well, everyone already knew they’d kissed. “Meet me where we shared our first kiss. As soon as you can. I’ll be waiting.” Jake was about to take off his microphone but instead looked at a camera again and said, “Please show up.”

  He then ripped his microphone off and took off without a backward glance. Excited hoots and hollers followed him out.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Her heart thundering, Keila ran up the steps, two at a time, went to the closet and whipped out the first pair of jeans and sweater she saw, not caring that the jeans were too big and the sweater had a dorky snowman on it. She pulled them on, slipped her cell phone into her pocket, flew down the stairs, slipped her arm through her winter coat, opened the door, and saw a reporter already at her door. She’d probably come down as soon as Keila had spoken on TV.

  A stampede and clattering in the kitchen caught her attention. Slamming the front door, she ran to the back, where her mother, her Aunt Gina, Tania, Robbie, and Mia were scattering in through the back door. “We watched the whole thing. Que romántico!” her aunt Gina called out.

  “Come on, let’s go. The car’s in front of Mr. Patowski’s house. We cut through Robbie’s back yard. Don’t worry, we’ll lose the paps, hija!” her mother exclaimed.

  “The paps? There’s just one reporter, ma. This isn’t Hollywood, You’re overreacting.”

  “Where was your first kiss?” Robbie demanded as they cut through Robbie’s yard and entered his house.

  “I can’t believe you put yourself out there like that, Keila. I swear I wanted to strangle you,” Tania shook her head.

  “She really did want to strangle you. And Jake,” Aunt Gina said.

  “At The H,” she said to Robbie before turning to Tania. “You came to strangle me? ‘Cause let me tell you, I’m fighting back. I’ve had it with your gloom and doom when it comes to relationships.”

  “No. I didn’t come to strangle you. I came to talk, but they won’t let me. I need to talk to you, Keila, I really do.”

  Everyone began scolding and chastising Tania at the same time and they sounded like a bunch of squabbling hens. “Stop!” Keila called. And they stopped. “Just give us a moment, okay? I promise I won’t let her get to me.”

  Amid protests, she dragged her sister into Robbie’s living room. “You’re not going to talk me out of this, Tania. There’s no way, my heart’s made up.”

  “Just hush, okay?” Tania interrupted before putting her hand on her forehead and sitting down on a sofa arm. When she looked up, a big, fat tear was rolling down her cheek and Keila instantly sat beside her, taking her sister’s hand. Her sister hadn’t cried in years.

  “I don’t want to be like this, Keila. I really don’t. I don’t want to be negative. I just want to be the voice of reason. I love you so, so much and I don’t want you to ever feel so profoundly stupid that you just know you can never trust your judgment again. Or to ever question why you aren’t special enough to have the person you put so much trust in to love you enough. Just enough.” Tania trembled and Keila put her arm around her. “You have to be careful who you trust with your heart, Keila, you have to realize their inner thoughts and feelings can be wholly unknown to you, but their effects can end up hurting you badly.”

  “I love you, too, Tania. Please stop holding on so tight to things that hurt, it kills us all to see you do that.” Keila and Tania hugged until exasperated voices called them from outside.

  Tania wiped her eyes. “I think I can at least try to let go of worrying over you. That has to be a start. But no matter how this plays out I’m going to be there for you. Starting today. I love my daughter and because of her, I can’t regret anything, and I don’t want you to have regrets, either. So get off your butt; you need to go meet Jake so we can see how this whole thing will turn out,” she instructed, getting up, her no-nonsense, bossy attitude back.

  They marched over to Mr. Patowski’s house, Mr. Patowski looking at them quizzically from his front porch. Opening the door to her car, her sister said, “Now squeeze in, dammit.”

  “Both of you squeeze in and hide. If any of you are recognized, they’ll follow us! I’ll drive.” Aunt Gina took the keys away from Tania, who loudly protested. “No way, I’ve seen you drive, crazy woman. And what’s with this ‘we’ll be recognized and followed’ crap? You guys are watching way too much Access Hollywood.”

  A minute later, they were on their way, a maniac at the wheel. As they zipped through the city at questionable speeds, Julia called to let Keila know she’d be waiting at the hotel with the special key card.

  What seemed like an eternity later, Aunt Gina raced the car around the back of the hotel and Robbie and Tania practically shoved her out of the car. Keila made her way to the kitchen, as Julia had instructed, relieved there weren’t any reporters at all.

  Both Julia and Patty were there with the key card, but Patty grabbed Keila, hugged her hard and wouldn’t let go. Julia had to step in and remind her Jake was waiting. Keila now walked slowly, unsure of what would happen next.

  As soon as she stepped out onto the roof top garden she saw him, but he was dressed in completely different clothes than those she had just seen him in. Sporting a faded coat, hoodie, and jeans, he looked, as usual, sexy and dangerous to her well-being. He didn’t move, just stood back and studied her.

  Keila, feeling more insecure than ever, looked around the rooftop garden. Finally, she looked up at him. “You had time to change?” she asked, as if they were old friends meeting on the streets, and not one-time lovers.

  “One of the production assistants and I switched clothes. His idea. Tyrone led him out, head down, and everyone thought he was me. I took a bus and the L, and kept my head low, too,” Jake smiled and Keila’s heart skipped in her chest, as if it were trying to get nearer to him. They each took a few steps toward each other and Jake took hold of her hand. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

  Her heart dancing wildly, she took the plunge. “I really want to know how you feel about the mystery woman.”

  “The one I danced with last summer? Or the one who wiped the floor with me during a news conference this fall? Or do you mean the one I spent the hottest weekend of my life with this Thanksgiving?”

  Keila bit her lip and nodded.

  Jake looked away from her. “Well, she keeps walking away from me, and each time she leaves, it cuts me, deeper and deeper. I’m not sure I want to just open myself up to her like that, and then have her walk away again.” He looked at her again, his eyes more blue than the unusually bright winter sky.

  Keila looked into those beautiful eyes. “Maybe she wouldn’t walk away if she knew exactly what it was you wanted from her,” she challenged.

  They just stared at each other for a beat and she shook her head, not wanting to come to yet another standstill with Jake Kelly. “I’m scared too, you know. I don’t want to lay my heart here at your feet and then find out you’re not sure about anything.” Keila stepped into him and buried her head in his chest, knowing she never wanted to leave, and fearing the immediate future. He took her face in his hands, and leaned down for a slow, hot, yet desperately lonely kiss she felt everywhere.

  “I’m so in love with you it hurts,” Keila finally said, wiping tears away. “There, I said it first, are you happy?”

  Jake hugged her close and spoke so low she had to strain to hear him. “I love you so much it scares the hell out of me. If I open myself up to you,
if I start to think you and I can have what I’ve never allowed myself to hope I can have, and you decide to leave … ”

  Keila laughed softly and sniffled. “We’re a sorry pair then, all hurt and scared.”

  “I don’t want us to stay that way and I don’t want us to just try to get over everything that makes us hold back. I want to make this pact that we will let go. I won’t hurt you, Keila. I swear I’ll love you so well … ” he kissed her neck, sliding his hands completely around her waist.

  She sighed and unconsciously began to sway softly, as if they were dancing to a slow, sultry song only she could hear. He began to move along with her.

  Keila slipped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer to her, still moving in time, loving his kisses along her neck. “Okay. I’ll let go, and I’ll give this my all but you have to promise we’ll go slow. We’ll date. We’ll really open up and get to know everything about one another. We’ll argue politics till we’re blue in the face, but no talk of the future.”

  “I agree. We’ll argue politics till you come over to my side, and we’ll give this our all, but just here and now, one day at a time,” he said, his warm breath tickling her ear. Keila sighed, placed her head on his shoulder, and let herself be happy. There was no way he’d ever get her to see his side, so they had all the time in the world.

  “Promise me you won’t shut me out,” Keila whispered. “I don’t want to have to guess how you feel or what you’re thinking … ”

  “Okay. Just don’t walk away from me, Keila,” Jake repeated, softly.

  They were going to take things nice and slow. With the elections in just three months and her busy schedule of practice and performances, it’s not like they had a choice.

  Keila closed her eyes and for the first time in years, she felt truly at peace with herself.

  EPILOGUE

  February 28th, Chicago Winter Dance Festival