The Road To Bliss

by Denise N Wheatley

  As Brian rambled on, Timber just sat there, unable to move. Her hands and chin began to tremble. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. She couldn’t believe how delusional Brian had become. It was as if he didn’t even know her anymore. And that was the most painful part of all.

  “But if you want to leave me and just throw everything away that we’ve built together,” Brian continued, “then go ahead. Be my guest. I’m done. You can let yourself out.” And with that, he got up, stormed up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door.

  Timber almost choked on the air that she had just inhaled. She couldn’t believe that their relationship was ending this way. She began to feel nauseous. His home suddenly made her feel unwelcome. She wanted to get as far away from it and him as possible. So she jumped up and ran out as fast as she could.

  After Timber got in her car and pulled off, she let it all out. She cried hard and drove fast and didn’t care if her blurred vision caused her to crash. She just wanted to flee the scene and forget everything that had just happened.

  Timber pulled into her driveway and willed her legs to carry her inside of the house. The minute she walked through the door she called Eva, not caring that it was after four in the morning. Her shaky fingers made three attempts before successfully dialing Eva’s number. When she answered the phone, Timber completely broke down. She didn’t even have to tell her what had happened. Eva guessed it.

  “I’m so sorry, Timmy,” she said, her sleepy tone filled with sympathy. “But I’m honestly not surprised. I saw this coming months ago. And while I know it’s tough, you did the right thing.”

  “You think so?” Timber choked. “Because I feel horrible right now.”

  “Please don’t second guess yourself. You absolutely did the right thing. You want and need more than my father’s willing to give, and you deserve more. Period.”

  Eva’s other line rang. She paused for a moment, then sighed deeply.

  “Timber, this is my father calling,” Eva said quietly. “Just hold on a sec. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” Timber said, irritated that Brian was calling her friend, surely to discuss their breakup. She didn’t care that Eva was his daughter. Didn’t he have a guy friend he could’ve called? As Timber’s irritation grew at the thought of Brian interrupting her venting session, Eva switched back over.

  “Timber,” she said solemnly, “My dad sounds horrible. He is so distraught. I think he may even be crying.”

  “Oh really?” Timber asked, rolling her eyes. “Well he’s got a lot of nerve. I’m the only one who should be in tears here. Why is he crying?”

  “Because he knows he just lost the love of his life,” Eva replied quietly. “Would you mind if I talk to him for a few minutes? I feel so torn, and I hate the thought of leaving you hanging because I know you’re really upset, too. But I promise I’ll call you back as soon as we’re done.”

  “Fine,” Timber huffed. “I’ll be timing you. You’d better call me back in five minutes or less. I shouldn’t let you talk to him at all. I don’t care if he is your father!”

  Eva laughed at Timber, which in turn made Timber laugh in spite of herself. “Yes ma’am,” Eva said. “Five minutes or less!”

  Timber hung up the phone, crawled into bed and turned on the television. She began flipping through the channels while waiting on Eva to call her back in hopes that a good movie would help take her mind off Brian. At least for the time being....

  Chapter Four

  On Friday afternoon, Timber made it into the city right on time to meet Eva at the hair salon. After she walked through the heavy glass doors, past the black marble waiting area and towards the styling stations, she caught sight of the fabulous Eva sitting in her stylist’s chair. She was beautifully dressed in a long gray cashmere coatdress. Side slits revealed her shapely calves. The tall, pencil thin gold heels on her gray suede boots looked too delicate to walk on. Timber smiled and watched Eva swing her long layered highlighted locks while she chatted away.

  Eva held the attention of every stylist and client within earshot as she discussed how she and a popular all-female band that she represented had devised a plan to have them “unexpectedly” crash one of the hottest parties of the fall season. The band surprised all of the guests by not only showing up, but performing a full set as well, much to everyone’s delight. As a result, the event was a huge success and had been written about all over the blogs and social media. The band’s downloads and streaming numbers were at an all-time high. And now Eva’s phone was ringing off the hook with tons of offers for her to plan and promote various events and sign potential new clients.

  “Timmy baby!” Eva yelled the moment she laid eyes on her, jumping up from the chair and running over to hug her.

  “Hey!” Timber laughed as Eva’s enthusiastic embrace almost knocked her to the floor.

  “I am so glad you’re here!” Eva exclaimed before finally letting her go. “And you look so good! I don’t see a hint of sadness or despair anywhere.”

  “It’s called under-eye concealer and acting,” Timber said.

  “Well whatever it is, it’s working,” Eva told her. Then she spun around on her heels slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. “So, do you like my new color? Pierre added some honey blond highlights.”

  “I do. It looks beautiful,” Timber said, running her hand over Eva’s soft, flowing beach waves. “I love it.”

  “Thank you. So are you going to go ahead and let Pierre color your hair today?”

  “I am. And I definitely want a cut,” Timber said. She then approached Pierre and gave him a big hug. “Hi there.”

  “Hey sweetie,” he replied. Pierre was a tall, thin, attractive man with a platinum blond mohawk who never dressed in any color other than black. “What are we getting done today?”

  “I was thinking of some highlights and a cut. As Coco Chanel once said, a woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life. And I absolutely need a change in mine.”

  “Say no more,” Pierre told Timber as he ran his fingers through her hair. “There is nothing like a fresh new hairdo to make you feel brand new. I think I’d like to see you with a nice long bob, or a lob as us stylists like to call it, and some soft caramel highlights. Those will bring out your pretty complexion and features.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Timber said, sitting down in his chair.

  “I think that’s going to look gorgeous!” Eva said. “I can’t believe you’re about to cut your hair. But a change would definitely do you good.”

  “Yes it will,” Timber agreed. “I need a new look to match my new life.”

  Eva smiled at her friend sympathetically and reached down to hug her. “And a great new life it is. Once Pierre is done with your hair, meet me in the spa area. I’ll be getting my mani-pedi and eyebrow wax.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Timber said. Then she looked up at Pierre and whispered, “Isn’t she high maintenance?”

  “You didn’t know?” Pierre laughed. “But the beautiful ones always are.”

  “I’m still within earshot, you know,” Eva called out as she breezed towards the back of the salon, waves of gray cashmere swaying behind her.

  “Gotta love her.” Timber smiled.

  “Absolutely,” Pierre concurred, leading Timber over to the shampoo bowl. As he tied a cape around her neck and began running warm water through her hair, she closed her eyes and started thinking about Brian. Again. She knew it was going to be difficult to get him out of her system. But she also knew that she had made the right decision in breaking up with him. Her life was going in a different direction and Brian just wasn’t willing to compromise and adjust. He was set in his ways and wanted her to follow his lead. For Timber, who was still growing and learning and open to change, that was impossible.

  Eva shared with Timber that during her phone conversation with Brian the day of the breakup, he swore Timber had lost her mind. He felt that she’d made a senseless, irrational decision, an
d was convinced she would eventually come back to him because she needed his guidance and advice.

  “Are you kidding me?” Timber shrieked. Brian is such a narcissist!”

  “And it didn’t stop there,” Eva continued. “He doesn’t foresee Soothing Bliss generating enough profit to maintain your lifestyle, and thinks you’re going to end up running back to Boris, begging for your old job back.”

  “Yep. It’s official. That man has lost his mind.”

  “Well he saved the best for last when he said you’ll never find another man who’ll love you the way he did. By the time he was done I told him that I understand why you and my mother left him. We hung up after that and haven’t spoken since.”

  Timber felt badly about that. She told Eva that she did not want her problems with Brian to interfere with their relationship. But Eva insisted that the situation went way beyond Timber. Their breakup had revealed things to Eva about her father that she never knew existed. She hadn’t realized he was so closed-minded, stubborn, and doubtful.

  Eva wouldn’t stop apologizing to Timber for her father’s obstinate attitude. She promised that she’d help Timber find an amazing man who would be worthy of her.

  Meeting another man was the last thing on Timber’s mind, but Eva was bound and determined to introduce her to someone new in hopes that she would forget all about Brian.

  * * * *

  It took Pierre two hours to transform Timber into a new woman. When he spun her around in his chair and stopped it in front of the mirror, she jumped at her own reflection. Her wispy, shoulder-length layered lob had been flat-ironed into soft, voluminous waves. And her previously jet black hair was now a vibrant, shimmery golden brown.

  “Oh wow,” Timber breathed, turning her head from side-to-side as she stared at her reflection. “I love it. I absolutely love it.”

  “Good, I’m glad,” Pierre said. “I love it, too. You look so good with this cut and color. But when your clients are gorgeous, it’s easy to enhance what they’re already working with. The style really brings out those pretty eyes and high cheekbones.”

  “You’re far too kind. And you don’t have to lie to me. I’m still paying you!”

  “Please stop with the modesty.” Pierre laughed as he spritzed her hair with holding spray. “And Eva said it’s her treat.”

  “That girl,” Timber said shaking her head and getting up from the chair. “She is too much. Such a great friend.” Timber took one last look in the mirror. “I can’t thank you enough, Pierre. I feel better already.”

  “Anytime, love.”

  Timber headed to the back of the salon and entered the spa area. She found Eva sitting at a table with her nails under a dryer. “Ooh, I love it!” Eva gushed when Timber approached her. “It is gorgeous. Do you love it?”

  “I do,” Timber said before noticing that everyone had stopped what they were doing and turned to her. When they all unanimously joined in with Eva and told her they loved her hair, she tried her best to hide her embarrassment while nodding and thanking them all.

  “With this look, you’ll meet someone new in no time,” Eva proclaimed. “Just you wait and see.”

  “Eva, I already told you, meeting someone new is the furthest thing from my mind right now. I’m just glad to be out of the house and doing something fun.”

  “Well I really hope that this weekend helps,” Eva said as she got up and they walked to the front of the salon. She stopped at Pierre’s station and slipped a tip in his pocket. “You worked your magic today, sir,” she told him. “Thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome, love. You girls look gorgeous. Have fun tonight at the premiere!”

  Everyone struggled to catch Eva’s eye and say goodbye to her when she stopped at the reception desk to pay the bill, then turned and walked out.

  “Do you represent the celebrities, or are you actually one of them?” Timber laughed once they were outside.

  “Please,” Eva replied modestly. “I’m just a rep. All those people want is an invitation or a backstage pass. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “Well, at least you’ve got it all in perspective,” Timber said as they climbed inside her car and headed to Eva’s high-rise condominium building.

  “So it’s almost five o’ clock,” Eva said after glancing down at her watch. “We need to be at the theater no later than six-thirty.”

  “We will definitely be there on time,” Timber said, speeding up a bit and maneuvering her car through the rush hour traffic as quickly as possible. “So what is this movie about that we’re going to see?”

  “It’s an action film called ‘Absolutely Nowhere’ starring several A-listers and an up-and-coming actor named Alex Witherspoon. Alex is this young hot thespian as he likes to call himself who’s landed a few minor roles in a few major movies. The industry is buzzing about how his performance in this film just may be the breakout role he needs to catapult him to leading man status. He’s really handsome, but I heard he’s pretty arrogant, too. So I’m not really looking forward to working with him tonight.”

  “And you’ve already got your hands full with me, so the last thing you need is added stress,” Timber quipped as she pulled her car into a space in front of Eva’s building. “But give him a chance. You never know. Maybe those were just rumors that you heard, and he’ll end up being a cool guy.”

  “They never end up being cool guys, but we’ll see,” Eva said unconvincingly.

  She and Timber quickly climbed out of the car and headed up to the twenty-fifth floor of the building. Eva lived in a spacious two-bedroom condo overlooking the city skyline that came equipped with lofted ceilings, a gorgeous fireplace and a spacious balcony. Her décor was just as chic yet colorful as her personality. The living room was filled with unique, modern furniture, and the walls were covered in dramatic abstract paintings. Beautiful silk fabric covered her bedroom walls. Layers of cream chiffon hung from her king size canopy bed, which was covered with a silk teal comforter and dozens of intricately woven pillows.

  “What are you wearing tonight?” Timber asked after she laid out her garment bag.

  “Let me show you.” Eva pulled a sleeveless floor-length emerald green dress from her closet. Then she opened a shoebox containing a pair of shimmering pale gold stiletto pumps.

  “That dress is beautiful,” Timber said. “And those shoes are stunning! Everyone is going to think you’re starring in the movie.”

  “I doubt that,” Eva laughed. “What did you bring to wear?”

  Timber unzipped her garment bag and pulled out everything that she had packed. After reviewing each outfit, she and Eva decided on her fitted magenta halter dress, gold chandelier earrings, and strappy nude heels.

  “Okay, the clock is ticking,” Eva said. “Let’s go get ready!”

  Timber ran into the guest bathroom while Eva rushed into the master. They each showered, re-applied their makeup, and touched up their hair in record time. After slipping on their dresses and switching from their larger handbags to evening clutches, they were out the door by 6:15 p.m.

  When they arrived at the theater, Timber and Eva stepped out of the car and onto the red carpet mania. Cameras were flashing, reporters were probing, stars were smiling, and fans were screaming. Eva easily led the way through the frenzy towards the theater entrance. As Timber followed closely behind her, she caught sight of an extremely handsome man talking to popular blogger. His lean, six-foot tall frame was covered in a perfectly tailored charcoal gray suit. His olive-colored skin glowed radiantly underneath the bright lights. His hazel eyes danced wildly when his perfectly straight smile broke out into laughter. Timber was captivated by his boyish charm and watched as he rubbed his large, manicured hand down the back of his dark, curly hair and politely refused to answer a personal question. She was also a bit taken aback by the raven-haired, snub nosed woman who was standing next to him. She was dressed very provocatively in a tight red dress and hanging onto the man’s arm as well as his every word.
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  Timber was so busy eyeing the woman that she hadn’t noticed the man eyeing her. When she did, Timber quickly looked away in red-faced embarrassment. When she inconspicuously looked back, he was still staring at her. His scantily clad date noticed him eyeing Timber as well and seemed displeased with his visual indiscretion. She threw Timber a look of possessive arrogance and moved in closer to him, if that was even possible. Timber quickly turned back around, now feeling even more embarrassed, and followed Eva inside of the theater lobby.

  Agents, managers and assistants bombarded Eva as soon as she walked through the door with issues regarding their clients’ features, future interviews, appearances, invitations, etc. She told them all to call her, then strolled over to the producers of Absolutely Nowhere. After a brief hello, they immediately began asking dozens of questions.

  “Eva, have you seen Gerald?” Harry asked, who worked as an executive producer on the film. “I heard he’s got the flu, but I don’t care if he’s on his deathbed. He’d better be here tonight.”

  “He’s actually on his way,” Eva replied confidently, scrolling through her phone to make sure that’s what Gerald’s agent had text her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had, then looked back up at Harry. “So no worries, he’ll be here.”

  “Well what about tonight’s media coverage?” co-executive producer Agnes asked. “Did you reach out to all the heavy-hitters and confirm their attendance?”

  “Absolutely. Every major publication, entertainment television show, blog, and radio host will be on the red carpet. I’ve got it all covered,” Eva smiled.

  “Well I hope you were also able to convince Gerard not to walk the red carpet with that eighteen-year old alcoholic Instagram model he’s dating,” Agnes continued. “And I’m using the term model extremely loosely. She made a fool out of him at the last event they attended together with all that drunken carrying on she did.”