by Cora Davies
A quiet Weezer song played, and Hailey hummed along-though if she was asked later that night she would not be able to say what song it was. She was too busy swimming in Eric's eyes. He had her in the palm of his hand with that gaze. She knew it. What was worse was she knew he knew it. She tried to lean back, look away, anything to break the spell, but she was gone. Not so far gone that she was going to hand him the rights on a silver platter, but gone enough that she would consider it.
"Is it getting hot in here?" She asked fanning herself with her left hand. She looked away to the stage, watching as a few more couples danced under the spotlight. She pulled her sweatshirt off and stuffed it under her chair. She was only mildly aware of Eric's gaze on her chest but she knew if she kept her sweatshirt on a moment longer, she would begin to sweat.
"If you played Thomas, would you be the same guy?" She took a sip of water as she waited for an answer, and felt as a bead of water slid past the corner of her lips and down her chin. Great. Now I'm sweating and drooling.
"I'll always be the same guy-but I just won't go around doing stupid stuff for the cameras anymore." Eric reached across the table and tucked a strand of Hailey's long dark hair behind her ear. When his skin touched hers she jumped back as another shock hit their skin. He pulled his hand slowly away from her face. "Damn shock. Is it always so dry here?"
"Always," Hailey said pulling herself out of the moment. Stupid movie star. Making her feel all woozy. Hailey forced a mental image of Herb in front of her. Dependable. Does not get into bar fights. Does not have a trail of blonds following him wherever he goes. She swallowed hard. "I'll tell you what, I'll think about it."
Eric set the glass of scotch down as soon as he picked it up. He looked at her questioningly. "You'll think about..."
"Signing over the rights. I'll consider it." Hailey laughed as Eric slapped the table.
"Hell yeah!" Eric smiled and pumped his fist once. Hailey rolled her eyes. He might be a movie star, but he might also be a closet dork with moves like that. "Now how can I turn that think about it into a yes?"
"I'll let you know when I think of it," she said as Eric flagged down the waitress with the tray of shots again.
"Great! While you think of it let's drink." He set a shot in front of her and they both slammed them down.
"I love this song!" Hailey cheered as a Beck song came on. "It's Loser!"
"I know what it is," Eric said before cocking his head to the side. "Now I know why this place feels weird-like a movie set or something. I feel like I'm in a 90s movie."
"The music!" Hailey clapped once. "The first Friday of every month is 90s night!"
"There is a period in my life I'm glad is over," Eric said.
"What? The nineties were the best! Best music, best clothes, best movies, and best TV shows."
Eric laughed and shook his head. "Maybe some good stuff from the nineties, but the music? Come on. Grunge? Alternative?"
"Yes."
"I'd figure you for more of an Adele fan than a Nirvana fan."
"Why?"
"You know, you're a romance writer."
Hailey rolled her eyes. "Why can't I like both?" Eric shrugged. "Okay, deserted island I'd take Nirvana with me. But, I do like to sing to Adele in the shower. What CD would you take to a deserted island?"
"That game is dumb." Eric sipped his scotch and looked around the room. Hailey noticed the bar was becoming busier now. He looked like he was afraid he was going to be spotted again.
"How is it dumb? It is a national pastime."
"If I knew I was going to a deserted island I would bring a helicopter and a pilot, not a CD."
"You're no fun." Hailey pouted then almost pinched herself. Was she flirting? She was, and Eric had noticed. He was focused on her more than he was earlier. She looked at his glass; he was drinking a lot too. Maybe it was time to stick with the water. She looked around the room desperate for a distraction and saw a couple of women she recognized from the PTA looking for a place to sit.
"I think it's mom's night out," Hailey said pointing to the two women. "I'm going to invite them to sit with us."
Eric nodded but Hailey thought he looked disappointed. Maybe he had expected her to find him some women to hook up with. Is that what celebrities did everywhere they went? She rolled her eyes and waved the two women over.
Dressed almost identically in long skirts and plunging blouses, the two women were easily ten years older than Hailey. Their height difference was enough to make Hailey chuckle. One was Hailey's height at barely a few inches over five feet, the other was easily six feet tall.
"You guys can sit with us if you want." Hailey pushed a few drinks in front of them. "Here, have a drink."
"Thank you! Hailey right? I'm Marsha and this is Betty. We're out for Betty's birthday, but, it turns out we aren't really bar flies." Marsha, the tall one, and Betty, the short one, each took a shot. Marsha turned to Eric. "Are you sure you don't mind if we crash your da-Oh my stars in all the whatsit. You're Eric James!"
"Guilty." Eric flashed that damn smile and both women squealed in delight.
"You're on a date with Eric James?" Betty asked grabbing Hailey's bare arm.
"Oh, god no!" Hailey said louder than she meant and laughed when Eric faked a sad puppy dog face. "It's work stuff."
"Work stuff, like for your ranch? Oh!" Betty grabbed Eric's sleeve. "Are you doing a ranch movie? You're researching a role aren't you?"
"Something like that." Eric winked at Hailey. Hailey suddenly had an idea. She listened to Betty and Marsha as they droned on about their family ranches and how Eric could come by anytime for research. Hailey did not take her eyes off Eric. She could feel her brain working overtime.
Eric had not worked a day of hard labor in his life had he? Well, she was sure some of his movie roles had been demanding... But up before the sun, back breaking work?
"That's right." The trio looked at Hailey surprised to hear her speak after her five minutes of silence. "Eric is here working my ranch. He's researching a role."
CHAPTER EIGHT
"I knew it!" Betty said clapping; Hailey noticed the woman had braces on her top teeth.
Eric raised his eyebrow at Hailey but she refused to move a muscle on her face.
"I am?" Eric asked.
"You are. Didn't you say that was the only way you could prove yourself worthy of the role? A full 2 weeks of work on my ranch." It was perfect timing. Jason had been telling her the other day he wanted to hire a few guys on for two weeks as soon as possible. The ranch opened for the season in a few weeks and there were a couple of projects that he needed extra hands for. This way she could save some money and give Jason an extra hand. She would be out money as soon as Eric quit with his tail between his legs and she had to hire an actual worker, but in the meantime it was perfect.
"I guess I did," Eric said, one corner of his mouth turning up. Hmmm, not a smile I've seen yet.
Seconds later, Hailey promised to be the official purse babysitter when Marsha and Betty pulled Eric onto the dance floor. She smiled and took a long pull off her beer. It was perfect. She could give him a chance. A chance which he would either fail miserably at or back out of within days. She was sure of it. He'd be outside messing stuff up, not inside being her problem. Then he could head back to Hollywood whenever he wanted-completely defeated and promising to leave her alone.
Over the next hour, various women and the occasional man came by her table and talked to her. They would pretend at first they were happy to see her and make idle conversation. But mostly, they wanted to ask about Eric. She obliged them with telling them what he was like but quickly urged them to go out on the dance floor and talk to him themselves. Soon Eric was dancing in a sea of women. Hailey was laughing hysterically and talking with one of the boyfriends of the women out on the floor. She noticed his eyes kept straying to her chest and thought about covering up but the alcohol still made her feel too warm to put her heavy sweatshirt back on.
"Ha
iley." Hailey looked away from the dance floor surprised to see Herb standing next to her.
"Herb!" She felt more excited to see him than usual. She jumped out of her chair and felt all the alcohol from the evening surge forward at once. She wrapped her arms around him to keep from falling over. He stood stiffly against her not returning the hug. She looked up at him. "Are you mad?"
"You are drunk." Herb did not look at Hailey but instead scanned the room.
"What are you doing here?" She unwrapped herself from around his chest and stepped back to look at him. She never noticed but he was only a couple inches taller than her. "That's why I wear flats all the time!"
"I got a call from Michael. He said you were down here getting wasted with a guy who looked like Hawkman." Herb ignored her second statement.
"Are you mad because I didn't invent-invention-ugh! Invite you? I thought you were busy with your taxman stuff?" Hailey asked swaying slightly.
"I thought you were having a meeting?" Herb said still scanning the room behind Hailey. He stopped looking around and his eyes paused in the direction of the dance floor. He sighed. "And I see Mr. James is drunk too?"
Hailey looked at the sea of people by the DJ. Eric was in the middle of at least fifteen women who were dancing around him. She saw Betty and Marsha but did not recognize the others. They were all doing various versions of what looked like a stripper dance-even though the DJ was playing Stupid Girl by Garbage. Hailey burst out with a single laugh when she realized what song it was.
As hard as they were dancing, as much as they were trying-Eric was not looking at any of them. He was staring at Hailey and Herb.
Hailey looked back at Herb. "I think he's just having fun."
Herb reached under the table and came out with Hailey's purse and hoodie. "Put this on."
It dawned on Hailey that Herb had never seen the dress before. She struck a pose.
"Do you like this dress? I call it my "fuck me" dress." Hailey laughed, then stopped when she saw the look of disgust on Herb's face. He held her hoodie out to her.
"I'm taking you home before you do something stupid. Of course knowing you it's probably already too late for that." Herb waved hello to someone who was probably one of his clients and Hailey felt crestfallen. She had forgotten how irresponsible Herb thought she was. "You're a mother you know Hailey."
"Hi Herb, how're you doing?" Eric said. Hailey felt Eric approach before she saw him. She wondered how she did that? Or was it just another trick from the alcohol?
"I'm just fine Eric. I'm taking Hailey home. Can we offer you a ride too, or will you be..." Herb trailed off as he looked at the women standing at the edge of the dance floor waiting for Eric to return. Hailey stuffed her head through the hole in her hoodie just in time to look out and see Eric blow a kiss to his group of dancing women. She almost laughed but when she caught sight of Herb again she snapped herself into seriousness. She felt a little silly standing at attention in her dress in the middle of the bar but no one seemed to notice her.
"Sure, I'll take that ride," Eric said and held his hand out towards the exit as if to say lead the way.
Hailey walked ahead with Herb and heard people saying hi to Eric and asking for his autograph. Herb and Hailey paused just outside the front door and waited for Eric as he talked to his fans. The cold air on her face sobered Hailey almost immediately and she was ready to go home. "We could just go without him. I'm sure someone would give him a ride home."
Herb stared at her as though she was dense. "Yes, we'll send him off with any crazy person. Hailey, sometimes you act incredibly irresponsible."
"That's the thing, isn't it?" Hailey willed the words to come out-an argument overdue. Words she had wanted to tell Herb a hundred times over but never had. "I'm not really. I'm pretty damn responsible actually."
Herb laughed. "You're like a sixteen-year-old girl trapped in a woman's body. Honestly, I'm quite surprised you and your daughter have made it this far without your husband."
Hailey felt as though she had been slapped across the face. Herb had laid in on her before for her irresponsibility, but he had never said anything like that. She stood in stunned silence until Eric came outside.
"Sorry, Herb, my man, duty calls in there." Eric smiled. After looking between the two he changed his smile out for a more serious expression. "Should I just grab a cab?"
"No," Herb said. "Of course not! Here, my truck's over here."
Hailey threw open the door to the backseat and hopped in. Eric stood confused for a moment but then climbed into the front passenger seat. Hailey sat in silence on the way to the hotel while Herb asked Eric questions about Hollywood, about actresses, and scripts. She rolled her eyes as Herb asked questions about her book in particular, and the process of turning it into a script if the movie rights were signed over. Mostly, she just ignored them as she mulled Herb's comment around in her head.
How dare he? For a woman who wrote for a living she could not compose any argument in her head except how dare he in the entire fifteen-minute drive. What did that mean? Was she really at a loss for words? Or was she just completely uninterested in arguing with Herb? Was Herb worth salvaging?
Did Eric kind of have a point when it came to her and Herb? If there was no passion, no drive, no pull towards each other, then why was she with him? Hell, even around a man like Eric James (who got under her skin and she had envisioned clobbering over the head at least six times since she met him) she felt more of a sexual connection than she did to Herb. It might not have to be love but it could be something. Right?
"Here we go. Nicest in town. I'm sure it's still nothing like what you're used to out in California, huh?" Herb said as he pulled up to Eric's hotel parking lot.
"It's perfect for what I need. Sleep mostly," Eric laughed, then he leaned over the headrest to look at Hailey. "So, what time tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" she asked.
"The work... on the ranch," Eric said slowly. "Unless you were just putting those women on."
"Oh, that!" Hailey resisted the urge to smack herself on the forehead. She had forgotten about the ranch already. "I'll let Jason tell you what time is best. You'll be reporting to him. But for tomorrow let's say six AM."
Eric whistled slowly. "AM is the morning right?"
Herb coughed and Hailey controlled the urge to laugh. "Yes Mr. James, that would be the morning."
"See you then," Eric said winking at her, then looking at Herb. "Thanks for the lift man."
"Yeah of course." Herb nodded quickly.
Eric stepped out and looked at Hailey one last time. "Do you want me to leave the door open?"
"No, I'm good," she said and with that Eric shut the door and walked to the front door of the hotel. Hailey tried not to watch him as he moved but her eyes were drawn to that perfect ass. How many squats had she figured again?
Herb pulled out of the parking lot and started on the long drive back to the ranch. He played with the radio until he found a station with quiet classical music. "I can take you back to get your truck tomorrow."
"No, it's okay," she said shaking her head.
"Look, Hails, I'm sorry about what I said," Herb said. Hailey studied her hands as they glowed and dimmed again and again under each passing streetlight. "I didn't mean to bring up Paul like that. I know it's a touchy subject."
"Touchy?" Haily looked up and caught Herb's eye in the rear view mirror. "What you said was way out of line."
"I didn't mean any-"
"He was the love of my life."
Herb sighed. "It's been eight years. You should be able to talk about him to people."
"I do talk about Paul-not to you. And what you said earlier was not talking about Paul. That was cutting me down in his name. That was fucked up." Hailey crossed her arms.
Herb sighed. "You know how I feel about women swearing."
Hailey jutted out her bottom lip. She thought about the waitress the other night. No wonder she thought Herb was my dad. He sure talks to me like o
ne.
They rode in silence up the muddy path to her house. Herb placed the truck in park and climbed out as Hailey did. She walked faster than him feeling tired and irritated, but Herb was quick on her heel. "I'm going out of town in a few days. Do you remember? For that conference in Milwaukee."
"I remember," she said staring at her own tapping toes.
"I've been thinking, maybe we should take a break for a while. You can still call me if you need anything, but honestly Hailey, I just don't have time for any of this right now. Do you?" Herb asked and Hailey looked at him in surprise. She had not expected this. She had expected another talk about responsibility and growing up. But was he breaking up with her? "I mean, I know we only see each other once a week, but I felt a little responsible tonight to come to the bar and make sure you were okay. But I have a stack of papers waiting back at the office for me, and..."
"A break, or...?"
"What do you think is best?" Herb asked. She felt bad for him suddenly. Herb deserved someone like him-someone who would make him happy. They stepped into this pseudo relationship thinking they were doing each other a favor, but maybe it had just been harmful.
"I think we had a really good six months." Hailey felt as though a tear should fall but her eyes were dry.
"I think so too, Hailey." Herb pulled Hailey into his arms and she returned the embrace. He was wearing the cologne she bought him for Christmas. He pulled back from her. "Just do me a favor okay?"
"Sure."
"Be careful with this Eric James guy," Herb said surprising her. "He comes in here Mr. Fancy Hollywood, but he's just here to get what he wants from you. Don't forget that."
"I thought you really liked him?" Hailey asked.
"I do but that's because holy crap, Hailey!" Herb laughed and put his hands up in a cheer. "He's freakin' Hawkman."