Dream Date

by Ivan Kendrick

  “I shouldn’t have opened my heart to Nathan. I’m angry and embarrassed for having come between him and Kayla. I should tell her I’m sorry.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Emmy asked.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Judith said. “Just stay away from them both. You don’t need them complicating your life.”

  Amanda gave a half-smile.

  “I guess not.”

  “You should find yourself something to keep your mind occupied,” Judith suggested. “Maybe you could schedule more photo shoots.”

  “I have one, actually. It’s with Rachel Edwards, a friend of Marissa who would love to photograph me.”

  “When is the photo shoot?”

  “I’m working on that with Hilbert. Hopefully, it’ll be a week or two before Thanksgiving.”

  Hilbert was in his office, working on Amanda’s contract with Ralph Lauren. In the years that he’d been representing her, Amanda had become very successful.

  Now, Hilbert wished he were just as successful in his personal life. At 27, he was already starting to feel a little old. Hilbert didn’t want to be in his thirties and unmarried. By then, he’d probably have gray hair on his temples.

  There was only one woman Hilbert wanted to marry. She was, unfortunately, too stubborn and blind to see all that he had to offer her. Amanda had no idea how many women wished they were in her position.

  As he browsed through files on his computer, Hilbert’s desk phone rang. It was his assistant.

  “Sir, Rebecca Jenkins is here to see you.”

  Hilbert hesitated for a second. For the past week, he had been waiting for the best moment to tell Rebecca that they were through. He would do anything to have Amanda….even if it meant sacrificing his arm candy. And Rebecca was almost as attractive as Amanda. Almost.

  “Let her in, Julie.”

  A few seconds later, Rebecca entered.

  “Rebecca. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “You didn’t answer my phone last night,” Rebecca said without preamble. Hilbert stood back in his chair, crisscrossing his fingers.

  “I was busy.”

  Rebecca sneered, sitting down on a chair in front of Hilbert’s desk. She crossed one leg over the other.

  “I’ve been hearing that same answer lately.”

  “But I really am busy. I’m handling important contracts for my clients.”

  “We both know that’s not the only thing that’s been demanding all your time. I know what you do during all those flights to Ithaca.”

  “Those are business trips.”

  “Yeah, and that business has a name. Amanda Tilley.”

  Hilbert stood up straighter.

  “What’s your point, Rebecca?”

  “I just want to let you know that I’m not some woman you can rebound to whenever you get a whim. I’m serious about you, but if you aren’t, you can kiss me goodbye.”

  Hilbert chuckled, rubbing his designer stubble.

  “That’s just why I’m drawn to you. You’re a sweet little firecracker.”

  Rebecca didn’t seem the slightest bit amused.

  “I just want to know something,” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Is Amanda just a whim for you? Everyone knows how you are with women.”

  “That’s wrong. I keep my private life private.”

  “You get my point. You never become attached to any woman. All you want them for is…you know.”

  “So?”

  “Amanda and I are the only women you’ve cared about enough to let us know you better. I…you are special to me. Is Amanda a whim?”

  “No. Why would you care?”

  “Because I’m afraid she will hurt you. I’ve already told you this.”

  Hilbert let out a disbelieving laugh.

  “Please. She can’t hurt me unless she withdrew sex from me indefinitely.”

  “You’ve never been with her, dumbass. How can you ache over what you’ve never had?”

  “It’s not hard to imagine how incomparable sex with Amanda would be. I can’t wait.”

  “Frankly, I’m concerned about your obsession with her, Hilbert.”

  Hilbert narrowed his eyes.

  “Why is everyone bent on calling my feelings toward Amanda an ‘obsession’?”

  “Because sex is all you want her for.”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “But it is,” Rebecca insisted. “Amanda doesn’t love you. No matter how attractive she is, one day you’re going to have enough. You’ll be disappointed. You’ll feel terrible for wasting all those years.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “So you think. Amanda doesn’t love you. I do.”

  Hilbert’s eyes widened slightly.

  “You have? Well, dear, that’s not my problem. I didn’t ask you to succumb to that.”

  Rebecca frowned.

  “You say that as if it were a bad thing. I thought you cared more about me than that.”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

  Rebecca looked around, getting impatient.

  “Amanda will not have what’s mine.”

  This time, Hilbert’s expression started to turn angry.

  “Since when am I yours? As far as I know, it’s the other way around.”

  “Jerk.”

  “I want to leave one thing clear,” Hilbert said, leaning forward, “the terms of my relationships are decided by me. I’m not going to let you or anyone stand between me and Amanda.”

  “Screw you,” Rebecca replied, her eyebrows furrowed.

  Hilbert reclined back in his chair, a corner of his lip curling upward.

  “You’re awfully courteous for someone who claims to be in love with me.”

  “What do you expect? You’re driving me insane here.”

  Hilbert’s lips curled upward even further.

  “How insane, exactly?”

  Rebecca’s lips formed a thin line.

  “Save your charms. They won’t work with me now.”

  “You want to bet?”

  Rebecca stood up.

  “I’m not going to allow Amanda to hurt you, am I clear? Or she will answer to me.”

  “No one threatens Amanda in front of me.”

  “No one screws with you while I’m around.”

  With that, Rebecca turned and left the office. Hilbert laughed. He thought she was losing her marbles.

  Amanda’s car pulled into the store’s parking lot. Grayson killed the engine and got out, walking around to open Amanda’s door. She thanked him and got out. Amanda looked up at the skyscrapers of Manhattan before following Grayson.

  It was late afternoon in the weekend. As Halloween was imminent, Amanda needed to buy a costume. Kellan had told her that he and Barton were organizing a haunted house in Brooklyn. Amanda had wanted it to be in Ithaca at first, but she didn’t want it to be easy for Nathan to attend. All her friends were going, including Jonathan.

  Grayson held the entrance to the store open for Amanda to pass first. He walked in after her. She went right to the female costumes section. Amanda had done some browsing on the Internet and she had an idea what she wanted to dress up as. Judith was dressing up as a cheerleader. Amanda sort of wanted to dress up like a superheroine, but it wouldn’t coordinate well with what Judith had in mind.

  Amanda checked the costumes, looking for one that fit what she was thinking of. She saw a Wonder Woman costume and pulled it from the rack. Amanda had an itch to buy it and put it on, but she was blonde and she didn’t want to dye her hair. It was too much bother to do, and the occasion was too trivial.

  I prize my golden hair, but it’d still look great black.

  Amanda turned to look at Grayson, wondering if it would be amiss to ask for his opinion. Grayson had a taciturn demeanor, even though he was friendly to Amanda, almost like a friend. Grayson was accompanying her that day because Kellan was in a training session.

  “Grayson?” she
asked. He looked at her.

  “Yes, Ms. Tilley?”

  “Judith said she’s going to dress up as a cheerleader for the Halloween get-together. Do you think I’ll look right next to her if I dress up as a witch?”

  Grayson raised his eyebrows.

  “That depends on what kind of witch getup you’re thinking about. If you’re painting your face green, I think you can forget it.”

  Amanda couldn’t help laughing at that.

  “No, of course not,” she said, holding up another costume from the rack. It was sort of a soft blue dress, with a hat that looked like the top of an ice cream cone. “I was thinking Fleur Delacour.”

  Grayson arched an eyebrow.

  “She’s a witch from Harry Potter.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m not familiar with the books.”

  “And the movies?”

  “A little. My kids love watching those. Their mother even bought them those light-up magic wands.”

  “That’s sweet,” Amanda said, picturing the little children waving the wands around in Hogwarts uniforms. “Do you miss your family?”

  Grayson’s wife and kids lived in the Bronx.

  “I do, but I see them from time to time, most often when I’m off duty.”

  “Has Hughes told you that you both have Thanksgiving week free?”

  “Yes. I know about your interim guard, too.”

  Amanda nodded. She examined the costume. It looked like it would fit her almost perfectly. There was also a transparent bag stapled to the cardboard and hanger. Inside it was a plastic magic wand, presumably just like the one Fleur Delacour had. Amanda liked her costumes realistic, not those cheap ones from places like Walmart. She got that preference after attending Comic-Con and seeing the fabulous costumes there.

  After paying for her costume, Grayson led her back to the car. They didn’t plan on lingering long in the city.

  Marissa was standing in front of a house in Brooklyn. Shortly after knocking on the door, someone opened it.

  “Sister!” said a young man with short dark brown hair. He stepped forward to embrace Marissa.

  “Dalton,” she replied, hugging her older brother. At just 29, he was a prodigious forensic scientist.

  “Come in,” Dalton said, stepping aside to let Marissa in. They sat down in his sofa.

  “Where’s life taken you lately?” he continued, looking at his sister. “Has anyone invited you to any more fashion shows?”

  “Not at the moment,” Marissa replied, crossing her legs. “I’ve just been at school, making new friends.”

  “And boyfriends?”

  “Ha. No, I’m still single and I don’t mind.”

  “Good,” Dalton said. “I’m the older brother, so I’m the one that ought to get married first.”

  Marissa laughed. There were rumors that Dalton was dating a ballerina he had met during one of his cases. He hadn’t confirmed the rumors, so Marissa didn’t want to ask anything about it yet.

  “I’m here to talk about some serious matters.”

  Dalton’s smile faded, to be replaced by a look that meant business. Marissa recognized it: the cop switch.

  “Tell me. How can I be of help?”

  Marissa thought about how to begin.

  “I may have precipitated myself by coming here, but I want to clear a few doubts.”

  Dalton’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “What would those be?”

  “They’re about this woman. It happens that my best friend is in love with her. Unfortunately, she’s afraid to start a relationship with him. She suspects that her talent agent might do something to prevent that.”

  “This woman’s a celebrity?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’re talking of a love triangle,” Dalton said, hissing. “Those can be dangerous. I’ve already handled a bunch of cases where love—or obsession—for a woman was involved.”

  Marissa waited for her brother to ponder over what she told him.

  “What kind of help do you seek from me?”

  “I was wondering if this woman’s agent could be investigated. She has a bodyguard, who told me she suspects her agent may have sent men to kidnap her.”

  “Really?” Dalton asked. “Had that succeeded, it would have been a serious crime. But if an attempted abduction can be proven, this man would face just 36 months in jail, at most.”

  “Just that? Three years is too short.”

  “That’s the penalty. Attempted abduction is seen as a third degree felony. Kidnapping and abduction range from a second degree to a first degree felony. Penalty varies from eight years to a life sentence.”

  Marissa thought about that, looking displeased.

  “If there’s suspicion that someone poses a threat to another person, whether imminent or not, can that someone be investigated?”

  “Mere suspicion or a hunch isn’t enough. The police can’t put anyone under surveillance just because. We could look into it, but we’d need probable cause before any action can be taken.”

  “What can be done, then?”

  “You could tell this woman to hire a private investigator. He can help find evidence that’ll allow the police to proceed with any formal investigation.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Marissa said with a nod. “I’ll tell her to consider that.”

  Dalton cleared his throat.

  “One question. Do you know why this man wanted to kidnap the woman he represents?”

  “Apparently, he’s in love with her and doesn’t want any other man to have her.”

  “Can’t she simply file a restraining order?”

  “The bodyguard told me that he’s all but indispensable for her career. It appears he threatened to make it very hard for her to continue her career if she leaves him.”

  “That makes these matters more serious,” Dalton said. “You should definitely tell the woman to hire a private eye ASAP.”

  “I’ll do.”

  “I wish I could personally help you, but I’m just an NYPD forensics specialist. I can’t get involved, but I know someone who can help you.”

  Dalton pulled his wallet from his pocket. He took out a business card. Marissa took it.

  “Patrick Hayden is an excellent investigator. He’s an acquaintance of mine.”

  “Okay. I’ll get in touch with him.”

  “Good. Anything else you wanted to discuss?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Okay. I’ll start working, then.”

  “Keep me informed, all right?”

  “Sure will,” said Dalton as he and Marissa stood up. “You have a good day. It was great to see you.”

  “Ditto,” Marissa told him. They hugged each other again. Then Dalton got back to business.

  “I’ll walk you outside.”

  Nathan sat in his apartment, inattentively watching Stuck in Love, which Kayla had left in his dorm. He hadn’t seen either Amanda or Kayla for days, and he was worrying that he had lost them both. At first, Nathan had had no idea how Amanda had shown up at the hotel. Now, he was almost sure that Kayla had orchestrated the whole thing, but it seemed too…underhanded of her. Nathan felt that Kayla wasn’t like that.

  As he sat there, Nathan tried to think of a way to make things right. He couldn’t return with Kayla, no matter how hard she tried to keep him. Nathan wanted what was best for her. And he wasn’t.

  There had to be a way to prove to Amanda that he was in love with her. For Nathan, there was no other woman. He couldn’t lose the love of his life.

  Standing up, Nathan went to his bedroom. He took his computer from his backpack and switched it on. When he had logged in, he quickly fired up his Web browser. Nathan navigated to Amanda’s Tumblr. He saw that she had changed her profile image, and that there were new photos posted. Most of them were old ones, but a few showed Amanda modeling fall clothing.

  As he scrolled through a few more photos, Nathan’s smartphone beeped once. He saw a new text.

  H
i, Nathan. Are you busy?

  The text was from Marissa. Nathan replied.

  No.

  We need to talk about urgent matter. Can we Skype ASAP?

  Nathan raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be so urgent. He typed his answer.

  Okay. Now?

  Yes.

  Nathan put his phone on the table. He then logged in to his Skype account. He noticed Marissa was online, and sent her a video call request. In just a few seconds, she accepted it. The screen changed, showing Marissa’s face. She was sitting down in her bedroom.

  “Hi, Marissa. You wanted to talk to me?”

  “Yes. This is urgent. I didn’t think it appropriate to tell you by phone. If you weren’t in school, I’d have you fly over here.”

  “Is this matter really that grave?”

  “A little. It has to do with Amanda.”

  “What? Did something happen to her?”

  “No. Well, not recently.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Claire told me how you feel about Amanda. She said that you confessed your feelings to her. Are you two together now?”

  “I wish.”

  “Is she avoiding you?”

  “Yeah. There was this whole misunderstanding, and she thinks I’m playing with her heart.”

  Marissa looked confused.

  “I think I know a reason she’s avoiding you.”

  Nathan raised an eyebrow.

  “It was something I learned from both her fitness trainer and her bodyguard. They told me that her talent agent, a man named Hilbert, might do something to prevent you from dating Amanda.”

  “What the hell? Are you serious?”

  “Yes. Not only that. Amanda suspects that he sent people to kidnap her.”

  Nathan’s eyes widened.

  “Are those men the ones I rescued her from?”

  “Most likely.”

  “I thought they just wanted to rob her.”

  “I didn’t know anything about that. I only just became suspicious when Jonathan told me that Amanda thinks she poses a threat to you. I started to piece things together, and called Kellan Hughes to ask him questions.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He told me about Hilbert. And he also said that there might be someone else besides him who wants to hurt Amanda. They don’t know who that is.”