by Harley, HJ
“This is so right, so fast.” My voice was barely audible.
He pulled back, still holding me close. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Jordan. You’re an incredible woman, mother, friend, extremely smart, funny, and a genuine gem inside and—” He eyed me up and down, bringing his hand from my hair down my torso where it met his other hand on my behind. “—and outside.”
Holy shit, I’m panting.
“I could get used to this.” I rested my forehead against his.
“You better.” He kissed me hard.
THE ALARM WAS BLARING. I rolled over to shut it off and groggily sat up on the edge of the bed.
“Morning, gorgeous,” Nathan said from the bedroom doorway.
“You’re still here.” I beamed at him.
“I do have a few things I need to take care of today, but I thought maybe we could do them together after Emma leaves for school.” He smiled my smile and came over to me carrying a cup of coffee. He handed me the cup and bent over to kiss the top of my head.
“Depends. I have to interview a few people starting at one o’clock today, and I have some things from Monday night I need to take care of before that. So I have to be back at the bar by noon.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” he assured me as we headed downstairs.
Emma was already at the dining room table eating cereal.
“Morning, sunshine,” she practically sang to me.
“Morning, baby girl.” I leaned over to kiss her already puckered up lips, noticing her eyes never strayed from the book she was reading.
“What are you reading?” I peered over her shoulder curiously.
“Best of the Ball.” She answered me as if I knew what she was talking about.
“What, is that for school?” I took a seat next to her as Nathan snatched the book from her playfully.
“Where did you get this?” he asked as he sat down.
“Hey! Give it back!” she yelled, laughing.
“This book is for teens and young adults, missy.” He handed it back to her.
“Whoa, what is it? Is it not age appropriate for you, Emma? Give it to me, now.” I held out my hand.
“Nah.” Nathan grinned at me and sat back in his chair. “I think it’s okay for her. Let’s face it, she’s not your average nine-year-old, Jordie.”
“This is like a modern day Cinderella story. It doesn’t seem too bad. You’ve read this?” I asked him curiously after I finished reading the synopsis.
They both chuckled like they had some sort of inside joke.
“Yeah, I think he’s read it,” Emma said as they continued to laugh.
“Clearly, I’m missing something here.” I frowned and looked from one of them to the other.
“Clearly,” Nathan said.
Emma busted out laughing even harder at Nathan’s attempt to be serious.
“Stop it. I am still your mother, and it isn’t nice to make fun of people.” I sulked.
“This was my breakout film.” Nathan placed his hand on mine and rubbed my knuckles with his thumb.
“Sorry, Mom. I’m just happy, and I’m sorry I teased you.” She batted her eyelashes.
“Apology accepted, thank you.” I nodded with my lips pursed. I headed for upstairs, taking my coffee with. Once I was on top of the roof I lit a smoke. I peered over the edge to see what it looked like out front.
It was fairly quiet—only seven or eight of them out there in the morning.
I finished my cigarette, headed downstairs, and quickly got ready.
“Let’s go, Emma. The car is here.” I knocked on the wall as I passed her room.
When she came out she gathered her backpack and iPod off the table and gave a chuckle when she saw Nathan waiting at the open front door.
“What’s so funny?” Nathan asked her.
“Just the fact that you are standing there waiting to see me off to school. Greatest thing ever,” she managed to say through her splitting grin.
“Let’s goooooo, you.” I guided her out.
Nathan opened the door to outside and let us pass first. Frank was still on duty and standing in front of us, arms extended against the crowd. The questions were coming at us from everywhere again. Nathan stopped at the top of the steps and put his hands up.
“Guys seriously, I don’t know what more you want from us. You know as much as we do.” He flashed a camera-worthy smile. Not my smile of course, but it sure was a mesmerizing one. “Now, please could you let us through so this young lady isn’t late for school?”
Immediately a tight spot opened up for us to walk through. Frank signaled to someone and then gave the okay for us to walk, as he led the way to the car. Lizette and Ted walked over with Brandon.
“Be good,” I said to Emma. “If you need me, call me. Love you.”
“L.Y.T.” She climbed in the car after Brandon and the car pulled away.
Nathan and I got into Frank’s car quickly. He was already in the driver’s seat, ready to pull off. I noticed three other vehicles were following us.
“This will eventually die down, right?” I asked in a small voice looking out the window.
“Eventually... a little.” Nathan chuckled.
“Where are we going?” I looked over at him.
“First stop is Starbucks, Frank, please.” He flashed me a little smile. “After that DoubleTree in Times Square.”
Frank nodded and the blacked-out window between us started to close.
“What’s at DoubleTree?” I asked curiously as he took my hand in his.
“I have a meeting about a film here in New York City.” He smiled that smile.
“Really? When? Soon?” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.
He chuckled and leaned over, planting a soft kiss on my lips. “It’s just a meeting. I don’t know any details yet. You’ll find out as soon as I do.” He gave my hand a squeeze.
Apart from a star struck barista who just about shit herself when she saw Nathan, the Starbucks run went pretty smoothly. Exiting the car at the DoubleTree was a challenge though because we were swarmed again. Nathan took my hand and followed Frank’s lead. Right as we approached the doors he stopped and asked Frank to wait, please. He led me over to where the young ladies were. He took some pictures with them and chatted with them for a minute or two, taking the time to ask their names and where they were from. One girl, who was alone, asked for a picture with the both of us. He happily obliged. Me, not so much, but I guessed I needed to get used to this. While Nathan was busy signing autographs for the others, she told me how happy she was that he was so happy.
“Normally, he will snap a picture or two or sign something, but he’ll look grumpy the whole time. Nothing like this.” She beamed. “It’s really nice to see a genuine smile on his face. You’re one lucky lady!”
I liked this girl.
“I know I am. Thank you,” I said as Nathan took my hand and led me inside. The brown haired girl and I exchanged one last smile as she waved goodbye like a giddy child.
“That was sweet of you.” I squeezed Nathan’s hand.
“I enjoy meeting people who enjoy meeting me.” His smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle a bit.
“It’s the ones that ruin it that I don’t admire so much.” He scowled as he glanced back, eyeing the crowd of paparazzi. “They ruin it for me and for the fans. It bothers the shit out of me, but what can I do? So I make the best of it when I can.”
“One of the girls said you used to look grumpy when you’d stop for fans.”
“Grumpy? Hmm, maybe. I would always be worried who was tweeting or texting what to whom, wondering how much time I had left before it became chaotic.”
We stopped at the elevator.
I pulled my hand back. “I’ll stay down here.”
“Why?”
“This is your work Nathan, I have no business...”
“It’s just a meeting—besides, it’s a huge suite. You won�
��t be in the way.” He reached for my hand again, tugging me toward the elevator.
“No, really, I’m okay. I’m going to go to the Starbucks and get another cup of coffee and a muffin or something.” I let go of his hand and took a step back.
He sighed and motioned for Frank to go with me.
“I’ve managed on my own for this long. I’m fine on my own for an hour.” I scowled at him. “Frank, I’m fine. Nathan, I’ll see you in a bit.”
Nathan exhaled loudly and leaned in to brush his lips softly over mine. “You’re like a mule.” I felt the corners of his lips quirk up against mine. “I’ll be in the executive suite on the top floor if you change your mind.”
“Lord have mercy.” I rolled my eyes and puckered my lips in a true brat fashion.
“See you in a bit.” I stole a quick peck on the cheek.
I walked out to the bustling Times Square sidewalk, ignoring the small group of photogs around me on a mission for coffee number two. I noticed the brown haired girl standing on the curb about five yards ahead of me with man holding a camera. It looked as if he was giving her a hard time.
“Hey!” I shouted and waved my hand above the crowd to gain her attention. The guy with the camera saw me and scurried off like a cockroach. I made my way through the people with a bit more urgency and I reached for her arm. When she turned my way I could see she was on the verge of tears.
“Are you okay, sweetie?”
“That asshole took my camera. He asked if he could see the picture I took with Nathan and you. Once he had it in his hands he offered to buy the picture from me.” She managed to croak this out through the sobs. “I told him no several times but he was just being so persistent. It gave me the creeps. I was just about to run. Then he took off... with my camera.” She dropped her shoulders and covered her face with her hands, sobbing harder.
“I’m really sorry about your camera,” was all I could think of to say to the poor girl. I felt so bad. “Want to get some coffee with me while I wait for Nathan?”
She raised her head and her smile was so wide you could barely see her red-rimmed eyes. I couldn’t help but smile at her reaction.
“My treat.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes.
“We’ll see.” I raised my voice to be heard over the bubble of paps we pulled with us. By the time we got to the Starbucks door I had just about had enough. I stopped in the doorway and turned to face them.
“Guys, what exactly is it that you want from me right now?” I used the same tone Nathan had from my rooftop.
“I’ll take a latte,” one of the men joked.
I snorted. “Honestly. I mean, can I have a cup of coffee and a muffin in there without feeling like I’m under a microscope? Please?” I placed my hands together in a begging way. “I just want to have a little chat with my new friend here.” I smiled at the brown haired girl. “And if any of you know who the asshole is that took her camera, tell him he is a douche with a capital D.” I smiled sarcastically sweet. “Now, if you have everything you need, right now I’d love some coffee.” I turned my back to them and walked into Starbucks.
“Thanks, Jordie... Thank you. Jordie... Thanks.” Their voices meshed together. I looked over my shoulder and saw they were all headed back in the direction of the hotel. I sighed and shook my head. We ordered our drinks and went to look for a table. The only spot available was next to the front window. “Of course,” I mumbled, taking a seat. To my surprise though, nobody was out there snapping pics.
The brown haired girl was a doll. I wanted to keep her. Her name was Isobel—twenty-two years old and graduating from NYU that May. While we were chatting a tall young guy with messy brown spiked hair and a bit of facial scruff walked in. I couldn’t avoid noticing his eyes were the color of his hair. He was a good-looking guy. Then I realized he had a huge camera around his neck. I immediately attempted to turn my head but we made eye contact before I could.
“Crap, busted,” I grumbled as he approached our table.
“Excuse me, ladies.”
Well, at least this one is cordial.
“I heard what happened to you, miss.” His attention was focused on Isobel. “I had an extra one in my car. I thought perhaps you could make better use of it than I, since I have a few of my personal favorites already.” He gave a guarded grin as he placed a box with a Cannon camera in it on the table. “Some of us made calls while we were waiting, and nobody knows who the guy is who took your camera.” He sounded apologetic. His eyes never strayed from hers.
“Thanks.” She smiled up at him.
“Ladies.” He nodded and gave me a polite smile before he turned for the door.
“Well, wasn’t that nice of him?” I raised my eyebrows while taking a sip of coffee. “He was cute, too.”
She blushed and let out a small giggle but quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and sitting up straight. “Yeah, it was. It’s not the camera I’m so upset about, though. It’s the pics on it. My dad passed away about six months ago. Pictures from his visit here last year are on there. I never transferred them from the card. Lesson learned.” She sighed as she ran her finger across the box in front of her.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s tough losing a parent, especially so young,” I barely whispered. This kid was tugging at my heartstrings like a friggin’ puppeteer. My parents died when I was young. I knew the heartache first hand.
We moved past our sour-moment-of-death and creepy camera thieves chat and really got to talking.
“...so she claimed she cut my hours because of the bad economy. But then she hired her daughter and gave her my regular weekend shifts.” Isobel sipped her frappuccino through the straw.
“Well, that’s pretty rude. What did you do?”
Isobel suppressed a smile. “I told her to shove her economy excuse up her ass and I walked out.”
I grinned. “Exactly what I would’ve done.”
“Yeah, well it felt good. But now I don’t have a job and my mom is working three jobs to get me through the last few months of college.” She grimaced. “So there’s that.”
I blinked at her. “Today is your lucky day, Isobel.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just happen to need some help at my place. Can you take drink orders and serve through crowds?” I laughed. “It’s some long hours though. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, four P.M. until about three A.M. and nobody leaves until everything is cleaned and ready for the next night. The money you’ll make is worth it though. I’m pretty easy to work for as long as you show up, treat everyone with respect, and do your job.” I smiled at her.
“Yes! Yes, I can!” Her eyes lit up.
“All right then, can you come in tonight? Rachel will show you around and let you know what’s expected of you.” I grabbed a pen from my bag and pulled a napkin over.
“Sure I can. Where is it? What’s the name? What’s the scene?” Her eyes were wide with excitement.
“It’s on East 13th Street, The Post. Here.” I slid the napkin over to her with all the information scrawled across it. Strange, but I was relieved this girl had no idea about me owning a bar. This simply confirmed her genuine nature and proved she wanted nothing from me. I guessed she hadn’t seen the tabloid report with the details of my business. In that moment I understood how Nathan must have felt about me, not knowing who he was and seeing I had no ill intentions getting close to him.
“Jordie, thank you so much!” she squealed and leaned over to hug me.
“Don’t let me down. It gets crazy in there and since the news of Nathan and me has spread I think it’s about to get a bit crazier.” I chuckled.
“I won’t let you down. I can handle it, I promise. I can’t wait to tell my mom!” She tucked the napkin in her purse.
I noticed the crowd of paps headed back in our direction. “Looks like Nathan’s finished,” I groaned and gestured out the window. “Meet me there about four today, all right? I’ll introduce you to Rachel and she’ll give you the d
etails.” I stood up as Nathan walked in.
“Hello, ladies.” He came up behind me and took my hand.
“Nathan, this is Isobel. Isobel, Nathan.”
She had a face-splitting smile when she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you again, Nathan. Nate. Nathan.” She shook her head, looking a little flustered, and collected her new camera and wallet off the table. “Jordie, thank you again. I’ll see you at four.” She was still smiling.
“Don’t thank me yet, sweetie. It’s not easy. You may be cursing me by Sunday night,” I teased.
She pretty much bounced out the door.
“What did I miss?” Nathan raised an eyebrow and pulled me toward the line to get a coffee. “And what did you say to them?” He nodded to the crowd outside.
“They were saying how nice and thoughtful you were. One said if he could get just one good shot and a killer quote from us he wouldn’t bug us until next month.” He pointed to the same guy who gave Isobel the camera.
“I don’t know. Some man was bugging her to buy the picture of us three and when she said no, he stole her camera. She was pretty upset so I asked them if they could just chill out for a bit so she and I could have some coffee. Let me have a muffin and some conversation without feeling watched.” I shrugged.
“And that worked?” He looked astonished.
“Seems to have, they left us alone. That one even came in here with a new camera he had in his vehicle for Isobel.” I pointed to the same man he had. “They saw what happened, even made some calls to see if anyone knew who the guy was. Nobody knew anything, but it still was very nice of him to do that for her.”
He ordered his coffee and we walked over to the side to wait for it. “Hmmm, that was very nice of them.”
“I know they’re invasive and annoying, but they’re people. They’re just trying to feed their families.” My mixed feelings colored my tone.
“They are much nicer here in New York compared to L.A., I’ll give them that,” he admitted. “And the girl? You gave her a job?” He smiled at me as if he was in on some secret that I was oblivious to.