“All I said is that you haven’t lost your touch. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little jumpy. J.J. and Dazz were here earlier.”
“Oh, don’t tell me he’s going to miss parents’ weekend again.”
“You got it.”
“I don’t understand him. Doesn’t he realize that he’ll never get these years back?”
“I don’t think so. It’s funny. I can motivate a blocked writer but I can’t motivate my son’s father to spend time with him.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Thanks, but sometimes I wonder if I had made him spend more time at home when Justin was younger…”
“Don’t go there. This is on J.J., not you.”
“You’re right.” She yawned.
“You sound tired. You should get some rest.”
“I will.”
“Good. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, Reggie.”
“Have a good night.”
“You, too.” She hung up.
After giving it some thought, Abby decided Reggie was right, She couldn’t beat herself up for the past or J.J.’s lack of a relationship with Justin.
She called Justin.
“Hi, Mom,” he answered.
“Hi, sweetie. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“What are you up to?” She heard noise and music in the background. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the gym. We have a dance this evening.”
“That’s nice. Are you having a good time?”
“It’s okay. The music is kind of lame.”
“It’s nice to know that some things haven’t changed about high school.”
Justin laughed. “So, Mom, are you calling me about Dad?”
“How did you get so smart?”
“I am your son.”
“That’s my boy.” She grinned. “Seriously, though, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. It’s no big deal. I really didn’t expect him to come anyway.”
“He couldn’t get out of a contract appearance.”
“Mom, you don’t have to explain or make excuses. I’m okay.”
“If you say so. I heard you’re getting an iPhone out of the deal.”
“I didn’t ask for it. Dad just said he’d get me the latest version when it comes out. I told him he didn’t have to, the one I have now works fine. He insisted.”
“As long as you’re okay, that’s all I was worried about.”
“Don’t worry. Oh, Mom, have you started working with Sam Best yet?”
“Yes. In fact, I worked with him today.”
“Did you get his autograph first?”
“No.”
“Mom,” he groaned.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get his autograph, and bring it to you when I come next weekend. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good. Now go back to your dance and have a good time.”
“I will.”
“Did you dance with any girls?”
“Mom,” he groaned again.
“Okay. Forget I asked. Have a good time. You know I love you.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.” He hung up.
She was proud of her son; in spite of his father blowing him off, he seemed okay. Abby’s text tone chimed. She checked the phone.
“Love you too, Mom,” she read aloud. “That’s my baby.”
Her mind drifted back to how good Sam’s lips felt against hers. She snapped out of it. She had to regain her professionalism and get an autograph for Justin.
***
It was late by the time Maria got back from her day with the planner. When she walked into the office she was buoyed by a head full of ideas she was anxious to share with her fiancé.
“Hi, honey. I had a great day. Preston’s people came up with some table settings that will look so elegant with the linens.” She took her digital camera out. “I even took some pictures.”
“Sounds great, honey. Whatever you want.” Sam sounded oblivious.
“You’re not even paying attention to me.”
“Yes, I am.” He continued typing. “Preston’s people had great ideas. I heard you. I’m good with whatever you want to go with.”
“I went to all the trouble of taking pictures and you can’t stop and look at them for one minute?”
Sam stopped and turned to face her. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve finally had a breakthrough with this book. I really just want to ride this wave of creativity. The juices are flowing.”
Maria made a face.
“Remember, the more I write the faster I’ll be done.”
Maria sighed. “How many pages have you written now?”
“I’m up to seventy pages and counting.”
“I thought the editor was supposed to help you,” she said, hands on her hips. “That’s not much more than what you had before.”
“You don’t understand. I rewrote the first forty pages I’d written before and I’ve added thirty more pages on top of that.”
“Wow, I’m impressed. I take it back. Maybe this editor is working out better than I thought.”
“Yeah, she’s great.”
“At this rate you’ll be able to deliver sooner rather than later and then you can help with the wedding.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then get back to it.” She kissed him. “I’m bushed and a little hungry. Do you want to order dinner?”
“Are you ordering from the Greek place?”
“Yes. I’ve got to watch those carbs if I want to get into my Vera Wang gown,” she said as she playfully shimmied. “Did you eat today?”
Sam’s mind flashed back to his kiss with Abby. “I had a little something earlier. I’m not really hungry.”
“I’ll order a gyro for you in case you change your mind.”
“Thanks.”
The moment Maria left the room, Sam was back at work. He was fueled and inspired by Abby in more ways than one. He might have eaten fast food, but the butterflies that filled his stomach were anything but fast food related. They were the slow butterfly flutters that thrilled his senses. However, he knew they also meant that if they stayed his life was about to get complicated.
Chapter 10
Sam found February a peculiar time in the world of sports. The hype of the Super Bowl was always over and a post-traumatic football withdrawal seemed to fall over fans and players alike. Sam was grateful for the opportunity to meet Bo for a beer at Third & Long in Murray Hill, as opposed to watching wedding Sunday on WE TV with Maria. He jumped at the chance.
Sam enjoyed the Third & Long bar because even though it was in the heart of the city it still felt like the ones back home in Texas, only a bit slicker.
Bo watched as Sam stopped to sign autographs before he came over to the table to join him.
“Hey, man,” Bo said. He and Sam did the man-brace, the semi-hug with a manly pound on the back for good measure.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” Sam said as they sat down.
“No. Mr. Budweiser kept me company.”
“Do you think he’d mind keeping me company, too?”
“Not at all. Mr. Bud’s philosophy is the more the merrier.” Bo motioned for the waitress to bring another beer over.
The waitress placed the bottle in front of Sam.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said in his best Texan drawl. He picked up the beer. “Glad to make your acquaintance again, Mr. Budweiser. It’s been far too long,” he joked and took a couple of swigs. “Ah, I needed that.”
“Tough day in the wedding trenches?” Bo asked.
“No. Not today. Maria’s busy watching wedding television.”
“So you’re off the hook.”
“For the moment.” He smiled. “What brings you to the city?”
“I had a little shopping to do.”
“You went shopping.” Sam was surprised.
“Yes. You do know what’s coming up soon, don’t you?”
“I thought your anniversary was in June.”
“It is in June.” Bo looked puzzled. “You really forgot, didn’t you?”
“Forgot what?” Sam asked impatiently.
“Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend.”
“It totally slipped my mind,” he groaned.
“Obviously,” Bo added.
“I’ve been so wrapped up with Abby that it just didn’t dawn on me.”
“Don’t you mean that you’ve been wrapped up in your book?”
“Yes. Isn’t that what I said?”
“No. You said you were wrapped up with Abby.”
“It’s the same difference.”
“No, it isn’t.” Bo looked at his friend more closely. “What’s going on with you? And don’t try to tell me nothing. I’ve known you too long for that.”
“Nothing. Valentine’s Day just got lost in the shuffle. In fact, I’m pretty sure Maria forgot, too.”
“Trust me, women are incapable of forgetting love’s holiday. Amy was in labor with Josh on Valentine’s Day and I’ll be damned if she didn’t ask me about her flowers and candy in between contractions.”
Sam laughed.
“Make sure you pick up the bare minimum of a card and flowers. Unless something has changed that you want to talk about.”
“Nothing has changed,” Sam said dismissively.
“Samuel Hezekiah Best. You should know better than to try to piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. Something is up, and don’t try to hand me that Freudian slip stuff, either. It was a Freudian slip when you referred to Abby as hot. Something else is afoot here.”
Sam finished his beer. “Can I get another beer first, please?” He waved his empty bottle.
“Fine.” Bo motioned for two more beers.
Sam dug into the beer nuts on the table.
“Here you go, guys.” The waitress placed the beers on the table. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks.” Sam picked up his beer. “Here’s mud in your eye.”
Bo raised his bottle and they both drank.
“Okay, that’s enough stalling. Spill it.”
“I went to Abby’s yesterday with a mean case of writer’s block in spite of all the notes she’d given me. So we went on a field trip and I played football with some kids in the park.”
“Did it cure your writer’s block?”
“Amazingly, it did. It took doing something physical for me to understand what she meant. I can’t tell you what a relief that was for me.”
“I might be in television, but I know exactly what you mean. I feel that way every time I file a report.”
“I guess as a way to celebrate the un-thickening of my skull, we went to this fast food place in Massapequa called All American. Have you ever heard of it?”
“I think I saw it on a Food Network special on burger joints.”
“Oh, man, the burgers are awesome. You should take the kids there, they’d love it.”
“I’ll have to make it a point to do that. What did you do after you got the food? Did you head back?”
“No. We went to another park to eat and we got to talking in her car. I’m telling you, Bo, everything felt so natural. We talked like we’d known each other for years.” Sam said with a far off look in his eyes. “The next thing I knew I was kissing her.”
“What?”
“You heard right. I can’t blame it on alcohol because the strongest thing we had to drink was a couple of milkshakes.”
“Did she kiss you back?”
“Yes.” Sam’s face lit up. “Then she freaked out and proceeded to break land and speed records getting back to the city.”
He looked at Sam’s expression. “It’s obvious that you enjoyed it. Even thinking about it puts a smile on your face. But you are engaged.”
“I know that’s an awful way to feel, considering I’m getting married in four months.”
“But,” Bo said.
“There was just something about her that just pulled me to her.”
“So what are you going to do about it? Are you still going to work with her?”
“Yes,” he said emphatically. “She’s a great editor. Do you know I wrote one hundred pages in less than a day? It took me four months to write the forty pages I’d done before.”
“How are you going to handle it?”
“She wanted to start doing things via email, but I don’t want that. I want to work with her in person. I think I work best with her face to face.”
“What did she have to say about that?”
“She agreed to continue working with me. However, there won’t be any more field trips. We’re strictly working in her office.”
“That sounds like a good plan, but we are talking about the heart. You sound more than a little attracted to her. I think you have to deal with that.”
“I am dealing with it. I’m engaged to Maria. We’ve been together for years and everyone is waiting for us to have the wedding of the century and ride off into the sunset.”
“You realize that doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement for your relationship with Maria? It sounds like concession.”
Sam looked down at his beer. “Maybe it was just a momentary thing, like Abby said. She is a beautiful woman and it just happened.”
“Listen, Sam, you’ve been around your share of beautiful women. Did you share any moments with them?”
“No.”
“That proves my point.”
“You don’t think it was just a moment?”
“Do you think it was?”
Sam couldn’t answer.
“If you were any other guy, I might write it off as one of those things. But I know you. You are a real gentleman. Even when you could be with a different woman every day of the week, you didn’t bother. All I’m saying is, be honest with yourself.” He took a swig of beer. “When’s your next meeting?”
“Tuesday.”
“Then I suggest you get on it sooner rather than later.”
***
As Sunday afternoon wound into evening, Abby stretched out on the sofa with her laptop in the study and Abby checked her Google alerts.
“Hey, Shana,” she said without looking up.
“I’m not going to ask again.”
Abby chuckled as she turned to face her. “How are things going in the trenches?”
“At the moment they are going. Check with me again in five minutes. I might have a different answer.” She sat down. “We’re figuring out the seating charts, and you know how that goes.”
“I take it the publicists are calling around the clock, as usual, to see where their clients are seated.”
“Naturally. Only this year the reality show element has quadrupled. Suddenly I have publicists for people whose biggest claims to fame are bar fights, fake tans and on-camera sex escapades calling to find out whether their clients are in the first row.”
“Somehow I don’t think Anna Wintour would find it amusing to be seated next to someone from Jersey Shore.”
“Tell me about it.” She sighed. “Oh, well, it’s the new reality and I’ve got to deal with it.”
“You’re a better woman than I am.”
“I didn’t see you yesterday. How did it go with Sam?”
“I think it went pretty well.”
“Did you meet him somewhere? When I came upstairs, you weren’t in your office or the conference room.”
“I decided to switch things up a bit and take Sam on field trip.”
“Now this sounds promising. You took him out?”
“It wasn’t a date, Shana. He was suffering from writer’s block. I thought a change of scenery would help him.”
“Did it?” she asked.
“Yes. Reggie called to tell me that Sam was busy writing away.”
“What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything.” Abby hoped her face didn’t betray her. “I just helped him focus.” She looked at her screen. “Now this is interesting.”
“What’s interesting?”
“I got a Google alert about Beebe. It looks like she’s going on the wronged wife talk show circuit, starting with The Wendy Williams Show.”
“I didn’t know that you had Beebe set up as a Google alert.”
“I don’t. I have an alert for J.J.”
“That makes sense. Don’t you mean she’s going on the karma is a bitch circuit? I guess she doesn’t like it now that the shoe is on the other foot.”
“I don’t know anyone who does. The issue of Today’s Black Woman with her interview hits the stands tomorrow.”
“You’re not worried that Justin will see it, are you?”
“No. I already talked to him about it. Besides, I don’t think you can find a copy of Today’s Black Woman in Connecticut.”
“Good point.”
“Speaking of J.J., can we please post a photo of him in the break room or something so the temps don’t let him in?”
“One of the temps let him in the building?”
“Yes. He and Dazz sweet-talked their way in yesterday. They were waiting for me here when I got back.”
“I’ll take care of it. What the hell did he want, anyway?”
“I’ll give you one guess.”
“He’s not making it to parents’ weekend again.”
“You got it. He has a club opening in Atlanta he allegedly can’t get out of.”
“The man kills me. He’s practically Houdini when it comes to getting out of family obligations but when it comes to anything else, he can’t break out of a paper bag. How’s Justin taking it?”
“I talked to him last night and he said he was fine.”
“He’s a great kid.”
“I know. I can’t wait to see him next weekend so I can give him a big hug.”
“And see with your own eyes that he’s okay.”
“Exactly. Wait a minute. If you came up here yesterday, something must be up. What’s going on?”
A wide smile washed over Shana’s face. “Raymond is coming to town early. We’re going to spend Valentine’s Day together.”
“Oh, my God, the fourteenth is this Friday? It totally slipped my mind. So what are you doing to celebrate?”
“I’m not sure yet. Raymond’s been playing it cagey, but I’m sure he’s got something up his sleeve.”
I Take This Woman Page 11