Read Playing for Keeps Online

Authors: Dara Girard

Tags: #romance

Playing for Keeps (8 page)

BOOK: Playing for Keeps
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He rubbed his eyes. "I know and I don't mean to. The truth is--"

The sound of a doorbell cut through his words. "Oh damn," Stacy said. "I have to go. Tell me on Saturday. I promise I'll listen. Bye."

Chance disconnected and tapped his phone against his chin, hoping she'd keep her promise this time.

 

***

 

"Turn that crap off," Leon Paige said coming out of the shower annoyed to see his girlfriend watching
Heartbeat.
He had to see his brother next Sunday and didn't want to also have to see him on TV pretending to be a doctor when he was a real one.

"In a minute," she said waving him away. "Dr. Staton is about to discover the secret his wife's been hiding."

He sat down on the bed. "I said turn it off."

She sighed and put the TV on mute before saddling his lap. "Had a hard day at work?" she said expertly getting his body to respond. Leon kissed her, in no mood to talk, but behind her head he still saw his brother's face on the TV. His older brother who'd left him to pick up the pieces of their broken family; forcing him to work night and day to get through college then medical school, achieving his mother's dream while his brother got fame and fortune without any of the sacrifice. Leon closed his eyes, letting his mind empty except for one last wish. He couldn't wait for the day when his brother's past would send him crashing down to earth.

 

Chapter Nine

 

He was still interested.
She'd been a little afraid he wouldn't be. Stacy knew new relationships could lose their passion fast. But if this was meant for the long term then she had nothing to worry about. He didn't care that she'd had to take anger management classes or her work at the jail. She already felt like a new woman and couldn't wait to see Chance again.
Her boyfriend.
Strangely it felt right. Everything about him felt that way. He was so easy to talk to and be around. Stacy wondered what he wanted to tell her. Why his tone suddenly sounded uneasy. She didn't want him to feel that way with her, but then what if it was a big secret? What if he was married? No, he didn't seem the type. Maybe he had a disease.

She shook her head. She had to stop thinking the worst. She'd let him tell her and then she'd know what to do

Stacy found her stomach full of butterflies thinking of her hair appointment, although she looked forward to showing Chance her new look. She hadn’t been to a hair salon in over five years. Although, she had taken the time to trim her ends, every six to eight weeks, she hadn’t been consistent with doing deep conditioning and her hair looked the worst for it. She wasn’t looking forward to receiving a lecture from someone who didn't know her and all that she'd been through.

She found the salon in a less fashionable part of the city and her hopes dimmed. She felt out of place. "He’ll probably want to shave off one side of my head and color my hair purple!" she thought. She ascended a set of winding black iron stairs before she entered a golden ornate door that led into a wide open space, with a spectacular view.

"Hello, may I help you?" the receptionist asked. To Stacy's relief the young woman looked normal.

"Yes. I have an appointment with Damion."

The receptionist checked her schedule then frowned. "I’m sorry, but Damion doesn’t have any appointment listed for today."

Stacy felt a rush of anger. "He'd better because I made one."

"I'm sorry, let me see if we have you listed on another day."

"I don't have another day," Stacy snapped. She took a deep breath, and got hold of her temper. It wasn't the receptionist's fault if things had been mixed up. "Please check the schedule again." She searched through her purse and then placed her Black Stockings membership card on the counter. "Maybe this will help."

The young woman's eyes widened. "Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were one of them." The woman jumped to her feet and hurried around the counter. "Please don't tell anyone I messed up, but I just started here," she said taking Stacy’s coat. She led Stacy to a private suite where a plush red robe and pair of slippers waited for her.

"Please get changed. Damion will be with you shortly."

Stacy put on the robe and slippers and looked around the small room, its large window offering another breathtaking view. On a small side table sat a cup of spicy chai tea. Stacy took a sip wondering if she was there for a haircut or lunch.

"There you are. Oh my, oh my, oh my…"

Stacy stared at the tall, wiry man. Faded acne marks marred his brown skin and he wore a light blue suit that seemed to shimmer in the light. He immediately started pulling at her hair. "This will all have to go. All of it."

Damion adjusted the chair, and raised her up so that he could get a better look. "They told me you’d neglected your hair, but honey, from what I see, you have all but killed it. You're lucky I can work miracles with almost anything." He walked around the chair looking at Stacy from different angles, she wasn’t at all sure she liked being studied as if she were a specimen.

"To be honest with you, I had considered cutting it all off," she said.

"No. That wouldn’t do. Your face needs shape. Just chopping off your hair, isn’t the answer. You need to take off just enough. And I know exactly what will work." For the next hour, Damion clipped away, stepping back every now and then to admire his handy work, and when he was finished, he announced he was going to put in a 'cold wave'. "Your hair is perfect for the wave. It’s coarse, but not too thick, and this way you can keep your short hair styled, very simply, while looking gorgeous at the same time, and not having to work too hard."

When Stacy got to see her new hair style, she was blown away. It was short, very short, but suited her. The sides were barely there, while he had allowed some length at the nape of her neck, and soft smooth waves on the top of her head. She looked chic, and felt like a million dollars. To add character to her hairstyle, he added soft purple and red highlights throughout, making her hair illuminate, depending on how the light hit each hair strand. Stacy looked and felt like someone totally different. Damion gave her a supply of hair products and instructed her to make sure to wash and condition frequently, plus get a regular trim to keep the hairstyle fresh and alive.

After her experience with Damion, Stacy felt ready for her appointment with Missy, the makeup artist. Missy looked as if she could be an extra in a sci-fi movie with her spiked blonde hair and extravagant make up. But she immediately put Stacy at ease with a quick smile. Several layers of cleansers and moisturizers later, Stacy had her brows shaped and eyelashes curled. Which was a first for her, at least by a professional. She had thick, heavy eyebrows but Missy shaped them, creating an amazing look.

Then Missy showed her a trick, using clear mascara to first coat the lashes, and how to use a specially designed eyelash curler, amazing Stacy at how much having her eyelashes curled opened up her eyes and made her entire face open up. As part of her final finish, Missy outlined Stacy’s eyes with a smoky dark purple kohl eyeliner that made her dark brown pupils stand out. For her lips, Missy showed Stacy how to 'customize' her lip coloring, by adding just a small amount of foundation to vary the color slightly from the top to her bottom lip.

"You want your lip color to work for you, not against you. You want whatever color you select to emphasize your mouth and what it stands for. Your lips need to compliment your face, and draw attention to who you are, and what you are about. Take the time to select the colors that work for you and your skin tone, and of course, to match or work with the colors you plan to wear, and you will be amazed.

"I can tell you’re the type of person that doesn’t go for the perfectly flawless look, so you don’t have to use a foundation all over your face. Just in certain spots." Next Missy showed Stacy how to apply foundation, only on her cheeks and the middle of her forehead, and blend it evenly with the rest of her skin tone, for a natural look. Stacy looked stunning. Before she left, Missy handed Stacy a small collection of brightly colored eye shadows, "Now, whenever you are feeling just a little adventurous, or want to 'spruce' up your look, just use one or more of these, they are excellent for making your eyes standout, and you will get the attention you want."

Stacy grinned. Right now, she only cared about getting one man's attention.

 

 

Chapter Ten

 

"Oh wow!" Julia said when she opened the door. Stacy wanted her friend to be the first one to see her makeover. She had driven to Julia’s gated community and had checked her hair one more time before ringing the doorbell to her friend's exclusive brownstone. Julia stared at her. "You look amazing." It had been a couple of weeks since she'd last seen her.

"Getting rid of an ex will do that," Stacy said stepping inside. She followed Julia to the kitchen and heard the TV where Julia's seventeen-year-old daughter, Emily, sat in the family room.

Julia hugged her friend. "What happened?"

"I've finally got a life and I've met someone. We're meeting again soon."

Julia took Stacy's coat and hung it in the closet. "And you thought you'd never find love again."

"I didn't say anything about love. But he's great. I'm taking things slow," she said although in truth she wanted to speed things up. She couldn't wait to see Chance again.

Don't do this to me
, she heard Chance say. Stacy froze surprised by how real and close his voice seemed. Like an auditory hallucination.

Julia looked at her concerned. "What is it?"

Stacy shook her head feeling foolish. Her face growing warm. She had to get herself together. "Nothing. I thought I heard---it's nothing." But it wasn't nothing when she heard his voice again. It was as if he was in the next room. His tone distinctive, but this time casual, amused. Stacy left the kitchen and followed the sound to the family room, but of course he wasn't there. Emily sat focused on the TV screen. Stacy was about to turn away when she heard his voice again then saw his face appear.

Stacy stared at the TV, a sudden coldness settling in the pit of her stomach. What was Chance doing on TV? Why was his face staring back at her on the screen? But it wasn't the Chance she remembered. It wasn't the man with a shabby beard and casual clothes. This man was clean shaven and gorgeous. Part of her didn't want it to be him, maybe it was a lookalike. But she couldn't deny that mouth, those eyes, and the voice. They were all distinctly his. She swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Julia said behind her holding a plate filled with an assortment of party crackers and several cheese slices.

"He's an actor," she said as if he were fatally ill.

"They're all actors. Did you think this was a reality TV show or something?"

Emily looked away from the screen. "Oh, you look great."

Stacy forced a smile, no longer caring what she looked like. "Umm...what show are you watching?"

"
Heartbeat
."

"And the actor's name is Chance Jamison?" she asked just to make sure. She wanted to be wrong.

"Yes, he's really good," Emily said. "He’s been on the show for six years. He's Dr. Michael Staton. His father is a total jerk and his brother is sleeping with his wife, but he doesn't know it yet. He's so sweet. He's really in love with Monica Young but he had to marry Nicole in order to save the family medical practice, but she's also just using him."

"I see," Stacy said, although she wasn't interested.

"Juicy entertainment," Julia said adding a pitcher of lemonade to the refreshments.

Stacy turned from the screen no longer able to face the truth. He was an actor. She'd almost fallen for another actor. "I have to leave."

"Why?" Julia said alarmed. "Tell me what's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I went out with him."

"Who?"

"Chance Jamison," Stacy said in a breathless rush.

"What?"

Why hadn't he told her he was an actor? She inwardly groaned remembering all the awful things she'd said about those in his profession. "I can't believe he's an actor," she said her voice cracking.

"And he's gorgeous," Julia added. "You have to break it off with him."

Stacy stared at her friend confused. "What?"

"You cannot keep seeing him. You've got to break this pattern. Actors are your weakness. You just got rid of Marshall."

"He's not Marshall."

"You're rebounding."

"After three years? I haven't dated in--"

"Exactly. You're picking the first guy who shows interest in you. That's not healthy. I let you talk me out of going to court with you, although I knew I shouldn't have, and I kept my mouth shut when you were married. Now listen to me. You need to stay away from actors. You need to find a man who will adore you. A man like that," she pointed to Chance's image, "is surrounded by beautiful temptations. You don't want to have to compete with that."

Stacy's cell phone rang and she saw his number.

"Is that him?" Julia asked.

"Yes, he's taking me to lunch this weekend."

"Cancel."

"But I--"

"If you can't talk to him then let the phone ring. Trust me. I'm looking out for you."

Stacy sighed, feeling uncertain. She knew her friend cared but this felt wrong. When the phone stopped ringing she felt her heart drop.

Julia took the phone from Stacy and grinned. "Good, he got the message." Her smile disappeared when a text appeared on the screen.

"What does it say?" Stacy asked.

"He's just telling you where he's taking you," Julia said swiftly texting back a reply. "Don't worry I'll handle this for you."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm canceling as we agreed."

Stacy snatched the phone back before Julia could text something else when she looked down she saw he'd said

R U OK?

"Tell him you're fine," Julia said peering over her shoulder.

Stacy bit her lip then wrote:
RAINCHECK?

BOOK: Playing for Keeps
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