The Ladybug Jinx (21 page)

“The Ivy,” Celia shouted to the paparazzi and pointed to Don. She squealed, “He’s taking me to The Ivy.” 

The driver pulled up to the front of the Ivy’s famous picket fence. Celia had seen pictures before, but they never showed the cozy cottage house. She looked around and noticed the paparazzi across the street. She got excited. The tabloids only put paparazzi there when a star is going to be there. It was her lucky day.

Mmmm
, she wondered,
could it be John Travolta, George Pitt?

Don walked over to help her out. The driver drove away, exposing her to the flashing cameras.

“Celia Briggs! Over here!” One of the paparazzi yelled from across the street.

“Smile. They must be here for you.” Don whispered in her ear.

Celia was uncomfortable when he put his arm around her and began to pose. She tried to move away, but he moved closer.

“Thanks guys.” Don put his hand in the air. Don’s hand was heavy on Celia’s lower back. He pushed her along towards the steps. “Let us eat, okay?”

“Don, so good to see you.” The maître kissed cheeks with Don.

Everyone was looking at them. She wondered if they were staring at her or Don.

They were seated at one of the tables outside. Celia found it odd. The white table clothed outdoor furniture, fine silver and all the chairs had red and white checked pillows. Celia carefully touched everything on the table. Even the pansy center piece was an odd touch to the tables.

“I wonder who is coming to eat?” Celia leaned across the two person table.

“Them?” He pointed towards the paparazzi and smiled as they clicked away. Don rubbed her hand as the photogs continued to click pictures. “They’re here for you, baby.”

She tried to smile overtop the feeling of being used by Don. The unsettled awareness began to nag at her. She couldn’t figure out if he was playing her to get in the tabloids or really sincere.

She only had a week and a half left. Celia was more than willing to play the Los Angeles game with Don to aggravate Sam. After her time here, she was prepared to go home back to her life of ladybugs and flowers.

Celia was impressed with her Ivy burger on a sesame seed bun. She especially enjoyed the thin fries with the skin still on them. She swore the Ivy plate made the burger and fries taste better.

“Are you going to eat your veggies?” Don took his fork and stabbed a piece of broccoli. The photog’s went crazy over it. Their cameras were flashing a mile a minute.

“Obviously you want them.” Celia smiled her pearly whites. “I am sure your vegetable soup didn’t fill you up.”

Don watched what he ate. She handed her plate over to him.

“You say you aren’t interested in acting, but it seems to me you are trying to keep your figure and stay in the public eye.” Celia was onto his games.

He was definitely there to be seen and be seen with her. Don looked at her with a look of distaste. A look she had not seen him make in the past few days.

“What?” She asked waiting to be amused by his answer.

“You are being very ungrateful.” He gritted under his teeth.

“Excuse me?” Celia was offended by his hateful attitude.

“You show up here from your tiny hick town and decide you’re going to offend me when I have embraced you.” His eyes glared. Don got up and signaled the driver. “I have more important things to do.”

Celia rode in silence back to the shop.

“Celia, thank you for a lovely lunch.” Don looked straight ahead.

She had bruised his ego and knew it.

Sam stood smiling at the door of the florist. “You make someone mad?” He seemed amused at her dismay.

“He took me to eat at The Ivy.” Celia tried to seem upbeat and happy.

She didn’t want to be defeated by Sam. She had outwitted him for weeks in Grandberry Falls and two weeks was not going be difficult.

“The Ivy? Were the paparazzi there?” Sam rubbed his chin. 

Celia tried to steady her expression. Sam wasn’t some dumb actor. He might have a degree, but he had common sense. “Of course they were there. They are always there.”

“No they aren’t. Only when they know someone is coming. You know, stars’ publicists tip them off.”

“Well.” Celia wasn’t going to tell Sam about her argument with Don. The least he knew about her while she was here, the better.

“He’s using you, Celia.” Sam was sincere. “He is trying to get his face out there and if you don’t remember, your face has a great big price tag on it.”

Celia ignored him. She continued back to the arranging room where she was pleasantly surprised to see her vases for the party had arrived. She was careful to take out the four post table chandelier. 1,2,3,4,5,6, good Celia counted all the dangling crystals. They were all there. It was exactly what she had drawn in her sketch.

“Perfect.” She held it up in the light.

“I hope you are putting more than candles on that.” Corin had a glimpse of failure in her voice that ran through Celia’s blood.

“I don’t think you need to worry about it, do you?” Celia wasn’t going to let Corin ruin her energy. “You continue to do whatever it is Sam pays you to do over there, and I will take care of why I was hired.” Celia took her sketch book out of her purse and drew the actual chandelier.

“The only reason you were hired is because you are sleeping with Sam.” Corin’s words hurt her like cat claws.

“I have never slept with Sam.” Celia pointed her pencil towards her. She dreamed about it over and over, but Sam was too respectful of her. “I’m a very good floral expert.”

Corin’s laugh was enough to make wicked witch sound pleasant. “That’s why we have couture floral shops and you have a small hick town, ‘
oh I do funerals,’
florist.”

Celia wasn’t about to respond to Corin’s ignorance. She got the job, albeit might have been because of Sam.

“What’s going on in here?” Sam picked up one of the chandeliers and twisted it around.

“Easy.” Celia took it gently from his man grip. “That is going to be the most beautiful center piece you have ever seen.” Celia beamed.

Corin was out of ear shot. “Sam?”

Sam looked over at Celia. It was a shame how things have turned out, her stomach felt empty even after eating the big burger.

“Did you get me hired because you felt bad for using me or because I’m a good designer?” Celia wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer, she needed to know.

Corin was like the mean girl in high school. Celia knew she was good enough for Grandberry Falls, but was she Los Angeles good like she told Corin?

“What are you talking about, Celia?” Sam started pleading with her. He had grabbed her by the arms. “I told you, I didn’t use you. You are talented.”

“Let’s go.” He grabbed her bag and dragged her toward the door.

“Where are we going?” She didn’t resist. He made her safe and she loved his enthusiasm.

“You’ll see.”

Celia smiled at Corin as he held the door open for her.

“Good job at getting her goat.” He gave a sly look.

He opened the passenger door on the Mercedes, in time for a paparazzi to take their photo.

*

“Hey man, can’t we have just a few moments without you guys hanging around?” Sam asked.

He had always given them what they wanted. Bianca didn’t mind and it was easier in a way. Celia is fresh. She doesn’t understand them and she barely understands him. He wasn’t sure how to handle both worlds.

“Hold on.” He told the photographer.

Sam bent down beside the passenger seat with his hand rested on the door. “Listen, I want to take you somewhere. They will follow us if we don’t give them a couple shots. It’s up to you.”

There it was,
Sam noted Celia’s beautiful smile. The smile he hasn’t seen since he left Grandberry Falls. She stepped out taking Sam’s breath. Her long lean tan legs in those white shorts made those cowboy boots sexy and his desire for her escalated.

He was proud to have her standing next to him as the photographer took everything he needed.

“Thanks Sam.” The photographer shook his hand. “He is one class act. You are one lucky lady.”

Sam helped Celia back in the car. Maybe she would listen to the paparazzi.

*

On the way Sam watched Celia rubberneck at all the sites. He was sure she had never seen so many different people or cultures in her life.

“What are you thinking?” He asked.

“I was thinking it’s a shame you never told me about who you really were.” Celia remained silent the rest of the trip.

Sam pulled up along the shore in a sandy little drive. It looked like a cottage on the beach. Not one of the mansions or even a real nice beach house. It was dilapidated and worn from the sea air. He took off his shoes.

“What are you doing?” Celia looked amused.

“Take your boots off.”

She loved being with him, even if she was still mad. 

While Celia took her shoes off, Sam got out and went over to open her door. The sand felt good between his toes. It was a good warm day and a great opportunity to show Celia a little of his private world. A world he only showed Bianca.

“Where are we?” Celia let her feet sink in the sand. “Ah, this feels nice.”

“You, my dear, are about the have the best slice of apple pie this side of Grandberry Falls.” Sam took her hand whether she wanted to or not and led her to the cottage.

The smell of pies made her mouth water. She couldn’t believe the atmosphere. A lot of surfers coming in and out of the water, the sun beating down made the sand nice and warm.

“Why, Sam, where have you been?” Celia noticed the older lady behind the counter. It was a strange place. It was a wide open house with café tables and a bar. The outside deck was filled with surfers and girls in bikinis.

She came out from behind the counter and embraced Sam. “We have missed you.”

“I was out of town for a while, but I’m back.” Sam and Celia followed the older lady out to the deck.

There was a table in the corner with the most spectacular view. Everyone said hello to Sam. Not coming up for an autograph, just a wave and nod.

“You had to get away didn’t you?” She was nosey Celia thought.

“You know me, Kit.” He hugged her. “This is my friend Celia Briggs. She’s in town to put together the wrap party.”

“You’re a party planner?” Celia couldn’t place her accent, but she definitely wasn’t from L.A.

“No, I’m just a florist.” Celia made her job sound less than what it was.

“Just a florist?” The tone in Sam’s voice alerted Celia how Sam didn’t like the way she put herself down. “She’s amazing. I found myself in a little town, Grandberry Falls, Kentucky, and she makes the most amazing designs. When I came back and they were talking about the flowers for the wrap party, I knew Celia Briggs was the one to do it.”

“You have a shop in…” The older lady couldn’t remember the name.