Authors: Sophia Knightly
Before he can offer his services, Chloe snuggles up to me and purrs, “Good thing Camilo is a genius at massage.”
Suddenly the second mojito
cocktail kicks in and I let out a high-pitched giggle.
Devon turns toward me and raises my chin with his hand. He peers into my eyes and says, “Francesca, is that you?”
“Shhh,” I implore him. “How did you know?”
“Your pheromones are unmistakable, darling. Although your giggle tipped me off, your soft hands and delicate shoulders screamed woman,” Devon says, beaming at me as he squeezes my shoulder.
Chloe lets out a peal of laughter and I nudge her when several bowlers turn around to stare at us.
“Why are you dressed like an old man? Do you have certain preferences I don’t know about, Francesca darling?” Devon’s voice booms out teasingly. “That would explain why you don’t fancy my expertise and charms. I hope Miss Taylor doesn’t share the same inclinations as you,” he says, clearly taken with Chloe.
“Please, lower your voice. Antoinette cannot find out I’m here,” I plead.
“Antoinette? Why would she deny you entrance here?” the dense man persists, only lowering his voice a notch. He peers into my eyes with interest.
“Having a good time, Devon?” I hear Antoinette’s shrill, flirtatious voice inquire.
The three of us stiffen in unison as she approaches.
“Delightful,” Devon says. “I was just telling Senhor Ortiz and his beautiful date that Francesca has outdone herself today. What a wonderful event she planned! Quite impressive.”
“I helped her considerably,” Antoinette says, ignoring Chloe and me. “As you know,
the poor girl came down with a vicious case of chicken pox and looked utterly dreadful. It was pathetic.”
My eyes pop open at her rude comment. Antoinette never even saw me.
“Impossible. Francesca could never look dreadful,” Devon says, winking at me. What is he doing? Now Antoinette’s attention will be drawn to me. Oh no, it is. She just did a quick once-over on me and is now staring at Chloe.
“Did you see her?” Devon asks Antoinette.
“No, but I’m sure she was pock marked and scratching like a flea-bitten mongrel,” Antoinette replies, trilling with mocking laughter. “The silly girl was insisting on coming today, but I had to ban her. She would have ruined everything.”
“Urgh, argh,” I gurgle, barely able to stop myself from lunging at her. Chloe decides to sit on my lap and hold me down.
“I wouldn’t say that. Would you, Senhor Ortiz, er…I mean
Francesca
?” Devon inquires wickedly. “Toni, don’t you think Francesca looks comical today?”
Nooo.
Why would Devon out me? I throw him a horrified look and his response is a grin from ear-to-ear. What a troublemaker! I’m sure he finds this very amusing. Of course, he’s not in danger of losing his job. Antoinette grimaces as her beady eyes zero in on me with hawk like precision. When realization dawns that she is staring in the face of her insubordinate employee, she goes ballistic. The scary look on her face screams Glenn Close in
Fatal Attraction
menacing with a knife as she leans toward me.
Please don’t hurt me.
I cringe and hide behind Chloe, who can’t seem to control a fit of hysterical giggles.
“Get up!” Antoinette hisses.
I shoot up from the couch, nearly toppling Chloe to the ground.
“How dare you disobey my orders? I forbade you to come and you showed up anyway! You look ridiculous,” Antoinette sneers. “What if one of our viewers recognizes you?”
Backing away from her, I stutter, “I…I…I’m so sorry, Antoinette. I wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly. Look at what a huge success it is,” I say in a bright tone, even though I’m feeling far from bright.
“Shut up and don’t bother coming to work on Monday morning,” she snarls, red in the face. “You’re fired!”
Chloe and I gasp out loud. Dumbstruck, I stare at Antoinette, my heart racing and my hands shaking by my sides. I’ve just lost my dream job and now that Elise was back in the saddle, I was going do it fulltime again! I’ll need to find a way to support myself and Romeo ASAP. How will I pay for my rent and my car payments? And what about my medical insurance, car insurance… God, I don’t even want to think about it.
I send a silent plea to St. Jude and prepare to grovel, when Devon intervenes.
“Toni, you mustn’t fire Francesca. She is here solely at my insistence.” He puts a placating arm around my livid boss’s shoulder and draws her firmly to his side. Only Devon could get away with calling lofty Antoinette a nickname like Toni.
“What do you mean?” Antoinette gives him a shrewd look.
“When Francesca told me she wasn’t coming, I said it was unacceptable. I warned her that unless she attended the charity event she organized, she would have to find someone else to chair it,” Devon says, pretending to be the bad guy. “I gave her no choice and she did it to save the day. Why else would she come in drag?”
Why else indeed?
Antoinette levels a distrustful, sharp-eyed glance at me. “Is that so, Francesca? To save the day?” she says in a derisive voice.
I nod and avoid making eye contact.
“If you fire her, I will not host the new show we planned,” Devon adds in an inflexible tone. “That would be a pity since my book is already a
New York Times
bestseller.”
When I look up, I notice a pink hive on Antoinette’s twitching cheek. “Why is it so warm in here?” she grumbles, lifting her hair off her neck. She grabs a menu from the table and rapidly fans her mottled, scarlet face.
“Underneath that beard, Francesca’s pox are healed and she isn’t contagious. You do realize that’s rubbish, don’t you, Toni? A person is contagious only before and during the phase when the pox are scabbing over.”
“Maybe, but I heard Dr. Escobar came down with them,” Antoinette says.
“He did?” I ask. I probably shouldn’t be surprised that Antoinette has followed up on Alex Escobar. Elise once told me that Antoinette is the nosiest woman she’s ever met—which goes well with her career in the news, I guess.
With a twist of her crimson lips, Antoinette adds, “What a waste of intelligence and good looks! The police arrested him as he fled the building and now he’s covered in chicken pox as he awaits trial.”
I have to stop myself from giving Chloe a high five at the news.
Woop, woop,
I crow silently as I imagine despicable Alex’s too handsome face covered in itchy spots.
“I won’t fire you, Francesca, but consider it a warning,” Antoinette tells me severely. She turns to Devon with a saccharine smile. “We can’t be too careful when dealing with the public. I was taking necessary precautions, Devon.” Antoinette’s long talons graze a hive on her cheek.
“You might want to take precautions of your own, darling. You have a few spots right there,” Devon says in a mild tone as he points to two raised, pink bumps on her ample cleavage.
Antoinette’s eyes nearly pop out of her head and her face contorts in terror when she looks at her chest. “I need to leave now!” she cries as she frantically scratches the top of her bosom.
“I’ll drive you home, Toni. Wait for me at the exit,” Devon says smoothly.
Antoinette runs to the door, nearly tripping on her platform wedges.
I take a deep breath and turn to Devon, filled with gratitude and relief for the reprieve. “Thank you for coming to my defense.” I make a face. “Even though you were the one to out me.”
“I couldn’t resist. Antoinette’s reaction was worth it.” Devon grins. “I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
“I won’t. Do you think Antoinette’s hives are chicken pox?” I ask, holding my breath.
“Probably,” Devon says in a nonchalant voice as if it would be no big deal.
My heart sinks. “Then I’m toast. If she has chicken pox, she’ll surely fire me.”
Devon pats my knee. “No worries. I’ll make sure she doesn’t,” he says with a spicy wink. “Good-bye.” He hands Chloe his business card as his wolf eyes send her a potent invitation. “I hope to hear from you soon, Miss Taylor.”
“Call me Chloe,” she says right away.
“Chloe. Lovely. It suits you. Did you know Chloe means blossoming flower?” His keen eyes sweep over Chloe as if he’d like to see her flower bloom for him.
How would he know what Chloe means, I wonder, as I watch her blush. Their eyes meet and she looks startled for a fleeting moment. Her cheeks are flushed pinker than I’ve ever seen.
Oh no, Devon’s working his devil magic on Chloe when she’s at an all-time emotional low. I’m going to have to set her straight about him. Devon might have saved the day, but he’s no avenging angel. He strikes me as being a major player and that’s not what Chloe needs in her life right now.
When Devon joins Antoinette at the exit and ushers her outside, Chloe releases a loud, pent-up breath. “That was close.” She looks at Devon’s card and grins impishly. “Wow! He is so wicked hot. I wish he had a twin.”
“A twin would be better, Chloe. I don’t think he’s the marrying type.”
“I don’t think I could handle him anyway.” She shakes her head and grins at the memory. “He’s too much.”
I give a satisfied sigh. “I’m happy this was a success. Thanks for helping me. As soon as I get home I’m emailing Mom the good news. She’ll be thrilled to know her interview was popular.”
“I like the way you featured her interview with the others on the video presentation. She’s a natural before the camera, like you,” Chloe says, referring to the video that ran concurrently during the event.
“Thanks, Chloe.” I hug my partner in crime. “I’ll touch base with Vinny and make sure he oversees the cleanup so we can leave. Mission accomplished.”
“Where to, Camilo?” Chloe takes my arm.
“The bookstore.”
Chloe looks puzzled. “Why are we going to a bookstore?”
“I’m about to do something that will change my life forever—that is if I survive it.” Thank goodness my face is covered by the beard or she’d see me blanch under my fake tan.
Chloe’s eyes shoot open. “What?”
I put on a brave face. “You’ll see…”
Romeo: This place is rocking. Chloe, Fizzy and Francesca are laughing over some funny pictures while Coquette and I canoodle on my bed.
Suddenly the lights are dimmed and Francesca aims the remote control at the TV. Seconds later, Coquette and I are rudely interrupted by Francesca hopping up and down, clutching her head and moaning,“Ohmigod! I can’t do it. I just can’t! But I have to, right? I mean, do you think I’m frigging crazy?”
Lady, take a chill pill. Why did you buy the DVD if you can’t even watch it without freaking out?
This is one time I’m glad Francesca will be leaving me home.
Chapter Thirty-One
Do I go or do I stay? I feel like I’m going crazy. I’ve been pacing my living room since four o’clock this morning trying to make a decision. Bleary-eyed and irritable at getting up so early, Romeo joined me briefly, but then he grew bored and went back to bed.
For the past hour, I’ve been weighing my options. Go to Harrison and tell him I will skydive with him this morning—this one makes me hyperventilate at the thought. Or stay in my safe zone and risk Harrison thinking I’m a boring scaredy-cat. I have to move fast or he might get back together with his ex—this is too depressing and unacceptable.
Suddenly my iPhone buzzes with an email alert from Mom.
“Congratulations on Bowled Over! Dad and I are so proud of you. You won’t believe it—we went scuba diving and it was incredible. Five years ago you couldn’t have paid me to scuba dive, but this time I figured, why not? Especially with Dad along, who is certified. Oh, Frankie, you must try it sometime, it’s exhilarating! We’ll be home in two weeks. Can’t wait to see you. We’ve missed you so much! Love you bunches, Mom.”
I can’t believe I just got the sign I was waiting for. Earlier, I had asked God for a sign and this must be it. If Mom can scuba dive after surviving a massive heart attack, then I can surely skydive. I’m young and I have no physical limitations—that I know of.
I’m already dressed in jeans and a cute tee, so I grab my bag and the skydiving DVD I bought yesterday and head over to Harrison’s. I hope I’m not too late.
I ring the doorbell and hold my breath, trying to still my racing heart. It’s “do or die” now. There’s no turning back.
The surprised look on Harrison’s face is priceless when he answers the door. “Frankie, what’s up? Why’re you here so early? Everything okay?” he asks, peering at me with concerned eyes.
“Everything is perfect. Just perfect,” I say cheerfully. “I’ve been thinking…if you’d still like me to go skydiving with you, I’m ready to try it.”
Stunned, he stares at me. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
I pull out the “Skydiving for Beginners” DVD that I’ve been holding behind my back and show it to him. “Yes, I’m positive.”
When he realizes that I’m not kidding, his handsome face breaks into a huge smile. “Then let’s go, baby.”
Breathe! Don’t faint, don’t panic! There’s no turning back now.
Harrison and I are waiting behind two couples
ahead of us in the open doorway of the airplane. My head is spinning, my heart is pounding, my stomach is doing somersaults, and my hands are frozen fists clutching the sides of my jumpsuit.