A Half Dozen Fools (12 page)

"No," she lied. "I'm good."

At Madison Avenue, Shar and Jerry stopped short when the cross light changed, and Elyse and James bumped into them. While cars roared forward, Elyse moved farther away from James and pawed her feet at the sidewalk in search of warmth.

"Hey," James asked her out of nowhere, "do you know Bobby Kressner?"

"Bobby Kressner?" Elyse had to stop and think about this non sequitur. "Oh, Bobby Kressner... Well, I met him once, through a friend. A while back." She looked at him. "Why in the world did you ask me that?"

James nudged his chin across the side street. "Because he's waving at you, over there--by Blarney's."

Sure enough, there stood Bobby Kressner on the corner in front of the retail giant. With a grin, he waved at Elyse.

"Oh, geez! Hey, Shar? I need to say hi to this guy over here, if you don't mind. Give me a minute?" Without waiting for an answer, she stepped out from under the umbrella and secured her hat in place. "I'll be right back, James."

She bolted toward Bobby before James could offer to join her with the umbrella.

Bobby was standing there rocking on his heels, raindrops bouncing off his stylish black hat, the collar of his Prada coat flipped up around his neck.

"It's the girl from Gotham's Comedy Club," Bobby said cheerily. "Elyse, right?"

"Right. And you're Bobby Kressner."

"Right! How are you?"

"Fine. How in the world did you recognize me?"

"I was waiting to cross Madison and happened to glance over. There was your face, lit up under the streetlight."

"Crazy!"

Their breath showed white in the chill, night air.

Bobby asked, "Is that your boyfriend, over there?"

"No, I just met him tonight. It's a friend of a friend kind-of-thing."

"Oh, good. Then I still have a chance."

She laughed, tantalized by his good looks and easy charm.

When he smiled, his trademark dimples surfaced, recognizable by millions of women across America--except Elyse, who hadn't been paying attention.

"So, you're not involved with anyone, Elyse?

"Nope. I'm a free agent now. Just broke up with an executive chef."

Bobby reached inside his overcoat. "My card. If you'd like it."

"Your card? Sure."

"Just--well, keep it discreet, if you know what I mean. It's an unlisted number."

She shrugged. "Okay."

As she reached for it, he plucked it away.

"Promise you'll call?" he asked playfully.

She looked at him. "If you want me to."

"'Course I do! Let's get together sometime."

"That'd be fun."

He handed her the card and grinned. She slipped it into her handbag and glanced over at her friends, then back.

"Great to see you, Bobby, but I better run now--my friends'll kill me if we don't get inside for dinner soon!"

"Hey, no shit--I'm freezing my butt off out here! Give me a call one of these days."

"Okay! Have a great night."

She skipped away to rejoin her group.

"Sorry about that, guys," she said breathlessly. "I hope you didn't freeze out here."

"Hey," James said sarcastically, "one can't just ignore a big TV star, can one?"

Elyse didn't answer as the four of them huddled together to cross the avenue.

Holding James's arm, Elyse was thinking of Bobby. Even after the night she'd met him at the comedy club, his celebrity status was still based on hearsay. She'd never seen the show that that had made him a household name, nor read the gossip rags contributing to his fame.

Of course, rising stars had slipped by her in the past. As a teacher, she'd painted in her spare time, often out of the cultural loop until friends and coworkers pointed out the latest Hollywood flavor of the month, or some scandalous behavior of the rich and famous.

But maybe she'd better start paying attention to what was going on in the industry. Especially as a makeup artist who wanted to get ahead.

* * * *

After a sumptuous dinner at the Jade Bull Restaurant, the foursome sat back and relaxed. The two gentlemen sipped cognacs while the girls shared a bottle of sake.

Shar leaned over with lids at half mast. "Excuse Elyse and me, Jerry, while we go powder our noses."

Jerry rubbed her forearm affectionately. "God forbid you have a shine."

Inside the ladies room, Shar asked Elyse, "So, what do you think of James? You two seem to be getting along pretty well."

"He's super polite."

"Don't you think he's good-looking? I mean, do you find him attractive? I think he's adorable. Comes from an old blue blood family out on Long Island. Does well for himself, too. Great catch, as they say."

Elyse plucked a rolled hand towel from the basket on the copper sink and dried her hands with it.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, lately. I think I've lost all interest in men."

"Well, after that debacle with Rick Giordano--the big jerk!--it's no wonder. Got you all depressed when
he's
the loser. James might be good for helping you get over that SOB."

Elyse made a noncommittal shrug. "Maybe. I mean, I appreciate what you're doing, Shar--"

"I'm not doing anything. I just noticed you two are getting along. I don't have an agenda, or anything like that."

"I know..."

"Maybe you should give James a chance, just to take your mind off that crazy chef, if nothing else. Dinner can't hurt, can it? I know he really likes you."

"How do you know that?"

"I know James. I can tell by how he acts."

Elyse caught herself from wincing. "Anyway," she said brightly, "he's very nice. We'll see what happens."

* * * *

After the Jade Bull, James dropped Elyse off in front of her apartment building. She tried to keep him from getting out and walking her to the lobby door, but he insisted.

"Please, don't worry," he assured her. "I have to, in good conscience." To the driver, he said, "Keep the meter running please."

Elyse beelined for the door hoping to avoid the awkward moment of an unwelcome good-night kiss. But as soon as she turned the key in the outer door, James pulled it back. Caught between James and the doorframe, she found herself struggling to release it. She finally succeeded and tried to squish past him, but he stooped down and held her by the waist. When he went in to take the shot, Elyse turned her head to one side, and he ended up kissing her cheek.

He straightened with a hurt puppy expression on his face. "Gee, should I take that personally--giving me the cold cheek?"

"No. But we did just meet, after all."

"I thought we really connected though."

"Maybe we did," Elyse said dryly. "But best friends in seven hours--really?"

"Oh, so we have to be best friends to share a kiss?" He laughed. "Don't worry. I'll respect your wishes, ma'am. So, tomorrow night at seven, right?"

"Yes, James. I'll meet you in front of the Athletic Club."

"If I'm not right there, just go inside. There's a bar on the ground floor. Get yourself a drink."

"Okay, James. See you then." Elyse turned and went inside.

Seated at the podium by the elevator, the young night watchman gave no indication that he'd been eavesdropping, but Elyse knew better.

She smiled at him, and he nodded respectfully.

The first thing Elyse did inside her apartment was release her aching feet from the bondage of high heeled boots. Groaning in relief, she rubbed them and went in search of mindless noise to fill the silence. She turned on the television and walked inside her bedroom, taking off her sweater. As she pulled on her nightgown, she heard the TV announcer proclaim that
New York's Finest
would be airing next. She rushed back in and cranked up the sound up so she could hear it throughout the apartment.

While she washed up in the bathroom, she chuckled to herself.
Isn't that a coincidence?
I just ran into Bobby Kressner, I've never seen his show, and now--here comes a rerun!

She returned to the living room in time to catch Bobby onscreen.

Wow, he looks even better on the tube than he did in person. Must be what they call the camera loving his face.

She was soon mesmerized by Bobby as Police Lieutenant Benson Hathaway. She had to admit, he was convincing as the passionate, idealistic cop at odds with corruption not only among criminals but his fellow officers, too.

During a commercial break, Elyse dug through her purse for the card Bobby had given her earlier that evening.

When the show resumed, she observed it with a more clinical eye. She tried to gauge how much makeup Bobby was wearing, and how the lighting had been set up for different shots. She had to admit, not only was his acting terrific, he had major sex appeal, too.

As the level of his fame and fortune finally dawned on her, a twinge of excitement tickled her midriff and she tapped her fingertips together like an excited little girl.

Wow--I met a real star! And not only that--he gave me his card.

Once the show had ended, Elyse went to bed. After tucking herself in, she slid Bobby's card underneath her pillow.

Feeling more contented than she had in a long, long time, she slipped off to dreamland with a grin on her face and hope for the future.

After tidying up her makeup studio, Elyse headed out to the retail area. Between the doorway and counter space, she slowed her pace. Judy was crouched behind a counter guzzling from a small, silver flask. Although hidden from the lobby and spa by the display case, Elyse had a perfect view from where she stood.

Less shocked now than the first time she'd caught Judy sneaking the spirits, she still felt embarrassed on her behalf. She made an excuse to stop and adjust her panty hose, clearing her throat as she reached down and yanked her black tights up one leg at a time. Judy scrambled to cap her drink and hide it from sight. Elyse straightened just in time to see her boss slip the flask inside a pocket of her long, pleated skirt.

By the time Elyse reached the counter, Judy was dabbing at her mouth in the reflection of a small mirror on the wall by the register.

Without making eye contact, Judy grabbed a dust cloth. Without enthusiasm, she proceeded to wipe off countertops.

"What time's your next appointment, Elyse?"

"One o'clock. I just did some cleaning, too."

"Good for you! Now I wish Nissa would take some initiative and do that. All that girl does is collect her tips and her paycheck. Runs out the door as fast as she can. Expects somebody else to clean up after her all the time. Doesn't take responsibility for anything else going on around here."

Elyse nodded, wondering why she should. But she was careful not to take sides of the increasing rivalry between Judy and Nissa.

"Mm," Elyse said flipping through the Rolodex. "I need to find our file card on Mary Everett, my one o'clock appointment."

Judy ignored her attempt to steer clear of the subject.

"And maybe she'll actually let me ring a sale in, too, one of these days. Acts as if I'm trying to steal her commission or something. I'm just trying to help out, for Pete's sake, but God forbid I touch anything she sells."

Again, Elyse merely nodded and aimed for neutrality, well aware that Nissa didn't want Judy near her customers. First of all, Judy was a clutzy conversationalist, while Nissa's clients tended to be urbane and ultra-cool. More than once, they'd recoiled from Judy's oafish squeals of delight at their purchases. Secondly, Nissa didn't trust Judy to do the math, which would affect her commission. Behind her back, Nissa called her a hack.

Elyse watched Judy come out from behind the counter and make a half-assed attempt to clean the rest of the storefront. Before Elyse started working there, the Hoffenzimmers had gotten rid of their cleaning crew to save a buck.

Elyse smirked and thought how the increasingly worn appearance of The Make-Up Place made a lousy overall impression. No matter how hard she tried to make it shine, it never really looked clean. And no matter how adroitly Nissa and she applied the products, the line was kind of tired, too. So even when they succeeded in getting bodies in the door, they weren't exactly rushing back for more. The place itself was a deterrent.

But Elyse looked on the bright side. She reasoned that since Dylan had left the Make-Up Place for a great gig on daytime drama, so, too, could she. One of these days she was going to be working in film or television, practicing her craft for oodles more money than she currently earned. She'd just have to keep on paying her dues while keeping the faith.

After a final swish with her dust cloth, Judy plopped down in a waiting room chair. "I'm exhausted," she lamented. "You okay if I go out and grab some lunch, Elyse?"

"Sure, Judy. We'll be fine--don't worry."

Suddenly Judy was energized! With a burst of adrenaline she rose, threw on an overcoat, and pulled a fleece cap over frizzy brown hair. Elyse cracked up at the way the ear flaps flopped down either side of her head. On her way out the door, Elyse thought she looked like a deranged, cartoonish hound dog.

Minutes later, Carla finished with her customer and walked her to the door. On her way back, she grabbed a magazine off the waiting room table and took a seat in the pedicure station. Flipping through pages, she called over to Elyse.

"So,
amiga
, how's your love life these days?"

Elyse shrugged. "There's this guy I'm having dinner with tonight. He's nice enough, I guess."

"But you're not thrilled?"

"I don't know, Carla." She came over and took a seat at the manicure station. "He seems like the perfect guy, and I should be in heaven. Shar thinks he's great. She thinks I should at least go out with him to get over Chef Rick, once and for all."

"You still hung up on that chef?"

"No. But Shar seems to think so."

"Yeah, but what do
you
think?"

"Honestly? Sometimes I don't know what I want. Actually, there's this actor I met. He stars on
New York's Finest
. Bobby Kressner."