Road to Casablanca (6 page)

“Ms. Lovemore.
 
What news do you have for me?”

“I flew to
Dallas
this morning and met with the young woman I told you about and I’m pleased to say she is available for the dates you requested, providing you agree to your original stipulations of salary and wardrobe requirements.”

Erick looked over at his father who was busy reading an article about a
Florida
woman giving birth to a sea monster.

“Yes, that all sounds wonderful.
 
I assume that means she will be leaving Saturday to arrive Sunday?”

“Absolutely.
 
I have her passport ordered and her ride to the airport arranged. She will be there on schedule.”

“Very good.
 
I can’t tell you what a lifesaver you’ve been.
 
Thank you for your call, Ms. Lovemore.
 
Goodbye.”

Erick hung up the phone, grinning from ear to ear.

“Dad?”

Forrest Redmund put down the paper and stared gravely into his son’s eyes.

“Yes?”

“I think I just found the solution to all our problems.”

“How could that be?”

“I think I finally found the perfect woman, the kind of lady who will make you and everyone on the Board satisfied once in for all.”

“You better find something, Erick, or mark my words, there will be trouble in paradise.”

Erick laughed again despite the fact he knew how much it irritated his father.

“Dad, trust me.
 
I know what I’m doing.”

“What do you mean, son?”

“That was my travel agent on the phone.
 
I met a wonderful woman from
Dallas
and she’s agreed to go with me on the trip to
Morocco
.”

“If she’s like this other….”

“Dad, she is the nicest girl in the world.
 
Grew up on a farm in
Iowa
.
 
She’s everything you and I hoped for.”

Forrest scowled at his son and Erick knew he was going to have to lay it on thick for his father to buy it.

“Dad, you think I like being fodder for the tabloids?
 
I don’t.
 
I want to meet someone special, but as you know, it’s tough to do.
 
I’m as sick of these
Hollywood
starlets as you are.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course, Dad!
 
And Cindy is the most wholesome, wonderful girl I’ve ever met.
 
I know you’ll approve.”

“That is wonderful, son.
 
If what you say is true, then I assume you’ll prove it to me.”

“I will prove it; just tell me how.”

“I want you to be married by year’s end.”

“What?
 
Are you crazy?”

“The board is gravely concerned about our stock price, and quite frankly, I don’t blame them.”

“What does that have to do with my getting married?”

“Everything.
 
We discussed it and everyone would feel more comfortable if you were married when I step down and hand the reins over to you.”

“Yeah, but that won’t be for at least….”

“That’s one of the things I wanted to tell you today, son.
 
I’m retiring at year’s end.
 
You need to find yourself a decent, respectable wife, or I’m afraid the board might have other plans for the company after I leave.”

Erick felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach, and at the same time realized that his ventures overseas could not have come at a better time.

“Dad, I promise that I am seeing a new and wonderful woman.
 
I cannot reasonably promise to marry her by year’s end.
 
That is ludicrous.”

“When you get home, Erick, I will expect us all to meet for dinner.”

Startled by a loud knock at the door, Erick turned away.

“Sir? The driver is here.”

“Sorry, dad, but I’ve gotta run.
 
I’ll be home in a little over a week.”

“You better take care of this, son.
 
I don’t want to have to explain something like this to the board again.
 
Ever.”

“Fine, dad.
 
Now go home and have yourself a drink and a nice round of golf or two, will ya?
 
Everything is fine.”

The driver took the bags to the car, and Erick smiled, filled with anticipation of what was to come.
 

The next time I sit in this office behind this desk and look out over the Hollywood Hills, I’ll be Erick Redmund, Film Producer extraordinaire.

Chapter Five

“Hello, Mom?
 
It’s Cindy.”

“Hi.
 
You’re up awfully early.
 
What is going on?”

Cindy realized she would have to tell her parents about her plans to leave the country, and she conveniently waited until the last possible moment to do so.

“I am going on a trip out of the country and I will be back in a week.”

“What?
 
Where are you going?”

“To
Morocco
.”

“
Morocco
?
 
Where is that?”

“It’s in Africa, mom.”

“Who are you going with and when will you be back?”

“I am leaving in a few minutes.
 
It’s a…business trip, I guess you’d call it. I’ll be back on Sunday.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?
 
You’re worrying me here.”

Cindy looked out her window and saw
Victoria
’s sports car in her driveway and heard her repeatedly honking her horn.

“Mom, I love you and there is nothing to worry about.
 
My ride is here and I have to go now.
 
Victoria
has your numbers and I will call you as soon as I get home, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Mom.”

An urgent rush of adrenaline filled Cindy as she heard the doorbell ring.

“Coming.”

“Hey, you!
 
Are you ready for the time of your life?”

Victoria
immediately grabbed Cindy’s bags while Cindy kissed her cat and locked up. In moments, they were racing away from her house to the airport.

Victoria
hit the gas pedal so hard, Cindy instinctively reached up and held the handle above the passenger’s seat in a white-knuckled . Her initial excitement began to melt away, to be replaced by growing anxiety and fear that sat like a lump of coal in the pit of her stomach.

“Why do I have to go today?”

“Because it’s a long flight and you won’t make it on time if you don’t.”

“But it’s only Friday.”

“Hey, you don’t have to hold on so tight, you know.
 
That’s what the seatbelt is for.
 
Plus, I’m an excellent driver.”

Cindy released her hand and placed both on the glove compartment handle instead, holding just as tightly, if not more so.

“I don’t understand how the flight could be so long.
 
We’re only going to Africa.”

“Uh, hello!
 
It is on the other side of the world, you know.”

“I realize that. I’m just worried about the flight, that’s all.”

“You never did explain how you became so fearful of air travel.
 
I thought you grew up on a farm.”

“I did.”

“Then what’s the problem?
 
This is a new experience, right? You ought to be looking forward to it.”

Cindy shook her head as the knot in her stomach twisted into a tight ball just thinking about her first and only flight.

“I flew to
Dallas
a couple years ago for my interview with the firm.”

“From
Iowa
?
 
And?”

“And I hated it.
 
I got sick and I was so embarrassed; it was just awful.”

Victoria
laughed and slammed on the brakes at a stoplight.
 
Cindy was glad she was holding on with both hands.

“So you got a little sick once a long time ago, who cares?”

“It wasn’t
a little
sick and it was embarrassing.
 
I don’t do well at high altitudes.”

“Well you’re going to be stuck up there for several hours, you know.”

Cindy cringed at the thought of it.

“Yes, I realize that.”

“Good news is if you get sick, you’ll drop a couple pounds before you land, so you can eat more exotic food when you get there.”

“Speaking of sick, you are so sick and wrong, you know that?”

Laughing so loud it nearly rattled the windows,
Victoria
screeched away from the light and Cindy tightened her hold on the dash.

 
“The more I think about you traipsing off to Africa with a super millionaire hunk, the more jealous I am!
 
Do you even have any idea how lucky you are?”

“Uh…first off, who said he was a millionaire?”

“Oh, come on, Cindy!
 
All these guys are, from what I could tell.
 
You are going to be the envy of all who know you.
 
I’ve never been that far from home before.
 
This is the chance of a lifetime.
  
I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“Believe me, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I wish I was going.”

“That makes two of us. Why don’t you?
 
That sounds like a great idea to me. Just go in my place! It’s not too late, you know.”

“First off, the guy wanted you badly enough to send the owner of the company out here personally to sign you up, and second, I hope I don’t need to remind you that it’s illegal to impersonate people on an airline.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Cindy thought about the morning she pushed the button on her computer and set this entire plan into motion and she realized that now she would have to follow through, no matter how terrorizing or uncomfortable it seemed.

 
“For once, I want to live vicariously through you instead of the other way around.”