The Trouble With Snowmen (17 page)

Chapter 36

Larry woke up fully dressed on the couch. Sunlight blared through the window. He jumped up, the whiskey glass hitting the floor, and ran out the door to Maximilian’s apartment. He respectfully knocked, but after a few minutes, he opened the door. They had left. He had planned on getting up early and catching Haley. He’d thought he’d hear them as they loaded up to leave. But he must have had one too many whiskey & Cokes last night because he’d slept through everything. It figures, he thought, drunkenness had brought them together and now had kept them apart.

After leaving her as many messages as he dared, he did the only thing he knew to do when he had problems with women. He went to Brenda. Even though she’d caused the problems this time, he told himself he needed to find out exactly what had happened last night so that he would know what to say to Haley when they did get to talk.

“What took you so long?” Brenda asked, opening her apartment door.

Larry walked inside, handing Brenda the note from Haley he’d found on his desk last night.

Sorry I missed you. You’ll never guess where I’m going tonight. I’ve been invited to a dinner party at Brenda’s house. She is now, thanks to you, my boss again. Thank you for getting my job back. Hope to see you tonight when I get home.

Love, Haley.

P.S. If you get home in time, I would love for you to join me. Be my date!

Larry stared at Brenda as she read it.

After Brenda finished, she crumbled it up, and let it drop to the floor. “By the way, good morning. You look like hell, and smell like you just crawled out of a vat of whiskey.”

Brenda’s hair was an uncombed, frizzy mess and mascara had smeared all under her eyes. She wore a silky nightgown; one of the straps had slipped off her shoulder and revealed the top of her naked breast. He wanted to tell her she looked like hell too . . . but she didn’t. He had to shake his head and blink so that he wouldn’t acknowledge how her tousled appearance actually turned him on.

He cleared his throat and focused on why he was there. “What the hell is going on, Brenda?”

“I thought you would be happy I gave your research subject her job back.”

“She’s not my research subject. Did you tell her that too?”

Brenda shrugged. “It’s all a blur.” She headed toward the kitchen. “You want coffee?”

Larry followed. “So you invited both of us over last night without telling the other one. And then what? You ambushed her? Why Brenda? What the hell?”

She laughed as she poured two cups of coffee. “That was me doing both of y’all a favor. You’re welcome.”

“What all did you tell her?” He’d said this slowly, calmly, even though he wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake the answers out of her.

“I told her the truth. I told her you were researching hookers and using her as an example.”

“That’s not the truth.” Larry sighed. “It might have started out that way, but it has nothing to do with why I’m with her now. You know that. I told you, Brenda. I told you that I was seeing her.”

She offered a cup of coffee to Larry.

He ignored it. He was not there on a social call. The only reason he talked to her in a normal voice was because he wanted answers.

When he didn’t take the coffee, Brenda said, “Suit yourself,” and set it back on the counter. She then sat down with her cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

“What else?” he asked. “I mean, I have an idea, but I want you tell me exactly what you said.”

Brenda blew into her cup and took a slow sip.

Larry felt as if he was about to come unglued, his body tensed as he waited with failing patience.

Finally she said, “I might have suggested that you are one of those snowmen you told me about. Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t lie. How many women have you been with that you came running to me when it got uncomfortable? How many Larry? Let’s count. There was Sylvia. Remember her? You were like, ‘Oh, Brenda, she wants me to meet her parents. Let’s jump in the sack.’ Let’s not forget Monica, China, oh and . . .” She snapped her fingers as she tried to recall.

Larry had heard enough. “Haley is different!” he shouted. “I’ve never felt like this before.”

Suddenly, Brenda’s cool demeanor faltered. Her eyes became little slits of contempt and her mouth widened with appalled anger.

Larry’s heart beat in his neck, and he had to steady his breathing. “But you know that, don’t you?”

She jumped up from the table, leaving the steaming cup of coffee, and walked back toward the living room.

“Brenda,” he called and followed her. “Brenda. Talk to me.”

By the time Larry caught up to her in her bedroom, the look on her face told him she was ready to talk, glad to. “You want me to tell you what I told your little girlfriend? I told her we had sex at the Marriott.”

Fire raced up to his face, and he clenched his fist together at his side. “What the hell? Why would you tell her that? What gives you the right to mess with my life?”

“What gives me the right?” she screamed. “I have every right because we
are
sleeping together! Maybe not that exact night, but is that really relevant? I have always been here for you. Me, Larry! Look at me!” With one swift movement, Brenda removed her nightgown. She stood there naked, her breathing quick and hard.

Larry took in Brenda’s body, his body pulsed, responding to the memory of how she made him feel. She always made him feel better. And right now he felt lousy and wounded and confused. A flash of realization hit him in his gut. This was why he had landed at Brenda’s door this morning. He needed her to make him feel better.

As she pressed her body against his, he inhaled her scent, that familiar scent of expensive perfume and mint. It would be so easy to lose himself in her. To forget about his heart. To release all of his anger and frustration.

She unbuttoned his shirt and kissed his neck. “We belong together,” she whispered. “You always come back to me, Larry.”

Larry tried to block the thought of Haley. But it didn’t budge. Haley. If he did this, with Brenda right now, he wouldn’t be able to face her. If he chose this moment, he would lose Haley forever. There would be no more excuses.
You always come back to me.

Suddenly he remembered how he’d felt the last time he and Brenda were together. Miserable. Remorseful. Guilty. Haley. He wanted Haley. He loved Haley. He growled and moved away from Brenda, bending down and picking up her discarded lingerie. He held it out to her and said, “I can’t.”

Brenda’s breathing was unsteady and her eyes looked half in the moment and half like she wanted to kill him. “What?”

He sat down on the bed and rubbed his hands down his face. “I can’t do this anymore.
We
can’t do this anymore.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tears filled her words.

“Shit. Brenda, you’re right. You’re right. I always come back to you. You’re like my drug. You’re there when I need you. I
use
you. This isn’t right, and if I ever want to have a real relationship, I’ve got to stop using you.”

Brenda laughed, but she slipped the gown back on. “You’re not using me. I want you. Don’t you see? You always come back to me because we belong together.”

“No, we’re not good for one another. We can’t be together like this. This isn’t a healthy relationship. We can’t be a couple.”

“Why not? These past couple of weeks have made me realize that all we’ve done is waste time. If it hadn’t been for that little cowgirl, we would be together now. Larry, I love you.”

The desperate look in Brenda’s eyes told him that she’d told him the truth, or at least she thought she loved him. But he didn’t love her. He never had. He’d actually known that she wanted more for a long time, but ignored it, didn’t want to admit it because he selfishly couldn’t give her up completely. He hated admitting this to her, but he had to make this clear this time, for her sake, as well as for his.

“I was so angry at you for telling Haley everything. Now I see I can’t blame you for any of this. None of this is your fault. It’s all me. I take all the blame. I’ve been leading you on, not just this last couple of weeks, but for years. I want a woman who will be my partner, someone who isn’t the leader or the follower. And you are definitely a leader. I’m sorry, but even if there was no Haley, I still couldn’t be with you.” He stood up and grabbed her hands. “You are a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman who deserves so much–”

She jerks her hands away. “More? You son-of-a-bitch. Did you just say that you don’t want a follower? Is that right? What the hell do you think Haley is? She’s nothing but a follower. So much so that she was going to pass up an opportunity to go with her friend to be on television and make a lot of money to stay here with you. You read the note. She thinks
you
are the reason I gave her her job back. She thought
you
wanted her to stay. She was going to throw everything away for you . . . for a man.”

Larry guessed that was what Haley had said in the letter. He’d been so mad at Brenda that he hadn’t thought about what it all meant. Haley had accepted a job back that she hated just so she could be here for him. If he hadn’t already been so in love with Haley, this would have finished him off. Which kind of made him feel worse, because she’d left without him being able to tell her how he felt about her. “Wow.”

“I know, right. So see? She’s the one who’s not right for you. She’s weak. She has no direction, no ambition. And oh, she is completely delusional as to who you are. That little girl doesn’t know you like I do. She thinks y’all are in love.” Brenda gave a quick laughed. “She probably even thought that
you
were going to settle down, get married, and have those little things running around.”

“She told you she
loved
me?” Larry ran his hands down his face, trying to hide his mounting excitement and heartache. Haley loved him! And he loved her, and he had to tell her. At that moment, it seemed like the most urgent three words in the world. He had to find Haley! He had to tell her
I love you
.

“Yeah, can you believe it? See? Delusional! How could y’all possible be in love already? I saved you a lot of grief, didn’t I?” Brenda pressed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. “Why don’t we stop all this craziness and crawl into to bed? We’ll make each other feel better. Forget what I said about love. We can go back to the way it was.”

Despite Larry’s anxiousness, he kept his composure, and his heart was indeed heavy as he eased close to Brenda and gave her a long hug. She stood stiff, her arms at her side, and didn’t hug him back. When he moved away, she stared at him with hard, knowing eyes.

Her voice cracked as she said, “No, Larry.”

“This is not easy for me either. Thank you, Brenda, for always being there, for being a friend. I’m sorry, but it can never go back to the way it was. We can’t even be friends anymore. It’s best for the both of us. I have to move on, and you need to move on.”

He heard her cursing him on his way out the door, telling him not to come crawling back to her next time. Once he shut the door and stood in the hallway, he called Neal.

“No, no, no, no,” Neal yelled. “You are not bailing on this tour. I’ve been working on this for six fucking months.”

“I know, Neal, and I really appreciate it, but I have to go to Dallas today.”

“Dallas! That’s the wrong direction. You’ll be in Dallas in two weeks.”

“Thanks, Neal. I’ll call you in a couple of days and catch up to where I need to be.”

“If you have a tour or a publisher by then. Whatever this is, is it more important than your career?”

“Yes, it is,” Larry said, his excitement seeping over the poignant goodbye to Brenda. His head buzzed, and he let the smile emerge and the laugh escaped before he even got to his car. Haley loved him!

He headed back to his house to get his bag since he was already packed. He could make it to Dallas by early evening. Now all he had to do was convince Haley to talk to him.

Chapter 37

After Haley and Maximilian arrived at The Majestic Pavilion where the show would be held, they were escorted to the backstage area with the other contestants. Each designer had been given a number. Maximilian was number three out of fifteen, which meant he was to send his model down the runway third, three times.

Each contestant had been assigned a small area with a mirror, a chair, a make-up/hair stylist, a clothes rack, and a model, in case they didn’t bring one. Since Maximilian had brought Haley, Maximilian’s assigned model, April, became Maximilian’s backup model and assistant—to April’s dismay.

Maximilian had April, the long-legged beauty, threading needles and fetching his scissors. April wore a frown and swore under her breath, but she did it.

“Here, put this on.” Maximilian handed Haley the first outfit. He’d picked out the wide-legged trousers with a sheer fuchsia cowboy-inspired backless blouse.

There were so many things Haley worried about, especially the fact she’d never been on a runway before, but the one thing Haley knew she had to give up that very second was any modesty. All the models changed their clothes right there in front of everyone—well, they did have their little cubicles, but there were no doors, not even front walls. She was used to changing in front of Maximilian, but two complete strangers stood in there with them.

Haley removed her jeans and T-shirt as quickly as possible. She’d slipped into the trousers and was ready to put on the blouse.

“Take that brassiere off too,” Maximilian ordered.

“What did you say? No bra? You never said no bra! I got to wear bras at home when we tried this stuff on.”

Maximilian cocked his head to the side. “Really, Haley? You’re going to start bitching about underclothes? This is my life we are talking about.”

“Fine,” she said, remembering that her decision to come had been all a bit last minute, so they hadn’t really had a dress rehearsal. And she couldn’t let his tone of voice get to her either. He was frantic, and when Maximilian got nervous, he turned on the attitude. She faced the wall and unfastened and removed her bra, and then held her hand out for the blouse.

A few minutes later, Haley whispered to herself in the mirror, “You can do this,” as the stylist, Kyle, pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She knew how to walk. One foot in front of the other. That was all she had to do. Walk down the aisle . . . with her boobs bouncing all over the place. She didn’t have a figure like April’s. Sure she was tall, but she had curves, for goodness sakes! She had boobs! D cups! Maybe not big by Dolly Parton or Pamela Anderson standards but for practically naked in front of millions of people, they were gigantic! Haley had to fan herself with her hand, she had begun to break a sweat. She could imagine Maximilian’s reaction if she actually got pit stains on his clothes.

When the stylist had finished with Haley’s hair and makeup, Maximilian said, “You are so gorgeous. My outfit, and you, and my outfit!” He clapped his hands together. He finally had a smile on his face, the first one since they’d arrived.

This made her feel a little more relaxed. She had to remember who this was for. She would be out on stage for all of thirty seconds at a time, and no one would be looking at her. Everyone would be looking at Maximilian’s clothes. “I’m so glad I’m here to help your dream come true.”

Maximilian’s smile transformed into a slight sulk as he pressed his lips together.

“Don’t worry,” Haley said as she petted his arm. “You are going to do awesome. You’ve worked so hard to be here. You deserve it.”

“No, I don’t. I’ve got to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

A man with a headset and a white T-shirt that read,
Catwalk Wars
—
Sharpen Your Scissors and Your Claws
, approached and said, “We’re ready for numbers one through five.”

“Crap.” Haley clutched Maximilian’s hands. “This is it! I’ll see you when I get back.”

Maximilian kissed both of her cheeks and then nodded. “You can do it, girl.”

She followed the man along with the other four models. They were put in order, her being third. She looked down at her boobs. “Okay, girls, it’s just the three of us now. We can do this!”

This got the attention of Model Number Two. The super-tall blonde said, “There are five of us, but thanks.”

Haley nodded and smiled, thinking it best not to explain that she had not miscounted to five that instead she had given a pep talk to her chest. She was happy for the distraction because now she stood next in line.

“Okay, go,” the headset man said.

She gulped as she stepped out onto the stage. The place was packed like a freaking concert, but thankfully, as soon as she began to walk, the lights shone so bright she couldn’t see beyond the third row. The music pulsated and she could feel the drum beat in her chest. Haley walked, one foot in front of the other, like she’d planned. She had watched plenty of fashion shows on television, so she had this.

Haley held her breath and made it to the end runway. She stopped for a second to make, what she thought was, a pretty darn good pose. Then she turned and made her way back down the runway.

She felt kind of sexy in Maximilian’s clothes and kind of special and important with all the cameras flashing and people clapping. Although, she did have a sudden desire to be the one out there taking pictures. She knew, in her heart, that was where she belonged. Not up here.

If she and Maximilian won, there would be nothing to stop her from doing photography full time because she would have the money to invest. She smiled widely and now pranced to the music.

Haley made it back to the beginning to where another headset guy held the curtain open for her to go backstage. Maximilian also waited for her.

“Oh my goodness! That wasn’t so bad. It was kind of fun.”

“Um, sweetheart, you were a little stiff,” Maximilian said, leading her back to the changing area.

“Really?”

He helped her out of her clothes to get ready for the next outfit.

“You didn’t move your arms.”

“Really? I’m sorry. This is my first runway show.”

“I know. I know. Just slow down a little bit and use your arms and don’t smile like a Vegas showgirl.”

“Don’t smile?”

“No,” Maximilian and April said at the same time.

Maximilian held a black wrap dress.

Haley undressed quickly, and then stood in her pink thong panties. She held up her arms as Maximilian slipped the dress on her. She was relieved that at least this outfit wasn’t sheer. The hem stopped two inches above her knees, and, like always, fit her curves perfectly.

“April, go grab the silver medallion necklace out of my case there,” Maximilian said.

April rolled her eyes but walked toward the case.

Haley sat in the chair facing the mirror as Maximilian explained to Kyle to go wild with the hair and makeup this time. She fought to keep the anxiety away as she thought about having to go back out there, but it had begun to feel like third grade all over again. Her knees and hands began to shake, her heart raced, and she felt lightheaded. She kept telling herself that she could do this. And what was the worst that could happen? She’d already been out there once. What was two more times? Unless, of course, Maximilian got to go to the next round. But that would be a good thing, right? She wanted this now as much as he did. She told herself to think about the money for her photography.

By the time she was called with the one through five models for the second go-around, she had calmed herself enough that her heart had returned to its normal rhythm. Again, she made her way down the runway. But this time, instead of worrying about her boobs, she had to worry about the nine-inch heels Maximilian had put on her a few seconds ago. What had he been thinking? He knew she couldn’t walk in anything over five inches, especially with shaky legs!

And then she did a double-take. Larry? In the audience? In the front row? No way! She had to look again. It couldn’t be him. Why would it be him? But it was him! Larry was . . .
oops
! She’d come to the end of the runway and her right foot went a little too far. She teetered on the edge. The audience gasped. She swung her arms around, trying not to fall off the end of the stage. She brought herself back up.
Whew
. But then she went too far backward and
whoosh
, her feet came right out from underneath her and
BAM!

She was on her ass.

The world stopped, including the music. And then the audience let out a collective, “Ohhh . . .” Haley didn’t look at anyone. She scrambled to her feet, as ladylike as possible, even though she had already shown the whole wide world what color underwear she wore. Thank goodness she’d gotten to wear those!

As soon as she had her balance in the freaking stilts disguised as shoes, she stood up straight. Finally, she walked back down the runway, the music returning, she guessed following her cue that she was okay. Haley held her head high. She thought she heard loud clapping but wasn’t sure what in the world that was for.

Maximilian stood there, his mouth wide open, and then he let out a whimper.

“Oh Maximilian.” Haley had tears in her eyes, and it wasn’t only because she’d made a colossal fool of herself but because she’d also let Maximilian down. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to mess up. I can’t believe I fell down.” She put her hands on her cheeks.

Maximilian’s wide mouth suddenly drooped into a dramatic frown.

Haley voice went into high pitch. “Those shoes, they were too freaking high, and I saw Larry in the audience. I think it was Larry. Maybe I’m hallucinating. Oh Maximilian, I’m sorry. I cannot believe I did that!”

Maximilian looked up to the ceiling and exclaimed, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I lied, okay? It will never happen again. Ever. I’ve learned my lesson. I swear!” He then spoke to April, his voice calm “Please go put on the evening gown, and get ready to go down the runway.”

April pursed her lips and gave an ‘I told you so’ eyebrow arch.

“You don’t want me to be your model anymore?” Haley felt defeated. “I don’t blame you. I just hope I didn’t ruin everything. I’m so sorry I let you down.”

Maximilian sighed. “No, I let you down. You, my dear, were a true friend. I, on the other hand, I was horrible horrendous friend, and I got what I deserved.”

Haley shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t hate me, but I thought I needed you.” His voice got higher now. “I lied to you. When Larry came over last night, I had to trick him to make him go away so that you would come with me.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but I was so tired of being jerked around. Yes, I’ll be your model; no, I can’t be your model; yes, I’ll be your model . . .”

“Sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry because I still shouldn’t have lied to you. Larry told me he didn’t sleep with Brenda after he was with you, and he had nothing to do with Brenda calling you about the job or inviting you over. It seems to me that the bitch played both of y’all.”

“Really?”

“Really. And I’m guessing now the dummy didn’t do what I suggested and go on tour but instead followed you all the way here because he loves you.”

“What?”

“Yeah, yeah. He told me that too, and then I kicked him in the sack.” Maximilian gestured to get his point across. “I warned him not to mess with my very best friend.”

“Really? You actually kicked him there, and he still followed me here? Wait, what did you say? Did you say he said he loves me?”

“Yeah. So do you hate me?” Maximilian asked. “Can you forgive me for being such a selfish, lying bitch?”

Haley’s stomach fluttered with excitement. She was way too ecstatic to be angry at anyone. Maximilian could have added ‘the world is ending’ and thing only thing she would’ve heard was
Larry loves you
. “Well,” Haley said with a wink, “it’s not always about you, princess.”

Maximilian wrinkled his nose at her. “Yes, it is.”

Haley laughed. “I guess it is.”

“Just kidding. Look, I have a proposal.”

“Uh-oh.”

“If you forgive me, I will never ever mention what happened out on the catwalk. Even if I lose, I won’t throw it in your face.”

“I really,
really
hope you don’t lose. But it’s not like that’s going to make it go away. It’s going to be all over television and probably even the Internet. Oh man, it’ll probably be one of those viral things. Crap, crap, this really sucks.”

“And . . . you can call me Max.” He extended his arms out to her for a hug.

Haley squealed and said, “You have a deal.” She wrapped her arms around him, giving him a quick squeeze. Then all of a sudden, the need to see Larry made her giddy and impatient. “Did you need me to stay and help with anything?”

“Hell no!” he said this with a sly grin and an arched eyebrow. “Go. Please, please go. This is no place for you.”

She giggled and looked down at her outfit. “What about the dress?”

“Wear it.”

“Really?”

“No, not really,” he said with a dance of the head. “Quick change before you go. Sorry, Cinderella ho, you don’t get the dress, but you can go get your prince.”