Carpe Bead'em (16 page)

I make sure to keep eye contact, and put
a little more swing in my sway.

I can’t help but notice how big I’m
smiling in the mirror. It’s taking up so much space; I can’t see the rest of my
face.  I lick my lips trying to look sexy and fantasize how it’ll turn Bo on.

I carefully place my tits in the hot
pink silk nightie so they’re perky and ready to play.

I swipe on a little more gloss, pull my
hair on a low pony and get ready to make my grand entrance for our first night
together.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” I anticipate
the look when he sees me. I’m not liking the vibe he’s giving me. I panic,
feeling a little desperate. “Are you okay? Did I take too long?”

“I thought you didn’t get this?” He’s
holding the note in the air, the note I accidently left on my bed side table. I
guess the look on my face says it all. “Why would you lie to me? I wanted to
share something with you, but I guess you don’t care.”

He put the note in the trash can next to
the door on his way out.

I head towards to door only to stop when
I realize I already look like a fool. If I go after him, what will I say? Beg
him to sleep with me? No.

I sit on the edge of my bed feeling like
a fool. “Not tonight, girls.” I say, and pull the top up on my barely-there
nightie. I reach over for my comfy terrycloth robe. I at least have to check on
him. He is, after all, my houseguest. I’m trying to see some hope in the fact
that he hasn’t left the house.

“Bo.” I knock on the closed door.

“Hallie, it’s late. I’ve had a long day,
and I need to run in the morning.” There is a pause. “Good night.”

I put my hand up to the door and lean my
head against it. I daydream he’s leaning against the door with his hand the
same place mine is. Just like you see in the movies. Only I know he really
isn’t there.

My heart that was filled with excitement
is now filled with empty space.

“Good night.” I walk away, leaving every
bit of my soul hanging out by his door.

I schlep into the bathroom, trading in
my hot pink teddy for my University of Kentucky pajama pants and white tank.

“You’re so stupid.” My reflection stares
back at me with a
yep, you screwed up
look.

How’d I let this happen? All the work I
put into this. Two years. Two years I’ve waited to kiss him and I screw it up
in minutes. If he wasn’t in the same house, I would be screaming, crying and
calling my girlfriends for advice. But this time, I have to rely on my own
instincts. 

I crawl into bed
thinking how wonderful his kisses made me feel. I weep. It is silent and deep.
I haven’t felt this type of grief since my parents’ death.  I reach under my
pillow, burying my head in his Sunday shirt. I replay his kiss over and over
until I fall asleep.

“Hallie?” My ears spring up when I hear
Bo’s voice call my name.

I wait for a minute to make sure I’m not
dreaming. I must’ve cried myself to sleep.

“I’m going for a run. Want to join me?”
He calls from behind the door.

I know he hasn’t forgotten, but I hope
he’s forgiven me.

“Let’s go.” I bolt out of bed before he
changes his mind.

He darts out the door before I can get
my left shoe on, but I catch up, and fall in step with him as if I haven’t
missed a single day of running behind him. His Sunday shirt is hiding under my
pillow forcing him to wear a plain tee. The sound of pavement hitting under our
feet is less deafening than the silence between us.

My head pounds from a night of weeping. But
I blow it off because running with him cures any aliment I have.

Bo looks back. “It’s time you ran next
to me. Besides, I don’t know where I’m going.”

A hint of forgiveness in his voice, or
maybe just a willingness to forget. Proudly I run next to him and begin to
point out all the landmarks I’ve grown to love. Dee is sweeping outside the
store as we run by.

“Hi, Hallie.” We stop, and I introduce
Bo to Dee.

Her eyes expand in approval. “I sold all
the bracelets yesterday. When do you think you can get me more?”

“When I made the one for my outfit, I
made a couple of them. Plus I used some of the stretchy cord with some of the
inexpensive beads. The teenagers told me twenty dollars is almost too expensive
for them.” I can see Bo is trying to figure out what we’re talking about.

“I think we can sell them for fifteen
dollars and we’ll make more profit off them than the toggle ones.” Dee agrees.

Stretchy cord is going to go over well
with the teenage population World of

Beads is drawing in.

“I can bring them later today when Bo
leaves.” I’m happy to run into Dee. It shows Bo I haven’t been waiting around
for my three months to be over. It shows I’m actually enjoying my time in
Cincinnati.

Getting back into the pace, we head toward
Café Beginnings.

My chances with Bo as a couple, but he
does make a great friend.

The line is almost out the door. Addy
shouts out people’s name to pick up their finished mochas, and treats.

“Hey you, where’ve you been?” She scans
past my face to focus on Bo.

“I’ve been busy making bracelets and
work. Plus my friend, Bo, is visiting from Chicago.” My eyebrows arch.

She gives me a secret thumbs up before
we sit down at the café table in the front.

“We’re going to sit outside.” We make
our way through the café.

“Tell me about your bracelets,” Bo
inquires after we sit down at the wire tables. “Were you wearing them last
night?”

I tell him the One Bead at a Time story,
my TV interview, bonding with the teenagers and the fact that my jewelry is
“selling like hot cakes.”

“I love it so much. I‘m making samples
so when I come home I’m going to try to sell them to my favorite boutiques.” I
say. “I really hope they place orders.”

Addy is watching us. A big grin planted
on her face.

“Excuse me for a minute.” I’m giddy with
delight and I walk over to Addy.

“He’s so good-looking.” She leans her
head out the door to get another glimpse at him. “Those eyes.”

“I
know
,” I gush. “I keep
reminding myself he has a girlfriend.”

Addy looks at me like I’m crazy. “I
don’t think he has a girlfriend. If he did, he wouldn’t look you that way.”

If he is dating Piper, she hasn’t
called. Nor has he made any type of reference to her that makes her sound like
a girlfriend.

Bo stands up when I get back to the
table. “Let’s finish our conversation after our run. I have to get back to the
Windy City.” 

Is that a little hint of sadness in his
voice? Maybe it’s my imagination hoping he’ll be sad when he leaves.
Nevertheless, he does want to talk about last night,
damn
!

We jog back in silence.

“I’m going to get my things together.”
Bo walks up the stairs.

I take my beads outside and sit on the
patio watching Henry smell every blade of grass in the yard and then pee on
them. I finish six stretch bracelets by the time Bo comes out.

“Wow, Hallie. You surprise me every time
I see you.” He picks up a few of the bracelets and looks at them. “You’ve
really embraced your life here. I was worried about you and I wanted to make
sure you were going to be okay. That’s why I wrote the note.”

He sits the bracelets down on the bead
board.

“You cried the night before you left.
You were drunk, but you cried. You told me that you didn’t want to leave your
friends and me.” He gently reminds me of my drunken state.

Oh no!
I thought I passed out cold on
him, and now I’m finding out that I confessed my love?

“When I asked you about me, you said
something about running and how you started because of me. Then something about
not seeing me on a daily basis.” He laughs. “That’s when you passed out cold.”

He bends down and picks up Henry.

“I watched you sleep the entire night.”
He put Henry down and squats between my legs. He stares into my soul.  “I want
to keep in touch with you. I thought you were avoiding me and you didn’t want
anything to do with me. Burger Beer is an excuse to come to Cincinnati to see
you. I could’ve made the deal over the phone, but it’s you I wanted to see.”

Stay calm.
Don’t screw
this up.

Bo tells me how he wants to see where
things will go with us. “Your lie about the note makes me wonder what else
you’d lie about. The one thing I hate and especially in a relationship is a
liar.”

“I have an idea.” I cradle his hands in
mine. “Why don’t we put the note incident behind us. I’m embarrassed about you
bringing me home that night. I’d love to take it slow and see if our friendship
can become more.”

I take a deep breath, getting ready for
my big-girl speech.

“Maybe a few calls here and there. When
I visit in a few weeks, we can spend time together. In four weeks I’ll be back
in Chicago, and we can see each other on a regular basis.”

Obviously there’s nothing going on with
Piper any more If there is he wouldn’t be inviting me to still come to the bar.

This is a good relationship plan. While
I’m here, I can focus on honing my beading craft, create a marketing plan, and
look forward to starting a real relationship with Bo.

“Deal.” Bo leans in and left me with a
kiss to remember until our next encounter.

Week Six

You can never
have enough beads.

Author Unknown

Chapter Thirty

It’s been less than twenty-four hours
since Bo left, and I’m already obsessing over him. We have no commitment to
each other, but I can’t help but think about Piper and what they are, or
aren’t, to each other. I can’t imagine he is if he’s willing to be seen with me
at the bar. Why can’t I let this go?

“Earth to Hallie,” Beatrice taps her pen
on my office door. My hand flies up, knocking my coffee mug over. I grab one
Kleenex after another to soak up the spill.

Beatrice grabs the trash can and slides
the mess into it.

“Wow. You are out of it. I knocked four
times.” She curiously searches my face for the reason I’m in la-la land. “Sheila
Gray from Channel 19 is on the phone for you.”

Another interview? I jump across my desk
reaching for my phone, and my black Gucci vest soaks up the remaining coffee.
“Shit!”

“Excuse me?” The voice on the other end
of the phone asks.

I didn’t realize when I pick up the
receiver, it picks up the call.
Great!

“This is Hallie.” I bury my head in my
hands.

“Hi, Hallie, it’s Sheila Gray from Fox
19.”

Please don’t tell me the bracelet broke.
I rub my forehead in anticipation,

She continues, “I get fan mail from all
sorts of people. I’ve received nothing but compliments on my bracelet you gave
me. Everyone wants to know where I got it.”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m glad,
actually ecstatic, that everyone likes it.” My day can’t get any better than
this.

“That’s why I’m
calling. I want to know, if I give you some colors, would you be interested in making
me a few more?” She pauses. “At a cost, of course. I don’t expect them for
free.”

I say nothing, taking in the glory.

“The quality is
so strong. There isn’t a flaw.” She gushes, “Your work is so professional.”

Okay
, now my day can’t get any better.

“So, will you?”

“Yes. Yes, I’d
be glad to make them, but it will come at a cost.” I take a deep breath. I’m
feeling gutsy, “Can I get Beadnicks in the wardrobe credits?”

What do I have to lose? We can always
compromise.

“Done,” she says
with no hesitation. “And I can one-up you. I want to interview you as the
upcoming jewelry designer from Cincinnati.”

My mouth falls
open. There’s no way this is happening to me. I’ve never had a life of luck. I
think I’m going to cry.

“What do you say?”

“I say yes!” I can’t contain my
excitement. “Thank you, Sheila.”

“My pleasure. Now
Channel 19 doesn’t have to spend so much money at Tiffany’s.” She laughs.

Me compared to
Tiffany’s? Since Saks is so close to Tiffany’s it’s hard for me not to look in
the window when I walk by going to work every morning.

This is big. Bigger than I ever planned
it to be.

Chapter
Thirty-One