Star Struck(14)
She stuttered, “I…well. Doggone it Garrett, why do you make things so difficult?”
He leaned back in his chair and let out a hearty laugh. “You’re a trip. You put on this damsel in distress act one minute and the next minute you’re showing how manipulative you can be. Now who is the one being difficult?”
Hailey looked Garrett directly in the eyes. “Okay. I admit you’ve been right from the start. I do want Trevon back.”
“You two are a trip and deserve each other.” Garrett pulled away from the table.
“Wait. I need you.”
He plopped back down in his chair and looked directly at her. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, the answer is n-o, no.”
“Please. Just hear me out.”
Garrett looked at the untouched food on his plate. “No need in letting good food go to waste.” He began to eat again.
Hailey sighed in relief. “I need you to pretend like you’re interested in me. One way to get a man back is to make him jealous.”
Garrett almost choked. “No can do. That’s playing with fire.”
She batted her eyes and licked her lips. “I like it hot.”
She saw Garrett squirm. Jackpot. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“So you’re telling me, that you’re happy about Tre marrying this Shareeka woman.”
Garrett took the last sip of his orange juice. “I’m telling you I don’t want to get involved with you and Tre’s mess.”
“Aha. So you agree with me. She’s not the best woman for him. I knew it.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” he responded.
“It’s not what you say; it’s what you didn’t say.” Hailey felt confident in her assessment.
The buzzer to the security system sounded. “That’s probably Brenda. I’ll go check.”
Hailey started cleaning up the kitchen. She heard a noise indicating the front door opening. She was disappointed to see Brenda walking into the kitchen by herself. “Where’s Garrett?”
“He told me to tell you good-bye and that he’ll call you later.”
Hailey called Garrett a bunch of names in her head and not one of them was nice.
~ 9 ~
“Shareeka is on line one. I told her Trevon was out in the field, so she insisted on talking with you,” Caroline said over the intercom.
Garrett stared at his computer. “Pass her through.”
He had been unable to concentrate ever since leaving Hailey’s. The sight of her in her apron and the way she licked her lips when she was trying to convince him to participate in her scheme almost sent him over the edge.
“Are you there?” Shareeka shrieked from the other line.
“What’s up?”
“Tre hasn’t slept with me in a few days. I know he’s messing around with that no talented Hailey again?”
“If you suspect that, then why are you insisting on marrying him?”
Garrett had to move the phone receiver away from his ear. Shareeka went on a tantrum. “I’ve invested too much time in Tre. I love him. He loves me. I just need Hailey to stay away from my man.”
“Let me give you a little advice; you’re not ready for marriage. Why don’t you postpone it?”
“Oh, hell naw. In fact, I’m having a party to celebrate our upcoming nuptials. You’re invited. Bring a date.”
“You got to be kidding.”
“I’m not. And you know what, since you and Ms. Thang are friends; why don’t you bring her as your date. Let her see that me and my man are solid and he doesn’t want her anymore.”
“Shareeka, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Why would you invite who you deem to be the other woman to your party?”
“To show her I’m not intimidated by her celebrity status. Trevon is mine and its about time that heifer knew it.”
“You got issues.”
“And its spelled H-a-i-l-e-y.”
Garrett glanced at the clock. “I got to go. Stop stressing. Stop calling me and by all means, talk to Tre about your suspicions.”
He hung up without waiting for her to respond. Women. They all have issues.
***
“That’s a wrap,” John said, through her earpiece.
Hailey greeted the people in the audience before retreating to her office back stage. While she went over her notes for the next day’s show, Brenda sat at a table going through her recently sent fan mail. Hailey hadn’t heard from Trevon nor Garrett. Her personal life was in shambles and it was beginning to affect her daily routine.
John burst through the door as if someone was after him. Brenda shot up on alert.