Lucky Charm (17 page)

“He’s a former client
. Y
ou finished your project for him.”

“There could always be repeat business
. Y
ou never know.”

“And I didn’t think he was cocky or smug; in fact, I thought he was kind of sweet and even a bit shy.”

“He is definitely cocky and overly suave
. T
hat’s the way he always acted when I met with him on business. Tonight he was just pretending to be shy and sweet
.
I bet it’s his act to get women to sleep with him.”

“Annabel, guys like Stephen Vargas don’t need an act
. T
hey can be complete jerks
,
and tons of women would still be dying to sleep with them.”

“Exactly my point
.
I’m not going to become just another name on his list,” Annabel shot back. Yes, Stephen Vargas was gorgeous and successful, but what could he possibly see in her? He was like a walking cover of a magazine
,
and she just was not good enough for him.

“So that’s how you’re keeping your end of the pact, huh?”

“I did say that it would take me some time. And I did give it a try
.
I came to the party.”

“Because you k
new that Paige was going to be
here
. O
therwise
,
you would have probably stood me up.” Lilly looked squarely at Annabel, and she had to avert her gaze out of guilt. “Well, it’s your life
.
I can’t force you to go out with a hot, successful guy. If you prefer to sit and eat takeout in your apartment, that’s your choice.”

“That’s a bit harsh.” Annabel could feel tears welling in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ann. I’m sorry. I just…” Lilly flung up her hands in exasperation. “I just want you to get out there, to loosen up a bit! I know it’s scary, but I went out of my comfort zone with Simon, and I’m so glad I did. I mean, I’
m terrified of getting my heart
broken, but I never felt so happy in my life
. L
etting myself open up to him was the best decision I ever made, no matter what happens in the future.”

“The two of you look great together. He seems like a really nice guy
,
and it’s obvious he’s smitten with you.”

“You think?”

“Definitely.”

“I just want you to be happy, Ann. I know that you are still getting over Jeremy, but what’s the harm in having some fun? How are you ever going to find the right guy if you don’t give anyone a chance?”

“Thanks
,
Lilly, but I don’t think I could handle seeing anyone just yet. I’ll figure it out
.
I promise. Now let’s go back or Simon will think that we drowned in the toilet.”

As they walked back into the noisy hall, Annabel spotted Janine flirting with Stephen by the opposite side of the bar and knew that she had been right all along
. M
en like Stephen switched gears quickly. She assured herself that it was a relief to see her misgivings confirmed, but a small part of her could not help wondering if she had indeed misjudged him
. This
fill
ed
her with a sense of regret
similar to one
she remembered after she had chickened out of goi
ng on the Batman ride at
Disneyl
and
on her tenth birthday.

It was Monday morning, and Annabel was leafing through her presentation for Marlene Parker. Normally
,
she hated client meetings on Monday mornings, but today she did not mind
. A
part from spending the better part of Saturday canceling her wedding arrangements, her weekend was a non-event, and she had spent the majority of it revising her ad copy for Marlene Parker’s shooting range.

“Great draft for t
he Artemis C
lub
.
I think Mrs. Parker is going to love it.” Paige appeared in the doorway of Annabel’s office. “How was your weekend?”

“O
kay.
F
ine
. N
othing special.”

“Nothing special, huh? From the way Stephen Vargas was ogling you at that party, I expected a more exciting answer,” Paige probed.

“He is a client
.
I would never compromise the agency’s reputation by going out with a client, Paige.”

“Yes, well, I would.” Paige giggled. “I went out with George Barlow on Friday.”

“How was it?” Annabel did her best to keep a neutral face. George Barlow owned two upscale steakhouses in
Manhattan
and had hired the agency for a small ad campaign two months ago. He was as boring and as portly as his occupation suggested and hardly seemed like the right match for Paige.

“Nothing special.” Paige feigned a yawn. “I can tell you that I won’t be doing that again. But seriously, what happened with Stephen?”

“Nothing really
.
I think he prefers girls like Janine
. T
he two of them were chatting it up,” replied Annabel, preferring to omit the part where Stephen asked her to dance and she turned him down.

Paige frowned. “So she did show up after all? I was hoping she wasn’t going to make it. Between you and me, I wouldn’t mind it if you went out with Stephen, but not someone like Janine
. T
hat girl’s got no class
. I
f I see that this thing gets serious, she’s out.”

“I doubt that
.
Stephen Vargas has a new girlfriend every week.”

“Is that why you let Janine snatch him up?”

“He is simply not my kind of guy. I’m not interested in seeing anyone right now anyway. It’s too soon.”

“You know, Ann, sometimes you have to take chances.”

“Are you going to sit in at the Marlene Parker meeting?” Annabel attempted to steer the conversation away from her personal life.

“No, that’s
okay.
I’m sure you can handle it. Just brief me after the meeting. Think about what I said, Ann.” Paige glanc
ed at Annabel over her shoulder,
as she closed the door behind her.

With a sigh, Annabel tried to focus on her presentation
. L
ately everyone was urging her to take chances, as if she did not know the meaning of the phrase. Well, she understood it better than all the well-wishers thought
. S
he had taken a huge chance on Jeremy
,
and she was not going to get hurt like that ever again.

When Annabel walked into the conference room, she found Marlene Parker already seated behind the long glass table, sipping the tea that Janine had prepared for her.

“Mrs. Parker, so nice to see you again.” Annabel beamed her brightest smile, hoping it would mask her surprise
.
The
Mrs. Parker who sat across from her today looked nothing like the genteel middle-aged lady from their last meeting. Gone were the tweed skirt and respectable twin set
. I
nstead, Mrs. Parker was clad in a pair of khaki pants, cowboy boots, khaki shirt
,
and camouflage vest. Her long, silver hair was plaited into a long braid that ran down her back.

“Ah, hello
,
Annabel. Please excuse my attire
.
I have to go out to the range afterwards.”

“Not at all
. I
t suits you perfectly.” Annabel bit her lip
. S
he had never learned how to keep a poker face. “It will just take a moment for the laptop to boot up.” Annabel arranged the presentation on the table. She was about to turn on the laptop and the projector when Mrs. Parker interrupted her.

“You don’t have to bother with that fancy business on my account
. A
paper copy will be just fine.”

“Great
. W
hatever works best for you,” replied Annabel, thankful that she had printed out an extra set of slides. “The first stack is the content for the website
,
and the second has some ideas for ad spots on the Web.”

Mrs. Parker took the stack of papers in her almond pink manicured fingers
. T
he nail polish was the only reminder of her alternate persona that Annabel remembered from before
. She
examined
the
contents in silence for several minutes. “A chance to unleash your inner Thelma and Louise,” she murmured, nodding in approval. “I like it
.
I think you really got the hang of it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Parker.” Annabel blushed with pleasure
. I
t felt good to know that she still had control over some areas of her life.

“Please, call me Marlene. S
o how long would it take
to update the website?”

“Now that you’ve approved the overall content, I will set up a meeting with the website designer
. H
e is really good and fast, too. It shouldn’t take more than two weeks to see the initial mock up.”

“Sounds good.” Mrs. Parker nodded. “You know, the first time we met, I wasn’t sure you’d be up to the task
,
but you really got it. I love it.” Marlene glanced at Annabel’s left hand, but did not say anything. “I’d like you to come out to the range with me today.”

“I’d love to,” Annabel stammered, raking her mind for a polite excuse
. L
earning how to shoot a gun went way beyond the responsibilities of her job. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to ask Paige’s permission first
. S
he might need me.”

“I’m sure Paige won’t object. Think of it as a client meeting
. I
t’ll help you to get a better feel for the project.” Mrs. Parker rose from her chair. “I’m going to have a word with Paige right now.”

“Great. I’ll just finish up in here.”

Annabel had barely had time to gather up her folder when she saw Paige poke her head through the door.

“It’s all settled,” Paige announced triumphantly. “We are going.”

“Going where?” Annabel stammered.

“To Marlene Parker’s shooting range
,
of course
. Y
ou don’t turn down a client’s invitation! Besides, I’m dying to check it out,” Paige added.

“But who is going to watch the office?”

“Sally is back from vacation to watch the phones, and Janine can handle the rest for one day
. S
he’s been asking for more responsibility, so this is her chance to prove herself.” Paige winked. “Don’t worry
. T
here’s no one important lined up for today anyhow
,
except for Marlene Parker, of course. Let me just change out of these shoes
. I
t’s a good thing I keep a pair of sneakers in the office.”

Moments later, as the three of them were leaving the agency, Annabel sensed Janine’s wistful glances upon her – glances that in Annabel’s mind were complete
ly unwarranted since if she had
her way, she would have gladly switched places with Janine and stayed at the office instead.

After a three-hour ride on the Metro-North, they finally arrived
at
the part of
New Jersey
where the Artemis C
lub was located.

“I thought it would be faster to take the train instead of driving
. T
raffic from the City can be hideous,” Marlene explained, as the three of them exited the train station. “We are almost there
. I
t’s only a ten minute ride from here. That’s our car right there.
” Marlene pointed to a black
j
eep
by the curb.

The woman behind the wheel got out of the car to greet them. She was dressed similarly to Marlene with
the
addition of a cowboy hat.

“This is Francine Summers
,
one of my best instructors,” Marlene made the introduction. “Thanks for coming out to get us, Franny
.
I really appreciate it. I’d like you to meet Paige Martin and Annabel Green
. T
hey are doing some advertising work for me.”

“Very nice to meet you.” Francine lifted the brim of her hat. She had fair skin, strawberry blond hair
,
and light blue eyes. “I’ll be glad to show you around the range
,
or give you a lesson if you’d like.”

“Oh, that’d be great!” exclaimed Paige. “I’ve shot a rifle before, but Annabel never did, and I’ll admit that I’m a bit rusty
.
I wouldn’t mind a tutorial myself.”