Damn! Perhaps firing Kevon was a mistake. His new bodyguard, Jackson, acted as if he was protecting the president. Danny grimaced when Jackson followed him into the public bathroom. He was not nine years old. This asshole is touched in the head. Jackson ignored Danny's many pleas to let him pee and shit in peace and joked it off, saying he was making sure management was getting their money's worth.
Marnie didn't like him either. He constantly checked her purse for weapons and contraband, braving the physical assaults she lavished on him with her magazine, compact mirror, hair brush or whatever else was in her reach.
The trio left the airport to a small fanfare. Danny quickly exited the crowd with Jackson's assistance. Marnie's brows knitted together as a sea of people swallowed her. Even though Kevon could be an asshole, he always made sure everyone made it to their destination safely. She squeezed through the fans and press. She politely answered their questions with a simple direction to go to Danny's fan site.
Chicago was warmer than Marnie had expected. She took off the thick, chunky brown and gold scarf, and stuffed it into the pocket of her camel colored cashmere jacket. She looked forward to meeting Samantha Moyer. Danny had been scheduled for an interview on 24/7. It was the first of many in his quest to promote the duet between him and Nia. Marnie hoped she could visit a beauty salon before the interview; her hair was in desperate need of a press and curl.
“Who are you dressing up for?” Danny asked, when she requested permission.
“I can't go to the interview looking like this,” she said, pulling on the end of a lock of her auburn hair.
“Oh, Ms. Moyer's interviewing you?” Danny said, feigning mock surprise.
Marnie rolled her eyes. “No, but you don't want anyone to think I'm your assistant when I'm walking around like this, do you?”
Their cab pulled up in front of their hotel.
Danny paid the cabbie and gave Marnie a small smile. “We'll see.”
After Marnie settled them into their hotel rooms, it was time for Danny to make his club appearances. Armed with a camera and wipes, she stuck herself in the VIP lounge with a glass of water and a lemon slice. At each event they went to, she took pictures of Danny dancing in the club and posing with fans, who covered him in bright pink and red lipstick. Marnie wiped them off with her disinfectant wipes and sent him back into the crowds. They went to five clubs before the night was over. By 3:00 a.m. it was time to hit the sack, but first they had to have breakfast at Chicago's Gary's.
“Of all the places to go, why here?” Marnie whined. She was tired and her feet hurt. The least he could do was take her to a nice restaurant. For Marnie, Gary's felt like a punishment.
“I like Gary's. Now quit kvetching or I won't give you a bite of my Meat Lover.”
“I don't need you; I'll order my own Meat Lover. Thank you very much.”
Danny cleared his throat. “Young lady, there'll only be one Meat Lover at this table, and it's going to be mine.”
“Really? I didn't know there were limits on the tables,” Jackson said.
Danny and Marnie burst out laughing at his expense.
“Tomorrow, which is this evening, I need to make a special stop. I'm visiting some friends I haven't seen in a while. I don't need you to come, Jackson, but I'd really appreciate it if you would, Marnie,” Danny said.
She wrinkled her nose into a frown. “Me? Why?”
“‘Cause, I need an excuse to leave. Come on, I need a wing woman. They're dull as dishwater and can talk all night long if you let them. Let's have a secret code. I'll scratch my nose when I'm ready to leave. Then you'll make up a reason for us to go. It'll be more believable coming from my assistant.”
“You want me to go and pretend to be an uptight bitch that won't let you spend much time with your friends?” Marnie said.
“Well, that won't really be a stretch for you, will it?” Jackson asked.
Danny looked at Jackson with a new appreciation in his eyes. There may yet be hope for him after all. Marnie gave Jackson a piercing glare and ignored his biting comment.
“Sure, I'll go. It's not like I have a beauty appointment to go to or anything,” Marnie said.
“At least I feed you,” Danny quipped.
Marnie obtained a rental car for the drive up to his friend's house. They arrived in front of a small two‐story colonial style home. Snow lined the driveway, so he parked on the street. His heart pumped a million beats per second. This was the perfect time to do a line of Nia's vitamins. Why did I bring them? He should've left them in his desk at home. He'd left them at the hotel though, so he was going to have to fly solo.
As they walked up the icy driveway, Marnie hastily grabbed the cuff of his thick, woolen jacket for balance. Danny grimaced as her weight pulled on his jacket. He looked down and a smirk curved his lips. She wore suede ankle boots. Why couldn't she have packed some sensible shoes? Her spiky heels were all wrong for Chicago's March weather. As they approached the concrete steps, Marnie's foot missed the first one causing her to fall forward, but Danny caught her before her face said hello to the steps.
“Grab the railing and pull yourself up,” Danny said tersely.
Once Marnie regained her balance, Danny brushed stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face and straightened the collar of her jacket. He grudgingly admitted sending her to the salon this afternoon made her honey red tresses shine in the moonlight.
Marnie frowned and waved her hand to shoo him away.
“I doubt your friends care what I look like.”
He ignored her and proceeded to ring the bell. His hand shook as he pressed the black button. After waiting for what seemed like ten minutes, but was surely only two, he hit the button again. His heart banged against his chest with each chime of the doorbell. Finally, he heard an occupant of the house stir.
“I'm coming,” a female voice screeched.
Danny breathed a sigh of relief. He would've felt terrible if the occupants weren't home, but Eric had assured him they would be. Danny turned to look at Marnie as the door began to open. A smile started to spread across his face as he eagerly awaited her reaction.
An earsplitting screech erupted from the occupant. She was a thin, umber-toned woman with short salt and pepper hair cut into a bob. The woman placed her hands over her mouth as if she was in shock. She made the sign of the cross, revealing a huge smile that spread to her brown eyes.
Marnie looked like a deer caught in headlights. The fear in her eyes erased Danny's smile. The woman behind the door rested her hands on Marnie's arms. Tears flowed freely down her face.
“Hi, baby.” She wrapped Marnie in a big hug and squeezed her hard, rubbing her back.
“Hi, Mom,” Marnie whispered.
Aileen released her daughter and looked at her. Unable to contain her joy, she hugged Marnie again and planted kisses on her forehead. Dark red lipstick stained her ochre skin.
“Oh, what am I thinking? Come in out of the cold,” Aileen said, releasing her daughter.
She made a gesture to usher Marnie inside the home. Seeing all was well, Danny backed away. He wanted to give Marnie time alone with her family. Much to his surprise, Marnie grabbed the cuff of his jacket and yanked him inside.
“Take off your jackets. You can hang them in there.” Aileen pointed to a closet in the hallway as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater.
The home was filled with the aromas of nutmeg and poultry seasoning. As he looked around, he noticed they were early for Easter. Bunnies in every variation of the rainbow lined the handrail of a mahogany staircase. Underneath the stairs, a small table held a bowl filled with individually wrapped candies.
Marnie took Danny's coat and put it in the closet. He searched her face for a sign of how she was feeling, but her expression remained blank.
“Come on.” Aileen wrapped an arm around her daughter and guided her into the family room, with Danny in tow.
“Paul.” Aileen's voice cracked. “Look who's here.”
A man in front of the fireplace turned around. He was tall and wiry with brown hair that grayed along the forehead and around the temples. His thick brown moustache was peppered with slivers of gray. His alabaster skin was flecked with age spots. He wore thin black framed glasses and held a bowl of popcorn in his hand. At the sight of Marnie, a low moan escaped his lips and he dropped the popcorn and walked toward her.
She stopped his advance with her outstretched hand. Danny winced. It was obvious that she didn't like her stepfather. Paul stopped and took her hand in both of his own and softly kissed it. Then he grabbed Marnie and wrapped her in a tight hug. He kissed her hair and rocked her from side to side.
“Oh, Marnie.” Paul sobbed.
Aileen stood to the side and caressed her daughter's hair.
After a minute, Paul released her and took off his glasses to clean them.
As her parents stepped backward, Danny saw a young woman and a little girl sitting on a couch. They had been stringing beads for a necklace, but stopped upon Marnie's entrance.
“Sit down,” Aileen said.
Two sofas flanked the room with a wooden coffee table in the middle. She guided Marnie to a sofa on the opposite end of the woman and her daughter and gestured for Danny to do the same.
“Oh, honey, I didn't even get your name,” she said speaking to Danny.
“Danny.” He leaned forward to shake both Aileen and Paul's hand.
“Your brother's here. He's somewhere upstairs,” Aileen said to Marnie.
Marnie merely nodded. She hadn't spoken a word since she had said hello to her mother. Aileen sat on the coffee table in front of her, both of her mother's hands wrapped around her own.
“Momma. Momma, that's the man on T.V.” The little girl pointed at Danny as she bounced up and down. Her mother smiled at her and placed her hand over her finger.
“Don't point.”
Danny gave her a small wave. She looked at him with her large brown eyes, sucking her pinky finger.
“Adam!” Aileen screamed to the ceiling at the top of her lungs. Loud thuds could be heard as footsteps walked across the ceiling and came down the stairs.
“What?” A young, stocky man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, came to the doorway of the living room.
Aileen pointed to Marnie without a word.
His once sullen face erupted into a huge smile. He covered his mouth and turned away, but quickly turned back.
“MarnBarn!” he clapped his hands and chuckled as he entered the room and made a beeline for the sofa.
“Hey, Krispy,” Marnie said.
Danny was relieved that this man had brought a small smile to her lips. He was beginning to think bringing her had been a bad idea, but seeing the smile on her face confirmed his hunch that Marnie needed to be reunited with her family.
“Come here.” He grabbed Marnie's hand and tugged her off the sofa. Her parents made grunts of protest.
“I'll bring her back,” Adam said reassuringly to his parents.