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“Thanks. Do you know Heather Ramsey?”
“We haven’t met, but aren’t you Kent Ramsey’s daughter?”
“Yep, my only claim to fame.”
“That’s quite a claim. How many Oscars does he have? Two? Three?”
“I don’t know,” Heather replied, her smile fading.
“Heather’s about to have her own trophies, except they’ll be grammies,” Tony said proudly. “She’s an amazing singer, and tonight she’ll be performing for a select group of people at Matt’s party.”
“You will? That’s so exciting! You must be thrilled. Can I help? Is that why I’m here?”
“Exactly,” Tony replied. “She needs a special outfit. I thought perhaps that amazingly creative mind of yours might come up with something.”
“I usually wear just shorts and T-shirts, nothing special,” Heather interjected. “I’m not sure what can be done with that.”
Tony suddenly saw Stephanie’s eyes light up.
“I’m getting an idea,” Stephanie said with a smile, “but we don’t have much time. Do you want to stay in shorts. I only ask because Matt’s party is pretty upscale. You don’t want to look totally out of place.”
“I guess that’s true,” Heather murmured thoughtfully.
“I have something coming together in my head. Can you come back to my place? I can fit you as I sew and whip it out in no time. I have a feeling you’ll love it, but if you don’t I can fancy up a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for you.”
“You mean you’re actually going to make me something?”
“Isn’t that what you want?”
“We thought you could give us some suggestions,” Tony said, just as surprised as Heather. “Neither of us expected you would make such a generous offer. This is so kind of you.”
“Suggestions? The girl has a lot on the line!” Stephanie exclaimed. “Her appearance is important. After being married to an agent all these years I know about this stuff.”
“I can’t believe you’d do this for me,” Heather stammered. “You don’t even know me.”
Tony’s heart melted.
Inside Heather’s brash, willful exterior lived a sensitive, vulnerable soul. Her family had been critical of her dreams and wanted nothing to do with them, yet a virtual stranger was prepared to go to great lengths to help her.
“Heather, performing at the party is a break, and I’m really excited to be a part of it,” Stephanie said earnestly. “But if you’re going to put yourself out there you want to make sure all your ducks are in a row. Tony, I’ll bring her back in a little while,” she continued, putting her arm around Heather’s shoulders and guiding her to the sliding glass door.
“I’ll be here waiting impatiently,” he said with a chuckle as they left, but when they were out of sight, his smile changed to a frown.
Tony knew Heather had been close to tears, and he fought the temptation to march next door and tell Kent Ramsey what an insensitive moron he was. Instead he moved into the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee and carried it out to his deck. The sky was slate gray, and a brisk wind gave white caps to the waves on their journey to the shore. Sipping his hot drink, he pondered his future.
He’d never been in a monogamous relationship.
But he’d never met anyone like Heather.
She was young.
That was a concern, but he felt alive when he was with her.
A blast of cold air sent a chill shivering through him.
Stepping back inside, he closed the patio door.
There was change in the air, and it wasn’t just the onset of fall.
