Just Me - M J Marlow (reading strategies book .txt) 📗

forceful ‘take no prisoners’ attitude as her mother. A chair was set up with a portable sink and a hair dryer waiting nearby. Her two friends took me in hand and Maxine and Cheryl busied themselves over by a portable rolling closet as my hair was washed and trimmed. I was sitting with the women doing my nails when there was a knock on the door. Maxine slipped out and I could hear her anger. I tried to get up and Cheryl pushed me back. “You are our prisoner now, Maggie girl,” she smiled at me. “You are not allowed out of this room until we are done.” She saw my worry as the voices rose outside. “You let Mother deal with whoever it is. Let yourself relax. You deserve it.” She looked at her friends. “See if you can’t find just the right color to play up those beautiful lips of hers and her gorgeous eyes,” she told them and kept her hand on my chest until I gave in. “That’s a good victim. You just let the girls work their magic on you and you will not regret it.” I sighed heavily and let them play. If it made them feel good to waste time on a non-entity like me then I was not going to argue any further. It actually felt good to have someone caring about me. I closed my eyes with a sigh of pleasure as Liliana, the Italian punk with her purple and magenta hair, gently massaged my scalp. “I hear you have date tomorrow,” Cheryl continued chattering away as I remained quiet. “He is going to be devastated by you.” “It’s not a date…” “Nonsense, Maggie,” the dark-skinned Nora chirped as she wet combed my hair and began to trim. “Any time a pretty girl meets a man during lunch hours, it is a date!” I let them chatter and forced myself to calm down. This was what I had been denying myself so long, this sense of fun and belonging. I was really quite grateful to Maxine and Cheryl for teaming up and arranging this for me. Nora finished the trim and did not let me see what she’d done. Liliana took over and did my makeup, something I had never had the inclination to learn how to do myself. “The man won’t know what hit him when he sees you.” Liliana nodded as she finished my makeup and turned the chair around. “Look now, Maggie. That is not a plain woman in that mirror.” I looked and saw me, but so much more. My hair glowed with health and seemed to dance around my face with a vitality it had never seen before. Liliana had done my makeup and it was subtle and yet expert enough to enhance the color of my eyes. They sparkled. I could think of no other word for it. I looked like someone who had come to life after a long sleep. “That’s not me,” I said softly. “I have never looked like this before.” “You have always looked like this,” Cheryl said as she hugged me briefly. “You were just hiding behind your plain and practical clothing and your timid nature.” She looked at me sternly. “That ends now, young woman. Do you hear me?” “Everyone on the block can hear you, Cheryl,” James laughed as he came into the room with Maxine. His eyes widened as he saw me. Then he was smiling in a way that made me feel as desirable as any of the prettier woman must. He stood behind me, and met my eyes in the mirror. “Now there’s Maggie as she should be seen: beautiful, confident, and full of life!” He leaned down and leaned his cheek against mine. “Very pretty.” I started to shake my head in denial and he stopped me. “I do not lie, Maggie. You have to stop comparing yourself to other people and see yourself as you are.” He stepped away and kissed Cheryl on the cheek. “You and your ladies have done a great thing here, Miss Troughton. I’m taking you all out to dinner.” “How generous of you, Mr. Kellogg,” Cheryl smiled. “Let us finish up with Maggie and we’ll meet you outside.” James nodded and left the room, wondering why I looked deflated. He couldn’t think it had anything to do with his kissing Cheryl. But then that was the only thing it could be. He was smiling as he went to clean up and put on a jacket. I was jealous. He toyed with the idea of telling me that Cheryl was his sister and decided against it. Maxine had brought him into this without telling me that he was related to Cheryl and her; he had to believe there was a reason for that. “Now,” Maxine said as she returned and went to the rolling closet. “We must find just the right outfit for her public debut.” I heard her pushing hangars aside and then her pleased laugh. She pulled out a dress in rich forest green velvet. “This!” “I could never wear something like that,” I protested as Cheryl removed the cover and helped me up. “It’s so not me!” “It is so you,” Maxine argued, “that I am surprised you never saw it.” She pulled out lingerie and a pair of strappy black shoes with two-inch heels. “You are going to make every man in town trip over his jaw!” “I would hate for anyone to hurt themselves,” I laughed as the women continued pushing me into this nonsense. I finally gave up and let myself enjoy what was happening. What could it hurt to let myself believe I was something I was not for one evening? I put on the filmy lingerie and the beautiful dress and toyed with the locket at my throat as I looked at the results, something I always did when I was uncertain or nervous, and I had to admit I was impressed. “You’ve made me look good.” “You always looked good,” Maxine hugged me once I’d finished changing. “You just weren’t letting yourself see it.” There was a knock on the door. “There’s your date, dear.” “But I thought…” I looked at the four women smiling at me in amusement and I was angry. “You set me up!” “Of course we did, you darling,” Cheryl laughed and kissed my cheek. “Now go out and enjoy yourself. James is a very good dinner companion. He knows how to make a woman feel like she is the only woman who matters.” I didn’t know what to say to that and the door opened just then. I turned and saw the man standing there in his dinner jacket and I could think of nothing to say. He was even more handsome than I had realized. He held his arm out to me, smiling gently, and somehow I found the strength to go to him. He winked at Maxine as I was looking elsewhere and took me outside. “You have a Jag?” I stammered as I saw the car. Why wasn’t I more surprised? I let him help me inside and ran my hands over the buttery soft leather, sighing. I was being treated like a princess. “This is going to raise a few eyebrows.” “Exactly what we intend,” James said as he started the car. “Whoever is watching you is going to get an eyeful.” “I – see.” I frowned. So this was an act meant to catch my tormentor, nothing more. He was no more interested in treating me like a real date than any other man in this town. Even with the pretty clothes and the new look, I was not the kind of woman to inspire anything more than friendship in a man. I jumped as his hand clamped down on mine and met his eyes. “You are looking very lovely tonight, Maggie,” he said honestly. “Don’t frown so. We are two friends about to share dinner and you look like you’re being executed.” “Friends?” I said dully. “Is that what we are?” “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” James asked, looking worried at my deflated mood. “I would like to think you and I could become very good friends.” He brought my hand up to his lips and I shivered as he kissed it. His eyes were warm as he leaned towards me. “Very close friends,” he smiled as he took my lips. “Please don’t play games with me, James,” I cried in dismay as I pulled away from him. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to behave.” “And that innocence is what is so appealing about you,” James replied. He drove away from the property and headed north out of town. “You are so refreshing and…damn!” He sent me a look of apology as the lights from a patrol car flashed in his rear-view mirror. “Your boyfriend the jealous type?” “My boyfriend?” I turned to see the patrol car as James pulled over and stopped. “Sheriff North isn’t my boyfriend.” “Isn’t he?” James smiled at me and I felt like he was trying to tell me something he thought I should be well aware of. “Stay in the car, Maggie,” James warned me as I started to open the door. I sat back and watched as he got out and went to talk to Joseph. James listened politely and Joseph grew angry. When he shoved James, I was out of the car. “Joseph North!” I snapped as I came around the back of the car and saw him with his hand on James’ throat. “What do you think you are doing to my client?” “Client?” Joseph released James and looked at me. Whatever else he’d been about to say died as his eyes widened. He whistled and took a step towards me. “Damn, Maggie! You are looking fine tonight. What’s the occasion?” “Business dinner with a potential client,” I said tightly. “You have absolutely no reason to be manhandling Mr. Kellogg!” I asked as I moved to help James up. “If this is how you treat every visiting author, I’m going to have to hold my meetings out of town.” “Author?” Joseph looked at James and did not see author stamped anywhere on the man facing him. Dangerous, mysterious, and duplicitous, yes; but not author. “Just what kind of book is he writing that he needs your help on?” “Historical,” I supplied easily. “Mr. Kellogg is writing a book on the history of the county and he asked Maxine to give him the name of someone who could help him with his research. He was thinking of hiring me,” I looked at Joseph coldly, “but after this I wouldn’t blame him if he changed his mind about offering me the job.” “Maggie, I…” “Apologize to Mr. Kellogg, Sheriff, not me,” I broke in as he looked like I’d pole-axed him. “Honestly,” I practically stamped my foot in irritation and turned to James. “Are you all right, sir? I apologize for him. He can be a bit overbearing, but he means well.” “I am sorry, sir,” Joseph said in a tone that held no apology in it at all. “Maggie has been ill recently and I was afraid…” “That I meant to molest her?” James finished. “I can assure you, Sheriff, that thought never entered my mind.” He put his hand under my elbow. “Come along, Miss Mason. We’re going to miss our dinner reservations if we don’t hurry.” He got me back in the car and we drove off at a leisurely pace. I looked back to see Joseph still standing in the road as if he’d been frozen there. “That was quick thinking back there. Thank you.” “I couldn’t let him hurt you,” I replied as I tried to understand why Joseph would behave like that. “You’re a guest in my home.” I wrapped my arms around my body and shivered. “I don’t understand why he would do