Jamie, I’ll have a beer.” With the prospect of having Reid Clark as a client, Jamie almost ran to the bar. As he left, Reid quickly said to Shane, “That was too easy. Can I have your number before he gets back?” When Shane hesitated, Reid said, “Look, if you’ll see me again, I promise not to act like the idiot I’ve been tonight. Just give me one more chance. Please?” He couldn’t believe he was almost begging.

Shane slowly reached into her handbag and handed him her business card with her cell number on it.

“I’m going to call you tomorrow,” he said and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll be waiting,” she replied with a smile. “Goodnight, Shane.” “Goodnight.” Reid quickly headed in, but away from the bar. He found Buck who looked at him inquisitively and asked, “Where the hell have you been?” Reid dragged Buck and the others out the door before Jamie had a chance to find him. Reid’s change in demeanor was obvious; he emanated happiness. Buck looked at him inquisitively and said, “You didn’t? Oh my God, you lucky bastard, you screwed her, didn’t you? I can’t believe it. I take my eyes off you for 20 minutes and you screw the most beautiful girl in the world. You dog, you!” he slapped Reid on the shoulder.

Another slap on the shoulder! Reid didn’t know whether to yell or laugh. “Slap me again and I’ll kick your ass. And to answer your ridiculous question, no, I did not have sex with Shane.”

“Shane, huh? Nice name. Okay, when are you two getting married?” Buck kidded.

“Cut it out Buck, I mean it. I’ve never felt this way about any girl before and it scares the hell out of me.” They all got into the car and Buck told the driver to head to Reid’s apartment. When they got there, Reid and Joel got out.

“Joel, call Stu,” Jay said, “I want him with you tonight. This guy is close, I can feel it. Also have Bill and Keith head over to Joan’s house. I’ll redo the schedule; I think we’re going to need two more teams. I’ll call Lance and Beebs. You call Greeny and Mench. And Joel,” he emphasized, “stay alert.”

Buck chimed in, “See you at the studio at 9 a.m. They need you in make-up and ready to shoot by 9:30 a.m. Goodnight.” “Make-up?” Reid groaned. “Damn!”

Reid was about to open the door to his apartment when Joel said, “Hold on, not yet.” Joel reached down to his ankle and unholstered his 38-special. Gun in hand, he slowly stepped inside, combed the apartment and came back. “Come on in.”

Reid had been surprised by the gun. “I feel a little stupid; I didn’t even realize you were carrying. Dumb, huh?” “Tools of the trade.” “I think I’ll stick with golf clubs.” “Smart… Hey, enough gun talk. That was some babe you were hit ting on tonight. She was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” “Was I that obvious?” “Uh, yeah!” Joel said mockingly. “The only one who didn’t realize it was the guy she came with.” “Really? Well, he was too interested in my money to care anyway.” “All the better for you. Hey, I know you’ve got a long day tomorrow. Don’t feel like you have to entertain me. I’m going to watch TV and wait for Stu.”

“Make yourself at home. There should be some chips and cookies in the pantry.” “Thanks, I’ll find what I need. Goodnight.” “G’night.”

Chapter 22

When Reid came out to the kitchen around 6:30 a.m., Stu was sitting there reading the paper. “Good morning. I just made a fresh pot of java. It’s a little strong.” “Just the way I like it,” Reid said, pouring himself a cup. “Hey, I heard about the babe last night. Lucky you.” “Everybody’s got a big mouth, don’t they?” Reid said, annoyed. “C’mon, don’t get mad.” “I’m not mad, just a little worried.” “Worried? Why?” “Because I can’t get her out of my mind.” “I guess that can be a little scary.” “Yeah, just what I needed, another distraction.” Reid had not stopped thinking about Shane since he left the party. She consumed his every thought. It was exciting yet troubling; what if she wasn’t interested, or what if she was, and distracted him from golf? He had to stay focused, but he knew he also had to have her in his life. “Who’s coming with me today, you or Joel?” “Joel is. I’ll catch up with you in a little while. I need to grab some shut-eye first. We have another team on the way, too. Good guys. Should be here in about two hours; they’re flying in from a job in Italy.” “Italy? What kind of job in Italy?” “Extortion, death threats, the usual. Same story, just in a different language. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it when they get here. I’ll go wake Joel; I know you need to get downtown soon.”

Reid called his mom’s house while he waited for Joel. Betsy answered and he explained that he was spending the next two days at the studio shooting the commercial. “Why don’t you all come down and watch? It should be pretty cool.” He waited while she asked the others. They all agreed. He gave her the address, phone number and a description of the unmarked entrance. “Call Joel’s cell when you get there and someone will come out to get you. See you in a little while,” he said and hung up. Joel came out, poured a cup of coffee and they were off.

They arrived at the studio right on time. David met them in the reception area and told Reid how to get to make-up.

The cosmetician was a beautiful young girl named Missy. She was 22 and loved her job. She told Reid to change in the dressing room, handing him a blue shirt with a Freeze logo, a pair of khakis, a new pair of golf shoes and socks. “What, no underwear?” he kidded.

“Just go get changed,” she said with a grin. “I’ll have you know, they told me not to put up with your nonsense, Mr. Clark. Your advances either.”

“Alright, alright, no shenanigans. But please call me Reid.” He did as she asked and came out of the dressing room wearing his new duds.

“Okay, Reid, please sit here,” she said, pointing to a barber’s chair. He sat down and she lowered the seat to work on him. She started with a base, saying, “You really don’t need much work, but we have to keep the glare down.” “Yuk,” he said, “I don’t understand how you guys do this everyday.” “I guess you mean women?” she asked with attitude. “Oh, forget it.” He could tell he was headed for trouble, so he shut his mouth instead. After a few minutes, she said, “Okay, you’re done. Go on up and try not to sweat before the shoot. I’ll be up soon in case you need touching up.” “Touching-up, what am I a car? No, seriously, thank you, that was the best makeover I’ve ever had.” “You’ve done this before?” “No,” he said with a grin. “Oh, shut up and get out of here.” She threw a towel at him as he walked out the door.

The studio was very active. People were everywhere – photographers, elec tricians, refrigeration crews, caterers, set designers and many more.

Reid approached Aimee. “Ready?” she asked. Today her clothes were less revealing; baggy jeans and a tee shirt were covered by an unbuttoned denim shirt. Her shoes clicked as she walked.

Looking down at them, he asked, “Are you actually wearing golf shoes with metal spikes?”

She nodded. “Yes, they’re great on the ice; the whole crew is wearing them.” “Great idea, but what about me? Shouldn’t I be wearing them too?” “Aren’t you? We got you a pair. Missy was supposed to give them to you.” “No she gave me these; they’re soft spikes.” “You can’t go up there with those; you’ll be on your ass more than your feet. Give me a minute, I’ll call and have her bring them up.” Reid’s spikes were found and delivered. He put them on and Aimee once again asked if he was ready. “As I’ll ever be.” “Follow me,” she said as she climbed a short metal ladder up onto the set. “Be careful, the ladder is really slippery with the spikes.” He climbed up while making a racket with his spikes and followed her to the tee. Two photographers were there, and after quick introductions, they asked him to pick up a club and just start swinging it. They snapped pictures, asking him to pose in various positions. Next, they walked down the white turf-covered fairway, taking shots of him as they went. They continued on the green. Then they moved over to the icy areas that were not turf covered and it looked exactly like a glacier. They took roll after roll of pictures. They had Reid swing his club on the bare ice. They had him hit balls of ice off a tee, taking pictures as they exploded on impact. They took shots of him holding FREEZE balls while standing on ice. They took shots with a fog machine blowing in his direction. It was easy to pose as long as he didn’t have to think. Thinking was going to be difficult because he had Shane on his brain.