Brooklyn Monroe Wants It All by Karen Booth
Chapter Eleven
Much like thefirst time Brooklyn made an appearance during the marshmallow factory hour of Good Day USA, she had to convince herself this was a good idea. Today, it wasn’t the thought of taping a segment that had her nervous. It was her mouth. Specifically, what had come out of it when she’d talked to Alec days ago. She’d lost her compass during their phone conversation, getting stupidly flirtatious. Good God, she’d used the word horniness, and argued a case for Miss Piggy being hot. What in the hell was wrong with her?
Of course, she knew the answer. Alec had taken a moment out of his day to shine a light on something good she’d done. He’d been generous with his kindness. She’d never had a defense for that. She’d only ever wanted to gobble up every minute of positive reinforcement he could give her. But she was a woman in her forties who needed to stop putting so much stock in the opinion of others. Even though that wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
Fortunately, when the topic of their date night came up, she’d done a decent job of dismissing what had been driving her enthusiasm. Yes, she’d had the physical urge to kiss Alec into oblivion and destroy his shirt. She’d already been planning to push him down on the bed once they got to his room. But it wasn’t mere horniness. It wasn’t her sex drive gone wild. She’d fallen prey to the zap. The elusive spark. Whenever it materialized, it felt like magic. It just never managed to stick around for very long. Something always got in the way.
Despite her trepidation about seeing Alec today, knowing she’d get to see Lela was enough to get her butt out of bed. She showered, dressed in a cute deep teal jumpsuit with fluttery sleeves, did her hair, and headed downstairs to meet her driver Tony. As soon as she reached the lobby, she was greeted by a smiling Cy in his dapper black uniform with the gold braided trim, stepping out from behind his desk.
“Morning, Ms. Monroe.” He tipped his hat. “If I’d known you were up and at ‘em, I would’ve buzzed you. More flowers came. Must be from one of your gentlemen admirers.”
“Oh. Can you hold on to them? I’m actually on my way out. I’m going to be on TV again.”
“You’re always on the move. Somedays I wish I could be as busy as you.”
“Aren’t you plenty busy as a doorman?”
A corner of his mouth quirked up as if he had to think on that. “It’s not as challenging as my former career, but I do like taking care of the residents and making sure everything’s running smoothly.”
“What did you do before this?” As close as Brooklyn and Cy had become, their chats frequently revolved around her, and when she got him to talk about himself, the topic was most often his family.
“Logistics and warehouse management. Up in the garment district. I did that for twenty-one years before I switched to this.”
“Why the change?”
“The hours were terrible. I worked sixty or seventy hours some weeks. It paid well. It bought me a house. But I never saw my wife and kids. Once our first grandchild arrived, I had to make a change.”
“This seems like a more sensible way to stay busy until retirement.”
“Oh, I’m not retiring any time soon. I’ve got at least another eight or nine years in me. I can work until I’m seventy, no problem.” He rapped the side of his head with his knuckle. “Knock wood.”
“I hope you’re going to stay here. I’d miss you if you left.”
“That’s the plan. It can get a little slow, but that’s why I like you, Ms. Monroe. You always have something exciting going on. It’s never dull when you’re around.” He walked alongside her as they headed for the door, but he stopped. “Would you like me to bring the flowers upstairs to your apartment?”
Brooklyn glanced at the arrangement. It was beautiful, with deep pink roses, purple iris, and pops of chartreuse foliage. She’d received a fair number of these over the last few weeks, and although she loved flowers, these deliveries failed to make her feel wanted or needed or appreciated. If anything, she was creeped out that so many men had figured out where she lived. “Why don’t you take them home for your wife?”
“You don’t want them?”
“They’re just from someone who saw me on TV. I don’t need the illusion of romance, Cy. I want the real thing. You and your wife have the real thing, right?”
“We do.”
“There you go.”
“I’ll bring the card up to your apartment.”
She was probably going to toss it in the recycling after reading it. “That works.”
“I think you’re smart to wait for real romance.” He grinned wide and escorted her outside to the car, where her driver Tony took over. “Have a good day.”
“You too, Cy. You too.”
Tony was quick in getting Brooklyn to the studio while she answered emails on her phone. When she arrived and got out of the car, she was relieved not to be greeted by anyone with a protest sign, grammatically challenged or otherwise. It made for an easy trip inside to stop at the security desk.
“Ms. Monroe, we’re so glad you’re back.” Maddie, the curly-haired security guard, took care of signing Brooklyn into the building. “I’ll get Stacia to take you where you need to go.”
“Thank you so much,” Brooklyn said.
“You know, we’ve got a pool going.” Jerome, the burly male guard, rocked back and forth in his seat, not looking at Brooklyn and instead eying a computer screen.
“A pool?” Brooklyn asked.
“A couple, actually,” Jerome quipped. “One to guess if you fall in love with one of those men who responded to the letter, one to guess when you’ll get pregnant, and the third is to guess whether you get pregnant at all. Twenty bucks minimum to get in, if you’re interested. One pool is up over three hundred dollars.”
And to think Brooklyn had liked Jerome the first time she came to be on the show. Now she was rethinking it. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say in this situation. Good luck?”
“I don’t need luck,” Maddie said. “I know I’m going to win.”
“So says the woman who bet on Miami in the Super Bowl,” Jerome snorted.
“Miami was good last year,” Brooklyn said in Maddie’s defense.
“Yeah, Jerome. Shut it.”
Brooklyn leaned closer to the woman guard, resting her arms on their reception desk. “Just out of curiosity, what exactly did you put money on? For the pool?”
“I put twenty down that you won’t fall in love with one of those men, but another twenty that you’ll definitely get pregnant by Christmas.”
“Christmas? That’s two months away.”
Maddie cocked her head to the side. “Only takes a minute to get pregnant.”
True.“So, no love connection? You’re thinking sperm bank is the way to go?”
Maddie shook her head. “Oh, no. I think you’re going to fall in love with someone who takes you completely by surprise. Not someone who sent you a lame email. That’s lazy. What woman wants that?”
“I get your point.”
“Don’t worry. I have a sixth sense when it comes to this stuff.”
“Interesting.” Brooklyn couldn’t help but wonder if Maddie had an actual talent for predictions. Was this one of Brooklyn’s signs? “Thanks.”
“You aren’t going to ask me what I think?” Jerome sounded genuinely disappointed.
Brooklyn pursed her lips and considered the question. “Nah. I think I already have my answer.”
A tall and curvy woman rushed in from the hall. “Ms. Monroe, I’m Stacia. You can come with me.” She glanced at Maddie. “I just heard from Jason Adams’ publicist. He should be here any minute.”
“Jason Adams, the actor?” Brooklyn’s voice hit an unnaturally high note, sounding both incredulous and excited. Jason Adams was a Movie Star—capital M, capital S. He was also a major hottie.
Stacia held a finger to her lips. “You can’t tell a soul. He’s here to promote the opening of Lavaman in a few days and announce his next film, but we only teased his appearance, calling him a surprise guest.”
Brooklyn twisted an imaginary key in front of her lips and tossed it over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Stacia walked Brooklyn down the hall toward Lela’s dressing room.
“Is Alec on set right now?” Brooklyn asked, hoping she sounded completely casual and even slightly disinterested.
“He’s not. He did most of the first hour of the show and now he’s in a meeting upstairs with news. I don’t think he’s slotted to be back before we wrap.”
Brooklyn decided this was for the best, even if it was disappointing. Alec was busy following his dream. She’d catch him some other time. “Okay. Tell him I say hi if you see him.”
“Will do. Here you are.” Stacia rapped on the door with the back of her hand. “Ms. Bennett? Ms. Monroe is here.”
Lela answered a few seconds later with a surprising squeal. “I’m so excited we get to do this together.”
Stacia wisely got out of the way and Brooklyn immediately went in for a hug. “I know. How awesome is it?”
“Come on in,” Lela said, closing the door behind Brooklyn. “I have a few product samples for you to take with you today. Things that I think might work well for a Posh Post box.” She pulled out a zip-top bag filled with various tubes and jars.
“Are these all things that are currently on the market?”
“No. The cream blush comes out early next year.”
Brooklyn tucked the items into her bag. “Perfect. I’ll get back to you later tonight or tomorrow with my thoughts. We might even want to put Lela B in more than one box. Or maybe do a box that’s exclusively Lela B? We could get you to do some video content for the website, or maybe talk about it on the show. What’s your favorite color? We should definitely incorporate that into the box design. Do you have a favorite font? Tom in the design department is big on typography.”
Lela stood frozen, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“Too much?”
Lela clasped Brooklyn’s forearm. “Let’s take it one project at a time.”
“I’m sorry. I get one idea and my brain starts running and the next thing I know, I haven’t slept and I have several notebook pages of things I want to do.”
Lela glanced at her phone, then flipped it face down on the table. “Look, we have at least fifteen minutes before they’re going to need us on set. Let’s have a chat.” She sat on the small sofa in the corner of the room and patted the empty cushion next to her.
“This doesn’t sound good.” Brooklyn proceeded with caution, hoping Lela wasn’t about to say that their burgeoning friendship needed to slow down.
“Don’t worry. I won’t bite.” Lela leaned closer, resting her elbows on her knees and peering into Brooklyn’s eyes with a look that could only be described as pity. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’m concerned about you.”
“You are?”
“Yes. After seeing you in action at Posh Post and starting to understand how you work, I think you might be headed for a serious case of burnout.”
“I don’t know why people think this about me. I’m fine.”
“I think you’re confusing surviving with thriving. And that’s because you and your sister have done a brilliant job with your company. But have you noticed that she takes time for herself and you don’t? Almost every time I call you, you’re at work or thinking about work.”
“Sometimes I think about motherhood. And babies.”
“While you’re at work?”
Brooklyn sucked in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “Yes.”
“Look. I only spent a few hours with you that day I was at your office, but I was completely exhausted by the time I left. I had to go to bed early. And I was only observing.”
“I thought that was a pretty chill day. We had lunch. We hung out with my mom.”
“No fewer than ten people interrupted the mailroom tour you tried to give me. Every single person who works for you counts on you, even for little things. You need to make that go away.”
“How is it bad that I know everything about my own business? Seems to me like that’s the best way to do it.”
“I get it. I was the same way at the beginning. Nobody was capable of doing things right. It was my company and I was the only person who knew how things should be done.”
“I’m very open about my control issues. I fully admit to it.”
“And that’s admirable. But acknowledging it doesn’t mean jack if you don’t do anything to make it better.” Lela pressed her lips together tightly, almost as if she didn’t know what to say next. “And I worry about what might happen if and when you finally get pregnant. Stress isn’t good for a baby, and it’s not good for you. But I also can’t see you quickly handing off responsibility. If you’re really serious about having a family, especially if you’re going to do it on your own, you need to start laying the foundation. That means cutting down on your workload.”
Brooklyn’s plan had always been to slow down after she was pregnant, but she could see Lela’s point. “I don’t want to hire a CEO. I know what happens. You get a board of directors, and too many layers of bureaucracy and then the next thing you know, I’m being ousted as founder.”
“Then don’t do that. Hire a COO.”
“Technically, operations is Virginia’s job. So that won’t help.”
“That might be true, but you still end up doing a lot of it. Maybe think about you and Virginia sharing the CEO job, then bring on someone for operations.”
Brooklyn wasn’t sure why there was something buried deep inside her that told her to fight this idea. Alec had expressed similar sentiments, more than once. Maybe she needed to get serious about a change. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”
“I’m no expert on structuring a business. All I’m saying is there are lots of ways to do it and I think it would be good for you if there was a little less on your plate.”
“Make room for other stuff.”
“Like a baby?”
Brooklyn grinned and leaned in to give Lela a hug. “Yes. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Lela got up from the couch. “We should probably talk about the segment. The producer wants me to ask you about your baby plan. How much do you want to talk about it?”
Brooklyn was worried Jerome was just going to start another pool. “Exactly enough to satisfy the viewers. Then I think we move on. If that’s okay with you.”
“Perfectly fine with me. The beauty of live TV is they can’t make me go back and change it. Now let’s get out there and do some makeovers.”
Lela and Brooklyn made their way down the hall to wait until they got the okay to go inside the studio. A few moments later, the subjects of their makeovers arrived, with partners and little ones in tow. With two babies in such close proximity, Brooklyn had to make a point of keeping her hands to herself. The urge to squeeze tiny feet and make little faces light up with a smile was too great.
One couple, Kurt and Flora, had a three-month-old boy, and the other pair, Tasha and Leslie, had a five-month-old girl. Neither child was particularly excited about being there, what with the harsh fluorescent lights overhead and non-stop grown-up chatter. They fussed and whimpered, while Brooklyn tried to put herself in these parental shoes. In light of the conversation she’d just had with Lela, Brooklyn truly saw—for the very first time—that she wouldn’t want to be standing in that hall, bouncing her little one on her hip while thinking about work. Or worse, stressing about it. Lela was right. And Alec had been right, too. Brooklyn didn’t need to merely figure out her baby-making situation. The career she’d once thought was everything needed a makeover of its own. Stat.
Stacia opened the door to the studio and waved the makeover moms in, while the partners and babies were escorted down to a viewing room to watch the taping. Lela and Brooklyn went to get settled with the matching workstations set up by the stagehands, complete with makeup kits, hydraulic chairs, mirrors, and some extra, softer, lighting.
They were counted out of the commercial break and the show went live, Tilly Ann introducing both Brooklyn and Lela. “These two marvels of the makeup world are doing makeovers today for two very lucky new moms, then at the end, we have an amazing treat for everyone. The special guest we’ve been hinting at over the last few days will be here with an exciting announcement.”
Brooklyn’s mind immediately went to Jason Adams. But what in the heck was the connection between him and the segment she was doing with Lela? Moms and makeup and superheroes? She had no clue about the answer, but Alec was always complaining about the harebrained stuff they did on the show. Apparently, this was one more example.
Lela took the segment reins into her very capable hands. “Thank you, Tilly Ann. We look forward to our special guest. Let’s go ahead and get started,” Lela said. “Brooklyn is working with Flora today and I’ll be doing makeup for Tasha. We’re going to focus on two looks, but since they’re for women who are juggling a lot, they’re both incredibly fast and simple. One is a very natural daytime look, and then we’ll dress it up for a night out.”
“I volunteer to babysit.” The words just popped out of Brooklyn’s mouth, probably because being in front of the camera made her so nervous. Luckily, Flora and Tasha laughed.
“For anyone who missed Brooklyn’s first appearance on Good Day, she made quite a stir by openly sharing her hopes to have a family, even if that means moving forward without a partner,” Lela said, not missing a beat. She swirled a contour brush in a blush compact. “So, while I highlight Tasha’s lovely cheekbones here, do you want to give us an update, Brooklyn?”
“First off, I want to thank everyone who reached out to me after my last appearance. It’s nice to know people are in my corner.” Some people, at least. “I’m afraid that not much has changed yet. I still want to have a baby and I’m still exploring my options.” Brooklyn hoped her vague answer would be sufficient. She didn’t want to close any doors, but she also didn’t want to leave any glaringly open. There was no telling who might walk through it. “Now, I really like a waterproof mascara for daytime. It’s great if you’re running around and sweating. Or maybe you’re giving your baby a bath and get water splashed in your face.”
Lela cast her a smile. “That’s a great tip.”
“Also,” Flora interjected. “Sometimes babies make you cry. So it’s good for that, too.”
“Amen to that,” Tasha added.
Brooklyn made a mental note: You’ll probably cry. From there, the four women had a very fun chat about beauty and babies while Lela and Brooklyn completed the makeovers. It was sheer heaven, like the cameras weren’t even there. The first look was received very well by Tasha and Flora, but it was the second one that really left them happy.
“I’d forgotten what it was like to look pretty. Or feel good about my appearance,” Tasha said, her voice cracking. “Having a kid isn’t always great for your self-esteem.”
“Oh, my God. Yes. You go from the chaos of pregnancy to the hurricane of a newborn. There’s no time to worry about what you look like.” Flora nodded as she looked into the mirror and turned her head from side to side. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
Tilly Ann wandered over to their corner of the Good Day USA set. “You both look absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much to Brooklyn and Lela for doing such a fabulous job. Now that we’re all done, I want to bring out our special guest, the star of Lavaman, which is coming out this weekend, Jason Adams!”
From the darkest depths of the studio, Jason Adams burst into the light and hopped up on to the set in a flash of blinding white teeth, tousled sun-kissed hair, and biceps that clearly did not care to be contained by a silly T-shirt. “Ladies, you both look amazing.” He swooped down and kissed Tasha on the cheek. She cooed. Cooed. He did the same for Flora, who touched the side of her face in disbelief as soon as he stepped back.
“Jason, why don’t you tell us why you’re here today?” Tilly Ann asked, cozying up to him.
Two minutes earlier, Brooklyn had wondered how this segue was going to make any sense at all. Now she didn’t care. She only felt lucky. As pretty as Jason Adams was in pictures and on screen, he was one hundred times more drool-worthy in person. The man was magnetic. No one, especially not Brooklyn, could look away.
“I’m here to announce that we’re about to start shooting the sequel to Lavaman. It’s called Lavababy and it’s all about Lavaman falling for a single mom after discovering that her child has the same powers he does.”
Brooklyn and Lela made eye contact. It was obvious that she was struggling just as much as Brooklyn. No matter how enthusiastic and earnest Jason was, it was hard not to laugh. Of all the stupid ideas for a movie, this had to be top on the list. Of course, that probably meant it was going to make a kajillion dollars at the box office.
“I’m really excited to be making a movie with a strong mom character.” He stepped closer to Tilly Ann. Brooklyn thought the woman might melt right then and there. “As my fans know, I lost my dad when I was young, and my mom is the only reason I got through that. She’s the most resilient, wonderful person in the entire world. I owe her everything. I would not be standing in a television studio right now if it wasn’t for her. I wouldn’t be making movies and living my dream.”
Brooklyn found her eyes getting watery. Then she noticed that everyone was wiping away tears. What in the hell was happening? What was this power Jason Adams had? Where he could talk about the most idiotic movie ever in one breath, then make everyone cry in the next?
“After I saw Miss Monroe’s segment on this show a few weeks ago, I realized that there’s this thread of the importance of strong women and moms running through my life.”
“How do you even have time to watch the show, Jason?” Tilly Ann asked.
He laughed. “I have to make time. It’s my mom’s favorite show. So I tape it, then I watch a few segments so she and I can talk or text about it. Alec is her favorite, so I try to watch everything he does.”
“Moms love Alec,” Tilly Ann quipped.
“I’ve heard that,” Jason replied, half laughing. “So anyway, the East Coast premiere of Lavaman is this Friday, here in New York. This is a fan event, not like a regular premiere. We had a big lottery for tickets, but I have a few extra, so I’d like to give Tasha, Flora, and Lela each a pair so they can come and join us.”
Tasha and Flora both erupted in squeals of delight. Lela politely clapped and smiled. Meanwhile, Brooklyn was left asking one question—what the hell? Am I not standing right here? Her face felt like it was on fire as she was blanketed in utter humiliation.
“But what about Brooklyn?” Tilly Ann asked.
Yeah, Tilly Ann. What about me?
“I’m hoping that Ms. Monroe will accompany me as my date.” He moved closer to Brooklyn, but it happened so fast and effortlessly that she would’ve sworn he’d floated. “It’s my way of telling the world that all moms, and those that aspire to be one, especially on their own terms, are awesome.”
“I know one thing. Every woman in America is going to wish she was Brooklyn Monroe this Friday night,” Tilly Ann said.
“What do you say, Brooklyn? Will you come with me to the premiere of Lavaman?” Jason asked.
Brooklyn was painfully aware of the camera on her. She looked into Jason’s crystal clear eyes and his uncannily symmetrical face and felt like there was only one answer she could give. “I’d love to.”
Jason grinned, his smile making the temperature in the room spike a good five degrees. “Fantastic.”
A camera zeroed in on Tilly Ann. “And we hope that everyone out there will go see Lavaman this weekend. In theaters nationwide. Have a good day, USA.”
“And we’re out,” someone on set said.
Tasha, Flora, and Tilly Ann surrounded Jason, followed by several members of the crew, giving Brooklyn a moment to catch her breath.
“Whoa. I did not see that coming,” Lela said. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t even know what just happened. I feel like I got hit by a super hot bus.”
Lela cast a sideways glance at Jason. “Sounds like you’re going to a movie premiere with that very hot bus. Maybe it’ll be a love connection.”
Brooklyn looked over in his direction, and their gazes connected. That alone was enough to make her blush. “I don’t know. I’m a good ten years older than him,” she said out of the side of her mouth while holding a smile. “Probably more.”
Lela waved it off. “That’s nothing. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Was this what Maddie had predicted? Brooklyn hit Lela’s arm with the back of her hand. “Oh, crap. He’s coming over here.”
“And I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Just act normal.”
Like that’s going to happen.
Jason arrived in a whoosh of appealing cologne, brandishing his broad shoulders while thrusting out his hand. “Brooklyn Monroe. It’s such an honor to meet you. Truly.”
She noticed how smooth his skin was. Like a baby’s butt. His eyes were so sparkly, like fancy designer crystal figurines you see in a shop and wonder who buys them. “Nice to meet you, too. Should I call you Lavaman or simply Mr. Lava?”
He laughed like he didn’t get it. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that, but I thought it would be more organic if it was a surprise. It’s going to be a really fun night. I promise.”
Brooklyn giggled nervously, remembering what Alec had said about not feeling obligated to do anything the network asked of her. Had this really been Jason’s idea? Or someone else’s? “It’s okay. I like movies. As long as there’s free popcorn. And candy. And soda. There will be all of those things, won’t there?”
“You can have whatever you want.” He took a step closer and this time, their eyes really locked on each other. His were like sexy magnets, if magnets were capable of being sexy.
Annoyingly, I Wanna Be Your Lover popped into her head. Too soon, brain. Too soon. Brooklyn swallowed hard. “Milk Duds?”
“They’re terrible for your teeth. But sure. I’ll have my people get in touch with your people.”
“I only have one people. I mean, person. Her name is Laurel.”
“I’ll find you.” He leaned closer and kissed Brooklyn’s cheek, leaving behind a lasting tingle. “I’m looking forward to our date, Brooklyn. If it goes down the way I’d like it to, you’ll be talking about the night for the rest of your life.”
The rest of her life? What did that mean? She didn’t get a chance to ask her questions, standing frozen as Jason Adams and his objectively spectacular ass walked away. Today was the weirdest day ever. No other day was close, including the day the Posh Male letter went viral.
But there was a part of her that said she needed to keep an open mind about Jason Adams and his invitation. Maybe Lela was right. It could be a love connection. And maybe Maddie had been right, too. Perhaps Brooklyn’s perfect guy had just popped into her life. In a way she never expected.