To The Cameo’s future universe,
Glimpses into the Future!
Now presenting…
Why
Do Fools Fall in Love?
Part One
This story begins
a new universe, Glimpses into the Future. This future uni
takes place after the original
ending of “Keeping Up With the
Joneses” and after the stories in the “Boys
Will Be Boys” universe. So, Katie is dead, Jim was adopted by the Wheelers,
and everything happened just as the series said. The bulk of this story
occurs approximately 10 years after the Here and
Now universe. So, Trixie, Honey, and Di are 25, Mart and Dan are 26, Jim is 27, and Brian is 28. Are you confused yet? Just wait till Bobby
enters the picture…OY! Any age discrepancies I will blame on the tainted
timeline. Prologue Eight years earlier, during the girls’ senior year of
high school… “All right,
Trixie. I’ll call Honey later on and work out the details. It isn’t a problem
for me…I don’t know, Trix. Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Brian Belden
handed the phone to his red-haired roommate. “Hey,
Shamus!” Jim cheerfully greeted. “What’s up?” “Jim!”
Trixie squealed in delight. “Please say you can! You’ve just got to! You will, won’t you, Jim? Please say you
will!” Jim
chuckled. “I can’t give you an answer until you ask me the question.” “Oh, sorry. I’m so
excited that I forgot you didn’t know. I have the most important news!
Because of some scheduling problems, Mr. Stratton had to change the date for
prom. Oh, say that you can still go, Jim!” Jim’s
heart sank. “I don’t know, Trix. I really had to do some juggling to be able
to make it on the original date. When’s it going to be now?” “Instead
of May fourteenth, it’ll be April twenty-third. Can you make it?” “The
twenty-third?’ Jim closed his eyes in despair after studying his day planner.
“Trix, I’m booked up for every Saturday in April. I’m doing some counseling
work for one of my classes. I have several sessions scheduled for that day.” “Can’t
you change it?” Trixie cried in despair. “I’ll just die if you can’t take me
to my senior prom!” Jim
sighed unhappily. “I’m so sorry, Shamus. You know I’d change it if I could.
But it’s so hectic around finals. And I have to have these sessions to get
this credit.” Trixie
sniffled, and he could tell she was fighting tears. “But Brian is coming in
to take Honey, and Mart is coming in to take Di.” “But
they don’t have school projects that can only be done on the weekends,” Jim
reminded her. “Couldn’t
you skip it just this once?” “As
much as I want to, I can’t. Could Dan possibly fill in for me?” Jim asked. “I
don’t want to go with Dan!” Trixie moaned. “I want to go with you! Besides,
Dan’s already going with Jane Morgan. Oh, please, Jim! This is the most
important dance of my whole life!” Jim
wearily rubbed his temples. He hated to deny Trixie anything. “I wish I
could, Trix. But there’s just no way. Maybe Nick Rob…” “I
don’t want to go with Nick Roberts
or anyone else for that matter! I’ve gone to every dance with you,
Jim Frayne, and I want to keep it that way!” Trixie sobbed. “I
know, Trix. If there was anything I could do to change it, I would. But I really need this credit. If I’m ever
going to start my scho…” “All
you ever think about is your stupid school!” Trixie cried. “You never have
time for me or the other Bob-Whites. I-I-I’m beginning to think you don’t
care about me at all.” After
a long silence, Jim said, “I hope you don’t mean that, Trixie. That school is
my dream, but it’s not more important than my gi…than
my friends.” “I’m
sorry, Jim.” Trixie sniffed back another round of tears. “I’m so horribly
selfish. I know how you need to get your degree so that you can build your
school. I’m just upset about the prom. Please say you’ll forgive me?” “You’re
forgiven,” Jim answered gently. “And am I forgiven for not being able to come
to your prom?” “Y-yes.
I might just stay home that night.” “You
can’t do that. I’m sure there would be lots of guys willing to take you to
the prom. Just be sure that they know you’re my special girl.” Trixie
giggled. “Well, I might go since I
already got my dress, but if I do, I’ll just go by myself. It wouldn’t be any
fun without you, Jim. Now, I’d better let you get off of the phone so you can
work on getting that degree.” “You’re
the best, Trix. I lov-, er…
I love seeing you when I’m visiting.” “I
love…seeing you too, Jim. Talk to you later.” On the night of April 23rd… Jim
Frayne rarely broke the speed limit. However, on this particular evening, he
came close to breaking the sound barrier. He
had an important date with a sandy-haired detective; she just didn’t know it
yet! His last two counseling sessions had been cancelled, so he put on his
tuxedo, made a quick stop at the florist for an orchid corsage, and raced
home to Sleepyside. Jim
looked at his watch as he neared the driveway to Crabapple Farm. Ten
minutes to spare! he thought with a sigh of
relief. I hope she hasn’t left yet. He
stopped the car before pulling in the driveway, and took a moment to study
his reflection in the mirror on the visor. He straightened his tuxedo tie and
combed his dark red hair. However, before he shifted his car into drive, he noticed a
strange vehicle in the driveway. Jim squinted his
eyes and stared as four figures emerged from the house. Mr. Belden was snapping
pictures, and Mrs. Belden was waving and wiping away tears. One of the
figures was Trixie. Even from the distance, Jim could tell she looked
absolutely gorgeous. She had on an ice blue satin gown. It was form fitting,
showing off her curvaceous figure to a tee.
But who was the fourth person beside her? The
figure had brown hair and an athletic build. Could it be Brian or Dan? No, Brian’s with Honey, and that person’s
too tall to be Dan, Jim thought. When Trixie and her date walked towards
the car, Jim got a better view. Tad Webster?! Jim
gritted his teeth angrily. What is
Trixie doing with that jock?! Jim
could not help but be jealous of Trixie’s date. Tad had been known as the
best athlete at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High and had gone to some fancy
university on a baseball scholarship. Jim had suspected for years that Tad
had a crush on his special girl. You told her to go with someone else,
Honorable Jim pointed out. But not him! Jealous Jim hissed. I wanted her to go with someone I trusted,
like Dan, or someone like Nick that I could beat up! Why shouldn’t she go with Tad? He’s been a
good friend to the Bob-Whites ever since he and his brother Spider returned
from Yeah, but he’s got big muscles, pretty-boy
hair, and a cool car! Jealous Jim commented. Jim
debated on what he should do. He knew Trixie genuinely had wanted to go with
him. He decided to pull in the driveway to at least let Trixie know he was
there. However, at that moment, he saw Tad pin a beautiful corsage on
Trixie’s dress. Afterward, he leaned in, whispered something which made
Trixie giggle. “Smack him,
Shamus!” Jim yelled out loud. For once
Honorable Jim and Jealous Jim were in agreement. To his surprise, Trixie giggled
and kissed Tad back on the cheek. All
his insecure demons from the past re-emerged. His pride damaged and his heart
broken, Jim opened the window and flung the orchid out the car. He turned his
car around and headed back to college, never telling anyone what he saw.
The beginning of our future universe, eight years
later… Friday, July 23 “Great job, detectives!” Ralph
Keenan congratulated, shaking Trixie Belden and Honey Wheeler’s hands. “I
appreciated your help solving this case.”
Ralph Keenan owned a
detective agency in “It
was our pleasure, Mr. Keenan,” Trixie told him confidently. “Let us know if
we can ever be of assistance again.” “I’ll
do that,” Ralph replied. “I’m glad Hank recommended you.” Hank Carpenter had been the private
investigator under whom Trixie and Honey had interned. He ran a detective
agency for several years in “Don’t
let the fact that they’re young and pretty dissuade you,” Hank had told Ralph
over the phone. “They’re two of the finest detectives I’ve ever had the
pleasure of training.” So,
based on his friend’s recommendation, Ralph contacted the Belden-Wheeler
Detective Agency and enlisted their help. And he hadn’t been sorry. Though
they met the age requirement by the skin of their teeth, Beatrix
Belden and Madeleine Wheeler were old pros at solving cases. After doing some
detective work of his own about his prospective detectives, Ralph learned
that while they were teenagers, the young ladies had cracked some high
profile cases. Often, they had solved the whole thing themselves before the
authorities could figure it out. Ralph
was not disappointed with their performance during this case. Beatrix and Madeleine were good. They knew their stuff.
The fact that they were young and pretty only helped them in the business, he
thought. Ralph grinned, remembering how the little blonde had coerced
information from the suspect. It was something he could never have
done, that was for sure. In his opinion, Beatrix and
Madeleine were wasting their time in this small town. Ralph retrieved
a business card out of his suit jacket’s pocket and slapped it down on
Trixie’s desk. “If you ladies ever move to “Thank
you, Mr. Keenan.” Trixie beamed proudly from the compliment. “I’m glad you
felt confident enough to ask for our services. We only opened our agency
recently, so we’re trying to build up our reputation.” “Don’t
worry, ladies,” he said with a grin. “As talented as you both are, you’ll
have no trouble finding clients. Of course, the work might be more exciting
where I am.” “Thank
you again for the kind offer, but I think we’re happy here in Sleepyside,”
Honey replied, watching Trixie out of the corner of her eye. “Aren’t we, Beatrix?” “Uh,
yeah,” Trixie hesitantly answered. She nonchalantly put the business card
inside the top drawer of her desk in a safe spot. “Oh,
I’m sure you have a lot of exciting cases around here, as well,” Ralph said
as he gathered briefcase. “But the offer still stands, if you ever change
your mind.” “What
kind of cases do you get, Mr. Keenan?” Trixie inquired curiously. “We
get all kinds,” he answered. “We do the standard PI thing of investigating
cheating spouses. But the majority of our work is more exciting. We track
down drug dealers, as we did in this case. We help locate criminals who’ve
escaped from prison or jumped bail. We help people find kidnapped or missing
loved ones. We work for families of murder victims tracking down the killer.
Sometimes, the family wants a separate investigation from the police to track
down any leads. And we also work with law enforcement officials when our help
is requested. It’s never a boring job, that’s for sure.” “Sounds
exciting,” Trixie murmured, avoiding Honey’s stare. “Like
I said, give me a call if you’re ever looking for a job,” Ralph said, walking
out the door. Later that day, after lunch… Honey
neatly placed the fat folder they had started for their recent case back in
the filing cabinet by her desk. She glanced over at her curly-haired friend,
who was staring holes in the ceiling.
“Hello? Earth to Trixie? Do you see a cobweb that our cleaning lady
missed?” Trixie
looked at Honey with feigned hurt. “Hey, I’m the one that does all the
cleaning around here.” “Like
you’re known for your dusting prowess,” Honey teased good-naturedly. “I’ve
watched you dust, Miss Belden. A lick and a promise were your specialty, and
that hasn’t changed.” The look on Honey’s face became serious. “What’s wrong,
Trix? You’ve been quiet ever since Mr. Keenan left this morning.” “Oh,
I don’t know, Hon,” Trixie answered with a heavy sigh. “I’ve just been kind
of down lately.” “Why?
What’s bothering you?” Trixie
shrugged her shoulders. “I really can’t explain it. After all the years I
dreamed of opening our detective agency, you’d think I’d be happier than I
am. But, now that the dream has come true, it’s empty.” “Have
you changed your mind about the agency?” Honey inquired nervously. “No,
not really. I love being a detective. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Even though I thought it would be more exciting than it is, I wouldn’t change
my profession.” Trixie lifted her chin stubbornly. “I know it’ll just take
time to build up our clientele.” She absentmindedly picked up a framed
photograph of all the Bob-Whites from her desk. Although she meant to look at the entire
group, her eyes fell on a certain redheaded fellow and her eyes grew wistful. “Maybe
being a detective was only part of
your dream,” Honey suggested softly, noticing where Trixie’s eyes wandered.
“Maybe your dream feels empty because the whole dream hasn’t come true.” Trixie
hastily slammed the picture down on her desk. “That dream died a long
time ago.” “It
isn’t dead. It’s just sleeping.” Honey smiled and shook her head. “I don’t
care what either of you say.” Trixie
snorted. “Tell that to Jim. I used
to think he had special feelings for me, but now . . .” “What
happened between you two, anyway?” Trixie
sighed and gazed once more at the picture. “I’ve told you a hundred times. I
don’t know.” She ran her finger over the familiar face. “I always thought he
was waiting for me to graduate high school and then he’d get serious. But
something happened after my senior year of high school. We’d always gone to
the movies or parties together when he was home from college. But out of the
blue, he brought home a girlfriend, and I soon figured out that I wasn’t his
‘special girl’ anymore,” she continued, her voice slightly cracking. Trixie
wiped a tear with the back of her hand.
“You know, I always thought we’d end up together. It’s a mystery to me
what went wrong. And it’s the first mystery I haven’t been able to solve.” Honey
crossed over to her best friend’s desk and gave her a hug. “Sometimes love is
the greatest mystery of all.” “And
of course, that would be the one
that throws me,” Trixie sniffled. “Love bites!” Honey
giggled madly, in spite of the woebegone expression on her friend’s face.
“Love doesn’t bite, Trixie. Well, unless you’re into that sort of thing, that
is.” “TMI,
Honey Wheeler!” Trixie shrieked, sticking her fingers in her ears. “ICK
factor! I really don’t want to know what you and my brother have been doing
in your spare time.” “Brian
doesn’t bite, Trixie!” Honey teased, happy to see her friend return to her
good humor. “He may nibble a bit, but…” “All
right, let’s talk about something else,” Trixie interrupted. “What
do you want to talk about?” “Anything
other than what we were talking about.” Trixie
shivered. “You know it grosses me out when you and Di moon over my brothers.” “All
right, then. Would you rather talk about what you’re wearing to the party
tonight?” Honey asked with a grin. The Wheelers were having a celebration
that evening in honor of the opening of Jim’s school. The building was
completed, teachers had been hired, students were enrolled, and school was
going to begin in a week. “Let’s
see. What would I rather talk about? Clothes or my best friend sucking face
with my brother? Gee, that’s a tough
call, but I’m going to have to go with the clothes.” Trixie snorted. “I don’t
know what I’m wearing. Actually, I thought about staying home.” “You
can’t!” Honey cried. “All the Bob-Whites will be there. You know how
important this is to Jim.” “I
know, but I’m sure a certain person I don’t like will be there.” Honey
nodded sympathetically. “Yes, she’ll be there. With bells on.” “And
probably hung from strategic locations,” Trixie said cattily. “Now,
Trixie, play nicely. Amanda isn’t that bad.” Amanda
Woodward was Jim’s current girlfriend. They had been dating over a year now,
much to Trixie’s chagrin. Trixie
leaned back in her office chair and propped her feet on her cluttered desk.
“Well, I must admit that I like Amanda a lot less than I liked the
rest of Jim’s girlfriends,” she commented with a sarcastic grin. Honey
giggled and threw a wadded-up piece of paper at her friend. “Umm…Trixie, you
haven’t liked any of Jim’s girlfriends.” “I
know, and I like this one even less than the rest of them.” Trixie picked the
paper wad out of her hair and tossed it into her already overflowing
trashcan. “For someone so intelligent, Jim has extraordinarily bad taste in
women,” she added with a sniff. Honey
smiled knowingly. “Maybe you’ll have to rescue him from the evil wench.”
Honey, out of loyalty to Trixie’s secret feelings for Jim, was the only other
Bob-White to openly dislike Amanda. The rest were at least attempting to get
along with her. Trixie
sat up in her seat and began pecking on her computer keyboard, ignoring Honey’s
comment. “If
I were you, I’d come tonight and go out of my way to look totally smashing,”
Honey suggested brightly. Trixie
looked up with a perplexed expression on her pretty face. “Have you ever
noticed that people often use violent terms in a complimentary manner?
Smashing? Striking? Drop dead gorgeous? I don’t want to assault Jim. I just
wish, for once…well, never mind.” With a shake of her head, she turned back
to her computer. “What,
Trix?” Honey prodded. Trixie
shrugged. “I get sick of being called cute. And perky. But the phrase that I
really hate is that ‘I have natural beauty.’ Sometimes, I want more than
that.” “You
want to look glamorous?” Honey understood Trixie’s deep-seated insecurities
better than anyone. Trixie
nodded sadly. “Sometimes, it stinks being comfortable.” Her thoughts went
back several years ago to a dance in Trixie
hesitantly entered the gymnasium at Riverdale High School, glancing around
for her friends. She spied Honey and Di, surrounded, as always, by boys. Some
boys had also gathered around her; however, they wanted to talk about
basketball. She was sure the boys around her prettier friends were not
talking about sports. She absentmindedly
listened to talk about lay-ups and slam-dunks while she scanned the gym for
any sight of Jim…and her brothers, of course. She finally spotted the boys
among a crowd of some of the most attractive girls she had ever seen. The prettiest girl
of all, a tall, slender blonde, hooked her arm through Jim’s and led him to a
secluded spot at a nearby table. Trixie’s cheeks burned as she watched the
beautiful blonde girl flirt with Jim. She kept waiting for Jim to politely,
yet firmly, ease out of her clutches, but to
Trixie’s disappointment, Jim seemed quite content to bask in the girl’s
presence. Ned Shultz came
over and spoke to Trixie. She listened halfheartedly and tried to comment
when she could, but she kept one eye on Jim and the tall blonde. Her
redheaded friend certainly was charming the Trixie’s blue eyes
grew wide and turned a little green as she watched Jim put his arm around the
blonde girl’s slender shoulders. She tried to concentrate on Ned, but as
handsome as he was, he could not take her mind off of a certain couple across
the room. Ned asked Trixie to
dance. She agreed, sadly watching Jim hold the graceful blonde in his arms on
the dance floor. They moved perfectly with one another. Jim held her slender
form securely in his arms, her head only slightly lower than his. The blonde
was at least five-foot-eight, and in heels, she could almost look Jim evenly
in the eyes. Though Ned was an
expert dancer, he could not take Trixie’s mind off of Jim and the blonde
bimbo. She kept glancing at them, growing more and more furious by the
minute. She was overcome by a strange feeling. Could it be? Yes, it was---
jealousy. Ned was trying to
make conversation with Trixie, but she could not hear. I just don’t care if I ever speak to Jim again in my life, she thought. When the band finished their
song, Trixie came face to face with Jim and the bombshell. They casually
talked for a minute, and Jim introduced Trixie to the girl. Dot? What kind of a name is that? Trixie thought with an indignant sniff, all the while keeping a
friendly smile on her face. If Trixie could hear Dot’s thoughts, she would
see that Dot was thinking similar things about her. “Next dance, Trix?”
Jim asked, flashing that lopsided grin that Trixie so adored. “Yes, Jim,” Trixie
said, putting her hand in his. Later, on the dance
floor, Trixie closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Jim’s embrace. For a
moment, all thoughts of the tall blonde disappeared, and she was happy.
However, when she thought she caught Jim glancing in Dot’s direction, that
happiness vanished. “Ned Shultz seems
to have the Indian sign on you,” she heard Jim saying. “And Dot seems to
have the Indian sign on you. You’ve been her slave all evening!” “Why, Trixie.” Jim
stopped dancing right in the middle of the floor and led Trixie to a bench at
the middle of the room. “You’re fooling!” “I’m not! If you
like that glamour type best, you’re just welcomed to her. I mean it!” “I like both
kinds,” Jim said. “Dot is
glamorous. She’s really glamorous. She went out of her way to be nice to me,
and I appreciate it.” I’m sure she was! Trixie
thought with a smirk. She was angry that Jim so readily agreed that Dot was
glamorous. “I can see that you do,” Trixie said out loud. Then she added
wistfully, “Oh, Jim, I wish I’d been born beautiful!” “The other kind of girl,” Jim went on,
“didn’t dress up just to impress me or any other boy. She never does. She’s
genuine and so comfortable to be around. She’s my choice of the two. Right
now her sandy curls need combing, and she sure could use some lipstick!” For the rest of
the evening that comment made her feel better. She enjoyed the rest of the
dance and managed to erase thoughts of Dot out of her head. But later that
night, all her insecurities once again emerged. She began analyzing what Jim
had said. So, Dot is glamorous and beautiful, and
I’m genuine and comfortable? Comfortable?! Trixie repeated in her mind. Makes me sound like an old shoe! And
he didn’t deny liking her. And what did he mean by saying my hair needed
combing and that I needed lipstick? Liking two kinds of girls, indeed! The rest of the
trip, Trixie battled her jealousy over Dot. She would not even admit to
herself how happy she was to finally be on the airplane, heading miles and
miles away from the After Trixie opened
the box, she smiled shyly at Jim. “It has your name on it, Jim. Put it on for
me, will you?” “You know what it
means, don’t you?” Jim asked. “Tell me,” Trixie
answered. “It means that
you’re my special girl, Trixie,” Jim said. “As if you didn’t know that
already.” But deep in her
heart, Trixie hadn’t known it. Yes, she knew that Jim thought fondly of her.
The others teased her that she and Jim were each other’s favorites, but
still, Trixie had doubts. Especially after seeing Jim with Dot. For a while, Trixie
was content to wear her bracelet, smell her orchids, and blush at fond
glances. But it wasn’t long until another tall blonde by the name of Laura
Ramsey came by and brought back all of Trixie’s insecurities. Trixie had to
admit that turning Laura Ramsey over to the police had given her a great
amount of personal satisfaction. As time passed, the
Bob-Whites seemed to couple off more and more. Mart and Di were the first.
Mart, never shy about his feelings, wooed the fair Diana, sweeping her off
her feet with his charm and blond good looks. Eventually, Brian and Honey
made their relationship more official. Dan, although the seventh wheel, so to
speak, was never deprived of female companionship. Most of the lovely young
ladies in Sleepyside were clambering for a date with the mysterious former
gang member. That left Trixie
and Jim to attend dances, games, and other activities together. Trixie was
quite pleased with how it worked out. This pattern continued even after Jim
went to college. Trixie knew that she could always count on Jim to escort her
to a dance or party. And there was no one with whom she would rather go. But then, it all
changed. Jim was not able to be there for her senior prom. Tad Webster
volunteered to stand in, teasing her the entire night that maybe he could dye
his hair red so that she would have a better time. As sweet as Tad had been
that night, he was no comparison to Jim. Trixie had a fun time that evening
but could not help thinking that something was wrong. Jim had returned
weeks later with news of a girlfriend at college. He had decided to stay for
the summer term, since Alison (the aforementioned girlfriend) would be there,
as well. At the mention of a “girlfriend”, Trixie’s world started reeling. At
one time, she had been safe in the knowledge that while she and Jim weren’t
going steady, he hadn’t ever dated anyone else. However, that ended with the
mention of this Alison person. |
|
|
When she
finally met Alison a couple of weeks later, a sense of irony washed over her.
Alison was a tall and had a model’s figure. She had long, silky blonde hair
and bright blue eyes. Her personality left much to be desired, but Trixie
decided Jim wasn’t dating her for her conversational abilities. By the end of the
summer term, Alison was history, and Trixie was humming a victory anthem. She
abruptly choked on the next note when she saw Alison’s replacement. Brittney
was tall and willowy with long, silky hair the color of sunshine. However,
she had green eyes instead of blue. And her personality was even more
grating. No worries, however. A couple of months later, Brittney was a thing of the past. Of course,
replacing her was another flaxen-haired, vertically-blessed beauty by the
name of Chrissy. Chrissy
spent Thanksgiving break at Manor House. Trixie thought for sure she would
rather be deaf than hear Chrissy’s high-pitched
giggle and her endless prattling about “how Sleepyside was so inferior to her
hometown”, and “where, oh where, did one find a decent stylist in this hick
town?” All the Bob-Whites breathed a sigh of relief when Jim ever-so
gentlemanly kicked Chrissy to the curb. Exit Chrissy, enter Darla. Or was Erica next? The stream of
beautiful tall blondes seemed to mesh together after a while. Trixie never
liked any of them. Her only consolation was that none of them ever lasted
long. Until Amanda
Woodward. She was perhaps the most exquisite of them all. Her requisite
blonde tresses were always perfectly coifed and seemingly never in need of
combing. Her eyes were large and gray and perfectly spaced on her perfect
face. Her nose had surely been sculpted by a plastic surgeon, for Trixie was
sure that nobody was born with a nose that looked that good. She had generous
lips covering toothpaste-commercial quality teeth. And she was tall and very
shapely. Trixie suspected Amanda’s legs were as long as Trixie was tall. Not only was she
beautiful, she was intelligent, articulate, and seemingly friendly. She possessed
a great deal of tact and grace. She always seemed to say the right thing at
the right time. She had a flawless sense of style, her outfits always looking
smart and fashionable, even after a three-hour ride in the car. In essence,
she was perfect. And Trixie hated
her. All the other
Bob-Whites, save Honey out of devotion to Trixie, gave Amanda the stamp of
approval. They were relieved that Jim had finally found someone with whom
they could have an intelligent conversation, and were trying to like her for
Jim’s sake. Amanda seemed to enjoy their company as well. So, Trixie gritted
her teeth and waited for the music to stop and for the next tall blonde to
take Amanda’s seat. But now, a year later, she was still waiting. While she waited
for Jim to suddenly come to his senses, Trixie dated occasionally. It seemed
Honey and Di were constantly fixing her up with
someone. Brian’s medical student friends, artists Di knew from the museum,
good-looking strangers they drug off the street… Mart called them
her one-hit wonders; Trixie went out with them one time, and then found some
excuse, no matter how laughable, to never go out with them ever again. Michael had no
ambition. Steve wasn’t out-doorsy enough. Rick was
very nice, but he didn’t have green eyes. Chris was quite handsome, but he
didn’t have any freckles. Mark had red hair, but it was kind of carroty red
and not dark and thick like… “Trixie?” Honey repeated, trying to get her friend’s
attention. “What did you say about being comfortable?” Trixie
looked up and tried to remember what they had been talking about. “I want to
be more than comfortable. I want to be Dot Murray-Laura Ramsey-Amanda
Woodward beautiful.” “Trix, you are beautiful,” Honey said, with a big smile. “You just need some
confidence.” “No, what I need is a miracle,” Trixie
remarked dryly. Honey glanced at her watch. “It’s “Do
I have to buy a fancy dress that’s itchy?” “Probably,”
Honey answered. “Do
I have to get heels that will not only pinch, but also will be a hazard to me
and all those in my path?” “Most
definitely.” “Do
I have to carry around some stupid excuse for a purse that won’t even hold my
pistol?” “Possibly.” “They’re
not going to put cucumbers on my eyes, are they?” Trixie skeptically
questioned. “I hate the cucumber-on-the-eye-thing.” “It’s
likely.” “They
won’t put fake, acrylic tips on my stubby nails and sand them down evenly
until my cuticles are bloody, will they?” Honey
smiled sweetly. “They will.” “They
wouldn’t dare paint my toenails some ridiculous shade of Pepto-Bismol pink,
would they?” “That’s
probably the shade the pedicurist will use.” “Roberto
won’t fix my hair all fancy and then spray it with so much hair spray that
Hurricane Ivan couldn’t budge it, will he?” “That’s
what he does best.” “Roberto
won’t glob a bunch of mascara on my eyelashes, will he? You remember what
happened the last time I wore mascara. I thought my eyelashes were going to
be permanently melded together.” “I
remember, he will, and they won’t this time.” “And
why would I subject myself to such torture?” Trixie moaned. “Because
you love Jim, and you want to remove him from the clutches of that high-class
hussy?” Honey suggested hopefully. Trixie
took a deep breath and thought for a moment. With a determined nod, she
replied, “All right. Bring it on. Good-bye comfortable shoe. Hello glamour
girl!”
Be sure to check
out the outtakes on the Blooper Reel! I
wasn’t going to include them, but since one of my very favorite fanfic writers likes them, and I decided to include a
few. Gotta keep my favorite authors happy!
Hopefully, these bloopers will inspire her to write. How they could inspire anyone, I don’t know,
but I thought I would give it a try. J I am a realist. I
can’t help it. It’s in my genes. Blame my dad. Therefore, being a realist, I
can’t help but feel Jim would have definite issues that might hinder him a
bit in having a serious relationship. And being the type of person I am, I
can’t ignore those issues. I’m determined to face them head on! Jim-baby is supple, honorable, handsome,
and can slide off clubhouse roof in a stealthy motion, but he’s not perfect.
Well, not quite. J Don’t worry. I
am not deserting my favorite redhead. I am still a member in good standing of
the Cult of Jim. J A lot of I’m ducking from
all the tomatoes being hurled by the Nick Roberts fans. Yes, I think Jim-baby
could beat him up. J But IMHO, Jim
could take Tad Webster, too! Jim is just too modest to say that. And I
couldn’t help but always be suspicious of Tad in the books. Maybe that’s
because he reminded me of too many ex-boyfriends. J Ralph Keenan and
Hank Carpenter are figments of my imagination. I hope I got all the
requirements for becoming a licensed PI in My apologies to
those of you who share the names of Jim’s past
girlfriends. I chose them at random. Only two have significance, and only one
will play a major role in this story. Have you ever met one of those girls
who only like a guy after he’s taken, so she can have the thrill of stealing
him from someone else? Well, I knew a girl like that once, and I didn’t like
her. J So I took her
first name and based my fanfic bad girl on her. And
for the record, she didn’t get MY
man! And also for the record, she wasn’t nearly as pretty as I’ve made her be
in my fanfic. But I had to make her fit the mold. J Elizabeth Arden is
a real salon, but I have no idea if Roberto works there or not. If he does,
tell him I said hi. Since I have never been there (although I do dream about
it!), I do not know if in fact they actually put cucumbers on your eyes or
use Pepto-Bismol pink nail polish. And I don’t getting tips put on normally
hurts, but I had a bad experience once. It felt like they shredded my
cuticles, then applied turpentine to what was left of them. And finally, thank
you so much to my wonderful editors, Kaye, Kathy W, and Cathy W. I decided to
cover all my bases I get Cathy W with a ‘C’, in addition to Kathy W with a
‘K.’ If there are any other variations out there of (C)(K)athy
W that want to edit, e-mail me, and I’ll see what I can do. J Seriously, thank you ladies so much for your
suggestions, comments, and hard work! Big hugs to you all! Poor Kaye and
Kathy deserve a medal for keeping all my universes straight! But I am
rewarding them in part two of this story…
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