“Hey baby girl,” Tony gave his old friend a warm embrace. “long time, no see.”
“Same here, Tony. I need to fix up that tat you have on your forearm.” Aaliyah caressed it. “Whoever did this did a piss-poor job on it.”
“And that’s why you’re getting a show and they ain’t!” Tony pounded fists with her.
“Come on, let’s sit down!” Laura sat down and everyone followed. She opened up the heavy, leather-bound menus and perused it. “Everything is fantastic here, Aaliyah. Choose whatever you want to eat.”
Aaliyah followed a mostly plant-based diet but red meat called her, she picked up the phone like a long-lost friend. “The short rib looks good.”
“It’s amazing!” Shane added, with a small purr in his voice. “It’s perfect, honestly.”
“I think I’ll have the swordfish,” Ian commented. “I’m sure Becky would be happy to hear that I’m eating fish for once instead of a dead cow.”
Aaliyah quietly snickered. Ian did look like the type who would have a wife named Becky.
“I’m going to have the duck confit.” Shane replied. “That looks really good. What about you, Laura?”
Laura puckered her lips and narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to concentrate. “I’ll have the herb-crusted red snapper. That looks really good. I’ll order a bottle of red wine for us to share.” She put down the menu and waited for her employees to follow suit before she addressed Aaliyah. “So, Ms. Aaliyah, what’s been going on in your life lately?”
Aaliyah knew Laura was simply humoring her. Surely, she’d seen the pictures of her and Ocean. “Well, trying to get the shop set up for filming. I’ve been really busy with a lot of clients lately. Everything is great, just excited about filming.”
Laura nodded and smiled. “That’s why we’re meeting with you tonight. We wanted to talk to you about filming.”
Aaliyah felt a wash of sadness over her. Did her association with Ocean just ruin her TV show? She certainly hoped not but she had to be prepared for the possibility. “Yes?”
“We saw the recent story with you and Senator Ocean Ellison.” Tony smiled. “Are you two dating?”
“Uh, no.” Aaliyah clearly stated. “Ocean and I are just…friends.”
“Justfriends?” Laura asked with a twinkle in her eyes. “That kiss didn’t seem like a friendly one.”
“Ocean’s very affectionate.” Aaliyah chose her words carefully. She immediately felt like she was giving an interview to Oprah or Barbara Walters on primetime TV and she had to be careful on what she said for it could come back to haunt her. “That is all.”
“Okay.” Laura replied. “I’m asking because I was wondering if Senator Ellison would be interested in appearing in a few episodes? It would make for excellent television.”
Aaliyah breathed easily. Her show was saved but the idea people would be tuning in to see a glimpse of Ocean made her angry. She was Aaliyah Smith before Ocean waltzed back into her and she would be Aaliyah Smith – not Ellison – when he waltzed himself back out.
“I don’t think Ocean is able to do anything like that because of ethics and all.” Aaliyah stated. “I’m also pretty sure he doesn’t want to. He likes to keep a low profile as possible considering his name and being a first-term senator.” She also didn’t want him anywhere near her show.
“Oh, that’s a shame. I would think with his name, he would want more people and potential voters tuning in. It would be nice to give everyone a sneak peek of what it’s like to date a politician and everything that it entails.” Laura greeted the server, who took their orders. “It’s something to consider.”
“I thought this show was about me and my shop?” Aaliyah hoped her voice didn’t come out accusatory. “Ocean is just a friend and I don’t want him subjected to a show that may not show him in a positive light.”
“We’ll take all of the necessary precautions to make sure Ocean is viewed favorably. Hell, if we can just get a glimpse of you two going somewhere without him speaking, that would be great. Or even a shot of you coming back from seeing him; he doesn’t even have to be on camera at all.” Shane replied.
“We want to take advantage of this momentum, Aaliyah.” Ian chimed in. “The world is talking about you and Ocean now. Everyone knows you have a show coming up and they’re going to tune in to see if Ocean makes an appearance. This would make for excellent TV.”
“Ocean is a United States Senator,” Aaliyah countered with a bit more assertiveness in her voice. “He is not going to risk humiliation from his colleagues and distracting questions from the press just so he can be on my reality show. Furthermore, I wouldn’t want him to appear. I have plenty other celebrity friends who will be glad to appear on my show.”
“Just keep an open mind to the possibility,” Laura replied with the same sparkle in her eyes, “it wouldn’t hurt you or him at all.”
Laura sounded like a used car salesman who was trying to sell a lemon to an old lady on a fixed income. Aaliyah wanted to believe her but something felt increasingly unsettling about the whole ordeal. She just hoped her show garnered another ratings where Ocean would be an afterthought in everyone’s minds. “We’ll see.”
“Hey, if baby girl doesn’t want Ocean on the show, that’s final.” Tony stepped in for his friend. “I’m sure we can have other topics and episodes that have nothing to do with him. It’ll be fine and no worries. People were interested in Aaliyah before Ocean and they’ll be interested in her after him. One man doesn’t make a show.”
Aaliyah glanced over at Tony, who winked back at her. He may’ve come off as a class clown and never took anything serious but his barber shop, but when it came to protecting his friends and family, he always showed out.
~~~~~~
