Tangled Vines by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online Page B

striped, or paisley? There is always the problem of fleeing hairlines – should he wear a hairpiece or have implants? In all cases, the question becomes, Does it distract the viewer?” He gestured to her. “The glasses, the hair, the severe line of your clothes distract.”
    She wanted to argue, to point out that Sally Jessy Raphael wore glasses. Even NBC’s Bryant Gumble occasionally slipped on a pair of reading glasses. Sophia Loren wore glasses, as did Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, and a dozen other personalities.
    But she raised none of those points. Instead she simply said, “But viewers remember me.”
    â€œA good journalist would want them to remember the story,” he replied, and Kelly found herself cringing inwardly from the gently administered verbal slap. “There happens to be an opening for a reporter at our affiliate station here in New York,” Hugh continued. “I’ve set up an interview for you tomorrow. In the meantime, I have arranged for an optometrist to fit you with contact lenses this morning. From there you will go to the stylist – Sigmund is one of the best in Manhattan. When Sigmund is finished with you, we’ll meet at Saks and pick out more appropriate attire.”
    â€œWhat is this?” Kelly broke in.
    He merely smiled and said, “Consider it an assignment. A camera crew will be along to record the events. This evening you will have an opportunity to write your story, edit the tape, and put it all together. Tomorrow you can take the finished story with you on the interview as a demonstration of your journalistic skill. He paused, his smile deepening. “Well, Miss Douglas?”
    She was being challenged. Kelly didn’t like it:, she didn’t like any of it. But she didn’t see where she had a choice. She had to accept.
    â€œWhat time is the appointment with the optometrist?”
    â€œThirty minutes from now. I have a car waiting downstairs for you.”
    Less than two hours later, Kelly walked out of the optometrist’s office wearing a pair of extended-wear contact lenses that could be safely left in around the clock. After a four-hour session with Sigmund, her hair was three inches shorter, leaving it slightly longer than shoulder length; a body wave had added fullness and shine to her hair, bringing out its natural, deep red lights; and her makeup had been thrown out in favor of a warmer palette containing brown and gold eye shadows, peach-toned blushes and lipsticks, and light beige foundation. At Saks, her pin-striped charcoal suit was replaced by a silk and linen pique jacket worn over an apricot silk dress with a matching suede sash.
    When she saw her reflection in the boutique’s full-length mirror, Kelly stared at the woman before her. She hadn’t suddenly become a raving beauty. But to her the change was stunning. Her mahogany hair fell in full, thick waves about her face, a face that didn’t look nearly so plain. The lines of the jacket and dress were still tailored, but softly so, the material loosely draping...her figure. And the colors were...flattering.
    â€œYou were right,” she told Hugh.
    â€œRare is the woman who can admit that to a man,” he observed dryly. To which she laughed and executed a slow pirouette in front of the mirror. “Are you comfortable with your new image?”
    â€œYes.” And strangely enough, she was.
    The story proved easy to write, and the tape even easier to edit.
    The interview went smoothly. Perfectly, Kelly thought. She was right. One week later she was offered the job. She gave the station in St. Louis two weeks notice and started packing.
    That had been the beginning of her friendship with Hugh Townsend. She had come to trust his judgment and his instincts. Through him, she had met the right people and made the right contacts. Vital in a city like New York and in an industry as competitive as television.
    It was the second time in