Thursday started in the best way for Amanda and Jon despite their amorous encounters of the day before. Richie had spent the night as he usually did and after breakfast, he and Jon hit the studio again. Amanda and Linda put together a short grocery list that after her appointment at the salon she would pick up on her way home.
A short while after letting Jon know her plans for the day, with Richie paying only half a mind as he was working on a particularly difficult riff, Amanda left the studio and began her day.
Arriving at the strip mall where the salon was located, Amanda spent some leisurely time browsing in the bookstore close by. She had an armful of some new releases, as well as a few of her old favorites, when she heard rising voices in the store. Glancing up from one of the books she was looking at, she saw a group of women and a few men standing in the aisle she was in, both in front and in back of her. Most had cell phones out and she could see that her picture was being taken.
A small smile on her face, Amanda tried to move through the aisle toward the front to pay for her books, when she found her way blocked. She hesitated, then moved again, offering “excuse me’s” as she did so. The sound of her voice started the questions.
“I saw it in the paper. You’re engaged to Jon Bon Jovi!”
“When are you getting married?”
“When did he ask you, Amanda?”
She acknowledged that they were engaged, while noting that in addition to the camera phones, several of the people were talking on their phones. She could overhear quite a few of their conversations.
“Yeah, she’s here at the used book store! I’m sure! Hurry up!”
“Honey, that woman in the paper? The one engaged to Jon Bon Jovi? She’s here at the bookstore! What? Okay, I’ll ask…”
Attempting to again move to the front of the store, Amanda suddenly stopped when she heard a rather sardonic voice yell above the general noise.
“How’d ya land that stud, honey? Does he fuck as good as he looks?”
Amanda whirled around, trying to find the source of the crude questions, but was unable to discover the culprit.
Setting the books down, she started to shove her way through the growing wall of people, still being careful to move as circumspectly as she could. She finally reached the door and with an exhaled breath she got out and hurried toward the salon. A bit breathless she opened the door and without a word of explanation walked toward the back of the waiting room where a door separated those waiting for their appointment from those already receiving services.
“Mrs. Matthews!” The receptionist called out to her retreating back, but her attention was quickly turned to a group of people entering the main door.
“Excuse me! Can I help you?”
One of the women called out as she tried to move toward the back room door, “Where’d she go? She came in here, Jon’s fiancée. We want to talk to her!”
The others with the pushy woman voiced their loud approval and intentions, but hadn’t counted on the manager suddenly appearing.
“Unless you are here for an appointment, you need to leave the premises now!”
The ringleader of the group almost sneered at the woman.
“She’s here and it’s a public place. We ain’t leavin’ lady!”
The manager blocked the door to the back and without taking her eyes off the crowd in her shop, issued an order.
“Cathy, call the police. Dial 911 now!”
She looked at the woman who had announced her intention to stay until Amanda came out and spoke loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room.
“I can refuse service to anyone and I’m doing so. You have less than one minute to leave or when the police arrive I’ll press charges against all of you for trespassing!”
The group could hear Cathy speaking to a police dispatcher describing the situation and giving details as to what certain people in the group looked like, particularly the instigator. The others behind her were already moving to the door, several exiting immediately. The woman who had led the group into the salon threw a hateful look at the owner and then turned to leave.
Janice, the owner, called out loudly.
“Don’t come back!”
The obnoxious woman turned back at that, about to make a remark, when Cathy piped in.
“I got her picture on my cell, Janice.”
The woman looked startled at that, her expression changing at once from aggression to anger as she glared at Cathy and then slammed the door open, leaving quickly.
~~~
Amanda had heard everything that had been said in the front room and when Janice came back after the last person had left her shop, she put a hand on Amanda’s shoulder.
“You okay?”
Letting out a shaky breath, Amanda nodded and then gave the woman a hug.
“Janice, thank you so much! I’m sorry this happened…I was just at the bookstore and then there were a whole group of them asking questions. I got out of there as fast as I could, but could only think of getting in here. I didn’t think they would follow me in. Is everything okay in your shop?” She realized she was speaking a little too rapidly, but the adrenaline in her system was high and she strove to calm down.
The sound of police radios interrupted before Janice had a chance to answer and she returned to the front room. Amanda followed and soon Cathy was showing the cell pictures she had taken and Janice was identifying the woman who had caused the most trouble.
The police officers took statements from those involved as Janice signed papers for trespassing protection.
One of the officers pulled Amanda aside to talk with her.
“Mrs. Matthews, we know who you are. We read the papers and we certainly have dealt with situations with overzealous fans of Mr. Bon Jovi’s before.”
Amanda nodded as she listened.
“Are you going to be here in this shop for a while?” She nodded yes at the question.
“Here’s my card. When you’re ready to leave, call this number and we’ll have a patrol car come by.”
Amanda took the card, thanking the officer and agreed she would call. Finishing their reports, the officers departed.
~~~
Getting Amanda a cup of tea after things had settled a little, Janice held up a hand as Amanda attempted to apologize again.
“You did the right thing coming here. We know you and I know what to do with troublemakers.”
Amanda smiled at that, impressed with Janice’s quick thinking and handling of the situation.
With a huge grin on her face, Janice made Amanda an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“Now, how about a massage to get rid of some of that tension I see in your shoulders?”
Leg and eyebrow waxing done, hair trimmed, and after another cup of tea, Amanda found herself relaxing under the skilled hands of one of Janice’s best masseuses.
While getting dressed after a quick shower to remove the massage oil, Amanda heard a knock at the dressing room door. Janice called out, asking if she could come in. Throwing on her shirt over her jeans, Amanda opened the door.
“Feeling better?” Janice asked, a smile on her face.
“A lot better! Thanks so much for suggesting that massage. It really helped.”
Nodding her approval with a smile, Janice’s face changed a little as she informed Amanda of the new situation.
“There’s a huge crowd outside. I saw what looked like some professional photographers, as well as a group watching to see what’s going on.”
Rolling her eyes, Amanda sat down on a bench, both to put her boots on and to think.
“I really was hoping to avoid calling the police again, but I don’t want people getting pictures of the car I use or the license plate. Damn! Janice, can I leave the car here for a bit until those people clear out?”
“Sure, most of the shops here are open until at least nine and the ice cream shop stays open until ten, so you have plenty of time to get it later before everything’s closed.”
“Why don’t you call that officer who gave you his card and see if he’ll get you a ride somewhere else where you can be picked up. I don’t think it would be a good idea to have Jon come here and get you!”
Amanda gave a small laugh at that. If there was a crowd just waiting for her, she could imagine what would happen if Jon showed up.
After a few minutes of thinking, Amanda turned a considering eye toward Janice. She explained her idea and Janice called Donna in. A moment later she agreed and taking Amanda’s keys, she left the shop to get the car. The crowd outside ignored her as soon as they realized she wasn’t who they were waiting for.
A short while after letting Jon know her plans for the day, with Richie paying only half a mind as he was working on a particularly difficult riff, Amanda left the studio and began her day.
Arriving at the strip mall where the salon was located, Amanda spent some leisurely time browsing in the bookstore close by. She had an armful of some new releases, as well as a few of her old favorites, when she heard rising voices in the store. Glancing up from one of the books she was looking at, she saw a group of women and a few men standing in the aisle she was in, both in front and in back of her. Most had cell phones out and she could see that her picture was being taken.
A small smile on her face, Amanda tried to move through the aisle toward the front to pay for her books, when she found her way blocked. She hesitated, then moved again, offering “excuse me’s” as she did so. The sound of her voice started the questions.
“I saw it in the paper. You’re engaged to Jon Bon Jovi!”
“When are you getting married?”
“When did he ask you, Amanda?”
She acknowledged that they were engaged, while noting that in addition to the camera phones, several of the people were talking on their phones. She could overhear quite a few of their conversations.
“Yeah, she’s here at the used book store! I’m sure! Hurry up!”
“Honey, that woman in the paper? The one engaged to Jon Bon Jovi? She’s here at the bookstore! What? Okay, I’ll ask…”
Attempting to again move to the front of the store, Amanda suddenly stopped when she heard a rather sardonic voice yell above the general noise.
“How’d ya land that stud, honey? Does he fuck as good as he looks?”
Amanda whirled around, trying to find the source of the crude questions, but was unable to discover the culprit.
Setting the books down, she started to shove her way through the growing wall of people, still being careful to move as circumspectly as she could. She finally reached the door and with an exhaled breath she got out and hurried toward the salon. A bit breathless she opened the door and without a word of explanation walked toward the back of the waiting room where a door separated those waiting for their appointment from those already receiving services.
“Mrs. Matthews!” The receptionist called out to her retreating back, but her attention was quickly turned to a group of people entering the main door.
“Excuse me! Can I help you?”
One of the women called out as she tried to move toward the back room door, “Where’d she go? She came in here, Jon’s fiancée. We want to talk to her!”
The others with the pushy woman voiced their loud approval and intentions, but hadn’t counted on the manager suddenly appearing.
“Unless you are here for an appointment, you need to leave the premises now!”
The ringleader of the group almost sneered at the woman.
“She’s here and it’s a public place. We ain’t leavin’ lady!”
The manager blocked the door to the back and without taking her eyes off the crowd in her shop, issued an order.
“Cathy, call the police. Dial 911 now!”
She looked at the woman who had announced her intention to stay until Amanda came out and spoke loudly enough to be heard by everyone in the room.
“I can refuse service to anyone and I’m doing so. You have less than one minute to leave or when the police arrive I’ll press charges against all of you for trespassing!”
The group could hear Cathy speaking to a police dispatcher describing the situation and giving details as to what certain people in the group looked like, particularly the instigator. The others behind her were already moving to the door, several exiting immediately. The woman who had led the group into the salon threw a hateful look at the owner and then turned to leave.
Janice, the owner, called out loudly.
“Don’t come back!”
The obnoxious woman turned back at that, about to make a remark, when Cathy piped in.
“I got her picture on my cell, Janice.”
The woman looked startled at that, her expression changing at once from aggression to anger as she glared at Cathy and then slammed the door open, leaving quickly.
~~~
Amanda had heard everything that had been said in the front room and when Janice came back after the last person had left her shop, she put a hand on Amanda’s shoulder.
“You okay?”
Letting out a shaky breath, Amanda nodded and then gave the woman a hug.
“Janice, thank you so much! I’m sorry this happened…I was just at the bookstore and then there were a whole group of them asking questions. I got out of there as fast as I could, but could only think of getting in here. I didn’t think they would follow me in. Is everything okay in your shop?” She realized she was speaking a little too rapidly, but the adrenaline in her system was high and she strove to calm down.
The sound of police radios interrupted before Janice had a chance to answer and she returned to the front room. Amanda followed and soon Cathy was showing the cell pictures she had taken and Janice was identifying the woman who had caused the most trouble.
The police officers took statements from those involved as Janice signed papers for trespassing protection.
One of the officers pulled Amanda aside to talk with her.
“Mrs. Matthews, we know who you are. We read the papers and we certainly have dealt with situations with overzealous fans of Mr. Bon Jovi’s before.”
Amanda nodded as she listened.
“Are you going to be here in this shop for a while?” She nodded yes at the question.
“Here’s my card. When you’re ready to leave, call this number and we’ll have a patrol car come by.”
Amanda took the card, thanking the officer and agreed she would call. Finishing their reports, the officers departed.
~~~
Getting Amanda a cup of tea after things had settled a little, Janice held up a hand as Amanda attempted to apologize again.
“You did the right thing coming here. We know you and I know what to do with troublemakers.”
Amanda smiled at that, impressed with Janice’s quick thinking and handling of the situation.
With a huge grin on her face, Janice made Amanda an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“Now, how about a massage to get rid of some of that tension I see in your shoulders?”
Leg and eyebrow waxing done, hair trimmed, and after another cup of tea, Amanda found herself relaxing under the skilled hands of one of Janice’s best masseuses.
While getting dressed after a quick shower to remove the massage oil, Amanda heard a knock at the dressing room door. Janice called out, asking if she could come in. Throwing on her shirt over her jeans, Amanda opened the door.
“Feeling better?” Janice asked, a smile on her face.
“A lot better! Thanks so much for suggesting that massage. It really helped.”
Nodding her approval with a smile, Janice’s face changed a little as she informed Amanda of the new situation.
“There’s a huge crowd outside. I saw what looked like some professional photographers, as well as a group watching to see what’s going on.”
Rolling her eyes, Amanda sat down on a bench, both to put her boots on and to think.
“I really was hoping to avoid calling the police again, but I don’t want people getting pictures of the car I use or the license plate. Damn! Janice, can I leave the car here for a bit until those people clear out?”
“Sure, most of the shops here are open until at least nine and the ice cream shop stays open until ten, so you have plenty of time to get it later before everything’s closed.”
“Why don’t you call that officer who gave you his card and see if he’ll get you a ride somewhere else where you can be picked up. I don’t think it would be a good idea to have Jon come here and get you!”
Amanda gave a small laugh at that. If there was a crowd just waiting for her, she could imagine what would happen if Jon showed up.
After a few minutes of thinking, Amanda turned a considering eye toward Janice. She explained her idea and Janice called Donna in. A moment later she agreed and taking Amanda’s keys, she left the shop to get the car. The crowd outside ignored her as soon as they realized she wasn’t who they were waiting for.
Amanda couldn’t suppress her smile as she drove away from behind the salon. The back door idea had worked.
And there was no need to tell Jon anything.
oh Amanda hun, you need to stop keeping things from Jon. I know you dont want to upset him but its omly going to be worse when he does find out.
Chris
Yes, I agree, plus you have received other clues that not everyone following you may just be curious onlookers!
I love all the new pictures you use (or at least, they are new to me!!)
Linda
Don't know if I could deal with all the press. Amanda is braver than I would be. But I agree with Cris and Linda she needs to let Jon on on the 411.
Great chapter can't wait for more!
I agree with what everyone's said. I can see how she doesn't wanna worry him, but she can't keep keeping secrets like this. Imagine if he found out from the papers or something that she was swarmed? That wouldn't make for a happy Jon! It also worries me a little that she's so quick to have secrets from him, wonder if there's more going on than meets the eye.
Amanda,
Stop keeping stuff from Jon.
I hate the paparazzi!!
Poor Amanda, she's handling it better than I would
Amanda, honey, TELL JON!!!! he would be more upset if something happened to you, something that his access to security could've prevented!!!!
I agree with what everyone is saying.
If Amanda wants Jon to share everything with her, she needs to stop keeping things from him.
It's a two way street.
Thats gonna be the hardest thing for Amanda to get used to... the attention. She can't just go out alone anymore.