Fairy Tales Do Come True

"Jennifer was happy he got what he deserved, and she was happy I didn't arrest her that night. She told me if she could do something for me to call her.

"Jennifer is away from home a lot at night, and she has a spare bedroom. She might let you stay there to watch the place. Should I give her a call?"

Ashley laughed.

"I never thought I'd be staying with a pros...with an escort, but then, I never thought I'd be homeless either. I guess it won't hurt to see what she says."

I called Jennifer and got her answering machine. After I left a message saying who I was and what I wanted, I asked Ashley if she'd had anything to eat.

"Yes. I grabbed some cold cuts and cheese from my fridge when the super wasn't looking. That was this morning though."

"It'll take Jennifer a bit to get back to me. How about a burger and some fries? Think you could handle that?"

My shift was over by that time. I put Ashley and her suitcase in the back seat of the squad car and drove back to the station. I let her out in an alley a block before we got there and told her where my car was parked. Police officers aren't supposed to taxi civilians around, and I didn't want to answer any questions.

Ashley was standing beside my SUV when I walked out of the station. I took her to a fast food place to wait for Jennifer's call.

"Ashley, what else can you do besides draw CD covers?"

"Why?"

"Well, I just thought you might be able to find a job doing something else since you can't find one to do what you were doing before."

Ashley swallowed the bite of cheeseburger and took a sip from her drink.

"I never wanted to draw CD covers. It was just the only thing I could find when I got out of college and I sort of stuck with it. What I really like is painting and pastels, but that old saying is true. An artist eats hot dogs until he dies. His heirs eat steak."

"Norman Rockwell did all right."

"Yes, but he was an exception. I'm not that good anyway."

I smiled.

"Oh, I'll bet you're better than you think. Any other things you like -- hobbies maybe?"

"You'll laugh if I tell you."

"No I won't, I promise."

"I write children's books, you know, the kind with little words and lots of pictures. I make up a story and then do the pictures with pastels or acrylics."

"I would think there's a market out there for that. Haven't you tried to sell any of them?"

Ashley sighed.

"Yes, I've tried, but that market isn't as big as you'd think. Kids today, even if they're only three or four, are getting those stories on tablets or cell phones now. Haven't you seen them in the grocery store - Mommy pushing the cart while the kid is sitting there looking at her cell phone? The publishers still print books, but they'll only talk to an agent and none of those agents need any more clients. They don't want to go to the cost and effort of trying to sell someone who's going to compete with their current writers for the same volume of business."

My phone rang then and I recognized Jennifer's number. I thumbed the icon sideways and said, "Officer Jenkins".

Ashley sipped her soda while I explained to Jennifer what I wanted. Jennifer didn't sound all that enthused at first, but after I assured her Ashley was telling me the truth, she agreed. She said she'd be home for another two hours and for me to bring Ashley by so she could talk to her for a while before she had to leave.

When I pulled into the drive of the two story house in one of the up-scale areas of town, Ashley couldn't believe we were in the right place.

"She lives here? Are you sure? These houses cost upwards of two hundred thousand dollars, or at least that's what those realtor magazines say they cost."

"Yes, this is Jennifer's place. I told you she does pretty well."

"I think I picked the wrong occupation then. All I could afford was my little apartment."

" Let's go get you introduced. Jennifer wants to talk to you before she has to leave."

Jennifer answered the doorbell a minute or so after I rang it. To see her like she was then, you'd never guess how she made her living. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt, and her long blond hair was done up in a ponytail. She looked about like any other woman you might see in the grocery store or walking in the park.

She smiled when she saw me.

"Hi Don. How you doin'?"

"I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"I'm OK. I see you're still helping girls in trouble. This is Ashley?"

"Yes. Jennifer, this is Ashley Dunhill. Ashley, Jennifer Robbins."

Jennifer held out her hand, and when Ashley took it, shook it gently.

"Hi Ashley. Come in, both of you."

The inside of Jennifer's house was just as nice as the outside. I watched Ashley as she stared at the furnishings in the living room. Everything looked new, and unlike my stuff, if something wasn't a match for something else, it complimented it.

Jennifer sat down on her black leather couch and patted the seat beside her.

"Come sit down, Ashley. I need to hear your story."

Ashley went through the same story she'd told me. I was relieved when she didn't change anything. I liked Jennifer even though her occupation was on the shady side of legal, and I didn't want her to think I was pawning off somebody on her. Jennifer listened intently as Ashley talked, nodding here and there. When Ashley got to the part about being evicted, Jennifer put her hand on Ashley's and squeezed it gently.

"You poor girl. He wouldn't let you take anything except what you could put in your suitcase? What an asshole. Where was this job you lost?"

Ashley named the company and Jennifer frowned again.

"I know the guy who owns that company. He's a bigger asshole than your super. I went out with him once and that was enough for me. Wouldn't keep his hands off me and laughed when I said he couldn't do that if he was only paying for being seen with me. He said I should be paying just to be seen with him. I don't know how you could have lasted so long with him."

Ashley frowned.

"Well, he never did anything like that to me. He was just a little hard to work for."

Jennifer looked at me.

"OK, she convinced me too. I'm going to be out of town for a few days starting tonight, so she can stay here."

She turned to Ashley.

"Honey, there are a few rules you need to know about.

"First, nobody except Don knows where I live and I want to keep it that way. There are too many crazies out there who might think me going out with them was more than just a business arrangement. I don't have a landline phone. I use the cell phone on the end table for personal calls, and I carry another for business calls. Both are pre-paid so there's no address connected to either number. If that cell phone should ring, let the call go to my message box. I'll take care of it when I get back.

"Second, none of my neighbors know what I do for a living. I've told them I'm in sales and that's why I'm gone so much of the time. I doubt any of them would come over, but it they should, you're my sister. Don said you grew up in Indianapolis. Well, you still live there. You're just here house-sitting for me. I'm in New York and I won't be back in town until a week from tomorrow."

"Third, you can't have any visitors. That means you too, Don. That also includes ordering out for pizza or anything else. There's plenty of food in my pantry and freezer. Take what you want.

"Fourth, don't go outside unless the house is burning down. I don't want my neighbors to think I have a live-in girlfriend.

"And last, this can't go on for very long. You need to be thinking about what you're going to do with the rest of your life. We'll talk about that when I get back.

"Can you live with all that?"

Ashley frowned.

"I don't think I have much of a choice. I won't do anything, I promise."

Jennifer smiled.

"I know I sound like a bitch, but when you do what I do, you can't be too careful. Now, I need an hour to finish getting ready. I'll show you the rest of the house before I leave."

While Jennifer did whatever she was doing, we sat there in her living room. I could have left, I suppose, but I wanted to stick around in case Jennifer had any more questions. About forty-five minutes later Jennifer walked down the wide staircase that led to the second story and into the living room. She grinned at Ashley's astonished look.

"What's wrong, Ashley?"

"Nothing is wrong. It's just that before, you looked like anybody else, but now...you look like a woman on the cover of a magazine."

Jennifer smiled.

"That's what I get paid for."

I'd seen her before like this and figured she earned every penny she charged. Jennifer was the dream most men have but never really find. Her black dress hit her a little above the knee at the hem, and the two tiny straps that held it up at the top bared her soft, smooth, rounded shoulders. It dipped low enough in the front to show some equally soft and smooth cleavage, but not enough to make one think she was advertising for something more.

Her long blonde hair cascaded in waves over her bare shoulders. Black stockings and shiny black heels completed the picture of a woman any man would lust for unless he was gay or blind.

I left after asking Jennifer if she had any questions for me, and then thanking her for letting Ashley stay. She just smiled.

"You didn't have to help me that night, Don, but you did, and you didn't try to make it into anything else. I'll still owe you after this time."

My week was about like all the others. I did drive by the pavilion every night just to be sure none of the people had come back. They hadn't so the Captain was happy.

Jennifer was due back on Friday, and I thought I might get a call from her or Ashley then, but I didn't. That was a bit of a let down. I really wanted to know how Ashley was doing. Call it being proud of myself that I'd found her a place to stay, or call it something else, but I was interested in her. No, I didn't have any thoughts about anything happening between us. Well, I did like any man would, but I was sure that wouldn't come to pass. She'd want to get on with her life and I'd just be someone who helped her do that.

It was two weeks later that I learned Ashley had found another job. I found out when I walked out to my car at the end of my shift and saw Ashley standing beside it. She smiled when I asked what she was doing there.

"Jennifer helped me find another job. I thought I'd thank you for what you did. I didn't know where you live, so I took the bus here."

I said I'd buy her dinner so we could talk about her new job. This time, I picked a small Italian restaurant that was usually pretty quiet. I figured Ashley deserved to celebrate a little.

I didn't find out much as we ate. It was over coffee she told me what had happened.

"One of the things I took with me from my old apartment was my pastels, my sketch book and my stories. While Jennifer was gone, I wrote two more and did the illustrations for them. When she came back, she saw them on the kitchen table.

"She wasn't too impressed with my stories, but she did like my pictures. She said I should be drawing for something other than children's books though, and she thought she knew someone who might hire me to do that.

"Did you know there's still a huge market for romance novels? I didn't either, but Jennifer did. She introduced me to Beverly Wells. I'm not sure I want to know how she knows Beverly, but she does. Beverly owns a publishing company that only does those. I'd seen them in the stores but I didn't ever think about someone doing the cover art. That's what I'm doing now. Beverly liked the first one I did, and she paid me five hundred dollars for it. I've done two more for her and she liked them too.

"I moved into a different apartment yesterday. It's nicer than my old one, and I won't have any trouble paying the rent. Beverly needs eight covers a month and her other artist couldn't keep up. I won't be getting rich, but I'll be able to make ends meet."

I grinned.

"Remember when I said you were probably better than you think? It looks like somebody else thought so too."

Ashley smiled.

"Yes, I remember. Would you like to see what I've done so far? If you'll take me home, I'll show you."

The building was in a nice neighborhood, and it looked well-kept. Ashley's apartment was a little bare and she apologized for the furniture she did have.

"After I paid the deposit for the apartment, I didn't have much money left, so what furniture I have is from a re-sale shop. The only thing I bought new was my mattress."

I laughed.

"It looks as good as anything I have."

"Well, I still want some better stuff as soon as I can afford it. Would you like some coffee or a soda?"

Ashley started her coffee maker and then came back into the living room with a folder. She took a sheet of heavy paper from the folder and handed it to me.

"This is the first one I did."

Now, I'm no art critic in any way, shape or form, but even I could see that Ashley had a rare gift. The picture was done in soft colors and was of a man and a woman in a passionate embrace. In the background was a fenced, manicured lawn dotted here and there with several different kinds of flowers. Ashley had drawn the couple in a very erotic position. The only way it could have been more erotic was if the woman's nearly nude body hadn't been mostly covered by the guy.

The man was taller than the woman. She was standing on tiptoes in order to reach high enough he could kiss her. He had dark hair and a suntan that accented the muscles that bulged from his bare back, shoulders, and arms. It was obvious he was just as muscular under the tight, faded jeans he wore.

The woman was what I call "generously endowed" and that endowment was apparent by the rounded side of the breast that was partially revealed by the arm he had around her. Her figure was just as generous -- not fat by any means, just very curvy. The guys arms were positioned in a way that made it look like he was cupping her ass cheeks.

Ashley chuckled.

"I'm supposed to make it look like they're going to have sex. Beverly says that's what the women who read those novels want to think. They want to fantasize that they're the woman in the book.

"I always read the novel to understand who the people are and what they think of each other before I start to draw the covers. This one was titled "The Reluctant Gardener" and it's about a wealthy woman who falls in love with the guy who takes care of her flowers and lawn.

"She likes him at first but he doesn't pay any attention to her other than to keep her flowers and lawn looking good. About half way through the book, she decides she loves him and hints that she'd like him to take care of more things, if you know what I mean. By then, he knows he loves her and wants to do that, but he thinks he's too far below her status so he quits.

"They each mope around for another couple chapters and then in the final one, he realizes he can't live without her. He goes to her house to tell her that. She doesn't believe him at first even though she wants to, so he kisses her. She, of course, melts into his arms and tells him she can't live without him either. They end up in bed and have the greatest sex ever. Then, they live happily ever after. My picture is of that first kiss."

"I'm no artist, but I see why your Beverly liked your art. You got all this from reading a book?"

"Well, sort of. When I was reading the book, I started thinking about how I'd feel if I was in the same situation. That's why the woman is trying so hard to press her body against his. It's what I'd probably do."

I had to think about that for a few seconds. Ashley was wearing a snug, knit top that hugged her breasts like a second skin. They weren't as big as the woman in her picture, but they weren't tiny. Her ass wasn't quite as wide either, but it didn't take much imagination to think about how she'd feel pressed against me.

Ashley saved me from having to comment about that by showing me another painting.

This one was more erotic than the first. It was of a red-haired woman in bed. She had the sheet pulled over her heavy breasts enough to just cover her nipples. I couldn't understand how it was staying put because she had both arms stretched out to the guy who appeared to be unbuckling his belt as he walked toward her.

He was also a muscular guy with no shirt. His tight jeans accented his narrow waist, hips and strong looking thighs.

Ashley started to explain the picture.

"This book was titled "Take Me, Toby". It's about like the other one except she's the one who tells him she wants him instead of the other way around. They're all like that. The guy meets the girl and they each fall in love with the other without realizing it. Then they split up for some reason and feel miserable for a while, and finally get together again in the last chapter. That's what she says to him -- Take Me, Toby - before they have the best sex ever and live happily ever after."

Ashley laughed.

"They're kind of hokey, but they're kind of true too."

"They sound like fairytales. Do the women who read those really think something like that could happen."

"I think they want to believe it can. Most women need to be needed. I'm no different. I want to believe it can happen."

"Maybe one of these days you'll find the right guy and it will."

Ashley frowned.

"I think I have, but I'm still waiting to see if he feels the same way about me. It doesn't look like that's going to happen though."

"Well, your books are right about a man taking a while to figure out how he feels. Give him some time."

I looked at my watch. It was almost ten.

"Speaking of time, I should probably be going."

Ashley walked to her door with me, and touched my arm before I could open it.

"Officer Jenkins, I'm really happy you liked my pictures. It's all happened because of you, you know? If you hadn't found me a place to stay that night, I don't know what would have happened to me. I wouldn't have met Jennifer and she wouldn't have introduced me to Beverly. I'd probably be living in a cardboard box instead of here. I owe you a lot."

"Nah, you don't owe me anything. I was just helping out a woman who needed a little boost to get going again. You did the rest all by yourself. It makes me happy to see that it worked."

I left then and drove back home. I knew I probably wouldn't hear from Ashley again. She was back on her feet now, and didn't need my help. It made me feel really good to know I'd had something to do with that.

In the grocery store on Saturday a week later, I was walking down the aisle where the paperback books and magazines are, and saw a familiar picture on the cover of one of the paperbacks. It was the first picture Ashley had shown me that night. When I opened it to the first page, there was her name -- Art by Ashley Dunhill.

As I put the book back on the rack, I wondered how she was doing. That's all it was at the time, just wondering if she was still happy. After finishing my shopping, I went home and puttered around the house for a while, then fixed dinner.

My Saturday night dinners were usually just something out of a can. That night it was spaghetti. That's what I'd eaten when I bought Ashley's dinner that night, and it made me think about her again. I wondered if the guy she'd found had either figured out she meant something to him or if he'd dumped her.

I couldn't see why a man wouldn't see what a great woman she was. In addition to being very talented, Ashley was both pretty and intelligent. She didn't seem to be submissive, really, but neither was she a woman who has to have everything her way. A man could do a lot worse in life than a woman like Ashley.

The next Saturday, I walked down past the paperbacks again when I shopped for groceries. Mid-way through the rack, I saw the second picture Ashley had shown me, and when I looked at the other covers, I saw another that looked kind of like the other two. Inside that cover was the same credit for the artwork -- Ashley Dunhill.