It's Magic, You Know

Meeting 'the man' himself was a true highlight of their lives. Hollie was duly impressed while Jenni was in awe.

"You two are quite the able assistants," Copperfield told them after getting acquainted for a minute or so.

Neither of them spoke so he said, "Jakob told me you were here and how much you both mean to him."

He looked right at Jenni then said, "I am very happy to know you're doing so well."

Jenni's smile was so big her mom thought her face might break.

"Thank you," Jenni managed to say.

They, rather—he—talked for another minute or so then let them know he had to get ready for another show while telling them he was genuinely glad to meet them.

"Could we...maybe get an autograph?" Jenni finally managed to ask.

"It'd be my pleasure," the star told them.

Neither of them had anything for him to write on so he asked if they'd like a signed photograph.

"Sorry. I don't really have anything else to offer you," he said modestly. "Will that be okay?"

Jakob was enjoying watching his star-struck 'girls' interact with their first famous person ever, and once they finished they both still had smiles glued to their faces.

He walked them out, and on the way he said, "I'm opening for David so I can't talk, either, but I would love to see you both again. Could we maybe get together sometime soon?"

Before Hollie could say a word her daughter blurted out, "Yes! Anytime!"

Jakob laughed politely then looked at Hollie.

"I think it would work better if I coordinated a time with your mom."

"We'd like that very much, Jakob," she told him.

"Do you have your phone?" he asked her.

"Oh. Sure," Hollie replied as she opened her purse.

"Are you sure?" Jakob asked as he dangled it in front of her.

Both of the ladies' eyes opened wide in disbelief as he handed it to Hollie.

"I'm not even going to ask how you did that," she told him just before he reached out to near Jenni's ear.

"And you might need this," he said as he handed her one of her earrings.

"How...what...how did you do that?" she asked.

Jakob only laughed as he handed it to her.

As she put it back in her ear lobe, Jakob asked Hollie if he could give her his private number.

"Yes. Of course," she said as she opened her 'contacts' page.

"Oh, good. Because it's already in there," he told her.

She scrolled down to 'J' and big as life, there it was.

"Okay. That's just...scary!" she said as Jenni looked over her shoulder to see for herself.

"You really should use a password that isn't your daughter's birthday," Jakob told her with a smile.

All she could do was shake her head and laugh.

"I really do need to run, but it's been great seeing you both again."

He smiled at them then said, "You know, I've thought about you—both of you—many, many times over the years, and I owe you an apology for not staying in contact."

"Don't be ridiculous," Hollie said. "You've been busy building a life for yourself, and I have to say, you've done an amazing job of it."

"Thank you, Hollie. That's very kind of you. I really do need to go, but I promise I'll call soon. You both take care, okay?"

He reached out for Hollie's hands, took them, then kissed her on the cheek before doing the same to Jenni.

"That's her first kiss," her mom said. "Ever."

Were he not someone with whom they had a special connection, Jenni would have died of embarrassment because he was so incredibly handsome. But because she did know him, and because she was also once again star struck, she didn't even hear her mom.

"You take care now!" Jakob said with a wave of his hand as he turned to leave.

Hollie turned to her daughter and said, "Just...wow!"

"I know, right?" Jenni said. "No one is going to believe me!"

"Oh, yes they will," her mom said as she held up her phone. "I've got it all right here in the palm of my hand!"

Jenni hugged her mom and said, "Mom? This was only the best time...ever!"

Hollie had thoroughly enjoyed herself, too, but knowing how much her daughter loved the show made it all worth it. And she hadn't thought about money or bills once all night until just then, one more thing that made the last couple of hours very memorable.

Hollie was reasonably sure Jakob was being polite when he promised to call, so she really wasn't expecting to hear from him. And after four days, she'd forgotten all about. Until her phone rang that evening.

"Hello?" she said, knowing only it was from someone named 'Unknown Caller'.

"Hollie? Hi. It's Jakob."

Several seconds passed in complete silence before he said, "Bennet. The magician guy?"

"Yes. Jakob. Of course. How are you?"

"I'm great, actually. And I do apologize for taking so long to call. I'd try and blame it on work, but that's just pathetically lame, so all I can do is take the hit for it."

"Oh, no. It's fine. Really," she told him. "I'm just glad you did."

"Well, that makes me very happy to hear you say that. I had such a nice time with you and Jenni I was hoping you might not be thinking something like, 'What's wrong with that guy? Just because we had an okay time doesn't mean I want him bothering me'."

Now Hollie laughed.

"Why would I ever think anything like that, Jakob? After all you've done for us, it's a pleasure to talk to you anytime."

She could tell he was smiling when he replied to her.

"That's a relief," he said. "I know I mentioned getting together with you in the near future, so..."

"Oh, that's okay," Hollie told him before she even knew what he was about to say.

She assumed he was about to tell her he was too busy, and she wanted to make sure he knew she wasn't offended.

She heard him laugh then say, "I didn't quite finish what I was trying to say."

"Sorry! I...I just thought you were letting me know you were really busy or maybe, you know, not really all that interested."

"Hollie? May I please ask you something before you make any more assumptions?" he said, clearly being playful.

"Um...yes. Sorry. I'll be quiet. I promise."

Jakob chuckled then tried again.

"I was hoping you might let me take you to dinner this weekend. It would have to be Sunday because we have shows on Friday and Saturday, but if you're free, I'd love to see you again."

"Oh. Um, well, that...that sounds fine. It's just that Jenni isn't here right now, but I'm sure she'd love to do that."

She heard Jakob laugh again, and wondered what was so funny.

"I was kind of hoping it could just be the two of us," he said.

"I...I don't understand," Hollie told him.

"When I told you I thought about you often, that was true. My memories of Jenni are of a very sick little girl, who for a few months, didn't have any hair. But I wasn't kidding when I said you really were my first-ever crush, Hollie."

She sat there trying to make sense of what he'd just said, and again, after several seconds of silence, Jakob spoke.

"Did I just...gross you out or something?" he asked as though he was very concerned he'd possibly offended her.

"What?" she asked, still not sure she'd heard him correctly.

"I know I was just 18, but you were so beautiful," he told her. "And I have to tell you, Hollie, you're just as beautiful now as you were the day I met you."

"Wait. So...so are you...are you asking me...is this...a date?" Hollie asked, her voice getting higher with each word.

"Well, yes. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it's called."

"Wait," she said again as she sat up straight and tried to clear her head.

"You're quite possibly the most handsome young man I've ever met, you're famous now, and...you're asking me out? On a...date?"

Jakob tried not to laugh but couldn't help himself.

"I'm hardly famous. I'm sure I'm slightly more well-known than I was before David gave me this amazing break, but I don't think anyone outside of some of those who've seen my opening act would even know my name. But that aside, yes, I am asking you out. On a date."

"I...I don't understand," Hollie said, her head still reeling.

"Okay, well, let me see if this helps. When I was 18, I didn't have enough money to pay for a date, let alone my own car to drive to take you on one, and I always felt like you'd just laugh at me if I ever asked you because, well, I was...18. But I'm not 18 anymore, I have a reasonably nice car, and I can definitely afford to buy you dinner. And after seeing you again, I realized I'm still as attracted to you as I was ten years ago, and not just to your very lovely...exterior."

Hollie didn't speak again, so once more, Jakob did.

"Does that help?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Hollie said, her voice now rather quiet.

"No?"

"Well...I...I don't know. I mean, ten years ago, I was still older than you are now, Jakob. And well, ten more years have passed. I'm sure you noticed that when we talked."

This time he didn't laugh.

"No, that's not something I noticed. But what I did notice was that your smile still kills me. I also noticed that you're still the same kind, amazing, beautiful woman I had a crush on back then, and I also realized that if I didn't ask you out, I would never forgive myself."

There was another lengthy period of silence before Hollie spoke.

"Jakob. I...I'm flattered. I truly am. I'm just not sure I understand. I mean, you're still...gorgeous and I'm..."

A couple more seconds went by before Hollie said, "And I'm...40. I'm 40 years old, Jakob. I think you're somehow seeing me the way I was when I was much younger."

"No. That's not true," he told her. "I saw you quite well, Hollie. Remember the big, bright spotlight?"

He laughed politely then continued by saying, "And I saw an even more beautiful woman than the one I had such a thing for ten years ago."

When she didn't reply, Jakob felt like this was possibly a mistake.

"I uh, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I should have realized you're always going to see me as the young boy who came to your house to do magic tricks, and now that I've made a complete fool out of myself, I think I'll just..."

"Jakob? Can you...can you give me some time to think about this? Please?" she asked very sweetly.

"Sure. Of course," he said immediately. "Take whatever time you need."

"I need to talk to Jenni. She...idolizes you. And I..."

"I understand. I really do. That's something else I should have thought about, too. It would seem my social skills need a lot of work."

"No. It isn't that, at all," Hollie assure him. "It's just that, well, this was so...unexpected."

"You're right. About everything," Jakob told her. "I just couldn't think of a better way to tell you how I feel, and it would appear I've pretty much blown that, too. Right out of my...my um...rear end."

Hollie laughed a nervous laugh then assured him he'd done no such thing.

"I just need some time to think about this."

When he didn't reply, Hollie said, "I'm not saying 'no', Jakob. I'm just saying I need to talk to my daughter and think this over. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Of course," he said again. "You can call me—or text me—at this number. Anytime. Whenever you've made up your mind, please let me know. Either way."

"I will," she said, her voice sounding like she was on the verge of crying. She wasn't, but that's how it must have sounded to him.

"It was very nice talking to you, Hollie," Jakob told her.

"Yes. You, too. And I really am glad you called."

"So...I'll uh, I'll look forward to hearing from you."

"Okay. I'll let you know. Soon. Okay?"

"Goodbye, Hollie," he said politely.

"Bye," she said just above a whisper as the phone went dead.

Hollie sat there for nearly an hour staring into space trying to understand why this phone call was causing so much inner turmoil. It really made no sense to her at all. It should have been little more than a pleasant chat that ended in something like, 'that is so sweet' followed by a laugh indicating it was a silly thought, then ended.

But she hadn't said or thought anything like that. So what was she thinking? What was she feeling? After an hour, she still didn't know, and had Jenni not said something to her, she might have gone on wrestling with her conflicting thoughts.

"Mom? Were you talking to someone an hour or so ago?"

She'd been upstairs listening to music, but thought she heard her mother talking.

"Um...yes. Jakob called."

Jenni's eyes got wide and she moved over to her mom and said, "What did he say?"

"It was all so...confusing," her mother replied without looking at her. She just seemed to be staring into space.

"Earth to Mom!" Jenni said as she bent down and put her face right in front of her mom's.

"Oh, stop!" her mom said, finally smiling.

"So...what did he say? Tell me!" Jenni asked again. "What was so confusing?"

"He um...he apologized for not calling sooner."

"Oh, wow. That is confusing," her daughter teased.

Hollie looked up at her then said, "And...he asked me out."

"Whoa! He...what? He asked you out? Like...on a date?" her daughter said, the surprise and disbelief heavy in her voice.

"Yes. On a date," she replied, her voice nearly hollow.

"You said 'yes', right? Please tell me you said 'yes'."

Her mom looked back up at Jenni then asked, "Why would you say that?"

"Duh! He's like the nicest person we've ever met. He's freaking gorgeous. And he's...famous!"

"He's not...famous," Hollie said, unconsciously echoing Jakob's comment to her.

"He's not David Copperfield, but he's on stage with him. That's more famous than anyone else either one of us knows, right?"

"Right," Hollie replied very quietly.

"Mom. Why are you even thinking about this? He's a great guy! And did I mention he's freaking gorgeous?"

"Jenni. Honey. You need to think about this. He's...28. As in 28 years old. Or...young."

"So? He's a grown man, Mom. I mean, if I was like...18...and he asked me out, I would so say 'yes'!"

"And I would so be upset," her mother replied firmly but politely.

"Well, okay. That would still be a little too old for me, but...it is Jakob Bennett."

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"But it's not the same thing with you being older," her daughter insisted.

"Why not?" her mom asked as she looked up at her daughter again.

Jenni sat down next to her then said, "Because while 18 is too young to go out with someone who's 28, 28 isn't too young too have a relationship with someone who's...older."

Her mom finally smiled before saying, "Oh, my. You are so grown up, honey."

"So you'd let me go out with him? If I was 18?" she teased.

"Not a chance," her mom told her.

Jenni smiled then took her mom's hand and said, "You're the best mom in the whole world. You've sacrificed so much for me, and you almost never do anything for yourself. Jakob obviously likes you, so why don't you go out with him? Just once. See how things go. If they bomb, no big deal. But what if they don't? What if you really like him, too?"

Hollie sighed then said, "I love you so much."

"Enough to take my advice this one time?"

Jenni's smile, along with her words, melted her heart.

"Tell you what. I'll think about it."

"Seriously, right? You'll seriously think about it?"

"Yes. I'll do that," her mom said.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Jenni hugged her mom then said, "Don't think too long, okay?"

Hollie smiled but didn't reply as her daughter pulled away; her daughter who was growing up so fast and who was already so smart and intuitive. Was it possible she was right? Would it be so bad to say 'yes' to one date and see how things went? If she did, it wasn't like she leading Jakob on, not that she even could, but it didn't come with any strings attached, and he had been such a blessing where Jenni was concerned. Even so, she didn't 'owe' him anything. Then again, he wasn't trying to call in a favor. He'd simply let her know he thought she was...a beautiful woman he'd like to get to know better.

And that realization is what scared her the most.

Hollie was up early the next morning getting ready for work while Jenni was getting ready for school.

"Morning, honey," Hollie said when Jenni sat down to eat.

"Hey, Mom," she said as she poured herself a small amount of cereal and a splash of milk.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Uh-huh. How about you?" Jenni asked as she chewed.

"I had a pretty rough night."

"Because of your upcoming date?"

"Jenni. You know I haven't decided yet."

"Okay. But is it really that difficult?" her daughter asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I guess it just doesn't make sense."

"Why? Why doesn't it make sense, Mom?"

"I thought I covered all that last night," her mom said.

"You did? I don't remember you really covering anything. You mentioned the age difference, and I told you why that wasn't a big deal. Did you already forget?"

Jenni quickly took a fourth bite and was done eating. She got up, rinsed out her bowl, and dropped it in the dishwasher.

"You don't think it's...strange?" her mom asked.

Jenni walked over to her mother, who was having coffee for breakfast, and said, "I don't think it's strange at all."

She took her mom's coffee cup away, set it on the counter next to her, then said, "Mom. You're beautiful. And not...for someone your age, okay? You're very pretty, and you're an awesome person. And you deserve to be happy. I'm old enough now that you should stop worrying so much about me and pay more attention to yourself and your own happiness."

"I'm...happy," her mom said somewhat defensively.

"Not really," Jenni told her as politely as she could. "Look. I know how much you love me. I've never once doubted that. But you have a life, too, Mom. You can't keep living your life for me. You need to live your life for yourself from now on."

"That sounds a little selfish, don't you think?" Hollie said.

"Mom. You're the last person who'd ever be selfish. You know that, and I know that. You also know that's not what I meant. All I'm saying is you can take time to be happy and still be my mom. You know that, right?"

Hollie stood there for a moment looking at her daughter then said, "Jakob told me he thought I'd always see him as the 18-year old boy who came by every day to cheer you up."

Jenni smiled then asked, "Do you? Is that how you still see him? And if so, is that fair?"

Her mom nearly smiled as she said, "You're making this very hard for me, you know."

"Why? Because I won't get on board and tell you he's totally wrong for you or that it would be a huge mistake to go out with him? If so, then yes, I'm making this hard for you," Jenni said before smiling happily. "Intentionally."

"So you think I should say 'yes'?" her mom asked.

"Uh-huh. I do. I think you should text him right now before you lose your nerve."

Jenni saw her mom's phone about three feet away and walked over to get it. She turned around and handed it to her mom then said, "Go ahead. It won't hurt. I promise."

"You're sure?" her mom asked more for her benefit than for Jenni's.

"Yep. One-hundred percent."

"Okay. Then I...guess I will," Hollie said.

"Now, Mom," her daughter said as she pointed to the phone. "I'm not leaving until you do."

"I'm still not sure this isn't a big mistake," her mom said as she turned her phone on.

"I really am staying right here until I see you hit 'send'," Jenni told her as she tried not to smile.

"Okay. All right. I'll text him!"

Jenni tried to watch as her mom typed, so Hollie pulled the phone away and turned her back. She was smiling now and didn't want her daughter to know.

She quickly typed out her text then hit the send button.

"Okay. All done!"

"Mother?" Jenni said waiting for confirmation.

"I'm not showing you what I wrote!" Hollie said as she tried to hide the phone.

"All I want to see is his name. Then I'll go brush my teeth and get ready to leave."

Hollie covered up the text while leaving Jakob's name visible.