Her Unexpected Valentine

by Sherelle Green

  Kyra walked closer to her so no one else could hear. “Based off that dreamy look on your face, I have a feeling you’re going to have a lot of fun. When you get back, Aaliyah will be here and we expect the inside scoop.”

  “Y’all are too much.” She handed her bag and suitcase to the Uber driver, told him what airline she was taking and got in the backseat.

  Pulling out her small cosmetic bag and compact mirror, she began applying some lip and eye makeup. She probably spent more time putting on makeup in the car than she did at home. Makeup—whether she was applying it to herself or someone else—always made her feel better, and right about now, she needed a little makeup courage.

  In all honesty, she was a little nervous about what Lake Tahoe would bring. She would be there to work on the commercial and part of the documentary they were shooting, yet all she could think about was if she and Kendrick would pick up where they left off at the gala or if they’d keep it strictly professional.

  Whenever her mind was racing with thoughts and scenarios, there was only one person in her life whose soothing voice always seemed to calm her nerves. Reaching in her purse, she took out her iPhone and dialed her gran’s number. Dorothy Meech answered on the second ring.

  “There’s my girl.” Her gran’s sweet voice poured from the phone. “How’s my sweet pea doing in Hollywood?”

  “I’m doing good, Gran. I’m actually headed to Lake Tahoe right now to shoot a commercial and part of the documentary.”

  “Oh, that sounds wonderful! Have you met any famous people yet?”

  “I haven’t met Denzel Washington if that’s what you’re asking, but I’ve met a few celebrities at industry events and seen them at restaurants.” Gran had loved Denzel Washington for as long as Nicole could remember and owned all his movies.

  “Shoot, I was hoping you would tell me you met Denzel and slipped him my number.”

  “Dorothy, I heard that,” said a male voice in the distance.

  Nicole laughed. “Tell your boyfriend, Mike, I said hi.”

  “He heard you, sweet pea. I have you on speakerphone.”

  “Hi, Mike,” she said.

  “Hi, Nicole. Glad to hear everything is going well in Hollywood. We miss you here in Miami.”

  “I miss you both too, but I hope you’re keeping my gran out of trouble.”

  “I try my best,” Mike said. “But you know how stubborn your gran can be.”

  “Trust me, I know.” Nicole grew quiet before speaking again. “Listen, I don’t want to interrupt, so I’ll let you two go. Gran, I’ll call or text you when I arrive in Lake Tahoe.”

  “Hold on, sweet pea,” Gran said before asking Mike if they could have some privacy. “Okay, it’s just you and I now. What’s wrong? I can hear it in your voice.”

  Nicole smiled. Leave it to Gran to always pick up on it when something was bothering her. “There isn’t really anything wrong, but I’m confused about something and I’m not sure what to do next.”

  “Go ahead,” Gran encouraged. “Spit it out.”

  Nicole fidgeted with the strap of her purse. “So, there’s this guy I met out here and I really like him.”

  “What’s the problem? Does he not like you back?”

  “No, he likes me back. The problem is that we both work together. But when we first met we didn’t know we worked together. Once we found out, he became distant and was avoiding me, until...” her voice trailed off.

  “Until he wasn’t avoiding you anymore,” Gran finished.

  “Exactly. We’ve gotten closer over the past couple weeks, but we haven’t really had a serious conversation about where we stand or if the working together thing is still an issue. I mean... I’m only working with the crew for the next week and a half.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “It is, but I also heard that it’s possible that The Gilbert Monroe Agency may offer me a full-time position?”

  “If that’s the case, do you plan on staying in Hollywood for a while?”

  “I don’t know, Gran. All of this was supposed to be temporary, and they may not even ask me to join the agency permanently. Staying full-time changes everything. Most of my work is in Miami. My life is in Miami. My friends are in Miami.”

  “You’re a freelance makeup artist and hairstylist, and although you have independently grown your brand and are making your mark in the industry, you can make your mark anywhere. How is the Bare Sophistication pop-up doing?”

  “It’s doing great! So is the boudoir studio portion since we only schedule those clients when Aaliyah is in town and I’m not working on set.”

  “I gathered as much when I spoke with Sarah,” Gran said. Aunt Sarah and Gran had formed a friendship after her and Aaliyah had become friends a few years ago. “Listen, sweet pea, most of your life you’ve been afraid of change, and although I understand why, as your gran, it’s my duty to make sure you go after your dreams. Don’t lose sight of what’s best for you because you’re scared of failing.”

  “But what if that happens?” Nicole asked. “What if I do fail?”

  “That’s not possible. You’re talented and creative. You were born to do this. You were born to succeed in whatever you put your mind to. And despite all your growth, you fail to realize one important fact about yourself.”

  Nicole blinked back an unshed tear. “And what is that?”

  “Sweet pea, I love you with all my heart. But your biggest challenge hasn’t been that you are afraid you’ll fail. I’ve seen you fail before, and whether you admit it or not, you’re comfortable with failing. It’s almost as if you expect you’ll fail sometimes.” Nicole felt in her heart what Gran was going to say before she even said it.

  “Your biggest challenge has always been your fear of succeeding. Because if you succeed, that means you must face some hard truths about your character, and you can’t hide behind being afraid. You’ve grown so much from the scared and angry teen who came to live with your grandfather and I all those years ago, and all I want for you, sweet pea, is for you to continue to shine. Everything will work out the way it should.”

  Nicole wiped the lone tear that had fallen on her cheek. “I love you, Gran.”

  “I love you too, sweet pea.”

  After Nicole ended the call, she let Gran’s words sink in. Gran always knew exactly what to say to her to bring everything into perspective.

  “We’re here,” the Uber driver said as he stepped out to help her with her suitcase.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You’re welcome.” He started walking back to the driver’s side, but stopped. “And for what it’s worth, miss, I don’t think you should worry about failing. Take it from someone who is just starting to realize at age fifty what he wishes he knew at twenty. Taking chances is scary, but worth the risk.”

  On one hand, she was slightly creeped out that he’d probably listened to her entire conversation; on the other hand, it was her fault because she was the one who had a private conversation in his car.

  “Thanks for telling me that.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said. “Thanks for one of the more enlightening rides I’ll have today. Enjoy your trip.”

  I’ll try, she thought. Her nerves had calmed since her conversation with Gran, but she doubted they would go away completely anytime soon.

  * * *

  “Kendrick, is this how you envisioned them standing?”

  He glanced at the bundled-up couple who were minutes away from having a scripted snowball fight that would be captured on camera.

  “Switch the location of the man and woman,” he said, just as Nick, the director, joined them on set.

  One day, Kendrick thought as Nick took his seat. He liked Nick, and as a director and creative director duo, they worked well together and tended to have the same vision. However, Kendrick stil
l hoped that after this series of Valentine’s Day commercials and documentary, he’d land a head director role and then eventually producer role.

  “And action,” Nick said. They were at one of the most beautiful and romantic lodge resorts in Lake Tahoe shooting a commercial highlighting all the resort and area had to offer. They still had to shoot the second half of the commercial early tomorrow before they would be able to solely focus on the documentary.

  After a few takes, makeup was requested for a touch-up. Damn, she looks good. As soon as everyone had arrived at the resort, it had been all hands on deck, so Kendrick hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to Nicole yet.

  He watched her walk on set in a pair of fashionable beige-and-brown boots with matching coat. Her curls were sticking out from under her hat, but what really had him squirming in his seat was the nude lipstick she was wearing. I wonder what flavor it is?

  After she finished touching up the actor and actress, she left the set, passing by his creative director chair as she did. Her lips curled to the side in a smile as she mouthed the word hi.

  What flavor? he mouthed back, hoping she understood him. Her eyes softened before she mouthed, vanilla and hot chocolate. He lifted his eyebrow in a way that he hoped let her know that he planned on finding out precisely how that combination tasted after they finished shooting for the day.

  Hot chocolate indeed, he thought as she walked back to the warming trailer. It was forty degrees outside, which was much colder than Kendrick would have liked. Luckily, he’d grown up in Chicago so he was used to the cold weather unlike some of the crew who were caught off guard by the chill.

  You need the cold air to cool you off anyway. Kendrick had always been able to control his emotions and desires. It was something he’d learned from his mom. Felicia Burrstone was a survivor, and she never let anyone see her vulnerabilities. He’d run across his fair share of beauties in the industry, and had always managed to downplay his interest and stick to his golden rule. Except now... Being around Nicole was a job in and of itself because his entire body awakened whenever she was in a room with him. It was like a switch he couldn’t cut off because no matter how many times he flipped the switch down, the light remained on.

  After four more hours, they’d finally finished filming the couple participating in a variety of outdoor activities. “That’s all for today, folks,” Nick said. “We’ll resume bright and early tomorrow.”

  “Are you okay, man?” Monty asked, walking over to Kendrick.

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  Monty smiled. “Maybe because you seemed to be several miles away during the entire commercial today. Physically, you were here. But mentally, you were someplace else. Could it be that a pretty lady is occupying all your thoughts?”

  Kendrick shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Come on, lay off it,” Monty said with a laugh. “You and Nicole disappeared for almost an hour at the gala, and all day today, you both were shooting each other those come hither looks.”

  “Come hither?” Kendrick shook his head. “I need you to lay off reading the romance novels because they are making you say things like come hither.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a man reading a little romance,” Monty said, causing Kendrick to laugh louder than he’d intended.

  Monty placed his hand on Kendrick’s shoulder and turned him to where Nicole was standing and talking to Angelica. “All I’m saying is that those lovesick puppy eyes that you’ve been shooting her way since she walked into the studio was cute at first, but now, I’m just worried that you’re taking too long to claim her.” It was then that Kendrick noticed that Nick was also standing with the ladies, his eyes solely focused on Nicole.

  “You’re one to talk,” Kendrick said. “Have you told Angelica how you feel yet?”

  “Not yet, but I will.”

  Kendrick frowned. “Listen to you, telling me what to do when you haven’t even taken your own advice.” Just then Terrance, another cameraman, walked up to the ladies and said something to make Angelica laugh.

  “Oh, hell, nah,” Monty said, hitting Kendrick on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go get our women and take them to dinner before Batman and Robin swoop in and whisk them away to the bat cave.”

  Kendrick shook his head. “Man, where do you come up with this stuff?”

  Monty pointed to his head. “This brain is full of jokes, metaphors and useless information. But right now, the only thing on my mind is saving my girl from Robin.”

  “Then maybe you should tell her how you feel tonight. You two seemed real cozy at the gala.”

  Monty glanced from the women to Kendrick. “Tell you what. If you admit that you want to commit to dating Nicole, then I’ll tell Angelica how I feel tonight.”

  “Okay,” Kendrick said with a shrug. “I admit that I want to commit to dating Nicole.”

  “What?” Monty said. “Man, I thought you were going to hesitate or spit that stupid rule about not dating anyone you work with.”

  Kendrick looked at Nicole and caught her eye. “Nah, man, I couldn’t avoid that woman any more if I tried. I planned her telling her tonight.”

  Monty hesitantly glanced at Angelica. “Guess that means I need to man up.”

  Kendrick slapped a hand on the back of Monty’s shoulder. “That’s exactly what it means. Let’s see if what you’ve been reading in any of those romance novels helps you open up to Angelica about your feelings.”

  “They better,” Monty said as they walked over to the women.

  “Hey, ladies,” Kendrick said. “Monty and I were wondering if the two of you would do us the honor of accompanying us to dinner tonight.”

  Nick cleared his throat. “Terrance and I were just about to ask you ladies the same thing.”

  Nicole and Angelica looked from one set of men to the other before they looked at each other. “Sorry,” Angelica said to Nick and Terrance. “We were planning on going to dinner with Kendrick and Monty.”

  “Oh,” Terrance said. “But they only just asked you.”

  “Yup,” Nicole replied. “And we’ve accepted their offer.”

  “We get the hint,” Nick said before he and Terrance turned to leave the group.

  “Well played,” Nick said in a low voice that only Kendrick heard. He didn’t say anything in response to Nick’s comment. Saying you might as well move on to someone else seemed a bit much, considering he still had to have a serious conversation with Nicole.

  “How about we all change and meet in the lobby in an hour?” Angelica suggested. They each nodded in agreement. Kendrick was looking forward to having dinner with Nicole and his friends, but he’d much rather have Nicole all to himself.

  Chapter 10

  “You told her that story?” Kendrick asked Monty. “What happened to the bro code?”

  “I’m glad Monty told me,” Nicole said as she took a sip of her wine. “It’s probably one of the funniest stories I’ve ever heard.”

  During speed dating, Monty had told Nicole about the time when they had been shooting a commercial in a desert and the Porta Potti had broken. They had a bathroom in each of the trailers, but the line was long during our break and Kendrick couldn’t wait.

  “My mom had just gotten back from one of her overseas educational adventures, and she wanted me to do a cleanse with her. I’d juiced before, but I’d never done a cleanse, so how was I supposed to know what it would do to me?”

  “It was the funniest thing,” Angelica said with a laugh. “In the distance, there was a closed down gas station that the crew had passed on our way to the location where we were shooting that day. All I see is Kendrick hightailing it in the desert, running as fast as he could to the gas station.”

  “The bathroom was disgusting,” he said. “But at least the lock had been broken and I was able to go in there.”<
br />
  “The last thing he expected to do was to accidently turn on his walkie-talkie,” Monty said with a laugh. “We’re all standing around, waiting to get back to shooting when we suddenly heard groans, moans and expletives coming from Kendrick’s walkie-talkie.”

  Even though she’d already heard the story, she was laughing harder than she had the first time.

  Kendrick shook his head. “It was the first project I’d worked on with most the crew, and I figured after that the teasing would be brutal.”

  “But he was never teased that much... At least not to his face,” Angelica said.

  “Why was that?” Nicole asked. “I would have assumed you would have been teased pretty badly.”

  “Look at him,” Angelica said. “He was still one of the hottest guys to join the agency, and with all his tats and his edgy personality, it didn’t take long for women to start giving him attention.”

  “Right,” Monty said. “And I guess if you can broadcast your entire intimate bathroom talk to an entire crew and still get ladies’ attention, other men thought better of teasing him.”

  Nicole glanced at Kendrick and met his gaze. Tonight he was wearing another sleeveless shirt with his tats peaking beneath the edges. He either just got better looking every time she saw him, or her feelings for him were growing quicker than she realized. “I can understand the attention,” she said, maintaining eye contact as she took another sip of her wine.

  “That dinner was amazing,” Angelica said. “I heard they have an indoor rooftop garden across from the bar. I think it’s open another hour. Should we check it out?”

  “Yeah, let’s,” Nicole agreed. Monty and Kendrick settled the check, and the four of them headed to the elevators.

  “You look beautiful,” Monty said to Angelica after they boarded the elevator.

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “You look handsome, as well.”

  Nicole’s reflection caught Kendrick’s in the mirrored wall. Neither said anything, but then again, no words were really needed.