With a large mug of coffee, I settled at the desk. Guided by the bright sunlight streaming through the window in front of me, I started to draw.
NOVEMBER
November 12
Do you remember that time in high school when I had a huge crush on Steve Neilson? That senior with the perfect smile and “one-in-a-million” arm? I made you got to every baseball game that season. And when prom rolled around, I was certain he was going to ask me. I had been flirting with him every day for six months straight, letting him copy my physics homework every morning.
Then I found out he was going with Mellie Kingston, but he said they were just friends. So I was sure that meant he still liked me. I ended up going to prom with Jake Allis, but in my heart I was sure I would end the night in Steve’s arms on the dance floor. In my head, it played out just like a Ringwald movie.
They announce the prom king and queen and Steve takes the stage next to some pretty blond. Just before they start to play the music for the royalty dance, Steve grabs the mic and professes his love for me. We melt into each other’s arms and kiss romantically…
Yeah. Twenty minutes into prom, I caught him in the corner going at it with Mellie.
He never talked to me again after that night.
You’re probably wondering why I’m bringing this up after so many years. It was such a silly thing for me to hold onto. But I hold onto it anyway because I’ve always thought that when I find the one, the person I’m meant to be with, it will feel just like that dream. It might not happen that way, especially since I doubt I’ll ever be attending a prom again, but I believe that it will be like one of those moments in the movie where the leading character realizes they have to do something bold, right then and there, or risk losing the other person forever.
And now I don’t feel like such a fool for holding onto that dream for all these years, because that exact thing happened to me last night.
* * *
Jake never called me back. I couldn’t really blame him though. He’d done nothing but try to be there for me since the beginning of our friendship and I’d done nothing but push him away. I caught a couple of his matches on television and he was struggling. Compared to the match Macy and I had gone to, he looked like a different player.
When I wasn’t busy obsession over Jace’s every swing, I was busy sketching. I filled three different pads with my designs and after a lot of internal debate and hesitation, I finally showed them to Evelyn.
She didn’t throw her arms up in defeat, whaling that my work made hers look like childish drawings. But she also didn’t say they were crap. She studied them carefully, picked one from the pile, and said, “This one is better than mediocre. This one I can do something with. It’s going in the show.”
The “show” was Evelyn’s event on Saturday night to raise money for her charity. It wasn’t as huge as one of her seasonal shows, but it was a big deal for me. This was the first time one of my designs would be shown at a public event. I was floored.
When Saturday rolled around, I was a mess for multiple reasons. One, because of the event itself. Evelyn had put me in charge of the runway portion of the event. It was a lot of responsibility. Two, my design had made it in and I was anxious about how it would go over. But the last reason was one that had come to me just the night before.
I was going to watch Jake play in the title match of the tournament. He hadn’t invited me and he didn’t know that I was coming, but I hoped that would make it an even grander gesture. I had to drop quite a bit of cash for the ticket, but when I saw him walk onto the court it was totally worth it.
I realized that not seeing him or talking to him for a week had made me miss him like crazy. I wanted to jump out of my seat, over the wall, and onto the court. But I also knew that it was better if I didn’t do anything at all. Jake was facing off against Merrick, and he needed to focus.
He stayed focused all through warm-ups. His eyes never flitted to the crowd, not even when a gaggle of girls yelled his name in unison.
Throughout the first set, he continued to struggle to find his game. His serve was erratic and his volleys were terrible. Someone next to me commented that they had never seen him play so poorly. Merrick wasn’t even playing that well, but he was winning each game handily.
At the end of the set, Jake walked over to the sidelines with his head down. He had lost. Badly.
I couldn’t help it. I had to say something. “Come on, Jake!”
It was barely a yell. More like loud speaking. Other people around me were being much loudly. But somehow, Jake managed to hear me. His head shot up and he looked directly at me.
His eyes widened in surprise and I smiled. After a long moment, he returned it with a dazzling smile of his own.
The second set went much better. He started killing his serve, delivering ace after ace. His volleys were nailed with precision. He never looked into the stands again, but I knew that he knew I was there, cheering after every shot.
When it was all over and Jake was presented with the trophy, he finally looked at me again. He said something to one of the staff members, pointing in my direction.
A few minutes later, I was escorted down to the court where I waited for Jake at the sideline. He finished posing for pictures and answering questions and then set down the trophy, almost like he didn’t care about it at all.
“You came,” he said as he approached me.
“Why are you always so surprised by that? I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.” I loved the way his damp hair curled at the ends, the way his smile was just slightly crooked.
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop being excited to see you,” he said.
I knew exactly what he meant.
“I have to say, I’m a little disappointed in you.”
He startled. “Really? I’ll admit, that first set was a little sloppy, but I pulled it together after-”
“No, not about the match,” I interrupted.
“Then what are you disappointed about?”
My smile grew. “How long it’s taking you to kiss me.”
He didn’t need any further encouragement.
With thousands of people still watching from the stands, Jake pulled me to him and planted his lips on mine. He kissed with passion and tenderness and I melted into his arms. After several long seconds, he pulled away and pressed his lips to my ear, whispering, “Je t’adore.’
As bad as I was at French, I knew those words.
“I adore you, too,” I said loudly, not caring if the whole world could hear.
Unfortunately, Jake had to hit the showers and do more press interviews and I had to get to the studio to start preparing for Evelyn’s event. When Jake asked if he could see me later, I invited him to the party. The show would probably bore him, but there would be food and drinks afterward.
“It might be a little lame,” I admitted reluctantly.
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” he said, kissing me quickly one last time.
After I was at work for just an hour, another bouquet of flowers arrived. I had received one every single day at work since that first time. But this time when I read the note, I knew that I had been wrong this entire time- they had never been from Evan.
Thank you for coming today.
Je t’adore.
~Jake
Jake. This whole time, the dozens and dozens of flowers had all been from him. That fragrant floral shop just outside the club, the sweet notes. It all seemed so clear now. How could I have been so blind?
But I didn’t have much time to fret over my stupidity because we had a show to prepare. It took a lot of time to pack up everything, drive it over to the event space, and set everything up. I was sweating by the time it was done.
Macy made me take a break to fix my hair and put on a nice dress.
“We might be working, but we still need to look good,” she said diplomatically.
I borrowed one of the spare dresses we had brought, ran my han
ds through my tangled hair, and wiped away some stray mascara.
“Good enough,” I said after one last glance the mirror.
“It’s show time!” Macy sang out.
In a flurry of activity, everyone got into position. Loud music filled the space and I counted the beats in my head before sending the first model out. Then one by one, I sent the rest. When it was time for Evelyn’s curtain call, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out with her. It was impossible to see anything with the flashing camera lights blinding us, but I smiled shyly and tried not to duck behind Evelyn.
After the show, Macy and I hurried to clean up so that we could attend the rest of the party. Each of the pieces from the show were being auctioned off to raise money for Evelyn’s charity, and I was both excited and nervous to see if anyone would buy my dress. We carefully hung each item and then rolled them out to the auction area.
“I bid one trillion dollars on the beautiful American,” a voice behind me said.
Before I even turned around, I was grinning like a fool. When I saw Jake standing in front of me in a perfectly tailored suit, his hair neatly groomed for once, my stomach lurched and my heart raced.
“You came.” I had to admit, part of me had worried that he wouldn’t come and I had desperately wanted to see him.
“I came.” He reached for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. “You looked amazing on that stage. I’m pretty sure everyone thought you were one of the models.”
“Stop.” I blushed furiously, ducking my head.
Jake hooked a finger under my chin, gently lifting my head until I looked at him. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. I could see what he was thinking in his eyes.
Raising up on my toes, I kissed him long and hard until someone called my name. It was hard to come back to reality, but I still had an event to run.
“I have to go,” I said reluctantly. “But I’ll find you soon. Don’t go far.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I hurried off to find Macy. We had to make sure the food was served, the bar was still fully stocked, the auction was running smoothly, and so many other things that I couldn’t keep track.
When we sat down to collect the highest bids for each auction piece, I put Macy in charge of the clothing bids. I was too nervous that my piece might not have gotten any bid at all. Some of the other auction items were pretty amazing. Exotic trips, autographed paraphernalia, one-of-a-kind artwork. We even had a piece by Evan, though thankfully it was not one in which I was the star.
It looked like Evelyn had rich and generous friends because we had raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars in one night. Impressive.
I found Jake near the stage as Evelyn prepared to announce the winners. His arm went around me easily, like it was the hundredth time instead of the first. I liked how natural it felt to nestle against his strong body.
“Thank you everyone for coming,” Evelyn said. In true Evelyn fashion, she delivered her speech in both English and French, transitioning easily between the languages. I was surprised to realize that I understood some of the French as well. Apparently I had been learning the language through immersion without even realizing it.
“The next item up, our last item, is actually our highest selling item of the evening. This particular piece is very near and dear to my heart.” Evelyn paused as the crowd murmured excitedly. “The stunning dress designed by Camryn Ellis has been won by Mr. Jake Wellington for $20,000.”
The crowd applauded loudly while I fought the urge to pass out. Surely I hadn’t heard that right. $20,000?
“What did you do?” I asked Jake, stupefied.
“I made an investment,” he said casually. “Think how much that dress is going to be worth when you are a world-renowned designer.”
“That’s too much money!” I protested.
He shrugged. “I couldn’t risk someone else out-bidding me. I had to ensure that I would get a chance to see you in that dress.”
“Me?” Again, stupefied. “You want me to wear the dress?”
“Tomorrow night. On our first date.” He smiled coyly. “I figured if I spent $20,000 on something for you to wear, you’re going to look like a real jerk if you don’t say yes.”
I winced. “I hate to break it to you, but I would’ve said yes anyway.”
“Good to know.” His arm tightened around me, giving me a gentle squeeze. “You should know that we might have to eat fast food on this date. I did just drop twenty grand.”
“Sucker.” I smiled up at him adoringly. “Tell you what, we can split the dinner bill.”
“Beautiful and generous… how did I get so lucky?”
“Excuse me.” A tap on my shoulder.
I turned, expecting it to be someone from the studio needing me to get back to work. Instead, it was a man I didn’t recognize.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said in perfect English. “I’d like to speak with you for a second.”
“Okay.” I suddenly felt very nervous.
“I recently saw some photographs of you.”
I tensed and my stomach turned over. Here was the moment I had been dreading since seeing those photos hanging in the gallery.
Jace’s arm tightened around me and I could see that he was clenching his jaw.
“And?”
“And I have a modeling agency back in New York. I would really like for you to join our team.” He reached into his pocket and his hand came back holding a business card. “Think about it and when you’re ready to talk seriously, give me a call.”
I studied the business card, my hand shaking. Damien Summers, CEO of Summer Modeling Agency.
“That was interesting,” I said, focusing on keeping my composure.
“I wanted to punch him,” Jake admitted.
Macy spotted me from across the room and hurried over. “Did I just see you talking to Damien Summers?”
“Yeah.”
“Ohmygosh.”
“You know who he is?” I had never heard his name.
“He’s the biggest deal in modeling agencies. He discovered Tamra, Kate, Lexi. The list goes on forever. When he asked me about you, I could hardly believe it.” She spoke so quickly it all came out in one breath.
“He asked you about me?” I really hoped he hadn’t mentioned the photos. I still hadn’t told Macy about them.
She nodded emphatically. “He saw those photos that Clara took on the roof and thought you were amazing. I think he wants you to sign with his agency. Isn’t that amazing?”
Clara’s photos. Not Evan’s. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m not a model, Mace.” Now that I knew the real situation, I could think more reasonably. “I can’t even walk in high heels without tripping.”
“You’ll learn. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.” She grabbed my arm. “Just think, you model for some big names and suddenly everyone knows who you are. Just Camryn, no last name necessary. And then people start asking you about your fashionable clothes and you say, oh this? This is my design. Suddenly you’re an even bigger designer than Evelyn!”
“Slow down. Breathe.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement. “Focus on the present. We still have an event to run.”
She took a few deep breaths. “Okay. You’re right. That reminds me- Evelyn was looking for you in the garden.”
“Thanks for telling me so promptly.” I rolled my eyes. So typical. “Jake, will you be alright on your own for a bit?”
“I think I can manage,” he said with a wink.
“Don’t worry, friend. I’ll keep him company.” Macy exaggerated an eyebrow waggle. “Go.”
It took almost five minutes to weave my way through the crowd and get to the garden. Evelyn greeted me excitedly.
“Wonderful event, dear!” She smacked her lips against both of my cheeks. “Everything has been fabulous. Thanks so much for you hard work.”
“Of course. It was my pleasure.” It truly was. Eve
lyn was an awesome boss. “We raised a lot of money.”
“You are responsible for a good chunk of that,” she said, a bit awed. “It took me years to sell a piece for five figures and you did it on your first night!”
“Well, the buyer was a friend,” I admitted.
She smiled wickedly. “More than a friend, I’d say. Hopefully he isn’t demanding a quid pro quo.”
“Don’t worry. He’s a good guy.” I realized that Evelyn treated me more like a daughter than my own mother did.
“I need to get back to entertaining guests, but I wanted to congratulate you.” Another round of cheek kisses. “Have a fantastic evening, dear.”
My fantastic evening lasted about two minutes. On my way back inside, I spotted a familiar face, one that made every muscle in my body tense.
“Camryn!”
Evan approached me easily, not a care in the world. Either he didn’t know that I knew about the photos, or he didn’t care.
“It’s been too long, sweetheart.”
“Don’t.” I stepped back as he reached for me, feeling very much like I might projectile vomit on him. Or punch him in the face. “Don’t touch me, and don’t call me sweetheart.”
His face hardened. “You saw the exhibit.”
“I saw my naked body on display without my permission,” I corrected. “How could you do that?”
“Don’t sound so indignant, Cam. You knew that I wasn’t going to delete those photos. I think you wanted me to use them, you just wanted to reserve the right to act outraged about it.” He leered at me. “I think we both know you aren’t as prudish as you pretend.”
“You asshole.” I spoke a little too loudly and a few heads turned.
Evelyn and her friends had gone inside already and I didn’t recognize any of the other onlookers. I carefully weighed whether it would be acceptable for me to punch him in front of these people, then decided against it. I didn’t want to risk ruining the event.
“Please. You should be flattered that I would include you in my work. You’re a pretty girl, Cam, but you aren’t exactly up to my usual standards.”
“Excuse you?” My restraint was quickly fading.
French Kissing (Restless Hearts) Page 7