by Alison Mello
“That would be nice,” she says, but she sounds a little off.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I guess I just wish I could tell you that my parents were going to come over so you could meet them. I miss them sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for Patty’s parents and all they have done for me, but sometimes it’s just not the same. Know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I guess I do. My parents are in Florida, and I miss them so much sometimes. I grew up very close to my mom and dad, so it was actually pretty hard when they decided to move, but I understood.” She nods. “I get how you feel because I don’t get to see them all the time anymore, but I’m lucky. I can go visit them anytime I want. I’m not sure how I would feel if I were in your shoes.”
“I look forward to meeting them. I bet they’re sweet,” she says with a warm smile.
“Have you tried talking to your parents?”
She shakes her head. “No, the last conversation we had didn’t go well. They were so disappointed in me. They wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer. I tried to explain to them that’s not who I am. They just said ‘our daughter isn’t strutting around half nude for a living,’ and if I did, I was no daughter of theirs. I walked out the door crying and never looked back. That was when I got my first contract about five years ago.”
“Maybe if they see how successful you are they’d change their mind.”
She shakes her head as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I doubt it. I tried to tell them that models can be very successful and that we don’t have to get naked to make money, but they didn’t want to hear it.”
I sigh, feeling bad for my girl. I can’t imagine what she’s going through, but I decide to drop it for now. I hand her a plate and then go about making mine before taking the seat next to her. We eat in silence, and there’s a bit of tension lingering in the air from our conversation.
“Please don’t stress, baby. You have plenty of people around you who love you and want to be a part of your life. If they can’t see the success you’ve become, it’s their loss.”
She gives me a small smile. “Thank you, babe,” she says, looking a bit happier.
***
Bella
Patty and Carter are due here any minute now, and I’m super excited to see them. They’ve been away on their honeymoon and they just got in last night. I’m making a huge pork roast with onions, potatoes, and veggies for dinner. We’re going to look through their honeymoon pictures and play some cribbage. We haven’t hung out and played cards with them in a while, and we all miss it.
“Dinner smells delicious,” Derek says as he walks into the kitchen.
“Thanks, babe. It’ll be done shortly. We should have time to catch up with Carter and Patty for a few before we need to eat.”
As I finish my statement, there’s a knock at the door. Derek says, “Be right back.” He opens the door, and Patty runs in squealing with excitement.
“How was your trip?” I ask as she wraps me in a huge hug.
“It was absolutely amazing! I have so many pictures to show you. I put them on my laptop so it’ll be easier for us to see.”
When Carter walks in, I give him a hug and welcome him home. “Do you guys want to tell us a little about Niagara Falls and show us some pictures while we wait for dinner to finish?”
“Sure,” Patty says as she takes her laptop case from Carter. She puts it on the stool by the snack bar and begins setting it up. I pull a few beers from the fridge for the guys and a bottle of wine for Patty and me. We’re now all settled for the show. Derek and I each take a seat on either side of Patty, and Carter stands behind her.
“Okay, so I put the pictures in order so we can go through and point out everything as we did them. This is our hotel. It had a loft space where the bed was with a small fireplace and a whirlpool tub for two. The view of the falls was breathtaking.” She scrolls through the pictures of their hotel room. I love that the place is totally Patty and Carter. It’s classy, but not overly extravagant. “This was really cool. Check this out,” she says as she continues showing us pictures. They had reservations to eat dinner in a revolving tower on their first night there. She explains how it rotates so you can take pictures as you eat. Everything they did was very outdoorsy, like them.
My friend is glowing with excitement as she shows us her pictures. I can see how truly happy they are and how much they enjoyed themselves. She shows us the last picture as the timer on the oven beeps, telling me that our dinner is done.
“Patty, those are some beautiful pictures. It looks like you two had a fabulous time.”
“We really did. The weather was nice and scenery was gorgeous. It was cool to see the falls from so many different angles.” She gets up to follow me into the kitchen so she can help me get dinner finished.
“Patty, will you get the salad from the fridge?”
She does as I ask and walks it into the dining room while I pull the roast apart and put it into serving dishes. The guys have started talking about work and the fundraiser they need to work on for the TVs at Briar House. Patty helps me bring the remainder of dinner into the dining room, and the guys grab another beer and fill our wine glasses so we can all sit to eat.
Once everyone is seated, Patty says, “So, what’s this I was hearing about needing to raise money?”
“Yeah, one of our houses is short fifteen TVs and if you can’t afford to pay for the service, then you don’t get a TV in your room,” Carter explains. “I want to raise the money for the TVs and figure out how we can work the service into the contract for the house so the guys will be taken care of.”
“What is the house for?”
“Soldiers who are being treated for both mental and physical conditions. It’s like a rehab. They go there in preparation for home.”
A look of frustration crosses her face. “We have to do something,” she says. “It’s a simple TV. They deserve at least that.” She looks sad for them.
Carter smiles at her lovingly. “We will, baby, but I love how much you care.”
“Do you guys have something in mind for a fundraiser?” Patty asks as she dives into her dinner. We all carry on with the fundraising conversation as we eat, though when we finish eating, we still haven’t come up with a good fundraising idea for these TVs. We all agree it is a high priority and we need to figure something out.
We all pitch in to help clean up from dinner and then sit down to a couple of games of cribbage. Patty and I play against the guys. We get lucky once in a while, but the guys beat us more often than not. After Patty and I finally manage to win a game, we call it a night.
Chapter 5
Bella
Today is a shoot day, and for the first time in a long time, I’m not looking forward to it. It’s going to be a long, tiring day. Patty will be meeting me here for my lunch break, which is pretty much the only thing I can look forward to. She’s promised to bring me my favorite Fuji apple chicken salad. It’s so yummy and just what I’ll need to get through my day.
As I pull up to the studio, I notice the place is packed today. I walk in with Jordan in tow, and there are a ton of people here. Kelly is feverishly taking shot after shot of some young kids, probably for the juniors section of a catalog. I shake my head, wondering how parents can be okay with letting their kids take a day off from school for a modeling gig. I’m sure the schools must not be happy about it. I sashay toward Sid’s room so he can get busy on my hair and makeup for my first picture.
“Hey, beautiful,” Sid says as I walk into the room. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
He’s working on a male who will be doing this shoot for men’s clothing. Grabbing a bottle of water, I take a seat next to this girl named Missy. She’s pretty cool people, but we aren’t friends, more like acquaintances. She says hi to me, and I acknowledge her with a pleasant smile and a hello.
Sid certainly has his hands full today because it appears the studio on the other side of his space is being used
as well. Missy never does a shoot with Kelly. They don’t get along too well. Missy is a bit of a flirt, and she likes a man behind her camera. I don’t care who shoots my photos as long as they have their shit together and they take good photos.
Sid calls me to his chair next. I look at Missy and she just shrugs. In this business, it’s not always first come first serve. You do as you’re told, so I get up and sit in his chair.
“How’s it going, love?” he asks.
“You know, another day another dollar. How’s it going with you?”
“I met someone last night,” he says as he goes to work on my makeup, giving me his usual instructions as he goes.
“So, who’s the stud you met last night?”
He smiles at me. “I thought you’d never ask. His name is Matthew, and he’s gorgeous. Very well-built with brown hair and deep green eyes.”
“Nice. What does he do for a living?”
“You’re not going to believe this, but he’s a model.”
“How did you guys meet?”
“I was working on him.”
“Seriously?” I ask with a smile.
“Yeah. We went for drinks after the shoot was over and we hit it off.”
“That’s awesome,” I say, genuinely excited for my friend.
“You get to meet him today. He’s your shoot partner for one of the dresses you’re wearing.”
“I didn’t even know I was posing with a man today. They don’t tell me anything. I just show up and do as they ask.”
“I only know because we were talking about his shoot for today. That’s one of the reasons they love you. You’re flexible and don’t complain.” He begins working with my hair. “Your changing room is all set with your clothes for today.”
“I’m sure it is. I have quite a few changes, from what I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, and after the first two, I have to fix your hair and makeup. The last three dresses are the ones you’re doing with Matthew.”
Missy is sitting in her seat, sighing as she awaits her turn. I can tell she’s getting impatient. She hates that Sid and I get along so well, but that never stops Sid from his gossip session with me. About twenty minutes goes by when he finally tells me to get out of his seat. I chuckle, jump down to give him a thank you hug, and then I saunter off to get into my dress. Jordan is stressing out with all the people here. The poor guy looks like he’s having a heart attack.
“You okay, Jordan?”
“Yes, but if you’re going to have this many people around you there should be two of us. I’ll be talking to your agent about this.”
I nod and step into the changing room to go about my business of getting changed. I step out a few minutes later wearing a pretty summer dress with sandals that cost about five hundred dollars. I’m glad it’s in my contract that I get to keep the clothes I model if I like them because this will be coming home with me today.
I walk to the shoot area with Jordan following close behind me. Kelly finishes snapping pictures of the guy that was sitting in the seat ahead of me. As he walks off the set, he says, “Hey, you’re Bella Campbell.”
“Yes, I am. Do I know you?”
“No, but I know you from Brock. He’s an ass for what he did. I’m sorry he treated you so poorly. He has ruined his career, and he’s a hot mess.” He walks away and shakes his head, denying me a chance to respond. Jordan gives me a questioning look.
“I have no idea who that is,” I tell him, taking a deep breath. I can’t think about Brock right now. I need to focus.
Kelly calls me over, and I step in front of the lights. Kelly starts snapping pictures as I show her my big smile and move my body into different signature poses. She says something that makes me laugh but never stops snapping pictures. Sometimes, I get a bit of control over my poses and she’ll just snap endless photos. I’ve been doing this so long it just comes to me. Kelly makes a few requests and adds a few props. She continues going about her shots, throwing directions at me. Twenty minutes later, she pauses to quickly look through the pictures and sends me off to change into my next dress.
I snag a bottle of water and hit my changing room. Jordan, of course, follows me and takes his place outside my door as I put on the next outfit. This one is a one-piece jumpsuit and it’s super cute. I may have to take this one home too. The material is very lightweight, and it’s accompanied by these really sexy pure white sandals that match it. When I get out of the changing room, Kelly is snapping more pictures of Mr. I Know Your Ex, so I stand by, enjoying a quick drink of water while I wait.
Jordan looks down at me. “I don’t know how you do this all the time. It looks completely exhausting.”
I smile at him. “It is. It’s a total challenge, and I love it.” He shakes his head. “Don’t get me wrong, by the time I get home tonight I’ll be totally spent and then I’ll spend the morning in the gym to prepare for the next one. I have to take on as many shoots as I can now because trust me when I say my career will not last forever. No one wants old models.” He just laughs at the face I make.
“So, what will you do when you retire?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. I still have a few years left in me, but maybe I’ll become an agent and use my knowledge to make sure girls get the contract they want and deserve.”
Kelly calls me back over, ending our conversation. I take my place under the lights. This time, Kelly informs me she wants me to stand certain ways and asks me to do certain poses. While I do as she asks, she snaps pictures, checking her screen after each one to ensure she has something she’s happy with. We continue on for about thirty minutes when I finally walk off the set.
As I do, Patty is walking in with our lunch. This woman has impeccable timing.
“I just finished. You’re the best,” I say to her as I wrap her in a hug. “Let me just throw on my robe and I’ll be out so we can sit and eat.” I hurry into my changing room while she gets our food situated in the break area.
I walk into the break room and see two salads laid out with utensils and flavored water for us. “Thank you so much. I’m starving.”
“It’s my pleasure. I’ve missed you so much,” she says as I take a seat next to her. She’s so sweet. She even brought a sandwich for Jordan. As we sit to eat, I tell her about the guy who came up to me on the set today and told me he felt bad about the way Brock treated me.
“That’s kind of weird, no?”
“Thank you, because I thought it was weird too, but I wasn’t sure if it was just me.”
“No, I think it’s totally weird. How much longer do you have today?” she asks as she continues eating her salad. She knows I only have about twenty minutes and then I have to be ready to for more pictures.
“I still have three more changes, and Sid has to do my hair and makeup again.”
She wrinkles her nose. “That’s a long day.”
“Yeah, well, considering I’ve worn two outfits that both run at least five hundred each, it’ll be a good day for my bank account.”
“Nice. So, how are you and Derek getting along?”
“Pretty good. We talked the other night about what happened with my ex and why I’m so leery about moving in with him.”
“How’d that go?” she asks, looking concerned.
“Actually, it went really well. He told me he loved me, that he understood, and that he will be here for me when I’m ready.”
“It sounds like you have a pretty great guy.”
“Yeah. Now if I can just get over my fears, I’d be all set,” I tell her as I finish off my salad. She’s about to say something when Sid rounds the corner.
“Come on, love. I’m waiting for you.”
I look down at my watch. “Crap. Sorry Patty, but I have to get back.” I get up and give her a huge hug. “Thank you so much for lunch. Call me and we’ll do lunch on Thursday. We’ll have a new contract to celebrate.”
“Will do,” she says as I leave her at the table to throw out
my salad container.
As Sid and I walk into the room, I see this tall guy standing off to the side with brown hair and bright green eyes. From the way Sid glows, I know right away that’s his Matthew. He walks me over and says, “Matthew, this is Bella. She’s the girl I was telling you about.”
He sticks his hand out to shake my hand. “It’s nice to meet you and quite an honor to be able to work a shoot with you. You’re kind of a big deal around here.” My brows shoot up and I look at Sid, who just shrugs his shoulders.
“Well, thank you. I didn’t realize I was a big deal.”
“Another reason why everyone loves you,” Sid says, smiling at me. I just shake my head because I truly don’t know what else to say. Sid takes that as his cue to get going on my makeup. Of course, he has to remove the old makeup first. An hour later, I’m ready for my next round of shots—three changes, all with Matthew.
After what seems like forever, we finally finish. I was a bit nervous at first. I’m not used to posing with another person. I usually work alone, but Matthew was a sweetheart to work with. He followed all of Kelly’s directions to a T, and between each change he grabbed us water.
I collapse on the chair, not bothering to change out of my last outfit, completely drained. Mr. I Know Your Ex comes up to me and says, “Tired?”
“Just a little,” I say in a bitchy voice, not even looking at him. My head is back and my eyes are closed. That is, until he scares the shit out of me. He lifts my foot and starts rubbing it. “What are you doing?”
“Rubbing your feet for you. You’ve been on them all day. They must ache.”
I pull my leg away. “I’m good, thank you.”
As I get up from the seat, Jordan gives him a warning glare that screams back off. I go to my changing room, anxious to get out of there. It’s late, I’m tired, and this guy is freaking me out.
***
I pull up to the house about an hour later to find Derek in the kitchen already hard at work making dinner. “Hey, babe. How was your day?” I ask as I approach him and wrap him in a hug.