Читать книгу A Father For The Twins - Callie Endicott - Страница 12
ОглавлениеFourteen years later...
A KNOCK SOUNDED on Adam’s office door and he looked up to see Nicole George, one of his three business partners.
“Hey, Nicole, you seem excited.”
She grinned. “I just learned that a new TV movie is going to be shot here in the Seattle area. They’re hoping the network will like it enough to turn it into a series. The casting director saw Doria Atchison in the clip we posted online and was impressed enough that he’s emailing a list of what they’re looking for. Auditions won’t be for a little while, but it sounds promising.”
“Excellent.”
When he and his friends had bought the Moonlight Ventures talent agency, one of their concerns had been that Seattle wasn’t at the heart of the fashion or entertainment industry. Local business was fine, but they also wanted broader exposure for their clients.
Their concerns had proved unfounded, though. Several of their models had already gotten television ads for national campaigns and they’d placed actors with two movies being filmed locally, as well as guest and extras spots with a network series based in the region.
“I’ll forward the list as soon as I get it,” Nicole assured. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman, but ever since she’d gotten engaged, her face possessed a special glow. If she hadn’t quit modeling, it would be easy to pick up the phone and get her a dozen top contracts.
Adam almost chuckled at the thought; after just a few weeks on the job, he was already thinking more like an agent than a model. Nicole had run Moonlight Ventures by herself for months, though he and their other partners, Logan Kensington and Rachel Clarion, had flown in regularly and teleconferenced with her. Now that his own modeling contracts had been satisfied, he’d started working at the agency full time.
“How is the writing going?” he asked. The previous owner of the agency had put out a quarterly trade newsletter, but they were working toward converting it to a general circulation publication. For the launch issue Adam wanted a feature piece by Nicole about “lessons learned” from her years as a supermodel.
She scrunched her nose at him. “Slowly.”
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“You can tell me you’ve changed your mind about having me write it.”
“Afraid I can’t.”
Actually, Adam felt bad that they’d asked her to be “the story” again, as Nicole put it. Ironically, it was when PostModern magazine had asked to do a series of articles about her transition from supermodel to agent that she’d met her fiancé.
Technically she’d simply met Jordan again, having known him as a kid. Jordan had still written the articles, telling readers that while he was now engaged to the subject of his interviews, he’d tried to be unbiased—but might have failed. In response, the articles had been well received, which had been good for the agency.
In turn, Nicole had penned a piece for the agency’s blog about Jordan and the process of being interviewed. The popularity of the blog site had convinced them it was worth giving their own magazine a shot.
“I had to try,” she said. With another grin and a flip of her hand, she rushed out again.
Adam rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the years he’d known Nicole. He’d watched her go from being hopeful about falling in love to being convinced it could never happen for her. Now she’d come full circle, deeply in love and full of plans for a future with Jordan.
He was glad she was happy.
He’d like to find that kind of happiness himself again, but it wasn’t easy. He’d been engaged for a brief, wonderful time to a woman he’d met while still at UCLA and wouldn’t settle for second best.
Isabelle had charged at life with enthusiasm and laughter, unconcerned by his growing success as a model. He’d always known where he was with her—first when they were just friends, and later when they were falling in love and deciding to get married. But a brain aneurism had changed everything in the blink of an eye.
Renewed grief went through Adam at the memory. One minute Isabelle had been there, the next she was gone.
It had taken a long time to be ready for another serious relationship, and then the frequent travel and the less-than-kind scrutiny of the press had played havoc with his dating life—lots of first and second dates, few beyond that. Maybe it would be different now. He’d like to find someone confident and outgoing, who shared his interests and could be a real partner.
Not like his parents.
Adam sighed, knowing he was being unfair. His parents had a good marriage, but it had always seemed as if his mother’s needs came second, at least until her heart problems developed. As for shared interests? Hardly. Dad was interested in construction, period. Mom was a science fiction and fantasy buff. She loved to write and had wanted to earn a place among authors like Arthur C. Clarke and J.R.R. Tolkien. Instead she’d slogged away at a dull teleservice job because it was secure and helped earn money for her children’s educations.
Adam got up and moved restlessly around his office, pausing to look out the window at the trees that softened his view of the street.
He felt bad that his parents hadn’t pursued their own dreams instead of ones for their children. It wasn’t just his mother—his father’s plan to become a contractor had been deemed too great a risk to the family’s financial security, so Dermott had done construction for someone else and taken jobs as a handyman in his spare hours.
Just then Adam’s personal line rang, breaking into his musings. The caller ID displayed his sister’s number.
“Hey, Sophie.” He could hear his nephew and niece in the background, shrieking and giggling. Bobby and Lila were great, but like most kids they could be loud. “What’s up?”
“The twins had friends over this weekend and now I want to speak with someone closer to my own age.”
He grinned. “How bad was it?”
“We had a serious outbreak of video games, Star Wars battles and The Lone Ranger.”
“The Lone Ranger?”
“I made the mistake of bringing out my classic TV DVDs and the next thing I knew they were all running around with pretend six-shooters, trying to catch pretend bank robbers and cattle rustlers. Mom retreated to my bedroom along with the cat.”
Adam sat back in his chair. He was proud of his kid sister for making a tough situation work. She’d gotten pregnant at seventeen and married her boyfriend, only to have him leave before the twins were born.
Now Sophie had a brisk mail-order business selling New Mexico–themed Christmas ornaments and decorations she made herself. That way she’d avoided childcare costs for the twins—which would have outstripped any income from a minimum-wage job—and was still able to make a decent living using her artistic talents. To Adam’s frustration, she’d even insisted on repaying the checks he’d sent after her brief marriage fell apart, though they’d been a gift.
“How is Mom adjusting to them both being retired?” he asked.
“Pretty good. But I should warn you, I think the folks are planning a trip to Seattle this summer to see you.”
Gripping the phone, Adam counted to ten. “Any special reason? I was home two months ago and expect to come for Christmas as usual.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Surely they don’t think I’m going to change my mind about becoming a lawyer. They must know it isn’t in the cards.” Even when he and his friends were buying Moonlight Ventures, his father had suggested it wasn’t too late for graduate school, unable to resist trying to resurrect the remnants of his old ambition.
“I think they’re getting resigned to your new career, especially since it means you won’t be gazing back at them from magazine covers in the grocery checkout line. You know how stuffy Dad can be. Seeing you in those swimsuit editions used to really get him going.”
Adam rubbed the back of his neck. He was sorry it bothered his parents that he didn’t have the career they’d chosen for him, but he had the right to live as he saw fit. Nevertheless, maybe the agency’s success would alleviate their vague sense of failure since “our son is a businessman” must sound more respectable to them. While he didn’t crave their approval, he wanted them to be happy.
“But get this,” Sophie added, “remember when Dad cut his hand and Lila kept helping change the bandage?”
“Yeah.”
“Now he thinks she should become a doctor.”
Adam instinctively tensed. “But she’s only eight years old.” He understood where his worry came from. It had taken him long enough to shake off family expectations.
“I know.” A crash reverberated through the phone and she sighed. “Sorry, I’d better go see what happened.”
“Tell the little terrors ‘hi’ for me.”
They said goodbye and Adam started going through the seemingly bottomless stack of photographs and videos received each day at Moonlight Ventures. Few of the submissions possessed the special something they wanted as a signature aspect of the agency, but occasionally they found someone in the pile who stood out.
A couple of the pictures were interesting and he put them aside to ask Nicole’s opinion. It might have been useful to have his other partners take a look as well, but it wasn’t practical. Rachel wouldn’t be on board for several weeks, and Logan still had a few months left on his photography contracts. They didn’t have time to agree on every decision.
At length, Adam turned to the picture of the prospective client he was meeting with at 1:00 p.m. Her aunt would be there as well. Tiffany Bryant was thirteen, with an engaging smile and energy that seemed to leap out of her photograph.
Standing, he decided to go for a walk to clear his head. He had been thinking a lot about the past, probably because he’d made another big change in his life. It wasn’t that he had to work any longer—with his savings and investments he could have a life of leisure, doing whatever suited his fancy. That might be fine for some people, but he wanted to accomplish something, not just play. A talent agency had seemed the right place to use his experience and find a new way to succeed.
* * *
CASSIE BRYANT DROVE toward the Moonlight Ventures talent agency with her niece and nephew, still filled with doubts. She wasn’t convinced that a modeling career was the right thing for her niece, but it also didn’t seem fair to discourage Tiffany’s dreams.
Hopefully this agency wasn’t like the one where a friend of hers had first gone. They’d required Phoebe to take expensive modeling and acting classes conducted by the agency and then charged costly fees to create a formal portfolio. But they never called her for a job and she’d learned they made most of their income from such practices. After a while, Phoebe had tried other agencies, who’d said that they didn’t think it would be worthwhile for her to pursue modeling.
Cassie figured genuine talent agencies were the most common, but she still wanted to be wary.
Sighing, she pushed the thought away.
From what she’d been able to determine, Moonlight Ventures operated on the straight and level. So the immediate concern was not wanting Tiffany to get her hopes too high only to have them dashed.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Cassie saw her nephew, Glen, playing a video game. In the front passenger seat, Tiffany finished the milk Cassie had insisted she drink. Nervous about the interview and worried about her weight, she hadn’t wanted to eat anything, but Cassie couldn’t let her niece abandon proper nutrition to reach a size zero. She’d also argued that being hungry wouldn’t help her make a good impression, so Tiffany had agreed on low-fat milk. Now she was anxiously tidying her hair again.
“Don’t you think I should wear makeup?” she asked. “Just a little?”
“The instructions said everyday clothes and no makeup.”
“I want them to see me at my best.”
“Then they’ll have to wait, like, years or something,” Glen told her with typical brotherly boredom. He’d eaten his sister’s chicken sandwich and french fries, along with his own, and was probably wondering what came after the hors d’oeuvres. He was an insatiable eating machine...called a teenager.
Twisting around, Tiffany stuck out her tongue at him.
“Yeah, nice look,” he told her. “That’s the face they want on a magazine.”
Deciding not to intervene in the minor dispute, Cassie pulled into the talent agency lot and parked the car. “We’re here,” she announced.
Glen unbuckled his seat belt, but Tiffany sat frozen.
“Come on, Tiff,” Cassie urged.
“I—I can’t.”
Cassie understood her fear, the sense that when it came down to it, you’d almost rather not try than fail. But she didn’t want her niece’s life to be full of regrets about what she’d missed because she hadn’t been willing to take a risk.
“Sure you can,” Cassie urged. “You’re just nervous. That’s natural. You’ll get over it.”
“Good grief, Tiff-Niff,” Glen muttered, “you dragged us here, at least you can go inside.”
“Will you go with me?”
He rolled his eyes but slid from the car.
Swallowing a lump of emotion in her throat, Cassie opened her door. For all the sniping between her niece and nephew, they shared a special bond, born from the struggle to survive once their mother had become an alcoholic.
The previous summer, Marie had been declared unfit. With her parents unable to take the twins due to her father’s health problems, Cassie had filed for custody. Even after nearly a year, she still felt like a novice when it came to parenting. It was possible anyone raising teens felt that way when they encountered a new challenge—and with the twins, there always seemed to be something new. On the other hand, most parents had all the years between babyhood and adolescence to figure things out—she’d started right in the middle.
The question about Tiffany modeling was a first-class parental conundrum. Tiff had an interest in the sciences, and the same as her brother, she was getting top marks in her classes. She also wanted to be accepted at school, so the modeling interest might be an attempt to prove to her fellow students that she wasn’t a nerd. At the same time, Tiffany enjoyed clothes and performing, so maybe she truly wanted to be a model.
Moonlight Ventures was located in an interesting building—probably converted industrial space—with several shops and other businesses in the center atrium section. The agency fronted on the parking lot.
Inside they were greeted by a receptionist who seemed close to Cassie’s age. “Hello, I’m Chelsea Masters. May I help you?”
“We have an appointment with Adam Wilding,” Cassie explained. “I’m Cassie Bryant and this is my niece, Tiffany, along with her brother, Glen.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ll let Mr. Wilding know you’re here.”
Cassie sat in one of the comfortable chairs with Tiffany perched edgily at her side. A few feet away, Glen slumped in a seat and started playing his video game again. He was a brilliant kid who already had big plans for the future, though most of the time he did his best to fly under the radar, disliking attention.
“Hello,” a low-timbre voice greeted them after a couple of minutes.
It was Adam Wilding. Cassie had seen him in dozens of magazines and TV ads. She’d always thought he was good-looking, but had figured it was partly airbrushing, hype and makeup.
It wasn’t. No wonder he’d been one of the hottest male models in the business. With his black hair, blue eyes and commanding presence, he was alarmingly handsome and possessed a magnetism that practically took her breath away.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Wilding,” she answered.
“Please call me Adam.”
“Hi,” Tiffany said in a shy voice.
“Hi,” he replied. “I’ve seen your picture, so I know you’re Tiffany. It’s great to meet you.”
“Me, um, too. That is, I’m glad to meet you, too. I really, really want to be a model and maybe an actress.”
“Then let’s go back to the small set we have. With your aunt, of course. We’ll take pictures and see how it goes. The nice part is that whether or not you become our client, you get to keep the photos at no charge. We give them to you on a flash drive.”
Cassie had been prepared to question if there was a fee for the photography, but his promise of no charge sounded different from what her friend had encountered.
Tiffany hesitated when Adam gestured to the hallway, and looked back at Glen. “Can my brother come? His name is Glen.”
Adam seemed to be assessing Glen, then he nodded. “Of course. Come along, Glen.”
In a small room, there was an area with sand and an ocean backdrop and on the other side was a city street scene.
Another man was there, working with a camera. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Logan Kensington and I’ll be taking the pictures. Sorry we’re cramped in here, but this is the only space we have.”
“Logan is one of my partners and was able to be here for a few days,” Adam explained. “He’s done photo shoots for some of the best-known models in the world, so you’re in great hands.”
The two men conferred quietly in a corner and Cassie did her best not to listen.
The world of fashion and advertising was completely outside her experience. She was a website designer and manager, for heaven’s sake. At home, she had a high-tech office with three computers, each with dual monitors. That was the world where she was comfortable. Taking responsibility for her niece and nephew had forced her out of that world to some extent; now she was being pushed into more unfamiliar territory.
For the next hour, she simply stayed out of the way. It wasn’t hard, though Adam wouldn’t let Glen remain buried in his video game, instead pulling him onto the set for “action” shots with his sister.
“That’s great, Tiffany,” Logan announced finally. “We have a small lounge stocked with snacks. Would you and your brother like something to eat while Adam talks to your aunt?”
“Sure,” Glen said enthusiastically, though Tiffany looked instantly worried.
Cassie gave her niece a hug. It would be tough if she had to explain Moonlight Ventures wasn’t interested, but they could always send her pictures to other agencies. After all, it was encouraging that the first one had asked to interview her... Cassie had already rehearsed several supportive speeches. In fact, she’d spent a sleepless night trying to find the right words.
The spacious office that Adam Wilding showed her to was quietly elegant, with a mahogany desk, comfortable chairs and a large flat-screen television on one wall.
“Please be seated,” he urged.
She sank into a padded leather seat. “If it’s bad news for Tiffany, please say it straight out, Mr. Wilding. You don’t have to let me down easily.”
His eyebrows lifted. “What makes you think it’s bad news?”
“I love Tiff with all my heart, but I don’t know what advertisers are looking for. She doesn’t seem to fit the pictures I’ve seen in magazines.”
“No,” he agreed, and Cassie’s heart sank. Though she might not be entirely comfortable with Tiffany’s desire to become a model, her niece had experienced enough hard knocks and disappointments. The practical side of Cassie’s brain said that was real life, but it didn’t keep her from wanting to keep real life from intruding again for a while.
Adam had been punching buttons on his computer, then gestured at the TV where photos of Tiffany began appearing.
“Tiffany wouldn’t be a typical teen model,” Adam said, “but that’s okay. She has something special, a uniqueness that we like and these confirm what we saw in the picture you submitted. She’s also cooperative, is highly photogenic and able to follow directions, which was the main reason we wanted to do a practice photo shoot. Once Logan is in Seattle full time, we plan to do this with all prospective clients.”
“R-really?” Cassie managed to choke out. Having prepared herself for bad news, she wasn’t sure how to react to the opposite.
“Absolutely. Naturally Tiffany’s bio didn’t contain much information, so now I need to ask a few questions. Who is her legal guardian?”
“I am. My sister has, uh...problems. I’ve had custody of the kids since last August.”
“What kind of problems?”
Cassie gave him a narrow look. She had a passion for privacy and it wasn’t easy to talk about Marie being an alcoholic at the best of times. “Why do you want to know?”
“You don’t have to answer, but all sorts of things affect a model’s career and his or her agent can function best by knowing the gritty details. I’m sorry if it seems intrusive. Frankly, I already know something is going on. While Tiffany is young in many ways, there’s a look in her face that suggests she’s been through quite a bit.”
“I guess I understand.” Becoming a model was so important to her niece, Cassie knew she would have to explain. “Marie, my sister, started drinking after the twins were born and it became progressively worse.”
“They’re twins?”
“Yes.”
Adam smiled a high wattage smile that practically knocked the sandals off Cassie’s feet.
“My niece and nephew are twins, too. Is your sister likely to sue to regain custody if control of income becomes an issue?”
Nausea threatened at the idea. Cassie honestly couldn’t say what Marie might do. The court had declared her unfit, but she could be very convincing when she wanted to be.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I can see it’s upsetting to talk about, but for Tiffany’s sake, it needs to be considered.”
* * *
ADAM HAD SEEN Cassie Bryant’s face turn pale and wondered if he should consider not moving forward. Presumably Tiffany had a decent home with her aunt since she appeared to be a well-adjusted kid. Having a career as a model wasn’t worth taking a chance on upsetting her stability.
Still, if she was determined, they would simply find another agency. At least Cassie didn’t seem to have stage-mother instincts. He hadn’t told her, but the practice photo shoot had also served in finding out if she would try to interfere or coach Tiffany.
“My sister would have the fight of her life if she tried to get her daughter’s money, but regardless, I’d want it put in a trust so it couldn’t be touched until Tiff is eighteen or older. With a third-party trustee or something.”
The comment told Adam that Cassie wasn’t interested in having access to the money herself.
“The contract can specify how the fees will be paid,” he said. “You should have a lawyer set the account up.”
“My godfather is an attorney and he helped with the custody arrangements, so I’m sure he’ll be able to protect any earnings Tiffany might have until she’s no longer a minor.”
Adam nodded. “Good.”
“Then this means you want Tiff as a client?”
“Yes, but there’s something else I want to discuss.” He clicked forward to the close-up shots of Glen that Logan had taken as unobtrusively as possible. “I believe your nephew would also make an excellent model.”
Cassie sat up straight as an arrow. “He isn’t interested.”
“You haven’t asked him yet.”
“He’s going to medical school.”
At her adamant statement, Adam’s gut tightened. No kid should have his or her life laid out by the adults in their lives, no matter how well-intentioned the plan. He’d been through it with his father, and just that morning, his sister had mentioned how Dermott was encouraging his eight-year-old granddaughter to become a doctor.
Perhaps this was Cassie Bryant’s attempt to salvage Glen’s future after life with a difficult mother, but he was only thirteen and should grow up to make his own choices.
“I see.” Adam controlled the impulse to say she shouldn’t put such rigid expectations on any kid; it wasn’t his place, even if he disagreed with her. Besides, he knew little about the situation. “College and medical school cost a great deal.”
His comment may have hit home since Cassie began digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand. He realized she was pretty in an understated way, though she’d made no attempt to jazz herself up. To him, a huge part of a woman’s beauty came from attitude—an inner something that made him sit up and take notice. He didn’t know about Cassie—it was as if she was concealing herself behind a carefully constructed mask.
“I know it’s expensive,” she said at length. “I’ve started a savings account for both their educations.”
“They might not need it if they become successful as models. By the time Tiffany and Glen graduate high school, they could have enough in their trust funds to pursue a career of their choosing.” Adam hadn’t been able to keep the emphasis off their, but Cassie didn’t seem to notice. “And this is one of the few options they have at this age to work,” he added.
“I don’t know if he’ll be interested,” she said, “but I’ll discuss it with him.”
At least that was more than Adam’s parents would have been willing to consider.
“Why don’t you talk to Glen right now?” he suggested.
Cassie’s mouth tightened and he wondered how she’d present the idea to her nephew. Positively or in a way that would make it appear unattractive? Glen was an engaging adolescent who might have an opportunity to make a decent amount of money; Adam hoped his aunt would play fair.
Half an hour later, she returned. “Tiffany is excited, which is no surprise, and Glen wants to think about it.”
Adam had an impulse to speak with Glen himself, to ensure the youngster had been adequately informed about the possibilities. But that was a knee-jerk reaction to his parents’ plan for his life. Having this particular problem with objectivity wasn’t something he’d anticipated in his decision to become an agent. He and his partners had weekly bull sessions where they discussed issues, so he should bring it up at the next one.
Adam continued questioning Cassie on various details, including the kids’ health and whether their father might prove an issue in the future.
Cassie shook her head at the last question about Tiffany and Glen’s father. “He’s married and doesn’t know about the twins. I hate to admit it, but Marie was one of those women who thought he was going to leave his wife for her, when he simply wanted fun on the side.”
“You sound cynical,” Adam observed.
Cassie stuck out her chin, seeming defiant. “Maybe I am, about love and relationships, at least.”
“Then you aren’t planning to marry in the near future.”
Her eyes opened wide. “Do you need to know that to represent my niece and nephew?”
“I’m sorry, of course not,” he apologized. “Frankly, I’m still working out exactly how being an agent is supposed to go. You know that I’m fairly new to this side of talent representation?”
“Yes,” she acknowledged, relaxing slightly into her chair. “I’ve done research on Moonlight Ventures. You and your partners might not have a huge amount of experience as agents right now, but you have contacts and name recognition. I imagine it will more than compensate.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
* * *
CASSIE HAD ALMOST told Adam Wilding he could take his personal questions and eat them for lunch. His apology and disarming explanation had eased the moment and she was glad she hadn’t given in to the temptation.
As much checking as she’d done, she wasn’t sure whether a talent agent needed to know a lot about clients and their family. An employer couldn’t ask certain details, but an agent obviously needed to have a different connection with a client. And she had to be careful because it was best for Tiffany and Glen if she wasn’t antagonistic toward the man who could play a significant role in their immediate future.
However, she shouldn’t be overly trusting. Adam Wilding and his partners hoped to make money on Glen and Tiffany. That didn’t make them bad people, but money wasn’t the only thing that was important; she wanted her niece and nephew to have full, balanced lives.
“From my research, I understand you don’t have a family,” she ventured.
Adam glanced up from the computer where he’d been entering information. “No. Why?”
“It just means you may also lack experience dealing with kids, but I suppose you don’t necessarily need it to be an effective agent.”
He gave her another one of the smiles that must have won him plenty of modeling contracts in the past. “I don’t believe so. In any case, experience with your own children is completely different than dealing with them in the business world.”
“True.”
She wondered what Adam’s views were on marriage. The research she’d done on Moonlight Ventures and its partners suggested he’d been linked with a number of beautiful women, though no one serious since his fiancée’s death years earlier. Her hidden romantic side wanted to speculate that he was still nursing a broken heart, but logic said the truth was probably much more prosaic...not to mention it was none of her business. Did all women turn into hopeless daydreamers when they met Adam Wilding?
“No one is going to release information about us, are they?” she asked, forcing her mind into the moment. “Such as where we live and other details?”
“The agency has strict confidentiality rules. We have security procedures in place to be sure that only legitimate employers can look at photos of our underage clients. Even then, we just post name and age. No other personal data is placed on a computer connected to the internet, so you don’t need to be concerned about hackers. Nonetheless, I can’t guarantee that someone in the media won’t get curious about you as the twins’ guardian or want to know more about them beyond their official biography. Especially if they become well known.”
Cassie winced involuntarily.
Her carefully cultivated privacy might be at an end. Of course, she could torpedo the whole project, but that didn’t seem fair to her niece and nephew. Any money they earned would be a big help toward college expenses.
Glen had become a demon researching which universities to attend and had been talking about top schools in different parts of the country. Out-of-state tuition was high and there were no guarantees he’d get a scholarship. Though Tiffany’s ambitions were less established, having a nest egg would help, whether she stayed in modeling or decided to do something else.
Adam leaned forward in his chair. “How soon do you think Glen will decide if he’s interested?”
“Probably by tonight. If so, I’ll call the agency in the morning. He doesn’t procrastinate, but he’s mature for his age and wants to weigh the pros and cons.”
“And Tiffany?”
Cassie shrugged. “She already knows what she wants. Tiff is a love. She’s also smart and has a good sense of humor. While she was nervous before coming in today, she’s over that.”
“Then I’ll draw up a representation agreement for her and one for Glen, in case he says yes. They should be ready in a few days.”
“I’ll have my godfather check them over. I don’t mean to sound suspicious—”
“You sound careful,” Adam returned. “It’s nice that you aren’t tearing into this like a stereotypical stage, er, aunt.”
She questioned whether he was telling the truth. Something about his manner made her think he saw her negatively, though it might be her imagination, of which she had plenty. A vivid imagination was how she stayed sane in the midst of complex computer programming issues.
She shook Adam’s hand and went back to where the kids were waiting.
Her palm tingled from contact with the dynamic former model and she reminded herself that men like Adam didn’t go for geeks like her, which is what she preferred. After all, she’d already tried to be the proverbial square peg in a round hole and she was much happier with her life the way it was now.
