Читать книгу A Father For The Twins - Callie Endicott - Страница 13
ОглавлениеTIFFANY CHATTERED EXCITEDLY all the way back to the small Victorian house that Cassie had bought years ago. It was tight living there with two teenage kids, but they got by. Glen and Tiffany used the bedrooms, converted family room and bath upstairs, while she’d moved down to the ground floor.
Someday she hoped to live in the mountains, but for now she was afraid she’d be ineffective as a website designer if she became too much of a hermit. Her clients wanted someone in touch with modern culture. Yet it was also a question of economics—the kind of mountain home she wanted cost money, her business was relatively new and now she was raising Glen and Tiffany. Her niece and nephew were more important than saving for another house.
Glen was quiet, no doubt processing the Moonlight Ventures offer to represent him, but Tiffany jumped and let out a little squeal of excitement.
“Hey, Aunt Cassie,” she declared, “when I make lots of money, we can buy a bigger place.”
“Nope,” Cassie replied serenely. “Anything you make will go directly into a trust fund. No matter how successful you are, there won’t be any sports cars at sixteen and no buying of houses.”
“It isn’t about me, I want you to have a bigger place and an awesome car like the one you had to get rid of when we moved in here.”
Cassie had traded her sporty convertible for a larger sedan before the kids arrived, wanting something safer and more solid. The kids had noticed the change, but she hadn’t realized they blamed themselves for the switch to a different model.
“That’s really sweet of you, but I prefer the car I have now. It’s newer and gets much better gas mileage than the other one.”
“Then what do you want?”
Cassie cupped her niece’s chin in the palm of her hand. “I don’t need anything, except to protect your income so that it’s ready to help your dreams come true.”
“She wants to make sure Mom can’t get her fingers on any dough we make,” Glen observed.
Cassie’s stomach dropped. She didn’t want the kids to feel their mother was a terrible person, though accepting Marie for what she was might be helpful to them.
Tiffany’s mouth turned down. “Is that the problem? Because Mom might take our money for booze?”
“I simply want anything you earn to be there for your future,” Cassie explained carefully. “This way, nothing can happen that we don’t expect.”
“Uh, okay.” Like Glen, Tiffany internalized and usually didn’t say much until she’d thought it through, such as her comment about the car.
* * *
LATER THAT EVENING, Glen came in as Cassie finished cleaning the kitchen.
“I’m gonna do that modeling thing,” he told her.
“You thought the guys at school might give you a hard time. How will you feel about that?”
He made a face. “Not so hot. But money for medical school sounds terrific, and it might be the best way to earn it. Besides, I hate mowing lawns and yanking weeds and that’s the only other kind of job I’m gonna get for a while.”
Something Adam had said came back to Cassie...that at the twins’ age, they didn’t have many work opportunities. It was true. Unless they had a video go viral on social media or came up with a brilliant entrepreneurial scheme, their income-earning potential was limited. In Glen’s case, it was largely offering his services as a general garden helper. Even when he turned sixteen, it would mostly be minimum wage.
“We can’t know how much you’d earn at modeling,” she warned, wanting him to be realistic. “It’s probable that only a few people make the huge bucks.”
“Maybe, but I’ve been thinking about what Tiff said earlier. If we make some money, it shouldn’t all go into a trust fund. We should help around here.”
His eyes were serious and Cassie hated knowing he’d needed to grow up faster than other kids.
“That isn’t your job. You’re thirteen and—”
“Almost fourteen.”
“In a few months. But it doesn’t make any difference. You’re a kid and it isn’t your responsibility to provide for yourself.”
“That isn’t fair to you.”
“Right, it isn’t fair that I get the pleasure of having my niece and nephew living with me the past year because my sister has a problem. And it isn’t fair that you don’t get to have the mom and dad you deserve. But if you’re worried about houses and cars, don’t. The bedrooms aren’t large and you and Tiff have to share a bathroom, but that’s no different than any family that has to make do with the space available. Do you dislike this house? I know it’s a quiet neighborhood, but there are families with kids your age on the street.”
Glen shook his head. “Your place is loads better than our tiny apartment in San Diego, and we really like Seattle. It was so amazing when you told the judge that you wanted us to live with you. I’d figured they’d split us up, and like, you know, all the bad stuff you see on TV about foster homes.”
“I’m sure most foster homes are fine, but I thought this would be best and I love having the two of you with me. Okay, in a few days I’ll meet with Adam Wilding and get the representation agreements. Uncle Orville will take a look at them and who knows? Next week, you might be posing in front of a camera.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Cassie studied his expression; he still seemed uncertain. “Are you sure this is what you want?” She didn’t want to push him one way or another.
“I’m sure.” Glen gave a crooked grin. “I’ve been looking at how much medical school costs and it could choke a pig, the way Uncle Orville says.”
Orville Calloway, her godfather, had become the twins’ honorary uncle. “Okay. But if you or Tiff change your minds in the future, we’ll deal with it.”
“Thanks.” Glen reached over and gave her an awkward, boyish hug.
* * *
ELIZABETH WILDING FINISHED the dishes and looked at her husband reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. Ever since he’d retired, she could hardly get him out of the house. Part of the time he fussed around “fixing” things that weren’t broken, the rest of the time he was just sitting, usually in the room where she was trying to get something done.
She wanted him to enjoy his retirement but not to slow down completely.
“Dear, why don’t you call Mr. Villareal and see if he needs help with that clogged drain he mentioned?” Elizabeth suggested.
Mr. Villareal was their neighbor on the corner and he was quite elderly, though he still managed to put out dozens of luminarias every Christmas in memory of his wife and only child who’d died in a car accident.
“Took care of it yesterday,” Dermott said without looking up from the newspaper. “Don’t you remember?”
She recalled him being gone for fifteen minutes or so, which hardly seemed long enough to unplug a sink. But Dermott was awfully talented with a pipe wrench.
“I’m sure he would have appreciated having you stay and talk.”
“You talk to Hector almost every day.”
Oh my, her husband could be dense.
“The women in the neighborhood check on him and bring food, but he enjoys having male company, too.”
“I’ll go over later. I don’t get it, Lizzie. We finally have time to spend together and you keep trying to send me away.”
Together?
Elizabeth glared at his bent head—they weren’t spending time together, they just happened to be in the same room most of the day. Well, enough was enough. She’d been pushing him to visit Seattle, hoping they could find a way to mend fences with their son. Dermott had agreed to take a trip “sometime,” so now she’d have to find the right way to make that happen. It shouldn’t take too much...he wanted to go; he just needed the right prodding.
“Why do they have to keep calling Adam a former model and printing a picture of him in a swimsuit?” Dermott said out of the blue, slapping his hand on the table. “Can’t they just say he’s a businessman?”
Elizabeth tensed. He must be reading one of the Seattle newspapers that Adam had sent. She knew her husband didn’t mean to make her feel bad about the direction their son’s life had taken, but she did; if it hadn’t been for her getting sick, Adam would be a lawyer now.
Or would he?
Thinking back, she couldn’t honestly say Adam had been enthusiastic about studying law—not opposed, just unexcited by a legal career. And he’d used his fame as a model in good ways, including helping environmental and wildlife causes...though the videos he’d done interacting with wolves and bears had made her gulp in worry for his safety. Still, who wouldn’t take the chance of being that close to such amazing animals?
“No matter how we feel, Adam is famous,” she said finally. “I’m sure the agency gets more business when the public is reminded of who owns it.”
“Yeah, so we can see more models in bathing suits and other nonsense,” Dermott muttered.
Maybe he would have accepted Adam’s modeling better if his coworkers at the construction company hadn’t kidded him so often about his son, “the swimsuit guy.”
Sighing, Elizabeth took an aspirin for the pain starting to throb in her temples. It wasn’t just Adam she felt guilty about, it was Sophie, too. She’d been so young when her mother needed major surgery. It was as if Sophie had lost a big chunk of her childhood, taking on responsibilities and worries that a child shouldn’t have to face. No wonder she’d turned wild for a period and ended up pregnant at seventeen.
Elizabeth couldn’t regret her grandchildren, but her daughter’s teen marriage had quickly fallen apart and raising two kids alone was hard. In her own way, Sophie was just as stubborn and proud as her dad and wouldn’t accept much help from the family.
“Are you all right, Lizzie?” Dermott asked. “You took something. Is your blood pressure up?”
“It’s a headache, that’s all.”
Her husband’s concerned expression eased slightly, but Elizabeth’s own tension rose even higher. Sometimes she wanted to scream that she wasn’t going to break and for everyone to stop worrying. Okay, the doctor didn’t want her getting too stressed and the family knew it, but that didn’t mean she was fragile. Her health was pretty good for a woman her age.
She cleared her throat. “Have you thought about when you want to leave for Seattle? We’ll get a better price on plane tickets if we don’t buy them at the last minute.”
“I thought we’d drive. That way we’ll have the truck and won’t be locked in to a specific time.”
Pleasure went through Elizabeth. They’d never traveled outside of New Mexico. Their short vacations had been spent visiting Dermott’s grandparents or taking camping trips in the Sandia Mountains or around the Bosque del Apache wildlife preserve, south of Albuquerque. A road trip meant traveling through some of the most beautiful country in the United States.
“I’d love that,” she exclaimed. “And maybe we could get a little apartment and spend some real time up there.”
“Why not stay with Adam? He mentioned his place has an extra bed.”
Elizabeth winced; she couldn’t deal with her son and husband in the same enclosed space for more than a few days. Even when they weren’t arguing, their colliding expectations were hard to take. “It would be best to get an apartment,” she urged. “Not in the city—I’m sure that’s too expensive—but in one of the smaller towns.”
Dermott brightened. “That way I might be able to pick up odd jobs as a handyman.”
Elizabeth almost protested that he didn’t need to work, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. They could see Adam when he was available—really get to know him again—but Dermott would also have a distraction from driving his wife and son crazy.
“I suppose. I wish we could go right away,” she said wistfully. “Summer sounds lovely in Washington.”
“Maybe next month.”
“How about tomorrow?” she asked firmly. “Packing wouldn’t take much time and Sophie can check on the house while we’re gone. Please, dear. Adam says it’s mostly been cool and pleasant there and I’d love to experience the long days they have farther north in the summer. And what’s the good of us both being retired if we can’t do what we want?”
Dermott gave her an exasperated look, but he folded the newspaper and got up. “Oh, very well. You pack and I’ll do an oil change on the truck. Call Adam and tell him we’re coming.”
“Maybe it could be a surprise,” she suggested. “We’ll find a furnished apartment, get settled and then go visit him. Besides, we can’t be sure when we’ll arrive if we do any sightseeing along the way.”
“I suppose.” Dermott headed out the door and she knew he’d probably been looking for a reason to agree to her plan.
Elizabeth happily started a batch of cookies to bring on the trip. Packing was easy, even though they’d also need to bring the basics like bedding, towels and kitchen supplies for an apartment.
She could use her phone to search rental listings on the trip north. They loved Albuquerque, but doing something completely different would be good for them both.
* * *
ADAM GLANCED AT the messages Chelsea had given him and satisfaction went through him. Cassie Bryant was coming in at 11:00 a.m. to pick up the representation agreements for both Tiffany and Glen. At least she’d recognized the opportunities available to the twins. He already had several places in mind to send their pictures—photographers and advertisers looking for fresh teen images. He had a feeling both of them would be in demand.
A few hours later, Chelsea escorted Cassie to his office. This morning she wore jeans and a green T-shirt. Nice, he couldn’t help thinking, noting that she also moved gracefully, a quality he’d always found particularly attractive.
Yet Adam frowned. Her eyes were striking, but he could have sworn they were a different color.
“Is something wrong?” Cassie asked.
“No, but when we met, I thought your eyes were golden brown, now they’re almost green. You must have colored contacts.”
“I don’t wear contacts, but my eye color appears to change depending on what I wear. My old boyf—someone I used to know complained that it was confusing.”
Adam noted the cut-off reference to what must be a previous relationship, and her reluctance to refer to him that way. Perhaps while she was caring for her niece and nephew, she’d chosen to put off the idea of romance or had found the man in question wasn’t interested in sharing her responsibilities.
Not that it made any difference to Adam, but they had to establish an effective working relationship. While he and his partners didn’t want to perpetuate the way the prior owner had dealt with his clients—Kevin McClaskey had held their hands through everything—they did want to help clients learn professionalism. It was one of the reasons they’d shifted the focus of their careers to talent management; each of them had benefited from someone helping them in the past, and now they could do the same for other people in a field they understood.
“Sorry for the detour,” Adam apologized. “But I notice eye color and details relating to appearance. It’s a professional hazard.”
“I suppose it’s useful in your work.”
Unlike some women upon realizing how closely he recalled details of their appearance, Cassie didn’t seem uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
“Here are the agreements.” He handed her the two manila envelopes from his desk. “I know you’re taking them to your godfather for review. Space has been left to enter information for a trust fund account and data such as social security numbers. I’ve also included pamphlets for Tiffany and Glen, explaining the basics of how this works. It might be beneficial for the two of us to meet and discuss the details after you’ve read everything.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer the kids to be here as well?”
“With clients who are minors, I think it’s best to meet first with the parents or guardians. That way you can ask questions or raise concerns that aren’t appropriate in front of them.”
A faint smile crossed her lips. “You talk as if you were a seasoned professional, but you said yourself that you haven’t been a talent agent for long.”
“True,” he acknowledged. “But I was in the modeling business for over fourteen years and it grounded me in what I believe are sound business practices. When I became interested in buying an agency with my friends, I started questioning every agent I met to help learn the ropes. Beyond that, the previous owner of Moonlight Ventures has remained available as a consultant.”
“I see.”
She pursed her mouth and he didn’t think she realized that it came off as provocative. Curiously, she was an increasing mystery to him. Even when she seemed to be revealing something personal, he had trouble interpreting anything in her face. He was accustomed to that in Nicole, who’d learned to conceal her feelings from the paparazzi and had trouble breaking the habit with friends and family. But what had led Cassie to being so reserved?
“Is something wrong?” he asked her.
“No, but to be frank, I’m worried about what I’m doing here.”
A weary sensation settled over Adam. The opposite of overanxious parents were the ones who couldn’t commit to letting their child try. Neither was a boon to an agent. He hadn’t encountered it himself, but Nicole and Kevin McClaskey had told him stories.
In this case, Cassie Bryant’s stumbling block might be her vision of how Glen’s future should be shaped.
A stray thought crossed Adam’s mind. Why only Glen? Why was the boy in the family destined for medical school, while apparently it was fine for the girl to consider modeling? Of course, it seemed clear from Tiffany’s enthusiasm that modeling was her idea, so that could be the explanation. And a measure of self-honesty also made him acknowledge that he’d done some pushing himself when it came to Glen becoming a model.
“I’m not pressuring you to sign,” Adam said, “but I’d appreciate a timely decision. That way the agency doesn’t expend hours on something that isn’t going anywhere.”
Cassie frowned. “You make awfully fast assumptions, don’t you?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“The kids want to do this, so that’s what we’re doing. I’m the one in the dark. I’m not Tiffany and Glen’s mother. You mentioned parents and guardians asking questions their kids shouldn’t hear, but I don’t even know which questions I should ask.”
“I spoke without thinking,” Adam apologized hastily.
Another blunder due to his knee-jerk reactions. Maybe he wouldn’t be having as much trouble if Sophie hadn’t mentioned their father was now telling his granddaughter she should become a doctor. She was only a little girl. Encouraging her to have dreams was important, but she needed her own dream, not someone else’s.
The evening before, he’d had dinner with Nicole and Jordan and suggested she handle the Bryants’ representation. She’d just laughed and reminded him that she’d gotten shoved out of her comfort zone when doing the interviews for PostModern magazine, so now it was his turn. Knowing she was right hadn’t made it easier.
“I should have asked your concerns before jumping to conclusions,” he added.
Cassie took a deep breath. “So, what type of questions do experienced parents ask?”
“Especially with girls and young women, they generally want to know how suggestively or appropriately they’ll be portrayed.”
Her face brightened. “Yes, that’s a good one. How do you handle that?”
“At Moonlight Ventures, we aren’t interested in putting kids into adult roles before it’s suitable. But admittedly, child models tend to be portrayed at least a year or two ahead of their chronological age.”
“Will I have veto power if I believe something isn’t right?”
Adam nodded. “Absolutely. And I’ll tell you immediately if I discover any issues. We’re serious about protecting our clients.”
“Can I be there while they’re working?”
“It’s required. No minor can go to a go-see or a booking alone.” He knew this part was a turnoff for some parents, and exciting for others.
“I’m glad,” Cassie said simply, though her face didn’t reveal any sense of how she felt about it.
She really was a puzzle. He couldn’t tell whether she wanted to be connected to the modeling world, or if she simply wanted to protect the kids and give them opportunities, even if it meant escorting her niece and nephew to various bookings.
“What’s a go-see?” she asked.
“With models, a photographer or advertiser often wants to see them in person before making a commitment. For actors, it would be an audition. Clients don’t get paid for either one.”
“So basically it’s a job interview.”
“Exactly.”
“I’ll research the process some more,” she murmured.
“Being well-informed is good protection for a kid in both modeling or acting.”
“About the acting... I know Tiff is interested, but is there any real chance?”
“We’ve placed clients in movies and a television series, and there’s always the possibility of others.” Adam deliberately didn’t mention the new TV movie to be filmed in Seattle or the casting director’s offer to audition some of the agency’s talent. If Tiffany or Glen seemed right for a role, that would be the time to discuss it with Cassie.
She seemed restless and stood to go look out the window he’d left open to catch the summer breeze. Her long chestnut hair was fiery in the sunlight. A flash of attraction went through Adam. This was hardly the time or the place for that sort of thought. Even if she wasn’t Glen and Tiffany’s guardian, he couldn’t imagine dating someone who seemed to have so many edges.
“Is this the usual way an agency is run?” Cassie turned to ask. “I checked a number of websites and it’s hard to tell what ‘business as usual’ might be.”
“Every agency is different and we’ve also made changes to the way Moonlight Ventures previously operated. Aside from everything else, the prior owner functioned as a one-man show.”
“He must have been busy.”
“Very, though part of his income came from renting out sections of this building. Changing the subject, will there be any problem getting the kids to go-sees, auditions or bookings? That is, will your work allow for that?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem most of the time. I’m self-employed doing website design and maintenance, as well as computer programming, so I have a flexible schedule.”
Adam’s concentration sharpened. While their current website was functional, they weren’t satisfied with it. Their webmaster simply couldn’t grasp their vision, despite numerous tweaks. So far, they’d put up with it because other priorities came first, but priority on the website was moving up fast.
“What sites have you created?” he asked. “We may be overhauling our online presence in the near future and I’d like to see the kind of work you’ve done.”
Cassie dug in her pocket and handed him a card. “I have a site that showcases some of my designs.”
“Thanks.” Yet he wondered if he should have spoken so impulsively.
Adam recalled the flash of attraction he’d experienced earlier. He didn’t think it had influenced him, but it was something he would have to watch in the future to ensure it didn’t impact his decisions.
* * *
CASSIE SAT DOWN AGAIN. She didn’t care for the intense scrutiny Adam Wilding sometimes focused upon her, though it couldn’t be unusual. And while his sharp reactions and assumptions when expressing her uncertainty had been disconcerting, his job was to represent the kids, not hand-hold her through parenting issues.
As for his questions about her website designs? Lots of people asked about her work and she handed out dozens of cards for every business that hired her.
“How soon would the kids start getting called for go-sees?” she asked.
“That can’t be predicted. We’ll put their pictures on our website and send promotional information to a range of approved sources. We also make personal contacts as appropriate.”
“So it’s possible no one would ever show interest in Glen and Tiff?”
“Possible, but not likely. We’re careful about who we represent and to date, our clients have been in demand. Are you disappointed to think they’ll be called for work?”
Her lack of enthusiasm must be obvious to him and Cassie warned herself to be careful. She might not be thrilled about the kids going into modeling, but she didn’t want them to lose opportunities because of her.
She shrugged. “No, but this is new to me. It was only a few weeks ago that Tiff told me how much she wanted to be a model or actress. Your website said professional studio photos weren’t necessary, so I took a bunch of pictures and let her pick the one she liked best. We sent it in and I didn’t know what to expect. Now I have a niece and a nephew about to become models. I think I’m dizzy.”
Adam smiled. “I can relate. I made some big life changes of my own recently.”
“Yeah, I read your profile on the website.” She didn’t say she had been disappointed to get an appointment with him, rather than with one of the female partners in the agency. It might have been easier to talk with another woman.
Of course, maybe she wouldn’t have found common ground with Rachel Clarion or Nicole George, either. The partners in Moonlight Ventures were famous. They had reputations for being stylish, larger-than-life individuals who’d traveled widely and brushed elbows with the elite of the modeling and acting world. They were accustomed to a more glamorous atmosphere than somebody who plunged her shower on a regular basis and fixed spaghetti or baked chicken for dinner at least once a week.
Thinking of which...
Cassie leaned forward. “Will the kids have to eat differently? I mean...well, I don’t want Tiff, for example, to half starve herself to be a size zero or something. She’s already tried to lose weight the last month and it worries me.”
“I won’t deny that weight can be an issue in modeling,” Adam acknowledged. “There are terrific plus-size models with solid careers, but generally the demand isn’t as high for them.”
Cassie made a face. “Sometimes it seems as if you can’t pick up a magazine or get on the internet without hearing a scandal about airbrushing, or whether teenaged girls are learning an unrealistic standard of womanhood, or someone slamming an actress or model who’s gained a few pounds. Or for being too thin, for that matter.”
Adam leaned forward. “Moonlight Ventures is concerned about those issues and we’ve discussed some of them in our quarterly newsletter, Beneath the Surface.”
“Should I read back editions to catch up on the information in them?”
“You’re welcome to copies, but we haven’t been in charge of it for very long and it isn’t a modeling handbook. We’re looking at converting it to a general circulation publication. Naturally the material will involve fashion and the entertainment world, but we want to do thoughtful work on image and how people look at themselves. Also to give opportunities to young writers.”
Cassie decided she’d reserve judgment until she read their material. How often had she heard people say the right things when their actions showed they believed the opposite?
Good grief, she was getting cynical. It was important to keep an eye on that so Tiffany and Glen didn’t get the wrong attitude; raising them was requiring her to do an awful lot of self-examination.
“It sounds as if it could be interesting,” she said diplomatically.
“We hope so. Anyhow, about Tiffany, I won’t talk to her about weight and I don’t approve of extremes. If anyone else says something to her, I want you to let me know. She’s fine the way she is at the present time. I agree with one of my partners who tells aspiring models that they should strive first to be healthy and happy. She also says they shouldn’t try to be anything except themselves.”
“Good advice.”
“For everyone, I suppose, not just models.”
He had her there. For three years, Cassie had tried to change herself to conform to her boyfriend’s world. Michael’s requirements had included being attractive without outshining any other woman in the company, being confident and self-effacing at the same time, being well dressed and stylish but not too stylish and agreeing with anything management said or wanted.
She’d done it until she couldn’t take it any longer, realizing that if Michael had really loved her, he’d have loved the woman she was, not the woman he wanted her to become.
“Is there anything else that we need to talk about today?” she asked.
“No, unless you have more questions.”
“Not right now.”
“If you come up with any, feel free to call. We can talk on the phone or as I mentioned we can meet again. I want the process to be as transparent as possible.”
“Thanks. I talked to my godfather and told him I’d bring the representation agreements over today, but I don’t know how long he’ll need to review them.”
“Take the time you need. I don’t want to rush you beyond your comfort level.”
“I appreciate that.” She walked out of the office, smiling politely at the office manager in the reception area.
It was a relief to know the agency’s policies seemed to be so positive. Time would tell if Adam Wilding had been telling her the truth or just saying politically correct words. He was extraordinarily handsome and had spent most of his adult life fitting into a limited standard of what the world saw as attractive and successful. So she couldn’t help feeling skeptical about both the agency and the man in question.
