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“Yeah. I’m just not sure this is fair to Aunt Cassie. She has to go with us to everything.”
Tiff nodded. “I didn’t think she’d have to do that. She ought to get paid, too.”
“That isn’t how it works.”
“Let’s go talk to her.”
He followed his sister downstairs to the small room Aunt Cassie used as her office. Glancing up from her computer screen, she turned off her music and grinned at them.
“Hey, guys. What do you need?”
“We were just... I mean...” Tiffany stopped and wrinkled her nose. “We were just thinking how hard it would be for you to go with us all the time to everything.”
“That’s the rule, Tiff. I’m okay with it.”
“It doesn’t seem fair,” Glen said. “You aren’t going to get paid.”
“Hey, kiddo, I don’t want to be paid. There might be some modeling jobs you can’t take when I have a conflict or if both of you are offered jobs at the same time, but we can work it out. I can even bring my laptop along and stay busy that way.”
“But what if someone’s website crashes and you aren’t available to fix it?”
“No problem. I never promised instant response time anyhow, but in April I hired a friend from college to do backup web maintenance. She works from her house, just like me, so Giselle handles issues that come up when I’m out.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, remembering how many times his mother had said she couldn’t handle what was happening. It had always felt as if she was blaming him and Tiffany for her drinking.
“Absolutely. If there are any problems, the three of us will sit down and decide how to deal with them.”
He was still bugged, but he didn’t know what to do about it.
Back upstairs again, Tiffany sighed blissfully. “Do you think I might become as famous as Nicole George?”
“Who knows?”
“I want to act, too.”
“You wouldn’t be bad at that.”
She wouldn’t, either; Tiff had been acting her entire life. If she banged her knee or felt sad or angry, she’d just pretend everything was okay—anything to keep from upsetting Mom. Tiff was really naive, in a way. She always thought she could fix things for people, including fixing their mother. But Mom didn’t want to be fixed; she wanted to keep drinking and that was that.
Suddenly angry, Glen flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling where Aunt Cassie had let him put stars that glowed in the dark.
Living with Aunt Cassie was great, much better than with his mom in San Diego, though sometimes he felt bad thinking that. She was his mom. Shouldn’t he want to live with her, no matter what? But he couldn’t forget the smell of booze that had always been in the apartment, and the sour stink in the morning when she got sick from being hungover.
It had gotten even worse when her boyfriends started coming home with her, and then he’d seen one of them looking at Tiffany in a way that hadn’t seemed right. His sister was way better off in Seattle, but Tiff might get upset if she knew he’d called the child welfare office and made an anonymous report about Mom’s drinking and the other things.
Sometimes he felt like slime for doing it, and other times he knew it was okay. But now that Aunt Cassie’s life was going to get messed up even more...well, he wasn’t exactly sure what he should feel.
* * *
A WEEK AFTER Adam met with Cassie Bryant, he began wondering if he’d ever hear from her again. Of course, her godfather could still be looking at the representation agreements, but she might be dragging her feet, hoping her nephew would change his mind.
Stop, Adam ordered as he ran on a treadmill at the gym over his lunch hour.
He’d explained the opportunities to Cassie. The rest was up to her. Yet he was discovering it was one thing to understand his job as an agent and another to separate personal feelings from the process. That might help explain why the previous owner of Moonlight Ventures had treated his clients as family for whom he needed to take responsibility and protect.
Adam slowed the treadmill to a cool-off pace, still thinking about Cassie. Getting information from her had been like prying an oyster open. Admittedly, he shouldn’t have made that remark about her marriage plans. What he could have asked was something like, “Are you expecting any significant changes that could impact Tiffany’s and Glen’s ability to work?” It would have been far more appropriate.
Pushing the thought away, Adam showered and returned to the agency, endorphins from the exercise still coursing through his system. It would be great if they didn’t have to drive somewhere to work out and he wondered if they could convert part of their building into a fitness center or get a professional gym to set up a business there.
He mentally reviewed the layout of the building they’d purchased along with the agency. Several businesses were longtime leasers—apparently Kevin had given his tenants the same intense, personal attention that he had given his clients. Some of them missed the hand-holding, though Kevin probably visited often enough to tide them over.
Adam shook himself. Things were going well for now and while Moonlight Ventures was cramped, they weren’t ready to expand quite yet. A fitness center, either private or commercial, could wait.
“Your parents are here, waiting for you,” Chelsea said as he came into the reception area.
He stared. His mom and dad had come without letting him know? They’d only mentioned it to his sister in the last couple of weeks.
“What does your ‘deer caught in the headlights’ expression mean?” Chelsea asked.
Adam forced himself to concentrate. They’d had trouble finding a good office manager, so it had been a stroke of luck when Chelsea had applied and proven excellent at the job. And now that she’d recovered from a bad relationship in Los Angeles, she was even more valuable, and she had a good sense of humor that helped keep the office balanced.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised they didn’t let me know they were on the way.”
Sophie must have assumed they’d told him, or she would have warned him.
“Parents, what would we do without them?” Chelsea’s tone was ironic and Adam recalled that Nicole had mentioned various problems with Jordan’s parents, who were also Chelsea’s parents since she was Jordan’s sister. They’d known each other growing up and their respective families didn’t get along with each other.
“Right,” he agreed.
Chelsea looked at her computer. “By the way, Cassie Bryant called for an appointment. Your 1:00 p.m. had just cancelled, so I told her to come then. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. Can you ask Nicole if she has time to help answer Ms. Bryant’s questions about teen modeling? I’d like to say hi to my parents before she gets here.”
“Sure. They’re in the lounge. I offered refreshments to them, but they didn’t seem interested.”
Of course. His mom and dad had never happily accepted anything seen as the fruits of his success, because it came from a career they didn’t appreciate. It was time they recognized that he was fine with his life. Even if he had chosen to be a construction worker like his dad, what difference would it make, so long as he was happy and satisfied?
Adam sighed. It would be easier on them if his career path hadn’t changed because of Mom’s illness; they might have made peace with him becoming a model otherwise. So their visit might turn out to be helpful. They would see that the agency was a solid business, with the potential to become even more.
“Let me know when Cassie arrives,” he said.
Putting a smile on his face with the practice of years, he strode down the hallway to the lounge. The door was ajar and he saw his mother and father sitting on one of the couches.
“Hi,” he greeted them. “Sophie mentioned you were thinking about a visit.”
Elizabeth stood and gave him a hug. “Hello, darling.”
His dad had also come to his feet and they shook hands. “Good to see you, son.”
“Good to see you both, too. Why didn’t you let me know when you were coming? I could have met you at the airport.”
“We didn’t fly, we drove. We wanted it to be a surprise.”
Though surprises weren’t his father’s long suit, Adam hung on to his smile. “Terrific. The spare room isn’t fancy, but the bed should be comfortable.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Elizabeth said quickly. “We’re renting a furnished apartment. It sounded like a nice idea to spend some time up here now that your father has retired.”
“Adam?” It was Chelsea. “Sorry to interrupt. Your one o’clock appointment is here. Oh, and Nicole said she’ll be free shortly.”
“Thanks.” He turned to his parents. “Can you wait awhile? I have to see a client.”
“Business comes first,” his father said.
Adam took the back route to his office, encountering Glen Bryant on the way.
“Hey, Glen, are you meeting with us?”
“No, and Tiff isn’t, either. She’s got a stomach bug. She’s better, but Aunt Cassie said it would be rotten to take a chance of exposing you. We’re safe because we got over it already. I thought I’d get something to eat, if that’s okay.”
“Sure.” Privately Adam was uncomfortable at the thought of Glen in the same room as his parents. He preferred keeping his private and professional lives separate, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, when he’d been that age, he wouldn’t have talked to a stranger over twenty if his life depended on it. Perhaps Glen was the same.
In the office, he found Cassie standing at the window again, the sunlight burnishing her hair the way it had on her last visit. He could see the family resemblance between her and the twins, but the biggest contrast was their outgoing nature and her reserve.
She turned and gestured toward the desk where he saw two large envelopes. “Hello. I brought the signed agreements back. Sorry it took so long.”
This time, the black T-shirt she wore made her eyes appear brown again.
“I hear you’ve been ill.”
Cassie made a diffident gesture. “We had the stomach virus that’s going around. Glen and I got sick, then poor Tiff came down with it a day and a half later. She still doesn’t have much energy and I couldn’t be sure she’s no longer contagious. But she’s so anxious about getting things going on the modeling that I thought it would make her feel better if I called for an appointment.”
“It was thoughtful not to share the bug with us.”
“I hate exposing someone when I could have stayed home...though since I work out of my house, I suppose it’s easier for me than for other people.”
“Do you have any questions on the representation agreements?”
Cassie shook her head. “No, but the kids aren’t happy because I have to be there for their jobs and go-sees. It especially bothers Glen, so I thought I’d let you know. He doesn’t have to worry.” She wrinkled her nose. “Though with this added, the kids aren’t going to have the normal high school experience I’d hoped for them.”
“Normal is highly overrated.”
“But it’s nice to know what it is, at least.”
“Granted. Now, let me show you the promotional materials I’ve been putting together.”
When she sat next to him to look at the large screen, Adam smelled the faint aroma of roses. It reminded him of the time he’d done a commercial for an international florist company in Paris, having to hold an extra large bouquet under the Eiffel Tower for hours, waiting for his “girlfriend.”
He made an effort to clear his head, annoyed that he would associate a romantic image with the guardian of his newest clients.
* * *
CASSIE TRIED NOT to be aware of Adam as he clicked through pictures of her niece and nephew. They were the ones taken the first day they’d come to the agency, but cropped to look like the kind of photos she’d seen in magazines. As far as she could tell, nothing had been airbrushed or photoshopped and both Glen and Tiffany were portrayed as wholesome, healthy young teens.
“Satisfied?” he asked finally.
“Yes. It’s reassuring to see how they’ll be presented.”
“We don’t want to promote anyone in a way that makes them uncomfortable and that goes double for kids.”
“Did you start modeling as a youngster?”
“Nope. I was a junior at UCLA and saw an ad for models, so I gave it a shot. I needed the money. My mom had just gone through major surgery and I wanted to do something to help out.”
It was hard for Cassie to picture the sophisticated Adam Wilding as an anxious college student who’d fallen into modeling by accident. Still, it was an engaging image.
“Is your mother all right now?”
His expression seemed guarded. “She’s fine. In fact, my parents just arrived from New Mexico for a surprise visit.”
At a guess, there was some tension in the relationship with his folks.
“That’s nice. They must be proud of your success.”
“Actually, they wanted me to be a lawyer, so it’s complicated.”
Cassie cast another quick, sideways glance at Adam. “I can’t picture you in a three-piece suit, arguing a case in front of a judge.”
“Me, either,” he admitted. “It’s hard on kids when grown-ups try to plan their lives for them.”
His tone had grown even more intense and Cassie suspected that heavy pressure had been put on him to take a particular route. She couldn’t recall whether her own parents had encouraged specific career aspirations in their children beyond wanting them to attend college.
“Instead you happened into modeling and the rest is history,” she said to lighten the mood.
Adam’s expression changed from intense to cool detachment. “I got lucky. The photographer on that first job sent my picture around to various advertisers he worked with. Before I knew it, I was in demand. But it usually doesn’t happen that way. Albeit part of this business is luck and timing.”
“I understand. I’ve told the kids not to think they’ll suddenly become rich and famous. Glen doesn’t care, but Tiffany has stars in her eyes.”
“It’s good that you want to keep her grounded. The people who hire models seem to prefer them that way. Just don’t try coaching the kids. Let them be natural.”
“Of course. I don’t want this changing Tiff and Glen.”
“You mentioned taking responsibility once your sister was unable to care for them?”
That was a charitable way of describing Marie’s condition. She hadn’t even been sober for her meeting with the judge, and had refused an alcohol abuse treatment program as a chance of retaining custody.
Cassie cleared her throat. Sometimes she was so furious with her sister, she could hardly stand it. Raising Tiff and Glen was a privilege, but Marie had thrown it away. They had their share of problems, but they were great kids, even after everything their mother had put them through. “Yes. I didn’t want them in foster care.”
“Your parents couldn’t take them? I’m only asking because I’d like to know if a change in custody arrangements might occur.”
