Groomless - Part 1 (8 page)

When the persnickety and ever-complaining model scratched at her eye and smeared her perfect makeup, Pam hurried over to fix it. Meanwhile, Mel made a few adjustments to her hair, making sure there wasn’t a strand out of place after it was blown around in the fan.

“Let’s have you run across the set while Mel holds the fan,” I said. “Look right into the camera. Yes, that’s beautiful.” I looked at the computer and studied the new image. “Let’s try it one more time.” I snapped away as she carefully ran in her sinfully high heels. “Got it. That’s great.”

My assistant repositioned her for another of my brilliant ideas, coaching the model to lie down. I sat on the floor and started snapping as the model smiled and added her own flair to the photo. The girl was a natural, and I was thankful for that.

“Great shot,” my assistant said.

“Well done!” I said. “Let’s try the black dress now.” She nodded and scurried off to change, and I looked over at Pam. “Darker makeup this time. Let’s give her a very dramatic look.”

“Got it. How about putting her hair up, to make it more elegant?”

“Love it!”

“I’m on it,” Claire said.

Around lunchtime, one of my guy friends came to get me.

“Hey, Zack,” I said. “I’ll need a few more minutes.”

“No problem.”

I then turned back to my model. “Just like last time, run and smile at the camera.” As she did as instructed, I snapped away, then walked over to my computer to analyze the shots.

“Sweet!” Zack said over my shoulder.

“We got the shot!” I said as everyone applauded. “Great work, everyone. Take thirty for lunch.”

“Great,” Claire said.

Mel glanced up at me while holding her cell. “Are we here tomorrow or on location?”

“On location. I wrote it on the calendar. Also, don’t forget the fashion show on Wednesday. Then we’ve got a hectic week to meet those deadlines I told you about. It’s gonna be tight, but I know we can do it.”

“Okay, cool.”

Zack began clapping. “I love watching you in action,” he said, “and those shots are gorgeous, baby.”

“Thank you. It helps to have a little…natural talent.”

“My photographer keeps barking all these orders at me. Can you believe he had the nerve to roll his eyes at me? Seriously. Did I deserve that?”

“He’s probably stressed. Deadlines suck.”

“Yeah, but he’s not cool at all. If I stuck a piece of coal up his ass, it’d come out a diamond. Anyway, we’d better hurry this lunch date up. If he fires me, I won’t be able to afford to rent that gorgeous tux.”

“Special occasion?”

“Only the best ever! One of my dearest friends is getting married!”

“Congratulations!”

“It’s you, silly. I heard about the reception.”

“Oh. I was gonna tell you but haven’t had the chance.”

“I know you’re busy, girl. Now, let me cut to the chase.” He got down on his knees and slipped a ring on me. “Will you marry me?”

I laughed. Zack was gay, so I knew the marriage proposal meant nothing, but I loved him for trying. He was the sweetest guy I knew.

Everyone started clapping.

“How on Earth did you manage to turn Zack straight?” Claire asked.

“I’ll explain later.”

“Do hurry, because I’m dying to hear this one!”

“I do believe she’s blushing,” Mel said.

“She’s definitely hiding
something
from us,” Pam said.

“Can you do Julia’s hair?” Zack said. “You know, for the big day and all.”

I playfully nudged him. “Zack!”

Bubbling over with too much excitement, he led me out the door. “You need a groom, and I’m here to oblige. Hope you like the ring. I got it out of a bubble gum machine on the way over. Cost me a whole fifty cents. Since when did those things start taking two quarters instead of one anyway?”

“Since about 1990,” I said, grinning. “You’re the best friend ever, Zack, but really, what will Bob say? He’s your boyfriend and we have to respect that.”

“Bob said the ring’s tacky and that I am like some cliché character, the token gay on an ABC Family drama. Girl, you know I’m all about drama…and I
am
quite the character!”

“No! I meant, what does Bob think of you being my groom?”

“He doesn’t care if I fake-marry a girl. He told me to have fun. Can you believe that? I guess he trusts me, but it’d flatter me a whole lot more if he’d at least act jealous!”

“Well, I’m flattered, for sure, but I’m afraid someone else has already proposed to me,” I said.

“Girlfriend, who beat me to the punch?”

“A nurse at my dad’s nursing home.”

He pushed my shoulder playfully. “A nurse? My, my, girl. I didn’t know you swung that way. Since when? And why didn’t you tell me?”

“Zack! It’s a male nurse.”

“Oh. Well, which one of us is it gonna be? Some guy in scrubs or me, a fashion diva and hunky model. Girl, you know I’d look so good on your arm, not to mention that I look fantastic in a tux.”

“What am I gonna do with you? You’re so…conceited.”

“Not conceited, baby. I’m convinced! And what you’re gonna do is flaunt this package!”

I smirked. “You are extremely sexy, and I’d snag you in a heartbeat if you swung my way.”

“Ditto,” he said, “but we both know I’m so gay I can’t see straight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh because it was true. “It’s all cool.”

“Curiosity is killing this little kitty, girl. Which one of us are gonna be your big prom date?”

“You,” I said. “We’re best friends, and I feel comfortable with you. I don’t even know the other guy. Just met him this morning.”

“Great choice! And I’ll try to remember that this is all about you, not me.”

“It’s more about honoring my father, giving him his dying wish,” I said.

“Baby, that’s beautiful,” he said. “We’ll do your daddy proud.”

“I’d rather you not do my daddy,” I said, giggling.

“Girl, you close your mouth now!” he said, pretending to shudder in repulsion.

* * *

After lunch, as I was finishing up my long day back at the studio, Kate called. “Well? What did your dad think of the proposal?” she asked.

“He loved it. I’ve even got two grooms fighting over me.”

Claire stood next to me and gasped. “You’re getting married!? Why am I always the last to know these things? And what’s this about two grooms?”

“Yeah, how does that work anyway?” Mel said. “I mean, I know things are changing in this country and stuff, but is that even legal in this state?”

I looked at them seriously for a moment, then grinned. “Listen, I gotta go,” I said to Kate. “I’ll chat with ya later.”

“She must be doing it for a photo shoot,” Claire said. She then turned back to me. “May the best groom win.”

“Okay, people. Time is money, and if we don’t wrap this up, the big boss lady will chew us all up and spit us out.”

They didn’t move.

“People, that’s an order! This conversation is over.”

With questions still lingering in my coworkers’ eyes, they scattered so we could all get back to work.

Chapter 7

We headed off to the bridal shop to meet Zack. I even brought along some pictures my mom had cut out of magazines before she passed away. Together, we had chosen what we thought would be the perfect bridal gowns for my special day. I wished she was there with me, but at least I felt her there in spirit.

I could hear Zack and Kate talking outside the fitting room as I tried on a few gowns.

“So… What are you cooking for dinner tonight?” Zack asked.

“Cooking? Me? After the horrible day I had, I’m
drinking
dinner tonight!”

“Cheap liquor, I bet.”

“Hey, don’t judge.”

“What happened?”

“Nobody takes me seriously as a model. In a nutshell, I guess that’s it.”

“Another bad job?”

“Yeah.”

“Just think of it as survival, a temporary annoyance. Who hired you?”

“Some motel chain. They’re using Times Square as the backdrop for their big promotion. I was delegated as a brand ambassador and had to pass out chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate.”

“That’s not so bad.”

“In a robe and striped pajamas, with their logo on it?”

He laughed. “But it gets better. While I was handing out cookies, I had to say, ‘We’ve got the best night of sleep you’ll ever get!’”

“You’ll get better jobs. I promise,” he encouraged.

“I want to be a runway model, but that’s not happening. How do you land so many glamorous jobs anyway?”

“Hey, I paid my dues too.”

“But you moved up so fast. It’s probably because you’re so gorgeous.”

“So are you, girl! You’re funny, sweet, smart, and beautiful. You’ve only been here a year. Give it some time. You’re a triple-threat, girl, and you’ve got what it takes.”

“Aw. Thanks, Zack.”

“Hey, you want to go to yoga with me? It’s the perfect way to find balance and happiness…and some damn fine hotties in tight pants!”

“Nah. I’ve got all the balance I need in these drop-dead-gorgeous heels I got on sale last week.”

They both burst out in laughter.

After the first dress, I looked in the mirror, then walked out and spun around. “Well? What do you think?”

“Whatever you do, do
not
say yes to that dress,” Kate warned, scrunching up her nose in disapproval, as if the dress reeked of rotten sardines or something.

“You’re right. It has too much bling.”

“It’s not you.”

The bridal consultant smiled. “Don’t worry. We’ll find the perfect dress. That’s what we do.”

“I’ve got all day,” I said, then walked back into the fitting room. When I tried the next one on, it was so gorgeous that I literally teared up looking at it. “This is the one,” I said, my voice filled with awe.

Kate had tears in her eyes. “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen! It’s like it was made just for you.”

“Don’t make me cry,” I said. “I swear, I’m gonna start bawling. The sad thing is, I’m completely groomless.”

“That doesn’t matter. This is just the proof that you’ll make a beautiful bride one day.”

“Thank you.”

When she lifted the price tag, her eyes bulged. “It’s $10,000!”

Disappointment flooded my face, for the cost was way outside my budget, my “price point,” as the bridal consultant liked to call it. I couldn’t spend that much for a pretend wedding reception. I had already racked up my credit cards and was living paycheck to paycheck as it was, and I didn’t want my dad to have that exorbitant expense for a faux celebration.

“How is everything? Do you love it?” the consultant asked, grinning greedily at the thought of her commission.

“Do you have anything exactly like this, only cheaper?”

“I do. We have a wide assortment that will fit everyone’s budget. When is the big day?” she asked.

“August 1,” I said, “right around the corner.”

“And who is the lucky man?”

Kate chuckled. “Well, she’s actually had two different offers.”

“A love triangle, huh?” the woman said. “Which love will win your hand, my dear?”

I bit my lip hard. “I’m afraid I don’t love either of them.”

She looked at me, shocked.

“How can she?” Kate chimed in. “One is a nurse she just met, and the other is gay.”

“Um, ladies, with all due respect, this is not some sort of prank, is it? Are you sure you’ll need this dress?” she asked, sounding a bit steamed.

“I’m not getting married,” I said.

She cocked a brow, even more confused and irritated. “So you don’t even need a dress?”

“Yes, for my reception.”

“She wants to wear it when she is with her friendly, hot, gay fake groom,” Kate said. She then looked at me and asked, “Or are you having second thoughts and are thinking about taking the nurse?”

“I’ve known the nurse for two minutes,” I said.

“You’re right. You can’t base a fake marriage on a two-minute rendezvous. Stick with the gay best friend.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m quite lost here,” the bridal assistant said. “Do you or do you not need a dress?”

“She’s having a reception, with a DJ and cake and the whole nine yards, so yes, she needs a dress. She’s really only missing one thing.”

“And what’s that?” the woman asked.

“A groom.”

“Then she should wait.”

“No she shouldn’t,” Zack said. “The groom is ready and waiting!”

The bridal assistant looked at Zack, who stood six feet tall, with a powerful chest, massive arms and legs, and a lean waist. He had brown hair and amazing green eyes. It was obvious that she was mesmerized by him, and it was no surprise that his career was taking off; he was one of the hottest models in all of New York, and he landed many high-paying, classy gigs that Kate envied.