Love's Image (17 page)

“Sounds wonderful.” Armand moved toward the door, graceful and fluid in the movement he’d learned from years of being one of the highest paid male supermodels. Shannon couldn’t help but compare him to Judd, who took long, purposeful strides, his arms swinging dramatically by his side, like a man on a mission—not someone trying to sell something.

As soon as Armand left, Shannon threw on a dress, ran out to her car, and headed straight to the club where her mother played tennis and had lunch twice a week.

“Shannon!” the maitre d’ shouted as she entered the main dining room. “It’s been a very long time. You look lovely, dear!”

“Thanks, Maurice. Have you seen my mother?”

His smile quickly faded. “No, I just came on duty about fifteen minutes ago. Would you like for me to have one of the wait staff look for her?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I can look for her, if you don’t mind.”

He gestured around the grand expanse of the room. “Be my guest, Shannon. You’re always welcome here at my dining room.”

“Thanks, Maurice. It was good seeing you.”

“It’s nice seeing you in person again. All these years of seeing you in magazines and TV, I feel like you never left. But you look much more beautiful in person.”

As Shannon walked away, she chuckled to herself. Maurice was such a charmer, which was probably why he’d kept his job for so long. He’d been there since her parents first joined the club, back when she was in late elementary school.

There were half a dozen places where her mother could have been. Passing through the snack bar, Shannon saw that she wasn’t in there. It was a small area, with booths and counter stools all in a position to offer a nice view of one of the three televisions suspended from the ceiling.

The banquet room was dark, so she didn’t bother checking there. That area was reserved for special occasions, like weddings, awards banquets, or birthday parties for overprivileged children. Shannon remembered the parties her parents had thrown for her in that very room—most of them forgettable. She always preferred small gatherings in someone’s living room, with Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Her mother wouldn’t have dreamed of doing something so simple and unsophisticated.

She had to ask around before she found her mother in the garden terrace, a green room filled with tropical plants and flowers that took a full-time staff to maintain.

“Shannon!” her mother exclaimed when someone alerted her that her daughter was behind her. She beamed at Shannon. “What a lovely surprise!”

With a tight face, Shannon glared at her mother. “Mom, did you know Armand was in town?”

The sincere surprise that registered on her mother’s face told Shannon everything she wanted to know. “Why no, but how nice for him to come!” She turned to her friends. “Remember my daughter, Shannon McNab?”

All the women grinned at her. She offered them a clipped nod then turned back to her mother, who had a beatific expression that annoyed Shannon more than she cared to admit.

“Where is he?” She craned her neck. “Did you bring him with you?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but no. I’m meeting him later for dinner at his hotel.”

“You should have brought him,” her mother said. “I’m sure these ladies would have loved to meet him.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Well, I’m glad he came to see you, Shannon. See? He does love you. He’s just been very busy lately, just like you’ll be once you’re back in the business you know best.”

“Melinda must be fully responsible for this,” Shannon muttered under her breath.

Her mother talked her into hanging around for lunch with the ladies. They all gushed and cooed over how beautiful Shannon was, and she smiled, accepting their compliments as gracefully as she could. But it was more of the same old adoring-her-for-her-beauty talk, making her very uncomfortable. The only time she could relax was when her mother told them how Shannon had talked her father into helping the poor family of the man who’d crashed into her. In fact, he was up in North Carolina now, working on some roof repairs.

“A good person as well as beautiful,” one of her mother’s friends said, sighing.

There it was again—another comment about her physical beauty. As soon as she could, she left.

Back at home, Shannon dialed Melinda’s number. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sending Armand?”

“He wanted to surprise you,” Melinda said in her own defense. “The man’s been pining over losing you, so I rearranged his schedule for the next several days.”

“Pining over me?”

“Yes. You should see how he’s been moping. I was worried the clients would notice, so I figured this would be the best thing for both of you.”

“Hmm. Okay, if you say so.” Shannon wasn’t sure what to say next.

“You are coming back with him, aren’t you?” The high-pitched sound of Melinda’s voice grated Shannon’s nerves. “I’m not sure yet,” Shannon admitted.

“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you come up here and give it a try? If you decide you don’t like it anymore, fine. But at least you’ll keep your place in the industry in the meantime.”

“Keep my place?”

“Yes, dear. It’s getting harder and harder to hold off the clients. They’re all starting to wonder if something’s seriously wrong with you.”

“They know about the scar, right?”

“They know you were injured.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I said you had some healing to do and that you’d be back as soon as you could. By the way, Armand says you look even more beautiful than before. He couldn’t see even a trace of a scar on your face.”

“He called you already?”

“Yes. Right after he left your apartment. You should have heard him. He was giddy with delight over seeing you. That man is completely and totally in love with you, Shannon. You’re one very fortunate girl.”

Shannon knew she should have been overcome with joy about the news, but she wasn’t. Instead, she found herself wondering how Armand’s feelings for her compared to Judd’s.

As she got ready to see Armand, Shannon thought about how Armand had come all the way here to drag her back to New York. Judd, on the other hand, hadn’t taken any steps to try to keep her in Atlanta. Even Janie had said she had to make the final decision herself. They’d all been praying for her, which was good. Maybe the answer to her prayer was Armand’s surprise arrival.

After sorting through her jumbled thoughts, she made the decision on the way to see Armand to give modeling another try. Melinda had told her that was an option, and she didn’t have to make a long-term commitment. She wouldn’t sign any new contracts that would tie her down, so if she decided to go back to Atlanta, she could at any time.

As always, Armand was five minutes late. He didn’t bother with an apology because punctuality wasn’t in his vocabulary. This suddenly became a sore spot with Shannon, but she didn’t say anything. Why had she put up with it for so long?

Throughout dinner, Armand worked on her, telling her about all the excitement in New York. Finally, she couldn’t stand his sales job any longer, so she figured she might as well put him out of his misery.

“I’m going back, Armand.”

“You’re what?” he asked, stunned.

“I think you heard me. I’m going back to New York.”

“This is wonderful news! Have you told Melinda?”

“I figured I’d call her first thing tomorrow.”

Armand’s eyes flickered with excitement through the rest of dinner. Neither of them ate dessert, but Shannon was dying for the chocolate cheesecake she knew the restaurant was known for. With a sigh, she resigned herself to living without desserts for as long as she remained in the modeling business.

By the time Shannon got back to her apartment, there was already a message on her machine. It was Melinda letting her know she had a test photo shoot scheduled for the following week.

Shannon knew that a test shoot meant they weren’t sure she still had what it took. There was risk involved here, but she didn’t feel the pressure like she once had. She’d done all this before, and it didn’t matter to her any longer whether she succeeded or not.

Now all she had to do was tell her friends in Atlanta.

“Please don’t go,” Janie begged. “I tried my best to hold back, but I can’t anymore. I think you’re making a huge mistake.”

“Why didn’t you say something before?” Shannon asked.

“I thought you needed to make this decision without my interference.”

“Since I’ve already committed to the photo shoot, I have to go. I’m still not sure that’s what I need to do. It’s only a test.”

“Well, I hope you fail miserably.” Shannon laughed out loud. “Some friend you are.”

“I’m the best friend you ever had,” Janie said with a pout.

“You’re right.”

At the Bible study, when Shannon announced her big plans, Judd just sat there and stared at the wall. When the session was over, Shannon walked up to him and nudged his arm.

“You didn’t say a word when I made my announcement.”

He shrugged. “There wasn’t much I could say.”

“What do you think about me doing this?”

Judd reached down, took her hand, and held it as he looked into her eyes. Her heart stood still for a moment before he spoke.

“I think this is something you need to do, Shannon, if for no other reason but to find out if it’s something you still want.”

Suddenly, her heart fell with a thud. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

As Shannon left Judd, she felt empty, almost as if nothing really mattered anymore. And there was nothing to keep her in Atlanta other than her own desire to stay.

She’d expected her mother to be overjoyed, but she’d expected something completely different from Judd.

All the way to her parents’ house the next morning, she braced herself for the smug satisfaction her mother was sure to show. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with it, but she might as well get it over with.

“I would go with you, but I have commitments at the club,” Shannon’s mother said.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m a big girl. I lived alone in New York for years.”

“I know, but this is such an important event for you, sweetheart. A turning point.”

Yes, it sure was a turning point. But Shannon wasn’t sure it was turning in the right direction.

“I’ll be just fine. My old apartment still hasn’t been leased, so I’ll be able to stay there.”

“I really think you should have taken Melinda up on her offer to find some roommates for you.”

Shannon almost laughed at her mother this time. When she’d first moved to New York, her goal was to make enough money to move out of a crowded apartment with three other roommates. Her mother had done everything in her power to help her. And now she wanted her right back to where she’d started. No thanks. Shannon enjoyed the peace and quiet of her own place after a long day of being in front of cameras and crews who told her where to stand, what to wear, and how to look.

The time between announcing her decision and leaving went by in a blur. She stepped on the plane, hesitating for a moment as her insides lurched. Finally, she steeled herself, put one foot in front of the other, and found her seat. Why she’d bothered with booking a first-class seat was beyond her. As numb as she was, it was a total waste of money.

Melinda had a car waiting for her at LaGuardia. The driver, a stodgy middle-aged man with a frayed jacket and cap slightly resembling an old navy officer’s uniform, held the door for her without uttering a single word.

He didn’t wait for her to tell him where she was going before whisking her off toward Manhattan. He seemed to have a destination in mind, so she focused on the sights whizzing by.

She should have known. He pulled up in front of the mirrored building that housed the Glamour Agency, where Melinda and a few of her underlings held court. He promised to deliver her bags to her old apartment as he waited for her to go inside the building.

As she remembered, the lobby was crowded with dozens of young, fresh faces, all of them hopeful of having a career at least half as good as hers had been.

“There’s Shannon McNab,” she heard someone whisper.

“I don’t think so,” the girl next to her whispered. “I heard her face was burned beyond recognition in the car accident.”

Shannon flashed her trademark smile. “Hi. I hope you girls get the contract of your dreams. Have a wonderful day.”

Their eyes all widened as she breezed past them. “That
is
her,” she heard as she went through the double doors without stopping at the receptionist’s desk.

“Shannon!” shouted the agent in the front office. “Hey, everyone! Shannon’s back!”

People came out of offices like bees out of a honeycomb, all of them hugging her and laughing with pure delight. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea, after all. It felt good to get such a warm reception.