Mom had a tear trickle down the side of her cheek.
“Oh, David, I’m sorry. I know this is killing you, but you need to grow from this. We all love Tami, but you’re my little boy. I think we all made assumptions because you two were inseparable. It makes me a little sad to see you growing up. But I’ll respect your wishes,” Mom assured me.
Mom called Tami back and told her that the car rumor was true, but it was a family matter now.
“Don’t be sad, Mom. Tami needed to hear what you said. You did me a favor. I don’t have to face her now.”
We got home to find Angie talking to Tami.
“Hang up, please,” Mom ordered.
Mom called a family meeting while I made brunch. I was starved, so I wasn’t waiting until after the meeting. Mom went into great detail about how Tami and my relationship had changed yesterday. The bottom line was we were still best friends, but she wasn’t family. Mom explained we all needed to be able to have frank and open discussions within the family and be assured it would stay within the family.
Tami wouldn’t be happy about this, I warned them.
Monday July 14
I WAS ON THE FIRST flight out of Chicago into New York. It was full of businesspeople who’d gotten an early jump so they could make business meetings. I sat next to a group of bankers going to a fraud symposium. I wanted to blow my brains out by the time I landed. The bankers were in their own little world of numbers and processes. I would go crazy, stuck in a cubicle all day.
I almost sprinted off the plane to get my bags. Ford told me to bring just about everything I owned. There was a man holding a sign with my name on it. It made me smile because I had five bags with me, a personal record. I needed his help to get everything to the car.
As we left the airport, I was reminded why I love New York. There was so much energy, you just felt anything was possible. I loved the high-rises and the wild ride. Seeing my driver navigate effortlessly through the congestion was a rush.
The driver took me to a three-story brownstone. I went up the steps with three of my bags and then ran down to get the other two. The driver had already been paid, so I tipped him. I rang the bell and was surprised when the person answering the door was someone I knew. It was Tiffany Edwards, Ava’s agent. I’d helped Ava with her portfolio, and she ended up being my date at the party where I kissed Adrienne, in Chicago.
“Good morning, Miss Edwards.”
She looked shocked that I remembered her.
“Hello, David, and please call me Tiffany. You have the front bedroom on the third floor. Since you’re the only guy, you’ll have a single. When you get unpacked, come back down and we’ll talk.”
It took me two trips to get my bags upstairs. I was happy to see most everything was wrinkle-free. I would have to figure out where an iron was later. When I was done unpacking, I came down and found Tiffany in the living room.
“I received a call from Devin Range before you arrived. He said congratulations on being ranked number one, whatever that means. He would like you to do a store appearance. Finally, he needs you for some catalog work. So you’ve been in New York for less than an hour, and you already have three jobs.”
The rankings for football must have come out. I would have to check the recruiting websites when I got a chance. My phone chirped. It was a text from Tom confirming my ranking. Hell, yes!
“Sorry, you only said two of them, the store and catalog work.”
“Jade wants you for a shoot this afternoon,” she clarified.
Jade was a young men’s and women’s clothing line that was very much in demand right now. If it was like their other advertising, I would have my shirt off most of the time, and I’d be with someone smoking-hot.
“What time do we have to be there?” I asked.
“What do you mean, ‘we?’”
“My contract states that I must have a chaperone at every shoot. Do you need to see it?” I asked.
I went to my Dropbox account and emailed the Ford contract to her. She read the first three sentences and her head snapped up.
“You’ve got a five-year contract?”
I just nodded. She read the rest and didn’t look happy.
“I have the girls all showing up this afternoon at different times. I can’t go.”
“Then we need to hire someone,” I told her.
“I don’t have the authorization to do that,” she told me.
I flipped to the perks page and it spelled out what the chaperone’s duties were and what Ford would pay. She looked like she’d just bit into a bad lemon.
“Hang on. I might have someone who’ll do it,” I told her.
I called Tyler, Adrienne’s girlfriend and business partner.
“Hey, I’m in town and I need some help with a shoot,” I told Tyler.
“What do you need, kid?”
I love how New Yorkers don’t take any shit.
“I have a shoot with Jade and my contract calls for a chaperone.”
“What does it pay?”
I told her. I also explained it was this afternoon, and they had to be able to sign off on photos.
“Tell you what, I’ve wanted an excuse to get my foot in the door at Jade, so I’ll meet you there.”
I hung up.
“We’re all set,” I told Tiffany.
“Great. Now let’s go over the house rules. Respect everyone and their property. Work comes before training. No overnight guests. No drugs. No going out alone; well, that one’s more for the girls. Just be watchful if you’re coming home late, and be aware of your surroundings.
“We have a catered meal brought in three times a day,” she told me as she handed me the menu.
I glanced at it and knew I was on my own for food. It was mostly fruit and salads. I would just have to add to it. I made a note to talk with Kendal about my contract. This bird food didn’t cut it.
She gave me a key and contact numbers and she was done with me. I looked at the time and had to get going soon, so I ran down to the corner deli and bought my lunch. I tried their hot pastrami with spicy mustard. I went back to the house and grabbed a salad and some fruit that I ate in the kitchen. When I was done, I ran upstairs and showered. I found it saved time at the shoot to shower beforehand.
I came downstairs to find my car waiting on me. I was worried for a little bit because we hit traffic, but my driver found an alternate route. I was glad I wasn’t driving. These streets were narrow and the people were crazy.
I was hustled in and sent to makeup. A man in a suit came back with a blank release form.
“We need to get you to sign this so we can get the shoot started,” he told me.
“I’m not authorized to sign anything,” I answered, as Kendal had taught me.
“Look, our lawyer’s here, and we have to get the paperwork done now so he can leave. We’re on a tight schedule, so please don’t hold things up,” he said, acting reasonably.
I had been warned about this ploy at my first photo shoot. They get you to sign the release, and the next thing you know you have nude photos on the Internet. I was about to tell him what I thought of this when Tyler showed up.
“Hey, Tyler, can you deal with these blank release forms? I can’t sign what I can’t read.”
She smiled at me. Holy Crap! I had no idea Tyler was an attorney, and a scary attorney to boot. She explained to the studio rep that I was a minor. She wanted to see all the film already shot. She explained if they stalled her, they’d be out of business by the end of the day. About that time, the rep from Jade showed up.
That’s when it got fun. I wished I had a bag of popcorn as I sat back and watched the fireworks. The Jade rep fired the studio on the spot. I was told to get dressed, and we were headed back to their offices. They had a small place on site where they could do the session. The studio was as scared of Tyler as I was impressed. They had video of me in the dressing room. At some point, I would have been nude.