“I don’t see why not. Dad and I and your brother will figure it out.”
Her brother was a senior and driving, but he’d never acted horrible about taking her places when one of their parents couldn’t. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Now, are you done worrying about everything under the sun?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She held up the container that had been sitting in the cup holder. “Because I brought you a shake.”
“You did?” she asked, pretending that ice cream wasn’t her favorite food in the world. “What kind?”
“It’s a vanilla malt from Frank’s Frozen Custard. Last I heard, it was your favorite. Any interest?” She picked it up and playfully looked like she was going to take a sip. “Of course, if you don’t want it now that you’re the main Sugar Plum Fairy, I’ll be happy to consume all those calories.”
Giggling, Bethany snatched it out of her mother’s hand. “Stop. I still want it!”
Her mother laughed as she started driving home.
Taking a sip, she smiled. “These are the best malts in the world. Thanks, Mom.”
“Anytime.”
As her mother drove with care along the windy roads of Bridgeport, which were partially covered in snow, Bethany thought about the beautiful costume she was going to get to wear and how good it felt to do something well.
And how good it felt to get noticed.
Between that, her mother’s sweet treat, and Jeremy finally making a move, it had been a good day. One of the best.
CHAPTER 13
“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.”
In the end, deciding whether or not to accept the modeling job hadn’t been a difficult decision after all. A model’s career was a short one, one that Kimber had often compared to a pro athlete’s. She had a finite number of years to make good money before everyone moved onto the next “it girl,” and she was left behind like yesterday’s news. She also couldn’t think of another job where she could earn six figures in four or five days.
Put that way, her choice hadn’t really been a choice at all. A couple of weeks of watching her figure and a week of being at a photographer’s beck and call was nothing compared to the amount of security she’d gain. After all, one never knew what was going to happen in one’s future. There might be a time when that extra money would come in handy.
“I’m so relieved, Kimber,” Brett said when she’d called to tell him the news. “Last night, I swear I almost drank myself silly worrying about what I was going to say if you told me no.”
Sitting on the couch by the fireplace in their loft, Kimber rolled her eyes. “Drinking himself silly” was a constant occurrence in Brett’s life.
He didn’t need an excuse, it just happened. At one time, she’d worried about him, fearing that he was going down a dark path. Now though, she shrugged it off. She’d come to learn that her agent exaggerated as much as he supposedly drank.
She tucked her legs under her in an attempt to get warm. She never knew when he was being real and when he was heaping on the BS. Deciding to take the high road, she said, “I’m glad you’re happy. I’m happy too. Ecstatic. I appreciate you calling me about this job. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I’d do anything for you, Kimber. You’re special to me.”
Oh, gag. She’d heard him say the same thing to a dozen other models. “I’m assuming you’ll email me with the information?”
“Yep. Expect your flight info in the next day or so.”
“Thanks.” When Traci and Shannon walked into the kitchen, Shannon wearing slim black leggings and an ugly Christmas sweater emblazoned with jingle all the way, she felt a sense of relief. Brett might be a great agent, but he still made her uncomfortable. Honestly, he was the exact opposite of her down-to-earth sisters.
Surging to her feet, Kimber said, “Sorry, but I’ve got to go. Something just came up. Bye.” She hung up as he was sputtering questions at her. As far as she was concerned, she’d done what he wanted and he could wait a few more days to ask anything more of her.
“Who was that?” Traci asked as she poured herself some coffee. “Oh, and what is there to eat? Has Jennifer made anything good?”
“Was it Gunnar?” Shannon asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling.
“Not Gunnar. That was Brett—and yes, cherry scones.”
Shannon had already gotten herself a cup of coffee and started walking into their living room. Kimber followed and flicked the switch on the gas fireplace.
After standing in front of the fire for a moment with a pleased smile on her face, Shannon took the chair closest to it. “Brett? As in Brett the agent?”
“None other.”
Traci brought over both the tin of scones and her cup of coffee. Placing the tin on the coffee table, she grabbed one and sat down next to Shannon. “Any reason why he called?”
“Yep. He called yesterday to offer me a job.”
Traci looked at her closely. “And . . .”
“And it was a really good job. One of the best opportunities I’ve ever had.” She waved a hand. “Women’s Weekly offered me the cover—an inside spread, everything.”
“And I guess it pays real well too,” Shannon said dryly.
“It does. The whole package was too good to pass up.” She still felt self-conscious about her earnings, but she would never lie about the money.
“Where is the photo shoot?” Traci asked. Both her posture and her tone seemed carefully controlled.
“It’s just New York. Not far at all. And it’s only for a couple of days. It seemed almost too good to be true.” Huh. Was she selling the job to them or herself?
Shannon put down her coffee cup. “I’m starting to realize why you’re telling us all this. You took the job.” Her voice was flat.
“I did. I didn’t have a choice.”
Traci eyed her over the top rim of her coffee cup. “Sure you did, Kimber. You can always say no.”
“You two don’t know what it’s like. People in my profession don’t get asked to do things like this very often. Usually never. This was a really good offer—and I’ll probably never get offered a job like this again.”
Shannon got back to her feet and turned to face the fire.
Traci, on the other hand, was staring at her directly. “I’m not saying you were wrong to take it . . . only that you shouldn’t pretend you didn’t want to.”