Page 39 of Beauty and the Nerd
“It’s still up for debate between it and just finance. I’ve got another year before I really have to make that decision—it’s still technically my first year at Columbia even though I do have some extra credits from high school AP courses and the summer session I did there before the fall term. It’s let me take some additional classes that are more in line with where my interests are than just solely the general ed classes this year.”
“And you’re already looking for internship possibilities?” Lyle asked in surprise.
“I want to stay in town over the summer again, which means needing to have the dorm available, so that’s either with an internship through the school or taking summer classes again. Or if I can’t swing that, getting a job and finding a cheap room to rent somewhere so I can stay close to my girl,” Ben said sending the man’s brow upward even higher.
“My parents don’t want us living together yet,” Emma said as Ben pressed a kiss to her temple. “My dad travels to town monthly with his job, so it worked out for them to getan apartment where I can stay using the remainder of my scholarship and college fund to help cover the costs on top of the stipend his job gave him in lieu of paying for hotels for his week long stay in town. So, there’s no getting around that easily and some things happened back home that have me not wanting to go back for the summer.”
“She means everyone’s agreed that it’s best for her not to come home for the summer so her jackass ‘ex’ can’t try to hurt or assault her again. She has a restraining order against him now but it’s better for her not to be there,” Megan said, drawing Emerson’s wide eyes their way.
“It’s a long story but I’m fine. Ben called my dad who in turn made my mom come up last October and they bullied me into therapy. They were right to do it but even my therapist agrees that going home after what he attempted to do at New Year’s, after just getting off of a rape charge, is not the best idea. I just want to move forward from it now,” she said, smiling at the hug the other woman gave her.
“I’d say this is a very good way to do that then,” Emerson said, turning the computer screen their way. There was a full mockup of a webpage on it and her jaw dropped a bit seeing the photos of herself mixed in with a couple other women she’d watched be photographed earlier this morning. “I can’t wait for you to come back, and we get the second half of this line shot. It’s going to be fabulous.”
“Naturally with you designing it, angel,” Lyle said, dropping a kiss onto her smiling lips. “Why don’t you send me an email,” he added to Ben, handing over a card. “Maybe we can sit down to dinner after these girls have their next shoot and see what an internship might look like.”
“Sure, I’d love that,” Ben said, before his full attention turned towards Emma. “I can feel your stomach growling now, so let’s go get you something to eat and then you and Megan can watchthat new Stone movie you’ve been gabbing about. I have a paper due on Tuesday so I can work on it while you drool over some superhero moves.”
“Mmm, see why I love him?” she teased, giving Megan a grin.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…rub it in that you somehow found the one guy from our high school that wasn’t a total jerk and on top of that was smart and surprisingly cute. Hey, no way am I saying he’s more than that. I know how your jealous butt gets when others talk about your man,” Megan teased in return at her offended look, sending them out with smiles and an appointment for next Thursday afternoon for her to come back for the next shoot.
Tuesdays and Thursdays were her short days. She normally had a study group with some others during the afternoon, but she could skip one with ease, especially if it meant Ben having a chance to get an internship that would keep him in town over the summer.
She waited until Wednesday night when Ben came by for dinner with her and her dad to tell him about the photoshoot, showing him some of the photos that Emerson sent her as they’d texted back and forth since Friday. Ben kissed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze when her dad’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he flipped through them.
“I was a bit skeptical as well at first about it when Emma and Megan told me about the offer to stop by the shoot last Friday to check it out,” Ben said when her dad sat her phone down gently, his face a bit unreadable. “So, I went online and did some researching, learning that it was true that Emerson had done something like it before with some of the other girls that modeled for her. The only thing I don’t think I found out before she went to the shoot was that she was married to Lyle Cort.”
“Is he one of those actors you girls all like or some online personality or something?” her dad asked them making her grin when Ben shook his head no.
“He’s the owner of Cortland Finance. It’s a huge financial and investment firm that I’ve done some research on with some of my courses at school this year. The man’s a financial genius,” Ben stated, and she laughed softly giving him a kiss.
“He also is what one would have called a nerd in high school,” she added sending her dad’s brow up a bit further. “I knew Emerson was a bit surprised when she saw the pictures of me and Ben that Megan used to show her that I wasn’t a complete novice in front of a camera, just definitely not a professional. It wasn’t until her husband showed up that I knew it wasn’t the bad kind of surprised, that she understood how I’d be able to fall for a ‘nerd’ rather than going for someone just to look attractive next to me. Not that you aren’t handsome, because you know I love the way you look,” she teased him, laughing beneath the kiss he dropped onto her lips.
“I know exactly what you meant, Emmy,” he promised.
“I think one of the reasons it was so easy, and I was so comfortable doing the photos is because we understand each other on a level maybe others, especially ones that love fashion or are in the fashion world, can’t. Plus, doing the shoot tomorrow means that Ben can get some more facetime with Lyle. He could potentially get an internship with him this summer to let him stay in the city too.”
“You’re planning to be up here all summer?” her dad asked Ben.
“I hope to be, don’t want to leave Emma here alone or be away from her for that long, but that means having to keep my dorm room or find my own place,” Ben said as her dad’s chin lifted a bit. “I could basically roll a semester forward, or at least part of one and stay in the dorm by taking more classes, or if Iget an internship through the school they’ll work with us so we can stay in them. The other option is to find a place on my own and try to get a paid internship or job that will cover it during the summer, while hoping the rest of my non-school sponsored scholarship will cover rent for the rest of the year.”
“Let me get this straight, you’re willingly going to take more classes rather than taking a short break, or get an internship or paid job to afford staying in the city rather than asking if you could stay here overnight, just so Emma won’t be alone?” her dad asked looking between them and Emma had to fight not to blush because there was a look in his eyes that said he knew they’d already broken the overnight rule.
“I will do whatever is necessary to be able to stay in the city, without trying to manipulate or pressure you and Mrs. Watkins to amend the rules you set with Emma on the apartment,” Ben replied, making her fall even further for him, especially when her dad simply chuckled in response to it.
“Your mother and I discussed it, knowing that you’ve likely already broken the overnight rule, even if you didn’t admit to it, but since you’ve both been courteous enough to abide by it without complaint while I’ve been in town, we could overlook that. Especially with everything that happened over the winter break to make it more feasible for Emma to remain here in the city than come home over the summer. We’ve been waiting for you to ask if Ben could stay at least during part of the summer,” her dad added making her eyes widen a bit in shock.
“I…I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure what you’d think,” Emma said as Ben pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Then Ben mentioned looking into the classes and internship opportunities so he could stay and I figured I’d see what came from them before mentioning it as an option, especially if it meant him being super busy the entire summer while I’d be here pretty much on my own the entire time. I mean, even when you’rehere, we only get maybe one or two nights out of the entire week where we get to have dinner together,” she added with a glance at her dad who nodded in understanding. “I thought about maybe looking for a part-time job so I wouldn’t be so bored if Ben was in classes most of the day or at an office during it, but with this offer from Emerson to do some modeling for her, that could take up part of my time as well as give me some money to put towards Ben’s expenses if he would stay in town over the summer.”
“We can discuss all of that maybe next month when your mom comes up with me,” he returned making her fight to not instantly break out in the biggest grin ever. “I know I can’t keep you my little girl forever, and I have to accept that you and Ben are fully together…”
“Not fully,” she mused, not quite meaning to, but it slipped out all the same, stopping her dad’s words and he looked between them in a bit of shock.
“I promised Emma last year that until she was fully ready I wouldn’t begin to pressure her for anything, especially not after learning the extent of what happened with Carter. Until we’re both in the same place with everything in our relationship, it wouldn’t feel right to push forward with anything else,” Ben told him, making her dad smile a bit.
“IfBen did happen to stay over a time or two, it would have been just as innocently as when you all found us asleep on the couch during Spring Break last year,” Emma tacked on sending his brow upwards a hint, not about to admit it wasn’t nearly as innocent as that night—even if they hadn’t gone all the way yet.
“I’ll gladly think that’s all that’s ever happened for now then. Now, as for this modeling…have you brought it up with the therapist or thought what might happen when people see the photos online or in print, or however they’ll be displayed?” her dad asked and she filled him in on her latest appointment withShawna and the not quite as delicately put questions she’d posed to her on the subject.
