Page 4 of See You Soon
“That sucks. Have you lived with her long?”
“Look up for me,” Cara instructed, using a thin brush to touchup where tiny flecks of eyeshadow had fallen. “No, I only met her six months ago through school. I recently moved to Atlanta and don’t really know anyone. Makes it hard to find someone to live with.”
“Where are you from?”
The tip of Cara’s tongue peeked out from between her lips as she peered closely at her work. Behind her, she heard the show coordinator calling for last touches.
“All over,” she muttered vaguely, as she pulled the tissue paper away from Melody’s shirt. “Close your eyes.” Cara patted a final layer of setting powder over the model’s décolletage and applied the setting spray.
Melody opened her eyes and peered at herself in the hand mirror Cara offered. “See you around.”
Cara cleaned her brushes slowly, listening to the familiar frenzy before the first look went out. It was a safe bet to pack up most of her stuff. She might be called on to do touchups, but most of her tools could be put away. Melody almost recognizing her had been unsettling, particularly on the heels of learning Erik had been in town.
So far, no one in Atlanta had put together Cara Blease with Cara Bloom. Everyone seemed to accept she was who she said she was—a young woman studying to become a makeup artist–and not the socialite heiress she used to be. At least the move to Georgia had been successful in one regard. Her admirer had disappeared.
“You did a great job,” Stephanie said, appearing at her shoulder. “You can go if you want. Renee and Dharma are going to stay for the touch ups.”
Cara swallowed a sigh. As tired as she was, she needed the extra money she would have made staying for the whole show. Stephanie handed her an envelope of cash.
“You do really good work. I appreciate that you don’t get flustered and actually show up when you’re supposed to. Call me later this week, I have some appointments you could cover in the salon.”
“That would be great!”
Cara finished cleaning her things and packed them neatly into her rolling makeup case. Her brother James had sent her a bunch of confused-face emojis when she sent him the link to what she wanted for Christmas. However, he still had the exact makeup case she’d asked for delivered to his mother Anne’s house where Cara spent the holiday with the twins.
She frowned thinking of Declan. He had declined Anne’s invitation as well as the one from his own mother, Siobhan, to spend Christmas with her and his older half-brother Seamus in Dublin. Instead of spending the holiday with family, for the first time, Declan went skiing with friends.
Cara chewed her lip as she closed the clasps. She worried about her brother. Declan was pulling further and further away from his siblings, and she didn’t know why. Cara, Declan and the twins shared a father, but had different mothers. Despite the potential for disaster, the women had chosen to raise David Bloom’s children as a family—long-distance but still family. The boys and their respective mothers were the only true family she had left.
She loved her mother, but Corinne had her own issues. Growing up, Corinne had been far from maternal and even now only spoke to Cara when she needed something—usually attention.
Cara edged around the perimeter of the room, stopping at the doors when classical music filled the air. She glanced over her shoulder as the first of the brides made their way down the runway. Her mind immediately relived all the shows spent backstage as a young child, following her mother around the globe. The smells of champagne, cigarettes, and makeup mixed with sweat and too much perfume.
Once surrounded by sycophants and hangers-on, her mother typically forgot Cara was even there. She would trail behind, trying to stay out of the way, as her beautiful, magnetic mother was transformed into whatever fantastic creature the designer had envisioned for the show. It fascinated Cara—like grown-ups playing dress up.
Corinne’s hair was twisted up in horns or covered by bubblegum pink wigs—bold colors, feather eyelashes, icy palettes with iridescent crystals glued to her mother’s flawless face—Cara couldn’t get enough. She loved those moments before the signal to walk was given, the final minutes with seamstresses adjusting fits and everyone scurrying into place.
When the show was over, Corinne would rush backstage with the other models and designers, gushing over each other, unless of course she was in conflict with someone, which was frequent. Next, the celebrities and various VIPs would arrive. When Cara was little, she tried to stay out of the way, but as she got older, it was inconvenient for Corinne to have her child standing next to her, reminding everyone of her age. That was when Siobhan and Anne had stepped in, convincing Corinne that Cara needed more structure in her life.
Making her way to the parking deck, Cara tried not to be discouraged. She was learning a lot about makeup, and getting to practice on so many different skin types was great, but the freelance jobs didn’t pay enough. She needed to find steadier income. One of the many production companies in Atlanta would be ideal, but she didn’t have the experience or the connections necessary to get a job like that. Not as Cara Blease, anyway.
Cara stowed her rolling case in the backseat of her car and drove back to the small condo she shared with her soon-to-be ex-roommate. She looked longingly at the cute restaurants lining the streets but forced herself to keep driving. As much as she would love to pick up a specialty salad for lunch, her budget told her to eat the groceries at home.
Thankfully, the condo was empty when she arrived. Zoe and her ever-present boyfriend, Jeremy, were out. After fixing herself a salad, she opened her computer and pulled up the spreadsheet where she tracked her expenses.
Cara had hated business school! She spent more time with her friends and worrying about when her next vacation was than actually preparing for the courses. But she wasn’t completely devoid of how to function in the real world. Taking in the numbers on the screen, she flopped back on her bed with a frustrated breath.
Her savings from selling her BMW had gone fast! And now she needed to find a new place to live which meant solo rent and all new deposits. She chewed her lip. Almost as if she’d conjured him, her brother James’s handsome face flashed on the phone screen lying next to her on the bed.
“Hey, Car-Bear,” his deep voice said when she answered.
“Don’t call me that!” Her response was automatic. “Shouldn’t you be at work or something?”
“It’s the weekend. Federal courts are closed.”
“That’s not what I asked.” She grinned smugly even though she knew her brother couldn’t see it.
“Just doing some reading.” James never wanted to discuss cases with his family. “I’m actually heading to the gym in a bit, but I wanted to check in. How’s it going?”
