Page 114 of Awestruck at Dusk
“Shit, shit, shit!” She grabbed a tissue and patted her face with it. “I’m so sorry, mama,” she said to Caro.
“Hey, it’s okay,” she said reassuringly. Caro hugged Lily. It was a long, warm, and protective hug. Frankie paced inside the room. She looked pissed. With good reason.
Caro waited for Lily to compose herself before fixing her makeup.
About twenty minutes later, someone stepped inside the room without knocking. “Leonard left, and so did his assistant,” the woman said in a rush. “He didn’t say why. He just did. We tried getting a hold of someone else, but no one’s available right now on such short notice. We’re going to have to reschedule. We’ll let you know.”
What! I wanted to jump up and down and hug Lily. I was ecstatic about the news. Leonard leaving meant he was scared shitless about everything Aaron said to him. And I was glad.
The tall, brown-skinned woman, with long, straight, platinum hair, turned around to leave.
“Billie’s a photographer!” Lily shouted back.
The woman turned around and said, “Who’s he?”
I bit the inside of my lip to avoid a laugh escaping me before realizing Lily was suggestingmeas the photographer for the shoot. The smile melted off my face as I went into a panic.
“She,” Lily clarified. “Her.” Lily pointed at me. “Billie’s a photographer. And I’m not just saying this, but she’s a badass, Becca. She’s photographed me before. We work great together.”
Becca scanned me from head to toe with a pout—analyzing me.
“I mean, yeah, we could reschedule, or you could have Billie take a few shots to see if you like them,” Lily continued. “We’re already here. Won’t it be a nightmare to reschedule?”
“I remember you,” Becca said to me, squinting her eyes, pointing a finger at me, and taking a few steps my way. “You wore that beautiful Enzio de Luca ensemble to the premiere with William Sjöberg.”
“Ah, yes. That was me,” I said, feeling how my heart tightened on me at the mention of William’s name.
“You guys dated?” she asked with a crooked smile.
I was about to deny it when Lily said, “Yes.”
Crap.
“Interesting.” Becca tilted her head. She gave me one last look and said, “Let me talk to Joaquín. He needs to authorize this.” She stepped out, and I dropped myself back on the couch.
“Lily, I’m about to hyperventilate here. What the fuck.”
She jumped down from the chair and tackled me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She kissed my cheeks a few times. “I can’t believe Leonard left! You have to thank your father for me. I—I have no words. Thank you!” She hugged me again. “I’m sorry about the William thing just now. But I know how these people operate. The fact that they think you dated William has already sparked an interest in Becca. They will accept if only because of that. And Iknowhow great you are. They’ll be impressed with your work in the end.”
“What if I make a fool of myself? This is Haute Magazine we’re talking about.”
“My point exactly! What if you don’t?” Lily mused, climbing up to her chair again. Caro would have to redo her lips after kissing my cheeks. “Don’t you want to see what you’re capable of? Besides, I owe you big time. It’s the least I can do. I’m sure you’ll do great. And you’ve already photographed me before. You know all my good angles.” She chuckled.
There weren’t any bad angles on Lily’s face, but sure.
“Billie,” a man said with an accent, stepping inside the room. “Nice to meet you. I’m Joaquín Serrano.” He extended his hand, and I shook it and greeted him back. I was sure he was Spanish, so I asked him. He was.
We switched to Spanish as Becca lowered the corners of her lips and nodded a few times, looking impressed as he asked me a few questions.
“Vamos a intentarlo,vale?” Joaquín said. He saidtry, and I could do that. I could give it a try. We agreed that I would leave to grab my camera. The studio provided plenty of the necessary equipment for the shoot, and I was familiarized with almost everything since we did a lot of studio practice at Parsons.
My security detail drove me hastily back home. I wanted to choose which cameras to bring over. I had a few. And when I came back, Lily was ready and wearing an amazing all-white one-piece swimsuit. A woman was styling her look with different accessories, and Caro and Frankie made sure she was good to go with her hair and makeup.
My hands trembled. I positioned myself on the set while Joaquín and two more women rambled about the concept, the lighting, and their general expectations for the shoot.
Breathe.
I took a few lighting tests and showed them to the creative team. I could sense how they wanted to micromanage me, and I didn’t blame them. They knew nothing about me. They were giving me a chance, and I had to prove myself to them. To earn their trust.
