Page 56 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“Un surfista, pero elegante,” I repeated, grabbing the Polaroids and flipping through them. Joaquín wanted a photoshoot on a snowy beach and the golden vibes of a surf boy without neglecting elegance. Haute Magazine elegance. He complained about how the proposed male models looked like hippies, and about how Sookie, the model who would pose alongside this “elegant surf boy,” would faint with horror at the sight of them.
When I relayed Joaquín’s brief to the team, chaos erupted in the meeting room. Everyone began talking among themselves, suggesting names, and saying how this and that would be a great fit for the project. But all I could think of amid the energetic chatter was how I knew of a certain “boy” with “elegant surf vibes,” and I needed to suggest him as an option for this cover.
“What about Liam Kelly?” I used the loudest voice I could muster without yelling, trying to make myself heard by the team. I quickly learned that in this job, you either speak out or you become invisible and get dusted off into a dark, boring corner. “I know he’s an actor, but he’s modeled before too.”
“Hmm,” Joaquín said, narrowing his eyes as he stared at an invisible spot on the white pristine wall surrounding us. “Becca.” He swiveled his fingers, and somehow, Becca knew what he was asking of her. Within seconds, she handed over her phone to Joaquín, who scrolled through the Google image search results showcasing a myriad of Liam’s pictures.
The room became silent as we waited for Joaquín’s verdict on my spontaneous recommendation.
“Get in touch with his agent,” Joaquín said to Becca, knocking on the table before getting up from his seat. “See if he’s available.”
“I can ask him right now if you want,” I said to Joaquin as he walked away. “He’s my friend.”
“Is he in the city?” Joaquín turned around in the graceful way that characterized him.
“He is.”
“Ask him if he can come by for Polaroids. The sooner, the better. With Thanksgiving weekend coming up, I don’t want to waste any more time on this.” His phone rang, and he took the call before the first ring fizzled out.
“Elegant surf boy?” Becca said with a grimace. “Thank God you thought of Liam Kelly. Joaquín was driving me nuts.”
I laughed.
“Why don’t we go to my office so we can call him?” she suggested. I nodded. “Come on.”
I followed Becca to her grownup office, took a seat in one of the modern leather chairs in front of her, and pulled out my phone.
Liam’s phone kept ringing, but he wasn’t picking up.
“He’s probably busy, but I’m sure he’ll call me back once he …”
My phone rang, and I showed the caller ID displaying Liam’s name to Becca with a smile.
“Hey,” I said quickly. “Where are you?”
“Meeting, darling,” he said in his cute accent. “Well, I’m stepping out from one. Miss me already? Not having William around is making you needy. Want to hang out?”
My cheeks fired up with embarrassment. This was typicalLiam behavior, but I hoped Becca couldn’t listen in, so I clicked the side button to lower the volume.
“You wish,” I said with a quick laugh. “This is important, so please try to focus.” Becca tilted her head and watched me as I talked to Liam, curiosity filling her eyes. “We need an elegant surf boy for the February cover, and naturally, I thought of you.”
“My, my, my.” Liam chuckled. “Seems like you’ve called the right man for the job.”
“They saidboy, not man, so,” I teased. “You can see why I thought of you.”
“Funny. And what do I get if I agree to this?” His voice dropped to an almost sensual tone.
“Paid?”
He laughed, and Becca smiled. I was sure she could still listen to Liam over the speaker, or maybe she was intrigued by the back and forth between us.
“Well, duh. But, like, will you owe me a favor?”
“I mean, sure?” I mouthed sorry to Becca because this was taking longer than expected. “Do you need one?”
“I might.”
“Okay, that’s it. I’ve got Elegant Surf Boy #2 waiting on the other line, so if you’re not going to…”
