Yahrah St. John - Lost Without You

Lunch came surprisingly fast and Gabrielle had to admit she was looking forward to eating with Courtney. Despite the fact that, prior to its acquisition by Graham International, Adams Cosmetics had been considered a boutique cosmetics firm, there had been plenty of write-ups about Courtney as a spokesmodel. Courtney attended the latest industry events and fashion shows and kept Adams Cosmetics in the public eye. It had caused quite a stir in the community when the company hired the actress Noelle Warner as the face of its first fragrance, Hypnotic.

All five foot ten of Courtney was waiting for her in the lobby. She looked poised and sophisticated in her tailored designer duds and fancy handbag. No wonder she thought that Gabrielle looked frumpy in comparison in her gray pantsuit. “So how was the first half of your day?” Courtney inquired, peering down at her as she searched her purse for her keys. “I hope better than the first hour.”

An image of Shane popped in Gabrielle’s mind and she smiled warmly. “Much better. Mr. Adams and I are on the same page.”

“I knew he’d come around,” Courtney said as she walked toward the exit. Gabrielle assumed she was to follow and fell in beside her.

Once outside, Courtney stopped in front of the driver’s side of her Porsche Boxster and quickly jumped in the convertible. “Well, don’t just stand there. Get in!”

“Sorry,” Gabrielle said as she slid into the passenger side. The seats were leather and felt as smooth as butter. “This is a nice ride.”

“Thanks,” Courtney responded as she fired up the engine. “Since it’s your first day, I’m taking you to the Sun Dial.” The trilevel restaurant inside the Westin Peachtree Plaza was known for having a spectacular view of the Atlanta skyline.

“Sounds great!” Gabrielle replied. “Doesn’t it revolve?”

“How do you know? Are you from here?”

“Yes. I’m from Marietta.”

“Really? Shane never told me you were from this area. Isn’t it funny that you would both have careers in the same industry?”

Yeah, real funny, Gabrielle thought to herself. Courtney had no idea that she’d learned everything she knew from her father and Jax Cosmetics.

They arrived at the restaurant surprisingly quickly considering it was lunchtime. After a seventy-three-story elevator ride, the maître d’ was waiting for them. He knew Courtney and seated them in a prime spot with a view of the CNN Center and the Georgia Dome. Gabrielle watched as he rushed to pull out Courtney’s seat and saw how flustered he became when Courtney batted her eyelashes up at him. “Do men always treat you like that?” she inquired once they were seated and perusing the lunch menu.

“Like what?” Courtney asked.

“Never mind.” Clearly Courtney was oblivious to the attention she obtained from the male species. Gabrielle doubted any man had ever looked at her quite like that. Not even Preston, with whom she’d shared a short but compatible relationship at school. He’d been a pleasant enough boyfriend who treated her well and who accepted her as she was. He hadn’t expected her to gussy herself up.

“What are you having?” Courtney asked.

“Not sure yet.”

“I’m thinking the flat-iron steak and mashed potatoes. Being a model is tough at times. I have to maintain my figure, otherwise I won’t keep getting loaner clothes. So I’d better stick with the pecan-crusted chicken salad.”

“That suit isn’t yours?”

“No, the designers all send me clothes off the rack in the hopes that I will wear them and be photographed.”

“It must be awful not to eat what you enjoy,” Gabrielle said as she sipped on her water.

“That’s the thing, I do eat,” Courtney said, “which is why I’m in the gym six days a week, two hours a day to maintain this figure.” She motioned down from her head to her toe. “Anyway, enough about me. Why don’t you tell me the real reason you accepted a position with your archrival?”

Gabrielle nearly spit out her water and began coughing uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry,” Courtney apologized and reached across to slap Gabrielle’s back. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I guess I wasn’t prepared for you to be so…uh, straightforward.”

Courtney smiled broadly. “You mean blunt, but I appreciate your tactfulness. You’re also avoiding answering my question.”

“Adams Cosmetics is a great company.”

“But we are a small boutique firm,” Courtney added.

“Not anymore.”

“True.” Courtney nodded. “But you must have known that accepting this position meant working closely with Shane, who according to him, you despised.”

“Despise? No, I don’t despise Shane,” Gabrielle said. How could she? She’d always been secretly attracted to him, but she would never tell another soul that.

“Then what?”

“Then nothing.” Gabrielle stared intently at the menu, hoping Courtney couldn’t see the truth.

Courtney remained silent for several long, excruciating moments before finally saying, “You have a thing for my brother, don’t you?”

“Shane?” Gabrielle’s voice rose several octaves. “Of course not. We’ve always had a rivalry. Much like siblings would,” she added for good measure, trying to cover her tracks.

“And you see my hazel-eyed, athletic, immensely attractive brother like a sibling?” Courtney raised a brow. Now there was a lie she hadn’t heard before.

“I don’t deny Shane has a certain appeal.” Gabrielle chose her words very carefully. “He always has. I remember in school how he had a bevy of women who would fawn all over him, and he ate it up with a spoon. I’m sure Shane has never been at a loss for having a beautiful, sexy woman on his arm.”

“Ah, so there’s the rub,” Courtney said, eyeing her suspiciously. “You’re envious of the other women. You think he’s superficial, so you’ve chosen to downplay your looks in the hopes that he will finally notice the inner you.” Courtney placed her hand over Gabrielle’s. “Darling, let me tell you, you could end up alone in bed every night if you continue on this route. There are a number of women trying to trap my brother into marriage, and if you don’t act quickly, someone will snap him up.”

“I am not interested in Shane.”

“Sure, you’re not.”

The waiter came back to take their order and Courtney ordered the salad while Gabrielle chose the chicken fusilli pasta. That didn’t prevent Courtney from taking up where she left off in the conversation once he’d gone. “My advice to you would be to glam it up. Let my brother see that you are a force to be reckoned with. And knowing Shane, he will not back down from a good challenge.”

“How can you talk this way about your own brother?” Gabrielle asked Courtney. “You just met me, and clearly Shane did not speak well of me in the past.”

“True, but I have a good feeling about you. I knew you were different when we met, which is why I asked you to lunch,” Courtney replied. “Call it female intuition, but I think you are exactly what my brother needs.”

“You have it all wrong, Courtney. I’m the exact opposite of the kind of woman your brother dates.”

“Which is why you’re absolutely perfect for him,” Courtney replied. “And it’s why I’m going to make you over so you can win him over.”

* * *

Gabrielle sat in the car on the way back from lunch with Courtney completely flabbergasted. She’d tried explaining to Courtney that she dressed conservatively so that men would take her seriously in the lab. But the more she tried to convince Courtney that she wasn’t interested in Shane, the more she dug in her heels, determined to fix the two of them up. Gabrielle could see the wheels turning in Courtney’s mind.