Callie Endicott - A Father For The Twins

“What sites have you created?” he asked. “We may be overhauling our online presence in the near future and I’d like to see the kind of work you’ve done.”

Cassie dug in her pocket and handed him a card. “I have a site that showcases some of my designs.”

“Thanks.” Yet he wondered if he should have spoken so impulsively.

Adam recalled the flash of attraction he’d experienced earlier. He didn’t think it had influenced him, but it was something he would have to watch in the future to ensure it didn’t impact his decisions.

* * *

CASSIE SAT DOWN AGAIN. She didn’t care for the intense scrutiny Adam Wilding sometimes focused upon her, though it couldn’t be unusual. And while his sharp reactions and assumptions when expressing her uncertainty had been disconcerting, his job was to represent the kids, not hand-hold her through parenting issues.

As for his questions about her website designs? Lots of people asked about her work and she handed out dozens of cards for every business that hired her.

“How soon would the kids start getting called for go-sees?” she asked.

“That can’t be predicted. We’ll put their pictures on our website and send promotional information to a range of approved sources. We also make personal contacts as appropriate.”

“So it’s possible no one would ever show interest in Glen and Tiff?”

“Possible, but not likely. We’re careful about who we represent and to date, our clients have been in demand. Are you disappointed to think they’ll be called for work?”

Her lack of enthusiasm must be obvious to him and Cassie warned herself to be careful. She might not be thrilled about the kids going into modeling, but she didn’t want them to lose opportunities because of her.

She shrugged. “No, but this is new to me. It was only a few weeks ago that Tiff told me how much she wanted to be a model or actress. Your website said professional studio photos weren’t necessary, so I took a bunch of pictures and let her pick the one she liked best. We sent it in and I didn’t know what to expect. Now I have a niece and a nephew about to become models. I think I’m dizzy.”

Adam smiled. “I can relate. I made some big life changes of my own recently.”

“Yeah, I read your profile on the website.” She didn’t say she had been disappointed to get an appointment with him, rather than with one of the female partners in the agency. It might have been easier to talk with another woman.

Of course, maybe she wouldn’t have found common ground with Rachel Clarion or Nicole George, either. The partners in Moonlight Ventures were famous. They had reputations for being stylish, larger-than-life individuals who’d traveled widely and brushed elbows with the elite of the modeling and acting world. They were accustomed to a more glamorous atmosphere than somebody who plunged her shower on a regular basis and fixed spaghetti or baked chicken for dinner at least once a week.

Thinking of which...

Cassie leaned forward. “Will the kids have to eat differently? I mean...well, I don’t want Tiff, for example, to half starve herself to be a size zero or something. She’s already tried to lose weight the last month and it worries me.”

“I won’t deny that weight can be an issue in modeling,” Adam acknowledged. “There are terrific plus-size models with solid careers, but generally the demand isn’t as high for them.”

Cassie made a face. “Sometimes it seems as if you can’t pick up a magazine or get on the internet without hearing a scandal about airbrushing, or whether teenaged girls are learning an unrealistic standard of womanhood, or someone slamming an actress or model who’s gained a few pounds. Or for being too thin, for that matter.”

Adam leaned forward. “Moonlight Ventures is concerned about those issues and we’ve discussed some of them in our quarterly newsletter, Beneath the Surface .”

“Should I read back editions to catch up on the information in them?”

“You’re welcome to copies, but we haven’t been in charge of it for very long and it isn’t a modeling handbook. We’re looking at converting it to a general circulation publication. Naturally the material will involve fashion and the entertainment world, but we want to do thoughtful work on image and how people look at themselves. Also to give opportunities to young writers.”

Cassie decided she’d reserve judgment until she read their material. How often had she heard people say the right things when their actions showed they believed the opposite?

Good grief, she was getting cynical. It was important to keep an eye on that so Tiffany and Glen didn’t get the wrong attitude; raising them was requiring her to do an awful lot of self-examination.

“It sounds as if it could be interesting,” she said diplomatically.

“We hope so. Anyhow, about Tiffany, I won’t talk to her about weight and I don’t approve of extremes. If anyone else says something to her, I want you to let me know. She’s fine the way she is at the present time. I agree with one of my partners who tells aspiring models that they should strive first to be healthy and happy. She also says they shouldn’t try to be anything except themselves.”

“Good advice.”

“For everyone, I suppose, not just models.”

He had her there. For three years, Cassie had tried to change herself to conform to her boyfriend’s world. Michael’s requirements had included being attractive without outshining any other woman in the company, being confident and self-effacing at the same time, being well dressed and stylish but not too stylish and agreeing with anything management said or wanted.

She’d done it until she couldn’t take it any longer, realizing that if Michael had really loved her , he’d have loved the woman she was, not the woman he wanted her to become.

“Is there anything else that we need to talk about today?” she asked.

“No, unless you have more questions.”

“Not right now.”

“If you come up with any, feel free to call. We can talk on the phone or as I mentioned we can meet again. I want the process to be as transparent as possible.”

“Thanks. I talked to my godfather and told him I’d bring the representation agreements over today, but I don’t know how long he’ll need to review them.”

“Take the time you need. I don’t want to rush you beyond your comfort level.”

“I appreciate that.” She walked out of the office, smiling politely at the office manager in the reception area.

It was a relief to know the agency’s policies seemed to be so positive. Time would tell if Adam Wilding had been telling her the truth or just saying politically correct words. He was extraordinarily handsome and had spent most of his adult life fitting into a limited standard of what the world saw as attractive and successful. So she couldn’t help feeling skeptical about both the agency and the man in question.

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