Page 28

CHAPTER 28

Cami

Charles

So…I have our next mission.

Me

Is it sneaking out of a girl’s apartment in the wee hours of the morning?

Charles

No. Sorry about that, didn’t want to wake you.

Me

No worries, just messing with you. Whatcha got?

Charles

There’s a charity ball coming up that I have to attend. Sophie wants us to go together.

Me

Okay when is it?

Charles

That’s the thing…

Me

Charles

It’s tomorrow night.

Me

TOMORROW?!

Charles

I know. I’m sorry. But I can pay for whatever dress you need to get and I’ll send people to the apartment to do your hair and makeup.

Me

Why don’t you just have them come to your place and I’ll get ready there? Then you won’t have to pick me up and maybe we can save a little bit of time

Charles

Okay, sure. I’ll have them here at 5 so they’re here when you get off of work.

Me

Got it

Charles

Thank you Cam. You’re a saint.

Me

Sitting at my desk, I chew on my thumbnail and stare down at the calendar in front of me. I’m in the middle of reviewing dates for the upcoming beauty shoots. We have two scheduled at the studio in the office for some close up staged makeup products. We’re doing winter trends this issue, so it’s lots of icy blues and silvers.

There’s an email open on my laptop that I’ve written to confirm dates with the shoot managers and models involved, but I haven’t hit send. My brain has been so occupied with everything Charlie lately, and I’m so afraid I’m going to let something slip with Impress . I might not be very detail oriented in my everyday life, but I pride myself on being good at my job.

Computer on the left, and my text thread with Charlie on the right, I stare back and forth at each. I push my phone to the side and take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on work while I’m at work. I make sure the email looks good, hit send, then pick up my phone again and stare at the messages.

I guess I’m attending a charity ball tomorrow, and I have no idea what I’m going to wear. I’m grateful he is setting up hair and makeup for me, but the problem is I have no time to get an outfit before tomorrow evening. I’m thinking over how to make this happen when I hear a knock on the wall of my cubicle.

“Hey, hey,” Kaitlyn, one of the editors on staff, says in her cheery tone. “Are you planning on going out for lunch? I could use a buddy. I’m thinking sweetgreen.”

“Yum, that sounds so good. Are you going now?”

“Yeah, in a few. Are you at a stopping point?”

“Yep, just let me close things down here and I’ll be ready to go.”

I close my laptop and reset my desk space so it’s nice and tidy, then grab my wallet and throw it into the purse I keep here and head out with Kaitlyn.

“So…Charlie Cade,” she says hesitantly. I huff an uncomfortable laugh and roll the hem of my sweater in between my fingers.

“Yeah, I guess we should talk about that.”

“I’d like the 4-1-1 if you’re willing to give it. Kind of a big deal.”

“I mean, not that big of a deal.”

“One day you’re single, and the next you’re all over news articles dating a famous hockey player. And not just any famous hockey player, the brother of our coworker.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” We turn the corner and head towards sweetgreen. “It just kind of happened. With Alana gone we’ve been spending more time just the two of us and we’ve been friends for so long. One thing led to another and…” I trail off, not wanting to give too many specific details.

We haven’t discussed what we’ll tell people when they ask how this started between us. I think this excuse is the one that makes the most sense. We step into the restaurant and join the line, gathering behind every other person in this part of the city who frequents this place. Sweetgreen is a popular chain restaurant, and they have an incredible kale Caesar salad, which is what I’m going for today. I love a burger and fries as much as the next girl, but sometimes I just want a Caesar salad. A sentiment Alana’s ex, Brad, couldn’t get on board with. She broke up with him after he made one too many comments about her eating choices, and now she’s enjoying croissants with a way hotter guy in the city of love. Sucks to suck, Brad.

We place our orders, putting our conversation on pause until we pay, and make it to a table.

“Does Alana know?” she asks.

“Not yet. We didn’t want to distract her while she’s in Paris and trying to do a good job there, so we decided we’ll tell her when she comes back.”

“I’d honestly be surprised if she doesn’t see it on some kind of social media. You should get ahead of it and tell her before she stumbles across it by accident.”

“You’re probably right. We’ve been lucky she’s been so busy. I think it’s keeping her off of news sites and Instagram, but it is sort of inevitable that she’ll find out.”

“You’ll figure it out,” she says as she pushes her quinoa around on her plate. “So enough about his sister, tell me about him. How has everything been between the two of you?”

This was not something I thought much about when we decided we were going to do this whole fake dating thing. Showing off for paparazzi and faking at events is one thing, but lying to friends and family is an entirely different beast. It feels weird and icky, so I focus on the truths I can share.

“He’s great. He’s kind and caring and lets me be myself. I feel lucky, to be honest. I’ve been with plenty of guys that are the exact opposite of that.”

“You could say that again. That’s great, Cam. He sounds like a keeper.”

I think about her words. He does sound like a keeper. Why does that not scare me? Probably because it isn’t real, so I don’t even have the option to keep him.

“Yeah, absolutely. Although he is like every other man in the fact that he plans so last minute. He just texted me this morning about a charity ball we’re going to. Guess when it is.”

“Tonight.”

“Thankfully, no. Tomorrow night, and I have not a single thing prepared. I need to shave and paint my toenails and self-tan. I also need a dress, but I have no time to go shopping after work.” I groan in frustration and take a long sip of my lemonade, wishing it had vodka in it.

“Ugh, men. But you should just look at the sample closet. They just added new stuff and there was a really gorgeous champagne dress in there this morning when I was poking around. No one will care if you take something out for the night and bring it back the next day.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. I’ll do that, thanks, Kait.”

“My pleasure. I’ll come with you. Maybe I want to go out for a fancy night on the town too.”

* * *

“Your curves would look incredible in this.” Something shimmery comes flying at my head and I reach my hands up to catch it in my arms and block it from hitting my face. It’s the gorgeous champagne dress Kaitlyn mentioned at lunch.

We’re in the sample closet, which is basically a big closet of different designer clothing items that editors use to put outfits together for shoots. The space is filled wall to wall with the current season’s trends and designs. It’s heaven, and rare that I make my way inside. Impress is less uppity about the sample closet as some other magazines I’ve heard of, but they’re still careful with who they let in and for what reason.

I stopped by Heather’s office on the way in from lunch and explained the situation. She told me I could borrow a dress for the night if I mentioned the magazine when I’m asked about what I’m wearing. I agreed, knowing I likely won’t take any interviews anyways, and if I do they will mostly be Charlie talking.

I flip through the countless dresses and let out an unhappy sigh. It’s hard to enjoy time in the sample closet without my bestie with me. Kaitlyn is great, but I miss Alana something fierce and she would kill to do this with me. Not to mention, I’m shopping for a dress for a date with her brother.

I push thoughts of my best friend aside and try to focus on the task at hand. I have a few dresses draped over my arm to try on, and after searching through what I can I head into the dressing room at the back of the closet to slip into the few options.

I put on a little fashion show for Kaitlyn, walking an imaginary runway. The first option is a Prada embroidered organza mini dress. It’s beautiful, but a little too plain. It’s black, with an organza overlay that looks almost like a button up dress shirt. It’s different and interesting, but not what I’m going for.

The next option is a silk satin black Chanel dress. It has narrow straps that rest on my shoulders, and the top portion hugs close to my body like a corset. It has a drop waist, and the skirt flows down to my ankles. It’s iconic, but still doesn’t feel right.

The last option is a white Versace mini dress that has geometric satin covered embroideries on the neckline. It’s sleek and professional, definitely something the partner of a hockey player might wear if they wanted to look beautiful on his arm, but not draw too much attention.

It’s the perfect mix of fun and different, with the shorter length and funky neckline, but still modest and appropriate for the occasion. Kaitlyn agrees with me and we pick out some silver Versace kitten heels to complete the outfit.

I breathe a sigh of relief feeling a little bit more prepared for tomorrow, and ignore the nervousness that creeps in at the thought of another public event. I don’t know when we’re going to have to start getting a little more handsy in public, but I do know I’m not sure I’m ready for it. Or maybe I’m a little too ready for it.