Shooting the Breeze
The photoshoot had been scheduled for midsummer and the weather outside was beastly, but because the ads needed to look like they had been taken in the fall or winter, Helen and Alexander’s wardrobe selections were extreme. Alexander was stuck wearing a dark gray sweater and a Matrix-style ankle-length overcoat while Helen was wearing thigh-high black suede boots. Trevor kept on talking about texture, so she was wearing a tweed skirt, an exceptionally shiny cream blouse, as well as an overcoat that wasn’t completely unlike Alexander’s. Trevor had seen the shots of Helen wearing the scarf and decided they needed one as a prop as well. It was boiling hot out. Helen couldn’t see how she was going to make it through without making gigantic sweat stains through her top, though she didn’t dare say anything to anyone.
She sat in a makeup trailer with Mindy fluttering behind her and a gigantic mirror in front of her. Alexander was two feet away snoozing in his chair. His hairdresser was using a straightening iron to make his long hair as smooth as silk. As if it wasn’t already! The trailer had air conditioning, but it was only a matter of time before they were out in that blazing sun. Helen didn’t know how Alexander could be so relaxed.
Helen hadn’t seen Mark for a total of fifteen minutes that day. She saw him in the office that morning before she had to get going. She was disappointed.
Their romance had been… Helen didn’t know how to describe it. She wasn’t sure if it was going well or not. To be truthful, she hadn’t ever been in a serious relationship and so she didn’t know if the feelings she was experiencing were signs of real love or not. Mark was kind to her, attentive when she had his attention (granted, getting it wasn’t always easy), and she felt goosebumps when he touched her and when they kissed. Yet, even with all that, she didn’t feel comfortable. Yes, she had fallen asleep on him that night at her apartment, but after closer evaluation, she felt like it had been an act of sheer exhaustion rather than a sign she was more comfortable with him than anyone else. She hadn’t been able to fall asleep on their hammock date. She hadn’t been even a little bit drowsy. She sensed Mark had been disappointed she hadn’t been more comfortable. He seemed to want them to accelerate the pace of their relationship, but too respectful of Helen’s feelings to monopolize her time. It was clear he thought she wanted space.
The first location for the photoshoot was outside the coffee shop. Helen was supposed to lean against a brick wall, hold a cell phone and smile warmly while Alexander was supposed to be inside the coffee shop looking at her through the window. Helen thought it sounded simple enough. She was also delighted to see Trevor had set up a few fans, not only to give her hair a slightly wind-blown effect but also to stop her from fainting from heat exhaustion.
Alexander gave Helen a reassuring smile as he stepped into the coffee shop to take his position by the window. Helen was surprised. She thought he was supposed to be difficult to work with. He seemed easy enough to her.
Mark, Collin, and Mindy came to wish Helen well before they took up positions behind Trevor and his crew.
“Break a leg, or an arm, or a camera lens,” Mindy said sheepishly before she hustled away. It was clear she was a little overwhelmed by the glamor of working on a real photoshoot. From Helen’s conversation with Mindy the night before, she knew sugarplums were dancing in her head. Her cousin couldn’t stop thinking about where the job might lead if she did it well.
Collin didn’t say anything much. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be encouraging, but Helen knew he had his hands full. He was a busy man, putting out fires. Laura showed up on the set just as Dominic warned and Collin had gone to talk to her before she got anywhere near either of the Lewis brothers.
Mark came up and said quietly. “You know, I have been thinking about what you said about being two-faced.”
Helen smoothed the straying strands of her wig and nodded. “You mean the act I put on when I’m working as an escort?”
“Yeah. You keep saying it has nothing to do with who you are as a person, but I think you’re wrong,” he said, and as he spoke his eyes seemed somehow darker and more intense.
“Oh?” Her eyebrows slightly rose in interest.
“I think your ability to morph into whatever is needed in a given situation is part of you. It might not be the part closest to your heart or the part I need to win over, but it’s the part of you that’s going to carry you through your entire life,” he paused. “And, incidentally, help you get through today, which, by the way, is going to be unpleasant at best. Alexander is a handful. Work hard and if it gets too rough, let me know and I’ll intervene. You don’t have to talk to me. Just give me a look, at least I'll get you a break.”
Helen gulped. Was Mark beginning to understand a part of her she didn’t understand herself? She had never considered the idea that everything she did—whether real or pretend—contributed to the person she was growing up to be. She pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on the professional part of what Mark was saying.
“I don’t think Alexander will be that difficult. He seems to want to work with me. He just smiled at me.”
Mark shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I don’t know that him smiling at you means anything. Today is a day of surprises. Did you see Laura? I wonder what she’s doing here.”
Helen was tempted to tell him Dominic's plan but bit her tongue. After all, Collin was dealing with it. Besides, Helen thought smugly, he wasn't going to get any of the things he wanted. It didn't matter what Laura did. Mark wasn't for her. Plus, Helen didn’t think Trevor was the type to try to romance Laura in the way the schooled boys from the escort service had. He just wasn’t that type of guy. He was more of the take-it- or-leave-it variety.
“I’ll try my best,” Helen said, speaking again of the photoshoot.
“That’s my girl,” Mark said encouragingly. “After this, I want to take you for dinner if you don’t have any plans.”
“Do I have to come like this?” Helen said, indicating her appearance. Mark smiled mischievously. “Only if you want to.”