“It’s not the magazine cover, but it’s a start, right?”
Juliana’s words jolted Michelle out of her thoughts. “Totally. Thanks so much. Let me send you those galleries now.”
“Love you. Got to go.”
“Love you too, friend. Have a great day.” Michelle picked up her laptop, sat on the sofa, and curled her feet beneath her body to think. She logged into her website and scrolled through her favorite galleries. It would be so challenging to choose just two sets of clients and their wedding photos, because she loved them all.
Michelle opened the gallery for Lila and Liam. They were such a lovely couple. Lila was biracial. Liam was British. He had sandy-blond hair and piercing gray eyes. She had curly brown hair, a naturally deep tan, and green eyes that told a story. They deserved to have their faces featured on a bridal magazine’s online presence. Just as Michelle sent Lila and Liam’s gallery to Juliana, her phone rang again. Still focused, she assumed it was Juliana. “You got the photos?”
“Yeah, I got the photo all right.”
Michelle froze. Marcel. And judging by the tone of his voice, he was not in a good mood. What happened? “Hey, Marcel. How are you?”
“How are you?”
She racked her brain to figure out why he sounded mad. Nothing. They hadn’t spoken for a few weeks. And she definitely hadn’t told him about her date with Logan. “I’m good.”
“Yeah, you’re real good cozying up with that white boy, aren’t you?”
Michelle’s blood boiled. She loved her brother but disliked his attitude and his nosiness. “My personal life is my business.”
“Not when you put it on Facebook.”
Her fingers flew across the keyboard and froze as she gazed at her latest status update. It was a picture of her with Logan, the one they took after dinner on his boat, an innocent pose. She’d texted the photo to him when she’d returned home.
Michelle steeled. “I am living my life and building my career.”
“With that white boy?”
“First of all, he’s not a boy. He’s a grown man, and his name is Logan.”
“You’re playing with fire. I don’t want you to get burned.”
She gripped her phone so hard her pulse pounded in her wrist. “Did you need something?”
“Yes. I need my sister to be more careful about who she chooses to date. Don’t you remember the incident?”
Michelle’s stomach turned. Of course she remembered. How could she not? But Marcel shouldn’t judge Logan without knowing him. However, given the severity of the incident and everything related to it, she understood why her brother was wary of white people. “Everyone deserves to be judged by the content of their character, not their skin color.”
“Do you think that line of thinking works with the way people of color are oppressed in society? We’re judged by our skin color more often than you think.”
Michelle grimaced. Why did Marcel have to remind her? Why couldn’t everybody just show brotherly love to each other? And why couldn’t Marcel face the fact that she liked Logan?
“I have to go now.” And for the first time in years, she ended the phone call before her brother had the time to respond.
She tried her best to dismiss her brother’s words and the mental residue of his harsh attitude. But she couldn’t. His words were stuck on replay. Was she really making a bad choice in dating Logan? He was a good man. She knew this for a fact, and she wanted to get to know him better. She hoped in time, she’d prove her brother wrong.
~*~
Logan hummed to himself, practicing his vocal exercises as he waited in the lobby of ABC 7 News in Arlington, Virginia. Today was the day that could change his career and put him on the path to a job as an on-air reporter. As soon as he confirmed his identity and appointment with the news director, they ushered him into the lobby to wait for Carter Wright.
Just as Logan started tapping his feet, a tall, broad man entered the lobby. “Logan Emerson?”
Logan stood and cast a courteous smile. “I am he.”
Carter stepped closer and extended his right hand. “Carter Wright, news director. Nice to meet you.”
Logan shook Carter’s hand. He prayed to God to help him to not stutter. “Nice to meet you too.”
Carter nodded. “Follow me.”
Logan followed Carter into the hallway behind the receptionist’s desk and to the elevator. Carter pressed the button that to would take them to the tenth floor. After complete silence on the ride up, they stepped off, and Carter opened double glass doors. They meandered by a few cubicles where reporters had their noses buried in notes and their eyes focused on the computers. They stopped in front of another glass door that opened into a spacious office cozied with a conference table, plush blue-fabric chairs, a wide window with an amazing view of the city, and a desk with a black-leather rolling chair.
“Welcome to my office. Have a seat.”
Logan settled into the seat across from Carter’s desk. Carter settled behind the desk, folded his hands, and leaned back in his chair. He studied Logan. For a moment, Logan swallowed the stuttering that rose in his throat.
“Why do you want to work for me?”
Logan cleared his throat. “I’d like to impact audiences by delivering news that’s engaging, relative, and helpful to their welfare.”
Carter nodded. “Did you bring your résumé?”
Logan reached into the black folder he’d carried with him, retrieved his résumé, and handed it to Carter. “Yes, sir.”
Carter studied it in silence. Finally, after what felt like eons to Logan, Carter regained eye contact with Logan. “So, you’re a print journalist.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you’ve won awards for your news and feature stories.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why do you want to work in television? You seem to be doing well in print.”
“I…I…um.”
Heat rose to Logan’s face. He couldn’t read Carter. Not now, God.
“I…w-w-want to be on television because I w-w-want to reach a broader audience.” Logan straightened his shoulders. “I may s-s-struggle with my speech, but I can assure you, I will be the most passionate, d-d-dedicated, professional, and effective on-air talent that you’ve had if you’d only g-g-give me a chance.”
Logan imagined the wheels turning in Carter’s head. He only hoped that it was turning in his favor.
“Well, I must admit I’m impressed by your go-getter attitude, and your demo reel was flawless. But I’m not sure we can work with you.”
Logan’s heart dropped to his stomach.
Carter reached into his desk drawer and retrieved a business card. He extended it to Logan. “Sally Bridges is the voice coach for our on-air talent. Call her and tell her I sent you to work with her for four weeks. Then get in touch with me, and we’ll do another interview. I’ll know then whether or not we can hire you.”
Logan received the business card and studied it for a moment. “With all due respect, sir, my mom is a speech language pathologist, and she’s been working with me off the books since I was a child. What can this woman do for me in four weeks that my mom couldn’t?”
Carter leaned back in his chair. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Let’s give it four weeks and see.”
Logan did not know if Carter was trying to add humor to this situation or if he was serious. “Really?”
Carter nodded.
Logan gave an inward sigh. This had to work. If it didn’t, he may give up on his broadcast journalist dreams. Logan extended his hand. “Thank you for meeting with me today.”
Carter shook it. “My pleasure. I’ll walk you out.”
Logan did his best to maintain his composure as he followed Carter out of his office and onto the elevator. Inside, he was jumping for joy because this was the closest he’d come to being employed by a major TV network. It would be a dream come true.
He’d applied for TV jobs with C
BS, CNN, and other news stations located in the greater D.C. area. Each major news network turned him down, despite his flawless demo reel.
Would Carter be the next employer to reject him?
Chapter 9
Juliana pulled into the public parking lot in downtown Annapolis. The rejuvenating smell of water greeted her whenever she drove near the marina. A cool breeze whipped through her medium-brown hair. The picturesque scenery drew her in, from the pretty blue waterscape and fancy boats in the docks to the quaint shops and the aroma of good food cooking in the many upscale restaurants.
A lighthearted giggle escaped, and she covered her mouth to suppress a delighted squeal as she tried to contain her anticipation. She loved surprises, especially when she was the one behind it. She had the day off from work and knew Michelle was working on a deadline and probably not eating well. Juliana was going to surprise her with brunch from her favorite bistro in downtown Annapolis.
She walked into Sofi’s Crepes and ordered her favorites: the veggie crepe and the banana royale. On her way back to the parking lot, strolling by the area where people sat on benches to talk and gaze at the water, she overheard a rich, masculine laugh that caught her attention. She turned to find the source of the sound and stopped when she spotted the man. He had dark-brown hair, a chiseled face, and a lean, athletic build. His profile looked vaguely familiar. Where had she seen him?
She retrieved her phone from her purse and looked up Michelle’s profile on Facebook. The man’s picture showed up in her featured photos section. Juliana gasped. It was Logan.
When she glanced up, the woman in his company sat next to him and acted very friendly, leaning in to speak. Logan let out another melodious laugh. She touched his arm and grasped his hands. She was a bit too friendly.
Juliana stepped closer to where Logan sat with the woman with curly, honey-blonde hair, a pale complexion, and a svelte but curvy figure that perfectly filled out her blue blazer and pencil skirt. Her slender legs were crossed and leaning toward Logan’s legs. And those looked like designer pumps on her feet.
Juliana stood by a tree and pretended she was taking pictures of the water and scenery when she pointed her phone in Logan’s direction. She snapped two photos of Logan and the lady before slipping her phone back into her purse. She turned and scurried in the direction of the parking lot.
Once in her car, she rested the bag of food on the passenger’s seat, leaned back, and clutched the steering wheel. What was she going to tell Michelle? She thought Logan was Michelle’s boyfriend, so why was he so close and friendly with that mystery woman?
Maybe Michelle and Logan were still in the dating phase and had not defined their relationship yet? So maybe if Michelle knew that Logan might be seeing another woman, she wouldn’t be hurt?
Juliana stared at the brown bag on the passenger’s seat then gazed straight ahead. This was not the kind of surprise she wanted to bring. She inhaled deeply before turning on her ignition and shifting the car gear into drive. But she wouldn’t be a good friend if she kept this to herself.
She had to tell Michelle.
~*~
Michelle covered her face and rubbed her temples. She raised her head and glanced around her studio. Noon, and she had just met another deadline, a difficult feat with customers coming in and out during the day. Good for business but very frustrating when she had work to do and her staff took lunch breaks.
Her stomach grumbled. She always skipped breakfast and lunch when she had a series of deadlines to meet, and today was no different. Maybe she should grab a bite? She rose from her seat and unlocked her door. When she entered the waiting area, she noticed no customers were there, so she flipped the Open sign to Closed. Whether she decided to eat or not, she needed some alone time.
“Going to lunch?” Sophia, her receptionist, jolted Michelle from her thoughts.
“I didn’t know you were still here.”
Sophia gave Michelle a puzzled look. “Of course I am. I’m the receptionist, and it’s open business hours. You walked right by me. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Deadlines. You know.”
Sophia nodded. “I see you flipped the sign. Are you having lunch now?”
“I don’t know, but you’re welcome to take your break.”
Sophia beamed. “Okay.” She grabbed her purse from behind the receptionist desk and exited the building.
Just as Michelle was about to lock the door, Juliana jogged up. What was she doing here? And with a big bag from Sofi’s Crepes in her grasp. Michelle’s stomach rumbled again. Did Juliana bring food? God bless the girl.
“Amiga!” Juliana gave Michelle a big hug and threw Michelle off balance.
She regained her footing and stepped back. “Good to see you, girl. What are you doing here?”
Juliana glanced around the studio. “Are we the only ones here?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Good. I need to talk to you, but first we need to eat. I bought your favorite brunch. Surprise!”
Michelle reached for the bag, her mouth-watering. “We can eat in the employee break room. Follow me.”
Once at the table, Michelle opened the bag and inhaled the sweet aroma of bananas, butterscotch, and crepes mixed with the savory scents of veggies and cheese. She placed the food on the table and turned to Juliana. “What’s for me and what’s for you?”
Juliana separated the four paper-wrapped items after reading the labels. “I bought the same order for both of us. We each have a veggie crepe and a banana royale.”
Michelle bit into the veggie crepe, savoring every bite. After finishing it, she downed half of her bottle of water then turned to Juliana. “Tell me.”
Juliana gave Michelle an alarmed look. “Tell you what?”
“Whatever you’re not telling me. I love that you surprised me with my favorite food for brunch and that you’re here, but why aren’t you at work?”
“My boss gave me today off. And I know you don’t eat when you’re on deadline, so I thought I’d drop by and surprise you.”
“But you said you had something to tell me.”
Juliana cast her hazel eyes downward. “I don’t know if I should tell you.”
Michelle picked up her sweet crepe. “Tell me and hurry, because lunch hour will be over before we know it.” She took a bite. “Mmm…delicious.”
Juliana sighed. “I saw Logan…with another woman.”
Michelle coughed, reached for her water, and gulped it down. “What? Where? When? How did you know it was him?”
Juliana crumpled the paper wrapper. “Today, when I was leaving Sofi’s Crepes, I saw him sitting on a bench by the water with a woman. She was young, pretty, and acting very friendly, if you know what I mean.”
Michelle’s mind raced, but she was determined to play it cool, so she shrugged. “Probably just one of his friends or even his sister or cousin or whatever.”
“You met his family?”
“Well, no. But I mean. Oh Jules, don’t read too deep into whatever you saw. I’m sure it’s nothing serious.”
Juliana reached for her cell phone, tapped the screen a few times, then thrust it into Michelle’s face. “This is what I saw.”
Michelle leaned in and studied the picture. Juliana was right. The woman had clear skin, honey-blonde hair, and was petite. She also looked almost flirty as she touched Logan’s arm and held his hand. She was smiling. Though Michelle hated to admit it, Juliana may be right. Maybe Logan was dating another woman.
Michelle turned her attention to her food. “Well it’s not like we’re an exclusive couple. We haven’t defined our relationship yet. He’s free to play the field.” She stabbed the remainder of her crepe with a fork as her face heated and her eyes watered.
Juliana reached out and touched Michelle’s hand. “I didn’t want to tell you—”
“No. It’s good that you told me. I needed to know, really.” Michelle removed her hand from Juliana’s gentle grasp. She packed up her lunch and stood. “I
need to get back to work.”
“But you didn’t finish your sweet crepe.”
Michelle’s heart dropped. Why might Logan choose another woman over her? Clearly, the woman in the photo was very pretty. She looked smart and business minded, too, in her sharp, blue power suit.
Michelle’s loved ones told her she was gorgeous, but there was one defining feature that the curly blonde-haired woman in the picture had that Michelle didn’t—a fair skin tone.
Was her budding potential for romance over before it even started?
“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled before taking the remainder of her food and throwing it in the trashcan. “You’re welcome to stay here and finish eating before leaving, but I really need to return to my office.”
“Michelle, it’s me, your best friend. You don’t have to walk away. I’m here for you. Let’s talk.”
Michelle steeled. “I think we’ve talked enough for today. Later, Jules.” She rushed out of the break room, ran into her office, shut the door behind her, and collapsed on the couch.
The she buried her head in a pillow and cried.
Chapter 10
Logan dialed Michelle’s number and placed the phone to his ear. It rang four times then went to voicemail. He sighed and, deciding not to leave another message, he ended the call. Two weeks had passed since he last saw or spoke to Michelle. He’d called her at least once a day for the past fourteen days, but she was not taking or returning his phone calls.
He finger-combed his hair. Why was she avoiding him? What had he said or done to upset her?
Women were a mystery.
Logan’s phone rang. His heart leapt. Maybe that was Michelle. But he deflated when he saw who it was. “Hey, Sally.”
“Hey, Logan. Ready for today’s session?”
Normally they met an hour before lunch. “Sure. But aren’t we early?”
“Yes. But I have exciting news for you, so I thought we could meet now. Can I swing by?”
Love in Pictures Page 4
