The Wedding

by Sian Ceinwen

  Then, there was the exorbitant cost. Most new designers had to seek finance or sponsors for their shows, but Heather counted herself incredibly lucky to have Harrison in her life. He was totally supportive of her dreams, but she had been horrified to find out how much they would be out of pocket for her show. Harrison hadn’t blinked an eye, however, vowing to pay whatever the total was at the end of the day.

  It was added pressure, though, part of why she was pushing herself to strive for perfection. Harrison had so much faith in her abilities; she couldn’t let him down. If her show were successful, they would be able to scale up the production of her designs. If it wasn’t, she didn’t dare think of how many thousands of dollars would be wasted and how many outfits she would have to sell to recoup that cost.

  Harrison had assured her that it didn’t matter because his money was her money as well, but Heather had it in her mind that it was a loan from them to her label and was set on Serenity paying them back in full as soon as it could manage.

  Heather’s thoughts were interrupted as Robert Fletcher walked into the room. Harrison’s father was an older version of him, tall and good looking with graying bronze hair.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” he said to Sarah, kissing her cheek. “Heather, lovely to see you!”

  He gave Heather a hug as she stood up to greet him.

  “Well, shall we get this dinner on the table, then?” Sarah turned to look at Heather.

  “Sure.”

  “Can I help carry anything?” Robert asked, and Sarah indicated to the dish of apricot chicken sitting on the stove.

  They took everything they needed for dinner out to the table, where Harrison was still sitting and chatting to her mom. Heather took a seat next to Harrison, and immediately, he leaned over to kiss her cheek and squeezed her leg with his hand. His nearness was the thing that soothed her the most in the world.

  Heather got herself some rice and topped it with a healthy serving of apricot chicken before adding some salad on the side, and began to eat it. It was absolutely delicious, as always.

  “Harrison, how’s the next album coming?” her mom asked him.

  “Nothing really, yet. Gabriel wrote some stuff during the tour, but we’re all going out to Galena in October for a songwriting retreat at Sebastian’s place.”

  About a year ago, Sebastian had bought a massive property in Galena. There had been an old house on the property, but he’d had it gutted, renovated, expanded, and built a music studio with the intention of them recording their next album there.

  “That should be nice,” Sarah said.

  “Yeah, it’ll be great to be in our own studio. Not having to stick to someone else’s schedule. We’re really excited to have the freedom to experiment and hopefully make something great.”

  “Heart Wide Open was pretty great!” her mom protested.

  “Thanks, Lillian. You’re right; it was, but we’ve grown and changed, and it’s so exciting to see how that reflects in our music.”

  Harrison’s face was alight with enthusiasm. It changed his features and brought a smile to Heather’s face. She loved how passionate he got about the music he made with the band and found herself excited to see what they produced as well.

  “Are you going to Galena?” Robert asked Heather.

  “Oh, I’m not sure if I’m invited.” Heather shrugged.

  “As if Sebastian would ever say no to you!” Harrison laughed.

  Heather bit her tongue, not wanting to clarify that she was specifically referring to Gabriel’s presence and whether or not he would want her there.

  “We’ll see what happens. It probably depends on how Fashion Week goes.”

  “Okay, well, I’m not going a month without seeing you, so you’re either coming out to Galena, or I’m driving back to Chicago, I guess.”

  “A month?” his father asked him.

  “Well, we don’t know for sure, but we’ve all blocked out October to work on the album. No interviews, no business, just being out there and seeing what happens. It might take longer; it might take less time. The important thing is that we’re not tied to any timeframe.”

  “It sounds very exciting, Harry,” Sarah said with a proud smile on her face.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  The conversation moved on, and Heather checked out. Maybe she’d be able to time her visits to Galena so she wouldn’t have to see Ariana. Sebastian would probably help her do that, almost certainly not without bitching at her about it, of course. It was just better for everyone if Heather stayed away from Ariana, though, especially while they were all concentrating on the new album.

  On some level, Heather knew that there was a conversation between herself and Ariana that was long overdue, but she also felt that the time for that conversation had well passed. It should have happened over two years ago, and the only reason it hadn’t was through Ariana’s choice not to have it at the time.

  This was the thing; the band was so close-knit that Heather had no idea how long she could possibly continue like this. Gabriel clearly wanted Ariana in his life, and that meant Ariana being in their lives. It was so unfair that Heather had no choice in the matter. Not without ruining the one thing in Harrison’s life that was perhaps even more important to him than she was. If he didn’t have his music, didn’t have Cruise Control, Heather didn’t know how he would survive. She needed to do everything she could to make sure that she didn’t ruin it for him.

  After dinner was finished, Heather and Harrison both helped to clean up the dishes. It was something they’d done so many times before; they fell into a comfortable routine.

  “You’ve been quiet tonight, angel,” Harrison commented.

  “I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” she replied.

  “Anything you want to share with your fiancé?” He gave her a good-natured smile.

  “Just stressing about Fashion Week and money and the like.”

  Harrison set the dish he’d been about to rinse down in the sink and walked over to Heather, putting his arms around her and hugging her tightly to him. She could feel his chest moving up and down as he breathed, and she sank into his warm embrace.

  “I’ve told you not to worry about the money, angel,” he said.

  “I know you have. It doesn’t stop me worrying, though,” she whispered around a lump that was forming in her throat.

  Keeping one arm around her, he put his other hand under her chin and turned her face up to his so he could look into her eyes.

  “You’re going to be my wife soon. Even if you weren’t, I would still have invested in you. I believe in you, angel; you’re talented, and I’m proud to be the man who gets to place his bets on you.”

  With that, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her passionately. Her heart raced, and she felt an ache between her thighs; they were in his parents’ house, however, so they couldn’t exactly have sex right now. She broke the kiss, and they were both breathless.

  “Remind me to show you how grateful I am for your support when we get home,” she said to him, her voice husky.

  “Don’t think I won’t.” He grinned at her wickedly.

  They finished cleaning up, then went to say goodbye to their parents, and it wasn’t long before they were sitting in Harrison’s car as he drove them home. He had his right hand casually on her thigh and was stroking it lightly. Heather felt a steady thrum of arousal echoing throughout her body. She played with the ring on her left hand as she looked out the window and watched the city lights of Chicago passing by them.

  She really was incredibly lucky to have Harrison in her life. With everything else that had happened over the last ten years—the change from renting shithole apartments and taking public transport to driving around in expensive cars and flying in private planes—Harrison had remained the same. Their relationship was as strong as it had ever been, and soon, he would be her husband. She closed her eyes and let the familiar tiredness that she felt so frequently
these days wash over her. Harrison had begun singing one of her favorite Cruise Control songs, and she smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

  ~AUGUST~

  LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

  Harrison Fletcher and his longtime girlfriend, Heather York, are having their engagement party this month. From what we’ve heard, it’s being held at an exclusive Chicago location with only their closest family and friends in attendance.

  Everyone is eager for more details, but our sources tell us that they’re being very tight-lipped on the arrangements. If Heather is involved, it’s bound to be classy. Her clothing designs are to die for, and we are eagerly awaiting her debut at New York Fashion Week next month!

  Meanwhile, Gabriel Knight and his new girlfriend, Ariana, were spotted having lunch at a café in the city this week. They looked very loved up from the pictures we saw. Elena who?

  We also caught Hayden and Sebastian having a night out on the town, looking pretty drunk and enjoying the company of some very beautiful ladies. The two eligible bachelors of Cruise Control sure know how to have a good time! Hands up, anyone who volunteers as tribute to be one of their girlfriends!

  I think the question we all want to know the answer to, though, is when can we expect a new album?

  Chapter 5

  A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

  HEATHER AND THE FASHION show director she’d hired, Ally Morrison, were sitting behind a table in a conference room they’d booked at her hotel in New York City. In the hallway, models were lined up, waiting to come inside. The room was filled with racks of clothes that Heather and her employees had carefully prepared for the lucky models to try on during callbacks tomorrow. Heather was stunned by how many models Ally had successfully organized to come to the casting call.

  “Is this normal? There’s so many!” Heather exclaimed as Ally’s assistant, Emma, opened the door to let some models into the room.

  “The response was phenomenal,” Ally told her, “I never get these many options for a debut designer; it’s crazy. No offense.”

  “None taken.” Heather smiled at her.

  Heather wondered how many of the models happened to be Cruise Control fans. She pushed that thought to the back of her brain, though. She would be paying these women to model her designs; Harrison’s day job had nothing to do with this. She was officially a designer who would be showing her collection at Fashion Week.

  As Emma let the models in five at a time, she would take a headshot of each of them with a Polaroid camera. Heather and Ally would then attach that picture to their notes about the model. Heather wanted to talk to the models and get more of a feeling for what they were like, but Ally kept pressing her to move through them quickly.

  “I want to ask them more questions!” Heather protested after the third group of models left the room, while Emma took the pictures of the next group.

  “I know you do, but I want to go to bed before midnight. Trust me. That’s what callbacks are for. You’ll see.” Ally smiled at her knowingly.

  Heather did see. She quickly lost count of the number of models they’d seen. They started to all blend into one another for Heather. They generally fell into the same tall, thin template. Occasionally, though, one of them would spark hers or Ally’s interest. Something unique would sparkle through, and Heather now looked forward to seeing it.

  She marked these women down carefully on her notes, hoping against hope that she would have succeeded in getting them for a callback tomorrow. All in all, Heather was planning on having forty looks for her show. They were hoping to find this many models, but Ally had warned her that she might struggle. In that case, their plan was to get as many models as they could and figure out who they would have do a quick-change backstage once they had their final models booked.

  Ally had been right about how long it would take; they didn’t finish seeing the last group of models until seven in the evening, having started at ten in the morning. A hotel staff member had brought them lunch, but that was many hours ago, and Heather was starving now, and her stomach started rumbling uncomfortably.

  “Are you a bit hungry, Heather?” Ally laughed.

  “Just a bit. Don’t be concerned if I suddenly keel over; I’ll just be dying of starvation.” She smiled back at her.

  “Emma, can you order us some food? I could go some Pad Thai while we sort through these.” Ally gestured to the piles of photographs and notes on the table in front of them.

  “Pad Thai sounds amazing,” Heather agreed.

  They couldn’t leave until they’d decided which models Ally would contact for callbacks, and then she would send the emails to the relevant agencies today so they could see the models again tomorrow afternoon. The women started the process as they waited for Emma to come back with their food.

  “Jess is a must-have,” Heather said, pushing across the notes she’d taken on a tall, dark-skinned woman who’d had stunning braids and a brilliant smile.

  “Agreed. Also, Carrie.” Ally put a picture of a thin, red-headed woman, whose curly hair had really stuck out in the crowd, on top of the photograph Heather had put between them, starting a pile of possible callback models.

  Heather was excited now; she dug through the notes she’d made to find her special models, putting them all on the pile. Ally did the same for the models that she’d liked as well, and they came up with twenty-five models that were their favorites before Emma arrived with their food. She’d also thought ahead and brought them each a much-needed coffee. They sat back in their chairs, holding their containers of food in front of them as they discussed the day.

  “Okay, so we have our top picks. Time to find some second choices, I guess?” Heather asked Ally.

  “Exactly, sometimes a girl will come back and just lights up the room on the second go-see, so it’s worth getting anyone you even slightly liked to come back if you can.”

  It was astounding how much knowledge Ally had about how this all worked; Heather was incredibly grateful that she’d agreed to work with her even though she was a debut designer.

  “How the hell would I do this without you?” She grinned at Ally.

  “Lucky for you, you don’t have to!”

  “Ally is the best fashion show director I’ve ever worked with,” Emma added.

  Ally Morrison wasn’t the most famous fashion show director, but Heather had appreciated her candor when she’d been looking for someone to work with on her show. She was only a few years older than Heather; she had beautiful, caramel-colored skin, her hair was cut into a shoulder-length bob, and she was short and curvy. They’d clicked almost immediately, and it was great to have someone to guide her through the process. Ally was so down to earth and had been completely realistic about what Heather could expect.

  “Same here,” Heather said to Emma, even though Ally was the only fashion show director she’d ever worked with, and they all laughed.

  Emma collected up their containers, so Ally and Heather could continue their work. Ultimately, they decided on seventy women they’d like to see again.

  “So many!” Heather exclaimed.

  “We’ll invite that many, but it’s unlikely they’ll all show up,” Ally told her. “Most of these girls will have gone on anywhere from five to ten go-sees today. They’ll have more tomorrow, and if our callback is in conflict with one of those and they want that job more, they’ll skip us.”

  “What if nobody shows tomorrow?” Heather suddenly felt worried that she would end up with no models at all, and Ally laughed.

  “Trust me, Heather, you will have plenty of models to choose from. If nobody shows tomorrow at all, I will happily refund you my fee and quit the business entirely.”

  “What do we do with these?”

  Heather indicated to the pile of paperwork with the rejected models. She felt terrible for them, knowing they weren’t going to receive a callback. All of the models had been lovely; it couldn’t be pleasant facing the constant possibility of rejection a
t every casting you attended.

  “We keep them; I’ll keep them all. I’ll send the emails tonight to the agencies about the ones we want for callbacks. We’ll see how those go, and then if we still find ourselves short of models, we’ll revisit these or do another casting call,” Ally told her.

  “Have you ever had to do that?” Heather wondered.

  “I could count on one hand the number of times we’ve had to do a second casting call. We almost always get what we need from the first one,” Ally said with a reassuring smile.

  It was close to nine o’clock by the time they’d cleared the room up and said their farewells. Heather was exhausted and was incredibly glad that she’d made the decision to stay in the same hotel where they were doing their business.

  Heather took the lift up to the twelfth floor, and headed to her suite, swiping her room key to get inside. She made her way to the bedroom and collapsed on the king-sized bed, her phone in her hand. She was so tired that she just wanted to sleep, but she needed to call Harrison.

  Unlocking her phone, she went to her favorite contacts and clicked his name at the top of the list. It was only eight in Chicago, so she wasn’t surprised when he answered the phone and she could hear noise in the background.

  “Hey, honey,” she greeted him.

  “Hi angel, how did it go today?” he asked her.

  She smiled at the sound of his voice. She’d missed him today; it would be so much better if he were here in bed with her, and she longed to have his arms around her.

  “Really well, actually. We’ve got seventy models that we’re asking for callbacks.”

  “Seventy? That seems like a lot!” He echoed her previous surprise.

  “I thought so, too. Ally said they probably wouldn’t all come, though.”