Behind me, I hear the faint sound of a gasp, which only makes me smile.
Why do I have a feeling this schedule will be my hardest obstacle to overcome while in New York? Regardless of how hectic it will get, I refuse to let my hobby, as Hans had so clearly labeled it, be put on the back burner.
“Don’t expect me to take on the role of your assistant as well, Abigail. That was Mateo’s department for a reason,” Julio teases, helping to push my tension aside.
“Yeah, well, Matt’s not here,” I huff out as I follow him out into the brisk winter weather. “I hope you’re up for a run, because I need one.”
“Another one?” Julio asks.
“Yes, another one. I’ve got a training schedule to cram in,” I clarify.
Julio sighs knowing there is no arguing with me at this point. He’s most likely upset from knowing he has no choice but to endure the bitter cold that New York has given us today, whether he wants to or not.
“YOU’RE LATE AGAIN,” Hans snarls just above whisper into my ear while we both rush into the room. Everyone turns to face me as I enter, forcing me to greet them with an apologetic smile.
“Yes, I know.”
I’d forgotten that I had to do this interview and gone for a run. It wasn’t until I received a reminder from my phone that I remembered, which by then was a little too late. I’m only on my second day of this ridiculous schedule and I swear my head feels as if it’s spinning from trying to keep track of everything. Thankfully, I entered all my appointments into my phone knowing I was bound to forget something at one point or another due to the overwhelming demand they have me under.
“I don’t understand why I’m the only one with this out of control schedule,” I irritably tell him as he leads me to a director’s chair. He remains standing while we bicker at each other.
“Because you’re the star model and it’s expected of you,” he states with his usual snotty attitude.
I don’t have a chance to respond before I’m being pushed into a chair and I’m asked my first question. For the next hour, I’m asked many questions, but thankfully they never once bring up my amnesia. They seem more interested in what I was expected to bring to the show, which made me feel a little nervous. With the interview wrapped up, I’m already preparing to leave with Julio when Hans is standing at my side again, his usual pinched expression on his face as he starts speaking to me.
“I hope you’re not fashionably late for tomorrow’s party.”
“What party?” I ask, already opening my calendar to see what I’m missing.
“The meet and greet!” he shockingly exclaims while holding his chest.
“I thought it was another meeting?” I screech, clearly surprised it’s not. Of course he gives me a roll of his eyes.
“It’s a cocktail party, so you’re expected to dress up.”
“Whoa. Nobody noted that on the schedule,” I defensibly reply. “I don’t even have a dress with me,” I add, hoping it will help get me out of it, but of course, I’m wrong.
“You don’t have a choice. It’s mandatory for all models. It’s part of the industry. You shouldn’t complain. You get paid for the events,” he throws at me as if it’s going to help clear up the misunderstanding.
“Money is not the issue. It’s the fact that you think it’s okay to just spring this stuff on me,” I irritably declare. “What makes you think I even want to do this thing?”
His lips go up on one side as he considerers my answer. “You really aren’t the same girl I first met,” he says, still not answering my question. “She would have demanded to be put on the list for these events.”
“No, I’m not,” I reply through clenched teeth. I hate how he keeps comparing me to my old self. It’s really starting to get on my nerves. His eyes suddenly turn sympathetic.
“It’s a small meet and greet for the event. Just show up, mingle a bit, and once you’ve rubbed elbows with a couple of people, you’re free to leave,” he explains.
Sighing, I reluctantly answer, “Fine,” still through clenched teeth.
I turn to walk away when he stops me. “And, Abigail, remember that it’s a semiformal event, so please dress appropriately,” he clarifies, eyeing me from head to toe, taking in my jeans and hoodie. His eyes go wide when they stop at my Chucks. “Definitely not the old Abigail,” he draws out. I ignore his condescending words and proceed to walk away, Julio picking up his pace to get ahead of me.
“You wouldn’t fire me if I accidently popped him one, would you?” he asks over his shoulder. Taking a glance back at Hans who is now tapping away on his phone, I reply, “Not. At. All”
Within minutes, we’re flagging down a taxi and when I’m inside I let my head fall back onto the seat and close my eyes. My phone starts ringing, alerting me that it’s Kelly calling. “Hi, Kelly,” I answer with a smile.
“Hey, chica. I thought I’d never hear from you again.” Her words make me laugh from her typical Kelly humor.
“I’m sorry I haven’t called sooner. My life has been a hectic mess,” I grimly reply, remembering I now have to go shopping. “How are things going?” I curiously ask, trying to cheer myself up by changing the subject.
“Nothing new since you’ve left. You were the life of the party with your love life,” she replies with a spark of sarcasm in her words. Now I’m fully laughing as I remember how entertaining she always claimed it could be. I use the next forty-five minute car ride back to the hotel to speak to her, allowing her humor to take my stress away.
THE KNOCK ON the door surprises me since I’m not expecting it quite yet. I knew this new girl Amy was desperate, but enough to rush over here right away? I guess some people will do whatever it takes to get ahead in this world. Reaching the door, I’m excited from my vivid image of what’s to come, but I am quickly disappointed when I see who is actually staring back at me. Although I’m a bit relieved he’s here at all since it’s taken him so damn long.
“It’s about damn time,” I irritably let out to prove how impatient I’ve grown waiting for him to show up.
“It’s only been two days since you asked for the stuff,” he throws back. “And they keep changing shit on me. I had to make sure it was up-to-date,” he adds, sounding frustrated as he pushes his way past me into my hotel room. I have to admit, the kid’s got balls to talk to me this way.
Seeing he’s already holding something in his hand, I reach for it. “What do you have for me?” I’m denied as he quickly yanks the papers back and is now holding them up in the air.
“It’s going to cost you two-hundred dollars more,” he demands, keeping a firm grip on the papers, taunting me with them. His brow goes up, still holding his ground.
“We agreed on five-hundred dollars.”
He casually shrugs before handing over the documents. “This is an old schedule anyway. If you want the current info you’ll need to fork over the extra two-hundred,” he says as he steps away. The little fucker is challenging me, and at this point, I know I have no choice.
“Fine,” I bitterly answer, bringing him to a halt before I walk over to the counter to grab my wallet. Pulling out two extra hundreds, I hand it all to him and he reaches for his back pocket to reveal another paper.
Yanking it from his hold, I’m already asking, “What’s the change?” before scanning it myself.
“The designer is trying to get the word out about her show, so she scheduled a meet and greet for the models and some high-class people. It’s happening tomorrow night at the Regency.”
Perfect. My lips curve up into a smile as I formulate my next plan. Quickly walking back to the counter, I scribble a name down on a notepad before handing it to him. “I need you to get this name on the list,” I order, watching his brows go up again.
Taking the small paper from me, he tilts his head to the side, as if considering something. “It’s going to cost you an extra hundred dollars.”
“You sure know how to weasel money out of people.”
“Interns don’t make much and I’m not the one who’s desperate to get to her,” he relays with a shrug of his shoulders. Knowing I don’t have much choice, I grab another hundred from my wallet.
“That name better be on the list,” I command, still holding the bill in warning.
“It will,” he clips out as he reaches for the money before turning to walk away, leaving me to watch him walk out the door. The moment I hear the click, I pull out my phone to make a call.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Evan answers into the phone.
“I need a favor,” I reply.
“When don’t you?”
Ignoring his arrogant remark, I get straight to the point. “There’s an event tomorrow night. Abigail will be there. I need you to gather some intel for me.”
There’s a pause from the other end before he asks, “And if she recognizes me?”
“Convince her she’s lost her mind. It shouldn’t be that hard. I just need you to find out specifically how much she knows.”
Silence again. “Evan?”
“Fine,” he lets out with a frustrated sigh that I can clearly hear. “But this better not get out of control, Bill.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” I inform him, not entirely lying.
“Where’s the event?” he asks, sounding as if he’s caved. Even if he hasn’t, I know I can convince him.
“The Regency. There’s going to be a lot of high society clients there, so it would be to your advantage as well.”
I don’t have to physically see Evan to know he’s lighting up. It is apparent in his voice as he asks, “Really?”
“I just need you to make sure nothing has changed with her. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Text me the information and I’ll make sure to get back to you,” he responds, not sounding convinced, but still willing to comply.
“Will do,” I tell him, earning me an unsatisfied grunt before the line goes dead. Looking down at the paperwork in my hand, my lips curl up into a smile. It’s then that I hear another knock on the door, but this time when I open it I find Amy.
“Good, you’re early,” I tell her, already pushing her back down the hall to the elevator. She looks excited as she asks, “Are we going out?”
“Sure. But first I have to stop by another hotel to leave an old friend a note,” I say, already executing my next plan on the way over.
I CAN’T GET this text message to send. It keeps telling me network failure. I’m ready to chuck it onto the sidewalk, but then I wouldn’t have a phone anymore and I’d be disappointed over that. Since I’m more focused on my phone than where I’m walking, Julio startles me when he shouts, “Abigail!” right before I slam into someone.
A loud “humph” comes from us both as a stack of paperwork scatters across the floor between us, followed by a slew of cuss words coming from the person I crashed into.
“I’m so sorry,” I immediately say, feeling guilty about crashing into her.
“I tried warning you, but I guess I was too late,” Julio says behind me as he kneels down to help the girl already kneeling on the floor. Feeling the need to also help, I squat down in an attempt to help them. With all three of us now gathering the papers, within seconds they are bundled and in a pile as we hand them over to her.
“I really am sorry,” I say to the girl who is now stuffing the disoriented pile into a messenger bag.
“Yeah, whatever… It’s not like I was paying attention either,” she complains before she stands up.
“Victoria?” Julio asks, sounding unsure, her name rolling off his tongue in a Spanish accent. She stiffens for a moment before she looks up.
“Julio?” Her eyes go wide in surprise as she swiftly stands to give him a hug.
Now I’m confused. “You know each other?” I ask as I watch them embrace. When they pull apart, the girl happily nods her head. “Yeah, Julio used to work for my dad,” she states, before her smile turns into a frown. “It hasn’t been the same since he left,” she immediately adds, the sadness spreading across her face.
“Has he gotten worse?” Julio skeptically asks.
She only nods her head, giving no verbal response.
Julio lets out a heavy sigh as he gives her a sympathetic look. “I hear he’s in D.C. now. How’s that going?”
By now I’ve managed to put two and two together. Victoria’s dad must be the senator Julio used to work for. Now Victoria’s dad is in D.C., exactly where Julio aims to be.
“More money, which means more women,” she disappointedly answers, resentment clear in her tone.
“I’m sorry, Victoria,” Julio says to her, a heavy frown still on his face.
“He’ll never change. I learned that long ago, Julio, you know that,” she says, but from the resentful tone in her voice, it’s obviously still affecting her. “I just feel sorry for my mom. She’s the one that has to deal with his cheating,” she mentions, making my eyes grow wide.
“How’s law school coming along?” Julio inquires, as if trying to change the subject. “It’s going.”
Julio looks around, as if searching for someone. “I see you haven’t changed,” Julio grimly comments, leaving me confused again.
“You know how much I hate having someone hovering over me every minute,” she says, glancing in my direction.
“I’ll talk to someone and have them contact you,” he says, making her scowl.
“I’ve been doing fine on my own for a while now. I don’t need security following me around like a puppy dog,” she firmly bites back. “Besides, it’s New York. It’s easier to blend in,” she declares, as if it will change his mind. She glances in my direction, her eyes analyzing me. “You’re still doing security, I see.”
Julio lets out a chuckle. “Yeah, but this one doesn’t have me hiding anything for her,” he states, leaving me wondering what he meant by the comment.
Victoria’s lips go flat with a short nod. An awkward silence lingers in the air. Victoria looks down at her watch and her eyes go wide. “Oh shit, I’ve got to go. It was nice seeing you again, Julio,” she says before quickly hugging him once more and walks away. Julio watches, eyes searching our surroundings like he usually does when he’s with me.
“I take it her dad is that senator you told me about?” I have to ask.
“Yes.”
When she has disappeared from our view, we resume our walk to our original destination; straight into Saks Fifth Avenue, the store I was dreading to go into, but according to the hotel concierge it was the best store to get my dress.
“So why the concern with her?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
Julio looks as if he doesn’t feel like discussing the subject, but still grants my request and answers. “Victoria has always been independent since the day I met her, sort of shy and quiet. She keeps to herself, but don’t let that fool you. She’s smart and doesn’t let anyone push her around.” When I look at him, he is considering his words with a tilt of his head. “You remind me a lot of her.”
“I hope that’s a good thing,” I mumble, heading straight to the women’s department, already dreading what is to come.
“It is. Most of the time,” he voices before letting out a half-hearted laugh from the appalled look I shoot him.
“You’re lucky I like you, Julio,” I mumble under my breath, now earning me a full-blown laugh this time.
I’M TIRED, MOODY, and don’t want to think of shopping for another couple of weeks. I thought I would be in and out, but when your name is Abigail Adams you’re given your own personal shopper who thinks you need a whole new wardrobe. You’re then walking out six hours later, even after I kept insisting I only needed one dress. At least Julio got the good end of the stick. He sat the entire time while the older ladies drooled all over him. His annoyed expression from how they were acting was my highlight of the day.
I’ve never been happier to hear the ping of the elevator announcing my floor, but my blissfulness soon disappears when
we enter our hotel room. Julio comes to a complete halt, my dress bags dropping to the floor from his hands as he pulls out his gun and aims it at someone.
Within a millisecond, I hear the cocking of the gun as he shouts, “Freeze!”
Shocked, I’m frozen in place. My heart stops before rapidly resuming, practically beating out of my chest. “I was only delivering your package,” I hear a frightful voice squeal out from in front of Julio. Finding the will to move, I glance over Julio’s shoulder to see a very frightened bellhop from the hotel holding both his hands up in surrender. Looking towards his side next, I notice a package sitting on the coffee table.
“Pick it up and bring it to me,” Julio sternly demands, keeping the bellhop in a shivering state as he continues to point the gun at him. Without hesitation, he picks up the package and slowly starts walking over to us. “Were you expecting a package?”
Realizing what it might be, I say, “Oh, yes. Sorry.” Shamefully apologizing to the bellhop, I grab it from his trembling hands. Julio lowers his gun and returns it to his holster.
“This note came as well,” he says, still quivering as he hands me an envelope.
“You’re dismissed,” Julio curtly conveys to the employee.
I manage to whisper, “Sorry,” as he rushes past me. I make a mental note to find out who the employee is and leave him a very hefty tip for what happened.
When the click of the door is heard, I say to Julio, “Well, at least you can’t say you never got to use the thing,” still trying to calm my racing heart.
“I’ll do my usual check,” he replies, choosing to ignore my comment as he makes his way into my room.
While he does that, I’m left picking up my clothes bags containing my dresses from off the floor. Julio exits my room, and with his normal nod of approval, he allows me to enter. Putting everything in its place, I toss myself onto the bed next, anxious to open the envelope.
Unspoken Endings Page 3
