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Chapter Nine
Mia
I took a deep, calming breath, trying to relax before the photo shoot and interview. Catherine would be here shortly to go over a few things. I just needed to settle my nerves a bit. I didn’t want her to see me all shook up beforehand. Although this was probably how she was expecting to find me anyway.
Catherine wouldn’t judge. That was one of the many things I loved about her. She was understanding and knew how to push me just the right amount out of my comfort zone. It was her job; it was why I hired her. I needed someone that could help take my company to the next level. Someone to make sure we were seen across multiple markets and platforms. She was doing just that for me.
For the photo shoot, we agreed I would wear a black sleeveless sheath dress that was trimmed in leather. We wanted the shoes to be the star of the show, so my outfit and jewelry were to be kept simple. As I was giving myself a last-minute once-over, Catherine entered.
“Good morning, Mia,” she said when she entered my office. “How are you feeling this morning? Any jitters?”
“You know me so well,” I told her with a smile. “Yeah, I have a few. But I think I’ll be all right.”
“The photographer I have shooting you comes highly recommended. I think you’ll like his work.”
I nodded. Oh, how right she is.
“Actually, I know him,” I told her, watching her expression shift from assurance to shock. “Terry and I used to date when we were in college.”
It was a simple explanation for a complicated relationship, but it was all she was going to get from me right now. But Catherine was a perceptive woman, and I was sure I would eventually tell her the whole story.
“Oh really? Everything end all right there?” Catherine said, going in for the kill right away.
“We’re both professionals. We’ll be fine.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she said, staring me square in the eye. “I want this photo shoot to go well. I need to make sure he won’t be a problem.”
I smiled, trying to reassure her. “I promise, we’ll be fine with each other. I actually saw him this weekend. He sought me out to tell me he would be the one taking pictures of me so I wasn’t blindsided by it.”
“So there’s more to this relationship than you are telling me, huh?” Catherine asked with a smile.
“Yeah, there is. And sometime over some drinks, I will tell you the whole story. But for right now, all you need to know is that Terry and I will be professional. He will take some beautiful pictures of me, and the photo shoot will be a success.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear.” She winked at me before turning more serious. “But there is something else that we have to talk about. I know Margie, the reporter who is interviewing you, is going to ask about your charity work with the local domestic violence shelters in town.”
I nodded, knowing exactly where she was going with this.
“As an individual, I think it’s amazing. You do wonderful work with them, so that makes it easy to promote. But as a client, you’re being a bit of a pain in the ass. There’s a reason you do this work—deeper than what you are explaining to me. Margie is going to try to get to the root of that. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on. I would like for you to tell me the real story. There’s no time to do it now, and I don’t want to upset you before the shoot. But in order to effectively represent you and manage the potential questions that could come from this article, I need to know.”
I swallowed loudly. I knew this was coming. She’d been impressed with my work from the second she’d met me. The donations I made, or the fundraisers I participated in. The time I spent volunteering, whether it be answering the DV hotlines, working at the shelters, serving meals on holidays, or participating in benefits.
“Honey, you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable with.” Catherine’s soft-brown eyes were full of sincerity. She had a motherly way about her. I could tell she was a good mom to those little girls she had bragged about once. “I just need to know enough so that if my office would need to field questions, I know how to properly handle them.”
I felt more at ease with her words. “Okay, we’ll talk about it eventually.”
I appreciated the way Catherine had been looking out for me ever since I hired her. It was nice. She not only took me seriously but also my company. Not that others hadn’t. It just gave me a sense of pride and security when those I worked with showed me, and the little company that I started from nothing, respect. And Catherine certainly did that.
I felt guilty keeping so many secrets from Catherine. Ally was the one who knew all my secrets. She guarded them well. This little spat between Ally and I couldn’t stay between us. I would have to tell Catherine, whether I liked it or not.
“Ally and I go way back, this you know. In fact, she was there the night I met Terry. She was also there when he left. Over the years, they’ve been in contact and she knows some things about him that I’ve been racking my brain to figure out. Like why, one day after so many years of being hopelessly in love with each other, he could simply walk away from me without a second thought. I just found out yesterday she knows why he did this, and she has for some time.”
Catherine gasped. “That’s...not what I was expecting you to say.”
I merely shrugged, unsure of what to say.
“Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to? Someone to help you process this, since it seems you don’t have Ally to help you through it?” Catherine seemed like the kind of publicist that wore many hats, and right now, she had the “friend” hat on. I was grateful for that.
“I appreciate it.” I gave her a small smile. “I’m managing things.”
