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Roxy shakes her head, looking at the floor. I hurry up to put an arm around her.
“We’ll go to your office, Lisa? I’ve got some more pics.”
“Of course, come on, come on.”
She ushers us forward and I pull Roxy with me. I think the only reason she’s agreeing to come into Lisa’s office is to get away from the stares coming in from every side of the office.
You can hear it like a tear in the wind, ripping across the office.
That’s Helen’s girlfriend!
I don’t think my smile has ever been so wide. Joy surges up into my chest and cascades over me, my body tingling like I’m showering in champagne.
Roxy sits down in one of Lisa’s big chairs, clearly having a slight freak out. She has that panther look again, except now she’s a kitty in a cage and the worst part is, she walked into it of her own will. I lean down and squeeze her arm gently as Lisa loads the pics.
“It’s okay. We’ll be out of here soon.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“If I can’t handle this, how am I supposed to handle being a model?”
“There will only be a couple of people at a shoot. You don’t actually see the millions of people who see you.”
I thought it would be comforting. Instead Roxy gets even paler.
“Millions?”
“If you’re good.”
“Jesus fuck.”
“Right, what have you got? Oh, wow.” Lisa’s big mouth stops for a microsecond as she goes through the pics.
“These are fucking amazing! Helen, you look delicious!” I duck my head, blushing a little. “Thanks. It’s all light and angles.”
“Bullocks. You’re a natural. Don’t you know it helps to be hot writing a section like this? Everyone’s going to love your writing and photography, but once they get a load of that face and body, all the talk shows will want to flaunt it.”
I suddenly feel very in touch with Roxy’s panic.
“Oh, calm down Helen! I’m not asking you to do a centerfold! The pics are fantastic. Do you have your articles?”
“I emailed them to you yesterday.”
Lisa goes quiet for a second, flicking through files. When she looks up at me with very serious eyes, I wince and bend over the laptop.
“Was it that bad? Really? I can rewrite.”
“No, don’t you dare!” She thunders. “These are some of the best articles on rope I’ve ever read! The Twisted Monk would be jealous! It’s relatable but educational. Helen, your section is going to be a hit.”
Everything sways around me and I have to sit down. Roxy pats my hand and wiggles her eyebrows.
“You okay there, lover?”
“Oh, shut up.” I try to take deep breaths that won’t leave me too dizzy.
“You know, Helen.” Lisa sits down, closing the laptop. “I didn’t think you could actually pull this off. I had spare pages, but I didn’t expect you to come through at all—let alone with such quality material! I just wanted you to get out there and meet people. I had no idea I was unlocking a creative genius.”
