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Her finger itched above the record button. He wasn’t getting personal this soon, was he? No way. Surely he knew not to cross the line. They never discussed it, so Chantelle hoped they wouldn’t now. Licking her lips, she cradled the recorder in her hand. “Off the record?” She leaned in closer as if to share his secret.
Lance’s eyes widened. “No, I’m fine. When this is over, I can get back to my life.”
“Okay.” She pressed the record button and grabbed her notebook. “Tell me how you and Andrea met?”
“I originally saw her in person in New York, but we didn’t officially meet,” he said.
“No ‘I fell in love at first sight’ when you first saw her in New York? Did she notice you?”
He gave half a smile. “No, although she was stunning.”
A surprise there. As far as she could remember, all the girls noticed and crushed on Lance, including her. She shook her head.
He continued. “It wasn’t until our annual Taylor Gala that she came with a friend. We met at the hors d’oeuvre table.”
Chantelle made the notes on her notepad. “First date?”
“Ice cream parlor.”
Her eyes widened at the thought of a model eating ice cream. “Andrea Williams eats ice cream?”
Lance bobbed his head. “She cheats her diet now and then. Her fans know that she’s vegan, but she likes to indulge sometimes. I learned that quickly in our relationship.”
She penned his words. “Okay. So... what makes her special, if you don’t mind me asking? How does she make you feel?” Chantelle asked despite the tightening inside her chest. Did he ever compare Andrea to her? She berated herself for thinking such a thing.
Still, Chantelle recalled the first time she and Lance had shared ice cream at Jake’s Ice Cream Parlor in town. The parlor had a long glass case with dozens of ice cream buckets: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coffee, rocky road, and all the other flavors she could imagine. The whir of the blender had rattled, making a milkshake. She could still smell the sugary waffle cone. Lance loved to tease her since she preferred her treat in a cup. Sugary cold ice cream had been their favorite dessert to share.
“She has a good heart.” Lance brought her back to the present. He pressed his lips together and then licked them. Then he glanced at his watch.
“That all?” Chantelle coaxed.
“She’s sweet when she wants to be. She’s focused on her career, but it’ll slow down once we’re married,” he said.
“Why would she slow down?”
“As my wife, she’ll have her hands full making appearances with me. I’m making partner soon, so she’ll be at my side as I entertain clients. Andrea won’t be able to travel as much.”
Chantelle’s eyebrows shot up. “What about her career? She’s established herself as a model. Wouldn’t that complicate things?”
“We’re still talking about it,” he said.
It was best to drop the subject. “So, when did you know you loved her?”
He cleared his throat. “I’d rather not share that. It’s private. As long as the public sees the wedding pictures they should be fine.”
She set her notepad to the side. “I know you’re not one to talk about your feelings but—”
“I haven’t talked to you in ten years, Chantelle. I don’t think that’s your business.”
She eyeballed him and turned off the recorder. Silence passed between them like death. Chantelle bit back what she wanted to say. “Am I missing something here? All I’m saying is the public still enjoys a love story. They want to know how you swept Andrea off her feet. You’ve been an eligible bachelor for a long time. They want to know why you’re tying the knot now.”
He leaned forward in his chair. His eyes narrowed at hers. “My personal life is that. I don’t mind a few questions, but I’m not pouring my feelings out for the world to read. I couldn’t care less about a social media presence or my face plastered on a magazine.”
The Lance Taylor she knew, the boy she loved at eighteen, vanished. The man who sat across from her, he might as well have been a stranger. Chantelle crossed her arms. “Why don’t you just say what you’re upset about?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Biting the inside of her cheek, she exhaled. This was getting nowhere. “Maybe we need to reschedule this interview—when you’ve calmed down.”
