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Chapter Seven
As June arrived, Micah and Faith continued to build their relationship one day at a time. He loved choir practices because it allowed him an opportunity to see Faith in all her glory. Her love of singing radiated like the sun. Micah didn’t mind taking things slowly. For so many of his relationships things had burned out before they’d even gotten started. He’d always had a short attention span for relationships, yet with Faith it was completely different.
She’s different.
Faith grounded him. She motivated him. And even though she had no knowledge of the modeling world, she encouraged him to push past his limits. The day she had accompanied him to his commercial shoot was the day Micah knew he was falling hard for her. She’d insisted on picking him up at his house so he could relax while she drove them to the location for the shoot. Once he got in her car a special green protein smoothie awaited him. No one had ever done that for him before. Most people assumed his job was easy and that he’d been born into the role simply because of his looks. Faith seemed to understand that modeling took expertise, discipline and a bit of talent.
When they arrived at the shoot it was complete bedlam with orders being barked out and dozens of people scurrying around. Faith sat with Micah in his dressing room and played calming music for him from her phone. Micah had never had anyone provide such emotional support to him during a professional gig. It felt nice to be pampered.
When a knock had sounded on his dressing room door, his friend Lorelei had been standing there, with a smile plastered on her stunning face.
Lorelei James was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women in the world. With her red hair, green eyes and porcelain skin, she looked as if she’d walked straight out of a fairytale. There was something otherworldly about her beauty. Some said it was unapproachable. Micah had worked with Lorelei many times in the past, and he knew a bit of her story—the stuff she kept hidden. Her jaw-dropping beauty masked a tragic past and many emotional scars. She was quiet and reserved, which people viewed as snobby and stuck up. In truth, Lorelei didn’t always feel comfortable in her own skin. But that was her story to tell. Micah would never betray her confidence by repeating anything she’d ever told him.
“Faith, this is Lorelei James. She’s shooting the commercial with me today.”
Faith smiled at her warmly and stuck out her hand. Lorelei reached out and shook it. “Hi, Lorelei. I recognize you from some magazines. You take lovely photos.”
“Thank you, Faith. That’s sweet of you to say.” She looked at Micah. “When you work with someone as talented as Micah, it raises your game.”
Micah shook his head and told Faith, “She’s being very modest. Lorelei is the best in the business. And she’s a kind soul as well.”
Lorelei ducked her head. Micah knew Lorelei well enough to know she didn’t take compliments too well. It was what endeared her the most to Micah. She didn’t seem to take her stunning looks too seriously. In the modeling business, it was a rare thing indeed.
“Micah, I just came by to tell you they’ve switched up the dialogue for the commercial,” Lorelei told him.
Micah felt as if he couldn’t breathe for a moment. “W-what are you talking about? They gave us the final script days ago. I’ve been memorizing it ever since.”
Lorelei bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Micah. The director just pulled me aside and told me. I told him I’d pass it on to you as well as the new script.” Lorelei handed Micah the script. “I can practice with you if you want.”
Micah shook his head. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him on such an important day. The pressure was intense. “I’ll need to read it over a few times first. Can we meet up in a bit?”
With his dyslexia it would take him a little while to run over everything for accuracy. He might struggle with some of the words and he wasn’t sure if he had ti
me to get it all straight. Then he would have to go over it a few more times in order to memorize it. Suddenly, he felt beads of sweat pooling on his forehead.
“I’ll come back in a little bit just to check in on you,” Lorelei said, her face showing her compassion.
“Thanks, Lorelei,” he murmured, running a weary hand over his face. He let out a ragged sigh. If he couldn’t figure this all out, the client would replace him in an instant.
As soon as Lorelei exited, Faith moved closer toward him. “Okay, Micah. You don’t need to panic. Let’s do this. We’re going to go over the script and you’re going to rock this commercial.”
“I appreciate your faith in me, but there are no guarantees.”
“There are never any guarantees. And you know that. There’s hard work and perseverance and talent. You have all of that, Micah Donahue.”
“Faith, I can’t pretend that I’m not sick to my stomach about this.” He felt nausea rise up in his throat. He felt embarrassed to be falling apart in front of Faith.
“It’s okay to be scared, Micah. You’re talking to someone who feels fear on a daily basis. I know what it’s like. But what you’ve shown me is to face those fears head-on. I’m going to deliver that message right back to you. You can do this! When I’m scared I pray. I gather strength from the one who sustains me. So let’s join hands and pray about this before we dig in to the script.”
Micah clasped hands with Faith, closed his eyes and bowed his head.
“Lord, please grant Micah favor with this endeavor. May you instill in him the confidence he needs to put his best foot forward and use all of his many strengths to make this commercial a success. Amen.”
“Amen,” he said, raising his head up. “Thank you for praying for me.”
“Of course. Anytime. Prayer is such an important part of my life.”
“I feel kind of selfish asking for God’s favor when there are so many more important issues out there for Him to deal with.”
