Chapter Nine
“ T he first week of November is exhausting,” Julianna said.
“The general public has no idea.” She and Christine were in the conference room, having just finished a meeting about the employee schedule for awards week.
Since Julianna was Rick’s executive assistant, she kept the master calendar.
Christine enjoyed watching Julianna run the meeting.
This was when her brilliance shined. It wasn’t easy keeping everyone on track with multiple events and schedules.
Julianna had a natural knack for organization, which tended to be in short supply in a creative industry.
“I know. They see the CMA Awards on TV and assume that’s it. But the songwriter awards are every night leading up to it. BMI, ASCAP, SESAC,” Christine said.
“Fun, but sucks the energy right out of ya,” Julianna said.
“And this year is even more nerve-racking. ‘Promises to Me’ qualified for every awards show. It’s nominated for three awards. It could go home with three trophies or zero trophies. The stress is in the not knowing. If only they told us in advance.”
“Think of all the people who weren’t nominated at all. They may not be stressing, but they didn’t get the honor of being a finalist either,” Julianna said.
“So true. I’m not complaining. I just want it to win so badly. It was a risk for Austin and me. And it paid off in so many ways. An award would be icing on the proverbial cake.”
“You up for going to the mall and looking for dresses? If it does win, you’ll want to have an award-winning look to go with that award-winning song. I figured we could make a day of it with mani-pedis,” Julianna said.
“Why not? I assume Phoebe’s going?” Christine’s lip curled up in a snarl.
“She is. I wish you two would get along.”
“She doesn’t like me. She thinks I’m not good enough,” Christine said.
“She envies you.”
Christine guffawed so loud she snorted.
Julianna held up a finger. “First, you and I became close, making her feel there was a threat to hers and my friendship,” she said. Then she held up another finger. “Second, you scored a friendship with Austin. He adores you. And she knows it. Hence, she’s jealous.”
“Phoebe doesn’t have an insecure bone in her body,” Christine said, arms crossed, lips pursed.
“You know, Christine, you weren’t the only one with a rough childhood. Phoebe may not have been bullied like you were, but she had some tough teen years. Her parents were a train wreck and it affected her badly.”
“At least I didn’t become a mean girl,” Christine said, but her voice was quieter, less emphatic.
“People handle things differently. You have your way, which is to be way more insecure than you should be. She handled it by becoming a block of ice that nobody can break down.”
“You know, growing up, I used to pray for the cool kids to have a reason to be jealous of me. It’s not as fun as I thought it’d be.”
“Watch what you pray for. Let’s focus on pretty dresses and getting our nails done. It always makes me happy.”
“If only a pretty dress could cure the world of problems.”
“It probably can. It’s just that nobody has proved it yet.” Julianna gave Christine a winning smile.
CHRISTINE, JULIANNA, AND PHOEBE met at the mall after work.
Christine stood in the store in awe of the dresses her friends were buying—dresses that were formfitting, short, and had cutouts that gave glimpses of bare skin that would otherwise be covered.
She hadn’t tried on a single dress yet when Julianna rounded the corner with an armful.
“Your turn, Christine,” she said.
“I’m good. I have a couple of dresses from the last few years.”
“No offense, but I saw last year’s dresses. You’re trying these on,” Julianna said.
“Fine. Give them to me.” She ducked into a dressing room.
“Try the black one on first,” Julianna said.
“Got it,” Christine said, stepping into the black one.
She looked in the mirror. The dress was shorter than she was used to, but it swayed nicely above her lower thighs.
It was light and airy, and it would be comfortable for sitting and walking while still looking elegant.
The shoulders were open, revealing her smooth skin, with bell sleeves that ended in cuffs.
There was only one problem. It was tight around her midsection. She frowned at her reflection.
“I can’t pull this off. I don’t have the abs for it,” Christine said, refusing to come out of the dressing room. She shrugged out of the dress.
“Don’t move and do not hang up that dress,” Julianna said, rushing out of the dressing room area. She returned minutes later, sliding an item under the dressing room door.
“What’s this?”
“Spanx. The secret weapon of practically everyone in town. Put it on, then put the dress back on. And don’t give me an eye roll,” Julianna said.
Christine knew Julianna couldn’t see her, but she gave an eye roll anyway and did as she was told.
“Holy crap! I’ve heard about these but never believed they worked,” Christine said, admiring the way her tummy had flattened under the dress.
“Yep.”
“And there are no telltale lines,” Christine said, turning back and forth in front of the mirror.
“Open up the door and let me see.”
Christine obliged.
Julianna’s jaw hung open. “Stunning, Christine. Absolutely stunning.”
“Thanks.” Christine blushed. She looked at Phoebe and couldn’t get a read on her expression. Christine wasn’t going to beg for a compliment. She turned to head back into the dressing room.
“It looks beautiful on you, Christine,” Phoebe said.
Christine cocked her head and looked Phoebe in the eyes. She saw sincerity. “Thank you, Phoebe.”
Christine chose two more dresses and made her purchase.
“Anyone up for a bite to eat?” Phoebe asked.
“I think I’m going to head home. Shopping is a bit stressful for me,” Christine said. She knew that as a woman she was supposed to love shopping. But when you were tight on money and insecure with your body, it was a different experience.
“Are you sure?” Julianna said.
“I am. Thanks for including me in this girls’ night out. It was more fun than I expected. Enjoy your dinner,” Christine said.
Christine loved the black dress. As she drove home, she tried to envision a scene in which Matt would see her in it.
THAT SCENE CAME TO LIFE AT the BMI Awards, which was held the night before the CMA Awards to honor the songs and songwriters.
The ceremony was held in the parking garage of the BMI building.
It took hard work to transform a regular parking garage into a glitz-and-glamour awards room.
Workers spent days setting up a stage and lighting.
The lighting is what made it special. Along with stage lighting for the performers, the room lights sparkled blue and red, giving a romantic ambience to the evening.
Tables, draped with white tablecloths and adorned with floral centerpieces, were arranged to maximize the number of people who could attend.
Bars were set up on both sides of the room, fully stocked with liquor served by tuxedo-wearing bartenders.
Rick had purchased a table for his employees, and Christine and Julianna made sure to sit next to each other.
“How do they do this every year?” Christine asked Julianna, who looked stunning in a gold dress with a plunging neckline and a hem that fell perfectly mid-thigh.
“Transform a parking garage into the glitziest place in Nashville? I have no idea. They work on it for weeks. Look at those chandeliers. Probably cost more than most cars,” Julianna said.
“My car for sure.”
“Do you think ‘Promises to Me’ will win?” Julianna asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so, but it peaked on the charts so late in the voting season it’s hard to tell.”
Austin sauntered in fifteen minutes before the awards started. Phoebe looked regal on his arm. The dress was a few inches longer than what Phoebe usually wore. She looked like a runway model. Austin saw them and led Phoebe to their table.
“Chrissy girl. Let me see that dress!” Austin reached down to pull Christine to her feet. He let out a slow whistle and turned her around in a circle. “Damn.”
Christine beamed.
“The miracle of Spanx,” Phoebe said, a grimace altering her face.
Christine chose to ignore her.
Austin reached out his hand to Julianna. “Good to see you again. You also look gorgeous this evening. Then again, when don’t you look gorgeous?” He stared a little too long, his gaze dropping below her neck before reaching her eyes.
“Thank you, Austin. As do you,” Julianna said.
Phoebe gave a loud throat clear.
“Huh? Right. I’ve got to go hunt down Matt. He’s holding our seats. Come by our table later,” Austin said, stealing another glance at Julianna.
Christine’s stomach danced a jig at the sound of Matt’s name. She watched Austin and Phoebe walk to their table. She saw the back of Matt’s head but couldn’t tell if Cait was with him.
“Is it my imagination or did Austin just flirt with me?” Julianna asked.
“He flirted. Wish you could have seen Phoebe’s eyes. They were throwing darts.”
“At me?” Julianna’s eyes widened.
“Nope. At Austin.”
Christine no longer felt nervous about the awards. Instead, she focused on the moment when Matt would see her in her dress.
“Promises to Me” did not win the award. Although Christine was disappointed, she was content that it had been nominated. So many songs were released in a year, and being among the top five was still worth celebrating.
“I’ll be back, Julianna. Need a quick bathroom break.”
Christine entered the bathroom and took a passing glance at a woman across the room.
She was beautiful with long, flowing, curly dark hair and donned a dress very similar to Christine’s.
Christine looked away, envying the woman’s svelte body, once again wishing she could look like that.
She decided to steal another quick look and gasped.
There was no woman across the room. It was a mirror.
Christine had admired her own image. “Oh my God,” she said. “I’m beautiful.”