Chapter 27
LORI
On the morning of my meeting at Hailey's agency, I arrived in my office to find a bouquet of flowers and a note.
For good luck. I'm sure you'll win them over.
Love,
Graham
I held the note to my chest, already feeling like I had this in the bag.
I made a mental note to surprise Graham with dinner when he returned from his trip.
The team was playing in Miami, and he'd flown with them to talk to local sponsors.
I'd take a trip to the lingerie store before too.
He'd definitely appreciated the goodies last time, but I didn't want to wait for an online order to ship.
I picked up the wedding invitations I wanted to show the bride I was meeting this afternoon and then headed out.
It was the second week of March, and I'd always thought the city started feeling more alive around this time of the year.
Tourists started pouring in, and even the locals seemed different.
Even though the weather didn't vary too much between the winter and spring months, I think the psychological factor played a role. Winter is finally over.
Since Hailey's offices were in Beverly Hills, I was wearing a black pencil skirt, red silk blouse, and black peep-toes. I looked like I was heading to a cocktail party, but on this side of LA, overdressed was the universal dress code.
"Lori, I think this will work out just fine," Cameron Salvatore said two hours later, checking his watch.
He was Hailey's boss, and we were currently in his office.
I'd pitched him my idea and had named my price, and he'd agreed so fast it confirmed what Hailey had told me in private: I was way too cheap for Hollywood.
She insisted I charge more, but I hadn't wanted to seem greedy, or like I was taking advantage because Hailey was my sister.
Besides, why should I charge more than usual?
"You've got yourself a deal, Cameron."
"Hailey will be your contact person, of course, but feel free to e-mail me too if you need more assistance."
"I'll keep that in mind."
We shook hands, and as my sister and I left his office, I felt the familiar thrum of adrenaline take over. This would be my first Hollywood event, and I loved a good challenge. It was out of my comfort zone, but I loved pushing myself.
"Want a tour?" Hailey said, rubbing her palms together.
"Sure."
We walked along the various cubicles and offices, all decorated in a blend of crisp white with sharp, dark lines. Pictures of celebrities adorned the walls.
"Have all these been the agency's clients?" I asked.
"No, but Cameron likes to play as if. He hung pictures of everyone whose handprints are on the Walk of Fame. Says it sets the right mood."
"He's smart."
Hailey nodded. "He is."
She introduced me to several of her coworkers, and I took in the atmosphere.
Once I'd visited Hailey at her old workplace.
Everyone there had looked on the verge of a breakdown.
I had no idea how she'd managed in that environment for so many years, but Hailey was a tough cookie.
Here, it was clear that they all worked at a frantic pace, but everyone had a smile for my sister.
I knew this place would be good for Hailey because she was radiating in a way I hadn't seen her in a while.
Her old job had been sucking the soul out of her. Here, she was appreciated.
"Want some coffee?" she asked.
"Sure."
The coffee station was encased in glass walls, so we had a view of the entire entrance area, which was decorated with new-age paintings and Greek god statues. Interesting mix.
Hailey poured us both coffee, and then we clinked our mugs.
"To the Connor girls taking over the world," Hailey said.
"Hear, hear. Thanks for arranging this meeting."
"No problem. Now all I have to do is get a celebrity to endorse Val's perfumes, and we're golden. World, watch out: we're taking you by storm."
I laughed. "You have it all planned out?"
"World domination? Since I was eight years old. Granted, I thought all I needed was Superman's cape or Wonder Woman's tiara back then, but my plan's more realistic now. Goal is the same."
"Dad used to say that." His words suddenly echoed in my mind. "If the plan's not working, change the plan. Not the goal. I didn't think you'd remember that. You were so young."
"And Dad's words were gospel." He loved to regale us with stories from his childhood, and of how he'd wanted to emigrate from Ireland to the States since he was a kid, the determination it took to succeed.
"But if Val wanted a celebrity to advertise her lines, she could probably pay one. Here's an idea. Bring it up Friday at dinner. Landon would be all over it. He's been trying to convince Val to take him up on the financing offer for ages."
Hailey lifted a brow. "And risk Val murdering me in my sleep? No, thanks. Besides, it's not the same thing. I'm not talking about paid advertisement. I'm talking about a celebrity trying on her stuff and then bragging about it all over social media—"
"Or in an interview." I realized what she was getting at. "It's different when they mention something casually and you can tell they really mean it, or when they talk about it because they're paid."
"Exactly. They have to try the stuff casually. And who better than yours truly to make it happen?"
"Hear, hear.”
Hailey nodded with conviction, tapping her foot against the floor. She was wearing black peep-toes with a three-inch heel. I remembered she had a date this evening, and this was definitely not her date style.
“You have your date shoes tucked away somewhere for tonight?”
She grimaced. "I cancelled the date. Turns out he's engaged. Looked him up on Facebook."
"Yuck. Hate guys like him."
"Oh, but get this. He was angry with me for searching him up online. I mean, how dare I, right?"
"Want to come by for dinner tonight? Share a bottle of Pinot?"
My sisters and I had a wine system: Chardonnay to celebrate, Pinot Noir to drown our sorrows.
"Not worth wasting Pinot on him. But I won't say no to hanging out with you. Don't you have plans with Graham?"
"He's in Miami with the team." I sipped more coffee, thinking about the past days with him.
He spent the weekend with Milo and me, and Monday and yesterday night as well.
Yesterday evening, he took me out on a date while Marlene, one of the mothers I run with twice a week, watched Milo at her house.
"What's wrong?"
I looked over my cup to notice my sister studying me.
I might as well fess up. "Well, let's just say sometimes I wish I had your dating experience, assholes and all. I feel so out of my depths when it comes to this. Before Graham, it had been seven years. I actually spent more years not dating than dating. Last Friday when we returned from dinner, Graham pushed me to open up, questioned why I hadn’t told him about Jeff.
At first, I was mad, but then I was glad he did it.
I realized I needed to be pushed, or I'd stay in the cocoon I've created for myself, and that can't be healthy for a relationship.”
“You’re going to figure things out,” she assured me gently. My hope was that Graham wouldn't get tired of pushing. "Lori, trust me. You’ll get the hang of this. You're the bravest person I know."
I blinked. "Me?"
"Yeah. I remember when you got pregnant. I was scared shitless for you. But were you scared? No. You calmly told Val and Landon that you couldn't go through with med school, but that you'd already thought of an alternative plan."
"You weren't there," I replied. Truth be told, I had been terrified, but making plans had actually helped deal with the fear.
"Jace and I eavesdropped. Will pretended he wasn't listening, but I know he was."
"Of course."
"My point is, you know how to figure stuff out. Here are a few rules. Enjoy the time with your man. Don't feel guilty about taking time for yourself, and don't overthink everything."
That caught me off guard. "How do you know I was going to do that?"
"Because I know you. And it's my duty as your sister to tell you that you deserve to have a good time, with a good man. And Graham seems like a really good man."
"He is." In fact, his attention for me and Milo overwhelmed me a little.
Hailey patted my arm. "Glad we're on the same page. So don't be afraid to let yourself be swept away by him, okay?"
"I'm not afraid… so much anymore. Okay, I am. A bit. Great pep talk."
"Call me whenever you need one." She checked her smartphone. "I've got a call with a client in ten minutes. I should go prepare. See you tonight?"
"Absolutely."
When Hailey came over that evening, we chatted until it was almost morning and made plans for a girls’ night out with Val, which we managed to pull off a week later.
Graham said he’d love to spend the time after dinner with Milo, and I wasn’t going to lie, I was a little nervous leaving the boys on their own for the first time, but it made sense.
Graham came over for dinner, and he was spending the night at my house anyway.
I met my sisters at Hailey’s house. Will was also there, having just dropped off some supplies Hailey needed for light renovations.
“What are you girls up to?” Will asked.
We tried to tone down our we’re-up-to-no-good expressions. We failed.
“Preparing for a girls’ night out,” Val said casually.
Will looked between us. “Should I keep my phone on hand?”
Hailey sighed dramatically. “One time. You came to our rescue one time, and you’ll hold it over our heads forever.”
Will was now sporting a shit-eating grin. “It’s one of the small pleasures in life. The only weapon I have against you.”
“We’ll behave,” I promised, even though we probably wouldn’t. What could I say? We Connor girls liked to have our fun, and we hadn’t had a night out in almost two years, what with Hailey’s constant traveling.