Chapter 15
Sadie
Later that same night
"It's almost midnight," I said picking up the phone when Johnathan called. He had called twice in a row. "Is everything okay?"
"Shy, yes, oh, you are never going to believe this. I am trippin' right now. Oh, my gosh, I just finished texting Nick Butler from my phone, Shyyy! Deadpan! He texted my phone. He texted me! We conversed for the last five minutes straight. He's in Los Angeles right now. I feel like I'm going to pass out."
"Whoa."
"And do you want to know whyyy I talked to Deadpan, Shy?"
"Why?" I asked, trying to act interested.
"Because of you, queen. He heard that I know you. We talked about you and your work and, baby girl, we got an invitation to go to the private birthday party of Deadpannnn!"
He delivered the name loudly, using his chest voice in a deep operatic tone. It startled me. His voice was loud, but I could also tell that it was shaky from his nerves. He was breathing heavily just from talking.
"Are you ready for this, Sadie? I'm about to give you the best news of your life."
"That we've been invited to Deadpan's birthday party?" I asked.
"Not just that. It's the freaking tip of the iceberg."
"He's hiring you as his personal photographer for the whole weekend. He asked if I was your assistant and I told him I was, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. He offered to freaking pay my way, too, Shy! We're both getting paid, and he ain't broke, girl. He's flying us to Miami, we're staying in his house! I'm talking thousands of dollars. You're getting five thousand with food and all expenses for three days and I'm getting a thousand. Can you believe this, Shy? I'm dying right now. I have legal fees still, from that wreck. I was crying earlier tonight, thinking of how I'm going to pay my rent this month, and now this. I owe you everything, Shy! I'm officially your assistant, your wish is my command. You just let me know what you need, and I'll get it. I'm dying. A thousand dollars for going to an exclusive party? And at the end of the month when I had to miss so much work. I don't know how this happened. My rent is suddenly made, and I also get to fly to Miami all expenses paid? What's happening? Deadpan's personal birthday party! "
He was so nervous and excited that his voice cracked like a teenage boy.
I had no excitement. I only had questions. I had never even met this guy. How could this be a serious offer?
"I thought you said he was in California. Where did you say the party is?"
"Deadpan lives in Miami. That's where we're having the party. He's in California now, but he'll be back in Miami by then. California has nothing to do with it—he was just out there when I talked to him earlier. Oh, my gosh, Shy, can you believe this is happening to us? This is the best night of my life. Thank you so much for being a rockstar!"
"Jonathan, I, I would need to talk to Dea—Nick. I would need to, to see what the deal is."
"Yeah, oh, yeah, of course. There's a deal to be made. He wanted to talk to you. He specifically asked me to give you his number! It's only 9pm over there. He was hoping to hear from you tonight. You guys will need to work out the details. Can you believe I'm getting paid just to go to a famous person's birthday party with you? This is the best night of my life."
He let out a long sigh, and we just sat there in silence for a few seconds. I was about to chime in to ask him when it was, but he spoke again, and his wavelength was completely different than mine.
"Think about those tattoos," he said. "That's going to make gorgeous photos. Have you ever even taken a picture of him before? Have you ever been to a party where he was DJing? How did he know about you, Shy? I can't remember seeing any of your stuff with him in it."
"No, I've never seen him in person."
"Yeah, you weren't in Atlanta, and he asked about you that night. He was probably planning this birthday party. If you're lucky, you'll get to see him in his birthday suit." Jonathan let out a laugh when he said that, but none of this was happy or funny to me. Something within me had changed, and the thought of going with Jonathan to Miami for a weekend of debauchery had no appeal. It wasn't that I felt obligated to John-Michael, and it wasn't that I had gone so straight that I no longer knew how to have fun. It wasn't either of those things—I simply didn't want to do it. The idea of a trip to Miami sounded tiresome and not at all appealing.
"Shy?"
"I'm here."
"Ha, I thought I'd lost you there for a minute. I wouldn't be surprised if you passed out."
"When is this supposed to happen?"
"Oh, it's Halloween weekend. His birthday is in late October, so he always has a Halloween party, and we're going! Oh, my gosh, this is seriously the best thing that's happened to me in, like, forever. Your wish is my command. I am officially your servant. "
I didn't want a servant. It was midnight and it had been a long day. I was riding a high from the time I shared with John-Michael, and this news did nothing for me. All I wanted to do was tell John-Michael about it so that he could help me figure out a way to get out of it.
"I might," I said. "We'll see how it goes."
My statements didn't make much sense to Jonathan.
"What's that mean?"
"I still need to talk to Nick. None of this is situated. If it doesn't go through, I can see about helping you out with your rent this month."
He laughed, thinking I was joking. "It's going to be amazing. Thank you for being such a rockstar, Shy, and for letting me ride your coattails. Halloween in Miaaammmmiiiii, babyyy!" he hollered.
"Okay, send me his phone number and I'll talk to him about it and see if we can work anything out."
I got off of the phone with Jonathan, and he texted me with Nick Butler's contact information.
I didn't call Nick right away. I slept on it that night, and when I woke up the next morning, I felt like I was in love with John-Michael and didn't want to jeopardize anything we had.
***
A lot had transpired by the time I went to see John-Michael at school the following day. We both had classes and we met up on campus at a neutral location. It was a small area with wooden benches built under some trees. It was shady and relatively private, and I was happy when he mentioned it as a place to meet.
I got there first, and I sat and waited for him. I noticed when he was walking up the sidewalk, and I left my things on the bench and went over to him. Excitement coursed through my blood in a way no drug could replicate. He was solid and stable and he added so much to my life. He was completely irresistible, so gorgeous that he made my head spin. He was smiling at me, and I expected to give him a quick hug of greeting, but he reached down and kissed me on the mouth when we embraced.
I kissed him back, holding onto him and smiling when he pulled away.
"I didn't know that was okay on campus," I said.
"We're not in the classroom, and I don't think anyone really cares."
I reached up and kissed him again. A light, sticky one, letting my mouth linger on his for a second or two. We smiled at each other when I pulled back, and his dark eyes were full of mystery and promise.
"Come sit by me," I said, pulling him along.
He easily followed.
"How long before your next class?" I asked.
"I can stay for about ten minutes. "
"My teacher emailed about my next class," I said. "It's canceled. I can go up to your mom's and get E if you want."
"Mom was going to meet me in Wake Forrest."
"Even better," I said. "I can get him a little early and we can hang out and make some dinner."
He smiled at me. "You sound so domesticated."
"I am so domesticated. I'm about to cook dinner for us all, too. What do you want?"
"You're making me dinner?"
"Yes. What do you want? Stroganoff?"
He gave me an amused grin. "Do you know how to make stroganoff?"
"Technically, no, I've never done it. But I thought it sounded good and I looked at the recipe. I think anyone can do it as long as you follow certain steps."
"Yeah, I think that's how recipes work," he said.
"Yeah."
The word came out quietly because he had moved closer to me and our proximity made me feel weak and needy.
"Are you sure about E?" he said. "My class is over at five."
"Will your mom be okay meeting me instead of you?"
"Yeah, of course, we've done that one other time. Are you sure you don't mind, though?"
"I want to. I love E. I want to spend as much time with you guys as I can. "
He held onto my hand. "Thank you, Sadie. That would be amazing."
"So, is stroganoff good? Do you want me to make that? Can I use your kitchen?"
He smiled at me. "Of course. And stroganoff sounds amazing. But I'm also fine with eating a sandwich. It's really whatever you feel like."
"I also have something else to talk to you about, and this is unrelated to watching Ethan or cooking or anything like that."
"Uh-oh, this seems serious," he said tilting his head at me.
"No, I, uh, it's not that big of a deal. But there's this DJ who lives in Miami. He's having a birthday slash Halloween party down there, and he wants me to be his photographer. And Jonathan."
"Really, both of you?"
"Yes. First of all, when Jonathan first called me, he had offered us six thousand dollars to go down there and do it. Then, when I didn't call him back right away, he called Jonathan and offered him ten. Ten thousand dollars to go take pictures. Eight for me and two for Jonathan. I don't even want to do it, but that's hard to pass up."
"Do you know this guy?"
"No. I know of him. He's a famous DJ. I've never met him or talked to him. I guess he's just seen my work before and knew he wanted me to be there at this party. I think a birthday party is something he does every year. Jonathan is freaking out on me. Not only does he want the money, he wants to go to the party. He cried when he called me earlier. He said it gave him a reason to live."
"Why do you seem so disappointed?"
"Because I already told you I'm trying to do better. I'm perfectly fine leaving that stuff, even if it means I have to make a new way with my work. I've already been thinking about other types of photography—family stuff."
He held onto my hand. "Thank you, and I'm happy, but you seem stressed about it."
"I am."
"Well, if you're stressed, thinking I will be mad at you for going, then that's not true."
"It's not?"
"No, Sadie. If he's offering you a lot of money for a job, and it's legit and you're not feeling in danger or anything, then it's just work. I'm fine with you doing it."
"You are? He put together this whole proposal with paperwork. He's covering our flights and food. It's ten thousand dollars. It's a whole contract, signed and dated."
"Wow."
"It's supposed to be fun, and honestly, I know I'll be able to get some great photos, but…" I trailed off with a sigh, and he pulled me closer. I leaned into him, sitting next to him and letting my head rest on his shoulder.
"But what?" he asked .
"I don't know—just I think maybe I should go, just since it's such a cool opportunity. But I dread it, too. I'd rather be here, partying with E and trick-or-treating."
"Aw, I love that," he said.
"I mean it. I love you guys."
"You love us that much, that you would not make plans?" he said, smiling at me since he knew I had accidentally said it.
"I actually do," I said, snuggling up with him.