LITMIR.BIZ

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sister’s chicken sandwich and french fries, along with his own, and was probably wondering what came after the hors d’oeuvres. He was an insatiable eating machine...called a teenager.

      Twisting around, Tiffany stuck out her tongue at him.

      “Yeah, nice look,” he told her. “That’s the face they want on a magazine.”

      Deciding not to intervene in the minor dispute, Cassie pulled into the talent agency lot and parked the car. “We’re here,” she announced.

      Glen unbuckled his seat belt, but Tiffany sat frozen.

      “Come on, Tiff,” Cassie urged.

      “I—I can’t.”

      Cassie understood her fear, the sense that when it came down to it, you’d almost rather not try than fail. But she didn’t want her niece’s life to be full of regrets about what she’d missed because she hadn’t been willing to take a risk.

      “Sure you can,” Cassie urged. “You’re just nervous. That’s natural. You’ll get over it.”

      “Good grief, Tiff-Niff,” Glen muttered, “you dragged us here, at least you can go inside.”

      “Will you go with me?”

      He rolled his eyes but slid from the car.

      Swallowing a lump of emotion in her throat, Cassie opened her door. For all the sniping between her niece and nephew, they shared a special bond, born from the struggle to survive once their mother had become an alcoholic.

      The previous summer, Marie had been declared unfit. With her parents unable to take the twins due to her father’s health problems, Cassie had filed for custody. Even after nearly a year, she still felt like a novice when it came to parenting. It was possible anyone raising teens felt that way when they encountered a new challenge—and with the twins, there always seemed to be something new. On the other hand, most parents had all the years between babyhood and adolescence to figure things out—she’d started right in the middle.

      The question about Tiffany modeling was a first-class parental conundrum. Tiff had an interest in the sciences, and the same as her brother, she was getting top marks in her classes. She also wanted to be accepted at school, so the modeling interest might be an attempt to prove to her fellow students that she wasn’t a nerd. At the same time, Tiffany enjoyed clothes and performing, so maybe she truly wanted to be a model.

      Moonlight Ventures was located in an interesting building—probably converted industrial space—with several shops and other businesses in the center atrium section. The agency fronted on the parking lot.

      Inside they were greeted by a receptionist who seemed close to Cassie’s age. “Hello, I’m Chelsea Masters. May I help you?”

      “We have an appointment with Adam Wilding,” Cassie explained. “I’m Cassie Bryant and this is my niece, Tiffany, along with her brother, Glen.”

      “It’s nice to meet you. I’ll let Mr. Wilding know you’re here.”

      Cassie sat in one of the comfortable chairs with Tiffany perched edgily at her side. A few feet away, Glen slumped in a seat and started playing his video game again. He was a brilliant kid who already had big plans for the future, though most of the time he did his best to fly under the radar, disliking attention.

      “Hello,” a low-timbre voice greeted them after a couple of minutes.

      It was Adam Wilding. Cassie had seen him in dozens of magazines and TV ads. She’d always thought he was good-looking, but had figured it was partly airbrushing, hype and makeup.

      It wasn’t. No wonder he’d been one of the hottest male models in the business. With his black hair, blue eyes and commanding presence, he was alarmingly handsome and possessed a magnetism that practically took her breath away.

      “Good afternoon, Mr. Wilding,” she answered.

      “Please call me Adam.”

      “Hi,” Tiffany said in a shy voice.

      “Hi,” he replied. “I’ve seen your picture, so I know you’re Tiffany. It’s great to meet you.”

      “Me, um, too. That is, I’m glad to meet you, too. I really, really want to be a model and maybe an actress.”

      “Then let’s go back to the small set we have. With your aunt, of course. We’ll take pictures and see how it goes. The nice part is that whether or not you become our client, you get to keep the photos at no charge. We give them to you on a flash drive.”

      Cassie had been prepared to question if there was a fee for the photography, but his promise of no charge sounded different from what her friend had encountered.

      Tiffany hesitated when Adam gestured to the hallway, and looked back at Glen. “Can my brother come? His name is Glen.”

      Adam seemed to be assessing Glen, then he nodded. “Of course. Come along, Glen.”

      In a small room, there was an area with sand and an ocean backdrop and on the other side was a city street scene.

      Another man was there, working with a camera. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Logan Kensington and I’ll be taking the pictures. Sorry we’re cramped in here, but this is the only space we have.”

      “Logan is one of my partners and was able to be here for a few days,” Adam explained. “He’s done photo shoots for some of the best-known models in the world, so you’re in great hands.”

      The two men conferred quietly in a corner and Cassie did her best not to listen.

      The world of fashion and advertising was completely outside her experience. She was a website designer and manager, for heaven’s sake. At home, she had a high-tech office with three computers, each with dual monitors. That was the world where she was comfortable. Taking responsibility for her niece and nephew had forced her out of that world to some extent; now she was being pushed into more unfamiliar territory.

      For the next hour, she simply stayed out of the way. It wasn’t hard, though Adam wouldn’t let Glen remain buried in his video game, instead pulling him onto the set for “action” shots with his sister.

      “That’s great, Tiffany,” Logan announced finally. “We have a small lounge stocked with snacks. Would you and your brother like something to eat while Adam talks to your aunt?”

      “Sure,” Glen said enthusiastically, though Tiffany looked instantly worried.

      Cassie gave her niece a hug. It would be tough if she had to explain Moonlight Ventures wasn’t interested, but they could always send her pictures to other agencies. After all, it was encouraging that the first one had asked to interview her... Cassie had already rehearsed several supportive speeches. In fact, she’d spent a sleepless night trying to find the right words.

      The spacious office that Adam Wilding showed her to was quietly elegant, with a mahogany desk, comfortable chairs and a large flat-screen television on one wall.

      “Please be seated,” he urged.

      She sank into a padded leather seat. “If it’s bad news for Tiffany, please say it straight out, Mr. Wilding. You don’t have to let me down easily.”

      His eyebrows lifted. “What makes you think it’s bad news?”

      “I love Tiff with all my heart, but I don’t know what advertisers are looking for. She doesn’t seem to fit the pictures I’ve seen in magazines.”

      “No,” he agreed, and Cassie’s heart sank. Though she might not be entirely comfortable with Tiffany’s desire to become a model, her niece had experienced enough hard knocks and disappointments. The practical side of Cassie’s brain said that was real life, but it didn’t keep her from wanting to keep real life from intruding again for a while.

      Adam had been punching buttons on his computer, then gestured at the TV where photos

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