LITMIR.BIZ

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you all right, Lizzie?” Dermott asked. “You took something. Is your blood pressure up?”

      “It’s a headache, that’s all.”

      Her husband’s concerned expression eased slightly, but Elizabeth’s own tension rose even higher. Sometimes she wanted to scream that she wasn’t going to break and for everyone to stop worrying. Okay, the doctor didn’t want her getting too stressed and the family knew it, but that didn’t mean she was fragile. Her health was pretty good for a woman her age.

      She cleared her throat. “Have you thought about when you want to leave for Seattle? We’ll get a better price on plane tickets if we don’t buy them at the last minute.”

      “I thought we’d drive. That way we’ll have the truck and won’t be locked in to a specific time.”

      Pleasure went through Elizabeth. They’d never traveled outside of New Mexico. Their short vacations had been spent visiting Dermott’s grandparents or taking camping trips in the Sandia Mountains or around the Bosque del Apache wildlife preserve, south of Albuquerque. A road trip meant traveling through some of the most beautiful country in the United States.

      “I’d love that,” she exclaimed. “And maybe we could get a little apartment and spend some real time up there.”

      “Why not stay with Adam? He mentioned his place has an extra bed.”

      Elizabeth winced; she couldn’t deal with her son and husband in the same enclosed space for more than a few days. Even when they weren’t arguing, their colliding expectations were hard to take. “It would be best to get an apartment,” she urged. “Not in the city—I’m sure that’s too expensive—but in one of the smaller towns.”

      Dermott brightened. “That way I might be able to pick up odd jobs as a handyman.”

      Elizabeth almost protested that he didn’t need to work, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. They could see Adam when he was available—really get to know him again—but Dermott would also have a distraction from driving his wife and son crazy.

      “I suppose. I wish we could go right away,” she said wistfully. “Summer sounds lovely in Washington.”

      “Maybe next month.”

      “How about tomorrow?” she asked firmly. “Packing wouldn’t take much time and Sophie can check on the house while we’re gone. Please, dear. Adam says it’s mostly been cool and pleasant there and I’d love to experience the long days they have farther north in the summer. And what’s the good of us both being retired if we can’t do what we want?”

      Dermott gave her an exasperated look, but he folded the newspaper and got up. “Oh, very well. You pack and I’ll do an oil change on the truck. Call Adam and tell him we’re coming.”

      “Maybe it could be a surprise,” she suggested. “We’ll find a furnished apartment, get settled and then go visit him. Besides, we can’t be sure when we’ll arrive if we do any sightseeing along the way.”

      “I suppose.” Dermott headed out the door and she knew he’d probably been looking for a reason to agree to her plan.

      Elizabeth happily started a batch of cookies to bring on the trip. Packing was easy, even though they’d also need to bring the basics like bedding, towels and kitchen supplies for an apartment.

      She could use her phone to search rental listings on the trip north. They loved Albuquerque, but doing something completely different would be good for them both.

      * * *

      ADAM GLANCED AT the messages Chelsea had given him and satisfaction went through him. Cassie Bryant was coming in at 11:00 a.m. to pick up the representation agreements for both Tiffany and Glen. At least she’d recognized the opportunities available to the twins. He already had several places in mind to send their pictures—photographers and advertisers looking for fresh teen images. He had a feeling both of them would be in demand.

      A few hours later, Chelsea escorted Cassie to his office. This morning she wore jeans and a green T-shirt. Nice, he couldn’t help thinking, noting that she also moved gracefully, a quality he’d always found particularly attractive.

      Yet Adam frowned. Her eyes were striking, but he could have sworn they were a different color.

      “Is something wrong?” Cassie asked.

      “No, but when we met, I thought your eyes were golden brown, now they’re almost green. You must have colored contacts.”

      “I don’t wear contacts, but my eye color appears to change depending on what I wear. My old boyf—someone I used to know complained that it was confusing.”

      Adam noted the cut-off reference to what must be a previous relationship, and her reluctance to refer to him that way. Perhaps while she was caring for her niece and nephew, she’d chosen to put off the idea of romance or had found the man in question wasn’t interested in sharing her responsibilities.

      Not that it made any difference to Adam, but they had to establish an effective working relationship. While he and his partners didn’t want to perpetuate the way the prior owner had dealt with his clients—Kevin McClaskey had held their hands through everything—they did want to help clients learn professionalism. It was one of the reasons they’d shifted the focus of their careers to talent management; each of them had benefited from someone helping them in the past, and now they could do the same for other people in a field they understood.

      “Sorry for the detour,” Adam apologized. “But I notice eye color and details relating to appearance. It’s a professional hazard.”

      “I suppose it’s useful in your work.”

      Unlike some women upon realizing how closely he recalled details of their appearance, Cassie didn’t seem uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

      “Here are the agreements.” He handed her the two manila envelopes from his desk. “I know you’re taking them to your godfather for review. Space has been left to enter information for a trust fund account and data such as social security numbers. I’ve also included pamphlets for Tiffany and Glen, explaining the basics of how this works. It might be beneficial for the two of us to meet and discuss the details after you’ve read everything.”

      “Wouldn’t you prefer the kids to be here as well?”

      “With clients who are minors, I think it’s best to meet first with the parents or guardians. That way you can ask questions or raise concerns that aren’t appropriate in front of them.”

      A faint smile crossed her lips. “You talk as if you were a seasoned professional, but you said yourself that you haven’t been a talent agent for long.”

      “True,” he acknowledged. “But I was in the modeling business for over fourteen years and it grounded me in what I believe are sound business practices. When I became interested in buying an agency with my friends, I started questioning every agent I met to help learn the ropes. Beyond that, the previous owner of Moonlight Ventures has remained available as a consultant.”

      “I see.”

      She pursed her mouth and he didn’t think she realized that it came off as provocative. Curiously, she was an increasing mystery to him. Even when she seemed to be revealing something personal, he had trouble interpreting anything in her face. He was accustomed to that in Nicole, who’d learned to conceal her feelings from the paparazzi and had trouble breaking the habit with friends and family. But what had led Cassie to being so reserved?

      “Is something wrong?” he asked her.

      “No, but to be frank, I’m worried about what I’m doing here.”

      A weary sensation settled over Adam. The opposite of overanxious parents were the ones who couldn’t commit to letting their child try. Neither was a boon to an agent. He hadn’t encountered it himself, but Nicole and Kevin McClaskey had told him stories.

      In

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