You've Got Fail(19)

I laughed as his fingers scrambled around to try and find the zip at my lower back. “We’ve almost got it.”

Carl raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. We just have maybe half an hour of shooting left. And then you two can…do whatever it is that you need to do.”

Willis zipped the dress up and stepped back. “All done here.”

I missed his warmth the moment it was gone.

“Actually”—Zelda, the photographer, stared at Willis—“you two have a great look together. Let’s do some test shots with both of you.”

“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not supposed to be in the pictures.”

“Oh, come on. What will it hurt?” Zelda motioned us toward the set. “Just some test shots. You wouldn’t happen to have any better clothes?”

He glanced toward the shopping bags lined up next to his chair. “Not really, n—”

Zelda snapped her fingers. “Carl, see what he’s got over there and pick a few things.”

“They’d need to be ironed or dry-cleaned or something.” While Willis protested, Zelda kept shooing him toward the white set space.

“I have a steamer.” Carl searched through the bags.

Zelda stood him in the center of the set, in front of the couch. “Scarlet, get those heels on. You’ll need them next to this tall drink of water.” She backed up and began snapping pics of Willis, inspecting each one and making camera adjustments as I grabbed my heels and slid them on.

I edged up next to him.

“Look at each other.” Zelda moved around and flipped on a few of the umbrella lights, then re-took her position.

I turned to Willis.

His jaw was set in a hard line. “I don’t see why this is a good idea. I’m just her…” He trailed off and crinkled his nose. “I’m her um…”

Zelda popped up from behind her camera, her dark eyes piercing through any excuses. “I don’t care what you are. I want to snap the look I just walked in on.”

“These will do,” Carl called and carried a shirt and pants over to a steamer set up near the curtained wall.

“Great.” Zelda retreated behind her camera. “Now get to work, you two. Keep it natural for now.”

Willis grumbled but turned to me.

“Just relax.” I ran my palm down his cheek as Zelda snapped pic after pic.

“This wasn’t the plan.” Despite his words, he closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. Just the feel of him sent me spinning like an uneven washing machine at a drunken laundromat.

No, this definitely was not the plan.



“How’d it go?” Hannah’s voice floated through the dusty motes that swirled in the entryway of our dated Jersey City apartment.

I closed the door behind me, the hard thunk reassuring me as I flipped each of the three deadbolts into place. “It was sort of weird, but fun.” Guilt churned in my stomach that I was out having fun while Hannah was cooped up in our place.

“I can’t wait to see the pictures.” Her perennially sunny disposition shone through despite the shadows falling outside.

“The best news, by far”—I kicked my shoes off, passed the cluttered living room, and stopped at Hannah’s bedroom door—“is that I got to keep some of the clothes.” I held the bag out.

Her eyes lit, and she tossed her finished Rubik’s cube onto the pile of about fifty in the corner of her room. The latest addition clattered amongst its brothers. Hannah knew the exact number. Hell, she knew exactly how many of each color square were on each cube, how many separate pieces of plastic comprised the puzzles, and the age of each.

She took the bag from me and pulled out the clothes. “These are amazing.”

“They’re a bit out of our price range.” I sat next to her and smoothed a hand through her long blonde hair, tucking it behind her ear. “But I think they’ll look great on you.”

“I haven’t gotten too skinny, have I?” She peered down at her bony frame and frowned.

“No.” I forced a smile despite my worries about her sliding back into an eating disorder from all the stress of the Pauly situation. “Besides, I’m ordering Chinese tonight, so it’ll help add some padding.”

“That sounds good.” Her disinterested tone failed to convince me.

“You’ll like it. I’ll get you some sesame chicken. Sweet and sticky.”

She smiled, though her big brown eyes, the same shade as mine, remained sad. “Thanks.”

“No problem. That’s what big sisters are for.” I pulled my phone from my bag and dialed the Chinese place down the block.

She took a deep breath. “Hey, um, I need to tell you something.”

I canceled the call, and my stomach lurched. “What?”

“Pauly came by earlier.” Her voice shook.

“You didn’t let him in, did you?”

She shook her head. “No, but he banged on the door. And he said that if we didn’t get the rest of the money to him by the end of the month that he’d hurt us, that he’d—” Her bottom lip trembled too much for her to continue, and her face crumpled as the tears began.

“Come here.” I pulled her into my arms and rocked back and forth as she shuddered. “No, shh. Nothing’s going to happen, okay?”