Senior Year Box Set

“Cindy dropped off some concepts for floor plans. Do I talk to her about the changes I want?” Adrienne asked.

“Nope, talk to my mom. She would kill me if I cut her out of remodeling something. Plus, Cindy isn’t an architect or contractor. Mom will call someone to make sure it gets done right,” I assured Adrienne.

“Okay, I’ll do that. Oh, and did you want to see the Prom dresses?” Adrienne asked to remind me of the stupid promise I’d made.

I guess my expression must have been priceless because Adrienne laughed.

“At least let me show you the ones they picked out. That way, you can say you did what they asked,” Adrienne suggested.

Cassidy’s dress had no back, and I suspected it would show butt crack if she moved wrong. Then I flipped to Brook’s, and it had a slit up the front from the bottom that would come all the way to her navel. I tried to imagine in what universe she would get away with showing up to prom dressed like that. I looked sardonically at Adrienne.

“Show me the ones they really liked, not the dresses meant to wind me up.”

“Tyler owes me a buck. She bet you wouldn’t even look at them,” Adrienne said as she revealed to me the ‘real’ dresses.

I liked all of them except Brook’s. It didn’t really suit her body type. The dress was designed for a bigger girl and would do nothing to show off Brook’s slim figure, in my opinion.

“What were Brook’s other choices?” I asked.

Adrienne showed me. One was a short formal dress that looked perfect for someone Brook’s age to wear to prom. It was off the shoulder with a sweetheart bodice. The top was covered with navy lace appliqués, while the skirt was made with navy tulle over a contrasting powder-blue lining. Her other choices were longer dresses that were narrow at the bottom. It would be hard to walk, let alone dance in them. The short dress looked much more fun to wear.

“I like this one,” I told Adrienne.

She checked it out.

“Of her choices, I agree,” Adrienne said, making me smile. The way she said it told me Adrienne wouldn’t have picked any of Brook’s choices. “I’ll send it to her to get her confirmation and then place the order.”

“Hang on. They chose the other dresses to get a reaction out of me. Tell them I thought they looked fine and already paid for them,” I said as I rubbed my hands together.

“Fine, I’ll help you get your revenge. They’ll be both happy and relieved when the dresses arrive. Remember, I need pics,” Adrienne reminded me.

“How could I forget?” I asked, reminding her this wasn’t my first rodeo getting discounts on designer clothes.

The girls would have to sign releases so the pictures could be released on social media. I was confident Adrienne would work all that out.

“Thanks, Adrienne,” I said.

“Before you go, I wanted to have a word on a more serious matter,” Adrienne said.

I gestured for her to continue.

“Would you be open to doing a few short shoots while you’re filming your movies?”

“I doubt I’ll have time, but if you needed me for something, I would see what I could do. I’d prefer you not be actively looking for jobs for me until I get a better handle on how much free time I’ll have,” I said.

“Can you model once you go to college?”

“That’s an excellent question. I’ve been fighting the NCAA about that, and we’ve reached a compromise. They’ll allow me to fulfill my obligations to my current movies or anything else I am under contract for before I step on campus. In return, I can play both baseball and football.

“It’s actually turning into a big mess for the NCAA. States are beginning to introduce legislation that will allow athletes to keep their image rights and make money from that.

“In my case, I already make a living modeling and acting and was able to show those activities had nothing to do with football or baseball. Because of that, they’re granting me an exemption,” I explained.

“Would you possibly be interested in being a sales rep for me?” she asked, taking me by surprise.

“I’m not really looking for a nine-to-five job while I’m going to school.”

“I’m not asking you to. We can set up a deal similar to the one we currently have in place where you get a portion of the revenue generated from your contacts. I was hoping you might go to a few events like the fashion show you went to with me where you got us in the door, so to speak.

“I was talking to Tyler the other day, and she made the offhand comment that our business was ahead of what she’d anticipated. She showed me the client list and your name as the initial contact was next to more than we’d expected. That got me to thinking that if you were open to it, we could both make some money,” Adrienne said.

“I’m not sure how much business I would help generate in Norman, Oklahoma. I don’t think they have many businesses that would need high-end models.”

“What if we had you come to New York or LA for a fashion event, and you and I worked to generate business?”

“My family is moving to Malibu. I could combine the trip with spending time with them,” I offered.