“I think Marcello is sweet on you,” Brad said.
I laughed. “I’ve known him for a long time. His wife cooks while Marcello works the crowd.”
Brad looked around at the near empty restaurant. There were just a couple of tables occupied. “Not much of a crowd.”
“They have a big dinner crowd. Not so much for lunch, which is why I like to come here. It’s quiet and I can have a good meal and relax.”
“So tell me more about this charity event you’re involved in.” Brad lifted a breadstick out of the basket and took a bite.
“I’m glad you brought that up. I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“My first day on the job and already asking favors. Hmmm….” He teased me.
“I thought it would be nice if you volunteer, as well. It would be good PR for the practice. A lot of our patients will be there.”
“What would I have to do?”
“It’s a fashion show luncheon. Aubrey is working with a top designer named Jules Tate, and they’ll be showing a preview of their spring line. I thought you would make an excellent model.”
Brad laughed. “I’d love to help out, but I don’t think modeling is my strong suit.”
I waved my hand. “Oh, you’ll be fine. There’s nothing to it. You put on an outfit and waltz down the runway. Besides, it’s for a good cause.”
Marcello came by with the drinks and set them down. He winked at me again and walked away.
“When is this fashion show?”
“In two weeks. On a Saturday afternoon.”
“I’ll think about it. I’m spending most of my free time looking for a house to buy.”
“Mr. Vanderbilt is still looking for you?” I asked.
“He found me a short-term condo rental. It’s too small and too far from the office. I’d like to find something closer and more permanent. Right now all my furniture is in storage.”
“Okay. Fair enough. Just let me know soon. I need to finalize plans with Aubrey.”
Marcello brought two steaming plates of clam linguine to our table. My mouth watered just looking at the succulent dish. The plate had a generous helping of pasta, with tiny, pearl clams swimming in a buttery lemon sauce topped with parsley.
“Thanks, Marcello. It’s looks delicious.”
“I tell you what.” Brad leaned forward and whispered to me, “I’ll do the fashion show if you do me a favor.”
“He said what?” Venus gasped. I held the phone away from my ear.
“You heard me. Brad said he would do the fashion show if I went out to dinner with him.”
“And of course you said yes, right?”
I could imagine Venus lying down on her chaise lounge having her morning English tea, probably still in her gown and bathrobe. Her adorable Yorkie, Pucci, by her side.
“I said yes on one condition.”
“That you could shag him after dinner?”
“No! I told him it would be strictly business.”
Venus sighed on the other end. “Boring, darling. Brad is a handsome man. You’re a gorgeous woman who needs to get shagged.”
“We have a working relationship, Venus, and the last thing I need is to mess that up.”
I mean, Brad was good looking. While we were at lunch I got this tingling sensation all over my body every time I looked at him. This, of course, was the duration of the meal.
“When is the last time you had good shag?”
I sighed. “It’s been awhile.”
“There you go.”
I had told Brad we would go dinner after the fashion show. I suspected he was just being nice and wanted to get to know me. After all, I was a bit of a bitch the day my father brought him around to meet me. And I was still feeling a little guarded over this whole situation about him joining our practice.
“Aubrey set us up with Jules Tate. He wants us to come by the design studio this weekend and pick up a dress for the fashion show. You game?” I asked eager to change the subject. Enough talking about Brad.
“Of course. How did you manage a weekend off?”
“Brad is covering.”
“See, the situation is working out already. You’ll have loads of free time to shop now Brad is there.”
“Maybe. I’ll swing by and get you Saturday morning.”
I rang off with Venus and walked into the kitchen. After lunch, Brad and I had gone back to the office and seen patients the rest of the day. We had worked out a great schedule. I had the next two nights on call at the hospital and he took the weekend. This would be my first weekend off since I’d come back from Mexico. I was looking forward to it. I hated to admit when my dad is right, but I was feeling a little run down.
I opened the fridge and saw Frederick had stocked up. I wasn’t too hungry after the huge clam linguine lunch so I picked out a small shrimp salad Frederick had prepared and grabbed a bottle of
Pellegrino and
took my dinner outside on the patio to eat. The sky was turning a magnificent purple and the stars were starting to twinkle. Just as I took my first bite of delicious salad, my cell phone went off. I looked at the caller ID. Shit, it was the hospital calling. Labor and delivery.
“Dr. Love.” I answered the phone.
“Hi, it’s Julie.”
“Who do we have tonight?”
I had a couple of patients ready for delivery. Which one was it, I wondered.
“Janessa Myers.”
“What? Janessa is only a few weeks pregnant. What is she doing in L&D?”
“She’s not.” I could hear the faint voices of other nurses in the background. “She’s in the ER with bleeding and cramping. She asked Dr. Malone to call you.”
Dr. John Malone was one of the ER physicians I knew well. His wife Patti was a friend and we played tennis occasionally.
I had already put my salad back in the fridge and grabbed my purse.
“I’m on my way.”
*
By the time I got to the ER, Janessa had already been to ultrasound. I met Dr. Malone coming out of her room.
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“We just got done with an ultrasound. Despite her heavy bleeding, there’s still a heartbeat. I advised her to go home and get some rest.”
“Okay. Thanks, John.”
I pulled open the sliding glass door and walked into her private room. Janessa was lying in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. Apollo was sitting by her side.
“Hi. You must be Apollo?” I extended my hand.
Apollo stood up and shook it. “Thanks for coming, Dr. Love. I’ve been terribly worried about Janessa. She’s doing so much.”
At the mention of her name, Janessa opened her eyes. “Oh, hi. You’re here.”
“I just spoke to Dr. Malone and he said you can go home. Get some rest.” I looked at Apollo. “Complete bed rest. That means only getting up to go to the bathroom. I’ll stop by tomorrow and check on you.”
“Will I lose the baby?” Janessa asked.
Just a few days ago she didn’t know whether or not she wanted to keep the baby, and now she was worried about losing it. I hoped this meant that Janessa had taken the time to really think this through and make a decision that was best for her and not for her father.
“I don’t know, Janessa. Only time will tell. Sometimes these things happen and we don’t know why. The only thing you can do is take it easy – put your feet up – and limit your activities.”
Apollo put his hand over Janessa’s belly. “I’ll take good care of her.”
Venus and I walked into Jules’s studio and were greeted by his assistant Angelina. My mouth watered at all the fabulous clothes hanging on racks. Rows and rows of colorful blouses, pants, and dresses.
“Jules will be with you in a moment. He’s been stressing about getting the new men’s line out in time for fashion week.”
Angelina looked like a fashion model. She was about 5’11” and wore a pair of black skinny jeans with a loose white peasant shirt. A cigarette patch was visible on her arm under the sleeve.
She noticed me looking at it. “Trying to quit. When I used to model, the only way I could stay skinny was to smoke a pack a day.”
“Hope! Venus!” Jules shouted as he lumbered into the front of the studio.
Jules did not look like what you’d think a fashion designer would look like. He was 6’4” and stocky with a full beard. He favored jean overalls and cowboy boots when he was working in the studio and looked like he’d be far more comfortable out in a corn field. Come to think of it, I remember Aubrey telling me that he was originally from Alabama.
He leaned down and gave us a quick peck on the cheek.
“Wait till you see what I have for you!” Jules said enthusiastically in his deep southern accent.
He led us to the back of the studio where more racks of gorgeous clothes waited for us.
“I personally selected this outfit for you,” Jules said as he handed me a beautiful pink sleeveless tea-length dress with a full skirt and a skinny silver belt around the waist.
“Thanks, Jules. It’s beautiful.”
“And for Ms. Venus, how about this?” He handed her a cream-colored suit with a hot pink slinky camisole to wear underneath.
“Angelina will help you. I’ll be back to check on you in a few moments.”
There were two small wardrobe screens to change behind. While Angelina helped me with the dress, I could hear Venus cooing over her outfit. I walked out to see her standing in front of the mirror. The outfit was stunning and fit like it was specially made for her.
“How do you stay so thin after eating all those biscuits and scones?” I marveled at her size two figure. In Hollywood, anything over a size four was considered large. I was a size six and slowly working my way up to a size eight if I kept eating Frederick’s pasta.
“It’s all in moderation, darling.” Venus studied her reflection in the mirror. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail with some loose bangs framing her heart-shaped face. She had a creamy, soft complexion and blue eyes. Totally out of place among Hollywood’s bleached, tanned bombshells that dominated the place. Venus was refreshing to hang out with after dealing with Hollywood Barbies all day.
“You’re so beautiful, Hope, you’d look smashing in any size,” Venus said. And that’s why I love her!
I swirled around in my new baby pink dress. Sequin accents adorned the neckline and hem. The color complemented my skin tone and made me look radiant. I was in love with this dress.
“You look like a princess,” Venus said.
Jules whistled as he walked back into the room.
“You’ll knock them dead, kiddo.” Jules turned me around and nodded his satisfaction. “Magnificent.”
“Now, how about we find some matching shoes and then have some lunch,” Venus suggested.
“Sounds fabulous.” I reached up on my tip toes and gave Jules a kiss. “Thank you, darling.”
“Before you go, let me show you what the male models will be wearing at the show.” Jules asked Angelina to bring him the rack.