Hope finishes her conversation with Harlow and comes over to us.
“Hey, I haven’t had a chance to speak to you all yet.” The three guys stand up, and the four of them exchange hugs and kisses in greeting. I love seeing them get along with my family. Even though we haven’t really started anything between the four of us yet, the way they fit into the Summers’ jigsaw puzzle makes me hopeful and optimistic that if we ever do get this relationship off the ground, I can have the kind of love my siblings, dad, and grandparents have found.
“Hope, Shane was just saying he’s going to be in Hawaii for a shoot when Jax’s hotel opening is happening. Have we booked an official photographer for that yet?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll check with Cole tomorrow, but that’s a great idea. Will you do that?”
Shane shrugs. “Sure, as long as it doesn’t clash with what I’m doing for Hawaiian Tourism.”
“If you send me your schedule with them, I’ll make sure Cole works around it. Actually, you should probably meet him. We use you for so much of our press that you’re basically our unofficial official photographer.” We all laugh at Hope’s words. “And it would be good for you to have a working relationship with him.”
“Is this Cole Chambers? He used to do PR for Elite Model Management, which is who Hayden Christie is represented by, right?” Hope nods in answer to Shane’s question. “I’ve met and worked with him. He’s a great guy.”
“Yes, but both he and Hayden have jumped ship after some nasty gossip surfaced about one of the talent scouts guaranteeing models positions if they gave him a blow job.” I screw up my nose at Hope’s words. The fashion world can be so fucking nasty. “Declan is now representing Hayden, and Cole is our new PR guy, which was a lucky strike for us. I think he’s going to do great! He’s a hard-ass, but he has contacts everywhere and really knows what he’s doing.”
“If he’s so great, how come he wasn’t able to put a spin on the scout’s bad press?” I ask, and Hope frowns at me. Okay, yeah, I guess I realize how that question could sound kind of bad, but I totally didn’t mean it that way.
“He didn’t think that kind of thing should be covered up and didn’t want anything to do with a company that condones it. Apparently, the scout was only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a whole underage sex scandal that’s going to rock the modeling world once the exposé hits the papers this week.”
“That company isnasty. I was offered representation from them once. I had a meeting with the owner. He was touchy feely and implied that if I wanted to succeed, I should bend over for him. I politely declined and got out of there as fast as I could. Thankfully, I already had an offer from Declan. Maybe if I hadn’t had other options, I would have done what he suggested too.” That last little bit is said quietly, and there’s no question as to whether Alex feels ashamed of what he’s admitting. “The modeling industry is full of beautiful people trying to hit it big. Every day, more and more people leave their homes for LA in the hope that they will be the next big thing.”
“Look at me. I took a chance on Neighpalm Couture. I hadn’t quit my job back home or anything, but I only had a hundred bucks to my name after I paid for my hotel and airfare to get out here,” Jace points out. “If you had said no, I was tucking tail and going home to save up to try again. Not everyone is so lucky to have a backup plan, even a small one.”
“That’s so true. It’s why we try to keep things above board on our end. But there are so many things out of our control, like the number of models that have eating disorders and drug problems. I wish we could help them all, but we just can’t. It’s why I have a policy to only hire models with healthy bodies. I want curves to show off our clothes, none of these stick-thin coat hangers that everyone else uses. In order to give people their best chance at success, we need them to give us their best too.”
“What would be better is if you used real women, not models,” Hope says, and I shrug.
“I know, and maybe that’s something we need to look at doing, but that’s not going to fix the problem. Unfortunately, it’s endemic to the industry, and I’m not sure it can ever be fixed. The best we can do right now is spread the word about our hiring policies so that the models who want to be healthy and employed know that they can find an opportunity with us. The others, well, until they recognize that they need help, I’m not sure what we can do for them.”
The words have a grim finality to them, or at least they do to me, maybe because of what I’m going through. I don’t want to be this mess for the rest of my life, but maybe I, like the industry that gave me life for so many years, am just irreparably broken.
I don’t know if it’s a boost from the cocaine, the euphoria of the baby announcements, or the presence of these men around me, but I don’t know if I’m willing to accept that.
ChapterEight
Jacinta
Eventually, everyone drifts home. Harlow and her guys return to Willow Castle, and the McCallisters to their B&B. Nana insists that Jace, Alex, and Shane stay the night, but they manage to gracefully turn her down with explanations that they all have work in the morning. Riding the last burst of energy that the warm and fuzzies have given me, I offer to see them out. It totally has nothing to do with wanting just a few more minutes of basking in the comfort they give me.
Their car is parked in a darkened corner of the yard, and when we reach it, Alex maneuvers me until my back is to the car so the three of them can surround me. My heart starts to race, and I can feel my breathing pick up, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s from panic or desire.
“We just want to make our intentions clear.” Alex takes the lead, sounding more serious than I’ve heard him all day. “Now that the stalker has been dealt with, we fully intend to pursue you.”
I start to shake my head, but he holds up his hand, silencing me. “No, we know you told Jace that you didn’t want to start anything, and he said there were more reasons than just the stalker, but we don’t care. This whole thing has shown us that life is too short to let it pass by without taking what you want from it. We want you, Jacinta Summers.”
I look between the men, my heart still racing. “But why? You seem to have a pretty good thing going with the three of you.”
“While we do have a great thing going, and Jace has made that even better, we’re greedy, Jacinta. We want more, specifically you. We always have.” Shane surprises me by being the one to answer. He’s always been the strong, silent type, so I wasn’t expecting him to admit that.
“I know you’ve thought about it, and I know that you’re not opposed to the idea of a poly relationship. You told me you wish you could have what Harlow has with your brothers. How they’re such a tight-knit, loving unit. How Harlow loves them for who they are and not for what they can give her,” Jace adds, my drunken ramblings from Prague coming back to bite me in the ass.
“We can give that to you.” Alex grabs my hand and squeezes it. “Wewantto give that to you, so this is your official notice, because we aren’t taking no for an answer.”
Shane frowns at his boyfriends before gently saying, “What Alex means to say is that we hope you will give us a chance.”
“Think about it and let us know how you’re feeling tomorrow at dinner,” Jace suggests before each of them gives me a gentle kiss on the lips. There’s no tongue and no real pressure, just a light dusting that has me chasing their mouths, causing them to chuckle. Feeling my cheeks pinken again, I step away from the car as Shane takes the driver’s seat with Alex next to him and Jace in the back.
“Drive carefully.” I wave as they leave me without another word and a lot to consider.
