Ain't She Sweet (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) - Whitney Dineen Page 0,46
it keeps him charged.
I’m not sure I ever wanted that kind of life. I was just used to it, so I accepted it. It wasn’t until we were at a dinner party where I threw caution to the wind and ate an entire crème brûlée for dessert that I had an awakening.
The hostess, and my sometimes nemesis Cash Cartwright, cornered me by the powder room and advised me that I’d better take care of my figure or Romaine would find someone else to be his leading lady.
“You’re the one who served crème brûlée,” I tell her. “What was I supposed to do, not eat it?”
She laughed in my face. “That’s exactly what you were supposed to do, and you know it. Dessert is for men and fatties, not women like us.”
There comes a time in every model’s life where she asks herself, “Do I want to rock a bikini body, or do I want to roll in a vat of cream custard and gorge myself until I pop?” If there had been a model’s union, they would have revoked my card had they found out which way I was leaning.
As models, we’re trained to watch every morsel that goes into our mouths. But when my mind flashed to all of those yummy ramekins of caramelized sugar-encrusted heaven, I had an overwhelming desire to run into Cash’s kitchen and eat them all before the catering staff could dispose of them.
I was sick of being hungry and depriving myself of delicious food. Was my worth as a human only all about what size I wore? That night I laid in bed and forced myself to fantasize about another kind of life entirely.
The next morning, I told Romaine I’d decided to go to culinary school. He laughed at first and dismissed the idea as silly, but I didn’t care. He had his career, and I was ready for a new one, so I went for it.
Things between us stayed pretty much the same while I was in school, primarily because my nights were always free. That changed when I started to work and my commitment to my job got in the way of Romaine’s plans for us. I don’t blame him for our breakup. If anything, I’m the one who made a mess out of our relationship by changing my path.
Having said that, life is a gift that we’re all meant to live to the fullest. I’m not alive just to be an accessory for someone else. If people—Romaine, the press, his fans, my fans, and anyone else—couldn’t understand that, then too bad for them.
I pick up Rachel Perry’s business card and enter her number into my phone. As soon as she answers, I announce, “This is Tara Heinz. I understand you’ve been looking for me.”
“Tara!” she practically shouts in my ear. “I didn’t think you’d call.”
“Yeah, well I’m tired of being pursued. I figure I’ll eventually have to talk to someone, and that person might as well be you.”
“You won’t be sorry. I don’t want to paint you as the bad guy for leaving Romaine, I just want to tell your side of the story.”
“I have some ground rules,” I tell her. “First of all, I’m not giving you my story, I’m selling it to you. I want you to talk to your editor and call me back when you have his top number. Don’t waste my time with a lowball offer, either. I’ll talk to somebody else if you do that.”
She doesn’t answer right away but when she finds her voice, her tone is a lot less excited. “I never pegged you for an opportunist.”
“Everyone’s an opportunist,” I reply. “Some of us just learn the hard way not to let others run over us. Plus, you’re going to get more out of this interview than you’re expecting. I’ll call you back in an hour. Have a large number ready.” I hang up before she can respond.
I would never ask for money for myself, but I know what I’m about to do to James. His life is going to be upended in the most spectacular way, and for that he should be handsomely compensated.
Now all I have to do is wait and see if Rachel Perry is the one who’s going to do that or if I have to start a bidding war between multiple press outlets.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ruby
As soon as Ruby walks into the market, Cheryl calls out, “Hey, Mrs. C. I haven’t seen you around in a while.”