Page 156 of Plus Size Player

“What did he look like?” Jacqueline asked her.

Panic swept through me.

Russ had kissed me and made me forget that Taisha was driving by, looking directly at us. The same anxiety and worry that tightened my gut on Sunday afternoon returned, with more intensity. And unfortunately, Russ wasn’t there to kiss the dread away.

I swallowed hard.

“He’s over six feet. I could only see his legs and the back of his neck, but he looked light brown skinned”—she pointed to Matias “—like his complexion. He had on a hat, T-shirt, and jorts.”

“What the hell are jorts?” Jonah asked with a chuckle.

“Jean shorts,” she answered.

“Is that why you’re looking so shook, Nina?” Jacqueline wondered. “Your boyfriend wears jorts.”

Everyone looked at me and all I could do was put my head in my hands while they laughed. Even though it was only the five of us in the conference room, I couldn’t help feeling like things were getting a little too out of control.

Taisha started rubbing my back comfortingly. “Jorts aside… That man was so engulfed in Nina, I couldn’t even see his face.”

This is good.I lifted my head and looked at her.Nothing to worry about.

“His arms were wrapped around her so tight, I couldn’t even see them,” she continued. “And I told my sister how happy I was for her. And then I get an email Monday morning saying she got picked to walk the runway and I was even happier. Am I jealous? Yes. But am I happy? Also yes.”

“We are all happy for you,” Jonah told me. “But if anything happens between you and your man, I’m here. Taisha talking about you being hugged up on like that and seeing that you’re good is a good thing. Am I jealous? Yes. But am I happy? Also yes.”

All of us cracked up.

“I appreciate all of you. Thank you. And I’ll represent for us on the runway,” I promised them.

“Do you think they picked you to make up for the fact that they are giving away half of your appearances to the other model?” Jacqueline asked.

All of us stopped and looked at her.

“Jacqueline!” Taisha admonished her. “Uh-uh, don’t do that.”

“Whoa…” Jonah reacted.

“That’s not cool,” Matias muttered.

Jacqueline’s eyes got big as she looked around. “What? I didn’t mean it like that.”

“It’s fine,” I assured them. “It very well may have been part of their reasoning for choosing me.”

I didn’t mention the fact that Angelica had noticed my walk a few weeks prior and told me she would be nominating me. Because while that was true, I didn’t know the motivations of the others who voted. Remedy had pulled me aside to address the Gabby situation in the same breath as the runway show. And Russ was my man and had all but promised me he would make sure I was okay. Having everyone think I got the runway opportunity as a peace offering was the safest bet.

“What do they have you wearing? What do they have you doing?” Taisha asked, trying to change the subject.

As I answered her questions, people entered the conference room. There was a buzz of excitement as almost every RLF staff person I’d ever crossed paths with filed in. When Remedy and Lori walked in, we quieted and gave them our undivided attention.

“Fashion Week kicks off on Friday, and our very first Fashion Week appearance is on Monday at eleven o’clock,” Remedy announced before breaking down everything we needed to know. “Our spokesmodels will be in New York for promotion over the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, they have in-person appearances. On Sunday and Monday, they will be promoting the show. And speaking of spokesmodels, Nina will be walking down the runway for us.”

Everyone clapped politely, and grinning proudly, I waved.

After some additional information, the meeting concluded, but Remedy and Lori asked us to stay behind.

“You already know your duties for the New York store visits, just like in Atlanta,” Lori told us. “But you’ll be in New York on Sunday and Monday for content creation. On Sunday, you’ll be talking to other fashion heads about what they are thinking and expecting from RLF. On Monday, you’ll be talking to spectators after the runway show.”

“You aren’t journalists,” Remedy reminded us. “No one is expecting you to do interviews. However, you are forward-thinking fashion content creators, so your take on Fashion Week, specifically the RLF show, should be highlighted. Everything you do should be catered to your personality. We hired you for your style and your authenticity.” She turned her head to me. “Nina, you will need to report directly to Russell, Angelica, and the show coordinator because you will have rehearsal, final fittings, and other things that may interfere with your ability to be at your store post for long stretches of time.”

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