Page 95 of Bad Influence
Later, during a break from shooting, Mandy called me over.
Her eyes held mine. ‘I feel like I’ve come home, Amber,’ she said. ‘And I don’t mean the physical location – I mean at home with myself. Thank you for everything you have done for me.’
I felt genuinely happy for her. ‘You’ve got everything you wanted from your list.’ I smiled.
‘Just pray it goes to plan,’ she murmured, looking across at Natalia, who was sitting in her dressing gown with Lola massaging her feet.
‘This is amazing!’ Natalia cooed, enjoying the pampering on the shoot. ‘I feel so empowered to be showing the role a surrogate can play.’
‘And you will both inspire millions of people in the process,’ I said, smiling.
Mandy was destined to be famous. She had the magic formula in abundance, those hard to pinpoint attributes that collide in a way that is so spellbinding it makes everyone stop and pay attention. I don’t just mean her killer body and picture-perfect face, she’s always had that, but now it was something deeper. I looked around me at the team who were all in the room, equally spellbound by the scene before us. Jose had popped his head around the door to check on his wife. For once, he was lost for words too and his eyes filled with tears as he took in the scene before him.
Mandy had finally, openly, become the person she was always meant to be, and this new inner confidence was contagious, electric, magnetic.
Fairy tales don’t happen very often in real life. Not all stories end with picture-perfect wedding days, proposals, or a baby arriving smoothly in the traditional manner. And if I ever felt that a person was transformed by a certain look or a designer outfit, now I knew differently. Fashion, as with life, is complicated. It is nuanced, and it doesn’t follow the instructions.
When Simone called, ‘That’s a wrap!’ at the end of the photoshoot, Mandy came over to me.
‘Thank you, Amber,’ she said warmly. ‘This is all down to you. Thank you for helping me to believe I am enough.’ A look passed between us, as subtle yet significant as a heartbeat. ‘What will you do next?’ she asked, before either of us could feel too emotional.
‘I’m not sure,’ I replied. ‘Find a new job, I guess.’
‘Keep styling,’ she said. ‘It’s your calling.’
‘Thank you,’ I replied softly. ‘You’re going to be an amazing mum.’
Instinctively, we hugged.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
That evening, the last bags from my room in my hands, I walked towards the front door of Gables Manor for the last time.
My heart leapt into my throat as I found Rob standing on the porch, deep in conversation with Jimi.
Rob and Jimi, face to face, this wasn’t the plan.
The two were chatting easily and something had obviously tickled them, because Jimi threw his head back and was laughing heartily at something Rob had said.
Were they laughing at my expense?
Cautiously, I approached them.
‘Oh man, you picked a funny guy,’ Jimi said as I stood side-by-side with him in front of Rob. ‘Rob was just telling me about what happened when you two worked at the Angel Wear show. An incident with a glitter cannon?’ He giggled again. ‘I would havelovedto witness that.’
‘I think it was one of the most stressful nights of my entire life,’ I said, deadpan.
‘Oh baby, that story never gets old.’ Rob was chuckling.
There he was, my boyfriend, handsome as ever in a white T-shirt and jeans. He looked really good. And that warmsmile which engaged his twinkly green eyes made me want to rush into his arms and nuzzle his neck.
‘It sounds like Rob, yourboyfriend, has done some amazing work,’ Jimi said coyly. ‘We’ve had a great chat.’
I looked between them nervously, trying to read both of their faces at the same time. ‘There might be some filming Rob can help me out with, especially if some of the TV pitches we’re working on get commissioned,’ he added.
I shifted my weight between my feet uncomfortably. I hadn’t realised Rob had arrived, he was meant to call me when he did. I felt bad for putting him in this position.
‘Well, this is it, I guess.’ I nudged Rob in the arm, hard. A clear signal that I was keen to get going as quickly as possible.
