“So, if I try my normal approach, he’s going to have a stroke,” Cora said.
“I would ask you to take it slow and see if there really is a connection there before you take it any further. Please don’t play with him; he was hurt last summer by a gal who wasn’t serious about him. I like his sister too much to have her have to pick up the pieces again. He’s not like the frat guys you’ve been dating.”
“Is that so bad?” she asked.
“If you’re looking for a guy who would love you with all his heart and treat you like a princess, Devin’s your guy. If you’re looking for a bad boy, please don’t even bother. Finally, if you’re not ready to settle down, don’t date him. Devin is looking for a wife, not a week in New Orleans.”
Cora got up, kissed my cheek, and then left to get ready for today. She planned to shadow Kendal all day. I was thinking she would finally find out how boring it was to sit through a ten-hour studio shoot. Today was catalog and Internet work.
Tami had been quiet the whole time today. This wasn’t like her. Like a dumbass, I decided to ask her.
“I know you have an opinion, so spit it out,” I told her.
“You do know Cora and Devin are going to be a train wreck, right?”
“Yeah, but what can I do about it?”
“Nothing. You handled it the best you could. You warned Cora, and you let Sandy know. Do you want me to talk to Sandy for you?”
“Do you think it’ll help?” I asked.
“No. I don’t think Devin or Cora will listen to anyone.”
“What you can do for me is talk to Mom. She needs to let Cora’s parents know. I think they’d be pissed to have her come home and announce she’s off to Park City, Utah for the summer.”
Tami laughed aloud.
“Seriously? Your mother’s the best one to tell them this?” she asked, as she obviously didn’t think so.
“You have a point, but I still want to hang out with Pam. I’m not going to be the messenger on this one.”
Tami looked at me and then shrugged. She saw my logic and didn’t offer any better solutions. She saw me smile.
“What?” she asked.
“We’re starting to find a way to work together again.”
“I think you’re right. I did have to bite my tongue a few times, but you worked it out. I might not have told Caryn what Devin offered, though.”
“I thought about it this morning before we had breakfast. She has a lot on the ball. I also got to know her a little bit, and I like her. If I were her, I’d want to know,” I said to justify myself.
“You could have told Sandy,” Tami suggested.
“She’s too nice. She would never tell Caryn. Plus, Sandy has to be careful. Devin’s her brother, and what he did could open Range Sports up to problems if Caryn pushed it. The way I did it we could all claim we were just joking, if pressed.”
“I see your point. Go take your shower and I’ll meet you downstairs,” Tami said, and then left me to get ready.
CHUCK WOULDN’T LET Tami drive the Charger; he did. He explained to her if something happened while driving from one location to another, she wasn’t trained. I was surprised he won the argument. She did call shotgun, though, so I rode in the back with Kendal and Cora. When Chuck pulled out, he tapped the gas a little hard and the tires broke loose. He gave Tami a sheepish grin when she glared at him.
While we traveled to the studio, I used the car’s tablet. It was an ingenious setup. They stole the idea from the airlines and then did a twist on it. There was a knob which when turned allowed a tabletop to open. This gave you a flat surface for a meal or your laptop when you traveled. Where they got creative was you could press a button on the side, then flip the tabletop around and there was a twelve-inch tablet. You pushed another button and you could adjust the angle for better access and reading. I read my email and checked Facebook and Twitter. Angie had posted a picture of Duke, Mac and Kyle covered in mud. I didn’t even want to know how they had gotten into that state.
Kendal and Cora figured out where we were supposed to go. I knew we were in the right place when I saw Sandy. She introduced me to the photographer. I was told we were doing five poses for each outfit. I knew the drill. Range’s marketing department was all about consistency. I prepared myself mentally while I was getting my makeup put on. It was very easy to lose focus during one of these marathon sessions.
My outlook improved when the photographer allowed me a break after the first hour. Getting a ten-minute rest made a big difference over the day. Some photographers tried to push through to get the job done quicker. I found my work suffered when we did that. I went and sat down with Tami and Kendal.
“How do you do it? I’m ready to blow my brains out, and I’m just watching,” Tami told me.
“You don’t have to stay. This has to be as much fun as watching paint dry. Why don’t you grab Chuck and have him teach you to drive?” I suggested.
“You don’t like my driving?” she teased.
“I was thinking he could teach you what you need to know so you can cart me around safely.”
Chuck was all for it. I think he was bored too. I was a little worried when he asked for my debit card so he could get some safety improvements for the car. I was called back to the set, so I soon forgot about what the two of them were up to.
At noon, the caterer showed up with fajitas. At least it wasn’t just rabbit food. Tiffany, Adrienne and Tyler showed up. They went and looked at this morning’s pictures. Sandy and Caryn joined them. Caryn was acting as the liaison between the folks in Park City and here.
Adrienne called me to the set. The rest of my entourage followed me.
“Show me what you’ve been doing.”
I found my mark and did the five poses.
“Do your transition between three and four again,” she ordered, and then turned to the photographer. “Switch to video mode.”
I did my poses, and then we went to the monitor and watched the video.
“You need to make an adjustment in the lighting. See the shadow?” Adrienne said, pointing out a slight flaw in the picture.
“David, you’re getting lazy with your arm placement,” she told me.
She showed me pictures from early in the shoot and the one we just did. Shit! Did I have to redo most of this morning’s outfits because I hadn’t been focused enough? Caryn contacted the Park City team and they wanted them redone.
Adrienne took me aside.
“David, that was a rookie mistake. I know what you’re capable of, and you’ll fix this. I want you to learn that each shot is important and you have to nail your body placement each and every time.”
What could I say? She was right. The camera catches everything. We spent the first hour after lunch redoing the fourth pose for all the outfits while Adrienne watched me like a hawk. Every time I worked with her, I learned more.
On another break, I found out who I was working with this week: Abby and Andi Ferrell, the twins from New York. They’d been working in other studios. Since there were two of them, and they looked alike, they were done before I was.
Kendal spotted them first. When she saw the look they gave me, she barked out a laugh. I turned and saw them heading towards us.
“I think you’re in trouble,” she warned me.
They both hugged and kissed me.
“We’re currently single,” Abby said.
We had never hooked up before because they were dating. I wouldn’t put it past them to fib about it. I saw Tyler come in to find Adrienne and I motioned for her to come over.
“These two tell me they’re single,” I said.
“Yeah, they are. I hope you survive,” she said and then left me to my fate.
I didn’t see that happening.
CHUCK AND TAMI WERE waiting for me when I was done. Kendal and Cora had left early, so Tiffany was with me. I think Tiffany and Kendal had arranged this because Tiffany seemed to like Chuck. It became apparent this might be a setup when Tiffany offered to take us all to dinner. You have to remember I lived with her for three weeks last summer and the woman had never offered to pick up a tab for anything.