Asking for Andre (7 page)

“When you see this advertisement, what is the first thing that pops into your mind?” Andre strolled around the conference table until he stood next to her. His voice was mild and he had his thumbs casually tucked into his pockets, but his posture didn’t fool her. Her answer mattered to him. A lot.

“Um…I don’t know.” She glanced over her shoulder where everyone sat watching them. Mya looked nervous whereas Milo seemed amused. Law, on the other hand, was furious.

“This is my first advertising job. I don’t know much about this stuff.”

Andre noticed her peeking over her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “Uh-uh,
piccolina
,” he whispered. “Don’t look at them, look at the picture. Just tell me how it makes you feel.”

Casey heaved a great sigh. The man in the advertisement was handsome at least and not fashion-model thin like the ones she’d seen in other ads. The colors were vibrant and there was a diverse group of people in the background. Still, there was something
off
about the whole thing.

Later, she’d always wonder what happened in the next few moments. Maybe it was standing so close to the man who ignited her strongest fantasies, listening to the soft rasp of his breathing surrounded by the enticing scent of his cologne. Or maybe it was the intoxicating idea of someone
listening
to her and treating her as if they valued her opinion. Whatever the case, her usual shyness fled and she found herself speaking from the heart.

“The ad is perfect. It’s fun and energetic. There’s nothing wrong with the ad.” Casey looked over at Andre and smiled. “It’s just not what I would associate with you.”

Behind her Law let out a soft groan. Andre’s eyes rounded before he threw his head back and roared with laughter. There were a few soft titters behind them. Her face flamed. What the hell had come over her to say that?

Andre grabbed her arm and anchored her by his side. “This is exactly what I’ve been feeling. The question is why? I am a fun guy, no?”

All motion behind them stopped. She glanced over her shoulder again and was surprised to see Milo nod at her encouragingly. Buoyed, she turned back to the photo again. The damage was already done so she couldn’t stop talking now. If she didn’t explain herself she’d be forever known as the girl who told a client he wasn’t fun and then ran away in tears. She took a deep breath and turned to face Andre.

“Barbecues and basketball games are fun. You are
not
fun. You’re too sophisticated for such a simplistic word and that’s why this advertisement doesn’t work. I just don’t see you as a wild, crazy guy going out on the party scene.”

She opened her mouth to say more but then peeked over her shoulder. Law was glaring at her so she just shrugged. “It’s just my opinion. Like I said, I don’t know anything about advertising.”

Andre crossed his arms and eyed the picture again. He nodded slowly and turned back to her. “You know enough because you’re right. For example, I couldn’t see myself in that room with those people.”

“Exactly.” Casey pointed at the outfit the model was wearing. “I also can’t see you wearing that so casually. You’re just not a casual sort of man. This needs to be more elegant, more refined. The type of party where they serve champagne instead of beer.”

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Like Saturday night, hmm?”

Struggling to keep her temper under control, Casey pointed a finger at him, inches away from jabbing him in the chest. “Do not tease me about that. It should have never happened,” she huffed as quietly as she could manage.

Andre regarded her silently for a moment before turning to the others. “We’ve made good progress today. Let’s reconvene in one week’s time.”

The room immediately erupted into sound. Milo and Mya launched into a barrage of questions. Law gripped his hair so tightly she feared he’d yank the gray strands out.

Surprisingly, in the midst of all the chaos, Anya took control. “So, we’re meeting next week again? What day will you be flying in?” She gripped a small yellow legal pad, hand poised to jot down the date.

Andre eyes cut over to Casey quickly. “I won’t be flying in.”

All the air in the room seemed to dry up and her stomach dropped. She didn’t know what that look meant but it didn’t bode well.

“I don’t plan on going back to Italy until this is resolved.” With that bombshell, Andre leaned over to Casey and whispered, “I’m picking you up after work. Meet me outside or I’m coming in to get you.”

* * * * *

Casey splashed water on her face and patted her skin dry with a paper towel. She probably shouldn’t have left the conference room in the midst of everything but she had reached her limit. She just hoped no one had noticed her absence.

The door swung open behind her and she closed her eyes. Hopefully it wasn’t Mya coming to check on her. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone she knew yet. She opened her eyes and then stood straight up. The older woman from the Lavin team stood at the next sink, her handbag on the counter next to her.

“Hello again.” Casey moved over slightly and turned on the faucet. Hopefully she could escape without having to blunder through any awkward conversation.

“My son seems to be quite taken with you.”

Her son.
Casey’s mouth dropped open. This cold, brittle woman was Andre’s mother?

“It’s not that I don’t understand the allure. I once had a dalliance with the family gardener. He was a strapping man and quite a pleasure.” The older woman kept her eyes on the mirror as she reapplied her lipstick. “But I’d already married and given my husband two sons. It was harmless and just as forgettable. My son hasn’t yet done his duty.”

Her eyes roamed over Casey’s fitted skirt and blouse. She pursed her lips as if unimpressed. Casey felt her eyes well with tears.

The other woman patted Casey's hand, her touch as cold as her eyes. “It’s nothing personal, my dear. I’m sure you’re a lovely young woman, but my son has responsibilities you can’t begin to imagine. He needs someone appropriate for a man of his position. He’s thirty-one now and still unmarried. He needs to focus on his future.”

Casey nodded blindly. Tears obscured her vision so the room was just a wash of color. “I understand, Mrs. Lavin. Once the agency has finished his marketing plan, he won’t have any reason to come back here.” It hurt her just to say the words. “You have nothing to worry about.”

The older woman dropped her lipstick back into her bag and snapped it shut. “You’re a sweet girl. You’ve eased a mother’s heart today.” She clasped Casey in a quick hug and air kissed in the direction of her cheeks.

“I would hate to see his reputation tarnished by this in any way.” Then she was gone, leaving a cloud of expensive perfume and devastation in her wake.

That’s the kind of woman Andre grew up with.
Even as she felt a shudder of sympathy, Casey envisioned the elegant women he was used to. Surely they weren’t all this cold. One day, he’d meet someone warm and interesting who happened to have the right bloodline. Someone who would fit in with his staunchly conservative mother and his exclusive social circle.

Someone
appropriate
.

It was only a matter of time before he had no reason to come back to D.C. If Casey had followed him home on Saturday, it would be doubly difficult for her when his time here was up. The best thing she could do was try to forget that brief magical interlude on the balcony and concentrate on her own future. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could stop wanting something she couldn’t have.

She left the bathroom slowly and walked down the hall to Mya’s office. Normally she loved assisting the designers because she got to see how the agency’s core business operated. There were so many intricacies involved in developing a marketing plan, from the colors used in the advertising, to the radio and television coverage of the company’s products. After her little chat with Mrs. Lavin she needed something to take her mind off everything. Hopefully Mya would have an interesting project for her to work on.

Casey shook her head, determined to clear the negativity left from talking with Mrs. Lavin. Nothing the older woman had said was a news flash. She’d known all along a relationship between them couldn’t work. She just hadn’t expected the whole thing to depress her so much.

“Casey, there you are.” Mya was seated behind her massive desk in the double office she shared with Milo. She stood and gestured to a stack of design boards propped on stands. “I just need you to help me carry these to the conference room. The Indigo Jewelers team should be here any minute.”

Casey picked up the first board and tucked it under her arm. “No problem. Sorry I’m late. I was…delayed.”

Mya nodded slowly and glanced behind her. “I guess that means she found you then. I pointed her in the opposite direction of where I last saw you. I was hoping the old bat would get lost.”

At Casey’s surprised stare, Mya shrugged. “I don’t like bullies. She might be wearing pearls but that doesn’t hide what she is. Mean.”

Casey smiled sadly. “It doesn’t matter. She wasn’t saying anything I haven’t already thought a thousand times.”

Mya looked like she wanted to say something else but then closed her mouth and pulled a sheaf of papers from her desk. She slapped them down on the desktop in front of Casey.

“I remember you said once that you were working on your business degree online. Did you ever pick your major?”

Casey nodded slowly. “I chose finance but I’ve just started the degree-specific classes.”

“Do you like it so far?” Mya asked.

“It’s um… It’s a very stable field with a lot of jobs, I’ve heard. I like that part.” Casey smiled.

“Well, if your heart isn’t set on finance, I’d like you to strongly consider a major in marketing. You could even apply for our internship.”

Casey’s eyes widened as she leaned over and looked at the title on the first page. She knew the agency had been looking for a marketing intern because she’d been responsible for posting the advertisement to several job sites. She’d never considered the job for herself. The marketing associates were always outgoing and sophisticated. They hobnobbed with the clients and convinced them to trust their company’s public profile to the Mirage Agency.

“Mya, I’m not sure about this. I’m not really good with people.”

Translation, I'm a tongue-tied introvert with fashion issues. Not exactly marketing associate material.

Mya turned back and lowered her voice. “I hope I’m not getting too personal, but I want to give you some advice. Something I wish someone had told me when I was younger.” She perched on the edge of her desk and pointed over to Milo’s.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but this isn’t the first time Milo and I have worked together.”

Casey shook her head and set the design board she was holding down. “I didn’t know. It explains a lot, though. You two are so in sync it seems like you’re reading each other’s minds.”

“Sometimes I think we
are
reading each other’s minds. But things weren’t always this way.” She stood and walked over to Milo’s desk and picked up one of the framed pictures. She handed it to Casey. It was a picture of the two of them.

“Look at him. He looks like a runway model.” Mya accepted the picture back and ran her thumb gently over the surface. “He’s always been like that, effortlessly gorgeous. Then there’s me, the short, plump girl who couldn’t even get a date in high school. I never thought he’d want me.”

Casey watched wordlessly as Mya set the photo back down. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. This was gorgeous Mya Taylor, the woman all the men in the agency lusted after. How could she not know that? Didn’t she notice the effect she had on others?

“Mya, you have the kind of figure that can stop traffic.” Casey patted her modest chest. “Women like me pay money to have curves like yours.”

“Well thank you. But until I had the confidence to believe that, I pushed Milo away again and again. I almost lost him because I was too dumb to just believe what he told me.” Mya looked at Casey pointedly. “And I really hope you aren’t going to be as dumb as I was.”

Casey bit her lip. “Mr. Lavin is an amazing man but we don’t really have anything in common. I didn’t need his mother to tell me that.”

“I’m not just talking about Mr. Lavin. Despite what men seem to think, the world doesn’t revolve around them. I'm talking about
you
, Casey. You have good instincts and an eye for what works. Take a chance, believe in yourself. Apply for the job.”

Casey shrugged but a tickle of excitement crept up her spine. “I don’t know. I doubt I’d get it even if I applied. Law probably wouldn’t hire someone who isn’t even sure about her major.”

Mya sighed and picked up one of the design boards. “You’re just as dumb as I was. Which is probably why we get along so well.” She jumped up and clapped her hands.

“Let’s get to work on this Indigo design.”

Chapter Four

“Where are we going?”

Casey followed blindly as Andre led her down the sidewalk, her legs working double time to keep up with his long stride. She’d met him outside the building after work, prepared to give him her “We’re no good for each other speech”. She’d rehearsed it in the bathroom three times, complete with facial expressions and hand gestures.