Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (2 page)

The car ahead of her suddenly began to move again and her path was free to go. She sighed as she placed her foot on the accelerator, once again easing the car forward. This time the car did not stall and she had a clear path for the remainder of her way to work.

Modern Fashions Magazine was in the East Wing of the West Meyer Complex, on 5th Avenue. The building was tall, nearly thirty floors counting the small alcove on the top floor, which served as the employee lounge for all the various businesses that occupied the building. The magazine took up the entire first floor and part of the basement.

Jessica paused outside the big, heavy, glass doors to catch her breath. She could see everyone hustling back and forth. As she pushed through the doors, Sandy greeted her with a frown, and scowled at her from behind her reception desk.

“
Good morning, Jessica. You had better watch out in there.” She gestured toward the studio. “They seem to have gone crazy in there today. Each and every one of them has lost his mind.”

Jessica returned her scowl. She and Sandy had a mutual understanding about their relationship; they simply tolerated each other. There was no way of pinpointing what caused this rift. They had never even come close to being friends, and certainly had not had any sort of altercation. It was just one of those oil and water situations.

“
What seems to be the rush today?” Jessica demanded of her.

“
I’m not really sure,” Sandy replied, shrugging her shoulders. “All I know is that The Dragon Lady came out of her office early this morning, demanding everyone work extra-long to wrap up the photo shoot scheduled for today. She said something about starting a special project.”

Jessica was glad to be finishing the current project, as it was not her favorite type of work to be doing. Every year, a special spot was set aside in the February issue of the magazine, so amateur designers could display their work at a next-to-nothing-cost.

Clair Anderson, Dragon Lady, as Sandy, and most of the office staff so affectionately referred to her, felt everyone deserved an opportunity to be represented in a professional manner, not to mention the positive publicity it gave the magazine. Therefore, starting in October, designers could submit their designs for consideration, and Clair would decide which ones she felt had a better chance of success. She then would arrange photo sessions featuring their new designs. They published a special issue in early spring, dedicated to the up and coming designers. This was what Jessica, and just about everyone else in the studio, currently was working on.

Although she appreciated the concept of the project, Jessica didn’t feel it was cost effective to have so many people working on it at once. Clair Anderson, however, was not one to consider employees’ feelings, which is precisely how she had earned the name, Dragon Lady.

Jessica subconsciously rubbed her temples again.

“
Headache?” Sandy asked, nonchalantly and unconcerned, having already returned her focus to her work.

Not bothering to answer her, Jessica proceeded into the lunchroom to pour another cup of coffee before tackling her day. She knew she would be sorry later, but didn’t feel she could make it through the morning without it.

She could tell immediately upon entering the studio that Sandy had not been exaggerating. Clothing was flying, models were crying, and John—dear sweet John—was yelling at the prop attendants. As she approached him, he turned on her.

“
Jessica. Thank God. Where have you been? Please hurry up. We have to get this show on the road now, or we’ll never be able to finish today,” he cried, pushing her toward her camera, which had already been set up for her. She stopped short, spilling the hot coffee over her hands in the process. All the frustrations she had felt this morning, compounded by her throbbing head, let loose. Her voice boomed.

“
Hold it! I want to know what is going on here. You know I can’t work under this kind of pressure. Why the sudden urgency to get this wrapped up, we still had a week left and we’re ahead of schedule.”

John stared at her, unaffected by her ranting. “You really should lay off that stuff, you know,” he said, pointing at her coffee. “You know what it does to you.”

“
Can it, John. I’m not in the mood today for lectures on my dietary intake.” John had a reputation for his healthy habits. He considered his body a temple and nothing went into it that didn’t add its share to his nutritional needs. He worked out at the gym three times per week and jogged on the days he didn’t. “I still haven’t the vaguest idea what all this is about.”

“
All I know is, Ms. Anderson has another project in the wings and wants to get started on it right away.”

Some of the anger had left her, replaced now with curiosity. “Well, what kind of project can be this important?”

“
Just about the most important assignment we have undertaken in a very long time. And worth a lot of money, I might add.”

Jessica jumped as she heard the familiar voice behind her. Clair was famous around the studio for sneaking up on people. One had to be careful about what they said around there. More than a few had been let go because they had been overheard gossiping. It was the least tolerated behavior in her eyes; she spared no mercy in her punishment. Jessica had to agree with her, though. This occupation required constant ego stroking. She certainly couldn’t afford to have any of her models upset over idle gossip.

“
Good morning, Clair,” Jessica said as she turned to greet her boss.

“
Good morning, I am glad to see you finally remembered where you work.”

She frowned. “I am sorry. I tried to hurry, but I wasn’t nearly ready to go when John phoned.”

“
Well, never mind,” she said, dismissing her apology. “You’re here now.” She clapped her hands together several times, urging people to return to work. “Get a move on people. We have a lot of work to do yet,” she bellowed making the entire staff jump to attention and scatter in different directions.

Jessica shook her head in disapproval. This certainly was not the way to treat the crew if there was any hope of getting things finished early.

She reassured Clair they would do everything possible to finish this today, and began shouting orders of her own to the crew and models. The morning definitely had not begun to look up. Her only salvation came when she took her place behind her camera. Only there was she able to shut out the rest of the world. Nothing seemed to matter when she was behind her camera, except what was in front of her. She seemed to come alive with a lens to her eye. She admired the grace the models so easily achieved. It was apparent they loved posing for her, losing themselves in their work, just as Jessica got lost in hers. It was a romance born to be lived, an artful coupling of lens and body.

As the morning ticked on, she seemed to lose hold of her patience with the models. Charlotte moved the wrong way, casting a shadow over Yvonne’s profile. Martin frequently stepped on Stephanie’s feet, putting her in a raging temper, and one of the new designers insisted on sitting in on the shoot, a habit Jessica frowned on, and repeatedly interrupted to say, “You just aren’t capturing the whole ensemble. It isn’t moving properly.” When Jessica snapped back at her, declaring it was the clothes, not the model or the photographer that failed to do the capturing, the insulted designer ran from the room crying. Jessica sighed, stepped from behind the camera, rubbed her temples, and strode over to John, who was watching her intently. He turned her gently around and began rubbing her shoulders.

“
I think it’s time for lunch,” he whispered in her ear.

She looked at her watch, saw that it was way past noon, and as if in agreement, her stomach began to sing in strong protest over not having been fed all day.

“
Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s go over to Carlosi’s, that new Italian deli that just opened next door. It’ll be quick and light.”

“
That sounds good. I’ll spread the word.”

As they were leaving the building, Amy pulled Jessica aside. She looked distressed. Amy was the senior cosmetology consultant responsible for the model’s hair and makeup.

“
I need to talk to you, alone,” she pleaded.

Amy was Jessica’s closest friend. It disturbed her to see her in such a distressed state. They found a quiet table in a corner of the restaurant, where they could talk.

She noted the pale coloring to her friend’s face. She looked as if she had lost some weight.

“
What’s wrong, Amy? You don’t look well. Have you been sick?” she asked, growing alarmed.

She watched her friend as emotion twisted her features. Amy blinked hard to hold back the tears. Jessica reached across the table and squeezed her friend’s hand, strengthening her with her support.

“
I am so embarrassed talking about this,” Amy managed to choke out. Noting the concern in her friend’s eyes, Amy felt reassured she would understand. Their friendship went back, and Amy knew Jessica would be the one to stand by her, always. She would be the one who would see her through this latest tragedy, just as she had all the others.

Jessica reached across the table again and took hold of Amy’s hands. They were cold and trembling. She increased her pressure, letting Amy know she was alert to her agony.

“
Do you remember this?” She pressed her hands together, as in prayer, and raised them slowly. “Troubles here and troubles there, troubles are all in here. Lift them up and toss them away, they will not bother me today.”

Despite herself, Amy giggled softly. She did it so expertly that Amy could almost see Sarah Crawford sitting across the table from her. She loved Sarah as much as Jessica did. She was a second mother to her, having taken her under her wing following her own mother’s death.

She remembered the poem well. It was one Sarah had made up for Jessica when she was a child. She would say it whenever she was feeling blue. She had recited it to Amy on the day of her mother’s funeral. Even though she was an adult, it had made her smile. Sarah had been the one to comfort her on that day. Her father had been too distraught. Sarah had taken over the burden of seeing her mother buried. She was needed, just as much as she needed to be needed.

Amy smiled at Jessica, who was grinning at her from across the table. “Oh Jess, how I wish this could be tossed away so easily. I’m afraid all the poems in the world will not solve this problem.”

“
This is serious, then.”

It was a statement, not a question. For in Amy’s eyes, Jessica could see the sea storming. She remembered the look. She had seen that same look the day Amy’s mother had died. They had been eating a pizza, trying hard to study, but doing more laughing than anything. They had sat cross-legged on Amy’s bed, intermittently reading a paragraph, laughing, and stuffing pizza in their faces. There was a knock on the door, and for some strange reason they had burst out in a round of giggles that had followed Amy to the door as she got up to answer it. There was a phone call for her, only she wasn’t giggling, or even smiling, when she returned to the room. She had that look now.

She leaned in close. “You are my closest friend. I really need you now.” She hesitated, and then noting the encouragement in Jessica’s eyes, she continued, “I have been seeing a man. I met him at Charlie’s.”

Charlie’s was a local nightclub. Some of the studio gang hung out there. Jessica didn’t go there often. She preferred the solitude of her apartment to the noisy atmosphere of the bar, but Amy was a frequent patron.

Amy continued, her bright-blue eyes dancing with a mixture of nervous excitement. “He really is something special—or at least I thought he was. I have fallen in love with him.”

Jessica stared at her with puzzlement. “That’s terrific. I don’t understand why you are so upset. So, you’ve found a man that you’re crazy about.” She gave Amy a crooked grin. “Worse things than falling in love have happened to you. Remember the time you…” She broke off. Amy was shaking her head.

Amy put her hand up as a barrier against Jessica’s words. “There is more,” she said. “I recently found out he’s married.”

Jessica moaned. She couldn’t believe Amy would allow herself to become involved with a married man.

“
Didn’t you have any idea he was married when you agreed to go out with him?”

“
No!” she cried emphatically, horrified to think Jessica would believe she would purposely date a married man. “I really didn’t,” she insisted. “We met about four months ago and have spent just about every weekend together. I didn’t think there was time for a wife,” she said, blushing.

“
Exactly when did you find out?”

“
He told me last weekend; we went away together. He said he had something important to tell me.”

“
Well, I’ll say that’s important!” Jessie exclaimed a bit too sharply.

Amy ignored her friend’s abruptness. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She absently wiped them away with the back of her hand.

“
I thought he was going to tell me he loved me.”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so straightforward. But Amy, didn’t you have some kind of clue as to what you were getting yourself into?” She noted the panic in her friend’s eyes and stopped. “I’m lecturing, aren’t I?”

Amy nodded, choking back her tears.

“
You aren’t telling me everything, are you?” She knew too well she wasn’t. Panic seized her, and then guilt overtook her. She did not want to hear this. She was not capable of helping Amy with this problem, and she guessed it was bigger than either of them could handle. She swallowed hard and tried to avoid Amy’s eyes. What kind of friend am I? She asked herself. Amy turned her head away, shamed.