Page 111 of Grasp The Moment
I don’t know how I’ve managed for this long without a coffee or food, but when six o’clock rolls around, and the show begins, I plop down on the couch and breathe.
“Donut?” Denver offers, holding the sweet treat up to my nose, grinning like a madman.
Without words, I shove half of the donut in my mouth and sigh, “This is what stress looks like in human form.” I say, gesturing down to myself.
Denver covers her mouth, laughing as she takes a bite of her own treat. We sit in a shared silence, watching as life moves fast around us. She’s finished her donut and is now staring at me, a bit of pride in her gaze as she places her hand on my knee.
“Your clothes are going to kick ass tonight. I mean,I’mgoing to be on the runway so?—”
She laughs as I push her shoulder. “Behave on that stage.”
Denver chuckles lightly and nods, “I’ll behave, but only because you’re asking nicely.”
We both share a laugh, hugging one another as the door to the dressing room opens again and a familiar face pokes her head inside.
Lidia.
She gives me a huge smile and waves me over, completely bypassing the fact that she’s not supposed to be back here.
“I feel like I’ve seen her before…” Denver trails off, squinting as she cleans up her red lipstick in her compact mirror.
Chuckling, I pat her knee as I stand.
“Maybe because she’s the reason I’m not in jail right now.”
Lidia is grinning from ear to ear when she and I take a step outside the dressing room. Her signature red lips are coated in a nice gloss, and her hair is in a small French twist. She looks like the elegant wedding planner that she is.
She pulls me in for a soft hug, taking me by surprise. Her sweet smell of roses clouds my senses, and I freeze.
I don’t know what to do!
Do I hug her back, pat her back? I grimace as my hands move on their own, patting her awkwardly, but when she pulls away, her smile is still there.
“Listen, I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but what’re you doing here?”
If she is surprised by my straightforwardness, she doesn’t let it show. Instead, she takes my hands in hers and gives me a motherly smile.
“Derek has been talking about your show since you guys came down to Texas for spring break. I think our family group chat has received at least twenty texts about the show.” She chuckles softly, encasing one of my hands with both of hers. Lidia gives me a long, steadying look, her eyes softening around the edges.
“I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, Georgia, and I hope you can forgive me. I was rude in the beginning, but I want you to know that I am proud of you. You’ve created something, and I can’t wait to see what it is.”
Who knew that Derek’s mom was secretly a softie under all ofthat…
“Thank you, Lidia.”
She gives my shoulders one last squeeze and smiles at me before leaving back to what I presume to be where the guests are seated, but I can’t shake the one thing that’s been on my mind this entire day.
Where the hell is my husband?
My anxiety is through the roof as my models go out onto the stage. I’m a mess of fabrics and pearlized pins as I make last-minute fixes backstage, and all I want right now is some pasta and a hug.
Is that too much to ask for?
I’m on the edge of my seat, watching from the wings as the boys absolutely annihilate the runway. The good thing about using athletes as models is that they’re not shy at all. The boys are confident as they go out, each of them doing their own poses at the end of the runway before turning back and exiting. I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding as a hand pushes me forward a bit.
One of the showrunners gives me a small smile. “It’s your time to shine.”
Exhaling deeply, I nod as both sets of my models give smiles of encouragement. I’m thankful that Sienna and Denver forced me to change before the show started because when I walk out on stage, the audience gasps.
