13 Going on 30

Rose spent the rest of Sunday with her parents. The Ortizs' spent an afternoon remembering vacations, birthdays and holidays, back when Rose had still been a more family oriented woman. Sometimes Isabel would lean over to Rose and brush hair out of her daughter's eyes. Rose felt a fresh prick of guilt when her mother did this to her.

Her parents insisted on driving Rose the two blocks to the train station. She hugged her father and then her mother, who smiled wistfully at her daughter. "Take care of yourself, Rose. I love you, honey. Call me when you get in so I know you're safe." Isabel squeezed her daughter once more. "Oh, and say hello to Mack for me."

"How did you know I'm talking to Mack again?"

"I saw Andrew yesterday when we came in. He mentioned you met Mack and his fiancée." Isabel's face fell slightly. "You know, I always kind of hoped you would marry Mack. You were so close as kids, and he was always such a sweet boy."

"Mom, Mack is my best friend," Rose said quietly. "And my train is leaving in five seconds. I have to go. I love you." She flashed a huge smile at them, picked up her suitcase and purse and boarded the train.

Rose flipped through an old copy of Poise as the train headed back to the bustling city of San Angeles. She made careful notes in her mind, already forming a plan. Taking a pad of Post-its from her purse, she stuck one to the cover and wrote "Don't know these people" on it with a pink pen.

Rose let a huge smile cross her face as she realized exactly what could save the magazine – and she knew just the person to help her.

When she reached her apartment building, Rose didn't bother to wait for an elevator. She ran up the seven flights of stairs to her apartment and snatched her keys from her purse. Rose flung open the door and marched into the living room, heading right for the bookshelves. She smiled at the objects in her hands as she crossed into her kitchen and sat at her counter.

Rose examined the photos in the yearbook carefully, sticking more Post-its on the ones that gave credit to Mack. She liked his style – he seemed to capture his subjects as they really were. Rose felt a surge of pride at Mack's skill with a camera and hoped he would take on the project.

The next day, Rose dressed in a lavender tank top and black jeans and strode into the Poise office. She refused to remember what had happened the previous Friday. She had brought her yearbooks to work with her, and after telling Arlene she wouldn't take any calls unless they were from her parents or Mack, she locked herself in to work.

After hours of writing notes to herself and cutting photos and arranging them to her liking, Rose was ready to call it a day. Her neck was sore and she couldn't wait to get into a hot bath. The petite woman walked through the empty office, tired but happy with the work she had done.

She barely caught an elevator before the doors shut and she was ready to smile warmly at the other occupant until she saw who it was. Tall, stylish, impeccably groomed…it was none other than Mira Trix. 'Stay calm,' Rose reminded herself, 'Mira doesn't know that you know what she really thinks of you.' Rose managed to smile as Mira greeted her.

"Hey Rose."

"Hi." Rose readjusted her purse strap and then straightened the hem of her jacket. She tried not to look at her ex-friend, no sure how long she could be civil.

"I was going to stop by your office," Mira began, trying to make eye contact with the shorter woman. Mira wondered why Rose was being so quiet. It wasn't like her to be silent when they were together. "I tried to call you a bunch of times," Mira added.

"Really? Arlene left my messages for me before she went home. There weren't any from you," Rose replied in a falsely sweet tone. "Interesting."

Mira didn't like the way Rose was talking to her. "I was in a hurry," she defended herself. She softened then, sending Rose a smile. Rose smiled back at her, but Mira could have sworn Rose's smile was…fake. What was going on here?

Rose still hadn't said anything. Mira was determined to get her sidekick to talk. "Listen, Rose… sweetie I know we're best friends, so I hope you don't mind that I've been working on my own project for the redesign thing. It's not personal."

"Oh, of course it's not personal," Rose replied, "And I don't mind, Mira, because I've been working on my own project as well." A little bell sounded in the elevator to signal the arrival at the lobby. Rose pranced out into the hall and out of the building, Mira's eyes narrowed at her the whole time.

0o0o0o0

Rose spent the next few days arranging for the first photo shoot. When she had handled all of the details except for the photographer, she called Mack. He wasn't at home, and Rose felt her heart sink a little bit. She left a message for him, asking him to meet her at noon tomorrow, Thursday.

As Rose headed home, her cell phone rang. She shook her head; she hated talking on this thing. But as she examined the phone, she saw that Mack was calling. She smiled. "Hello?"

"Hi, Rose. I was just walking in when you finished your message. What's up?" Rose noticed that Mack sounded very happy. 'He's getting married,' Rose reminded herself. 'He's getting married.'

"I want it to be a surprise," Rose answered. "Can you come on Thursday?" Her tone was just as happy as Mack's.

"Sure."

"Great. Oh, and bring your camera," Rose added.

"Why?"

"Please trust me, Mack. It'll be a nice surprise for you. I'll meet you at the west entrance to the Central San Angeles Park. See you then!"

And Rose had quite a spring in her step as she continued on her way home.

0o0o0o0

She woke early on Thursday and took much longer in the shower than she normally did. When she was certain she had gotten every inch of her body, Rose got out of the shower and slipped into her favorite robe. Rose twisted her wet hair up into the towel she had used and padded barefoot into the closet.

The petite woman decided on a pink blouse and a knee length black skirt. Then she took a white jacket from its hanger and laid it on her bed. When Rose had finished getting dressed, she sat down at her vanity to do her hair and make-up.

Rose pulled her hair halfway up and started to put on make-up when she took a good look at herself. Then with a faint smile, she snapped her compact shut and left it on the bathroom sink.

She took a quick peek inside her jewelry box and found a necklace with a rose as its pendant. That would do nicely, Rose decided.

Rose took the time to make herself some breakfast, and as she looked around the apartment, Rose felt proud of herself. She had a nice life. Even the apartment, which had seemed so cold to her the week before, had some personal touches now: magazines on the coffee table, a coat slung over the back of a chair instead of neatly hung up, actual food in the refrigerator. Life was looking up.

A few hours later, Rose was waiting for Mack on a park bench, excited about what was about to happen. "Rose!" he called suddenly, and she looked up, smiling. As Mack came closer, Rose threw her arms around him. This time, he returned her embrace. "So why did you want be to bring my camera?"

Rose gestured behind her. "There's a big photo shoot going on here in the park…and they need the best photographer in San Angeles."

Mack's bright blue eyes widened as he realized what Rose meant. "Rose…"

"I'm hiring you," she gushed. "Well, Poise is. For the rest of the week. I know you're busy, but I want you to do this job. You're the only one who can do this the way I want it done." Rose reached into her purse and produced an envelope. She handed this to Mack.

He opened it slowly, and when he saw how much the check was for, his jaw dropped. "Whoa, Rose…this is…"

"It's only the first half," Rose told him hurriedly, worrying that it wasn't enough. "You'll get the rest when the shoots are finished."

"I could really use this money, Rose, but you don't need to do me any favors. I don't like sponging off of people, especially my friends and family. Believe me, my dad has offered…"

Rose frowned. "You're not getting a favor. Really, I'm asking you to do me a favor. I love your style, Mack. I looked through those old yearbooks, just for a sample, and it blew me away." She sent him a hopeful smile. "Please, Mackie?"

Mack looked back at the hustle and bustle of the crowd setting up for the shoot. He watched for a minute before turning to Rose once more. "You know, Rose, I've seen your magazine. My stuff isn't your style."

Rose winked. "Exactly."

"So why do you want me?" Mack asked.

"We're redesigning and this is my vision for the new look. It won't work without you."

Mack smiled. "OK. Let's get to work."

Rose beamed back at him and the two friends started across the lawn towards the shoot. Rose explained her concept to him as they walked.

Mack went right into photographer mode, adjusting people to his liking, as well as props. "The sun is great right where we are, so let's get this done while we've got it." He looked around for the dog they were using in the shoot and spotted the pudgy animal sleeping in the shade of a tree. "Sorry pal," Mack murmured as he scooped the pooch into his arms. "Who gets Francis?"

One of the male models, dressed like a football player, raised his hand. Mack deposited the dog in the boy's lap and surveyed his scene one last time. "Everyone ready?" Mack asked as he moved behind his tripod to take the picture. "OK, everyone, lots of energy! You're graduating and you're on to bigger and better things!" Rose scurried past him and Mack forced himself not to stare.

The giant fans were switched on then, and two members of the crew took handfuls of leaves and let the fans blow them away. Rose laughed. Mack, stationed at his camera, laughed too. God, she was beautiful.

At the end of the first shoot, Mack was confident that he'd gotten some good shots. "So what next, boss?" he asked Rose when she came to stand by him. "What lovely part of high school are we capturing next?" He grinned.

"First we're going out for an early dinner, and Poise is picking up the tab. Then, as soon as it's dark enough, we're going up to the old Oliver building and setting up for the winter formal."

"Cool. Let me pack up my stuff and we'll go." He folded up the tripod and placed it in his bag. "All done," Mack announced a moment later.

What he hadn't realized was that when Rose said "we're going out," was that she had meant the entire crew. Mack felt a little disappointed as he and the rest of the people involved in the shoots walked a few blocks over to a steakhouse. He'd kind of imagined being alone with Rose.

His luck picked up some when the restaurant's biggest table wouldn't seat the whole crew. He ended up with Rose at a cozy table for two. Rose smiled apologetically. "Sorry you're stuck with boring old me," she said, but she wasn't sorry at all.

"Never boring, Rose," Mack replied. "Never."

They were nearly finished with dinner when they were interrupted by Mack's cell phone ringing shrilly. "I have to take this," he told Rose as he stood up. "Hi Ronny," Mack said as he took a few steps. "I'm working and the job's going to be a few more hours. I'll call you later, OK? I love you too."

When Mack sat down again, he noticed that Rose looked kind of upset. "You didn't tell Ronny you were with me," Rose said quietly. "Why?"

"Oh, that…she doesn't understand us. She's a little jealous. Whatever it is that you and I are, Ronny doesn't understand it. She doesn't get how we could not talk for years and then start being friends again."

"You still lied," Rose pointed out. "That makes me feel like the other woman or something."

"We both know it's not like that, Rose. And if I told Ronny that I was with you right now, it would just upset her for no good reason. We're friends, Rose. We're allowed to go out to dinner."

Rose opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a member of the crew. "It's dark enough now, Miss Ortiz. Can we go set up for the next shoot?"

Rose nodded. "Let's go." After she paid the bill, Rose walked out of the restaurant quickly, careful to stay far from Mack. She couldn't destroy his happiness with Ronny. He deserved happiness.

With the many members of the crew hard at work, it didn't take long to set up. Soon the rooftop was adorned with white lights and silver snowflakes, and the models looked beautiful in their long dresses and tuxes.

Mack was watching his subjects carefully as they twirled on the dance floor. When he came across a pair of models who weren't quite believable as teenagers in love, he motioned for the couple to stop. He went over to Rose and took her hand in his. He held her close as they danced to the slow tune in the background, and Rose felt her heart skip several beats.

The next morning at the shoot, Mack spotted a bouquet of white roses. He took one out of the bunch and looked for Rose. Mack found her helping a little girl braid her hair. When the girl's hair was finished, he handed the rose to his old friend, who smiled and then hugged him.

Mack finished arranging the class of 2004 on the stone steps and signaled for the many colored balloons to be dropped. He took the picture, and with all the energy and happiness the class was showing, he knew that it had been a good shot. He wouldn't need to do another one.

0o0o0o0

Rose got a call on Saturday afternoon. "The pictures are done," she said by way of greeting. He'd promised to call when they were ready, and now they could work on the layout for her presentation on Monday. "Oh, thanks Mack. I know they're beautiful. Where do you want to work?"

"I have a little studio that I rent a few blocks away from my place. Meet me in front of your building in ten minutes and we'll go over together."

"Sure. Bye."

Rose threw on a jacket and a pair of shoes and raced down to meet her friend. He arrived a few minutes later. "Hi," Rose greeted.

"Hey. I can't wait to show you how they came out."

The first thing the pair of old friends did was mount the tiny pictures on black matte board. "They're gorgeous," Rose said as she began to arrange the photos on the white poster board.

Mack leaned on the table, balanced on his elbows. He watched her for a moment before looking at his watch. "It's getting late. It's almost seven."

"We've been here four hours?"

"Time flies," Mack said.

But something else had crossed Rose's mind, and she knew if she mentioned it now that Mack wouldn't leave her. "You know what I wish I had right now? Razzles."

"Razzles?" Mack echoed. What a random thing to want. "I haven't had Razzles in fifteen years."

"They're both a candy and a gum," Rose reminded him. "Wanna see if we can find some?"

"There's a corner store a block away."

And suddenly he had grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Rose laughed.

Ten minutes later, they came out of the store. "I can't believe they had them," Rose said. She opened the package and tipped a few into Mack's cupped hands.

They walked along, and as they neared the harbor, Mack laughed. "What's so funny?" Rose asked.

"Life, timing, being here with you… eating Razzles." He grinned. "I had a great time working with you."

"Me too." A few more steps, and then Rose stopped. "Hey Mackie? Tell me something." He had stopped too, and he turned around to face her. "What color is my tongue?" Rose opened her mouth.

"What?"

"What color is my tongue?"

"Red."

"Tongue red or Razzle red?"

"Razzle red."

"Now show me yours."

"I'm not showing you my tongue."

"I showed you mine."

"I didn't ask to see yours."

"Mackie, I need to see your tongue."

Mack shook his head and then did as she'd asked. "It's Razzle red," she announced. "Wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah."

"You're the sweetest guy I've ever known."

Mack didn't know what to say to this, and he looked around. He noticed a swingset nearby. "I bet I could beat you off the jump."

"You're on." Rose raced over to the swings, and for a split second she thought they looked out of place near the harbor. She climbed onto one and Mack took the other, and as they built up speed he spoke.

"Whoever jumps furthest the other owes a drink."

"And dinner, Friday night, so we can celebrate our design being chosen."

"One…two…three…!"

They jumped off and their paths collided. The two landed in the sand, and Rose rolled over to him, groaning. "I'm getting old," Mack said.

"No you're not, because then I would be too."

Mack rolled over and then Rose toppled off of him. Mack was leaning over her, trying to get up, when Rose grabbed his arm. "You have arm hair."

"Never got that reaction before." Her hands were soft.

Their gazes locked for a moment, and then Mack leaned down and kissed her.