Chapter 8
Lucky hadn't come down yet. Elizabeth had just opened Kelly's and there were a few customers drinking their morning coffee. She thought back to her decision. She would sit down and have a serious talk with him about Deception. Then they could start on rebuilding their relationship.
"Good morning beautiful," he called out from the top of the stairs. The customers smiled and went back to their coffee. He flounced down the stairs and twirled her around.
"Lucky! What's come over you?" She laughed as he spun her around again.
"I just got off the phone with my mother. She wants me to do the test shots of Gia." He took the coffee pot from her hand and poured himself a cup.
Elizabeth was confused, "Gia Campbell? Why would your mother want her picture?"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday?" He asked as he stirred milk into his coffee. "Carly has chosen Gia to be the Face of Deception."
"What!" It was what she wanted to hear, but it still hurt. Laura hadn't even told her herself. Elizabeth had to learn about it second hand. She thought Laura had more respect for her than that. "When was that decided?"
He looked up at her and saw her confusion and disappointment. "No, I'm sorry. I meant Gia is Carly's pick for the Face of Deception. You are still my mother's pick. They have decided to take some more shots of the both of you and then make their final decision."
She gave Lucky a weak smile. She would have to go through this all over again? "Oh, that's good. But why are you so happy. I thought you were upset with Carly interfering."
"That's why I'm so happy. Carly wants me to do the shots to make it fair since I did yours, but I'm going to make sure Gia's shots don't come out as beautiful as yours. Then Carly will have to see that you are the right model for the job."
"What! Lucky, you can't do that. It's not right."
"Elizabeth, you are the right person for the job. Not Gia. I'm just making sure everyone knows it too. I told you, I'm not going let anyone get in the way of our dream."
She stared at him and for a moment she didn't recognize him. The Lucky she knew would never sabotage something to get what he wants. "I don't want you to do this for me."
He took her hand, "I'm not. I'm doing this for us."
She snatched her hand away. "I don't want you doing this for us either. If I'm going to be the Face of Deception then I want to be because I am the best person for the job, not because my boyfriend rigged it that way."
He took her hand again and kissed the back. "You are the best person for the job."
"Then prove it. Take beautiful pictures of Gia and let Carly and your mother decide. If I'm the right person then they'll pick me. Besides I don't want you getting into any trouble, especially with Carly. You wouldn't want to get fired, would you," she laughed.
"Carly can't fire me. My mother would allow it." He began placing light kisses along her arm. It was very similar to her dream. She tried to pull her arm away but he wouldn't let her. "What happened last night?" He asked quietly so that only she could hear. "You didn't show up."
The bell over the door rang to announce four new customers. She tried again to pull her arm away. "Lucky, I'm working. I have customers." He reluctantly let her go. She left to take the new arrivals order and to refill the coffee of the others without answering his question.
When she came back to the counter, he asked again. "I did show up last night," she replied. "But you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you so I went back to my room. You looked so peaceful. I know you needed the rest."
"Yeah, but I needed you more," he told her softly. "I wanted to be with you. We haven't been together in a long time."
"I know, but sometimes more important things get in the way."
"More important that us?" She'd said the wrong thing again. She could see it. Lucky was getting angry. She couldn't let him blow up in the middle of Kelly's.
"Good morning you guys!" Emily came bouncing down the stairs. She went behind the counter to pour herself a coffee oblivious to the tension between her two friends. "Isn't it a great day?"
"Why so happy, Em?" She asked hoping Lucky would let their discussion go now that Emily was here.
"Today is now one full week to go before Sorel's trial. That means it's one more week until Zander is free and we can be together. I talked to Alexis last night. She's taking good care of him at her penthouse. And Sonny is making sure that nothing happens to him." She swallowed her coffee in one gulp. "Lucky, I'm late for school. Could you give me a ride?"
He looked liked he would say no then relented. "Sure, no problem." With one last look at Elizabeth he followed Emily out the restaurant.
Elizabeth breathed a deep sigh in relief. Nothing she said these days was right to Lucky. It seemed every time she opened her mouth he didn't like what she'd meant and they'd argue. Maybe she was wrong about telling him about Deception. Maybe she wouldn't have too. If Gia was her competition, she knew she wouldn't win. As much as she disliked Gia, she could deny that Gia was beautiful. She was not only beautiful but exotic something Elizabeth could never be. Laura would have to see that Gia was the better person and then Lucky would have to go along with it. Her anxiety began to lesson and she was able to enjoy the rest of her shift.
The first thing she saw was his bare chest. Jason was holding a towel in his hands. He must have just finished cleaning up.
"Hey, I guess you're alone?"
"Yeah, --- yeah, I'm sorry. I, uh, I brought you something to eat," she told him holding up the bag from Kelly's. He stood motionless like in a trance staring at the bag. "I, uh, figured you'd be hungry."
He seemed to snap out of his trance. He dropped the towel and grabbed a shirt lying on the table. "Yeah, yeah, thanks. This is great. I really appreciate it." He took the bag from her and placed it on the table. Without looking at her, he took out the sandwich and coffee from the bag.
Elizabeth moved to the outside of the table and put her coat behind the chair there. She took a deep breath. He seemed to be just as uncomfortable as she was. She didn't think he'd be upset that she saw his naked chest. She took care of him when he was shot. She's seen his chest before. So why was he uncomfortable? Did he suspect something? No, he couldn't. Jason couldn't read minds, but he could read her. Maybe he was uncomfortable because she was uncomfortable. She needed to think about something else.
"So, I, ah, guess I shouldn't ask about your meeting with Sonny yesterday." At his stoic expression she continued, "I figured. You don't tell me anything dangerous anyway. So it must be dangerous, but I won't push. I don't want to become someone you're mute around."
For the first time since she walked in he looked at her. "I am not a mute," he said a little insulted.
The uncomfortable feeling was gone. "Oh, please, Jason! When you get around someone you don't like, or people start asking you questions you don' want to answer, you become this human of block of concrete. Actually, frozen concrete, because not only are you silent, you're cold." She tried to make the face he did when he was talking to Taggert or his father.
He laughed at her attempt. "Oh, okay. You see, I realized if you keep quiet, the other person does all the work. They show you what they care about, what they're afraid of, plus they get tired and go away a lot sooner."
She laughed, "I wish that worked for me."
"What, make people leave you alone?" He stopped smiling and became serious.
"No! Maybe, I guess. I could turn it on when Lucky starts pushing me about this modelling thing." He didn't say anything. She knew what he was thinking. "I know you told me to tell him how I felt. And you're right. When I left yesterday, I was going to tell him. But when I got to Kelly's he was asleep. I figured one more day wouldn't hurt." He still said nothing. He just looked at her. It wasn't his menacing stare or his blank stare. He just seemed to be waiting for her. "You know it doesn't matter anyway. Lucky told me this morning that Carly and Laura are looking at another girl. They'll probably pick her."
He sighed and looked away. He was disappointed. He knew he didn't have a right to be, but he was. He wanted her to stand up to Lucky. He wanted her to fight for what she wanted like she'd done before. "I thought you said Laura was determined for you to have the job?"
"Yeah, I know, but then Carly found out and you can imagine what she thought of the idea." She checked to see his reaction to Carly's name. He didn't seem phased. "So Carly went out to get her own candidate, Gia Campbell, partly to spite me and partly to show up Laura."
"Gia Campbell? Didn't she…"
"Spend the entire summer blackmailing Emily?" She finished his question. "Yeah, and now she's somehow schmoozed her way into Nikolas' life. They're living together. Every time I see them together, I want to grab him and say, 'Are you crazy?'"
"Why would Nikolas listen to you about who he wants to be with?"
She was shocked, "Wait, did I just hear that correctly? Are you defending Nikolas?" He had never been Jason's favourite person. He didn't like how Nikolas constantly tried to tell her what to do and who she should be friends with.
He shrugged, "No, I just – I just think people should do what they want to do."
What he said angered her. She moved away from the table and began picking up blank canvases off the floor. She turned to look at him. "You say that, but you don't," she accused. "Carly and Sonny are living in the penthouse with Michael. They have each other while you're stuck in this place. That can't be what you want."
He was silent for a long time. She was beginning to think he wouldn't respond. My big mouth, she thought, what was I thinking? Why did I bring up Carly? "Look, forget I said anything, okay. I'm stupid. I shouldn't have brought up Carly. I know it must hurt you to think about her."
He gave her a surprised look, "How do you know?"
She blushed, "I know we've never really talked about Carly and Sonny. Last summer you came for their wedding. You said it was the right thing, but I know it couldn't have been for you. She was your girlfriend, Jason. You loved her. It must be hard for you to see them so happy together." She wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to cause Jason any pain.
Jason could see what she was thinking. He'd never told her about the time he was shot, but he guessed she must have figured it out by now. He could just imagine what story her mind had conjured up about betrayed Jason pining over Carly and Sonny. He didn't like talking abut himself but he also didn't want Elizabeth thinking he was still carrying a thing for Carly. "I do love Carly." He saw she was ready to respond. He continued before she could say anything. "But not the way you think. Carly and I would never have worked. I mean, sometimes the thing you had, no matter how good it seemed, isn't right for you anymore. Carly and I are better friends than anything else. She and Sonny are where they belong. They're happy together."
She hesitated, "What about you, Jason? Where do you belong? What will make you happy?"
What could he say? I'm happy right here. No, that would just make her uncomfortable. If she knew, would she feel right coming around and being his friend? He would rather have her as a friend than being shut out of her life. He knew she would do that. She would be noble and stop coming to him to talk and Lucky or anything that was troubling her. She wouldn't think it was right for him. "It doesn't matter."
She went to him and reached for his hands. "It does matter. You deserve to be happy."
"Why is it important to you?" he asked. She was close enough he could smell her perfume. It wasn't the same as what she wore last winter. He wondered why she changed it. The new one didn't suit her. It was too fragrant, too sweet-smelling. He figured it must be something from Lucky. He didn't think she would have bought it herself.
"Because, Jason, you're my friend and I want you to be happy. Just like I am." She gripped his hands again as if her life depended on his happiness. She scanned his face to see if what she was saying was getting through to him. Her eyes drifted to his lips and a chill ran down her back. She realized just how close they were. She released his hands and hurried back to where she had placed the canvases. Without looking back to him, she picked up an empty frame and began stapling the canvas to it.
Jason didn't know how to react to her quick change. Something wasn't right with her. He'd noticed it when she entered the studio and saw him naked. He didn't understand why she was uncomfortable. She'd seen him like that before and wasn't uncomfortable so why today. Now it seems she was uneasy standing beside him. Did he do something?
"Ah – ouch!"
He looked back to her. She was holding one hand in the other, "What happened?"
"I was stretching the canvas to put over the frame and I think I got a splinter."
"Let me see." He reached out to take her hand.
She pulled her hands away before he could touch them. "No! It's okay. I got it." She gripped her hand and tried to remove the splinter with her fingers. "Ow. It's in deep."
He reached for her hand again, "Elizabeth, let me help."
She pulled her hand away again, "Jason, I can do it."
He watched her struggle to remove the splinter unsuccessfully. He knew her. He wouldn't push. She would ask for help when she was ready. So he waited.
She stopped and looked up at him. "Okay, I need you to do it," she told him sheepishly.
"Okay, you need my help. Are you sure?" he said with a smirk.
"Don't be a smart ass," she replied holding her hand out to him. "Please."
He took her hand and led her to the chair to sit down. "All right. Let's see here." He got down on one knee and inspected her finger. He looked around. When he saw the first aid kit, he released her hand to retrieve it. "Okay, I want you to yell if it hurts. Okay? Hold on." He dug out a needle from the kit and placed it on her finger.
"Okay, it hurts," she yelled resisting the urge to pull her hand away.
"Okay, Okay, sit tight. I almost got it." He tried to hurt her as little as possible. He just needed a few more seconds and he would have it. "Almost got it."
"Okay, okay, okay." She turned her head away so she wouldn't have to watch.
"There it is," he said. "You can look now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he grabbed a disinfectant wipe and rubbed it on her finger. He looked up as he gently blew on her finger to remove the excess moisture.
She opened her eyes and looked down. Her stomach jumped nervously. "Ah – Thank you." He released her hand but neither moved. "Um, I, uh, I should go." She stood and picked up her coat. "Lucky's probably waiting for me at Kelly's." At the door, she turned, "I'll come by tomorrow, okay."
"Yeah, okay," he sighed as she left the studio. He needed to leave. He didn't know how much longer he could stay there and have her around him. He thought it would be over by now. After he followed Martinez, he figured he would lead him to the others involved, but so far nothing. He knew there was someone more higher up the organization helping Sorel. He just couldn't find him. He would follow Martinez again. He sighed. The sooner he could resolve this the sooner he could leave the studio and Elizabeth.