26. Camila

Chapter twenty-six

Camila

I lick the powdered sugar from my fingertips and put the rest of the Pan de Mallorca away in a Tupperware container. When I close the fridge door, I catch a blurry reflection of myself and purse my lips. Finally having time to cook is a blessing and a curse if my widening hips are any indication. Unless I want to end up starring in an episode of "My 600-Lb. Life", I might need to add a walk around Orchard Beach to my new weekly routine. I might even take a dip now that the weather is getting hotter.

I rinse my plate and grab the remote, turning to NY1 News.

"…to avoid taking the 4 and 5 trains around midday today, as increased security for the president's visit to the U.N. will likely cause significant delays. In other news, it's Splitsville for fitness mogul Tanner Moore and Naomi Watanabe, an attorney who recently joined Smith, Weiss I need to hurry before he forgets my face.

This was not a good idea. Sitting in a reception area that looks more like an Apple store than a talent management firm, all the reasons I shouldn't have come start rushing through my head.

It could be awkward working for Noah after how personal things got with Henry. Henry might've already told Noah things got personal and now he expects the same thing. No, I don't think Noah's a creep. Henry might've already told Noah things ended badly, so he sends me packing to back up his brother. Noah might not even be here, since I showed up without an appointment like a psychopath.

I'm spiraling and my palms are sweating. I nervously tuck a curl behind my ear and will that tiny line of perspiration on my upper lip to evaporate before anyone sees. I can't risk wiping and messing up my makeup.

"Ms. Sanchez?" the receptionist calls. She can't be more than twenty-five and looks like she could be in movies herself. I rise from the kidney bean-shaped couch and come to the desk.

"Hello," I whisper. She hands me a visitor's badge and points toward a bank of elevators.

"Take the middle elevator to the 20th floor. The receptionist there will walk you back." I smile mutedly and walk to the elevator, clutching my folio for dear life. It's too late to turn back now. He already knows I'm here.

Once I'm off the elevator, I follow another actress-slash-receptionist down the hall to Noah's office. God, my heels are making a lot of noise on the floor. Why am I freaking out right now? I'm just an acquaintance stopping by. It's not even a job interview. Not yet, anyway. Nothing to be—

"Camila! Hi!" Noah stands from behind his desk, a warm smile on his face. I feel immediately at ease. He takes my hand in both of his and leads me to sit down on one of the magenta armchairs in front of his desk, surprising me by taking the other one.

"So," he says, leaning back in his chair. "What brings you here for a surprise visit?" I smile sheepishly.

"Sorry for the unannounced drop-in." Noah waves his hand like my explanation is unnecessary, like even thinking I needed an explanation is ridiculous.

"No worries at all. I've always got a few minutes for my bro's right-hand woman. What's up?"

I steel my nerves, trying not to imagine that everyone is staring at us through the glass walls of Noah's office.

"Well, as you know, I've worked for Henry for several years. Do you also know I've been going to law school?" Noah nods.

"Henry mentioned it." Great. That's one less thing to explain.

"Right. So, I just graduated a couple weeks ago, and when I pass the bar, I was thinking about specializing in entertainment law." He raises a quizzical eyebrow.

"Six years doing divorce law under my brother and now you want to get into entertainment?" I shuffle my feet nervously before catching myself.

"I can understand how it seems unusual. I never planned on going into divorce law, but your brother is the best, and I wanted to work for the best."

Brotherly pride is apparent on his face. I rush to take out my resume, which he accepts without hesitation.

"I can give you a copy of my transcript too, if you need it. I excelled in contract law, intellectual property law, and employment law. I even took a seminar on licensing led by the Harry Fox Agency."

Noah peruses my resume, obviously impressed.

"And, I assume, you can provide a stellar recommendation from Henry?" My nervous smile droops a little.

"Well," I clear my throat, "Henry is aware I'm interested in entertainment law, and I'm currently on a leave of absence from BBS&P to study for the bar, but…I haven't yet advertised my intention to leave the firm."

Noah steeples his hands and a wrinkle appears on his brow.

"Your tenure with Henry is already a gold star on your resume—I know how much of a rigid pain in the ass he can be—but don't you want to let him know you're looking elsewhere? Keeping something like that a secret from my brother puts me in a bit of a tight spot."

I sigh and reach for my resume, but he pulls it away.

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute. I'm not saying no. We definitely could use another attorney on staff, but why can't you just give Henry a heads up so he's not caught off guard?" I grip my folio even tighter and try to swallow as quietly as possible.

"Are you aware that Henry and I…" I trail off, hoping he can fill in the rest.

"That you're in a relationship? Yes. But my brother would be happy for his girlfriend to pursue such a great opportunity, even if it's not at BBS&P." My heart lurches at the word "girlfriend" and I fiddle with the frilly cuff of my shirt. I can't meet his eyes.

"'Girlfriend' would be a bit strong for what we were. And, regardless, that is over now. That's kind of why I'm looking to make my leave of absence more permanent." I slump against my chair. "I'm sorry. I knew this was probably a long shot and potentially inappropriate, but—"

Noah reaches his hand out to stop my babbling, a serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, Camila. I didn't know." He lifts the corner of his mouth, trying to lighten the mood. It's not quite a smile.

"Even so, I'm sure he'd give you the recommendation if you talked with him. My word will go a long way, but HR and the other partners will still want a recommendation on file, especially if it comes from a partner at BBS&P."

"Yeah, maybe so," I mutter, already knowing I won't talk to Henry. Not any time soon, anyway. It's still too raw, and I'm too…embarrassed.

Out of nowhere, Noah slaps his knee and stands up. He gestures towards the door.

"Come on. I'll walk you down to the Director of HR, Tammy Klein. It won't hurt to leave your info on file. That way, when your recommendation comes in, it'll be a piece of cake to make an offer."

I smile weakly and stand to follow him.

"Sure. That sounds great. Thank you, again, for even meeting with me today."

He shoos my apology away and continues to lead us towards an office at the end of the hall.

"It's nothing. Seriously. But talk to Henry. Even if you two don't work it out, he's a standup guy. He'll make sure you're taken care of."

Noah gives me a wink and the fist gripping my heart tightens even further. They are almost identical and yet nothing alike. Noah is relaxed, with a fun, playful energy. Henry's energy is more like a school principal or a police captain. Unless we were together, he hardly smiled, let alone winked.

Thinking about Henry as "playful" is almost laughable…until I remember our last weekend together. He let me see so many sides to him I never knew existed. But when it came time to go public, suddenly Sub Zero was back.

I blink away the sudden moisture in my eyes and follow Noah to Tammy's office. Before I head in, I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. On to bigger and better things, Camila.