Unexpected Destinies. Constance Ruth Clark

after she’d made the first fifty thousand. She had no idea how much she was worth now, but it was enough that they no longer lived in the tiny apartment in the Bronx anymore. Now they lived in an upscale high-rise complete with a doorman.

      Jayne still missed being home and she doubted that would ever change.

      Descending the stairs, she smiled with pleasure as Nick and her father gasped.

      “Honey, you look gorgeous,” her father said as he snapped a few pictures.

      Her gaze was on Nick and he hadn’t taken his off her since she’d come within his line of sight.

      “Wow,” he said, standing as if struck by lightning. “Jayne, you look awesome!”

      “Thanks,” she said shyly. She heard something similar all the time, but somehow hearing Nick say it meant a lot more. She didn’t care about what anyone else thought.

      “Here, I brought you this,” he said holding out a perfect orchid wrist corsage. “I hope you like it.”

      “Nick, it’s beautiful,” she said, and smiled at him as she held out her arm. “Would you mind putting it on for me?”

      “Sure.” Nick touched her arm to hold it steady as he slipped the corsage over her hand and into place. Her breath caught at the contact and her heart seemed to skip a beat. Whatever fears she’d had that she might not like him the same way anymore disappeared.

      “Thanks,” she said. “Don’t wait up, Dad.” She kissed her father’s cheek and gave him a quick and careful hug so she wouldn’t ruin her makeup or rumple her dress.

      “No matter what time you walk through that door, I’ll be waiting,” her father promised and looked suspiciously at Nick. “I have a gun or two that need cleaning.”

      Nick swallowed visibly and her father grinned evilly and wiggled his eyebrows at him.

      “Daddy. Please, you’re embarrassing me.” Jayne said with a small groan. “Come on, Nick. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

      “Gladly,” Nick said, and followed her outside to the limousine parked at the curb.

      “Have her home no later than 3AM.”

      “Yes sir,” Nick said, almost tripping over his own two feet in his haste to open the limousine door before she could get there.

      Her father watched Nick help her inside the car and climb in after her, waving as they drove off.

      “I’m so glad your mother finally said you could come,” Nick said, putting his arm around Jayne.

      “Me too,” she snuggled into him, as the masculine scent of his cologne wafted around her. Would she still be a virgin after tonight?

      “Should we go right to prom or drive around for a while and make out?” Nick asked, his voice hopeful. Jayne laughed.

      “We could make out on the way to prom,” she said, pulling back to look up at him, her lips twitching in amusement.

      “Best of both worlds,” he said and lowered his head. She sighed as his lips touched hers.

      The magic was still there after all this time. It seemed like ages since they’d last been able to embrace this way. His lips moved over hers and Jayne felt a fluttery feeling in her lower stomach and a strange tingling between her legs. The moment lingered and she heard the door to the limousine open through a hazy fog. Someone cleared their throat loudly.

      Nick pulled back and Jayne followed his lips with her own for a moment before realizing he was ending the kiss. She sat back and frowned at his chuckle.

      “I did offer to drive around for a while first,” he said.

      Jayne cleared her throat and shook her head as she fumbled around for her clutch and the tube of lipstick inside.

      “No,” she said, “I promised my mom.”

      She pulled down a visor with a mirror and reapplied her lipstick, making sure her face looked flawless once again.

      “No one is going to recognize you,” Nick said as she finished her toiletry and flipped the visor back up. “They’re going to be looking for a geeky girl with braces, frizzy hair and glasses.”

      Jayne shuddered at the thought. When she’d first been discovered, she’d found it hard to believe that she was beautiful. Even now she occasionally had doubts about her looks. It was hard to be vain in the fashion world because there was always some designer or photographer pointing out your flaws, but at least she knew she didn’t look as bad as she had when she’d last seen her classmates. No one was going to make her feel like the gawky schoolgirl she had been. She’d gained so much self confidence since then.

       Does anyone besides Nick’s family know who I’ve become?

      “That’s the way I want it,” she said without confidence. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her, did she?

      “Let’s just go have fun,” Nick said holding out a hand to help her out of the limo.

      She smiled up at him and stepped out of the car. She had been to a few red carpet affairs since starting her modeling career but none had given her the butterflies she was feeling now. It wasn’t just that she was going to make an entrance with the cutest guy in school, it was that she felt a little out of place. Like she had just taken a giant step backward in her life.

      As they walked through the small crowd of people making their way into hotel ballroom, Jayne looked around for people she might know. So many faces. There was Gabe from Sophomore French class. She gave him a little wave and he looked back with a puzzled expression. She giggled. This might be fun after all.

      * * * *

      Those were the good memories. Jayne sighed as she drifted off to dreamland. That was the Nick she had been in love with since high school. She still wasn’t convinced what had happened later that night hadn’t been partly his fault.