This unusual opportunity just dropped in his lap. A model? Him? Even Gary laughed at the thought. He had 'the look'-at least that's what Carson said. Now he just had to wait. Patience was not one of Cameron Sinclair's best virtues!

He just about made it to Gary's when he spotted a newspaper/magazine stand. He bent down and picked up the latest issue of the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune when a magazine caught his eye. Brava. Wasn't that the name of the magazine his brother's friend, this Amanda Cory worked for? He thumbed through it, hoping to get a glimpse of his editor. He would have seen it too, if he hadn't been surprised by the playful shove of his brother from behind.

"Hey Cam…how goes the modeling business? Are you famous yet? Can I have your autograph before I have to pay money for it?"

"Gary, you're so full of crap. I had a few pictures taken. That's it. End of story."

"Did the pictures turn out? I mean, are they any good? I don't think this fancy shmancy agency would have pictures taken of you if they weren't serious!"

"I don't honestly know. Carson said she would come by with the finished proofs once they are developed. She 'said' we'd take it from there, whatever THAT means."

"Oh, it's just Carson now….is it?? You're on a first name basis with this woman?"

"Gary…knock it off. Come on. I'm starving. Let's go grab some food before I fall over from malnutrition."

"Right. Let me put these plans down in the apartment first. Then we can hit Kopp's. Great burgers."

Gary ran upstairs into the apartment and dropped off his plans for the newest invention from Tinker's Toys. He never saw the blinking light on his answering machine. It was a message from Carson St. Jeune. She wanted to see Cameron first thing in the morning. 10:00 sharp!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amanda went into the office early that morning. She had a hard time getting to sleep for some reason. She was a little homesick. Rachel's birthday was coming up soon and she thought she'd be stuck in town and not be able to visit Bay City, especially since her troubles with the Valentine issue hadn't been resolved.

Paige hadn't arrived yet, so Amanda picked up the mail on her desk and walked into her office. She barely had time to take off her coat when the phone rang.

"Amanda Cory."

"Don't you pick up your messages girl? I've left you at least 75!"

"Carson…always a pleasure to talk to you too. So, what's got you up so early this morning…or should I say whom?"

"The guy from the train…he came in for a photo shoot. Amanda…wait until you see these pictures. Unbelievable! I left a message for him yesterday. I plan to meet with him first thing this morning."

Before Amanda had a chance to comment, her other line rang. It was Gary. She put Carson on hold.

"Good morning you. Up for lunch today? I'm in town for a meeting and it would be great to see you!"

"Well, after I get through my morning's worth of budget meetings, it sounds like a wonderful idea. Can I call once the meetings are over?"

"Sure thing. Talk to you then."

Amanda put the receiver down. She could always count on Gary to make her smile. She met him right after he arrived in town. Whenever she needed a date for dinner or a company function, Gary was her man. Nothing romantic there. Just friends.

She forgot Carson was on the other line.

"Sorry Carson. Gary just called. I'm meeting him for lunch after my morning of balancing books here. I think he wants me to meet his brother sometime soon."

"Oh? And what's HIS name?"

"I don't know. No matter……. Now what were you saying? Ah, yes…. The photo shoot. This guy worked out well. OK, then. When do I get to see the pictures?"

"Actually, I'd like you the two of you to meet. If all goes well with my meeting with him today, he'll sign on and it will be all set. Amanda…. I don't know what it is, but this man…..he's going to do it for us…for me and for you!"

"Well…he has certainly left an impression on you. When CAN I meet him?"

"The modeling agency…every year at this time…holds a showcase of its' talent and we invite some local press, magazine CEO's to see what we have to offer. I think that would be the perfect time for you to meet!"

"I have a better idea! If your meeting with him goes well, and you sign him to a contract, have him stop by with his photos. It would give us a good chance to get acquainted before the 'premiere' event!"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Good luck then!"

"You too. Major budget cuts coming?"

"No.Just a lot of hand holding and discussions. Men don't understand what it takes to run a woman's magazine. Mom left me in charge and I don't intend to disappoint her."

"You won't Amanda. No one knows Brava like you do."

"And no one knows her models like you. So sign the man and send him over."

"We'll talk later. Bye Amanda."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cameron slept late a little later than usual. By the time he got up, Gary was already gone. He left him a note that he had meetings in the city and then was having lunch with Amanda. Maybe soon he'd have the pleasure to meet Gary's mystery lady himself.

Cameron wasn't a hungry man early in the morning, but the after effects of yesterday's session with a photographer still lingered. He was starving!

Gary was a typical bachelor. Not much food around. Just the essentials. Cereal. Juice. Coffee. Cameron grabbed himself some oatmeal, made it in the microwave and sat down to enjoy reading the Chicago Tribune he bought yesterday.

He had to get a spoon out of the drawer when he noticed the light flashing on Gary's answering machine. It was Carson St. Jeune. She loved the photographs. She wanted to see him first thing this morning-10: 00 sharp, she said.

Cameron looked at the clock. It was already 9:00 am. He had to shower, shave and get dressed before he felt presentable enough to encounter Carson again. He gulped down his food, barely breathing between the coffee and oatmeal. Jumping in the shower, he was trying very hard not to let himself get excited about this. Chances like this don't come along often. Make the most of things, Gary said. Take the chance.

The hot shower felt good and did calm his nerves some. Cameron picked out a light gray shirt, some black pants and his brother's leather jacket to wear. He didn't think Gary would mind if he borrowed the jacket this once.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Locking the door and finding a cab were the easy things to do. Getting to Carson's midtown office was another matter. Luckily for Cameron, the cab driver knew just where it was and got him there in no time.

Carson's receptionist announced Cameron's arrival and she said she'd be out in a minute. Cameron looked around the office at all the pictures on the wall…..faces of men and women…….He still wasn't sure this business was for him but he was willing to give Carson a try. She was giving him a vote of confidence. He could at least give her the same.

Carson beeped the receptionist after a brief 10 minutes and told her to show Cameron in. He was most surprised by the size of her office and what he saw there. Pictures of himself-all over the room. Large ones, small ones…….poster size ones.

"My god. What is all this?"Cameron said.

"It's you, my dear. It's all you! Your photos are a hit! Everyone loves them! I cannot tell you enough how impressed management here is with your look!"

"Thank you!"

"Please sit down." Carson showed Cameron to a seat. She took hers behind the desk. "We'd like to offer you an exclusive contract. It's all there." She pushes the contract towards Cameron. "Let me advise you to have an attorney go over the legalities with you before you sign it. All I know is the St. Jeune agency wants you. You're the look we've wanted for quite some time. The job offers will come fast and furious once you do sign."

"Ms. St. Jeune…….Carson…..You have been up front with me on everything so far. This wasn't the life I planned for myself. Not by a long shot. But I trust you……..give me a pen!"

"Cameron…..NO. I want you to review the terms with an attorney. I am adamant about that! You said you have a brother in town? Have him ask his attorney review the contract with you. I don't foresee any problems, but I want you to know what's ahead."

Cameron couldn't help but smile about this good fortune.

"Oh…and Cameron?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome aboard."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never in Cameron's life had things gone his way as much as they had today. He had a job offer! He and his brother were getting along better than they had been. And there was a woman who believed in him. Sure, she was his potential employer, but it was a start!

Before he left Carson's office, she gave him his portfolio and asked him to stop by and see her friend at Brava, Amanda Cory. She was looking for models for her Valentine's issue and Carson had a feeling Cameron may be one of the lucky ones. Even though he had yet to sign the contract, Carson wanted Amanda to meet him. Cameron wanted to meet her too. He had heard a lot about her from both Gary and Carson.

It didn't take long to reach Brava headquarters and Amanda's office. Paige told Cameron that Amanda was expecting him but that she was tied up in a budget meeting and wouldn't be too long. Cameron took this opportunity to sit down and read through the contract. Most of it was filled with legal terms he didn't quite understand but the basics were there. Two-year exclusive contract. The St. Jeune agency could approve and/or disapprove any offers. His potential salary was astronomical.

Once he was done reading through the contract, Cameron looked up at his watch and noticed 45 minutes had passed. He asked Paige if Ms Cory would be much longer. Paige had to go into the meeting to take Amanda some figures from last year and came out to inform him she thought it might be only another 20 minutes or so.

20 minutes came and went. Then it was 30, and then an hour. He had enough! Cameron walked over to Paige, who was typing some business letters for Amanda and the other CEO's in that meeting.

"Ms Cory doesn't have the common decency to be on time for her appointments? How long did she expect me to wait for her? You tell her highness that I have more important things to do!" Cameron left the office. Paige was stunned. Amanda would not take this setback very well. But Paige did agree with Carson St. Jeune. The man definitely did have something!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cameron was still seething when he got home. When he walked in Gary's apartment, he heard someone singing. Was that Gary?

He walked into Gary's family room and sure enough, there he was…. dressed in an old leisure suit….using a kareoke machine…and sounding strangely like Tom Jones.

"It's not unusual to be loved by anyone…..it's not unusual to have fun with anyone…but if I ever find that you changed at any time…." Gary warbled…..swinging his hips and mouthing those words into the microphone. Cameron couldn't help it and let loose this belly laugh that filled the room and caught his big brother's attention enough to make him stop singing.

" I'm sorry…but Ricky Martin has nothing on you, big guy!!"Cameron smirked.

"Thanks….thanks a lot!" Gary grabbed a nearby towel and wiped himself off. Singing was hard work!

"What WAS that?" Cameron wondered, motioning to the get up and machine.

"It's something we've been working on for awhile…..oh, you didn't mean my singing? No….…the kareoke machine??….…I know people have them. But this kind makes you sound like the singer you always wanted to be! You can program into this computer the name of the singer and the song you want to sing, and it makes you sound just like them. So tell me Cam…….did I sound like Tom Jones or what?"

"Gary…….I know you're family and all….but Tom has nothing to worry about. And thank you!"

"For what? Entertaining you?"

"No. I had an awful afternoon. I met with Carson and she offered me a contract!"

"Cam…that's fantastic! So what's the problem?"

"Your Amanda Cory is the problem. Carson wanted me to take my portfolio to her office this afternoon and I waited there for over an hour….for her to get out of her meeting…."

"The budget meetings…yes, I know. I was supposed to meet her for lunch too. She had to cancel!"

"She bailed out on you too? Nice woman. Real professional."

"Cameron, you don't realize what those budget meetings are like. Trust me. You can go into one with all the confidence in the world and an hour later, all your suggestions and ideas have been shot down. Not a pretty picture. For Amanda it's a little tougher."

"Why is that?"

"She's the new girl in town. Her mother set her up back in Bay City to run Brava, and then, with moving its' headquarters to NYC, it takes everything she has to make things work."

"You can give her the benefit of the doubt, Gary, but things between me and her….will never work. No matter what Carson thinks."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at Carson's office, she was spending the majority of the afternoon trying to calm Amanda down and convince her that Cameron was what she needed in her Valentine's issue. Amanda was beside herself that Cameron had the nerve to leave a scheduled meeting, no matter how late she was. In between using various words to describe him and his behavior, Amanda was trying to convince Carson that this type of model she did not need.

Carson knew all the right words to say. She had known Amanda long enough to know which approach would work. Money was an important issue right now. Brava needed it. The stockholders would be impressed if the sale of Brava stock went up. So would the CEO's. Rachel too. And what better way to impress them all than to have an issue that would outsell all top named magazines around the world?

Amanda agreed to meet Cameron at the model's showcasing….three days from today.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting dressed up for a 'premiere' was something Cameron was unfamiliar with. Gary was going to join him, but even he had no idea what to expect.

"How do these things work?……. What's this called again??" Cameron was all thumbs, trying to tie his tie and adjust the cummerbund for his tux.

"Calm down bro! This is nothing. Trust me. All these bigwigs want to do is take a look at all of you and that's it. They're not interested in conversation. They want to know what you can do for them."

"That's easy for you to say, Gary. You're not going to be on display tonight. Turn this way…turn that…smile….. "

"Did I tell you Amanda is going to be there tonight too?"

Combing his hair and straightening his tie, Cameron answered, "She'll probably be late for this too!"

Gary grabbed his keys off the television set and said, "Let's roll!"

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carson was very pleased at what the catering service had prepared for hors d'oeuvres for the evening. The fountain was flowing with champagne. The bartenders were all in attendance. Everything was set.

Carson greeted every model that came in along with their guest. Whitney Wallace arrived first with her mom. Her fiance' was on assignment in the Far East. She was a stunning redhead and Carson knew she'd be good for the business. Tyler Bonnet meandered in like he owned the place. He would work out too, but that's not who Carson was waiting for.

Cameron and Gary arrived about 9pm. The waiters were serving champagne and Cameron was offered one as soon as he got off the elevator. Both he and Gary declined and opted for seltzer water with a twist of lime instead.

As soon as Carson saw Cameron, she rushed over to him. "Cameron, I'm so glad you're here."

"Carson, I'd like you to meet my brother, Gary. Before I forget, here are the contracts."

"You saw an attorney already? That's what I like. Someone who takes care of things quickly."

"Everything checked out perfectly. I am ready for work. What do we do next?"

"The first thing I want you to do is mingle. And when she gets here, there is someone you have to meet. Amanda Cory!" Carson went off to greet some of her other new employees but she kept a very close eye on Cameron.

Cameron winced and Gary knew he didn't want to meet Amanda, not after their last attempt. Gary tried to reassure him that all would go well.

"Cameron, you can't hold her tardiness against Amanda forever. She could do a lot of good for you, now that you're in this business. Give her a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised."

"Gary, I don't need a lecture on someone not being able to keep her appointments. My business is just as important as hers is. I don't get to sit behind a big desk all day, making judgments and opinions that could affect people's lives, but my time is important to me. If she can't see that, then she can't do a damn thing for me…..now let's do what Carson said and mingle!"

Gary couldn't argue with Cameron. There were quite a few beautiful women in the room. Cameron took a small plate of appetizers and wandered over to introduce himself to Whitney and her mother. When he discovered that her fiance' was in the Far East, it intrigued him enough so as to not notice his brother was involved in a conversation with Carson, about the modeling business and what Cameron's role would be.

It didn't take long into the evening for Cameron to get bored. These party things were not his style. He was all set to suggest to Gary that they leave. Then he saw her.

She stopped at the foot of the staircase and deliberately took each step very slowly, surveying the room. She was wearing a lavender dress and silver heels. Her blonde hair hung loosely around her shoulders, with one side upswept. She carefully took her compact out of her pocketbook and checked her makeup and lipstick.

Cameron was mesmerized. His gaze followed her to the bar where she drank some white wine. He saw her comfortably chatting with Carson and then he lost her in the crowd of people. He wondered how they knew each other.

Cameron found Gary at the buffet table and motioned to him that he wanted to leave. Gary couldn't very well say no, since he knew how uncomfortable Cameron was at parties.

Just as they were about to get on the elevator, Cameron heard Carson's voice from behind him.

"Cameron, you weren't leaving were you? I have someone here I'd like you to meet!"

Cameron turned around. It was she. The woman in the lavender dress.

"Cameron, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. She's the editor of Brava magazine. Cameron, meet Amanda Cory!"