Startled eyes turn to face me, and my mind confirms what my heart already knows. I would recognize those gentle green eyes, dark eyebrows, the strong chin covered in sexy scruff and shaggy mane anywhere. Isaac's back in town. He is just as beautiful...
"We'll definitely have to catch up at lunch," I say. It's interesting to me that both Sophie and Heidi only saw a confident man at the party. I guess I was the only one to catch him in a vulnerable moment.
"You're mentoring too, right? I have no clue what I'm doing. Have you seen David?"
"Actually, I—"
"Never mind! There's David. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"
I nod as Heidi walks away. Well, this will certainly be awkward. Why would Heidi assume I'm mentoring? Technically, David did offer me a mentoring role, but I didn't feel qualified. When I refused, he asked me to consider entering the contest. At first I thought he was joking, but the more I thought about it, the more the idea grew on me. From a financial point of view, it made a whole lot more sense to enter the contest for a chance at production and distribution of my product. I'll have to correct Heidi at lunch.
A voice over the speakers asks all the contestants to return to the tables for judging. As I wait for the judges to arrive, I pop my earbuds in my ears and listen to some of my Father's meditation music. Usually I roll my eyes at his latest health obsession, but the soothing music is definitely coming in handy today. Maybe I ought to take up meditation. I just don't know if I can still my mind long enough to successfully do it.
The judges are with Sophie right now. Her face is animated and she's practically glowing. Snickerdoodle is standing on the table, proudly showing off one of Sophie's creations. I swear, that dog knows she's a diva.
When the judges move on to the next presentation, Snickerdoodle tries to follow. She leaps from the table onto the floor and nearly nips the judges heels before Sophie scoops her up. I laugh silently. Good old Snickerdoodle is going to keep Sophie hopping, for sure. Her pup will give her the cuteness factor, but having a live model can also be unpredictable. It would stress me out.
When the judges arrive at my booth, my hands are shaking and sweat is pooling in my palms. I discreetly rub my hands on my dress and run through my presentation, hoping my voice isn't shaking as much as my hands. They ask a few questions, then move on. It's over so fast, I can't tell whether they liked my product or not. Their faces were impossible to read.
The next couple of hours pass in a whirlwind as I chat with the stream of people who pass by my booth, until the voice over the speakers announces the mentors have been assigned and posted. There is a mad rush to see who made the cut. Someone knocks a stack of papers off my table. I bend down to pick up the papers and stand up to see Sophie standing in front of me with Snickerdoodle in tow.
"C'mon, Beth. Let's check it out!" she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the general direction of the mob. We weave our way through the others until we're standing in front of the sheets. A few seconds later, Sophie squeals.
"I'm in! Do you see your number, Beth?"
I scan the sheet and my heart skips a beat.
You've got to be kidding me.
Of all the mentors I could be assigned to, of course it would have to be Isaac.
_______________
Please hit the star to support this story. Each vote helps toward it getting discovered. Thanks so much for your support!
So how are we all feeling about Isaac being assigned to Beth?
We finally meet Heidi, one of the original four that formed Solere. I considered several possibilities to play her, but I think Scarlett Johansson would be great.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As promised, here is the outfit Beth wears on the first day of the Next Big Thing competition.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
And a closeup.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I just discovered this musician, so please take a moment to listen to the song. It's so good! I update every Tuesday and Friday.
Dedication today goes out to a wonderful Wattpadder @ChrisBuono! I was first introduced to his writing with "A Paper-Tree Christmas," a sweet romance in MichelleJoQuinn's Mistletoe & Mischief romance anthology which I thoroughly enjoyed. I think the one I want to try next is "Her Boss's Surprise." And if you're into horror, he has a creepy and well-written story called "The Lake." Thanks for all your support Chris!
