What really gets me is how I was so sure there would be a receptionist with a headset who would instantly recognize me. This man has no idea who I am. There are a dozen headshots taped to the wall under the company sign, and mine isn’t one of them. Was I supposed to bring one with me? No, I’m a client. They also have a massive printer right there in the corner. Even then, I booked a major campaign for this company. You’d think my face would be worth highlighting. It’s not, though.

I’m still a Nobody around these parts, and won’t become a Somebody until it’s too late to get the star treatment.

“Good morning. We’re only open today for private meetings,” the receptionist says.

“I’m Valentino Prince. I’m one of the agency’s models. Laverne told me to come straight here for a fitting.”

The receptionist nods very slowly. “I see.” He punches in a number on his landline the old-fashioned way. No headsets. I can hear ringing two doors down. “Hi, Laverne. I have a Valentino Prince here to see you.” There’s a muffled voice. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay.” He hangs up. “Laverne will be out in a moment. You can have a seat if you’d like.”

I’m certain the three chairs against the wall are leftovers because they’re too lived-in for a new business. Orion and I sit anyway, and he pats my knee.

“This is so exciting,” he says.

“It is.”

“Wow, you sound so unexcited.”

“No, I am. I’m trying to contain myself.”

“Why?”

I lower my voice so the receptionist won’t overhear, even though he’s about eight feet away. “Whenever I pictured this moment, I told myself to play it cool because it’s cooler to be cool about something big. I want to be seen as professional and hirable again.”

Orion nods. “Okay, I get that, but . . . you know. Get hyped while you can.”

“What would I do without you?”

“Probably nothing,” Orion says with a smile that belongs on the wall with the other headshots.

A door opens, and out comes my agent, Laverne, an older white woman with gray streaks in her black hair. She’s wearing a simple periwinkle-blue sweater with jeans—very casual Saturday attire for a modeling agency.

“Valentino, Valentino. So wonderful to meet you in person,” she says as she pulls me into a hug.

“You too!” I say enthusiastically. “Thank you so much for taking a chance on me.”

“Oh, please. Your parents laid the foundation of your look and you built it up.”