Love Comes When You Least Expect It
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About the Images
For Serena’s first modeling job back, the assignment called for a look that was elegant, polished, and perfectly suited to a romantic seaside setting, even before a pair of unexpected co-stars wandered into the shoot.
Serena is wearing Alaitz, a beautiful new release from Belle Epoque for the current round of ACCESS. This elegant dress is available in twelve colors, ranging from soft pastels to rich jewel tones, including the gorgeous sapphire blue Serena chose for her seaside shoot. Stop by ACCESS to pick up a demo.
Also featured in this post is Xana, Serena’s elegant updo from S-Club, a new-to-me designer. The hairstyle is available at Collabor88 and includes the delicate floral accents shown here.
Serena’s Watermelontini is a new release from ChicChica for Collabor88, and, as mentioned in the previous post, her Lybra skin is by Glam Affair, also available at the event.
Be sure to stop by ACCESS and Collabor88 to try demos of the featured items before the current rounds end.
Complete credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls are available on the Store & Event Links page.
The Story
Serena had forgotten how much waiting was involved in modeling.
Wait while the stylist adjusted the dress. Wait while the photographer tested the light. Wait while someone moved a vase three inches to the left, decided it looked better on the right, and then returned it to its original spot.
Still, she could hardly complain. When she had mentioned taking a few modeling jobs to help with the wedding expenses, her former agent had found her an assignment almost immediately. The job was supposed to be simple: spend an afternoon modeling an evening dress for the summer advertising campaign of a luxury seaside resort.
The fee would not pay for the entire wedding, of course, but it would make a respectable dent in the florist’s estimate.
“Chin up just a little,” the photographer called. “Perfect. Now turn toward the water.”
Serena stood on the terrace overlooking the brilliant turquoise sea, a watermelon cocktail balanced carefully in one hand. The stylist had pinned pink blossoms into her hair, and the afternoon breeze lifted the loose curls around her face.
After several awkward attempts, Serena began to remember why she had once enjoyed this work. She relaxed her shoulders, shifted her weight, and gazed toward the distant islands.
The camera clicked.
“That’s it,” the photographer said. “Hold that—”
A tiny figure suddenly appeared on the stone wall beside Serena.
She glanced down and discovered a squirrel standing upright, holding a red rose between its paws.
Serena blinked.
The squirrel stared back.
“Do we have an additional model today?” she asked.
The photographer lowered his camera, then immediately raised it again. “Don’t move.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
The squirrel clutched the flower with great seriousness, as though it had rehearsed the moment all morning. Serena tried to maintain her elegant expression, but the absurdity of the scene tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“Look toward him,” the photographer instructed.
“Him?”
“Your admirer.”
Serena turned slightly toward the squirrel. The shutter clicked several times in quick succession.
“Well,” she murmured, “you’re certainly more romantic than most of the men I modeled with.”
The squirrel’s tail twitched.
Someone behind the camera laughed.
After several more photographs, the squirrel disappeared down the far side of the wall, taking the rose with him.
The photographer checked the images on his camera. “Those might be the best shots we’ve taken all day.”
“I’m glad one of us knows what he’s doing,” Serena said.
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For the second setup, the crew moved into the resort courtyard, where wrought-iron tables sat beneath palm trees and flowering vines. Serena took a moment to breathe while the stylist refreshed her makeup and replaced the cocktail garnish.
The photographer positioned her near the steps.
“Something softer this time,” he said. “Imagine you’re waiting for someone.”
“Someone who is late?”
“Someone romantic.”
“That eliminates several people I know.”
She lifted the glass toward her lips just as a production assistant gasped.
The squirrel had returned.
It hopped onto the café table, still carrying the same red rose, and placed it beside the second cocktail.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Serena said.
The resort’s calico cat, lounging beneath a nearby chair, immediately noticed the visitor. It rose, stretched leisurely, and approached the table.
Serena lowered her glass. “Should someone intervene?”
“Wait,” the photographer said.
“The squirrel may not agree with that plan.”
But the cat did not pounce. Instead, it sat beside the chair and watched the squirrel with the solemn expression of a suspicious chaperone.
The squirrel lifted the rose again.
Serena glanced from one animal to the other. “This feels like the beginning of either a love story or a crime documentary.”
The cat flicked its tail.
The photographer continued shooting as Serena slowly approached the table. Her formal pose gave way to a genuine smile when the squirrel held the flower toward her once more.
“Oh, all right,” she said. “I accept.”
She reached for the stem, but the squirrel pulled it back at the last second.
The courtyard erupted in laughter.
The cat leaned closer, apparently offended by the breach of etiquette.
Serena laughed too, forgetting the camera completely. She crouched beside the table, one hand resting on the chair as the cat joined her and the squirrel guarded its flower.
The photographer captured every moment.
By the time the animals wandered away, the carefully planned schedule had fallen apart. No one seemed particularly concerned.
During the final break, Serena slipped off her heels and sat near the fountain while the photographer and resort staff reviewed the images. She was rubbing one sore foot when a woman in a pale linen suit approached her.
“Serena? I’m Camille, the resort’s marketing director.”
Serena quickly stood. “I hope the squirrel didn’t cause too much trouble.”
“Quite the opposite.” Camille turned the tablet toward her.
The first image showed Serena on the seaside terrace, looking toward the tiny squirrel and its rose. In another, she was laughing beside the courtyard table while the cat sat nearby like a disapproving wedding guest.
The photographs felt less like fashion advertisements and more like moments from a story.
“They’re wonderful,” Serena said.
“They’re not what we planned,” Camille replied, “but I think they’re exactly what we needed.”
She explained that the resort had been preparing to launch a wedding and honeymoon campaign, but the photographs taken earlier in the season had felt too formal. Beautiful, certainly, but also polished to the point of being forgettable.
“These are warm,” Camille said. “Unexpected. Romantic without trying too hard.”
“The squirrel tried fairly hard.”
Camille laughed. “Our new campaign theme is going to be Love Comes When You Least Expect It. We’d like you to be the face of it.”
Serena stared at her. “Me?”
“We’ll need several more shoots, and the compensation would be considerably higher than today’s fee.” Camille paused. “I also understand that you’re engaged.”
Serena glanced at the ring on her hand. “Yes. We’re still in the early stages of planning.”
“In that case, perhaps we can make the arrangement even more useful. If you and your fiancé are interested, we would be happy to include a substantial discount on a wedding reception or honeymoon stay here.”
For a moment, Serena could only look around the courtyard—the arched windows, the flowers, the sea visible beyond the terrace.
It was far more elegant than any venue she and Gavin had considered.
“You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
Serena smiled slowly. She had accepted the job hoping to earn enough money to pay for one small piece of the wedding. Instead, her first day back might have solved several problems at once.
That evening, she called Gavin from the terrace.
“How did the modeling job go?” he asked.
“I’ve been offered a larger campaign.”
“That sounds promising.”
“And possibly a discounted wedding reception or honeymoon.”
There was a brief silence. “What exactly were you modeling?”
“A dress.”
“That must have been an extraordinary dress.”
Serena looked toward the courtyard, where the calico cat was once again sleeping beneath the table. “It had help.”
She sent him one of the photographs.
A moment later, Gavin laughed. “Is that squirrel proposing to you?”
“Apparently.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“Only if he comes back with a ring,” Serena laughed.
As she ended the call, Serena noticed a flash of movement along the stone wall. The squirrel had returned. The red rose was gone, but this time it carried a small silver bottle cap in its paws.
Serena narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think about it,” she said.
The squirrel sat upright and held the shiny object toward her. From beneath the table, the cat opened one eye.
Serena began to laugh. Perhaps love really did appear when you least expected it.
And sometimes, apparently, it also arrived with a very persistent marketing team.
CREDITS
Serena
S-Club Xana (NEW @ Collabor88)
Angel Eyes Messy 20 Hairbase
WarPaint Paradise Eyeshadow
Glam Affair Lybra (NEW @ Collabor88)
IKON Bliss Eyes
Yummy Saltwater Dreams Earrings
Yummy Saltwater Dreams Necklace
Belle Epoque Alaitz (NEW @ ACCESS)
Ysoral Engagement Ring
ChicChica Watermelontini (NEW @ Collabor88)
Phedora Kenina Heels
Poses
-Extra- Lighthearted (slightly modded by the drink)
-Extra- Eyes on Me (slightly modded by the drink)
SCENE
SYNNERGY.TAVIS Cara Terrace [360] Backdrop
ChicChica Watermelontini DECO (NEW @ Collabor88)
Aardvark Garden Squirrel
Aardvark Paws & Reflect Cat
For items worn regularly, please see About the Characters.
For store SLurls, please visit the Store & Event Links page.
The quote, “Love comes when you least expect it,” is attributed to Mitch Albom.
