London Interlude

Gisele had spent the last year moving between fittings, runways, and magazine sets so quickly that she measured time by airports. Sarah Douglas said the demand was a breakthrough. Gisele called it work, and then asked for more of it. Her Alexander McQueen show in London had brought new photographers to her door. Campaigns for Missoni, Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, and Versace followed, along with a Vogue Paris cover and a feature in Britain's i-D. She had just finished her first solo cover for American Vogue. Sarah had booked her for more than thirty shows in a year. Gisele was proud of what she had done, but Kate Moss already had three Vogue covers. To Gisele, that meant there was still ground to make up.

"I'll buy a proper house someday," she told Nolan as they walked toward Buckingham Palace. "One with space for my family. And I won't stop working when I do."

"You've already had more bookings than most people could manage."

"That isn't an argument for slowing down."

She wore sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat. London still wasn't a place where she could move unnoticed, though the disguise seemed to amuse her. Nolan drew looks of his own. Two tall people walking close together could attract attention even when neither wanted it.

Gisele mentioned a runway job that had frightened her. A proposed look left her less covered than she had agreed to be. Sarah and Gisele's sister, Patricia, had challenged it and secured a different outfit before the show. Gisele was grateful, but she still hated how close she'd come to being told she had no choice.

"You did have a choice," Nolan said.

"They made me fight for it. That's the part I remember."

He did not tell her what he remembered from another life. The only useful thing he could do now was make sure the contracts backed up the choice she had already made.

A black car pulled toward the curb ahead of them. Several photographers climbed out, cameras raised. Gisele stepped behind Nolan; he took her hand and led her into a side street, then through the door of a café. By the time the men reached the corner, the couple was out of sight.

"How did they know it was me?" she asked once they had a table.

"Maybe they didn't. I didn't bother hiding my face."

She looked at him over her glasses. American football wasn't a London obsession, but tabloids followed American celebrities. Nolan's move from a championship team to an expansion franchise had made news beyond the sports pages. They called Sarah for a car. Over the phone Sarah scolded Gisele for going out without telling anyone where she would be. Gisele rolled her eyes but agreed to be more careful.

The car took them to the house near the agency. Patricia lived there with Gisele, as did several models Sarah represented. Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Izabel Goulart were waiting when Nolan arrived. Alessandra greeted him warmly; Adriana was friendly but reserved. Izabel, the youngest, followed the others' lead.

He asked about assignments. Adriana had landed a Brazilian magazine cover, and all three were steadily finding work. They still spent much of their free time training for it. Sarah had built a demanding schedule and a household that kept everyone close to the agency.

"I want some of you in Los Angeles for guest appearances with the Angels cheer squad," Nolan said. "It will mean working around your bookings."

Izabel asked if there was any pay. Nolan said no: he had expected the appearances as a favor from the models whose careers he had helped launch. Alessandra shot Izabel a look, then said she would go; Adriana agreed. Izabel followed their lead. As a minor, however, she would not be included in an adult cheer performance. The question of her work would have to be handled separately.

"Sarah has to agree first," Gisele said.

"Of course," Nolan replied. "I'm seeing her now."

Patricia watched him closely. She had known for some time that her sister wanted more from Nolan than business calls. When he said he would return to his hotel after meeting Sarah, Gisele understood the invitation; Patricia understood it too.

At the agency, Sarah began with the accounts. For years the modeling operation had consumed cash. Last year, the models had earned Nolan roughly a million dollars in net profit; Gisele accounted for eighty percent of it. Sarah wanted him to visit Brazil again when the football schedule allowed. He had no time now.

When Nolan raised the cheer appearances, Sarah agreed at once. She could shift bookings where possible and work around existing commercial commitments. Nolan was surprised by how readily she offered to help. He did not know that she relished the chance to be more useful to him than Lisa.

Sarah then raised the models' renewals. She offered to reduce her share so that she and Nolan would split the proceeds fifty-fifty. He said they would keep working together, but put off renewing the contracts until another visit. Sarah accepted the delay.

She had another concrete offer: Victoria's Secret wanted Gisele for ten million dollars a year. Its proposed Angels role combined advertising, appearances, runway shows, and endorsement work. Nolan asked Sarah to walk him through the terms. He told her Gisele should sign, but only with a provision that she could not be required to wear clothing she found too revealing. Sarah agreed.

"And Kate?" Nolan asked.

"Her market is shifting," Sarah said. "Some clients want a different look. That doesn't mean she's finished."

"Good," Nolan said. "Then Kate can join my cheer squad. Not as a guest. As a regular member."

Sarah listened as he asked for one more favor.

By evening, Patricia had arranged dinner with the others. Gisele agreed to go, then changed her mind. She came to Nolan's hotel instead. He opened the door and she kissed him before either had found a greeting.

"You have to leave after tomorrow," she said when they drew apart.

"I do."

"Then I don't want to spend tonight pretending that's fine."

He told her about Lisa, and about the child. Lisa was pregnant again. Gisele listened without interrupting, though her hand slipped from his. She asked whether he would stop seeing Lisa if she requested it. He said no. Gisele looked away.

"I shouldn't have asked," she said.

Gisele was nineteen. She asked him to be gentle. He held her, and the rest of the night remained between them. Afterward she turned toward him, sore and shaken.

"Could I get pregnant?" she asked.

"Do you want to?" Nolan asked.

"Of course not. I'm nineteen. I still feel like a kid myself." She looked at the ceiling. "You took me out of a small town in Brazil and showed me a larger world. You protected me. You gave me confidence. You changed my life."

She touched his face. "Apart from my parents, no one has done more for me. Whatever you ask of me, I'll do."

At the airport Patricia could tell that her sister had spent the night away. She asked if Gisele was all right. Gisele said yes, though she was tired and still sorting through the conversation. Adriana and Alessandra gave them room. Izabel was there to say goodbye as a colleague, nothing more.

Nolan delayed boarding until a member of Sarah's staff arrived with a carrier. Inside was a Yorkshire terrier he had arranged as a gift for Gisele.

"What would you call her?" he asked.

"Vida," Gisele said. "Life."

Patricia shook her head at the extravagance, then helped carry the bag as Nolan went through security. The dog shifted in Gisele's arms. The football season would take him back across the Atlantic, and the distance between them would still be real. For the moment she had a name, a small warm weight, and a decision about the relationship that was hers to revisit.