The Best Friend Scandal - Lucia Jordan Page 0,24

not worried about that,” I said. “I shouldn’t have been pushing you so hard. I’m glad you took some time to have some fun and enjoy yourself.”

Although I wish it had been with me and not that self-entitled male model. I didn’t at all like the thought of her hanging around with the other models and their party scene. They had been known to get way out of control with things.

“Thanks,” she said. “So, Cai’s idea was that I fill in for the missing model who dropped out.”

Hensley looked at me and waited for my reaction. I thought she was kidding, but Jesus, she was serious.

“Hensley, I just don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.

“Why not?”

“Well, for one, you’re a designer, not a model.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said as her voice started to raise a little. “That I’m not pretty enough to wear my own designs down a runway?”

“No, that’s not at all what I mean,” I said. I had a dreadful feeling that this was all about to go south very quickly.

“Then why can’t I? It would be a huge help to you unless you already have another model?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “I don’t.”

“Then we still need one,” she said. “We can’t show all the pieces without another model. And you’re saying that you’d rather give up on two of the designs that I worked hard on and that inspired your whole line, just because you don’t think I look good enough to be a model.

“That is not what I said, Hensley! I never said that you weren’t pretty enough to model.” I wanted to tell her that I thought she was fucking gorgeous, but this wasn’t the way or the time that I wanted to do it.

“Is it blue highlights? Because I think that would actually go really well with a fantasy-themed show. Is it the nose ring? Because that would be pretty damn judgmental of you,” she said.

“No, of course not; it’s none of those things.”

“Then what is it?” she shouted.

I could tell that I’d pushed her too far last night, and now she was just purely angry. “I just think that you need to be the designer,” I said as I tried to sound calm and logical. I needed to remember to kick Cai’s ass for putting this idea into her head. “You are the only designer for the entire show. The models will need you, and this show is too important for Luscious to fail. I need you to fulfill that role.”

“I can be both,” she said stubbornly.

“I don’t think you can,” I said.

That was actually a lie because I actually did think that she could probably pull it off. I just didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fire for her to get cozy with the group of models. She needed to stay as a designer, nothing more. When this was all over, I would talk to her and tell her the truth and the real reasons behind some of the stuff I was doing that she didn’t understand and that I was just barely understanding myself.

“Fine,” she said as she put her sunglasses back down over her face and stood up.

“Wait, where are you going? Why are you mad about this? It’s not like you’ve ever even wanted to model before. I didn’t even think you liked being in front of crowds.”

“I don’t,” said with mixed anger and hurt in her voice. “But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t still sting a little to have your friend think you’re good enough to design pretty things behind the curtain but not pretty enough to wear them in front of the crowd.”

“Hensley, please, that is not at all what I meant!” I followed her to the door as she stormed out, trying to get her to stop and listen to me, but she wouldn’t.

She was still too upset about the way I had acted last night, and I didn’t blame her. If only she knew that I thought she was more beautiful than any of the show's models. I had to fight with myself not to run after her and shout it out to her, but that would have only made me look like a fool. I stood in the hallway while my secretary came over and stared at me.

“Umm, Mr. Pratt?” she said carefully since she could see I wasn’t having a good day again.

“Yeah,” I said as I kept my eyes affixed on the door that Hensley had