If We Never Met (Whisper Lake #5) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,41
to doing what you do. I can help you."
"You really can't."
"I can," she said with determination. "I can get the press off your back and stop them from making up nonsensical stories about you and that woman. My being here will put an end to that."
"I think your presence will just draw more photographers."
"Let me worry about that. You focus on your rehab. I'll handle the media."
"I'd rather you just went back to LA."
"Well, I'm not going to do that yet. You may not think you need me, but you do."
He was too tired to argue with her. "Fine. We'll talk about this later."
"Tonight. Let's have drinks and dinner. I'll find a good place and text you the address."
"All right. But I'm tied up until five."
"We'll do it at six." She leaned forward and kissed him. "We can move my things later."
"Nikki—we really need to talk about everything."
"We'll do that at dinner. Go, do your thing. We'll talk later."
He knew he couldn't keep letting her put him off. He just didn't have time to get into a big scene, and with Nikki, big scenes were a fairly common occurrence. "I'll see you later."
As he walked out of the room, he blew out a frustrated breath. Nikki's surprise appearance had done one thing—it had shown him in very clear-cut terms that she was not the woman he wanted.
But the woman he now wanted he couldn't have.
Keira stared at the wedding dress on the sewing table in front of her. After a busy morning in the shop, she'd taken a late lunch break in the back room of her store to work on Hannah's dress, but she'd been staring at it so long, her eyes were blurring. When her manager, Connie, popped her head into the room, it was a relief to be forced to look away.
"I just wanted to remind you that I'm leaving early today," Connie said. "My mother has to go to the doctor, and she needs a ride."
"Right." She looked at her watch. It was almost two. "You better get going."
"Daphne will be in at three, and she'll stay until close."
"That's fine."
"How's the dress going?"
"Not that well. Taking a break from it will be good," she said as she got to her feet.
"It always helps to have fresh eyes. By the way, have you checked your emails today?"
"Not yet. Why? Is there a problem?"
"I was skimming through to see if there was any store business—"
"Of course," she interrupted. "I'm happy to have you keep an eye on emails I need to respond to."
"Well, you do need to respond to these emails, but they're not about the store. You have two emails from Karli Holton, one from a guy name Rafa Delgado, and another from Talia Bee."
"Seriously? Talia Bee and Rafa Delgado are very successful and well-connected stylists."
"I know," Connie said with a gleam in her eyes. "And Karli Holton is an up-and-comer. I looked her up. They all want to talk to you about designing dresses for their clients. They all referenced Chelsea's beautiful gown."
"That's amazing." She'd thought she might get some interest in her work after Chelsea's gown was photographed, but not from top stylists.
"Your side hustle could be turning into a lot more, Keira. So, answer your email."
"I will take a look," she promised, following her manager back into the store. There were no customers at the moment, so after Connie left, she logged into the computer on the counter.
Each email was nicer than the last: compliments about her design, her originality, and the sheer beauty of Chelsea's gown… Her smile grew with each word, and she felt a thrill of excitement and satisfaction.
Talia Bee was looking for a designer for Crystal Jeffers, who was her main client. Crystal was starring in a blockbuster film being released in September and would need a red-carpet dress. Rafa Delgado wanted to know if she had any gowns already done that one of his clients might be interested in, and Karli Holton simply asked for a call to discuss opportunities with her clients, who were primarily country music singers. Designing Chelsea's gown had definitely opened some doors for her. Now she just had to walk through those doors.
Her exhilaration dimmed as she thought about the practical logistics of addressing these requests. She had Hannah's gown and the bridesmaids' dresses to complete, as well as managing the store and keeping an eye on the real-estate business.
Where was she going to find the time to do all of this?