dresses!” Sarah barely paused for breath. “Hey, you might even snatch up a megabucks investor. London is teeming with foreign billionaires right now. They’re all looking for the next big thing. I bet you’d have to fight them off!”
Leia snickered. I do need another investor. I could hire some interns if I had a second backer. “Don’t get too carried away! There’s no point spending some fictional billionaire’s checks when I’m stuck in New York and contracted to Shantelle. I’d love to come over, but her schedule is bananas and I can’t style her US appearances from London. Lost for Breath is doing great at the box office here. Everybody wants a piece of her.”
“Like who?”
“Tuesday, she has The Tonight Show, followed by Good Morning America on Wednesday and Live with Kelly and Ryan on Thursday. Friday is still up in the air, but there’s a product launch she might attend…cosmetics or something. I’m still waiting for her to confirm. There’s also talk of a late-night talk show appearance in LA.”
“You must be Lost for Breath saying all that.”
“Sarah!” Leia laughed.
“Now there’s a happy sound I’ve been dying to hear.” The smile in Sarah’s voice soared through the phone. “So, is that it, then?”
“I dunno.”
“Maybe you should ask Shantelle’s psychic.” Sarah snickered. “She’ll know.”
Leia’s knee twinged again. Owww. I had to go sexy with heels, didn’t I? She sucked in a sharp breath through pinched lips, ignoring her sister’s catty remark. “The studio has me on retainer for two months. I style Shan when she needs me.”
“Well, fly back and forth when she does.”
“Between New York and London? Uh, I’m a sustainable designer, remember? That’s hardly eco-friendly or cheap. And think of all the time I’d waste sat on a plane.”
“Fine! Have it your way. Stay there and”—the buzz from a text on Leia’s phone cut into Sarah’s words—“thought you could use a few weeks away.”
“You just want me to bring you new clothes!”
“Well, yeah! I’d kill for another skirt. But more than that, I wanna see you.”
“I want to see you, too!” Leia bit her cheek, considering. “I guess I could check with Shantelle, maybe come over when she takes her holid”—Her phone buzzed again. “Sorry. My phone’s blowing up with texts.”
Sarah snickered. “Shantelle’s ears burning?”
“Maybe.” Leia lowered her phone. Tarquin? Her heart leapt into her throat. What the hell? A burst of messages glowed on the screen.
Tarquin: Leia, we should talk.
Tarquin: Meet me tomorrow before my flight back to London?
Tarquin: I’ll come to you. Name a place. I’ll be there.
Her heart tugged. What do I do? Stifling a smile, she wiped perspiration from her brow, her mind drifting back to the pool.
Sunburn on his nose, hair flirting with the breeze, the scent of body wash lingering on his skin… She inhaled a deep breath. My god, he’s perfect. I’ve missed him, but I didn’t realize how much until he appeared in front of me, a serendipitous gift, smiling, laughing, asking how I’ve been in that irresistible accent. I wanted him then. I want him now. But I can’t have him—
“Leia?!” Sarah sounded tinny and far away. “Everything okay?”
No. Nothing is okay. She returned to the call. “Uh, yeah. It’s Tarquin texting. I bumped into him and his brother at a pool in Brooklyn this afternoon.”
“Tarquin is there? Wow, he gets around!”
“His friend’s private members’ club opened tonight in Greenwich Village.”
“Oh! Sounds fun. Did he invite you?” The rattle of Smarties in their box peppered Sarah’s question.
“Yeah. I was leaving the party when you called.”
“Before midnight? Must’ve been a shit one.”
“No, it was amazing.” Leia hurried across Waverly Place, clogged with cars and bar-hopping twenty-somethings. “Lots of famous faces, great food, but I wasn’t into it. I was feeling dizzy, sick…” She wobbled atop her five-inch heels, the pain in her right leg flaring with a fiery vengeance.
“No shit! You lost your job today. I’m surprised you even went, but I guess it was a great networking opportunity.”
“I didn’t go to schmooze.” Just tell her. Leia took in a stuttering breath. “Saz, at the pool earlier when I saw him again…all these intense feelings came rushing back.”
“Rushing back? For who?” Sarah bellowed. “Not Tarquin?!”
“Yeah,” Leia answered quietly, her cheeks prickling with heat.
“But months ago, you sat here and swore you weren’t into him!”
“I thought it was a crush! I thought it would fade.” Leia pressed her clutch tight against her chest. “But it hasn’t,” she whispered. “Since London, it’s taken on a life of its own. I can’t stop