Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,55

jaw tensed. The babies.

Scrunching her eyes, Leia bowed her head and swallowed hard. What if they dig for more dirt? Or make shit up? She shifted back on Sarah’s couch, its groaning springs in unison with Jordan’s sharp snores. Could I survive that again? Maybe putting myself out there in public with my designs isn’t the smartest idea. Her gaze lingered over Shantelle’s texts. Oh, I know what you’d say, Ms. Joy: “Take a deep breath, give fear the middle finger, and jump in!” Leia toyed with her phone. Shantelle is always offering ‘carpe diem’ advice. And she’s right—I can’t let what-ifs derail Frill-Seekers. Not when I’ve overcome so much. A flutter of purpose filled her chest. “This time will be different. It’ll have nothing to do with Tyler or the fire—” She cut herself off, her face softening. “I’ll be on those pages because I did something special, something Mom would be proud of.” Her eyes skipped to her sister. “Saz, I want that more than anything. I want you guys to be proud of me.”

“Aw, we are proud of you, Ley! We never stopped, you silly boo.” Sarah inched her chair closer and clasped Leia’s hand. “I know it’s been shit, but you got through it. I wouldn’t have coped half as well.”

“But that’s the thing—I didn’t cope. I was a total mess. I broke down completely.”

“And you’re surprised?” Sarah widened her eyes. “After what he did to you? Lots of guys cheat, but Tyler”—she shook her head—“Tyler dropped a nuclear bomb in more ways than one. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, but…” Leia twisted her lips. “Punching him in the face wasn’t my finest moment.”

“Like hell it wasn’t!” Sarah squeezed her sister’s hand and let go. “You broke the asshole’s nose and made him squeal! I would’ve paid good money to see that, and I know I’m not the only one.”

Leia let out a small chuckle before falling silent, her fingers tugging a loose thread on the sleeve of her pajamas. “You know, this is it, Saz…the chance I’ve been waiting for since Brooke.” The mere mention of that name stole the air from Leia’s lungs. She took a moment and started again. “Dressing Shantelle might help salvage my reputation.”

“You will salvage it, Ley. But this turnaround—is it doable? Two months…”

“It’ll be tough, but I’m up for the challenge,” said Leia. “I’ve been sketching ideas for weeks, so I’m ahead of the game. I’ll plug her measurements into CAD, use a 3D model, and tweak my top five choices. Then, I’ll email Shan the mock-ups so she can pick her favorite.”

“All without sewing a single stitch. Technology, eh?”

“I know, right?” Leia let out a heavy breath. “Once she chooses, I’ll start draping—provided I’ve found the right fabric. I’ll search online later. There’s bound to be dead stock suppliers nearby. I can’t waste a second. It’s gotta be go, go, go.”

“Little Miss Busy is back in business.” Sarah smiled. “I guess you won’t have time for much else. It’s good last night’s sex adventure was a bust.”

What? Leia furrowed her brow. “No, it wasn’t a bust.” She scratched her bedhead. “Tarquin was amazing. He’s definitely talented—in more ways than one.” She sat back, remembering him between her thighs, his tongue warm and persistent, making her climax again and again. A blush rose on her cheeks. “Why’d you think last night was meh?”

“You came home early. I hope you took a cab—the Night Tube can be sketchy.”

“Tarquin drove me.”

“Drove you?” Sarah’s voice rose, a soft smile tweaking the corners of her mouth. “From Shad Thames? That’s easily an hour-long round trip.”

Leia nodded, her eyes falling to the floor and the umbrella she had lent him days earlier. “Well, he offered…”

“Sweet! How many guys would leave a warm bed in the middle of the night for a girl they barely know?”

“In my experience, none.” Leia plucked the pen from her gratitude journal. He was lovely. Ignoring my scar, wanting to spend the day with me, wanting to cook for me… so attentive and caring like—oh. Shit! Like he was auditioning to be my boyfriend. She bit her cheek. I can’t tell Sarah all this. She’ll get more excited and have us married off before I fly home.

“So, why kiss goodbye to a kind, hot Brit with amazing stamina and morning wood?”

“Oh my god!” Leia swept her hair off her shoulders, twisting it into a bun. “I’m so not talking to you about that!” She stabbed her pen through