Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Did she want that life back?
She couldn’t even contemplate the answer to the question without talking to him. If she tossed him out right now, she would never have the chance to make the choice.
“What would that look like?” She was curious about how far he would go. And what prompted this visit since she knew damn well it wasn’t because he was sorry. The man had no shame, so this was about something else and she wanted to know the whys.
Mark’s eyes lit like he thought he had her now. “Well, I’ve talked to Gianna and she’s agreed to put your name on the line along with mine, and she wants us to design a fabulous gown as the final look, something that will wow on the runway.”
Curiouser and curiouser. “My line was ski and resort wear.”
It was chic but fairly casual. She’d done plenty of evening gowns but mostly in a wedding sense or as costumes. She’d never been allowed to work on the high-end gowns at Bianchi. That was for the Marks of the company.
She glanced over and saw Trev McNamara walk through the door, the bell jingling as he approached the counter.
Her heart squeezed because seeing that cowboy walk in made her think of her own. It made her wonder if Shane had run his errands and was back on the G with his brother. Hopefully talking about whatever went wrong the night before.
Trev nodded a greeting her way and then started talking to Stella.
Mark huffed, getting her attention again. “Yes, I know, and I see such great potential in them. It’s why I fought for you with Gianna. She’s impressed, too.”
Gianna Bianchi wasn’t impressed with anything. Also, Brooke would be shocked if the woman knew her name. She spent all her time in Europe. She came to the New York offices for Fashion Week and left as soon as she could. “That’s nice. So she wants me to design a gown to close a show?”
Mark put up a hand. “She wants us to design a gown to close the F/W show. But she’s going to give an early preview. A salon show in Milan. You’ll be in the room with some of the most influential people in fashion. You understand what a salon show can do for you?”
Fall/Winter show and a salon show? F/W would be a showing during Fashion Week, and having her name on an actual show would be unimaginable at this stage. But a salon show… Fashion Week was always dizzying with so much going on it could be hard to stand out. A small salon show at Bianchi HQ in Italy would be all about her. She had no doubt Gianna could bring in some heavy hitters from the fashion world. And they would leave knowing the name Brooke Harper.
Was she willing to put her pride on the shelf for that opportunity?
“I still don’t understand the change of heart.” She didn’t trust it at all.
Mark stood and moved to her side of the booth. He didn’t give her a chance to protest, simply sat beside her, crowding her. “Brooke, you don’t understand why I want to make things right with the most talented designer I have? Baby, there’s a reason I wanted my name on your work. First, though, we should acknowledge that while I didn’t do it in a particularly nice way, I had every right to take credit. You worked under me. It’s common practice.”
She didn’t like being so close to him. Did Caleb still have his fork? She looked over and he had Amelia in his arms, the little girl wrapped around her loving father while her mom had a cup of coffee. Alexei had found his way in, too. He’d probably parked the car while Holly had walked down the street.
They looked so happy together, and once no one thought it was possible for Caleb to be happy.
Could she have that with Shane and Bay? Could she find a way to make it work?
What did she want more? Her career back or something new?
“Sure,” she said absently. Trev usually came into town with someone. Likely because he was running errands, and that often involved lifting heavy objects like feed and manure, and that should make her wrinkle her nose but all she could think about was the fact that it was getting warm and sometimes Shane would take off his shirt when he was hauling stuff and his chest would be on display. Only a few days before the men had been replacing one of the barn doors and Beth had brought out lemonade and cookies. The kids had played, and she and Beth and Hope had sipped lemonade and watched all those pretty men.
When Bay realized she was drooling over Shane’s abs, he’d tossed his own shirt off, and she swore that man figured out a way to make his jeans hang super low on his hips. Trev had even commented on it.