“Okay. I’d say better than ‘really good’ but I’ll accept that. No, I was thinking that we’re really exceptional at ideas. At coming up with ideas and making them happen. Do you know how rare that is? People have a thousand ideas, but never seem to get around to them. Those people make me crazy.”
“Me too. Okay, so we make up ideas and do them. I still do not understand where you are going, Joshua.” She ran a manicured finger down the side of the sweating tea glass as she tried to see the path he was following. That would be a good trick, as he only saw only a little of it himself.
He tapped his laptop. “We need to make up our own story, our own novel. We’ve already got the first meeting.”
“Me trying to Taser you.”
“Right. Thanks again for not pulling the trigger.”
“It’s a button.”
“Whatever, thanks.”
“De rein.”
“And we’ve both just admitted that we’re quite completely gone on each other.”
“You can say ‘in love,’ Joshua,” her smile mocked him.
“I can. But I don’t want to scare you.”
“I’m already scared enough for it not to make much difference.”
“Okay. I don’t want to scare me, because being in love with a woman who is beyond perfect is definitely an unnerving experience. I keep waiting for you to snap out of it and look at me with utter disdain.”
She reached out to brush the moisture-cool finger along his cheek. He took the opportunity to capture her hand and leave a kiss in the center of her palm. He loved watching her response to him as her lids half lowered and a sigh rippled through her.
Graziella passed by their table, “Get a room, you two.” She dropped off a second ice tea and a spare napkin, leaving a smile in her wake. Gone too fast for Josh to even say thank you.
He turned back to Melanie, “My idea is, before you distract me any further. Let’s brainstorm it out. We can’t build a relationship any more easily than a runway show or a novel. We’ve got a great basis: we love each other, and we both want to find a way to make this work.”
“We’re supposed to write our own romance?”
“Yes. With its own happy ever after.” He shrugged, “You have any better ideas, I’m open to them.”
She studied him for a long moment in silence. He could see the brilliance that she hid so carefully from most others. It clicked away behind her eyes like a finely-tuned mechanism. The business woman analyzing the idea slowly gave way to the sensual lover who made his head spin.
“I think you are right.”
“I am?” Could have shocked him—about a Taser’s worth.
“Yes, we are both too smart to not find a way to make this work. But there is one thing that you must first do, Joshua.”
“Name it.”
“You must, without any extra words, tell me that you love me.”
He almost started with “You make such difficult requests,” but caught himself in time.
He still held her held her hand, so he rubbed a thumb over the kiss on her palm as if making sure it stuck there. He looked into the most amazing blue eyes he’d ever seen. He let the brightness—that shone on him from the most unlikely of women—wash over him.
“I love you.”
Her own response was equally simple and he knew his life had just been changed forever.
Graziella’s quiet “Hallelujah” in the background he simply ignored.
Chapter 16
Fashion Alive landed on the racks eight days later and the response was instantaneous and overwhelming.
At Melanie’s advice, that evening they all retreated to Bill and Perrin’s house in North Seattle, made a huge pot of decaf, and crowded around the dining table to confer.
“You’d think that my first ad spread in three years wouldn’t create so much noise,” Russell complained and Cassidy patted his shoulder in sympathy. “I should never have put my logo in the corner. I didn’t put my name, just the stupid logo. Designers are coming out of the woodwork looking for me. I got so effing tired of repeating that I’m retired and only do the work I initiate. So, I shut off my blasted phone and put a ‘go away’ auto-reply on my e-mail.”
“My personal advice, Perrin,” Jo’s voice was definitely in her serious legal advice mode and they all stopped to listen. “Is duck and run. Don’t stop until you and your family hit Tahiti at the very least.” That got the laugh she was clearly aiming for. “How many hits did your website get again?”
“I stopped looking after the first five thousand,” Perrin shuddered. “That was in the six hours after it hit the first newsstand. Over a thousand of those were on the catalog request list. Russell, if I don’t move to Tahiti, I’ll need you to build me a catalog so that I can send it to them. Wait, Melanie, can I afford to print and mail that many catalogs?” She didn’t pause for an answer. “Two hundred on the quote request list. I’m so glad I never got an online store set up or I’d be so crushed.”
Bill sat close with his arm wrapped loosely around his wife’s narrow shoulders. Good man.
Melanie glanced at Joshua and knew he would react the same way if the crisis was landing on her shoulders.
“First,” Melanie decided it was time to take some control. “First we have to stop and say congratulations to Perrin. Yes, you’ve just traded up for the next set of problems, but they are great problems to have.”
“Why am I not feeling so lucky?”
“Because you’re a very smart woman,” Jo chimed in.
“You will,” Melanie corrected Jo who actually winked at her. “Wait until the shock is over.”
“Does that happen any time soon?” Perrin sounded very doubtful.
“No,” Melanie reassured her and got the laugh. “Second, if we ignore everything for a week or a month, it won’t matter. All it will do is make you more mysterious. Zoran has turned mysterious into an art form. One of America’s top fashion designers for the last three decades and he doesn’t show up in Wikipedia except on the French site. He doesn’t do runway shows or give interviews.”
“But she has to fix it sometime, right?” Jaspar spoke up from where he sat close beside his sister. “Tam still gets to make her new clothes? I don’t care about that girly stuff, but she does. Can she get a fashion spread like you, Mom?”
Calling her Mom clearly struck Perrin like a slap; a really good one that snapped her out of panic and back into thinking. She leaned over to hug both her kids. “Tamara still gets her new line whenever she’s ready. Even if we run away to Tahiti. I promise.”
Melanie kept an eye on Jaspar. Perrin had totally melted at being called “Mom.” Almost as if it was the first time. Just how smart was the boy, maybe sensing how much she needed encouragement at the moment? Or more likely, just feeling some connection and responding to it? His frank look back when he noticed Melanie’s attention told her that it was the former and he just might be that insightful about people.
Had she been that smart at ten? No. She’d still been a naïve little girl. She’d certainly been that smart by the time she was eleven though, living in a car with her dangerously unpredictable mother.
“We need to come up with a plan for you to expand sooner than expected, but still not outstrip your income or your sanity.”
“I’m glad to give you a loan, Perrin,” Russell offered. “You know that. Whatever you need.” The advantages of having a multi-millionaire in the room. Actually two of them. Melanie might not have Russell’s immense family wealth, but she too could lay down some serious money if necessary.
“No,” Perrin held up both hands. “No loans. I don’t want to be beholden to anyone. This is my business. If I fail, fine. But I don’t want something I might not be able to repay.”
“C’mon, Perrin, you know I wouldn’t miss—”
“No,” Melanie cut him off. “She’s right. Different people make different decisions. Perrin needs to trust herself on this.”
Bill and Perrin bo
th reacted to that one by holding each other tighter. Melanie didn’t know why what she’d said was important, but she could see the two of them becoming more solid, more supportive of each other in that moment.
What was it that Joshua had said? She inspired him. Well, he grounded her. Just as she could see what Bill and Perrin did for each other, Joshua grounded her more deeply in who she really was.
They all jumped when the doorbell rang and Perrin cried out in surprise.
Jo’s dry voice was barely louder than Bill’s crossing to the door with Joshua close behind in support. “Told you to run while you still had the chance.”
At the front door, Angelo was waiting with a large thermal bag and several cloth carrysacks.
“Candygram!” he called out as soon as he spotted Bill and Josh.
Josh snorted out a laugh. Bill looked at them like they were both nuts.
Josh exchanged a look with Angelo. Next time they had a boys’ night, it was definitely going to include a screening of Blazing Saddles.
They helped Angelo lug his care packages to the kitchen. As they passed through the dining room, Angelo repeated his call. Russell barked out a laugh; most of the women just rolled their eyes.
“What have you got here, Angelo?” Josh lifted the heavy carriers onto the kitchen counter.
“I figured you needed some sustenance. As soon as the dinner crowd was fed, I dropped the rest of the night on my new sous chef. Graziella is going to tell me how he does. Manuel has the other restaurant under control.”
While Angelo and Bill distributed plates and uncovered platters of food, Josh uncorked a red and a white and circled the table pouring glasses. He dropped a bottle of sparkling cider between the kids. Perrin opened that and served them.
Angelo and Bill delivered a lasagna and a pan of Chicken Marsala to the table.
When Josh asked Perrin which she wanted she said quietly, “No wine. I’m fine with cider.”
Something happened around the table. The guys didn’t react, but the women sure did. An itchy feeling between Josh’s shoulders had him grabbing Bill’s shoulder before he could return to the kitchen.
“What?” Bill asked him.
“Not sure. Give it a moment,” then he turned back to watch what was going on.
Jo and Cassidy had turned to Perrin, then Jo’s eyes had shot wide. Angelo continued around the table to Melanie. She was about to help him set down a plate in the center of the table, but it was as if she was moving in slow motion.
“I’ve got it,” she told Angelo. But Josh could see that was the outer poise of the supermodel speaking. Inside, he saw the woman was also looking at Perrin with intense interest.
“Bill,” Josh said softly. “I think you need to talk to your wife. Maybe out on the deck.”
Perrin’s fair skin, even lighter than Melanie’s, blushed bright red at his words. “No. No, I think it should be here. In front of the children, in front of our friends.”
“You okay, honey?” Bill moved up close suddenly solicitous and filled with worry.
Josh was going to retreat to give them space, but figured maybe he’d better stay close in case someone had to catch the man as he fell.
Perrin’s laugh was bright and sharp. She was crying, but her smile was huge. “Am I okay? No, in so many ways.” Again the over-bright laugh. “But in one way, really, really good. You know how we decided to try for one more kid right away?” Perrin shrugged. “It worked. The test this morning was positive.”
“But we only just started last…” Bill trailed off.
Josh counted three seconds of dead silence before the man swept his wife off her chair and into his arms.
The room exploded with applause. Apparently the kids were fully on board with the plan of getting a younger brother or sister; they leapt into their parents’ arms. Somewhere around their feet, a small dog who had been sleeping quietly in her dog bed began to yap until it too was scooped up to where it could lick someone’s face.
Josh looked at Melanie. She was in profile to him. Somehow he and Constance had never reproduced. “Someday soon, first our careers.” But someday had always been soon, never now. Looking at Melanie, Josh could easily imagine her with children. The lords above and below help him, but he could picture her with their children.
But there was no magic moment. No turn and locking of eyes. No instant silent awareness, as he would have written this scene. Instead Melanie was looking intently across the table.
Josh followed her gaze to Cassidy, who had gone sheet white. He couldn’t make sense of why she was upset by what was clearly a very happy and welcome event.
Melanie was up and moving and Josh circled the other way to back her up for whatever explosion was coming.
It wasn’t an explosion. He arrived just in time to hear a desperate whisper.
“The date? What’s the date?”
Melanie placed a hand on her shoulder and told her.
Cassidy began swearing softly, at least at first. It built rapidly into, “Russell. I’m not ready for this. I’m so not ready.”
Melanie tapped Russell on the shoulder to get his attention.
“What? Hey, you okay, babe? You need some wine?”
“No.” Cassidy’s voice was suddenly very clear and silenced the room. “No. I don’t want any wine.”
“What, honey?” Russell brushed Melanie aside as he gathered his wife to her feet and tried to hug her. She shoved him back until they stood a half foot apart, she glaring up at her much taller husband. Now everyone was on their feet around the table watching.
Josh still didn’t have any idea what was going on.
“That night,” she snarled up at Russell.
“Could you be more specific?”
“Just how much did we have to drink that night?”
“What night? Oh. I had a fair bit and I think you had… Wait… Just hold on.” Now it was Russell’s turn to go sheet white.
Josh didn’t have it yet, but he was close. Melanie rolled her eyes at him, then momentarily rested her head on her own shoulder as if sleeping. As if sleeping on her own…no, on his shoulder.
He and Melanie had too much to drink and simply slept together. Russell and Cassidy had not merely slept that night, but hadn’t used any— Oh.
Cassidy gave a long-suffering sigh and leaned her forehead against her husband’s chest. Russell automatically wrapped his arms around her. A moment later he stepped her back and looked down into her face.
“Really?”
“I’m late. You know I’m never late.”
“Really?”
“Russell!” she ground out his name between clenched teeth. “Could you say something more useful than: really?”
“Holy—” she muffled the rest of it with her hand. Then he managed a clearer, “Really?”
She laughed and leaned back in against his chest. He scooped her up and sank back into his chair with her now cradled in his lap.
Josh pulled Melanie close so that he could slip a hand around her waist.
“Anyone else?” Cassidy’s comment had just a touch of snide irritation, but Josh wasn’t buying it as she delivered it from where she sat in Russell’s lap.
Melanie held up her hands palm out.
Jo shook her head, but the look she sent Angelo told Josh that they might start trying very soon.
He and Melanie returned to the kitchen to take over the last of the unloading.
“Is that one of your future scenes in our story, Joshua?”
He took the time to kiss her slowly and thoroughly, the food could wait a minute. “Yes. A child with you? Very much yes. Not a deal breaker, but—”
Her smile answered him, “Too many words, Joshua. But I agree. If we can figure this out, that is definitely part of our story.”
There simply had to be a way to make this work.
“Maria should be here, and Hogan.”
She was right. At his nod of agreement, Melanie pulled out her phone and called them. A
sked if they could come right away, they needed more advice about how to handle the business success.
“You are so cruel,” he teased her. “You didn’t tell them.”
“And have them race needlessly? And ruin the surprise? Non! That is not for me to do.”
Josh knew only one way to answer that, “You better-than-perfect woman you.” He kissed her quickly and carried the last of the food to the table.
Dinner was about half eaten when Maria and Hogan arrived. Once again, the mayhem was complete.
Melanie knew they had to return to the problem of Perrin’s looming success or Perrin would be awake half the night and be overwhelmed by what was sure to begin happening tomorrow, no matter how they tried to ignore it.
When the dinner was done, she got the kids organized to clear everything off the table and into the kitchen. The table was far smaller than the monster in Maria’s condo, but they all managed to crowd together as they once again faced the problem that had brought them there in the first place.
“There are things we can accelerate. The expansion of your sewing space and staff is the most critical. I can help you do that this week. And Russell knows contractors better than most. You may not want his money, but you should accept his advice and help.”
Perrin nodded stiffly. It was passive, the shock of the news and the child enough to overload anyone’s brain. At least tonight she’d understand that there were possible solutions, even if she couldn’t remember them in the morning.
“The biggest problem is how to protect you. You are a business owner and a designer. Never, ever make the mistake Donna did. You are not to be the CEO. You need someone to run the business for you.”
“Raquel?” So, Perrin was still listening and thinking.
“No. She runs your storefront. She’d be overwhelmed. You need a high-level manager as soon as you can afford one. Before then. Maybe you could get someone by offering them a share of the business instead of a salary at first.”
Russell tossed out a couple names from the New York fashion industry.
The Complete Where Dreams Page 101
