Nice to hear from you. Thursday is a busy day for me, but I’d like to catch up. A quick lunch would be great. Suggest a café near my atelier.
She texted the address of the café and a suggested time, to which Josh agreed.
He put down the phone and realised, to his surprise, that his hand wasn’t quite steady and his heart was thudding.
But he had no time to think about what that meant. He had to reroute his flight home via Sydney. If he had to, he would hire a private jet.
CHAPTER FIVE
ELOISE COULDN’T HELP checking her watch every few minutes. Josh should be here very soon. She’d got to the café early, a favourite lunch spot for her just diagonally over the road from work. Her usual waitress, a lovely girl named Mara, had shown her to a table outside under the shade of an umbrella—it was another perfect, sunny autumn day.
She was excited at the prospect of seeing Josh again, while also filled with a healthy dose of trepidation. That unexpected kiss had aroused long dormant appetites and emotions. It was true what she’d told him—she wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl. Yet once her car had turned the corner and he’d fallen out of sight, she’d had to fight the urge to turn it around with a screech of tyres, speed back and tell him to jump in the car. Her place or his hotel—it wouldn’t have mattered once they’d got hot and naked.
She had to fan her face with her hand at the very thought. Obviously she’d been too long without a man to be having fantasies like that about someone she hardly knew. Yet Josh had not been far from her thoughts since she’d driven away from him. She found him hotter than hot—especially after that kiss—but she had also really enjoyed his company.
There was a straightforwardness to him she found refreshing. And she’d liked his kindness to Daisy, which she was convinced was genuine. Dogs didn’t lie and Daisy had approved of him. She had been surprised and pleased when he’d texted on Tuesday. But he still lived in a country that was, at best, a twenty-one-hour flight away. Hardly conducive to dating.
However, dating and all the drama that went with it wasn’t at the front of her mind right now. Since she’d had that text from Josh her world had imploded.
She really should have cancelled the lunch and concentrated on trying to put the social media fires out. But she wanted to see him, and who knew when lunch with Josh would happen again, if ever? For that reason, she decided not to share the story of the disaster that had erupted yesterday. Rather she would push it down under a cheerful façade to be the trouble-free woman he had dined with just a few days ago. She was used to solving her own problems. Although this particular nightmare might not be easily solved—and the impact on her business could be considerable.
She looked up, saw him striding towards her table and caught her breath. Josh in a dark charcoal, perfectly tailored business suit rocketed his degree of hotness to blow the top off the thermometer. She used to think tech people, no matter how wealthy, hung out in hoodies and sneakers. Josh was the sartorially splendid exception. She couldn’t remember when she’d last found a man so attractive.
He got to the table and she rose to greet him on legs that felt suddenly shaky. She looked up at him, his lean, strikingly good-looking face seeming already familiar. His nose, slightly crooked, saved him from being pretty-boy handsome, and his dark brown hair cut short seemed to resent being tamed, going off in rebellious spikes. And his mouth, his sensual mouth, his top lip slightly narrower than the bottom... A shiver of desire ran through her at the remembered pleasure of his kiss.
But she didn’t trust that kind of instant attraction. Handsome Craig had hidden so well what kind of man he really was. She’d been like an insect, lured by the sweetness of honey, only to find herself sinking in a heavy, suffocating mass. Thank heaven she’d found the strength to struggle to the top and then fly away. When she next got into a relationship it would only be after a long getting-to-know-him process. She needed to embrace her feelings of mistrust towards men, not fight them. Only time could build trust.
But that kiss had happened and it seemed to make a handshake in greeting redundant. She looked up at Josh for a long moment, not sure what to do. He had no such hesitation. He claimed her mouth for a quick, warm kiss of greeting. ‘Glad you were free for lunch,’ he said.
She had to fight the temptation to raise her fingers to her lips, tingling with the pleasure of his touch. Even a simple kiss sent a shiver of awareness reverberating through her.
Then Mara the waitress was there again. She looked from Josh to Eloise and back again. ‘Good to see you here again, sir,’ she said to Josh with a big smile. ‘So it was her you were waiting for.’
Eloise wasn’t sure what Mara meant. Had Josh got here before her then gone again? It was possible.
Josh was quick to explain. ‘I’m staying near by at the same hotel I stayed at last week. I came here for coffee then. When I got here, I was surprised to find it was the same café.’
‘I see,’ she said, not sure it was a full explanation but shrugging it off as nothing to worry about. She had enough real issues to worry about without angsting over imagined ones.
She sat down and he sat down opposite her. It was a table for two, so that wasn’t far between them. She had to purposely angle her legs not to come into contact with his legs. When they accidentally brushed together, jolts of awareness reminded her of how she had felt when he had kissed her in the street outside the restaurant.
‘How was your flight up from Melbourne?’ she said.
‘On time and comfortable. I can’t ask for more.’
‘It...it’s nice to see you again,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry Daisy can’t be here. She’ll be upset she missed you, her favourite male human, or...or she would be if she were human and she knew about it, but of course she’s not.’ Well, that was a great start, mumbling inanely about her dog.
‘I’m upset I missed her,’ he said gallantly. ‘Where is she today?’
‘I like this café but they don’t welcome dogs, so I left her at work.’ She waved her hand to indicate her shop front, diagonally across the road. ‘We’re over there.’
‘I walked past your building on my way here from the hotel. It’s very smart and with great street presence.’
‘Yes, we get passing trade as well as clients who know us by reputation,’ she said, knowing her voice sounded stilted. Where was that easy flow of conversation from their dinner last Saturday?
Trouble was, she couldn’t stop worrying about what might be going on there over the road and it was strangling her thoughts. She should be there, not having lunch with someone. But she was here, and she wanted to enjoy the rare treat of being with a man as attractive as Josh.
‘We should order,’ she said. ‘The food is excellent here.’
She handed Josh a menu. In doing so she knocked over the open bottle of sparkling mineral water Mara had brought to the table. Water spilled, fizzing, all over the table. She swore under her breath, the same word several times, as she tried to mop up the water with the paper napkins from the table. ‘I’m sorry, so sorry. First my dog muddies your trousers and now I’ve spilled water all over you.’ She was conscious of her voice rising. She took a deep breath to bring it back down.
‘No need to apologise. There’s no water on me.’
‘Really?’
He grabbed some napkins and mopped up the water that had formed a puddle on his side of the table. ‘There, all gone.’
‘I’m sorry, I really am,’ she said, feeling wretched.
‘You’ve already said sorry twice, no need for a third. You’ve got nothing to apologise for.’
‘So long as you’re not drenched.’
‘I’m perfectly dry,’ he said.
‘You’re sure?’
‘I’m absolutely sure.’ His smile was kind and reassuring. It made her want to sob. Pull yourself together, Eloise.
‘Good,’ she said. ‘I’ll order another bottle of water when we order our meal.’
‘Problem solved.’
She attempted a smile. ‘Shall I try again?’ Very carefully, she passed him the menu, which he took from her with exaggerated care and made her laugh.
‘What do you recommend?’ he asked.
‘Anything I’ve tried on the menu is very good. It’s simple café food but very well prepared. I... I’m not very hungry so I’ll order a quinoa and hummus salad.’
‘I’ll try the salmon,’ he said.
‘Good choice,’ she said.
He leaned towards her. ‘Before we order I want to make it clear lunch is my treat.’
‘Oh, but—’
‘No buts. I invited you, I pay.’
She knew she would sound ungracious if she argued. ‘Thank you.’
Mara came to take their orders, bringing with her a pile of new napkins. Josh asked her to bring more water, Eloise for her favourite white wine.
Josh waited for the waitress to be out of earshot. ‘Are you okay? You don’t seem yourself. Or at least not the you I know from our last two meetings.’
‘Absolutely fine,’ she said but to her horror her voice wobbled and she had to sniff back a sudden, threatening tear.
‘Are you sure? You seem a little stressed.’ His voice was calm and soothing.
‘Stressed? Yes. I am a little stressed.’ She paused. ‘Something horrible has happened and I wasn’t going to tell you and now I guess I should or you’ll wonder why I’m all over the place.’
‘I’m listening,’ he said.
Eloise realised what a relief it would be to share the awfulness of the threat she was under. Her staff were too invested in the business to give an impartial opinion, although she was pleased at how they had banded around her with wholehearted support. Josh was a tech mogul. Maybe he would have some advice on how to shut her problem down.
The wine had arrived. Josh poured two glasses. As he reached across the table to hand it to her she became intensely aware of the fresh male scent of him. Whatever aftershave or cologne he wore, it made her want to swoon. When she got to know him better—if that ever happened—she’d ask him what brand it was.
She took a good slug of wine and put her glass back on the table, leaned across to him and lowered her voice. ‘I’ve run foul of one of the local social media fashion influencers—an eastern suburbs woman who goes by the handle @lindytheblonde. She has more than two million followers and has threatened to ruin me. Soon, she told me, no bride will want to wear an Eloise Evans Atelier gown at her wedding.’
Josh frowned. ‘That doesn’t sound good.’
‘It’s not good. I know this woman. I’ve dressed her as a bridesmaid three times. She wasn’t easy to deal with then. Now she’s finally a bride, she’s morphed into a fully-fledged Bridezilla.’ She was aware her voice rose on the last words and forced herself to lower it.
‘How did the threat come about?’
‘The first conflict came when I wouldn’t let her jump the waiting list. I got the “Do you know who I am?” thing then. I knew perfectly well who she was and, to be honest, wished she’d go somewhere else for her gown. After some huffing and puffing she had to wait for her name to come to the top like everyone else.’
‘Your waiting list is a clever strategy. I suspect it makes people value your product.’
She smiled a shaky smile. ‘It’s quite deliberate. Exclusivity is our selling point.’
‘And people are prepared to pay for it.’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But not @lindytheblonde.’
Eloise looked around the café, just in case, but it was still early for lunch and the tables nearest to them were empty. Only a few people walked by on the street. She lowered her voice to practically a murmur. She and Josh had to have their heads almost touching for him to hear her.
‘She came for her first consultation yesterday afternoon. She wanted a very extravagant, very expensive gown and was furious I wouldn’t give it to her gratis in return for a social media tag. She expects everything for free and I don’t give freebies. They devalue my brand. I have a marketing strategy that includes paid advertising and placements. I’m grateful to bloggers and social media—brides sharing their wedding dresses on their pages helped grow my business immensely in the early days—but I keep advertising and editorial separate. I didn’t get the chance to tell her I would consider advertising in her space as she has such big numbers.’
‘She wasn’t happy?’
‘She was outraged. She flounced out of my workroom telling me in no uncertain terms where I could stick my wedding dresses.’
‘Not a nice lady.’
‘Indeed not.’
‘Good riddance to bad rubbish, I would say.’
‘That’s what I thought. Until she started a smear campaign against me. It’s all over social media. She must have gone straight home and started posting—and you know how quickly gossip spreads on the internet.’
‘What dirt could she find to smear you with?’
‘Dirt? I hope I haven’t got any dirt to find. But she’s outing me as the wedding dress designer who never wants a wedding of her own. “Would you trust your dream dress with a woman who scorns your dreams? How can a designer who has sworn off marriage possibly understand the needs of a bride?” That kind of thing.’ She shuddered. ‘She’s given me some horrible hashtags.’
Josh’s eyebrows rose. ‘Is that true? That you don’t ever want to get married?’
‘She’s twisted my words somewhat but it’s mostly true.’ She shrugged. ‘I’ve made no secret of it. Now I wish I’d kept my mouth shut about my views.’
‘Why such a strong opinion?’
‘To close down well-meaning people, basically. I broke off a long-term relationship more than a year ago. I nearly got engaged, but realised in time that he was totally and utterly Mr Wrong for me. I do not want to rush into another serious relationship.’ She’d lost herself in trying to be what Craig had wanted her to be.
‘I get that,’ Josh said. She thought about the ‘most eligible bachelor’ lists he’d appeared on and thought he might have his own story to tell about relationships gone wrong.
‘But the thing with brides is that they’re in their own little bubble of couple love and they want you to be floating up there alongside them. Nearly every consultation, every fitting, sooner or later out it comes: “When will you be making your own dream dress, Eloise?” I found the easiest reply was to tell them I hadn’t found the right man yet. That soon proved to be totally the wrong reply.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it inspired them with zeal to find me the right man. Their lonely brother/cousin/friend/bitter divorced uncle or even gay guy friend they were convinced hadn’t met the right woman.’ She made pretend tearing-out-her-hair motions. ‘Aaargh! I didn’t want to meet them, and they most likely didn’t want to meet me. It became so much easier to say I didn’t ever want to get married. I didn’t think it would backfire on me like this.’
‘You really meant it? About not wanting to get married?’
‘Never say never. But it’s true for me right now. I can’t see a wedding on the horizon for me for a long time.’
‘I get that,’ he said.
‘Working in the wedding dress business, I deal with some deliriously happy couples. Their glow can’t help but wear off on you, like glitter. I sometimes envy them. But you can really get to see the underbelly of romance too. I’d never name names, but it’s got so I can predict which of my brides’ weddings won’t last a year. It’s made me realise too many people get married for the wrong reasons.’
He frowned. ‘What are the right reasons?’
‘Being darn sure you’re compatible for one thing. I value my independence and I don’t want to give over any part of my life for s
omeone else to control. So yes, @lindytheblonde is partly right about me but she’s very wrong that I’m not the right person to help another woman’s wedding dreams come true. I think I’ve proved that and I can’t bear that her vindictiveness might affect my business.’
‘Has it affected your business?’
‘Sadly, yes. Three names came off the waiting list within minutes of her first posting. Heaven knows what carnage is to come.’
‘What do you intend to do? Take legal action?’
‘I can see Mara heading our way with food. How about we talk about my options over lunch?’ Eloise suggested. She felt so much better for having unburdened herself.
* * *
Today Eloise looked vintage sexy in a tight, red and white polka-dotted pencil skirt, a wide belt and a white knit top that looked fabulous with her wavy black hair and bold red lipstick. So very, very different from anything Tori would ever wear. The top was finished with a wide, loose bow that drew attention to the subtle cleavage on display. However, he doubted she wore it to purposely tease and entice. Those were the clothes she wore to work, she’d come straight from her premises across the road to this café. She was a fashion designer, she had a ‘look’ and it suited her natural sensuality superbly. Josh couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
He was more and more intrigued by Eloise. He didn’t think he’d ever met a beautiful young woman with an anti-marriage stance. Guys, yes. Including himself. He wasn’t a huge fan of weddings either.
There weren’t enough good marriages in his family to make him aspire to the matrimonial state. His brother was a bully and on to his second wife. His mother, so she’d explained to him, had been lonely and unhappy in her marriage to his ex-father, hence the affair with her tennis coach. And yet, when Josh was eighteen years old, graduated from high school and already earning his own living, she had informed him she was going back to the man who had kicked them out. More for the affluent lifestyle she’d been used to and had sorely missed than anything to do with love, she had admitted. She hated living in the North End.
Harlequin Romance April 2021 Box Set Page 20
