Romancing the Fashionista (9 page)

“I want you to go. I have a party and a date waiting, and so do you.”

Nolan wiped his mouth. “Fine, Mellie. You go to your party and your date, but do your homework, Ms. Independent. She’s not my date. I came here for you. You may have been the smartest in our class, but you don’t know everything.”

Mel watched him leave without saying another word. Instead she worked on getting her breathing back to normal. She pulled out a compact and checked herself in the mirror with a long sigh. Oh hell. Now she really would have to get her makeup retouched.

Chapter Fourteen

Mel was finally starting to feel like herself again. Well, at least that was the line she was telling herself.

It had been weeks and she hadn’t heard from Nolan since the party. She had checked his story and found out he wasn’t lying. It turned out Remy was dating his new boss and partner at Facets Plastic Surgery. It would seem that in taking on Nolan, they were moving past their super-silicone image and trying to go more serious and philanthropic. But still, she didn’t reach out to him. Their last encounter showed her how easily he took her out of her comfort zone. How quickly he could take her temperature from chill to a rapid boil in no time flat. With him, she was in the danger zone, and that she couldn’t have. Nothing had changed for her there. She had to protect herself. She had to protect the world she’d built and Nolan had proven that her foundation was dangerously unstable.

Fall was coming to an end and winter brought a not totally unwelcome chill to the air. Mel loved celebrating the holidays with Bailey and her mom. Today she and Bailey were out in Brooklyn heading to Lexi’s annual “The Holidays Suck But We’ll Make It Through With A Little Help From Our Friends” Winter Kickoff Party. It was a party with the longest name ever, but the sentiment was right. Lexi opened her house to her friends in the fashion industry who came from out of town and now lived in New York away from their families. It was potluck, so Mel brought over her mother’s greens and cornbread, which she was totally going to try and scam off as her own.

Lexi opened the door and ushered them both in with hugs and too much knowledge as she sniffed the air. “Yay, you brought your mama’s greens. I was hoping you would.”

Mel twisted her lips. “Quiet! I was going to pass these off as my own.”

Her friend raised her brow. “Girl, you can try but nobody here would believe it. You may be good with the magazine empire and all, but you’re no domestic goddess.” She then hugged Bailey. “So good to see you, baby.”

Bailey hugged her back, shrugging off her jacket. “Thanks. Are Jeffrey and Chris here?”

Mel and Lexi gave each other looks over her head as Lexi spoke up. “That they are. They are playing Xbox in the TV room. Be careful on the stairs though, and watch out for Boo. Don’t let him out of my room. He’s been really hanky with people lately. I don’t want him scratching you,” Lexi warned of her temperamental cat.

As Bailey went off running to see Lexi’s young nephews who visited from New Jersey with her sister for the annual party, Mel shook her head. “Can you believe it’s starting already?”

“I can’t,” Lexi said. “Where has our baby gone? The worst is when you think of us at that at age. Do you remember?”

“Oh God,” Mel said, “I don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind remembering. I always thought you were sweet.”

Mel’s eyes popped up and connected with Nolan at the sound of his voice. Lexi reached out to take the packages of food from her hands as Mel hissed at her under her breath. “What is this? Sisters before misters. How can you break the code?”

Lexi shrugged. “Sorry. He’s new to town and needs friends. I thought I could slip him in on a technicality.”

Mel growled as she tugged off her jacket and shoved it into the hall closet along with Bailey’s. “Technicality my ass. You know I can’t deal with him right now.”

“Him or feeling?” Lexi quipped.

“You’re really pushing it.”

“I aim to please.”

Mel walked past Nolan and went into the small kitchen, passing old friends and greeting them with a now strained smile. The whole time she felt Nolan’s eyes following her every move. Shit. What was Lexi thinking inviting him here? Into their space? With their friends? She felt her temperature start to rise and willed it down. She could handle this. She had to. She would not let feelings take over and make her lose control. Mel tried to sit and socialize, but it didn’t work so she got up, brushed her hands on her jeans, and went to help Lexi set up the buffet. She’d be better if she were busy. But all too quickly Nolan was again by her side.

“Can we talk?” he asked over the green beans. But Mel dodged, picking up potatoes and heading to the microwave.

“We don’t have anything to talk about,” she said, setting the timer.

“I think we have plenty to talk about. I’d love to start over.”

She looked at him. Damn, he looked good enough to lick. All easy and casual in those well-worn jeans again, but this time topped with a body skimming long-sleeved tee. It was really annoying how he sent her hormones into overdrive as if on command. Mel shook her head. “No. Starting over only works in rom coms. It’s not for real people with real lives.”

“Neither is reconnecting on Facebook, but we did.”

She gave him a hot look. “Yeah, and you see how that worked out.” Mel turned back to the potatoes. How the hell long was a minute and a half anyway?

“Oh come on. Just give me time to talk to you. Can’t you take a chance for once? Give up a little and come off that tight-as-hell control just a bit?”

Shit. Why did he do this to her? Always going right to her core. Mel felt the threat of tears form in the back of her eyes. “I don’t know if I can do that.” Her voice sounded embarrassingly weak to her own ears.

“I know,” he replied softly. “I know it’s not easy for you. But you have to know I’m not here to make it hard.”

Mel wanted so badly to believe him and though her heart told her to, everything in her head screamed no.

As if sensing her hesitation, Nolan reached out and gently took her hand, his touch so gentle she almost didn’t know how to receive it. “I’d love for you to trust me,” he said. “Know that I understand it’s not easy for you and I get that it’s unknown but that’s just how life is. Believe me, I’ve learned how fast life can change on you and take you out of the game. Nothing is promised and we can’t control what life throws at us but what we can do is take the time we have now and not waste it, use it while we can and enjoy it loving each other.”

Mel looked at him in almost breathless shock as his words washed over her, breaking down her walls of resistance. With a hesitant smile, she opened her mouth to respond as the microwave bell rang and a scream let out.
Bailey!

She and Nolan both set off running towards Bailey’s scream, and when they got to her there was her little girl at the bottom of Lexi’s wooden steps and there was blood. So much blood. It came from behind her head and her leg was askew and there was a wicked-looking gash over her right eye. Instantly Mel panicked and dived for Bailey. “Bailey! Bailey! Talk to me!” But Nolan yelled at her and put a hand up to stop her from touching Bailey.

“Don’t move her, Mel! Please, let me check her first.” He yelled out for someone to call 9-1-1 as Mel started to shake uncontrollably.

Her baby. What had happened to her baby, and what could she do?

Lexi’s nephews were at the top of the stairs looking ill and babbling, both with tears in their eyes. “We’re so sorry. It was the cat. She got out and Bailey went after her. We shouldn’t have let him go. Bailey ran and tripped.” Mel continued to shake and noticed there were arms around her. Lexi’s. She looked down at her baby. Nolan was there, but where was the help? Where were the sirens?

Nolan lifted Bailey’s eyelids and touched her neck. Someone was handing him towels and then bags of ice as he leaned down close over Bailey’s body, but Mel couldn’t quite comprehend what was going on. She just wanted Bailey to get up. Wanted to hear her laugh. Wanted to see her eyes and know she would be all right.

After what seemed an eternity, Nolan stood and took Mel firmly by the shoulders, leaning down and looking her straight in the eyes, forcing her out of her trance.

“She’s asking for you, Mel. Do you understand? She’s asking for you. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. I’ve checked her out. She’ll need to be looked over but nothing is broken and the cut looks worse than it is. We can fix it without a scar. I promise. Now, go tell your daughter everything is okay.”

Mel blinked and nodded. Bailey needed her. Nolan said so, and she had to get it together. He moved back and guided her to her daughter while still holding her as he helped her kneel down, his strong arms the perfect support in her time of need.

“I’m sorry, Mommy. I shouldn’t have let the cat out, but I just wanted to play with him. Are you mad?”

Mel choked back the cry of joy that bubbled up as relief washed over her at the sound of her child’s voice and the clear look in her beautiful eyes. “No, baby, I’m not mad at all. Are you hurting?”

“A little, but the doctor says he’s your friend, and he says I’ll be okay.”

Mel felt tears come to her eyes and this time she didn’t pause to wash them away. She was so grateful in that moment for Nolan’s solid form at her back holding her up. “Yes, honey that’s what he says, and he is my friend, so I’m thinking he’s right. You’ll be just fine.”

As the ambulance came to take Bailey away, Mel rode along, holding her daughter’s hand with Nolan pulling rank as a doctor on-call holding her other hand, reminding her she was not in this alone and didn’t have to be anymore.

Later, as Bailey dozed peacefully after being stitched up, Nolan pulled Mel into his reassuring embrace. “So, what do you say, boss lady? You think I can hang around a while? Maybe score an invite to Lexi’s next anti-holiday party?” His lips were quirked into a playful smile but his eyes were full of hopeful anticipation as they searched hers.

Mel looked up at him. All at once seeing the boy she’d crushed on all those years before and the steady man she’d somehow grown to trust like she’d never trusted any man in her life. Her smile bloomed from deep within. “I think you’d better. Turns out having a doctor on call is a sound business decision.”

Nolan threw back his head and laughed, taking her hand and putting it over his heart. “I’ve got your business decision right here.”

His lips came down on hers, and once again he set those sparks on fire. So much so they threatened to send her rocketing over the skyline of New York.

Yeah, it’s good to be the boss, but sometimes letting go does have its perks.

About the Author

A native New Yorker, K.M. Jackson had two dreams: 1. to be a fashion designer, and 2. to be a writer. After studying fashion design and graduating from FIT, she then spent ten years designing for various fashion houses. But after having twins and juggling that and fashion, Kwana took the leap of faith and decided to pursue her other dream of being a writer. Since then she’s won RWA NYC’s Golden Apple Author of the Year Award and is a daily advocate for #WeNeedDiverseRomance. She currently lives in a suburb of New York with her husband, twins, and a precocious terrier named Jack that keeps her on her toes. Visit her online at
www.kwana.com
or follow her on Twitter
@kwanawrites
.

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