“Hey.” Daniel accepted the call and tried not to sound like the woman he loved had just rejected him.
“How did it go?” Damion asked.
“Not well,” Daniel admitted.
“Oh.” Damion sounded as surprised as Daniel had been.
“I thought for sure she’d accept my apology,” Daniel continued.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Instead she pretty much threw it back in my face.”
“Emma has always been feisty.”
“Yeah.” Daniel ran a hand down his freshly shaved cheeks and tried to block out the anger that had been behind Emma’s eyes when she spoke to him. She’d never looked at him that way before, and it had hurt.
“So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” Damion asked. “Shall I get the drinks going, and we’ll head downtown to see if we can’t find someone to warm your bed and ease your pain?”
“Not tonight.” Daniel leaned back in his car seat and closed his eyes. Emma knew about their hedonistic nights out and had used it as a weapon in her arsenal against him. He wasn’t about to give her even more ammunition. He was going to show Emma how much he loved her, how he wanted her and only her.
“I’d rather have a quiet night in,” Daniel explained.
“Sure,” Damion agreed. “I think there’s a game on.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“She’ll come around,” Damion said after a moment’s pause. “Emma is headstrong and militant sometimes, but she does truly love you. It killed me for a while that she did, but she’ll come back to you, I know she will.”
“I’m not so sure.” Daniel sighed. “I fear that I may have killed the last of whatever love she had for me. I shouldn’t have gone away to England. I should have stayed and fought for her then.”
“The main thing is that you’re fighting for her now,” Damion told his friend.
“Thanks, man, you’re a good friend.”
“Too good,” Damion quipped. “Pick some beers up, will you, on your way back?”
“Sure.”
“It will be all right, Daniel. She just needs to vent and shout at you for everything, and then you guys will kiss and make up, and the world will be as it should be.”
“I hope you’re right.” Daniel ended the call and turned on his engine and slowly backed out of the parking lot, Emma’s angry words still spinning around madly in his head.
“I THINK THIS IS GOING to be huge,” Damion said, unable to contain his excitement as he walked across the parking lot to the department store with Emma. Inside, various members of the press gathered to witness the unveiling of the first Delacourt Décor Home Interiors range. It had been several months in progress and an impressive string to add to the company’s ever-expanding portfolio.
“I hope so.” Emma smiled politely at her friend.
“Nick has been such a driving force on this,” Damion noted.
Emma’s polite smile fell, as she felt sick to her stomach. She hadn’t seen Nick for almost two months. Not since she’d thrown herself at him and he’d rejected her. Now he’d be at the unveiling, and she’d be forced to confront him. Her cheeks were already burning remembering the shame of it all.
“Don’t be so nervous,” Damion advised her when he noticed the distant look in her eyes and her flushed appearance. “Everything is going to go smoothly.”
“I’m sure it will.”
The two friends continued walking towards the department store, where a crowd had already gathered outside. Emma’s heart quickened as she approached them. The success of her company meant that some of the spotlight had also fallen upon her. She’d started receiving invites to film premieres and other glittering events. She politely declined them all, usually sending Damion or Nick in her place, who were more than eager to step in. She shied away from the spotlight. She’d become a designer merely to create; she didn’t want all the trappings of fame that came with global success.
“You heard from Daniel lately?” Damion asked when they were still beyond earshot of anyone else.
“Daniel?” Emma was surprised to hear his name. Like Nick, Daniel had disappeared off her radar ever since she’d declined his cliché gifts of flowers and chocolates.
“No.” She shook her head. “I haven’t seen him in ages.”
“I know that he misses you.”
Before Emma could respond, the crowd had spotted them, and lights erupted around her as waiting photographers desperately clamored to capture her image.
“Emma,” they cried her name as if they knew her. “Emma, over here.”
“What can you tell us about Delacourt Décor?”
“Is it true J-Lo wants to wear a Delacourt original to the Oscars this year?”
Emma waved cordially before whisking inside to the event.
NICK REALLY HAD OUTDONE himself. Since the incident in his apartment, he’d taken over the publicity for the interior designs range, which meant that his and Emma’s path never had to cross, until now.
As she walked in, she beheld what an amazing job he’d done of transforming a mundane department store into an exquisite showcase for their new range. There were scented candles everywhere, making the air smell heavenly and almost edible. Numerous sofas were spilling over with Delacourt Décor cushions. Circling the sofas were several tables, atop of which were an assortment of candles and lamps, all Delacourt Décor. The whole ambiance of the room was magical and serene. It felt as though Emma had wandered into some princess’s bedroom where she’d find a sleeping beauty waiting on her prince. It was beautiful and simply perfect.
“Wow,” Emma breathed, impressed. “It looks amazing.”
“Perhaps you should tell him that.” Damion flicked his gaze over to where Nick was standing and chatting confidently with photographers. He turned around to face them as if sensing Emma’s presence, and the red of her cheeks deepened. He was wearing a smart gray suit, and his hair was gelled back, making his eyes stand out and sparkle more than usual.
There was no denying that Nick Cardelinni was an attractive guy. Pairs of eyes trailed him everywhere he went, and his looks had never been lost on Emma. But as she looked at him now, she realized that was all it was: she found him attractive. Seeing him didn’t send her heart into a wild frenzy as it did when she saw Daniel. Her pulse remained steady while her cheeks were aflame due to her previous embarrassment. As Emma looked at him, she knew unreservedly that while she did desire Nick, as most women did, she didn’t love him.
“Hi.” Nick came over and shook Damion’s hand before leaning down to softly kiss Emma on the cheek. If he felt uncomfortable to see her, he certainly didn’t show it.
“I think it’s all come together pretty well,” he announced.
“You’ve done an amazing job,” Damion said. “Hasn’t he, Ems?”
“Yes.” Emma nodded. “Amazing.”
“Thanks.”
Damion was beckoned by someone and left Nick and Emma suddenly alone. A waiter passed by with champagne, and Emma reached out and eagerly grabbed a glass.
“It’s been a while.” Nick looked directly at her, unflinching.
“We’ve both been busy,” Emma replied, taking a long sip of the bubbling liquid in the flute glass.
“You made yourself busy,” Nick observed. “Because you were avoiding me.”
“I wasn’t avoiding you,” Emma cried, but the red of her cheeks gave her away.
“Sure you weren’t.” Nick raised his eyebrow.
“Fine, I was ignoring you,” Emma admitted. “But it’s only because you spurned my advances, and I was ashamed.”
Nick laughed at this, a warm, fond laughter that Emma realized she’d missed hearing.
“It’s not funny,” Emma objected to his mirth.
“It is funny,” Nick countered. “I spurned you to avoid losing our friendship, and you cut me out anyway. We should have just had sex, as then at least I’d have gotten laid before being cut out.”
Emma nudged hi
m, and that made Nick laugh yet again.
“You’re terrible,” she scolded him.
“I’m a guy. I was trying to do the decent thing, and it bit me in the ass.”
“Whatever.” Emma folded her arms.
“Are you over your little shame spiral yet?” Nick wondered. “I was kind of hoping we could just skip the part where it’s awkward and go back to being friends.”
Emma looked up at him. Seeing him reminded her of how much fun they’d had together. As loyal as Damion had been in the previous weeks, he wasn’t a substitute for Nick. Theirs was a different kind of friendship that she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to find in anyone else.
“Have you missed me?” she asked, teasing.
“Of course,” Nick insisted. “You’re quite literally my only female friend.”
“Is that because you have sex with all the others?”
“Of course.” Nick winked, and Emma giggled. She was surprised by how quickly they’d managed to get over their near encounter and revert to being friends. It pained her how much time they’d lost while she’d hidden away with her shame.
“I’d like to get back to being friends,” Emma admitted, smiling.
“But not with benefits,” Nick said faux sternly.
Emma rolled her eyes and blushed.
“Unless that’s what you want?” Nick teased.
“Stop it.”
“Fine, fine.” Nick smiled and raised his hands in defeat.
“I love all of this, though.” Emma glanced around the store yet again, taking in the wonder of the event.
“I’m more than a pretty face.” Nick smirked.
“You did an incredible job of capturing the essence of the range.”
“Well, I know the designer pretty well, so I just capitalized on that.”
“Thanks.” Emma leaned her head against Nick. “It’s perfect.”
“Want to grab a pizza later?” Nick smiled.
“Sure.”
Damion reappeared and grabbed Emma by the arm, urgently swinging her towards two men in suits.
“You need to talk to these guys,” he insisted as he whispered in her ear. “They’re big-time investors.”
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, the unveiling began to wind down. Countless photographs had been taken, and Emma had proudly revealed Delacourt Décor to the world. As she slowly began heading back to her car, she felt exhausted. The waiting crowd had dispersed, and when she left, it wasn’t beneath the cascade of flashing light bulbs, as it had been when she walked in. She wasn’t a big enough celebrity for people to stand around waiting on her for hours.
“It went really well.” Damion beamed as he walked back towards his car with her.
“Yeah,” Emma agreed, pleased that it was all over. Public appearances made her nervous. She wasn’t as comfortable with strangers as Nick seemed to be; she lacked his natural ease.
“Want to go out for some celebratory drinks?” Damion asked.
“No.” Emma shook her head. “I’ll have to take a rain check, as I made plans with Nick.”
“Really?” Damion’s eyes widened with surprise. “I thought things were a little sour between you two at the moment. Did you kiss and make up?”
“What?” Emma ceased walking and looked at him, horrified. Had Nick told him about what happened?
“I was just joking.” Damion shrugged. “The way you two were avoiding each other, I just figured he’d done something to piss you off.”
“I just... felt bad about the whole Daniel punching him thing, so I gave him some space,” Emma lied.
“Yeah, that was a crazy night.” Damion sighed. “Daniel is still really cut up about it. He misses you.”
“So you said,” Emma noted.
“He keeps bending my ear about getting back in your good books. Forgive me for trying to help a friend.”
“You’re my friend too,” Emma reminded him.
“I know.” Damion nudged her playfully. “I just wish we could all go back to being friends. Things were so much easier then.”
“Yeah,” Emma agreed wistfully. “They were.”
“I mean, I know Daniel royally fucked up, but do you think you can ever forgive him?”
“I don’t know,” Emma admitted.
“But that’s not a no?” Damion pressed her.
“No, it’s not no,” she agreed.
“SO SHE DIDN’T SAY NO.” Damion relayed the conversation to his friend over beers that night.
“She didn’t say yes either,” Daniel stated.
“It’s a start,” Damion said. “It means you can work your way back to yes.”
“She made it pretty clear she wasn’t interested in my apology.” Daniel glanced down at the bottle in his hands and sighed.
“You’re just not trying hard enough!” Damion urged his friend. “She managed to make peace with Nick after whatever was going on between them.”
“Hmmm,” Daniel grumbled. He still prickled when he heard Nick’s name.
“Want my advice?” Damion asked.
“Sure.”
“Go big or go home.”
“What?”
“You want Emma back?” Damion pressed him.
“Yes, of course.”
“Then woo her Richmond style. Forget the standard chocolates and flowers; you need to go all-out.”
“You think so?” Daniel wasn’t as convinced. Emma had always shied away from material displays of affection. She wasn’t one for gaudy, overly dramatic gifts.
“You need to show her how sorry you truly are,” Damion continued. “Buy her stuff from Tiffany’s, Agent Provocateur. Surely you’re like a valued customer at those places?” he added.
Daniel laughed and drained the last of his beer. “Emma doesn’t go in for all that stuff, though.”
“You’ve at least got to try,” Damion insisted. “What’s the alternative? You spend the rest of your life moping about what might have been had you been less of an asshole?”
“You really know how to kick a guy when he’s down.”
“And you, Daniel Richmond, know how to woo a woman.” Damion stood up and fetched them both some more beers. “It’s high time you started capitalizing on all that experience of yours.”
“You’re right,” Daniel declared as he gratefully accepted the new bottle of beer.
“I’ve every faith in you.” Damion winked as they clinked bottles.
Daniel leaned back dreamily, beer in hand, as he began conjuring up new ways to try to woo Emma. A part of him had expected her to come around and knock on his door one day declaring her love for him, and her desire for a second chance. But she never came, and the days turned to weeks, and now to months. Daniel needed to step up his game and spur into action before months had a chance to turn into years.
EMMA GROANED AS HER doorbell rang yet again. It was the second time that day and the tenth time that week. Each time she answered, it was always the same: a deliveryman with yet another overly elaborate gift from Daniel. Gift bags from Chanel, Tiffany’s, and Kurt Geiger along with countless bouquets of flowers littered her apartment. Each gift contained a note declaring how truly sorry Daniel was, that Emma would promptly tear up and place in the trash bin.
Sighing, she opened her front door, relieved to find Damion standing there rather than another delivery guy.
“Hi.” Emma smiled. “I’m pleased it’s you.”
“Who were you expecting?” Damion asked with interest, raising an eyebrow.
“Another UPS guy,” Emma explained, letting Damion enter her apartment.
“Woah,” he exclaimed as he looked around the room and saw boxes and gift bags everywhere. “He goes all-out, doesn’t he?”
“So you knew about all this?” Emma gestured to the items collecting around her.
“I sort of suggested he do it,” Damion said. “He’s trying to woo you back.”
“Yeah, well, all he’s doing is clogging up my apartment,” Emma scoffed as she moved some b
oxes to make space on her sofa for them to sit down.
“I do think he’s truly sorry,” Damion told her.
“Mmm,” Emma muttered in response as she kicked aside even more boxes. Damion noted the designer labels on some of the gift bags.
“Looks like he’s spent a small fortune in apology gifts.”
“What’s the going rate for forgiveness these days?” Emma quipped.
“He’s just trying to win you back.”
“Well, he can’t buy me back, and right now, that’s what he seems to be trying to do.”
Damion cast his eyes over the array of gifts. Most women would be delighted to receive such expensive, exquisite things. But not Emma. She’d always been strong headed like that, knowing her mind. One of the many reasons Damion had fallen in love with her. Seeing her objection to the gifts made old feelings flutter to the surface, which he quickly pushed back down.
“I honestly thought you’d have run back to his arms by now.”
“Why? Do you think I’m a glutton for punishment?”
“No.” Damion shook his head. “But I think you love him. Or at least you did once.”
“Yeah, I did once,” Emma admitted. “But then he cast me out and destroyed all that we had over nothing. He hated me for trying to save my father’s life. I tried to explain myself countless times, and he never listened, not once.”
“I think he’s listening now,” Damion said carefully.
“It’s too late now.” Emma jutted out her chin stubbornly as she spoke. “What brings you here, anyway?” she asked, brightening as she changed the subject.
“This.” Damion reached inside his jacket and pulled out a glossy fashion magazine. “I wanted to show you this feature on our dresses and all the celebrities who are wearing them.”
“Oooh!” Emma glanced over the article, where an impressive array of A-Listers were strutting their stuff in her designs. It was surreal to see, and she still struggled to accept just how successful her company had become. It was all she’d ever dreamed of, yet it didn’t feel complete; she just didn’t know what she was missing.
Designing Emma (Volume 6) Page 2