“If only the remodel of the office came included with the rent. It will take forever for me to be able to afford to add dressing rooms. I’ve been trying to figure out what I can use to hang clothes, and what to use for shelves.”
Stella walked up and stood in front of me. She stepped in close, putting her nose within inches of mine and tilting her face from side to side, as she looked quizzically at me. Then she lifted a perfectly manicured finger and poked me not so lightly on my forehead.
“Girl, are you completely dense? Do you have anything between those ears other than a terrific fashion sense?” She poked my forehead several more times before stepping away. “Office rental is built to suit, which means we will design the office space in whatever way you see fit. Our architect and builder will be called as soon as you have decided you’d like to rent the space. There is one caveat…”
I knew this was too good to be true. I didn’t even bother to ask Stella what the caveat was, because no matter what it was, it was out of my price range. I stood staring at her.
“It’s a one-year lease.” She bobbed her head as she said this.
“A one-year lease? And what if three months down the line you decide you don’t like having me so close by, then what?”
Stella put her hands on either side of her head, crushing her platinum curls and covering her ears. “I’m done here. You’re getting the deal of a lifetime, and you’re questioning it. Hugo and I are offering you this space at a very good price because we like you. The one-year lease saves your ass, young lady. If I decide I can’t stand you come three months from now, you still have the space for the next nine months at $700 a month. No catch, no strings attached, nothing. Though you do have to sign a lease. Now, if you’re finished protesting and making up excuses, we can go back to Tower Two, to my office, and fill out the paperwork and make an appointment with the architect, so you can get started as soon as possible.”
Before I could stop myself and reason through it any longer, I said, “I’ll take it.” The words rushed out of my mouth.
Stella took her hands off of her ears and said, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I said, I’ll take it.” I almost threw up in my mouth as I said the words. But making this kind of commitment, I knew I couldn’t let myself fail.
Stella jumped up and down in place, screaming, “Yes, yes, yes. My new stylist will just be a hop, skip, and a jump away. I can’t wait to tell Hugo you’re taking the space.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think Hugo will be as thrilled as you are.”
Stella frowned. “Maybe not. I haven’t spoken to him this morning as I usually do. But Timmy did tell me Kelsey was at the cottage when he arrived home.”
Stella sounded more bored than happy. I couldn’t tell how she felt about Hugo being back with Kelsey, and I wasn’t about to ask.
She stepped up and linked her arm in mine, and we walked out of my new studio together. My new studio! I shivered with delight to know I had my own studio. Then I shivered with terror as I realized my fledgling business needed to grow in a big fat hurry.
On the way to the other building, I broached the subject of Bruce.
“You’ve already done so much for me, I hate to ask you…”
“Spill it.” Stella stopped walking.
“My brother Bruce is heavy into gaming, and apparently he’s a coder, too. Right now he’s working at a convenience store while he’s working on some personal project—”
“Please tell me he’s looking for a job.” Stella’s face brightened more than I thought possible.
“That’s just it. I’m not sure. My friend was dating him, and in talking to her, it’s the first I heard of him coding. He’s been a gamer for as long as I can remember. Even in college. But I didn’t know he had any programming skills.”
Stella started toward the elevators. “Look, if he’s good, and he’s looking for a career, send him our way. Just ask Hugo, finding competent, dedicated coders is near impossible.”
“Really? So, it wouldn’t be like me asking you a favor to interview him?”
The elevators opened and we stepped inside.
“If he’s serious and talented, you’d be doing us a favor. If you worked for us, you’d get a finders fee.” She pressed the button for the top floor.
As excited as I was at the prospect of having my own studio, I couldn’t wait to chat with Bruce. And I felt so relieved that I wasn’t asking Stella or Hugo for a favor by considering him. Hell, I might be. I had no idea if Bruce had any real talent.
Stella’s office reflected her personality, lots of bold colors and geometric shapes. Same as my studio, Stellas office had a bird's eye view of the Dallas skyline. Stella’s assistant, a short, thin gentleman in his early twenties, held open the office door as Stella and I entered her domain. Stella pointed to the right, to a pair of heavily cushioned club chairs, one in cantaloupe orange, the other in lime green, and said, “I have to take a potty break. Have a seat and I’ll be back out in a moment.”
Before Stella came out of the bathroom, her assistant came into the office and placed a file on her desk. “Ms. Tucker, may I get you a cup of coffee?”
I looked up at him and smiled. “No, thank you, I’m fine.”
Stella walked out of the bathroom wiping her hands on a paper towel and gave me a noogie on my head as she walked by. “I’m so excited we’re doing this.” She looked at her desk. “Oh, good, Samuel brought in the paperwork.”
It was as if Stella knew I’d say yes before I even saw the space. But then how could I say no? Where else was I going to get such reasonable rent in downtown Dallas? And at such a posh address.
I spent the next twenty minutes reading through the lease agreement and signing my name in a hundred places.
“Do you want me to write you a check today?” I asked.
Stella shook her head. “Let’s wait until we get the architect in and get started on the interior design.” She scrolled through her phone, looking at the screen, she asked. “Do you think you have time on Monday?”
I pulled my phone from my handbag and scrolled through my calendar. I looked up, “Sure. Thanks to your referrals I have quite the busy schedule next week, but Monday is open.”
I hoped my schedule would really fill up, but I also wanted to have a studio for my clients to visit. I was hoping to fill in the empty time slots after I finished this meeting with Stella.
Stella fired up the computer on her desk, tapped her keyboard, then swiped her screen a few times. “Okay, I have a message into Rocky at Rockport and Goodfellows Architecture. Are you a bit flexible, timewise?”
“I have all day Monday open, so whenever. Will we go back to the studio so I can point everything out to Rocky, and let them know what kind of design I’m looking at?”
Before Stella had a chance to answer, a bit of commotion stirred outside her office. She pressed a button and the blinds on the interior wall of her office rose.
I guess it wasn’t so much commotion, as a gathering of people. What seemed to be very happy people. And in the middle of the group stood Hugo and Kelsey. Yikes! That put a damper on my awesome morning.
Chapter Four
Stella closed the blinds once again and stood. “I think we're done here. I’ll have Rocky meet us at your new office space Monday afternoon. I’ll text you when I know what time he’s available.”
“So he’s just gonna drop everything because you want him to come look at my studio?”
Stella smiled and patted me on the shoulder as we walked out of her office. “No worries, honey, he’ll be available.”
My heart was still racing from the vision of Hugo and Kelsey standing outside the office, happily chatting with what seemed to be employees, or maybe other building tenants. And now Stella walked me out of her office, right toward them.
It was impossible to look down at the ground and avoid Hugo as we walked by, because Stella said, “Maisy, have you met the lovely Kelsey Rawlings?”
&n
bsp; The sickening sweet tone of Stella’s words made me wonder if she’d rather douse Kelsey in warm maple syrup, or introduce me.
I would’ve loved to punch Stella in the throat, but I smiled and said, “No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
With my forearm firmly in her grip, Stella led me over to where Hugo and Kelsey stood conversing. My heart skipped a beat, and my stomach churned. Then my heart dropped right down into my stomach when Hugo looked up at me and smiled.
“Hello, ladies,” Hugo said.
I nodded back at him, but couldn’t speak. My mouth suddenly sucked dry like I’d eaten a persimmon.
Stella leaned forward and air kissed Kelsey on both cheeks, then they embraced in a light hug. Stella said, “I heard the Diamond Jubilee set records this year. Congratulations.”
Kelsey grinned from ear to ear. I have to admit, I was secretly thrilled to see she didn’t have perfect teeth. Her top teeth were slightly crooked. Ha, I had better teeth than Kelsey. That was something, right?
“Yes, it was very successful. I can’t wait to do this again next year. Children’s charities are my favorite.”
Even though you don’t want any kids of your own, I thought. Maybe she was making up for her lack of maternal instinct. Maybe she didn’t want to ruin her perfect body with the inconvenience of babies.
“Kelsey, this is Maisy Tucker, the girl I told you about at the gala. She’s the one who has Hugo looking so dapper.” Stella ran her arm up and down Hugo’s side, as if he was a refrigerator on the Price Is Right.
“Yes, he does look quite splendid. We discussed this already. Nice job, Maisy.”
I smiled. A brilliant smile with perfect teeth, I might add.
He did look good, wearing sienna jeans and an eggplant purple plaid shirt with a teal V-neck tee under it. And he’d worn the inexpensive slip on shoes with his $1,000 outfit. It warmed my heart.
Kelsey touched Hugo’s arm lovingly.
I wanted to hate her, but she was so damn nice.
Hugo blushed at the attention, but said nothing.
Then Stella said, “So, anyway, Maisy, this is Kelsey Rawlings.”
As stunning as her pictures, with a beaming smile, Kelsey stuck out her hand and shook mine. I didn’t even hear the words, as I zeroed in on the humongous rock on her left ring finger, as she embraced my hand with both of hers. Damn, Hugo worked fast. Got a brand new ring overnight. Had it been delivered to his door like a pizza? Or had they spent the early morning ring shopping?
Before I could say anything so much as, “Nice to meet you too, Kelsey,” Stella said, “My my Kelsey, that’s a nice ring you’re sporting.”
Kelsey looked back at Hugo, then put her hand out for Stella to get a better view. It wasn’t the diamonds and sapphires that Hugo had purchased the first time he asked her to marry him, but it was a beautiful emerald cut diamond with four baguettes on either side. I didn’t even want to guess how many carats it was. My manners were almost blinded by the gleam of the diamond.
Thank God I came to my senses before I sprinted out of the building.
“Miss Rawlings, I guess congratulations are in order,” I said, mustering every ounce of enthusiasm I could fake. “It looks as if you’re a very lucky woman.”
Kelsey’s demeanor was much more sophisticated than Stella’s, as Stella was her giddy self, and Kelsey’s response more subdued. “Yes, I am very lucky.” She looked back at Hugo, who smiled at her. Oh, please.
I looked at Hugo and the last thing I could think of doing was smiling. In fact, the only thing on my mind regarding Hugo were his balls. Or lack thereof. He worked faster than I imagined possible. It had barely been twelve hours since I’d seen him last. So much for Orlean’s plans to help me win him back.
How the hell could he not tell me? A text in the middle of the night even. I mean we had just spent several day humping each other’s brains out. Or maybe he’d planned to tell me today? It’s not like he owed me an explanation, or did he? OMG, I was grasping at straws to keep from freaking out.
The scenarios running through my head were rampant. The simple text could have read, Oh, by the way, Kelsey and I decided to get married. Thanks for the great time in Vegas, you’re a great lay, but not good enough to keep me away from Kelsey. Hope you have a good life.
Hell, a phone call would’ve been better. He couldn’t even be bothered to call me. Thinking back to those hundred dollar bills he’d given me and told me to “tip generously” made me feel even more like a hooker.
I’d been paid to be his beck-and-call girl for a few days. Nothing more than his personal shopper and a personal fuck as a bonus. I felt the bile making its way up my esophagus. Then I felt a little puke in my mouth. If I didn’t get out of here, I was going to throw up right on Hugo’s new shoes.
Hugo couldn’t even look me in the eyes, but who was I to talk, I could barely look up from the floor. And then I heard Kelsey say my name.
“Maisy, darlin’, I do not have a dress designer. I considered going with Vera Wang, but this is going to be a rather large affair, and I’d like to go with a new designer who’s trying to build a name in the wedding industry. Do you know of anyone?”
I swallowed the bile and forced a grin, all the while thinking, no fucking way. There was no way I was getting involved in Hugo and Kelsey’s wedding. And then, before I could come to my senses, I said, “Sure. My friend Orlean probably has several designers she could connect you with.”
Kelsey reached out and touched me on the arm. I mustered everything within myself not to flinch. “Well, sweetie, I don’t want to go through a friend of a friend, so if you’d be gracious enough to be my stylist for the wedding, I’d make it worth your while. And I promise not to be a bridezilla.” She winked. Since when was I a friend?
This had to be a dream. First, a studio to die for at a price that was out of this world cheap, and now Hugo’s bride-to-be, another person dripping with money, just asked me to be her stylist. Scratch that, this wasn’t a dream it was a Freddie Krueger nightmare. I needed to wake up before things went too far, and my razor fingers exposed themselves. Or worse, I actually said yes.
I looked at Stella, who looked at me eagerly. Then I looked Kelsey in the eyes and said, “I’d be honored.” And then I looked at my phone, and said, “Excuse me a moment, I need to take this.”
I swiped my phone, walked away from Hugo, Stella, and Kelsey, and pretended to take an important phone call. I forced myself to keep breathing, by talking to someone who was not on the other end of the line. I knew if I looked back, I’d hold my breath and the tears would come pouring.
I glanced back at the trio and held up one finger, then I put my phone against my hip as if trying to keep the person on the other end from hearing. “It was nice meeting you, Kelsey. Hugo and Stella have my contact information. Just get in touch and we can set something up. I’ve got to go.”
I turned and practically sprinted out of the building.
As soon as I got outside the doors, I slowed my pace. I pulled my phone out and called someone for real this time.
“How’d it go?” was how Orlean answered her phone.
I choked on my words, and before I could get myself together, I blurted, “I met Kelsey and her new engagement ring.”
I think I heard Orlean choking on the other end. “What? No way. That was way too fast.”
Trying to keep the tears from my voice, I said, “When I was signing the paperwork at Stella’s office, Hugo and Kelsey showed up. Stella introduced me to her, and I actually with my own eyes saw her ever-loving engagement ring. I wanted to take it off her hand and stuff it down her throat.” I paused. “Except that she was so nice. And it was so damn big, she would’ve totally choked.”
I’m pretty sure Orlean was crying for me, as she was choking on her next words. “Oh darlin’, I’m so so sorry. I’m not sure what any of us were thinking letting you get involved with that family. They’re from a different world.”
Didn’t I know it? “
And that’s not the bad news.”
“Oh, honey, it doesn’t get much worse than that,” Orlean reassured me.
Did I have news for her. “Yes, Orlean, it does. She asked me to help her find a wedding dress designer and be her stylist for the wedding.”
I heard Orlean’s cell phone drop and hit the floor. Then I heard a scrambling as she found it and picked it back up. “That’s not even funny, Maisy.”
I took a deep breath. “Sadly, I’m not joking. She asked me to be her stylist and help her find an up-and-coming dress designer. And before I could stop myself, I said yes. Oh my God, Orlean, what am I gonna do? I can’t frickin’ say no to that family! What is wrong with me?”
Orlean sighed. “Nothing’s wrong. You’re gonna make loads of money by being the stylist for the Texas social set wedding of the decade.”
“If I’m going to be the stylist for the wedding of the decade, you’re going to be my sidekick. I need someone to keep me sane. Mostly, I need someone who knows the designers in this area. I need half a dozen designers who will be willing to sketch up ideas for Kelsey. You know the designers, I’ll pay you a commission.”
Orlean’s tone of voice did a one-eighty as she chirped, “Really? You’re going to bring me on as your partner? This will do wonders for my business. Thank you so much, girl.”
So much for Orlean feeling bad for me. “Okay, that was the good and the bad news. Or in this case the bad and the good news. I’m going to go home and cry myself a river and then I’m going to sketch out some plans for my new office space.”
With an even chirpier voice, Orlean said, “You got the studio!”
With much less enthusiasm, I responded, “Yes, I did.”
I could practically see Orlean jumping up and down as she said, “This is so awesome. Fine, so you’re the stylist to Hugo’s bride-to-be. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still get close to him, and maybe we can keep the wedding from happening.”
Mine (Dressing a Billionaire Book 3): A Romantic Comedy Page 3