by Suzie Nelson
Jordan wasn’t satisfied with Blake’s deflective answer and he wanted to find out what was holding his brother back from pursuing a relationship with Shelby. “Well, perhaps she is right in front of your face? You spend a lot of time with Shelby, hell, we all practically double date together. Is there nothing more to your friendship?” Jordan could see the cogs of Blake’s brain turning and he hoped his brother trusted him enough to be open about his feelings.
“Shelby’s great but I don’t think I’m her type.” Blake wished that he had asked for a drink as he now felt vulnerable without a distraction or something to play with while his nerves fluttered.
“What do you mean? She doesn’t like the handsome, successful, billionaire types?” Jordan nudged Blake’s elbow to make him realize how ridiculous he sounded.
Blake smiled knowing that his brother only wanted the best for him but he still couldn’t shake the feeling that Shelby wasn’t romantically interested in him. “Well, thank you for the compliments, Jordan. I had no idea you felt that way about me.” Blake laughed as Jordan pushed him a little harder.
“Oh, stop trying to avoid the question. You know that you are a catch and have a lot to offer whoever you end up with. Shelby would be blind if she couldn’t see that, so tell me truthfully, what is stopping you?” Jordan stood up and headed back over to the bar to refill his glass as he realized that the intense questioning had got a bit serious.
Blake stood up and followed behind him thinking that he could do with a stiff drink. “I’ve tried. I’ve flirted with her and given her hints that I’m into her but she never reciprocates. I’ve even paid for some of her fashion shows and invested in her company but I don’t even get a kiss on the cheek for all my efforts.” Blake had never intended to pump so much of his time and money into Shelby’s business but he genuinely thought that she had great talent and he wanted to see her succeed. “Pour me a scotch, will you? All this talk is making me thirsty.” Blake perched himself on the edge of a stool as Jordan fixed him a whiskey in a crystal cut glass.
“Does she know that you’ve done so much for her – business wise?” Jordan was surprised to hear that Blake had invested money into Shelby’s company and he didn’t think that was the right way to win over a lover.
“She knows that I have publicized the shows and used my contacts to create some hype but I don’t think she knows about the investments. It started off as a harmless anonymous contribution to get the first show up and then one thing led to another and I found myself using one of our umbrella companies to invest so that she could open the studio.” Blake ran his hand through his messy brown locks as he was frustrated with his own dilemma. “If I tell her the truth she’s going to think that I tried to buy her and she’ll doubt her talent but if I don’t tell her and she finds out, then it will be over anyway.” He looked up at Jordan hoping that his older and wiser brother might have a way out of his mess but Jordan just looked at him with sympathy.
“You certainly put yourself between a rock and a hard place.” Jordan handed Blake his drink and then started to pour one for himself. “Shelby doesn’t seem like the type of woman that would like to have her career handed to her and you’re right, she really is a very good designer. I think the best you can do is to tell her now - it might ruin your friendship and stop any potential relationship. Or it would be best to just keep quiet and hope she never finds out?” Jordan didn’t like not having better advice for his younger troubled brother but he couldn’t see any alternative.
Blake took a swig of his scotch and gave out a loud sigh. “I don’t even know if there will be any relationship. She doesn’t flirt with me or give any sign that she’s interested. Sometimes I feel like I’m just hanging around her hoping that one day she might see me in a different light but I know it’s pointless. She’s a passionate, creative designer that wouldn’t want to be with some boring rich white guy.”
“Blake, stop talking shit for Chris’s sake!” Jordan hated to see his brother this low as he had no idea that Blake’s feelings for Shelby ran so deep. “You know that the money doesn’t mean anything. If she can’t see the great guy you are, with or without your wealth, then you shouldn’t want her anyway.” Jordan had never had such a real conversation with Blake before about romance and just as he was speaking he realized that he sounded like some character out of a Rom Com. His advice was still heartfelt but he felt slightly uncomfortable offering cheesy one liners to his own brother.
“Now drink your scotch. Things are getting far too girly up in here, if we don’t change the subject soon we will both be getting our periods!” Jordan cringed at his own joke knowing that he sounded silly trying to be manly. They clinked their glasses and started a new conversation about baseball.
***
“So how was your dress fitting?” Jordan put the New York Times on the bedside table and watched as Danica readied herself for bed. This was his favorite time of the day when he got to watch his gorgeous woman undress and cover her skin with moisturizer.
“You know, I can’t tell you anything about my wedding dress.” Danica gave him a cheeky smile as she unbuttoned her jeans and dropped them to the floor.
“You don’t have to tell me what it looks like, I know it’s a white dress. I’m just asking if everything went ok with Shelby,” Jordan continued to happily watch as Danica peeled of her T-shirt and stood there in just a black bra and knickers.
“Oh, you think it will be a white dress, do you? Perhaps it will be green or blood red or even gold.” Danica reached for her tub of moisturizer and started to smooth her legs and arms with the white cream.
“As long as it’s what you want, my love, it can be purple with yellow spots!” They laughed and Danica crawled into bed and tucked her legs under the cover.
“Why are you asking about Shelby? Are you concerned that she won’t be able to design a dress good enough for me?” Jordan had never asked about her dress before, so Danica couldn’t help but wonder if Jordan was really asking about Shelby.
“Of course not, I know she is going to make you an amazing dress…I just...it was just a question. That’s all.” Jordan put his arm around Danica and she willingly snuggled up next to his warm skin.
She looked at his face and could tell that he wasn’t telling the whole truth so she pushed him on the subject. “Jordan, I know you better than you think. You never just ask a question. Come on, what is it that you really want to know?” She looked up at him with her big round blue eyes and Jordan knew that he was not going to get out of the conversation without revealing something.
“It’s just that Blake was here earlier and he mentioned Shelby.” Jordan didn’t want to give up all his information so easily but he also couldn’t help but share everything with Danica.
“Oh, he did? And what did he have to say about her?” Danica smiled as she could feel excited butterflies flutter within her stomach.
“Well, he didn’t really want to talk about it, to be honest, but I kinda forced the conversation and now I wish that I hadn’t.” Jordan looked away and sighed as he thought about how dejected Blake looked when talking about Shelby.
Danica lifted herself up on her elbows and became suddenly concerned. “Why? What did he say?” Her tone had now changed from playful to anxious and she really didn’t want to hear anything bad about her new favorite friend.
“He likes her, obviously, but he’s made a mess of the whole thing. He started out with good intentions publicizing her shows but then he started pumping money into it without her knowledge.” Jordan already knew how Danica was going to respond so he carried on talking so that she couldn’t interject. “He knows that it isn’t what she would have wanted but he did it to get her company off the ground. But he clearly likes her a lot, way more than what I thought and for some reason, he believes that she would never be interested in him.”
Danica settled back down next to Jordan in the nook of his arm as she calmed her nerves. “For someone who’s made h
imself very successful, he isn’t too bright, your brother.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Jordan turned slightly and started to run his fingers through Danica’s long blonde hair.
“Well, the money obviously isn’t a good thing. Shelby believes her designs have launched her career with just a little help from Blake’s encouragement but the main reason he isn’t too sharp is that Shelby likes him too.”
“She does?” Jordan now got excited at the possibility that Blake could end up with the woman he wants.
“Of course she does. We’ve seen them together - they can’t keep their eyes off each other but she’s also convinced that he would never like her.” Danica pulled the cover up over her shoulder as she could feel a small chill in the room. “She thinks that he won’t want her because of her poor upbringing and immigrant background. I told her that Blake isn’t like that but she thinks he’ll end up with someone that comes from money, not from Mexico.”
Jordan shook his head disappointed with how silly both Shelby and his brother were being. “That’s ridiculous. Edward is like that and would certainly vote with his wallet and not his heart but Blake…no, Blake couldn’t care less about those things. You should have seen him today, he looked completely lost. He’s head over heels in love with her.”
Danica could feel her eyes getting heavy with sleep but she didn’t want to drift off without finding a way to make Shelby and Blake realize that they were made for each other. “Well, perhaps we could help them out?”
“I don’t think talking to them is going to be a good idea. Blake told me all of this in confidence, I wouldn’t want him to feel like I had betrayed him.” Jordan stroked the top of Danica’s head as they lay in each other’s arms.
“We don’t have to talk to them about it, we just put them in a situation where they have to deal with it.” Danica had already devised the whole plan in her head before the words had even left her mouth. “Like in Mexico?”
“Mexico?” Jordan could see that Danica wasn’t going to give up her scheme but he had no idea why it involved Mexico.
“Yeah. We and Blake are going there next week to launch the youth center. I could talk Shelby into coming with me and we could ensure that they have some alone time together.” Danica’s eyes sparkled as she envisioned the two lovers finally coming together because of her matchmaking skills.
“I think that would be too obvious, she needs to have a real reason to come otherwise she won’t want to be there,” Jordan spoke out loud as he thought and Danica couldn’t fault his reasoning.
“Well, she’s a designer, isn’t she? The project is all about encouraging the arts; she can come along and oversee the fashion department. To be honest, I would feel much more comfortable doing my job there if she was by my side.” Danica kissed Jordan’s soft lips hoping that they could finally stop talking and rest their eyes.
“Hmmm, that could work. I’ll talk to Blake tomorrow and pass the idea to him. I can’t see why he would refuse to have Shelby in Mexico with us. You can smooth things over at Shelby’s end?” Jordan looked down at Danica and knew that he had already lost her attention as she was quickly drifting off. Gently, he kissed her forehead and spooned himself around her delicate frame ready for the night’s sleep.
Chapter 3
“Okay, so we have a nice little crowd of press gathering out there. Are you two ready?” Barrack Amara, Jordan’s friend and PR guru, walked behind the curtained room where Jordan and Blake stood talking. His flamboyant pink shirt wasn’t something that either Ramsey brother would wear but they appreciated it suited Barrack’s colorful persona.
“I’m just fixing my tie and then we should be good. Blake, you ready?” Jordan was accustomed to holding the occasional press conference due to his work as the head of the Ramsey fashion label but Blake wasn’t used to the spotlight. For as long as he could remember, he had tried to avoid being associated with his famous name and had no reason to be the face of his own record label when he had numerous staff that would happily do it for him. But when Jordan approached him to collaborate on a charitable project he couldn’t say no.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Blake twiddled his hands and it was obvious to both Jordan and Barrack that he was nervous.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Blake.” Barrack rested his hands on Blake’s shoulders and tried to look him straight in the eye. “They are all here to hear about the youth center and just ask a few questions. That’s it. Remember you are doing something amazing that is going to change the lives of hundreds of children, no one is going to ask you anything difficult.”
“Barrack’s right, Blake. Just stick to what you know and show them that generous heart of yours and it will all be fine.” Jordan winked at him and then headed straight out from behind the curtain. Barrack followed as Blake listened to the snapping cameras and people chattering away. He took in a deep breath and headed straight out and up to the table where Jordan was seated.
The blue covered table had several microphones all pointing toward the seats and a huge sign that read ‘Creativo Juventud’ in bold colors dropped behind. Blake pulled out his chair and took his place next to Jordan wishing that he could be more confident. Barrack suddenly appeared in front of the stage and clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention.
“Welcome! Welcome, everyone! Please, if you could take your seats we will begin the announcement shortly and then we will have a question and answer time afterward. If I could just turn your attention to the screen over here, we will be playing a short presentation for you. Thank you.” Barrack pointed just off to the side where a huge flat screen started to play the prepared video all about the new youth center that Blake and Jordan were planning to open in Mexico.
As the presentation ended, the TV screen went black and the hungry reporters turned their attention back to Barrack who stood up again to lead the meeting. “As you have seen, Jordan and Blake Ramsey are going to open and run a new youth center in Mexico City called Creativo Juventud. All of the Ramsey brothers are passionate about helping deprived children find a place where they can thrive and achieve goals that they never thought possible. Gang warfare and drug dealing is a huge issue for the residents of Mexico City and they are continually seeing their young men be drawn into gangs and away from education which inevitably ends in either death or prison. To help give both the young men and women of Mexico City another alternative, the Creative Youth Center is going to give children from the poorest backgrounds an opportunity to learn music, dance, art and many other creative outlets that can channel them toward a positive purpose. So, enough of me. Let’s hand over to Jordan and Blake Ramsey to find out more.” Barrack clapped his hands together again and then scanned the audience for a question. “The first question please?”
Several eager reporters lifted their hands and proceeded to ask question after question. “Jordan, could you tell us when the official launch date will be for the center?”
Jordan cleared his throat and then started to answer the question with ease. “Yes. Reconstruction is currently underway and as far as I am aware we are on schedule to open in two weeks. I and Blake will be heading down to Mexico City next week to oversee all the final preparations but we are aiming for April 1st as the official grand opening.”
“Blake, could you explain why Mexico City was chosen for the project and not the deprived areas of the Bronx?”
For a second, Blake felt a panic overtaking his body and he couldn’t think of a single thing to say but as he looked around the room he caught the eyes of a familiar and friendly face. Shelby was standing right at the back of the room with Danica and her warm, reassuring smile gave him the confidence he needed to speak. “As I understand, Ramsey Enterprises already funds a number of projects in the Bronx and many more nationwide. I and Jordan both feel that caring for children doesn’t stop at the border and we wanted to use our skills to help the gang-riddled streets of Mexico.”
“And will it be mainl
y you, Blake, that runs the project or will you both be overseeing the center?”
Jordan and Blake both smiled at each other as they became more comfortable in front of the press. “We will both be running the center at first. The plan is to teach children new positive skills and to produce a range of T-shirts designed by the youth and sold to raise funds which Jordan will head up. I will oversee all of the other creative arts and I would love to see some fresh new music talent come out of the center.”
“Is that the real purpose of the center, Blake? To find cheap talent for your record label?” Everyone looked at the reporter, horrified that anyone would assume a charitable project could have such a disturbing agenda but it also received a few snide smirks.
Blake couldn’t believe the audacity of the reporter and for a moment thought about storming out of the conference entirely but he knew that would serve no purpose. Calmly he looked directly at the standing reporter and answered without flinching. “I’m not going to dignify that with a response. I believe that brings an end to our conference today. Thank you all for coming.” He sat back in his chair, dignified as Barrack hurried to the front to appease the few reporters that still had questions.