Page 19 of Tempt
“Of course it is, with you at the helm.”
“I need to start promoting it soon. Tickets will go on sale in early December.”
Winnie clapped her hands. “I bet it sells out. I’m so excited for you!”
I was excited too—elated, actually. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done this before. I’d studied fashion design at school, and my degree was in Visual Arts. I’d just never done anything with fashion except make my own clothes, because I’d gone to work for Cloverleigh Farms right away.
Which was fabulous. I loved the work, I still got to use my eye for design and be creative, and I adored Cloverleigh Farms—it was like home to me. I’d practically grown up there since my dad was the CFO and it was Frannie’s family that owned it. But I still liked fashion, and wedding gowns were the perfect intersection of my profession and my interest.
“Well, sales might be slow at first, but given how many people get engaged over the holidays, I bet interest will spike in early January, and then again after Valentine’s Day. And they’ll still have two weeks to purchase tickets.”
“Let me know if I can help with anything.” Winnie pushed the door open for me and we walked out into the crisp autumn morning. It was cloudy and cool, and smelled like rain might be coming.
“Hey, did you ever reach out to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome with the tattoos and magic dick?”
“Winnie!” I glanced around us to make sure no one was within earshot. “No. I haven’t.” Although I kept his card in my nightstand, and just about every night, I took it out and looked at it.
“Why not?”
“Because I’ve been busy.”
“Busy? You said it was the hottest night of your life! What’s busy compared to that?”
“He lives in San Diego and I live here,” I pointed out.
“Maybe you’ve heard of airplanes?”
I elbowed her as we approached my car. “I can’t call him and suggest he get on a plane. We only spent a few hours together. I barely know anything about him.” Just that he was never off my mind.
“Plan a trip to San Diego,” Winnie suggested.
“I can’t do that! I’ll look like a crazy stalker.” I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked my car.
“Maybe you could pretend like you need private security for something.” Winnie’s wheels were still spinning, her head tilted, her devious eyes looking off into space.
“Why on earth would I need private security?”
“Because there’s a...” She snapped her fingers as she thought. “A serial killer prowling around Cloverleigh Farms!”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Face it, Win. It was a fun night, and I’m really glad I took your advice, but I’ll probably never see Zachary Barrett again.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “You’re no fun. If I were you, I wouldn’t just give up.”
“There’s nothing togive upon! We had a hot one-night stand, not a serious relationship.” Two women gave me strange looks as they passed us by, and I lowered my voice. “Look, if he lived even remotely close to here, I might reach out. Chicago, or New York even. But San Diego is ridiculously far.”
“But what if—”
“No what ifs. I’ll talk to you later,” I said, ending the conversation.
“Okay. Hey, Felicity and I are meeting downtown around five o’clock for drinks and dinner tonight. Want to come?”
“That sounds good.” I opened the driver’s side door of my car. “I’ll check my work schedule and get back to you.”
* * *
Ten minutes later, I let myself into my house and made myself a quick cup of coffee. While it brewed, I pulled one of my mason jars of overnight oats from the fridge and topped it with some maple syrup and cinnamon. Grabbing a spoon, I ate breakfast while scrolling through my inbox on my laptop. I checked my calendar for the day and saw nothing on it after a two o’clock appointment with a potential bride, so I sent a quick text to Win and Felicity that I could meet up with them.
After giving my cats, Molasses and Muffin, some attention, I took my coffee upstairs to get ready for work. My house wasn’t big—just a kitchen with a dining area, tiny half bath, and living room downstairs, plus two bedrooms and a full bathroom up—but I’d fallen in love with it at first sight and cried happy tears the day I was handed the keys. Maybe it was the white picket fence or the pink and yellow tulips blooming in the front yard. Maybe it was the front porch swing or the arched front door. Maybe it was the cozy warmth of the interior woodwork, stained a deep brown.
