Page 63 of Better Left Unsaid

Meanwhile, I had a full analysis on all that, and Dad was still in my office. He gazed down and checked his watch, nodding as a thought obviously ran through his mind. “I have to go. I have a meeting to get to, but be careful,” he warned, his tone ominous.

I angled my brows, shaking my head as I tried to understand what he was saying. “If you’re talking about this shoot, then don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. Really.”

“Maybe it should be. Everyone’s story has to start somewhere.”

I cringed. None of that sounded right coming from him for some reason. It was reminding me of the days when he’d tried to have conversations about boys and their intentions with me. It was awkward then, too. “Please, Dad. Dom doesn’t have feelings for me. Not like that.”

He couldn’t, could he? Nah. If he had broken one of our rules and started feeling things, he definitely would have said something. Or at the very minimum, I would’ve been able to tell. Oh, shit, but if that was true, and I was having maybe-feelings (that was what I was calling them for now), then by that same logic, could he tell?

I shook my head. Dom and I talked about most everything. Should I tell him about my whatever-they-were feelings? Ugh. I didn’t even know what to call it, so right off the bat that felt like a terrible idea. You know what? I was chalking all this up to nothing more than some residual effect of feeling the high from the orgasms he’d given me. Perhaps I was misinterpreting everything, and I was just lusting after the man who finally did what no other man could do.

I bit my lip as Dad turned on his heel to leave. “He can have any woman he wants, so why would he ever choose me?” I called out.

Before he opened the door, he answered, “Your mother would have had a better answer for you, but all I’ve got is my warning that the friend zone is not as safe as you think it is.”

When he was gone, I grabbed my phone and leaned back in my chair. Before I told my sisters about the shoot and opened that can of worms, I figured I’d see if Jade was still looking for a job and how she felt about coming to work atBellissima.

Maria:How’s the job search going?

Jade:Not too shabby since I finally found one.

Maria:Oh.

Jade:Don’t be disappointed.

Maria:Oh my goodness, no! Well, a little sad. We’re looking for a fashion editor, and I thought of you.

Jade:Ha! That’s laughable. Why would you think of me? I didn’t even know whatBellissimawas before I met you guys.

Maria:It’s your legacy. You deserve to work here just like the rest of us.

Jade:Bianca doesn’t work there.

Maria:That’s because she’s not cool.

Jade:Or too cool depending on how you look at it. She did start her own wedding dress label.

Maria:All right, so she is pretty cool. But she did work here for a while. So can we convince you to quit your new job and come work with us?

Jade:It’s tempting, and I might’ve jumped at it had I not already accepted this other job. Because yours might be ten times better than this one, even if it is all about fashion, a topic on which I know zip.

Maria:Why do you say that? Something wrong with that job?

Jade:Nah, not the job. That’s great. It’s the boss.

Jade:He’s my ex’s older brother.

Maria:Oh.

Jade:There’s that “oh” again. I’m beginning to think there’s a lot more behind that one word.

Maria:Sounds complicated.

Jade:You would know.

Jade:Sorry. Just thinking about how you and I seem to get in complicated situations.

Maria:Or put ourselves squarely in them.

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