Page 83 of Crossing Lines

The girls all ooh and aah over the nickname, and it kills me that it’s so sweet—worse, that I like it even more now that I know what it means.

“And what about working on the apparel line?” Elodie asks. “How was that?”

“Amazing.” I sigh. “My dreams were finally coming true…”

“Why didn’t you ever sell the jacket?” Stella asks.

“Oh. That.” I fidget in my seat. “It didn’t feel right.”

Stella frowns, but Aria cuts in and says, “I really think you should talk to Evren.”

“Yeah, but how?” I ask. “He’s ignoring me.”

“So?” Stella says. “Take my aircraft and go get your man.”

“You don’t mind?” I ask.

“Of course not.”

“Then I’ll take it after your show tonight.”

When I land in Skyrise, Mom calls. It’s almost three a.m., but I answer anyway.

“Niiiiina, baby, why didn’t you answer beforehand? Have you seen? Your website is somehow shut down.”

“I didn’t see that,” I lie. Of course, I was the one to initiate that.

“Is it Stella? Is she behind this? Trying to keep my baby from selling the jacket?”

“I don’t know…”

“We need to hire a lawyer, fight her on this.”

“She’s a billionaire. I feel like we’d lose againsther.”

“That’s just what they want you to think,” she says. “I’m sure we can find someone to take our case.”

“I’m not sure…” I hedge. I’m too tired to deal with her right now.

“What if I come for a visit? Help you take care of it all since you seem ssssoo busy that you can’t be bothered.”

My mom? Here? Ice floods my veins at the thought of that. If she even saw the house I’m living in, she’d move in and never leave.

“I’ll hire a lawyer this week. You’re right,” I say. “I’ve been busy, but I shouldn’t ignore this opportunity.”

“That’s right. I’ve sacrificed so much for you, it’s time for you to repay that.”

“Okay,” I whisper, hating how much I have to lie just to keep her at bay. “I need to go. It’s late.”

“I expect an update soon about what this lawyer says.”

“Will do,” I lie and hang up. Walking into the house, I turn on the lights and find Evren sitting on a brand-new couch, reading something on his phone.

“Hi,” I say quietly.

He glances up from the screen in surprise. “You’re back early.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t stay away. I hate how I left things. Let me shower real quick, and then can we have a cereal date?”

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