Page 44 of Fashionista's Playbook

“Talk to me.”

How could I? We might have had sex, but this wasn’t a conversation I could have with him.

I searched my brain frantically for something… “Michael Jones’ wife contacted me, said you talked to her husband about doing a joint event in a few weeks—she’s got most of it planned already.” Once I got started, the details of it all came out so quickly, that this being the cause of my anxiety was convincing. “We’ve got a lot of stuff we need to do, most of the licenses I’ve got. But we need to do much more.”

He slid his arm back around me and laced his fingers with mine. “Stop stressing it. I’ll call Linc tomorrow and have him send over a list of names of people who can help us out.”

“Isn’t he supposed to be running the team? I’m sure he has better things to do. I’ll figure stuff out.”

His husky chuckle rolled across my skin. “Nah, Linc knows all sorts of shit and people everywhere. It won’t take him long to help us out.”

“If you say so.”

“I do, now go to sleep. I have to be up early for practice.”

With Travis wrapped warmly around me, maybe I could quiet my worries long enough to do just that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Moriah

The young woman who breezed into the house, carrying a briefcaseanda bright pink designer handbag was exactly what I had pictured a party planner looked like. A professional philanthropist, maybe not.

Bianca Duncan’s dark hair was cut and styled in a perfect pixie that accentuated her large blue eyes and gave her an almost ethereal quality. If fairies or elves came to life and managed charities for professional athletes—that was Bianca.

She wore a sweater dress the same color as her eyes, with dark tights and boots. All very stylish and at the same time professional. Pricey, but still affordable. If her business sense was as efficient as her style, she was perfect for this job.

“Moriah? Glad to meet you.” She spoke in a smooth southern accent native Texans were known for. “When Linc told me that Travis was planning something for the local foster kids, I couldn’t say no—it’s my passion.”

Before I could respond, she dropped her briefcase and wrapped me in a chaste hug. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

“You’re welcome, really, you’re coming in clutch for us with this. It’s all happened so fast.” I pulled free of the hug, the scent of magnolias hanging in the air around me.

“I imagine. The second a man with that kind reach and platform speaks about something, the ball rolls really fast.”

She wasn’t lying. It had only been a few weeks since he’d made the leap into philanthropy and the Jones event dropped right into our lap. “Follow me. He’s waiting for us upstairs.”

The relief having someone like Bianca on board was undeniable. Travis and I had looked into her, knew she’d alreadyrun several charities similar to what we were doing. Hopefully this would be as great a working partnership as we imagined.

“This house is amazing.” Bianca’s southern drawl stretched out the last word.

“Yeah, it definitely takes some getting used to.” I took the stairs quickly, the other woman trailing closely behind me. Thank God she couldn’t see my face. I still blushed each time I stepped up the bottom few stairs.

“I bet. Are you here every day?”

At the top of the steps, I shrugged. “Mostly. I’ve got a room downstairs I use for my other business.”

“He sounds incredibly generous.” She mused.

I glanced over her shoulder, and down the steps to where he’d shown me that generosity, then turned away quickly. “He is.”

“Are you seeing anyone? I’d imagine guys would be intimidated when you told them were you worked.” She made a face. “Sorry, small talk. I just reentered the online dating scene and I’m projecting my current issues.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I liked her already. “I get it. Thankfully, I’ve not had much time to try to date anyone. Between this and trying to get my own fashion business up and running, there’s not much room for anything else.”

Travis stood just the other side of the doorway to his office his lip lifted in a knowing half grin.

“Fashion, really? Do you design? I’d love to see something sometime. Creative types are always interesting to me.” She followed me into the room. “I’m a numbers girl, all the way.”

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