Page 28 of Knight's Desire

“I understand. I get that way when I’m sketching. She seems nice though. When do I get to meet the rest of them?”

The firm employed five realtors, including David, Parker, and Naomi. She knew Parker respected his coworkers and counted them as friends. They were important to him, and she wanted him to know that made them important to her.

He moved to the door to lock it and then turned a warm smile in her direction. “How about we enjoy an uninterrupted lunch, and then I’ll show you around? They’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, and I’ve been remiss in showing my girlfriend off.”

She smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

∞∞∞

Hope’s pencil slid over the sketch paper as she absently crooned the words to the silky music of “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” The song was one of her favorites and relaxed her while she was working. After leaving Parker’s office, she’d felt lighter, and her ideas started flowing as she made her way back to the Shoppe. She met with two clients that afternoon, sold a dress to one of them, and then spent the rest of the day in her office, leaving Kayla to close up and go home when six o’clock rolled around.

Adding the last stroke to her sketch, she stopped her singing and studied her handiwork. Then a smile turned the corners of her mouth. The dress was perfect. A deep sweetheart neckline, a fit and flare silhouette draped with beautiful lace, an open back and a long, scalloped train that added elegant drama. This was the dress of her dreams. The style was classic, and she couldn’t wait to try it on. This was one she was going to sew herself. She’d been hiring someone to produce her dresses, and she’d already contracted the company to produce three more designs after the positive reaction she’d received on her others. This one, though, was special, and she couldn’t stand the thought of someone else bringing the sketch to life but her.

She stood and stretched the stiff muscles in her back and shoulders. Padding on bare feet, she crossed over to the coffee pot and warmed up the brew in her mug. Drinking the caffeinated beverage this late in the day was a recipe for a sleepless night, but she wasn’t ready to call it a day. Her thoughts moved to fabrics and notions as she checked her calendar for tomorrow to find the perfect break in her schedule to slip off to the fabric store.

She lifted her cell phone to check the time but was distracted by the text she hadn’t realized she received from Parker.

Thinking about you. Enjoyed our lunch. We need to do that more often. Don’t work too late.

She smiled. Parker wasn’t an emotional or romantic man, but he could be very thoughtful from time to time. She felt their lunch today served as a reset to their relationship. They were able to move past their anger and frustration to get back to the easy camaraderie that brought them together in the beginning.

She tapped the screen to reply.I had a great time too. I won’t work too late if you don’t. We’ll talk tomorrow. Lov…

Her thumbs hovered over the phone’s keyboard, her vision zeroing in on those three letters. She cared for Parker, but neither had ever said “love” to each other. Until that moment, she hadn’t entertained the idea that she loved him. It felt too soon, but here she was about to send him a casual text saying it for the first time. Even if this was something she was ready to say, she didn’t want to tell him in this way. Parker was a wonderful man and deserved better.

She tapped the back space button to end her text at “we’ll talk tomorrow.” Her finger hovered over the send button when she heard a creak coming from the main salon. Her head snapped up, her eyes focusing on the darkness beyond the open doorway to her office. She closed her music app and listened for the sound again. All was quiet, and she couldn’t detect any shadows or movement inside the Shoppe. Chastising herself for her paranoia, she turned back to her phone only to have a distinctive squeak break the silence.

Kayla’s chair made that noise all day long as she worked behind the counter. Hope had been meaning to buy her a new chair, but she’d never had a chance. They’d become accustomed to the squeak to the point she hardly noticed it anymore. Except Kayla had already left, or so she thought.

“Kayla?” She paused, but her question went unanswered. “Kayla, is that you?”

Her heart pounding, she forced her feet forward, her body tensed for whatever she would find. When the Shoppe’s phone suddenly rang, she cried out and jerked in surprise. Her hand flew up to cover her chest where her heart threatened to pound its way through. With one last look into the Shoppe, she turned to answer the phone from her office.

“Hope’s Bridal Shoppe.” A dial tone buzzed in her ear, and she saw on the phone’s display that the call ended. She scrolled through the recent call menu to discover the call came from an unknown number.

She released a loud sigh as she balled up her thick hair in her hands. She admitted it. Fighting with Parker, suspecting someone breaking into the Shoppe, hearing bumps and noises when nothing was there, and being creeped out by an after-hours phone call that was likely a wrong number – it all added up to one thing. She was working too hard.

Dropping her hair, she retrieved her purse from her desk, slipped into her shoes, switched off her office lights and locked the door behind her. She walked through the lobby but stopped by the main salon. She spun to the side and stared through the darkness one more time. A vehicle drove by, its headlights shining through the windows to illuminate one of the displays. The mannequin wore Hope’s ball gown design, but for the brief moment it was in the light, Hope could see something was wrong.

Fumbling for her cell phone in her pants pocket, she turned on the flashlight feature and stepped closer to the mannequin. Once her mind registered what her eyes were seeing, she gasped. Tears rushed to her eyes as she reached out a hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch the delicate fabric. The dress hung on the mannequin in tatters as if someone had taken a knife and sliced the dress until it was nothing but strips of cloth clinging to the form.

The Shoppe’s phone rang again. She almost didn’t answer. She was bereft to realize not only had someone broken into her Shoppe again, but they vandalized the creation that she’d poured her time and money into. This was no longer random occurrences meant to drive her crazy. This was a personal attack.

The phone persistently rang, and Hope finally ran over to the counter to pick up the receiver. Her throat was clogged with emotion, but words weren’t necessary. The laughter that rang over the line sounded strange and distorted.

“Who is this?” Her voice sounded strangled.

The laughter continued for several seconds, and then the line went dead.

Chapter Twelve

Brick barely stepped inside KSI when Jordan waved him over. He could see from the guard’s serious expression that Jordan wasn’t calling him over for casual conversation.

“Hey, man, Tryst is looking for you. Said to send you to his office as soon as you got here.”

Brick nodded. “He say why?”

Jordan shook his head. “No, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the store owner next door. She was here to see Tristin as soon as we opened.”

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