Page 73 of Wedding Season
He leaned forward ever-so-slightly to watch her. She didn’t make eye contact but continued to lick his finger like a queen deigning to enjoy her master pastry chef’s prized creation. When his finger was empty, she butted his hand with her soft head.
“Was that a thank-you?” he asked as much to himself as the cat. “Look at you and your good manners.”
To his utter amazement, the cat climbed into his lap and turned a quick circle then curled into a ball. He didn’t dare move as he listened to her gentle rumble begin again. A smile split his face and a feeling of deep satisfaction filled his chest.
One fiercely independent woman wooed, he told himself, and one to go.
BYTHETIMEhe got to the office the next morning, that feeling of contentment was a thing of the past.
He’d sat with Bex for nearly an hour before lifting her onto the cat bed he’d put on the sofa in the office. The animal stayed relaxed while being moved, but she must have held it against him because he’d awoke to find that she’d pooped on the floor of his shower overnight.
He’d cleaned it up and, just to show there were no hard feelings, brought in the treat tube to give her a little something for the morning. All he got in return was a few new angry marks on the back of his hand.
His mood did not brighten when Heather informed him Luann was waiting in his office.
“I resign as creative director,” she announced before he’d even shut the door.
“I don’t accept it,” he’d countered, his head throbbing harder than the wounds on his hand.
“Accept it or not, it’s happening. We’ll still be partners in the business, but I’m no longer going to work here.” She pointed to the top of his desk. “I brought you a couple of donuts from Sunnyside to ease the sting.”
He eyed the bag but didn’t reach for a donut.
“I don’t understand why you are doing this right now. You made a commitment,” he reminded her, then glanced at his watch. “We have a marketing meeting in fifteen minutes to finalize the PR plan. Things are going to get rolling even more after the festival launches the collection. It’s a calculated risk to take this local spin on things. We need to show a united front.”
She shook her head. “No.”
He could deal with off-color or temperamental or snotty Luann, but this quietly resolved version of her didn’t sit well. It felt like he was treading water in a calm sea—calm other than the dark dorsal fin that circled him. “Does this have anything to do with Mariella?”
“Unfortunately, no. I think she wants to come on board, Alex, but she’s afraid of your reaction. Specifically, of your rejection. Kiki is ready whenever we make her a formal offer.”
“We aren’t giving Kiki a job at the Fit Collective. And Mariella isn’t afraid of me. If anything, you’ve got the roles reversed there. The woman terrifies me at every turn.”
Luann flashed the hint of a knowing smile. He didn’t dare ask what she thought she knew based on his comment. “Either way...” She sighed. “My decision is made. I’m flying to Nebraska tonight.”
“What are you talking about? What’s in Nebraska?”
“My son, his wife and my grandbaby. I’m going to spend the summer with them. I rented a house on the lake and I’m going to be Nana for a couple of months.”
“Do you even like kids?”
“You know me too well. I’m going to learn to like kids. I’m going to learn to be a normal person and a good mother. Or if it’s too late for that, I’m going to be a fantastic grandmother.”
She held up a hand when he would have argued. “I appreciate your faith in me, Alex. You gave me a chance when nobody else would, and I probably didn’t deserve one.”
“This is how you repay me,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“You can’t see it now, but I’m doing you a favor. The fashion world isn’t for me anymore. I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks. I don’t know how to be politically correct.”
“That’s an excuse. You could figure it out if you wanted to. You are brilliant.”
“Once again, I appreciate your faith in me, but the truth is I don’t want to figure it out. I want to walk away on my terms. Maybe that’s what I wanted all along. I know what I’m doing to you isn’t fair. Hiring Mariella as a replacement was as much to ease my conscience as to help the company. I wouldn’t blame you for hating me.”
Alex drew in a breath and studied the scratches—both fresh and fading—that covered his hands and arms. What the hell was wrong with him that he put his faith in people who didn’t want or deserve it?
Maybe he should do the same thing. He had the offer from his stepfather. It was probably time to stop pretending he could be the one to lead this company to success. It was impossible to be a leader when he could barely enlist followers.
“Don’t walk away,” Luann said.
