Page 116 of Need You
Chapter Twenty
Delaney spent her days in a creative whirlwind and her nights in Colt’s bed. It was the most gratifying time of her life. After she had delivered the last of the samples, the Garner brothers had put the adventure wear through the ringer, wearing her pieces while kayaking, climbing, bouldering, windsurfing, and paddleboarding. They’d come up with a list of tweaks—a pocket here, a gusset there, a dart a half inch over—but nothing major.
Garments for her couture line had gone to the cutter and she was just waiting on samples. She’d begun sketching a second collection for a ready-to-wear line. Once again, she’d let the mountains be her inspiration, using a palette of muted colors. Moss, clay, wood, and winter white. Short, flowy dresses paired with hiking boots; suede skinny pants under long sweaters; cashmere tunics over leather leggings; and body-conscious angora cowl-necks. The pieces were rich and warm and Delaney’s hopes soared that the collection would be a hit.
After their lovemaking, she would sit up in bed and show Colt her work. For a man who knew nothing about fashion, he had good instincts. Perhaps it was the musician in him, because he knew what flowed and what didn’t, what worked and what tried too hard.
They’d argued more about the CMAs and forcing Lisa to come clean. Adamant, Colt refused to budge. At least the awards weren’t until November, time enough for him to put it out of his mind.
While Delaney’s career got a second wind, Colt’s gasped for breath. It became more and more evident every day that the mayor wanted to replace him. Members of the city council had become surprisingly tight-lipped on the subject. Even the city attorney, who was supposedly Colt’s friend, had clammed up, leaving him in an anxious state of limbo. Although he tried to remain blasé, she knew it was killing him. Garner Adventure would welcome him with open arms, but Colt’s true calling was law enforcement.
At least she’d managed to distract him with her upcoming fashion show. Given more reflection, she’d decided to showcase all three collections, using GA as her venue. Glory Junction had, after all, inspired her new lines and she hoped that using it as a backdrop would be a marketing tool to entice investors. But there was so much preparation she didn’t know where to start first, including coming up with a name for her label.
Colt and his brothers had begun building a set and stage. Karen had been charged with organizing the show. And in the next couple of weeks, Delaney’s staff, sound technicians, and lighting crew would descend on Glory Junction. She’d already reserved rooms at two local hotels, including the Four Seasons, and made arrangements with the area’s private airport for a chartered jet. The show would cost her an arm and a leg.
She only wished she had more time. But if Delaney wanted to be taken seriously, she had to follow Fashion Week’s September schedule. Besides, the show would help secure investors. The sale of her house—the buyers had accepted her counter—would help a little. But she needed some of the proceeds to buy a new place to live. And LA real estate, even a condo, didn’t come cheap.
Her phone rang, which it had been doing nonstop these days.
“Hi, Karen.” Hiring her had been Delaney’s best move yet, though Robert had been furious.
“I still think it’s crazy to try to pull this off in two weeks but the models are handled. They’re thrilled to be working with you again. Some did London’s Fashion Week with Olivia and are still complaining about what a mean bitch she is.”
Models, especially the big-name ones, were typically hard to please, regardless of the designer. “They whine, Karen, you know that.”
“Well, I didn’t, not until I worked for Olivia.”
Delaney didn’t have time to think about Olivia. She had her hands full with her own company.
“I’m glad you were able to get them.” With Fashion Week, models were in high demand, traveling between Milan and Paris. “We have sound and lighting secured?”
“Check. But you haven’t even had samples made for the ready-to-wear collection. You sure we’re not rushing this?”
“I need investors, Karen. I’ll make the deadline, don’t you worry. You just keep doing what you do and we’ll be fine.” She hoped.
She clicked off with Karen and drove downtown to meet the girls and Foster for lunch. Their get-togethers had become a regular thing and Delaney enjoyed them more than she ever could’ve imagined. She grabbed a jacket from the backseat of her car and walked the half block from her parking space to Old Glory. A blonde sat at the bar, chatting up Boden. He waved to Delaney and pointed to the back of the dining room to where Deb sat.
“I took the liberty of ordering the buffalo wings,” she said as Delaney took a seat. “Foster is running late, as usual.”
“Where’s Hannah?” Her purse and jacket were slung over the chair.
“Bathroom. At least the store is slow right now and she can linger over lunch. How about you? Things must be crazy.”
Hannah returned and sat down. “What’s crazy?”
“Trying to get this show together in such a short amount of time. My house manager called right before I left to tell me I’m nuts.”
“You’re not nuts,” Hannah said. “Everything’s coming together. I went over to bring Josh breakfast this morning and the stage is half done. It’s going to look amazing. I’ve never seen TJ so excited. He thinks the partnership and the fashion show will bring a lot of press.”
“I don’t know about that.” Delaney had been away from the LA fashion scene for a year. And holding the show in Glory Junction could be risky. Her PR people warned her that daring to be different might be misconstrued as a publicity stunt. “Was Colt there this morning?”
“No, he and Jack may have caught someone involved in those burglaries. It’s supposed to be hush-hush, so don’t say anything.” Hannah looked directly at Deb when she threw out the warning, then turned back to Delaney. “You and Colt have certainly gotten cozy.”
“He’s a good friend.”He’s everything.
“The rumor is that Pond is planning to can him this week,” Deb said, and both Delaney and Hannah gaped at her.
“You waited until now to drop that little bomb?” Hannah said.
