Page 25 of Need You
“Trust but verify,” he automatically recited. “Though it’s more than likely what happened. There was no evidence of drinking or drugs.”
Delaney continued to inspect his room, making no move to leave. His place must’ve appeared pretty modest compared to all the high-end furnishings she had. Colt put his money into ski equipment and climbing gear, which didn’t leave a lot left over for decorating. Her eyes landed on his guitar case, which leaned against the wall. “Hannah says you play.”
“I used to.” He shrugged. “Don’t really have time for it much anymore.”
“You miss it?”
He missed the way it used to be. Before Lisa took that part of him with her when she left. “Sometimes. But I’ve got my hands full.”
“I thought Hannah said you performed recently.”
“I did, Thursday night. But I don’t have anything else planned.” Since they were getting quasi personal, he asked, “How’s the designing going?”
“Great. Really, really good,” she said a little too enthusiastically.
He raised his brows. “Yeah?”
“Actually, no.” She scooted up to lean against one of his pillows, dropped the porno slippers on the floor, and tucked those amazing legs under her. The robe parted as she moved, showing a good amount of thigh. “I’m completely blocked. Every idea I come up with looks like something I’ve already done.”
Despite it being an exceptionally bad idea, he sat on the bed next to her. “What’s wrong with that? You’ve got a style that’s well received, why not stick with it?”
“Because you should constantly grow as a designer. And then there’s the fact that I don’t want my new lines looking exactly like Robert’s.”
“But Robert’s stuff is . . . was ... your stuff. Everyone knows that, right?”
“Yes. I still need to rebrand myself, however. That’s the difficulty of starting over.”
He saw the strain around her eyes and recognized that she must be under a lot of pressure. No wonder she worked late at night. “Is that why you’re working at midnight?”
“I need investors. In order to get investors, I have to show them something.”
“Even with the track record you have?”
“I’ll get some on that, I suppose. But it’s not just the designs, it’s the track record of running a profitable business. And that was all Robert.”
At least she gave her ex his due, Colt thought. Lisa never had.
“Maybe you’re pushing yourself too hard. Maybe it’ll come back to you when you stop focusing on it so much.”
“That’s what I keep thinking and then ... nothing. I’m sure something will happen eventually. But if it doesn’t, I’ll miss fashion week in late September.” Colt hitched his shoulders because he didn’t know what fashion week was, so she explained. “That’s when houses showcase new collections to buyers and the media.”
She swung her feet down and sat upright. “I should let you go to bed. Until I get window coverings I’ll try not to use the lamp.”
“I’d appreciate that.” He noticed she wasn’t completely committing, and it was on the tip of his tongue to sayWhy don’t you use another room?But like the parking situation, he decided to take one victory at a time.
When they got downstairs and he started to follow her out, she said, “What are you doing?”
“Walking you home.”
“Why?” she asked. “I only live next door.”
Colt didn’t bother to dignify that with an answer. Instead, he saw Delaney to her door. “Good night.”
“’Night.”
He stood on her front deck for a few minutes, then walked back to his house. By the time he got to his room the light in her studio was out. He was about to crawl into his bed when his cell rang. Five teens had been arrested for vandalizing the high school. Ordinarily, he would’ve let the graveyard shift handle the kids’ irate parents. But knowing that Pond was gunning for him, he decided to deal with it himself.
Two hours later, he sat at his desk in the police station, filling out the last report. The kids had been returned to their parents, but everything had to be documented for the district attorney’s office. Because they were juveniles, no charges would be filed. They’d likely just be cited and ultimately ordered to pay a fine and perform community service. Some of the kids involved were self-entitled shit heads and Colt fully expected the parents to complain that little Johnny or Jane wasn’t getting a fair shake. That’s why he was crossing everyTand dotting everyI. Otherwise, he’d have the mayor crawling up his ass again.
