Page 59 of Our Sweet Destiny
“I’d love to get my hands on Hope,” Jade said. “I can do massage to ease her discomfort.”
Rex reached out and touched her cheek. “That’s what I love about you. You’re so caring.” He moved in closer, and Jade shot a look to their left, then right.
“Sorry.” Rex took a step back. “I hate this.”
“Have you come up with any ideas on how to handle all of this? I think, given Hope’s health, that we shouldn’t push things right now. If your father’s upset, he’s not going to be receptive to something like us.” She tried to smile, but her heart broke just a little at the thought of waiting even longer to be able to touch him in public. She didn’t really believe that they could do anything to change the situation, but she was more than willing to try.
“Hey there, girlfriend!” Riley came up from behind Jade and hugged her. “Sexy Rexy,” she teased.
Rex arched a brow, and Jade cringed.
“Sorry,” Jade said to Rex. Then she turned back to Riley. “I thought you were coming with that guy from the tack store. Where is he?”
Riley tucked her hair behind her ear and rolled her eyes. “The guy’s a loser. All he wanted to do was get me into the sack.” She smiled at Rex. “Sorry, girls are crude, I know, but it’s true. Why do all men just want one thing?”
“I can listen to you call me silly—and maybe true—names.” Rex looked serious, but Jade could tell he was fighting to hide a smile. “And I can even understand when you have a hard time with the way a guy treats you, but please don’t lump us all together. Not all of us are that way.”
“Yeah, well, you’re already spoken for.” She winked at Jade.
“So you ditched him?” Jade asked.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to waste a day on him. One day, I swear I’m going to meet a nice guy who isn’t so caught up in sex that he can’t see me for the great gal that I am.” Riley put her arm around Jade. “Right? Tell me I’m right, please. Just lie to me.”
Jade laughed, a little embarrassed that Rex was witnessing them at their most comfortable, and private, interaction.
“You know it, babe,” Jade said, planting a kiss on her friend’s cheek.
“What are you doing these days, Riley? Didn’t you study fashion? What are you doing back here?” Rex asked.
Riley groaned. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to break into the fashion industry? It’s harder than finding a worthy date.”
Jade liked that Rex was taking an interest in her friend, and she imagined what it might be like to have joint friends. They had so much to look forward to—she was afraid to think that far ahead.
“Did you do well in school?” Rex crossed his arms, studying her with a serious gaze.
“Are you kidding? I graduated with a three-eight GPA and won two design awards while I was there,” she said with pride.
“The field is really competitive,” Jade added.
“It’s really more who you know than what you can do, and coming from Weston, Colorado, knowing ranchers and horse breeders didn’t carry much weight in the fashion industry. So, here I am. I’ve been working at Macy’s doing menial work for menial pay, good discounts, you know. In other words, I’m doing all the things I could have done without a college education.” Riley pulled her arm from around Jade’s neck. “I know I’m not destined for greatness,” she said.
“She’s an amazingly talented designer,” Jade added. “Remember the white dress I wore on our date?” She saw the dirty memory pass through Rex’s narrowing, appreciative eyes. “Riley made it. She designed it and made it.”
“That was a killer dress,” Rex said with a mischievous smile.
“Nah,” Riley said with a wave of her hand. “That’s not my best work. I have tons of designs that I haven’t had time to make, but I have them all laid out. They’re not really Weston Western wear, so…” She shrugged.
“I don’t know if it will help or not, but my brother Josh is a designer. Why don’t you give me your portfolio and I’ll get it to him. He might have some suggestions.”
Jade wanted to jump into his arms and thank him, but she didn’t dare.
Riley, however, did. She jumped right up and kissed his cheek. “Are you kidding? Even if he doesn’t like them, which he probably won’t, he might have ideas of what I can change and what I need to work on. I know Josh from school. He was always nice to everyone, and everyone in Weston knows he’s only about the best designer ever. Gosh, I haven’t seen him in years. I’d give anything for more direction, but my parents and I kind of ran out of funding for extra stuff.”
Riley was beaming, and Jade felt her chest swell with pride that Rex would even think to offer a hand to Riley. Even if Josh hated her stuff, Rex had still tried, and to Jade that meant more than any job ever would.
“Are you guys going to the concert tonight?” Riley asked.
Jade shot a look at Rex, knowing that his family was in town and they’d be worried about Hope.
