Page 59 of Jace 4Ever
Every day, this guy pulled out something new to amaze me with.
The boutiquewe walked into later that day was a tiny little storefront at the far end of Rodeo Drive. It had a very handsome, trim fit tux in the one window and a boisterous, playful outfit in the other. The little bells above the door chimed as Jace and I walked in, and the place was neat and clean and there was a faint hint of sandalwood in the air. Not enough to choke a person out, but just to leave a nice hit in the air.
“Be with you in a moment!” The voice floated from the back of the store near the register.
With my hand on the small of his back, I guided Jace to one of the more casual racks of clothes. Every piece of clothing was spaced precisely the same distance apart and hung perfectly on the hangers. Jace ran a finger over the soft cotton of a shirt and laughed.
“Uriah would love this place. Everything so clean and precise. Just like his tailoring room.”
“Just like the lines of everything he designs,” I answered. “Clean and precise. It’s too bad he doesn’t want to go into popular fashion. He’d make a mint.”
“His heart has always been on Broadway,” Jace said. “I wouldn’t dream of taking that away from him. He’s incredibly happy now that everything has squared away with Austin.”
“Good. He deserves it.”
A man in a very bright, multicolored vest with a green shirt and green harem fitted pants walked with someone toward the front door, laughing. When they reached the door, he offered the bag to the woman and held the door open for her. She shoved a huge pair of sunglasses on her face and walked out, smiling.
“Holy shit, that was Emily Vishanza,” Jace whispered.
I nodded. “Yup. Get used to it. All the big names are going to be here this week and we’re going to see a lot of them.”
“Jeez.” The word left him on a breath.
“Hello, good afternoon!” the man called, walking up behind us. “How can I help—oh!” His hand flew to his mouth, and he stared at me a long moment. “Nelson Powers...”
“Hi,” I said, sticking my hand out for him to shake. “We have an appointment for tuxes.”
“Holy hat.” He was still whispering, “I thought I was dreaming when Vera Wang called me earlier today, but now you’re really here and holy...hat.” A shake of his head seemed to bring him out of his delirium, and he finally shook my hand. “Hi. I’m Severn Galbraith, owner and designer of Galbraith Wardrobes. A pleasure.”
“Thank you for seeing us. This is Jace McIntire. We’re here because Vera recommended you for Oscars fashion.”
“Of course.” He was better in control of himself now. “Are you looking for after-party fashions? Something to wear earlier?”
“Red carpet and awards.”
Severn stopped again. “What?”
“We need two dress outfits for the red carpet. I’d like a sharp classic tux, and...”
“Are you okay?” Jace gasped and grabbed his arm.
He was clearly about to go down hard. I wrapped an arm around his middle, and Jace and I maneuvered him to the chair behind the counter. Jace spotted a water bottle next to the register and held it out for him.
Severn took it gratefully and took a few slow sips. “I’m sorry. I’m being so terribly unprofessional. I simply can’t believe that you want to wear my creations on the red carpet.”
“Yes, we do,” I said. “Vera recommended you.”
Dragging in a few deep breaths, he nodded. “I don’t know how she knows who I am, but I’m not about to turn it down. Will you give me a moment to compose myself and we can get started?”
“Of course,” Jace said and backed me off, back to the clothing racks. “You scared him.” He was chuckling.
“I did? Why?”
“Because you’re Nelson Fucking Powers, that’s why. I know exactly how he feels. I’m glad there were no barstools. He might have tripped and landed on you.”
I chuckled. “Okay, fine. I’m a little overwhelming. I get that. But I’m really just a regular guy.”
“After getting to know you, yes, you’re pretty normal. But it’s the starstruck factor.” Jace glanced back at the man on the seat. “And I think we just hit one of his dreams. Being seen on the red carpet.”
