Page 10 of At Your Service
“Anyway, we’d better get started with this. Today’s going to be a busy day.”
He walked with her to the door. “You’re right. I’ll speak with my team this afternoon and arrange for you to meet with them tomorrow morning. If there’s time on your schedule, Landra will coordinate everything. But I’d like to get you set up quickly. If this fake wedding works out, we should see an immediate bump in sales, especially since we’re at the peak of wedding season.”
“Then maybe we should have gotten engaged earlier this year,” she said as they walked to the elevators in what felt like a moment of déjà vu. “We’re already in the first week of May. If a woman’s getting married this season, she likely already has her gown.”
“Until she sees a Golden Bride original being tried on by a real-life bride who’s also going to be a member of the Gold family,” he said before leaning in to push the button to summon the elevator.
Except there was nothing “real” about this arrangement.
“So we’re hoping for the impromptu bride. Or the indecisive one.” She nodded as she thought about her vendors who specialized in bridal items.
“Or the one who’s just been swept off her feet with a wildly romantic proposal and can’t wait to be married. She plans a quick wedding but wants all the bells and whistles, starting with a couture gown.” He talked while she stepped into the elevator car. Following her inside, he pushed the buttons for his floor and the lobby.
“Not couture, RGF already has their wealthy customers on lock,” she said. “Think about the average woman who’s looking for something fancy, unique, but economical. I’ll do some research on the bridal line, see what budget-friendly gowns you have.”
“But you don’t need to select budget friendly. I told you I’ll take care of everything for you,” he insisted.
Was that a look of pity she saw flash quickly in his eyes? Lord, she hoped not.
“The rich won’t care about the Fashion House Playboy being engaged,” she pointed out. “It won’t seem romantic and dazzling to them because they’re already living their own dazzling lives. But the woman who picks up the fashion magazines in the supermarket and runs her fingers over the glossy pages full of designer gowns? She’s the one who’ll appreciate this whole charade and she’s the one you should be targeting.”
“You’re a techie like me, how do you know all this stuff about marketing bridal gowns?”
“I’m that ‘regular’ woman. Wasn’t that what Desta said in the meeting earlier? That’s why you chose me and that’s how I know what I’m talking about.”
The elevator door opened on his floor, but Major didn’t immediately move to get out.
“You should go, you have a lot of work to do today,” she told him even though she sensed he wanted to stay.
She, on the other hand, needed some space. That kiss, her mentioning her father to him, and then the talk of weddings had her feeling a bit unsteady. Considering the old proverb, she’d just experienced a giant misstep in her dance routine and she needed to regroup.
“I’ll see you later,” he said finally as the door began to close and he extended his arm to stop it.
Nina nodded. “I’ll be ready.”
Every muscle in her body felt limp. In fact, when Nina flopped down onto her stomach on her hotel room couch, she felt as if she might melt into the upholstery. That guy at the spa had massaged every muscle in her body until they were like jelly. And she’d never felt better!
She’d need to hold on to this feeling when she made the call to her family to tell them she’d be here much longer than anticipated. Her text earlier today saying that she’d missed her train wasn’t going to be enough. But she’d been putting that off, instead deciding to enjoy the luxurious offerings of the Tranquil Mornings Day Spa. From champagne to sparkling water, fruit to decadent chocolates, and a menu to order lunch or dinner, the place had accommodated all her needs—even the ones she hadn’t realized she’d had.
Claude was waiting to take her to her dress fittings, but she’d wanted to stop and grab her laptop before heading out again. She was just about to push herself up from the couch, grab it and head back downstairs when someone knocked at the door. She moved across the room much faster than her very relaxed body wanted to.
“Hello,” she said when she pulled the door open to see a woman standing there.
“Hello,” the woman replied before stepping inside unannounced. “Bring the racks in and put them over there. Have makeup set up near the window so Natalia will have the best light. We have a couple hours until it’s time to head to the venue, but I want to make sure everything is perfect, and we may have to go through a couple outfits first.”
The woman—dressed in gray pants tapered at the bottom, bright yellow pumps and a white high-low blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows—breezed into the room.
“Excuse me?” Nina asked, taking a step behind the three racks of clothes that had been wheeled into her hotel room. “I think there might be some mistake.”
“There’s no mistake.”
Another woman spoke and Nina turned around to see her closing the door.
“Hi, I’m Riley Gold and you’re Nina Fuller. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Yes, this was Riley Gold, the Ice Princess of RGF as the press had called her for years, until she’d started dating Chaz—Chadwick Warren. Her beauty far surpassed any of the pictures Nina had seen of her online.
As realization immediately set in, Nina accepted the outstretched hand and calmed down just a bit. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you, Riley. I thought I was being driven to the fittings.”
