Page 27 of Then Came Love
“Me too. In fact, one of my favorite residents, Ari Lexington, is the one who made that cake for my two-year anniversary as the director.”
“He must really appreciate you.”
“I think a lot of the residents think of me as family, too, and that’s the greatest feeling.”
“Yes, it is. Had I known it was your anniversary, we would have had champagne.” He lifted his glass. “To your directorship. May you continue to enjoy it more with every passing day.”
She melted inside and lifted her glass to toast. “Thank you.”
They sipped their punch, and as Jax set his glass down, he said, “Do you still have an interest in designing?”
“As a career? I can’t go back to school.”
“You don’t have to go to school. You just need to work with someone who can help guide you and teach you about the industry.”
“Is that how you broke into it?”
“Yes. My cousin Josh is a fashion designer, and I studied under him while I was in school. He saw my potential and let me take the lead on a gown for a prominent client, and luckily, she loved it. She was all over social media and the society pages, and I was blessed to have my career take off after that. You’ve probably heard of Josh’s company, JRBD?”
Her eyes widened. “That’s your cousin? Isn’t JRBD a husband-and-wife team? They’re not just designers; they’re world-renowned.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty big.” He laughed. “Josh and Riley have been designing together for years. They’ve got an adorable three-year-old daughter named Abigail, and Riley is a few months pregnant with their second child.”
“Do they live in New York?”
“They split their time between Weston, Colorado, where they grew up, and Manhattan. You’d like them. They’re really down to earth.”
“I guess that’s a family trait. See? You had connections that I couldn’t even have dreamed of.”
“I was lucky that Josh allowed me to work with him, but I’d like to think that you have a fairly good connection in the industry now, too.”
That made her feel good all over.
“Let’s take a look at those wedding gowns.”
He looked at the sketches, making comments about the elements he thought would be flattering and complimenting her design choices. When he turned to the last page of gowns, her two favorites, he laughed.
She couldn’t help but laugh with him. “I know it’s ridiculous to want a wedding gown like Audrey Hepburn’s in Sabrina or the one she never got to wear that the Fontana sisters made when she was engaged to that British guy, but I’ve kind of always had a girl crush on her. She was so stylish and graceful, but she also had a childlike charm, and I loved those dresses. I mean, Givenchy knew what he was doing, and I know the other dress is plain and simple, but there’s a certain elegance to that, and I made modifications to spruce it up a little.”
“I’m not laughing because it’s ridiculous. I’m laughing because she was my first crush.”
“No way. You’re just saying that.”
“I’ll prove it.” He pulled out his phone, poked around on it, and a second later it was ringing on speakerphone.
“Hi, Jax,” a man answered.
“Hi, Dad. What was the name of my first crush?”
Jordan’s eyes widened in embarrassment.
“First attainable crush or first crush?”
“First crush,” Jax answered.
“Didn’t we just talk about this? Aubrey Hepburn. Why?”
“No reason. Thanks, Dad. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, love you.”
“I love you, too.” Jax ended the call, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “You’ll learn that I always tell the truth.”
“I can’t believe you called your father or that you crushed on Audrey.” They really were two peas in a pod. “That’s so coincidental.”
Holding her gaze, he said, “You call it coincidental. I think maybe we were fated to meet.”
Her pulse quickened, and she didn’t even believe in fate. If fate were real, then it was an evil bitch to have put her parents on a road that would steal her whole family from her.
“Fated to meet so I can make your gown, of course,” he quickly added. “But I’m not going to design your gown, Jordan.”
Her heart sank. “You’re not?”
