The Naked Truth (The Honeybrook Hamdens)

"He came sniffing through your office yesterday. I think he was looking for more designs."

"Oh god did he--"

"I'd already hidden them. They're safe in my desk."

"Thank you, Trina. I owe you."

"You owe me to infinity. Because I am going to help y

ou. But you're on your own with the fashion show."

"That I can handle." Julie sighed. "You're a good friend."

"And you're a good boss. I'm sorry to see you go."

"Yeah...me too." Julie clicked off of the line, then held her cell phone in the palm of her hand for a long moment. She was going to have to go through with the fashion show—including parading her own work on the runway and allowing someone else to take the credit.

It stung, but if Trina was successful…

No, she wouldn’t get her hopes up. She simply had to press on and try to get this thing together. In two weeks. With next to nothing and pretty much nobody invited.

There was only one solution left. One person with all the contacts, all the industry connections to get a job this big taken care of.

Julie let out a deep breath.

Okay. Here goes nothing.

Chapter Five

Ten Years Ago

It wasn’t weird.

Definitely not. After all, people visited people when they were sick all the time. She’d even brought soup. And if Luke wasn’t with her, well, that wasn’t her fault, was it? She’d asked him to come, and he’d been busy.

She and Chase were friends, too. She could bring him soup if she wanted to.

She knocked on the door, wondering exactly how bad he’d look since he hadn’t been in school for a week. Maybe it was the flu. Considering he wasn’t answering any text messages, it might be something more serious. Whatever it was, she couldn’t picture him looking anything less than perfect.

The door swung open and Chase’s stepfather loomed in the doorway, tall and lean and tired-looking. His sallow face scrunched up as he took her in, then he said, “Whattaya want?”

“Is Chase here?” she asked, trying to keep the edge of hatred out of her voice.

The man gave a single nod and stepped aside, so Julie walked in and found him in the dingy living room, kneeling beside a woman whose skin looked as thin as tissue paper and as yellow as death. She glanced up at Julie with glassy eyes, and Chase’s gaze followed.

When Julie’s eyes met his, he didn’t smile.

She shouldn’t have come here. She knew that with mind-shattering clarity the second she saw his face.

“I brought soup,” was all she could manage, then she set it on the entryway table behind her and walked right back out the door.

Present Day

Julie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and dialed the number she knew by heart.

This was the only choice she had left. Her last chance to get out of what might well be the worst disaster of her career. Or maybe the second worst. Or the third. It was getting harder and harder to keep track these days.

Still, as the dial tone buzzed against her ear she fidgeted with her necklace and pulled down her shirt like she was readying herself for a meeting back in the office.