Chapter 12
MARLON
Kealy strode into the crowded brunch spot like she owned the place. It was one of the things I liked about her. She was just naturally self-possessed—not cocky or full of herself like so many in the fashion world, but charmingly down to earth and unassuming.
Not to mention, gorgeous.
I caught her eye and waved. She broke out in a big smile as she wove between the closely packed tables to get to me.
“Oh, my god, am I late? I’m sorry, I must be late,” she said breathlessly. She untangled herself from her cross-body bag and removed her hoodie to reveal a white T-shirt that showed off her lovely shape.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I reached for her hand. “You’re fine, Kealy, really. I got here early to get a table.”
Surprise crossed her face, followed by appreciation. “Thank you, that was really nice.”
“Well, you had to leave so abruptly last night, I figured it was the least I could do to continue showing you a good time.”
“Ugh. I’m so sorry about my roommate. She said she’d send you a replacement plant.”
“Totally not necessary, and don’t worry about it. Bloody Mary?” I asked.
“Yes, please,” she said, glancing through the menu.
Damn, she was cute with that blunt cut blonde hair. It gave her a kind of edgy look that so many New York women were after but couldn’t quite pull off. But on her, it was perfection. And then there were those green eyes…
“Marlon? Marlon, are you okay?” she asked.
Shit. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I was just mesmerized by your eyes.” No sense in beating around the bush.
“Oh. Thanks,” she said, a pink tinge washing over her face.
She was a blusher. Yowsa, that got me.
The waiter took our orders and rushed away. One of the things I loved about the Uptown was that they brought your food fast.
Not five minutes later I was watching Kealy dig into her eggs benedict.
“So, Rand tells me you’ve had some challenges at work lately,” I said.
Her head snapped up, and she stopped chewing.
“Hey, we guys are buddies, and we all want to learn a bit more about you. Anyway, didn’t mean to throw you off guard,” I said.
She was silent for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Yeah. A guy I work with pirated some of my work. In fact, he was at your party. I think you know him. Muse?”
“The little guy who wears the bowties?”
She nodded. “Marlon, are you guys friends with him?”
“Not really. I mean, we know him from the shows. That model brought him, the really bitchy one who’s always popping pills.”
“Oh yeah, I spotted her across the room.”
“Well, I’m not sure how she got invited, but you know how parties are. The word gets out…people show up,” I said.
“They destroy your plants…all in a day’s party.” She smiled guiltily.
Seriously, I could give a shit about that stupid tree her roommate trampled all over. Someone had given me that plant when I’d moved in. In fact, every plant I had was given to me. It never would have occurred to me to buy a single houseplant. Except maybe a cactus. I liked those, and they seemed hard to kill.
“So, what are you going to do about work? I mean, it sounds like your boss didn’t really support you,” I said.
I knew what it was like to not be supported. Unfortunately.
She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “You know what I want to do? Start my own men’s wear collection.” She shrugged and leaned closer. “It’s really a dream at this point, so I’m keeping it kind of quiet.”
I raised my hand like a Boy Scout. “Promise. Won’t tell a soul.”
She was gorgeous and had drive. That was a package I liked.
“What’s your timeframe for kicking things off?” Christ, I sounded like the kind of corporate creep I’d spent my life trying to avoid.
She pursed her lips for a moment. “I don’t know. I suppose it’s a pipe dream. It takes a lot of money to launch a label.”
“Well, I’d like to see some of your work. I mean, I guess I have seen it. Shit, I’ve worn it at the shows. Hey, those weird trousers were your design, weren’t they?”
Oops. Had I just stuck my foot in my mouth? Well, this would be the perfect way to see if she had a sense of humor.
“Yeah, yeah. Cross told me they weren’t a hit with you guys. But the fashion press loved them,” she said.
“Well, there you go. If they’re a bellwether for what will sell, I say go for it. What do I know? I just wear the stuff.” I gestured toward myself. “As you can see, in the off hours, I am a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy.”
She laughed again. “That’s cool. There will never been anything that everyone loves. It’s impossible.”
Whew. Skated through that one.
She tilted her head and looked at me. “What about you? I mean, what’s your story?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Oh, right. My story. Well, I dropped out of college and have been on my parents’ shit list ever since.”
“Why’d you drop out?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to travel. See the world. That sort of thing. I mean, I’ll go back to college one day. I just don’t want to right now.”
“Well, why were your parents so opposed to that? I mean, it sounds pretty reasonable,” she said.
“My dad wanted me in the family business. He’s pretty powerful and used to getting his way. He owns one of the NFL teams and wanted me to work with him.”
Her eyes bugged out of her head. I was used to that. It happened every time I told someone what my dad did. It was why I didn’t talk about it. But if I wanted to know Kealy, I had to let her know me.
“Your dad owns a football team?” she said slowly.
“Yup. Sure does.”
She nodded, a chunk of her blonde hair falling across her eye.
Oh, what the hell.