“I’ll catch up with you guys later. I’ll think about the pitches today. In the meantime, I’m going to pay Gran a visit.” Standing up, I went down to the ground floor and ordered an Uber.
Gran and my grandfather had practically raised me, and I always enjoyed our conversations. As wildlife photographers, my parents were constantly traveling, so I lived with my grandparents until I turned eighteen. My parents were currently in Kilimanjaro, and my grandfather passed away five years ago, so Gran only had me.
After losing Grandpa, she went through a phase of deep sadness for more than a year. Mom and Dad took her with them on a trip to the Grand Canyon, and since she returned, she’d been different. The change of scenery had been good for her.
During the drive to her apartment, I planned to mentally review the pitches. Instead, I found myself thinking about Tess Winchester.
The fire in her eyes and the passion in her voice were captivating even hours later. That protective look when she glanced at her sister got to me in a way I couldn’t explain. I could tell a lot about a person from their presentation. For instance, Tess wasn’t just involved in management decisions. Based on the things she referenced, it was clear she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty...and that led me right to dirty thoughts.
I started thinking about her in lingerie yet again, about the peek I’d gotten of her breast. She’d been cute, all nervous in the bathroom. She’d also been delicious at the lockers, where she challenged and teased, and I’d just forgotten about boundaries or common sense. If we were going to work with Soho Lingerie, I had to stop whatever this was.
I’d always been perfectly capable of separating my personal life from my business endeavors. It was one of my strengths, and I didn’t think anything could change that.
Tess Winchester was proving me wrong.
Chapter Four
Tess
I loved shopping. It helped me relax, and I definitely needed that. I’d been on edge all day yesterday, even after we left the auditorium following our pitch. Today, I’d been at the store all morning, then in a meeting with our website designer in the afternoon.
Right now, I was venturing around Nolita with a mighty shopping list. I never stuck to the list, though. Typically, I finished a shopping trip with at least three more bags than planned. So far, I picked up a scarf I thought Mom might like and a necklace for my niece Avery. It was a gorgeous pendant with a blue quartz. Honestly, the jewelry shop was so amazing that I had trouble leaving it. It wasn’t upscale or anything, but the pink velvet jewelry holders just made it cozy and gorgeous. I loved buying presents for my nieces and nephews the most. It was so easy to make them happy. And since my inner child was still very active, it helped me pick the right gifts.
We’d grown up in Boston in a huge house and had every convenience possible, until my parents’ marriage imploded and Dad’s business went bankrupt. After moving to a suburb of New York, we barely made ends meet. I learned not to ask for new things, because it made Mom sad. She would have given us the world if she could have afforded it.
I was immensely happy that I was in a position where I could afford buying anything I wanted not just for myself but also for my family. I just liked buying presents for no reason.
I loved that there were so many kids in the family. It all started three years ago when my brother Ryker started dating a single mom, Heather, who’s currently pregnant with their baby. My cousin Hunter was also married to our very good friend Josie, but they hadn’t had children—yet.
The family had grown fast when Skye got pregnant. In addition, her husband’s sister also had a ten-year-old daughter, Lindsay. I still hadn’t decided what kind of pendant to buy for her, though she loved just about anything I’ve given her. It had to be different than Avery’s, so each girl would feel special, but not different enough that they would fight over whose was nicer. There were so many options to choose from that I was slightly overwhelmed. In the end, I picked up one that had an identical teardrop shape but a pink quartz.
“Pack them both in pink paper please,” I told the sales associate. That was one thing the girls agreed on: pink was better than any other color.
“Right away.”
I was smiling from ear to ear as I revised my shopping list. All done. I felt wildly more relaxed than yesterday. One thing was still nagging at me, though. We hadn’t heard from Harrington & Co. yet; I checked my email every thirty minutes today to make sure. I was jittery every time I remembered not only my bathroom run-in with Liam but also the shameless flirting at the lockers. I hadn’t expected that!
Stepping out of the store, I glanced around, deciding what to do next. A cupcake shop caught my eye, and though I was more of a chocolate cake kind of gal, the pink sign and the fluffy pillows in the window display sold me on it.
My phone rang as I crossed the street. I transferred all my bags to my right hand, searching for the phone in my purse with my left. It was Skye calling, and I answered right away, hoping she’d heard something.
“We’ve made it to the next round!” she exclaimed.
“Awesome, I didn’t get to check my email yet. When is it?”
“They gave us three options to choose from. One is tomorrow, one Friday, and the third one next Monday. Always at seven o’clock.”
“I’m free for all of those, so you choose.”
“Okay, I’ll reply right away. Tess, I’m so excited. I wasn’t sure what to think when they just sent us on our way yesterday so quickly.”
“All of us had fifteen-minute slots, Skye. I think it just seemed faster because we’d been the ones presenting.”
“You’re right. Well, I worried for nothing, because we’ve made it. I can’t wait.”
“Hey, I’m just looking at a fabulous cupcake shop. Want me to grab some and stop by your place to celebrate?” There was no better way to celebrate good news than quality time with my sister, her husband, and my nephew.
“Oh, I can’t. We’re going over to Rob’s sister’s for dinner.”