After the very last piece of jewelry is presented, Pippa takes my hand. “Ready?”
“Not really.” I say this with a grin on my face. The atmosphere is infectious. The models are loud, laughing and joking, waiting to walk outside one last time, led by Pippa and me. Drawing in a deep breath, I announce, “Now I’m ready.”
Praying not to stumble over my own feet, I step on the runway with Pippa by my side. The crowd erupts in applause. The deafening sound has the unexpected effect of calming my nerves. I realize I was chewing the inside of my cheek. Carefully, I put one foot in front of the other. I can’t make out any faces because the spotlight blinds me, so I wave in the general direction of the crowd, smiling brightly and whole-heartedly.
When we return backstage, my legs begin to tremble.
“Oh. My. God! My legs have turned to Jell-O.”
“That’s adrenaline,” Pippa explains. “Listen, quick instructions. There will be reporters wanting to speak to you. Just be calm and be yourself.”
“Noted.”
“Don’t forget, there are plenty of cupcakes out there. If you feel down, grab one.”
“Only you could give that advice with a straight face, sister.” Logan appears from behind us, taking both Pippa and me by the waist. “You two were stunning out there.”
“This is my cue to leave before becoming a third wheel,” Pippa says. She gives me a knowing look as she leaves.
Logan loses no time, pulling me in the now-empty hair and makeup section. Hairspray clogs the air, and breathing becomes a chore.
“I wanted to kidnap you from that stage,” he says in a low, seductive voice. “Since we’ll both be busy with reporters tonight, I wanted to give you a quick—or not-so-quick—kiss before the mayhem begins.”
I take a deep breath, unable to meet his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asks.
“What really happened to your lip?” I blurt out.
Logan takes a step back, remaining silent for almost a minute. Finally, jamming his hands in his pockets, he asks, “You spoke with Archer?”
“Yes.”
I fold my arms over my chest, looking at him expectantly. “I asked you not to get involved.”
“The guy is scamming designers, Nadine.” Running a hand through his hair, he sighs in frustration.
I bite my tongue, digesting this new piece of information. “I did my own research and thought something wasn’t right. He wouldn’t give me the contact information of any designer he’s worked with. That was a big red flag. I wasn’t going to go into business with him anyway. Why did you do all this behind my back?”
“I was going to talk to you about it after the show. I didn’t want to spoil this for you.” Taking a deep breath, he adds, “Since it’s confession time, I should also tell you that the bank didn’t approve your loan, so I paid your old debt.”
I gasp. “You. . . Oh, Logan.”
“Nadine, I just want to protect you. You know that, right?”
“I do, but you... Oh, God. We don’t have time to talk about this right now. I need to go outside to the reporters.”
“Of course. We can talk later, at home.”
“We’ll both be tired and angry, and that’s not a good combo for a talk.”
Logan straightens his shoulders. “Okay. We’ll sleep and talk tomorrow.”
“I think I should sleep at Ava’s tonight.”
“What?” Logan stiffens.
“It’s that... I won’t be able to sleep at home knowing you’re next to me, and we still have to talk about this. I’ll sleep at Ava’s, and tomorrow I’ll come home. We’ll be both be rested and we can talk. I just need a good night sleep, that’s all.”