Page 41 of Pursued by the Player

Chapter 11

“This is truly amazing, kid. I think we have the largest turnout in the history of Fresh Fashions,” Kennedy said from behind Mel’s shoulder.

Mel sighed and closed the thick, velvet curtain. “I suppose.” She turned toward him and tried to appear cheerful.

“Smile, child. We’re about to make fashion history.” He pressed his finger under her chin. “I’m proud of you, kid. You did well.” He lowered his hand and glanced around. “We have record numbers, which means record profits. Even if no one buys a stitch of clothing, the cost of the seats alone will put us in the black.” He grinned and rubbed his hands. “I’ll finally get to show up that horrible Evelynn Byers. For years she has been outselling me, but now. . .” He took in a deep breath and let it out. “Now I will finally have my revenge. “ He winked at Mel. “There is a great future for you at Fresh Fashions, you know.”

“Thanks.”

“You keep bringing me fresh ideas like this, and I see you breaking into the big chain stores—and not just on the rack, but a special section with your name on it.”

It was everything she wanted to hear. All of her life, Mel had wanted nothing more than to have her own clothing line. It was as if Kennedy was wrapping up all of her dreams and handing them to her on a silver platter. It was overwhelming—yet she didn’t feel the joy she thought she would over such a declaration.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

“Mr. Brach.” A staff member with a headset hurried over to them. “There is an issue with one of the models.”

“Who?”

“Jasmine.”

“Oh God. What is it now?”

The staff member cleared his throat. “She swears that we gave her tap water, not bottled.”

“That’s ridiculous. I had two cases brought in from Canada specifically for this show.” Kennedy rolled his eyes. “She only drinks water melted from some glacier out in Western Canada.”

“A true diva,” the staff member agreed.

“But worth the hassle.” Kennedy shook his finger. “One turnabout on that runway in a garbage bag, and women will be rushing to the grocery store to fill their wardrobes.” He placed his hand on Mel’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, honey. Duty calls.”

“Of course.”

As soon as he turned his back, Mel’s smile faded. Jett didn’t come. She knew that it was a long shot after everything that had happened, but still, she was hopeful. The entire incident wasn’t her fault. If she could just be allowed to explain what had happened. . .

But no. He wouldn’t give her that chance, and she supposed she deserved it. She should have known that her boss would be so underhanded. It was what had made him such a sought-after fashion mogul. He was ruthless and a perfectionist. That didn’t make what he did right.

“Showtime ladies.” Kennedy clapped his hands in the air as he made his way through the lines of models backstage. “Everybody ready.”

For the next hour, Mel busied herself touching up the various designs, trying to forget that she blew her one big chance at love. Jett was never very far from her thoughts, however, and when intermission finally came, she couldn’t help but peek out through the curtain at her reserved seat once more.

“That long face is going to give you permanent wrinkles.” The familiar voice jarred Mel from her thoughts. She turned and saw her friend Liv grinning from ear to ear.

“You made it.” At least someone still liked and supported her. Mel hugged her friend and blinked back the tears.

“Thanks so much for the backstage pass,” Liv said. “It has been so much fun to watch.”

“Is Nayo here?”

“Nah, he isn’t into fashion.” She waved her hand in the air between them. “A new family arrived this morning, and he’s helping them get settled.”

“That’s so nice of you two to help immigrant families like that.”

Liv shrugged. “We try. There’s just so many of them. A lot of times we don’t have the resources to help.” She waved her hand in the air in dismissal. “But this isn’t about me. This is about you and your big day.”

“Yeah, my big day.” Mel glanced through the crack in the curtain once more.

“What’s wrong?”

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