Page 62 of If We Never Met

"Me, too."

He needed to fix this. "Look, Nikki isn't the only one with connections. I can pull some strings, too. I can connect you to stylists. I've got an agent, a publicist, and friends in the media."

She immediately shook her head. "No, I don't want your help."

"Why not? I'm the reason you're getting screwed."

"It's just one stylist. Hopefully, the others won't bail."

"They might. I didn't realize until just this second that you and Nikki intersect in the world of fashion."

"I wouldn't say we intersect. I'm a small-town designer, who has made a few dresses. She's an international supermodel. I'm not in her sphere."

"You could be, one day. I can spread the word about how good you are."

"I don't think you should be talking about me at all. It will just add fuel to the fire."

"I have to do something. I got you into this."

She surprised him with a faint smile. "I actually got myself into this. I'm the one who sat down at your table and thought you were Danny."

"But I bought you fish tacos and got you out of that restaurant and into a photo with me."

"That's true, but I don't blame you for this, Dante. I blame myself, and I blame Nikki for being a cold-hearted bitch. I hope that's not too harsh."

He grinned. "You're not offending me. I just wish I'd seen that side of her a lot earlier."

"I'm sure you were distracted by her perfect body and her incredibly captivating face."

"She is pretty. But she's a shell. There's not much substance to her."

"She probably never needed to develop substance, looking the way she looks. Her whole career is based on her looking good in a picture."

"That's true. When we were together, everything was a photo op. And there was an endless number of parties." He thought about that crazy time for a moment. "It's very possible that dating Nikki played a factor in my injury."

She quirked a brow at his comment. "How so?"

"I was slacking off. Instead of working out on my off days, I was drinking a lot. I was hanging out on boats and taking photos when I should have been in the gym. I let my focus slip, and this is where I ended up."

"Maybe it was just overuse of your arm. You must have put tremendous pressure on your shoulder over the years. What did the doctor say?"

"That it could have been that or an odd tweak of a motion I'd done a hundred thousand times, or it could have been lack of training. Anyway, it is what it is. I can only move on from here. As for Nikki's attack on your business, I hope you'll consider my offer to help."

"I'll consider it, but frankly, Dante, I don't even have time for more business right now, especially design work. I'm struggling so much with Hannah's wedding dress, I'm losing confidence in myself. I always felt good when I designed, like I was doing exactly what I knew how to do. I thought of myself as creative, inventive, imaginative, but for some reason, I've gotten completely blocked. The wedding is a week from Saturday. I'm running out of time."

"What does Hannah think? Is she getting nervous?"

"No, because she thinks the dress is fine the way it is, but I know it's not. And she should have the perfect dress. She's my best friend. If I can't make a gown that is spectacular for her, then maybe I'm not that good."

He thought about her disparaging words. He was a little surprised by her pessimistic statement. She'd seemed very optimistic until now.

"What's really going on?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe the dress isn't what's bothering you. Perhaps you need to dig deeper."

"I don't know what you're getting at."

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