Page 19 of Fate

Once I hang up, Chloe lays out her new concepts for our women’s line. “I’m not feeling that strap and bodice together. Something’s not quite right.”

I focus on the design, and it reminds me of the sequined dress I wore to Carson’s father’s birthday party all those years ago. I run my scarred finger down the design. He was so handsome that night and happy to show off his new girlfriend to his dad. That was also the night Chase proposed to Gillian. Seems like foreverago…

“Earth to Kat. Hello? Cut the strap or leaveit?”

I shake my head, and a few drops fall down the slope of my nose and onto the paper below. I glance away, wiping at myeyes.

Chloe gasps and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Kat, what’s the matter?”

I sniff and lift my head, trying to blink back the unwanted tears. “Nothing. Uh, the design just reminded me of a better time, that’sall.”

She sighs and leans against my desk, sitting on the edge. “Lay it onme.”

I clear my throat. “There is nothing to lay onyou.”

She sits on my desk and crosses her ankles and her arms, obviously planning to hold out for the long haul. The woman is ruthless if she wants something, and right now it’s whatever has me crying over her designs.

Stupidmen.

“Does deflecting usually work for your best friends?”

I shake my head. “Not usually, no.”

“Then what makes you think it will work on me? Kat, we’ve been partners for two years now, working together for almost three. I know when your head is not in the game. Usually, I don’t care, as long as your heart is in it. But crying over a design? If you hate it that much you could have just said so.” She holds a serious stern look until she can’t any longer, and her lips tremble with laughter.

On instinct, I elbow her thigh. “Shutup.”

“You shut up. No, actually that would be the opposite of what I requested you to do. Blonde moment.” She conks her ownhead.

“Stop trying to make me laugh.”

“Stop avoiding the question.”

I inhale a long, slow breath. “I’m fine. The design reminded me of a better time isall.”

“Ah, I see. My guess is something having to do with my brother?” Her eyes soften.

I shrug. “Yeah. I saw him last weekend.”

Chloe pounces and with a nudge to my shoulder spins my chair 180 degrees. Before I can right it, she spins me the rest of the way and gets in myface.

“You saw him? When? How? Why? Are you getting back together?” Her words come in a jumbled string.

I lean back in my chair, giving myself some space. “He was at Chase and Gillian’s the morning after I spent the night.”

“Fucking bastard cousin of mine. I’ll kick his ass for putting you on thespot.”

“Cut it out. He didn’t plan on having me spend the night, and he did plan on having Carson there. It was fine, actually. Nice, even. I hadn’t seen him in a full year. He looksgood.”

Really. Fucking. Good.

Drop-dead gorgeous.

“So, what happened? Did you talk tohim?”

I stand up and pace the room, trying to get my thoughts together. “Not much. We chatted. He kissed me. We had coffee and a quiet breakfast, nothingmore.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back the truck up. Put that shit in reverse. He kissed you?” Her voice croaks as if she’s holding back her excitement the way a kid does when parents tell them they are going to Disneyland but not for anotherweek.

---