Page 47 of Perfect (mis)Match

Chloe joined us looking sheepish. “I’m sorry. I know I’m a nightmare.”

I laughed. “You arenot, you’re a perfectionist! But I want to go on the record and let you know that I love my dress, and I think it’s beautiful. Not trying to sway you, I just wanted you to know.”

Chloe stuck out her bottom lip like she was about to cry and gave me a quick hug.

“You two make a good team, you know that?” Chloe said as she glanced between us. “Piper talked me off the ledge, then called for reinforcements. And you, Vincent, finessing the seamstress. I can’t believe the shop is willing to let me change my mind.”

I sputtered and pointed at Vincent. “This guy? A sweet talker?”

His forehead furrowed for a moment, so fast I was probably the only one who caught it.

“Yeah, uh, she’s right,” he said. “All I did was open my wallet.”

“Well, you did it, they listened, and I thank you for it,” Chloe said as she linked her arm through Paul’s. “We owe you both. Dinner soon?”

“How about dinner after the honeymoon?” Paul said gently. “You’re pretty booked up these days.”

Chloe giggled. “True, not to mention I’ll probably be more fun after it’s all over. But you have my word, I’m going to be perfectly calm and rational from this point forward.”

“Attagirl,” Paul said. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, and I melted a little.

We followed behind them on the way out of the restaurant.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Vincent said softly as we headed for his car. “Maybe Paul’s second wedding will be smoother.”

I jerked away from him. “I’m sorry, hiswhat?”

Vincent didn’t look at me. “Nothing. Totally kidding.”

His mouth pressed into a tight line. Vincent could fake it, but deep down it sounded like he had his doubts about the success of happily ever afters.

14

VINCENT

My day was back-to-back meetings, but I still found a reason—no, anexcuse—to go down to the photography studio to check on Piper’s progress with our latest shoot.

I wasn’t required to be there; I just liked watching her work. Honestly, I liked watching her doanything, but Piper in boss-mode was a sight. Even though she’d accomplished what I’d hired her to do by helping me secure the heliotrope, I’d promised her six months of work, and it was paying off for us to have her on staff. But it wasn’t just Summit benefiting—she’d admitted that working with us would bolster her résumé and portfolio.

It was a win-win.

I eased into the room quietly and hugged the wall because my presence tended to put people on edge. Luckily, there was enough activity on set that I was as good as invisible.

The shoot was for our new “glowtion” body lotion that left a sparkly shimmer on the skin once it was absorbed. Even though I’d promoted her to creative director, Piper still preferred to be hands-on when it came to certain projects. She wasn’t willingto completely give up being behind the camera sometimes, and on this shoot, she’d tasked herself with the basic product shots for our web site as well as creating some behind-the-scenes content for social media. Based on the way she kept adjusting the lighting until it was perfect, I could tell she was still working on the product shots.

Damn it,shewas perfection. Piper was dressed for utility in black cargo pants and a white ribbed tank top that clung to her body, and as an added bonus, she was wearing her black strap invention that made her look like a dominatrix. I’d understood the basic concept when she’d explained it, but now that I was seeing it in action, I could tell why it was such a great idea. Not only was it a cool design, it also really worked; she could switch between her three cameras quickly, going from macro images to standard in seconds.

The rest of the staff was having as much fun as Piper, a welcome change from Eileen’s reign of terror. The woman had the magic touch.

I felt lucky to be a beneficiary.

“Vincent, hello!”

I snapped out of my reverie to realize that I’d been spotted. I mentally scrolled through my employee names, trying to place the earnest young man. I was still trying to be more approachable.

Piper could teach me a thing or two.

“Bradley,” I finally said. “How are things going?”

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