Page 61 of The Re-Proposal

“I’ll go find his doctor. Make sure I haven’t forgotten any last minute instructions. Come in when you’re ready,” Vargas says.

I nod curtly.

Once I’m alone, I suck in a deep breath and call Mimi.

She answers without preamble. “Yes?”

“Did you convince her?”

“Who do you think I am?” Her accent thickens. She’s smug.

I lean back in my chair, smiling. “Did she put up a fuss?”

“She did.”

“I told you.”

“I was prepared, but… she is stubborn. She only accepted the gift when I agreed to donate shoes to the women’s shelter.”

“She’s passionate. Especially when it comes to the things she believes in.”

Her voice holds a hint of amusement. “You thought I would fail.”

“There was a fifty-fifty chance.”

Mimi goes quiet. “Cody, do you know why I’m so good at my job?”

Because you’re as cut-throat in your fashion world as I am in the business world?

My inclination is to fill in the blanks, but I wait for her to tell me. People think I know all the answers, but the truth is that I listen more than I speak. When Idospeak, it’s because I’ve learned from someone more knowledgeable than me.

“When a client comes to me, they’re not just asking for clothes. They’re asking me to look into their hearts, their souls, to pry up their insecurities and hide them or flaunt them or make them believe it’s a strength. They’re asking me to change their minds. Do you know that changing a mind is the hardest thing in the world?”

“And yet I do it every day.Every day. I convince someone to love the parts of their body that they hated. I convince them to love themselves. To love the world. To change the world. Or steal from it. Sometimes, I help them lie, fool everyone. To step out into the spotlight or sink into the background. Do you think it’s just clothes? Shoes? A new outfit?”

I chuckle. “You sound like a woman on fire.”

“That better be a compliment.”

“It is.”

“Good. I like your girl, Cody. She’s a blank canvas. Pretty. Humble. Obedient. She listened to everything I said.”

“She tends to do that when she’s uncomfortable.” I grin at the memory of our heated fight earlier. “When she trusts you, the claws come out.”

“You like the claws?”

Warmth spreads in my chest. “I love the claws.”

“You love her.” Mimi’s not asking. “Why stop at shoes?”

I glance through the window at the hospital. An ambulance screams into view, lights flashing. Doctors rush out. Nurses. A crying family member. An awful reminder that life is fragile.

“She’s not ready yet. For all of it. I’m taking it slow.”

“They say if you buy someone shoes, they’ll walk away from you.”

I frown. “Then I’ll walk right behind her.”

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