Page 2 of Crossing Lines

His gaze flicks over the room with a familiar mixture of disinterest and superiority that drives me mad. And then his gaze lands on me, like a spotlight, burning right through me. He doesn’t smile—he rarely does—but I see it in his eyes. That gleam. As if he can see me fraying at the edges, as if he knows how uncomfortable I am.

My heart pounds, and heat rises to my face, but I refuse to break eye contact. Not with him. Not now. If he’s waiting for me to fall apart, he’s going to be sorely disappointed.

I straighten, ignoring the pin digging into my ribs, and square my shoulders. I might be held together by safety pins and duct tape, but I’ll be damned if I let him—or anyone else—see me crumble.

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Elodie asks, stopping in front of a circular table sporting our name cards on it and sitting down in her assigned seat.

“Sorry.” I give her a sheepish smile and slide into my chair, shoving all thoughts of Evren out of my head. There are hundreds of people here, so I’m sure I won’tsee him again. “I was a little distracted by all the designer dresses.”

“One day, most of the people in a room like this will be wearing your designs.”

“Yeah, one day.” I paste on a smile, swallowing down the familiar knot in my throat.

After the jacket went viral, I could’ve capitalized on the fame and asked for the rights from Stella and Evren to sell it. My dreams were right there, finally within reach. But it’s an impossibility.

Mom’s been hounding me to sell the jacket since the moment I moved here, as relentless as ever. I’ve spent my entire life watching her manipulate people for money and I refuse to drag Stella into that mess. Stella is one of the kindest and most generous people I’ve ever met. She even hired me to manage the new house she bought in Skyrise City, Missouri, to be closer to Elodie. In an offer that was far too generous, I got to move next to my best friend, have a place to live, and get paid to house-sit and do nothing. If selling the jacket means giving Mom access to money and Stella, I’ll wait. Hell, I’ll wait as long as I have to, to protect her from Mom.

My phone buzzing in my lap saves me from continuing the conversation. I glance down, and sure enough, the group chat between Elodie, Stella, me, and our friend, billionaire heiress Aria Huntington, is blowing up.

Simultaneously, Elodie’s phone buzzes too, and she grins when she looks at the screen. “It’s like they have a sixth sense that we’re together without them.”

“They need to move to Skyrise so we can all be together,” I say, unlocking my screen.

Aria: How many Jell-O shots is too many to pack in my purse for the charity event my family is forcing me to attend tonight?

Stella: Depends. Are your parents going to be there?

Aria: Unfortunately, yes.

Me: Then pack it until your purse is bursting.

Aria: See? This is why we’re friends, you get it.

Elodie: Look on the bright side, maybe you’ll meet a hot guy there. It worked for Hunter and me.

Aria: Sure, let me just switch places with my long-lost twin first and then fall in love with an NFL player.

Elodie: I mean, it’s not an impossibility. Or, and hear me out, skip the twin thing and just go for an NFL player. Jake is single, you know.

Aria: Nope, I’m not touching an athlete with a ten-foot pole. I’d rather focus on finding my nonexistent twin instead. I bet they live somewhere cool.

Me: Define cool.

Aria: Europe?

Stella: Girls’ trip to Europe, then! Why don’t you all come to one of my shows while you’re at it?

Elodie: Love that idea, but I need the bakery madness to calm down first before I can leave.

Aria: You’re smashing it, babe. But Stella’s in Europe for three more months, I’m sure we can find a time that works.

Me: And if not, we can tell Hunter about our plans, and he’ll force Elodie to take a break.

I glance at Elodie and her lips twitch before she slowly turns her head toward me.

“Rude,” Elodie says, voice filled with mock offense, though the playful gleam in her gaze gives her away.

“Sorry not sorry.” I laugh and?—

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