Page 6 of Simply Irresistible
“Can we maybe try this again sometime?” His question surprised me. Our lunch had been a disaster, and yet he wanted to do it again? He must have read my expression because he smiled and shook his head, looking down at his half-eaten plate. “Look at that…we survived our first argument. Next time we get together, we’ll know not to talk about movies or music.”
I laughed softly. Did I want to see him again? Yes, I did. Despite his terrible taste in music—boy bands? really?—he seemed like a nice guy. He was attractive and we had some things in common, like our jobs and our desire to do something more than what we were currently doing.
“I’d like to see you again,” I told him, and I was glad I did because his eyes lit up a bright blue. He was so handsome.
“Can I get your number? We could try to run into each other in the elevator again, but I’d kind of like to see you when we don’t have a time limit.” He held out his cell phone. I smiled and took the phone, tapping in my number. He laughed when he looked at what I’d entered. “Eighties Girl?”
I shrugged. “Seemed appropriate. Wanted to make sure you remembered.”
“I don’t think I’d ever forget,” he said. And something told me he was talking about more than just our little decade feud.
***
“What’s happening, chica?”
“Hey, Mer. Nothing much.” I turned my cell phone to speaker mode and set it beside me on my bed. I was sketching out some new designs and wanted to keep my hands free.
“How’s work?”
“The same.”
“You’re sketching, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“I knew it. You always give me short answers when you’re sketching.”
“I’m sorry, Mer. I just got this great idea for a new collection the other day, and I haven’t been able to stop.”
“That’s great, Mel. Have you showed your stuff to Brianna yet?”
“No,” I said, knowing she’d give me grief for it. Meredith had been bugging me to show Brianna my ideas for ages. She had the utmost confidence in my talent and was certain Brianna would hook me up with my own spread in the very next issue ofLeading Lady. Meredith hadno ideahow it worked in the fashion industry. I’d been working in it for two years andIwas still unsure.
“Come on, Mel. What are you waiting for?”
I couldn’t answer that because I really didn’t know what I was waiting for. I didn’t fully understand the system, but I knew I had to start somewhere. And Briannawasa great place to start. “I wear some of my designs to work, Mer. If Brianna was interested, she’d say something.” That wasn’t entirely true. Brianna would have to pay attention to what I was wearing enough to notice it. She may have said I looked cute the other day, but I wasn’t wearing one of my designs that day, so it was irrelevant.
Meredith sighed. “What else is new?”
“I sort of went on a date.”
“What?!” she shrieked, and I grimaced at the phone. “Why was this not the first thing you said to me?”
“It didn’t come up?”
“I asked you ‘what’s happening?’ That’s a general question that encompasses all recent activities. I’m pretty sure a date would classify as somethinghappening. Tell me everything!”
I set down my pencil and rolled onto my back on my twin-sized bed—it was all that would fit in my tiny studio apartment. I was all about saving money so I’d have a cushion for when I finally launched my own fashion label. It would happen, one day. Some day. Somehow.
“It was awkward,” I admitted.
“Of course, it was,” she groaned. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.” And I didn’t. Not really. He started it…
“You went all crazy eighties on him, didn’t you?”
“He went all crazy nineties on me first!”
