Page 9 of Love Redesigned
“Speaking of how wonderful I am,” Chase said, tossing me a grin, “I almost forgot. Darius asked me to give this to you.” He pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket and handed it over. “He said you’d know what it was and would probably scream the second it was in your hands.”
My eyes went wide. “Seriously? It’s done?”
Chase threw up his hands, the dress draped over his wrist bumping into my side. “I have no idea. Darius told me nothing.”
“Oh my word. It’s done, it’s done, it’s done!” It was all I could do not to actually jump up and down with excitement.
“Why are we so excited?!” Chase whisper yelled.
I took a deep, calming breath. “It’s Elliott Hart’s new album. Darius did the sound mixing and he told me he would sneak me a copy as soon as it was finished. I thought I still had weeks to wait.”
“Elliott Hart. Is that the piano guy you love so much?”
“Yes!” I followed Chase to the sample room door. “And it’s been forever since he released any new stuff. I guess he got married and had a kid or whatever. But this!” I held up the thumb drive. “This feels like gold in my hands.”
“That Darius,” Chase said. “He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he?” He opened the door and led the way to the elevator where he pushed the button to take us back up to the fifth floor.
“Oh, he’s my favorite,” I said, my face serious. “No question. I mean, I know I technically met you first and that maybe you deserve some sort of loyalty for that, but really. Darius is special.”
Chase thrust the dress back at me. “I take it back. You can take care of your own dry cleaning.”
I sniffed primly. “Maybe I’ll ask Darius to do it.”
Chase chuckled. “He’d probably do it. I’m the nicest person in New York City and he still makes me look like the kitten-kicking uncle no one wants at Christmas dinner.”
The man Chase had married five years ago reallywasembodied perfection. He was gorgeous, for one, tall and suave, with beautiful brown skin and this velvet voice that sounded like music even when he was saying the most basic things. But he also had the best heart—better than anyone I’d ever known. He was gentle and forgiving and always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.
His relationship with Chase kept me hoping I’d eventually be in love again myself. They effortlessly supported each other with this quiet, steady devotion; it was the kind of relationship I might not have believed was actually real if I hadn’t known them both so well, if I hadn’t witnessed it firsthand on an almost daily basis.
It was also the kind of relationship that might have made me burn with jealousy if I hadn’t loved them both as much as I did.
The elevator doors dinged open and Chase and I stepped inside. “You’re going to get him fired if you don’t stop begging for advance copies,” Chase said. “You know he’ll never tell you no.”
“Darius is the best sound engineer Blaze Records has. They won’t fire him. Plus, I don’t beg. This is the only album I’ve ever asked him for.”
“If we don’t count the Jenna Fields album he gave you last Christmas.”
My mouth dropped open. “That was a gift!”
Chase laughed. “Right. And you didn’t dropanyhints that you wanted it.”
I smiled sheepishly and shrugged my shoulders, the thumb drive held tightly in my hands. “Please tell Darius thank you and I love him dearly.”
Two hours later, I was back at my desk, earbuds in my ears and sketchbook open in front of me. I still had fifteen minutes of a lunch break I’d finally managed to squeeze into the afternoon hours, so I used the time to brainstorm new dress ideas. I cranked up the volume on the new Elliott Hart album, which was every bit as fantastic as I had expected. Ten seconds into the next song, Chase pulled one of my earbuds out and stuck it into his own ear. “How is it? Everything you hoped for and more?”
“Yes. Amazing. Brilliant. Astounding. I love him and wish I could marry him and his amazing piano hands.”
Chase dropped into the chair across from my desk, then tossed a furtive look over his shoulder.
I followed his gaze but didn’t see anything that looked alarming. “What’s up with you?”
He gave his head a tiny shake. “Quick. Act natural. Like I’ve got a reason to be here.”
“What? Why?”
He tossed another glance over his shoulder. Who was he expecting to see? “Because Mylie told me not to tell you anything. She didn’t want me to ruin the surprise.”
“What are you talking about? What surprise?”
