Page 9 of After the Red Carpet
She turned to Finn with a bewildered expression. “What on earth is this for?”
“So you can buy whatever you need,” Finn replied. “You know, if you want clothes or . . .”
“Finn, there’s nothing I need,” she said quietly.
“You may want to get things for the house, maybe for your office. You can use it for absolutely anything. Never hesitate.”
“Finn . . .”
“If I may interject,” Jason said. Ella looked at him, a bit startled, and he continued, “If you’d prefer to have me pick things up for you, that’s fine. In fact, I was planning on it. I brought a stack of designer catalogs so you can flip through them at your leisure and circle the styles you like,” he said, placing the booklets on the coffee table. “That way, when I do personal shopping for you, I’ll have someguidelines for your taste until we get to know each other better. Don’t worry, I’m a whiz at picking accessories to complement any look.”
“Uh, well, thank you,” Ella stuttered. “It’s just . . . well, it’s just that I don’t need anything. Really. I’m fine with what I have. Clothes aren’t important to me.”
Jason smiled. “That’s absolutely fine. Based on the sundresses Finn had me get, I can tell you have a fabulous, casual, boho vibe. As you settle in, we can always add to your wardrobe. With all the buzz thatCelebrationis receiving, it looks like Finn will have a busy awards season ahead of him. When the time comes, I can help you select gowns.”
“Oh, well, okay,” Ella murmured, furrowing her brow as she tried to process everything.
Finn rubbed her arm.
Picking up on her uneasiness, Jason looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sure it feels like a lot. Moving to a new place, meeting new people, having all of this thrown at you. Please, rest assured, my only job is to make things easier for you.”
“That’s kind of you,” she replied, still visibly tense.
“Look, I don’t want to come off like a fanboy, but I know who you are. I mean, besides being Finn’s fiancée. I’ve been reading your mind-shattering books and essays for years.” Ella blushed. “I love working with Finn, and it will be an honor to get to know you too. There’s no mold you have to fit. I’m here to learn what works for you. Just think of me as someone available to free up your time for work or the things that inspire you.”
She smiled and a glimmer of relief crossed her face. “I appreciate that, really I do.”
“Here,” he said, whipping out another card and handing it to her. “I assumed you’d want a library card for research.”
“That was thoughtful. Helpful too,” she said, her smile growing.
“Just one last thing because I get the sense you’ve had enough thrown at you today.” She giggled, and he placed a stack of car brochures on the table in front of her. “If you could tell me what kind of car you might be interested in, I can have some brought over for test-drives. Those are the latest by Porsche, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Jaguar, and so on.”
Ella stammered, trying and failing to find the right words.
“If you’re not sure which you’d like best, you can just tell me whether you’d prefer an SUV, a sedan, or something sporty. Even just the color you like would help. I’m guessing black, but maybe silver?”
She turned to Finn, and he gave her waist a gentle squeeze. “What is it, baby?”
She turned back to Jason and asked, “Can I have time to think about all of this?”
“Sure thing. That’s exactly why I brought the brochures. Take all the time you want, and then you can reach out when you’re ready. Or Finn can get in touch with me.”
“Okay, thank you.” She stood up and said, “If you two don’t mind, I’d like to go unpack my things.”
“Of course. I’ll be up in a bit,” Finn said, touching her hand.
“Ella, it was a real pleasure to meet you. Please let me know how I can be of assistance,” Jason said.
She nodded. “Nice to meet you too.”
A LITTLE WHILE LATER, FINN FOUNDElla sitting on the floor of their closet, folding her clothes.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“Fine. I don’t have very much, so it’s easy. I guess if you had your way, the closet would be overflowing.”
“Ella,” he said softly, sitting down beside her.
