Page 42 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
“I know. I want to succeed onmy own, and I will. I really am ready. I came up with a great design for the build out, too. We’re one of a handful of designers who get to do a real build out, so I’ve designed it like a showroom. Claudia gave me all the materials I’d need the other day, and I am fairly good at putting outfits together.”
He leaned in close and whispered, “And taking them off.” Then he walked away, hoping she’dthink of him for the rest of the afternoon.
“RILEY, COME HERE.” Simone waved her over.
K.T. held up two slightly different white wool skirts. “Which of these would you pair with an aqua-blue satin blouse?”
Riley studied the two skirts, noting the higher waist on one skirt and the barely noticeable embroidered edgingon the other. “I wouldn’t pair either of them with it. True aqua is too harsh, I think. How about something softer? A tame honeydew, or blue violet, or light cyan maybe? What’s the event?”
“Tame honeydew?” K.T. said. “Isn’t she clever?” He set the skirts down and headed down the hall for the closet.
“What’s going on?” Riley asked.
“We’re having a fashion war.” Simone laughed. “A potential buyeris coming in a few days, and K.T. refuses to let me put the pieces together alone. He swears I’m missing a certain something every time I put something together.”
“Yikes, that sounds uncomfortable.”Competition never ends.
Simone waved her hand, then pushed her round red frames to the bridge of her nose. Riley had learned that Simone chose her eyeglass frames to match her outfits, and today,with her maroon-and-black plaid skirt and bright white top, the red added a nice shock of color.
“He’s just like a little kid. He wants his two cents heard. Even if I don’t use his ideas, he likes knowing he shared them. No discomfort here.” She looked down the hall at Claudia, leaning against a doorframe down the hall. “Except for her, of course. Have you noticed how hot and cold she’s beenlately?”
Riley wasn’t going to get caught in that tangled web. “She’s just overloaded,” she said, and headed back to her desk thinking about Josh. After the uncomfortable dinner they’d shared with Peter, she didn’t want Josh to worry over him.We have enough real worries to think about.She pulled out her phone and texted Josh.
Sorry about Peter.
Her phone vibrated a few seconds later.No needto be. I’m a big boy.
She mulled over a response and decided on being a little playful.Yes, I’ve experienced that big boy and wish I could—
“Texting during work hours?”
Claudia.Riley flipped her phone over and turned around, feeling the blush of heat on her cheeks. “Sorry. My best friend back home. I miss her.”
“I’m sure you do. Listen, I’m working on some things for Josh. Could you runover to Phil’s office? He said he had a few things from the shoot to send over.”
Riley shot a look at the clock. There went her extra five minutes to draw. “But I inventoried them all and everything was returned,” she said.
Claudia shrugged. “Something must have slipped through. It’s only noon. You’ll have plenty of time to finish your work.” She flashed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thankyou,” she said and walked off.
Riley sighed. She’d been working on some design ideas for Jade’s Christmas outfit, and she was on a roll. She needed only a few more minutes to get her thoughts down on paper. She shoved the drawings in her drawer before grabbing her purse and heading out of the office.
She flagged down a cab, and no longer feeling playful or flirty, deleted the message to Josh.
Fifteen minutes later, she was standing before a baffled and balding Phil Lancorn.
“I have no idea what Claudia’s talking about. We have no more items, and frankly, I’m getting tired of her accusatory ways.”
“Maybe I misunderstood her. I’m so sorry. She must have said someone else’s name. My apologies.”
Phil breathed a frustrated sigh. “It’s okay. We expect these things with newbies.”
We expectthese things?Riley was not the type of person to make mistakes that wereexpectedof her. She knew Claudia’s good mood had a hidden agenda. She was trying to make her look bad. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. She headed back to the office with a plan.
Mia was more than happy to help Riley find the yellow scarf she’d seen Claudia carrying the day before. Mia rifled through the accessoriesin the closet.
“What do you need this for?” she asked.
Riley bit her lip. She didn’t want to involve Mia any more than she had to. “I’m looking at a few outfits for the trade show, and I want to see if it’ll go well enough with the brighter shades of the Bliss line.”
