Page 115 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince
The mention of my mother and father brought on a new wave of tears. “I wish they could be here for all this.”
She pulled me in for another hug. I held on. My grip was so tight it was a wonder she could breathe. I imagined my parents were there holding me just as Burda was doing right now.
I liked to think my parents watched over me and guided my hand in my business decisions. That they were proud I pushed past the negative messages in my life and stood up to Elaine. And I finally made my dreams come true. I held those feelings of joy close to my heart any time my thoughts strayed to Dean, and how my future didn’t include the man I loved.
“Come on, Ash.” Stella beeped the horn.
Burda handed me a handkerchief. Why she still carried one, I had no idea. But right now, I was grateful as I dabbed at my eyes.
“Coming.” I kissed Burda’s cheek and got into the truck.
Stella and Burda were the perfect partners. They put in hours just as long as I did without any complaint. We were a team. And today was going to be the beginning of our success.
***
THE CONVENTION CENTERwas incredible. The entire ballroom was set up with wall to wall booths one more elaborate than the next. Models walked around displaying the lingerie or swim wear from various vendors. I made a note to do that once we could afford it. In the smaller rooms just outside the conference location workshops were held to discuss upcoming trends, how to manage and market your business, sustainability, and how to diversify. I was excited to participate in those sessions to bring our business to the next level.
We’d set up our booth and had a few minutes to walk around and take it all in. Each booth had such unique items I wished I had the time to study them for ideas. Throughout the day, Stella and I were going to take turns making friends with other companies and jotting down notes about how we could improve not just our product but our tiny booth.
When we returned to our section, I noticed a guy further down the aisle walking away from us, and a pang hit me. My heart sped up, and my blood pressure spiked, making me woozy. From behind, he looked so much like Dean.
He was still the first person I wanted to call and share all of my good news with. My heart hadn’t stopped hurting, knowing he still wanted nothing to do with me. I’d let myself get caught up in the fairytale and had to remember he’d warned me not to fall for him.
I heard Stella chatting with someone and turned to face them. Today was not for thinking about Dean. It was about the success of my business.
“Yes, let me introduce you to the creator of our lovely pieces. This was all her concept.” Stella introduced me to a distributor from one of the larger companies, Anne. We had a great conversation but quickly realized Inspired was too small with far too few items for sale to make it work. She took our card and gave us hers wanting to connect again as we grew.
Anne was a wealth of information, and I was happy to hear she was attending the same workshop about sustainable design. Stella and I were alternating workshop attendance and staying with our booth.
As we made our way to that part of the convention hall, Anne pointed out people I should make a point to meet. By the time our session was over, she had offered to mentor me. We made plans for her to stop by the shop before she returned home to lay out plans. Excited about this, I practically floated back to our booth.
“How was it?” Stella asked.
“Ah-mazing, Stella. I have so many thoughts swirling through my head about implementing the suggestions made in the workshop. And you won’t believe this. Anne has agreed to work with me and teach me various ways to reach our market, advertising, everything. She said as long as I don’t make her sew anything, we can be fast friends.”
“Ash, that's fantastic.” She gave me a discreet high-five.
A group of seven women walked toward our booth. They all looked alike enough that I wondered if they were related. While their hair colors varied from pale blonde, to auburn, to raven black, each of the women had the same button nose, wide set mouth, and full lips. The most striking of all their features was their electric shade of blue-green eyes.
“I can't believe you’re dragging me around this thing. I hate shopping for this stuff.” A beautiful, curvy redhead grumbled. She had on sweatpants, a tank top, and a jean jacket.
“Nothing fits girls like me here,” she whined.
“Shut up, Harper. You know I love this stuff. If I have to pretend a stupid, dirty old gas station sign is cool, you can do the same for me.” The willowy woman who answered had red hair in a deeper shade than Harper, more of an auburn color. Her blue eyes flashed annoyance.
“Hey, that gas station sign made us six hundred dollars, Heidy!” Harper said in outrage.
“Perfect. It’s enough to buy me multiple matching bra and panty sets today,” Heidy responded with a smirk.
Harper rolled her eyes.
She almost made it past my table until I called out to her. “You’re welcome to check out what we have.”
Harper glanced at me hesitantly.
“I promise I won't make you buy anything.” I gestured for her to come closer.
She laughed. The sound was almost musical. “Sure, I'll take a look.”
