Page 19 of Then Came Love
Chapter Four
EARLY-MORNING RUNS had always helped Jax clear his mind so he could focus on work, and this morning it was vital that he had his head on straight, because his first task was dropping a bomb on his team about the deadline for Jordan’s dress. But as he and Coco ran through the park, his thoughts were a tangled mess.
He couldn’t shake his conversation with his father or the disappointment he’d seen in his eyes. That had cut deep, but not deep enough to sever his feelings for Jordan. He’d taken her back to her car last night after ten o’clock, and her fiancé still hadn’t called. He didn’t know if the guy was genuinely busy with work or if he had extracurricular activities keeping him from reaching out to the woman he was supposed to cherish, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jordan must be in love with him in order to put up with it, and Jax couldn’t do a damn thing about that.
It was those thoughts pushing him to run faster and harder than he had in years. Coco kept pace with him, as she did every morning. She was the most loyal of companions, although she’d been so taken with Jordan, she’d jumped into her car as if she’d belonged there, and Jordan’s eyes had glittered with delight.
Jordan’s voice whispered through his mind—I’ve always wanted a dog, but my uncle was allergic, and Todd said it’s too hard to have one in the city—fueling his fire. How could anyone deny her the joy of a loving companion? He couldn’t believe he was asking himself that about a guy who didn’t seem to know what those two words meant.
As they ran out of the park, he caught sight of a blonde walking into Emmaline’s, and his heart beat impossibly harder, but in the next second he realized it wasn’t Jordan, deflating his excitement.
He slowed to a walk, reaching down to pet Coco. He’d made a promise not to flirt with Jordan, which he intended to honor, but he sure as hell was going to keep the promise he’d made to himself and give her so many reasons to smile, she couldn’t help but think about him.
He pulled his phone from his armband and called Emmaline’s cell phone.
“To what do I owe this honor?”
“I need a favor…”
“READY BOSS?”
Jax looked up from the email he was reading. Glenna Moore, his efficient and organized office administrator, stood in his office doorway wearing one of Jillian’s designs, an above-the-knee sleek gray sheath with an asymmetrical V collar, capped sleeves, and a black-and-gray cheetah-print belt. Her side-parted pixie-cut revealed a pen tucked behind one ear. How she balanced it with her black-framed glasses, which matched her hair, was a mystery to him. “Yes. Come in.”
“The design team is waiting in the conference room, and your ten o’clock call is confirmed with Penelope Price.” Penelope Price was an A-list actress who was getting married next spring.
“Good. How about my video call with Amber and Dash at two?” Amber Montgomery was Graham’s wife Morgyn’s sister, and Dash Pennington was her fiancé. They had originally planned on getting married in the summer but had changed it to a fall wedding earlier this year, stating something about acorns, which had given Jax a head start on the gown.
“Also confirmed. I’ll make sure the gown is in place for their viewing.”
“Excellent.”
“Alisha Drexler is coming in for her fitting on Thursday afternoon, the crystals for Karen Esso’s dress are shipping today, and the Thrashers are emailing their thoughts on the designs you sent.”
“I saw the email. I’ll get back to them this afternoon.”
“Great, and there was a message from Jacqueline Santana. She has a layover in Baltimore this evening and asked if you were free for dinner.”
Jacqueline was a model he’d met and had spent a night with while at a fashion show in Milan last February. They’d had a great time, but as with the other women he’d entertained over the years, she was fun but hadn’t left him longing to see her again, the way Jordan had without even as much as a kiss. “I’m not available. I have a dinner meeting here at six thirty.”
Her brows furrowed. “I didn’t see an appointment on the calendar. Who are you meeting with? Would you like me to stay?”
“I’m meeting Jordan Lawler, and thanks, but there’s no need for you to stay.”
“Why is that name familiar?”
“She came in last summer.”
“Right. Trixie’s friend. I thought her wedding was earlier this year.”
“It was supposed to be, but she postponed it.” He pushed to his feet and walked around the desk. “It’s in August, and I’m designing her gown. That’s why I called the meeting this morning.”
“August? You do realize it’s almost June. Is that even possible?” She followed him down the hall toward the conference room.
“If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have offered to do it.” He stepped aside, letting her enter the room first.
“This should be fun,” she said as she walked past.
As she took a seat at the table with the design team, Jax said, “Good morning, everyone.” The team consisted of Emiko, an exemplary Japanese seamstress in her midfifties who had worked for a top designer in Japan for twenty-eight years, Franco, a fastidious dressmaker with more than thirty years of experience and a dry personality, Jonathan, an exuberant tailor who came to Jax with only three years of experience, but his attention to detail and meticulous nature had won Jax over, and Roberta, a middle-aged, bespectacled blonde with ten years of seamstress experience on Broadway and a penchant for taking care of everyone around her. They were as different as they could be, but they worked together like a well-oiled machine.
“Good morning,” they said in unison as Jax sat down.
