Page 31 of Serving the Couturier

“And you’re English,” Carson replied, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, Dad’s going to love that,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.

“Don’t be stupid, Carson,” I interjected. “Da’s never cared about that kind of thing.”

“Your father is the founder of MIRI, correct?” Spencer continued, unfazed. “I’ve heard wonderful things about it.”

“How did you know that?” my brother asked, intrigued.

Spencer flushed ever so slightly. “Well, I may have done a bit of research on the flight over here.”

“So you know the family’s worth a pretty penny,” Carson said, his tone slightly guarded.

“Carson,” I warned. “Don’t be rude.”

But before I could say more, Spencer spoke up. “I can assure you, I’m not after your sister’s wealth. I have more than enough of my own,” he said with a charmingly roguish grin.

Carson regarded him with a narrow gaze. “I’ll be checking into you, you know.”

Spencer simply chuckled. “I would expect nothing less. I have sisters too, after all.”

“In that case, you won’t mind if I ask if you have a criminal record,” Carson challenged.

“Carson!” I smacked my brother’s arm. “Honestly!”

But Spencer remained undaunted. “I could simply lie, of course,” he said with a wry smile.

“And I could have a private investigator look into you,” Carson retorted.

Spencer held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Is that so?” Carson said skeptically.

“All right,” I stepped in. “That’s enough macho posturing for today.” I pointed at Carson. “You’re lucky it’s your birthday, or I’d kick your ass.”

Carson laughed and raised his hands. “Okay, you win. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“I mean it, Carson. Be nice,” I warned. “I apologize for that. I should’ve expected he’d be protective of me.”

“It’s all right,” Spencer said with a smile. “Like I said, I understand the guarding nature of siblings.”

Carson offered his hand again. “No hard feelings then?”

“Not at all,” Spencer replied, shaking Carson’s hand with a chuckle.

While the two of them struck up a casual conversation, I shook my head and muttered, “Men are idiots.”

Less than ten minutes later, we were all in the living room, basked in the warm atmosphere of laughter and easy conversation. I watched with a smile as Carson and Spencer hit it off, their effortless banter and shared interests bringing them closer together. My heart swelled with hope, as I dared to imagine a future where Spencer would be accepted by the rest of my family, just as he was by Carson.

I heard footsteps and, based on the way my brother’s face lit up, I knew who was coming. Vixen Teal, my brother’s muse and partner in life.

“Perfect timing,” he said as he rose to his feet. “We were just talking about how it’s the beautiful people in my life who make my designs so appealing.”

“Well, don’t let him fool you,” I teased. “He was actually just practicing his compliments for you, Vix.”

“Ha ha, hilarious,” Carson shot back with a grin. “Vix, this is Spencer York. Spencer, meet Vix Teal.”

I watched as Spencer took in Vix’s stunning appearance, her long, white-blonde hair and light violet eyes contrasting against her porcelain skin. The dress she wore was one of Carson’s designs, fitted to her curves with the precision only custom-made clothes could provide.

Spencer turned to Vix with a charming smile. “Vix, I have to ask, do you act? I love your look and I think you’d be perfect for the production.”

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