Читать книгу In Love By Christmas - Cari Lynn Webb - Страница 14

CHAPTER THREE

“I’M ALL BOOKED UP, Mr. Taylor, until next fall. Best of luck to you.” The dial tone ended Theo’s conversation.

His prior conversations had circled around variations of the same theme.

Oh, this is for Adriana? I just noticed there’s a conflict on the schedule.

Even for that price, Mr. Taylor, I cannot find more hours in the work week. And I would need infinite hours to meet Adriana’s exacting standards.

I fear Adriana and I would clash, Mr. Taylor. Our aesthetics do not align, as it were. That can be very unpleasant.

Each phone call had been a dead end. Each one an unavailable wedding-dress designer. That totaled nine well-established designers unavailable or unwilling to work with Adriana. Theo was two hours into his workday and already things were descending into the discouraging and disappointing column.

If the designers on both coasts knew about Adriana’s reputation as difficult and micromanaging, then the TV producers likely knew, too.

A city bus shuddered to a stop on the street corner behind Theo. The gasping squeal of the brakes ratcheted his headache to another level. Theo’s phone rang. “Fran, tell me you found someone.”

Fran’s bluntness cut through the speaker. “No available dress designers.”

He rubbed his forehead. “What about my mother?”

“She’s refusing to let me return the exclusive Linden Topher wedding gown. She’s intent on getting married, Theo.” Fran’s tone was resolute.

Theo switched his phone to his other ear and pulled a business card from his pocket. He checked the address printed on the card and continued down the sidewalk. Frustration quickened his strides. “Tell me something good, at least, Fran. What did you find out about Josie Beck?”

“Josie is the sole owner of The Rose Petal Boutique.” Fran paused. The sound of her rapid typing drifted in the background. “It’s a unique consignment wedding-dress shop for every bride.”

Good news would’ve been Josie Beck had earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or apprenticed in top fashion houses in Europe. Theo clenched his phone and stared at the vintage exterior of The Rose Petal Boutique drooping in front of him.

He was anything but charmed.

The boutique reminded him of a neglected stepchild. The run-down building was smashed between two vibrant, profitable older sisters, their buildings renovated and restored. The boutique signage was simple and faded. The paint around the wood molding on the front windows was cracked, chipped and dingy.

If he was interested in an instant makeover, he’d paint the exterior lavender to help the small building blossom like a vibrant, rare rosebush on the block.

But his sister needed a wedding gown.

And Theo needed to know an unknown designer was worth his trust.

Theo tugged on the door handle. The warped front door never budged. Perhaps that was all the proof he required about Josie Beck. Certainly, if the boutique owner wanted more customers, even sidewalk window-shoppers, she would have repaired her door. Wedged as it was in the door frame, the welcome sign in the window should’ve read Go Away.

Theo yanked harder and forced the door open. A set of bells chimed and a woman’s voice called out from the back of the store, “Welcome to Rose Petal. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

There was nothing bland about the woman’s cheerful acknowledgment. Her voice, crisp and colorful, like the holiday celebrations featured in the December edition of Coast to Coast, invited Theo to linger and explore the boutique. Too bad she wasn’t outside on the sidewalk, greeting window-shoppers and drawing in potential customers.

Familiar photographs on a maze of wire-rack displays, stood before Theo and he frowned. The space was completely misused. Even worse, Mia’s talent as a photographer wasn’t being highlighted. That wasn’t the point. Theo was well-versed in Mia Reid’s talent. It was Josie Beck that concerned him.

Theo wove through the wire-rack maze, following the sound of voices in the back. He paused in front of a framed photograph of a blond woman and a mixed-breed dog, given its patchwork of brown, black and white fur. The dog’s paws rested on the woman’s shoulders as his pink tongue swiped across her cheek. The woman’s head was tipped back, her smile calling.

Theo leaned forward, then caught himself. He glanced around, prepared to argue—of course, I hadn’t been edging closer to see if I could hear the woman’s sunny laughter. That would be impossible. Still, he lingered until he scowled. He’d never been charmed by a picture before.

Theo stepped around the last row of displays and glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

A tall brunette stood on the platform, facing the mirrors. A woman, her blond hair tied back with a frayed piece of plaid fabric, wrestled a gown’s enormous white bow into submission, revealing the one redeeming element of the dress—a low-cut back. Then she gathered the bulky white skirt to tighten the outdated wedding dress around the brunette’s curves.

“Do you see it, Shanna?” The blond woman flattened one of the puffy white shoulders the way Theo used to smash a toasted marshmallow between graham crackers at summer camp.

Theo tilted his head. All he saw was that obnoxiously large bow popping free of the woman’s grip like a broken jack-in-the-box and an excess of ribbons. How had the woman convinced the bride-to-be to try on such an unappealing gown?

The blond woman folded the bow in indignant pleats, forcing it out of sight. She rattled off a series of alterations, her free hand sweeping gracefully along the woman’s side. “Can you envision the dress you described to me? The one we drew together.”

“I see it, Josie.” Hesitation slowed the woman’s words.

Josie Beck.

Everything slowed and rolled inside Theo as if he’d tripped over a speed bump. His focus locked onto the blonde with the colorful voice, but she couldn’t stop his fall into captivation.

“That’s wonderful.” Josie rose on the tips of her boots and peeked over the shoulder of the woman she’d called Shanna. “It’s enough if you can see it in your mind right now.”

“But I can’t afford all these changes to the dress, Josie.”

Josie released the heavy skirt and stepped around the cascade of fabric to face the Shanna.

The brunette’s height concealed Josie’s face, but not the tremor in her voice.

“The dress itself is in your budget, right?” Josie asked.

The woman nodded.

Josie moved closer to Shanna, her face still hidden, but her sure voice more than clear. “Then that’s all you need to pay for.”

Theo rubbed his chin as if he’d done a face-plant, after all. At the very least, Josie should’ve inquired if the woman had any woodworking skills. Then Josie could have gotten her front door repaired in exchange for the dress alterations. A business arrangement should always benefit both parties. Always.

Complimentary services had a place, but not if the business suffered more loss than profit. From the drab exterior to the dated interior, Theo guessed The Rose Petal Boutique was more in the red than the black.

“Penny told me you were an angel. She told me you’d help me out.” Shanna covered her face, her shoulders trembling. Tears splashed against her cheeks, her voice barely a whisper. “I never expected…”

Theo never expected compassion and generosity—it was a compliment and a criticism. A kind heart had no place in business. The weak allowed their emotions to guide their decisions. Theo had stopped being weak in grade school—the summer after his grandmother’s death. The same summer his parents had refused to let him come home. Life rewards the self-reliant, Theo.

Theo backed away.

Josie could keep her kind heart. If she wanted to thrive in the business world and even survive in the upheaval produced by the Taylor family, she needed to develop a harder edge.

“This is the start of your new life.” Josie moved around her client, gathered the bulky train and guided the woman off the platform. Sincerity and resolve fused her words into a convincing argument. “Your wedding day has to be everything you ever dreamed, including your dress.”

Shanna offered Josie a watery thank-you before they disappeared inside the dressing room.

Theo had given his sister the very same promise. A wedding to surpass her dreams. He narrowed his gaze on the thick velvet curtains of the single dressing room.

Could Josie transform the chaotic mess of a dress the woman wore into her dream gown? Could she keep her promise? Theo wasn’t sure.

Josie would need to create an original gown—one that met Theo’s standards—and deliver it finished and ready to wear in less than three weeks. But if the woman insisted on giving away her services for free, word would no doubt spread. Then she’d be stuck in a backlog of charity work. Surely Josie wanted more than to recycle old wedding gowns at a steep discount. Surely Josie valued her work. Unless the dressmaker wasn’t that good.

A tic of irritation pulsed along his jaw. Theo glanced around the space, skipping his gaze over the worn Victorian violet-print couch, the bridal accessory shelves and twin rolling racks bursting with secondhand wedding dresses. Certainly, Josie wouldn’t be so careless with her own creations. If she had any.

Disappointment settled in. He wasn’t seeing anything original. Surely Josie wanted her work displayed. That would give her clients confidence in her skill and ability as a custom dressmaker.

That would reassure him, too. He pulled out his cell phone, certain there were other designers he hadn’t considered. He’d given his word to Adriana. He couldn’t rely on a timid, softhearted dressmaker who doubted herself.

The women emerged from the dressing room. The bride-to-be tugged a knit cap over her long brunette hair. “Josie, you have to come to the wedding. You have to be in the wedding.”

“That’s very kind.” Josie handed Shanna a thick wool scarf. “You have more to think about than me and I need to concentrate on getting your dress ready for your wedding day.”

Josie also needed to concentrate on turning a profit. Wasn’t that the point of a successful business? That was how a business owner earned respect and discovered their value.

Shanna faced the floor-length mirrors and wrapped the long scarf around her neck. “What now?”

Theo should leave and continue his search to find a designer he believed in. One capable of creating and completing an exclusive gown for Adriana in a tight time frame. A gown worthy of the Coast to Coast Living brand.

Josie carried the wedding gown out of the dressing room. Her one arm was completely concealed within the dense layers of ribbons and lace, much like the uncertainty that camouflaged any guarantee in her voice. “I’ll call you for the next fitting in about two weeks.”

About was very indefinite. About invited suspicion and doubt into a client’s mind. That was never good. Would Josie call the woman in ten days or closer to three weeks as both dates fell into the about time frame? Theo never liked sliding time frames. Too much room for error and misinterpretation. He preferred to work with people who committed to a specific date and delivered on their promise.

“I can’t wait.” The bride-to-be brushed past Theo, her face bundled up to her eyes, and disappeared outside.

Theo returned his attention to the photograph of the woman and the dog. Once again, he searched for the reason this one simple picture fascinated him. It was more than the perfectly placed lighting. Or the backdrop. Or the vibrant subjects. If he’d been asked to give a definition for carefree, he’d have chosen the picture. But he’d never been carefree in his life. Never considered such an impractical sentiment until now.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Mia’s work is exceptional.” Josie appeared beside Theo and pointed to a photograph. “Are you thinking about hiring her?”

“I already have.” It was the woman beside Theo that worried him. He turned toward Josie, extended his hand and, for the first time since middle school, stumbled over his own name.

Her blue eyes were too round, her smile too honestly genuine, her face too guileless. And those wisps of blond hair brushing against her pale cheeks—he’d bet anything the soft curls were natural. She was too natural. Too refreshing. Even more distracting than the photograph. The photograph she was featured in. The one that now seemed to be laughing at him. “Theo Taylor,” he finally managed to say.

She reached for her scarf, rather than his hand. The silk fabric loosened around her neck as her fingers tangled in the frayed ends, as if she was struggling to hide something. “This is an unexpected surprise. I wasn’t aware we’d confirmed a meeting time.”

She was an unexpected surprise. Theo avoided surprises. He never liked the disruption that surprises caused in his routine. Knowing what to expect in any given situation gave him the advantage and that was often the difference between winning or losing. He followed her toward the fitting area. “Can I offer you some business advice? You really shouldn’t give your services away for free.”

Josie draped the measuring tape around her neck, letting the ends twist around her scarf. Disapproval twisted through her voice. “You really shouldn’t eavesdrop on conversations that don’t affect you.”

He shrugged. “Free services are not a sustainable business model. There is no profit in free.”

She walked into her workroom and rolled a dress form in front of her. She eyed him as if he was more distasteful than Shanna’s secondhand wedding dress. “You probably haven’t heard of Penny’s Place.”

The annoyance in her tone set him back. She dared to judge to him. Dared to make herself even more appealing. He centered his focus on her, letting his gaze narrow. “Coast to Coast Living has donated to Penny’s Place every year for the past decade. Penny is well-known for the sanctuary she provides to women in need of a safe place to recover and rebuild their lives.”

“But you’ve never spent time inside Penny’s Place,” she said. “Never met any of the women who live there.”

He didn’t have to stand inside Penny’s Place to understand the value of Penny’s nonprofit organization. The Taylor family and Coast to Coast Living supported many charitable organizations in the city and around the country. He wouldn’t defend himself to her. “I have not.”

“Shanna Jennings—the bride-to-be that just stood on this platform—recently moved out of Penny’s Place.” Josie set her hand on the body form as if to find her balance. Anguish creased her forehead, pulling her eyebrows together. “Her story isn’t mine to share. Shanna has more than earned a fairy-tale wedding. I have the opportunity to be a small part of her new life. That means something to me.”

She had an opportunity to turn a profit, too, and chose not to. Josie acted as if she was being granted permission to work for Shanna, not doing Shanna a large favor. A very large, very free favor.

Josie Beck was obviously a good person. But charity should never stand in the way of profit. Everything had its place. Charity was separate from the daily tasks and standard practices of any business.

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d done something for free. Something for the simple pleasure it gave him. He always considered the business first. Always considered the corporation’s bottom line. Always. And he wouldn’t go soft now because of some selfless, misguided wisp of a dressmaker no matter how much she charmed him.

He picked up the design book that was lying open on the corner of the platform. The drawing was similar to how she’d described the alterations to Shanna. He could almost envision the finished dress. Almost.

He flipped through more pages. Nothing sparked inside him. Nothing leaped from the page and commanded his attention. He wanted more for Adriana. He needed more for his sister’s wedding. His sister might be getting married, but Coast to Coast Living would be reflected in every detail of the day. Perfection was expected.

Josie might be appealing, but Theo feared she lacked the experience and sophistication required for such an event. “I’m sorry for interrupting your morning, but I don’t see anything suitable for my sister.”

She yanked the book out of Theo’s hands. Her fingers clutched the binder and it seemed as if she was debating whether or not to bash him on the side of the head. “These designs are for my current clientele, modest and affordable.” He could hear the irritation in her voice. Her words came out like finely sharpened tacks.

Theo crossed his arms over his chest, blocking her barbs. He refused to be swayed. “And not original.”

She pressed her design book into the seat cushion of the couch and held her position.

“You’re using the base of consignment dresses to build from,” he accused. He couldn’t back down. He’d given his word to his sister. Not to mention the other promises he’d made. He had a family and company to protect. “Rather than the dresses being your own work from start to finish.”

She straightened and faced him. Anger lit her gaze. “When I’m finished, you won’t be able to tell where the vintage dress ends and the current one begins.”

He doubted that. He didn’t doubt that Josie Beck was much too interesting.

“Come back for Shanna’s final fitting.” She lifted her chin, straightened her shoulders and met his gaze: challenge for challenge. Nothing timid about her. “Then you can judge me.”

“I might just do that.” Not because he wanted to see her again. Only because he wanted to prove her wrong. “But I don’t know when that fitting will be. About two weeks isn’t a very definitive date. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have scheduled meetings to attend.”

She blocked his path. “I only need to meet Adriana and I can design an exclusive gown for her.” Her voice dipped into that hard-nosed, implacable business edge he often relied on to get the results he expected.

Theo gaped at her. Why wasn’t she backing down? This small-time boutique owner, more concerned about her goodwill deeds than ensuring a profit. “Excuse me.”

“I’d like to meet Adriana before you dismiss my work,” she repeated in that same inflexible tone. She stretched out her words as if she were stretching out her backbone. Theo approved and moved toward her, certain she wouldn’t back away. He hadn’t enjoyed a business meeting this much since…

He stopped abruptly. Business was business. Not fun. Not playful. Definitely not joyful.

Still, one meeting was all she was asking for. She was talented, at least reflected in her drawing book. Besides, he already had an idea stirring for Josie Beck. One that would boost her boutique and career without jeopardizing his sister’s perfect wedding. He could be kind when he chose to. And make a profit. “Lunch tomorrow at Jasmine Blue Café. Eleven thirty.” He motioned to her sketchbook on the couch. “If you have original designs not inside your book, bring those, too.”

Theo detoured around her and walked out of the boutique. A smile tripped across his mouth. Josie Beck intrigued him. Lunch couldn’t arrive soon enough.