Chapter 12
ALEX
Her perfume lingers in the air long after she leaves my room. The light, fresh floral scent invades my senses.
Why the fuck did I agree to this?
It’s all Callie’s fault.
Wanting to please the woman who’s ensured my life has run smoothly for the past five years has overridden my instinct for self-preservation. That, and the guilt that she’s still here when she should be at home with her feet up.
Now there’s Brooke.
Young, vivacious Brooke, who seems to approach everything in life with a cheerful determination, or at least she does when I’m not around. The moment I open the door, a mask falls into place, and I can almost sense her hackles rise.
Warm and fuzzy isn’t my thing. I have no spare time to hold the newbie’s hand.
My time is spent juggling day-to-day operations, assessing what needs to be done and planning how to maintain our position as one of the world’s leading fashion houses, not playing nice.
I know I’m being sharp and confrontational, but she’s not Callie and is therefore a major distraction, forcing me to waste time checking whether she’s screwed up.
I was caught in a moment of weakness, and now I’m stuck with the consequences. I run a hand down my face and let out a deep sigh, rechecking my calendar.
Callie clearly resolved the issue, as it was fixed within minutes. I ignored the error in scheduling. Will there be more mishaps once Callie goes? Am I going to be walking around fixing Brooke’s messes?
But of course, she’s lovely, at least according to Pete’s email, which tells me how friendly and efficient my new PA seems, and how he can’t wait to meet her. Glad there’s an Atlantic Ocean between them. The last thing I need is another friend running off with my PA and getting her pregnant.
Where did that thought come from?
Brooke appears to be oddly likeable. Those who meet her seem to respond to her positivity, her optimistic outlook on life.
Everyone she deals with enters my office smiling, having received a warm welcome.
Even Callie is blown away by her and the speed with which she’s picking up the role.
She keeps telling me how wonderful Brooke is, and what an agile mind she has.
It shows you can’t always judge someone’s ability by their academic results.
It’s why we started running the psychometric tests in the first place.
I wonder whether her grades were affected by her father’s death. Maybe he’d been ill for years.
There’s a knock on my door.
“Come in.” I sigh and look up as Callie steps into the room.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Close the door and take a seat,” I say.
Callie does as she’s asked.
“How are you feeling? Not too tired, not overdoing it?”
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Don’t you start. It’s bad enough with David checking on me every five minutes. I’m perfectly fine. Brooke is amazing and has already taken over most of my role. I’m just supervising.”
I shoot her a look, and she inclines her head.
“I told you, Brooke is turning out to be a quick study. There won’t be any more errors like this morning. I should have warned her, that was on me,” she says, raising an eyebrow.
“When I travel, the issue is going to arise again.”
“And now she knows to check.”
“You left your desk, and there was a mistake—one that would have wasted a lot of people’s time, mine included.”
“Really, Alex?” She harrumphs. “Brooke is handling herself brilliantly. Cut the woman some slack. She’s going to make mistakes.
Everyone does. I certainly made plenty when I started working for your mother.
But I learned over time. From what I’ve seen with Brooke, it will be once, and once only.
” She glares at me, letting me know she’s not happy with my treatment of our recruit.
“As for everyone else, they love her. She not only has a quick mind but also has a cooperative spirit and is highly organised. The notes she’s taken are even colour-coded for efficiency. ”
I sit back and steeple my fingers.
“You still think she’s the right person for the job? I can call one of the agency staff back.”
She sighs. “Have you not heard a word I’ve just said? Brooke is perfect. She’s personable and cheerful. People respond well to her.”
“You mean, she’s all those things except around me?” I say, watching Callie’s lips twitch.
“If you stop growling and ignoring the poor woman, she might feel more inclined to smile at you too. No offence, Alex, but you’ve been a grumpy ass since she arrived. Even I’ve not wanted to set foot in here.”
I scowl, so Callie scowls back.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll try harder.”
She stands up. “See that you do. She’s going to be an asset. If you’d only let her.”
Callie leaves, and I go back to my work.
Heaven help me, the last thing I need is Brooke Feldmann smiling at me.
* * *
It’s early when I enter the office.
I draw up short when I find Brooke already sitting at Callie’s desk. She looks up as if sensing my presence.
“Good morning, Alessandro,” she says, her eyes not quite meeting mine, which irks me for some reason after my conversation with Callie.
“You’re in early,” I say, stating the obvious.
She smiles, her gaze finally meeting mine.
“I’m going through some of the things Callie showed me yesterday. I wanted to get a head start,” she says quickly, jumping in with an explanation. “I’ll get your coffee. I have all the reports here ready for you.”
She gets up and moves around the desk.
My breath catches.
She can’t have known.
No one but Elise and Callie knows I still submit designs for our collections, although not as regularly as I would like these days. But here she is, wearing one of mine.
I open my mouth, then close it again.
Seeing her in it, I realise the dress and the cut are perfect.
It’s like I designed it especially for her.
Even the models at Fashion Week hadn’t brought it to life the way the young woman standing in front of me does.
I’d been disappointed at the time and had wanted to archive it.
Elise, our Design Director, had overruled me, and in the long run, she was right.
It became one of our seasonal bestsellers, but to me, it has always been missing something.
But now, seeing her in it…wow. It’s exactly how I originally envisaged it.
Fuck!
I know I’m staring. But my heart is racing.
How is this possible?
I clamp my mouth shut and simply nod, watching as she scurries off to the kitchen to do my bidding.
I stand and watch her leave.
Callie told me Brooke has a brain and that I’m to stop growling. Now I find myself wanting to growl but for a very different reason.
Entering my office, I throw down my jacket and fire up my computer.
Brooke enters, and I close my eyes briefly, centring myself before I turn to face her.
I take in her appearance. The way the fabric hugs the contours of her body, the flawless alignment of the seams, and the drape of the skirt as it moves with her in the light. It’s like she’s breathed life into my two-dimensional vision.
“Your coffee and reports,” she says, pulling me back into the present.
“Thank you,” I say.
Her eyes meet mine in surprise.
I shake myself.
“Will there be anything else?” she asks, her brows furrowing. “Is everything all right?”
I grimace before running a hand down my face.
“Everything’s fine,” I say, more abruptly than I mean to.
She flinches, and I instantly feel bad. Callie’s words resurface.
“Sorry, it was a late night,” I say, surprising myself. Since when do I apologise? “Thank you, Brooke. You’re doing a great job.”
She smiles—not a small twitch, but a full-blown, no-holds-barred smile… one that steals my breath and feels like an arrow to my chest.
“Well, if you need anything, I’ll be just outside,” she says, as if I need reminding.
“Great,” I say, turning away because I need her to leave. She does, with a spring in her step.
Oh shit!
I drop into my chair and grip the arms.
I’m highly disciplined, completely focused—or at least I have been until now. I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get where I am, and that includes my marriage. I can’t let this young woman walk in and derail me simply because she looks amazing in a dress I designed.
I shake myself.
Stay focused and keep your head in the game, Bianchi.