Chapter 37
HARPER
Iwalk down the corridor. A few people smile, but the majority are too busy checking room numbers to pay attention to those around them.
Fashion.
My heart rate picks up as I hoist my bag onto my shoulder, gripping the handle.
Here goes.
The door opens inwards. A few faces look up from where they’re seated, scattered around the room. Only one group of women is sitting together, but they’re clearly friends, or soon will be if the conversation they’re engrossed in is anything to go by.
“Come in, come in. Don’t be shy,” a woman calls from the front. “I’m Debra. I’m your main instructor for this semester.”
I smile and step into the room. “Hi, I’m Brooke.”
“Lovely to meet you, Brooke. Take a seat.”
A young woman not much older than me moves her bag from the table beside her, smiling up at me.
“Do you mind?” I ask.
“Of course not,” she says, her accent marking her as a New Yorker. “I’m Andie,” she says.
“Hi, Andie, I’m Brooke.”
“Pleased to meet you. You here long term?” she asks.
When I frown, she grins. “Your accent, clearly not from this side of the pond.”
I return her smile. “Unsure,” I tell her truthfully. “I have a job, so who knows.”
“I have two kids at home. My parents have agreed to have them so I can complete my education,” she says.
“How old are they?”
“Seven and five,” she says. “Pregnant straight out of high school. Should have known better but wouldn’t change them for anything. Just tough, you know, without an education. Their dad’s a deadbeat. Left a couple of years ago, so it’s just us.”
“I’m sorry,” I say.
She laughs. “I’m not. Best thing that could have happened.”
I smile back. “Fair enough.”
“You done much fashion before?”
“A little bit, but I had to drop out. I saw the course and decided to pick it up again.”
“That’s cool. Life has a tendency to get in the way sometimes,” she says.
“You’re telling me,” I say with an eye roll, deciding immediately I’m going to like Andie.
Debra claps her hands.
“It looks like everyone is here, and I don’t want to be late getting started. Welcome, everyone…”
She moves around the classroom, handing out the semester schedule.
“This contains all the dates for assignments and the industry professionals who’ll be coming in to work with you.”
She goes through each item in detail.
I open my notebook as she fills us in on what to expect from them and what they expect from us.
“Any questions?”
Everyone looks at their table, making her chuckle. “Don’t panic. My email is on the last page. If you have any questions, you can email them to me. If it’s something I think is beneficial for everyone, then we can go over it at the beginning of our next class.”
We all file out of the classroom.
“It was lovely meeting you, Brooke. See you on Tuesday,” Andie says as we hit the street.
“You too. Have a great weekend.”
A cab approaches, its roof light shining, but someone else gets there first.
“Get in,” a voice calls from the kerb.
My heart thunders.
“It’s okay,” I say.
The guy gets out, and I realise he’s a member of the security detail stationed in the apartment opposite. As I left, I’d slipped a note under their door telling them where I was going.
Better to beg forgiveness.
I step forward.
“Hop in, I’ll drive you home.”
I open the door, still praying he really is security and not one of the men sent to do me harm.
“You got my note?” I say when he pulls into traffic.
“We did. I should ask what the hell you’re playing at, but I get it. We both do. Give us your schedule and one of us will pick you up.”
“You don’t have to. I can get a cab,” I say.
“Not when this place is kicking out. Even a booked one is likely to get taken by someone else,” he says.
“I don’t want to put you out.”
He turns his head and grins. “We’re sat in an apartment, twiddling our thumbs. It’s not like you have us running all over the city.” He pauses, clearly realising what he’s said.
My life is boring and, by default, so is theirs.
I wake up, I go to work, I come home, I go to bed.
Rinse and repeat.
“It’s fine. Thank you, I’d appreciate the lift.”
“We should be thanking you. You’ve done everything you’ve been asked to do. When I first found out who we were covering, I did wonder.”
I sigh, the corners of my lips tilting. I can only imagine. The infamous Rebel Frazer!
“My reputation preceded me?”
He turns and smiles, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not what we were expecting, far from it.”
“I shall take that as a compliment,” I say.
His grin widens. “You should.”
We pull into the parking lot, and I grab my bag. “Thanks,” I say.
“I’m Dan, my flatmate is Mitch.”
“Pleased to meet you, Dan. It’s great finally meeting one of the neighbours,” I say as the old lady I often see in the elevator walks past, giving us both a friendly nod.
“You too.”
We walk towards our apartments and open our respective doors.
“Have a great evening,” I say. “Thanks again.”
“You too, Brooke.”
That’s how it starts. As promised, one, or the other is there every evening when class ends.
For the first time in months, I find myself relaxing, not only because I feel anonymous but also because the class is small and the students are dedicated.
Most of them are older. They’re there to learn, not to gossip.
But it’s more than that. The design work and briefs come thick and fast, and at last, I’m doing something for me…
the real me. I’ve been forced into a situation where I must follow the rules, stay hidden, cut ties with my old friends, and refrain from making new ones.
I’ve been ordered to keep a low profile and ensure I don’t do anything that might draw attention to myself.
But since starting my classes, despite the extra-long hours at work, I leave every lesson energised.
With the team opposite on board, this feels harmless and controlled. It gives me something other than St Clair and daydreams about my tall, dark, and sexy boss, and a kiss that’s left me wanting more than I should.