Chapter 18
Skye
Rob: How was the play?
I read his message just as I slid under my covers.
Skye: It was amazing. Thank you for the tickets. Cole joined us too. You’re so thoughtful.
Rob: Did it for selfish reasons.
Skye: Oh?
Rob: Wanted to make sure you don’t forget me these two weeks.
Wow. My heart rate sped up so quickly that I almost hyperventilated. I called him, because it was easier than just typing back and forth.
“You’re difficult to forget,” I said. There weren’t more than ten minutes this entire evening that I didn’t have Rob on my mind. The play didn’t even capture my full attention, which told me how wrapped up I was in this man.
“And why is that?”
“I can’t tell, exactly.” And that was the truth. Besides, we were not at that stage in a relationship where I would tell him even if I could.
“Then I haven’t done the job right, impressed you enough.” Rob’s voice was deliciously sensual.
“Hmmm… I feel like the kind thing to do is to tell you that you more than impressed me….”
“Good, but there’s so much more I’ve planned.”
“Are you wooing me, kind sir?”
“How can you tell?” he asked.
“You have that alpha thing going on.”
He chuckled in a way that made my body tingle. “You’re right. Did you relax at least?”
“Definitely. One of the reasons I like to watch plays is that they require my full concentration and then block out any other thoughts.” Except those of Rob, it seemed. “How was your day?”
“Still not over. I’m on a break, which is just about to end.”
“Wow. I’ll leave you, then. Don’t work too hard.”
“Skye, I’m glad you called.”
I squirmed in my bed, my body feeling almost a physical ache at his voice.
“Have fun for the rest of the evening.”
“You too. Dream about me. Good night.”
Oh yeah… I was definitely going to dream about him.
I fell asleep with Rob on my mind and woke up the same way. How was this sexy man hijacking my thoughts all the time? That was a feat no one before him had succeeded in doing.
“You’ve got an important meeting ahead,” I told myself in the mirror while I smeared body oil with an orange aroma on my legs.
I had a system for almost everything. Relaxing lavender body oil before going to bed and invigorating orange oil before going out of the house in the morning.
“You need to focus. Don’t let anyone hijack your thoughts again. ”
I didn’t go directly to the store. I was meeting our website designer downtown to discuss some budget changes. Since we updated products routinely and ran sales on older merchandise, she had to make changes on the go all the time, and the costs were adding up.
I loved handling this, and so did Tess. Every day was a new day, nothing mundane about retail. She always said whenever we needed to break some news to our business partners, “You do it, you’re more efficient. When the dragon side of you shows, no one dares contradict you.”
Our website designer, Maisie, was waiting for me in our go-to coffee shop in Bryant Park, sitting outside on the comfy couches. If given the choice, I always preferred a spot in the sun as opposed to inside.
“Morning, Skye,” Maisie greeted. “Already ordered your favorite.”
“Thanks, Maisie, you didn’t have to. How are you, good?”
“Fine, things are okay. Let’s get straight to business, okay?” Maisie smiled, but she was less bubbly than usual. She seemed a little pale too.
“I like your efficiency.”
I got out my laptop, opening the budget spreadsheet. “Okay, so I know Tess and I wanted each sale to have a different layout on the website, but making those changes costs so much. Can we just get a template we can use for every sale?”
“Theoretically, yes… but it’s all going to look the same.”
“Big retailers do that too, so I think consumers are used to it. And we really want to cut costs.”
“Okay.” She sighed, writing a few notes on her iPad. Something was definitely off. I kept my voice firm, but I wasn’t inconsiderate or mean, so I didn’t think her mood was just because of our conversation. No, something was wrong before I got here.
“Maisie, are you okay? You seem a little out of sorts.”
“Oh, it’s that obvious?” Biting her lip, she added, “I’ve just broken up with my boyfriend.”
I winced. “Awww, girl. I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Hell no. Don’t have time to talk. Or even breathe.”
“But you won’t say no to an ice caramel Frappuccino with extra topping, will you? I’m buying.”
Maisie laughed, seeming to loosen up a bit. “Sure. I’d rather have that than this coffee. Thanks, Skye.”
We ended up ordering a sugary drink each. Despite having a million things to do, I just didn’t have it in me to leave her alone.
We parted ways one hour later, and I rushed to the store. When I arrived, Tess was busy with two customers and mouthed to me, “Go to the back.”
I nodded. Wait… what was that twinkle in my sister’s eyes? Hmmm… she was up to something, I was sure of it, but I headed to the back anyway.
Holy shit, there was a mountain of merchandise to be sorted.
Jane wasn’t coming until the evening, so I rolled up my proverbial sleeves and got to work.
Truthfully, no matter how dull the task, there was this sense of accomplishment that no one could take from me.
It was something Tess and I had built together; it was ours, only ours.
We’d already survived an investor ditching us and a business partner trying to scam us before that.
I’d almost thrown in the towel any number of times, but Mom had given me some tough love.
She’d been very supportive of the business from the start.
“Your business can’t wake up one morning and decide it doesn’t love you anymore” had been her mantra since Dad left.
My Mom was the strongest woman I knew, raising us on her own.
I wished she’d slow down a bit now, considering she was in her seventies.
She could retire but chose not to, most likely because Mick was still working.
His job as a concert organizer took him all around the country.
When I paused for a few minutes to rest, I discovered I had a message from Rob.
Rob: How is the feisty lady today?
Skye: In a frenzy.
Rob: I can try to drop by the store for a quick dinner if you have time. It’s the only free evening I have.
And he was choosing to spend it with me? I had butterflies in my stomach.
Skye: YES, YES, YES.
Rob: I like your enthusiasm.
Skye: :-)
To my astonishment, I was twice as fast with the next few boxes. Channeling butterflies into nervous energy? Maybe. I grinned, placing a palm on my stomach. I couldn’t believe I was so full of fuzzy feelings. I was going to see him today!
When I felt as if my arms were about to fall off, I joined Tess in the front of the store. She was changing the bra on the mannequin next to the counter.
“Can we finish sorting out the merchandise later? We only have two boxes left.”
“Sure.” Tess was all smiles. And that fishy look in her eyes I’d spotted in the morning was still there.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
I pointed at her. “That’s not a nothing face. You can’t fool me.”
“Fine, it’s not nothing, but that doesn’t mean you need to know about it.”
I jerked my head back. “Hey, you came up with the no-secrets policy.”
And I lived by it. So did Tess… at least, I’d been under that impression.
She shrugged, smoothing the silky robe on the mannequin before refastening the belt, even though she’d just done that and it had looked perfect. Aha! She was avoiding my eyes too.
“Let’s grab something to eat. I’m starving,” I said, deciding to drop the subject. I needed a new angle, and I couldn’t come up with it if I was hungry. This was going to be super late lunch for us.
“Sure, I’ll get us something. Tacos, pizza? Or want to try a burrito from that new food truck?”
“Yeah, let’s try that and give the guy some business.”
Before we ventured into entrepreneurship, I’d been a creature of habit: always ordered from my favorite restaurants, went shopping at my usual stores. Afterward, I opened myself up to new experiences.
“I want extra cilantro with a side of cilantro,” I said.
Tess shuddered. It was one of the few things we disagreed on. She insisted it tasted like soap. I claimed it was the best herb.
“Oh my God, this is to die for,” I exclaimed twenty minutes later as we were both devouring burritos.
“I know, right? We need to take this to a working lunch.” My family would love this.
“I was just thinking about that.”
“Was there a line?” I asked, keeping my fingers crossed for a yes. The guy really deserved to sell out.
“Unfortunately, no, but it’s still early in his business. He’s super nice. And hot, and single.”
I laughed. “How did you find that out in the time it took you to order?”
“Well, I only needed two seconds to figure out the hot part. He just gives off a nice vibe, and I told him his girlfriend would get a discount at our store. He said he wasn’t seeing anyone.”
“Damn, you’re efficient.”
“I know, right?” She did a small pirouette, laughing. “Who knows, maybe he and I will click.”
“Oh, Tess.”
She had a dreamy smile on her face.
The other thing we didn’t see eye to eye on? Love.
Even though Tess had taken Dad’s leaving harder, she still believed in love… more than I did, at any rate. She had dreams of big weddings and huge families, and I tried to keep my expectations low.
“Sooo… since you’re in such a great mood, want to tell me why you’re so secretive?”
I was betting on the fact that our delicious lunch would loosen her tongue.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing. I’m just observing some interesting changes about you.”
I tried not to look too pleased that my bet had been so spot on.
“And what’s the verdict?”
She shook her head. “None yet. Still in observation phase.”
“I see. Well, you can add to your pool of data that Rob will stop by with dinner tonight.”
“Oh, duly noted.”