Chapter Nine
For the first time in over a year, Leo took a personal day off from work.
After Cammie’s experience at the boutique, there was no way he’d let her go shopping alone.
He was already kicking himself for recommending Urban Trend to her in the first place.
He’d only done it because his sister often shopped there.
But Jenny came from money, and there were ways to tell that at a glance.
Cammie’s adorable jeans and sweater look shouldn’t have mattered. She should have been treated with respect whether she had Leo’s Black Card in her purse or not, and he’d come up with a plan to point that out to the store owner in a way she’d feel far into the future.
He parked his SUV, getting lucky by finding a spot in front of the boutique. As he approached the store, Charlie, who also shopped there, was waiting for him, too.
“Well, this should be fun,” she said, treating him to an evil smile.
He shook his head and grinned despite the seriousness of the situation. “We’re here to teach a lesson, not have fun.”
She chuckled. “I prefer to think of it as revenge, and that can be tons of fun,” Charlie said.
His friend was as sweet as they came but if you hurt someone she cared about, watch out. And she cared about Leo, who in turn had feelings for Cammie. Charlie was on his side.
“You’re a little scary sometimes,” he told her.
She shrugged. “So I’ve been told.”
“Leo,” his sister called out.
He turned around to see Jenny approaching. She was nearly as tall as him but that was where the physical attributes they shared ended. While his hair was inky black, hers was a rich mahogany, favoring their mother, along with her facial features and hazel eyes. Leo took after their father.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, giving his sister a brief hug. He’d filled both women in on the situation by text last night.
“I’m all for helping out after what you told me happened to your friend.” Jenny glanced past him and smiled. “Hi, Charlie.”
“Hey!”
Leo led the way as they entered the boutique.
The moment they stepped inside, Patricia, the owner, who Leo recognized from the description Cammie had given him, as well as by her nametag, came toward them, her eyes bouncing from Jenny to Charlie.
“Miss Watson, Mrs. Sterling. It’s nice to see you both,” Patricia said, all saccharine smiles and fake charm.
“Are you the owner?” Leo asked, his tone blunt but needing to confirm he had the right person.
“Yes, I am,” she said with a warm but fake smile, keeping up her overly accommodating act. “Patricia Harding, at your service.” She held out her hand and he stared until she dropped it, her smile fading.
He had no intention of shaking the hand of a woman who hadn’t bothered to offer Cammie the same welcoming gesture. “Leo Watson.”
“You must be related to Jenny!” Patricia glanced back and forth between them.
“She’s my siter. And I’d like to talk to you about something that happened when my girlfriend came into this store to buy a dress.” He let the comment settle before adding, “She wasn’t treated very well.”
“Your girlfriend?” Patricia sounded genuinely confused.
He pulled out his phone and showed her the picture Cammie had taken of them in Bryant Park. Leo watched as Patricia’s face lost all color, her smile bleeding away as she stared at the photo.
“Oh… umm, yes,” she stammered. “I believe we met briefly…”
“Yesterday,” Charlie said, stepping up beside him. “when you not only refused to help her, but you deliberately insulted her, as well.”
Patricia put her hand on her chest, her jaw opened in mock outrage. “I would never treat a customer that way!”
“Enough,” Leo barked.
“You treated her like dirt because you took one look at her and didn’t think she could afford your clothing,” Jenny said, frowning. “And as someone who shops here, I’m not happy about that at all.”
Patricia’s gaze darted everywhere but at Jenny and Leo, and for good reason. His sister had deep pockets and Patricia made a lot of money from Jenny purchasing her clothing here.
“I can’t say I’m pleased either,” Charlie agreed.
The owner pulled at her collar, clearly trying to come up with an explanation they’d accept.
Leo enjoyed seeing her panic. She’d torn Cammie down, and now she was going to find out the repercussions for fucking around with someone Leo cared for.
“I… I think there was some misunderstanding,” Patricia said at last. “It was my fault. Please, let me make it up to her. Sand her back in today, and I’ll help her personally.”
“Absolutely not,” Leo said. Cammie deserved respect before he and the women had shown up and demanded it for her. “She won’t ever come back into this store again.”
Charlie cleared her throat. “I want to cancel the dress I have on order,” she said, and Patricia’s wide, anxiety-filled eyes morphed to glittering anger.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“What dress?” Jenny asked.
“For the gala next month,” Charlie said, her gaze on Jenny’s as she deliberately ignored Patricia and her question. “It was a blue, off-shoulder piece with a poofy skirt,” Charlie explained. “But now, I’m sure I can find something better and more appropriate for the event.”
Jenny nodded. “Aah. I’m attending that gala as well. I haven’t shopped yet, but I’ll need to go elsewhere since this store will no longer be getting my business.”
Patricia began to argue with his sister and best friend, insisting the order couldn’t be canceled and promising Jenny she had just the gown for her to see.
But Jenny and Charlie merely shook their heads and Charlie informed Patricia if she didn’t cancel the order, she’d do it herself with her credit card company.
Leo, meanwhile, enjoyed every minute of the discussion, grateful he could depend on them to help make his point to the haughty boutique owner.
The loss of business from two of her best clients would hurt, not to mention what the two women would tell their friends about the boutique.
And that had been his intention all along.
In the end, Charlie’s order was cancelled, and Patrica ushered them out of the store, her skin now a sickly green.
They stepped into the fresh morning air. “I can’t thank you both enough. I think Patricia got the message that she screwed up. Badly.”
“I’m happy to do it,” Charlie said. “From what you’ve told me, and the brief time we met, Cammie seems lovely, and I hate that she was treated badly just because she wasn’t dripping with diamonds when she walked in.
” Charlie rolled her eyes, but Leo knew Charlie hadn’t come from money and understood Cammie better than he or his sister ever could.
“So, what’s the story with you and Cammie?” Jenny asked. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.” They hadn’t caught up in a while. Jenny was a workaholic and so was he… except now Leo had been busy with Cammie, too.
“We’re new and it’s a little… complicated,” he told her. Then he geared up for his big pitch. “Speaking of complicated, I might have promised Cammie an interview with your firm for a job as a graphic designer.”
Jenny’s eyes widened. “What? Why on earth would you promise something like that without discussing it with me first?”
“It’s a long story but Cammie is really good, Jen. She showed me her portfolio last night. She’s just having a hard time being taken seriously.”
“And why is that?” his sister asked, brows raised.
Doing his best not to wince, he told his sister the truth. “Because she doesn’t have a degree.”
“Oh my God, Leo. That’s a huge problem for me, too. Anyone I hire needs the right training and apprenticeships.”
He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. “I know and I understand but she did study graphic design at NYU. She just never completed her degree.” And though he could tell his sister why, he didn’t feel that Cammie’s emotional and painful past was his to share. “I’m telling you, she’s got talent.”
Jenny checked the time on her watch, and he knew she was going to take off on him before he could convince her to give Cammie a chance. “Listen, I’ve got to go for now or I’ll be late for a meeting,” she said.
“Just give it some thought, okay?”
She nodded in that noncommittal way of hers and rushed off to her car.
Charlie shot him a pitying look, patted his shoulder, and left him standing in the street.
Leo checked the time, realizing he needed to get to another boutique to meet Cammie. Threadz had been recommended by Charlie. Owned by her friend, Charlie assured him they’d treat Cammie with respect.
With no choice for now, he put the issue with securing her an interview to the back of his mind and returned to his SUV to go meet Cammie.
Once at the store, they walked in together. Nobody looked at Cammie’s jeans or sneakers, instead they gushed over her as a new customer and led them both to the dressing area.
Leo sat in a chaise lounge outside the fitting room and the salesgirl took Cammie over to the gowns to get her opinion on various dresses to try on. He pulled out his phone and began to reply to work emails while he waited.
Fifteen minutes later, Cammie was alone, enclosed in the room, trying on gowns.
“Uh, Leo? I’m stuck.” Cammie’s voice reached out to him.
He raised one eyebrow. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“I managed to get myself into the dress, but now the zipper is stuck and I need help.”
Leo glanced around. The employee had been stopped by another customer so he rose to his feet, entered the fitting area and pushed aside the curtain.
Cammie stood in front of a mirror. He took her in, a vision in a black dress with a fitted top and flared-out skirt that brushed the floor.
But she smiled and shook her head. “This isn’t the one. It reminds me too much of prom.” Turning, she showed him her back. “The zipper is stuck halfway up.”
He stepped closer, letting the curtain close behind him. He reached for the zipper, his knuckles brushing against her skin and Cammie’s breath hitched at his touch.