Jo McNally - The Life She Wants

He was a real comedian this morning. Of course, compared to her, he looked like he was ready for a GQ cover shoot in his pressed trousers and blue linen shirt. It was barely 8:00 a.m. On a Sunday.

“You’re one of those annoying morning people, aren’t you?”

Shane’s smile deepened, causing her heart to stutter again. “Guilty as charged. I don’t like wasting daylight. Interested in the job?”

She stared at her plate. If she worked for Shane, she’d have to answer to him. Tori needed a chaperone, but even more important, she needed a friend in Gallant Lake. Someone who had her back. No one had ever stepped up to do that for Mel when she was sixteen. They’d all just looked the other way and collected their paychecks. Mel wasn’t going to let that happen to Tori.

“No.” There was a flash of surprise in his eyes. “I won’t work for you as her chaperone. I’ll do it for free.”

“For free? That’s not a very good business plan, Mellie...uh... Mel.” His brows knit together, as if she’d just presented him with a puzzle to solve. She had a feeling he didn’t like puzzles much.

“Look, that girl needs a friend while she’s here. Someone she can relax with, have fun with, talk to. I’ll be that person, but not on your payroll. Not on your time clock.” She stood, emphasizing her point one last time before walking away.

“I don’t charge for friendship.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“SO LET ME get this straight.” Luis set his coffee mug on the table and leaned back in the chair, staring out the window of the Gallant Brew as he put his thoughts together. The Tuesday morning sidewalks were quiet. “Someone just offered to pay you to mentor a girl who reminds you of yourself. And you decided to do it for free. ” He shook his head. “That’s not a great career move, chica .”

“I’m not looking for a new job.”

“Aren’t you, though?”

She didn’t answer. Her bank balance was uncomfortably low. Nearly all the proceeds from selling the Miami condo had been poured into Luis’s business for the new collection, leaving her just enough to make a fresh start somewhere. She was confident the investment would pay off, but that was an investment , not a job. She loved working on designs with Luis, but did she really want to go back into a world that had already chewed her up and spit her out once?

“I couldn’t be more proud to be your business partner, Luis.”

His broad shoulders shook with laughter. “Such a nice, safe answer, Mel. But you’re too talented to be just an investor. You’re a natural at design and accessorizing. I could use you on the team full-time.”

“You mean the team that works in the fashion district? In Manhattan?” Mel suppressed the tremor that went through her, but just barely. “I don’t think that’ll happen.”

He frowned at her. “I thought Gallant Lake was temporary?”

Mel shrugged, looking around the café and nodding at Nora, who’d just walked in from the back. “I don’t know what my next move will be, but I don’t think it will be to the fashion district.”

Luis stared at her in silence. He was the one person who knew everything. When they’d first met four years ago, he’d been an associate at a major European design house. He’d contributed several pieces to the collection she’d be modeling, and he was hyper-anxious, micromanaging every aspect of the shoot. The photographer had a fit over Luis’s constant “advice” and Mel ended up in the unlikely role of peacemaker between Luis and Nelson.

Even more unlikely, she and Luis became fast friends. She liked his creative process and his sense of humor. She even liked the way he obsessed over his work. It made her wish she had something in her life that mattered that much.

Luis somehow saw through the Mellie Low veneer and saw the real her. He also saw the booze and pills and recognized the danger she was in. He made it his quest to save her, even when she rebuffed every effort. When she finally hit her lowest point, though, it was Luis she’d called. He’d held her for hours without a word of judgment the day she’d come apart two years ago. He’d checked her into rehab and made sure no one else ever had a clue. She owed him her life. But in her heart, she knew she couldn’t go back into the dog-eat-dog fashion world without putting all that hard work at risk. Not even for Luis.

“Darling,” Luis said. “They have these crazy new things called computers, and you can communicate from anywhere . Even Gallant Lake.”

“Design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As you said, it’s a team thing. And the team is in the city.” She took another sip of coffee. “Besides, I don’t know that I’m really a designer . I like playing with everything once the design work is done. Mixing and matching the textures and colors, picking accessories...stuff like that.”

When she and her friends had played dress-up as little girls, she’d been the one who told the others what to wear. She liked helping everyone else look pretty. Her becoming a fashion model was a fluke. If her childhood passions were any indication, she should have been one of the assistants backstage, not the one walking the runway.

Luis sat up and rested his big hand over hers on the table. “I’m not giving up on you yet.” He winked. “And in the meantime, you have your mentoring job to help pay the bills.” He snapped his fingers dramatically. “Oh, that’s right—you turned that job down and offered to do the same work for free ! Does this little town have a soup kitchen? ’Cuz you might need one at this rate.”

Mel laughed so loudly that people waiting at the counter for coffee turned their heads. Impulsively, she leaned over and threw her arms around his neck. “My God, you beast—it’s like hugging a bull!”

“Funny, that’s exactly what my last date said. I think his name was Frankie.” She planted an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

“You’re my favorite way to start the day, Luis.”

“Hey, Frankie said that, too!”

“Stop it, you dirty boy!”

“Are we interrupting?”

Shane and his friend Tim stood by the table. Shane’s expression was stormy, and she wondered what had put him in such a mood. Tim, much like the night of the gala, was wearing a smile bordering on laughter. She had a feeling it reflected his normal approach to life.

Luis stood when Mel did, his arm remaining firmly around her waist. She stepped out of his embrace, surprised at his “papa bear” stance as he glared at Shane.

“Hi, guys. Is Tori with you?”

Tim shook his head. “She had a physical therapy session this morning. We just stopped by for some coffee while we work out our schedule for the next few weeks.”

Shane and Luis were still glaring at each other in some weird, silent pissing contest, and Mel realized they hadn’t actually been introduced.

“Luis Alvarado, this is Shane Brannigan and Tim Monroe. They’re trying to manage Tori Sutter’s career.” Shane took his eyes off Luis long enough to narrow them at her. “Luis and I are business partners.” She could have sworn Shane smirked at that. “He designed the gowns we wore at the gala.”

Luis extended his hand to Shane. “Every one of those designs had Mel’s touch, as well. Why don’t you join us?”

When Luis turned to shake hands with Tim, the atmosphere at the table shifted, moving from confrontational to something much different. The two men maintained their grip on each other for a moment longer than necessary, and Tim’s light smile deepened. Were they...? No, it couldn’t be.

Nora brought over a plate of pastries as they all took their seats. “How about some sugar to wake everyone up?” Nora glanced at Mel in concern, but Mel shook her head. In other circumstances, being flanked by three men might be stressful for her, but not today. Luis was Luis. Tim’s smile and laid-back attitude charmed her. And Shane? Well, she’d already discovered she could deal with Shane Brannigan.