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“Oooh, that witch,” Sasha fumed. She hated everything about Zoe Sinclair. She especially resented the way Jerry fawned over the woman’s designs. Sure, she had some talent—Sasha would give her that—but so did every other designer at Guava.
She was the one who had garnered all the attention until the wretched day Zoe had walked into their lives.
Zoe hadn’t just taken the focus off Sasha—she had destroyed Sasha’s relationship with Jerry. Sasha and Jerry had been lovers, but that had changed when he’d decided to become Zoe’s mentor, much to her disdain.
Zoe was the one to blame.
Seething, Sasha brushed past a couple of her coworkers without speaking. She paused when she neared the sewing room, where Zoe was engaged in a conversation with a seamstress.
A fresh wave of hatred washed over Sasha as she spied on Zoe.
At five foot eight, Zoe was three inches taller than Sasha. Although most people considered Zoe beautiful, Sasha considered her plain, despite her smooth mocha complexion, dark hair and almond-shaped eyes.
Sasha ran her fingers through her long curly extensions. She was beautiful and she knew it. Like Zoe, she dressed at the height of fashion, although she preferred earth tones while her nemesis wore more vibrant colors and large statement jewelry. Simple strands of gold or silver necklaces were more to Sasha’s liking.
Zoe caught sight of her in the hallway. “Did you need something, Sasha?”
Her cheeks grew hot as she fumbled for an answer. “I...I was looking for Jerry.”
“Why don’t you try his office?” Zoe suggested. “It’s located on the other side of the building.”
Sasha scowled at Zoe in silence.
The seamstress wore an amused expression, which quickly disappeared when Sasha sent her a sharp glare before stalking off.
Zoe Sinclair was going to regret the day she ever walked through the doors of Guava International. Sasha would see to that personally.
* * *
Nelson was still settling into his bedroom when Kyle returned to the apartment.
“Sorry about abandoning you earlier,” he said.
“It’s cool,” Nelson said as he put away a stack of folded shirts. “Having lived with my mother all those years, I understand how crazy it gets right before a big show.”
Kyle sank down on the edge of the king-size bed. “Have you spoken to her since you left Philly?”
Nelson shook his head. “I still can’t believe what she did. You just don’t do something like that to family.”
Kyle knew Nelson was referring to Vanessa leaking the details of her husband’s long-ago affair with his sister-in-law to the media. He had heard about it from Nelson’s brother, Harper.
Harper had been so disgusted with his father’s actions that he’d left the family-owned law firm and started his own company. He had recently opened a second office in New York.
“Have you eaten yet?” Kyle asked.
Nelson shook his head. “I wanted to get unpacked first. This room is really nice,” Nelson told him. “Your apartment looks ready for the cover of a magazine. I still think you hired a decorator.”
He laughed. “Actually, Bailey and Brianna gave me some decorating tips.”
“When I get my own place, I will definitely have them come over to help me.”
Kyle and Nelson left the apartment and made their way to a nearby restaurant.
“This place is a favorite of mine,” Kyle announced when they were seated in one of the booths.
“I’ve heard that the food here is really good,” Nelson responded as he picked up the menu. “A couple of friends recommended it when I was here last month for that audition.”
“Have you heard anything back yet?” Kyle asked.
“Not since the second callback,” Nelson said. “I have another audition in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I need to find a job.”
“Why don’t you work for me?” Kyle suggested. “My assistant left for another position and I could use someone to take her place. The schedule is pretty flexible, except during Fashion Week, obviously.”
Nelson broke into a grin. “Kyle, I really appreciate all you’re doing for me. Man, this is great.”
“I have to warn you that it’s not all glitz and glamour, Nelson.”
“I know,” he replied. “I’ve seen enough of what goes on. I think it’s why Mother never wanted any of us to get involved in the fashion industry.”
“Then she’s probably not going to be pleased that you’re my assistant,” Kyle said.
Nelson shrugged. “She no longer has any say about the choices I make for my life. Right now my mother needs to try to fix this mess she’s created with the family. Family should always stick together.”
Kyle couldn’t agree more.
His cell phone rang, cutting into their conversation.
“Your phone’s been blowing up for the past fifteen minutes,” Nelson commented as they ate. “That honey must really want to talk to you.”
Kyle broke into a grin. “It’s this girl I used to date. She’s in town for Fashion Week and she wants to get together.” He picked up his glass of water and took a long sip.
Nelson leaned back in his chair. “Let me guess...she’s a model, right?”
“Actually, she’s a painter,” Kyle said. “I stopped dating models a year ago.”
His cousin laughed. “You were always a ladies’ man.”
“Hey, I can’t help that the women love me.” Kyle wiped his mouth on the edge of his napkin.
“Still humble, I see,” Nelson said with a chuckle.
Kyle leaned back in his chair. “You’re just mad because Lena Swan picked me that summer you spent with us before we went off to college.”
Grinning, Nelson shook his head. “I’m glad she chose you, Kyle. She was a strange female.” He stuck a forkful of salmon into his mouth.
“I have to agree,” Kyle said. “I didn’t know what to do when she showed up one weekend with a wedding dress and rings.”
Nelson howled with laughter. “That’s what you get for lying to that girl, telling her that you were in love with her.”
Kyle gave a slight shrug. “Lena cured me of declaring my love to anyone unless I really mean it.”
Kyle had been through a number of relationships, but his brief romance with Lena had almost caused him physical harm—she had pulled a knife on him when he had broken up with her. His parents had finally been able to calm her down enough to take the knife. Lena’s parents were called to come get her and were warned to keep her away from Kyle or the police would be contacted. Lena wisely kept her distance.
“I actually ran into Lena last year during Christmas,” he told Nelson. “She proudly displayed her wedding ring and pregnant belly. She looked happy.”
“Lucky for you,” Nelson said. “Hey, whatever happened to that ballet dancer you were dating?”
“She joined Dance Theatre of Harlem and ended up falling in love with one of the dancers. She married him less than three months after we broke up.” Kyle picked up a French fry and stuck it into his mouth.
“Ouch, that must have hurt.”
Kyle shrugged in nonchalance. “It hurt my pride most of all. I cared a great deal for her, but I wasn’t ready to be tied down. That was the problem with all of the women in my life—they all wanted to get married and have babies. I’m too much of a free spirit for that. It would stifle my creativity.”
“You just haven’t met the right woman yet,” Nelson stated.
“I have to stay focused. RHD is going to be mine one day and I fully intend to take the company to the next level. In order to do that, I have to devote my life to it.”
“So you plan to remain a bachelor for the rest of your life?”
“I don’t know what the future holds, but right now my focus is on RHD. You know that when it’s a family-owned business, people would rather believe that I was just handed my position. They don’t want to consider how hard I’ve worked, but I don’t care,” Kyle said. “The naysayers in this industry only motivate me to work that much harder.”
Even as Kyle declared his devotion to his work, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of the one woman who hadn’t tried to force or manipulate him into a serious relationship.
Zoe Sinclair.
They had developed feelings toward each other shortly after she came to RHD as an intern, although Kyle never let those emotions bloom into anything more. From the first moment he’d set eyes on her, Kyle knew he had to do his best to put Zoe out of his mind. Deep down, there were times when he really missed working with her, but Kyle wholeheartedly believed it was for the best that she had chosen to leave RHD.
Because if she hadn’t, there was no telling what might have happened between them.
And Zoe Sinclair was most definitely a distraction that Kyle did not need.
Chapter 2
Zoe settled onto the plush sofa in the living room and reached for the remote, desperate for something to distract her from the image of Kyle Hamilton in his signature black turtleneck and black jeans that had been at the forefront of her mind all day.
“Why can’t I get you out of my head?” she whispered.
She counted every moment she had spent away from Kyle a blessing in disguise, but lately he seemed to consume her thoughts. It was probably because of all the media hype for Fashion Week. Plus, she was exhausted from all the long hours she was working, and her defenses were down. Her thoughts kept going in circles whenever it came to Kyle. Zoe needed to bottle up her feelings for him. She needed to be in control.
Zoe had left RHD five years ago and had not had any real contact with Kyle in almost a year outside of professional events. She and Kyle had not been on the best of terms when she’d left to work for Guava International. Although she would never admit it out loud, Zoe had loved her time with the Hamiltons. However, toward the end, she had decided it was best to leave and vowed to never look back.
It still irked her that Kyle had actually seemed relieved at the news of her leaving RHD. In fact, it downright angered Zoe. She had hoped he would plead with her to stay with the company, but he had said nothing. It was apparent that he didn’t care if he ever saw her again.
She tried to shake the thought out of her mind, refusing to allow such memories to dampen her mood. Things were going well for her professionally. Several of her designs were being featured in Guava’s show. She had worked hard to get to this point in her career.
If only I had someone special to share it with.
Zoe stopped surfing channels when she found the Fashion Channel. The host was interviewing a young designer whose first show was financed by a well-known liquor company. New designers were often dependent on sponsors when it came to runway events, but design houses like RHD and Guava could afford to finance their own shows.
Zoe was lucky to have a company like Guava behind her. Yes, she was very lucky. However, there were times when she wondered how things would have turned out if she had stayed at RHD.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. There was no way she could have stayed. Things were too intense between Kyle and her, and she did not like the woman she had become during that period in her life. Pining over a man who had rejected her—she had no choice but to seek employment elsewhere. She and Kyle had grown pretty close while working together, but after they’d shared a kiss, things had changed abruptly between them.
Now, looking back, she realized that leaving Kyle and RHD was probably the best decision she had ever made. It was hard working with the one man she desired but would never have. She had definitely made the right decision.
So why do I feel so sad?
* * *
“We are meeting with Cameron Childs and his event planner this afternoon,” Kyle announced while going through his calendar. He and Nelson were in his office synchronizing their scheduled appointments. “After that, we will come back here. My dad wants to meet with everyone regarding the show.”
Nelson made notes on his iPhone as Kyle talked. “I met Cameron last year in Philly. He was attending a charity function hosted by Aunt Jeanette.”
“He’s cohosting the RHD party,” Kyle announced. “We need to go by Lincoln Center so I can check out our backdrops. The tents are already up, so we need to make sure the set is completed correctly.”
Nelson finished his notes. “I am going to check on the shipment of colognes that just came in. They’re going into the gift bags, right?”
Kyle nodded. “You can give the cologne to the receptionist. She’s going to put the bags together.”
As Nelson left the office, Kyle picked up the telephone. “Mom, it’s me.”
“How are things going?” Lila inquired. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“We’ve got everything under control. I’m calling to see if you’d like to have lunch with your son tomorrow.”
“Honey, I’d love to have lunch with you.”
He smiled. “Great. I’ll call you later with the details after my meeting with Cameron.”
“Oh, please tell him that I said hello,” Lila requested.
“I will,” Kyle promised. “Love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
He ended the call and Nelson strolled back into his office. “Ready to leave?”
Kyle nodded and they headed out.
“Marissa sent me a picture of the baby,” Nelson said, looking at his phone.
Marissa was the youngest child of Jacob and Jeanette Hamilton, and one of Kyle’s favorite cousins. “Yeah, I got one, too. I can’t believe she’s married and a mother. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Marissa always wanted to be a wife. Remember? It’s all she used to talk about when she was little.”
Nelson laughed. “Her dolls were always getting married. I think they had more wedding dresses than anything else. My mother even designed a couple for her.”
“What about you? Have you thought about settling down?”
“Not really,” Nelson said. “Right now I want to see if I can make it as an actor. I know my dad would have liked it if I had studied law, and my mother would have been happy if I’d become a designer. But I have no interest in doing either.”
