Following the months of managing Phoenix’s correspondence after his accident, Liv continued the job once he’d returned to work. She read his emails and letters and listened to his voicemails, saving only those that required his personal attention. The rest, she’d summarize during their weekly one-on-one meetings.
The first inkling Liv had that Orchid was trying to reach him was when she borrowed Phoenix’s cell phone while he was in a meeting, intending to download the most recent security updates.
A text?It was cryptic and short.
Liv’s eyes narrow with suspicion.What good could come of this woman who had abandoned Phoenix?He deserves better.In line with hiding Orchid’s photo, filled with a sense of justice, Liv blocked all calls and messages from a certain Orchid Paige.
When Phoenix stopped by to retrieve his phone, he mentioned the message to Liv with a wry twist of his mouth. “Orchid texted me last night,” he said, slipping the slender device into his shirt pocket.
“What do you think she wants?” Liv asked, nonchalantly continuing her task of zipping open envelopes.
“I don’t know. I’m not planning to reply to her.”
Liv nodded, feeling vindicated.
A day later, an email arrived from Orchid Paige.
Liv’s finger jabbedenterto open the email, then sprang back as if the keyboard were sullied by the vicious woman who dared contact her boss.
Phoenix,
I saw Caleb. Please call me.
She jammeddeletewith satisfaction. A quick search yielded the steps to block emails from a specific address. He’d do the same thing if he only thought to protect himself.
CHAPTER 39
TWO AGAINST ONE
Orchid
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 7
Navigating the tents at Lincoln Center during Fashion Week was akin to getting through an international airport, security and all. Cavernous white spaces led hordes of showgoers through metal screens and ID checks to arrive to the runway location. Only Orchid’s glossy paperboard ticket printed with the right words allowed her this far. Dolce & Gabbana made Orchid’s love of leather and faux fur look good, even when worn together in a seemingly unplanned flurry.
Crowded into the vestibule to await seating, Orchid studied the varied looks of the fashion editors, bloggers and others. The attendees swirled with a mix of colors, prints, naked shoulders, and high heels. Orchid paid homage to the designers, layering a pleather minidress pressed into a subtle reptilian pattern over monochrome tights and platforms that bolstered her to six feet. A simple stack of metal and crystal around her wrists completed the look.
Cool tonal music pulsed in over the speakers, setting the mood for a breezy, effortless show.
The hubbub generated by hundreds chatting seemed to mute as she caught sight of a crisp white shirt, tailored slacks and wavy-haired guy better-looking than the models shown on the screens around the tent. Phoenix’s head tilted toward the woman with whom he was conversing.
Orchid weaved through the crowd, unable to stop drinking in the mirage of Phoenix, even as every sip fed her longing and the requisite stab of rejection that accompanied it.
Closer now, she could see that the athletic platinum blonde woman’s arm was clearly wrapped around him, as was his around her. The tight embrace was even more intimate than the one she’d witnessed with Liv a month and a half earlier. Her blonde head leaned against his chest as the two enjoyed their private bubble.Shit, this guy gets around.With his looks and smarts, no surprise.
Sensing her approach, he pivoted his eyes up without moving another muscle. The look he gave her hitched in her throat. She’d seen that expression before. After the initial surprise, his eyes stormed. She was uncertain if it was with desire, tenderness or regret. Which parts were for her, and which parts resulted from the rendezvous with his flaxen-haired companion?
“Hey there,” she said.
“Hey, Orchid, what are you doing here?”
She gestured towards the echoing space up high in the tent. “Same as you, I guess . . . ditching work?”
“C’mon, in our industries? Thisiswork.”
She took a step closer. “I’ve been calling and emailing. I was worried about you. Your brother said something happened. Are you okay?”
He unlocked their tight stare and licked his lips. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He turned toward the blonde, who was staring back and forth between them. “Tish, this is Orchid. Orchid, this is Tish, my ex.”
