I turn and give her a bright smile. “Yes! Sorry, how can I help?” It’s the lady in the polka-dot blouse.
“Did I hear you say you make these dresses for children?” She gestures to the rack beside Myles, reaching for the unicorn-print dress. “My niece would love a dress like that. She’s all about unicorns.”
“Well, no, but—”
“She does, yes,” Myles interrupts. He reaches behind the counter for a scrap of paper and a pen. “Why don’t you give us your email address and Cat can contact you?”
“Oh, great!” The woman takes the paper, scribbles, then hands it over.
Once she’s gone I turn back to Myles, stunned. “What was that?”
He flashes me a grin—the confident, self-assured one that’s all white teeth, the one I always associate with him. “See? People love them.”
I glance down at the paper in my hand, thinking. Is this really possible, building an online business based entirely on my own designs? Geoff suggested the same thing—and if it’s so obvious to both of them, why am I resisting this idea so much? Is it because Mark made me feel like my own designs aren’t enough?
No, that’s not the only thing holding me back. The truth is, I’m not sure if I’m really prepared to take another risk with my business—to trust someone to help me out again. I’m sick of being let down by people, time and time again. And let’s face it, I hardly know Myles.
But what choice do I have? My business is slipping through my fingers and I don’t have any other ideas to save it. They say desperate times call for desperate measures—and I’m feeling desperate.
Besides, a tiny voice inside me asks, what if it actuallyworked? How cool would that be? I could run my own business on my own terms and Mark would have nothing to do with any of it. If that means I have to get a little help from Myles to make it a reality, that would be worth it.
“Do you really think this could work, this online business idea?”
“Yes,” Myles says, without missing a beat.
“I do want to leave here.” I gaze around the store. “I want to get away from Mark.”
His brow knits. “Of course. It must suck that he’s your landlord. Besides, you said it yourself: this isn’t how you pictured your business. So do something different, stop settling. Let’s make this the best it can be.”
“Rousing speech,” I say wryly.
He closes the lid on his laptop with a chuckle. “Look, it’s up to you. But I think it could be cool.”
I feel an odd sensation roll through my chest, and it takes me a moment to recognize it as hope. Hope for saving my business—for building something even better, on my own terms.
“Okay.” I grin at Myles. “You’re right. Let’s do it.”
10
Itake a seat and place my purse under the table, smiling at Shane. This restaurant isto die for.
After Myles and I decided to go ahead with creating my online business, I felt empowered. And I figured, why not take control of my love life too?
So I texted Shane. He replied straight away, explaining he’d been swamped with work, had been meaning to get in touch, and could he take me out for dinner soon? I tried not to appear too eager when I replied, but I’ve got a good feeling about him.
And, fuck—he is even hotter than I remembered. Tonight, he’s in navy chinos and a crisp dress shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows and the top button undone. His blond hair is styled, his jaw clean-shaven, and he’s wearing the same fancy cologne he had on at Bounce. In other words: yummy.
He’s taken me to a restaurant called La Bouffe. I haven’t even tried the food yet and I’m impressed. We’re on the sixtieth floor of a building in the Financial District, and the views uptown are like something out of a magazine on this gorgeous spring evening. The Empire State Building sits tall and proud in the center of our view, nestled amongst the familiar cluster of midtown skyscrapers. Not far behind, on the border of the park, I can see the colossal Central Park Tower, taller than anything else from this viewpoint. As the sun sinks toward the horizon, it hits the building at just the right angle, sending golden light scattering across midtown.
God, I always forget how stunning this city is. I spend so much time with my head down, running between the West and East Village, I forget that there’s a whole city teeming with life and beauty around me.
“I hope you like it here.” Shane’s eyes flash as they explore my dress. I went to a bit of extra trouble tonight, knowing he’d take me somewhere classy. I haven’t been on a date this nice in ages, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure it goes smoothly.
I smile at Shane from under my lashes. “It’s great. I’ve never been here before. The views are amazing.”
He nods, picking up the drink menu and perusing the contents, ignoring the view. He must come here so often that it’s boring for him.
The waiter appears beside us with a bottle of sparkling water, setting it down on the table. “What can I get you to drink this evening?”
