Carpe Bead'em (20 page)

My spirits lift.
Beatrice’s eyebrows arches up in a V and she’s tiptoeing around the room in a
happy dance.

“Sir, I’m
empathizing with her. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to put her
complete heart and soul into this company. And .…”

“Yes, Piper, and
we thank you for that. Now we need to move on to the item on the agenda. We
have fall preview coming up and ….” Charlie continues with the meeting.

The rest of the
meeting I’m on cloud nine. You can’t knock me off with a bat. At the end of the
conference call, Charlie asks to speak with me offline.

My heart races
because I‘ve never talked to him. I mean I’ve talked to him, but never one on
one. I’m probably stepped over the line with Piper and he’s going to scold me
for it.

“Hallie?” He
questions whether I’m still on the line.

I’m going to
start right out of the gate. “Sir, I’m sorry for the banter between Piper and
me. I know better, being the regional.

“Don’t worry
about that. There is a reason we didn’t offer the Cincinnati boutique to her.”

What did he
mean? We didn’t offer…OMG!
She didn’t want to give up her regional?
They demoted
her.

“Kudos to her
for wanting to take the Michigan Avenue store, but as you can read the numbers
I sent you.”

I look at
Beatrice and begin shuffling papers on my desk to find the numbers page he’s
talking about.

Beatrice put the
pages in front of me. She scribbles on her pad
Day you left early.

Of course the
numbers come in on the day I left. Wonder which day it was, because I seem to
be leaving a lot lately.

“What do you
think?” Charlie asks. But I don’t hear a word he utters. I’m trying to find the
numbers page.

“May I?”
Beatrice places her hand up to her chest.

“Sir, let me
introduce you to Beatrice. She and I have gone over and over these pages.”
Beatrice nods, letting me know she’s got some good ideas, “I think you’re going
to like what she has to say. I know I like her ideas.”

Beatrice and
Charlie go on and on about the flagship store. Charlie agrees with everything
she’s saying. She’s been accepted in the family and her face shows it.

“I can’t believe
he loves my ideas.” She clasps her hands together after the phone conference.
“Are you mad that I studied your pages?”

“No. I’m
actually glad. You saved me again. I want to thank you.”

“No need to
thank me. I don’t know. I feel like my life just took a turn in a different
direction.” She smiles. “I think I want to be bigger than a regional. I’ve got
so many good ideas for all the stores.”

My heart wants
to jump out and kiss her. I’m so proud of her. She’s grown so much in the past
seven weeks. I have no doubt she’ll go straight to the top.

“I almost
forgot.” She hands me a note. “The manager at Saks needs to see you.” I roll my
eyes. The manager has never wanted to see me before, I wonder what’s wrong? I
put it in my drawer. I’ve already put out more fires than I want to this
morning and there’s no water left in the hydrant. The Saks manager will have to
wait until another day.

Chapter
Thirty-Six

By the end of
the week, Wilson is raring to go. He’s standing outside on the porch waiting
for me to get home with Henry attached to his leash.

“Let’s get
going.” Wilson throws his bag in the back seat of the car.

Henry yaps in
delight. He loves going for rides. I look at my phone, thinking I should call
Aunt Grace. But I’m still angry about last weekend and need a week off from
them. I know she can’t help what Uncle Jimmy does, but she can try to restrain
him.

I look back at
Wilson, who’s motioning for me to go. “I need my Prudence fix. Let’s go.” He
desperately pleads.

Aunt Grace is
going to have to wait. The boutique is in good hands with Beatrice. I have
beaded enough bracelets to replace the ones sold by Dee. My samples are neatly
tucked in cute Beadnicks boxes I made, my business cards ready to go and my
accounting is in a folder for Monk take a look at.

Lucy is in Mason
Crossing with Beck and her family. The condo will be empty. Perfect for Bo and
I to spend some more alone time.

The drive isn’t
too bad with Wilson and Henry to keep me company. We pull into Tower Place. I
don’t think I can take another minute how wonderful Wilson thinks Prudence.

Obviously the
feeling is mutual, Prudence squeals with delight when she opens the door to
find Wilson standing there with three dozen roses and a big grin.

She rushes me
and Henry out, shutting the door behind us. I realize I’m not going to be spending
any time with her this weekend.

“Welcome home!
I’ve missed my southern belle.” Sam tilts his hat.

If feels great
to be home and going up in the elevator to the fifty-first floor. I laugh watching
Henry dart around, smelling all the nooks and crannies he can fit into. He runs
out on the balcony when I open the door. He jumps on the chaise and lays down, letting
the sun warm his belly.

“Like mommy,
like son.” I smile watching Henry bask in the heat.

Everything is in
order. All my stuff is the way I left it just a few weeks ago and the smell of
familiar is a welcoming scent. I put my overnight bag away and pick up the
phone to dial Bo’s number. Quickly I place the receiver back down.
What am I
thinking?
It’s Friday night and he won’t be home. He’ll be at the bar.
It’ll be sweet to surprise him.

I pull my long
black hair up in a bun tight to my head and carefully put on minimal makeup
with dark eyes. My black four-inch heels with my Lela Rose white silk halter
dress outlined in black with a thick black belt to accentuate my waist complete
the perfect outfit.

 “Bo won’t be
able to keep his hands off me,” I say. Henry wags his tail in approval.

I give him lots
of kisses before I catch the next elevator, and hail a taxi. No way can I walk
all over downtown in these heels.

The bar is
packed when I get there. My heart skips when I see Bo behind the bar, doing
what he does best.  His hazel eyes gleam from the bar lights. I make my way across
the room, keeping my eye on him as he works his magic.

There’s something
very seductive how he handles a bottle of Jack and the way his fingers twists
and manipulate the lime. My mouth waters with the thought of his hands on my
body.

“Excuse me?” I
yell over the noise, trying to get his attention. “Excuse me?”

“One sec, honey,
lots of others in front of you.” Bo swings around when he registers my voice.
“Hallie!” He drops the bar towel on the bar and turns to an employee.  “Hey,
take over. I’m leaving.” 

Bo picks me up
and kisses me harder than he ever has. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to
come home,” I say after I come up for air. “Here to surprise you.”

“Let me take you
home.” He leads me out of the bar into the alley. He pins me up against the
wall. His kisses are soft and gentle. My legs fill with goose bumps as he kisses
my neck.

“I haven’t
stopped thinking about you.” Our mouths deepen longing for more of each other.
I don’t care that my Lela Rose dress is probably getting ruined. All I can
think about is Bo and getting him back to my place.

“Let’s go,” I whisper.

Holding his
hand, I drag him out of the alley and hail a cab.  I can’t stop touching him.
He’s like a fine piece of rare Italian leather.

Bo and I can’t
keep our hands off each other—all night long.

Chapter
Thirty-Seven

“Meet me for a
run.” Bo brings me a cup of coffee, shielding the morning sun piping through the
window.

I roll over,
remembering the night before. My heart soars at the fact he’s here.

“I’m going home
to get some running clothes on. Meet me.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Lincoln
Park Zoo. One hour.”

His smells
lingers even after he leaves the room. I hug his pillow and smile. It’s
everything I dream of and more. He’s gentle and sweet. He works his way around
my body better than I can.

I put on some
shorts and a tee, take a few minutes to walk a happy Henry, and I’m off.

We run, then
return to my place. Henry enjoys the balcony. Bo and I enjoy each other.

The few hours we
spend together are better than my dreams. He wants to know more about my plans
for Beadnicks and my future with Gucci. It’s electric when you share your
dreams with someone you love.

“I think it’s
great you’ve found something you really enjoy.” He rubs my back as we lounge on
the chaise with Henry at our feet.

“It’s amazing,”
I gush. “I’ve never felt so passionate about something in my life. It makes all
the bad things in my life melt away.”

“I know.” He
agrees. “That’s how I felt when I opened the bar. It’s my baby and I’ll do
anything to nurture it.”

He’s right.
Beadnicks is my baby and I’ll do anything in my power to keep it alive and
well.

After Bo left, I
take Henry on another walk and visit a couple of my favorite boutiques that
happen to be dog-friendly.

I take my
samples, and copies of the photos from the Fit Pregnancy shot. The photos have
a great view of my designs paired with Gucci. I even added my Beadnicks logo.
This is a great brochure to hand out to perspective boutiques.

I might try to
hit up a couple of the local dog boutiques if I have time.

“Hallie, your
back.” Kiki, the owner of the first boutique we stop in, is happy to see
us.“Are you here  to stock up or are you back for good?”

Before I left
for Cincinnati, I complained to anyone and everyone that would listen about the
transfer and purchased all my favorite products to take with me. Including my
moisturizer I get from Kiki’s.

“Actually, I’m
good. But I’m only back for a weekend visit.” I smile as Kiki pets Henry. “I
want to know if I can pick your brain.”

Kiki looks
curious. “Sure.” She motions for me to follow her to the back room in the store.
“Sit down.”

Henry jumps in
my lap, and I put my bag of goodies on the floor.

“I discovered a
new talent since I’ve been gone. One that’s become a lucrative part of my
life.” I pull out the brochures, some sample bracelets, and hand them to her.

“Where did you
get these pieces?” Kiki takes her glasses out of the case and puts them on. She
looks a little closer. “Quality work.”

It doesn’t hurt
that the bracelets are paired with one of the most expensive designer labels in
the world. Gucci makes a monkey’s butt look gorgeous.

Okay, here goes
nothing

“I design and
make them myself.” I pull out my marketing-plan notebook with pride. “I’ve sold
this many in the bead store. Here you’ll see my profit and loss. Fit Pregnancy
used Beadnicks in a photo shoot that will be out in two months.”

“How will the
readers know where to purchase the jewelry?” She cuts to the chase, trying to
figure out how much business Beadnicks could bring to her store.

“On each page of
the photo layout there is a caption of the clothing, plus accessories.” I take
out a Fit Pregnancy magazine to show her what I mean. “In the back of the
magazine, the retailers are listed.”

“So what’s in it
for me?” She picks up a sample I lay on her desk and carefully inspects it.

“I’m going to
offer my favorite boutiques a marketing plan to debut my new jewelry line. I
came to you first, but others are expecting me.” I feel that I need to put
urgency into the deal before she slips away.

“Plus, I have a
line of dog collars that aren’t out yet.” I take out a copy of Sheila Gray’s
news video. I made one for each boutique. “A Cincinnati’s Fox News anchor
ordered several pieces to wear. She’s received several emails asking where they
can buy my designs.”

She puts her
hand up to stop me. “Enough said.”

Nervously I
watch as she puts the samples back in the boxes.

What?
I knew it. My
jewelry really does suck and Kiki is the only decent person to tell me.

“One hundred
pieces to start with. A good mix of colors and designs. I hold all the rights
to say no to any design I feel won’t sell.” Kiki smiles at me, as I’m
practically shitting my pants. “I love it, Hallie.”

One hundred
pieces?

I take a deep
breath, coolly stand up, and hold my hand out. “I’ll have my accountant send
you the paperwork.”

“I want it by
the end of the month.” She’s testing my coolness.

“Done.”

Of course I said
done. Forget that I’m not living here, forget that I don’t have all the
supplies, forget that I have a
real
job and forget that the end of the
month is in two weeks.