Fashioned for Love (A Silver Script Novel Book 3)
Read Fashioned for Love (A Silver Script Novel Book 3) Online
Authors: Jaclyn Weist
Fashioned for Love
By Jacly
n
Weist
This is a work of fiction, and the views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author. Likewise, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Fashioned for Love
Book design and layout copyright © 2016 by Dragons & Fairy Tales Press
Cover design copyright © 2016 by Jeff and Rachelle Hearn
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Copyright © 2016 by Jaclyn Weist
ISBN-13:
978-0-9861667-9-2
Printed in the United States of America
Year of first printing: 2016
For my sons, Jakob and Andy (because they spoke up first).
Find a girl and treat her like a queen. Just not for another ten years or so, please.
I want to send a quick thank you to all my friends and family that continue to support me through my writing adventures. I don’t know what I’d do without you!
Thank you to all my awesome beta readers for reading and enjoying this story. I enjoyed writing Debra and Lance, and I’m really happy that others have enjoyed them as well.
And most of all, thank you to my kids and to my husband for being there for me, even when I’m cursing my characters for not behaving like I want them to behave. Love you all!!
Debra clicked save on the file and leaned back in her chair, smiling. The ads for the Walker Apparel clothing line had come out perfect, and she couldn’t wait to see their reaction. A glance at the clock told her she was running late and needed to leave for the New Year’s party.
The thought of skipping it ran through her mind for the hundredth time, but she knew she couldn’t. She’d promised she’d be there, and her only other option was sitting on her couch eating leftovers while the ball dropped. As appealing as that sounded, she knew she needed to be around people.
With a sigh, she stood and pulled on her coat and gloves. The weather had been nasty all December long and hadn’t improved. She slipped off her heels and put on her snow boots. Fashion was great until you fell and broke your leg. She put the heels in her bag and left her office, making sure it was locked behind her.
Most of the lights in the building were off as she left. The employees of Silver Script Ad Agency had been given permission to work from home if needed because of the weather. Debra only lived a few subway stops away, so it wasn’t hard to go in. With the deadline for the ads approaching, she’d spent several hours at the office over the Christmas holiday. Keeping this account meant a lot to the agency.
Debra took the elevator down and stepped out onto the tiled floor. The soft thudding of her boots echoed off the walls of the large reception area as she walked to the door. The Christmas decorations that had adorned the room all month had been put away sometime during the day, leaving it feeling bare. She pushed the door open and walked out into the icy wind.
New York City was packed full of partiers by the time Debra made it to Times Square. Shouts among friends mixed with the music, filling her senses. She had to push her way through the crowds, apologizing as she brushed past them. It was only a few blocks, but it took much longer than she’d planned.
After checking the address again, Debra pulled the door open to a reception center and slipped inside. She’d hoped for a little less chaos, but it was just as crazy inside. Music pounded throughout the room, and lights flashed. People shouted at each other, trying to hear their friends over the noise. The smell of alcohol and too many bodies reminded Debra of why she made a point to avoid these places.
She made her way past the main party and found the conference room where David, the owner of Silver Script Ad Agency, had snagged a spot. The idea to do a New Year’s Party had been a last minute thing and most of the events centers in the city were booked. He’d invited all the clients from the past year, and by the look of it, most of them had made a point to show up.
Debra scanned the room and found Erin near the back, laughing with a group of friends. After a quick hello to other employees, she made her way over to where Erin stood.
“Hey.” She nodded at the other people in the group before accepting a drink from a waiter. “It’s packed in here.”
Erin laughed. “I think you could say that about the entire city. I’m glad you made it. I was worried you would work all night.”
“I didn’t have to. You did a great job with the designs.” Debra sipped her drink, wincing at the bitterness. She should have just gone with water.
“Thank you. So, you’ve met Jake and Carissa. This is her husband, Matt. And this is Lance Walker from Walker Apparel.”
Debra’s breath caught when she met Lance’s green eyes. She’d communicated with him over email and on the phone about his clothing line, but they’d never met face to face. She’d had too many projects she was overseeing and had turned this one over to Erin and Carissa. Now she wished she’d been more involved. Not that she wanted anything to happen. She’d given up on love a long time ago.
“So this is the mysterious Debra. Erin and Carissa have raved about how much you taught both of them. It’s nice to finally meet you.” His smile showed a dimple in his left cheek, and it made Debra go weak in the knees.
Debra forced out a laugh. “While I’d love to take the praise, most of the credit goes to them. They surpassed what I taught them long ago.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s amazing.” Erin picked up a drink from the tray that was offered and thanked the waiter.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Debra. Please excuse me, I need to go say hi to an old friend.” He held out his hand and she took it, impressed by his firm grip. “I’ll see you later.”
Debra stared after him until she caught Erin and Carissa giggling.
Erin cleared her throat. “You should see your face right now. Talk about a schoolgirl crush.”
“What? No. I mean, yes he’s attractive, but you know I’m not interested in dating anymore.” Debra glanced around to see where he’d gone. She told herself she just wanted to make sure he was being helped, but the flutter in her stomach betrayed her.
“Right. Neither was I.” Erin looked up at Jake and smiled.
Debra chuckled. “Fair enough. I’m going to go get something to eat and make the rounds. See you in a bit.”
“He’s over by the drinks,” Erin called out.
Debra shook her head and went in the opposite direction. Nate stepped in front of her, blocking the way. His cologne was too strong as usual, and he wore his “I-could-talk-your-ear-off” expression. She forced herself to smile. “Hey, Nate.”
“Hey, Debra. I’m surprised to see you here.” Nate took a drink from his glass.
“I finished what I was working on. Besides, I promised Erin I would come, so here I am.” Debra glanced at Nate’s date. She was a cute blonde girl who looked like she would rather be anywhere else besides talking to a bunch of business people. He most likely grabbed her on the way to the party so he wouldn’t be alone. “How was your Christmas?”
Nate made a face. “I’ve had better. Our pipes froze and we had to spend the day with blow dryers on them.”
“Hate it when that happens. I had to keep one sink at a slow trickle so it wouldn’t do that.” Debra’s old landlord had been terrible at getting in to do the repairs, so she’d figured out how to do most of them on her own.
Nate made a face. “Yeah, I tried that, but Roger likes to turn it off as he’s leaving. The whole saving the earth thing. Never mind the lack of water when it freezes. I think it’s time to get a place of my own.”
Debra noticed the girl checking out one of the younger guys at the party. Nate would be lucky if she didn’t ditch him before midnight. “That might be wise. Well, you two have a great time. I’m going to find something to eat. It was nice to meet you …”
“Katie.” The blonde smiled and turned away, checking out yet another guy.
Poor Nate. He really needed to find someone who appreciated him. Debra found the dessert table and picked up a plate. The caterers had gone all out with the food. Finger sandwiches, crackers with crab or other toppings, hors d’oeuvres, and trays filled with cakes, cupcakes, and brownies. She picked out some crackers and sandwiches, then grabbed some celery and carrot sticks.
“Ah, good choice with the crackers. The crab is perfect.” Lance stood behind Debra with his plate. His voice sent a thrill through her. “I have to admit I’ve already had several of them.”
“Thanks for the recommendation.” She picked up a napkin and glass of water, trying to appear calm. It was irritating how flustered she’d become around someone she’d just met.
Lance took a few of the crackers along with some cake. “There are tables in the back. We can sit together if you’d like.”
“Sure.” Debra reminded herself to breathe as she followed Lance through the crowd. This was just eating a snack together. She avoided looking in Erin’s direction, positive that she and Carissa were watching her and laughing.
“Does this work for you?” Lance set his plate down.
Debra put her plate next to his. “It’s great.”
Lance pulled her chair out for her and then sat down. “Thanks for sitting with me. I know some of these people, but it was getting a little overwhelming.”
“I know the feeling.” She took a bite of the cracker, and savored the taste of the crab salad. They’d picked the perfect herbs and sauce for it.
“See? It’s like a burst of heaven for your senses.” Lance popped one from his plate into his mouth.
Debra smiled and finished the rest of the cracker. “You’re right. So, I take it you’re not in to big parties?”
“I don’t mind them for a while, but then I like to hide back in my office.”
“Fashion shows must be torture for you then. All those people staring at you.” Debra smiled at a couple who walked past. She recognized them from a commercial she’d worked on a few months before.
“Those aren’t so bad. I usually hide in the back and run things there and let my assistants do the emcee part.” He wiped his mouth. “Besides, I like to make sure everything is just perfect before I let the model up on the stage.”
“I can understand that. Oh, and your ads were approved and sent on to the magazines. I did it just before coming tonight.”
“Thank you. I was so impressed with the layouts. You do amazing work.”
“Erin does. I just oversee everything.” Even as she waved off the compliment, she mentally cheered at his words.
Laughter erupted in the center of the room where David stood with a group of people. He kept Lily close by as he always did, with an arm around her.
“They look beautiful together, don’t they?” Lance asked.
“Yes, they do.” Debra couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy, but she knew David and Lily needed each other. Maybe that’s what made her so envious. “I think it’s really sweet that you helped with Lily’s dress.”
Lance laughed. “Thanks. It gave my assistants something to do before Christmas, and they loved it. I have to admit that it was for selfish reasons. Getting David Fleshmann to wear one of my suits was a huge deal for Walker Apparel.”
“True, but I still think it’s incredibly sweet of you. She positively glowed at the Christmas party. Besides, he came to you. That says a lot about your company as well.” Debra took a drink. “Have you talked to him yet? I’m sure he’d want to say hi.”
Lance shook his head. “No, I haven’t. There are too many people over there.”
“Ah. Right. I need to say hello as well. We can go together if you’d like.” Debra couldn’t believe she was doing this, but he was a client, and she was just helping him out. At least that’s what she told herself as she stood and smoothed out her dress.
He stood. “Thanks. It must look pretty bad when I can’t even go talk to someone by myself. I have to admit that man intimidates me.”
“He’s harmless, Besides, you’re big enough in the clothing industry that people should be intimidated by you. So, own it. Or, at least pretend you do.” Debra led the way, conscious of how close he was as they had to push their way through the crowd.
David acknowledged that they’d joined the group, and finished his story. “Hey, Debra. Hey, Mr. Walker. I’m so glad you both came.”
Lance held out his hand and David shook it. “Thanks for the invite. It got me out of the office for the night.”
David laughed. “That’s what I like to hear. ‘All work and no play,’ and all that.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Lance joined in the laughter. “How’d you manage to book this place? Everything within blocks of Times Square is usually booked for months.”
“I know a guy. Oh, hey. The noisemakers are here. Everyone grab one.” David took the box from one of his assistants and started handing them out. “We only have about ten minutes left.”
Debra took the hat and noisemaker she was handed and gave them to Lance, then took some for herself. She hadn’t worn a party hat for years, but joined the rest of the group as they wore theirs. These people were like family and Lance was an added bonus to the evening.
The music switched to a slow song, and several couples went to the middle of the floor to dance. Debra caught herself swaying to the music as she watched them.
Lance leaned in, and his voice tickled her ear. “Would you care to dance? The ball is about to drop, so this is our one chance.”
Debra debated saying no, since they’d just met, but she loved the song, and she was itching to dance. It had been too long. Lance took her hand and led her out to the dance floor.
Lance smiled down at her, making her heart skip a beat. “I haven’t danced in a while, so go easy on me.”
“I warn you that I haven’t danced for a while so you might go home with sore feet.” She moved along with his steps as if they were one, but it took all of her concentration to do it. The feel of his arm tightly around her waist made her stomach do flip-flops.
Lance twirled Debra around and pulled her back in. “Let me guess, you took ballroom dance your entire life.”
She laughed. “No, but I was a fast learner in college. I spent a lot of my weekends at dance halls to take a break from my classes.”
“Well, if you’re ever sick of advertising, you have a career to fall back on.” The song ended and Lance dipped Debra before pulling her back up. He stared down into her eyes until everyone cheered and clapped.
They pulled away from each other and Debra suddenly realized that everyone had been staring at them. She curtsied, earning a laugh from the crowd before they went back to their conversations.
“I’m going to go get a drink. Would you like one?” Lance asked.
