Fierce: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 4) (22 page)

I say, “Thanks for coming.” Casey’s lips twitch at what I’m sure is a wise-ass thought about what I just said. We walk over to the belt display.

“Megan is going to join us, but Lori had to work.”

“That’s great. I’m so glad the three of you are each taking a couple of evening shifts for me. Now I won’t have to work every single hour the shop is open. It means a lot to me.”

“Hey, we thank you too. You pay more than the rec center, and the commission is icing on the cake. Although I’m pretty sure we’ll all be spending our paychecks on clothes with your hefty discount.”

“I don’t mind. If you’re wearing what I sell, other women will want it too.” I think about the two girls I’ve hired to work during the day. While they seem trustworthy on paper, one never knows in a ski town. All-mighty powder can make even the strong weak, and I hope they both manage to stay with me for the season.

I’m sure Christian will be pulling some shifts too. I even added a small men’s section to test the waters because it could very well be something to expand upon.

A knock grabs my attention, and I leave Casey to let Ruby in. She’s a seamstress and clothing designer working from her home, and I’m about to propose she take a small office space above my shop. It has courtyard access, and would be a killer location for her business.

I love her designs and want to showcase her work as well as retain her as the seamstress I use for customer alterations. I’m about to offer her a deal she can’t refuse. In trade for her willingness to put my customers first, I’ll subsidize her rent.

“Hey Ruby. Nice to see you.”

“Great to see you too. You’re saving me from having to watch football at my mom’s.” Naturally curly hair is swept up in a messy updo that fits her artistic style. Dressed in flowing cotton clothing with ruffles and lace, she is a walking advertisement for her collection.

We walk over to Christian, and he turns off the steamer when he sees us. “Ruby, this is my business partner, Christian.”

“Nice to meet you, Ruby. I recognize your clothes. Nika is making sure I know what it is we sell.”

She smiles at him. “Now that’s a good man.” She looks at me. “You’d better keep him; most guys don’t know the difference between cotton and silk.”

I think about how amazing Christian is. He’s the numbers person but has spent hours learning about fashion and the clothing lines we’ll carry. When I think about how much I love the whole package, I realize how lucky I am. I know Ruby is talking about Christian as a business partner, but I answer as if she meant something more. “I’ll keep him. Believe me I will.”

Chapter 35

My
goal was met, and we finished getting all the clothes on the floor. While I know it will take most of Friday morning to get everything the way I want it, I’m confident I’ll be ready for our opening reception that afternoon.

Christian and I enter a house full of delicious smells that make me think of family. Derrick greets us with glasses of champagne, and Gretchen makes a toast. “To the amazing success of Rhinestone Cowgirl.”

We all clink, and bubbles dance on my tongue when I take a sip. Christian raises his glass “To brothers and sisters.” We drink again, and I’m reminded of how lucky I am this year. I’ll be sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with the three people I love most.

Derrick says, “I have one more toast, but at this rate we’re going to get drunk. Besides, I think we might want to sit for this.”

I look over at him and raise my eyebrows just the slightest. Derrick gives me a faint nod. Our twin speak tells me he’s about to propose to Gretchen formally. I control my urge to flutter my fingers, and sit down about ready to burst.

When everyone but Derrick is seated, he gets down on his knee in front of Gretchen. Derrick reaches in his pocket and places three different ring boxes on her lap as she tears up. “Gretchen Nickelson, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Let’s make it official. Will you marry me?”

She smiles and takes his face in her hands. “Yes, Derrick Hamilton, I’ll be your wife.” She leans down and kisses him tenderly. They whisper I love you to each other and tears prick my eyes. I wipe them quickly, and Christian grabs my hand to give it a squeeze. She asks, “Why so many boxes?” and picks one up.

“I have three rings for you to choose from. If you don’t like any of them, you can have a ring made with one of the stones.”

My mother’s ring is the most modern and substantial, and if I were to choose one, it would be hers. The other two rings are vastly different. My father’s mother was wealthy too, and hers is a lovely art deco design with multiple stones set around a three-carat diamond. My other grandmother’s ring is not traditional. She was a free-spirited woman who had a style all her own. Just like Gretchen. The stone is a small, round, pale aquamarine, bezel-set with tiny diamonds framing it in a filigree setting. It’s dainty and not nearly worth as much as the other two, but I know it’s the one she’ll pick.

She opens the blue ring last, and her small gasp makes Derrick grin. He says, “That’s your ring, isn’t it?”

Gretchen’s eyes shine with tears, and she nods. He slips it on her finger, and she grabs him for a kiss that gets steamy enough that Christian clears his throat. When they break apart, the look they give each other makes me want to cry again.

Derrick hits Christian on the arm. “So I hear congratulations are in order for you two, as well.” He picks up his glass, and it prompts the rest of us to do the same. Derrick looks right at me and says, “To love. May all of us find the truest.”

Darn it, the tears well up, and I smile through them as I sip my drink. Christian pulls me against him with one arm, and leans down to kiss me. He’s better than the champagne, and my body gets drunk with the taste of him.

Derrick says, “Dinner will be ready in about forty-five minutes.” He moves to the kitchen and steam blasts out when he opens the oven to baste the turkey.

Gretchen says, “Christian, I peeked in at your house today. I know you’ve been busy with the shop, so I didn’t bother to wait for the official tour.”

“Hey, want to go see it with me now?”

Gretchen stands and grabs Christian’s glass. “Sure. Let’s take this to go, and you can tell me all about it.” She turns to me, “Nika?”

I know they haven’t had much time to catch up, and since I want alone time with my brother I guess they would like some too. “I’m going to stay here with Derrick. You two go.”

The cabinet rattles as Gretchen searches for small plastic cups for their champagne. I pick up the two velvet ring boxes and open them. Putting both rings on my fingers, I think of the women in my family.

Both my grandmothers died when I was young, and my memories are mostly of the stories we were told. But a vision of my mother floods my mind. I recall her hands holding a book as she read to me. My favorite fairy tale was Cinderella, and I remember trying on my mother’s ring, dreaming of my prince.

I sit back on the couch when Christian and Gretchen call out good-bye. Holding my hand up, I let light catch the diamonds and sparkle as I move them. Derrick asks, “Did you know Gretchen would pick the blue one?”

“I did. Didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I had wanted to have one made especially for her, but that’s not what she’d like. I think Grammy Jo would be thrilled to know another adventurous soul has her ring.”

“From the stories we heard, I think you’re right.” I smile, recalling the one about how Josie made my grandfather race into the ocean with her, completely clothed, once they said, “I do.” I wonder what Derrick and Gretchen’s wedding is going to be like.

“Have you two decided anything about the wedding yet?”

Wire snicks against a pan as Derrick whisks the gravy. “No. Gretchen refused to talk about plans until we were official.” He snorts. “I can only imagine what she’ll have me do.” I guess he’s remembered the Grammy Jo wedding story too.

“If all you have to do is jump in the ocean in your clothes, you’ll be getting off easy.”

He chuckles with me as I put the rings back in their boxes. Each container snaps shut. “Would you like me to return these to the safe?”

“Yes. You know, there’s quite a bit of jewelry in there. We should sit and sort it out at some point.”

“We can, but I think it’s okay to make decisions as occasions come. You’re not marrying a greedy girl that cares much.”

“True, and you’ve been gracious about letting me give Gretchen things already.” Last fall he gave her a necklace made from my other grandmother’s first engagement ring. We both knew Gretchen was his forever. I wonder what Derrick thinks about Christian.

I get up and join him in the kitchen. It’s important to me that Derrick approves of my relationship with Gretchen’s brother. Stepping close to him, I wrap my arms around his waist from behind, and lean my head against his back. “D?”

He sets down the whisk and turns to hold my shoulders. “What is it?”

“What do you think of me and Christian?”

“I see a man that has helped you take charge of your life and do something meaningful. He looks at you as if you’re the most important person in the world. I think this is a good thing.” He kisses my forehead. “You’re going to laugh at me saying this, but just let love happen, and don’t worry, okay?”

Coming from my intense brother, who never did love before Gretchen, it makes me grin. I hug him tight. “Thanks. I’ll try.”

Chapter 36

S
uede is soft under my fingers as I smooth out my skirt. I take in Rhinestone Cowgirl with one final glance before I unlock the door. Tiny lights are strung in tree branches that weave their way around the ceiling, clothing hangs in perfect order, and champagne is chilling in a galvanized-steel washtub full of ice.

Christian winks at me from behind the counter. “Open up, princess. We’re ready.”

Tasha and Brianna are standing in front of the counter, smiling. They both came in early to help me arrange things, and I apologized at least ten times about how anal I was being. I’m sure they both understood my nerves, and I promised this was the worst they could expect from me.

The solid wood door creaks as I open it to make sure I unlocked correctly. Not that I had any doubt, but I felt the need to physically open the shop and smile at myself for it.

Black Friday in Breckenridge isn’t quite like the rest of the country. People don’t line up outside waiting to hit the big sales, and shops aren’t selling things for next to nothing. But I do expect to see local people who’ve been watching our progress and want to come see what we’ve done.

The sign was hung this morning, and I made Christian drive us by it three times before I was satisfied I’d gotten the full impact. Of course, he’ll get to do the same again tonight so I can see it in the dark.

I walk over to the champagne, and bottles clink as I rearrange them in the ice. The door opening makes me turn, and it reveals Ruby. She walks up the three steps slowly and takes everything in with wide eyes. “Goodness, Nika. You did an amazing job with this space. I know I saw it the other day, but with the lights lit and everything, it’s just so—wow.” She waves her hand around as she turns in a circle slowly.

She stops when she faces the section that features her work. Her hand goes to her mouth. She looks over her shoulder at me as I approach. “Wonderful.” She clasps my hands. “You see what I do, don’t you?”

I chuckle softly because I don’t think I see half of what she does, but I know what she means. “I love your designs. Displaying them was easy.”

She tightens her mouth as if she’s deep in thought. “I was wondering. Do you need any more help? Like one or two days a week?”

“Do you want to work here?”

“I would. I think it would be helpful to see people’s honest reactions to my clothes as well as dressing real bodies and getting a pulse on what women are drawn to, you know?”

I nod. “I could definitely use you. Do you have days in mind?”

We walk into the office and go over the schedule to see what works for both of us. Inside my head I’m squealing because Ruby is another person on my team that I can trust. I know moving her into town will make her tailoring business blossom, and she may not want to continue after this season, but I’ll take her for now.