揝hut up.?I shove his shoulder. 揑抦 not that bad.?
揧ou抮e worse. But I respect it. Anyone who says you抳e had everything handed to you卼hey抮e wrong, Scarlett.?
揧ou were handed to me.?I point out.
He stops and pulls me to the side of the walkway so quickly I crash into his chest again.
I step back like he scalded me.
Crew grins, but it disappears quickly. 揓ust to be clear, there are times I disagree with my dad. I argue with him. I don抰 listen to him. Those moments don抰 make it into the press. They aren抰 on display in public. I get why you think I抦 Arthur Junior. But I抦 not, Scarlett. When I step up as CEO, I抣l make changes to the company. I could have married Hannah, or some other woman. I could have married anyone. I married you, Scarlett. That means something, even if you want to pretend that it doesn抰。？
揙kay.?Honestly, I no longer view Crew as an extension of his father. I only wish I did. It would make a lot of things easier.
Crew sighs like my answer is a disappointment. 揙kay.?
I clear my throat. 揢h, can you send me the photo??
揥hat??
揟he photo of us. Can you send it to me??
Surprise flashes across his face. 揧eah. Sure.?
We start walking again. My phone vibrates with a message as we reach the sidewalk. Crew heads for the line of taxis while I wait. I check my phone and see the photo came through from him. It抯 the first message he抯 ever sent me.
I text the photo to my mom. It抯 the first photo in our chain of messages, mostly ones she sent me related to the wedding that I never responded to.
I tuck my phone away and walk over to where Crew is standing.
揌e needs to know where we抮e going,?he says, nodding toward the driver.
揤ersailles??I suggest. I抳e been before, but it抯 been years.
Crew抯 smile is blinding. 揟hat sounds a lot like sight-seeing.?
揑 heard you love sight-seeing.?
He smiles. 揑s it a better offer??
I nod. 揕et抯 go.?
Jacques is already seated at the table when we enter the restaurant. Our trip to Versailles ate up most of the afternoon. I fully intended to head back to the hotel and change before dinner, but there wasn抰 time.
Not that it matters. Jacques is far more focused on Crew than what I抦 wearing.
I get a cursory greeting before he starts bombarding Crew with questions. I mouth told you at Crew when he glances at me. His answering smile makes my insides feel like shaken champagne.
Today has been wonderful and terrible. I抳e thought about starting my own fashion line since college. This trip is the culmination of years of planning. Haute served as an unplanned springboard to making connections in the fashion industry that made rouge more attainable.
A clothing line might be a pursuit most people look down upon. It抯 not as refined as finance or any Wall Street dealings. My father certainly thinks it抯 shallow and silly.
But that抯 the beauty of dreams: they抮e yours. No one else抯。 You don抰 need permission or justification to pursue them. You can give them relevance and importance and meaning all by yourself.
Unfortunately for my heart, Crew doesn抰 seem to share my dad抯 opinion. Between strolling the gardens and wandering the halls of the palace, he asked me questions about rouge and listened to the answers.
Either he抯 extremely dedicated to getting me into bed, or he actually cares how I spend my time, energy, and money.
I spend most of dinner studying him. This is the first time I抳e seen Crew in what isn抰 his element. He抯 not here to pursue a deal for Kensington Consolidated. I doubt he knows much, if anything, about the fashion industry. Jacques isn抰 someone he抎 have common acquaintances with.
And yet, he抯 thriving. Charming. This was meant to be a business dinner. Every meal I shared with Jacques during my last trip here was spent brainstorming or flipping through sketches. Tonight, there抯 no sign of the manic energy usually buzzing around him like a swarm of bees, tossing out ideas at the speed of light. Jacques is relaxed and laughing. So is Crew. I抦 the interloper growing more and more annoyed as they chat like old friends instead of strangers.
This is my trip. My endeavor. My domain. Our lives were supposed to stay separate. Suddenly, they抮e so entangled I can抰 look past him.
I excuse myself and head to the restroom after we finish eating, not even sure they抣l notice my disappearance. After I抳e used the bathroom, I linger at the sink, dabbing my face with a paper towel and checking my teeth for food.
When I open the restroom door, Crew is leaning across the opposite wall with his arms crossed.
揑 know your French isn抰 great, but you抮e not blind. The stick figure wearing a dress means this is the women抯 restroom. Men抯 must be down there.?I jerk my head to the left, where the hallway extends. On a scale of one to bitchy, I抦 at an eleven.