“Nothing to see here, Chloe, move along,” Brooke called out.
Luca laughed and closed the door before heading to his shower.
At one, Brooke sat in front of her computer for a Zoom meeting with the design team on the Downes account.
Portia Corrigan, her boss, had requested a last-minute call, and none of them had a clue what it was about.
Kayleigh, the youngest of the team at just twenty-two and fresh out of college, looked like she jumped out of bed with makeup on and a frozen smile on her face. Mayson was a little older and someone Brooke had bounced ideas off of before. He was twenty-eight and had moved away from Seattle two months into the pandemic and now lived in Boise. Nayla was a seasoned new hire from New York who had experience with fashion design and, from what Brooke could tell, had the most to add.
Even on a Zoom call, Nayla looked as if she were about to walk the runway herself. Kayleigh hadn’t seemed to shed the private school uniform, whereas Mayson and Brooke took working from home to mean a T-shirt and no attention to personal primping.
“Thank you all for logging in,” Portia started. “I won’t keep you long.”
“Whatever you need,” Kayleigh said.
Brooke held back a sarcastic smile.
“I’ve been combing over the ideas and work coming in, and individually things work, but collectively I think we’re missing what Bret Downes is looking for. He said as much when I showed him the progress.”
“That’s not good,” Brooke replied.
“No. It’s not. But we have a way to fix that.”
“How?”
“I want everyone to clear their schedule for the next two weeks and get to Dallas. I’ve booked four rooms at the Marriott. Nayla, I put you in an executive suite since you’re on point for this one. You’ll have intensive daily sessions. Meet with Bret and visit his manufacturing plant. Try on his clothing, be a part of the photo shoots. I want you all to eat, live, and breathe this designer’s brand so that when you come away, we not only have exactly what he wants, we deliver what he doesn’t even know he needs.”
It wasn’t the first time Brooke had been asked, or better yet, told, that she needed to drop everything for a client. It was, however, the only time since she had been with the company that she wasn’t in the executive suite running the show.
“When do you want us there?” Brooke asked.
“Wednesday. I will meet you at one to introduce you to Bret and set everything off on the right footing.”
“Can I add something here?” Nayla asked.
“Always,” Portia commented.
“I know pajama bottoms and stained T-shirts were the uniform of choice during the lockdowns, but this is the fashion industry. Designers don’t trust people that don’t dress the part.”
Brooke glanced at her shirt.
There wasn’t a stain.
“Hey, I’m wearing pants,” Mayson joked.
Brooke laughed. “Point taken, Nayla.”
“We’ll see you on Wednesday. If anyone has trouble booking a ticket, let me know as soon as possible,” Portia told them.
They each logged off the call, and Brooke leaned back against her chair.
She didn’t even know if she had two weeks’ worth of executive clothing to impress a fashion designer.
She picked up her phone and called Mayson directly.
“Hey, Brooke.”
“Were you really wearing pants?” she asked.
“No. I’m in my underwear.”
She pushed away from her desk and moved to her bedroom. “My clothes won’t impress a designer,” she whined.
“Nayla is just flexing her power.”
Brooke fingered through the hangers, pulled a shirt, and tossed it on her bed. “No. She’s right. I doubt anything I wear will make a statement, but if I only have on jeans and T-shirts, this could go sour.”
“It’s Dallas, there’s plenty of shopping to be had when we’re there if you run out of clothes.”
He had a point.
She sat on the edge of her bed. “What am I going to do about my dad?”
“I thought he was settled in a home.”
“He is. But . . .” What happens if there is an emergency?
“It’s only two weeks.”
“Right. Text me your flight information. Maybe we can catch a ride from the airport together.”
“Sounds good.”
They hung up and Brooke continued to remove clothing from her closet.
A shopping trip in Dallas was going to happen.
Sometime later, a knock on her door preceded Luca’s voice. “Cara?”
“Back here,” she called from her room.
She sat on her suitcase and was attempting to zip it up.
Luca took one look at her and his smile fell. “What’s going on?”
“My boss”—she managed the last few inches of the bag and moved to her feet—“is making all of us go to Texas.”
“Today?”
“No. Wednesday. But my flight leaves tomorrow night. This designer wants all of us in one place. It’s the right move, honestly.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Two weeks.”
Luca did not look happy.
“I know . . . the timing sucks.”
He placed a hand to her face, smiled. “It will go by fast.”
She paused. “I do have a favor to ask.”
“Whatever you need.”
“It’s more of a ‘in case’ favor. If my dad needs something while I’m gone, can you—”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.”
Luca glanced at his watch. “Can you still come with me to pick up Franny?”
Brooke grabbed her phone and sunglasses off the dresser. “I’m ready.”
Luca stood outside the back door of the restaurant kissing Brooke goodbye. “I should be the one taking you to the airport.”
“There’s hungry people in this town, and Chloe can’t do what you do.”
He kissed her again. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Good,” she said with a grin.
“Call me when you land.”
“I will.”
He walked her to Chloe’s car, where his sister was already inside with the engine running.
Luca placed her bag in the trunk and opened the door for her.
Another kiss and they were backing out and driving away.
When he turned to the restaurant, he saw his mother standing in the doorway watching him.
“Brooke will make a great addition to this family,” she told him.
“You’re jumping ahead,” he said.
“Am I? You like her.”
“I like her a lot, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to marry her.”
Mari placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let her get away,” she warned him.
“This is a business trip, Mama. Nothing more.”
“I know. The D’Angelo men know what they want and run toward it. Don’t stumble and fall along the way. That’s all I’m saying.”
Luca kissed his mother’s cheek. “Your advice is noted.”
He worked his way back to the kitchen and forgot time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Papa?”
“Yes, tesorina?” Luca sat on Franny’s bed with her as she did her daily reading before going to sleep. He treasured these moments, knowing they wouldn’t last forever.