you, but I don’t want anything else to do with you ever

  again.”

  “Wait—”

  She ended the call. “One more to go, and then we’re

  done for tonight,” she said, dialing her mom’s number. Her

  mother didn’t ask too many questions except when she told

  her she’d met someone.

  “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart,” Maria Hamner said,

  making Ellis smile. “When do we get to meet the lucky

  guy?”

  “It’s a lucky girl, Mom, and as soon as we’re done with

  Fashion Week, I promise we’ll come up with Sawyer.”

  The pause from Maria’s end made Ellis lose her smile.

  “Does she make you happy?”

  “I’ve never been happier, and Sawyer is just wild about

  her, so you don’t need to worry.”

  “I’m always going to worry, and I’m always going to be

  proud of you. That’s what moms are for. I want all the

  details.”

  “Mom, I promise I’ll answer all your questions, but I really

  am crunched for time. I need you to do me a favor and take

  the phone off the hook and leave it off until I get in touch

  again.”

  “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

  “No. This is about Kyle and his kind of trouble.”

  Maria agreed to everything after she heard Kyle’s name.

  “Hopefully our life won’t always be this exciting,” Ellis

  said, pulling her down so she was lying on her.

  “As long as we end up here every night, who cares what

  life throws at us? I love you, so that’s all the excitement I

  need.”

  “I still have some surprises in store, so not all excitement

  is bad.”

  “You can tell me all about them later.” She kissed Ellis

  and pressed her hips down. “Much, much later.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Do you want to shoot the ones here first?” Andie Meade

  asked Ellis the next morning as they walked the grounds.

  Her talk with her mom that morning had ended in Amis

  crying, getting angry, and apologizing for giving her such a

  loser father.

  “Let’s do this one first. Then we’ll head over to the zoo.”

  She stopped by the pool and nodded at the crew that was

  setting up. The models were inside in makeup so she was

  nervous, but that was common. Today was the first step to

  bringing the line completely home.

  “Did you want to do the carousel today?”

  “If tonight isn’t too much for you, I’d love to finish it all

  today. That one should be the easiest.”

  “I’ll do whatever you want. You know that.”

  “Great. I’ll leave you to it.” She patted Andie on the back

  and walked back to the cottage to talk to Sawyer. That

  morning, Charlotte had let Sawyer know what she wanted

  going forward but hadn’t told her she and Ellis were related

  just yet. That had been her idea, since she didn’t want to

  influence what was really in Sawyer’s heart when it came to

  Kyle and what kind of relationship she wanted to have with

  him.

  She found Sawyer in the garden working on her elephant.

  The way she used the brush like an old pro made her stop

  and admire her technique.

  “Hey, Ellis.” Sawyer stopped and turned around as if

  sensing her there.

  “Hey. Your mom said you guys talked this morning, so I

  wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Yeah.” Sawyer lowered her head and spoke softly.

  “I want you to know it’s going to be okay no matter what

  you decide. No one will be upset if you want to see your

  dad.”

  “That’s not why I feel bad.” Sawyer put her brush down

  and wrapped her arms around her.

  “What’s wrong?” She sat on a nearby bench and kept her

  arm around Sawyer. “Do you want to see your dad?”

  “No. I feel bad because I don’t. I probably should, but I

  don’t. He never really wants to be with me, and his mom

  says bad stuff about my mom. I never want to go over

  there, but no one ever asked me if I wanted to skip it.”

  “If we’re not asking you something, you need to remind

  us. All I want is for you to be happy.”

  “I am happy here with you and Mama. Do you think my

  dad will be mad?”

  “As long as you’re honest and tell him why you feel the

  way you do, he won’t be mad. And whenever you need to

  talk about it, all you need to do is find me.”

  “Thanks,” Sawyer said as she hugged her. “Are you and

  Mama working today?”

  “We are, but I came over here to see if you wanted to

  hang out with us. Want to learn the family business? When

  your mom comes to work with me, you should know a little

  about it.”

  The girls came out, and she placed them along with

  Brandi’s girls around the pool. Thankfully it was a sunny day

  so every outfit popped. They moved to the house and the

  den that had been the site of so many infamous parties.

  There, Birdie and Brandi looked to be holding court with

  some girls lounging around in lingerie. That had been the

  idea she’d had the day before, and Brandi’s girls were

  willing to model the sexy undergarments that were part of

  her line. She thought they were a good addition, considering

  where they were. If you asked the average person, this was

  probably what they thought the inside of a brothel looked

  like.

  She sat back and watched Charlotte take care of this

  part. Charlotte, with Amis and Opal’s help, went through the

  steps like an old pro. The zoo was next, and she hung back,

  not wanting to be noticed with the group. It was dark by the

  time they returned, and she was waiting, wearing the most

  business-style suit she owned and holding up a dress for

  Charlotte.

  “What’s this for?” Charlotte said, her eyes glued to the

  black formal dress that had a high collar but the rear cut all

  the way to the small of her back.

  “It’s for you and the last pictures of the day. Sawyer and I

  will wait while the team gets you ready.” Her crew took

  Charlotte, so she sat with Sawyer and talked about the day

  so far. They stopped when Sigrid’s writer Sierra Madison

  arrived and asked a few questions.

  “Thanks for the story, Ellis.”

  “I’m the one who’s in your debt. You guys kept me alive

  through all this.”

  The rest of what she was going to say died in her throat

  when the door opened and Charlotte walked out. She might

  not have had the height for a modeling career, but her face

  could carry any launch of any line. She looked incredible.

  “Good God, you’re beautiful.” She stood and took

  Charlotte’s hands. Andie took some pictures and Sierra

  started taking notes. They left for the carousel and sat on

  one of the benches for their interview with Sierra, then

  posed for the pictures Andie would provide for the article.

  “So, Charlotte, are you ready for the madness of Fashion

  Week?” Sierra asked as they moved around the carousel.

  “I’d be lost without Ellis and the team, but I’m really

  looking forward to the opportunity.”

  They stood next to a white stallion, and she lifted

  Charlotte onto its side saddle. She stood close to her and

  liked the way Charlotte put her hands on her shoulders and

  gazed at her. This would be the picture that cemented their

  partnership in the eyes of the industry.

  “You were right, Ellis,” Sierra said once they were done.

  “About what?” She held Charlotte’s hand and took a few

  more pictures with first Sawyer and then her mom.

  “The article name—it’s a great choice.”

  “You came up with it?” Charlotte asked.

  “She sure did,” Sierra said and winked. “‘Beauty and the

  Boss’ will move some magazines when it hits the stands.”

  “It’s a little long to put on a label, but I’m working on it.”

  “If you want my opinion, Ellis, the line is absolutely

  gorgeous,” Sierra said.

  “Thank you, and thanks for including us in this edition.”

  “You lucked out with your positioning this year by going

  last, and the fact that Sigrid happens to love you.”

  “It’s mutual, believe me, but tell her that she’s got

  competition now.” She kissed Charlotte before shaking

  Sierra’s hand. “You can be the first to break the news to her

  that I’m in love.”

  “And it looks good on both of you.”

  * * *

  The photo shoot gave Ellis all she needed for the launch,

  so she left her mother and Opal in charge of packing so they

  could head back to New York. Going back was making

  Charlotte antsy, but not for the reason Ellis first thought.

  She’d thought Charlotte didn’t want to face Kyle and an

  uncertain future, but Charlotte had finally confessed that

  being separated from her was starting to worry her.

  She had to admit she was going to miss the cottage on

  Brandi’s property and the time they’d spent there. They’d

  made love and really gotten to know each other between

  phone calls from Kyle, Bill, and Tori. Kyle continued his quest

  to win Charlotte back, Bill was helping the police put a case

  together, and Tori’s team was still following all the players

  they knew about.

  Charlotte finally seemed to exhale when she told her

  they would never part once they got back. They had time to

  make things permanent between them, but she didn’t want

  to spend another night separated from Charlotte or Sawyer,

  so they would move to her apartment and decide if that was

  the best place for them.

  Now she needed to get back and finalize the show she’d

  started working on after the designs were finished. She

  didn’t have that much time left and just had to keep

  everything under wraps, because a leak now would be

  devastating. The small team with her was ready to go, so

  she walked back to the house to pick up what she needed

  for the early morning flight.

  “Congratulations, sweet pea,” Malcom said when she

  came in through the kitchen door. “Your mom showed me

  some of the proofs and the marketing layout, and you’ve

  outdone yourself. I’m glad you got back to what made you—

  showing the world what’s in your heart and, more

  importantly, the passion that defines you.”

  “I love everything about you, but I love you most for

  always having my back.”

  He followed her upstairs, and she saw he’d already

  packed her things except for two books he’d left on the bed.

  “You’re all set, and I thought you might want to give these

  to Sawyer.”

  The sketchbooks were hers, and she saw he’d dated

  them on the back corner with only the year. “She’s way

  better than me at the same age,” she said, sitting and

  flipping through them. “Mama told you what Bill found?”

  “Life’s a weird bitch sometimes, isn’t it?” He sat next to

  her and put his hand on her knee. “Can your old meddling

  uncle give you some advice?”

  “You know you can.”

  “I think before you get what you want, you’re going to

  have to deal with Eglin. If you do, please don’t fall for his

  bullshit. You don’t need that in your life, and neither does

  your mother. Eglin was the only thing that almost broke

  her.”

  “Eglin Snyder has no place in any of our lives. Like I told

  Charlotte, he was a sperm donor, and you’re the only father

  I’ve ever known. You and Mama are my family, so you don’t

  have to worry.” She turned and hugged him, enjoying the

  smell of the cologne he’d worn forever.

  “Thank you, and I’m happy you’ve finally found the one

  who’ll always love you. Take care of her and that little girl.

  Sawyer proves to me that Eglin’s lineage is worth anything

  only when you mix it with a beautiful, smart woman.”

  “It shocked the hell out of me, and I’m going to do

  whatever I can to give them a future that’s free and clear of

  the Snyders. Hopefully they’ll want to spend it with me, if I

  can come through for them.” She stood and put the two

  books in her old leather messenger bag.

  “How are you planning to do that?”

  “I’m going to start with the carrot first. Writing a check is

  sometimes the easiest way to get what you want.”

  “If Kyle doesn’t bite at the carrot, then what?”

  “Then I have a bag of sticks I’m going to beat him with

  until his life will never remotely be the same again. I’m a

  Renois, so I know how to bruise you,” she said, and smiled.

  Her mom and uncle had taught her how to expand her

  creativity, but they’d also taught her how to take care of

  herself.

  “Good. I’ll see you in a few days. Make sure you have

  groceries in the house before I get there. Diet drinks and

  coffee don’t count.”

  “You know I won’t let you starve. Kiss me so I can head

  back. Like always, you made the summer wonderful, so

  thanks for everything. What are you planning to do when I

  retire and am in your hair all the time?”

  “I’ll be too busy running around after your kids to be

  worried about you.”

  She laughed and handed over her car keys. Her driving

  was done for a while since she was walking back to Brandi’s.

  Malcom would take care of her bags so she didn’t intend to

  try to argue with him about that, considering she lost that

  fight every single summer.

  She returned a few calls while she walked, since the

  appointments she needed to make would help her win at

  the game someone had pulled her into. To get that part

  done, she’d trusted only one other person, aside from those

  with her now, to set her schedule for the coming days.

  “Hey, Boss,” her assistant Liam Keller said in the same

  upbeat tone he always used. He’d only been with her for

  two years, but she’d met his partner and his entire family

  and eaten at his mother’s house. They’d become friends

  even though she wasn’t in the office very often.

  “The building hasn’t burned to the ground, has it?”

  “Just the phone, so you might need to replace at least

  mine when you get back. I have, though, been offered

  enough bribes for your whereabouts and what’s happening

  that I could’ve retired ten times over.”

  She laughed, wondering why anyone would care what

  she was up to and where she was doing it. “If you sold out,

  then enjoy yourself before I get back and fling you out the

  window.”

  “Are you kidding? My mother would beat you to it if I cut

  off her direct line to free clothes. Give that woman a blouse,

  and she’s yours for life.”

  “Funny,” she said and went through the back gate at

  Brandi’s and headed to the big house. “Have you heard

  from anyone more than normal?”

  “Just Ruby, but all he wants to know is if you’re okay. You

  might want to call him and put the poor thing out of his

  misery.”

  “Ruby has no poker face, so I need a few more days of

  total silence on all this. He’ll be pissed, but the investigation

  isn’t done yet. How about anyone else?”

  “Everyone here is nervous as hell about their jobs, so it’s

  been pretty somber. The only ones I hear from most often

  are the media, especially that Benson Norwood guy from

  that rag.”

  “Okay. I’ll deal with him soon enough. Take care, and I’ll

  see you soon.” She hung up and went inside, and Wilson

  pointed her to the office. Brandi was dressed casually but

  appeared at home behind the big desk.

  “I’m going to miss you and your little family, handsome.”

  “You’re a good friend, and I’ll never forget everything you

  did. It’s not much, but here.” She handed over a VIP

  invitation to the showing.

  “Are you sure?” Brandi ran her index finger over the

  raised print.

  “Ms. Parrish, seeing you there would be my honor. The

  benefits part of our relationship might be done, but I’d love

  to keep the friendship part.” She kissed Brandi’s cheek and

  hugged her.

  “I’d say I’d give you a great birthday present every year,

  but Charlotte would rip my spleen out if I tried, so you’re

  right. Get out of here, and I’ll see you in the city for your big

  night.”

  “Bring your pen,” she said, smiling. “After that photo

  shoot, you’re going to be more famous than you are