“It’s my job.” Adrienne smiles.
“I miss that part of being an artist,” I say. “As a photographer, I have to work with the colors of my subject. Yes, I can edit, and I can manipulate the lighting, but to create a new color…”
“Nothing’s stopping you from getting into art,” she says.
“Well…I am. Photography is my first love, but color mixing has always fascinated me. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this process.”
“You came up with the slogan.”
“I was simply having a bad day, and I put on some nail polish.”
“And it made you feel better?” Adrienne asks.
Did it? I guess it did. It all led to this moment, anyway. The breakups with Braden and Tessa seem far in the past now.
“Yes,” I reply. “It made me feel better. A lot better.”
“And that’s the power of pink,” Eugenie chimes in. “I think we’re all agreed that number one is the way to go. When will this be on the shelves?”
“That’s up to manufacturing, purchasing, and distribution, of course,” Adrienne says, “but we’re hoping within a month, now that the color has been chosen. You and Skye should begin devising the social media campaign.”
Eugenie closes the file folder in front of her. “We’re on it. Thanks, Adrienne. This is a gorgeous color. I agree with Skye. I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it.”
“We’re pretty proud of it. Thank you both for your input.”
I glide out of the art department alone with Eugenie. This has been fun.
Of course, now we have to get back to the trademark of the susieglow hashtag.
“Tell you what,” Eugenie says. “I can probably have the new hashtag paperwork drawn up by this evening. I’ll bring it to our dinner date. I’m sure you’d like Braden to look it over.”
I drop my mouth open. I haven’t even told Braden about any of this. “There’s no need. I can stop by and sign it in the morning.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to have this put to bed sometime today. I’ll bring it to dinner.”
“Of course, whatever’s easier for you.”
Odd. If anything, Braden will be more stringent than I am. But whatever. I love the pink that Adrienne and her team created, and I’m excited about The Power of Pink campaign.
Things are good.
…
Back at Braden’s Manhattan penthouse, I wait patiently. He’s probably at his New York office, and I don’t expect him before six at the earliest. Dinner reservations are at eight. No staff is here, so I help myself to a bottle of sparkling water from his fridge and think about what to wear for dinner.
I jerk when the elevator doors open.
It’s only three p.m., but in walks Braden.
And he doesn’t look happy.
“Skye,” he says simply.
“Braden.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you and Eugenie for dinner this evening.”
“Oh? Why not?”
He inhales. “Something has come up.”
“What?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
“Braden, anything that concerns you concerns me.” I draw in a breath. “Is Addison still stalking you?”
His eyebrows nearly fly off his forehead, but he doesn’t answer.
“Come on. She has to be. Either that or she’s stalking me. Or both of us. How else would she know all the things she knows? How else would she have ended up at the convenience store across from Tessa’s place the other night?”
“I have this handled,” he says.
“So she is.” I shake my head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“This isn’t as simple as you think.”
“Of course it’s as simple as I think. Make her stop, legally if you have to. I don’t appreciate being spied on.”
“Do you think for a minute that I don’t have more tails on her than she has on me?”
My mouth drops open.
“I’ve told you before that I have her watched. Why does this surprise you?”
“What’s up with the cat and mouse game, then? Why are you letting her do this?”
He draws in a deep breath. “There are things you don’t know.”
“Only because you won’t tell me.”
Have I gone too far? At the moment, I don’t rightfully care. I just got through a stressful meeting with the business acumen of Braden Black. I love him, but I don’t need him.
And I deserve an answer, damn it.
“Have you considered that I may not be able to tell you?”
I widen my eyes. “What?”
He paces away from me for a moment and stares out the window in the living area. Manhattan is gray, as usual. Why do people live here? Boston is so much more beautiful.
He can’t tell me?
How is that even remotely possible?
Unless…
“Braden, does she have something on you?”
He turns toward me but doesn’t meet my gaze. Very un-Braden-like.
Damn. I don’t want to be right. I really don’t want to be right.
If I’m right, that means…
Jesus. Why didn’t I listen to Apple? If I had, I’d know right now. I’d know this big secret that Braden is keeping.
“Why are you protecting her?” I ask. “What am I supposed to think? You won’t tell me. I can only deduce that she has something on you.”
“She doesn’t. At least not in the way you’re thinking.”
“How can you possibly know what I’m thinking?”
“I know you, Skye. You think what Betsy told you is true. You think I did something to Addison that I shouldn’t have done. You’re wrong.”
“Prove it to me. Prove to me I’m wrong, then.”
“I shouldn’t have to prove anything to you. If you will never trust me, how can you still be in this relationship?”
I open my mouth, but find I have no words.
Because he’s right.
If I don’t trust him, I have no business being in a relationship with him.