The man pressed his ID against the glass as his brown eyes cut to her. “I’m from Rochella. We saw your Instagram account, and we’re interested in making you an offer.” Wow, a British accent to boot.
And wait. “Rochella-Rochella?” The name on the ID suddenly hit her. He was Henry Rochella. The flipping Henry Rochella was in Birmingham looking for her? Billionaire fashion moguls didn’t search her out.
“Instagram account?” Rory seemed to be more hung up on the fact Ella had yet another secret. Yeah, she had a social media presence that she preferred no one in her small town knew about. She didn’t want anyone there following her or seeing her daily silly posts and stories. She was still a teacher, after all.
Rory held her arm out to stop Ella from opening the door. “Hang on and let me google this guy first.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, and within thirty seconds, she announced, “Googled Henry’s name and matched it with his photo online to confirm his identity. He checks out. Want me to let him in?”
“Um.” This was an unexpected turn of events. “Okay.”
Rory unlocked the door, and the billionaire walked in and smiled, his white teeth perfect. His tailored suit was probably worth more than her monthly salary. A lot more. The sharp red power tie was attached to a strong neck. Clean-shaven, but the man didn’t need to wear a beard to pull off hot. He was, as Savanna would call him, “romance-novel material.”
“Coffee? Espresso?” Savanna offered him.
“Espresso. Thank you,” Henry answered with a polite smile, and Ella motioned toward one of the four-person tables. “I’ll stand if that’s okay.” He dipped his hand into his breast pocket, produced a business card, and offered it to Ella while Rory went behind the counter to help Savanna.
Her curiosity was piqued, and as Ella eyed the famous logo on the card now in her hand, she had to admit, she was downright stunned. “You want to make me an offer?”
Henry nodded. “Are you familiar with my company?”
“I’m pretty sure everyone is, even down here in Bama,” Ella drawled, feeling a bit insulted he’d think she hadn’t heard of Rochella. Makeup. Clothes. Shoes. Magazines. Rochella did it all.
As a matter of fact, Ella had grown up hoarding their magazines, along with Cosmo and all the other popular ones back then. Every month, after her mother finished flipping through them, she’d hand them off to Ella. And she’d cut out her favorite fashion pieces and place them on the “inspiration board” hanging on her bedroom wall. And she saved all the articles about travel for Rory since she was the adventurous one.
And now, the son of the famous Elizabeth Rochella, who’d graced the cover of the magazine many times herself from what Ella remembered, was standing before her.
“Your company has its,” Ella finally spoke aloud, her gaze drifting to his strong hand stroking his jaw, “big hands in a lot of jars.” Big hands, Ella? She felt the blush working over her face.
Henry’s lips twitched, revealing a hint of a crooked smile.
“Your mother was an inspiration to me growing up. A role model,” Ella told him.
“Really? Well, that makes my presence here . . . even more special.”
Ella folded her arms, fighting her nerves. “You could have contacted me through Instagram. So, why are you here?”
“My mum grew up in the South, but maybe you already know that.” He paused for confirmation.
Ella nodded because she did, and maybe it’d been one reason she’d connected so much with Elizabeth Rochella.
“My mum moved abroad after marrying my British father. She remained a fan of all things Southern, and well, my parents are retiring in June on her birthday, and my father, sister, and I have decided to surprise Mum with a special project.”
“A project,” Ella said under her breath, still clueless as to what that had to do with her.
“We’re calling it, Hidden Gems of the South. It’ll be an event that takes place in Charleston, where she was born. My sister and I are personally picking out these gems since this is for our mum.” He opened his palm toward her. “We’re looking for Southern women who possess an excellent eye for fashion as well as have a certain look my mother would love.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Ella hugged her arms tighter across her chest.
He smiled, less crooked and more dashing this time. She figured Henry to be about forty, but his skin was as smooth as that of a twenty-year-old.
“I stumbled upon your Instagram account last week. Your designs are outstanding. Your posts are witty. Hashtags hilarious.” He stepped forward and cupped the air as if cradling her cheek. “And your face, my love, is rather iconic.”
Love? How very British.
“You’re a blonde Audrey Hepburn with the body of Marilyn Monroe. My mum would love you. And your day job is a teacher.” His smile stretched, showing a dimple. “You are perfect.”
Never in a million years would she compare herself to Audrey Hepburn, the epitome of style and grace. And Marilyn Monroe? No freaking way. “Wait, you like my designs?” That important comment nearly slipped past her. “I was just posting those for fun. I have like fifty-nine followers.”
He removed his phone from his pocket and held it before her. “Make that sixty now.” His gaze cut over her shoulder where Savanna and Rory were most likely on approach with the espressos. “You’re a hidden gem.” He stowed his phone and accepted the espresso from Savanna.
“I’m still confused.” And maybe a bit dizzy.
Henry took a sip of the espresso and tipped a nod of approval to Savanna. “My team will need you for the months leading up to the event. We’d like to have you design and showcase some of your own pieces. You’ll be working side by side with our people in Paris in preparation for the fashion show and Mum’s party. You’ll not only wear the designs in Charleston for the party, but they’ll be featured in our magazine and on our lifestyle blogs and such. You’ll also be on the cover of Mum’s final magazine in June along with the other five gems.”
The cover. With Elizabeth Rochella. Did her heart just stop?
“Paris?” Ella sputtered, not sure if she actually heard anything he’d said correctly.
Henry casually nodded as if this were no big deal. “We’ll need you there next week. The other five gems we selected will be arriving then as well.”
“I’m just . . .” Ella turned to look at her best friends, who stared at her with equally stunned expressions. This isn’t real, is it?
“We’d pay you for your time and designs, of course,” he commented. “Would you like me to give you the amount in private or?”
“You can talk in front of them,” she said softly while facing him again.
“Three hundred K. But we’d own your designs. Sell them worldwide. With possibilities to buy more down the road.”
“Three hundred thousand dollars?” Ella almost choked on her words.
“Are you serious?” It was Rory who spoke Ella’s thoughts for her.
“I can’t leave my students. I just switched to teaching third grade this year,” Ella said, suddenly remembering she had a life in Alabama. She couldn’t pause her life for some fantasy. “We’re halfway through the year, and my principal and students wouldn’t want me to leave.”