Beauty and the Boss, page 11
“Animals, I guess, but I had an idea last night when we
went out for coffee. I’d explain, but I don’t want to jinx
myself.”
Amis handed her a cup and kissed her cheeks. “Are you
taking Charlotte?”
“Charlotte’s going with you and Opal, and Sawyer, if she
wants, is coming with me. And before you say anything, if
Charlotte wants to learn the business, she should learn all of
it.”
“I’m going to say whatever comes into my head, ma
chéri. You know this. What that girl wants is to be with you,
so why send her out with two old but beautiful women?”
“You’re completely wrong about that, but she’ll
eventually get all she wants of me. Right now, though, ease
her into the game before she has to spend time with the
beast.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Opal asked.
“Charlotte’s heard a few horror stories about me, so it
should be easy to keep my promise to be good. That’s a
good thing, because I sure as hell don’t have time to be
bad.” She finished her coffee and headed to the ballroom
with Amis. “When you get a chance, I need you to set up
something for me. Only I need it to stay between us.” She
laid out her plan as Amis nodded. “If you call Sigrid, she can
probably help with all that. She can’t show bias, but she said
she’d do what she could.”
“Don’t underestimate your sway, my love.”
She hugged her mother before kissing her forehead. “It’s
no wonder I’m an egomaniac. I’ve got sway, but Sigrid has
the throne and the crown. Very few souls are brave enough
to tell the queen of fashion no.”
Charlotte came in as she let Amis go, and she waved her
over. “Is Sawyer up yet?”
“She’s getting dressed.”
“Good.” She packed a bag with what she’d need and put
an old pair of sandals on. “Think she’d enjoy a trip to the
zoo while you go shopping?”
“Sure, but what am I shopping for?”
“Material and everything we’ll need to create a new line.
It’ll give you a chance to get to know the people you’ll be
working with.”
“You sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Charlotte
seemed to study everything she was putting in the bag.
“I promise not to lose the kid, if that’s what you’re
worried about.”
“No, that’s not it. I just want to help if you’re going to
work.”
“I am, but I need to start by myself. Besides, the process
is more than putting the designs on paper. You’re going to
get the well-rounded education everyone else missed out
on.”
“Lucky me.”
“It’s shopping or ripping—your choice.”
Charlotte waved to her and Sawyer as they pulled out
with the top down. The expression on Sawyer’s face when
she’d asked her to join her made it easy to understand why
people had children. She perhaps would’ve considered it if
they came like this, already a small person with a
personality and the ability to feed herself.
“Did you bring your book and colored pencils?” They
crossed over Canal Street, the wide boulevard that divided
the French Quarter from the Warehouse District, Uptown,
and the Garden District neighborhoods. When Ellis was
Sawyer’s age, the stores along this street had been high-
end clothing places with phenomenal window displays. A
few were left, but now the chic spots were located in the
mall close to the river.
“Got everything you said.”
Ellis enjoyed watching how Sawyer’s head was never still
as she took in the scenery they were driving by. The kid was
as curious as she was, but she always considered that a
good trait in anyone. Curiosity was the most important
building block of learning, as far as she was concerned.
“Good. You’re going to help me put my show together.”
She took a left onto the street by the river to avoid traffic.
“Really?”
“It’s only fair since you and your mom gave me the idea
last night.”
The Audubon Zoo had once upon a time been the place
of nightmares if you were an animal lover. It’d contained all
small cages that only made you feel sorry for the unlucky
animals trapped inside. Finally, the outcry gave way to the
large, more natural enclosures that provided them more
room to roam. It was still cruel to keep them locked up, but
most of the animals now had been born in captivity, so this
was the only place they’d survive.
“Let’s start with the big cats while they’re still moving
around. Once it gets steaming hot, we’ll lose our window.”
The black leopard lay in a tree stretched out with what
appeared to be a piece of raw meat. He was a beautiful
animal that stopped tearing at his breakfast to stare down
at them. Ellis unfolded the portable chairs she’d brought
and took her sketchbook out.
“When I first started,” she flipped to an empty page and
tapped on Sawyer’s book so she’d do the same, “I was a lot
like your mom in that I was hungry to make it. Does that
make sense?”
“Yeah. She works real hard, so thanks for giving her a
shot.”
“This year it’s a lot like that.”
“Why did those people steal from you?”
She glanced at Sawyer and really couldn’t think of a good
answer. There really wasn’t one that made any sense to her.
“I’m not sure, but they’ve done their best to ruin my
business. Without a line, it’s going to be that much harder to
get things going again if we fail.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Start drawing what you see, and use your imagination to
put him somewhere that’s not a cage.”
They sat together, and she glanced over every so often
to see what Sawyer was doing. Since the last few days had
been all about honesty, she realized that her true passion
had dimmed. The line they’d finished was good, but it
lacked the creativity that had driven her when the whole
world wasn’t watching. Success had dimmed the edgy for
the safe and acceptable. In other words—mainstream and
homogenous.
She looked at the cat and started sketching a black dress
with straight lines and black-stone embellishments. The
just-under-knee length would be good for the big date,
making it practical for everyone who didn’t attend the opera
or any type of ball. The stole over the shoulder would be
black as well and be made of short-hair faux fur that
resembled this guy. She added an oversimplified cat face in
hot-pink rhinestones to provide color and drew a mask on
the model’s face.
The show would reflect every animal here, and she’d
donate some of the proceeds from every fake fur to the
animal-rescue shelter Sigrid and her husband owned in
Africa. Everyone would assume it was her way of sucking
up, but she knew it was Sigrid’s passion.
“Wow,” Sawyer said when she held up the sketch a few
hours later. “That’s awesome.”
“Let’s hope the world is as nice as you are.” She’d
finished preliminary sketches for three different cuts that
the accessories would work with. “Want to try one more
before we get some lunch?”
“Can I take some pictures first?”
They got back to the house around four, and Sawyer
joined her as she called the team together. As everyone
filed in, she wrote the number seventy-three in bright red on
a dry-erase board.
“I’m sure Opal and my mother filled you all in on what
happened. All your hard work on that,” she pointed to the
racks of almost finished pieces Opal had brought in, “is not
exactly for nothing. I have plans for it, but whoever stole the
book will most probably publish the designs to make the
most of the theft. If not in print, through some media like
the morning show yesterday.”
A young seamstress raised her hand as she spoke. “What
happens to our show?”
“We’re going to start over, and we have seventy-three
days to finish it.”
“You’re kidding, right?” another guy said.
“If we all want to be employed, then no, it’s not a joke.”
She clipped the first sketch to the board on the wall and
waited for them to look at it. She put Sawyer’s sketch next
to it. “Did Epstein have most of what I included on that list?”
“He had black velvet, for sure, but the stole material
might be a problem,” Opal said.
“I have an idea for that, but we need to start first thing
tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Hell, we’re starting right now,” Amis said.
“You know Harold and I go way back. He’ll unlock the store if
I promise to pay retail, but just today.” Everyone laughed
since Amis’s love of negotiating was legendary. “Ladies and
gentlemen, grab your scissors and pile into the van.”
“Do you want me to go?” Charlotte asked.
“You can go if you want to, but I had another idea.”
“Lead the way.”
* * *
“Thanks.” Ellis paid the delivery guy from her favorite
Chinese place and put the bag on the counter of Charlotte’s
kitchen. They loaded their plates before sitting on the sofa
to review the pictures Sawyer had taken. “The fall show I’d
planned had fifty-two pieces, so even if I could come up with
that many designs, it would be a stretch to finish.”
“Are you planning to whittle down?” Charlotte sat with
her legs folded under her.
“No way. I’m going to have fifty-two and a few extra if it
kills me, you, and everyone in that room. We can make it if
you take on a few.”
Charlotte stopped right before biting into her eggroll. “A
few? What’s a few?”
“Let’s shoot for five, or more if you can handle it. We’ll
look through these pictures, and some of them might inspire
you toward something new. Or you might tweak something
you already have.”
“Okay.” Charlotte lengthened the word, appearing to be
in shock. “Have anything in particular in mind?”
“Since you inspired the idea, Sawyer and I picked
something for you.” Sawyer flipped through the pictures
until the elephants appeared. “Think of it as one sketch at a
time.”
“Uh-huh, so you get all the sleek, sexy animals, and I get
these guys?”
“Such a lack of faith,” she said and clicked her tongue.
“Eat, and I’ll help you with the first one.”
“If I haven’t mentioned it lately—thanks.” Charlotte
smiled and glanced back at the screen and her selfie with
Sawyer. The handler had let them come to the door of the
enclosure since they were the only ones out there that early.
“You’re welcome, and I should’ve asked first, but I signed
Sawyer to a contract for some artwork.”
“Yeah, Mom. Cool, huh?”
“Yeah, it really is.” Charlotte started eating with an
expression that Ellis took to mean she had something on her
mind. If it was wariness or alarm, they were right back at
square one.
“I’m getting in on the ground floor while I can still afford
her stuff.”
* * *
Ellis gave Sawyer a quick lesson on how to put the sketch
in her book on the blank canvas before she told her good
night. The budding artist was hard at it, so Charlotte
followed Ellis out.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped by offering her a job.” The
quiet meant the gang wasn’t back yet.
“I’m not upset at all. You in a very short time have
validated Sawyer’s talent to Sawyer. She thinks I’m just
being a mom when I tell her she’s good, and since I’m the
only one she’s ever shown her stuff to, I don’t think she
believed me.”
“She’s really good, and if you don’t mind, I’m going to
prove it to her.”
Charlotte crossed her arms and shook her head.
“However you do it, I’ll be grateful.”
“It’s not exactly a sacrifice. She’s a good kid. Go get
some sleep while you can.”
“Are you working tonight?”
“Just finishing a few things, so I’ll see you in the
morning.”
The ballroom would be a zoo for the rest of the summer,
so Ellis headed to the study. It didn’t really lend itself to
being an art studio, but she didn’t want to move the original
furniture out of the space it fit so well. The successful farmer
who’d built the house had made a true man cave for
himself, and every owner since had enjoyed the things he’d
found comfort in, since the room had stayed intact
throughout the small number of owners.
She sat at the desk and started working on the next set
of designs centered on the spotted leopard. The ease with
which the work came was exhilarating. For once in a long
while, she didn’t have to dig to put something on the page,
so she pushed herself.
She was startled when Amis touched her shoulder hours
later, and she instantly regretted falling asleep over the
desk.
“At this rate, you’ll burn yourself out by the weekend,”
Amis said. “Come on. Time for bed.”
“What do you think?” Various sheets were spread out
under her, and Amis straightened them into a pile.
“You never cease to amaze me, chéri. I love you because,
to me, you’re perfect, but one of the things I love the most
about you is that you never quit.” Amis flipped through her
work and stopped at the snakeskin sheath dress. She’d
drawn a very small print, so she hoped Opal could find
something like it in leather. “This is beautiful.”
“It’s not going to be for everyone, but I like it. We’ll leave
this one for last because I want it to be perfect.” She
needed a centerpiece of the show, and so far, this was it.
“Think you can handle things here tomorrow? I need one
more day, so I’m headed to the zoo again. That should give
me enough inspiration to finish.”
“You never have to ask, so go to bed and sleep. That
might be in short supply in the coming days.”
“You know something, though? I’m glad this happened.
The loss made me fall in love all over again.”
CHAPTER TEN
Charlotte sat in Sawyer’s room and looked from her
sleeping daughter to the easel with Sawyer’s creation in the
making. She knew Ellis had put the crude outline on it to
show her scale, since Sawyer had only ever drawn in her
small pad. The rapt attention Sawyer gave Ellis as she
discussed brush techniques was something she didn’t see
often from her very restless child. It hurt her to think about
this job ending, not because of her career but because
Sawyer would have to sever her relationship from her new
hero.
Wherever they went after this, though, she was glad
she’d taken the chance to come. Of course, the job would
help open the door to the next position, but mostly for
Sawyer’s sake. Her parents helped where they could with
Sawyer, but it wasn’t fair to keep asking them to pay for her
mistakes, so she’d tried her best to make it on her own.
That meant trying to provide Sawyer with the best possible
life she could give her.
In Ellis, Charlotte had found a friend and ally who totally
understood not only how her child ticked, but seemed to
view the world through the same lens. No matter her first
impressions of Ellis, she was a kind and compassionate
person who had vast patience for Sawyer.
Ellis Renois, of all people, had given Sawyer another
adult who cared about her, and the attention to her child
had melted Charlotte’s heart. She hadn’t planned to spend
her life alone, but whoever she let in would have to love
Sawyer as their own. That was going to be hard to find, and
she wasn’t delusional enough to think she’d be lucky or
woman enough to make Ellis notice anything about her
outside of work.
Her buzzing phone made her jump. It rarely rang, and
she wasn’t expecting anyone to call her here. A sense of
violation washed over her as soon as she saw Kyle’s name
on the screen. He never called unless she was threatening
some kind of legal action.
“Hello,” she said as she carefully closed Sawyer’s door.
went out for coffee. I’d explain, but I don’t want to jinx
myself.”
Amis handed her a cup and kissed her cheeks. “Are you
taking Charlotte?”
“Charlotte’s going with you and Opal, and Sawyer, if she
wants, is coming with me. And before you say anything, if
Charlotte wants to learn the business, she should learn all of
it.”
“I’m going to say whatever comes into my head, ma
chéri. You know this. What that girl wants is to be with you,
so why send her out with two old but beautiful women?”
“You’re completely wrong about that, but she’ll
eventually get all she wants of me. Right now, though, ease
her into the game before she has to spend time with the
beast.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Opal asked.
“Charlotte’s heard a few horror stories about me, so it
should be easy to keep my promise to be good. That’s a
good thing, because I sure as hell don’t have time to be
bad.” She finished her coffee and headed to the ballroom
with Amis. “When you get a chance, I need you to set up
something for me. Only I need it to stay between us.” She
laid out her plan as Amis nodded. “If you call Sigrid, she can
probably help with all that. She can’t show bias, but she said
she’d do what she could.”
“Don’t underestimate your sway, my love.”
She hugged her mother before kissing her forehead. “It’s
no wonder I’m an egomaniac. I’ve got sway, but Sigrid has
the throne and the crown. Very few souls are brave enough
to tell the queen of fashion no.”
Charlotte came in as she let Amis go, and she waved her
over. “Is Sawyer up yet?”
“She’s getting dressed.”
“Good.” She packed a bag with what she’d need and put
an old pair of sandals on. “Think she’d enjoy a trip to the
zoo while you go shopping?”
“Sure, but what am I shopping for?”
“Material and everything we’ll need to create a new line.
It’ll give you a chance to get to know the people you’ll be
working with.”
“You sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Charlotte
seemed to study everything she was putting in the bag.
“I promise not to lose the kid, if that’s what you’re
worried about.”
“No, that’s not it. I just want to help if you’re going to
work.”
“I am, but I need to start by myself. Besides, the process
is more than putting the designs on paper. You’re going to
get the well-rounded education everyone else missed out
on.”
“Lucky me.”
“It’s shopping or ripping—your choice.”
Charlotte waved to her and Sawyer as they pulled out
with the top down. The expression on Sawyer’s face when
she’d asked her to join her made it easy to understand why
people had children. She perhaps would’ve considered it if
they came like this, already a small person with a
personality and the ability to feed herself.
“Did you bring your book and colored pencils?” They
crossed over Canal Street, the wide boulevard that divided
the French Quarter from the Warehouse District, Uptown,
and the Garden District neighborhoods. When Ellis was
Sawyer’s age, the stores along this street had been high-
end clothing places with phenomenal window displays. A
few were left, but now the chic spots were located in the
mall close to the river.
“Got everything you said.”
Ellis enjoyed watching how Sawyer’s head was never still
as she took in the scenery they were driving by. The kid was
as curious as she was, but she always considered that a
good trait in anyone. Curiosity was the most important
building block of learning, as far as she was concerned.
“Good. You’re going to help me put my show together.”
She took a left onto the street by the river to avoid traffic.
“Really?”
“It’s only fair since you and your mom gave me the idea
last night.”
The Audubon Zoo had once upon a time been the place
of nightmares if you were an animal lover. It’d contained all
small cages that only made you feel sorry for the unlucky
animals trapped inside. Finally, the outcry gave way to the
large, more natural enclosures that provided them more
room to roam. It was still cruel to keep them locked up, but
most of the animals now had been born in captivity, so this
was the only place they’d survive.
“Let’s start with the big cats while they’re still moving
around. Once it gets steaming hot, we’ll lose our window.”
The black leopard lay in a tree stretched out with what
appeared to be a piece of raw meat. He was a beautiful
animal that stopped tearing at his breakfast to stare down
at them. Ellis unfolded the portable chairs she’d brought
and took her sketchbook out.
“When I first started,” she flipped to an empty page and
tapped on Sawyer’s book so she’d do the same, “I was a lot
like your mom in that I was hungry to make it. Does that
make sense?”
“Yeah. She works real hard, so thanks for giving her a
shot.”
“This year it’s a lot like that.”
“Why did those people steal from you?”
She glanced at Sawyer and really couldn’t think of a good
answer. There really wasn’t one that made any sense to her.
“I’m not sure, but they’ve done their best to ruin my
business. Without a line, it’s going to be that much harder to
get things going again if we fail.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Start drawing what you see, and use your imagination to
put him somewhere that’s not a cage.”
They sat together, and she glanced over every so often
to see what Sawyer was doing. Since the last few days had
been all about honesty, she realized that her true passion
had dimmed. The line they’d finished was good, but it
lacked the creativity that had driven her when the whole
world wasn’t watching. Success had dimmed the edgy for
the safe and acceptable. In other words—mainstream and
homogenous.
She looked at the cat and started sketching a black dress
with straight lines and black-stone embellishments. The
just-under-knee length would be good for the big date,
making it practical for everyone who didn’t attend the opera
or any type of ball. The stole over the shoulder would be
black as well and be made of short-hair faux fur that
resembled this guy. She added an oversimplified cat face in
hot-pink rhinestones to provide color and drew a mask on
the model’s face.
The show would reflect every animal here, and she’d
donate some of the proceeds from every fake fur to the
animal-rescue shelter Sigrid and her husband owned in
Africa. Everyone would assume it was her way of sucking
up, but she knew it was Sigrid’s passion.
“Wow,” Sawyer said when she held up the sketch a few
hours later. “That’s awesome.”
“Let’s hope the world is as nice as you are.” She’d
finished preliminary sketches for three different cuts that
the accessories would work with. “Want to try one more
before we get some lunch?”
“Can I take some pictures first?”
They got back to the house around four, and Sawyer
joined her as she called the team together. As everyone
filed in, she wrote the number seventy-three in bright red on
a dry-erase board.
“I’m sure Opal and my mother filled you all in on what
happened. All your hard work on that,” she pointed to the
racks of almost finished pieces Opal had brought in, “is not
exactly for nothing. I have plans for it, but whoever stole the
book will most probably publish the designs to make the
most of the theft. If not in print, through some media like
the morning show yesterday.”
A young seamstress raised her hand as she spoke. “What
happens to our show?”
“We’re going to start over, and we have seventy-three
days to finish it.”
“You’re kidding, right?” another guy said.
“If we all want to be employed, then no, it’s not a joke.”
She clipped the first sketch to the board on the wall and
waited for them to look at it. She put Sawyer’s sketch next
to it. “Did Epstein have most of what I included on that list?”
“He had black velvet, for sure, but the stole material
might be a problem,” Opal said.
“I have an idea for that, but we need to start first thing
tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Hell, we’re starting right now,” Amis said.
“You know Harold and I go way back. He’ll unlock the store if
I promise to pay retail, but just today.” Everyone laughed
since Amis’s love of negotiating was legendary. “Ladies and
gentlemen, grab your scissors and pile into the van.”
“Do you want me to go?” Charlotte asked.
“You can go if you want to, but I had another idea.”
“Lead the way.”
* * *
“Thanks.” Ellis paid the delivery guy from her favorite
Chinese place and put the bag on the counter of Charlotte’s
kitchen. They loaded their plates before sitting on the sofa
to review the pictures Sawyer had taken. “The fall show I’d
planned had fifty-two pieces, so even if I could come up with
that many designs, it would be a stretch to finish.”
“Are you planning to whittle down?” Charlotte sat with
her legs folded under her.
“No way. I’m going to have fifty-two and a few extra if it
kills me, you, and everyone in that room. We can make it if
you take on a few.”
Charlotte stopped right before biting into her eggroll. “A
few? What’s a few?”
“Let’s shoot for five, or more if you can handle it. We’ll
look through these pictures, and some of them might inspire
you toward something new. Or you might tweak something
you already have.”
“Okay.” Charlotte lengthened the word, appearing to be
in shock. “Have anything in particular in mind?”
“Since you inspired the idea, Sawyer and I picked
something for you.” Sawyer flipped through the pictures
until the elephants appeared. “Think of it as one sketch at a
time.”
“Uh-huh, so you get all the sleek, sexy animals, and I get
these guys?”
“Such a lack of faith,” she said and clicked her tongue.
“Eat, and I’ll help you with the first one.”
“If I haven’t mentioned it lately—thanks.” Charlotte
smiled and glanced back at the screen and her selfie with
Sawyer. The handler had let them come to the door of the
enclosure since they were the only ones out there that early.
“You’re welcome, and I should’ve asked first, but I signed
Sawyer to a contract for some artwork.”
“Yeah, Mom. Cool, huh?”
“Yeah, it really is.” Charlotte started eating with an
expression that Ellis took to mean she had something on her
mind. If it was wariness or alarm, they were right back at
square one.
“I’m getting in on the ground floor while I can still afford
her stuff.”
* * *
Ellis gave Sawyer a quick lesson on how to put the sketch
in her book on the blank canvas before she told her good
night. The budding artist was hard at it, so Charlotte
followed Ellis out.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped by offering her a job.” The
quiet meant the gang wasn’t back yet.
“I’m not upset at all. You in a very short time have
validated Sawyer’s talent to Sawyer. She thinks I’m just
being a mom when I tell her she’s good, and since I’m the
only one she’s ever shown her stuff to, I don’t think she
believed me.”
“She’s really good, and if you don’t mind, I’m going to
prove it to her.”
Charlotte crossed her arms and shook her head.
“However you do it, I’ll be grateful.”
“It’s not exactly a sacrifice. She’s a good kid. Go get
some sleep while you can.”
“Are you working tonight?”
“Just finishing a few things, so I’ll see you in the
morning.”
The ballroom would be a zoo for the rest of the summer,
so Ellis headed to the study. It didn’t really lend itself to
being an art studio, but she didn’t want to move the original
furniture out of the space it fit so well. The successful farmer
who’d built the house had made a true man cave for
himself, and every owner since had enjoyed the things he’d
found comfort in, since the room had stayed intact
throughout the small number of owners.
She sat at the desk and started working on the next set
of designs centered on the spotted leopard. The ease with
which the work came was exhilarating. For once in a long
while, she didn’t have to dig to put something on the page,
so she pushed herself.
She was startled when Amis touched her shoulder hours
later, and she instantly regretted falling asleep over the
desk.
“At this rate, you’ll burn yourself out by the weekend,”
Amis said. “Come on. Time for bed.”
“What do you think?” Various sheets were spread out
under her, and Amis straightened them into a pile.
“You never cease to amaze me, chéri. I love you because,
to me, you’re perfect, but one of the things I love the most
about you is that you never quit.” Amis flipped through her
work and stopped at the snakeskin sheath dress. She’d
drawn a very small print, so she hoped Opal could find
something like it in leather. “This is beautiful.”
“It’s not going to be for everyone, but I like it. We’ll leave
this one for last because I want it to be perfect.” She
needed a centerpiece of the show, and so far, this was it.
“Think you can handle things here tomorrow? I need one
more day, so I’m headed to the zoo again. That should give
me enough inspiration to finish.”
“You never have to ask, so go to bed and sleep. That
might be in short supply in the coming days.”
“You know something, though? I’m glad this happened.
The loss made me fall in love all over again.”
CHAPTER TEN
Charlotte sat in Sawyer’s room and looked from her
sleeping daughter to the easel with Sawyer’s creation in the
making. She knew Ellis had put the crude outline on it to
show her scale, since Sawyer had only ever drawn in her
small pad. The rapt attention Sawyer gave Ellis as she
discussed brush techniques was something she didn’t see
often from her very restless child. It hurt her to think about
this job ending, not because of her career but because
Sawyer would have to sever her relationship from her new
hero.
Wherever they went after this, though, she was glad
she’d taken the chance to come. Of course, the job would
help open the door to the next position, but mostly for
Sawyer’s sake. Her parents helped where they could with
Sawyer, but it wasn’t fair to keep asking them to pay for her
mistakes, so she’d tried her best to make it on her own.
That meant trying to provide Sawyer with the best possible
life she could give her.
In Ellis, Charlotte had found a friend and ally who totally
understood not only how her child ticked, but seemed to
view the world through the same lens. No matter her first
impressions of Ellis, she was a kind and compassionate
person who had vast patience for Sawyer.
Ellis Renois, of all people, had given Sawyer another
adult who cared about her, and the attention to her child
had melted Charlotte’s heart. She hadn’t planned to spend
her life alone, but whoever she let in would have to love
Sawyer as their own. That was going to be hard to find, and
she wasn’t delusional enough to think she’d be lucky or
woman enough to make Ellis notice anything about her
outside of work.
Her buzzing phone made her jump. It rarely rang, and
she wasn’t expecting anyone to call her here. A sense of
violation washed over her as soon as she saw Kyle’s name
on the screen. He never called unless she was threatening
some kind of legal action.
“Hello,” she said as she carefully closed Sawyer’s door.
