Wait for Always, page 5
“You remember Derek?” I said with a smile.
Derek stuck his hand out, and they shook. “Fucker,” Derek muttered.
Camden grinned like the devil he was. “You should have known better when you brought her this spring.”
“I should have,” Derek said. “Don’t make me punch you.”
“Now, that would be entertaining. Punching the owner of the building you’re standing in probably wouldn’t go well for you.”
“Derek, Jesus,” I groaned.
“And you are?” Camden asked Ash as he came to stand at Derek’s side.
“This is Ash Talmadge.”
Camden considered him for a moment. “Are you related to James Talmadge?”
“That’s my father,” Ash told him.
They didn’t shake hands. Ash hadn’t even offered, which was so unlike him.
“Ah, that makes sense. We’ve considered putting in a Percy Tower on River Street. I was working with your father on that, but it never panned out.”
“You can’t put a Tower on River Street,” I argued immediately.
Camden looked down at me, as if he’d forgotten I had opinions. “And why not?”
“Because you’d ruin the view,” Ash said as if it were obvious.
“And the history,” I added. “Big hotels go across the river.”
“Or on Bay Street,” Ash finished for me.
Derek shrugged. “Locals know that sort of thing.”
“I’m not used to people telling me no,” Camden said with a smile that could have meant anything.
Derek clapped him on the back. “It happens to us measly mortals.”
Camden arched an eyebrow at Derek, but whatever animosity had been between them at me dating Camden was gone. Camden gestured for us to come back to the booth. We followed Camden, and I met Fiona again. I’d been right about her name.
She kept giving me weird looks that I didn’t understand. Maybe she was jealous. Derek invited her out to dance at some point, and I followed with Camden, leaving Ash alone with the guys.
We were on the dance floor when Katherine Van Pelt showed up in a blood-red dress that made her tall model body look like she was literally wearing the liquid. Her dark hair was a cascade down her back, and she laughed with her friends. All people I recognized—Penn Kensington, Lark St. Vincent, Archibald Rowe, and Lewis Warren. They were maybe the most beautiful people I’d ever seen. As if being on the outside, looking in, was as close as anyone could get to their crew.
Camden grumbled something low under his breath. “I have to handle something.”
“I …”
But he was already gone. Leaving me alone on the dance floor without another word.
I turned in a circle before pushing my way back toward the booth. It was empty, and I took a shot of tequila to steady myself. I didn’t know what to think about Camden. I felt like I could chase him forever and never quite know him. Sometimes, it was as if I were on the outsider. Like I couldn’t figure out what someone like him saw in someone like me. And then I hated myself for feeling that way.
But when he disappeared like that without considering how I’d feel, it made it hard not to be frustrated.
I should have just stayed and danced with everyone else, but I didn’t have it in me. That was when I saw Ash Talmadge leaning against the edge of the rooftop bar, drinking whiskey.
I snagged another beer and headed toward him. “Hey.”
His eyes found mine and looked away. “Hey.”
“You’ve been quiet.”
He shrugged. “Have I?”
“Yeah. Do you want to dance?”
It was a bad idea. Camden wasn’t the sort of guy to handle me dancing with someone else. Not that he knew anything about Ash … or how I’d felt about him my whole life.
“I’m not in the mood,” he said, taking another sip of his drink.
“Okay,” I said.
I waited for him to say something else, but he didn’t. He brooded there, looking out across at the city below.
I couldn’t do this tonight. It was my graduation, and I had a boyfriend. I didn’t want to think about Ash Talmadge at all.
“Suit yourself,” I finally said and then went back in search of Camden.
But when I found him, my stomach flipped. He was in the back room with his buddies and Fiona. She had a little bottle filled with white powder, and they were passing it around. Plenty of people in my program had done cocaine. Enough of them that it became this design party where they’d all get high and try to make their outfit for the week in one night. I’d never joined in any of those parties.
And it wasn’t like I was upset with Camden for doing it here. I just … hadn’t known. Suddenly, I felt really young again. Twenty-two and utterly clueless in these matters.
I backed out of the room before any of them could see me. My heart wouldn’t calm down, and I felt unbalanced. Like a kid seeing their parents doing something wrong.
I returned to the balcony edge, downing the rest of my beer in one long gulp. Then, Ash was again next to me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I blinked at him in surprise. “What?”
“You seem upset.”
“It’s nothing. Why are you being so weird tonight?”
“I’m not being weird,” he said. “I just … don’t think you should be dating him.”
I snorted. “Okay, Derek.”
He huffed. “I said I wanted to meet him before forming an opinion.”
“And he’s not good enough for me?”
“No. He’s not,” he said flatly.
“He’s Camden Percy,” I argued.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“It does here.”
“Then, maybe you should get out of New York.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I was getting upset again. “My life is in New York. I have this amazing new job and a boyfriend and friends.”
“Savannah is home.”
“So?” I spat back at him, pushing off of the edge to glare at him. “Ash, why do you even care? You’re not my brother. And you’re certainly not single. You don’t get to have an opinion about all of this.”
“I know that kind of guy, Mia,” he said, grabbing my arm before I could walk away. “I’ve seen plenty of guys like him treat girls like you like shit. I can recognize it when I see it. He’s an asshole.”
“Can you recognize that you’re being an asshole?” I jerked my arm back. “Let me go.”
He dropped my arm. “Amelia …”
“What are you, jealous?”
He stood there in surprise. As if he had never considered the option before. And that hurt all the more.
“Just … go home to Lila, Ash.”
Then, I turned and walked away from him. A part of me knew that he was right, but I just wasn’t ready to admit it. But at the same time … he wasn’t ready to admit his jealousy either. So, I didn’t owe him anything.
7
New York City
October 17, 2014
“I’m out early today, Shannon,” I reminded my manager.
Her eyes were wide. “What? Who approved that?”
I paused, fear spiking through me. It always did that at Elizabeth Cunningham. It didn’t matter if I’d gotten the time off approval ages ago. Working in high fashion was as terrifying as The Devil Wears Prada made it out to be and sometimes worse. The adrenaline hit when I had to eat lunch and it was something other than a salad or getting coffee and it wasn’t skinny. The pressure was intense. Taking time off was worse.
“You … you did,” I reminded her. I pulled up our shared app and showed it to her. “See, I have a half-day today and Monday off.”
“How are you going to make up this time?” Shannon asked.
“I can stay late the rest of the week. My brother and his best friend are in town for the weekend.”
“I didn’t approve this.” Shannon looked like she was going to have a panic attack.
That was when Harmony Cunningham slipped in. “Actually, I did.”
I blinked in surprise. Harmony mostly modeled for the company, but her mom had slowly been giving her more responsibilities. All things considered, I liked Harmony way more than everyone else. Her mom was a nightmare.
“Oh, thank you, Harmony.”
“No problem, Amelia. And don’t worry about making up the hours. I’ll be in for the rest of the day and Monday to help around.”
Shannon opened her mouth to object, but Harmony shot her an imperious look, and Shannon dropped it. I’d realized that about Harmony. Few people could argue with her and win. The only person I’d seen her have a full-blown argument with was Katherine Van Pelt. It had been a thing of nightmares during Fashion Week. All over a guy at that. I mean, Penn Kensington was gorgeous, but he wasn’t worth your career. Not that either of them was likely to lose it with the connections they had, but still!
“Go have fun, and if you want to bring the boys, we’ll be at 360 tonight!” Harmony offered.
I flinched and hated that I still did. Club 360 belonged to Camden, and I no longer did. I didn’t go there anymore unless I was dragged with fashion friends since it was the place to see and be seen.
“I’ll pass, but thanks for the offer.”
Harmony followed me toward the entrance. “Hey, don’t let Camden keep you away. Fuck that guy.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Harm. It’s not him. I just want to spend time with my family, you know?”
Harmony gave me a sympathetic look, like she didn’t believe me. And hey, I didn’t believe me either.
“Next time,” she offered like an olive branch.
“Definitely. Bye.”
“Have fun!”
I waved good-bye as I stepped out onto Madison Avenue in my all-black outfit and black high heels, wrapping my black peacoat around my shoulders. What I wouldn’t give for some color in my wardrobe, but that just wasn’t done. In Savannah, I’d grown up in pastels, but I couldn’t imagine anyone in New York fashion wearing lavender or mint. This was what I’d signed up for.
I was nearly to my apartment in the West Village when I got a text from Derek, saying that they were almost there. Derek had moved back to Savannah to take his place in our family law firm in August after he’d finished up a year of working for one of his Harvard professors. Though I knew the real reason was the big breakup with Marley.
Which was why Ash was here with him. Something had gone down with him and Lila. Bad enough that Derek had gotten him out of Georgia as soon as possible, and he was about to be in my apartment for four days. I didn’t know the details, just that they’d broken up after almost two years together and he was a wreck.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been excited … but I was.
I came out of the subway at Washington Square Park and just closed the door behind me at my Cornelia Street apartment when the buzzer rang.
I pressed the button. “Come on up.”
After a cursory look at my apartment, I grabbed a stray bra off the back of a chair, which I had somehow missed in my sweep last night, and decided it was good enough. If it had just been Derek, I wouldn’t have even cleaned up. He didn’t give a shit. He was my brother. But Ash …
Well, I cared too much about Ash.
A knock at the door drew me away from my frantic cleaning. I yanked it open and found Ash leaning against the doorframe while Derek carried both suitcases up the stairs.
“Hey,” he said with a smirk. He was in a white button-up, rolled up to his elbows, and black dress pants. His suit coat was slung over his shoulder.
“Hi,” I said.
“He’s already drunk,” Derek grumbled. “Asshole couldn’t even carry his own bag.”
“I’m not drunk,” Ash said, running a hand back through his dark hair.
“It was a good thing we flew first class,” Derek said. He shoved past Ash into my apartment. “Or else you would have paid your weight in alcohol on that flight.”
I arched an eyebrow at Ash. “That bad?”
Ash shrugged as he shuffled inside. “I’m fine.”
Derek snorted. He dropped the bags inside the small apartment. “Fine. Sure.”
I doubted very much that he was fine. He didn’t look fine. And if he was drunk already, that wasn’t a good sign either. What the hell had happened with Lila?
“Let’s go get a drink,” Ash said.
“I have some beer in the fridge. Help yourself,” I told him. “I have to change out of work clothes.”
Ash’s eyes swept down my chic outfit. He arched an eyebrow. “You look better in color.”
I froze at those words. They perfectly mirrored what I had been thinking about New York fashion. And he had summed it up in one sentence. He’d seen straight through the New Yorker in me to who I really was.
And somehow, it irritated me. If I wanted to succeed, this was what I needed to do and who I needed to be. The reminder didn’t help anything.
“I don’t take fashion advice from drunk businessmen as a rule.”
Derek laughed. “Hey, asshole, leave my sister alone.”
Ash just shrugged. “Beer in the fridge?”
I took a fortifying breath and headed into the one bedroom. The guys would have to share the living space. I had a couch that probably wasn’t long enough for their limbs and an air mattress. I closed the door to my room and took another deep breath.
Ash Talmadge was in my apartment in the city. He was drunk and an asshole and getting over his now ex-girlfriend … but he was here. I’d seen him a few times when I went home in the year and a half since I’d graduated from Parsons, but he’d never visited me here. While the circumstances were far from ideal, I couldn’t help but be glad.
I changed out of my all-black work attire and ransacked my closet for something to wear. I finally gave in on a black minidress that I’d been working on off the clock. I really thought it would look better in a pale baby blue or a really soft pink, but I’d never sell anything in those colors here. So, I’d gone for the safety choice.
I grabbed a pair of black Louboutins that I’d snagged from a shoot and carried them out to my living room. Both guys had a beer in hand. They’d turned on SportsCenter—I wasn’t even aware I had ESPN—and were watching some commentary on Florida State taking on Notre Dame tomorrow night.
“Fly all this way to watch sports on my tiny TV?”
Derek waved me away, but Ash turned to say something and stopped midway, his eyes going wide. He glanced back at Derek hastily before doing a double take. His eyes traveling up my long legs to the very short dress and then up to my face.
My cheeks heated at the appraising look. “Like it?” I turned in a slow circle. “I made it myself.”
“It, uh, it looks great,” Ash said, clearing his throat.
Derek gave him a sharp look before glancing up at me. “Yeah, it’s nice, Mia. Where are we going tonight?”
“Whatever y’all are in the mood for.”
“Alcohol,” Ash said.
“Sure. Like a dive bar or a nightclub or art scene or …”
“Wherever you’d go.”
“All right. Let’s grab some dinner, so you two don’t drown tonight.”
Derek snapped off the TV, and I took them to a local Italian restaurant. A few of my friends were going to a nightclub around the corner. We met up with them, breezing past the line and inside.
Alyssa and Zoey had been my roommates through all four years of Parsons. Zoey’s wife, Tara, had practically lived with us the last year. They’d gotten married over the summer at Tara’s Long Island home. I’d taken Camden with me, which was the death of our already-broken relationship.
Derek and Alyssa hit it off right away, as I’d figured they would. He drew her out onto the dance floor, and we lost them almost immediately. Zoey and Tara were next until it was just me and Ash at the bar.
We’d ordered a round of tequila shots before everyone disappeared. And now, there were six shots in front of us.
“They need to come back for these,” I yelled over the loud music.
Ash held his up. “Their loss.”
I laughed. “You want to drink them all? I’ll be toast after that.”
“We had a big dinner.”
Which was true, but probably beside the point. Still, I shrugged and lifted my shot. We clinked glasses and downed the first round. I sucked on a lime while Ash downed a second shot and then a third.
My eyes rounded. “Whoa, whoa … slow down.”
“There. Now, you only have to take one more.”
“Ash …” I muttered softly.
He must have heard the sympathy in my voice because he shook his head and scooted the tequila over to me. So, he didn’t want to talk. Fine. We’d just drink then. I raised my glass, and we downed the last round. I sucked on the lime, again wincing as the liquid burned down my throat.
“Come on,” Ash said, taking my hand and pulling me out onto the dance floor.
We found the rest of my friends in the crowd. The tequila loosened up my entire body, and I fell into Ash’s arms, dancing without reservation. For a few short hours, I forgot why he was here and what had happened to him. I forgot everything. Just laughed and danced and drank the night away.
Ash and I practically had to carry Derek back to the apartment. We looked ridiculous, hauling an enormous basketball player through the streets of New York. Luckily, my apartment wasn’t far, and we threw him down on the couch, where he promptly passed out.
“Shit,” I muttered. “I didn’t blow up the air mattress.”
I stumbled into my bedroom and rummaged through the top of my closet to locate it. I felt Ash’s presence at my back more than heard it.
“Why don’t I just stay in here?” he said.
I’d kicked off my heels, and suddenly, he was a good head taller than me. I swallowed, immediately sober at the suggestion. My body hummed with all the need I always felt for Ash Talmadge. But that … that couldn’t be what he was interested in.
