Matched by Design, page 6
“Anyway, Skye kept pressing me for a name, and I blurted out yours. Stupid, I know, but there you have it.”
Isaac worked his jaw back and forth, not really sure what to make of this whole thing or what to say. Quincy would have found the situation hilarious.
“So can you come to Isla del Amor with me or not?” Jasmine asked.
Isaac choked, his loud barking coughs echoing through the café. Jasmine’s eyes flicked around, as though worried they’d attract attention.
“I’m sorry?” Isaac finally managed. “You really want me to go with you?”
“Well yeah. Now that they’ve met you, it’s not like I can get someone else to play the role. We’re leaving in four days and will be gone for a full week.”
An image of Jasmine knee-deep in clear turquoise water sprang to mind. Her face was animated as she bent down, sending a splash of sea water toward him.
Isaac instantly pushed the thought away. Her brother was dead because of him. Any attraction between them was out of the question.
Isaac massaged his chin, trying not to think of what Jasmine looked like in a bikini. They’d managed to escape to the beach one blissful Saturday last summer, and it had been one of the best days of his life.
Dr. Conrad had told him to go on a vacation. And the timeline of the wedding fit his forced leave of absence.
“You know this is crazy, right?”
She blew out a breath and rolled her eyes—there was the Jasmine he remembered. A little sassy and used to getting her way. “Listen, this isn’t exactly my idea of a good time, either. But if you don’t come with me to Isla del Amor, then I can’t go at all. This money will get me so much closer to quitting Dallaire Designs and starting my own label. Please, Isaac. Don’t ruin this for me.”
Isaac scrubbed a hand over his face, mind whirling. “Where exactly is Isla del Amor?”
“The Florida Keys,” Jasmine said.
That’s right. One of the women had said that.
“You won’t have to do anything really,” Jasmine continued in a rush. “You can sit by the pool and read medical journals all week if you want to. I don’t care, and I don’t think Skye will either as long as you’re there.”
“Jas—”
She held up a hand, silencing him. “Don’t give me an answer until you’ve talked to the hospital about the time off. I’ll call you later with the details. Please pick up the phone.”
If he didn’t, Isaac had no doubt she’d bang down his door. She’d always been driven—he’d seen that iron will while watching her compete at track meets in high school. And this time, she wouldn’t leave until he opened the door.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Jasmine said, rising. She didn’t try to hug him goodbye, instead avoiding his gaze. “We can talk more later.”
She breezed out of the café, the bell above the door jingling as it swung closed. Isaac watched her disappear, his head whirling.
Every part of him ached to help Jasmine. After the way he’d handled things the past two months, he owed her big time. It wasn’t like time off was an issue.
But the thought of spending time with her for an entire week had his throat closing off. He tugged at his T-shirt, struggling to breathe evenly.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. He needed to spend his time off figuring out how to prove to Dr. Braithe that he deserved the fellowship. Isaac wasn’t supposed to have to face Jasmine again until he’d achieved the goal that Quincy was now incapable of.
Back in his apartment, Isaac sat down in front of the computer he hadn’t turned on since receiving the fellowship rejection letter over a week ago.
Isaac quickly did an internet search and found a few articles about the upcoming wedding between Drew and Skye. She was one of those pop stars with a huge following and no last name, and the quickie wedding had rumors spreading like wildfire on the gossip sites. And Drew—well, Isaac had never paid much attention to the quarterback off the field, but the man definitely had a reputation.
A photo came up of Skye and Drew at a recent red carpet event. Isaac clicked through idly, noting the way Drew never seemed focused on Skye.
Isaac clicked to the next picture and froze. Skye stood in the middle of an older couple, her arms around both of their waists. The man beside her had square-rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his nose and a trimmed goatee that was peppered with gray.
Isaac leaned forward, squinting as his heart pounded faster in his chest. The caption on the picture simply said that Skye had attended the event with her parents.
But Isaac knew that man. Had spent hours reading peer-reviewed journals authored by him. He’d gone over the man’s bio with a fine-tooth comb while crafting his cover letter for the fellowship.
Could Skye’s father really be the renowned general surgeon Dr. Lewis Braithe?
Isaac typed the doctor’s name into the search engine and began comparing photos. The two certainly looked the same, right down to a thin scar that ran through the left eyebrow. But an internet search didn’t bring up any obvious connection between the two aside from the photos. All the information about Dr. Braithe focused on his medical contributions, and all the information about Skye focused on her music.
Isaac massaged his jaw, processing this new information. If Dr. Braithe really was Skye’s father, that meant he’d be in Isla del Amor for the wedding. It might be the perfect opportunity to speak with him in person. Convince him to give Isaac a second chance.
Maybe going to the Florida Keys with Jasmine wasn’t such an awful idea after all.
Chapter Seven
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” Jasmine muttered as she walked briskly down the sidewalk and back to the studio. She’d already exceeded the five-minute window Genevieve had given her, but the shock of seeing Isaac again had made her momentarily forget the thin ice she was skating on at work.
Jasmine clutched the phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone on the other end of the line.
She couldn’t believe she’d actually run into Isaac. What were the odds? Sure, the hospital was only a few blocks away—as was Isaac’s apartment—but he usually stuck to the cafeteria at work.
Had she seriously asked him to go to Isla del Amor with her? Yeah, she’d said his name when Skye pressed for an answer. But it wasn’t like Jasmine had planned on calling up Isaac and inviting him along.
Of course, hiring an actor would probably have eaten up all the money she would have earned from overtime. Maybe it wasn’t even possible to hire someone with only four days’ notice.
It was a moot point now, since Skye and Genevieve had both seen Isaac.
The call went to voice mail. Jasmine immediately hung up and started calling again. Kelsey had to pick up. They lived on the same floor and had grown close over the past year or so. She was the only person who Jasmine trusted to tell her what to do in this situation, and who also didn’t know Isaac and therefore wasn’t emotionally involved.
A click sounded, and Jasmine let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
“Oh my gosh, thank heavens,” Jasmine muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Kelsey demanded.
“Um, I’ve basically lied my way into the biggest mess of all time and have zero idea what to do about it. You have to help me.”
“Geez, Jas. You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Jasmine heard what sounded like a blinker, and then Kelsey’s quiet voice said, “I thought someone had died again or something.”
“Oh. Oh, gosh, Kels. No, nothing like that. I’m sorry.”
Her best friend’s words sobered Jasmine, and she clutched at the phone as regret poured through her. Jasmine wasn’t the only one who had lost a sibling. Kelsey had, too—her twin. It had been a few years ago, before Kelsey and Jasmine met, but Kelsey had become Jasmine’s rock during the past few months. She understood what Jasmine was going through in a way no one else in her life could.
“I’m heading to a cake tasting so I’ve only got a few minutes,” Kelsey said. “What’s up?”
Someone bumped into Jasmine on the sidewalk, and she muttered an apology, moving aside. “Remember when you lied to Bryce about your identity and went on a date with him as your twin?”
Now Kelsey’s voice held a wry quality. “I remember you telling me it was a horrible idea.”
“Well, now I’ve done something just as bad. Maybe worse.”
“Oh, I don’t know—worked out pretty well for me and Bryce, I think.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Not all lies end with falling in love and getting engaged. And I am one thousand percent certain that this one won’t. Kels, I told Skye that Isaac is my fiancé.”
Kelsey inhaled sharply. After all the stories Jasmine had told, not to mention things she heard from her own boss, a.k.a. Skye’s wedding planner, Kelsey knew just how off kilter the bride could be. “Back up. How did that happen?”
So Jasmine told Kelsey everything, her words tumbling over themselves as she tried to get it all out before Kelsey had to hang up.
“Dang, girl,” Kelsey said when Jasmine finished her story. “Okay, let me think. There has to be a way to convince Isaac to come with you to Isla del Amor.”
“Wait.” Jasmine had finally made it back to Dallaire Designs, but didn’t go inside. Instead, she leaned against the wall beside the revolving door, blowing out a breath. “Aren’t you going to give me a big lecture, like I did to you over the whole Bryce thing?”
“No, because I’m a good friend and the last thing I want is for you to lose out on this opportunity,” Kelsey said dryly. “Jas, you have to get away from Dallaire Designs. Genevieve has been so mean lately, and you’re miserable there. You need that overtime pay.”
“But Isaac is going to say no.” Jasmine closed her eyes, feeling them burn. “He could barely even look at me today.”
His eyes had looked so haunted. So pained.
“Maybe this is a good opportunity for you two to finally clear the air,” Kelsey said quietly.
Jasmine wiped at her eyes, hanging her head as she clutched the phone tighter. “We didn’t talk about Quincy. He just kept demanding to know why everyone was calling him my fiancé.”
“Quincy was his best friend, and Isaac is a doctor and couldn’t save him. That’s got to be eating him alive.”
That’s what Jasmine had thought at first, too. Her heart had ached for Isaac’s pain almost as much as it had for her own. But then he hadn’t come to the funeral, and had stopped answering her calls, and had gone out of his way to avoid her. Not wishing her a happy birthday had been the last straw.
“Besides, if someone introduced me as their fiancé when we hadn’t talked in two months, I’d probably be focused on that, too.”
“Ugh. Why did I say his name? Now I have to figure out a way to convince him to come with me to Isla del Amor.”
“He’s going to come,” Kelsey said. “You two are family, whatever else happens. And family helps each other when they need it.”
Family. Jasmine wasn’t sure if the term quite fit Isaac, but what she felt for him definitely went beyond mere friendship.
She was going to have to text Mitch and let him know that she’d finally seen Isaac and he appeared to be okay. That was yet another conversation she wasn’t looking forward to. Would she be able to keep this whole humiliating fake fiancé thing from Mitch? He’d never approve of it, the hypocrite.
“I don’t know how Isaac feels about me anymore,” Jasmine said. There had been a heat between them in the months leading up to Quincy’s death. Years, if she was being honest with herself. But now?
She heard a ding, like a car door opening, then the faint click as it closed.
“I’m really sorry, Jas, but I’m at the bakery now and have to go. Let’s get together tonight, okay? We need to figure this out so you can go to the wedding. You need this.”
They said their goodbyes and Jasmine hung up, then headed inside. She took the elevator up to the fourth floor, already dreading what she knew was coming next. Genevieve would have something to say about this. Of that much she was certain.
Sure enough, as soon as Jasmine got upstairs, Sasha informed her that Genevieve was waiting for Jasmine in her office.
Jasmine slowly made her way down the plushly carpeted hallway. Genevieve’s office was the biggest in the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of natural light. Genevieve sat behind her black desk, sketches splayed out around her and glasses perched on the edge of her nose.
“You wanted to see me?” Jasmine asked.
Genevieve took off her glasses and motioned to the chair in front of her desk. “I want to confirm that Isaac will be accompanying you to Isla del Amor.”
“Yes, of course. He’s very excited to come.”
What was she going to do if he wouldn’t come?
Genevieve tapped the arm of her glasses against her pursed lips. “It really isn’t a big deal if he can’t accompany you. I’m sure one of the interns would be more than happy to take your place—Mia, perhaps, or maybe Jade. I’m sure the hospital needs your fiancé more than we do.”
“He’s already cleared things with his boss,” Jasmine said quickly. “I’ll email Skye’s assistant his info today.”
Genevieve stared at Jasmine, unblinking. Jasmine’s own eyes started to water. But she wasn’t about to break first.
Eventually Genevieve looked away, placing her glasses back on. “Fine. Shouldn’t you get back to those bridesmaid dresses? You’ll be lucky to get them finished on time as it is.”
“I’m on it,” Jasmine said, and she quickly left the room.
Isaac had to agree to come now. She couldn’t handle the humiliation of telling Genevieve he’d changed his mind.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Jasmine texted Mitch that she’d run into Isaac, promising to call him later with details. Then Jasmine pulled out Amber’s dress and got to work finishing up the alterations.
A dull headache pulsed at the base of her neck, and her eyes burned from too long spent focusing on the fabric. Her shoulders ached from hunching over the sewing machine, and the delicate chiffon kept snagging if she let the treadle go too fast.
Kelsey stopped by with dinner, for which Jasmine was grateful. She’d cut the fabric wrong on the second bridesmaid dress and had been in tears at having to start over when Kelsey arrived.
For thirty minutes they’d brainstormed ideas on how to solve the fake fiancé situation while eating their burritos.
“You just can’t take no for an answer,” Kelsey had finally said. “Isaac owes you this. Pull the friend card. This is way too big a career move to give up. Can you imagine what kind of clout it will give you when you open your own design house to say you designed the bridesmaid dresses for Skye and Drew Dempsey’s wedding?”
“You know as well as I do that Genevieve will get credit for that.”
“At Dallaire Designs, sure. But you can still use it to bring in new clients when you open your own house. Surely Isaac will understand that.”
“I don’t know,” Jasmine said miserably. “I don’t think he’ll care.”
“He hasn’t acted like someone who doesn’t care,” Kelsey said, taking a bite of her pork burrito. “He’s acted like someone who cares too much.”
It was after ten o’clock when Jasmine finally conceded defeat and cleaned up her work station. Only two other designers were still working, and she was too tired to be productive. After cutting out the bridesmaid dress wrong, she’d broken two needles while sewing and had to rip out the seams on one entire side and start over.
Jasmine glanced at her phone, but the screen was silent and still. Isaac hadn’t called. The coward. Mitch, however, had sent her four more texts. She’d have to call him first thing in the morning and keep her explanations brief. No way was she telling her uptight brother that she’d lied to her boss and a client and was forcing Isaac to be her fake fiancé. Isaac, who still wouldn’t call her back.
Well, he could run all he wanted, but Jasmine wasn’t about to let him hide. If he thought he could continue avoiding her now, he had another think coming. She was getting him on the plane to Isla del Amor come hell or high water. Her job depended on it.
With Kelsey’s pep talk ringing in her head, Jasmine pulled out her phone and quickly found Isaac’s number. He was still at the top of her contact list, despite not hearing from him in months. She’d still been sending him a couple of texts a week until her birthday two days ago, hoping for a response. Praying for an explanation for his time away that allowed them to still be friends.
“Hello?”
His voice washed over her like a crashing wave. Jasmine clutched the phone, her heart picking up pace. She hadn’t been sure he’d answer. “Um, hi.”
“Hi,” Isaac said. There was a low chuckle in his voice that had her skin covered in goosebumps. “I think we already covered that.”
“Right,” Jasmine said. “About Isla del Amor. I know you don’t want to go, but I really think—”
“I’ll go,” Isaac interrupted.
Jasmine pulled back the phone and stared at it. She’d been prepared with a big speech about how he owed her. How this was her career, and she was totally screwed if he didn’t help her. And he’d agreed, just like that?
“Wow,” Jasmine said slowly. “I … okay then. Thanks.”
“You don’t seem too happy.”
“I am,” Jasmine said quickly. “Just surprised. I thought I was going to have to do a lot of talking to convince you to come.”
“You said it’s important to you and your career.”
She tightened her grip on the phone, heart stuttering. Maybe Kelsey was right and Isaac’s absence was because he cared too much, not because he didn’t care at all.
“Is Skye’s father Dr. Braithe?”
“Who?”
“Dr. Braithe. He’s a general surgeon.” Isaac was quiet for a moment, then said, “Quincy was hoping to apply for a fellowship with him. I want to apply in his stead.”
So Isaac wasn’t going to help her—he had an ulterior motive. One wrapped up in Quincy’s death.
Isaac worked his jaw back and forth, not really sure what to make of this whole thing or what to say. Quincy would have found the situation hilarious.
“So can you come to Isla del Amor with me or not?” Jasmine asked.
Isaac choked, his loud barking coughs echoing through the café. Jasmine’s eyes flicked around, as though worried they’d attract attention.
“I’m sorry?” Isaac finally managed. “You really want me to go with you?”
“Well yeah. Now that they’ve met you, it’s not like I can get someone else to play the role. We’re leaving in four days and will be gone for a full week.”
An image of Jasmine knee-deep in clear turquoise water sprang to mind. Her face was animated as she bent down, sending a splash of sea water toward him.
Isaac instantly pushed the thought away. Her brother was dead because of him. Any attraction between them was out of the question.
Isaac massaged his chin, trying not to think of what Jasmine looked like in a bikini. They’d managed to escape to the beach one blissful Saturday last summer, and it had been one of the best days of his life.
Dr. Conrad had told him to go on a vacation. And the timeline of the wedding fit his forced leave of absence.
“You know this is crazy, right?”
She blew out a breath and rolled her eyes—there was the Jasmine he remembered. A little sassy and used to getting her way. “Listen, this isn’t exactly my idea of a good time, either. But if you don’t come with me to Isla del Amor, then I can’t go at all. This money will get me so much closer to quitting Dallaire Designs and starting my own label. Please, Isaac. Don’t ruin this for me.”
Isaac scrubbed a hand over his face, mind whirling. “Where exactly is Isla del Amor?”
“The Florida Keys,” Jasmine said.
That’s right. One of the women had said that.
“You won’t have to do anything really,” Jasmine continued in a rush. “You can sit by the pool and read medical journals all week if you want to. I don’t care, and I don’t think Skye will either as long as you’re there.”
“Jas—”
She held up a hand, silencing him. “Don’t give me an answer until you’ve talked to the hospital about the time off. I’ll call you later with the details. Please pick up the phone.”
If he didn’t, Isaac had no doubt she’d bang down his door. She’d always been driven—he’d seen that iron will while watching her compete at track meets in high school. And this time, she wouldn’t leave until he opened the door.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Jasmine said, rising. She didn’t try to hug him goodbye, instead avoiding his gaze. “We can talk more later.”
She breezed out of the café, the bell above the door jingling as it swung closed. Isaac watched her disappear, his head whirling.
Every part of him ached to help Jasmine. After the way he’d handled things the past two months, he owed her big time. It wasn’t like time off was an issue.
But the thought of spending time with her for an entire week had his throat closing off. He tugged at his T-shirt, struggling to breathe evenly.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. He needed to spend his time off figuring out how to prove to Dr. Braithe that he deserved the fellowship. Isaac wasn’t supposed to have to face Jasmine again until he’d achieved the goal that Quincy was now incapable of.
Back in his apartment, Isaac sat down in front of the computer he hadn’t turned on since receiving the fellowship rejection letter over a week ago.
Isaac quickly did an internet search and found a few articles about the upcoming wedding between Drew and Skye. She was one of those pop stars with a huge following and no last name, and the quickie wedding had rumors spreading like wildfire on the gossip sites. And Drew—well, Isaac had never paid much attention to the quarterback off the field, but the man definitely had a reputation.
A photo came up of Skye and Drew at a recent red carpet event. Isaac clicked through idly, noting the way Drew never seemed focused on Skye.
Isaac clicked to the next picture and froze. Skye stood in the middle of an older couple, her arms around both of their waists. The man beside her had square-rimmed glasses perched on the edge of his nose and a trimmed goatee that was peppered with gray.
Isaac leaned forward, squinting as his heart pounded faster in his chest. The caption on the picture simply said that Skye had attended the event with her parents.
But Isaac knew that man. Had spent hours reading peer-reviewed journals authored by him. He’d gone over the man’s bio with a fine-tooth comb while crafting his cover letter for the fellowship.
Could Skye’s father really be the renowned general surgeon Dr. Lewis Braithe?
Isaac typed the doctor’s name into the search engine and began comparing photos. The two certainly looked the same, right down to a thin scar that ran through the left eyebrow. But an internet search didn’t bring up any obvious connection between the two aside from the photos. All the information about Dr. Braithe focused on his medical contributions, and all the information about Skye focused on her music.
Isaac massaged his jaw, processing this new information. If Dr. Braithe really was Skye’s father, that meant he’d be in Isla del Amor for the wedding. It might be the perfect opportunity to speak with him in person. Convince him to give Isaac a second chance.
Maybe going to the Florida Keys with Jasmine wasn’t such an awful idea after all.
Chapter Seven
“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” Jasmine muttered as she walked briskly down the sidewalk and back to the studio. She’d already exceeded the five-minute window Genevieve had given her, but the shock of seeing Isaac again had made her momentarily forget the thin ice she was skating on at work.
Jasmine clutched the phone to her ear, listening to the dial tone on the other end of the line.
She couldn’t believe she’d actually run into Isaac. What were the odds? Sure, the hospital was only a few blocks away—as was Isaac’s apartment—but he usually stuck to the cafeteria at work.
Had she seriously asked him to go to Isla del Amor with her? Yeah, she’d said his name when Skye pressed for an answer. But it wasn’t like Jasmine had planned on calling up Isaac and inviting him along.
Of course, hiring an actor would probably have eaten up all the money she would have earned from overtime. Maybe it wasn’t even possible to hire someone with only four days’ notice.
It was a moot point now, since Skye and Genevieve had both seen Isaac.
The call went to voice mail. Jasmine immediately hung up and started calling again. Kelsey had to pick up. They lived on the same floor and had grown close over the past year or so. She was the only person who Jasmine trusted to tell her what to do in this situation, and who also didn’t know Isaac and therefore wasn’t emotionally involved.
A click sounded, and Jasmine let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.
“Oh my gosh, thank heavens,” Jasmine muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Kelsey demanded.
“Um, I’ve basically lied my way into the biggest mess of all time and have zero idea what to do about it. You have to help me.”
“Geez, Jas. You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Jasmine heard what sounded like a blinker, and then Kelsey’s quiet voice said, “I thought someone had died again or something.”
“Oh. Oh, gosh, Kels. No, nothing like that. I’m sorry.”
Her best friend’s words sobered Jasmine, and she clutched at the phone as regret poured through her. Jasmine wasn’t the only one who had lost a sibling. Kelsey had, too—her twin. It had been a few years ago, before Kelsey and Jasmine met, but Kelsey had become Jasmine’s rock during the past few months. She understood what Jasmine was going through in a way no one else in her life could.
“I’m heading to a cake tasting so I’ve only got a few minutes,” Kelsey said. “What’s up?”
Someone bumped into Jasmine on the sidewalk, and she muttered an apology, moving aside. “Remember when you lied to Bryce about your identity and went on a date with him as your twin?”
Now Kelsey’s voice held a wry quality. “I remember you telling me it was a horrible idea.”
“Well, now I’ve done something just as bad. Maybe worse.”
“Oh, I don’t know—worked out pretty well for me and Bryce, I think.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Not all lies end with falling in love and getting engaged. And I am one thousand percent certain that this one won’t. Kels, I told Skye that Isaac is my fiancé.”
Kelsey inhaled sharply. After all the stories Jasmine had told, not to mention things she heard from her own boss, a.k.a. Skye’s wedding planner, Kelsey knew just how off kilter the bride could be. “Back up. How did that happen?”
So Jasmine told Kelsey everything, her words tumbling over themselves as she tried to get it all out before Kelsey had to hang up.
“Dang, girl,” Kelsey said when Jasmine finished her story. “Okay, let me think. There has to be a way to convince Isaac to come with you to Isla del Amor.”
“Wait.” Jasmine had finally made it back to Dallaire Designs, but didn’t go inside. Instead, she leaned against the wall beside the revolving door, blowing out a breath. “Aren’t you going to give me a big lecture, like I did to you over the whole Bryce thing?”
“No, because I’m a good friend and the last thing I want is for you to lose out on this opportunity,” Kelsey said dryly. “Jas, you have to get away from Dallaire Designs. Genevieve has been so mean lately, and you’re miserable there. You need that overtime pay.”
“But Isaac is going to say no.” Jasmine closed her eyes, feeling them burn. “He could barely even look at me today.”
His eyes had looked so haunted. So pained.
“Maybe this is a good opportunity for you two to finally clear the air,” Kelsey said quietly.
Jasmine wiped at her eyes, hanging her head as she clutched the phone tighter. “We didn’t talk about Quincy. He just kept demanding to know why everyone was calling him my fiancé.”
“Quincy was his best friend, and Isaac is a doctor and couldn’t save him. That’s got to be eating him alive.”
That’s what Jasmine had thought at first, too. Her heart had ached for Isaac’s pain almost as much as it had for her own. But then he hadn’t come to the funeral, and had stopped answering her calls, and had gone out of his way to avoid her. Not wishing her a happy birthday had been the last straw.
“Besides, if someone introduced me as their fiancé when we hadn’t talked in two months, I’d probably be focused on that, too.”
“Ugh. Why did I say his name? Now I have to figure out a way to convince him to come with me to Isla del Amor.”
“He’s going to come,” Kelsey said. “You two are family, whatever else happens. And family helps each other when they need it.”
Family. Jasmine wasn’t sure if the term quite fit Isaac, but what she felt for him definitely went beyond mere friendship.
She was going to have to text Mitch and let him know that she’d finally seen Isaac and he appeared to be okay. That was yet another conversation she wasn’t looking forward to. Would she be able to keep this whole humiliating fake fiancé thing from Mitch? He’d never approve of it, the hypocrite.
“I don’t know how Isaac feels about me anymore,” Jasmine said. There had been a heat between them in the months leading up to Quincy’s death. Years, if she was being honest with herself. But now?
She heard a ding, like a car door opening, then the faint click as it closed.
“I’m really sorry, Jas, but I’m at the bakery now and have to go. Let’s get together tonight, okay? We need to figure this out so you can go to the wedding. You need this.”
They said their goodbyes and Jasmine hung up, then headed inside. She took the elevator up to the fourth floor, already dreading what she knew was coming next. Genevieve would have something to say about this. Of that much she was certain.
Sure enough, as soon as Jasmine got upstairs, Sasha informed her that Genevieve was waiting for Jasmine in her office.
Jasmine slowly made her way down the plushly carpeted hallway. Genevieve’s office was the biggest in the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of natural light. Genevieve sat behind her black desk, sketches splayed out around her and glasses perched on the edge of her nose.
“You wanted to see me?” Jasmine asked.
Genevieve took off her glasses and motioned to the chair in front of her desk. “I want to confirm that Isaac will be accompanying you to Isla del Amor.”
“Yes, of course. He’s very excited to come.”
What was she going to do if he wouldn’t come?
Genevieve tapped the arm of her glasses against her pursed lips. “It really isn’t a big deal if he can’t accompany you. I’m sure one of the interns would be more than happy to take your place—Mia, perhaps, or maybe Jade. I’m sure the hospital needs your fiancé more than we do.”
“He’s already cleared things with his boss,” Jasmine said quickly. “I’ll email Skye’s assistant his info today.”
Genevieve stared at Jasmine, unblinking. Jasmine’s own eyes started to water. But she wasn’t about to break first.
Eventually Genevieve looked away, placing her glasses back on. “Fine. Shouldn’t you get back to those bridesmaid dresses? You’ll be lucky to get them finished on time as it is.”
“I’m on it,” Jasmine said, and she quickly left the room.
Isaac had to agree to come now. She couldn’t handle the humiliation of telling Genevieve he’d changed his mind.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Jasmine texted Mitch that she’d run into Isaac, promising to call him later with details. Then Jasmine pulled out Amber’s dress and got to work finishing up the alterations.
A dull headache pulsed at the base of her neck, and her eyes burned from too long spent focusing on the fabric. Her shoulders ached from hunching over the sewing machine, and the delicate chiffon kept snagging if she let the treadle go too fast.
Kelsey stopped by with dinner, for which Jasmine was grateful. She’d cut the fabric wrong on the second bridesmaid dress and had been in tears at having to start over when Kelsey arrived.
For thirty minutes they’d brainstormed ideas on how to solve the fake fiancé situation while eating their burritos.
“You just can’t take no for an answer,” Kelsey had finally said. “Isaac owes you this. Pull the friend card. This is way too big a career move to give up. Can you imagine what kind of clout it will give you when you open your own design house to say you designed the bridesmaid dresses for Skye and Drew Dempsey’s wedding?”
“You know as well as I do that Genevieve will get credit for that.”
“At Dallaire Designs, sure. But you can still use it to bring in new clients when you open your own house. Surely Isaac will understand that.”
“I don’t know,” Jasmine said miserably. “I don’t think he’ll care.”
“He hasn’t acted like someone who doesn’t care,” Kelsey said, taking a bite of her pork burrito. “He’s acted like someone who cares too much.”
It was after ten o’clock when Jasmine finally conceded defeat and cleaned up her work station. Only two other designers were still working, and she was too tired to be productive. After cutting out the bridesmaid dress wrong, she’d broken two needles while sewing and had to rip out the seams on one entire side and start over.
Jasmine glanced at her phone, but the screen was silent and still. Isaac hadn’t called. The coward. Mitch, however, had sent her four more texts. She’d have to call him first thing in the morning and keep her explanations brief. No way was she telling her uptight brother that she’d lied to her boss and a client and was forcing Isaac to be her fake fiancé. Isaac, who still wouldn’t call her back.
Well, he could run all he wanted, but Jasmine wasn’t about to let him hide. If he thought he could continue avoiding her now, he had another think coming. She was getting him on the plane to Isla del Amor come hell or high water. Her job depended on it.
With Kelsey’s pep talk ringing in her head, Jasmine pulled out her phone and quickly found Isaac’s number. He was still at the top of her contact list, despite not hearing from him in months. She’d still been sending him a couple of texts a week until her birthday two days ago, hoping for a response. Praying for an explanation for his time away that allowed them to still be friends.
“Hello?”
His voice washed over her like a crashing wave. Jasmine clutched the phone, her heart picking up pace. She hadn’t been sure he’d answer. “Um, hi.”
“Hi,” Isaac said. There was a low chuckle in his voice that had her skin covered in goosebumps. “I think we already covered that.”
“Right,” Jasmine said. “About Isla del Amor. I know you don’t want to go, but I really think—”
“I’ll go,” Isaac interrupted.
Jasmine pulled back the phone and stared at it. She’d been prepared with a big speech about how he owed her. How this was her career, and she was totally screwed if he didn’t help her. And he’d agreed, just like that?
“Wow,” Jasmine said slowly. “I … okay then. Thanks.”
“You don’t seem too happy.”
“I am,” Jasmine said quickly. “Just surprised. I thought I was going to have to do a lot of talking to convince you to come.”
“You said it’s important to you and your career.”
She tightened her grip on the phone, heart stuttering. Maybe Kelsey was right and Isaac’s absence was because he cared too much, not because he didn’t care at all.
“Is Skye’s father Dr. Braithe?”
“Who?”
“Dr. Braithe. He’s a general surgeon.” Isaac was quiet for a moment, then said, “Quincy was hoping to apply for a fellowship with him. I want to apply in his stead.”
So Isaac wasn’t going to help her—he had an ulterior motive. One wrapped up in Quincy’s death.
