“Then what is?” she asked, clearly confused.
I glanced down at my clothes. “I have nothing to wear.”
Brianna burst out laughing and tossed her book onto the old oak table. “Who would’ve thought a fashion designer wouldn’t have the right clothes?”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “I didn’t realize how cold it was going to be up here.”
She nodded toward the hallway. “Let me get my keys, and I’ll take you to my house. My mom and I live just down the road from here. I’m sure we can find you something to wear.” An amused smile lit up her face. “I’ll make you look like a local in no time.”
I followed her to the kitchen and watched her grab her purse off the counter. “I’m surprised you don’t live here in the inn,” I said.
Shrugging, she pulled out her car keys. “I could if I wanted to, but it gives us more space to accept guests. Also, my mom didn’t want to sell our house. She has too many memories there of my dad. It helps her feel close to him.” I could see the sadness on her face at the mention of her father, but I didn’t want to pry into her life. Grabbing my arm, she plastered on a smile and pulled me toward the door. “Enough sad talk. It’s time to get you fixed up.”
Brianna and I wore the same size, so it didn’t take long to find something that would fit. What intrigued me most about her closet was the amount of my designs she had, only she’d told me she couldn’t afford the ones from my expensive label. I was going to have to change that. Looking in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I loved the skinny jeans and the thick, cream-colored sweater. Brianna even put my hair up in a messy bun so I could wear her cream-colored ear warmers.
My phone rang, and I stared at it, watching it light up on my bed. I’d gotten so many calls from the media requesting interviews, but I refused to do any after my last fashion line bit the dust. My humiliation wasn’t for the world to see. All I wanted was to regroup and get my head together before I even attempted to put out a new line. Unfortunately, privacy wasn’t a luxury I had. With everyone in Friendship knowing who I was, it was only a matter of time before my semblance of a normal life would be cut short. Someone would eventually post a picture, and I’d be found.
Sighing, I walked over to my phone, and luckily, it wasn’t anyone from the media. It was my parents. “Hey,” I answered.
“Hey, honey,” my mother replied. “How are you?”
I shrugged and looked at myself in the mirror again. “Not too bad. Getting ready to go to a tree lighting ceremony.” I certainly wasn’t going to tell her about the heating issue at my house. My parents already thought I was insane for moving to a town in the middle of nowhere. The last thing I wanted to hear was I told you so.
“That sounds fun. How are you liking your little country town?”
Turning away from the mirror, I looked out the window at all the snow. Colin’s truck was parked in front of the inn. “I like it, Mom. I’ve met some really nice people. In fact, I’m riding to the tree lighting with the guy I’m renting the house from.”
“I see. You need to be careful, Layla. Remember what happened with the last guy you got mixed up with?”
“Colin’s not like that,” I replied, my gut clenching with the memories.
My mother scoffed. “Don’t let them fool you, honey. You’re beautiful and successful.”
The last guy I dated was an up-and-coming actor. He’d landed his first major role when we were together. However, when my business profits took a dip, he split. The embarrassment of my failure wasn’t something he wanted connected to him. It was another reason why I wanted to disappear for a while.
“The people here are different,” I said. At least, that was what I hoped. I was about to meet a lot of them for the first time tonight.
“For your sake, I hope not.” She blew out a sigh. “Your father and I are getting ready to get back on the boat. We’re in Rome right now. Figured it was a good time to call. We’ll make sure to get in touch with you again to wish you a Merry Christmas.”
“Sounds good, Mom. Be careful out there. Tell Dad I said hello.”
“I will.” She blew a kiss through the phone. “Love you.”
“I love you too.” We hung up, and my heart felt heavy. I wished they were going to be home for Christmas. I’d always had friends to spend the holidays with, but this year, I was alone.
My eyes burned, but I sucked the tears back and joined Brianna in the living room. She jumped up from the couch and clapped her hands together. “I know you’re probably getting tired of me acting like an idiot, but this is seriously a surreal moment in my life. I’m hanging out with Layla Aberdeen, and she’s wearing my clothes.”
Laughing, I ran my hand down the soft, fluffy sweater. “Pretend I’m just like everyone else … because you know what, I am.”
Brianna looked out the window. “It’s killing me not taking pictures of us together so I can share them with my friends.”
“Why haven’t you?” I asked curiously. It hadn’t escaped my notice how she hadn’t pulled out her phone at all since we’d been together.
Her gaze saddened, and she shrugged. “I know you’re here to escape. I’m not about to ruin that for you by sharing pictures on my social media.” She held up her hands. “Now, I’m not saying I have a huge following, but if word were to get out, it might leak to the wrong people.”
I nodded. “You’re right, it possibly could.” I didn’t know Brianna that well yet, but I could see us being close. I pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you for that. You have no idea how nervous I’ve been about the media finding me. All I want is to be normal.”
She locked her arms around me and patted my back. “But you’re not. Although I do think you’ll be surprised by our town. A lot of people know why you’re here, and they respect that. They’re not going to exploit you.”