She beamed. “I did.” But then her expression saddened, and she glanced down into her wine. “It’s my great-grandmother’s recipe passed down. My dad’s parents died when I was young, so I don’t remember them, but my mom’s mother made up for it all.” She looked up at me and smiled, her eyes glistening. “I learned how to draw from her. Then it turned into a love for fashion. At least, she got to see my first fashion line take off before passing away.” A tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. I knew what it felt like to lose someone so close to me.
“When your next line does the same, do you think you’ll move back to the city?” I asked, really not ready to hea
r the answer. I knew she had her house rented for the next year, but that didn’t mean she’d stay. I didn’t want her to leave. Before I even knew her, I didn’t think she’d fit in with our small-town lifestyle, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Blowing out a sigh, she took a sip of her wine. “Not sure. I might. Saying it’ll take off is being really optimistic.” She snorted and laughed it off, clearly underestimating herself.
Finishing off her wine, she set her glass down on the coffee table, grinning mischievously. “Okay, enough about fashion. You, Mr. Jennings, have some explaining to do.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, laughing. “What about?”
She waved a hand about the room. “Your living room. Why is there no Christmas tree? It’s almost Christmas, and you have nothing.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she stuck her head up, chin jutting out defiantly. “If you don’t get one, I will. I’ll be here until after Christmas, and I can’t spend the holidays without one.” It was the first time I’d seen the holiday spirit twinkle in her eyes.
“All right,” I said. “We’ll pick one out tomorrow.”
Chapter Ten
Layla
It was strange how certain events in life could lead you down different paths. As I stared down at my sketchpad, I looked at what I hoped to be a huge milestone in my career. I never would’ve gotten the inspiration to finish a complete fashion line if I hadn’t been in this magical spot.
Brianna slammed her car door, and I waved to catch her attention. She waved back. “Hey, Layla!” She zipped up her coat and joined me in the gazebo. “It’s early. What are you doing out here?”
I smiled as I handed her my sketchpad. “I finished my designs.”
Excited, she sat beside me and flipped through all the pages. “I am so happy for you. What do you do now?”
I shrugged. “Usually, I’d show them to Miriam Parrish. She was the one who discovered me to begin with.”
Her eyes widened. “The fashion editor for Runway? She’s amazing. I didn’t realize that was how you got started.”
The memories came flooding back to me. “Yep. It’s crazy, really. I was living in New York at the time, working as a hostess at this high-end restaurant while in college. One day, I was sitting on a bench in Central Park, sketching some designs, not realizing she was right behind me.”
Brianna grabbed her chest. “I bet you freaked out.”
I laughed. “You have no idea. It was so embarrassing. She scheduled a meeting with me the next day, and then everything took off.” At least, until she looked at my last line and refused to recommend them.
“Does she know that your original designs were stolen?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “As much as I wanted to tell her, it would’ve been a PR nightmare.”
Brianna tapped my sketchpad. “You’re going to send these to Miriam, right?”
Holding the sketchpad to my chest did nothing to stop my racing heart. “I might. I think I’ll wait until after Christmas.”
By the look on her face, she didn’t like my answer, but I didn’t want to tell her how afraid I was. I hadn’t spoken to Miriam in months.
The back door of the inn opened, and Colin stepped out, waving when he noticed us.
Brianna snickered and shook her head. “In a million years, I never would’ve thought my brother would be dating a famous designer.”
“We’re not dating,” I replied regretfully. “We haven’t had that talk yet. I don’t know what we are.”
She glanced over at Colin, who had started toward us. “He’s into you, Layla. Anybody can see that. All you have to do is ask him.”
“Hey, you two,” Colin called out.
We both stood, and I smiled at him. “Hey.”