“I used to be a stylist when I lived in New York.”
The words were out before she could stop them, the admission opening up any number of avenues for him to press and probe on her former life.
“Why give that up?”
She made a production of pointing toward her stomach. “Let’s just say my priorities shifted.”
While it was the truth, Nova was curious to see if he continued to press the issue. She hadn’t lied. She did once work as a stylist. A rather good one, by the number of individuals whom she’d styled and their corresponding press coverage at events. She’d also contributed to several fashion blogs, her articles and suggested recommendations getting a large number of likes and comments.
A strange laugh strangled in her throat.
Likes and comments. Why did it all feel so frivolous now? There had been a time when that attention and confirmation of her professional reputation was all-consuming.
Only now, it all seemed so far away. Like another woman’s life.
And in a big way, it was.
A life that she didn’t necessarily want to go back to, either.
It was her work as a stylist that had brought her into Ferdy’s orbit. She’d hovered in the background at an event for a senior Wall Street executive, keeping watch over the man to make sure he knew how to maintain the air of sophistication and panache demanded by the three-thousand-dollar suit and thousand-dollar Italian loafers she’d dressed him in. Ferdy had attended the same one. She’d been so excited when he’d noticed her, and their ten-year age difference had gone a long way toward adding to the air of worldliness and charm Ferdy seemed to wield.
It had been that same worldliness that she’d excused when he’d appeared to grow bored with a conversation or be a bit too curt with a response. This was the price you paid for dating an older man. One who had business interests and important friends.
How wrong she’d been.
It was only in all the time since that she’d realized how many signs she’d missed. Or flat out ignored. The calls he’d take in another room. The times he’d asked her to make herself scarce when he needed to talk to an associate. Even his vague comments about what he did all day.
For as awful as the past five months had been, there was another part of her that was beyond grateful she’d found out the truth when she did. At least now Ferdy didn’t know about the baby. He could chalk her up to being one more young girlfriend in what had to be a long line of them, and she could go on about her business more than two thousand miles away.
Or so she kept telling herself.
Nikolas picked up on her point and if he was curious what had dominated her old life, he didn’t say. “I think it’s a good thing your priorities shifted. It’s brought you here and put you close to your family. There’s not much that’s more important in life.”
“No, there isn’t.”
She stood then and decided to make her exit when she could. Before she chickened out entirely and took what he offered, sleeping off the tension of the past few months for, oh, about a week in Nikolas’s spare room.
And also before he could figure out she’d left more than a few things unsaid and call her on them.
“I’ll come back here then? After I’ve done a bit of exploring around town looking for work.”
“You do that.”
She picked up her purse and had nearly reached the door when his voice stopped her.
“You’re safe here, Nova. I hope you know that.”
She only nodded before turning to walk out the door.
* * *
Micheline Anderson reclined at her desk at the AAG and considered all she’d built. The Affirmation Alliance Group was the biggest spiritual group west of the Rockies and there had been a time when she had people waiting by the truckload to visit her spiritual center of enlightenment and inner peace.
What bs.
She’d always been rather good at peddling it and had made a damn fine life off it.
Or had, until the past year.