CHAPTER ONE

Present Day

Crystal

“For fuck’s sake, guys! Can you move even slower?”

Elizabeth laughed behind me. “Stop yelling at them. We still have about five hours before the show begins.”

“We ONLY have FIVE hours to get the studio ready for Pittsburgh’s biggest fashion show of this summer and we have just a small part of my to-do list done. So there’s no way in hell I’m gonna sit and wait for the idiots to screw up the night you and I have been working our asses off to get ready for.” I looked around the room full of scared as shit waiters who knew perfectly well that messing with me would be the biggest mistake of their lives. It was not the first event of the Riot Design Studio that they have been serving, and my panic and screaming were no longer news for them.

“Take a deep breath and try to calm down, Crys. You don’t want to scare away everyone before they get to the end of your to-do list, right?”

“Sorry, Liz. You know me – I am responsible for everything that is going on here while you are taking a break to look after baby Olivia, and I can’t let you down.”

“I’d be lost without you.”

Liz smiled and hugged me tightly.

She and I have been best friends for as long as I could remember. We grew up together, we went to the same school and even celebrated our birthdays on the same day. But after my dearest friend gave birth to her little daughter, the work of her design studio became my 24/7 responsibility. For the biggest part of the week, Liz stayed at home with my precious Goddaughter Olivia, and worked on the new sketches, while I did the rest. And the rest consisted of so much work; I couldn’t remember the last time I took a break or spent my weekends at home. I didn’t even remember the last time I went on a date. Well, for that, I needed to find a boyfriend first, but it was not on my to-do list at the moment, so my personal life had to wait. At least until the upcoming fashion show was over. After that, Liz insisted I went on vacation. And right now, I hoped my plans about a ten-day trip to the Bahamas would not be ruined. Otherwise, whoever was going to give me a look that I might not like was gonna die.

I heard a loud noise and turned to the right to see one of the guys decorating the showroom trying to lift the banner that should have been hanging on the wall by now.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I started to walk towards the poor guy.

“Take it easy on him!” Liz called after me.

“Sure. Sure.”

“I’m so sorry, Miss. I’ll fix it right away.”

“Do you have any idea how much the thing that you just let slip through your butter fingers cost?”

“No harm has been done. See?” The guy turned the banner to show me that it was safe and sound.

I felt a little sorry for him. He looked like he was afraid I would swallow him alive if I saw even a tiny scratch on our newly designed, shining banner.

“All right,” I said calmly. “Put it on the wall and make sure it stays there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Just look at you, sis,” I heard Stanley say behind me. “As bossy as always.”

I sneered and turned to give my big brother a hug. He’s been helping me a lot, while Elizabeth and her hubby Kameron were enjoying their life as a newly-made family.

“What are you doing here?” I asked my brother.

“Just stopped by to see if your employees are still alive. I’m a doctor, remember? I’m worried about the people surrounding you on such an important day as today.”

“Ha-ha, very funny, Stan. I am not as much of a bitch as you and everyone else here thinks I am.”

“Oh, yeah? Then why did the guy you just talked to look like a rabbit praying for his life in front of a boa?”

I rolled my eyes. “You are exaggerating.”

“I wish.” Stan smirked. “Anyway, what do you say if I take you out for lunch?”

“Sorry, I can’t go. Liz needs me here. Maybe next time.”

“Okay.” He looked disappointed.

“Is everything all right?” I asked a little worried. My brother was one of those people whose face always gave their every thought away.

“Yeah. It’s just…” He hesitated. “I got a job offer. In Washington.”

“What? But that’s great news, isn’t it?”

“I guess…”

“You don’t want to leave Pittsburgh, do you? Is it because of Dad?”

About two months ago, our father had an operation on his back and was still recovering. Doctors said he would never be able to walk again, but we didn’t lose hope.

“I can’t leave him alone, Crystal.” Stan ran one hand through his hair. Being a doctor in this particular case only made the decision about leaving harder to make. He knew exactly what our father was going through. So naturally, he was worried about leaving him without his supervision.

“He’s not alone, Stanley.” I rubbed my brother’s back gently. “Mom, the nurse and I will look after him. Besides, there are many great doctors in the city. He will be well supervised even if you decide to leave. But it’s your choice to make and I’m not gonna push it.”

“What would you do if you were me?”

“I’m a silly, often screaming and even more often crying girl. What do you think I would do? I would most likely cry myself to death, even before the decision is made.”

Stan and I laughed. He, of all people, knew how close it was to the possible scenario.

“I would probably have the same doubts you do, but in the end - it’s your dream to follow. No one can take it away from you. Besides, I’m sure Dad would tell you the same thing. He would never forgive himself for being an obstacle on your way to success.”

“I know. And this is exactly why you were the first person I wanted to hear the news. Mom would probably pack my bags the moment she heard about the offer.”

“She always wanted you to become a great plastic surgeon, Stan. She will support whatever decision you make, even if she hates the idea of letting you fly the nest.”

“I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.”

“Do your shirts and pants know that?” I smiled ironically. It’s not like my brother didn’t know how to use an iron, but mom never let him iron his clothes, afraid he would burn them all.

“My clothes will have to get used to the new life with me only. Besides, I still have time to think about what to do next. They gave me a month to make the final decision.”

“I’m sure you will make the right one.”

“Thanks, sis.” He kissed my forehead and then looked around the studio. “Do you need help? I’m free for the rest of the day.”

“We do actually. Will you look after Olivia? I need Liz to help me with the show seating.”

“You want me to look after the baby?”

The look on Stan’s face was just too funny to hold back my smile.

“You’ll be fine. She’s just a little girl.”

“I have never stayed alone with kids.”

“Don’t worry. Olivia is a pure treasure.”

Stan gave me a doubtful look. Apparently, he had heard about Liz’s sleepless nights. Olivia just loved waking up every night and stay awake for hours. She was almost eight months old now, but my best friend still couldn’t leave her with anyone but Kameron, who was off to LA at the moment and wasn’t going to be back up until tonight’s show. That’s why Stan’s help was just what we needed.

“Liz, I have found a helper,” I said, opening the door to her office. She was holding Olivia in her arms and the girl was smiling. I swear, she was the most beautiful kid, I had ever seen.

“Stanley! What a pleasant surprise.”

He came to kiss Liz on the cheek.

“He’s free for the rest of the day, and he offered to help, so I asked him to stay with Liv while you and I check on the show seating.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Stanley. We desperately needed another pair of hands here.” She gave the baby to my brother and he carefully wrapped his arms around the girl.

“Well, hello, Princess! Wanna play a game?”

Olivia giggled in response and clapped her small hands.

“See? I told you, you two will be just fine here. Call us if anything.”

“What if she…”

“You are a doctor, Stan. You should know what to do with kids. Didn’t your college teachers tell you all about kids?”

Stan grimaced. “They probably would have, if I had been going to become a kindergarten teacher. Unfortunately, all I know about kids is how they come into the world.”

I wished him luck and pulled Liz by the hand. She waved at her daughter and the two of us left.

“He will never offer his help again,” Liz said, as we walked down the hall.

“Relax. Stan raised me, and he never once said he hated me. And compared to me, Olivia is an angel. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

 

Five hours went by way too fast. But despite my worries, everything was ready for the show just in time for its beginning.

“Where’s your dress?” Liz asked, signing for another delivery. I had never seen so many flowers in the studio. Her clients adored her, and everyone thought it was their duty to congratulate her on her new collection.

“It’s in my office,” I replied.

“Go get changed. I’ll stay here to greet the guests. And when Kameron arrives, I’ll tell him to help Stan with Olivia.”

“Okay.” I went through my to-do list again and nodded approvingly. Even if I had to spend the show wearing nothing but my underwear, I didn’t care. My work always came first.

I gave Liz the guest list and went to my office. I was going to wear one of the dresses from my friend’s new collection. It was scarlet and strapless and went to my knees; a corset followed by a full-circle skirt scattered with small shining crystals.

I put the dress on and looked at my reflection in the floor-length mirror.

Something about the way I looked scared me. My dress, shoes, my makeup and hair – everything was perfect and looked exactly the way I wanted it to look tonight. But the fear in my eyes didn’t go well with all of the above.

I swallowed and put my hand on my belly, where the silk of the dress covered a scar that once changed my life forever. Six years ago today, I lost something very important, the something that I doubted I would ever be able to find again… I lost myself. And even with time, the fear I felt that terrible night still lived inside me. A memory I never wanted to recall flashed behind my eyes; my palms started to sweat, my breathing increased. Quickly, I shook my head, and took a deep breath. I couldn’t let stupid memories bring me down, not tonight.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Just a minute!” I shouted back. I looked at my reflection again, took another deep breath and went to open the door.

Just to see the least expected person standing behind it…

“Liam? What are you doing here?”

He didn’t respond. His dark-blue eyes, so familiar yet so strange, took their time to study me, from head to toe. Inch by inch, my body started to tingle, as if responding to his invisible touches.

A few silent moments later, his eyes found mine again, he cleared his throat and said, “Liz asked me to call you. Looks like someone can’t find their seat.”

“Damn it.” I brushed past him, trying to ignore the wild beating of my stupid heart. The stubborn thing just wouldn’t give me a break, and when it came to my brother’s old friend, it turned into a traitor and never listened to what my mind tried to make it believe in. True they say – a heart has a mind of its own.

Liam had always had that effect on me. First as my high school crush, then as the last person in the world I wanted to feel anything for. The thoughts of him never left my mind, neither when I was sixteen, nor when I turned twenty-four.

I hadn’t seen him for months. Even though karma thought that seeing him on a permanent basis in my house as Stan’s guest was not enough, Liz and Kameron decided he and I would make perfect godparents for Olivia. It looked like they did their best to put Liam and me in one room, when he and I couldn’t wait to leave it and never see each other again. And there was a very good reason to feel that way…

“Liz, what happened?” I asked, as I stopped next to her. “I made sure everyone got a seat.” I took the guest list from her hands to read it all over again.

“Relax.” She smiled, taking it back. “Everything is ok. I just wanted you and Liam to greet each other. The poor thing is crazy about you.”

“Are you out of your mind? He and I can hardly stand the idea of breathing the same air and walking the same planet. Though I wouldn’t deny the presence of craziness in our relationship. Every time I see him, he drives me nuts!”

Liz laughed. “I wish you could look at yourself from a different view. For years, you two have been fighting like cats and dogs. Isn’t that a good enough reason to believe that you are crazy about each other?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Liam and I, together – never gonna happen!”

“Never say never. Besides, you never told me why you hate him so much.”

“I don’t hate him. It’s just that he has no idea how to shut his dirty mouth whenever he sees me. Seriously, why me? Do I have a sticker on my forehead saying, ‘Dying to spar with Liam!’?

“He just can’t find the right words to tell you that he actually likes you.” She winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. “He has more than enough girls in his life to ‘like’. They undress for him every hour or so. Remember what he’s doing for a living? No doubt, becoming a plastic surgeon was just an excuse to touch boobs on a regular basis.” I knew it was not true. But my tongue just didn’t move to say something good about him.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say you are jealous.”

“Me? Jealous? Come freaking on, Liz. You know what I think about men, and this is not going to change.”

“Being a strong feminist doesn’t change the fact that you are an attractive young woman and men want you, whether they have the balls to admit it or not.”

“So? I told you I don’t need a man to make me happy. All I need is a few drops of sperm to do magic to my body and get me pregnant. The rest is my worry.”

“What if your dream baby’s father wants to be a part of your life as well?”

“Never! He can be a part of my baby’s life, but my life is off limits.”

“And what if you…”

“If I need sex, I will find a man to have it with. And Liam is not an option. So please stop throwing him my way. And if I need my boobs to get bigger, I will go to a different plastic surgeon. There’s no way in hell I’m gonna let him anywhere close to my girls. Period.”