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And then it was her turn.
She heard her name, felt the spotlight shift. And right then she didn’t care that it was her second choice of a collection. She was part of this fabulous show, and it felt wonderful.
The spotlight hit the model, and Kristy jolted back in her seat, blinking in confusion. Lucinda was wearing the flirty waterfall dress. Kristy’s swooping desert stripes glittered under the strong stage lights.
The lacy crinoline bounced, showing off the sleek legs of the model.
Lucinda winked at Kristy as she passed by, but Kristy was too astounded to react. How had Zenia done it?
Next came the hot-air-balloon pants, with a pair of strappy black sandals, then the bikini and the sunset dress. By the time her roulette evening gown crossed the stage, Kristy recognized that the applause was strong and steady.
They liked her work.
They respected her talent.
She wanted to run backstage and wrap Zenia in her arms.
The contestant next to Kristy nudged her, and like the others before her, she rose and took a brief bow as the roulette-dress model headed back toward the curtain.
From his hard folding seat tucked away in a back corner, Jack watched the red evening gown disappear and shook his head in complete amazement.
She was great. She was better than great. And the collection, the collection wasthem. From the hot air balloon in the Grand Canyon to their night at the casino. Kristy had immortalized their whirlwind relationship in fashion.
He’d watched her face all through her part of the show. Her gaze had stayed on the models, and she’d smiled in response to comments from those around her, but he could tell she was still in shock.
God, she was gorgeous. And she was right—he hadn’t given her nearly enough credit.
He patted the inside pocket of his suit, trying to figure out what he could possibly say that would convince her to take another chance on him. Things had started off badly between them, and he’d definitely let her down since. But if there was a speech on earth that would win her back, he was going to find it, and he was going to repeat it to her as many times as it took.
At the end of the show, the contest director took the stage. She gave a brief speech, congratulating the contestants and thanking the sponsors. She talked about the difficult choices of the judges and the enormous level of talent in the room.
Kristy only half listened.
Even when the drumroll sounded to signify the opening of the judges’ decision envelope, her attention was elsewhere. How had Zenia done it?Why had she done it? She had to find her and thank her.
“And now,” the director’s voice boomed, “the winner of this year’s Matte Fashion Breakout Designer Contest is—”
She thought she saw Zenia at the side of the stage, and the rest of the words blurred in Kristy’s ears.
“Kristy!” hissed the contestant next to her.
“Huh?”
“It’s you!”
“What?” She glanced around and realized everyone was applauding madly and staring at her.
“Kristy Mahoney,” the contest director repeated.
Kristy’s entire body turned numb.
Her neighbor gave her a shove. “Getup there!”
Kristy forced herself to stand up on her shaky legs. She found the staircase and made her way to the stage, staring past the smiling director, past the curtain, even past Zenia.
And then she was at the microphone, and the director was shaking her hand. It was overwhelming, and she had no idea what to say.
And the applause was dwindling.
And she was supposed to start talking now.
Luckily, she couldn’t see any of the audience members past the bright floodlights, or she probably would have passed out.
“Thank you,” she managed, her voice quavering. “Thanks to the judges, to the sponsors, especially to Sierra Sanchez. To Cleveland Osland for believing in me. To Jack and Hunter Osland for their incredible support. And to Zenia Topaz.” Kristy paused, gathering her emotions. “Zenia. I can’t thank you enough for everything.”
Kristy paused long enough that the applause began again. The models gathered around her, looking wonderful in her creations, congratulating her as the audience came to its feet. In her memory, she saw the waterfall, the hot air balloon, the casino and Jack. Jack was everywhere, in everything, and she desperately wanted to see him.
She needed to hear his voice, to feel his arms around her. She needed to taste him, to smell him, to hold him tight against her body long into the night. But mostly, she just needed him to be here, to breathe the same air as her, to tell her what he thought about the show, to tell her what he thought about the world.
Suddenly, she couldn’t get off the stage fast enough.
