Page 48 of Never To Be Mine

I watched as the server approached with the leather check holder, but before Hollis could reach for it, the server smiled and said, “Actually, your meal has been taken care of.”

“What?” Hollis looked as confused as I felt. “By who?”

The server gestured across the restaurant. “That gentleman and lady over there.”

I followed his gesture and my jaw literally dropped. “Is that Sebastian Blackwell?”

“Yes, ma’am. And his wife, Bernadette.”

Holy shit. Sebastian Blackwell. The Sebastian Blackwell. Fashion mogul. And former model. He was sitting there in the flesh, looking even more gorgeous than he did on the billboards he’d posed for. And he’d just paid for our lunch.

Shit. I forgot Hollis was connected to Blackwell Couture. I mean, I knew and I’ve noticed he shares some of their looks, but damn.

“Come on,” Hollis said, standing up. “Let’s go say hi.”

My palms started to sweat as we walked across the restaurant. Sebastian stood when he saw us approaching, that smile spreading across his face. He was taller than I’d expected. More commanding in person.

“Hollis!” He pulled his cousin into a brief hug, clapping him on the back. “Good to see you. I didn’t know you were going to be in the city. You should have called.”

“It was just a quick meeting,” Hollis said. “Business.”

Sebastian looked at me, and suddenly, I was a statue.

“Sebastian, Bernadette, this is Juno Young,” Hollis said. “My new business partner.”

Business partner.

“Lovely to meet you,” Bernadette said warmly. She was stunning, elegant and poised in a way that made me feel like a rumpled mess.

“You too,” I managed, then turned to Sebastian. “I’m a huge fan. The summer line was incredible.”

“Thank you.” His smile widened. “Always nice to meet someone who appreciates the work.”

I felt my face heat. I was gushing. I never gushed.

“Where’s the little guy?” Hollis asked, then turned to look at me. “Their son.”

“He’s with Mom,” Sebastian said. “She insisted on babysitting so we could have a peaceful lunch.”

“She loves fussing over him,” Bernadette said. “Gives us a chance to actually finish a conversation that doesn’t involve talking about Bluey or what cows say.”

We chatted for a few more minutes, small talk about family, about the upcoming shows they’d be holding. The whole time I was acutely aware of how close I was standing to someone as famous as Sebastian Blackwell. His presence seemed to fill the space around him.

I might have been staring a little too hard.

“We should let you get back to your meal,” Hollis said finally. “But thanks for lunch. That was really generous.”

“Of course. Family takes care of family.” Sebastian’s eyes flicked to me. “And family’s business partners. Nice to meet you, Juno. Keep this guy out of trouble for us.”

We said our goodbyes, and I managed not to make a complete fool of myself by asking for a selfie. Barely.

As we walked out of the restaurant, I was still processing the whole encounter.

The cab ride back to the hotel passed in a blur. Hollis said something about how Sebastian and Bernadette got together when his brothers hired her to babysit him on a tropical island. My mind was still stuck on how different Hollis’s life was from mine. There was so much more to him than I’d thought when I first spotted him at the expo.

We walked through the hotel lobby and got into the elevator. The doors had barely closed before Hollis spoke.

“So,” he said, a teasing note in his voice. “Do you have a crush on my cousin?”