Page 11 of Rescuing Brinley

“Please tell me you aren’t falling for their bullshit.”

“I’m not,” Brinley said firmly. “I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were.” Her friend’s voice was gentler now. “I just know you too well. You crave the tiniest show of affection from those bitches, and if you thought designing a gown for your spoiled-rotten sister would make them appreciate you at all, I’m guessing you’d do it.”

Brinley sat up straighter. “I’m not desperate for them to like me. I’m past that.”

Cypress gave her a skeptical look.

“I am,” she insisted. “I hate that you don’t think I can stand up to them. That you think I’m so pathetic I’d cater to whatever they want.”

“It’s not that. You aren’t pathetic at all, Brin, you’re smart, successful, and Diamond Sash Designs has become known throughout the world as the must-have designer in order to win. But you also have a tender heart. You want to be loved—which isn’t a bad thing. You’re going to make someone the best partner someday. You’ll give everything to him, love him unconditionally, probably be willing to give your life for his. And you deserve for all your relationships to be the same way. You know that’s how I feel about you. But your mother and sister will never be more than the superficial bitches they are now. They’ll never be what you want or need.”

“I know.”

And she did. Despite still wanting it, she’d come to terms with the fact that she’d never have a real relationship with her family.

And Cypress was right again…Brinley did want to be loved. She wanted to find a man who would love her exactly as she was. But she was also a realist. She’d had enough experience with guys by now to know that she wasn’t ideal girlfriend material. Most had no desire to get to know her. They either offered to date her out of pity or because they thought she’d be an easy lay. That since she wasn’t conventionally pretty, she’d be willing to sleep with them out of gratitude for any scrap of attention.

And that was why she was still a virgin.

It was ridiculous and pathetic, but Brinley refused to sleep with anyone without having their affection. She wasn’t even looking for love. Just someone who enjoyed spending time with her. Who didn’t get an uncomfortable look on his face when he sat across from her in a restaurant, ashamed to be seen with her in public.

Which was utterly stupid. It was unbelievable in today’s day and age that being less than attractive was worse than being a shitty person. But in her experience, men would vastly prefer to be with someone like Callista—who’d use them for sex or money, then spit them out and move on to the next guy—than be with Brinley, someone they felt uneasy introducing to their buddies because of her looks.

“Right. Enough depressing talk. Tell me about your clients. And give me the rundown of your schedule when you get to Fiji.”

Happy to change the subject, Brinley told Cypress what she knew about the trip and the pageant. “The five women I’ve designed dresses for are from Canada, Australia, Mexico, Finland, and Nigeria. They’re all completely different, and it was a challenge to design the perfect outfits for each of them. Colors, styles, patterns…all of that. Thankfully, I only designed their dresses for the evening gown competition, and not outfits for the interview or talent portions of the pageant. I reviewed the other international competitions, to see what the winners wore, and then studied current trends to see what’s popular. I looked at the body types and coloring of the women, and I came up with what I thought was the most flattering look for each of them. They all seemed pretty happy, so I think I did good.”

“Girl, of course you did! No one has a better eye than you for a winning gown. It’s why you’re so in demand. And why nine times out of ten, your clients win. And why you’re being paid to travel to Fiji to make sure those women look flawless when it’s their turn to strut their stuff in front of the judges. I’m so proud of you, and so honored to be your best friend. Now…what about the schedule? Is it grueling?”

Warmth spread through Brinley at her friend’s words. “It’s a two-week thing, but I’m not going for the entire time. The first few days are for press conferences, official photo shoots, meetings for the contestants, and, believe it or not, tours of the area. I’m getting there on what’s actually day five. That’s when the first round of competition starts, and I’ll be there for a week total, standing by when they have stage events, making alterations as needed, watching rehearsals, giving advice, and of course, making sure every stitch on their gowns are perfect.”

“You’ll have some free time, right?”

“I’m assuming so.”

“Good, you’ll be able to go to the beach and relax. Meet a cute guy. Have wild monkey vacation sex, then come home and tell me every little detail.”

Brinley rolled her eyes. Cypress knew she was a virgin, and she also knew that no one would be picking her up, on the beach or anywhere else. Especially not when the island was going to be full of literally the most beautiful women the world had to offer.

“Send me your deets—hotel info, schedule, things like that—so I can keep tabs on you. And keep your phone on at all times, so I can track you.”

“You’re such a stalker,” Brinley teased.

“Yup. And you’ll be glad if you ever end up kidnapped and I save your ass by telling the authorities exactly where to find you.”

Cypress watched way too many crime TV shows, but Brinley wouldn’t have her any other way. “Same goes for you. I mean, Alaska has way too many places to dump dead bodies that would never be found.”

“No one’s ever gonna kidnap me. A climate researcher is as boring as it gets.”

“We’re both kind of pathetic. I spend most of my life in this apartment sewing, and you’ve either got your nose in a book or covered in dirt when you go out into the field to do your research.”

“But we’re happy.”

Brinley nodded. They were, even if a part of her secretly yearned for…more. For the kind of love and devotion she read about in the romance books she downloaded onto her e-reader.

“Let’s finish this,” Cypress said, nodding to the television. “I need to get my beauty sleep so I can be ready for the field work I’m doing tomorrow.”