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Hayden let out a degrading little laugh. “Yeah, good luck with that.” His attention skimmed back to me and the smirk died. “Just make sure my sister doesn’t get caught in any of the crossfire. She’s already survived enough brutality at the hands of Lana. Now…” Turning back to Brick, he held up the piece of paper in his hand. “Are you going to tell me who designed this shoe or not?”
When Brick merely scowled at him, saying nothing, I sighed. “I did.”
Hayden whirled toward me, the shock on his face evident.
I gave him a timid little wave, but he still said nothing, so I asked, “What? You’re not going to deny it and say you can tell when I’m lying, too, are you?”
After another moment of staring, he slowly shook his head back and forth. “You’d have to actually lie first before I could tell the difference.”
Warmth corralled a happy buzz in my stomach. Hayden believed me! That was… That was actually pretty humbling and awesome. Until he scowled and glanced at his brother. “This won’t work. She’s screwed no matter what she designs.”
“Excuse me?” Ezra growled, stepping forward just as Brick demanded, “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means…” Hayden motioned toward me as he glanced between Brick and Ezra. “I can’t take a portfolio of design options with her name on any of them to the next presentation. Both CEOs are too biased. Lana will hate and reject anything she comes up with while this guy…” he narrowed a frosty gaze on Ezra, “will automatically love it, no matter whether it’s crap or not.”
“I wouldn’t automatically—” But before he could fully deny the claim, Ezra glanced toward me and sighed his defeat, conceding, “Okay, I see your point.”
“Exactly,” Hayden muttered, still frowning at Ezra.
Brick shrugged. “Then we go back to the original plan and keep Kaity’s name off it.”
“I can’t present an unaccredited design. It’s against policy. You know that!”
“Then put someone’s on it,” Brick cried. “Jesus. Say you designed it. I don’t fucking care. We’ll still know it’s hers.”
“I’m not going to give Kaitlynn’s idea to someone else. She deserves the credit.”
I glowed at his adamant support of me. Squeezing my hands together at my chest, I couldn’t help but ask, “So you think it’s actually good enough to show the CEOs?”
Hayden zipped me a glare before his gaze settled. With a shrug, he glanced away, mumbling, “I think it has potential.”
“Then list it under someone else’s name,” Ezra said.
All eyes in the room rose to him. I blinked when I realized he wasn’t joking. He glanced at me before turning back to Hayden. “Temporarily,” he added. “Because you’re right. If she has an idea that’s good enough to show us, she deserves fair consideration. Meaning, you should mix it in under someone else’s name so neither Lana nor I know which one is hers. And if it’s chosen…” he shrugged, “then the credit can go to her.”
Hayden ran his thumb over his bottom lip thoughtfully as he eyed Ezra. After a moment of deliberation, he gave a slight nod. “Okay. We can do that.”
“Good. You can mix it in with the regular—”
“Wait.” My heart rate began to jackhammer in my chest. “Wha-what happens if my design is actually chosen?”
Ezra sent me a smile as he touched my elbow. “Then we’ll make a prototype of it for the next fashion show in the spring.”
I gulped. Oh my God. I’d always dreamed of some of my crazy designs actually becoming a reality and things people could wear, but this felt as if it was happening so suddenly.
“Oh… Okay,” I damn near whispered, not sure how to slow the racing of my heart.
“Then it’s settled,” Hayden said, nodding sharply. “We’ll go that route. And you.” He pointed at Ezra and narrowed his eyes. “Stop touching her at work. You know Lana has spies everywhere, don’t you?”
He glanced toward the windowed wall that revealed two people walking past in the hallway.
Ezra promptly dropped his hand from my elbow. “I need to get back to my office, anyway.” His face tipped in my direction before he murmured, “I’ll see you later.” Then he was straightening again to nod at both Hayden and Brick. “Gentlemen.”
And he left the office.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
That evening, Ezra was waiting for me at my apartment door when I made it home from work.
