AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ten
Noelle sat on her office sofa, her bare feet tucked beneath her, and tapped her pencil against the sketchbook on her lap. The enormous diamond on her left hand felt awkward and strange. She caught herself staring at it a dozen times in the past hour as her mind struggled to assimilate the dramatic changes taking place. She was engaged to a prince. And not just any prince, but the prince of her dreams. It didn’t seem possible.
Of course, it wasn’t a fairy-tale engagement. Last night she’d been the one to suggest that they marry. She had merely formalized what Christian had already proposed, but it wasn’t as if he’d dropped to one knee and pledged his undying love. At least he’d been ready with a ring.
She spun the diamond so it wasn’t visible and turned her attention back to the sketchbook. To no avail. In two hours she and Christian would be breaking the news to his family. She’d already told her mother, but Marc didn’t yet know. He’d woken before dawn with a stomachache and she’d kept him home from school. With him sick it hadn’t seemed the best time to divulge that she and Christian were getting married, despite the fact that he and his father were getting along very well these days.
Her cell phone buzzed, and Noelle abandoned her work with a relieved sigh. The number on the screen caused a spike in her pulse. She sat up straight and slipped her shoes back on.
“Noelle Dubone,” she said in a crisp voice, wondering if it was good or bad news to hear back so soon on a business venture.
“Noelle, it’s Victor. I hope I’m reaching you at a good time.”
“Yes. Fine.” She sounded a trifle breathless and told herself to calm down. “How are you?”
“Good. Good. I’m calling to let you know that I just spoke with Jim Shae, and he is very interested in backing you with a ready-to-wear line of bridal fashions here in the States.”
Victor Chamberlain was a friend of Geoff’s who she’d met in London several years ago. An American businessman whose daughter had been looking for something fresh and unique in a wedding dress, he’d become Noelle’s first big client. Last February during New York Fashion Week, he’d introduced her to several venture capitalists and suggested she should consider expanding into ready-to-wear.
Creating one-of-a kind wedding dresses was vastly different from mass-producing an entire collection, so she’d teamed up with Victor to create a business plan that he’d pitched to investors.
“That’s wonderful news.” With joy dancing across her nerve endings, it took a few seconds for reality to strike.
What was she thinking? She was engaged to a Sherdanian prince and needed to start planning now in order to make a royal wedding happen by Christmas. Keeping up with her current clients would be stressful enough. She didn’t have time to start a new business venture.
“Can you be in New York next week? Jim would like to meet with you and discuss details.”
Next week? Noelle worried her lower lip as she went to check her schedule. “How many days would I need to be there?”
Victor hesitated before answering. “At least three. Besides Jim, I want to set up meetings with buyers from the top bridal shops and media interviews. You should start planning for New York Fashion Week in February. You’ll need a terrific venue. I know someone who can help with that.”
“Three days...” Noelle’s mind worked furiously.
Perhaps she and Christian should postpone the announcement of their engagement until after her New York trip. With a start she realized there was no question in her mind that she intended to embark on this business venture. Was splitting her attention between Sherdana and New York a wise move at the beginning of her marriage? On the other hand, did Christian plan to stop all business travel? Not likely.
“Let me know as soon as possible when you’ll be flying in,” Victor continued.
“I’ll make all my arrangements and be in touch later today.”
First of all, she needed to tell Christian what had just happened. But as she scrolled through her contacts for his number, she faltered. How would he view her decision to jump into a major business venture without talking to him about it first? He should be happy for her. But would he question her priorities? Her commitment to this marriage?
Or was she the one questioning her commitment?
Noelle sank into her office chair and stared out the window overlooking the alley behind her salon. In two hours she would be announcing her intention to marry Christian. She spun the ring on her finger. Once word got out, she’d better be ready to go forward. Not only would a broken engagement create a scandal the country didn’t need, but her actions would confuse Marc and set a bad example for him.
Conflict churned Noelle’s insides. Christian deserved to be a full-time father to Marc, and that would be better accomplished if Noelle honored her engagement and married Christian. Marc benefited. Christian benefited. The country benefited. Three wins. Noelle didn’t have to feel guilty about focusing on her business instead of playing the part of dutiful wife. Christian was getting the heir he wanted.
Despite arriving at a reasonable conclusion, Noelle wasn’t convinced Christian would agree. She keyed his number and heard the call going through.
“Noelle.” He purred in her ear. “I was just thinking about you.”
Her toes curled in her pink, superfine Louboutin stilettos. With his warm brandy voice flowing from the phone’s speaker, she was hard-pressed to summon all her earlier doubts. Of course, she wanted to marry Christian. No other man could make her come alive just by breathing her name.
“I’ve been thinking about you, as well.” Was that her coming across all sexy and mysterious? She curved her body sideways in the chair, any trace of the capable businesswoman lost beneath a rush of feminine pleasure at hearing her lover’s voice.
“I’m heading into a conference call in a moment. Is everything okay with Marc?”
Suddenly Noelle couldn’t find the words to share her confusion and doubts. “He’s better. Turns out it wasn’t the flu but an entire bag of cookies that caused his stomachache. I just wondered if you wanted to have dinner at my house tonight.”
