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“I thought you’ve only been working for him a little over a week?”
“Longer than that,” she snorted. “I helped him out before he started working at his father’s company. Of course, back then I only went to his apartment twice a week. That was long before you came along,” she sneered.
I ignored her tone, curious about the fact that she knew him before. “What was his other apartment like?”
She looked around the place with a sigh. “Smaller. It was one of those old warehouses converted into an apartment. He loved that place. Not sure why he decided to move here.”
So, she wasn’t aware of the contract, that much was clear. Which meant she probably thought I trapped James into marriage, and that was her hostility toward me.
“How long have you worked for him?”
“Ten years.” She cocked her head with a grin on her face. “Which is why I know this won’t last between you. I’ve seen women like you before. He never keeps them around for long.”
I stood slowly, squaring my shoulders. “Well, we’re married, so I can’t see him just tossing me aside.” Not to mention the marriage contract, but she didn’t need to know about that.
“Marriages can be annulled quickly. And if not, divorce is always an option. I’m sure he could get it taken care of in no time for the right price,” she said, lifting an eyebrow at me.
Wow, she really didn’t like me. “Since I’m not with James for his money, I doubt it would be easy to find the right price. I’ve got company coming soon. I’ll leave you to your work.”
I walked out with my head held high, but her words ate at me. Even though I knew that things wouldn’t just end between James and me, that didn’t mean the rift between us wouldn’t grow. There had to be a way to balance out things between us. The way things were going now, I knew we would never make it if I couldn’t find a way to get him to hear me.
When the designer arrived, I walked him through the house, eager to hear about his ideas.
“Mrs. Langston—”
“Rose, please,” I corrected him.
He smiled at me. “Charlie,” he responded. “Rose, I think what you need here is a touch of elegance. The apartment already has sleek designs and beautiful woodwork, but what it needs is something to showcase those features. I could show you some lovely chandeliers to add some old world charm. And over here,” he walked to the floor to ceiling windows, “some beautiful drapes would give you the privacy you want, but still allow in the light.”
“With all due respect, I have no desire to make this place look even more ostentatious than it already does. I want warmth in here.” I pointed across the living room to the far wall. “I want this whole wall made up of stone, and a gas fireplace. And on the opposite wall, I’d like reclaimed wood to add to the feel. I want this to feel like a cabin as much as possible.”
He looked surprised by that. “You have marble floors.”
“Tear them out and put in wood floors. I don’t care how long it takes. I can’t stand the way this looks now.”
I dragged him through the rest of the house, showing him all the changes I wanted to make. It was a big project for sure, further beyond just redecorating, but if I was going to live here, I was going to enjoy myself. His tablet of notes was much bigger than he imagined, and as he sat there crunching numbers to see what this would potentially end up costing, I dreamed of a place that would bring me peace.
“This is a rough estimate,” he warned, handing over the tablet. I glanced at it and nodded. “That’s fine.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Rose, I’m not sure what you needed me for. Your ideas are brilliant and will really transform this place. I should hire you for the intern spot at my company.”
That piqued my interest. “Intern spot?”
“Yeah, we hire interns. They mostly run errands and things, but they learn on the job also. The good ones sometimes get to go along to meet clients.”
“Would you seriously consider me?”
He blanched for a moment. “It’s not a paying job.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’ll work hard. I have no other commitments, and I’m eager to learn everything I can.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded vigorously. “The job does require some education.”
“I have a bachelor’s degree in business.”
He smiled at me, obviously surprised. Handing over his card, he said, “Send your resume over with my name in the memo section. I’ll make sure it gets to the right people.”
“Thank you.”
I walked him out and then turned back to my apartment smiling to myself. This was just what I needed. I wasn’t sure design was my thing, but I had to start somewhere.
