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I immediately dig my phone out of my purse, opening to my picture gallery. Most of the images are of Felicia, but I do have a few images of my dresses and lingerie sets, too.
“Oh,wow,” Miriam gasps. She sounds genuinely amazed. “Arin, these are beautiful!”
“Thank you so much. This isn’t everything I have, though.”
“You should definitely give me a call some time,” she says. “I’d love a chance to check out your full portfolio.”
Whatever flicker of envy I might have felt before flies straight out the window. I nod quickly, so excited I just barely manage to thank her. “That’d be wonderful. Thanks so much. I’ll definitely reach out.”
Miriam stands, smiling wide. “I’ll let you two enjoy your lunch. It was great seeing you again, Mr. Costello.”
He nods once. “Ms. Singh.”
By the time she’s out of earshot, I’m barely holding it together. I all but kick Dominic under the table.
“Holy shit!” I squeal. “Did you see that?”
He chuckles. “I did indeed.”
“This ishuge. If I can convince her to take me on as a client, it could do wonders for my label’s launch. What are the chances of running into her? Damn, I’m so glad you convinced me to come —”
I cut myself off, a realization suddenly dawning on me. Dominic casually drinks from his piping hot cup of tea, but there’s no denying the amused glimmer in his dark eyes.
“You brought me here on purpose,” I accuse.
“Yes. I brought you here for lunch.”
“No, I mean… You knew she’d be here. Was this some kind of set up?”
“I may or may not have had my people inquire into her whereabouts.”
“I don’t understand. Why would you…” Confusion swirls inside me. “Why are you doing this, Dominic?”
“Doing what?”
“Being so nice to me.”
Dominic sits up a bit straighter, his lips a set line. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
“A woman running on four hours sleep and a coffee addiction?”
“I see a beautiful, talented young woman trying everything to get ahead. The other day when you came to the office, you asked for someone to give you a chance.”
“And you think you’re that someone?”
“I’d very much like to be, yes.”
He returns his attention to his meal and doesn’t say much after that, which is perfectly fine because I’m too busy drowning in excitement. Dominic’s kind of… amazing. At first, I was wary of letting him into my life — and Felicia’s by extension — but those worries are quickly beginning to fade. Dominic seems like a stand-up guy who’s done right by me at every turn. Maybe telling him he has a daughter isn’t such a bad idea. Now that I’m getting a glimpse of who he really is, lying to him doesn’t feel right.
“Dominic?” I ask softly.
“Yes?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“I’m listening, dolcezza.”
“That little girl in my shop the other day…”
