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“You wish to wear an unknown British designer?”

“Yes?” she answered carefully.

“Well then, I know just the area. Abigail, my assistant, is always raving about some of the shops off Portobello Road near the market.”

Clarissa Lee from Birmingham was the designer Clara found and fell in love with. A beautiful one-shoulder, floor-length purple gown with an open back and a handful of individually made lace butterflies on the bottom of the skirt made her glow the moment she put the dress on. Clarissa Lee designed for petite women and was a master at draping her fabric. The dress felt like it was made for her. The color, the pattern, the cut. It was like Clarissa Lee had the ability to read Clara’s mind and know exactly what she needed.

Clara was ecstatic the dress made it appear as if she actually had curves and a shape. She hated how most dresses usually fit her petite frame. The designer herself was inside the shop and promised the alterations would be completed before the end of day. Clara couldn’t wait until David saw her in that dress. She wondered if he’d wear a three-piece suit or a tux. Either one would look so good on him. The women spent the rest of the day shopping for accessories and getting their hair and nails done.

Tuesday morning cameand it was time for David to pick Clara up from her hotel for breakfast and a day trip up to Savile Row. “I should have warned you that my mother doesn’t do anything by halves. She shops head to toe, top to bottom. It does not help one bit that she never had a daughter to shop for, and now she has every excuse in the book to spoil you.”

David sat in the back seat of the car playing with the now-layered ends of Clara’s dark brown hair. “I felt like a doll. I didn’t want to admit it, but I really enjoyed it. My adoptive mom never liked shopping and left everything up to me.” Clara batted David’s hand away. “Your mother is very kind. She really goes to town trying to get to know every detail there is to know about a person.”

David sincerely hoped his mother hadn’t gone too far and already tried to scare Clara away. If she thought his mother was bad now, wait until Clara had been around longer. He hoped she could handle the scrutiny.Wait until the press discovers us.Should he warn Clara that could start to happen at any moment? Once they were seen in public, their lives as they knew it would change. He decided now was not the right moment.

“I’m sorry if Mother was overbearing. She means well.”

Clara leaned into David’s shoulder to rest her head. “Your mother told me a lot about the charity work she does. What about you, David? What are your passion projects?”

David had finally finished the last of the required paperwork for the Whaleeds Trust. Clara was going to be the first person he shared his and Eddie’s new platform with.

“Last year, Eddie and I visited a children’s hospital. It was a particularly challenging visit with patients who are so young and full of life. The hospital was underfunded and didn’t have enough games, toys, and other supplies.” David reflected back, seeing the kids’ faces in his mind. “Eddie and I made a pact that we would find a way to bring drawing, music, and whatever we could to the kids to give them an outlet to escape their problems. For the past few months, I’ve been working on procuring, funding, and setting up a foundation that Eddie and I will oversee to take on these problems.”

“David, you look so fired up. I’m so proud of what you are trying to accomplish. This couldn’t have been an easy task, by any means.” The car was almost at its intended destination. Clara played around with David’s tie.

David warmed to Clara’s touch. “Eddie will be the face of the Whaleeds Trust. We had a long-winded discussion about it last night. Eddie wants to highlight and bring awareness to the issues. He’s found something he can get behind and delve full-force ahead into.” David made a mental note to ask Eddie when he wanted to plan their first visit.

“What about you? You did all the leg work. Don’t you want to take any credit?” Clara asked.

“I don’t like the attention. I’ll be doing the background work. The kids will know I’m involved and that’s good enough for me. I’m just a normal bloke. I prefer to keep a low profile.”

David learned in toward Clara. With their eyes locking, David and Clara shared a short kiss.

The car came to a halt. They were now at their intended destination of Savile Row. Savile Row in London was home to the best tailors in all of the UK. Most of the shops made men’s suits, but there were a handful of hat, jewelry, and shoe shops too. There was a lot of history in the Mayfair area of London. The sleek, black Range Rover driven by Michael today had stopped in front of number 120, Bennet and Sons.

“It’s time for me to share with you my other passion. Making shoes. I’ll explain more when we get inside.” David got out of the car before Clara could ask another question. If she didn’t think shoemaking was interesting, David was done for. Hopefully she wouldn’t find the art of making shoes by hand dull.I am really putting myself out there.

David opened the door for Clara and assisted her out. David’s head security officer, George, and the two other protection officers following in the car behind them, followed them into one of the oldest shops on the street. The bell went off as they entered the door to the shop. The clerk looked up at the potential customers. When he discovered it was David, his expression changed from hopeful to disappointed.

“Welcome ’round, Leeds,” he greeted David who waved back. David examined Clara as her eyes raked the wall-to-wall models of men’s dress shoes in various shapes, colors, sizes, and designs.

“Follow me back to the workshop.” David led Clara behind the curtains near the register through the storage room. David slowed his pace so Clara could keep up with him. He had never shared his shoe making with anyone outside his family before.Here goes nothing.In the back of the storage room, a bookshelf built into the wall was opened to reveal a hidden staircase.

“George, we won’t be leaving the workspace for a while. I’ll call you as always.” George agreed and left David and Clara to their own devices. Clara had not asked any questions per David’s request. He carried her down the five steps into the secret work room and gently placed her on the well-worn, cognac-colored sofa.

“You’ve been extremely patient with me. I thank you. Ask whatever you would like.” David remained standing.

“You make your own shoes? This is so fascinating! I know nothing about men’s shoes. I have a million questions.”

David relaxed and he felt his face breaking into one of the largest smiles he had yet given Clara.

“I’m honestly relieved you find my shoemaking ‘fascinating.’ I was terrified you would find it boring.”

Clara repositioned herself so her legs were stretched out over the sofa. “Remember, I’m a ballerina who depends on handmade shoes for a living. I can go through three pairs of pointe shoes in a single performance.”

David moved to his personal espresso machine and made the two of them cappuccinos. He handed Clara one and pulled out a chair from behind the desk littered with blocks of wood, leather samples, and cutting tools.

“Tell me about making shoes. Where do you begin?” Clara drank from her cappuccino.

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