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“Thanks, Chloe just offered me a coffee.” The Royal brothers embraced in a warm hug which tugged at Chloe’s heart. Families always made her envious.
“How is the wardrobe going?” asked Bryce.
“Camille and I worked through a few things last night and we’ve agreed on an outfit for the concert announcement. Jordan has graciously given up his suite so Camille can use it as her workroom while she creates a whole Vegas capsule wardrobe for me. As of this afternoon, Jordan’s my new roommate.”
“Housemate,” offered Jordan.
“Aww, I but I like roomie better. And I am the talent.”
Bryce laughed. “Roomie it is. Did Cam mention about us having dinner here tonight? I trust that is alright with you, Chloe.”
She would swear on a stack of bibles that she could hear Jordan grinding his teeth from ten feet away. Poor thing. He’d been tossed out of his hotel suite. Made to move boxes, and now his older brother was treating him like the hired help.
Chloe caught Jordan’s eye and he gave her a wink. “Dinner is all arranged. Tonight we are dining on the freshest sushi available in all of Las Vegas, accompanied by a crisp clean Pinot Gris. I hope that meets with your approval, Chloe?”
“But you …” Chloe caught herself. She was about to mention that Jordan didn’t drink, but again that would risk revealing the truth of their relationship.
“Yes, I was going to order us a sparkling wine, but I found a great French wine in the resort cellars,” replied Jordan, easily covering her mistake.
Chloe didn’t want to have to answer the question of where things stood between them. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Until very recently Jordan had been her ex, and as best as she could manage, he’d been put firmly in the past.
In the days since their road trip from LA, things had definitely changed. There had been a thawing in the relationship. And that scorching kiss last night had put all manner of thoughts into her head.
It still doesn’t change the fact that his family doesn’t know about Jordan and my past. He’s said he was sorry, but that’s not enough.
If there was ever going to be a possible second chance for them, then Jordan was going to have to take the lead. She would not stay hidden in the shadows. He would have to be brave and let their love shine in the light. The only way she could see them having a future together was if they stood hand-in-hand and faced the world. As a couple.
She was still keeping secrets from him, and he was yet to explain what had really happened to him post their breakup.
And when we both discover the truth, will that future still exist?
“What time are we expecting the food?” asked Bryce. From the expression on his face he hadn’t caught any of the undertone of the conversation. Chloe was counting on Jordan’s brother having heard little else past the words food and wine.
“Sushi at seven. In the meantime, did you and I want to catch up on some Royal Resorts business?” suggested Jordan. “I’m … I’m sure Chloe could do with a few minutes of peace and quiet. It’s been a bit like Grand Central Station in here today.”
It made her heart ache to hear Jordan stumble over his words. Bryce wasn’t just Jordan’s brother—he was his boss. The need for Jordan to make good over the failure in California had to be great.
“I’m going to go down and see Camille and settle on the final fabric for my announcement outfit, so yes let’s all meet up here again just before seven. The sushi sounds fabulous, thank you, Jordan.” She turned to Bryce. “Jordan has been a great help to me during my stay. He has a natural talent for anticipating and exceeding my every need.”
That didn’t sound the least bit staged or creepy.
“Then you are getting the true Royal Resorts service, Chloe,” replied Bryce. The awkward moment was saved when Bryce’s phone pinged. As he glanced at it, Chloe mouthedI’m sorryto Jordan. He shrugged his shoulders, but she caught the hint of a tentative smile on his lips. His expression said it all.Let’s just get through this evening.
CHAPTERFORTY-NINE
Thank god for Camille. The French connection was holding court, and everyone seemed happy to let her have the floor. From where he sat at Chloe’s dining table, Jordan could sense she was relieved that for once someone else was handling the job of entertaining the crowd.
“And the models in New York this year.Oh, mon Dieu!I swear half of them didn’t know how to walk a runway. I think the agency figured since I’m not a big name designer they would just send a dozen pretty girls they had on their books. I won’t be using them again. I can’t have the fashion critics laughing at me under their breaths. Not if I am going to try and book a venue at Paris Fashion week.”
She might be complaining, but Camille was smiling the whole time she spoke. At one point, Jordan exchanged a knowing grin with Bryce. Their cousin was enjoying the freedom of being able to create and show her own designs. Her ready-to-wear collections were vastly different to the haute couture of her father’s atelier workshop. Where Francois Royal measured everything down to the millimeter, Camille allowed her fabric to speak for itself.
Across the table from him, Chloe hung on Camille’s every word. “And your father wouldn’t let you work on your own creations at home in Paris? That’s so sad.”
The freedom to create her own pieces had come at a heavy price. Camille had struck out on her own and been banished from the family estate outside of Paris as punishment. If Francois had thought cutting his daughter off would bring her to heel, he’d badly misjudged how much Camille wanted to make her own way in the fashion world.
“My father said my work was not good enough. It didn’t come up to his exacting standards. When he discovered I’d sold some of my collection to Saks Fifth Avenue, he exploded.Je suis trahi!I got on the next plane and came to New York.”
“Yes, well Francois can be a little melodramatic,” offered Bryce. “I don’t think you selling a few dresses to an American department store actually amounts to betrayal. And as for your work not being good enough, believe me it is, my relationship is proof of that.”
