The Life She Wants

“I’m sorry, Miss...?” He waited.

“Melanie Lowery.” She spat the name at him, but he’d gotten her to speak. He was a master negotiator, and he was going to take control of this conversation. He nodded and smiled, but his smile didn’t have its usual effect. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. Her whole body was tense, and for some reason the word brittle came to mind.

“Miss Lowery, I don’t know what you think is going on, but my client is in good hands here...” She snorted at his word choice, but he plowed ahead. “Look, we’re running late and, frankly, Tori’s not your concern.” He was hoping she’d take the hint and leave, but no such luck. Indignation rolled off the woman in waves.

“Any time a girl is at risk, it’s my concern, Mr. Brannigan. It’s also the concern of hotel management and the police. Would you like me to make a call or two? I know the resort owners very well.”

Shane swallowed the angry words begging to be said. His right temple started to throb. The last thing Tori needed was more negative press. This was what he got for taking on a kid for a client—headaches. Then again, all his clients were giving him headaches these days. That seemed to be his specialty—taking on the clients no one else wanted. Time to turn the Brannigan charm up to full strength. He splayed his hands in surrender. “There’s no need for that. I can assure you no one here is at risk. Right, Gary?”

“Of course not! I was just trying to get Tori to dinner on time—right, Tori?” Shane didn’t like the way Gary looked everywhere but at him. But the guy was a golf coach. It wasn’t exactly a sport prone to shouting and drama.

Tori shrugged in response to Gary’s question. Great. Big help, kid.

Shane turned to Melanie with his best smile. “See? Everything’s fine. Tori, honey, I need you to start getting ready, okay?”

Tori moved closer to the Lowery woman, her eyes wide and suddenly adoring for some reason. “Oh, my God! I know who you are! You’re here for the gala, right?” Melanie nodded, the towel bobbing on her head. How did Tori know her? The girl turned back to him, suddenly defiant. God help him, he’d never be able to keep up with her moods. “I’ll only go if I can sit with her. I don’t want to sit with you guys.” She glanced at Gary. Shane caught the look, and so did Miss Busy-Body.

“Tori, two of your sponsors will be at our table. You have to sit with us. I’m sure Miss Lowery has other...”

The woman’s violet eyes never left his, but she spoke to Tori. “I have some official duties to take care of, but I’ll come find you after dinner, okay?”

Shane frowned. He didn’t need some stranger inserting herself into Tori’s life. “I’m sorry, but our table is full. Tori, go get dressed. Now.” He pointed toward her door, and she was smart enough to read his tone, heading into her suite after a quick wave to Melanie. Gary excused himself so quickly he almost left smoke in his wake, leaving Shane and Melanie alone in the hallway.

She rolled her eyes and moved to go past him. He didn’t budge, not blocking her exit but forcing her to step to the side to get by. It was a petty power play on his part, but really, it was her own damned fault—she’d attacked him first. He figured she’d fold now that she didn’t have an audience.

She didn’t fold, but she also didn’t engage. She straightened her shoulders and moved to walk by without making eye contact. A retreat, but a strong one. He caught a whiff of her soft, flowery perfume as she brushed by. He wouldn’t have expected her to be the floral type, but the scent made his head swim with visions of luxurious flowers on bent stems. She smelled like springtime and rain and...and memories. Something from his childhood? Yes, of course.

“Lilacs.”

She’d almost gone past him, but the word, which he hadn’t intended to say out loud, brought her to a halt. Her head turned slowly and her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. “Excuse me?”

Well, he was in it now. “You smell like lilacs. My grandmother had lilacs.” Shane Brannigan didn’t talk about flowers and childhood memories. Ever. This was not a good power play at all, but he couldn’t stop the words from coming out. “It reminds me of her cottage on the Cape. There was a big stand of lilac trees loaded with blossoms. After a rain, she’d open the windows and the scent would fill the whole house.”

Her eyes softened, and he realized their color could be considered lilac, too. Nana would have loved that... Whoa. What the hell was wrong with him? He gave himself a mental shake and shoved Nana and her lilacs out of his head.

“Sorry. Admiring your perfume is a little creepy, isn’t it? I...I’m sorry.” Definitely not a power position, Brannigan. Babbling is never a win. Neither was apologizing. Time to walk away while he still had a shred of dignity. “There’s no need for you to join us tonight. Tori’s rehabbing from an injury and she’s just tired.”

“I made her a promise. And I keep my promises.”

“That’s admirable, but...”

“Her coach put his hands on her.”

“He what? You saw that?” Shane couldn’t believe it. Gary seemed like such a mouse.

She hesitated. “No, but...”

“Tori told you that?”

“No, but...”

“Then I’d be careful tossing around accusations, Miss Lowery. Gary’s reputation is spotless.”

She paled, and her gaze went unfocused for a minute, as if she was so far lost in thought that she was barely present. Then she shook her head and looked up at him—but not very far up, since she was close to six feet tall, even in those flip-flops.

“You don’t see a problem with two grown men acting as chaperones for a teenage girl?”

He frowned. When he’d taken Tori on as a client last month, he’d assumed her family would be around a lot more, but she was the oldest of five kids. They had their hands full with the crowd at home, and were trusting others to look after Tori. They were trusting him.

“Yes, two grown men are chaperoning a mature young woman who has an entire suite to herself. She’s my responsibility, and I’m handling it.”

Melanie gave him a slow once-over, then turned and walked away, her footwear making slapping sounds despite the carpeted floors. It didn’t diminish her brittle dignity one ounce. It also did nothing to take the steel out of her words.

“Yeah? Well, you’re doing a piss-poor job from what I can see.”

CHAPTER TWO (#uaabea830-f75d-5745-b7f4-ecfd8cbdee1a)

AMANDA WAS THE only one still waiting when Melanie rushed to the ballroom doors ten minutes late, breathlessly apologizing. Amanda just laughed.

“Damn, girl! You look fierce.”

Melanie glanced at the hallway mirror, still amazed she’d managed to make it down here so quickly after the melodrama upstairs. It was a good thing she’d had plenty of experience changing clothes in a flash. But that color in her cheeks wasn’t just from cosmetics or her mad dash to get here. It was the result of her interaction with a certain blue-eyed ginger. Something about the man got under her skin, and it showed. She blew out a breath and assessed her appearance. In her agitated state, she wouldn’t be surprised to find she’d put the dress on backward or something.

But no, the pewter metallic gown clung to every curve and swirled like silk. Between the draped neckline and plunging back, Luis’s design left little to the imagination. She’d pulled her hair into a low, messy knot—the best she could do with the limited time she’d had. Since the dress was such a showstopper, the only jewelry she wore besides a wide silver cuff on her wrist, were simple diamond studs set in platinum. The earrings had been a gift from the photo shoot where she’d met Luis four years ago, and she’d always felt they brought her luck. After all, Luis had saved her life.

“You’re seven freaking feet tall! What are you—oh, no wonder.” Amanda glanced down at Mel’s shiny black Louboutins. “Thanks for making me look like a shrimp, cuz. Let’s go, everyone else is inside.”

Silver iridescent walls shimmered softly in the recently remodeled ballroom. Thousands of pink and white fairy lights were strung across the ceiling and wound around the light fixtures. Gallant Lake and the Catskill Mountains surrounding it glowed in the mid-June twilight beyond a wall of windows. Tall glass doors opened onto a large veranda overlooking the lake.

The crowd was an eclectic mix of wealthy businesspeople, celebrities, athletes and military veterans with various disabilities. Some of the vets had obvious injuries, such as missing limbs or burns. Some, like Bree’s husband, Cole, had less visible wounds—head trauma or PTSD. The fund-raising event had been a smashing success, and they were on track to raise more than half a million dollars to help injured veterans transition to civilian life.

Her cousins were seated together at a table near the stage, where Bree was already giving her pre-dinner address, thanking everyone for their participation, as Mel slid into a chair next to Luis. Bree explained how the silent fashion show would work, with models wandering among the tables during dinner. A sketch of each design was in the printed program, along with information on how to contact Luis Alvarado Fashions. She asked Luis to stand, along with Amanda, Nora and Melanie, to show off their dresses. Camera flashes went off around the room as enthusiastic applause began, and Luis gave Melanie a wink. Between the press coverage and social media, some of his designs were sure to get attention.

As dinner began, Luis set a glass in front of Melanie. It was clear and sparkling, with a slice of lime. She nodded her thanks. With a full glass in her hand, people were far less likely to offer her a cocktail.

Cole jumped to his feet and pulled out a chair when Bree came back to the table. She beamed at him, kissing him on the cheek before settling her pregnant body with a sigh. Normally soldier-stoic in public, Cole leaned over and kissed the top of Bree’s head, whispering something in her ear that made her blush. Mel watched her cousins and their men as they laughed and talked together. Bree had Cole. Nora had her fiancé, Asher, who was clearly appreciating Nora’s red cocktail dress. He couldn’t keep his eyes, or his hands, off her.

And then there was Amanda and her husband. Blake was tall, with black hair and dark eyes—a stark contrast to Amanda’s petite build and blond curls. He’d be intimidating if it wasn’t for his easy smile and obvious love for his wife. They were that couple. Beautiful, successful and happily building a family in their historic mansion, right next door to their five-star resort. Whenever they looked at each other, the love in their eyes made Melanie’s chest tighten.

She was thrilled her cousins were finding happiness and starting families. Really. She was thrilled. Thrilled. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her heart sometimes to watch. Most of her energy was focused on sobriety and finding a place in the world outside of modeling, and that was okay. But once in a while, usually at the darkest point of her often sleepless nights, she longed for what her cousins had found. Loving partners to spend the rest of their lives with. She just couldn’t see that happening for her.

Luis’s low voice broke through her melancholy. “You and that dress were made for each other, chica. You look different tonight—like you’re ready for battle. It’s a good look on you.”

That look of battle-readiness probably came more from her confrontation with Big Ginger than the dress. He’d managed to ignite a fire inside her, and she wasn’t sure if that was good or dangerous. She didn’t want Luis to worry, so she kept that to herself.

“I have to admit, I feel pretty invincible in this gown. It’s going to be the star of your collection.”

“Our collection, Mel. It’s your company, too. Your hand is in every one of these pieces.”