Chapter 85 The Big Apple
Emily was ready to go on a trip to New York City since a retailer had made a serious offer to promote her design company. Emily had booked the tickets back when things had been more bleak: Byron was working himself to death and she needed space from the relationship.
She was reluctant to leave now, when Byron was finally coming back to normality, even though he was still working fairly long hours and had some kind of secret project going on. No matter how she tried to find out what it was, he was silent on the subject. The only thing she knew was that it involved cupcakes because she had overheard him putting in an order from a bakery once. Although she wasn’t completely sure if that was related to the secret project or just some work function.
Still, going to New York was always an exciting prospect. The fashionable city could be the key to getting her designs out to the world.
Although he was always busy, Byron dropped her off at the airport.
“Go see your mother before she disowns you in favor of a cat,” Emily said as she got out of the car and hugged him goodbye.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, “I’m sorry if things have been a little crazy lately. It won’t be like this for much longer.”
“I should hope not,” she said with mock sternness.
It seemed like they had both been too busy to properly kiss lately except for hurried pecks, but the goodbye kiss Byron gave her made her lightheaded. Her lips were still tingling when she boarded the plane.
A few hours later, the jet touched down in New York, and she headed for the hotel. She couldn’t wait to explore the city in the morning. Sitting in the back of a taxi, she observed the iconic cityscape but also noticed her phone already had a message from Byron:
I miss you... Got a surprise waiting for you when you get back.
Emily smiled, wondering what he could be up to. She could only suppose Byron wanted to show her the final cut of another one of his films, and she would be very surprised indeed if The Vampire from Outer Space proved to be an entertaining movie, but at least it would be fun to make fun of.
She replied:
Miss you too. What’s the surprise.
A minute later, she got a reply:
You’re going to like it. Weekend trip?
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t The Vampire from Outer Space. She texted back:
Sounds good!
Meeting up with the retail representative the next morning, Emily was impressed by the luxurious yet smart interior of the company offices. Everything in this part of New York had a certain polished and sophisticated look. The woman who introduced herself as Anita, the company’s acquisitions director, was dressed in a smooth pant suit with just the right touch of gold jewelry to match.
“We really like your styles,” Anita said, “You have that relaxed West Coast vibe that people around the world can enjoy. I hope you don’t mind being a bit of a celebrity as you represent your designs? When we take on a designer, we want to showcase their personality as well as their brands.”
“Okay, how does it work?” Emily asked. She was a little intimidated, but eager to begin.
“You can create a platform online by posting occasional videos. We could even arrange a few interviews on TV shows. If you’re not shy about showing more of your personality, I think it could be a great step up for you.”
Emily thought of her stalker situation. She hadn’t heard from Josh since that Christmas message last year. She never replied to his message, thinking that her silence would discourage him. But it was not enough to assume that he had given up. He could still be obsessed with her, and he would be able to track her down much more easily if she was in the public eye.
At the same time, Emily felt angry for even sparing him a thought. She was not going to stay small just because of him. It was only a momentary hesitation, and the next instant, she agreed to the deal.
Emily spent the rest of the day enjoying the city, its shopping and arts scene. When she headed home, she was proud to have a contract that would ensure her designs would sell internationally.
