Meant For Her (13 page)

Chapter 24

Just as Sierra had warned Evan, the dogs were in desperate need of baths the day after the barbecue. It would be more messy than fun to tackle, but there was no getting around the task, especially after she’d spent half the day cleaning the previous day.

She did thirty minutes of yoga and ate some cereal for breakfast before putting on her bikini top and a pair of shorts. She tied her hair back and slid on a pair of rubber flip flops, then grabbed the dog shampoo and conditioner and one of Leo’s towels. Clipping on his leash, she headed over to Evan’s apartment.

He answered after the first knock. It looked like he’d been up for a while, which she’d come to expect from him. His eyes swept over her.

She smiled. “Good morning, Evan.”

“Good morning, Sierra.”

“Do your dogs stink as much as mine does?”

“As it happens…”

He stepped back and waved her and Leo in. The distinct scent of dog permeated the air.

“Oh, my,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “You need to change into clothes you care nothing about and crack a couple of windows to air this place out. We’re heading down to the dog bath.”

“We have a dog bath?” he asked. After catching her gaze, he shook his head. “Of course we have a dog bath. I’ll get changed.”

It took ten minutes for them to get loaded up and downstairs. Sierra led them through the lobby to a door opposite the gym. They walked down a hall that led to a small business center and an indoor rec room, finally reaching a room at the end. It held two large dog tubs with spray hoses. Since it was a Monday morning, both baths were free.

“Leo’s better behaved than the boys,” she said, “so we’ll wash him first and let him wait in the wagon while we each take one of the other two.”

“What makes you think…?” He trailed off as he looked at his dogs, one of whom was trying to climb out of the wagon and the other who had twisted his leash around Evan’s ankle. “Okay, fine. Leo’s better behaved than the boys.”

He lifted Leo up into one of the dog baths and removed his leash and collar while Sierra got the water to the right temperature. Once the water was ready, she began hosing Leo down while Evan kept him from wriggling too much.

“Besides this fabulous chore, what do you plan to do on your day off?” she asked.

“Cole’s coming over. Everly’s working and he’s bored. How about you?”

“I’ve got some editing and uploading to do and some appointments to set. And I’ve got to e-mail Bastian some more ideas I have for the big shoot tomorrow.”

“Bastian’s your boss?”

“Yep. He owns Z Studios.”

“Cole mentioned him. The underwear shoot, right?”

She set the hose to the side and filled her hands with shampoo. “One and the same. That shoot helped launch Z Studios and got my career going. Actually, Bastian has asked me to become a partner.”

“Yeah? Are you going to do it?”

Shrugging, she worked the shampoo into Leo’s fur. “It doesn’t feel right for me.”

“Why not? Would you make less money?”

“No. I’d probably make more than I am right now.”

“Are the hours terrible?”

“They can be, but no more so than what I sometimes work now. Bastian has assured me that I could set my own schedule.”

“Do you hate the staff there or something?”

She knew he was searching for a logical answer to her resistance to accepting Bastian’s offer. Her family and friends had done the same. Although not all of them said it, they thought she was making a mistake and passing up a wonderful opportunity. Maybe she was, but that wouldn’t sway her decision. It was impossible for her to explain the feelings she got in her heart when something wasn’t right…and when it was.

“His assistant, Camille, has been iffy,” she said in answer to his question, “but she wouldn’t keep me from accepting the partnership if it’s what I really wanted.”

“What do you want?”

She looked up and caught his eye. After holding his gaze for a beat, she smiled and returned her attention to Leo.

“Can you move him so I can get his other side?”

He did, not commenting on her lack of an answer. They worked in silence for a few minutes. She felt his eyes on her several times, but she made no attempt to break the silence.

“The bikini top is a nice wardrobe choice,” he observed as they rinsed Leo.

“I’m glad you think so. I wore it for you.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She supposed she should have known where he was going with his observation, but she didn’t. She blamed that on not growing up with brothers. Halfway through Miller’s bath, she was suddenly sprayed in the chest from the other dog bath. Squealing, she jerked and looked at Evan in shock.

He laughed.

The sound made her heart flood with such happiness and love for him that she knew he’d shut down if he ever sensed it. Clamping down on her reaction, she glared at him and grabbed her own hose.

It was all out war. By the time they were done, they were both covered in water and soap suds and wet dog smell. Sierra was laughing so hard her sides hurt. The room was a disaster.

“I think I’m going to have to pay the maintenance staff a little extra to get this room back to rights,” she said as she calmed herself down and finished rinsing Miller.

“Who are we going to pay to get ourselves back to rights?” Evan wondered. “We have to walk through the lobby looking like this.”

Knowing she had piles of foam clinging to her head and running down the sides of her face, she blinked innocently. “Looking like what?”

He snorted out another laugh and shook his head as he dried Beck. She couldn’t stop smiling. Eventually, they got themselves and the dogs presentable enough to parade out of the dog baths.

Sierra’s cell buzzed in her shorts pocket as they crossed the lobby. She checked the text on the screen.

“Huh. That’s weird.”

“What is?” he asked.

“Bastian just texted and said the shoot tomorrow has been moved to noon.”

“And that’s unusual?”

“He doesn’t text much. He must be somewhere that he can’t use the phone.”

Shrugging it off, she texted him back to confirm, then put her cell back in her pocket as Evan entered his code into the elevator. Within a minute, they reached her apartment.

“Just so you know,” he said, “I’m officially offering my services in case you need help getting yourself back to rights.”

“Are you? That’s very neighborly of you.”

“I think I’m starting to get the hang of this neighborly thing.”

“It would seem so. Sadly, since your suggestion would lead to at least one entire day of hot sex and you have company coming, I’ll have to take a rain check.”

“I’ve cancelled on Cole before. I think he’s getting used to it.”

“Alas, I can’t afford the sex-a-thon distraction today with the big shoot to prep for. You’ll have to work on your timing, neighbor.”

“Damn. Well, can’t say I didn’t try.”

“That you did. And if I didn’t have flea shampoo clinging to my lips right now, I’d offer to at least kiss you goodbye.”

“Ouch. The double strikeout.”

“How about a sodden hug?”

“Well, I can’t go oh-for-three,” he said, lifting the arm that wasn’t holding the wagon handle.

She stepped forward and gave him a prolonged squeeze. When she leaned back, she took a moment to appreciate the humor in his dark blue eyes.

“Next time, I hope we both smell a whole lot better,” she said. “Have a nice afternoon, Evan.”

“You, too, Sierra. Don’t forget my offer. Consider it open-ended.”

She smiled and walked into her apartment. Once she closed the door, she leaned against it and briefly closed her eyes. Evan had openly flirted with her. He’d acted boyishly and impulsively.

He’d laughed.

Progress. Sweet progress.

Chapter 25

“Your ass is toast, Parker.”

“Not after I slaughter yours, Dorsey.”

They were firmly enmeshed in the latest Call of Duty. They’d been gaming for hours. Evan couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent this much time with a controller in his hands. Probably back in high school, sitting in Cole’s living room. He imagined he’d pay for it tomorrow with hand and shoulder cramps, but he didn’t care.

“Yeah…come to papa,” he said, aiming his scope.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, signaling the arrival of their pizza. Distracted, Evan took a lethal shot. He glowered at Cole, who grinned.

“Sucker.”

“You could at least act remorseful over shooting one of your best mates, you sadistic bastard,” Evan said as he paused the game.

“I’ll light a candle for you.”

“Asshole.”

“Sore loser.”

Rising from the sofa, Evan pulled money out of his wallet and set it on the counter for the easy grab, then snagged a couple of beers from the fridge. Not wanting to deal with cleaning plates, he ripped off a couple of paper towels and carried them into the family room with the beers. They would just eat over the box like any rational human beings.

A few minutes later, they did just that. Evan put on ESPN while they ate.

“Golf?” Cole said around a bite of sausage and pepperoni. “That’s seriously all that’s on?”

“Unless you want to get sucked into a baseball game, yeah.”

Cole rolled his eyes. His gaze fell on the two pictures of Miller and Beck.

“I meant to tell you, I like the photos. Did you hire Sierra to do them?”

Keeping his eyes on the television, Evan said, “No. I just came home one day and she’d painted the damn wall and hung those up.”

“Oh.”

They continued eating, but Evan knew his friend. There was no way that was the end of it. Three…two…

“That was nice of her,” Cole said. “Does she come over here a lot?”

“More than I’d like,” Evan muttered, suddenly feeling defensive.

“What was that?”

Swallowing his bite of pizza, Evan waved at the photos. “Don’t you think it’s strange that she did that? She’s bought me groceries, too, but doesn’t expect me to pay for them. She takes care of my dogs like they’re hers. And when we were at the barbecue yesterday, she kept bringing me beer and food and stuff.”

“Barbecue?”

Evan took a drink. “Don’t ask.”

“I like barbecues. What?” Cole shrugged when Evan shot him a look. “I’m just saying. You could’ve invited us.”

Should he have extended an invitation? Damn it. He wasn’t cut out for this. What had he been thinking, letting Sierra convince him otherwise?

“So basically, you’re saying Sierra is too nice,” Cole summed up.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

He knew he sounded like a moron. What guy said he didn’t like a woman because she was too nice? How could he possibly convey that she made him feel and think things he didn’t want to feel and think?

Sullen, he threw his crusts back into the pizza box and pretended to care about what was happening on the television. Cole finished his pizza and tossed back his beer.

“You ready for me to shoot your ass again?” he asked.

In response, Evan picked up the remote to turn the game back on. Sometimes, it was good to be with someone who understood you without having to say it in words.

*     *     *

Sierra worked the rest of that afternoon and evening tackling the tasks she had mentioned to Evan. She scheduled several portrait sessions for the coming weeks, did some editing and uploading of her stock images, paid some bills, and got to work typing out ideas for the Brinkman shoot the next day.

Brinkman was an umbrella company for a number of different product manufacturers. This particular shoot was going to feature environmentally-friendly, cruelty-free beauty products. When she and Bastian had initially brainstormed about it, they’d come up with a natural, organic feel for the shoot. The studio backed up on green space that they sometimes incorporated into their campaigns, so with the right lighting, the area would be spectacular for this shoot.

Sierra was still puzzled over the time change, as morning light was much better for outdoor shoots than high noon, and would be more comfortable temperature-wise. Bastian must have decided to move it in for some reason. Last-minute changes of that nature were unusual, though. They’d already secured the models, wardrobe, and props they planned to use. He hadn’t texted or e-mailed since that morning with more of an explanation. She figured she’d get there a little early the next day and pick his brain.

For now, she e-mailed him her ideas for a “green is sexy” theme to feature the product line. It would expand on their initial idea, but not depart so much from it that they couldn’t use the elements they’d already arranged. She thought they could do a combination of wardrobe and the spotlighted cosmetics with green tones and pair those with the buzzword “green” for “environmentally-friendly.” She envisioned models in sexy, flowing green gowns wearing the Brinkman line and posing against trees, or maybe on the ground in the green grass, arms extended toward the sunlight like Mother Nature herself…

It was after midnight when she finalized her ideas and e-mailed them to Bastian. She knew he’d check them first thing when he got to the studio, which was usually right after Camille got there to open up. Since her brain was wired, she didn’t fall asleep until after two.

Her phone rang at quarter to nine the next morning. Glancing at the Caller ID, she saw that it was Bastian.

“Hey, Bast—” she began.

“Where the hell are you, Short Stuff? You know I wanted you here at eight to help get the models ready. This is the biggest shoot of the summer.”

“What?” Sitting up and flinging her comforter off the bed, she leaped toward her dresser and started throwing clothes onto the bed. “But you texted and said the shoot had been moved to noon.”

“The hell I did,” he barked. “Why would we shoot so late in the day? You know better than that, Sierra.”

Disappointment radiated in his voice. She tugged on shorts and wondered how she’d managed to screw this up.

“I’m sorry, Bastian. I don’t know what happened, but I can be there in twenty—”

“Don’t bother. We start shooting in a few minutes. Camille’s going to cover. She got here early and saved my ass. She’s actually got some incredible ideas for the shoot. Think ‘green is sexy.’”

Sierra sank onto the bed as she realized what had happened. Camille must have sent the text. She had access to Bastian’s phone and e-mail as his assistant. It would have been easy enough for her to intercept Sierra’s message from the night before.

“Those were my ideas,” she said.

Bastian snorted. “You’ll wish they had been when you see the results and hear how much I’ll be paying Camille. Let me know when you’re ready to get back on my payroll.”

The call disconnected. She stared at the dark screen for several long minutes.

All of her hard work, all of these months of planning…all for nothing. All for Camille to steal them out from under her.

How was she going to cover the loss of this expected income? How was she going to convince Bastian that she had been wronged? What was she going to do about Camille?

Needing to think things through, she pulled on a T-shirt and headed out to the balcony. The morning air and pretty scenery rarely failed to help clear her mind. She walked to the far ledge and gripped it tightly, allowing her anger to roll through her. It was justified, and she wanted nothing more than to strangle Camille with her camera strap. But years of yoga and meditation had taught her that anger was an unproductive emotion. She needed to work through that so she could figure out what to do.

“Not even going to say good morning, huh?”

She glanced over and spotted Evan sitting in his chair with a cup of coffee. Perhaps coming outside hadn’t been the best plan, she thought.

“I’m not feeling particularly sociable right now,” she said, turning her attention back to the trees in the distance.

“Worried about the shoot today?”

Under other circumstances, she would have been happy that he’d remembered that detail about her schedule. Now, though, it made her grip the railing tighter.

“I won’t be going to the shoot,” she said. “It turns out that Bastian didn’t send that text about the time change, so the shoot is happening even as we speak. I think his assistant, Camille, sent it. She also stole my ideas for the shoot and will be earning my pay for it.”

“What?”

His tone was incredulous, matching how she’d initially felt. Now she felt betrayed and hollow.

“What the hell are you going to do about it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I came out here to think of something.”

“What is there to think about? Drive to the studio and have it out with Camille. Show your boss the text and give him proof you’re the one with the ideas.”

Sighing, she looked back at him. “I can’t go over there and interrupt the shoot right now. It took months to plan. My barging in would do more harm than good for the company. Timing is critical, and Bastian is in his full creative—”

“Who cares about any of that?” Evan got to his feet, clearly steamed. “This is your career you’re talking about, Sierra. Stop being so goddamn nice for a change and stand up for yourself, for Christ’s sake.”

She recoiled as though he’d slapped her. Crossing her arms protectively over her chest, she backed away from him.

“You know, Evan, I’m aware that I’m not as capable as you are of confronting people, and maybe I am too nice sometimes. But that’s my mistake to make. Sometimes we just need our friends to pick us up when we fall, rather than beat us up while we’re down.”

When he didn’t respond, she turned and walked back into her apartment, locking the door behind her. She had other friends who would offer her the support she needed.

She just wished it didn’t hurt so much that Evan couldn’t.