Secret Designs (16 page)

She let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"These are certainly a few notches up from the items Eros manufactured," Gwen commented.

"I really want to go for the top end of the market. When I was thinking of buyers to show these to, I thought of you straight away. When you declined the Eros designs, you said they were great quality, but not high-end enough for your boutiques."

Gwen carefully inspected each garment while Ari waited patiently.

She was humbled to even have this opportunity to show a fashion buyer like Gwen her new creations. The company Gwen worked for usually only dealt with established suppliers, not a one-man-band like Ari, who didn't even have a business card to speak of. Well, she did use her name as her clothing label.
Arielle.

Gwen leaned back on her seat and looked at her. "You've only just started out, Ari. I was wondering how you would cope with production if we do decide to order from you."

Ari's heart thumped hard in her chest but she reigned in her excitement. "I've already spoken to a trusted seamstress I've worked with many times before. Her team is ready and available to work with me at any time. There are also a couple more on my list who I can call on, if need be."

Gwen nodded her head, her lips pursed. "Can you leave these with me to show to my colleagues?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Great. How about we meet again tomorrow? I can let you know what we have decided by then."

"That will be fantastic. Thanks so much for the opportunity, Gwen."

"Thank
you
, Ari, for calling me first. I must say, I'm really impressed."

*******

Ari was buoyant after she left Gwen's office. This could really happen! Stores could be stocking her lingerie line, if this pulled through. Not only that, she knew Gwen's company shipped items to worldwide customers, so she could be selling her garments around the world.

With almost certain good news looming in the horizon, she allowed herself to think of her next step. If she secured the orders—and from Gwen's reaction, it was almost certain—she would need capital to buy materials and produce the first batch. That would not be cheap.

She'd already approached the banks for a business loan, but the answer from each of them was the same. Apart from detailed business plans, projected costs, projected profit and loss, and a whole lot of other things, she also needed a guarantor who would sign on the dotted line that he or she would be liable for her debts should she fail to meet her financial obligations. Well, she could never ask that of anyone, so she was left with one other, less onerous option—borrow money from one of her friends.

She involuntarily shuddered, hating that alternative. But she needed to do it, so she would do it. After she had delivered on Gwen's orders and gotten paid herself, she would be able to pay back the money she borrowed anyway.

Question was, who could she approach?

She mentally went through her list of friends and there was only one person she knew who could afford to lend the amount she required without sweating about it. Jasmine.

She groaned, going through the list again, hoping to come up with someone else.

Blank.

Argh!

She couldn't very well expect Jasmine to hide it from Kane. That would be too much to ask. Darn. She would just need to plead with both of them not to tell Dylan.

*******

Ari sat, looking business-like on Jasmine's lounge, and explained the whole situation to her friend.

"Of course, Ari, that's not a problem," Jasmine said. "I'm so excited for you! Congratulations!"

"Thank you so much, Jaz," she replied, exhaling her relief. "You don't know what your help means to me. You were my very first paying customer. Now you're also about to become my money lender."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Jasmine said dismissively. "I'm glad to help. When do you need the money?"

"As soon as possible, if you don't mind. Also, I drafted this letter." She fished an envelope from her purse and handed it to Jasmine. "That's just a contract to confirm the amount I'm borrowing from you, the date you can expect payment from me and the interest applicable."

"Interest?" Jasmine asked.

"Yes. I want to pay you interest equivalent to how much you would have earned had you kept your money in your bank. It's just fair."

"You only want to borrow the money for a short time, Ari. I don't want you paying me interest. I won't accept it."

"Then I'll have to find someone else to borrow from then."

"Ari, don't be silly!"

"Accept the interest or I won't take your money."

"Fine. I accept," Jasmine said in resignation.

Ari beamed, her excitement bubbling out of her now that the difficult part had been sorted out. "Can we do a happy dance?" she asked Jasmine, abandoning her business-like demeanour.

Jasmine laughed. "Okay, you obstinate person."

They jumped up from their seats, jiggled around and hugged each other.

Ari sipped the low-fat smoothie Jasmine made for them as they lounged on the day bed by the poolside. She gazed at the sparkling water. The memory of Dylan dunking her in that same pool, then holding her close to him, came rushing back to her.

The now-familiar ache in her chest throbbed, and she closed her eyes, pretending to relax, to hide her emotion from Jasmine.

"I can't wait to tell Kris and Sam about your good news," Jasmine said, forcing her to put a fake happy smile on her face. "Does this mean you can stop looking for a job now? Are you going to concentrate on your business now?"

"I won't know until after I get sales feedback from Gwen's team. For all I know, my designs won't sell and they won't order again from me. I'm still keeping my eyes open for job opportunities, but the pressure is off for the time being. Right now, I'll have my hands full in fulfilling all the orders, including your dress, which should be ready for your first fitting in two weeks."

"Oh, I'm so excited, Ari! By the way, can I order lingerie direct from you? I want them for my honeymoon."

"Sure," she replied, her lips curling. She'd already planned to give Jasmine her sexiest, most expensive sets as wedding presents.

"How's your nephew?" Jasmine asked out of the blue.

She sighed. "He's good, thanks. My sister is taking him for the fitting of a new prosthetic leg. We're hoping we could get him one that's perfect for a runner. He has dreams of becoming a Paralympian, you see," she said with a wistful smile.

"Wow, that's great. Your sister must be thrilled with your good news, too."

"Yes, although it won't mean much until we see the cash come in. Nothing is guaranteed until I keep selling stuff." She paused before continuing in a sincere, grateful voice. "Jaz, the money you're loaning me not only helps buy the materials and pay my seamstress. It also helps me keep my head above water and get Kenny that prosthesis until I get paid by Gwen's company."

"Oh Ari. Is it that bad?" Jasmine asked with concern.

She shook her head and waved her hand. "It will get better. I just need to keep the faith."

"If you need to borrow more..."

"It's fine, Jaz. Thank you," she replied, reaching out for Jasmine's hand and squeezing it in gratitude.

"Anytime, Ari."

She cleared her throat. "Ah, Jaz, one other thing. I suppose you will tell Kane about this, right?"

"Yes. Is that a problem? We share this kind of thing with each other. But if you prefer that I don't …"

"No, it's fine. But could you not tell Dylan? And please ask Kane not to mention it to him?" she asked in a small voice.

"Okay," Jasmine replied cautiously. "I'm glad you brought Dylan up, Ari. I've wanted to talk you about him."

Ari chewed her bottom lip. She didn't want to meet Jasmine's eyes, so she played with the straw in her smoothie glass instead.

"What happened between the two of you? Dylan's been down in the dumps lately. Even Kane said he hadn't seen him like that before. But when we asked him, he didn't want to talk about it."

Ari swallowed, not trusting herself to speak. What could she say? That Dylan thought she was just after his money? In all fairness, she couldn't divulge that fact without also mentioning why Dylan was so suspicious. After his lengthy explanation, she could understand why he harboured doubts about her motives for being with him.

"I know I'm in a funny position, because you're my friend and he's my future brother-in-law," Jasmine said softly. "But you could still talk to me. There may be something I can help with?"
 

Ari took a deep breath. "I miss him, Jaz," she admitted. "But there are some things that are just not meant to be, I think."

"How can you tell if it's meant to be, or not?"

She shrugged. "We just don't fit, Jaz."

"You miss him, he misses you; what doesn't fit?"

"I just don't see myself being comfortable enough to share all my problems with him. If I couldn't do that, what kind of relationship would we have?"

"What's in the way of you sharing your problems with him?"

She shook her head, not knowing how to put it in words.

"You think he won't be supportive of you?" Jasmine asked.

"No, it's not that. I think that if he tries to be supportive—if he tries to
support me
, I will always question what he thinks of me."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked with a frown.

"As long as I'm in this financial squeeze, I don't think I'll ever get it out of my head that he might think I'm just after his money—even if he's nice about it."

"Ari! How could you think that?"

She gave Jasmine a sad smile. "Let's just say I have issues around it."

Dylan watched as uncertainty played on Jasmine's face as she considered his request.

"Please, Jaz. I know you're her friend and you want to keep her confidence, but all I want to know is what she's said to you that would give me an idea on how to mend things with her. I know I stuffed up big time. I need your help, please."

"What exactly have you done to piss her off, Dyl?" Kane asked as he refilled their wine glasses.

Dylan filled his lungs to full capacity before exhaling loudly. "I inadvertently led her to believe I suspected her of being a gold digger."

Jasmine gasped. "Dylan! How could you! Ari's not like that at all!"

"I know, Jaz. I told you I stuffed up."

"Why the hell did you even think it, bro?" Kane asked in disbelief.

"Because five years ago, I got my heart broken by a woman who tried to scam me by transferring money from my bank account to hers. I know it's crazy to let some old experience mess up my present, but I didn't realise how much I was letting my past get in the way until Ari dumped me."

"You never told me about that," Kane frowned.

"No. It was something I didn't want anyone to know. I was ashamed about the whole thing."

"You said this woman 'tried' to scam you. So she didn't succeed?"

"No. I caught her before she was able to do it," he answered impatiently. "Look, I'll tell you all about it later, if you want, but can we talk about Ari and how I can get her back? You of all people should know what it feels like, Kane. You've been here before, when Jazzie broke up with you that one time."

"Yeah, it hurt like hell," Kane acknowledged, glancing at Jasmine, who gave him a reassuring peck on the lips.

Dylan sighed. If only Ari would talk to him again, maybe they'd find their way like Kane and Jasmine had.

God, he missed her so damn much that here he was at his brother's home, pleading for help just so she would let him see her again. Anyone who knew what he was like with women would be shocked by this action.

"You must be in love with her then, to compare what you're going through with what I went through," Kane observed.

Dylan looked straight into his brother's eyes. "Yes, I think I am."

"Ari said she wouldn't be comfortable sharing her problems with you," Jasmine said quietly after a brief silence.

"Problems? Does it have something to do with her sister and nephew? I know she gives them some financial support."

"Yes. I guess she's scared that if she did, you'll just think she's fishing for sympathy and money."

Dylan buried his face in his hands. It was what he had suspected. "But I don't think that anymore," he said in a strangled voice. "I don't even care if she
is
after my money. I want to give her everything she needs and wants. Anything. I just want her back."

"Ari goes out of her way to ensure she doesn't owe anyone, Dyl," Jasmine said. "She is so proud and so stubborn about it that even I want to slap her sometimes. When she offered to pay me interest for the money she borrowed from me, I had to accept or she would just ask someone else."

"She had to borrow money from you?" Dylan asked in shock.

Jasmine blushed. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"If she needed help, why didn't she come to me?" he asked, irritation and anguish whirling within him. He was her boyfriend, for heaven's sake.

"You know the answer to that, Dyl."

He raked his hair in frustration. "She was scared I'd think she was being a gold digger. How can I undo all this?"

Kane and Jasmine shot him sympathetic looks.

"She did say she missed you," Jasmine volunteered.

"She did?" he asked, his eyes widening with hope.

"Yes. But unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that she still doesn't want to open up to you. Even if she did, I don't think she'd accept any financial assistance from you."

Dylan scowled as unexpected anger flared within him.

This was ridiculous. He loved Ari and he wanted to look after her. She needed help and he was damn well going to give it to her, even if she didn't like the way he went about it. Her stubborn pride could go to hell.

"Jaz, please tell me about her financial problems."

*******

"She's going to kill me for this, Dyl. But I don't care. You're doing the right thing," Jasmine declared as they got out of the taxi in front of an unassuming apartment block.