Page 163 of The Bitter Words

“You live here now?” he asks. “That’s…unexpected.”

“I’m here for the foreseeable future.”

“Why did you move here?”

“It’s one of the best fashion cities in the world, but that’s not the only reason.” I shrug. “Since you demand honesty, I’ll let you in on a secret.”

His brows pinch together. “What’s that?”

“I was planning on reaching out to you. I even found a place to rent near your office, hoping I’d run into you.”

“Me?” He releases me. “Why?”

“Can we talk about it while we walk, or do you have more pressing matters to attend to?”

“Um…” He checks his watch. “I’m meeting someone for lunch in about ten minutes.”

Bravery zooms through my blood. “Business or pleasure?”

“Pleasure. Uh…no.” He shakes his head. “I mean, business.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I got tripped up for a moment.”

“In that case, I’ll walk you there. You can lead the way.”

“Yeah, okay. That could work.” He motions to the sidewalk. “It’s a short distance from here.”

We stroll along, side by side. The walkway is narrow, so we stay close together.

I glance at him. “I came here to get new ideas for my company.”

“Moving to Paris seems extreme just to get a fresh direction. You could’ve just visited.”

“I wanted to immerse myself here.”

“Livianna, I don’t know you that well, but something tells me there’s more to this than you’re admitting to.”

My cheeks burn and I lower my head. “There is.”

He stops and turns in my direction. “Then just tell me what you hope to accomplish.”

I swallow my embarrassment and square my shoulders. “My business is at a standstill and I need your help.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He softens his stance. “How can I assist you?”

“I’m not looking for a handout. Really. I want to build a wildly successful brand on my own. I want strategy, not safety nets.” My pulse accelerates. “When I meditate, your face appears in the quiet.”

“You meditate now?”

“Yeah, I even got some books on destiny and fate. I think you’re on to something, and if not, it’s a good feeling to have each day.”

“What feeling is that?”

“That I can find a simple path to reach my destiny if I follow my intuition. I’ve already screwed it up once and I’m still hanging on. It makes me believe I’m meant to do this fashion thing.”

He smiles and his whole demeanor lights up. “In that case, let’s figure out how I can help.”