Tate (28 page)

“Should I be afraid?” I grinned in reply.

“I think I’ll call Audra and tell her that I want to get in touch with that gal from People Country - Meg Carlisle – to tell her about David Lee Maynor. Of course I’d call him first, but maybe we can hit this head on.”

“You have their info. Why don’t you call them?”

“I want Audra to do it.”

“You sure?”

“Well, I’ve got something else that’s been brewing in the back of my mind.” I looked at her questioningly. “I can’t help wondering if Audra’s had anything to do with this - all of it - from day one.”

“I was so focused on Ami that it never crossed my mind.”

“It crossed mine last night. She wanted you and Ami to be a couple. She thinks I ruined that.”

“But...”

“Tate, listen. You’ve said all along it was someone who wanted to hurt
me
, not you. All this ‘negative press’ she continues to refer to is publicity. Your name is everywhere while they’re smearing mine. Who would benefit from that?
You
. The more your name is out there - the more attention this brings to you - the bigger your career becomes. Who else benefits from that? Audra. Besides Andy, she’s the only other person who knew we were here.”

“Maisie.” I held my breath. I could feel my temper boiling. “I’ll kill her.”

“No you won’t,” she said in a calm voice. “You’ll want to if it’s her, but you would never do anything to leave me behind, alone. Plus, you’re way too pretty to go to jail,” she said with a smile.

“The more I think about what you just said, the more I see it as a possibility. That thought makes me want to rip her fucking head off. I’m going to call Daniel.”

“Wait. We have a dinner meeting with Andy this evening. Call Daniel tomorrow.”

“Your sense of calm in this is scaring me,” I said, sweeping a random curl from her cheek.

“I’m tired. I want to get past this, but I don’t want knee jerk reactions as our response. What I want is to figure out how to ignore this. We’ve spent almost our entire time together fighting with an unknown. I’m ready to enjoy you. To savor us.”

“I love you, Maisie. That perfume makes me want to savor you in a different way.”

“Now would be good,” she purred.

***

We met Andy and Marco at the studio. Andy had dinner brought in and we sat down to get busy. Ideas for a new album were in the works – the acoustic versions of the ‘Maisie Songs’ from my shows.

“I’ve thought about it a lot since you mentioned it. I love this acoustic idea. Your fan base is very smart. They know what they like. I’d ask how everything else is going, but I’m pretty sure the whole world knows,” Andy said, looking at Maisie apologetically.

“I know you have your own history,” she replied. “I’m starting to understand that in our case, it’s someone who wants to hurt
me
feeding the media.”

“You handle yourself well,” he told her.

“I have super power,” she giggled, sliding her chair back to extend her legs. “Tate bought me some cowboy boots!”

“I think she’s ready to kick some ass!” I laughed.

***

Maisie

When we discovered that David was the man who I’d seen watching me, Tate gave me back the freedom to come and go on my terms. It was liberating, but I have to admit his concerns and the sincerity behind them left me feeling adored and safe. On Monday morning, I left Tate sleeping. April and Dion were at the shop when I arrived. I looked over the calendar.

“Ami? Really?” I asked, shocked.

“She needs a dress for some holiday event and wants you to design it,” Dion said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Really?” I asked, once more.

“She called a week ago,” April chimed in, “Dion offered to assist her, but she only wants you.”

April had become a great part of this team. She was a skilled seamstress and a trusted friend. I asked her about designing.

“I don’t have that level of creativity. I just want to sew. These fabrics amaze me. You don’t find fabric like this at the Sewing Hut. You do your design thing and I’ll put it all together. When I see the stars wearing something I know I had a hand in, it’ll make me just as proud as you.”

I turned to Dion. “Do we have a metal detector to check her for weapons? Hidden shanks, blades?”

“Those fingernails would be worse,” he joked.

“I can’t believe after having her hauled off to jail she’d want to come back here.”

“She said she wanted
you
to design her dress,” April repeated.

“Did she give us any ideas to prepare for her visit?” I asked.

“Christmas green,” Dion said. “Oh! Wait ‘til you see the red brocade sample I got for Ms. Yearwood’s dress!”

“Let’s see. I’ve got three hours to prepare for Ami.”

“Four,” Dion said with a devilish snicker. He knew she’d be late.

A dress for Trisha Yearwood was a huge undertaking. I was stepping outside my normal circle of clientele and I wanted to make a good impression. Romi Schomann had already sent in a few of her friends for holiday dresses. The fabric Dion showed me for Trisha was gorgeous. I sat at my desk and ran my hands over it. Closing my eyes, I saw the finished dress. The picture in my mind thrilled me.

My phone rang, and when I saw it was Tate, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world. “Hello, lover.”

“Drrrrr,” he teased, rolling his tongue. “Can you come home?”

“I’ll be there at six. Be naked,” I purred.

“What’s going on?”

“Lots of things. The fabric sample Dion ordered for Trisha Yearwood’s dress is a-freaking-mazing! I can’t wait for her to see the design ideas. Oh, and there’s an appointment at three with Ami, which of course will mean four…”

“Ami Woodson?”

“
The
one and
only
.”

“What in the world…” Tate started, and I interrupted him.

“She needs a dress for a holiday event. She told Dion she only wanted to work with me.”

“Nice, but, should you be concerned?”

“I don’t think so. After the whole cop scene last time, I don’t think she’d do anything stupid. I’ll be cautious, but I’m ready for her.”

“Should I come to the shop just in case?”

“I’ve got you on butt-dial. If I need you, I’ll move my butt and call you,” I teased.

“I love your butt,” Tate said with an exaggerated sigh, and I laughed.

Ami shocked us all by showing up on time.

“Hey,” she said in a soft voice. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I could swear the experience appeared to have humbled her.

“Hey, yourself. I’m curious to see what you have in mind. I think full skirts when I think of the holidays,” I said.

She sat in the chair on the other side of my desk, appearing apologetic. I waited to see what unfolded.

“Listen, Maisie,” she said, and paused. It seems that she was trying to gather the courage to go on. “I’m sorry.”

“About what?” I wanted to hear her say what she was sorry for. Her words. But mostly, I wanted to
feel
a genuine heartfelt apology, so I waited.

A gulp to continue, “I was jealous of you and Tate…”

“Why?” I interrupted.

“Honestly?” she asked. I nodded. “My response will sound vile and it sickens me to say it. I didn’t think you deserved a good-looking man, and Audra kept reinforcing it, adding fuel to that fire. She kept telling me that you weren’t the right one for Tate, he needed ‘someone better’. I kept trying, but Tate paid me no mind because he was so wrapped up in you, so smitten… it pissed me off. Audra egged me on by telling me about Disney. I was so mad. That’s where the song came in.”

She paused and inhaled a big breath. “I wrote the song out of spite, but Maisie, I swear that I had nothing to do with any of the other shit. I didn’t know about your mother until the story was all over the news. I didn’t know the details of that horrific accident until the pictures came out, and I knew nothing of the wedding until I saw the pictures. You looked so beautiful. Your dress was perfect. Everything was perfect.”

Quiet a moment, she looked up, met my eyes, and continued. “I deserved those two and a half hours sitting in that cell. I confess, I was mad as hell at you. But as I waited, I had time to think, and I realized how spoiled I’d been. You deserve happiness. Lord knows you’ve had your trials. I didn’t need to add to that. I tried very hard to imagine walking in your shoes. I couldn’t even get close to what I imagined you’d been through. I’m sorry. I pray that you’ll forgive me.”

“Wait ‘til you see this amazing fabric that Dion found. When I saw it, I knew it was perfect for a dress for you. I haven’t had a chance to do any sketches yet, but I’m seeing something fitted at the top and a ball gown skirt.” I opened the fabric catalog to show her the emerald-green fabric with gold embroidery that I had in mind. “If you like it, I’ll tell Dion to go ahead and order it.”

I didn’t acknowledge her comments yet. I had to let them steep, like a good tea. I had to see if it was satisfying to my taste. I whipped out my sketchpad and closed my eyes. I visualized Ami waiting, but I couldn’t look at her yet. I opened my eyes and looked at the blank page. Quickly, I drew a rough sketch of what I saw in my mind. Finally, I turned the page toward her.

“Maisie,” she said in a voice filled with delight, “it’s beautiful!” 

“I see more detail, but I need time to sketch it out.”

“So, does this mean you forgive me?” she asked, guardedly.

“I can forgive,” I said, and hesitated. “I need more time to forget. Honestly, there’s been so much hurt through all of this that forgetting isn’t as easy. I’ll work with you.”

“Maisie, I’m sorry,” she said again.

“Let it go. Please. Let’s move on.” She’d been there over an hour and honestly; I was ready for her to leave. My mind was so full of everything that she shared – I needed her to go.

“I need you to know that Tate is a good man, Ami. I’m blessed. I didn’t know if I could ever move past Blake, but Tate pulled me out of my self-imposed asylum. He’s showed me a life I never knew possible. I never knew that I could feel like he makes me feel. I was
ready
to feel again. Tate
made
me feel again. I hope you find your own Prince Charming.”

“I’m not looking. I need to think about some things. I need to regroup and think about how a woman waits for love to find her.”

“You will, Ami.” Quiet a moment, I added, “Can we keep this conversation between us for now?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m thinking about letting Audra go. She brings drama and tension…”

“Wait. Can you wait just a little longer until we talk again?”

“Yeah, sure. Why?” she asked.

“I need some time to explain it to you. Can you give me a little time? I’ll have detailed sketches next week. Two on Wednesday afternoon?”

“That works. I’ll see you then.”

As she rose to leave, Tate came in the front door. Somehow I knew he couldn’t stay away. My knight in shining armor had arrived.

“Hey, Tate,” Ami said. Looking down, she paused.

Tate saw her struggling. “Hey, yourself.”

“I’m really very sorry,” she said, and went out the door.

I glanced over to find Dion with a shocked look on his face. “I guess a couple hours behind bars teaches you some life lessons.”

“I guess,” Tate said.

“You ready to go?”

“No,” I laughed. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Actually, April and I got this. Go,” Dion replied with a big grin.

“I called Dion before I came. Come on. We’re meeting the architect to see how things are going in Blowing Rock.”

As we drove, I was talking, telling him about Ami. I saw him glance my way.

“What?” I asked.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention – a beautiful woman distracted me.”

“You’re so sweet.”

“Something’s different,” he observed.

“I’m just glad to see our future ahead of us. The cabin in Blowing Rock coming together is a huge step. I’m ready.”

“Me too. So you said you thought Ami might fire Audra.”

“I asked her in a friendly way to wait, because I have an idea.”

“You gonna tell me?” Tate asked.

“Not yet,” I said.

***

We headed home after our meeting. I was happy that we didn’t have much on the calendar through New Year’s. I would spend some time at the shop, but our goal was making the townhouse
our
home. I was ready for home. The ordeal with the break-in at my house left me missing that feeling. The townhouse was Tate’s, but I needed to make it ours.