The Imperfection of Swans (21 page)

It was then, while talking to another designer, Casper silent by his side, that Kevin knew exactly what he needed to do, and all of his years working his way up in the world of corporate advertising paid off.

It was natural and genuine.

Devina Malloy was an African-American designer who could easily have been one of the models they’d just seen. When Kevin learned this was her first time at Bridal Week, he became even more confident. Not only did her designs of classic silhouettes in untraditional finishes impress him, but so did her unassuming confidence. There was a tremor in her voice that suggested she might be faking it, but Kevin could sense the determination behind her words.

“So, you’ve not opened Bella Dolce yet?”

“No. It will be a few more months before we are there, but we’re getting closer. However, we will be open well before peak engagement season.” Nearly half of all engagements happened between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. And the first thing most brides did was the most fun part—picking out a wedding gown.

Devina glanced at Casper. “And you’re telling me that you’re doing a combination wedding dress and wedding cake shop.” She sounded skeptical. “No offense, but you’re asking quite a lot of me, and your store has the potential to be fairly….” She faltered.

Kevin just laughed and turned up the charm. “Tacky?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes.”

He’d been prepared for this. It helped that if he’d heard such a concept from someone else, he would have thought the same. The other designers he’d contracted had mentioned that concern as well, and they’d been fairly easily persuaded; however, he was asking more from Ms. Malloy, and he knew it. He pulled out his tablet, as he had with the other designers, and showed her the pictures of the brownstone from the outside and the renovations they’d done on the inside. He also showed her pictures of the surrounding streets and shops, in case she wasn’t familiar with Boston.

She looked somewhat convinced. “It is a gorgeous neighborhood, and I can see a premier wedding shop doing well there. Still, Boston is a huge market. I don’t think it would be wise to limit my brand to one store.”

With the other designers Kevin had already contracted, they’d agreed they wouldn’t have their designs with any other shop within a certain mile radius. They were fairly typical standards and boundary lines. With Devina Malloy, Kevin was confident he could convince her to have Bella Dolce be the only shop in the greater Boston area to carry her designs. He also believed it would be beneficial for both of them.

Kevin leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. “Here’s the deal, Ms. Malloy. There are the other designers that I already have coming into my shop….” He listed off four of the more major and well-known designers. “You’ll be in good company. Not only am I asking a lot of you, but I am giving a lot in return. No matter which other designers I choose this weekend to have in my shop, you will have the top billing of them all. In every advertisement we send out, every event we sponsor, Devina Malloy Designs will be at the top of each. And one or more of your gowns will be in our window displays at all times. You will be the elite in my shop. In return, I want to be your exclusive in Boston. If people want a Devina Malloy gown, they have to come to me. My shop will be perfect, that I can promise you. It will be stunningly gorgeous, and we will have the best customer service anywhere. Each woman who comes into our store will be treated like the queen she is. They will feel like the world spins around them from the moment they walk through our doors.”

She was cracking. He could tell. She wanted to be the première designer as much as he wanted her to be. He also realized what she would be giving up. Boston was a huge, huge market. Kevin couldn’t fathom anyone agreeing to his proposition. They’d be insane to place all of their theoretical Boston eggs in one basket. Devina held out, though, and her interrogation of him only made Kevin more certain of his choice. “I’ll admit, I’m concerned about you not having any background in operating any sort of retail store before. What if you fail?”

“I won’t. I will not fail.” Kevin couldn’t suppress the smile that took over his face. It wasn’t the Xanax talking. He could be as nervous as he needed to be, as scared or stressed, but he wasn’t going to fail. He knew it. Without a doubt, he knew it. He could offer more of an argument to convince her, but he didn’t. Though probably the smarter thing to do, to do so would have felt like a betrayal of the certainty he felt. “We will not fail. Bella Dolce will become
the
place to buy a wedding dress.”

Devina just stared at him for a few moments in silence, and then a smile crossed her face as well. She was going to agree. No doubt. And she almost did. Right when Kevin was certain she was about to say yes, her gaze flitted over to Casper, and she leaned back, hesitating. After a moment or two, she stood without speaking, walked over to her wall of designs, and slowly searched through them.

Even watching her, Kevin’s heart began to accelerate. The designs were gorgeous. Just what his shop needed. He’d be able to make Bella Dolce a success without Devina Malloy, but with her, he’d make it work quicker and easier.

After extended consideration, Devina pulled out one of her gowns, walked it over to where he and Casper were sitting, and hung it on a stand next to them.

The gown was Kevin’s least favorite of all her designs. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t flow as naturally as her other creations. There was a layering of the fabrics that didn’t feel quite right. He wondered if she’d sensed his thoughts when she’d watched him going through her collection. A bit of apprehension coursed through him as he waited for her next move.

To his surprise, Devina didn’t look at him, but addressed Casper instead. “Can you design a cake for the woman who would choose this dress?”

Casper’s lack of the aforementioned poker face made itself apparent once more. He’d not had to do much besides be friendly and professional as Kevin had walked through their business with the other designers. Sweat instantly broke out over his forehead. Kevin tried to think of a way to rescue him—them—from this situation.

To his surprise, Casper’s voice was clear and strong when he spoke, despite his look of fear. He addressed Kevin. “May I borrow your tablet?”

Kevin passed it over silently, his gaze flicking up to Devina. She wasn’t looking away from Casper.

As they observed over his shoulder, Casper quickly downloaded a drawing app and then began to sketch.

Within seconds, Devina was forgotten, as Kevin was thoroughly captivated by watching Casper move the stylus over the screen.

Every so often, he’d pause and glance up at the gown, once going so far as to reach out and feel the material. After he did that, he erased the last couple of layers he’d drawn and began again.

Again a soothing sensation washed over Kevin as he watched Casper. He wasn’t sure if it was Casper himself who caused the sensation—it wasn’t as if Kevin could see his strangely symmetrical face at the moment—or if it was more akin to watching Bob Ross paint his happy little trees. Whatever the source, he was completely captivated.

In less than ten minutes, Casper handed the tablet to Devina for her inspection. He’d drawn a large, towerlike cake that was somewhat masculine in its structure, and while there were elements that were taken directly from the gown, it was much more a complementary design than a replication of the garment.

Devina had watched just as closely as Kevin had, caught in the spell of Casper creating, and she didn’t need more than a heartbeat to look at the design before she handed the tablet back to Casper and smiled. When she addressed Kevin, he could almost swear her eyes were glistening. “I’m in.”

AFTER THE
agreements were signed with Devina Malloy, with the inclusion of exclusivity with Bella Dolce for the entire Boston area, Kevin and Casper left the convention area and stepped into the lobby of the building.

Kevin grabbed both of Casper’s arms, shaking him so Casper had to push up his glasses. A nearly hysterical laugh escaped as Kevin spoke. “That was amazing. Absolutely fucking amazing! I didn’t even like that gown, but after seeing your cake, we are so ordering it!”

Casper’s smile was both self-conscious and filled with pride. “Yeah, I about panicked there for a moment. I’ve never used a dress as inspiration before.”

“Well, number one, it’s a gown. And two, if that’s what you can do in a matter of minutes, I can’t even fathom what you’ll create when we have time.” He paused, a thought bringing in a spike of worry. “Can you actually make that thing?”

Casper snorted. “Are you kidding? That was a fairly basic structure. That will rely solely on piping skills. And those are easy too, just time-consuming.”

“I am so glad Uncle Tony had to pull out of the loan. Though I hate the reasons. Still, you’re going to make this so much better!” Kevin giggled, actually giggled. “Casper, we’re going to do this! It’s going to be fucking awesome!”

Casper bit his lower lip as his own grin grew, then let out a laugh of his own. “Yeah. I know! I can’t even believe it.”

Having never let go of Casper’s arms, without any forethought, Kevin pulled him in and pressed their lips together in a crushing pressure. Beneath his hands, Casper’s arms went rigid.

Kevin pulled back quickly, startled. “Sorry. I was just overwhelmed for a bit.”

“Uhm. It’s okay.” Casper cleared his throat. His gaze darted around the lobby, landing everywhere but on Kevin. “Should we, ah, go back in and get the rest of your designers?”

“Yeah. Good idea.” Kevin nodded, then realized he still hadn’t let go of Casper’s arms. He dropped his hands quickly and turned back toward the convention, then led the way stiffly.

CASPER

CASPER WAS
fairly certain he’d worked out more in the past three days than he had in the past three weeks. He typically did his best to work out three or four days a week, but those lasted forty-five minutes, tops. Working out with Kevin in the hotel gym felt like boot camp. And that was just with him trying to halfway keep up. Each time, he’d thrown in the towel and gone back to the room until Kevin was finished. Their final night at the hotel was going to be no different.

He slowed down on the elliptical to a cooldown pace and watched Kevin as he ran, his feet sounding like hammers pounding the poor treadmill. If nothing else, it made Casper less worried about Kevin’s health. It was at least beginning to make some sense. Nobody could work out as hard as Kevin and not lose weight. He had to be the healthiest man in North America. At first Casper had been concerned that Kevin might have had an eating disorder, as he never seemed to eat. But since the visit to the emergency room, it seemed that wasn’t the case. Granted, he thought Kevin might sooner play Russian roulette than sit down and eat an entire slice of cake, but he was eating. Endless salads and raw vegetables. Once in a while, a splurge of grilled chicken breast, even.

It seemed like a sad existence to Casper. But he was a chef, one who specialized in pastries. He assumed Kevin probably felt similarly about Casper’s lack of interest in fashion. Not that Kevin had much of a choice, it seemed; he’d told Casper that these types of food were the only kind that didn’t trigger his acid reflux. Though it seemed the diet wasn’t helping too much, given the amount of Aciphex he took.

And, honestly, Casper hadn’t minded watching Kevin work out. He wore tight shorts and an equally tight tank top. The only thing Casper would change would be to make them white instead of royal blue. With the amount of sweat during Kevin’s cardio workouts, it would have made the view even more enjoyable. While not bulky in a bodybuilder way, the man was one compact body of muscle.

Beautiful.

Casper had to give himself credit. He’d done a fairly impressive job of being able to stare at Kevin without getting caught. Since that kiss two days earlier, things hadn’t exactly been tense between the two of them, but they’d both been careful to give each other space. Casper wished it would have some effect on his desire for Kevin, but then again, how much could he expect when he allowed himself to stare? It was like an alcoholic licking shot glasses.

At the thought, Casper got off the elliptical, wiped it dry, and walked over to Kevin, careful to get his attention without touching him.

Kevin pulled out one of his earbuds. “You done?”

“Yeah.” He patted his flat stomach. “We fatties can’t keep up with the likes of you.”

“Meet you up in the room in about—” Kevin glanced at his watch. “—forty minutes.”

“Works for me. Still on for tonight?”

“You bet.”

Casper took his time, already knowing that forty minutes in Kevin’s workout world was more like an hour. He also took the precaution, as he had every day, of jacking off under the warm shower, doing his best to think of anyone besides Kevin. He succeeded, some of the time. The act was more necessity than anything else. Sleeping in the bed next to Kevin’s was somewhat torturous.

Sure enough, an hour later Kevin returned to their room to shower and get ready. While he waited, Casper opened his newly purchased journal. Since designing the wedding cake for Devina Malloy, he’d really begun to feel like a genuine part of Bella Dolce. He wasn’t just a baker. He was a wedding dessert specialist. Or at least he needed to be. And he was starting to feel like it. He’d already drafted designs for marzipan doves, wedding bells, and tiny cakes. There were pages of cupcakes that were wedding themed, not to mention cookies of nearly limitless designs. He had plans to come up with ornate tarts and macaroons that could be stacked to resemble tiered wedding cakes. It was perfect. There would be plenty of sales outside of wedding cakes with all the people coming into the brownstone. And he hadn’t even asked Charu to start dreaming up options.