Page 40 of Fake Dating Mr. Prince

StealingforElaine was wrong, but it was worse knowing I was expected to stealfromDean. After everything we’d shared last night, a heaviness settled in my stomach when I thought about betraying him. If he found out I was the one to take the designs, he’d never speak to me again. That thought tore me apart.

Burda walked in as I dropped heavily into my seat. “Hey,” I said.

“Hey,” she responded, her eyes narrowing when she took in my despondent face. “What’s going on, sweet girl?”

I shrugged, trying to keep it together and quickly losing that battle. My eyes welled up with tears. Burda knew what my stepmother had asked of me and was furious with her. I’d made her promise not to say anything. I didn’t want Burda to get into trouble because of me.

Burda shut the door behind her and pulled up a stool to sit next to me. “Tell me,” she requested softly.

The look of compassion on Burda’s face only made me feel worse. She’d sacrificed other jobs to stay here, to protect me, and I felt like I was letting her down. I should be helping and protecting her. My business idea was supposed to allow me to do that. “The fabric box is gone.”

Her startled gaze met mine. She shifted in her seat to get a better look under my desk. “What? When?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. It was here yesterday.”

Fire seared through Burda’s gaze. “You and I both know who took it.”

“Or maybe the cleaning crew threw it out, not realizing what it was.” Even after all the times she’d treated me terribly, I found myself defending my stepmother. I couldn’t help it.

“We can figure this out. It’ll take time, but we can pool our money together and buy you even better fabric than what you had.”

I took her small hands in mine. “Burda, I don’t want your money. You need it.”

“For what, sweetheart? I’m an old lady. I don’t need much.”

I knew Burda lived a modest life, and from experience, I knew Elaine paid us crap for our jobs. She couldn’t afford to give me money for something I wasn’t sure would work. “I might have another way,” I whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear.

“An investor?”

“Maybe. I’m supposed to bring my business plan and samples with me to work tonight.” I paused, afraid to say his name in this space in case it brought my stepmother’s attention back to me. “Dean Prince has offered to look at it and give me advice.”

Burda’s eyes lit up at the possibility of my dream coming true. Besides Stella, she was my biggest fan and supporter. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her over the years.

She withdrew her hands from my own and cupped my face. “Then let’s make sure you’ve got your A-game. Give me your pitch.”

I nervously looked around the room. “Here? What if she overhears us?”

Burda pshawed. “And so what? Her control can only go so far, Ashlyn. If we continue to get our work done, she can’t stop us from talking. Besides, who else would she get to sew for her when she pays peanuts?”

I bit my lip, uncertain. A bad feeling weighed me down.

“Let’s get to work. You sell me your business as thoughI’mMr. Prince.” She stood and pulled me up with her.

I brushed away the feeling of dread, imagining it must be nerves filling me at a real chance of getting my business off the ground. Burda was right. My stepmother couldn’t stop us from talking, and she already knew about my business idea. There was nothing she could do. Even if she found out about my meeting with Dean, she couldn’t stop it.

Things would work out. They just had to.