Page 7

Jade

I could have counted on one hand the number of times I’d been to the Bellissima offices since learning the truth about my birth mother. I just never felt like it was necessary for me to come down here. But today it was necessary.

It was also a little eerie walking down the hallway from the reception desk to Maria’s corner office. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that I knew I was about to ask for a job or what, but I wasn’t loving this feeling.

All that was forgotten, though, as I went from feeling strange to sick when I saw Dom and Maria kissing next to her desk.

“Can’t you two give it a rest?” I joked and covered my eyes.

They had a baby on the way and still couldn’t seem to get enough of each other—something was definitely wrong with them.

Maria pulled back first and blushed. “Hi, Jade. Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you.”

“This is your office, right?” I asked and looked around to make sure I wasn’t mistaken, and I hadn’t walked in on them at home. Nope, done that before, this is definitely her office. “Do you not expect visitors in your office?”

“Funny,” Dom said and chuckled as he picked up his aviators from her desk and turned on his heel. “Enjoy lunch, baby. I’ll see you tonight at home.”

Beaming, Maria’s gaze couldn’t be peeled from a retreating Dom. “Thank you for dropping it off.”

With Dom gone and Maria still in her Dom-haze, I dropped down onto the couch along the wall in her office and resigned myself to waiting for her to lose the stars in her eyes.

In the meantime, I looked around and tried to envision myself sitting in her chair, working in her office.

Well, maybe not hers—hers was about ten times bigger than the average office here with two walls of windows, the couch, a small table with two chairs, and a mini fridge, among other things.

The point was, I just wasn’t sure I could see myself working in a big, glass building in Manhattan.

Not unless it was as someone’s assistant. Then that picture made sense.

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Maria finally noted as she sat down at the small table and opened the paper bag that no doubt contained the lunch Dom had just brought her.

My brows came to a deep V. “Why’s that?”

She shrugged. “No reason. Can’t I just be glad?”

“No.” I shook my head, wondering if she was euphoric from her little make-out session with Dom or if it was pregnancy-related, but either way something was up. Maybe this was my chance, though, to get right down to it and ask for the job I so desperately needed thanks to a certain CEO.

I cleared my throat as Maria pulled back the foil from what looked like a hot sandwich.

“I’m starving. I’d offer you some, but—”

Once the whiff of it hit my nose, I shot my hand up.

“Nope, it’s all good. You enjoy.” I walked over and sat down in the chair opposite of her at the table.

Although, I seriously questioned why I did that because it put me in much closer proximity to the smell of whatever she was eating.

“I need a favor,” I started and waited, searching her face for a reaction.

When none came, I wondered if she’d heard me.

“Maria, I need a favor.” Maybe the second time she’d hear me.

She only nodded and wiped her lips. “I heard you. I’m just waiting for you to go on.”

Where was the cringe that I was sure I’d see color her expression? Where was the eye roll? The annoyance? Didn’t it bother her to know I needed something from her? I knew Maria was entirely different from me, but no one liked to be asked for a favor. It couldn’t just be me. Right?

Shaking my head, I decided to chalk it up to Maria being a much better person than I was and swallowed my pride. “I need a job, and remember when you needed someone to fill your old role of fashion editor? I was kind of hoping it’d still be available, and I could—”

“It’s still available.”

“Would I maybe—”

“If you want it, it’s yours.”

Could it seriously be that easy? I looked down at my ripped jeans and white cotton shirt, pulling on the hem of it. “I’m not the most—”

“It’s okay. There’s more to the job than just dressing nice. Plus, I can teach fashion.”

Could that be taught, I wondered but bit my tongue. No use in challenging the woman who just gave me a job no questions asked. “So that’s it?”

Laughing, Maria took another bite of her sandwich and shook her head.

Waiting for her to chew and swallow was killing me, but it had to be done, so I sat there and studied my sister.

She was something special. They all were—the Morellis—but I had a special place in my heart for Maria.

Maybe it was because of everything we’d gone through, what with my trying to break down the thirty-foot wall she’d had around her when it came to me.

Not that I blamed her. I was just thinking here.

Finally, Maria spoke. “You’ll have to do paperwork with HR and we need to take you shopping, but otherwise, yes. That’s it. Welcome to Bellissima .”

I sat back and relaxed, the steel bar that was holding my spine straight all day from my nerves finally seeming to slip away. “You have no idea how great this is. Thank you.”

“Sure.” Maria wiped her lips again and took a sip of her water.

“So, what happened to your job with the hunky Red Lyons?” I’d forgotten Maria’s affinity for the man.

They’d met for about ten seconds outside his place when she’d come to pick me up one day a few weeks ago and bam she liked him.

Meanwhile, I worked with him and was now stuck being his fake fiancée, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the sexy, pompous ass.

I sighed and tilted my head back, looking up at the ceiling. Where to begin. “We’re engaged. I can’t be his assistant any longer.”

Shaking her head, Maria put her sandwich down and wiped her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure I heard you right. Engaged?”

Rolling my eyes, I repeated the word even though it was starting to make my skin crawl. “Engaged.” I couldn’t believe I was saying it, either.

“Is this for real or like when Perla got together with Frankie? Which wasn’t real, by the way. Not sure if you heard that story. They got married for some legal thing Frankie was dealing with.”

I’d heard the story. I supposed in some ways it was just like that.

Only, we weren’t getting married. At least not that I knew of.

Never mind, scratch that. We definitely weren’t getting married.

I wouldn’t let it get that far. I didn’t believe in love and marriage, so even if it was all for show, I wasn’t going to go along with it.

Finally, I spoke. “I guess you could say it’s like that.

This is for some business thing for him.

He needs to appear to be a man in a committed relationship.

Apparently, I was the only available woman around when he came up with the farce. ”

Maria sucked air between her teeth and sat back. “Oof. That’s wild. I’m excited for you, though. If nothing else, it’ll be fun, and you need a job which means you’ll be working here with us. So, I’m going to call it a win.”

Elbows on the table, I clasped my hands together. “Glad someone sees it that way.” I was about to push her on the job topic again because I needed to know more about what I just got myself involved in, but my phone vibrated in my bag. I turned around and eyed it still on the couch.

“You can get that.”

“Thanks.” I stood up and walked the distance to fish it out, leaving my sister to finish her sandwich. Immediately I saw a text from Red.

Reddington: How do you feel about an engagement party at my parents’ country club?

I thought about that for a minute, and while it was in my nature to make a stink about it—every part of me fighting hard against not doing that, by the way—I typed back something else entirely.

Jade: Sure. Why not? Tell me when and where.

Then I realized he needed to know something.

Jade: I’m not having any part in planning it, though. You obviously want this party, so it’s on you.

Reddington: I had no idea you could be so agreeable.

Jade: Don’t get used to it.

Unless maybe he should because I had a feeling the only way this would work is if I learned how to just go with the flow. The very rich flow. The champagne-and-caviar flow.

Before I could toss my phone back in my bag, another text came through. This time from the group chat I had with my sisters.

And it was Maria.

Which was strange because she was sitting right behind me.

I clicked on it to open it up and see what she had to say.

Maria: Jade’s engaged. And she’s going to be our fashion editor. Sorry, Jade, but I had to.

I turned around and raised a brow as I stared her down.

“Why?”

She shrugged. “Because it’s more fun when everyone knows.

” By everyone she meant her three sisters, who were also my half sisters, all younger than me (that was Perla, Bianca, and Allegra—affectionately known as Allie) since we all shared a mother (Regina Morelli).

Now we could all say we worked at Bellissima .

Well, except Bianca, who had used to work in the magazine’s advertising department until she’d up and decided to pursue her passion and dream of being a wedding dress designer.

I’d seen her designs, too, and she was talented, to say the least. I mean, I didn’t know squat about fashion, but I knew when I liked something.

In my opinion, she’d made the right call.

“Where was that logic when you spent three plus years sneaking around with Dom behind everyone’s backs?” I quipped, remembering how when I’d first found out the friends had become friends with benefits, and she’d wanted me to keep their secret.

But she waved me off. “That’s different. I’m telling you, things are more fun when we use the group chat as it was intended.”

“For gossiping?”

“For sharing. Complaining. Sometimes gossiping. Oh, lighten up, Jade!” Maria smiled like her megawatt smile was the only energy source responsible for powering the building.

If only I had a fraction of the energy she had.

Another text signaled just then. Since it seemed Maria had unleashed all our sisters on me, I figured it’d be smarter if I took the phone back with me to sit down.

Perla: Congratulations!

Allegra: Who’s the man?

Maria: Her boss.

Allegra: Scandalous.

Maria: It’s all fake, though. Kind of like how you and Frankie started out, Perla.

Perla: A word of caution—watch out!

I had a feeling I wouldn’t need to watch out for anything. Red and I would never become like her and Frankie. I was very much a realist and knew when to see something for what it was, and this was one of those times.

Allegra: She’s right.

My sisters were just hilarious, weren’t they? If I couldn’t beat them, then I might as well join them, I decided. So, I added fuel to the already burning fire.

Jade: He just gave me the good news that we’re having an engagement party. You’re all invited.

Allegra: Oooh, fun!

Perla: You’re planning an engagement party? Let me know if you need any help.

Jade: Nooo. Absolutely not. I won’t be doing that. This was his idea, he can plan it himself. Not that he would. The more likely scenario is that his mother will probably hire someone to plan it. It’s at their country club.

Allegra: Fancy. My ovaries just fluttered.

Jade: Your boyfriend and child’s father wouldn’t be happy about that.

Allegra: Oh, please. Brady knows his is the only cock I want.

Maria: All right, not necessary.

Allegra: It’s not like I said he can’t live without my boobs, which he can’t, by the way. He loves them.

Jade: Getting off topic here.

“That happens a lot in this chat,” Maria informed me in person.

I shook my head. “I’m sitting right here with you, texting our sisters. This is weird.”

She shrugged as another text came in, and we both looked down to check who it was this time.

Bianca: You’ll need a dress. Something fabulous.

Maria: Something blue.

I started to type something but stopped myself. Angling my head, I looked up at Maria, not sure why I was texting her back when I could just ask her my question. “Why blue?”

“Blue is our color,” Maria stated like it was a well-established fact.

“Naturally,” I said and nodded as if I knew that. I didn’t, by the way.

Bianca: I’m on it. I already know the perfect dress. I’ll be in the city tomorrow, so I’ll drop it off.

Jade: You don’t have to.

Perla: She does.

Perla: Not for you, I mean. But for her. She has to. She can’t sleep until she’s styled all of us when something’s going on like this.

Allegra: It’s true.

Bianca: It’s my sickness. Let me have my fun. Okay?

Maria eyed me across the table, so I threw my hands up in the air. “Fine!”

Jade: Okay.

Maria: Bring some options for her to wear to the office, too. She’ll need them. She starts tomorrow.

After reading that one, I did a double take. “Tomorrow?” Was she for real?

“No time to waste. I’ve done two jobs for long enough. We need you. I need you. I’m pregnant, you know,” she reminded me as she rubbed her barely there baby bump. “You won’t let me and my baby down, will you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but you can’t use the pregnancy card again for another three months.”

She sighed but smiled wide again. “Noted. I’ll be in my next trimester by then, so it’ll be perfect!”

“You’re deranged,” I replied and stood up. “And I’m leaving because I have some research to do about what it means to be a fashion editor.”

“While you’re researching things, you might want to see if there’s a way you won’t end up engaged to Red for real by the end of this.” She wiggled her brows suggestively.

But Maria was wrong. It was stupidly optimistic thinking on her part because Red and I were never going to be anything more than what we were to each other, which was nothing. Especially now that I was no longer his personal assistant.

Nope. I was officially Bellissima’s newest fashion editor.

Boy, was I screwed, and not in the fun way.

Going to my text thread with Red, I decided I should let him know the good news.

Jade: I’ll be working at Bellissima now.

Reddington: Sisters working together. Now that’s what I like to hear.

Why did I even bother with him?