Beauty and the Boss, page 32
and that most probably was the hardest thing to overcome
when it came to where he stood.
“I want to talk to Charlotte alone,” he said, making her
look at Charlotte, who nodded.
“Use my office, and we’ll hang out next door in case you
need anything,” she said, taking Sawyer’s hand.
“Don’t leave, okay, Sawyer? I want to talk to you too, if
that’s all right,” Kyle asked, and Sawyer nodded as well, so
she watched Kyle follow Charlotte in and close the door.
Her sense of jealousy made her want to run in there and
tell him to stay the hell away from Charlotte, but she had
faith in what they shared. It frankly sucked, though, to be an
adult, but baby steps, she thought, and smiled.
“It’s okay. She loves you,” Sawyer said, as if reading her
mind.
“Thanks, kid, and you’re right.”
* * *
“I didn’t know what it was you wanted to do until
tonight,” Kyle said, glancing around the space.
“How’d you figure it out?” Charlotte sat down, folding her
legs under her. She and Kyle had been through plenty, but
all they had in common now was Sawyer.
“Ellis invited me to the show, so I went.” He sat down on
the edge of one of the leather chairs and put the envelope
he’d brought next to his feet. “I didn’t know Sawyer could
draw like that.”
“She’s really good, and Ellis helped her transfer that to
canvases this summer for the show tonight. She even sold
one, so we started a college fund.”
“That’s good,” he said loudly. “She’s a good kid, so she
deserves that.”
“She is, so we can both be proud.” She watched him look
everywhere except at her. “Did you need something?”
“You and me had some good times, huh?” He sounded
wistful and hopeful at the same time, so she was confused.
“That was a long time ago, and I was too young to really
know that maybe it wasn’t all that much fun. I’ll never
regret having Sawyer, but raising her by myself has been
hard. My parents helped a lot, but it was difficult because
Sawyer wasn’t their responsibility—she was ours, but you’ve
never wanted anything to do with her. Don’t try to gloss
over that now.”
“You and her are together, aren’t you?”
“If you mean Ellis, yes, we are, and if you think you’re
going to use that—”
“Wait, just wait. It’s only a question. I know I screwed up
and there’s no going back. I should’ve done better with
Sawyer and you, but I can’t change that.” He combed his
hair out of his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t think it’s
weird she’s my sister?”
“No, because I doubt Ellis sees you that way, and nothing
would change between us even if she did. I love her and so
does Sawyer, so I hope you can accept that. Ellis isn’t going
anywhere.”
“I always hoped we’d be a family, but I know I fucked
that up. I haven’t been great with her, but I love her, you
know. She’s my kid.”
“I know she is.” It was becoming clear that he wouldn’t
be giving in so easily. “I hope you’ll be okay with Ellis in her
life. You may not like her, but Sawyer idolizes her, and for
good reason. She loves spending time with her, and Sawyer
opened up and flourished under that attention. Ellis
managed to get her to share her art with her after the first
five minutes of knowing her. Up to then I was the only one
who knew she liked to draw and was that good.”
“Ouch,” he said, holding his hands over his chest. “I
deserved that, but I signed the papers.” He picked up the
envelope and handed it over. “I don’t want the money, but
I’d still like to see her. Maybe we could start over if I promise
she’ll actually spend time with me and only me.”
“Sawyer would love that.”
“And if things don’t work out, you can call me, okay?”
She smiled at the offer and was glad to let go of old
hurts. “Thanks, but I’m not planning to let her go.”
“Make sure she never forgets how lucky she is.”
Charlotte stood and hugged him, kissing his cheek for his
generosity. “Thank you.”
She walked him next door, where he talked to Sawyer
about what came next and told her not to worry. There
would be no court and no fight over her. He finished by
shaking hands with Ellis and apologizing for his part in the
scheme against her. That had been a surprise, considering
his attitude, but Ellis had graciously accepted.
“See you soon, Sawyer,” he said, standing to go.
“You’ll see her next Saturday, actually,” Ellis said,
handing over a sheet of paper. “You and Sawyer are starting
art classes at ten, and you have reservations for lunch at
one. Don’t be late.”
“How do you know I can draw anything?” he said, not
refusing what she’d handed over.
“Call it a hunch on my part,” Ellis said, and winked at
him. “It’s all in the genes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Can you believe it?” Charlotte said after they were
finally alone in their room.
“Which part? The show was fabulous, but knowing that
we can move forward together with Kyle’s blessing was the
best part of tonight.” Ellis slowly took her suit off, circling
Charlotte and pressing against her back. “You and Sawyer
are going to be the centerpiece of my life. I love you, and
you’ll never doubt my devotion for you.”
“I know that, my love, and I’m looking forward to
whatever comes next, because no matter what it is, we’ll be
together.”
“I’ve got one more surprise for you tonight,” Ellis said,
turning her to face the wall that had a sheet-draped
something leaning against it. “It’s the first of many, I’m
guessing.”
“What do mean?” Whatever it was didn’t excite her as
much as Ellis lowering her zipper and putting her hands
inside her dress. “Do you know something, baby?”
“What’s that?” Ellis used her fingers to push the dress off
her shoulders so it would drop to the ground. The
anticipation of Ellis’s touch made her nipples so hard
against the lace of her bra it was almost painful.
“You make me hungry for you,” she said, turning around
and kissing her. “That’s never happened to me, but when
you’re this close, I can’t help but want you.”
“The feeling is mutual, and I want to show you how much
I love you.”
“Then touch me,” she said, impatiently tugging on Ellis’s
shirt to get it off.
“In a minute, but let’s look at your surprise first.” Ellis
moved them closer to the sheet and handed her a corner so
she could pull it down. “For you, my love.”
When she tugged, the canvas came into view, and she
knew immediately where it would hang, which made her cry.
Ellis’s wall up the stairs in New Orleans would for the first
time have a face to go with the dress that was the
centerpiece of that year’s collection, and it was hers.
“From the minute I met you, I thought you had the face
that could launch any line, and I was right. You’re beautiful,
sweetheart, and you’re mine. I’m one lucky bastard.”
“It’s beautiful, and I’m the lucky one in that you see me
like this.” She stood in the circle of Ellis’s arms and stared at
her likeness in disbelief. “When did you paint this?”
“This summer when I was working on the line that we
showed tonight. Sigrid is right in that you’ll be the muse
that fuels my imagination from this night on.”
“Thank you,” she said, turning around and raising her
head so Ellis would kiss her. “Make love to me.”
“Gladly,” Ellis said, and carried her to the bed.
They took their time making love that night, along with
plans far into their future together. “Do you fly down to New
Orleans any time aside from the summer?” Charlotte asked
as she lay next to Ellis.
“Mama and I actually head down for the holidays so
Uncle Malcom can fatten us up, as he likes to say, but I’m
sure he can cook here.”
“No. I’m looking forward to making traditions with you.”
“You’re a gift, Charlotte, and I love you. I didn’t think it
was possible to be this happy.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, Boss.”
“I’m looking forward to every minute of it, beautiful.”
Sixteen years later
“So that’s the whole story,” Sawyer said to the Vogue
reporter. Her solo show was the next day, but she’d made
time for the recounting of her family’s history. Her mom Ellis
had always preached that the clothes were important, but
the hype was part of the package.
“And Rueben, Jennifer, and Dalton? Why did they seem to
get away with what they did? From what the police told me,
they all could’ve done a lot more time for what they stole.”
“The angle you should write about is not that they got
away with it, but my mother’s capacity for forgiveness. She
forgave them the crime, and they paid with what they tried
to take from her.”
“Which was what?”
“In a word—everything. The civil lawsuit left the three of
them with very little, and Angelo Bollio was exposed for his
part in their plan. His business suffered just like the
magazine Styles and Trends did.”
“Hardly anyone remembers that poor excuse for a
publication.” The woman closed her notebook so Sawyer
guessed that wasn’t making it into the article.
“Off the record,” she said, and the woman nodded, “the
same could be said of Angelo Bollio’s clothes.”
“True, but the same can’t be said of your stuff. Sigrid has
always said you were a prodigy.”
“Hardly. My mom claims it’s all in the genes.”
Like Ellis had promised, her T-shirt line had debuted the
year after Rueben had been fired. It had become a good
seller, and both Charlotte and Ellis had helped her grow as a
designer and develop her own style, which had been
introduced into the Renois line through the years. This year,
though, her mothers had gifted her with her own label.
“Lucky break, being one of Ellis Renois’s kids,” the
woman said with a smile.
“Ha,” she said, laughing. “My parents were forever
nicknamed beauty and the boss, but they’re not known for
letting anyone skate, especially me and my brother Malcom.
They made us work for everything, but they’ve both shown
us what true love really is. That was our lucky break, not
having Renois for a last name.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not putting that in the article. Your
brother is young and sweet, but he’s as tough as Amis and
Opal when it comes to taking up for you and your mothers.”
Sawyer’s phone rang, and she apologized for answering
it. “Hey, Mama.” She listened as Charlotte reminded her of a
long list of things she’d already done. “Got it covered, so tell
Mom not to stress over it anymore. I promise to do you both
proud.”
The way Charlotte laughed never failed to make her
smile. Her mother’s laughter had been so fleeting before
Ellis came into her life, since she had constantly worried
about what came next and how she’d take care of them
both. Ellis had given them both a secure foundation to fly
from and the fairy tale Charlotte had always dreamed of.
Their life had totally changed when they came to live
with Ellis in New York and New Orleans, but no matter where
they were, they were at home with Ellis, Amis, Opal, and
Malcom. They were a family, and their love and support
gave her a sense of fearlessness to climb as high as she
could dream, and they gave her a relationship with her
father she didn’t think possible.
Those art lessons had been the beginning of her and Kyle
getting to know each other, and he’d come to be the type of
parent she’d never dreamed he could be. Eglin had
predictably disappeared once he knew none of the Renois
money would be coming his way, but Kyle and Ellis had
become friends in the years that followed. Ellis had even
helped him get a job in the art department at Vogue, and
he’d gone on to remarry. That chance meeting with Ellis had
brought them all that happy ending they didn’t think
possible.
Their happiness only grew when Ellis adopted her, and
then they welcomed her baby brother Malcom a few years
later.
“If that’s it, I’ve got to run,” she said when she ended the
call.
“Everything okay?”
“Perfect, but as my mothers love to say, the story
continues, and plenty of happiness is still to come.”
About the Author
Ali Vali is originally from Cuba and has frequently used many
of her family’s traditions and language in her stories. Having
her father read adventure stories and poetry before bed as
a child infused her with a love of reading, which is even
stronger today. In 2000, Ali decided to embark on a new
path and started writing.
Ali lives in the suburbs of New Orleans with her partner of
thirty-one years, and finds that residing in such a historically
rich area provides plenty of material to draw from in
creating her novels and short stories. Mixing imagination
with different life experiences makes it easier to create the
slew of characters that are engaging to the reader on many
levels. Ali states that “The feedback from readers
encourages me to continue to hone my skills as a writer.”
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