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“Come to Colorado.”
“To the boonies?” I huff, wiping at my face.
“Maybe you could come out here for a while. I’ve got business ventures going on, working with Caleb. I bought this house last year, but I haven’t done anything with the guest cabin on the property yet.”
“That’s your idea? Come hide in the wilderness?”
“No. You have no reason to hide from anything. In fact, this is perfect.”
“My life falling apart is perfect?”
He grunts. “Your life isn’t falling apart. You just finished school. If anything, your life is just starting.”
It doesn’t feel like it.
“Caleb is getting married, remember?”
I know he can’t be telling me this in some twisted, sick sense of rubbing salt in the wound, but I glare at the wall. “Yeah. I know.”
“Lauren is having a hell of a time finding a wedding dress. According to Aubrey, she’s getting downright frantic, fretting about it. I bet you could design something that would work.”
I blink, letting his proposal settle through the haze of crying. Now, this perks me up. Design a dress for a woman who can’t find what she wants? That’s a puzzle I would love to solve, while I ignore the bigger riddle of what to do with my future.
True to his nature, Dalton stays quiet. He doesn’t need to campaign any further after planting that seed for me to stew on.
I gaze out the window, seeing the Paris cityscape as a distant image. It’s not the area I love and want to be part of right now. I’m not a fan of bugs and wild animals, but maybe my cousin has a point here. Perhaps a change of scenery is just the thing I need.
I bet the reception is bad out there, too. That alone—not having easy access for my mother’s calls—sounds like utopia.
I never imagined visiting the West, not that far, up on a mountain, but now it sounds like just the place to find my footing.
“How soon can I come?”
Chapter 3
Claire
A week isn’t a long time, but it feels like I’ve been waiting an eternity to come to Colorado. After spending years in Paris, I’ve had to disassemble it within days. I’m not sure yet if I’ll return for that apprenticeship position after I spend time in Colorado. There is no way in hell I’ll want to stay there, of all places. I’m not an average, outdoor-loving kind of girl. Considering a future way out there in the middle of the mountains is crazy talk, but I’m game to try it for a while.
I’m not certain what my state of mind will be with this change of scenery. I’m hoping I can relax without the pressure to date or even meet any men. I’m really counting on the crappy reception Dalton complains about. The inability to be reached sounds like a blessing, so I’m looking forward to zero calls or emails from my mother. But most of all, the allure of designing Lauren’s gown consumes me. I’m excited. I’m focused. Even on the flight to Denver, I’m imagining ideas and shifting through options of what I could present to her. That’s why I’m losing interest in that job offer. I don’t have to make a decision on it yet, but I realized Lauren would kind of be a job. She won’t be a client, not at all. I won’t accept a single cent from her because she’s Caleb’s fiancée. He’s like family, so she will be, too.
Besides, I muse as the flight attendant checks up and down the aisle that everyone is prepared for landing, I can’t actually make her a dress. I’m assuming that Dalton will tell her I can design something for her, and I can—on paper. But I have nothing to make a gown for her. I’m coming to stay with them temporarily, and all I’m bringing are suitcases of my clothes and shoes. I have no sewing machine, no bolts of fabric, or dress forms to create any garment. Still, just talking about her dress and helping her find something is the next best thing.
We touch down in Denver, and I quickly secure my bags off the luggage carousel. Dalton texted me earlier to explain that he wouldn’t be free to pick me up, but Aubrey is available. So is Lauren, I realize when I see not one but two excited ladies waving at me.
The shorter woman with black waves is definitely Aubrey. Dalton sent me a picture of them last year when she agreed to move in with him. She’s even easier to identify because she’s holding up a sign written in black marker that says Welcome Claire Bear, Dalton’s teasing pet name for me because I was obsessed with my Care Bear stuffed animals when I was younger.
Taller and blonde, Lauren holds up a twin sign. She lowers it when I wave at them, and I wonder how they spotted me.
“Well, that was easy!” Lauren giggles as I approach. “You do look like a model.”
Aubrey rolls her eyes. “What? You were planning on guessing every model-like woman was her?” She smiles at me. “Welcome, Claire.” She furrows her brow. “You are, Claire, right? Not some soon-to-be traumatized stranger who’s going to call airport security on us for hitting on you?”
I stifle a laugh. They’re amusing already. “I’m Claire.” I hold my hand out for a shake. “Nice to meet you, Aubrey.”
She wrinkles her nose at my hand and instead lunges in for a side hug. Maybe she wanted a full hug, but my carry-on remains between us.
“I’m so excited you’re here!” Aubrey exclaims. “Dalton has told me so much about you, but that’s not the same as actually getting a chance to hang out with you.”
