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“Thanks,” I whispered back.
I put on the headphones so I wouldn’t miss any of the translation, though Tomas added in English. “…Hayden is finalizing his show at The Carrousel du Louvre. The internship operates as work, so be prepared to do whatever is necessary. Ask questions, never assume. And when you find your strength, make it known. Now, introduce yourselves and get to work.”
“I’m Wyatt. Enchanté.” The lanky man turned and shook my hand. “You’re the American.”
“Oui. Nadia. Enchantée. I love your jumpsuit.”
“Merci. C’est à moi; it’s mine. Totême?” He touched the lapel on my blazer.
“No, it’s mine.” I smiled.
He raised his brows, grinning.
We both introduced ourselves to the other interns, Ellie, and Patrick, before Josephine returned to us. She placed a hand on my shoulder and Wyatt’s. “I’m sorry to cut your greetings short, but you’ll have plenty of time to meet again. Hayden offered a couple of interns to work on his model fit for the fashion show in a few weeks. Tomas recommended you two.” Oh my God. This isn’t happening.
Wyatt and I beamed at each other. “Let’s go.”
We followed Josephine over to Hayden, whose gaze was full of scrutiny.
Tomas placed his hands on our backs. “You’re familiar with Wyatt Dubois. This is Nadia Sokol from New York Design.”
I held out my hand, and he took it firmly. “Bonjour, Monsieur Madsen. Ravi de vous rencontrer.” I’d practiced on the formal ‘nice to meet you’ greeting in French.
“Nice to meet you,” Hayden replied abruptly in English. He gave me a firm grip. His blue eyes scanned over the two of us and my pulse picked up. I’d chosen the suit Professor Elan had praised for its polished precision. Hayden spoke in French to Tomas, then turned to me. “I agreed to one intern. Wyatt.”
My stomach took a dive, but I kept my smile. “Whatever works best, Monsieur Madsen. Merci.”
Tomas shook his head behind me to let me know I gave the wrong answer. “If you only use one, the other will observe,” he told Hayden.
Hayden didn’t say a word and walked out of the studio.
Tomas squinted after him, but didn’t comment. Instead he called over Josephine. “Please introduce Wyatt to Anne. Wyatt, à bientôt.”
Wyatt left with Josephine, and Tomas turned his attention to me, frowning. “What was that, Nadia? You were offered to model fit for our Paris show.” His annoyance sharpened every syllable.
“Hayden said he wanted to work with Wyatt.” I lifted my shoulders. “I thought malleable worked better.”
“Not here. Be firm and direct. Never let anyone exclude you from an opportunity, ever.”
My face warmed. “Sorry, Tomas. I’ll do better.”
I hated disappointing Tomas right out the gate, but he was right. The internship could be career-making, and I couldn’t afford to be sidelined.
His face broke into a wide grin. “You will, and that’s the end of it.” He sighed and greeted me with kisses on both my cheeks. “I’m off the clock now, so I’m allowed to play favorites. I’m happy you’re here. What are you wearing?” He scrutinized like Professor Elan did when she critiqued. “You made it.”
I nodded.
“Ouah. It’s cool. Show it off.” He had me take off the blazer, and looked over my wide-leg slacks. “Hmmm.”
I did a playful spin and flipped the blazer over my shoulder.
Tomas laughed. “You’re so lovely, Nadia. Never change.”
Hayden had reappeared and Tomas exhaled but held up his hand to speak with him in French. “Excuse.”
I took the break to put my blazer back on and look around the studio. Most were leaving for the day, but the workstations held fabrics and mannequins were in various states of dress. My pulse raced with excitement.
“Nadia. Let’s go.” Tomas came over and linked arms with me and we headed towards the exit. I spared a glance over my shoulder at Hayden. Josephine stood next to him holding up leather bags, but his intense focus was unabashed on us.
