Fashioned for Love

Debra has risen to the top of Silver Script Ad Agency, and she loves everything about it. The one thing she's missing is someone by her side, but thanks to several bitter breakups in her past, she's done with that part of her life. . . at least that's what she claims.

Lance knew from the time he was young that fashion was where he belonged. He has built his own billion-dollar empire, and he's happy with the direction Walker Apparel is going. But when Debra Thompson enters his life, he realizes he's missing something that only she can offer.

When Debra receives a phone call that changes everything, she and Lance must decide if their budding romance can survive the major curveball that life has decided to throw at them, or if it's better to continue on their separate paths.

 Debra clicked save on the file and leaned back in her chair, smiling. The ads for the Walker Apparel clothing line had come out perfect, and she couldn’t wait to see their reaction. A glance at the clock told her she was running late and needed to leave for the New Year’s party.

The thought of skipping it ran through her mind for the hundredth time, but she knew she couldn’t. She’d promised she’d be there, and her only other option was sitting
on her couch eating leftovers while the ball dropped. As appealing as that sounded, she knew she needed to be around people.

With a sigh, she stood and pulled on her coat and gloves. The weather had been nasty all December long and hadn’t improved. She slipped off her heels and put on her snow boots. Fashion was great until you fell and broke your leg. She put the heels in her bag and left her office, making sure it was locked behind her.

Most of the lights in the building were off as she left. The employees of Silver Script Ad Agency had been given permission to work from home if needed because of the weather. Debra only lived a few subway stops away, so it wasn’t hard to go in.
With the deadline for the ads approaching, she’d spent several hours at the office over the Christmas holiday. Keeping this account meant a lot to the agency.

Debra took the elevator down and stepped out onto the tiled floor. The soft thudding of her boots echoed off the walls of the large reception area as she walked to the door. The Christmas decorations that had adorned the room all month had been put away sometime during the day, leaving it feeling bare. She pushed the door open and walked out into the icy wind.

New York City was packed full of partiers by the time Debra made it to Times Square. Shouts among friends mixed with the music, filling her senses. She had to push her way
through the crowds, apologizing as she brushed past them. It was only a few blocks, but it took much longer than she’d planned.

After checking the address again, Debra pulled the door open to a reception center and slipped inside. She’d hoped for a little less chaos, but it was just as crazy inside. Music pounded throughout the room, and lights flashed. People shouted at each other, trying to hear their friends over the noise. The smell of alcohol and too many bodies reminded Debra of why she made a point to avoid these places.

 She made her way past the main party and found the conference room where David, the owner of Silver Script Ad Agency, had snagged a spot. The idea to do a New Year’s Party had been a last minute thing
and most of the events centers in the city were booked. He’d invited all the
clients from the past year, and by the look of it, most of them had made a
point to show up.

Debra scanned the room and found Erin near the back, laughing with a group of friends. After a quick hello to other employees, she made her way over to where Erin stood.

“Hey.” She nodded at the other people in the group before accepting a drink from a waiter. “It’s packed in here.”

Erin laughed. “I think you could say that about the entire city. I’m glad you made it. I was worried you would work all night.”

“I didn’t have to. You did a great job with the designs.” Debra sipped her drink, wincing at the bitterness. She should have just gone with water.

“Thank you. So, you’ve met Jake and Carissa. This is her husband, Matt. And this is Lance Walker from Walker Apparel.”

Debra’s breath caught when she met Lance’s green eyes. She’d communicated with him over email
and on the phone about his clothing line, but they’d never met face to face. She’d had too many projects she was overseeing and had turned this one over to Erin and Carissa. Now she wished she’d been more involved. Not that she wanted
anything to happen. She’d given up on love a long time ago.

“So this is the mysterious Debra. Erin and Carissa have raved about how much you taught both of them. It’s nice to finally meet you.” His smile showed a dimple in his left cheek, and it made Debra go weak in the knees.

Debra forced out a laugh. “While I’d love to take the praise, most of the credit goes to them. They surpassed what I taught them long ago.”

“Don’t listen to her. She’s amazing.” Erin picked up a drink from the tray that was offered and thanked the waiter.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Debra. Please excuse me, I need to go say hi to an old friend.” He held out his hand and she took it, impressed by his firm grip. “I’ll see you later.”

Debra stared after him until she caught Erin and Carissa giggling.

Erin cleared her throat. “You should see your face right now. Talk about a schoolgirl crush.”

“What? No. I mean, yes he’s attractive, but you know I’m not interested in dating anymore.”
Debra glanced around to see where he’d gone. She told herself she just wanted to make sure he was being helped, but the flutter in her stomach betrayed her.

“Right. Neither was I.” Erin looked up at Jake and smiled.

Debra chuckled. “Fair enough. I’m going to go get something to eat and make the rounds. See you in a bit.”

“He’s over by the drinks,” Erin called out.

Debra shook her head and went in the opposite direction. Nate stepped in front of her, blocking the way. His cologne was too strong as usual, and he wore his “I-could-talk-your-ear-off” expression. She forced herself to smile. “Hey, Nate.”

“Hey, Debra. I’m surprised to see you here.” Nate took a drink from his glass.

“I finished what I was working on. Besides, I promised Erin I would come, so here I am.” Debra glanced at Nate’s date. She was a cute blonde girl who looked like she
would rather be anywhere else besides talking to a bunch of business people. He most likely grabbed her on the way to the party so he wouldn’t be alone. “How
was your Christmas?”

Nate made a face. “I’ve had better. Our pipes froze and we had to spend the day with blow dryers on them.”

“Hate it when that happens. I had to keep one sink at a slow trickle so it wouldn’t do that.” Debra’s old landlord had been terrible at getting in to do the repairs, so she’d figured out how to do most of them on her own.

Nate made a face. “Yeah, I tried that, but Roger likes to turn it off as he’s leaving. The whole saving the earth thing. Never mind the lack of water when it freezes. I think it’s time to get a place of my own.”

Debra noticed the girl checking out one of the younger guys at the party. Nate would be lucky if she didn’t ditch him before midnight. “That might be wise. Well, you two have a great time. I’m going to find something to eat. It was nice to meet you …”

“Katie.” The blonde smiled and turned away, checking out yet another guy.

 Poor Nate. He really needed to find someone who appreciated him. Debra found the dessert table and picked up a plate. The caterers had gone all out with the food. Finger sandwiches, crackers with crab
or other toppings, hors d’oeuvres, and trays filled with cakes, cupcakes, and brownies. She picked out some crackers and sandwiches, then grabbed some celery and carrot sticks.

“Ah, good choice with the crackers. The crab is perfect.” Lance stood behind Debra with his plate. His voice sent a thrill through her. “I have to admit I’ve already had several of them.”

“Thanks for the recommendation.” She picked up a napkin and glass of water, trying to appear calm. It was irritating how flustered she’d become around someone she’d just met.

Lance took a few of the crackers along with some cake. “There are tables in the back. We can sit together if you’d like.”

“Sure.” Debra reminded herself to breathe as she followed Lance through the crowd. This was just eating a snack together. She avoided looking in Erin’s direction, positive
that she and Carissa were watching her and laughing.

“Does this work for you?” Lance set his plate down.

Debra put her plate next to his. “It’s great.”

Lance pulled her chair out for her and then sat down. “Thanks for sitting with me. I know some of these people, but it was getting a little overwhelming.”

“I know the feeling.” She took a bite of the cracker, and savored the taste of the crab salad. They’d picked the perfect herbs and sauce for it.

“See? It’s like a burst of heaven for your senses.” Lance popped one from his plate into his mouth.

Debra smiled and finished the rest of the cracker. “You’re right. So, I take it you’re not in to big parties?”

“I don’t mind them for a while, but then I like to hide back in my office.”

“Fashion shows must be torture for you then. All those people staring at you.” Debra smiled at a couple who walked past. She recognized them from a commercial she’d worked on
a few months before.

“Those aren’t so bad. I usually hide in the back and run things there and let my assistants do the emcee part.” He wiped his mouth. “Besides, I like to make sure everything is just perfect before I let the model up on the stage.”

“I can understand that. Oh, and your ads were approved and sent on to the magazines. I did it just before coming tonight.”