Family By Design

“That’s sensible.”

He opened the door and she slid into the passenger seat.

“Your colleague seems nice,” he commented once he’d pulled out of the parking space.

“She is. I’ve been friends with Nicole, Logan and Adam for years.”

“So you decided to go into business together.”

Rachel shifted in her seat to look at him. “We were ready to make a change. For different reasons, I suppose, though we talked for a long time about starting a talent agency where we could pursue our individual interests.”

“And what are those?”

“While we all have clients, Adam edits the blog and is making plans for developing a literary division for the agency. Nicole’s specialty is teen talent, not only models, but actors and singers...that sort of thing. She recently placed a talented singer in a movie being shot up in Vancouver. Logan plans to work with both models and photographers.”

“How about you?” Simon glanced at her, admiring the way every movement Rachel made seemed graceful and alluring. With difficulty he banished the thought—this meeting was business and had nothing to do with male-female attraction.

“I’m especially interested in clients who don’t fit stereotypes of popular beauty, but have their own unique qualities.”

“Aren’t all advertisers looking for distinctiveness?” he asked, thinking it was ironic that a woman who looked like Rachel, and who was such a classic beauty, wanted to work with clients who were different in some way.

“Yes and no. There’s a tendency for one type to become popular and suddenly everyone wants a version of it. But in recent years there’s been an exploration of talent that’s broader in scope.” She laughed. “I should say a renewed exploration. It’s cyclic, like the antihero in film and television or literature. You go through a period where a certain type is popular, then people start wanting something new.”

It made sense. “Do the unique individuals get the big contracts?”

“Occasionally, though it’s less likely, especially in modeling. People can find it challenging to recognize nontraditional beauty or good looks. But it’s happening.”

“Surely representing that sort of client isn’t the most profitable choice for a talent agency.”

Rachel cocked her head. “Perhaps, but we want to develop talent, whether it fits a certain mold or not. I never had the impression Liv’ing Creations was trying to compete with the huge designers, either. You said yourself that your wife wasn’t interested in becoming a clone of other fashion houses. The same goes for Moonlight Ventures—we don’t want to be a clone of other agencies.”

Simon thought about his father’s scorn at Olivia’s lack of mega-aspirations. She’d laughed about it, unconcerned that her father-in-law had disapproved of her goals. “Liv used to say she wanted to fill a niche in the market, but didn’t care about being the market.”

“I would have liked your wife. It... Well, it must still be hard without her.”

He managed a nod. Most of the time he could think about Olivia without being overwhelmed with pain, but it wasn’t easy. “At least the pain no longer hits like an 18-wheeler the way it did at first.”

Rachel straightened and stared through the windshield; her face seemed sad. “I’m sorry you lost what you had together. You were fortunate to have found someone like that.”

“Thank you.”

Strangely, for all the urging to “buck up,” the platitudes and the sentimentality that had been poured over him, Rachel’s quiet comment meant the most. Perhaps it came at the right moment, reminding him he had been fortunate. His life with Olivia hadn’t been perfect, but perfection was overrated. They’d been in love and had enjoyed nine good years together, which was more than many people got.

He glanced at Rachel, whose face still wore a sad, distant expression. Her divorce must have been difficult since she claimed to no longer be interested in marriage or romance.

Simon recalled seeing something about the end of her marriage in various internet articles, though he’d skipped over the gory details. She’d overcome pain in a number of different ways; he admired that.

He fixed his gaze forward, frustrated that he kept thinking about Rachel in such personal terms. Even if he was willing to consider another long-term relationship, he simply wasn’t ready.

Olivia was a ghost, haunting his heart and mind.

CHAPTER FOUR (#uc66128d9-cdea-5cf0-b7b4-e2b7eac7f63e)

RACHEL TOOK NOTE of several things as they walked into the reception area for Liv’ing Creations. The most interesting aspect was that it must have been redecorated during the past year.

“When did you redecorate?” she asked.

“How do you know we changed anything?”

“Because this place is as different from your wife’s style as I can imagine. She had verve and originality. Now it’s opulent and generic. Sorry, but those are the only words that come to mind.”

Simon’s mouth flattened into a straight line, but he finally shrugged. “You’re right. I approved redecorating because the designer felt it was needed to keep up with the changing world of fashion. Except now I suppose it’s generic decoration to fit a generic product.”

“Some people may like that product. You mentioned sales have dropped, but surely they haven’t entirely vanished.”

“We’re still in the black. It’s just that my gut tells me things aren’t going the way my wife would have wanted.”

Simon seemed to have a good business acumen, but this wasn’t about making money; it was about saving something special for his daughter.

“Hello, Mr. Kessler.” A woman had come out of the back room. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

“I’m showing an acquaintance around who’s interested in fashion houses. I thought everyone would be gone since the shop closes early on Fridays.”

“There were a few things I wanted to clear up.”

Simon turned to Rachel. “Rachel, this is Miriam Timmons. She’s the manager of Liv’ing Creations. Miriam, Rachel Clarion.”

“Hello. Simon, I’d be happy to give Ms. Clarion a tour. You don’t need to stay.”

“That isn’t necessary. Have a good evening. And weekend, of course.”

Miriam seemed reluctant to leave. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you, Ms. Clarion. Is there any chance you used to be a model?”

It wasn’t unusual for Rachel to be recognized by people, whether or not they were connected to the fashion industry, though she preferred anonymity.

“A long time ago. Now I’m a partner in the Moonlight Ventures talent agency.”

“Really.”

The look on Miriam Timmons’s face wasn’t especially friendly. Was she interested in Simon on a personal basis, or did she suspect the purpose behind the tour was his concern over how the shop was operating? Whatever the reason, she clearly wasn’t thrilled when Simon firmly sent her out the door and locked it behind her.

Rachel gazed at a memorial photo on the wall with a tribute from the staff written beneath. While not traditionally beautiful, Olivia had been an auburn-haired, blue-eyed stunner, whose picture seemed to exude the same suppressed energy as her husband. They must have been exhausting to know as a couple.

“She looks so dynamic,” Rachel said to Simon, who was also gazing at the large portrait. “I get the impression of tight springs, as if she was bursting to keep moving and even sitting still for a picture was hard for her.”

He chuckled, though there was sadness in his face. “Liv had to do everything as fast as possible. Before we met, I thought I was the only one who was that driven. It was a struggle to make time for marriage and family, but we managed.”

A wistful envy went through Rachel. Mutually demanding careers had also been tough on her and Hayden. In a way she kept wanting to blame the accident for her divorce, but she knew it had just precipitated the inevitable end. Their problems had begun practically from the day of their wedding.